TWD- Cherry Sunshine Muffins

I have a love hate relationship with muffins. They're so easy and quick to make, so flexible on ingredients. They're also usually so full of butter- and they taste so good. So yeah, we try to limit our muffin making but of course we loved these! Next time I'll sub in some whole wheat flour to make up for the butter. With some extra tart dried cherries and lots of citrus zest and juice (orange and lemon both), I don't think you'd really notice. The trick to muffins is just to handle the batter delicately and to make sure that you don't try to work out every single lump. And the actual hardest part? Don't eat too many- don't let the dried fruit fool you, they're chock full of butter (and SO good!) And since I can't leave well enough alone, I brushed them with butter right out of the oven and sprinkled them with sugar so they were a little sparkly.


I'm super excited to have the chance to do another review for CSN Stores. I seem to always have furniture on my mind and love these gorgeous modern bar stools. Around here though it seems like baby step stools are more practical even if they aren't as pretty as that apple green cross-backed beauty above! As always though, kitchen stuff is on my mind. I've been trying to nicely steal my mom's immersion blender for ages and she's not budging (not fair considering I made her buy and fall in love with it in the first place!) My real hope is to finally get a grain mill. I've been mooching *I mean borrowing* my friends' Nutrimill when I make bread and I think it's about time, but I'm having a hard time committing to the cost! Suggestions anyone? Anyone of you have an love a Nutrimill? Fortunately they're all available on CSN Stores and I think it's going to be a win win, if I can ever decide!

PS Come back tomorrow for a nice, minty St. Patty's day treat!

Orange Poppyseed Muffins

 

I love to try a fancy, new dessert recipe but I also really appreciate a simple Tuesdays with Dorie recipe like these muffins. Right now it's citrus season and the trees are beautiful and heavy with delicious fruit, so I had a hard choice to make between lemon and orange for these babies. I went with orange merely because my little man asked so nicely (it is his favorite color still!) These muffins came together quickly and were super yummy, especially after the glaze went on top. I even subbed in 1/3 whole wheat flour and no one was the wiser. I can't seem to get my muffins to stay fresh more than one day (tips anyone?) but I am going to make these again for Sunday breakfast for sure. My favorite muffin from Dorie is still her Orange Berry muffins but this was a fun chance of pace. Get the recipe from Betsy or from Dorie's wonderful book here or try my favorite Lemon Poppyseed Muffin recipe. It's a classic. Just take it easy on the mixing and have a quick and special breakfast! Come back later this week for my first try with fondant (and overly ambitious pirate cupcakes for my little man's birthday!)

PS- I used some silicone muffin cups for the first time. NOT recommended in case you were wondering! I scored a whole stack of heart shaped ones for a buck at Goodwill at thought it would be fun, but instead of getting heart shaped muffins I have blobs in muffin liners that need to be washed (lame!) I do, however, 100 percent recommend buying a few Silpats to line your baking sheets. No more burned cookies or muffins, easy clean up, a million uses- I can't say enough about these things.

TWD- Citrus Drenched Cake

{printable recipe here}
Do I put whipped cream on everything? No. Really, no, but apparently I do it put it on almost everything that goes on my blog. And of course, whipped cream was a delicious accompaniment to my loose adaptation of Dorie's Rum Drenched Vanilla cake (thanks for the great choice, Wendy!) After ten too many trips to the store, I opted to make do with what was in the kitchen, so my halved version of the recipe doesn't include the rum, the vanilla bean, or even the cream (except on top- I thankfully had some of that in the fridge!) It does have lots of zest and fresh juice. It's delicious. Just make sure you don't underbake it, like I have a tendency to do!

Citrus Drenched Cake
from Anne Strawberry
{printable recipe here}
adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan

For the Cake-

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup of heavy cream (I used milk- it was fine, but I'm sure cream would make this even better!)
1 stick butter, melted and cooled

For the Syrup
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-x-2 1/2 -inch loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess. Place the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular sheets stacked one on top of the other.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.

