The Shaffer Family Christmas Cookie

The majority of my favorite cookie recipes come from my Nana and Papa's hometown community cookbook.  This gingersnap recipe is incredible.  We think it should be renamed gingersoft because that is a more accurate description.  The recipe makes a huge batch.  Huge.  Your house will smell like Christmas and you will have so many cookies that you can take up to half the batch into your closet and eat them one by one all by yourself and no one will suspect a thing.

2 c sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 c shortening
1/2 c plus 2 T molasses
5 c flour
1/2 t salt
2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1 t cloves
2 t ginger
Sugar for rolling (I now use turbinado sugar to roll the dough because it gives it a crunch on the exterior and I like the contrast in textures, but regular granulated sugar is just fine)

Cream together sugar, eggs and shortening.  Add molasses.  Scrape down sides of bowl.  Sift together other ingredients and combine with creamed mixture.  Roll into smallish balls and roll in sugar.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 12 minutes.

Your cookies are done when they just begin to crack.  Take them out and cool them on the sheet for a few minutes and then transfer cookies to a cooling rack to completely cool.  They set up as they cool.

The Peppermint Bark Cookie

Sunset magazine had a recipe for White Christmas Dream Drops that I tweaked due to a lack of ingredients and came up with this mound of deliciousness.  Bryant doesn't like peppermint bark (weird) or meringue (even weirder) but loved these cookies.  Go make some.

(I doubled the recipe.  I may quadruple it next time because these are so very good.)

2 large egg whites, room temperature (if you forget to put your egg whites just put them in a bowl full of hot water and let sit for 5 minutes or so and it will do the trick)
1/8 tsp cream of tartar (didn't have, but if you do have it you might want to add it)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 c sugar
4 oz semi-sweet or dark chocolate, finely chopped (the original recipe calls for 1 c white chocolate chips - I think it would be fun to use both, but haven't tried it yet)
1/3 c crushed candy canes (crush it as fine as you want, I didn't want to bite into a huge chunk of candy cane so I crushed mine more on the fine end of the candy crushing spectrum)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.  Add vanilla and salt.  With mixer on high speed add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time and beat for 10 to 15 seconds with each addition.  Scrape sides of bowl and beat for another 15 seconds or until meringue is glossy and forms straight, stiff peaks.  Fold in chocolate and crushed candy canes.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silpat and drop meringue in rounded 1 T blobs, or if you want it to be fancy schmancy pipe them with a large star tip.  Bake until they feel dry and set but are still pale in color, about 30 to 35 minutes, rotating pans halfway through.  Turn off oven, open door, and let cool in oven for 10 minutes.  Remove pans from oven and let cool completely.  You aren't supposed to eat them until they are completely cool, but I recommend eating 1 pan warm and 1 pan cool and then you will have the best of both worlds.

Pumpkin Pie Alternative

I made (and loved) this recipe last night.  It is quick and easy and delicious.  I made a few changes:

I put the crust in a 9 inch tart pan and baked it at 325 degrees for 8 minutes.

I used half of the amount of butter on accident.  But it worked just fine.  I also added a bit of salt to the crust.  I think next time I'll try halving the sugar called for in the crust too. 

I doubled the amount of flavor called for - the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and vanilla.

I didn't have enough whipping cream, so I used some cream and some leftover mascarpone cheese.  It was awesome.  Next time I'll experiement with more mascarpone cheese.

No brandy in the house (shocker) so we didn't have any brandy whipped cream.  I just served it plain.

We've eaten this for dessert, breakfast and lunch.  It is really good and a great way to use canned pumpkin.

Chocolate Mousse

This recipe is from James Peterson's BAKING. 

6 oz chocolate (he recommends bittersweet, I do half dark half milk)
1/4 c plus 2 T unsalted butter, cubed or sliced
4 egg yolks
3 T sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 c heavy cream and possibly more if needed to unseize chocolate

Chop the chocolate and combine it with butter in a double boiler (heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water) and stir until melted and smooth.  Take off heat, but keep water simmering.

