SMS: Coconut Custard Pie

I love coconut. I know it is one of those things that people either love or hate... there really isn't an in between for people when it comes to coconut. But for me, I love it. I will eat it pretty much any way you give it to me.

I was excited to try this Coconut Custard Pie. Yes, I made minis again, but there is just no way that we were going to eat an entire pie. The custard is a basic custard flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg. One thing to note is that the custard is made in the food processor... no stovetop necessary. :)

The coconut is actually placed on the bottom of the pie crust and the custard is poured on top. After baking, you are left with a silky, creamy custard pie. So delicious!

Thanks to Ruby of I Dream Of Baking for hosting this week. The recipe can be found at her blog.

Daring Bakers: Piece Montée

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.

Piece Montée is literally translated into "mounted piece" and is a tower of delicious cream puffs. The piece montée is a traditional French wedding cake, and if you google "croquembouche" you will see AMAZING creations.

My piece montée is small in comparison, but given the shelf life and the fact that only me and my kids were home when I made it, I needed it to be small!

Another Daring Baker posted a link with a video on how to make sugar corkscrews for decoration purposes. I had originally wanted to do spun sugar, but I fell in love with these corkscrews and I knew I had to try them. I am impressed by them and think they made the dessert beautiful!

Piece Montee

Ingredients:

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.

Can be stored in a airtight box overnight.

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 – see video #4 below).

When you have finished the design of your piece montée, you may drizzle with remaining glaze or use ribbons, sugar cookie cut-outs, almonds, flowers, etc. to decorate. Have fun and enjoy! Bon appétit!

TWD: Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pie

Mmmmm.... Ice cream pie! Perfect for these warm spring/summer days!

The pie starts with a shortbread crust and is filled with a banana/chocolate ice cream mixture. If you are thinking that my pie doesn't fit that description, you are right.

I changed a few things with this recipe in order to use what I had on hand. I was making a pie for SMS that needed pie crust so I used pie crust on this recipe as well. As much as I know I would've loved a shortbread crust, traditional pie crust won out.

I also changed the ice cream flavor. We don't usually have ice cream on hand and I didn't feel like making or buying chocolate ice cream. But, I did have the FANTASTIC Burnt Sugar Ice Cream in the freezer and I thought that would be a great substitution.

I loved the banana flavor with the ice cream and it was a delicious, cool treat. I am interested in trying it the way the recipe is written, but I think it was overall a great pie.

Thank you to Spike of Spike Bakes for not hosting this week. The recipe for Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pie can be found at her blog.

Monkey Bread

I don't know if you are like me, but before I had this bread, I thought of Monkey Bread only as a sugary pull apart bread. I guess any bread can be classified as monkey bread as long as you can pull it apart, though!

My good friend, Britteny, made this bread often back when our husbands were deployed. Every Sunday night she would host dinner for a large group of us at her house. It was always a great time with wonderful food and awesome friends. I LOVED when she made this bread. It was so buttery and delicious and there was never any bread left. Wait, that's not true. There was always one piece left because no one would take the last one! :)

She shared the recipe with me before she left Germany (she left a little bit before I did). I am so glad I finally made it for myself. I loved it, as I knew I would, but it will never be exactly as Britteny's was to me. Isn't that the way it always is with food that holds a sentimental value?

Now that I have gone all sappy on you, go make this bread! It is a fun way to serve white bread and it is so delicious!

Enjoy!


Britteny's Monkey Bread

2 cups warm water

1/2 cup sugar

1 TBSP salt

1 TBSP yeast

2 eggs, beaten

6 cups flour, divided

4 TBSP vegetable oil

1 stick butter

Mix water, sugar, and yeast; set aside until bubbly.

Add eggs, oil, salt, and 3 cups of flour; mix together.

Cover and let rise until doubled; about 2 hours.

Add remaining 3 cups of flour and knead until smooth and elastic.

Roll dough out and cut into circles (I did about 3" circles). Dip dough in butter and place in bundt pan. (I found it easier to stack a few circles on the counter first then place in bundt pan. This made it easier to stand the dough upright.)

Cover and let dough rise again.

Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 30 minutes. Tops will be golden brown.

Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Bites

I blogged about these Cheesecake Bites back in November 2008 after making the DB Cheesecake Pops. When I blogged about them before, I didn't have a picture and just wanted to get the recipe posted since a few people had requested it. I have a picture now (made them for a get together last week) and because they are SO good, I felt they deserved a re-blog!

I have been making these for years and they are one of my most requested desserts. They are a bit time consuming, but not so much so that you wouldn't want to make them. What I love about them is that each little bite is a perfectly creamy, delicious piece of cheesecake; graham cracker crust and all!

Definately a great treat and one that is sure to impress! Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Bites

Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling:
16 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp orange zest
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla

Coating:
24 oz semisweet chocolate
3 TBSP shortening

Line 8" square pan with foil; spray with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine all crust ingredients; mix well. Press into bottom of prepared pan.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour filling over crust.

Bake at 300 for 40-45 minutes or until edges are set. Center will be soft. Refrigerate 1 1/2 hours; then freeze for 2 hours. Cut into 48 pieces.

Melt chocolate and shortening. Cool for 2-3 minutes. Dip cheesecake bites; set on wax paper. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Store in refrigerator.

*Note: I find it easier to pull only a couple bites out of the freezer at a time while dipping. It makes dipping easier if they are still frozen.

Creamy Black Bean Burritos

As much as I love to cook and could spend all day in the kitchen, it is nice to have recipes in my arsenal that are quick and easy. These quick meals must also be delicious and boy is this one good!

These burritos are ridiculously quick to make, especially if you already have the rice cooked. If not, a quick 20 minutes in the rice cooker and you are good to go!

The burritos are full of black beans, cream cheese, rice, tomatoes, and cilantro. Seriously, the cilantro makes these burritos. I LOVE CILANTRO!

I went with a can of mild Rotel since I don't handle heat well and I thought they had just the right amount of spice. Also, I didn't add any extra toppings to the burritos and thought they were perfect just the way they were!

Enjoy!

Creamy Black Bean Burritos
Recipe from Cassie Craves

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Rotel, drained
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup cooked white rice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Flour tortillas

1. Heat a small amount of oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds.

2. Add beans, Rotel, and cream cheese and heat through. Stir in rice and season with cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cilantro.

3. Wrap in a tortilla with desired toppings

Root Beer Bundt Cake

Before I tell you about this FANTASTIC cake, let me talk about my talents for a moment. My talents live in the kitchen, not with the camera. I will give myself a pat on the back and say that my pictures have improved A LOT over the last two years. However, I am a baker/cook, not a photographer. Why am I saying this? Well, because it is extremely difficult to make a small, round chocolate cake with fudgy frosting look pretty. The point is that it is AMAZING, so hopefully you can overlook the round brown blob on a plate and make this cake!

I purchased the Baked cookbook a little over a year ago and immediately was intrigued by this Root Beer Bundt Cake. So much has happened in the last year, though, that this cake kind of got pushed to the bottom of my "to bake" list.

I am SO glad I jumped in and made it yesterday. I absolutely LOVE this cake and will definately be making it again when Nathan comes home. The cake is so moist and chocolately with a nice root beer flavor. The root beer isn't overpowering, but I love the depth it provides for this cake.

The frosting also gets a kick from the root beer and is so rich. I wanted to just eat the frosting with a sp0on, but I am glad I put it on the cake. So good! The recipe suggests serving this cake a la mode to make it more root beer float-ish and while the cake doesn't need it, I will definately serve it with a scoop of homemade ice cream next time.


Now what are you waiting for? Go buy some root beer and make this cake. Don't make the same mistake I did and wait a year to make it. It is so good that it deserves to be made TODAY!


Root Beer Bundt Cake
Baked: New Frontiers In Baking

2 cups root beer (do not use diet root beer)
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs

Frosting:
2 ounces dark chocolate (60% cacao), melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup root beer
2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously spray the inside of a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray; alternatively, butter it, dust with flour, and knock out the excess flour.

In a small saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy–do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small sharp knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Gently loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto a platter.

For the frosting:

Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until the frosting is shiny and smooth.

Use a spatula to spread the fudge frosting over the crown of the Bundt in a thick layer. Let the frosting set before serving, with the ice cream on the side.

Healthy Carrot Muffins

It's kind of funny that after posting a carrot cake recipe on Friday that I am now posting a carrot muffin recipe today. But, what can I say? I love carrots and they are especially fantastic in baked goods!

