NuM NuM

Orange Sherbert

2011-03-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite ice cream flavors growing up was orange sherbert. There was always something about that bright vibrant hue of orange that would catch my eye. Back in the day when an ice cream cone was .35 cents was a real treat, now you can pay anywhere up to $5 bucks for it! My goodness - how old do I sound! Making it at home brought back all those loving childhood memories and then some. The sherbert was very refreshing and sweet but with a bit of tartness. Not so tart where your lips pucker, but just the perfect amount. I had an abundance of super tart oranges that were going to waste since they were too sour to eat, but made for the perfect sherbert. So depending on how sweet your oranges are, the results may vary a bit, but will be fantastic nonetheless. Enjoy!

Orange Sherbert
Recipe from Alton Brown
Makes about 1 quart

7 ounces sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice, approximately 2 to 3 pounds oranges
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups very cold whole milk*

Directions

In the bowl of a food processor combine all of the ingredients except the milk and process until the sugar is dissolved, approximately 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and whisk in the milk. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator until the mixture reaches 40 degrees F or below, approximately 1 hour.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process until it is the consistency of soft serve ice cream. You may serve now or transfer to a lidded container and place in freezer until firm, approximately 3 hours.

*I used 2%

Grilled Portobello "Benedict"

2011-03-10T09:34:00.000-08:00

As I've mentioned before, breakfast is one of my favorite meals and this portobello "benedict" reminded me of the many reasons why I enjoy it so much. Anytime I order eggs benedict I can never seem to get past the over easy egg and always find myself eating around the yolk. This "benedict" however was right up my alley with the addition of pesto and scrambled eggs - YUM MAY! Substituting the english muffin for the portobello mushroom was a brilliant idea as well and added a bit of "meatyness" to the dish. Make your breakfast a little extra special and give this a try :)

Grilled Portobello "Benedict"
Adapted from Ellie Krieger, So Easy via Apple a Day Blog

Ingredients:
cooking spray
2 portobello caps (about 4 oz. each)
1 tsp olive oil
S&P
4 slices Canadian bacon (1/8" thick)
Store-bought or homemade pesto, to taste
2 large eggs
4 large egg whites
1 TBSP milk or water
freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbs. freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
3-4 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

Directions:
1. Preheat a grill or grill pan sprayed with cooking spray over medium-high heat.

2. With a spoon, gently scrape out the gills from the inside of the mushroom caps, taking care not to break the caps. Brush both sides with the oil or spray with PAM olive oil and sprinkle both side with S&P. Grill the mushrooms until they are tender and their juices begin to release, about seven minutes per side or until cooked all the way through. Transfer each mushroom to a plate, top side down.

3. One the same grill or grill pan, cook the Canadian bacon slices until they are warm and grill marks have formed, about 1 minute per side. Place one to two slices of bacon on each mushroom cap. Spread pesto over the Canadian bacon.

4. While the mushrooms are grilling, whisk the eggs, egg whites, and water/milk together in a medium bowl until well combined. In a medium-sized skillet over medium-low heat, scramble the eggs until cooked through. Mine took about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add basil and cheese.

5. Divide the scrambled eggs over the pesto and if so desired, sprinkle more cheese. Serve immediately.

A Bridal Shower and Pizza Puffs

2011-03-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we threw a bridal shower for my sister so I had an opportunity to try a few new recipes. We featured mostly finger foods so guests could enjoy them while playing games and sipping on our signature cocktail for the afternoon. The spread included:

Nummy Pesto Sammie
Pizza Puffs
Double Broccoli Quinoa
Prosciutto & Gruyere Palmiers
Orzo with Everything Salad
Raspberry Lemonade Mini Cupcakes
Brownie Pops

These pizza puffs were well received and I personally enjoyed the bite size pizzas almost more then a regular pizza - which further supports my infatuation for all things cute and little. These would be great to serve for any party as an appetizer and they come together fast. The best thing is they freeze beautifully and your guests will never know :)

The bridal shower was a success and the bride was B&B (beautiful & buzzed) opening gifts and spending her last days as a single woman with good friends.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
24 mini pizza puffs
Recipe from Rachael Ray

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup 2% milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

4 oz about 1 cup 4-cheese blend (Trader Joes) can sub mozzarella

4 oz pepperoni, small dice

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup pizza sauce (Trader Joes)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Mix in the milk and egg. Stir in cheese and pepperoni. Turn oven to 375 degrees and let batter sit for 10 minutes while oven heats to temp.

When oven is ready, stir batter and fill 24 mini-cup greased muffin cups about 3/4 way full – sprinkle tops with parm cheese. Bake 20 - 25 minutes. Serve pizza sauce on the side for dipping.

Note: These can be made ahead of time. Place baked puffs on a baking sheet and put in the freezer until frozen about 25 minutes. Transfer to a storage bag. When ready to eat, preheat oven to 350 degrees, place puffs on a baking sheet, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until warm and heated through.

Involtini di Pesce Spada - Stuffed Swordfish Rolls

2011-03-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

I've been eating an obscene amount of glutinous food lately so I thought I'd make something healthier for a change. Apparently I'm trying to eat my way to utter oblivion so this dish stopped the madness. I had this meal for the first time when lobster and I were in Rome on our honeymoon. We ate at a restaurant called Sicilianbocca and the food was absolutely AMAZING. I still dream about our meals till this day. One dish I remember in particular were these stuffed swordfish rolls. They were thin slices of swordfish stuffed with raisins, pine nuts and cheese. I found a similar recipe online and it was a close rendition of the original but does not compare to the dish we had in Rome. Nonetheless, it was tasty, light and good for the waistline.