Put the sugar and the lemon zest in a large bowl and, working with your fingers, rub them together until the sugar is moist and fragrant. (If you are using vanilla extract, add it later, after you’ve added the eggs.) Add the eggs and whisk them into the sugar, beating until they are thoroughly incorporated. Whisk in the extract, if you are using it, then whisk in the cream, followed by the rum. Continuing with the whisk or switching to a large rubber spatula, gently stir in the dry ingredients in 3 or 4 additions; the batter will be smooth and thick. Finish by folding in the melted butter in 2 or 3 additions. Pour the batter into the pans, smoothing the tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. (As soon as the cakes go into the oven, make the syrup.) After about 30 minutes in the oven, check the cakes for color–if they are browning too quickly, cover them lightly with foil tents.
Meanwhile, Make the Syrup: Stir the water and sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar melts, then bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the juice. Pour the syrup into a heatproof bowl and let cool.

When the cake tests done, transfer to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before unmolding and turning right side up on the rack. Place the rack over a baking sheet lined with wax paper and, using a thin skewer, cake tester or thin-blade sharp knife, poke holes all over the cake. Brush all over with the syrup, working slowly so that the cake sops it up. Cool to room temperature.

Happy Valentine's (Cookies)!

{printable recipe here}

Happy Valentine's! It's amazing to me how fast time flies. Last year we sent Valentine's cards to our families announcing Baby Strawberry's coming arrival in September. Now she's smiling, begging to try real food, and getting to be more fun every day. She's also pretty insistent on having my undivided attention so we've been keeping things pretty simple around here. You can't get much better than sugar cookies (especially since my Valentine can't eat chocolate!) I'm hoping to frost a bunch for the kids at Church on Sunday but for me I really love a yummy, light orange glaze. I cut the centers out with a small heart cutter and was surprised that everyone wanted the tiny hearts the most. I'll probably make just those next time! Thanks for reading along with my little blog. I'd give you each a cookie if I could!

Don't forget- the $50 Safeway gift card giveaway ends tomorrow night. Enter here.

Grandma's All Occasion Sugar Cookie Dough
from Dorie Greenspan- see the full recipe on page 146 here

{printable recipe here}

1 stick plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat thoroughly. Add in dry ingredients slowly mix until just combined, being careful not to over mix. Divide dough into two disks, wrap in saran wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until nice and chilled (sometimes I use frozen flour to speed the process up!)

Preheat the over to 350. Line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment. Roll out dough onto lightly floured surface to about 3/8 or 1/2 inch thickness and cut cookies out with cutters. Bake for 8 minutes for soft cookies (my favorite), 10 for crisp. Remove from oven, place onto cooling racks, and frost after cooled.

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
Zest and juice of one orange
1 teaspoon meringue powder (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl until even and shiny. Dip cookies in glaze and set on a cooling rack to harden. Enjoy!

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

{printable recipe here}

My little man is three. I'm in total shock. He's been all about birthdays lately (what with everyone else in the family having a summer/fall day- so he's had a lot of birthday experiences to remember!) When his started getting close he kept asking for orange cupcakes and orange balloons. My mom asked him a couple weeks ago what we would have for his birthday and he again insisted, "People always have cupcakes for their birthdays!" She then said, "Sometimes people have brownies," to which he quickly replied, "Cupcakes with brownies on top?"

Maybe next year I'll make the cupcakes with brownies on top happen. For this year, though, we made Orange Cupcakes (my little man is a very willing helper when it comes to baked goods- sits right on the counter and is in charge of dumping in ingredients and locking and unlocking the mixer). I flavored a yellow cake with orange zest and made orange frosting by adding orange zest and subbing fresh orange juice for the milk in my usual cream cheese frosting. I also made a batch of chocolate cupcakes, thinking only the kids would go for the obnoxious orange colored food. I was wrong- the newly dubbed "Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes" flew off the pan (which explains the crappy picture, no time to play with your food when guests are clamoring!) Try these- they're good for adults and kids alike, although I would definitely go with a milder orange color if you aren't catering to the kiddos!

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes for my Little Man
by Anne Strawberry

{printable recipe here}

1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Oil
1 Cup Sour Cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
Zest from one Orange, finely grated
1 Yellow Cake Mix (I like Betty Crocker's)
Orange food coloring (or red and yellow)

Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine all ingredients except food coloring in stand mixer and mix on low to combine, about one minute. Then increase speed to medium high for two more minutes until well blended. Add drops of food coloring to achieve desired color and mix lightly until incorporated.

