Amazing Salted Caramel Cake

There was a recipe for caramel cake that I ripped out of Saveur magazine about five years ago. It looked more than delicious. It looked spectacular. It looked divine. It looked like something that Julia Child would have made for Paul when he had been very, very good. Last week I decided that it was finally time to make it. My mouth was watering for caramel.

And then I read the recipe. When I got to the frosting directions I read this: "Cook, stirring occasionally, until icing registers 240°, about 1 1/2  hours...Remove from heat; beat with a wood spoon until thick, glossy and spreadable, 20-25 minutes."

Let's just revisit those last two lines...beat for two hours? TWO HOURS? Wow. I love baking, and I love my friends, but there really isn't anyone I'd beat caramel for two hours for. Not Kurt. Not Lyle Lovett. Not David Straithairn, not Paul Bettany, Mary Oliver, the Dalai Lama, Jimmy Carter, Desmond Tutu, Robert Motherwell, Mark Rothko, Woody Guthrie, Susan B. Anthony, Helen Keller, Jane Austin, Florence Nightengale and George Carlin combined.

So I looked around a little, and found this recipe. It requires 3 short minutes of cooking the caramel, and just a little stir here and there (take that, two freaking hours of stirring!). Even better? It tastes GREAT! The Fleur de sel (flaky sea salt) sprinkled on top is, as they say, the icing on the cake.


SALTED CARAMEL CAKE

Caramel Sauce
12 Tb (1 1/2 sticks)
2 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup whole milk

Cake
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
12 Tb (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granualted sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup milk

Caramel Buttercream
3/4 cup reserved caramel sauce
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
4 Tb (half a stick) butter
2 Tb milk
Sea Salt (flaky fleur de sel) for topping

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°

Make the Caramel Sauce
1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and brown sugar and milk together, Bring to a boil.
2. Let mixture boil for 3 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and let cool.

Make Cake
1. Grease and flour two 9" round cake pans. Alternately, fit with parchment paper rounds.
2. In medium size bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together.
3. In mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed for 3 minutes.
4. Add eggs and vanilla and continue beatuing until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl when necessary.
5. Add the flour and the milk, beating on low speed until ingredients are just combined.
6. Pour into prepared pans.
7.  Bake approximately 30 minutes, or until done.
8. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes.

Make Caramel Buttercream
1. In a mixing bowl, combine butter and SIFTED powdered sugar on low speed, scraping sides as needed. 2. Pour in prepared 3/4 cup of caramel. Beat on medium about 2 minutes until creamy.

Putting it all together
1. Set aside 3/4 cup of caramel.
2. After the cakes have cooled for about ten minutes, pierce the tops with a fork. Pour remaining caramel sauce over cakes, allowing it to absorb into the holes.
3. Let the cakes finish cooling.
4. When the cakes are cool, remove them from cake pans and frost.
5. Sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Name That Pizza Contest - Milkweed Mercantile at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage

Fresh spinach, fresh mozzarella, and fresh waitresses 32 kinds of craft beer!

Here at the Milkweed Mercantile at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, we're getting semi-famous for our pizza, served every Thursday (except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day) from 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. We serve homemade thin-crust Neopolitan-style pizza. The mozzarella and feta cheese are made here at Dancing Rabbit from local organic milk. We offer a variety of toppings, which double in the summer during gardening season. We think our pizza is pretty darned good, and so do our customers. Quantities are limited so reservations are highly recommended (660-883-5522).

I was told when I arrived to the ecovillage that I should try pizza night at the Milkweed Mercantile, that it was better than NYC pizza (my home town) and I didn't believe it. I finally experienced it and it is seriously amazing pizza. I don't think I can find crust light this- thin and flaky. The toppings were also done to perfect proportion. This will go down as one of my top 5 lifetime pizza experiences. 

~Lena, NYC

To celebrate our joy of pizza we're having a contest. 
The winners get....(drum roll please)...PIZZA!

THE CONTEST
1. Create a pizza from the toppings listed below, and give the pizza a name.
2. Prize: a gift certificate for one Milkweed Mercantile pizza AND your pizza creation will go on our menu. You will become famous for being a creative genius and most likely your life will change immensely. You will get lots of "likes" on Facebook, and your name will become a household word, synonymous with "good taste," "elegance," and "anchovies."

 One of the judges demonstrating her pizza tasting technique.