Involtini di Pesce Spada
Adapted from Epicurious
3 to 4 servings

For the involtini:
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs (freshly ground, if possible, made with day old bread with crust removed)
1 tbs of fresh young Pecorino cheese
2 tbs of grated Parmigiano reggiano
1 tablespoons pine nuts (pignoli), toasted
1 tablespoons raisins
1 cloves of garlic, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
About 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 pounds swordfish steaks, pounded thin*
Olive oil to fry

1. Place the breadcrumbs in a medium sized bowl. Add the Pecorino, parmigiano, pine nuts, raisins, garlic and parsley into a food processor and chop very finely. Toss together and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
2. Drizzle the mixture while tossing with 1 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and toss. The olive oil will help to hold the filling together but should not leave the filling soaked – use your discretion.
3. Flatten the swordfish slices further between 2 pieces of wax paper, pounding with the side of a mallet or heavy cleaver very gently so you don’t break through the flesh. Each slice should be about 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches.
4. Season each slice of fish with salt and pepper and spoon about 2 tablespoons of the filling on top of the fish. Be careful not to overdo it with the filling….a little goes a long way.
5. Fold in the sides of the fish. Tuck in the end nearest you and roll up the slice. Secure with a toothpick or kitchen twine
6. Repeat for remaining slices.
7. Brush some olive oil all over swordfish and season with salt and pepper. Prepare skillet at medium high and cook fish for two-three minutes. Rotate 90 degrees and cook one to two more minutes, then repeat twice to cook on all sides.
8. Plate and serve with slices of lemon

*Next time I think I'll try to freeze the fish for about thirty minutes and then slice it. Let me know if you try the recipe and it works out for you. Or ask the fish monger to slice it as thin as possible

Mesclun Salad Vinaigrette
Adapted from Ina Garten

2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients together.

Feta Sun-Dried Tomato Turkey Burger Sliders

2011-03-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

Feta, sun-dried tomatoes, and turkey. I don't know why I didn't realize I've made something similar to this in the past. I guess when you try a different recipe for every meal, some of them are bound to overlap - especially when they feature my favorite ingredients. If you've ever tried The Ultimate Meatloaf Sammie or the infamous 50,000 Burger, then you are sure to love these sliders. While the recipes are quite similar, the preparation and condiments are different so I thought it deserved its own NuM NuM post. These little sliders would make great party food and I think all things served in "mini-me" versions always please a crowd - or maybe just pleases me :D

While the burgers were full of flavor, I wasn't really a fan of the slider buns. While they were cute to look at, they were really dense so we removed some of the crumb and turned our sliders into turkey cups, which gave a better burger to bread ratio. These are also delicious topped with Trader Joe's Cheddar Jalapeno Pub Cheese which is HIGHLY ADDICTING if you wanted to forgo the aioli! Enjoy!

Feta Sun-Dried Tomato Turkey Burger Sliders
Adapted from Picky Palate
Makes about 10 sliders

1 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
10 oz ground turkey
1/4 Cup + 1 tbs crumbled feta cheese
2.5 tbs sun-dried tomatoes, jarred in olive oil, drained and finely chopped
1/4 Cup+1 tbs fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped
Pinch of Kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper and Garlic Powder with Parsley

Sun-Dried Tomato Aioli
1/4 Cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, packed in olive oil, drained finely chopped
Baby hamburger buns or dinner rolls, split and warmed (Trader Joe's slider buns)
1/2 Cups fresh baby spinach leaves

1. Place turkey, feta, sun dried tomato, spinach and seasonings into a mixing bowl. Mix until just combined. Make a test patty and cook and check for seasonings. I had to add more garlic powder and S&P. Using a heavy duty baking sheet, remove meat from bowl and pat it down into a square using the baking sheet as your guide to about ¾-inch thick. Using a 2 inch cookie cutter cut out meat. Or you can also use a 1/4 cup measuring cup and shape into little patty’s and place onto a cookie sheet. Once all are formed, place under broiler and cook to 165. To broil burgers, turn the broiler to high in stove and let it heat up for a few minutes. Put the patties on the broiling pan and position the pan about 4 to 5 inches below the broiler. Flip the burgers once the first side gets brown, maybe about three minutes. Cook until the inside reaches the desired temperature. Or you can cook these on a grill or skillet using the 1 tbs of EVOO.

2. Toast buns then place mayonnaise and tomatoes into a bowl; mix to combine. Spread over insides of toasted warm rolls. Layer bottom roll with spinach and the burger. Close with top roll and eat.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

2011-02-27T08:43:00.000-08:00

Ever since I saw this dessert on Mel's Kitchen, I knew one day we would meet again. The hardest part about making a cheesecake is that it feeds an army! Which is fine if you have an army to feed, but when it's just the two of you, it's mucho difficult-o. I even cut the recipe in half and we still had 3/4 of it left. I served this for Valentine's Day and it was the perfect ending to the rich and hearty Osso Buco.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the cheesecake, I would have liked more of an even distribution of cookie dough balls in the batter, so I made my reflections below. While the cheesecake part was nice and tangy, some of my bites consisted of only cookie dough and it was a bit of an overkill - so I had to fish around my slice for an equal ratio of cheesecake to cookie dough. I think perhaps even using half the amount of cookie dough would work as well. Also during baking the top of the cake browned a bit too quickly - might have been due to cooking it in my toaster oven - but it did not affect the end result whatsoever. Rich, decadent and oh so sweet!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake
One 7-inch cheesecake
Recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Crust:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/4 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (I like to use chocolate Teddy Grahams but you could use any chocolate wafer cookie or even Oreos)

Filling:
2 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream (I used light and it worked just fine)

Cookie Dough:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon water or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips

For the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, combine the butter and sugars for the cookie dough. Add the water (or milk), vanilla and blend. Mix in the flour, salt and 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips. The dough will be fairly soft. Gently roll the dough into small balls (about a teaspoon size, maybe a bit larger) and place them on a wax paper lined plate or baking sheet. Place them in the freezer to harden while making the rest of the cheesecake.

For the crust: Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 7-inch springform pan and wrap outside with foil to prevent any water from leaking into the pan. In a medium bowl, combine the butter with the chocolate cookie crumbs (you could easily use a food processor to crush the cookies and incorporate the butter). Press onto the bottom and about halfway up the sides of the prepared pan.

For the cheesecake: Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs until smooth. Add flour and blend until smooth. Add the vanilla and sour cream and mix just until blended. Be careful not to overmix – incorporating too much air into the batter can contribute to a cheesecake cracking on top during baking.

Pour half the batter into the prepared crust. Drop half of the cookie dough balls into the batter that is in the pan distributing them evenly in the pan. Gently stir in the remaining cookie dough balls and remaining half of mini chocolate chips into the remaining batter. Pour into the pan, spreading the batter to the sides of the pan and evening it out across the top (it is ok to see bumps of cookie dough here and there, smooth it the best you can). Place in a water bath using cold water. Bake the cheesecake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes to one hour. Cake should slightly jiggle in the middle. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate until chilled (ideally, overnight). To serve, cut into slices.

