Cranberry Apple Pie Bites

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:40:44 -0600

There are times when I am glad to have Jeremiah around... and then there are times when I am so glad he is around that I don’t know even know how to properly express my gratefulness.

This was one of the latter times.

Because had Jeremiah not been here to eat the entire pan of these...

I would have.

And I have been SO good lately about my eating with my sister’s wedding coming up in a couple weeks. Eating an entire pan of these would really have been a huge set back.

(makes 9 pastries)
Ingredients
soft butter for coating the muffin tins
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 apple, peeled and diced (I cut into chunks and then diced it to make the pieces pretty small)
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt

Preparation Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375º.

Using a pastry brush, thickly brush the soft butter into 9 cups on a muffin tray, the puff pastry can really stick so get a good coat on there.

Cut the puff pastry into 9 squares and place one square into each muffin cup, pushing the center down a little so it forms a little cup to put the apples into.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the apples, cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, flour and salt. Mix until the apples are evenly coated and are starting to give off some of their juice. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the mixture into each puff pastry shell.

Bake until the puff pastry is cooked through, about 20-30 minutes (30 for altitude above 7000ft).

Allow to cool in the pan about 5 minutes and then use a spoon to scoop each one out, serve hot with freshly whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or just plain!

Delightful Berry Trifle

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 18:17:30 -0600

I have to admit I was a little nervous about this one. I think I just have this habit of psyching myself out whenever I take a dish somewhere that is going to be eaten by a lot of people. I made some changes to the custard recipe I was following so that is what made me jittery. But it turned out really well and was very tasty.

Trifles are generally very easy to make and this was no exception. You can make it even easier and just use a vanilla instant pudding instead of an actual custard but I wanted to dress it up a bit.

Ingredients
1 box white cake prepared according to package instructions (I just made it in a 9x13)
8 egg yolks
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 teaspoons corn starch
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
3 cups whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks and sweetened (I like to use a little vanilla extract and a couple handfuls of granulated sugar)
2 cups fresh or frozen berries
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preparation Instructions
To make the custard:

Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and corn starch until thick and light in color.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk and heavy cream almost to a boil.

While whisking, gradually add the milk and cream mixture to the egg mixture. Once combined, pour back into the saucepan and cook and stir over medium low heat until thick.

Remove from heat and add the vanilla extract. Pour into a bowl and place plastic wrap directly on the top of the pudding so that it doesn’t form a skin. Chill at least 2 hours.

Once chilled, fold in the yogurt.

To assemble the trifle:
Place a layer of cut up cake in the bottom of a trifle dish or deep glass bowl, or you can cut out two circles of cake, just the size of your dish and place one layer in the bottom, layer 1 cup berries over the cake, then half the custard, then half the whipped cream. Repeat layers again and top with extra berries.

Heavenly Coconut Cake

Wed, 9 Feb 2011 15:24:06 -0700

A LONG time ago I was watching Martha Stewart and she had a guest chef on who made this cake. He sells it at his restaurant at $100 a pop so I knew it must be good. I had always wanted to make it but just hadn’t done it. So my sister, Rachel, informed me that for our little sister’s, Lissa, personal shower before her wedding, she wanted me to make coconut cupcakes. She was very specific about how she wanted them and I remembered this cake. So I said I would do a trial run and use it for Juliette’s birthday cake, just to make sure it was good.

Heaven. It was SO moist and the coconut flavor was not at all overwhelming, but perfectly present.

I did 6” rounds and made it tall, I think about 8 layers and this left me with plenty of batter to practice with. At high altitude, cake baking is a pain, so it took 3 tries before I got the batter correct. But it was fine since the recipe is actually for a 10” cake so I had plenty.

So if you are one of my high altitude friends and want to make this - you have to add extra cream: 3-4 tablespoons per cup of batter. I found this handy little page: http://allrecipes.com//HowTo/high-altitude-cake-baking/Detail.aspx

I will be putting the link to Martha’s site at the bottom of the this page and she has the video of Chef Robert Carter making the cake and he has a few useful tips that make it worth watching.

The only things I changed are that I did not toast the coconut on the outside of the cake, I used Costco butter rather than the european as I did not feel like spending that much more and also didn’t feel like making a trip to Whole Foods to get it - but I may for the shower, and of course the fact that I had to add about, 1/2 cup more cream to the cake batter but that is only due to the altitude.