Using an ice cream scoop, portion batter into lined muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes, or until cupcakes spring back which touched with a finger tip and they look done.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
1 block Neufchatel (reduced fat) cream cheese, softened
1 stick of butter, softened
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 bag (1 pound) powdered sugar
Fresh squeezed orange juice (from the zested oranges), as needed (about 1 tablespoon)

Cream the cream cheese, butter, and orange zest until smooth and well combined. With the mixer off, add the powdered sugar. Cover with a clean dish towel and combine on low speed until the sugar is incorporated. Remove towel and increase speed to make a smooth frosting, adding orange juice or more sugar until desired consistency is reached. Using a large tip (or a gallon baggie with a small corner clipped off) pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Orange Rolls (quick and light... you can do it!)

{printable recipe}

Okay maybe "light" isn't the best word for these rolls, but compared to some I've made and eaten (and certainly enjoyed) these are pretty light. I started with my new favorite cinnamon roll dough and instead of using lemon zest in the dough, I used orange zest. Then after I rolled the dough out I covered it with sugar rubbed with the zest of an orange, a fragrant, delicious mixture. Roll it up, slice, rise, bake. The if you want to go along with the "light" idea top with a thin powdered sugar glaze. Or go for the good stuff with a nice orange cream cheese frosting.

Halloween is over, my friends, and the holidays are here. Are you ready? Soon it will be Christmas and the citrus trees will be heavy with ripe oranges. I'm going to pretend like its already here and make another batch of these. You should too! And really, if my little man can do this, I know you can... your family will thank you!

Orange Rolls
adapted from the Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart

{printable recipe}

Yields one big baking sheet worth of rolls (about 12-18 depending on how you slice them- I like a little variation so people can choose a big or small roll- use a bench cutter for neat slices or dental floss in a pinch)

6 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 tablespoons shortening or butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, slightly beaten
grated zest of two oranges, divided use
3 1/2 cups bread or all purpose flour (I used King Arthur's bread flour)
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/8 to 1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar (for filling)

Cream together sugar, salt, and shortening on medium high speed in mixer with paddle attachment. Whip in the egg and one teaspoon of the orange zest until smooth. Then add the flour, yeast, and milk. Mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook and mix for about 10 minutes on medium, or until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. Add a little flour or water if necessary to attain this texture.

Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough into it, cover, and let rise for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Rub together remaining orange zest with 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl until fragrant.

Lightly flour or oil a counter and roll the dough into a rectangle about 2/3 inch thick, or 18 by 9 inches wide. Sprinkle the orange sugar over the dough and roll it up into a log, with the seam down. Slice the log, making the pieces about an inch thick. Place on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and let rise until nearly doubled (about an hour in my lovely desert home).

Bake at 350 on the middle rack for 20 to 30 minutes, or until gold brown. Remove from oven, let cool, and glaze with powdered sugar icing or cream cheese icing.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
1 block Neufchatel (reduced fat) cream cheese, softened
1 stick of butter, softened
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 bag (1 pound) powdered sugar
Fresh squeezed orange juice (from the zested oranges), as needed (about 1 tablespoon)

Cream the cream cheese, butter, and orange zest until smooth and well combined. With the mixer off, add the powdered sugar. Cover with a clean dish towel and combine on low speed until the sugar is incorporated. Remove towel and increase speed to make a smooth frosting, adding orange juice until desired consistency is reached.

Spread on slightly cooled orange rolls and enjoy!

Easy Homemade Dinner (and Orange) Rolls

I can't believe it, but Thanksgiving is already here. That's not as shocking as the realization that follows- Christmas is coming! With the start of this wonderful season, I'm reminded of one of my favorite things to bake. This roll recipe comes from a family friend and neighbor who happens to be the best preschool teacher in the world. She's infinitely patient but you won't have to be to enjoy these rolls.

Peggy, the best baker I know, sharing her secrets... don't tell her I told!

I learned this recipe when I was about 10 at a church mother daughter activity. It's so simple I never understood people's fear of yeast (I do now though, don't worry). However, with some easy ingredients that are probably in your pantry, a big bowl, and a fork, you can have delicious rolls in no time (making the batter takes less that 10 minutes!)