These muffins are great and we gobbled them up! I even froze a few and they still tasted great reheated.

Another great thing about these muffins is that they are healthy. They are made with applesauce, whole wheat flour, and oatmeal and they are delicious, too!

Enjoy!

Carrot Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins

Recipe from Sparkpeople

2 large carrots - shredded

2 cups quick oats

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

2 cups milk

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine flour through cinnamon in bowl; set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in another bowl. Mix wet into dry just until combined.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.

CIA Homeschool: Carrot Cake

Wow.... I have taken a REALLY long time getting this posted. If you couldn't tell by the colorful plate, I made this cake for dessert on Easter. It only took me over a month to share it. :)

There are a few items on my list for my CIA challenge that I have made before or that I don't foresee being much of a challenge. (Some of the cakes and cookies, for example.) However, I still wanted to give them a go because you never know when you might find a new favorite.

This cake is a perfect example of something I have made before and yet something that I am so excited to have tried. We really, really enjoyed this cake! It was fantastic by itself and, of course the cream cheese frosting just made it all the better.


It is a very basic carrot cake recipe with nothing fancier than a bit of cinnamon. Maybe that is what I liked so much about it... it was a basic cake that let the flavor of the carrot shine through.

Even though there are at least two other carrot cake recipes I want to still try (Bill's Big Carrot Cake from TWD and one made with pineapple), this one is pretty darn good and I will definately make it again!


List of Recipes to be made from CIA book


Yeast Raised Breads and Rolls

Boule (White Wheat Lean Dough)
Split Loaf (Lean Dough with Pate Fermente)
Batard (Whole Wheat Lean Dough)
Baguette (Lean Dough with Poolish)
Grissini
Bagels
Ciabatta
Stollen
Pannetone
Soft Roll Dough (Knot Rolls & Parker House Rolls)
Brioche a Tete
Craquelin
Challah (6 Braid)
Coffee Cake (Twisted)
Pita Bread
Apple Fritters
Berliners (Jelly Doughnuts)
Yeast Raised Doughnuts

Yeast Doughs (Not listed above)

Prosciutto and Provolone Dough
Tomato Dough
Roasted Potato Dough
Apple and Walnut Sourdough

Quick Breads and Cakes

Ginger Cake
Buttermilk Biscuits
Bran Muffins
Lemon Buttermilk Cake
Polenta Cake
Devil’s Food Cake
Chocolate XS
Carrot Cake
Roulade
Chocolate Souffle Cake
Patterned Jaconde Sponge
Walnut Cheesecake

Cookies

Mudslide Cookies
Sand Cookies
Orange Coconut Macaroons
Fudge Brownies
Pecan Diamonds (Short Dough)
Mirror Cookies (1-2-3 Cookie Dough)
Citrus Crisps
Zedern Brot
Vanilla Kipferl
Checkerboard Cookies
Madeleines
Springerle
Vanilla Pretzels
Ladyfingers
Langues-de-Chat Sandwiches
Frangipane Cake (Made into Petit Fours)

Custards, Creams, Mousses, and Souffles

Crème Brulee
Pots de Crème
Vanilla Pudding
Lemon Curd
Chocolate Mousse
Bavarian Cream
Raspberry Souffle

Frozen Desserts

Chocolate Swirl Ice Cream
Lemon Frozen Yogurt
Orange Sorbet
Vanilla Bean Sherbet
Fresh Ginger Granita
Praline Parfait
Frozen Lemon Savarin

Pies, Tarts, and Fruit Desserts

Blueberry Pie
Warm Apple Charlottes
Lemon Fantasy Tart
Zesty Lime Tart
Cheese Tart
Clafoutis
Cranberry Pecan Tart
Apple Strudel

Filled and Assembled Cakes and Tortes

Bavarian Cream Torte
Charlotte Russe
Black Forest Cake
Opera Torte
Orange Mousseline Torte

Individual Pastries

Lemon Curd Tartlets
Pecan Cranberry Tartlets
Strip Tartlets
Pecan Passions
Classic Napoleons
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bombes
White and Dark Chocolate Mousse in Glasses
Trifles
Chocolate Eclairs
Bear Claws

