Key Lime Tart Recipe...from The Greyston Bakery Cookbook!

Key Lime Tart
Makes one 9" tart, 8-10 servings

If possible, use real key limes, which are sometimes found in markets but can also be ordered online through stores such as Melissa's/World Variety Produce (www.melissas.com). It is also possible to buy bottled key lime juice, but make sure to buy a brand that does not have artificial preservatives added. Otherwise, you're better off substituting regular limes.

FOR THE CRUST
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped almonds
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING
3 eggs, separated
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup fresh lime juice (from about 13 key limes or 6 to 7 regular limes), see note above
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
1/8 teaspoon salt

PREPARE THE CRUST

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F.

In a food processor, combine the graham cracker crumbs, almonds, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and pulse briefly to combine. Transfer the crumbs to a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom and press the crumbs evenly onto the bottom and sides. (If you don't want your hands to get covered in crumbs, place plastic wrap over the crumbs as you press them into the pan.)

Bake the crust for 10 minutes, or until it begins to darken in color and gives off a rich, nutty scent. Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool.

PREPARE THE FILLING

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks until they are thick. Add the condensed milk, lime juice, and lime zest and mix until well combined.

In a clean dry bowl with clean dry beaters, beat the egg whites with the salt on medium-high speed until they hold stiff peaks. In three batches, carefully fold the egg whites into the lime mixture until blended.

Transfer the mixture to the crust and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the filling is barely set.

Note: To get the most juice from the limes, grate the zest from the limes first. Then microwave the limes on high for 30 to 45 seconds to warm them slightly before juicing.

Serving suggestion: Garnish the tart with candied Citrus Slices made with limes and serve slices topped with a dollop of softly whipped cream. To make the whipped cream, you'll need 1 cup of well-chilled heavy cream. Chill a mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 15 minutes. Pour the cream into the chilled bowla nd beat on low speed for 40 seconds, or untiul small bubbles form. Gradually increase the mixer speed to high. Continue whipping on high speed until the cream has doubled in volume and forms stiff peaks. Cover the whipped cream and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. If the cream sparates, whisk it by hand untuili s comes back together. If whipping by hand, it helps to have a stainless steel balloon whisk, which has a more bulbous whisk head than a regular whisk.

Chocolate Banana Nut Cake...A Recipe from the Greyston Bakery Cookbook!

Chocolate Banana Nut Cake
Makes one 10" cake, 10-12 servings

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup ground walnuts
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups lightly mashed (5-6 whole) very ripe bananas
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Position a rack in the center ocf the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 10" round cake pan and line the pan bottom with a parchment paper round.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the chocolate, stirring until completely melted and smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, ground walnuts, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to blend thoroughly. Stir in the buttermilk, vanilla, and banana just until combined. Set aside.

Add the eggs to the cooled chocolate mixture and stir until well combined. Stir the chocolate mixture into the banana mixture until well combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the over and carefully sprinkle the chipped walnuts across the top of the cake. (The cake will still jiggle in the middle.) Return the cake to the oven and bake for 25 minutes longer, or until a wooden skewer inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool the cake on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack.

Serving suggestion: serve the cake dusted with confectioners' sugar or topped with whipped cream.

Red Velvet Cupcakes...from the Greyston Bakery Cookbook!

A few times a month, we'll be posting select recipes from the Greyston Bakery Cookbook. This week, we've chosen our delicious Red Velvet Cupcakes. Happy baking and please enjoy!

Red Velvet Cupcakes
Makes 12 Cupcakes

A fun way to serve these cupcakes is to peel the paper liners away from the cupcakes and slice them in half horizontally. spread frosting over the top of the bottom halves, cover with the tops, and frost the tops; you'll have a festive handheld layer cake.

For the Cupcakes
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) red food coloring
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Frosting
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
4 cups (about a 1-pound package) confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

PREPARE THE CUPCAKES
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder to blend. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer set on medium speed, lightly beat the eggs. Add the buttermilk, vinegar, oil, food coloring, and vanilla, beating until well combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted near the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove the tin from the over and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the cupcakes out of the tin and place them on the wire rack to cool completely.

PREPARE THE FROSTING
In the bowl of an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, cream the cream cheese and butter. Reduce the speed to low and gradually bea in the confectioners' sugar, until the mixture is fluffy. Beat in the vanilla.

Spread a few spoonfuls of frosting on top of each completely cooled cupcake.

And lastly...eat and enjoy!

The Story of Ben & Jerrys' "Chocolate Fudge Brownie" Ice Cream!

In the 1980s, Greyston Bakery was but a small operation that specialized in making fine desserts for New York City restaurants. But after founder Bernie Glassman met Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield at a Social Venture Network event in Colorado, the tiny social enterprise was given the opportunity to become Ben & Jerry's sole supplier of brownies for ice cream sandwiches!

The very first shipment of these 'thin' ice cream sandwich brownies arrived in Vermont in nearly one piece...but really a handful of very large pieces. The folks at Greyston hadn't given the brownies enough time to cool before packaging them, and as a result, they stuck together in 50 pound blocks of brownie bliss. This proved to be an amazing mistake because rather than dispose of the brownies, the makers of Vermont's finest decided they would crumble the big brownies into small pieces and mix them into chocolate ice cream. The result was delicious, and Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream was born. The flavor remains one of the company's best sellers today!

Our relationship with the quirky ice cream makers continues to this day. Greyston Bakery, employing over 50 underprivileged individuals from the Yonkers community, pays its skilled brownie artisans a fair, living wage and donates all of its profits to the Greyston Foundation, a non-profit community development organization whose work supports jobs, childcare, healthcare and housing for the underprivileged. The bakery continues to provide rich, decadent brownies to its quirky friends in Vermont and offers its delicious fudgy treats to consumers under the Do-Goodie name. I guess you could say that together, we’re a batch made in heaven!

