First things first. Since there were soooo many responses to my last giveaway it was really hard to pick a winner. My hand started cramping from writing down all the names and tossing them in the hat.
**Silence**
Hello! Anyone there? Tap tap. This thing on?
Alright, all kidding aside.
The winner of the Moss's mix is.......
Drumroll please!
Angela Mason!
She wrote:
"Hey Christy! Loved the cornbread stuffing recipe, and if I win this giveaway, I will have to try it (even if I don't I will try it! LOL, I will also make hush puppies, because face it, wat's better than hus puppies? And lastly, some breaded salmon. YUMMMMMMY!"
So congrats girl. I will be contacting you soon to get the stuff to you.
Jenn K. Sorry girl, but stay tuned, there will be more giveaways!
So on to the topic of this post.
Have you heard of Bento Boxes?
One of my favorites
It is the Japanese version of a brown bag lunch. In use since the early 12th century, the original container was just a bag but in the mid 16th century they started producing beautiful wooden lacquered boxes with dividers in them.
The boxes would be filled with shaped,stuffed rice balls wrapped in bamboo leaves (now, nori is used) called onigiri. As well as fish or meat and cooked or pickled vegetables. They would be packed lovingly for children, a spouse or for themselves by caring family members spending lengthy periods of time and energy to make them enticing to look at and then eat.
Over the past several centuries these boxed lunches have been adopted by many countries including the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea, India, Hawaii and, most recently, the US.
And by recently I mean since about the 1970's. Okinawa was occupied by the United States military until the mid 1970's and when all those boys came home they brought new foods, flavors and ideas back with them.
Which is great for us! At least, in this case, it is good for me
You see, in a perfect world, kids would eat anything you gave them and not complain about vegetables or grains. But that isn't my world. I have one picky eater who doesn't like to anything green or not fried. Ok, maybe that's a little extreme, but she does have her favorites and doesn't like to mess it up with things that are good for her, like vegetables.
However, she does like things that are "cute". So I've taken to packing her lunches for school in a makeshift Bento box. I found a rectangle container at my local dollar store and fill it with small goodies she likes and some that she hasn't tried before. By cutting them into cute shapes she has become more interested in trying something new. I have silicone cupcake wrappers that I put moist ingredients into and fill the rest up with sandwiches, chips, pretzels, or anything else I want to get her to try.
So far it's been a success. Both children love taking their boxes to the lunch room, opening them up and seeing what surprises await them. One of my sons' friends told him "your mom must be a food artist"! Which made him feel special and more interested in trying something new as well.
Here is a picture of their lunches from one day last week.
Using plain old cookie cutters to shape food and arranging it in a cool way is fun (at least for me) but challenging. It may seem like a lot of work for just a kids lunch, but it really only took me about 10 minutes to do both boxes at once. And it is worth it if they come home and tell you how much they liked the celery sticks which they might not ever had tried before that day.
There are many choices out there for Bento boxes (expensive too). But you can make your own out of plastic containers and some silicone cupcake wrappers (which help keep moist foods from coming in contact with dryer ones that you don't want to get soggy). So get yourself down to your local dollar store and pick ya up some containers and see what you come up with.
Please post your pictures along with a comment telling me how much you, or your child, enjoyed their boxed lunch that day!
I've never been a big bread dressing fan. There are bags and bags of the stuff that sell like hotcakes near Thanksgiving and Christmas.
But I'm a purist when it comes to that kind of thing. I like made from scratch cornbread dressing.
That bagged stuff is too over seasoned and oily. This moist delicious dressing is just perfect.
The right balance between dry and wet. And just the right amount of seasoning to remind you of baked turkey and cranberry sauce!
I made it with White Fine Ground Cornmeal that I got from Buffaloe Milling Co. They were kind enough to send me a whole box of goodies to replace a defective bag that I had bought earlier at my local store.
So today I am giving away 3 bags of mix from Moss' of Buffaloe Milling Co. to one lucky winner. All you have to do is leave a comment at the end of this post about what you would make if you won and received these mixes'.
Only one entry per person please. Deadline to enter is Friday August 20th at midnight.
The bags up for giveaway is 1-Fine Ground Cornmeal, 1-Seafood Breader Mix, and 1-Light n' sweet Hushpuppy mix.
Winners will be chosen at random with some sort of name-in-a-hat gig that I let the kids pick from.
Good luck everyone!
Cornbread Dressing
Adapted from Southern Living
1/2 cup butter, divided
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbls sugar
1 Tbls baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Baking soda
3 large eggs, divided (I used 1 large and 1 small egg for each part)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups soft breadcrumbs
1 cup diced onions
1 1/2 cups celery diced
1/2 Tbls dried sage
10 oz chicken broth
1/2 Tbls Pepper
Place 1/4 cups butter in 8x8 pan and heat in 425 degree oven for 4 min.
Combine cornmeal and next 5 ingredients; whisk in 1 large and 1 small egg and buttermilk.
Pour hot butter into batter, stirring until blended. Pour batter into pan.
Bake at 425 for 30 min or until golden brown. Cool.
Crumble cornbread into a large bowl; stir in breadcrumbs, set aside.
Melt remainging 1/4 cup butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add onions and celery, and saute until tender. Stir in sage, and saute 1 more minute.
Stir vegetables, remaining 1 large and 1 small egg, chicken broth, and pepper into cornbread mixture; pour evenly into 1 lightly greased pan. (They advise you to chill overnight, but I just went ahead and baked mine.)
Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.