Combine egg yolks and sugar in another heatproof bowl and set over saucepan of simmering water for 5 minutes, whisking constantly, until pale and slightly stiff.  (It will thicken up.) Remove from heat.

Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and add the vanilla and stir until well mixed.  If it becomes grainy at this point (it should be smooth and shiny) slowly add 1/4 c warmed cream, a little at a time, until it becomes shiny and smooth.  Let cool to room temperature.

Whip cream to soft peaks.  Stir about 1/4 of whipped cream into the chocolate mixture to lighten.  Then FOLD in the remaining whipped cream with a rubber spatula.

If you are using as a layer in a cake use it right away, otherwise chill for at least 1 hour.  If you are serving the mousse alone pour into individual glasses immediately and cover with plastic wrap (remember to press it against the surface) to keep a crust from forming.

This recipe makes 3 cups.  The first time I made it the chocolate mixture seized, the second time it didn't.  This is one of our favorite desserts.

Peter & Heather's Wedding Cake

Recipes needed:
Roasted Pears (see below)
Caramel Sauce (scroll down to the bottom of post for recipe)
Caramel Mousse (see below)
Vanilla Butter Cake
Mascarpone Frosting (see below)

Roasted Pears
5 barely ripe pears
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c butter, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Peel pears and remove stem, core, and cut in half lengthwise.  Place pear halves, flat side up, in a heavy bottomed saucepan large enough to hold them in a single layer.  Sprinkle butter and sugar over them.  Roast for 25 minutes to 1 hour, until butter sugar mixture is golden brown and pears are soft when you poke them with a knife.  Remove pears, cool, and dice. (You can continue to caramelize the butter sugar mixture and toss a bit to coat the pears and use the rest for ice cream topping.)  Fold the pears into the Vanilla Butter Cake batter just before pouring into the cake pans to bake.

Caramel Mousse
*This recipe was saved in my favorites before our luggage was lost/stolen and our laptop seemingly forever lost.  I think I just folded the caramel sauce referenced above into stabilized whipped cream.  This is then immediately poured in between the layers (you need to use a cake ring for this) and then refrigerated until set. 

1 1/2 c caramel sauce
3 T water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 c chilled whipping cream

Pour 3 T water into a ramekin or small glass cup and sprinkle with gelatin.  Let soften.  Place ramekin in a small skillet of simmering water and stir until gelatin dissolves and mixture is clear.  Mix into 1 1/2 c hot caramel.  Cool just to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Beat chilled whipping cream in a large howl to medium-firm peaks.  Gradually pour cooled caramel/gelatin mixture over cream, folding constantly but gently. Use immediately.

Mascarpone Frosting
12 oz mascarpone cheese
1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream
3 T sugar (or more to taste)
1 T vanilla extract

Beat all ingredients in a large bowl until it holds soft peaks.  You will probably want to add more sugar, so be sure to taste the mixture at the beginning so you can add more if desired.  You can used granulated or powdered sugar.  This is a lovely, lovely frosting.

Doughnuts for Halloween

I used a new (and simpler) recipe this year and they ended up being fantastic.  I halved the recipe on Sunday morning and made them for breakfast as a practice run, and then I doubled the recipe for Halloween.  I only made holes because they fry up so much faster.

This recipe is adapted from Donna Hay.

2 t active dry yeast
1 1/2 T warm water
1/2 c lukewarm milk
4 T sugar
50 g butter, melted (I used my scale, sorry, this is from a British magazine)
2 1/4 c all purpose flour
2 eggs

Place yeast, water, milk, and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a large bowl and set in a warm place for 10 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface.  Add butter, eggs, flour and remaining sugar and stir with a large spoon until a sticky dough forms.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.  Place in a large oiled bowl, cover with a cloth and set in a warm place for 45 minutes or until doubled in size. 

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic.  Roll out to 1cm thick and cut out holes or donuts.  (I used a glass baby bottle which made the perfect size).  Place rounds on a lined baking tray and let rise for 30 minutes. 