Plated Desserts

Blueberry and Cream Cheese Crepes
Brown Sugar Roasted Pear
Funnel Cake with Maple Syrup and Summer Fruit Sauces

Chocolates and Confections

Milk Chocolate Truffles
Fujiyamas
Rochers
Candied Orange Peel
Soft Caramels
Hard Candies
Fudge
Nuss Bonbon
Marshmallows

FINAL PROJECT

TBD (Trying to pick a cake with gumpaste, modeling chocolate, and possibly pulled sugar)

May Cookie Carnival Part 2 - Berry Cream Cookie Snaps

The second installment for the Cookie Carnival this month features a very different type of cookie. It looks more like a cannoli than a cookie! But, hey, it gave me an opportunity to pull out my cannoli forms and put them to good use!

The cookie itself isn't very fancy... the inside is what gives it the most flavor. Inside the cookie is a delicious strawberry/cream cheese mixture. My filling didn't end up as thick as I would have liked, but it tasted great!


Thanks to Tami of Tami's Kitchen Table Talk for hosting the Carnival!

Berry Cream Cookie Snaps
Taste of Home

Ingredients
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons seedless strawberry jam
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
1 to 3 drops red food coloring, optional

BATTER:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries
Additional sugar

For filling, in a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and jam until blended. Fold in whipped cream and food coloring if desired. Chill.
In a small bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, egg whites, vanilla and salt until smooth. Whisk in butter until blended. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Preparing four cookies at a time, drop batter by 1-1/2 teaspoonfuls 4 in. apart onto prepared pan. Bake at 400° for 5-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Immediately remove one cookie at a time from parchment and form into a tube around a greased clean round wooden clothespin. Press lightly to seal; hold until set, about 20 seconds.

Remove cookie from clothespin; place on waxed paper to cool. Continue with remaining cookies. If cookies become too cool to shape, return to oven for 1 minute to soften. Repeat with remaining batter.


Just before serving, pipe or spoon filling into cookie shells. Dip end of cookie into strawberries and additional sugar. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: about 2 dozen.

May Cookie Carnival Part 1 - Outrageous Chocolate Cookies

For this month's Cookie Carnival, we were given the choice between two cookies; Outrageous Chocolate Cookies and Berry Cream Cookie Snaps. I couldn't choose between the two (I love chocolate AND strawberries!), so I opted to make both recipes. I did quarter both, though, so that I wouldn't be overwhelmed with cookies.

The chocolate cookies definately are outrageous. The cookie is more of a brownie in cookie form. There is melted chocolate in the dough and then chocolate chunks are folded in. The cookies get a nice crackle on top and are chewy and fudgy on the inside. I am glad I quartered the recipe (which yielded 4 cookies) because I would've definately eaten the whole batch given the opportunity!

Come back tomorrow for the second part of the Carnival. :)

Outrageous Chocolate Cookies
Martha Stewart Everyday Food

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring in between, until almost melted; do not overheat. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; beat in melted chocolate. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.

Drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 to 3 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are shiny and crackly yet soft in centers, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on sheets 10 minutes; with a thin metal spatula, transfer to racks to cool completely.

My TWD Pick: Quick Classic Berry Tart

Can you believe it? It is my turn to host for Tuesdays with Dorie!!! Okay, so you can probably believe it because you haven't necessarily been waiting for me to host, but I have been waiting! I joined TWD back in August 2008 and the first recipe I made with the group was the Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream. Fast forward almost 2 years and TONS of recipes later and I still love this group as much as I did when I first joined. And now I get to host! :)

Deciding on what recipe to choose was pretty tough. Of course, you want to pick something that most people will enjoy. You also want to pick something that you would love and that isn't too time consuming. After bookmarking about 15 recipes and debating with Nathan, I decided on the Quick Classic Berry Tart.

I am SO glad I chose this recipe! I absolutely fell in love with it! It may seem like a lot of work at first, but it really is very quick and easy. The tart crust (which, by the way, is AMAZING!) can be made ahead of time and so can the pastry cream. When you are ready to serve the tart, it takes about 3 minutes to assemble and you have a dessert that wows!

I do want to add that while Dorie suggests that this dessert be eaten right away (and, as I mentioned, it is quite easy to assemble right before serving), Nathan and I did enjoy leftovers later that night. It may not have been as pretty since the fruit had settled into the pastry cream and some of the juices from the berries was running into the cream, but the taste was still incredible.

