Spicy Chai Latte

Have you read Sprouted Kitchen lately? If not, you should do so, immediately, if not sooner!!

Sprouted Kitchen is one of my favorite blogs and is the love child of Sara & Hugh. Sara is the foodie and Hugh is photog, and basically, they make the perfect pair. The food is simple and fresh, as is the photography. It's such a place of inspiration for me!

A cup of chai & yesterday's paper: perfection.

Anyways, on to this spicy chai latte. I could wax on and off about the joys of this concoction. It's heart-warming and has a bit of kick that you feel in the back of your throat, which is immediately calmed by the bit of sweetness and creaminess from the milk.
I've searched far and wide for a good chai recipe, and this is it. I will look no further. It's pretty simple too. Once you round up all the various spices, it just takes about 10 minutes to chai nirvana. If you're feeling a bit luxurious, top it with a bit of lightly sweetened whipped cream, if not, it's perfect as it is!

Tons of ginger make for a perfectly spicy chai latte!

A collection of luxurious spices (top left to bottom right): star anise, cardamom, black peppercorns, cinnamon stick.

Spicy Chai Latte

Yields: 4 servings

Original recipe here.

4 bags of black tea (darjeeling, english breakfast, etc.)

1 cup milk

2 in. piece of ginger, cut into pieces

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. cardamom seeds

1 tsp. black peppercorns

3 cinnamon sticks

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

star anise (optional)

brown sugar or honey, to taste

In a small plastic bag, combine the peppercorns, cardamom and cloves. Use a mallet or heavy skillet to crush the spices into coarse pieces. In a saucepan on medium heat, combine the milk, crushed spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and star anise (if using). Allow the milk to come to a gentle boil, then cover and turn off the heat. Allow everything to steep for about 15 minutes. While the spicy milk steeps, bring water to a boil. Combine the 4 tea bags with 2 cups of boiling water. Allow the tea to steep for 4 minutes then discard the tea bags. Add the tea to the spicy, warm milk. Use a fine mesh strainer or coffee filter to remove the spices. Add brown sugar or honey to taste, stir and enjoy warm!

I just got this new mug, and I'm quite enamored with it!

Tailored Tuesdays

I am sooooo obsessed with those earrings!

And the shoes too, they would match anything.

1. Duffy 'Layered cashmere cardigan'

2. Alldressedup 'Gathered silk top'

3. Victoria Beckham Denim 'Waxed mid-rise skinny jeans'

4. Bottega Veneta 'Snakeskin slouch bag'

5. Tom Binns 'Silver plated swarovski crystal earrings'

6. Jimmy Choo 'Private patent leather sandals'

all images can be found at net-a-porter.com

Mixtape

So far, I'm loving the new Sufjan Stevens releases! I've been anxiously waiting for him to release new songs since I don't even remember when. I guess he's no longer going the one CD per state route, although I secretly wish he still was. My new favorite though has to go to Hoodie Allen, I love how they incorporate sampling into their songs.

And I adore these remixes of William Fitzsimmons. Sometimes his songs can be a little slow paced for me, so these are the perfect version - or I think, anyways.

Since I can't host files anymore, I provided links to how you can grab your hands on these songs though the Hype Machine - one of my favorite websites ever!! Sorry for the inconvenience.

Crystal Castles

[Vanished]

Sufjan Stevens

[Enchanting Ghost]

[I Walked]

Calvin Harris

[You Used to Hold Me]

Yeasayer

[ONE]

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

[Janglin - RAC mix]

Hoodie Allen

[Words of Wisdom ft Two Door Cinema Club]

[You are Not a Robot ft. Marina & the Diamonds]

Bassnectar

[Magical World ft. Nelly Furtado]

William Fitzsimmons

[So This is Goodbye - Pink Ganter Remix]

[I Don't Feel It Anymore - George Raquet Remix]

Wale

[New Soul ft. Yael Naim]

- - -

I also, loove this song [Sara Bareilles - King of Anything]. This music video is super fun. I especially love when she "plays" her piano of forks and the polaroid-ish format.

Open-Faced Fresh Blueberry Pie

There's nothing more summery than a pie! Well, that's what I think at least. A nice cool slice of pie topped with mounds of fluffy whipped cream or a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, doesn't the thought of it sound dreamy? Dream no longer folks. Make this pie and the reality is yours!

This is quite possibly one of the easiest, but most delicious, pies I have ever made. You could even do without making your own crust and buy a pre-made crust (don't worry, I won't tell). What I love about this pie is that only 1/4 of the berries are cooked while the rest are folded in later, untouched and impossibly fresh. This pie isn't too sweet, and bursts in your mouth with every bite. It really is spectacular! Oh, and the filling to this pie stands really well! After letting the pie rest, the pie slices soooo nicely and doesn't goop and gush all over the place, which is nice for a change!