Even better, they are easily adapted to my other friend's world famous orange rolls. She did mention several times while she helped me make them that there are no calories in orange rolls. Enjoy and hop on the treadmill the next morning.

Dissolve the yeast. Combine melted butter, sugar, and salt.

Add eggs and beat into mixture.

Stir the yeast mixture into the bowl.

Dump in the flour.

Stir with a fork for a minute or two until combined (this picture shows about half way done, don't worry about kneading or anything. These are easy rolls!)

Put the dough into a bowl with a little oil and cover with a dish towel (don't click on that photo, you'll see flour lumps... don't worry though, they disappear later).

Let rise until doubled. It tastes good too, if you aren't too afraid of salmonella, which obviously isn't a worry at my place.

Divide dough into thirds and roll out. Spread with softened butter (go easy if you'd like, or add cinnamon sugar, herbs, whatever strikes your fancy).

Fold over into thirds, cut into strips, and tie each piece into a little knot. Forget to take pictures (and it's probably not such a bad thing considering how messy my hands were!)

Orange rolls are even better (though admitedly more of an indulgence!)

Easy Homemade Rolls
from Rita Lyon

1 cake or 1 tablespoon yeast
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour
oil for rolling dough and greasing pan

Instructions:

Dissolve yeast into warm water (a little warmer than your body, but not too hot to kill the yeast). Sprinkle sugar on top of yeast and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, eggs, and salt. Mix with a fork until combined. Sir in frothy and dissolved yeast mixture. Add flour and mix together well with a fork for a bout one minute (it should be fairly smooth but don't worry about kneading it). Place in a greased bowl and cover with a dish towel. Let rise until doubled.

For dinner rolls:

1 stick of butter, softened

Divide dough into thirds. Pour a little oil onto your hands, pin, and counter (don't use flour). Roll out one piece into a nice rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Fold into thirds and slice into pieces about 3/4 inch wide. Tie each piece into a little knot, place on a greased or lined baking sheet, and let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 for 8- 10 minutes, until golden brown.

For sweet orange rolls:
from Peggy Leatham

1 stick of butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
zest of 2 oranges
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until a thick paste forms (if too runny, add more sugar). Roll dough into a large rectangle (about 12 x 18) and spread paste over the dough. Roll up (like cinnamon rolls) and slice dough about 3/4 inch thick. Place each piece into a very well greased muffin tin.

Let rise until doubled.

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. Begin checking the rolls around 12 minutes and watch closely, as they will brown quickly (note the difference of color in the two batches in this picture).

Remove the rolls from oven once they are browned and immediately flip onto a cooling rack place atop parchment paper. Let cool and serve inverted. The juice will drip down to make a nice glaze. Serve warm.

Orange Berry Muffins by Dorie and an Award!

Back in January, I saw a few food bloggers had all made the same muffin and the recipe looked great, so I made my first Dorie recipe- Orange Berry Muffins. I didn't even know about Tuesdays with Dorie then, but I enjoyed making the recipe and while they were tasty, they didn't quite turn out right.

So, yesterday, I thought I'd make something yummy for breakfast and when I saw the blueberries in the fridge looking perfect I knew just the thing. This time, the muffins were delicious- pleasantly plumped, fragrant, and flavorful. Serve with honey butter or jam and enjoy.

I also have a blog award from cute Mary Ann from Meet me in the Kitchen. She's so sweet and makes wonderful, homey food. Thanks Mary Ann!

Now I'm supposed to pass it on, so here are a few favs that I'll pass this award onto. Check them out!
Ezra Pound Cake
Cafe Johnsonia
Randomosity and the Girl
Madam Chow's Kitchen

Keep up the great cooking everyone- and go make your honey some muffins for breakfast!

Orange Berry Muffins
From Baking by Dorie Greenspan

Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
About 3/4 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons honey
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberries–fresh preferably, or frozen (not thawed)

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds of a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups. Alternatively, use a silicone muffin pan, which needs neither greasing nor paper cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

Pour the orange juice into a large glass measuring cup or a bowl and pour in enough buttermilk to make 1 cup. Whisk in the eggs, honey and melted butter

In a large bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of orange is strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don’t worry about being thorough–the batter will be lumpy and bubbly, and that’s just the way it should be. Stir in the blueberries. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes. If you want to top the muffins with decorating sugar, sprinkle on the sugar after the muffins have baked for 10 minutes. (But be smarter about it than I was, and don't sprinkle it while the pan in still in the oven so you get sugar burning all over!) When fully bakes, the tops of the muffins will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins will come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.