Thank you to all the TWDers that baked along with me this week! I am looking forward to seeing what everyone came up with! For those of you who didn't get a chance to make this, you really should when you can. It is DELICIOUS!

Quick Classic Berry Tart

Baking: From My Home To Yours
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Serving: The tart needs nothing but a little espresso or some tea to accompany it.


Storing: Eat the tart as soon after it is constructed as possible, certainly on the day it is made. If you must keep it for a few hours, store it in the refrigerator, making sure to keep it away from any foods with strong odors.




About 1 1/2 cups Pastry Cream, cooled or chilled (Recipe Below)
1 9" tart shell made with Sweet Tart Dough or Sweet Tart Dough with Nuts (Recipes Below)
2 pints fresh raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries, or an assortment of berries (Dorie says you could also use slices of lightly poached fruit)
1/3 cup red currant jelly mixed with 1 tsp of water, for glazing



Smooth the pastry cream by giving it a couple of strong turns with a whisk. Spoon enough pastry cream into the tart crust to come almost to the rim, then even the surfact with a rubber spatula. Carefully lay the berries on the cream, arranging them in any pattern that pleases you. If you are using strawberries, either halve them from top to bottom or slice them, depending on the size of the berries and your whim.


Bring the jelly and the water to a boil in a microwave oven or on the stovetop. Working with a pastry brush or a pastry feather, dab each berry with a spot of jelly. Or, if you like, you can glaze the entire surface of the tart, including the bit of pastry cream that peeks through the berries.


Pastry Cream
Makes about 2 cups


Storing: The pastry cream can be kept tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.


2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 TBSP unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature


Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.


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


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



Sweet Tart Dough
Makes 1 9" Crust


Storing: Well wrapped, the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. While the fully baked crust can be packed airtight and frozen for up to 2 months, I prefer to freeze the unbaked crust in the pan and bake it directly from the freezer - it has a fresher flavor. Just add about 5 minutes to the baking time.


Playing Around: Sweet Tart Dough with Nuts: This dough has a slightly more assertive flavor than the Sweet Tart Dough, but you can use the two interchangeably. For the nut dough, reduce the amount of flour to 1 1/4 cups and add 1/4 cup finely ground almonds (or walnuts, pecans, or pistachios).



1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick plus 1 TBSP (9 TBSP) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk


Put the flour, confectioners sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in - you should have some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas. Stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses - about 10 seconds each- until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change- heads up. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.


Butter a 9" fluted tart pan with a removeable bottom. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan, using all but one little piece of dough, which you should save in the refrigerator to patch any cracks after the crust is baked. Don't be too heavy-handed - press the crust in so that the edges of the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.


Preheat the oven to 375. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. (Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights.) Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon.


Bake for another 8 minutes or so, or until it is firm and golden brown. (I dislike lightly baked crusts, so I often keep the crust in the oven just a little longer. If you do that, just make sure to keep a close eye on the crust's progress- it can go from golden to way too dark in a flash.) Transfer the tart pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature before filling.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs is such a classic dinner and there is a reason for that.... It is so good and comforting! I have two recipes that I go back and forth between. One uses a stuffed meatball (I really need to post that recipe) and this recipe which is packed with parmesan.

I love how full of flavor these meatballs are. They are the perfect topping to a bowl of spaghetti and they would also be great on a hoagie topped with cheese.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

1 lb ground beef

2/3 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs

1 tsp dried oregano

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 eggs

Mix beef through eggs in large bowl. Form into meatballs.

Heat 1/2 inch oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add meatballs in one layer. Cook, turning occasionally, until the meatballs are nicely browned and cooked through. Use a slotted spoon and transfer to plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining meatballs.

Serve with marinara and noodles or on a hoagie.... YUM!

SMS: Orange Blueberry Muffins with Pecan Crumble

First things first... Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Now... THIS is a good blueberry muffin! It starts with Melissa Murphy's basic sweet muffin recipe (butter and heavy cream, anyone?) and adds in orange zest, nutmeg, and blueberries.

Now if that isn't good enough, how about take the Pecan Crumble (from the Apple Orchard Crumble which was my SMS pick back in October) and throw that on top of the muffin. Mmmmmm!


