Happy Holidays

My sincere apologies for the recent hiatus! The last two months of the semester were, needless to say, incredibly busy. Highlights included the Juilliard Orchestra Shostakovich concert with Vladimir Jurowski, which received very nice reviews from the New York Times and Musical America, as well as performing Bartok Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celeste in Carnegie Hall with Ensemble ACJW and Schubert B-flat Piano Trio at the American Irish Historical City.

Christmas provided much needed relief, filled with time spent baking and eating with loved ones [homemade rosemary pecan bark and eggnog cheesecake pictured above], cuddling with cats, catching up on episodes of Chopped, and some much needed sleep. As the year comes to a close, I am endlessly thankful for the beautiful friends, family, and musical experiences in my life right now. Here's to seeing what 2014 brings!

With the warmest wishes for a Happy New Year,
Francesca

Recipe: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf

As promised, here is the recipe for the pumpkin chocolate chip loaf I have been baking at a mildly alarming rate! The craziness of the beginning of the semester left me with little time to cook, bake, or generally care for myself, but the premise of baking for a room full of hungry violinists (read: studio classes) inspired me to find the time to bake again. Not only did this keep me from going a little bonkers, what with the zen measuring of flours and heady smell of cinnamon and nutmeg, but it was so wonderful to share with everyone! I highly recommend it because, beyond its calming powers, it really is just completely delicious.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf, recipe by Shauna Sever
Makes 1 9x5x3 loaf

11/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Half a can of pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup room temperature wear
Half a bag each of semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips (Ghirardelli is the way to go!)

Preheat over to 350 degrees and prepare a loaf pan by buttering and flouring. In a medium-large bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt. In a larger bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, oil, and sugar, until well-blended. Then add the eggs and vanilla until combined, finishing by whisking in the water. Fold the chocolate chips into the wet ingredients, followed by folding in the dry ingredients in batches. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula, and bake for about 75 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before inverting loaf onto the rack to cool completely before serving. Store in plastic wrap or an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Until next time,
Francesca

Long Overdue Updates!

Well, I'm finally sick with the cold that's been threatening for a couple of months now. Which means, I have time to update! My apologies for the hiatus until now. The beginning of the semester was a frenzy of scheduling, e-mails, starting my teaching assistantship, and practicing like crazy. It was a big adjustment going from teaching 1 1/2 hours to 12 hours a week on top of my own practice, classes, and rehearsals! I'm absolutely in awe of how much I'm learning from this process and it's been a true joy to work with the students in Mr. Perlman's studio. 

Some highlights of the past two months include Perlman Music Program trips to Stanford, CA (a return to my Music@Meno stomping grounds!) and Stowe, VT, becoming my niece Juliette's godmother, baking multiple loaves of pumpkin chocolate chip bread, and experiencing Fall in New York (friends, it's a beautiful thing). I've also been spending a good deal of time ruminating on my future, both short and long term, something which has led to moments of giddy excitement, sheer panic, glimmers of faith, and joy.

With Radu at the PMP in Stanford reception in CA

Pumpkin chocolate chip loaf!

Pumpkin carving and general autumnal merriment

Gorgeous colors in Central Park

Snowy Stowe, VT

From the drive home after our concert in Burlington, VT

Next up on the concert prep list is the Juilliard Orchestra Shostakovich program with conductor Vladimir Jurowski, for which I will be sitting Concertmaster. In addition to the first symphony, we will be playing excerpts from Shostakovich's silent film score (who knew?!) New Bablyon, as well as his Hypothetically Murdered suite. Off to drink Emergen-C and read some ledger lines!

Until next time,

Francesca 

Lemon Layer Cake Recipe

I made this cake for my father's 78th birthday, during a summer spent at home to practice before chamber music festivals in August and to be with him for chemotherapy treatments. I didn't know at the time that it was the last birthday he would have and in retrospect I am so glad that I was there to celebrate with him. I remember making the lemon filling while trying to babysit my one year old niece Annabelle, making silly faces and jumping up and down while grating lemon zest (uh, not so smart in hindsight). I remember putting together the cake batter the next morning and running into my Dad's room to tell him he just had to come taste it. He watched me assemble the entire thing and I could just see how much it meant to him. We celebrated with a family dinner and this beautiful cake was a winner. I decided that I would make it again this year to remember his birthday.