Recipe Source: adapted from Nate and Kylie W. (my brother and sister-in-law)

Osso Buco with Olives, Lemon, and Parsley

2011-02-24T08:35:00.000-08:00

Lobster and I opted to stay in for Valentine's Day and dined at Chez NuM NuM. Our menu consisted of:

Bruschetta with Burrata and Heirloom Tomatoes
Osso Buco with Olives, Lemon, and Parsley
Rissoto Milanese
Sauteed Baby Broccoli
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Lobster always orders osso buco any time he sees it on a menu, so I thought I'd try to recreate it at home. I was a bit timid at first, but it turned out to be a total success! Ranked as one of the top recipes of all time on Epicurious, it was utterly foolproof. The meat was fall of the bone rich, tender, and juicy. The gremolata was a lovely surprise and a definite must since it cuts the richness of the meat. I did not try the bone marrow inside the veal shank ,but Lobster said it was delicious - it grosses me out - so I'll take his word for it. Risotto Milanese is the traditional accompaniment served with osso buco and it did not disappoint either. We finished our meal with a decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake, not for the faint-hearted, and it was the perfect ending to Valentine's Day.

Osso Buco with Olives, Lemon, and Parsley
Recipe from Epicurious
Serves 2

Ingredients

For stew

2 (10-12oz) meaty cross-cut veal shanks (osso buco; 2 to 2 1/2 lb total), each tied with kitchen string
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/2 small carrot, finely chopped
1/2 celery rib, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 (15 oz) can whole plum tomatoes with juice (not in purée), coarsely chopped
1/2 cup Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
3/4 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprig
1/2 Turkish or 1/4 California bay leaf
1 (2- by 1/2-inch) strips fresh lemon zest , cut crosswise into fine julienne
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

For gremolata

1.5 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh fresh lemon zest

Special equipment: heavy ovenproof pot (wide enough to hold shanks in 1 layer)

Preparation

Make stew:

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Pat shanks dry and season with salt and pepper. Divide shanks and flour between 2 large sealable plastic bags and shake to coat, then remove shanks from bags, shaking off excess flour. Heat oil and 1 tablespoons butter in ovenproof pot over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then brown shanks well in 2 batches, 10 to 12 minutes per batch, transferring to a plate.

Reduce heat to moderate and add remaining tablespoon butter to pot along with onions, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring, until onions are pale golden, about 5 minutes. Add remaining stew ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring. Arrange shanks in pot in 1 layer and return to a simmer. Cover pot and braise shanks in middle of oven until very tender, (about 2 1/2 hours) Remove strings from osso buco and discard along with parsley sprig and bay leaf. (If cooking day ahead – remove parsley sprig and bay leaf – remove strings just before serving.

Make gremolata and serve osso buco:
Stir together gremolata ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle over osso buco. Serve immediately.

Cooks' notes: • Osso buco (without gremolata) can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely, uncovered, then chill, covered. Reheat, covered, in a 325°F oven 30 to 40 minutes. (mine took a bit longer)

• Osso buco can also be cooked in a large roasting pan. Straddle pan across 2 burners for browning and boiling, then cover pan tightly with foil for braising.

*With leftover use pasta and eat with sauce too

Risotto Milanese

2011-02-21T09:32:00.000-08:00

Risotto Milanese is the traditional accompaniment served with osso buco in Italy. The creamy rice is the perfect counterpart to the tender fall off the bone veal shanks. Normally risottos are made with chicken stock, but this recipe called for beef broth. The beef broth added a hearty deep flavor to the rice making it rich and velvety which I enjoyed with every returning bite.

I've made risotto in the past however I made this one a little "differently." Usually I'm like a hovering parent with the pot attached to my hip, stalking and stirring - literally for the entire 40 minutes. But this time I used more broth with each addition to the risotto and only stirred it a few times every few minutes. What transpired was a wonderful risotto cooked in less time then the past. Win - win! Risotto really is a labor of love, but when executed properly, it is well worth it! Enjoy!

Risotto Milanese
2 servings
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4-5 cups beef broth (low sodium)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or I can’t believe it's not butter
• 1/4 cup minced shallots (1 large)
• 3/4 cup Arborio rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, heat the beef broth in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.
In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook until evaporated. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, add the Parmesan cheese. Mix well and serve.

Note: When plating risotto, the rice should spread a little on the plate. Not like a soup, but not a clumpy mess either.

Soba Noodles with Ginger Scallion Sauce, Pickled Cucumbers and Tempura

2011-02-20T08:58:00.000-08:00

The February 2011 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by Lisa of Blueberry Girl. She challenged Daring Cooks to make Hiyashi Soba and Tempura. She has various sources for her challenge including japanesefood.about.com, pinkbites.com, and itsybitsyfoodies.com

For this month's Daring Cooks' challenge we made cold soba and tempura. I've made soba in the past, but the extent of my "cooking" was boiling noodles and mixing it with a bottle of soba noodle soup base. While it is quite satisfying and refreshing on a hot day, no real "recipe" is involved. I found a recipe for David Chang's Ginger Scallion Sauce with Quick Pickled Cucumbers and he suggests serving it with noodles. While the cucumbers were a nice contrast to the noodles, the sauce itself lacked a bit and I was forced to reach for my old ye faithful soup base - which elevated the dish to an edible state. To round out the meal, the second part of our challenge was to make tempura. I've never really liked tempura so I used a recipe I found on the Internet. I was not a fan of the end result so I'll spare you and not provide the recipe. Oh well, at least it photographed well :)

Ginger Scallion Sauce Adapted from David Chang
Makes about 1 cup
1 ¼ cups thinly sliced scallions (greens and whites; from 1 to 2 large bunches)

1/4 cup finely minced peeled fresh ginger

2 tbs grapeseed or other neutral oil

1 teaspoons soy sauce, preferably usukuchi (light soy sauce), found in Asian markets

1 tsp sherry vinegar

½ teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste

12 oz soba noodles

Soba soup base/sauce

Mix together the scallions, ginger, oil, soy, vinegar, and salt in a bowl. Taste and check for salt, adding more if needed. Though it's best after 15 or 20 minutes of sitting, ginger scallion sauce is good from the minute it's stirred together up to a day or two in the fridge. Cook soba noodles and drain under cold water and mix with sauce. Add soba soup base to taste. Top with cucumbers and tofu if desired.