Ingredients
Makes one 6-layer cake
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut flakes
2 Coconut Cake
Simple Syrup
Coconut Filling
Coconut Cake Frosting

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread coconut flakes in an even layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden, 5 to 7 minutes; set aside to cool.

Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to make level; discard trimmings. Cut each cake into 3 even layers. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy Susan.

Place one layer on the cake plate. Brush with about one-fifth of the simple syrup. Spread over 2 cups of filling. Place a second layer on top. Repeat process with the next four layers and top with last remaining layer.

Spread top and sides of cake with frosting, keeping in mind you may not need to use all of it. Press toasted coconut into sides of cake; remove parchment paper strips. Chill cake at least 5 hours and up to 5 days. Slice immediately; bring to room temperature before serving.

Coconut Cake

Makes two 10-inch round cakes
Nonstick cooking spray with flour
1 pound unsalted butter, preferably European-style
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray two 10-inch round cake pans with cooking spray; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5 to 6 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until creamy, occasionally scraping down sides of the bowl using a spatula.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, mix together cream, vanilla, and coconut extract. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture, alternating with cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour; beat until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before removing cakes from pans.

Simple Syrup
Makes enough for one cake
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar

Preparation Instructions
Place water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.

Coconut Filling
Makes enough for 1 cake
5 cups heavy cream
3 cups sugar
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
9 cups shredded sweetened coconut

Preparation Instructions
Place cream, sugar, and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together cornstarch, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water. Add to cream mixture, bring to a boil, and simmer until thickened, about 1 minute.

Place coconut in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until coconut is finely chopped. Remove cream mixture from heat and stir in coconut until well combined. Transfer to a large baking dish; let cool.

Cover filling with plastic wrap and chill overnight. Just before using, place mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth and creamy, 4 to 5 minutes

Coconut Cake Frosting
Makes enough for 1 cake
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 cups confectioners' sugar
1 vanilla bean, scraped

Preparation Instructions
Place butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until creamy.

With mixer on low speed, slowly add vanilla extract, seeds from vanilla bean, and confectioners' sugar. Continue beating until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/ultimate-coconut-cake

Super Light and Fluffy Cheesecake

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 18:51:58 -0700

So I got this great idea for a cheesecake.

To separate the eggs and beat the whites to stiff peaks and then fold them into the batter.

The result: heaven.

So here’s the scoop.

Ingredients
FOR CRUST
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1.5 cups Vanilla Wafers
1/2 cup toasted, chopped almonds (pecans are nice too)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

FOR FILLING
2 pounds bar cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon good quality vanilla (I used my homemade stuff of course and it was perfection!)
4 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup sour cream

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 300º.

Place a sheet of foil on the inside of the spring form pan. Press it in so it’s as smooth as you can get it.

In a food processor, pulse vanilla wafers and almonds until fine crumbs form; add melted butter, sugar, and salt, and pulse to combine, don’t make it too moist or it will come out crunchy, it should still crumble when you pick it up, it shouldn’t be sticky. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of the spring form.

Set a full kettle of water to boil.

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-high until fluffy and smooth scraping down side of bowl, add vanilla. Beat in sour cream, egg yolks and salt.

Remove the batter from the mixer bowl and wash out the bowl (unless of course you have an extra mixer bowl). Put in the egg whites and beat on high until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture. Pour into the crust.

Wrap outside of spring form pan in foil, use the large size not the small or the water will leak into your cheesecake. Pour in filling; place in a roasting pan. Pour in boiling water to come halfway up side of spring form. Bake until just set in center, about one and a quarter hours, the middle will still be jiggly but the top will be set. Leave in oven with the door closed to cool for about an hour then remove and let cool to room temp.

Cover; chill overnight before serving.

Cast Iron Cobbler

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:48:36 -0700

I realize the picture doesn’t look like much.

But underneath is a layer of delicious goodness.

Peaches.

This is my go-to, pantry dessert.

This is what I make when my husband calls me at 5:30pm to let me know he has people coming over for dinner (This is not an unusual situation for me to find myself in). Or when we already have people over and we decide we need a little something. Or the church calls and has a family needing a meal. I have used just about every fruit or berry you can think of due to the fact that I don’t think I have EVER planned ahead for this one. So I just end up using whatever I have whether it be canned, frozen or fresh.

The cobbler is your oyster?