For birthdays or otherwise, I highly recommend this cake. I found the recipe on Shauna Sever's site (no surprises there) and, though it's a bit time consuming, I absolutely love it. The filling is lemon curd, which basically tastes like sunshine in food form. The cake is incredibly moist, yet light, and the whipped frosting is the perfect accompaniment.

Probably my favorite part of the process is making the lemon curd. You begin by making lemon sugar, combining lemon zest and granulated sugar with a mortar and pestle, followed by some eggs, yolks, butter, and lemon juice. A little gelatin gives the curd some body to it, so it's not as much of an oozing mess as most fruit fillings tend to be. 

The cake batter is fairly dreamy too, I must say. It utilizes a slightly different baking process of combining the dry ingredients before the wet. The result is incredibly light and fluffy.

The assembly for me is always a bit tricky. It's difficult to keep those layers in place while frosting, so this time I used toothpicks to keep everything steady. Don't worry, the billowy frosting is so thick and glossy, it covers the otherwise unsightly holes.

There you have it. Read below for the full recipe and details. As for me, I couldn't think of a more meaningful way to remember my Dad's birthday than to smell those cakes in the oven while practicing this morning. Happy Birthday, Dad...I miss you every day.

Lemon Layer Cake (from Shauna Sever)

Yields one 9-inch, 4 layer cake

Lemon Curd

Zest from 2 lemons

1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

6 large egg yolks (save the whites for the cake!)

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes and frozen

Begin by measuring 1 teaspoon of lemon juice into a small bowl and sprinkling the gelatin on top to soften. With a mortar and pestle, work the lemon zest into the sugar, until the sugar is fragrant and coated with the lemon zest oils (after using the mortar and pestle, I also gave the sugar a good mixing with my hands). Heat the rest of the lemon juice, lemon sugar, and salt in a nonreactive saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot, but not bubbling. Whisk the eggs and yolks in a large, nonreactive bowl. Pour the lemon syrup into the eggs and return the mixture to the saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook the curd, stirring constantly, until it reaches 170 degrees and it's thick enough to separate by running your spatula through it. Stir in the gelatin until it dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in the frozen butter until it melted and curd is smooth. Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a nonreactive bowl. Cover the surface of the bowl and chill until firm, at least four hours or up to two days.

Cake

2 1/4 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting the pans

1 cup whole milk, room temperature

6 large egg whites, room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, softened and still cool

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans, lining the bottoms with parchment paper. In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the milk, egg whites, and vanilla. In the bowl of a standing mixer, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, mixing on low speed. Add the butter pieces one at a time, until the mixture resembles even crumbs. Stop the mixer and add all but 1/2 cup of the wet ingredients. Beat the batter at medium speed for about 2 minutes, until pale and fluffy. While the mixer is running on low speed, slowly pour in the remaining wet ingredients and crank the speed up to medium for another 30 seconds. If needed, scrape down the bowl and mix for an additional 30 seconds. Divide the batter equally into the cake pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove them (including the parchment paper) and cool completely. 

Fluffy White Frosting

2 large egg whites

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

Pinch of salt

In the bowl of a standing mixer or another aluminum bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients. Bring about an inch of water to a gentle simmer in a saucepan, placing the bowl over it and stirring constantly until the temperature reaches 160 degrees. Alternatively, if you don't have a candy thermometer, stir until the sugar dissolves and the consistency of the mixture is even. Dry off the bottom of the bowl and attach to the mixer (or set up a hand mixer). Whip the frosting on medium speed for 5 minutes, until it becomes opaque and soft peaks form. On medium-high speed, whip an additional 5 minutes, until the mixture becomes billowy, shiny, and cools to room temperature. Use immediately. 

*I have always made the lemon curd the night before, as it takes some time to zest all of those lemons and make the lemon sugar. You can also choose to bake the cakes in advance, making sure to store them wrapped in plastic and in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Assemble and frost the cake as close to serving as possible.