Heat oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat to 350 degrees.  Cook in batches, turning frequently, until lightly golden.  Drain on absorbent paper.  Toss in sugar or glaze.

Maple Glaze (proportions are purely approximations)
1 to 1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/4 c melted butter
1/4 to 1/3 c pure maple syrup
1/4 to 1/3 c heavy whipping cream
Combine and whisk until smooth.

Chocolate Glaze (proportions are purely approximations)
4 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 c butter
1/4 to 1/2 c heavy whipping cream
1 c powdered sugar
1 t vanilla extract

Melt chocolate with butter and cream in a double boiler until smooth.  Whisk with sugar and vanilla.  Add more cream or sugar to get desired consistency.

Honey Caramel Cardamom Pears

I need to get one of the cookbooks I used from the library (or buy myself a copy) before I can post Peter and Heather's wedding cake recipe.  So sorry for the delay. 

In the meantime, get some pears and make these.  Be sure to use the hazlenuts, all of the flavors work together perfectly.

You don't have to pay attention to the temperature.  We kept our caramel at a low boil (not a simmer) and used the cold water test to gauge when it had reached soft ball stage.  Just drop some caramel in a cup of ice cold water and if you can roll it into a ball with your fingers you are at the right temperature.  Let the caramel cool before dipping your pears or it will slide off, make sure you used chilled pears, and after dippin roll in the crushed and toasted hazlenuts.  Happy fall.

Sunset Magazine S'mores

I thought I could just find this recipe online and link it to my blog but haven't had any luck. It is so delicious that I am going to take the time to type it all up. Just for you.

Step 1: Homemade Marshmallows
35 minutes to make, 2 hours to firm

1/4 c cornstarch
1/4 c powdered sugar
3 large egg whites (at room temperature)
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 c granulated sugar
2 T light corn syrup
1/2 t vanilla extract

Coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Stir cornstarch and powdered sugar together in a bowl and dust pan with half of this mixture. Set remaining mixture aside.

Stir 1/4 c cool water and gelatin in a glass measuring cup and let soften.

Put egg whites in large bowl of mixer and beat on high until soft speaks form.

While egg whites are whipping stir granulated sugar, corn syrup, and 2/3 c water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat until it reaches 240 degrees which will take 6 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and microwave gelatin until dissolved, about 30 seconds, and stir into syrup.

Pour about 3 T syrup at a time into egg white mixture (while beating on high) and beat each addition about 20 to 30 seconds. Continue to beat until soft peaks form and the underside of the bowl is completely cool. Beat in vanilla

Spread in pan and let stand 2 hours. Sprinkle with 2 T cornstarch mixture and then cut (scissors are easiest) into 12 rectangles. Toss in bowl with remaining cornstarch to coat.

Can be made up to 4 days in advance, kept chilled in an airtight container with plastic wrap between the layers. Coat with more cornstarch mixture if they get sticky.

Step 2: Homemade Graham Crackers
1 hour

3/4 c butter, room temperature
1/3 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 T honey
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/3 c whole wheat flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt

Beat butter, sugars, and honey in a large bowl until smooth. In another bowl combine the dry ingredients and then add to butter mixture and beat until blended. Divide dough in half and roll each half between 2 sheets of parchment paper into a 10 by 12 inch rectangle. Slide onto a baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Pull off top parchment and cut dough into 2 1/2 by 4 inch rectangles. Bake until deep golden brown, 13 to 18 minutes, swapping pans halfway through. Cut crackers again after baking.

Let cook on pans 2 to 3 minutes and then separate pieces and transfer to cooling racks.

Will keep 1 week in an airtight container or frozen up to 2 months.

Step 3: The Ultimate S'more
24 graham crackers
12 marshmallows
4 bars Lindt dark chocolate with almonds, each bar broken into 3 pieces
12 squares foil

Assemble each s'more on a square of foil and gently fold and crimp edges to seal. Place in a fire (or oven heated to 350) for 2 to 3 minutes. Or, first roast the marshmallow, then assemble, and heat in fire or oven.