I like to serve this one fresh out of the oven because the top comes out with a bit of a crunch to it that goes away if it has been sitting. But of course, it can be served later too.

Ingredients
4 cups fruit or berries (if using a berry such as raspberries you may want to sprinkle them with a touch of sugar while you are making the rest of the recipe just to sweeten them a bit)
1 stick butter
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of sea salt
1 cup whole milk
1 (generous) teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350º. Put the butter into a medium cast iron pan and place in the oven while it’s heating up, allowing the butter to melt completely.

While the butter is melting, in a medium mixing bowl whisk together the rest of the ingredients, except the fruit or berries.

Once the butter is melted, remove the pan from the oven and pour the batter into the pan. Next sprinkle with fruit or berries so they are all over (don’t worry the batter will rise up over the top of them).

Place pan back in the oven until the cake part is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. About 30 minutes.

Serve hot with vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream.

Thanks:http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/memes-blackberry-cobbler

White Chocolate Bread Pudding with Cranberry-Raspberry Sauce

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 08:14:24 -0700

This is a great dessert for a crowd. I made it yesterday for our bible-study group and it went over pretty well, if I do say so myself. Such a warm friendly dessert for a cold winter’s night.

Ingredients for the pudding
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
6 large whole eggs
10 egg yolks
1 vanilla bean
1 loaf day old french bread cut into 1 inch cubes

Preparation Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325º. Butter a 9x13” baking dish and set aside. Cut the vanilla bean in half length-wise and using the back of a knife, scrape the seeds out and place in a large saucepan with the cream, milk and sugar over medium heat. Heat until just barely hot and then remove from heat and add the white chocolate chips. Stir until melted, set aside to cool slightly, should get to about room temperature.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole eggs and the yolks, then pour the milk mixture into the eggs in a slow steady stream whisking constantly until blended. (Careful, if the milk is too hot the eggs will curdle!)
Lay half the bread slices in the baking dish and pour half the cream over the bread and allow it to absorb the mixture for about 5 minutes. Place the other half of the bread pieces over the top and pour remaining milk mixture over the top and allow to sit about 10 more minutes. Cover the pan with foil.
Bake the pudding for 1 hour. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes until the liquid is evaporated and the pudding is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

While the pudding is baking you will want to make the sauces:
White Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients
1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup white chocolate chips

Preparation Instructions
In a small saucepan heat the cream just until hot. Remove from heat and add the chips, stirring until smooth. Set aside and keep warm.

Cranberry-Raspberry Sauce

Ingredients
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup honey
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

Preparation Instructions
Combine all the ingredients in a medium sauce pan over high heat. Allow to boil about 5 minutes, until most of the liquid is evaporated. Set aside to cool. Once cool, press through a fine mesh sieve to remove all the pulp. Set aside until ready to serve.

Once the pudding is cooled slightly, brush the melted butter all over the top of it, serve warm with both sauces drizzled over it and garnish with fresh raspberries and chocolate curls if desired.

Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 17:15:40 -0700

My sister Lissa came home from school a few days before Christmas and said, “Megan, I think you should make a chocolate peppermint cheesecake.” So I did. Everyone really seemed quite in love with it. It is rich, chocolately and lightly pepperminty.

Ingredients
Crust
24 chocolate wafer cookies (from one 9-ounce package)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Filling
1 9.7-ounce bar Scharffen Berger 70% Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate,* chopped
4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Topping
3/4 cup whipping cream
6 ounces Scharffen Berger 70% Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate,* chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
6 candy canes, crushed

Preparation Instructions
Melt the chocolate for the filling and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 325º.
Place a piece of foil on the inside of a springform pan, press it into the pan so it’s as smooth as possible.
In a food processor, combine the cookies, sugar and melted butter, pulse until cookies are crumbled and coated with butter. Pour into springform pan and press into the bottom. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time on the lowest speed, scraping the bowl between additions. Add the cocoa powder and melted chocolate. Pour into the springform pan. Place the pan inside a large roasting pan and place in the oven. Pour boiling hot water into the roasting pan so it comes halfway up the sides of the springform. Close oven door and bake until the top is just set but center is still jiggly. Allow to cool in the oven for about an hour, then on the counter another hour. Move to the fridge and chill overnight.
In a small saucepan combine whipping cream, chocolate and sugar and stir over medium heat until the chocolate melts. Remove from heat and continue stirring until smooth and creamy. Set aside to thicken and cool to room temperture. Once cooled, pour over the top of the cheesecake and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Deep-Dark-Chocolate-Cheesecake-236209#ixzz19MSnFOS1

Truffles

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 16:59:14 -0700

I made these for Christmas breakfast.