Quick Pickled Cucumbers

3 Kirby/Persian Cucumber, cut it's 1/8" slice discs

1 tablespoon sugar, or more to taste

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste

1. Combine the vegetable with the sugar and salt in a small mixing bowl and toss to coat with the sugar and salt. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Taste: if the pickles are too sweet or too salty, put them into a colander, rinse off the seasoning, and dry in a kitchen towel. Taste again and add more sugar or salt as needed. Serve after 5 to 10 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours *Recipe from David Chang

Strawberry Tiramisu

2011-02-19T09:37:00.000-08:00

Lobster made this strawberry tiramisu for Valentine's Day and it was heavenly!! If you're a fan of tiramisu like me, this is a wonderful spin on the traditional "pick me up" dessert. The strawberry puree lightens up the dish and adds a bit of freshness to this mountain of love. I thought it tasted fantastic the first night, but the next day it was insanely good! Even though the recipe states it feeds four, I somehow managed to eat half of it by myself in one sitting. Needless to say, this did not last long in our house. Enjoy!

Strawberry Tiramisu
Recipe from All Recipes
4 servings

• 1 pint fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons Kahlua
• 18 ladyfingers
• 1/3 cup chilled espresso
• 1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

1. Cut off the tops of the strawberries and slice the berries. Reserve 2 large whole berries for garnish.
2. In a blender, place 2 cups of strawberries and 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar; blend to puree and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine mascarpone cheese, 1/4 cup cream, 1/4 cup confectioners sugar, and liqueur; beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until thickened.
4. Place espresso in a bowl. Drop half of a ladyfinger horizontally into the espresso quickly roll and remove. Place 6 ladyfingers on a serving plate, spread or pipe out 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the ladyfingers, and layer with half of the sliced strawberries.
5. Repeat with the next 6 ladyfingers, espresso, remaining cheese mixture, and sliced strawberries; top with remaining 6 ladyfingers.
6. In a small mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup heavy cream with 2 tablespoons sugar; beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until just whipped, approximately 1 minute. Spread cream evenly over top layer of ladyfingers.
7. Dust cocoa over whipped cream, and garnish with 2 reserved strawberries. Pour strawberry puree onto two serving plates. Cut tiramisu in half, and place onto puree.

Parmesan Puffs

2011-02-16T08:54:00.000-08:00

Parmesan puffs, parmesan puffs, parmesan puffs! Warning: these are highly addicting and you will not be able to stop at just one! All will power goes out the window when it comes to these bad boys! Lobster made dinner the other night and served these miniature marvels as our appetizer. They were so delicious, I asked him where he bought them from? To my surprise, he made them from SCRATCH! Yes ladies, the Lobster can bake too. What a wonderful hubby! Okay, I'll stop being disgusting now.

These parmesan puffs are quite similar to the gougeres I've made in the past, but I think they're even better! With the gougeres the cheese flavor is a bit milder since the inside is hollow, but with these babies, they're denser so there's delicious cheesy-ness (is that a word?) all over. Both would serve as a great appetizer, it just depends on the theme of your party. Parmesan puffs: barbecue. Gougeres: cocktail party. Heck.....mix and match and serve them both, 'cuz who wouldn't want to eat a delicious ball of cheese! Enjoy!

Parmesan Puffs

Serves 4

Adapted from All Recipes

1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup marinara sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking sheet.
In a medium saucepan, bring milk and butter to boil over medium high heat. Stir in flour and reduce heat to low. Vigorously stir until thick enough to form into a ball. Remove from heat.
Beat eggs into the mixture until smooth. Stir in Parmesan cheese.
Drop the dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 15 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm with warmed marinara sauce for dipping.

Note: Lobster would suggest to use less butter then the original amount

Cornbread and Fun Math

2011-02-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

If you are like moi and always on the lookout for a tried-and-true cornbread recipe, well look no further because this one's got it all. It's perfectly sweet with a crumbly texture and stays nice and moist during baking. I have one more cornbread recipe in my files, so I'll have to do a taste comparison,- but I'll definitely be returning to this one again and again.

Since it was just Lobster and I eating the cornbread, I made a smaller amount then the recipe called for. I discovered an amazing website that converts any recipe to fit whatever baking dish you have in your kitchen - which will help reduce having to buy a bajillion different pan sizes. You simply figure out the volume of the pan you are using and divide it by the volume of the pan in the original recipe. Multiply that number with the measurement for each ingredient in the original recipe and voila: your recipe is scaled down for you. It may sound a bit daunting, but seriously, math and I have never gotten along, but this is the type of math even I can do.

Here's an example with the pan I used for this recipe. The original recipe called for an 8-inch square pan which is equal to 8 cups in volume. The pan I used was a 1.2 qt baking dish which is equal to 5.76 volume. So you take 5.76 and divide it by 8 which equals .72. Now all you have to do is multiply each ingredient by .72 and you have your new converted amount. In hindsight, I could've just cut the recipe in half and made cornbread muffins, but then how would you have learned this cool new trick :D Apply this method to any recipe you'd like to convert and you'll be excited to do math again. Good luck!

Cornbread

Recipe from Mel's Kitchen

To convert a recipe click here and here

½ cup cornmeal

1 ½ cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 ¼ cup milk

Add dry ingredients, make a well and add oil, butter, eggs, and milk into the center. Stir until just mixed (batter will be runny – don’t be alarmed!). Bake in an 8” square pan at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. This doubles perfectly for a 9X13-inch pan.

Honey Butter:
2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff

Whip all together with an electric mixer and serve at room temperature (can be refrigerated and softened).

Recipe Source: Nate and Kylie

Note: I did not try the honey butter but read great reviews about it.