Lavender Vanilla Sugar Cookies

1 T lavender
2/3 c sugar (I used vanilla sugar)
1 c unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour
1/8 t salt

Grind lavender and sugar in a coffee grinder or food processor. Combine with butter in a medium sized bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and combine. Add flour and salt and carefully carefully mix until just combined. Dough should be soft but not sticky, and guess what? No eggs. So go ahead and eat it without fear of illness. Form dough into two balls and flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out with cookie cutters and place on prepared sheet. I sprinkled them with white sugar crystals at this point. Put back in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the size of your cookie. You want these underdone so that they are still soft. Let cool completely. No frosting needed.

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

Okay folks. This recipe is a must. It is amazing warm or cold. It is just amazing. I use 3 different cocoa powders that I buy every time I am in SLC at Tony Caputo's, but you can just use whatever cocoa powder you have on hand.

2 T cornstarch
1/8 t salt
1/3 c cocoa powder
1/2 c sugar
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 c milk (I've used skim, I've used half and half)
2 T butter
2 t vanilla extract
handful of chocolate chips (I used Nestle semi-sweet)

In a medium saucepan whisk together the cornstarch, salt, cocoa powder and sugar. In a bowl combine the milk and egg yolks and slowly add to the mixture in the saucepan, whisking until combined. Set over medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture thickens and boils for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and stir in butter, vanilla and chocolate chips until smooth. Eat immediately or later. If chilling be sure to put a piece of plastic wrap pressed on to the pudding to prevent a skim from forming. ENJOY.

Dessert in 30 seconds or less.

I realize I am odd and normal people do not have chocolate ganache and mascarpone cheese in their fridge on a regular basis, but you should because then you can make this crazy easy amazingly good dessert. You also need dried figs. Here's how it works:

Take a fig and slice it lengthwise. I use brown Turkish figs because I think they taste the best. But that's just me.

Take a scoop of ganache and put it on your plate or in a bowl. Take a scoop of mascarpone cheese and mix it into the ganache. Put a large dollop on each fig half. Pop the entire thing in your mouth and close your eyes. It's that good.

More cake.

This is now my favorite white cake recipe. Buy the vanilla bean, it is worth it. This recipe is from Organic and Chic by Sarah Magid. The only change I made was using a whole vanilla bean rather than a half.

Vanilla Bean Butter Cake

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 c white sugar
4 eggs
1 c whole milk
1 T vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out and reserved
2 3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 8-inch (I used 6 inch) round cake pans (I also lined them with parchment paper) or place liners in muffin pans for 24 cupcakes.

Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add eggs, one at a time.

In a small bowl combine the milk, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds. Set aside.

In another bowl combine the flour, salt, and baking powder.

With mixer on low speed alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures, starting and ending with the flour. When almost combined turn off the mixer and scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Finish mixing the batter by hand with a rubber spatula. Pour into prepared pans.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or 24 to 30 minutes for cupcakes. Let cool in pans for 15 minutes then invert on a wire rack and cool completely.

Vanilla Whipped Buttercream

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 c sugar
1 c whole milk
1/4 c all-purpose four
1 1/2 T vanilla extract

In a small saucepan combine 1/4 c of the milk with the flour and vanilla and whisk until completely smooth. Over medium heat slowly add the remaining heat and whisk constantly until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and keep stirring. Cool in an ice bath to room temperature.

Cream the butter on medium speed. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low slowly add the thickened and cooled milk mixture and increase speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy.

100th Post - Connor's Divine Birthday Cake

I bought The Silver Spoon for Children cookbook for Connor several months ago and decided to try out the recipes for his birthday. We chose the Orange Cake because Connor is obsessed with oranges, and it is now my new favorite cake. It is easy and delicious. So delicious. Completely amazing. Make it tonight.

Orange Cake

7 T unsalted butter, plus a bit more for greasing the pan

1 orange

2 barnyard eggs (yep, that's what it calls for)

1/2 c supgerfine sugar (we used granulated because that is what we had)

scant 1 c confectioner's sugar

scant 1 c self-rising flour

1/2 t baking powder

Orange Glaze

scant 1 c confectioner's guar

1 orange (we used both the zest and the juice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter an 8-inch cake pan and line with parchment paper.