Until next time,

Francesca 

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Few things are more comforting in life than the simple basics, something I find especially true with baking. When you're having a rough day or longing for the simplicity of childhood, nothing quite hits the spot like a chocolate chip cookie (or the dough, for that matter!). I've tried quite a few chocolate chip cookie recipes in my baking adventures thus far, but this one is consistently the best by far. It's chewy, with plenty of moisture and depth of flavor, thanks to the added richness of a higher brown-to-white sugar ratio and an extra egg yolk.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, based on the recipe by Shauna Sever

Makes about 18 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled (the best part about using melted butter: not having to wait for butter to come to room temperature and easy, smooth mixing)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (I like to use high-quality vanilla extract for this recipe, if available)
1 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I like to mix both semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips--Ghirardelli 60% cacao premium baking chips are excellent)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and sugars. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix in the flour, soda, and salt mixture before adding in the chocolate chips.

Form large balls of the cookie dough, about 1/4 cup each, into rounds and slightly flatten each one. Arrange on the cookie sheet with enough room for the cookies to expand (about six per sheet). Bake for 15-17 minutes, just until the cookies begin to turn light brown. Allow cookies to cool, first on the sheet and then on a wire rack. Enjoy!

Some Summer Updates

My apologies for the lengthy delay between posts! My summer was amazing, as well as particularly busy. Now that I have finished placement exams and almost finished the orientation process at Juilliard, I've had some time to reflect on my experiences as summer comes to a close (?!).

I spent six weeks at The Aspen Music Festival and School, located in Aspen, Colorado. I attended the festival in 2009 and 2010, returning this summer so that I could have a few more lessons with my violin teacher from Colburn, Robert Lipsett. As musicians, we are so lucky that many of our festivals are located in some pretty gorgeous locations.

Maroon Bells, probably one of Aspen's most famous views

At Aspen, my schedule consisted of orchestra rehearsals and performances, private lessons, and individual practice. I had the wonderful opportunity of sitting Assistant Concertmaster in the Aspen Festival Orchestra and Concertmaster for a Baroque string ensemble, as well as working with some amazing guest artists. I was also lucky to live off-campus with a great group of friends from Colburn, all of whom love to cook. Between  cooking for each other and watching a lot of food network, it was definitely a food-filled household!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie--recipe to come soon!

Next, I attended The Perlman Music Program Chamber Music Workshop, located on Shelter Island. I've written about The Perlman Music Program and its incredible philosophy before and I definitely had yet another amazing experience. There, I had the opportunity to work intensely with other young musicians, collaborate, coach, and sight-read with faculty members, and sing in the PMP Chorus, as well as enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

View of the PMP Dock, Shelter Island

In between everything, I've also moved into my first apartment in New York City! I'm so excited for the school year to begin and to get to know the city better. Finally, I'm looking forward to getting back to regular posts!

Until next time,
Francesca

Recipe: Shauna's Blondies

I'm very excited to share my first recipe post! Baking has become one of my favorite things to do--it's a wonderful way to unwind after a long day of practicing, and I love how something sweet can bring people together. Now, introducing the yummiest recipe for blondies, ever. This recipe is from Shauna Sever, a self-taught baker who shares amazing recipes with incredible wit and charm on her blog.

Here's what you will need:

2 1/3 cups all-purpouse flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspon salt (I used sea salt for an extra kick of flavor)
2 tablespoons malted milk powder
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 3/4 cups dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli premium baking chips)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (these can be toasted beforehand, if preferred)
3/4 cup malted milk balls, coarsely chopped (optional; I chose to forego these, as I felt that the flavor was already rich enough)

Malted milk power can be found near the teas and coffees in your grocery store. If regular malted milk powder is unavailable, a chocolate malted milk powder (such as Ovaltine) can be used instead. Extra chocolate is never a bad thing!

Start with preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a small baking pan. If preferred, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper for easier removal of the bars.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and malted milk powder. In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the butter and dark brown sugar on medium speed. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well-blended and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the dry ingredients in two additions on low speed and beat until just combined. Finally, add the chocolate chips and walnuts (and the malted milk balls, if you chose to go with that). Give the batter a final folding by hand to ensure an even mixture. Turn the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it evenly.

Bake in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes (if you have a convection bake oven, check on the blondies at 22 minutes--they will most likely be done in 25). The bars should have an even, golden color (but not too dark, or they will dry out) and a toothpick from the center should come out clean.

Cool on a wire rack in the pan for 20 minutes before removing the bars and cutting them into squares on a cutting board. Once they cool, they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days (once you've eaten some, of course). Enjoy!