YSL @ the Denver Art Museum

In what is certainly a major coup for the Denver Art Museum, the museum is currently playing host to Yves Saint Laurent - The Retrospective. Through July 8th, you can view the stunning, expansive collection of clothing created by Yves Saint Laurent over the course of 40 years. The exhibit includes 2,000 haute couture garments, as well as photographs, sketches, fabric swatches, and videos about Saint Laurent. A recreation of his workspace reveals that he was immaculate and methodical in his work and provided some insight into what inspired him. I learned that not only is he responsible for feminizing "le smoking" (the tuxedo), but also for popularizing the pea coat, the tunic, and the safari look for women. I was in awe at how I still would just love to wear 95% of what was on display. Apparently his second favorite color (second only to black) was bright pink - a man after my own heart. If you plan to be in Denver before July 8th, this is a must-see!

All images but the last credit to the Denver Art Museum.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Boston, Berlin, and New Haven, here we come!  Tomorrow morning we leave for ten days of ten-year (gulp) college reunions and exploring a new city in Europe.   I can't wait.  I also still have a list of chores I wanted to finish and letters I should write... and I had grand plans to have a few blog posts ready for while I am away.  Oh, and it is 1:38 a.m.  Sigh.  At least I am (over)packed!

Instead, I leave with you a very simple and addictive Rhubarb Coffee Cake.  Last month, I visited my college roommate in Chicago.  We made Ali's Rhubarb Buckle and discussed how we both love the abundance of rhubarb in spring.  Shortly after my visit, K sent me this recipe for Rhubarb Coffee Cake.  Fortuitously, a friend of my mom's generously gave me several pounds of ripe, red rhubarb from her garden around the same time.  Thank you, Stephanie!

Sometimes I want to make something that comes together in one or two bowls with little muss or fuss.  I want the stand mixer to do the work and I want to enjoy my time reading with a cup of coffee (or wine) rather than frantically flitting about the kitchen.  This is a lazy day recipe.  Another observation - is there a smell more enticing than than that of butter and sugar whipped together?  Nevermind the smell, how about the taste?  Trust me, you'll want to lick the beaters once this cake is in the oven.

I was surprised both times by how brown this cake was without being burned.  I'd advise covering it with aluminum foil halfway through baking it to prevent the top from over-browning.  The end result will be a moist, sweet, rhubarby treat that is equally good for an afternoon snack or breakfast (or dessert... or an airplane snack as I'll have it tomorrow).  

Oh, and a confession.  I only just learned this year that coffee cake doesn't have coffee in it.  Who knew?  

Rhubarb Coffee Cake
Yield = 20 squares (one 9x9 pan cut as you please) 

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 egg
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt 
2 heaping cups of rhubarb chunks (sliced approximately 1/2 inch thick on the bias)
For the topping - 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon

Preparation 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Beat the sugar and butter either using a hand mixer or a stand mixer.  Add the egg and then the vanilla.  In a separate bowl, sift or whisk together the dry ingredients.  Alternate adding the buttermilk and the dry ingredients into the bowl with the butter, sugar, etc.  Gently fold in the rhubarb.

Place the batter in a greased 9x9 inch baking dish.  Sprinkle with topping.  Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the center is set.  I'd advise covering the cake after 20 minutes of baking if it is getting dark.

Banana Blossom Press

I returned home from the Boston Marathon to find the cutest congratulations card from my dear friend S.  The card from Banana Blossom Press was perfectly worded for the occasion... and it turns out all of their cards contain a quip appropriate for your friend or loved one who is training for a running race or triathlon or who enjoys walking, yoga, or fitness in general.  I particularly love the card about the snooze button pictured below - so very true! 

All images are courtesy of Banana Blossom Press.

It's Grilling Season! Homemade Sesame Seed Buns

In Boston, we were a part of something I dearly loved and miss every day - a meat share program through Chestnut Farms.  Each month we picked up a cooler full of delicious, farm-raised meat.  Opening the cooler was like opening a box from under the Christmas tree - half the fun of the meat share cooler was the surprise of what you received.  In addition to the usual cuts of chicken, beef, and pork, sometimes you'd open the cooler to find get a package of breakfast sausages or maple-glazed bacon... and the next month you might get goat.  

There certainly are meat shares that I could join in Colorado, but instead we started a new tradition.  My parent's have friends who own and run a ranch and we purchase a steer each year that we share with a few other friends.  As of last week, my freezer is overloaded with 70 pounds of various cuts of beef.  Each is nicely labeled with the cut of meat and we are particularly flush with ground beef which is great as we head into grilling season.   