Melt butter and let cool. In a medium bowl combine the eggs, superfine sugar, and confectioner's sugar with a whisk until light and fluffy. Stir in melted butter. Sfit the flour and baking powder onto the egg mixutre and pour in 6 T orange juice. Carefully mix tovether and pour into pan.

Bake for 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool in pan and then turn out on cooling rack. Place on cakestand and poke holes all over the cake with a toothipick or a fork. Whisk together juice from 1 orange, zest, and confectioner's sugar to make the glaze. Spread glaze all over cake, letting it seap into the holes until it is completelyl absorbed by the cake.

Top with sweetened whipped cream with a bit of vanilla and a thinly sliced orange sprinkled with sugar if you would like for decoration.

Panna Cotta with Roasted Strawberries

Divine. Easy. Make this soon.

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 c heavy cream
1/2 c sugar
2 c buttermilk
1 T vanilla

Measure 2 T water in a small bowl and add gelatin. Stir and let stand 5 minutes.

Place 1 c cream in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Add the gelatin and sugar and stir until both have dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 c cream, 2 c buttermilk, and 1 T vanilla. Pour into desired mold, individual glasses, ramekins, large glass bowl, goblets, whatever. Chill until set, about 6 hours.

4 to 6 c frozen strawberries
1 t lemon zest
1/4 to 1/2 c sugar

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper or silpat. Spread out strawberries in a single layer. Sprinkle with lemon zest and sugar. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes or so, until berries have softened and juice has thickened with the sugar. Taste for doneness. Let cool. Pile on top of panna cotta to serve.

MIA

Sorry. Life has been crazy. But here are two cookbook recommendations and two recipes that I'm not sure you can live without.

Canyon Ranch Nourish is amazing and quite possibly my new favorite. The recipes are divine and healthy. It doesn't get much better than that.

Ellie Krieger's So Easy is easy, and delicious, and nutritious. Seriously, check these out ASAP from your library.

Here is a sneak peak from Canyon Ranch:

This tart is amazing. I knew the cookbook and I were meant for each other when I found this recipe in the breakfast section. For 2 days I thought I might even like it more than pie. That's how good it is. I've made it 3 times - twice according to the recipe (mostly) and once with all white flour and believe me, it needs the whole wheat flour.

Crust:
4 T unsalted butter
1/4 c low-fat cream cheese
1/2 c plus 1 T sugar
1/4 t salt
3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 c all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 10-inch tart pan with canola oil spray.
Combine all ingredients in a food processor until mixed, reserving 1 T of the sugar for the filling. Press into the tart pan to form the crust.

Filling:

2 or 3 peaches or nectarines

1 c blueberries (if you use frozen berries make sure they are completely thawed and drained)

1 egg

1 t vanilla

1 T sugar

Arrange the peach slices in concentric circles around the edge of the tart and pile the blueberries in the middle. Whisk 1 egg with 1 T sugar and 1 t vanilla and pour over berries. Bake for 40 minutes.

And then I made these:

Cinnamon Snap Rolls (from A Passion for Ice Cream by Emily Luchetti) filled with homemade apricot vanilla ice cream. Let me know if you need the recipes.

The blogging is going to get worse, not better, for the next little while because in 2 weeks I leave to go wait for our baby girl to be born! Can't wait.

Plum Preserves

To read the very long account about how I got the plums go to http://www.petersonabcs.blogspot.com/. To make some crazy good plum preserves use this recipe and add 2 cinnamon sticks to the mixture as it boils. I also made ice cream using the many plums currently in my possession and adapted a recipe from this man who is kind of a genius. Here's the recipe:

Plum Ice Cream

1 lb plums, halved and pitted

1 c sugar

1/3 c water

1 c cream

1/2 t pure vanilla extract

Combine the plums, sugar, and water in a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until plums are tender. Remove from heat and puree in a blender. Add cream and vanilla and blend until thoroughly combined. Pour through a sieve into a container and refrigerate until cold. Put mixture in ice cream maker and make ice cream. Eat ice cream. It is tart and delicious and the vanilla is the perfect accompaniment to the tartness of the plums and brings out the flavor of the cream. And it looks pretty.