If you've ever had goulash as a kid you probably remember the ground beef, tomato sauce and elbow noodles that are the basics of this dish. It was one of my favorite recipes and one of the easiest one for my mom to prepare. This version is updated for more grown-up tastebuds but my son likes it too. It includes diced onions, carrots, zuchini and peppers. Simmered in a red wine and tomato sauce then topped with creamy melted cheese. Try this with a slice of Easy French Bread, a side salad and you've got yourself a meal!
Grown-up Goulash
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium zuchini, diced
1 small pepper, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup red wine
8 oz elbow noodles (approx 1 1/2 cups)
1 (26 oz) can of your favorite tomato sauce (I used a plain sauce and added 1/2 tsp oregano, basil and garlic powder)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of Mozzarella, divided
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Fry beef in a large hot pan (large enough to hold all the ingredients). When most the beef is browned, drain off the grease and add all the vegetables. Continue to cook, stirring often, for about 3-5 minutes. Add the water and red wine and bring to a boil. Add the noodles, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove the lid, check to make sure most of the liquid was absorbed, then add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper and 1 cup of the mozzarella. Stir to combine. Top mixture with the rest of the cheese, cover and continue to cook on low for 15 more minutes.
Recently I purchased some Water Ground Plain White Fine Ground Corn Meal made by Buffaloe Milling Co. Inc in Kittrell, Nc.
Unbeknownst (who talks like that anymore?) to me, it had some........passengers taging along inside the bag. I'm sure they were picked up in the storage facility of Walmart somewhere along the way because when I called the milling company, they stated that the lot number was one of the latest batches.
I spoke to a very friendly gentleman who appologized for the....extra's I had gotten and would be sending me a replacement along with some of their other products to try. I was pleasantly surprised but explained that I just wanted to inform them that this was my experience and to give them a heads up of the situation.
Still they sent the package and I received it yesterday.
Look at what I got!
The box has been sitting on my counter all day and I keep smelling this enticing spice that had me quizically searching out the aroma. I found it in the bag marked "Hot N' Spicey Breader Mix". Now I sooo gotta find something to use it on! My head has been spinning at the thought, and the smell!
I will keep you posted on what I use all of these for/on. Let me know if you have ever used Moss' Mixes and feel free to share your great recipes!
4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (2 whole packets)
2 tsp sugar
2 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
2 tbls olive oil
2 Tblsp salt
3-5 cups Bread Flour
Pour yeast, sugar and warm water in mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Allow to sit and bloom for 5 minutes.
Add Olive oil, salt and 3 cups of bread flour and mix on low speed till combined. Add another cup of flour and mix till the dough starts to pull away from the sides.
Keep mixing for 1 minute to see if the bread pulls up from the bottom of the bowl. If it doesn't, add 1/4 cup flour at a time until it does. Not adding more than 1 cup.
When all the flour is incorporated, turn the speed up to 6 on your mixer and knead the dough for 5 minutes.
When it is done, it should be soft and smooth.
Mold into a ball shape and put in a large greased bowl big enough to let the dough expand to twice it's size. Cover with oil sprayed plastic wrap and put in a warm, draft free place to rise for about 45 minutes.
When dough has doubled in size, gently deflate it and turn out onto a lightly floured counter. Working from the center out, flatten with your hands to approximately a 18 inch rectangle.
Start from the top of the long side and pull the dough over toward you and pinch it with your fingers into the bottom layer of dough. Like rolling up a cinnamon roll.
Gently roll to secure seam and place on a cookie sheet that's been sprinkled with cornmeal.
Turn oven to 400 degrees while the dough rises.
Spray dough with olive oil spray and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise till doubled and oven is heated.
When dough is risen (doubled in size), remove plastic wrap and with a VERY sharp knife slice 4 angled cuts aross the bread to help with expansion as it bakes. Spray with olive oil.
Bake dough for 25-30 minutes. Dough should be golden brown and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.
Place the finished bread on a rack to cool so that the bottom doesn't become soggy while cooling on the pan. Serve with lots of butter and homemade strawberry perservers. Or make a toasted tomato sandwich. Or you can make Turkey, avocado and sharp cheddar cheese sandwich. The possibilities are endless.
From start to finish this bread takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes to prepare. Not bad for homemade goodness. An added bonus is that it makes your house smell like a bakery and your family think your awesome!
Go forth and bake!
I am such a slacker.
I look forward to the 1st of every month just to see what the Daring Bakers challenge is going to be for that month. Then I keep putting off making it until I have a reason to do it. In other words, someone to give it to.
You see usually the recipe makes so much and there is no point in making it without someone to share it with. This month was no different. However, even though I waited till the last week to make this Swiss Roll Ice Cream Cake, I still forgot to set my blog to post on time! Doh!
I promise to do better in the future.
At least, I promise to try....
Blog checking lines- The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s world – life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home.
Swiss Roll Ice Cream Cake
The Swiss rolls:
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 10 - 12 minutes
Rolling and cooling time: at least 30 minutes
Filling: 5 - 8 minutes
Filling and rolling: 5 - 10 minutes
Ingredients:
6 medium sized eggs
1 C / 225 grams caster sugar /8 oz + extra for rolling
6 TBS. / 45 grams/ a pinch over 1.5 oz of all purpose (plain) flour
5 TBS. /40 gram / a pinch under 1.5 oz of natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted together
2 TBS. /30 ml / 1 fl oz of boiling water
a little oil for brushing the pans
For the filling:
2 C / 500 mls/ 16 fl oz of whipping cream
1 vanilla pod, cut into small pieces of about ½ cm (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
5 TBS. / 70 grams / 2.5oz of caster sugar
Directions:
1. Pre-heat the oven at 200 deg C /400 deg F approximately. Brush the baking pans (11 inches by 9 inches) with a little oil and line with greaseproof baking paper. If you have just one pan, bake one cake and then let the pan cool completely before using it for the next cake.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar and beat till very thick; when the beaters are lifted, it should leave a trail on the surface for at least 10 seconds.