Greyston's Beginnings and New York Style Cheesecake!

The Greyston Bakery opened its doors in 1982 in Riverdale, an affluent section of the Bronx just north of Manhattan. Bernie Glassman, a Brooklyn-born applied mathematician and Zen Buddhism teacher, lived with his students in a nearby house. This house, called the Greyston Mansion, sat on the Hudson River and had been originally built as a summer home for the Dodge family. With Glassman as its leader, the Zen Community of New York (ZCNY) opened the bakery, then just a small cafe, as a way to employ students and provide a place for them to practice mindfulness, hard work, and service, three of the basic tents of Zen Buddhism.

-The Greyston Bakery Cookbook by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan
Hope that introduction was enough to whet your palate! Now for a little something to satisfy that appetite...our recipe for a classic New York Cheesecake.

New York Cheesecake

Makes one 9" cake, 10-12 servings

The Greyston Bakery is known for its incredible cheesecake. This version has a graham cracker crumb crust anad both lemon peel and lemon juice, which is known as New York style. Here, we offer both a plain version and one decadently glazed in chocolate ganache.

FOR THE CRUST
2 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about eighteen 2 1/2" x 5" crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

PREPARE THE CRUST
Position a rack in the center of the over and preheat the oven to 350° F.

In a bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the mixture on tot he bottom oand two-thirds of the way up the sides of a 9" round springform pan. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until the crust begins to deepen in color. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool. Reduce the over temperature to 325° F.

PREPARE THE FILLING AND ASSEMBLE THE CHEESECAKE
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in the sugar and salt. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the cream, lemon peel, and lemon juice. Pour the mixture into the cooled crust.

Place the springform pan in a roasting pan and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake 1 1/2 hours, or until the filling is puffy and golden on top but still jiggles slightly when gently shaken. Remove the springform pan from the water and cool on a wire rack at least 1 hour, then refrigerate at least 6 hours. Let the cake stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

The cheesecake will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

FOR A CHOCOLATE-GLAZED CHEESECAKE
8 ounces good-quality semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1/2 egg, lightly beaten

In a small heavy saucepan, combine the chocolate and water. Set over low heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the corn syrup and egg. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then gently pour it over the cooled cheesecake. Chill for 1 hour, or until the glaze is set.

...then ENJOY! Look forward to more recipes from the Greyston Bakery Cookbook in the coming months.

A Winter Wonderland Canival...

Greetings all!


Just yesterday, Greyston Bakery held its annual "Holiday Carnival"- and a great time was had by all! The brownie artisans were all invited to have a little fun by participating in a number of different carnival-inspired games at which you could win tickets. These tickets could then be used used in the raffles that were to be held later on in the afternoon. Some of the games were actually thought up by folks right here at the bakery- like the one I've dubbed 'ring the reindeer' shown on the left.

After a while of playing games, it was time to raffle off some goodies. Up for grabs were an iPod Nano, DVD player, and a digital camera, among other things. Every ticket that one placed in a raffle item's bucket would increase his or her chances of winning the item. After 15 or so minutes of deliberation, the carnival-goers decided how they would distribute their tickets, and let the rest up to fate. Unfortunately, not everyone won a raffle prize- but everyone did get a gift from the bakery.

Lastly, some had chosen to participate in a 'secret Santa' before we broke for a nice Holiday lunch! The food was delicious and everyone left the meal with a full belly. I wish it were the Holiday season more often...Remember, just enter BCORP09 at checkout and you get 10% OFF your purchase at our webstore until the New Year!

Enjoy your week,

-The Do-Goodie Family

Top 10 Brownie Facts, National Brownie Day, and the WB!

Hey folks- how are you? Today is National Brownie Day! In celebration of this little known holiday here in the United States, Greyston Bakery presents to you the Top 10 Brownie Facts to sweeten your day!

1. The first brownie ever made, like other culinary mishaps (the sandwich, pizza, potato chip) was actually a mistake. The baker didn’t have baking powder and ended up with an unleavened fudgy treat.
2. The first brownie recipe was found in a Sears, Roebuck & Co. Catalogue in the 1800’s. Sears’ last general merchandise catalogue was published in 1993.
3. The world’s largest brownie was made in 2001. It weighed in at 3,000 lbs. and was made with 750 lbs. of chocolate chips, 500 lbs. of butter, 850 lbs of sugar, 500 lbs. of flour and 3,500 eggs!
4. The first brownie made was not actually a brownie at all. It was a tasty treat sweetened with molasses that we now know as a blondie.
5. The brownie has its roots in America. However, similar bar cookies and squares can be found internationally, including baklava in the Middle East, nanaimo bars from Canada and tray bakes from the UK.
6. There are two types of brownies: fudgy and cake-like. According to Greyston Bakery research, fudgy tops the preference list of most consumers.
7. Although its origin may be shrouded in mystery, its name is not, which is clearly derived from its brown color.
8. Brownie points in modern usage are a hypothetical social currency, which can be accrued by doing good deeds or earning favor in the eyes of another- often one's superior. The origin of the term is unclear.
9. Although cannabis is the most controversial brownie mix-in, walnut remains the most popular and legal.
10. Typically served as a dessert, brownies can be enjoyed for breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack!

We were very happy to see that the WB took a fancy to our Top 10 Brownie facts and put together a little piece on Do-Goodie brownies. Check out the video of Do-Goodie being featured on the WPIX Morning Show earlier today!

The SWEET DEAL of the week comes with the purchase of our 24-piece Keepsake box- you get a FREE copy of The Greyston Bakery Cookbook while supplies last! (No code necessary.)

All the best,
The Do-Goodie Family