20 lbs of apricots

I saw a listing on craigslist for 20 lbs of apricots for $15, which seemed too good of a deal to pass up. I planned on making apricot lavender jam, but quickly decided upon realizing how many apricots make up 20 lbs that I needed some other quick things to use up all of the lovely produce. I found this recipe and changed it by omitting the vanilla bean (although that would also be perfectly wonderful), doubling the recipe, and adding 5 tsp of culinary lavender buds that I ground up in a coffee grinder with some of the sugar. I also left the peelings on because I love the color and didn't want to peel that many apricots, and after combining all of the ingredients I let it sit overnight in the fridge (covered of course) to really let the flavors meld. This jam is fantastic - on a spoon, on bread, or mixed with some vinegar to make a lovely apricot vinaigrette for a salad. So that's the jam.

Then I saw this recipe for apricot ice cream and decided to puree a bunch of the apricots, add a bit of lemon juice to preserve the color, and freeze the puree in ice cube trays (which were later emptied into gallon freezer bags) so that we can eat apricot ice cream all year long. I haven't made any yet, but it looks quite good.

Apricot pie also sounded idea but rather than make the entire pie I decided to just make the filling, put it in a gallon ziplock bag, shape it in a pie dish and freeze. Once frozen I removed the pie dish and now when I need a pie I can just make the crust, pop in the filling, and bake it. I haven't tasted the finished product yet, but the filling is very good.

4 c apricots, peeled
1 T lemon juice
1 c sugar
1/3 c flour
nutmeg to taste
1 to 2 t vanilla extract

Just toss to combine and you are ready to go.

By this point I had just enough apricots to fill a cookie sheet, so I lined the cookie sheet with parchment, spread out the apricot halves, drizzled them with 2 T olive oil, 1/2 c melted honey,
1 t vanilla, and a sprinkling of cinnamon. I then roasted them in a 375 degree oven for about 35 to 45 minutes, until meltingly soft and a bit caramelized. These are delicious on their own, but especially over French Toast.

DB Challenge - Mexican Chocolate Swiss Roll Ice Cream Cake

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.

For this challenge we had to make 2 kinds of ice cream - the recipes given in the challenge were for vanilla and chocolate, but I decided instead to make dulce de leche and cinnamon. I also made caramel sauce for serving, and it was the perfect accompaniment to the cake. This is quite divine. My only regret is not thoroughly reading the recipe when making the Swiss Roll. That led to quite the catastrophe, but I managed to piece it together and still roll it up with the whipped cream.

Recipes from the challenge:

Swiss Roll Ice Cream Cake
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. Very important. I didn't use sugar on my towel and it was not good!
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
Preparation time: 5 minutes + freezing
I have made the ice cream without an ice cream maker.
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
I made this just after adding the layer of vanilla ice cream to the cake.
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.

Additional recipes I used:

Dulce de Leche Ice Cream: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/05/dulce-de-leche-ice-cream/

Dulce de Leche: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2005/11/dulce_de_lechec.html

Cinnamon Ice Cream adapted from recipe by Emily Luchetti in A Passion for Ice Cream

2 3/4 c heavy whipping cream

1 c milk

2/3 c sugar

3 cinnamon sticks

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp kosher salt

Combine the cream, milk, sugar, cinnamon sticks, cinnamon, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until almost simmering. Pour into a bowl and cool over ice bath to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Strain cream, discard cinnamon sticks, and church in ice cream machine.