I put the crumble on half of the muffins and left the other half plain. I think the muffin was good enough to stand on its own, but I really did enjoy the crumble. But, you are talking to a girl who prefers the crumbs on a crumb cake over the cake itself!

Thanks to Chaya of Sweet & Savory for hosting this week. The recipe can be found at her blog.

CIA Homeschool: 6 Braid Challah

Challah is a traditional Jewish braided bread that is typically eaten on the Sabbath. I love the flavor of this bread and I absolutely love the way the braided challah looks. It is just beautiful.

I have tried my hand at a 3 braid challah before and challenged myself to the 6 braid challah for the CIA Homeschool. I have to be honest with you... I needed to watch a video on YouTube to figure it out. There was a diagram in the CIA book, but I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. I must have restarted my braid 4 or 5 times before Nathan walked in with the video and saved me. (What a sweet husband I have!)

Needless to say, my challah isn't the prettiest I have seen (it's a little crooked!), but I accomplished it and now that I know how to do a 6 braid, I know prettier challahs are in my future!

List of Recipes to be made from CIA book


Yeast Raised Breads and Rolls

Boule (White Wheat Lean Dough)
Split Loaf (Lean Dough with Pate Fermente)
Batard (Whole Wheat Lean Dough)
Baguette (Lean Dough with Poolish)
Grissini
Bagels
Ciabatta
Stollen
Pannetone
Soft Roll Dough (Knot Rolls & Parker House Rolls)
Brioche a Tete
Craquelin
Challah (6 Braid)
Coffee Cake (Twisted)
Pita Bread
Apple Fritters
Berliners (Jelly Doughnuts)
Yeast Raised Doughnuts

Yeast Doughs (Not listed above)

Prosciutto and Provolone Dough
Tomato Dough
Roasted Potato Dough
Apple and Walnut Sourdough

Quick Breads and Cakes

Ginger Cake
Buttermilk Biscuits
Bran Muffins
Lemon Buttermilk Cake
Polenta Cake
Devil’s Food Cake
Chocolate XS
Carrot Cake
Roulade
Chocolate Souffle Cake
Patterned Jaconde Sponge
Walnut Cheesecake

Cookies

Mudslide Cookies
Sand Cookies
Orange Coconut Macaroons
Fudge Brownies
Pecan Diamonds (Short Dough)
Mirror Cookies (1-2-3 Cookie Dough)
Citrus Crisps
Zedern Brot
Vanilla Kipferl
Checkerboard Cookies
Madeleines
Springerle
Vanilla Pretzels
Ladyfingers
Langues-de-Chat Sandwiches
Frangipane Cake (Made into Petit Fours)

Custards, Creams, Mousses, and Souffles

Crème Brulee
Pots de Crème
Vanilla Pudding
Lemon Curd
Chocolate Mousse
Bavarian Cream
Raspberry Souffle

Frozen Desserts

Chocolate Swirl Ice Cream
Lemon Frozen Yogurt
Orange Sorbet
Vanilla Bean Sherbet
Fresh Ginger Granita
Praline Parfait
Frozen Lemon Savarin

Pies, Tarts, and Fruit Desserts

Blueberry Pie
Warm Apple Charlottes
Lemon Fantasy Tart
Zesty Lime Tart
Cheese Tart
Clafoutis
Cranberry Pecan Tart
Apple Strudel

Filled and Assembled Cakes and Tortes

Bavarian Cream Torte
Charlotte Russe
Black Forest Cake
Opera Torte
Orange Mousseline Torte

Individual Pastries

Lemon Curd Tartlets
Pecan Cranberry Tartlets
Strip Tartlets
Pecan Passions
Classic Napoleons
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bombes
White and Dark Chocolate Mousse in Glasses
Trifles
Chocolate Eclairs
Bear Claws

Plated Desserts

Blueberry and Cream Cheese Crepes
Brown Sugar Roasted Pear
Funnel Cake with Maple Syrup and Summer Fruit Sauces

Chocolates and Confections

Milk Chocolate Truffles
Fujiyamas
Rochers
Candied Orange Peel
Soft Caramels
Hard Candies
Fudge
Nuss Bonbon
Marshmallows

FINAL PROJECT

TBD (Trying to pick a cake with gumpaste, modeling chocolate, and possibly pulled sugar)

Blueberry Sour Cream Scones

Today my baby girl turns 5. Yes, I realize that means she really isn't classified as a "baby" anymore, but she is my first and she will always be my baby!