Yes. Breakfast.

I find that truffles go nicely with coffee so I figure they are appropriate for breakfast. My brother-in-law Matt is a bit of a chocolate snob and gave me full approval on the recipe. We agreed they are best served right out of the fridge.

Ingredients
1 1/2 bars Lindt 90% dark chocolate
1 10oz package dove milk chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon corn syrup
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup bourbon

Preparation Instructions
In a double boiler, melt the butter and both chocolates together, remove from heat. In a small saucepan, heat corn syrup and cream together until simmering. Stir cream into melted chocolate, continue stirring until smooth and creamy. Pour into a 8x8 pan and put into the refrigerator to chill, about one hour.
Once chilled, use a spoon and scoop out a little bit and roll into a ball, coat in whatever sounds good, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, chopped nuts. Continue rolling and coating until all the chocolate has been used. Refrigerate another hour and then they are ready to serve.

Peppermint Cheesecake

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 13:56:37 -0700

This is one of my favorite cheesecake flavors and I look forward to making it every year. The cool, crisp peppermint of the candy canes blends extremely well with the cold, creaminess of the cheesecake.

Ingredients
Crust:
6 pepperidge farms double chocolate brownie cookies
1/2 package chocolate wafer cookies
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling:
4 (8oz) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or the seeds from one vanilla bean or 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
4 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
dash of salt

Topping:
4 candy canes, crushed

Preparation Instructions
In a food processor combine the cookies and sugar and pulse until fine crumbs form then pour in the butter and pulse until crumbs are just coated. Press into the bottom of a spring-form pan.
Wrap the pan in two layers of foil and place in a large baking dish or roasting pan. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 325º and bring a large pot of water to boil.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment cream together the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla of your choice and the peppermint extract. Then, on the lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time scraping the bowl after each addition. Add the sour cream and the salt. Pour mixture into spring-form pan. Place the roasting pan with the spring-form inside, in the oven and pour the boiling water into the roasting pan, being very careful not to get any water inside the foil or the on the cheesecake itself. Close the oven and bake for about an hour or until the top looks set, the center will still be jiggly but the top should be set.
Turn the oven off and sprinkle the crushed candy canes all over the top of the cheesecake and very carefully remove from the water bath. Place the cheesecake back in the oven and close and allow to cool to room temperature in the oven. This takes about 2 hours.
Once cool, place in the refrigerator over night.
Serve topped with whipped cream.

Homemade Peppermint Marshmallows

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 14:51:04 -0700

So we have Jeremiah’s department Christmas party tonight and I realized yesterday that we are supposed to bring a white elephant gift. Whoops! I had nothing. Hadn’t thought of anything. Blah. Jeremiah always wants to do gag gifts which is SO not my thing. Well, I was reminded by my lovely sister-in-law about these marshmallows I made last year for Christmas. We all sat around in my living room drinking Williams-Sonoma Hot Chocolate with these marshmallows melting in it and watching movies. It was divine. If you have never had a) WS hot chocolate or b)homemade marshmallows YOU NEED TOO!!!! You CAN get ‘homemade’ marshmallows at WS also but they’re like $20 and these probably are like $.50 and you likely have the ingredients in the pantry already and they are pretty easy. Just make sure you have some kind of a stand or hand mixer as I am pretty sure they would be impossible to make with a hand whisk.

Ingredients
Makes sixteen 2-inch squares
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
4 packages (1/4 ounce each) unflavored gelatin
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons red food coloring

Preparation Instructions
Coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray; line bottom with parchment paper. Coat the parchment with cooking spray, and set pan aside. Put sugar, corn syrup, and 3/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring; let mixture come to a boil. Raise heat to medium-high; cook until mixture registers 260 degrees on a candy thermometer.
Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over 3/4 cup water in a heatproof bowl; let stand 5 minutes to soften. Set the bowl with the gelatin mixture over a pan of simmering water; whisk constantly until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat, and stir in extract; set aside.
Beat egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Whisk gelatin mixture into sugar mixture; with mixer running, gradually add to egg whites. Mix on high speed until very thick, 12 to 15 minutes.
Pour mixture into lined pan. Working quickly, drop dots of red food coloring across surface of marshmallow. Using a toothpick, swirl food coloring into marshmallow to create a marbleized effect. Let marshmallow stand, uncovered, at room temperature until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight. Cut into squares with a well buttered knife, cutting straight down into them, don’t try to ‘saw’ them.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Candy-Cane Marshmallows - Martha Stewart Holidays

P.S. I pretty much just copied and pasted this from Martha as I made no changes to the recipe. Hope she doesn’t mind!