Caramel Sauce adapted from recipe by Emily Luchetti in A Passion for Ice Cream

2 c sugar

1/2 c water

1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream

1/8 tsp salt

2 ounces (4 T) unsalted butter

1 T very good vanilla

Stir the sugar and water together in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to high and continue to cook, without stirring, until the sugar is medium amber in color. Remove pot from heat and slowly stir in about 1/4 c of the cream. (It will sputter, so be careful. At this point I always think I've ruined it, but just keep stirring.) Continue adding the cream and then add the salt and butter and whisk until smooth. Add the vanilla last. This can be stored in the fridge, just microwave for 10 to 30 seconds and stir before serving.

***I could drink this straight, that's how good this is, so consider yourself warned.

Pavlova Parfaits

The June 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Dawn of Doable and Delicious. Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers’ to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard.

I actually layered these in goblets initially, and they looked exquisite, but then we had eaten about half when I realized I hadn't taken a photo! So I quickly scraped together what was remaining and made a mock up for the photo, which Bryant happily ate. I chose to make the meringues in disc form and then break them into pieces to layer in the parfait because Bryant is not a huge meringue fan. But apparently he is a huge chocolate meringue fan, so now I know. The chocolate mascarpone mousse is amazing, and something I would eat daily if I could. This isn't hard at all to make, but it does have several components and require a bit of prep work. It is very much worth it. I added the strawberries to the recipe and I am very glad I did because it went perfectly with all of the other flavors.

Recipe 1: Chocolate Meringue (for the chocolate Pavlova):
3 large egg whites

½ cup plus 1 tbsp (110 grams) white granulated sugar

¼ cup (30 grams) confectioner’s (icing) sugar

1/3 cup (30 grams) cocoa powder

Directions:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 200º F (95º C) degrees. Line two baking sheets with silpat or parchment and set aside.

Put the egg whites in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar about 1 tbsp at a time until stiff peaks form. (The whites should be firm but moist.)

Sift the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder over the egg whites and fold the dry ingredients into the white. (This looks like it will not happen. Fold gently and it will eventually come together.) Fill a pastry bag with the meringue.

Pipe the meringue into whatever shapes you desire. Alternatively, you could just free form your shapes and level them a bit with the back of a spoon. Bake for 2-3 hours until the meringues become dry and crisp. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Recipe 2: Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse (for the top of the Pavlova base):
1 ½ cups (355 mls) heavy cream (cream with a milk fat content of between 36 and 40 percent)

grated zest of 1 average sized lemon9 ounces (255 grams) (I used orange zest instead)

72% chocolate, chopped1 2/3 cups (390 mls) mascarpone

pinch of nutmeg

2 tbsp (30 mls) Grand Marnier (or orange juice, which is what I used)

Directions:
Put ½ cup (120 mls) of the heavy cream and the lemon zest in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once warm, add the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let sit at room temperature until cool.

Place the mascarpone, the remaining cup of cream and nutmeg in a bowl. Whip on low for a minute until the mascarpone is loose. Add the Grand Marnier (or orange juice) and whip on medium speed until it holds soft peaks. (DO NOT OVERBEAT AS THE MASCARPONE WILL BREAK.) Mix about ¼ of the mascarpone mixture into the chocolate to lighten. Fold in the remaining mascarpone until well incorporated. Fill a pastry bag with the mousse. Again, you could just free form mousse on top of the pavlova.

Recipe 3: Mascarpone Cream (for drizzling):
1 recipe crème anglaise

½ cup (120 mls) mascarpone2 tbsp (30 mls)

Sambucca (optional - I used 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract instead)

½ cup (120 mls) heavy cream

Directions:
Prepare the crème anglaise. Slowly whisk in the mascarpone and the Sambucca (or vanilla) and let the mixture cool. Put the cream in a bowl and beat with electric mixer until very soft peaks are formed. Fold the cream into the mascarpone mixture.

Recipe 4: Crème Anglaise (a component of the Mascarpone Cream above):
1 cup (235 mls) whole milk

1 cup (235 mls) heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

6 large egg yolks

6 tbsp (75 grams) sugar

Directions:
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture turns pale yellow.
Combine the milk, cream and vanilla in a saucepan over medium high heat, bringing the mixture to a boil. Take off the heat.