Raspberry Pecan Bread

2011-02-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, why not make your honey breakfast in bread and surprise them with this marvelous raspberry pecan bread. Just look at those gorgeous flecks of red, not to mention the beautiful raspberry river running through the middle. Who wouldn't want that from their special someone :)

This bread has a wonderful delicate flavor with the perfect amount of sweetness, along with a lovely hint of orange and a bit of tartness from the raspberries - there's a lot of delicious elements goin' on in this simple loaf! The taste and aroma is heavenly and fills the house with the smell of sweet berries, so no need to splurge on scented candles for the big day either...two-fer!! So make your Valentine's Day extra special and whip up a batch of this bread. You'll be praised from your special someone and hopefully in return they'll clean the mess you made in the kitchen - fingers crossed :)

Raspberry Pecan Bread
Recipe adapted from Ocean Spray via Food Bride Blog
Makes one large loaf or two smaller loaves

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp orange zest
1 egg
1 1/2 cup raspberries or cranberries
3/4 cups pecans, chopped and toasted
1/4 cup demerera sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 (or 10) x 5 loaf pan (or 2 smaller loaf pans).

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in the bowl of your stand mixer. Turn on medium and add shortening until combined. Add orange juice, orange zest, and egg. Mix until well-blended. Stir in berries and nuts. Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Spread demerera sugar evenly over the top.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Mini loaves should take 35-40 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and let cool completely. Wrap the cooled loaf tightly with plastic wrap or foil to keep it moist.

Pea Pesto Crostini

2011-02-08T09:15:00.000-08:00

Pea Crostinis - not to be mistaken for green booties :)

Since I'm on a new healthy kick, I thought I'd make an ass friendly dip to munch on before my meal. Who knew the taste of sweet peas, tofu (shhh...it's a secret, no one will be the wiser) and a little Parmesan cheese could transform into such an appetizing appetizer. Appetizing appetizer, appetizing appetizer, say that three times fast - I'm having difficulty just typing it.

I don't know why the idea of a pea dip seemed so strange to me. Perhaps since peas are a vegetable they had no place being the star of a dip! I thought: peas in a dip - ew, no way. Yet, I have no qualms eating a spinach artichoke dip - and that's a double whammy of veggies! But after eating these little veggies in a dip I am now a convert! Go ahead, make this dip and give peas a chance :)

Pea Pesto Crostini
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven
Makes 2 cups

1 baguette (sliced thin on a diagonal)
1 (10 oz.) package frozen peas, thawed and drained
1/2 cup extra firm/firm tofu - squeezed dry
1 ounce Parmesan, grated
one squeeze of fresh lemon juice, to taste
salt and pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, to taste

Method:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Toast until golden, about 10-12 minutes. (Watch carefully so they don’t burn!)

Place tofu between paper towels and squeeze as much liquid out as possible

Meanwhile, in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, puree the peas, and tofu. Place mixture in bowl and add parmesan and lemon juice, salt (about 1/2 tsp.), and pepper (about 1/4 tsp.) to taste. I ended up adding more lemon juice, and S&P. If you feel the dip is too chunky or taste a little gritty add olive oil until it reaches the consistency you like.

Spread the pea mixture on the crostini and top with grated Parmesan, if desired.

Roasted Cauliflower with Gremolata Bread Crumbs

2011-02-06T09:03:00.000-08:00

Did you know when you roast cauliflower it becomes a little sweet? Roasting the cauliflower imparts a sweet nutty taste to this underused vegetable turning it from "eww cauliflower," into a welcoming weeknight side dish. If you've never had roasted cauliflower or broccoli before, you are surely missing out my friend. The gremolata is a unique addition and the lemon, garlic and panko add another dimension of flavor and texture making these little white trees anything but boring. This is best served at room temperature, but I found it equally delicious straight from the fridge - with fork in hand.

Roasted Cauliflower with Gremolata Bread Crumbs
Recipe from The Thin Chef via Food 52 Blog
Serves 3

• 1 large head cauliflower
• 2 tbs plus 1 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Trim tough stem and core from cauliflower and discard. Using a paring knife, cut cauliflower into smaller spears. Place in a large bowl. Add 2 tbs oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper; toss to combine.
3. Spread cauliflower out on a large, rimmed baking sheets. Roast until edges start to brown, about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
4. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add panko and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and stir to coat in oil. Cook, stirring constantly, until bread crumbs are golden. Add lemon zest and garlic and toss until mixture is very fragrant and bread crumbs are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Place in a medium bowl and add parsley, stirring to combine. Set aside. (I also added a fresh squeeze of lemon juice as well)
5. Remove cauliflower from oven and place on serving platter. Top with bread crumbs and serve immediately.

*if you wait until the cauliflower is cool to sprinkle the bread crumbs on top, they'll stay good and crisp

S'mores Brownies

2011-02-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

S'mores brownies anyone? Don't you hate it when you find a brownie recipe and the person neglects to describe what the brownie tastes like?! Well fear not friends, these brownies have a lovely chocolatey flavor, are not super dense or fudgey and fall a little more on the cakey side rather than chewy. My favorite parts were the crisp, chewy edges - they were the jam - so I found myself eating around the perimeter of the pan. I'm more of a chewy brownie girl myself, so I popped them in the fridge to rest overnight in hopes of changing the texture. What arose were perfectly dense, fudgey chewy brownies - problem solved :D These were fun to make and a welcomed change to the traditional brownie. I brought these to a potluck and they were well received but one friend suggested adding chocolate chips to make them oooey and gooey (note to self for next time) which I think would make a fabulous addition. Enjoy!

Similar recipes you might enjoy:
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies
S'mores Bars
Fatwitch Bakery's Chocolate Coconut Pecan Congo Bars
Chewy Brownies

S’mores Brownies

Adapted from Bon Appetit, October 1991 via Joy the Baker

3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2.5 large eggs
3/4 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup graham cracker, roughly crushed with your hands
9 big marshmallows (I also diced 3 additional marshmallows and stirred them into the batter. These marshmallows dissolve when baked, so you can leave them out, or throw them in. Up to you!)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8x8-inch baking pan with 2-inch-high sides. Combine first 3 ingredients in small bowl. Stir butter and chocolate in a medium sized bowl over a heavy saucepan of simmering water. Stir chocolate and butter in this double boiler until melted and smooth.

Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Stir in warm chocolate mixture, then dry ingredients. Fold in graham crackers. Pour batter into prepared pan. Dot with 9 large marshmallows. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30- 35 minutes minutes.

Marshmallows will be browned and puffy but will deflate as the brownies cool. Cool for at least 20 minutes than slice with a sharp knife, plastic knife will give you cleaner edges. Serve or wrap individually in wax paper for storing.

