Blog - Wood & Spoon

YOU NEED TO KNOW: How to Brown Butter

Posted on July 21, 2017

How to Make Brown Butter Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog By Kate Wood. This is a step by step photo tutorial on how to brown butter / beurre noisette. Will give the instruction and science behind browning butter and how to make the best type of browned butter for your baked goods, sweet and savory dishes. Find out what color brown butter should be and how to know if you've browned it enough! DIY here on thewoodandspoon.com

Brown butter. A sexy ingredient, if you ask me.If you've been around the block a time or two, you've probably already become acquainted with brown butter. You know it by its nutty aroma and speckled amber hue. You've already been allured by the rich caramel flavors, seduced by the complexity it adds to sweet and savory dishes alike. But for the average home baker, brown butter is a mystery. What is it? Where can I find it? How do I make it?If you fall into that second category, allow me to make the introduction. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the magical world of brown butter. WHAT IS IT? Brown butter, or beurre noisette, is basically regular old butter that is gently melted and cooked until it browns which results in a change of flavor, aroma, and color. Butter is made up of water, fat, and protein. When it is cooked beyond the point of melting, the...

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Lemon Mint Sorbet

Posted on July 17, 2017

by Kate

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. But if you live in Alabama, it's the middle of July, and you're one heat wave away from the surface of the sun, you scrap the lemonade and make lemon mint sorbet instead.Selma, Alabama summers are relentless. Temps nearing triple digits, 100% humidity, and zero chance of breeze ensure that you spend the majority of your days with bad hair and sweat stains in all of the wrong places. Days lengthened by sunlight feel even longer when you're cooped up indoors, saving yourself from the sweltering temperatures and relentless sun rays. Trust me, it's far from glamorous.Some days, I just want a reprieve. I find myself daydreaming of my days as a waitress, longing for just a few brief moments of alone time in the walk-in cooler. I think of our Alaskan vacation and how good it would feel to plant my naked rear-end...

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Cherry Lime Hand Pies

Posted on July 12, 2017

by Kate

Everyone cue the candles and the birthday serenades. Today is my old man's birthday and we're celebrating with these cherry lime hand pies!I read something in a book recently that struck a chord. In "Cold Tangerines," the author, Shauna Niequist, talks about how we often think of our stories as being chiseled in stone- permanent and defined. Shauna suggests that instead, we ought to embrace the art of writing in pencil, living with a willingness to not plan our futures to death. Living in freedom because our story's uncertainty is one of the few things we get to be certain of. Growing up, I wasn't a serial dater or anything, but I certainly had my fair share of romances. In middle school, I had a boyfriend who I never actually spoke words to. We'd pass notes in Pre-Algebra and I'd clutch that sweaty piece of notebook paper in my hands until the gel ink bled...

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Blueberry Galette with a Cornmeal Crust

Posted on July 3, 2017

by Kate

Happy (almost) Fourth of July! If you're reading this from the States, I hope you're feeling more patriotic than Mel Gibson circa the Benjamin Martin days. I hope you're sporting your baddest jean shorts, your stars and stripes bikini top, or maybe a super slick handlebar mustache. Spit some watermelon seeds, fire up the grill, soak up all the sun and PBR that your body can tolerate. Just be sure that if you're looking for something red, white, or blue to make on this razzle dazzle of a day, you consider this blueberry galette with a cornmeal crust.Something about the Fourth inspires me to berry-filled desserts. The colors, the ripe and juicy fruits, and the illusion that you're choosing something "healthy" for bathing suit weather just makes me want to saddle up to every pie, turnover, and trifle that comes my way. Popsicles, ice cream cones, and cookie sandwiches are great, but on this most American of holidays,...

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Peach Crumb Muffins

Posted on June 29, 2017

by Kate

Sometimes I need an easy button. I need some magic dust, a genie in a lamp, or a fairy godmother to make life easier. There's not enough hours in the day to constantly complicate it with dead-end tasks and lengthy processes. Sometimes I need something quick, entirely satisfying, no-fail, and EASY. Introducing: peach crumb muffins.These peach crumb muffins are a cinch- a 2 step recipe, requiring less than 15 minutes of prep work that provides days worth of summery sweet goodness to enjoy. These peach crumb muffins are the answer to "What's for breakfast? What can I bring for the beach weekend? "What treat can I bake with my kids?" and just about every other question that is coming to my mind right now. They're simple and good. End of story.My goal with these peach crumb muffin was to make a soft, buttery, and moist muffin that was golden on the...

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Roasted Strawberry and Buttermilk Popsicles

Posted on June 26, 2017

by Kate

Roasted Strawberry and Buttermilk Popsicles Recipe by The Wood and Spoon Blog. A simple, summer, frozen dessert made of sweet and rich roasted strawberries and tangy buttermilk cream. These fruit popsicles are simple, make ahead, and a great dessert for outdoor parties and events. Learn about making popsicles without a popsicle mold too!

We're going to talk popsicles soon- roasted strawberry and buttermilk popsicles to be precise. After all, you guys come here for the recipes, right? But first, let's talk about moms and what happens when they go wild, ok?A few weeks ago, I traveled with some girlfriends to Montgomery for a ladies' night out. No boys allowed. If you've never been apart of a mom's night out, I'll fill you in on the dirty deets- we get wild. Not wet t-shirt contest wild or keg stand wild. But take 10 women who have had it up to their eyeballs with dirty diapers and hectic work schedules, give them a babysitter and a designated driver, and just wait...

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YOU NEED TO KNOW: How to Brown Butter

Lemon Mint Sorbet

Cherry Lime Hand Pies

Funfetti Cookies

Blueberry Galette with a Cornmeal Crust

Peach Crumb Muffins

Roasted Strawberry and Buttermilk Popsicles

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