Shared Sugar » sour cream http://sharedsugar.com Sat, 03 Dec 2011 03:29:40 +0000 en hourly 1 Peach (or Apple) Sour Cream Puff http://sharedsugar.com/peach-or-apple-sour-cream-puff/ http://sharedsugar.com/peach-or-apple-sour-cream-puff/#comments Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:39:33 +0000 Mara http://sharedsugar.com/?p=1626 shared-sugar-peach-puff-1
I know that it’s almost over, those last days of peaches are upon us. I will be quite sad to see them go, so I’ve made this dessert a few times to savor their goodness.

This dessert is pretty great for a dinner with friends because it’s a less expected choice with all the fall crisps and crumbles approaching. If you’re out of peaches already in your area, make it with apples. That’s actually what the original recipe calls for so you can get bonus points for following the rules.

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Make it on one condition though. Eat it all up on the first day. Pass it out to friends if you have to. It’s egg-based, and the texture really changes when refrigerated and reheated. It’s best eaten warm.

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P.S. Sorry for the unintended hiatus. Summer had it’s way with us and kept out out of the kitchen and (somewhat) off the interwebs. And yes, we’re still sore from the lake intertubing and Vegas romping. Turns out our bodies don’t heal as quickly as when we were 15 and 21. Anywho, thanks to all of you loyal friends that stuck around. We give you an internet gold star.

    Peach Sour Cream Puff

    Recipe torn from my mom’s files, source unknown
    serves 6-8

  • Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 4 cups peaches, pitted, peeled and sliced (about 8 medium peaches, OR 4 medium apples if you’re going that route)
  • 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup pure cane sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 egg whites, room temperature

  • Directions

    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a 10-inch oven-proof skillet, melt the butter. Add the peaches, 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat for 12-15 minutes until thickened slightly. If your peaches are quite juicy (mine were), depending on their juiciness, pour between 1/2 cup to 1 cup of the liquid into a small bowl and reserve for later. Then, pour 1/2 of the remaining peach mixture into another bowl.

    In a mixing bowl, beat egg yolks until thick and pale yellow. Beat in sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla.

    In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks, with tips curling over. Gradually add the remaining sugar and beat until it forms stiff peaks, with tips standing up straight. Fold in the egg yolk mixture. Pour over peach mixture in skillet. Pour remaining peach mixture on top.

    Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes until puffed up and top is golden brown. Sift powdered sugar on top. If you have reserved the extra liquid, now drizzle that over the top. Serve immediately.

]]> http://sharedsugar.com/peach-or-apple-sour-cream-puff/feed/ 10 Apple Fritters with Sour Cream & Honey Dip http://sharedsugar.com/apple-fritters-with-sour-cream-honey-dip/ http://sharedsugar.com/apple-fritters-with-sour-cream-honey-dip/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 03:54:45 +0000 Mara http://sharedsugar.com/?p=987 AppleFritters2
These fritters may not be shaped like hearts. There are no red sprinkles. Or pink frosting. But, this is still very much a Valentine’s Day post.

Awhile ago, my husband said to me, “I like it when you bake things for me that you wouldn’t normally bake for yourself.”

When I heard that, I knew that for Valentine’s Day I wanted to make him something that he would clearly know was for him, and not for me at all. He’s a wonderful man, and this is the least of what he deserves.

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Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am not a fried food person. In fact, my friends were astonished when I told them I actually ordered fried chicken (mainly for the gouda mac & cheese and truffled honey that came with it) when I ate at Pican in Oakland this past week.

Donuts especially, I can only handle those about once or twice a year, to my husband’s dismay. If I’m feeling especially kind, I’ll venture out to his favorite donut spot, and he’ll almost always request either an apple or cherry fritter. So, when I was looking through my current favorite cookbook, The Craft of Baking, and saw these apple fritters, I knew instantly what we would be having for breakfast this morning.

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Even for a girl who abhors most foods dipped in oil, I have to say that I couldn’t stop eating these. These are not as donut-like as most and have a much fresher taste. Instead of being all batter and a hint of fruit, the batter balances evenly with the bite of the tangy apple ring. Then, the cinnamon-sugar coating addition makes the fritters pretty exceptional.

In case you were wondering, I kept my choice in beer classy by using a can of PBR. My husband had a lot leftover from a dare of sorts, long story. But, it worked. For a little extra kick, I improvised a sour cream and honey dip that helped offset the sweetness of the fritters. All this combined, and it was a pretty great start to a Valentine’s Day.