3. Add the flour mixture, in three batches and fold in
gently with a spatula. Fold in the water.
4. Divide the mixture among the two baking pans and
spread it out evenly, into the corners of the pans.
5. Place a pan in the center of the pre-heated oven and
bake for about 10-12 minutes or till the center is
springy to the touch.
6. Spread a kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle a
little caster sugar over it.
7. Turn the cake on to the towel and peel away the
baking paper. Trim any crisp edges.
8. Starting from one of the shorter sides, start to make a
roll with the towel going inside. Cool the wrapped
roll on a rack, seam side down.
9. Repeat the same for the next cake as well.
10. Grind together the vanilla pieces and sugar in a food
processer till nicely mixed together. If you are using
vanilla extract, just grind the sugar on its own and
then add the sugar and extract to the cream.
11. In a large bowl, add the cream and vanilla-sugar
mixture and beat till very thick.
12. Divide the cream mixture between the
completely cooled cakes.
13. Open the rolls and spread the cream
mixture, making sure it does not go right to
the edges (a border of ½ an inch should be
fine).
14. Roll the cakes up again, this time without the towel.
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge till needed,
seam side down.
Vanilla Ice Cream
Vanilla Ice Cream
Preparation time: 5 minutes + freezing
Ingredients
2 and ½ C / 625 ml / 20 fl oz of whipping cream
1 vanilla bean, minced or 1 tsp/ 5 ml/ .15 fl oz vanilla extract
½ C / 115grams/ 4 oz of granulated sugar
Directions:
1. Grind together the sugar and vanilla in a food processor. In a mixing bowl, add the cream and vanilla –sugar mixture and whisk lightly till everything is mixed together. If you are using the vanilla extract, grind the sugar on its own and then and the sugar along with the vanilla extract to the cream.
2. Pour into a freezer friendly container and freeze till firm around the edges. Remove from the freezer, beat till smooth and return to the freezer. Do this 3-4 times and then set completely.
Hot Fudge Sauce
Preparation time: 2 minutes
Cooking time: 2 minutes
Ingredients:
1 C / 230 grams / 8 oz of caster sugar
3 TBS. / 24 grams /1.5 oz of natural unsweetened cocoa powder
2 TBS. /15 grams / 1 oz of corn flour/cornstarch
1 ½ C / 355 ml /12 fl oz of water
1 TBS. /14 grams/ 1 oz butter
1 tsp/ 5 ml / .15 fl oz vanilla extract
Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar,
cocoa powder, corn flour and water.
2. Place the pan over heat, and stir constantly, till it begins to
thicken and is smooth (for about 2 minutes).
3. Remove from heat and mix in the butter and vanilla. Keep
aside to cool.
Chocolate Ice Cream
Preparation time: 5 minutes + freezing
Ingredients:
2 C / 500 ml whipping cream
1 C / 230 grams / 8 oz caster sugar
3 TBS. / 24 grams / 1.5 oz of natural unsweetened cocoa powder
Directions:
1. Grind together the sugar and the cocoa powder in a food processor.
2. In a saucepan, add all the ingredients and whisk lightly.
3. Place the pan over heat and keep stirring till it begins to bubble around the edges.
4. Remove from heat and cool completely before transferring to a freezer friendly container till firm around the edges. If you are using an ice cream maker, churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instruction, after the mixture has cooled completely.
5. Remove from the freezer, beat till smooth and return to the freezer. Do this 3-4 times and then set completely.
Assembly:
1. Cut the Swiss rolls into 20 equal slices
(approximately 2 cms each).
2. Cover the bottom and sides of the bowl in
which you are going to set the dessert with
cling film/plastic wrap.
3. Arrange two slices at the bottom of the pan,
with their seam sides facing each other.
Arrange the Swiss roll slices up the bowl,
with the seam sides facing away from the
bottom, to cover the sides of the bowl.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and
freeze till the slices are firm (at least 30
minutes).
4. Soften the vanilla ice cream. Take the bowl out
of the freezer, remove the cling film cover
and add the ice cream on top of the cake slices. Spread it out to cover the bottom and sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till firm (at least 1 hour)
5. Add the fudge sauce over the vanilla ice
cream, cover and freeze till firm. (at least an
hour)
6. Soften the chocolate ice cream and spread it
over the fudge sauce. Cover with plastic wrap
and freeze for at least 4-5 hours till completely
set.
7. Remove the plastic cover, and place the
serving plate on top of the bowl. Turn it
upside down and remove the bowl and the
plastic lining. If the bowl does not come
away easily, wipe the outsides of the bowl
with a kitchen towel dampened with hot
water. The bowl will come away easily.
8. Keep the cake out of the freezer for at least
10 minutes before slicing, depending on
how hot your region is. Slice with a sharp
knife, dipped in hot water.
Serve to someone you care about. Or maybe just someone you kinda care about. Or it could be someone you just met and don't really know. Whatever floats your boat.
Ciao!
Ok, so I know that having chili in the middle of summer is like having Christmas in July. But there are times when the hankerin hits and you just gotta have it. Like having roasted turkey in May. An uncontrollable urge that has to be satiated.
So on a recent cool snap here in Virginia I wanted chili. But not the good ol' standby with beef. I wanted chicken chili!
And what do you HAVE to have with chili? Well, cornbread of course! Only, I was feeling picky. So I didn't want squares of plain cornbread. I wanted crunchy, sweet and cheesy cubes of cornbread. And I have a confession to make. I used a box cornbread mix. I can't help it. I have always liked Jiffy cornbread mix. I spruce it up a bit with some extra's but it's real good in my humble opinion.