I didn't have enough blueberries on hand so I used a mixture of blueberries and blackberries, and by gosh was it fantastic! This was a new pie crust recipe I tried, which though I did like, I prefer the one I used here better. This pie crust was not as flaky and more cookie-ish. So depending on your preference, you can use either one.

Had to have that gratuitous innards shot!

Open-Faced Fresh Blueberry Pie

Yields: 1 9-inch pie, about 6 servings

Original pie recipe here.

Original pie

crust recipe here.

For the crust:

1 1/8 cup flour

1 tbsn. sugar

1/8 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) very cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3 - 4 tbsn. water

For the pie:

4 cups blueberries, rinsed and dried

1/2 cup + 2 tbsn. water, divided

2 tbsn. cornstarch

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups whipped cream, optional

To make the pie crust, combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal or large peas. Add 3 tbsn. of water and pulse until the dough begins to form a ball; you may need to add more water if dry. Turn out into a lightly floured surface and gather it into a ball. Divide the dough in half and gently pat each half into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling. Roll out the crust, large enough to fit your pie tin. Transfer to the pie tin, cutting off the excess and crimping the edges. Let chill in the refrigerator before baking for 15 - 30 minutes to prevent shrinking. To bake, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the pie shell with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes covered, then remove the pie weights and liner and bake until lightly golden, about 10 - 15 minutes more. Cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

To make the filling, measure out 1 cup of blueberries, choosing the softest ones. Place them in a medium saucepan with the 1/2 cup of water. Cover and bring them to a boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and remaining 2 tbsn. water, set it aside. When the water and blueberries have come to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly for 3 - 4 minutes or until the blueberries start to burst and the juices begin to thicken. Stirring constantly, add the cornstarch mixture, sugar, lemon juice and salt. Simmer for a minute or until the mixture becomes translucent. Immediately remove it from the heat and quickly fold in the remaining 3 cups of blueberries. Spoon the mixture into the baked pie shell and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving. When set, the berries will remain juicy but will not flow out of the crust. Just before serving, if desired, pipe or spread the whipped cream around the sides of the pie, leaving the center unadorned.

Blueberry dreams...

Green Tea & Strawberry Cupcakes

Today's post will be short and sweet, just like these cupcakes!

Basically, if you combine a perfectly moist little matcha cupcake with the easiest fresh strawberry custard and top it with an impossibly perfect fresh strawberry swiss meringue buttercream, the results are spectacular!

And, of course you cannot deny how impossibly beautiful these things are. I love the combination of this green and pale pink together. But, the combination of green tea and strawberry is much, much better!

Perfectly domed cupcakes :)

1. Take a cupcake.

2. Cut a hole in the cupcake.

3. Fill the hole with strawberry custard.

4. Top with strawberry buttercream!

Green Tea & Strawberry Cupcakes with Custard Filling

Yields: 12 cupcakes

Adapted from here.

For the cake:

3/4 cup + 2 tbsn. cake flour

1/2 cup + 2 tbsn. all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsn. matcha powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 large eggs

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

For the custard:

1 small box of instant vanilla pudding

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

10 - 15 large strawberries, washed and hulled (more or less, to your taste)

For the SMBC:

2 large egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 sticks of butter (12 tbsn.), cut into 12 pieces

Strawberry puree or preserves

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line a cupcake tin with liners and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and matcha powder. Mix on low speed until combined. Add the butter, mixing until the cubes of butter are peanut sized or a little smaller. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla. With the mixer on medium speed, add the wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down the sides of the bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Divide the batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 17 - 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

To make the custard, whip the first four ingredients together until it is well combined and begins to thicken, about 3 - 5 minutes. Place in refrigerator to let chill and thicken some more until ready to use. Chop the strawberries into small dices, and place onto a paper towel lined plate. Place some paper towels on top and place in the refrigerator to allow the water from the strawberries to seep out, about 10 minutes. Once most of the water has been released, fold the strawberries into the custard and continue to refrigerate until ready to use. To make the frosting, put the egg whites and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. Place the bowl over a pot of boiling water making sure the bottom does not actually touch the water. Stir the egg whites until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and place into the mixer stand. Beat until it becomes white and doubles in size. Add the vanilla on low speed, then add the butter, one piece at a time, making sure it is well mixed after each addition. Do not worry if it looks curdled, it will take some time for it to come together. Continue beating for 5 - 10 minutes until everything comes together. Add the strawberry puree or preserves until desired berry taste. Spread/ pipe/ smother onto your cupcakes and enjoy!!

The custard says, "Peek-a-boo!"