3. You may enter as many pizzas as you wish.
4. The object is to create a DELICIOUS pizza with a clever name.
5. Points will be awarded as follows:
    Each judge* will evaluate pizzas independently, and all evaluations will be combined for a total score.
    Each judge may award up to 25 points.

   25 points = perfection.

• Up to 5 points awarded for flavor combination
• Up to 5 points awarded for cleverness of the name
• Up to 5 points awarded for how name fits the toppings 
• Up to 5 points awarded if we actually want to eat the pizza
• Up to 5 points awarded at judges' discretion as bonus points 

 
RULES:
1. To submit entries: leave a comment below OR leave a comment on the accompanying Facebook post.
2. Deadline: All entries must be submitted by midnight on Monday, March 3, 2014.
3. Winners will be announced Friday, March 7, 2014
4. We are not responsible for any lost entries. Blame Bill Gates.
5. Number of winners: Judges may award as many winning combinations as they wish. We're keeping our fingers crossed for lots of great entries!
6.  Have fun!


All pizzas come with our own special tomato sauce (organic crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt)

Meat/Fish toppings:
La Quercia Prosciutto 
Applegate Pepperoni
Italian Sausage
Anchovies

Other stuff
Dan’s Feta Cheese
Egg, local, cage-free
Ranch Dipping Sauce (made here at the Mercantile)


Vegetable Toppings
Smoked Jalapenos from Blue Heron Orchards
Pickled Jalepenos from Mrs. Milkweed’s Kitchen
Fresh Spinach
Red and Green Bell Peppers (from local farms when in season)
Black Olives
Kalamata Olives
Green Olives
Raw Red Onions
Caramelized Yellow Onions
Button Mushrooms
Morel Mushrooms (in season)
Shitake Mushrooms (in season)
Corn, Organic non-GMO
Sauerkraut
Spinach, fresh (from local farms when in season)
Pineapple
Capers
Sundried Tomatoes
Garlic Slices, fresh (from local farms when in season)
Fresh Basil (in season)
Pesto (in season)





* JUDGES
Alline, Top Banana, Milkweed Mercantile
Kurt, The Guy Who Does Everything Else, Milkweed Mercantile
Nik, Minister of Pies, Milkweed Mercantile
Katherine, Vice President, Pizza Division
Mae, Vice President, Dessert Quality Assurance



Ready, set, GO! You have until midnight on March 3rd!

Thanks to You All, We Won a Grant!

 Dear friends,

This is a VERY belated thank you.

On December 2nd we were notified that not only did we win one of the three 2013 Green America People and Planet $5,000 grants for Green Travel and Tourism, we received THE MOST VOTES OF ALL BUSINESSES!

Wow.

Needless to say, we were (and are) beside ourselves. So, so happy. And what even better than the money is the outpouring of support that we received from all of you. Thank you so, so much for logging on to the Green America site and voting for the Milkweed Mercantile!

We even made the front page of the local Memphis Democrat Newspaper.

Thank you also to all of the good folks at Green America.They do a lot more than give out money to cool green businesses that we love. They are doing really valuable work in all areas of sustainability.


We're still waiting to hear about the $250,000 Chase grant. It is, indeed, a long shot, but would be such a game-changer that the very idea of it takes my breath away. All their website says about the date of the award announcement is this: "...a list of grant recipients will be posting on the program website in January 2014."

more soon!

love,
Alline

A list of Grant Recipients will be posted on the Program Website in January, 2014. - See more at: https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/rules#sthash.WoKE8tgf.dpuf

Grant Recipients: A list of Grant Recipients will be posted on the Program Website in January, 2014. - See more at: https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/rules#sthash.WoKE8tgf.dpuf

Grant Recipients: A list of Grant Recipients will be posted on the Program Website in January, 2014. - See more at: https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/rules#sthash.WoKE8tgf.dpuf

Grant Recipients: A list of Grant Recipients will be posted on the Program Website in January, 2014. - See more at: https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/rules#sthash.WoKE8tgf.dpuf

A Poem for New Year's Eve

 

A Poem for New Year's Eve

 

The two of us are older now

(ahem, much older).

Wrinkles soften the formerly taut plains of our faces

and we no longer need to be the center of attention.

We have nothing left to prove.

Our inner party animals slumber,

safe and secure in the comfort of the lumpy bodies of former wild children.

No drunken New Year’s Eve bacchanalia,

no stay-up-to-prove-you’re-having-fun for us.

Tonight, we’ll ring in the New Year together,

on the couch.