Superbowl Party Food

2011-02-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

The Superbowl is the perfect time to sit around with friends, relax, and munch on some delicious grub! Here are a few of my favorite treats to get you ready for the BIG game! Go Packers!!

Blue Cheese Gougeres

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Healthy Spinach Parmesan Dip

Pumpkin Seed Dip

Creamy Beet Spread with Blue Cheese and Bacon

Nummy Pesto Sammie

Ultimate Meatloaf Sammie

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Chocolate Coconut Pecan Congo Bars

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

PB&J Bars

Turkey Burgers with Garlic-Rosemary Mayonnaise

2011-01-31T08:13:00.000-08:00

HELLO burger! Does that not look like the largest burger EVER! Apparently we wanted you to get the full grasp of how yummy this burger was with a gargantuan "in your face" type of photo.

The verdict: It's definitely not your fatty red meat "animal-style" kind of burger. But a grown up sophisticated burger for all you burger aficionados out there. Could I have said the word burger any more times? Anyway, this burger (haha) was a definite treat for a weeknight meal. The yogurt and mayo kept the burger nice and moist and the rosemary adds a nice heartiness to the burger. This isn't the type of burger I'd feed to kids, but it's definitely a burger adults would enjoy. It's also healthy and figure-friendly too, might I add! So start your year off right with this guilty healthy pleasure and try these burgers. Burger! :D

Turkey Burgers with Garlic-Rosemary Mayonnaise
2 servings
Adapted from Giada at Home

Mayonnaise

1/4 cup 0% fat greek yogurt
1/4 cup low fat mayonnaise
1 tbs + 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely minced
1/2 large clove garlic, grated with a microplane

Burgers:

10 oz ground turkey
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ¼ tsp Montreal Steak Grill Seasoning
2 sandwich rolls or burger buns
1/2 cup arugula or any salad greens, divided

Directions

For the mayonnaise: In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, garlic, and rosemary; set aside.

For the burgers: Preheat a gas or charcoal grill or place a grill pan over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, add the ground turkey, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, grill seasoning and 1/2 of the mayo. Using clean hands, gently combine the ingredients and form the chicken mixture into 2 patties. (I let them set up in the fridge for a couple hours) Place the burgers on the grill and cook for about 7 minutes on each side. Transfer to paper towels and let rest for a few minutes.

Brush the cut side of the top half of each roll with the mayo mixture. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly golden.

To assemble the burgers: Place the chicken burgers on the bottom halves of the buns. Top each with lettuce greens, and a few slices of tomato.

Accompaniment: tomato and/or raw red onions or grilled onions

Mexican Southwestern Enchisagna

2011-01-29T08:55:00.000-08:00

Today I bring you a quick and easy Mexican Southwestern Enchisagna! What's that you ask? Well let me share the wealth. It's a layered lasagna filled with tortillas and Southwestern ingredients, smothered with a salsa verde "enchiladaesque" sauce. It's a hybrid of cultures resulting in a wonderfully easy weeknight meal - si, es bueno :D

The dish came together relatively quickly since I took a bit of help from the store and (gasp!) bought a bottled salsa verde sauce. I was too lazy to make my own and it was a good substitute. However if you'd like to make your own sauce, this one yields great results. So switch up your "Taco Tuesday" nights and try this Enchisagna!

Mexican Southwestern Enchisagna
Adapted from 30-Minute Meals
2 servings

1 tablespoons olive oil
8 oz leftover chicken, shredded
1 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper
1 cup corn or 1 whole corn roasted, kernels removed
1/2 cup black beans, drained
Green salsa verde to taste (La Costena Green Mexican Salsa Verde)
Salt
4 (6 inch) corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups Mozzarella or Monterey cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil. Add onions and saute until soft. Add chicken and season with chili powder, cumin. Add black beans and corn. Add salsa verde sauce to taste. I added about a cup but add as much as you want until the dish is seasoned to your liking. Just make sure you do not add too much of the sauce and make the dish watery. Heat the mixture through, 3 to 5 minutes then season with salt, to your taste.

Coat a shallow baking dish (I used a large souffle dish that fit the tortillas perfectly) with cooking spray. Heat tortillas over an open flame until pliable and toasted. (Cook them as much as you would to eat a taco) Build layers starting with tortilla, chicken mixture then cheese. Continue to build the layers ending with the cheese so it can melt on top. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly.

Naan

2011-01-27T09:24:00.000-08:00

Who knew you could make fabulous restaurant quality naan in the comfort of your own home. Not only is it fantastic, but it's a cinch to make. If you've never had naan before, it tastes and looks like a pita but soooo much better! It's fluffier, lighter and made for the perfect vessel to scoop the curry I served it with. It's a great accompaniment with curry, but you could also wrap it with some kefta, top it with tzatziki sauce and you'll have yourself one fabulous meal! Enjoy!

Naan
Recipe from Aarti Party via The Novice Chef Blog
Makes about 4 - 6 inch naans

1/4 cup warm water
1 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbs canola oil
3 tbs Chobani Greek fat free plain yogurt
1/2 large egg
olive oil for cooking*

In a large bowl, stir together the water, yeast and sugar and let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy.

Stir in the flour, salt, oil, yogurt and egg and stir, then knead until you have a soft, pliable dough. Cover with a tea towel and let rise until doubled in size; about an hour.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces and on a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece into a thin circle or oval about 1/8" thick.

Cook each naan in a nice hot skillet drizzled with oil (just a teeny tiny bit–you’re not frying it) (I used PAM spray) until blistered and cooked, flipping as necessary. (When the surface has big blisters and is golden on the bottom, flip it over and cook until golden on the other side.

*With leftover naan, toast it in the toaster for a couple minutes to soften it again

Green Chicken Curry

2011-01-25T09:14:00.000-08:00

For last night's meal, Lobster and I traveled to India for a Bollywood festive meal - green chicken curry and naaaaan! For some reason or other we rarely eat Indian food when we go out, but making it at home was a different story! It was actually fun to try something new, different, and very foreign to us.

This dish has a lingering bit of heat and isn't too overwhelming in the "curry" taste department. Strangely enough, curry powder isn't even in the list of characters compiling this dish. So next time I make this I would add a teaspoon of curry powder to bump up the flavor a bit. If you try this, you MUST make the naan - it's easy-peasy and oh so wonderful! Curry + naan = a lovely weeknight meal. Enjoy!