La Palette's (Straw)berry Tart

It's summer here where I live more than ever - the sun is beating down and the second I step outside of my oh-so-nice-and-cool-house is the second I hiss like a vampire and begin to melt into a pile of goop. Sooooooo not pretty. But do you know what is pretty? This tart!

It's possibly the epitome of summer desserts and perfect because it doesn't require much slaving over hot stoves or burning ovens. It's delightfully simple. A tart dough that practically makes itself in the food processor and doesn't require rolling! Just a simple pat, pat, pat into the tart shell and poof, that's it.

Taste wise, this tart is equally as stunning. The tart dough is lightly sweetened and buttery, sort of like a shortbread. The jam adds a sticky sweetness that's always desired and of course the fresh fruit is the real stunner. I used a combination of berries because I just happened to have them, but any combination will do. I added a little lemon cream for an extra dimension, which personifies summer even more so!

La Palette's (Straw)berry Tart

Yields: 1 9-inch tart, about 6 - 8 servings

Adapted from here.

best quality strawberry jam, or any berry jam you have on hand

1 quart ripe strawberries, trimmed and halved if large (I used mixed berries)

For the sweet tart dough:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

9 tbsn. very cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg yolk

For the lemon cream:

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup lemon curd, store-bought or home-made

To make the tart dough, combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a couple times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in, with varying pieces in size. Stir the egg yolk to break up and add it to the food processor, a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the whole yolk is in, process in long pulses until the dough begins to clump together. Turn the dough out onto a board and knead it enough to incorporate any flour that didn't get mixed in. Press the dough into a well-buttered 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Freeze for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit it tightly across the crust, buttered side down. Bakke for25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 8 - 10 minutes, or until the crust is evenly browned and firm to the touch. Let crust cool completely.

To make the lemon cream, whip the heavy cream using a hand mixer or a stand mixer until peaks form. Do not over beat or else it will turn into butter. Use a spatula to fold in the lemon curd and vanilla until no streaks appear, refrigerate until ready to use. To assemble the tart, spread a thin layer of jam on the crust. If your strawberries are not sweet enough, you can toss them in a little sugar, to taste, otherwise assemble them on top of the jam. The tart is best when eaten immediately after being assemble. Enjoy with lemon cream!

LOOK at that cross-section! Buttery tart shell, ooey-gooey jam, fresh fruit & refreshing lemon cream :)

Target

Gilt Groupe just released their advanced showing of the new Target capsule collections and most of everything is already sold out!!! These are some of my favorite brands, reinterpreted into something more affordable for someone like me & you!

These Tucker items are so adorable. I love floral but Tucker really does the theme especially well, in clothes that make me want to smile and meander through a field of wheat!
I loooooooooooooooooooooooove Mulberry (and that's an understatement). I actually just got a 'knock-off' version from Forever 21! But these are the real deal, real Mulberry, just cheaper! I love these patent black versions, but I'm not loving that heart detail (I'd just rip it off)!
I've never heard of John Derian before and looking at these items, it makes me sad I hadn't! These are utterly gorgeous statement pieces for a modern home... and I need to get my hands on them immediately! Immediately, I tell you!

In case you don't know what Gilt Groupe is, it's a great website that offers amazing deals on designer clothing. It's still a bit out of my price range, but it's always nice to graze through. Since most of these items are already sold out, just wait a bit and they should be available at your local Target soon!

Madder Red

1. Love Yeasayer.

2. Love this song.

3. Love Kristen Bell.

4. Love this weird & utterly quirky adaptation of the song!

Yeasayer {Madder Red}

"Even when my luck is down
I take joy in knowing that our love grows"

French Macarons Galore!

Fellow food bloggers/ bakers, I have a question for you! So I have this problem... sometimes, when I bake the various things that I bake, I really want to be truthful in my description of how the things taste, how they turned out, or how difficult they were to make. The most difficult thing for me though is how things taste.

I know, I know! It really shouldn't be that hard to tell you guys if something is delicious or not but sometimes I really over-think things and examine things to the fine details rather than focusing on the overall deliciousness of the thing! Weird, but I can't help it. Anyway, that's why I always have taste testers - they sure do help a lot with my weird taste bud issues!

So, after all that, on to these macarons! Along with the lavender & vanilla bean macarons I posted a while ago, I made ALL of these too! It was my best friend's birthday and I knew that these would make thee perfect gift, and would let me practice my macaron-making skills, well so I'd hoped.

Weirdly enough, some came out perfect. As for the others, I could not say the same. This was probably due to the fact that I was rushing my macaron making. At first, when tasting them, I was blinded by their slight imperfections. I overcooked the green tea macarons a bit, so they were a bit brown. They were also oddly shaped and didn't have the perfect little feet that I so dreamed of! The lemon though, looked flawless. But besides all of this, my friend told me that they were everything she could have asked for. Yay!