Homemade Caramel

Sat, 4 Dec 2010 15:51:32 -0700

Ok, obviously I wasn’t going for pretty here, but boy does it taste good!!! PLUS it was super easy. Linus pretty much made it himself despite his protests. Not because he didn’t want to make something but because he had his heart set on making gingerbread man cookies, which was fine until I discovered I was out of ginger. He vowed he was NOT going eat this, but he would help make it.
Well, guess what? He’s been eating it like it’s going to disappear.

Which it might when Jeremiah gets home.

Ingredients
1 stick butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups karo syrup
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix first 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil, boil to soft ball stage on candy thermometer. Meanwhile, butter a 9x13 pan and line with parchment. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour into pan and allow to cool. Once cool remove and cut into desired pieces and wrap in wax paper.

Note: as you can see in the picture, I added walnuts by putting a layer of them in the 9x13 pan before I poured the caramel in. You could do whatever nuts you want though!

Chocolate Mousse Merengue Cake

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 08:16:13 -0700

This is a recipe I used to make years ago but had forgotten about. The recipe itself is really pretty simple, it’s the construction of the things that is a but fussy since the merengue pieces crumble very easily. But it is SO worth it! The merengue make the mousse light and airy, it’s like eating a chocolate cloud.

Ingredients
6 eggs, separated and at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons cocoa powder
6 1/2 ounces dark chocolate (I like Ghiradelli’s), melted
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
2 1/2 cups heavy cream, whipped

Preparation Instructions
Preheat the oven to 300º move racks to upper half of the oven. Line four baking sheets with parchment paper and mark 3 sheets with a 8 inch circle. Put the egg whites the bowl of a mixer with the whisk attachment fitted. Beat until soft peaks form and then gradually add the sugar and beat until the whites are stiff and glossy. Sift the cocoa powder onto the egg mixture and fold in. Divide the merengue into four portions, spread the first three over the marked circles to form your cake layers. Then put the fourth portion into a piping bag and pipe straight lines onto the fourth baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake about 40 minutes or until pale and crisp. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
To make the mousse dissolve the coffee powder in one tablespoon water. Whisk the egg yolks into the chocolate and then add the coffee. Whisk until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream until completely combined. Refrigerate until cool and thick.
If you are serving this the day you are making it, you can assemble once it’s cool. If not, store the merengues in a air tight container for up to 2 days.
To assemble, put a couple tablespoons of the mousse on the bottom of the plate you are putting it on, just to help hold it on. Place one disk of merengue on top, very carefully spread about one cup of the mousse over the top, repeat with remaining ingredients and spread remaining mousse around the outside edge.
Now here’s the tricky part. Get a very sharp serrated knife and a cutting board. Very carefully take one of the stripes of merengue and cut it into pieces about 2 inches or so. I found it works well to very carefully saw into the top a little bit and then chop all the way down, if that makes sense, they seemed to stay together better that way. Place the pieces around the sides and pile on the top, sprinkle with cocoa powder. Chill until ready to serve.

Pecan Tart

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 07:59:28 -0700

Mmmmm, this is gooey and crunchy and caramely and toasted nutty. It is amazing. I think Pecan Pie/tarts often get overlooked. You forget about how amazing they are until you take that first sticky bite and then you find yourself wondering why you don’t eat them more often.

Ingredients
1 recipe tart pastry
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups dark corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
5 ounces pecans

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 375º. Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on a clean surface, place the pastry in the center and cover with another piece of plastic wrap. Roll out until big enough to fit into tart pan with a removable bottom. You have to kind of play with the plastic a bit to get this to work, but I liked the result. If you prefer, you can just press the pastry into the pan with your fingers. If you do the plastic wrap, once you get it rolled out to right size, remove the top plastic piece and flip over onto the tart pan. Press the dough into the bottom and sides and then slide your finger over the top edges to make them even with the top of the pan, remove the plastic, place pan on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs, sugar, corn syrup, salt, vanilla and melted, cooled butter. Pour into tart shell and arrange pecans in a circular pattern.
Bake for 10 -15 minutes and then reduce oven temperature to 300º and bake until set. About 40 minutes. Cool and serve with whipped cream.