So here is what I came up with.
Chicken Chili
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes (optional if you want it spicy)
1/2 can of Green Tomatillo Salsa (found in the Mexican Foods Isle of your grocery store)
4 cups chicken broth
4 cooked chicken breasts, chopped
1 can Great Northern Beans, drained
Saute onion and bell pepper in oil in a stock pot until soft. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add the next 7 ingredients, stir until combined and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add chicken and beans and cook till reduced to desired consistency.
Serve with Cheesy Cornbread Croutons (see below) and whatever other accompaniments you like with your chili.
Cheesy Cornbread Croutons
1 box Jiffy Cornbread mix
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
3 tsp Splenda (or sugar)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together and pour in a greased 8x8 pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until done.
Remove from the oven and allow to sit and cool for 10-15 minutes. Then invert pan onto a cutting board to release bread. Cut cornbread into cubes then place on a sheet pan and spray with olive oil. Make sure the cubes aren't stacked on top of each other, give them space. Place pan in oven and cook for another 15-20 minutes or until browned.
Remove from oven and serve with Chicken Chili.
*Note: The croutons will crisp up more when allowed to cool.
Piece Montée, which literally means “mounted piece” is the traditional wedding cake in France. It is a dessert piece made out of Pate a Choux, filled, dipped in chocolate, stacked then bound and decorated using threads of caramel. It is usually attached to a conical structure but it can be formed into many different shapes. There are three components, first the pate a choux, the crème patissiere, and the glaze used to mount/decorate it.
The May 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake. Cat challenged everyone to make a piece montée, or croquembouche, based on recipes from Peter Kump’s Baking School in Manhattan and Nick Malgieri.
Ok, so here we go.
For the Vanilla Crème Patissiere (Half Batch)
1 cup (225 ml.) whole milk
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
6 Tbsp. (100 g.) sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
2 Tbsp. (30 g.) unsalted butter
1 Tsp. Vanilla
Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of milk. Combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a saucepan; bring to boil; remove from heat.
Beat the whole egg, then the yolks into the cornstarch mixture. Pour 1/3 of boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not begin to cook.
Return the remaining milk to boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continuing whisking.
Continue whisking (this is important – you do not want the eggs to solidify/cook) until the cream thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.
Pour cream into a stainless steel/ceramic bowl. Press plastic wrap firmly against the surface. Chill immediately and until ready to use.
For Chocolate Pastry Cream (Half Batch Recipe):
Bring ¼ cup (about 50 cl.) milk to a boil in a small pan; remove from heat and add in 3 ounces (about 80 g.) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, and mix until smooth. Whisk into pastry cream when you add the butter and vanilla.
For Coffee Pastry Cream (Half Batch recipe)
Dissolve 1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder in 1 ½ teaspoons boiling water. Whisk into pastry cream with butter and vanilla.
Pate a Choux (Yield: About 28)
¾ cup (175 ml.) water
6 Tbsp. (85 g.) unsalted butter
¼ Tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup (125 g.) all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
For Egg Wash: 1 egg and pinch of salt
Pre-heat oven to 425◦F/220◦C degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Preparing batter:
Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. At boil, remove from heat and sift in the flour, stirring to combine completely.
Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Transfer to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon 1 minute to cool slightly.
Add 1 egg. The batter will appear loose and shiny.
As you stir, the batter will become dry-looking like lightly buttered mashed potatoes.
It is at this point that you will add in the next egg. Repeat until you have incorporated all the eggs.
Piping:
Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip (I piped directly from the bag opening without a tip). Pipe choux about 1 inch-part in the baking sheets. Choux should be about 1 inch high about 1 inch wide.
Using a clean finger dipped in hot water, gently press down on any tips that have formed on the top of choux when piping. You want them to retain their ball shape, but be smoothly curved on top.
Brush tops with egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with pinch of salt).
Baking:
Bake the choux at 425◦F/220◦C degrees until well-puffed and turning lightly golden in color, about 10 minutes.
Lower the temperature to 350◦F/180◦C degrees and continue baking until well-colored and dry, about 20 minutes more. Remove to a rack and cool.
Finishing your dessert.
Filling:
When you are ready to assemble your piece montée, using a plain pastry tip, pierce the bottom of each choux. Fill the choux with pastry cream using either the same tip or a star tip, and place on a paper-lined sheet. Choux can be refrigerated briefly at this point while you make your glaze.
Use one of these to top your choux and assemble your piece montée.
Chocolate Glaze:
8 ounces/200 g. finely chopped chocolate (use the finest quality you can afford as the taste will be quite pronounced; I recommend semi-sweet)
Melt chocolate in microwave or double boiler. Stir at regular intervals to avoid burning. Use the best quality chocolate you can afford. Use immediately.
Hard Caramel Glaze:
1 cup (225 g.) sugar
½ teaspoon lemon juice
Combine sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan with a metal kitchen spoon stirring until the sugar resembles wet sand. Place on medium heat; heat without stirring until sugar starts to melt around the sides of the pan and the center begins to smoke. Begin to stir sugar. Continue heating, stirring occasionally until the sugar is a clear, amber color. Remove from heat immediately; place bottom of pan in ice water to stop the cooking. Use immediately.
Assembly of your Piece Montée:
You may want to lay out your unfilled, unglazed choux in a practice design to get a feel for how to assemble the final dessert. For example, if making a conical shape, trace a circle (no bigger than 8 inches) on a piece of parchment to use as a pattern. Then take some of the larger choux and assemble them in the circle for the bottom layer. Practice seeing which pieces fit together best.