Green Chicken Curry
Adapted from Aarti Sequeria via The Novice Chef Blog
3 servings

1 bunch cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped, 1 1/2 cups
1 bunch fresh mint, leaves, coarsely chopped, 1 1/2 cups
1 red onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic
1 1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chicken broth (low sodium), plus 1 1/4 cups
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper*
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 lb)
1/4 cup Chobani Greek plain fat free yogurt
Cooked basmati rice or warm naan bread, for serving

Add the cilantro, mint, red onion, garlic, ginger, and salt, and pepper, to taste, to a food processor or blender. Puree on high until smooth. With the processor running, add about 1/4 cup broth, and blend until the mixture is the consistency of a thick paste, a.k.a. “masala”. Set aside.

In a large pot or deep skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the shallot and cook, stirring often, until golden brown.

Add the spices and cook for 30 seconds. Pour the masala mixture into skillet and cook, stirring often until it deepens in color and aroma. You’ll know it’s ready when it looks shiny, little droplets of oil will appear on the surface, and the masala will hold together as a cohesive mass.

Add the chicken, coating every piece in the masala and stirring often. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, so that the masala really adheres to the chicken. Add about 1 1/4 cups broth, just enough to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is tender and sauce has thickened slightly, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the pan from heat and stir in the yogurt. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed. Transfer the mixture to a serving dish and serve over rice or with warm naan bread.

*I started with 1/4 tsp of cayenne then added more once I added the yogurt

Creamy Beet Spread with Blue Cheese and Bacon

2011-01-23T08:45:00.000-08:00

I realize this looks like a brighter version of something you'd drink when you have an upset stomach - don't worry, I was a bit skeptical too. But trust me, this dip is fantastic! (Aren't you glad I'm your guinea pig) However, I must warn you though - the color may freak some people out - especially one crustacean in particular named Lobster. I was literally following him around the house trying to get him to eat it. But one bite and he was pleasantly surprised - still scurrrred - but he was hooked.

The vibrant hot magenta hue comes from roasted beets. I personally enjoy eating beets and think they're highly underrated. But if you're not a fan of them, (ahem, W.M. and sister-in-law) maybe this dip isn't for you. But hey, ya never know. There's enough other delicious flavorings goin' on that you may not even notice this humble root vegetable. Like blue cheese and bacon - let's face it, everything's better with cheese and bacon! Sweet, salty, tangy, and smoky all in one bite! Serve this surprisingly delicious Alice in Wonderland concoction to your guests and they will be intrigued and delighted. Fun, whimsical and fabulous! Hope you give it a try :)

Creamy Beet Spread with Blue Cheese and Bacon
Adapted from Food 52 blog via Savour
Serves 3-4

* 2 medium beets
* 1 cup nonfat Greek style yogurt*
* 1.5 ounces blue cheese, finely crumbled
* 2 pieces bacon
* 1 tablespoon chives, finely minced
* Pita bread cut into triangles or baguette slices, lightly toasted

1. Scrub the beets, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, enclose in a foil packet and roast at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, or until tender. Let cool, peel off outer layer with paper towel and chop into a fine dice.
2. Fry the bacon until crisp. (Heat bacon slowly so it renders more fat) Let cool, and chop finely.
3. Combine the yogurt and the blue cheese in a small bowl and mash with a fork until the cheese in incorporated into the yogurt.
4. Add the bacon and chives. Add chopped beets. (I would add the beets to taste b/c you do not want the beets to overwhelm the other flavors). Mix thoroughly until the entire mixture is a rather alarming magenta hue. The mixture may be covered and stored in the refrigerator right away, or eaten immediately.
5. Serve with toasted pita triangles or baguette slices. Enjoy.

*I could only find full fat and I did not add chives

Nummy Pesto Sammie

2011-01-21T09:49:00.000-08:00

When I found this recipe on the "Taste of Home" website, it was called Baked Deli Focaccia Sandwich. The title seemed a bit blase to me, so I have officially renamed it the "Nummy Pesto Sammie." I think the readers of "Taste of Home" would appreciate the name change, don'tcha think?

What really takes this sandwich from ordinary to extraordinary is the addition of the homemade pesto sauce. The pesto is bright, zesty, and delicious! I found myself smearing pieces of bread against the bowl looking for every last bit of the sauce. By the time I was done with that sucker, it was spotless - didn't even need to be washed. :) Who knew such a simple sauce could elevate these sandwiches to be worthy enough to serve to company. If you're hosting any type of luncheon celebration, these would be perfect to serve your guests. Easy and elegant - a definite keeper!

Nummy Pesto Sammie
Adapted from Taste of Home
4 servings

Ingredients

1 loaf (12 ounces) round focaccia bread

Prepared pesto or use pesto recipe below

1/4 pound sliced deli ham

1/4 pound sliced deli smoked turkey

1/4 pound sliced deli turkey pastrami

5 slices process American cheese*

Red onion, thinly sliced

1 small tomato, sliced 1/8” thick

Pesto Sauce

Makes about 3/4 cup

1/4 cup roasted pistachio nuts
3 medium size garlic cloves
4 cups loosely packed basil leaves (about 4 ounces)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
S&P to taste

1/2 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation
Combine nuts and garlic in a food processor; process until minced. Add basil, oil, salt, and pepper; process until blended, scraping sides occasionally. Spoon into a bowl and fold in cheese. Season to taste with S&P

~ I like my pesto pretty chunky. If you want it more runny add more EVOO

To assemble sandwich

Cut focaccia horizontally in half. Remove a bit of the bread from top half of focaccia; spread pesto over cut sides. On bread bottom, layer the ham, turkey, pastrami, cheese, onion and tomato. Replace bread top; wrap in foil. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes. Cut into wedges

* I used plain Havarti cheese, 4 thin slices which roughly equaled 1/4 lb

**This serves 8 if you are having a large luncheon along with other dishes. If you are serving these just for a regular lunch it would only serve 4.

Note: When choosing deli meat be careful of how salty the meats are because mine was bordering on the salty side but was still fantastic. Next time I'll try to use low salt meats.