My Basic Cheesecake Recipe

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 07:43:36 -0700

Here it is, my beloved cheesecake recipe. It is smooth, it is creamy, it is rich, it is light, yet dense at the same time. I have been told by many that it is better than the cheesecake factory. The trick is not so much the ingredients as it is the technique.

Ingredients
FOR CRUST
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1.5 cups Vanilla Wafers
1/2 cup toasted, chopped almonds (pecans are nice too)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

FOR FILLING
2 pounds bar cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon good quality vanilla
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 325º. Make crust: In a food processor, pulse vanilla wafers and almonds until fine crumbs form; add melted butter, sugar, and salt, and pulse to combine, don’t make it too moist or it will come out crunchy, it should still crumble when you pick it up, it shouldn’t be sticky. Press crumb mixture into bottom.

Set a full kettle of water to boil. Make filling: Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-high until fluffy and smooth scraping down side of bowl, add vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time, on slowest speed scraping down side of bowl after each addition. Beat in sour cream and salt.

Wrap outside of spring form pan in foil, use the large size not the small or the water will leak into your cheesecake. Pour in filling; place in a roasting pan. Pour in boiling water to come halfway up side of spring form. Bake until just set in center, about 1 hour, the middle will still be jiggly but the top will be set. Leave in oven with the door closed to cool for about an hour then remove and let cool to room temp. Cover; chill overnight before serving.

Note: My favorite vanilla for this is Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste. You can get it at Williams-Sonoma or on www.amazon.com although it oddly is cheaper at Williams-Sonoma

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Molasses Sauce

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 07:11:52 -0700

I love cheesecake. I have spent many years trying to get my basic cheesecake recipe right. But I finally figured it out a couple years ago. So this is my pumpkin twist on my basic recipe. Which I will post as well.

Ingredients
For the Crust
1 box ginger snaps
1/4 cup sugar
1 cube butter, melted
3/4 cup pecans

For the Filling
4 (8oz) packages cream cheese
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup pureed pumpkin
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4ground cloves
1/2 nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs

Preparation Instructions
The first thing you want to do is take the eggs and cream cheese out of the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 325º. Bring a large teapot full of water to a boil and cover the outside of the spring form pan in foil. Use the large size, not the small or it will leak (you are going to be doing a water bath so you will need a large roasting pan or something you can put the spring form inside of). Meanwhile in a food processor combine ginger snaps, sugar and pecans, pulse until crumbly. Melt butter, add to crumbs and pulse until moist. Dump the crumbs into a 10” spring form pan, spread around so they are fairly level and then press into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine cream cheese and sugar, beat on medium-high until smooth and creamy. Next add pumpkin, all the spices, salt and vanilla, mix until smooth.
This next part is very important.
Add the eggs one at a time on lowest speed, scraping the bowl in between each addition.
Once you have added all the eggs, pour into the spring form. Place the spring form inside a large roasting pan and place in the oven with the rack pulled out. Pour the water from the teapot in the roasting pan so that it comes about half way up the sides of the spring form. Close the oven and bake about an hour. Try not to open the oven as it will let the moisture out and you need to keep it moist to keep it from cracking (especially if like me, you live at high altitude, then this becomes extremely important). To test for doneness jiggle the pan just a bit and see if the top is set, the inside will still be jiggly but the top will seem set. I hope that makes sense. If it is set, close the oven door and turn the oven off and allow to cool in the oven for an hour. Then open the oven door and allow to cool for another hour, then remove from water bath and set it on the counter and allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate overnight. Serve the next day!
For Thanksgiving I served this with a Whiskey Molasses Sauce from the Spiced Pumpkin Souffle recipe posted earlier. Yum!!!

Chocolate Ganache Toffee Cake

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 15:26:13 -0700

I made this cake for Juliette’s first birthday and it’s quite lovely. I have since made it for a couple occasions and gotten rave reviews on it.