Her favorite were the green tea flavored ones, both the adzuki bean and the passionfruit. I liked the passionfruit a lot because of the tangy and sweet passionfruit buttercream. I also really liked the earthiness that the green tea added to the shells. The lemon mascarpone were also really delicious, super tangy but sweet and I think one of the most beautiful, with perfect smooth shells and some feet!

Green Tea & Adzuki Bean French Macarons

Yields: 2 dozen macarons

Adapted from here.

For the macarons:

1 cup powdered sugar + 4 tsp.

1/2 cup almond powder or meal + 2 tsp.

2 tsp. matcha powder

2 large egg whites, room temperature

5 tbsn. granulated sugar

green food coloring

For the adzuki bean SMBC:

1/2 cup sugar

2 large egg whites

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup prepared and sweetened Adzuki beans, or more if desired

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2 inch) ready. In a blender or food processor, grind together the powdered sugar, almond powder/ meal and matcha to make sure there are no lumps. Add the green food coloring to your desired shade of green into the granulated sugar and mix until combined. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the dyed sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes. Carefully fold in the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is smooth and there are no streaks of egg whites, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag. Pipe the batter on the prepared baking sheet in 1 inch circles (about 1 tbsn. each), evenly spaced 1 inch apart. Tap the baking sheet a few times on the counter to flatten the macarons and let air 'dry' for 1 hour. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Let cool completely before removing them.

To make the SMBC, put the sugar and egg white in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream. Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until it cools and forms a thick, shiny meringue, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment, and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth. Beat on high speed until it is thick and very smooth, about 6 - 10 minutes. To assemble the macarons, pair the shells off into similar sizes. Take one shell and pipe about 1 tbsn. of the adzui SMBC onto it. Top with the other shell and enjoy!

Lemon Mascarpone French Macarons

Yields: 2 dozen macarons

Adapted from here. Filling recipe here.

For the macarons:

1 cup powdered sugar + 2 tbsn.

1/2 cup almond powder or meal + 1 tbsn.

2 large egg whites, room temperature

5 tbsn. granulated sugar

yellow food coloring

For the lemon cream filling:

4 oz. mascarpone cheese, room temperature

2 - 3 tbsn. lemon curd

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Have a pastry bad with a plain tip (about 1/2 inch) ready. In a blender or food processor, grind together the powdered sugar and almond powder/ meal to make sure there are no lumps. Add the yellow food coloring into the granulated sugar and mix until combined. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the dyed sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes. Carefully fold in the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is smooth and there are no streaks of egg whites, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag. Pipe the batter on the prepared baking sheet in 1 inch circles (about 1 tbsn. each), evenly spaced 1 inch apart. Tap the baking sheet a few times on the counter to flatten the macarons and let air 'dry' for 1 hour. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Let cool completely before removing them.

To make the filling, beat all the ingredients together until thick and creamy. Chill for 2 - 3 hours before using. To assemble the macarons, first pair off the shells into similar sizes. Take one shell and pipe the lemon mixture on top (about 1 tbsn. each), then top with the other macaron shell. Enjoy!

Green Tea & Passionfruit French Macarons

Yields: 2 dozen macarons

Adapted from here.

For the macarons:

1 cup powdered sugar + 4 tsp.

1/2 cup almond powder or meal + 2 tsp.

2 tsp. matcha powder

2 large egg whites, room temperature

5 tbsn. granulated sugar

green food coloring, if stronger green color is desired

For the passionfruit SMBC:

1/2 cup sugar

2 large egg whites

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

passionfruit syrup, if desired (found at Asian supermarkets)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2 inch) ready. In a blender or food processor, grind together the powdered sugar, almond powder/ meal and matcha to make sure there are no lumps. Add the green food coloring to your desired shade of green into the granulated sugar and mix until combined. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the dyed sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes. Carefully fold in the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is smooth and there are no streaks of egg whites, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag. Pipe the batter on the prepared baking sheet in 1 inch circles (about 1 tbsn. each), evenly spaced 1 inch apart. Tap the baking sheet a few times on the counter to flatten the macarons and let air 'dry' for 1 hour. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Let cool completely before removing them.

To make the SMBC, put the sugar and egg white in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream. Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until it cools and forms a thick, shiny meringue, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment, and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth. Beat on high speed until it is thick and very smooth, about 6 - 10 minutes. Add passionfruit syrup to taste, but be careful not to add too much or else the buttercream will start to separate. To assemble the macarons, pair the shells off into similar sizes. Take one shell and pipe about 1 tbsn. of the passionfruit SMBC onto it. Top with the other shell and enjoy!