Click April 2008 Photo Entry- Au Naturel

Last month I saw a few links to this contest and loved checking out the pictures. When I saw this months theme, "au naturel", I knew just the picture. The original link to this photo is here.

I live in Arizona and have several citrus trees. When I went to grab a few oranges one morning in January, I reached in for a nice, juicy looking one, and was shocked to find this orange. It was split in half with two colors- one side looking like a traditional orange, and the other more the color of a grapefruit (one side also tasted better than the other!) No joke. I have not touched up or modified the color of this orange at all.

This strange, unique orange is "au naturel" and I've never seen one like it, ever. It's just a reminder to me of how beautiful and unpredictable nature is.

*Photo taken with my Nikon D50 with an AF-S Nikkor 18-55 MM Lens*

I love citrus

I love citrus. When we lived in Utah for school I missed the fresh fruit all winter long and would pine for home when I would see the sickly green-tinged oranges being sold for far too much at the grocery store. Now that we are back in sunny Arizona, my baby and I head to the backyard and pick an orange at least once a day. It's wonderful. Well the days are heating up now and summer is nearly here, which means if the fruit isn't gone already, it's almost done anyways. Here are a few things to do with the left-overs:

*Zest the fruit with a microplane and freeze the zest (make sure to only get the bright skin, not the bitter pith)
*After removing the zest, juice the fruit and freeze what you won't use in half cup portions (baggies layed flat in the freezer work well for this, just be sure to label them!)
*Make homemade lemonade or limeade, my favorite- 1 C. juice, 3/4 C. of sugar (more if you are like my husband!), and a pitcher full of water. Yum!
*Make a cake and add zest to the frosting. Substitute the liquid in the recipe for lemon or orange juice. I like this especially with red velvet cake and to garnish the cake with some strips of zest too.
*Make a chicken marinate- lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper- put it all in a baggie, add the meat, let it sit for several hours, and toss it on the grill (or grill pan for those still in the depths of winter!)
*Try Jenny's lemon poppyseed muffins over at Picky Palate. These are so delicious, I honestly make them once a week. This is the first recipe I ever made off a foodie blog and my favorite yet. Seriously, go make them right now.
*Make french toast and top it with a little butter, powdered sugar, and a squeeze of lemon or lime.
*Take your favorite cinnamon roll recipe and instead of brown sugar and cinnamon, spread the dough with butter, granulated sugar, and orange jest. After baking, top with a glaze of powdered sugar and orange juice.
*Try Barefoot Contessa's Mini Orange Chocolate Cakes- I make mine in muffin tins and they don't disappoint (love Ina!)

TWD- Brioche Snails Redo

We had Easter at our house this weekend and the kitchen smelled so delish with all the good food cooking. I decided to make Brioche again because it turned out great last time and I figured doing it again right away would help me get the recipe down. I'm also not a flan fan so I opted to repeat last weeks challenge instead. :)

This week I made one whole batch of brioche and batches of pudding to make two flavors- Chocolate and Orange. For the chocolate rolls, I made the traditional pastry cream with vanilla and sprinkled mini chocolate chips over the pudding before rolling it up. I topped them with regular powdered sugar glaze. For the orange rolls, I made the citrus cream by steeping the milk with lemon and orange zest strips and adding some lemon extract. I also sprinkled orange zest on the dough before rolling it up. Then I made the glaze with orange juice instead of water and added orange zest to that. This time I used nearly a full recipe of the pastry cream per set of rolls so they were nice and creamy. They were so good, and so pretty!

Here is the pastry cream recipe again if you are looking for a tasty pudding or filling. I bet it would taste amazing in cream puffs and will post a recipe for those soon.

Pastry Cream (From Baking by Dorie Greenspan)
2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk-- this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (making sure to get the edges of the pot), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are full incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. Scrape the cream into a bowl. You can press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the pastry cream until cold or, if you want to cool it quickly--as I always do--put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water, and stir the pastry cream occasionally until it is thoroughly chilled, about 20 minutes.