The cat,

weighing in at more than a bowling ball but (thankfully) still less than a refrigerator,

will manage to nestle between and on each of us, 

the way he likes it best.

We’ll all watch a movie;

it doesn’t matter which one.

And when 9:30 p.m. rolls around we’ll wish each other a Happy New Year,

because, in Newfoundland, it is.

Then we’ll turn off the TV, stoke the fire, and head upstairs

to sleep, and to dream

of the year ahead and of us,

and of our lives,

together. 

The "big-boned" Fionn MacCool (all delicious 13 pounds of him)

LIsten to it LOUD - This IS the day! Thanks, Vienna Teng!

Inspiration comes from all over. Sometimes it hits me over the head, sometimes it's on Facebook. Often the two are one and the same.

Here is my new favorite song. My favorite lyrics are excepted below. How can one NOT have a great day when starting off like this?

Happy listening!

Love,
Alline




...if you are afraid, give more.
if you are alive, give more now.
everybody here has seams and scars.
so what. level up.

let your faith die.
bring your wonder.
yes, you are only one.
no, it is not enough
but if you lift your eyes, I am your brother.
and this is all we need.
and this is where we start.
this is the day we greet.
this is the day, no other.

20 Seconds to Change Our World

UPDATE DECEMBER 2013: The Milkweed Mercantile won one of the three Green America People and Planet Awards! More info here. Thanks again, everyone!


Hi friends,

The Milkweed Mercantile, the Eco Inn, Cafe and Green General Store that my husband and I run at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage needs your  help.

It's incredibly easy help to give.

Simply click here to vote for the Mercantile in the Green America People and Planet Awards. The top three vote recipients receive a $5,000 grant.

To many businesses $5,000 is a drop in the bucket. But to us it would be a tremendous gift. So many things could be accomplished! A sign out on the highway to let folks know we're here, a gardener to take our garden from haphazard to spectacular, repair/replacement of the chairs purchased at auction five years ago which are now on the brink of collapse, a few improvements and updates on our website...

Voting is open until 5:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Thanks for considering!

Love,
Alline & Kurt

Sometimes Pecan Pie Needs a Little Kick in the, um, a Little Kick

 When our friends Bob and Angie invited us for Thanksgiving dinner, Angie said she was making a pumpkin pie but that she'd leave the pecan pie to me. Yehaw! Time for my new favorite pie!

Unfortunately, we ate half of the pie before I had time to take a photo. The other half was whisked away for the Feast of Gloria Tubman (Harriet's under-achieving younger sister), traditionally held the day after Thanksgiving and featuring all the leftovers.

Anyway, Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie comes from my new favorite cookbook, The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook (below). How could you NOT love this book? Look at those two - they clearly love their jobs!

And with good reason. I've not yet had the opportunity to visit their bakery in Savannah, but I have tried about 1/4 of the recipes in the book, and every single one totally kicks some bakery butt.

Here's the best part - this pie is SO easy. You don't even have to roll out pie crust - you just press it into the pie plate. 

Below is the recipe. I've made a few small changes.

Bourbon Pecan Pie
Inspired by The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook by Cheryl Day and Griffith Day.

½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1 ½ cups dark corn syrup
½ tsp fine sea salt
1 ½ tsp all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tb bourbon
1 ½ tsp butter, melted
1 ¾ cups pecan halves
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 recipe Shortcut Piecrust, made with brown sugar, unbaked

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together both sugars, the corn syrup, salt, flour and eggs, mixing until completely combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla, bourbon, and butter until well combined. Fold in the pecans and chocolate chips.
3. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell.. Bake for 1 hour or until the pie is firm around the edges and just a bit loose in the center.
4. Remove the pie from the oven and cool for at least 1 hour on a wire rack before slicing. It’s best served the same day, but it can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Shortcut Piecrust
Makes one 9” piecrust.
Cheryl and Griffith say “This pie crust is revolutionary. It’s a press-in crust, with no rolling or chilling required. Plus, it’s buttery and flaky and so easy to prepare.” Alline says "they're not just whistling Dixie!"

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup packed light brown sugar or granulated sugar
½ tsp fine sea salt
11 Tb unsalted butter, melted (1 ¾ sticks)

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Press into a pie plan, trying to keep the dough as evenly thick as you can. Press it up the sides of the pie pan and make it pretty! You can't go wrong - it's kind of like play-dough that actually tastes good.