Once you are ready to assemble your piece montée, dip the top of each choux in your glaze (careful it may be still hot!), and start assembling on your cake board/plate/sheet. Continue dipping and adding choux in levels using the glaze to hold them together as you build up. (You may want to use toothpicks to hold them in place).
When I got my May issue of Food and Wine magazine this month I knew I had to make the Grilled Chicken Tacos. The picture of them was so enticing, as were many others, that I turned to find the recipe immediately. I was also excited to see that I already had most of the ingredients on hand. I substitued chicken breast for the thighs because that's what I had in the fridge.
I put the marinade together in minutes and put it in the fridge just before lunch. By dinner it was ready to pull out and pop on the grill pan. A whiz in the mini prep food processor and the Avocado Salsa was done! I added Pico de Gallo to tie in with the marinade flavor. Then some crunch with shredded cabbage and topped it with mozzarella cheese. Other than the marinating time, this dinner came together in around 30 minutes. Which, in my busy mom opinon, is a great thing!
Give this a go and try not to be impressed. Then go get ya a subscription to Food and Wine magazine for more of their great, and delicious, ideas.
Chicken Tacos
TOTAL TIME: 30 MIN Plus 6 hr marinating
SERVINGS: Makes 12 tacos
Ingredients
3 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup water
1/2 tsp Chipotle powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs (I used 3 breasts)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon dried parsley
12 corn tortillas, warmed
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Directions
1.In a blender, puree the tomatoes with the lime juice, water and salt. Transfer the puree to a large resealable plastic bag and add the chicken thighs. Seal the bag, pressing out the air. Refrigerate the chicken for 6 hours or overnight.
2.Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade and pat them dry. Brush with the oil and sprinkle with the paprika and parsley. Grill over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until the chicken is lightly charred and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a work surface and let stand for 5 minutes. Cut the chicken thighs into strips and serve with the warmed tortillas, cheese, avocado salsa, pico de gallo and shredded cabbage.
Make Ahead
The grilled chicken can be refrigerated overnight.
Avocado Salsa
SERVINGS: Makes about 1 1/4 cups
Ingredients
1 Hass avocado, cut into chunks
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Salt
Directions
1.In a blender, combine the avocado with the water, cilantro and lime juice and season with salt. Blend until smooth.
Make Ahead
The avocado salsa can be refrigerated overnight. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the salsa.
Arancini di Riso
Sounds exotic and flavorful doesn't it? It loosely means fried rice balls. The name comes from the Italian word for orange (arancia) which is roughly the color and shape of these delicious goodies. (Thank you Wikipedia) Well you won't be disappointed in this recipe. Who doesn't like creamy risotto? And who doesn't like creamy risotto with bacon and parmesan cheese? And who wouldn't like all of that wrapped around a piece of mozzarella cheese and then deep fried? I tell you people, there aren't many of them out there, if any.
This is a great appetizer for your next party. The risotto can be leftovers from the night before or made fresh the day you need it. Take that and mix it with simple ingredients and before you know it you are devouring enjoying these delicious morsels one right after the other.
And just in case you didn't already know it, Risotto is made from Arborio rice. It's an Italian-style rice. Don't do what I did the first time and go looking for Risotto rice. Duh!
I adapted this recipe from Giada De Laurentis. Her's uses mushroom and pea risotto but I decided bacon and onion sounded better to me. I think these would be great served with an aioli dip. I might try that next time.
Right now I've got chickens outta their pen and kids chasing them in a battery powered jeep.
Till next time...
Creamy Bacon Risotto
2 Tbls olive oil
2 Tbls butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup uncooked arborio rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
Melt butter in a saute pan with olive oil. Add the onion and cook till softened. Add the bacon and rice,stir to coat the rice then cook for 2 minutes. Add the white wine and 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Continue cooking, stirring often until all liquid is absorbed. Add remaining broth 1 cup at a time, cooking and stirring until all liquid is aborbed before adding the next cup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow rice to cool for Arancini di Riso.
Arancini di Riso
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
4 large eggs, beaten slightly
4 cups Creamy Bacon Risotto
1 cup grated Parmesan
3 cups dried Italian-style bread crumbs
2 oz mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used the pre-made balls found in the deli section of my grocery store)
Salt
Pour the oil into a deep heavy saucepan to the depth of 3 inches. Heat over medium heat to 350 degrees.
Combine eggs, risotto, parmesan and 1 cup bread crumbs in a large bowl. Place the remaining bread crumbs in a shallow dish and set aside. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the risotto mixture, flatten and place a piece of mozzarella in the center. Wrap the risotto around and enclose the cheese. Roll the ball in the bread crumbs and set on a pan till the rest are completed.
Working in batches, add the rice balls to the oil and cook, turning as necessary, until they are brown and heated through, approximately 3-4 minutes. Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate and allow to drain. Season immediately with salt.
Let them rest and cool for a few minutes before you taste, lest your ravage the inside of your mouth with piping hot melted cheese!
Serve with ranch dressing, aioli or just eat them plain.
Enjoy! And share with someone you love.
If you can bring yourself to!
There is a pie contest coming up here in my small town. I harbor no illusions that I am a great pie afficionado. Pie crust has always been the bain of my baking experience. Too dry. Too tough. Too hard to work with. Yada yada yada.
However, I recently bought a great book called "Great Pies and Tarts" by Carole Walter. It has a plethora of great crust recipes and tips as well as ones for tarts and hand pies. I am a huge cooked-fruit lover and jumped at the chance to make a delicious pie.
I was also nervous about attempting to make crust again. But with Carole's gentle and knowledgeable help I decided it was worth the frustration. And a bit frustrating it was! But in the end I learned a few things and feel really comfortable about trying it again.