Pour about ½ cup of the hot liquid into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to keep from making scrambled eggs. Pour the yolk mixture into the pan with the remaining cream mixture and put the heat back on medium. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a wooden spoon. DO NOT OVERCOOK.

Remove the mixture from the heat and strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours or overnight.

Assembly:Pipe the mousse onto the pavlovas and drizzle with the mascarpone cream over the top. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and fresh fruit if desired.

For my assembly I broke all of the chocolate meringues, and then layered each component with sliced strawberries in a tall goblet. This is truly divine.

What we've been eating.

I have a friend who is gluten/dairy/egg/sugar/nut intolerant, and this friend has some serious chocolate cravings. So I came up with this recipe and it is my new favorite quick chocolate fix. These cookies remind me of the chocolate macaroons at the Boise Co-op, minus the guilt.

No Bake Cookies
1 c old fashioned rolled oats (do not just quick cooking!!!)
1/2 c unsweetened coconut (I suppose this is optional, but if you don't like coconut you need to try harder.)
1 T coconut oil
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 c light agave syrup
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Combine oats and coconut. Set aside. In a small saucepan whisk the coconut oil, cocoa powder, and agave over medium heat until thick and smooth. When hot to the touch remove from heat and add vanilla. Add oats and coconut and stir until evenly mixed. Drop by tablespoonful onto parchment/silpat lined baking sheet and cool in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or until firm. This only makes 12 or so (perfect for the binge eater that I am) so feel free to try doubling or tripling. You may need to play around with the amount of coconut oil if you double the recipe because I'm not sure if that will have to be doubled. These are quite divine.

My new favorite sandwich requires a grill of some sort. I just use my grill pan and it works perfectly. For each sandwich you will need:

1 demi baguette, sliced and brushed lightly with olive oil
1 slice of young eggplant, peeled, brushed lightly with olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and basil
a bit of butter
4 to 6 mushrooms, sliced
handful of fresh spinach, torn
1 oz pepper jack cheese (or any cheese of your choice)

Heat grill pan and grill eggplant on both sides until juicy and no longer tough. Grill baguette halves and set on plate. In a small fry pan heat a bit of butter and add mushrooms and cook until tender. Add spinach just to wilt. To assemble place grilled eggplant on bread, top with slices of cheese, top with mushroom/spinach mixture, and finish with other baguette. Even my carnivorous husband is in love with this sandwich.

Another great vegetarian dish is yam and bean burritos. You can use canned beans, but try to cook your own dried beans. I soaked a cup of pinto beans overnight and then covered them with water and boiled for 10 minutes, added a chopped onion, reduced the heat to a simmer and simmered for a bout 20 minutes until tender. Then I drained them and seasoned them with salt and garlic powder. To serve 4 to 6 you will need:

Tortillas (might I recommend the Garden of Eatin organic whole wheat tortillas - very good)
2 medium yams
Tomato Salsa (I used medium hot)
1 to 2 T olive oil or canola oil
Chili Powder (only use if you use a mild salsa, start out with 1 tsp and add more until you get the heat you like)
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 onion, thinly sliced (I've used red, white, and yellow onions)
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced
Cooked beans (black beans would also work, I just used the pinto beans for kicks)
Avocado or cheese
Lettuce

Wash and prick yams with a fork and microwave until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. They will soften as they sit so don't over cook because you don't want them to be mushy! In a large fry pan heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, add the garlic for 1 minute, add the cumin, yams, beans, and salsa (I used about 1/3 c because it was very hot) and cook until fragrant and warmed through. Fill tortilla with mixture, top with avocado, cheese, or lettuce (or all three!) and prepare to fall in love with a burrito.

Two fun cookbooks to look for at your library are The Gluten Free Vegan (obviously I got this one to try to find some recipes to cook for my friend with all of the food allergies, but I've loved it and if you aren't gluten sensitive you can easily use wheat produces instead, but it has good recipe ideas) and V Cuisine, The Art of New Vegan Cooking. Again, I use dairy instead of soy and add meat to some of the recipes instead of meat substitutes, but really good recipes.