In honor of Anya, I thought I would post scones. Anya loves scones about as much as I do. I remember when she was 3 she would ask for "yummy triangles" for breakfast. Now that she is older, she calls them scones and is even open to different shapes (hence the rectangles above!).

I hope you enjoy the scones... I know we did!

Blueberry Sour Cream Scones
Adapted from Recipezaar

1 cup sour cream
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup very cold butter (cut into small cubes)
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl blend the sour cream with the egg, vanilla and baking soda, and lemon zest; set aside.

In a large bowl mix together the flour with sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. Toss in blueberries.

Using a pastry blender or your fingers cut in cold butter cubes.

Add in the sour cream mixture; mix JUST until moistened.

Roll or pat the dough into about a 1 to 1-1/2-inch thick round (or rectangle, if you prefer).

Cut dough into 12 even wedges.

Place the wedges onto the prepeared baking sheet about 2-inches apart.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the the bottoms are browned.

Santa Fe Chicken

This is a super easy and super delicious meal. This is one of my favorite go-to dinners when I don't really feel like cooking. Plus, it's a hit with the kids, so that is always a good thing!

Santa Fe Chicken

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained

1 cup salsa

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

8 oz cream cheese, cubed

Cheddar Cheese

Rice

Tortilla Chips

Mix beans, corn, and 1/2 cup salsa in crockpot. Place chicken on top and pour remaining salsa on chicken. Cover and cook on high 2-2.5 hours or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and cut into bite size pieces. Place chicken and cream cheese back in crockpot. Heat until cream cheese melts.

Serve over rice and top with cheddar. Serve with tortilla chips.

TWD: Burnt Sugar Ice Cream

This ice cream really needs a new name. Burnt Sugar doesn't sound appetizing. Delicious caramel does! But, since I am taking over the renaming, I will call it "The fantastic ice cream that allowed me to conquer caramel for the first time". Sure, it's a mouthful, but given my track record with caramel, I think it is a well deserved name. :)

Dorie Greenspan was the first person to ever tell me (or in this case, write it in the recipe. You know, Dorie and I unfortunately aren't real life pals!) that when you pour in the liquid to the amber sugar, that it may harden up. No worries, though. Keep whisking and it will all work out.

You know what? She was right! Look below.... It is all smooth! I wonder how many batches of caramel I threw out because I thought it was ruined. This was definately a lightbulb moment for me!

The ice cream was so delicious and we really enjoyed it! I will definately make it again! Plus, it was nice to finally be able to break out my ice cream maker after the winter hibernation!

Thanks to Becky of Project Domestication for hosting this week. The recipe can be found at her blog.

Grilled Pork Chops & Birthday Goodies

Where do I start with these pork chops? They are probably the best pork chops I have ever eaten! I have to give some credit to Nathan who grilled them for me because they were cooked perfectly. The marinade made the chops so flavorful and the dollop of garlic butter put them over the top. We will definately be making these again!

On Saturday, we celebrated Anya's 5th birthday. I wanted to share two pictures with you; one of the cake and one of a butterfly cookie I made. Every year I make sugar cookies for Anya's party. I always make a number for her age and then one other shape that goes along with the theme of the party. So this year we had 5's and butterflies. I am quite proud of how they turned out and the guests (and, more importantly, Anya) loved them!

Enjoy!

Grilled Pork Chops

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup soy sauce

Zest of 1 lemon

1 TBSP pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 bone in pork chops

Mix marinade ingredients in ziploc bag; add chops. Marinate at least 2 hours.

Remove chops from marinade and grill until done.

Serve with garlic butter.

*For garlic butter, I mash 1-2 cloves of garlic in with about 4 TBSP butter. You could add more garlic according to your tastes.

SMS: Peanut Butter Truffles

Peanut Butter. Chocolate. Yum.

(And this is the type of post you get when I am writing after hosting 10 five year olds for a birthday party! heehee)

Thanks to Mara of Love Your Mother Earth for hosting this week. The recipe can be found at her blog