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    Apple Fritters with Sour Cream & Honey Dip

  • Ingredients

    apple fritters
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1/4 cup plus 7 tablespoons sugar
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 large eggs, separated
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup beer (lager or pilsner)
  • 1 large firm baking apple, such as Granny Smith
  • Peanut oil (okay to use canola if peanut is unavailable), for frying
  • sour cream & honey dip
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon


  • Directions

    • make the apple fritters

    In a small bowl, whisk together flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside.

    In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, butter and vanilla. Whisk in one third of flour mixture. Then whisk in one third of beer. Repeat mixing in by thirds until combined. Set aside batter and let rest for 30 minutes.

    While waiting on batter, peel, core and slice apple in 10 rings. Mix together 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Spread apple rings out and sprinkle sugar mixture over top of the rings. Let rings sit and soften for 20 minutes.

    While waiting on batter, use a wide bowl to mix together remaining 6 tablespoons sugar, remaining 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon and a pinch of kosher salt. Set aside.

    In a stand mixer, whisk egg whites in a cold, clean bowl until soft peaks form. When batter is rested, gently fold egg whites into the batter until fully incorporated.

    Fill a skillet or pot with 1-1/2 to 2 inches oil. Heat the oil to 375 degrees. Or, insert the end of a wooden spoon into the oil to test it. If bubbles immediately form around the spoon, the oil is ready. In batches, dip the apple rings into batter. It helps to loop the apples around your finger when dipping, for more coverage.

    In batches, drop rings into oil. Turn each ring once, using tongs. Fry a few minutes on each side, until rings are golden. Remove and place on paper towels to drain. Immediately place in cinnamon-sugar mixture and toss to coat.

    make the sour cream & honey dip

    In a small bowl, combine sour cream, honey and cinnamon.

    Serve fritters fresh and warm with the dipping sauce. If you have leftovers as we did (since I doubled the recipe), reheat in a toaster oven. Then toss in some of the leftover cinnamon-sugar mixture.

]]> http://sharedsugar.com/apple-fritters-with-sour-cream-honey-dip/feed/ 18 Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake http://sharedsugar.com/blueberry-sour-cream-coffee-cake/ http://sharedsugar.com/blueberry-sour-cream-coffee-cake/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:58:37 +0000 Mara http://sharedsugar.com/?p=310 BlueberryCoffeeCake1
Blueberries in October. Hmmm. Lately I’ve been really trying to keep things seasonal and local as much as possible, especially after seeing Food, Inc. However, some things just can’t be helped. The things you do in the name of love. I was forced to break out the blueberries that I had frozen this summer from the farmer’s market.

See, my husband’s birthday falls in October and his mom already makes a tremendous carrot cake for him. I haven’t yet touched a carrot cake recipe because I know I would not measure up to momma D. Instead, I thought I’d make him a breakfast sort of cake.

And my, is this one good. The last time I had this coffee cake was 4 years ago at our wedding shower. A friend of my mother-in-law, Vicki, made it for the occasion. More than the gifts, I remember this cake the most. Since then, my husband has mentioned various times just how much he loves the recipe. So, I secretly got my hands on the recipe and told him he was off limits from the kitchen for the evening. Once it was finished, I hid it in the cupboard for a morning breakfast surprise.

I’ve made a few tweaks to the recipe as I usually do, adding blueberries, reducing a bit of the sugar, etc. But, it still tastes as much the same as it did that day. So, get your hands on some blueberries, make this coffee cake and enjoy it warm with a cup of coffee in the morning. It’s sweet and filling, great for the early hours of fall.

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    blueberry sour cream coffee cake

    adapted recipe from my mother-in-law’s friend Vicki

    makes 1 bundt cake, 12-14 servings

  • Ingredients

  • cake batter
  • 1 cup butter, softened (I went with a little less, 14 tablespoons)
  • 1-1/3 cups pure cane sugar (organic if possible)
  • 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon white whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1-1/4 cups blueberries
  • brown sugar streusel
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 2/3 cup chopped nuts
  • optional
  • powdered sugar


  • Directions

    • make the cake batter

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a bundt pan, making sure to coat the crevices well. With a mixer, cream the softened butter and the two sugars. Then add the eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. In a separate small bowl, fold the vanilla into the sour cream. Then fold the sour cream mixture into the bowl with the cake batter.

    In a separate larger bowl, mix together flours, baking powder and salt. Pour this mixture into cake batter bowl with mixer on low to medium. Then fold in blueberries.

    make the streusel

    In a new bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice and chopped pecans.

    finish the coffee cake

    Pour half the cake batter in the bundt pan. Top with the streusel mixture. Pour the remaining cake batter on top of the streusel to cover. Bake for 50 minutes to an 1 hour. It is finished cooking when a toothpick inserted comes out clean and when the edges begin to pull away from the sides. Before serving, dust with powdered sugar.

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