I chose pears and blackberries, but feel free to change the fruit's based on your taste. And don't skimp on the crust. The cheddar gives it such a unique taste and texture that would be great with just about any fruit you'd pair it with.
I plan on making it again and pair it with apples, walnuts and caramel in some sort. I'll let you know how that goes at some point.
Happy Pie Baking!
Cheddar Pastry
from Carole Walter of Great Pies and Tarts
Makes 1 double crust for a 9- or 10-inch pie
2 1/3 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup partially frozen unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 in cubes
1/2 cup partially frozen vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
2/3 to 3/4 cup lightly packed grated Cheddar cheese (2 oz)
4 tablespoons ice water, or more as needed
1. Place the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Process for 5 seconds to blend.
2. Add half the butter and shortening and all the cheese. Toss with a spatula to coat with flour. Pulse 4 or 5 times, then process for 5 seconds. Add the remaining fats, pulse again 4 or 5 times, then process about 5 seconds. The mixture should have the texture of coarse meal and still contain some larger pieces of fat.
3. Empty the mixture into a large bowl. Pass the crumbs through your fingers to break up any very large clumps. Add the ice water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, tossing the crumbs with a fork between each addition. Take a handful of crumbs and squeeze gently to see if they will stick together. If not, add additional ice water as needed.
4. Form into two 4- to 5- inch disks by pressing the mixture against the side of the bowl. All of the crumbs should adhere and clean the bowl. If not, add a few more drops of water. Dust the disks generously with flour and cover with pastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer before rolling.
On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 disk of pastry into a circle measuring approx 13 inches. Fit loosely into the pie plate. Trim the edges with scissors, leaving a 1/2 inch overhang. Beat the egg white and water with a fork. Brush the pastry with the egg wash and reserve the remainder for glazing the top of the pie.
Place crust back in the fridge if you haven't made the filling yet.
Autumn Pear and Grape Pie (I used blackberries instead of grapes)
from Carole Walter of Great Pies and Tarts
Serves 8 to 10
9-in ovenproof glass dish
1 recipe Cheddar Pastry (from above)
1 large egg white
1 tsp water
1 tsp sugar, for garnish
Filling
3 pound firm pears (about 7), peeled, cored, and cut lengthwise into sixths
1/2 pound black raspberries, washed and dried (or whatever small berry you choose)
4 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbls instant tapioca (I used flour)
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbls cornstarch
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of ground cloves (optional)
2 Tbls unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Position the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Butter a 9-inch ovenproof glass pie plate
Combine the pears and grapes (or blackberries) in a large bowl. Sprinkle the fruit with lemon juice and tapioca (remember, I used flour).Gently toss the fruit to distribute. Let stand 15 minutes.
Blend the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, giner, and cloves in a small bowl. Just before filling the shell, combine the dry ingredients with the fruits and gently toss to distribute them well.
Empty the fruit into the shell, mounding the fruit in the center and making sure that there are no empty spaces. Dot the top of the filling with butter.
Roll the second disk of dough into a 13- inch circle. Gently lift and place the dough on top of the filling. With your hands, push the dough bently toward the center to prevent it from stretching during baking. Trim excess with scissors, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Tuck the top edge of the dough under the bottom crust, pressing the 2 layers together to form a wall. Crimp or flute the edge. Make steam vents on top of the pastry. Brush the top with the remaining egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar.
To prevent the edges from brning, make aluminum foil bands. Cut two 3-inch-wide strips of 18 inch heavy-duty alminum foil. Fold 1 inch of each strip to the center, making a double thickness of boil. Mold the foil arond the edge of the pie keeping the double fold on top of the dough. Be careful not to crush the edge of the pastry. Secure the bands with tape.
Lay a sheet of foil in a sheet pan and place pie plate on top to catch any drips.
Bake the pie for 55-60 minutes. Remove the foil bands the last 5-20 minutes of baking. The pie is done when the top and bottom crusts are golden brown and the juices begin to bubble. Cool on a wire rack for at least 5 hours before serving.
Storage: Cover any leftover pie with a sheet of waxed paper and then loosely cover with aluminum foil for 1 day at room temperature or up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature or reheat before serving.
This pie can be frozen.
So what do you get when you take this...
...and mix it with this?
You get, well, this. Chocolate Rice Krispies.
Now there are many things you can do with this mixture. But taking my cue from Mowielicious I made bird nests out of them.
I added a few of these homemade peeps
and some candy coated chocolate eggs and BOO-YAH
Sooooooo, whadda ya think? Are they cute, or what?
Little mother hens sitting on their pretty colored eggs.
Watching.
Waiting.
Protecting them from curious fingers and hungry mouths.
She better keep an extra eye out. I know where she lives and I'm feeling ravenous for sugar coated marshmallows. Dun. Dun. Dun....
Here's the recipes.
Chocolate Rice Krispy Nests
adapted from Kellogg's recipe
Makes approx 12-14 (3 inch) nests
4 Tbls butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips
4 cups mini marshmallows
4 cups Cocoa Krispies
2 cups Rice Krispies
Melt butter and chocolate chips in a large pot over medium low heat. Add marshmallow's and mix till melted and smooth. Add the cocoa and rice krispies and mix till coated. Hand form large scoops of the mixture into nest shapes or form in 3 inch tart molds (which is what I did). Let them set up for about 10 min then unmold and put on squares of wax paper and set in large muffin papers.