We hosted friends for dinner on Saturday night and I wrote to say that we "have a freezer full of beef" and that we'd grill hamburgers for dinner.  I didn't provide any context, which was clearly a mistake... I left our friend M wondering if we were just weird meat hoarders or just addicted to red meat.  As I was prepping food for dinner, I realized we didn't have any hamburger buns.  It was raining and grey and I just couldn't motivate to go to the store... so I made them instead!

There is something so satisfying about baking bread.  These simple ingredients come together to form something magnificent!  I suspect you have everything you need to whip up these buns in your pantry and refrigerator (and if you don't have sesame seeds, just omit them - most fell off the buns anyway).  Even better, I love making things at home that you normally buy at the store (e.g., mascarpone cheese, ricotta, graham crackers).  That reminds me that I read about a cookbook entitled The Homemade Pantry: 101 Food You can Stop Buying and Start Making.  Does anyone have this cookbook?  It has been added to my wish list...

Note that when you make these, you need to allow five hours from when you start the buns to when you want to eat them.  There is very little active time, but they need to rise twice.

Homemade Sesame Seed Buns
Yield = 12 buns
Recipe from Issue #122 of Saveur 

Ingredients
1  1⁄4-oz. package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1 1⁄3 cups milk, heated to 115°
1 1⁄2 tsp. plus 2 tbsp. sugar
4 cups flour
1 1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2" cubes, softened
Canola oil, for greasing
3 tsp. sesame seeds

Preparation
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle, stir together yeast, milk, and 1 1⁄2 tsp. sugar; let foam.  Stir in remaining sugar, flour, salt, and egg.  Mix on low speed until dough forms. Replace paddle with dough hook; add butter; knead on medium-high speed until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, about 8 minutes.  Transfer dough to an oiled bowl; cover with plastic wrap.  Let rest in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Heat oven to 400°.  Divide dough into 12 portions; shape each into a tight ball.  Place balls on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet.  Lightly brush balls with oil; cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 1⁄2 hours. 

Uncover dough and, using a spray bottle filled with water, moisten dough; sprinkle each ball with 1⁄4 tsp. sesame seeds, being careful not to deflate the buns.  Bake, rotating once, until golden brown, 18–20 minutes.  Let cool.

Carrot & Quinoa Muffins

Hello?  Are you still reading?  I was worried that I would lose a number of you immediately after you read the title of this post.  I, too, was a skeptic.  When J mentioned Carrot & Quinoa Muffins as one of the many items in her Kentucky Derby party spread, I stared at them in disbelief.  I've never been a huge fan of carrots in baked goods and, frankly, they sounded too healthy to be good.  I should have known better than to doubt J, the woman who introduced me to my all-time favorite salad Kale and Pear Salad.

My Dad had the same reaction to these muffins.  I offered to send him home with a few and he wrinkled his nose at me like he wouldn't possibly enjoy them.  Then he tried one.  He left our place with a bag full of muffins.  Later, my Mom called for the recipe.

 What I'm trying to say is do not be dissuaded by the healthful ingredients in these muffins.  The carrot flavor is subtle.  The coconut oil provides undertones of coconut, but nothing overpowering.  The quinoa gives the muffins a wonderful texture.  These are dynamite. 

I've made these three times and have a few tips as a result.  First, I think the coconut oil makes a huge difference in how these taste and I'd recommend using it.  I found mine at Sunflowers Market and I am sure they have it at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.  The first time I made these, I used 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil.  The muffins tasted great but were a bit greasy.  The second time around, I made these with butter and I frankly didn't like them as much. The third time (I know...ridiculous), I made them with 1/3 cup of coconut oil and they were tasty and less greasy.  Finally,don't overfill the muffin cups!  3/4 of the way full produces lovely muffins that stay in the confines of their wrappers.  Trust me on this one... 

Carrot & Quinoa Muffins
Yield = 16 muffins
Adapted from Fresh365 

1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (all-purpose flour works well, too)
3/4 cup almond flour (again, all-purpose flour works well, too, but I like mixing in almond flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted (substitute 1/2 cup unsalted butter if you prefer)
1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup loosely-packed, grated carrots
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease or line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together quinoa, sugar, flours, baking soda, and salt.  In a small bowl, mix together the coconut oil (allow to cool), Greek yogurt, vanilla, and eggs.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing well.  Gently fold in the carrots and walnuts until just mixed.

Divide batter evenly such that none of the muffin tins is filled more than 3/4 full.  For me, this yielded 16 muffins.  Transfer the muffins to the oven.  Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.