Ingredients
rich chocolate cake mix
vanilla yogurt
1 pound dark chocolate, chopped
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
Toffee pieces

Preparation Instructions
Follow the instructions on the cake box replacing the oil with vanilla yogurt. Bake as directed into two 9” inch round layers. To make the frosting, place the chocolate in the bowl of a stand mixer. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Pour over chocolate and stir with a spatula until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Reserve 3/4 cup of the ganache, set aside. Whip the remaining chocolate mixture until it is light and fluffy. Place the first layer of cake on whatever tray you want to use and top with half the reserved, unwhipped ganache. Place the second layer on top and frost the whole cake with the whipped ganache, reserving a small amount, about a 1/2 cup for piping. Once you have frosted it, pour the rest of the reserved, unwhipped ganache over the top so there is a layer of it over the top but not the sides. Pipe the edges and bottom of the cake. Top with chopped toffee pieces and serve with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

Caramel Pumpkin Pie

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 20:43:48 -0700

Ingredients
1/2 recipe of Grandma’s Pie Crust with Finely chopped Pecans added
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons water
2 cups heavy cream
1 (15-oz) can solid-pack pumpkin (not pie filling; a scant 2 cups) or fresh pumpkin
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preparation Instructions
BAKE PIE SHELL:
Lightly prick bottom of shell all over with a fork, then line with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake pie shell until side is set and edge is pale golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove weights and foil and bake shell until bottom is golden, about 10 minutes more. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 30 minutes.

MAKE FILLING WHILE SHELL COOLS:
Bring sugar and water to a boil in a medium sized saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil syrup, gently swirling pan (do not stir)so it browns evenly, until mixture is a deep golden caramel, about 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to moderate and carefully add 1 cup cream (mixture will bubble vigorously), stirring until caramel is dissolved. Stir in remaining cup cream and bring just to a simmer.
Whisk together pumpkin purée, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in hot cream mixture, then add eggs, whisking until combined well. Pour filling into cooled crust through a sieve and bake until puffed and the center is just set, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool on a rack, about 2 hours. (Pie will continue to set as it cools.)

Adapted from: http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2006/11/caramel-pumpkin-pie

Lemon Sabayon Tart with Burnt Sugar

Sat, 6 Nov 2010 14:40:04 -0600

I have to admit, I didn’t have enough lemons in the fridge, so I ended up using mostly orange juice which was quite good. It brought down the tartness quite a bit so if you want something more sweet than tart, do the same. But if it’s lemon you are looking for then use all lemon juice and you will be simply happy.

Ingredients
1 recipe Shortbread Tart Crust
6 whole large eggs
6 large egg yolks
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut in half
granulated sugar for sprinkling on top and burning, about 1/4-1/2 cup

Preheat oven to 375º. Press the tart crust dough into 8 mini tart pans or one large one. If you are using the mini pans place them on a baking sheet to make it easier to put in the oven. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until just turning golden around the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool while you make the sabayon.
Whisk together whole eggs, yolks, and sugar in a metal bowl until combined well, 1 to 2 minutes. Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk until foamy, about 2 minutes. Add one third of lemon juice and whisk until thickened, about 1 minute. Add half of remaining lemon juice and whisk until thickened, about 1 minute. Repeat with remaining lemon juice. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until thickened and an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F, 7 to 8 minutes more. Remove from heat and whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time, until incorporated. Cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
Pour the sabayon into the tart shells and put in the refrigerator and chill for at least 6 hours.
Right before serving, sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly over the top of each tart. With a torch moving back and forth quickly across the tart, burn the sugar until brown. Remove from tart pan, place on a plate and serve, if desired, with fresh whipped cream.

Shortbread Tart Crust

Sat, 6 Nov 2010 14:31:00 -0600

Ingredients
2 cups flour
3 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
2 egg yolks

Preparation Instructions
In a food processor, combine the flour and sugar by pulsing a couple times. Add the butter and pulse until crumbly. Add the eggs and again pulse until course crumbs form. Press into tart pan with fingers. Bake at 375º for about 12 minutes or until edges are just starting to turn golden.

Tart Pastry

Wed, 3 Nov 2010 09:35:41 -0600

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup cold butter
1 egg

Preparation Instructions
In a food processor, combine flour and sugar. Pulse 1-2 times just to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles course crumbs. Add the eggs and pulse 2-3 more times until combined but still crumbly. Put into tart pan and press into pan.