Marshmallow Peeps
From Martha Stewart
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
1 packet unflavored gelatin (2 1/2 teaspoons)
1/3 cup cold water, for gelatin, plus 1/4 cup for syrup
1 cup sugar
In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/3 cup cold water. Allow gelatin to soften while cooking the sugar syrup. In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup water and sugar, and stir over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring, and place a candy thermometer into sugar water. Boil sugar until temperature reaches the soft-ball stage (238 degrees). Remove syrup from heat; add to softened gelatin. Place bowl on the mixer stand and stir on low for a few minutes to cool. Beat on medium high with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form and the marshmallow mixture holds shape, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer marshmallow mixture to a large (14-inch) pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch (No. 11 Ateco) tip, and use immediately.
Here's instructions on how to pipe the chick's from Martha's website.
1. Pipe an oval shape onto sugar, about 1 inch wide, tapering the end and pulling upward to finish with the tail.
2. For the head, pipe a mound on the end opposite the tail, about the width of the body, pushing toward the tail and up. Pull away from the head to form the beak.
3. Immediately sprinkle sugar over the entire surface of the chick. Allow a few minutes for the shape to set.
4. Pipe on royal-icing eyes with a #1 Ateco icing tip; lift chick out of sugar with a spoon or small offset spatula. Place in a parchment-lined airtight container until ready to serve, or for up to 2 weeks.
This has been another busy month. Something every weekend. But I was happy to take the time to make this months challenge. It had a refreshing citrus flavor and interesting textures. And all, but one, of the components can be made ahead of time so you're just left with the assembly. This seems like it would be a great surprise for guest that come to visit. It does require some time to plan, but it definitely has that WOW factor. And it was delicious to boot.
The 2010 March Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris.
Pate Sablee
2 egg yolks, medium, room temperature
6 Tbls + 1 tsp Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup + 3 Tbls ice cold butter, cubed
1/3 tsp Salt
1 1/2 cup + 2 Tbls All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp baking powder
Directions:
Put the flour, baking powder, ice cold cubed butter and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
In a separate bowl, add the eggs yolks, vanilla extract and sugar and beat with a whisk until the mixture is pale. Pour the egg mixture in the food processor.
Process until the dough just comes together. If you find that the dough is still a little too crumbly to come together, add a couple drops of water and process again to form a homogenous ball of dough. Form into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.
Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface until you obtain a ¼ inch thick circle.
Orange Caramel
1 cup (200g) Granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbls (400g) Orange juice
Place the sugar in a pan on medium heat and begin heating it.
Once the sugar starts to bubble and foam, slowly add the orange juice. As soon as the mixture starts boiling, remove from the heat and pour half of the mixture over the orange segments.
Reserve the other half of the caramel mixture in a small bowl — you will use this later to spoon over the finished dessert. When the dessert is assembled and setting in the freezer, heat the kept caramel sauce in a small saucepan over low heat until it thickens and just coats the back of a spoon (about 10 minutes). You can then spoon it over the orange tians.
[Tip: Be very careful when making the caramel — if you have never made caramel before, I would suggest making this step while you don’t have to worry about anything else. Bubbling sugar is extremely, extremely hot, so make sure you have a bowl of ice cold water in the kitchen in case anyone gets burnt!
Orange Marmalade
¼ cup + 3 tablespoons 100 g) Freshly pressed orange juice
1 large orange used to make orange slices
cold water to cook the orange slices
5 grams pectin
granulated sugar: use the same weight as the weight of orange slices once they are cooked
Finely slice the orange. Place the orange slices in a medium-sized pot filled with cold water. Simmer for about 10 minutes, discard the water, re-fill with cold water and blanch the oranges for another 10 minutes.
Blanch the orange slices 3 times. This process removes the bitterness from the orange peel, so it is essential to use a new batch of cold water every time when you blanch the slices.
Once blanched 3 times, drain the slices and let them cool.
Once they are cool enough to handle, finely mince them (using a knife or a food processor).
Weigh the slices and use the same amount of granulated sugar . If you don’t have a scale, you can place the slices in a cup measurer and use the same amount of sugar.
In a pot over medium heat, add the minced orange slices, the sugar you just weighed, the orange juice and the pectin. Cook until the mixture reaches a jam consistency (10-15 minutes).
Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.
Orange Segments
8 oranges.
Cut the oranges into segments over a shallow bowl and make sure to keep the juice. Add the segments to the bowl with the juice.
Whipped Cream
1 cup (200 g) heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons of hot water
1 tsp Gelatine
1 tablespoon of confectioner's sugar
orange marmalade (see recipe above) 1 tablespoon
In a small bowl, add the gelatine and hot water, stirring well until the gelatine dissolves. Let the gelatine cool to room temperature while you make the whipped cream. Combine the cream in a chilled mixing bowl. Whip the cream using a hand mixer on low speed until the cream starts to thicken for about one minute. Add the confectioner sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high. Whip the cream until the beaters leave visible (but not lasting) trails in the cream, then add the cooled gelatine slowly while beating continuously. Continue whipping until the cream is light and fluffy and forms soft peaks. Transfer the whipped cream to a bowl and fold in the orange marmalade.
[Tip: Use an ice cold bowl to make the whipped cream in. You can do this by putting your mixing bowl, cream and beater in the fridge for 20 minutes prior to whipping the cream.]
Assembling the Dessert:
Make sure you have some room in your freezer. Ideally, you should be able to fit a small baking sheet or tray of desserts to set in the freezer.
Line a small tray or baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone sheet. Lay out 6 cookie cutters onto the parchment paper/silicone.
Drain the orange segments on a kitchen towel.
Have the marmalade, whipped cream and baked circles of dough ready to use.
Arrange the orange segments at the bottom of each cookie cutter. Make sure the segments all touch either and that there are no gaps. Make sure they fit snuggly and look pretty as they will end up being the top of the dessert. Arrange them as you would sliced apples when making an apple tart.
Once you have neatly arranged one layer of orange segments at the bottom of each cookie cutter, add a couple spoonfuls of whipped cream and gently spread it so that it fills the cookie cutter in an even layer. Leave about 1/4 inch at the top so there is room for dough circle.
Using a butter knife or small spoon, spread a small even layer of orange marmalade on each circle of dough.
Carefully place a circle of dough over each ring (the side of dough covered in marmalade should be the side touching the whipping cream). Gently press on the circle of dough to make sure the dessert is compact.
Place the desserts to set in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.
Using a small knife, gently go around the edges of the cookie cutter to make sure the dessert will be easy to unmold. Gently place your serving plate on top of a dessert (on top of the circle of dough) and turn the plate over. Gently remove the cookie cutter, add a spoonful of caramel sauce and serve immediately.
The Italian translation of Tiramisu is "pick me up". I can certainly understand why. With all the sugar and caffeine this dessert has it certainly packs a punch.
I actually finished this months challenge early. I did it two weeks before it's scheduled post date. Trust me, no one is as surprised as I am. As complex as it is it wasn't hard. There were lots of steps and hours of waiting for refrigeration. But once all that was done, putting it together as really easy. If you really like Tiramisu then give this a try. Having it homemade is so much different then the store bought version.
Although there's a recipe for making your own Mascarpone Cheese and Ladyfingers, you can certanly substitute store bought for both. However, they were very easy to make and didn't take long at all. So give it a go at least once.
The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.
Mascarpone Cheese
from Baking Obsession
Makes about 12 oz
Ingredients:
- 500 ml whipping (36 %) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), preferably organic cream
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Preparation:
Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.
The first time I made mascarpone I had all doubts if it’d been cooked enough, because of its custard-like texture. Have no fear, it will firm up beautifully in the fridge, and will yet remain lusciously creamy.
Ladyfingers/Savoiardi Biscuits
(Source: Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)
This recipe makes approximately 24 big ladyfingers or 45 small (2 1/2" to 3" long) ladyfingers.
Ingredients:
3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons /75gms granulated sugar
3/4 cup/95gms cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons /50gms confectioner's sugar, Method: Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees, then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.
Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5" long and 3/4" wide strips leaving about 1" space in between the strips.
Sprinkle half the confectioner's sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.
Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.
Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.
Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.
Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.
Tiramisu
Ingredients:
For the zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar/50gms
1/4 cup/60ml Marsala wine (or port or coffee)
1/4 teaspoon/ 1.25ml vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
For the vanilla pastry cream:
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1 tablespoon/8gms all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup/175ml whole milk
For the whipped cream:
1 cup/235ml chilled heavy cream (we used 25%)
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract
To assemble the tiramisu:
2 cups/470ml brewed espresso, warmed
1 teaspoon/5ml rum extract (optional)
1/2 cup/110gms sugar
1/3 cup/75gms mascarpone cheese
36 savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits (you may use less)
2 tablespoons/30gms unsweetened cocoa powder
Method:
For the zabaglione:
Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.
In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.
Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency.
Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.
For the pastry cream:
Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.
Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.
For the whipped cream:
Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.
To assemble the tiramisu:
Have ready a rectangular serving dish (about 8" by 8" should do) or one of your choice.
Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.
Now to start assembling the tiramisu.
Workings quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row. You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered.
Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.
Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.
To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer or decorate as you please. Cut into individual portions and serve.
Valentine Sugar Cookies
I'm late posting this cookie recipe.
I know it.
I can't help it.
There was a whole plethora of things going on this past week.
A planned cake that got rescheduled.
Snow.
The laundry needed done.
The house needed cleaned. No seriously. The dust bunnies were laughing at me from their little hiding spots in all the nooks and crannies. I could hear them!
My hair was a mess.
And there wasn't enough caffeine in my system.
But I managed to buckle down anyways and churn out these pretty darn cute cookies, if I do say so myself. And I do.
Oh, and there was this too.....
I wasn't sure my son was going to school last week at all. Due to wintery conditions he has been out of school for 2 weeks. So when they called Thursday evening telling us they would be going on Friday with a two hour delay I wasn't able to get anything done that night. So we worked on it over the weekend and finally finished on Sunday night.
I packaged them all up and got them tucked securely in his backpack for the morning trek through the snow, up hill, both ways....barefoot! Ok, so he's only got about 40 yards to walk to the bus stop, it's even terrain and he has boots. But I've gotta make him feel guilty for something, otherwise what kind of mother would I be?
Hopefully he'll make a Valentine or two tomorrow. Knowing him, he'll come home with a pocket full of cards!
Sugar Cookie Dough
1 1/2 stick butter - room temp.
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla or other flavoring
2 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla, mix well. Add in flour and salt and mix untill a ball forms. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.
Roll between plastic wrap to about 1/4 of an inch then cut with cutters. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. You should be able to get 8 (4 inch) cookies per sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Thicker cookies may take longer so watch them carefully.
Cool for a few minutes then remove from baking sheet to cooling rack.
Decorate as desired.
Royal Icing
Adapted from Bridget350 on Tasty Kitchen
4 Tbsp Meringue Powder
1/2 cup water
1 lb powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 tsp clear extract (vanilla or almond)
Mix together the meringue powder and water in a mixer until foamy. With mixer on low speed add the powdered sugar in batches of three, mixing well after each addition. Add the extract. Raise speed to high and beat until glossy and thick. The icing should stand at a peak. Divide into bowls and tint, if desired.
This icing is thick and is generally used for piping and detailing. However, if you want to use it for flood icing, add water by the teaspoon full until it is the consistancy of thick syrup.
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