David Chang's Short Ribs

2011-01-19T09:36:00.000-08:00

Short ribs are the perfect meal to entertain with when hosting a dinner party. They can be prepared well in advance and are very forgiving when it comes to time constraints. As you know, the longer it sits the better it gets, and overnight is always best. The ribs roast in the oven for hours in a pool of sweet and salty umami flavorings, producing fall off the bone meat which have absorbed all those delicious seasonings. Serve them over a bed of mashed potatoes and your guests will swoon! When you prepare these, you'll want to cook a larger serving then required - since they'll make the ultimate short rib sandwich the next day. I'm envisioning layers of shredded meat and caramelized onions, topped with melted gruyere cheese. Leftovers never had it so good. Enjoy!

David Chang's Braised Short Ribs
Recipe from NY Times
Photo from Food Network

1½ cups pear or apple juice
1 cup sake (Ozeki Sake Dry)
1 cup mirin
½ cup sugar
1 cup Lite soy sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
10 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons neutral oil, like corn or grapeseed
4 to 5 pounds short ribs, trim any visible fat on top of the meat
2 large onions, peeled and roughly chopped
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons butter
8 to 12 small potatoes, preferably fingerlings, trimmed or the little round potatoes mom gets
½ cup chopped scallions
4 cups cooked white rice.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, combine juice, sake, mirin, sugar, soy sauce, about 20 grinds of pepper, both forms of garlic, sesame oil and 1½ cups water. Bring to a boil, then simmer.

2. Put corn or grapeseed oil in a large ovenproof braising pan or skillet over medium-high heat and add ribs, seasoning them liberally with salt and pepper. Brown well on one side, moving them around to promote even browning. Turn, add onions and half the carrots, and brown other side, stirring vegetables occasionally.

3. Carefully pour braising liquid over meat and bake, bone-side up and submerged in liquid (add water or juice if necessary), for 3 to 4 hours, until meat falls from bones. Cool ribs in liquid for 1 hour remove bones from meat, then remove meat to a separate dish; strain liquid in pot. (I did not strain the veggies since I like to eat them along with the meat) At this point, place ribs in pot with liquid and refrigerate overnight if making ahead.

4. If you have refrigerated the ribs, remove fat from top of liquid. Heat to a boil then simmer, reducing liquid until syrupy. If it seems too thick, thin with a bit of water. (I did not reduce my liquid to a syrup consistency since I was afraid the sauce may get too salty due to the soy sauce. I only reheated the ribs and served)

5. About ½ hour before you are ready to serve, put butter in a skillet and add potatoes and remaining carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally and seasoning with salt and pepper, until browned and nearly tender, about 20 minutes. Add to meat. Taste mixture and adjust seasonings if necessary, then garnish with scallions and serve on rice.

Yield: 4 to 5 servings

Blue Cheese Gougeres

2011-01-17T08:42:00.000-08:00

This is an easy elegant appetizer and perfect for your next dinner party. They pair beautifully with a glass of wine and your guests will not be able to get enough. They're actually quite addicting - which became evident after a while since I couldn't stop popping them into my mouth. Try these for your next party and your guests will rave.

Blue Cheese Gougeres
Found on Kitchen Sink

Recipe from King Estate Winery

Makes 35 gougeres

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all purpose flour
2.5 large eggs
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled (Saint Agur)**
large pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine 3/4 cups of water, butter and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat immediately and add all of the flour at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. When the flour is incorporated, return the pan to the heat for several minutes, stirring constantly until the mixture starts to dry out and pull away from the edge of the pan. Away from the heat, add the eggs one at a time, mixing each one until well blended. The dough should be soft and shiny. Add the blue cheese. Season with black pepper and more salt if needed. Continue to blend until mixture looks like one cohesive dough and similar to mashed potatoes.

Line a baking sheet with silpat. Using either small cookie dough scooper or pastry bag with a large plain tip, make mounds about 1 inches in diameter. Using a pastry brush, paint tops with a glaze of the beaten egg mixed with splash of water. Make sure when you glaze the dough to not get egg on the baking sheet b/c they will not rise as well. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes then lower temperature to 375 for 20-25 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.

For extra-crispy puffs, five minutes before they’re done, poke the side of each puff with a sharp knife to release the steam, and return to the oven to finish baking.

The puffs are at their best when served warm from the oven, but are also delicious at room temperature.

They can be made ahead and frozen, then popped in the oven to reheat just before serving.****

*I made these a few hours in advance and they were indeed delicious when re-heated (10 to 15 minutes in a 350° oven).

**I would even add maybe 1/4 cup more cheese next time

Notes: If the cheese puffs seem like they need a bit more salt - when you reheat them spray tops with PAM olive oil and sprinkle additional salt

Roasted Broccoli with a Warm Caper and Garlic Dressing

2011-01-15T09:20:00.000-08:00

Are you sick of eating broccoli the same old boring way...steamed, blanched, roasted? Well, do I have a solution for you! Little florets of broccoli become perfectly caramelized nutty florets hot from the oven. Upon removal, they're tossed with a simple zesty, tangy, and addictive dressing.

After first discovering how delicious roasted broccoli could be, I've become a huge fan of these little green trees. Now that I've found this recipe - I foresee eating them more and more often. Every time I walked by the plate I found myself sneaking bites of these little green jewels - and with the way we eat broccoli, this served two not four.

I adapted the recipe with what I had on hand, but the dish was originally inspired by the ingredients of a Caesar salad. I imagine if you made this with anchovies it might taste even better. Gasp, could it be? The best thing about this recipe is that it's great served at room temperature - perfect for entertaining. A simple dish that will bring a big smile to your face. Enjoy!

Roasted Broccoli with a Warm Caper and Garlic Dressing

Adapted from Food 52

Serves 2-4

1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets 1”
3 tablespoons butter (Can't Believe It's Not Butter-Light)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 anchovy fillets or 1 tsp drained capers (finely minced)
a splash of white wine
a big squeeze of lemon, preferably Meyer (I used a regular lemon)
Parmesan cheese, for dusting
1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425. Arrange broccoli florets on a Silpat or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 20-25 minutes and remove. (Flip broccoli after about 12-15 minutes if they are browning too quickly on the bottom)
In a small skillet, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and anchovy and saute for about three minutes. Add wine and lemon and allow to reduce for a minute or two. Season with black pepper if desired.
Meantime, in another small skillet over medium heat, toast almonds until they are lightly browned, taking care not to burn them.
Drizzle sauce and sprinkle almonds and parmesan cheese over broccoli, then serve. Or, dip the broccoli in the sauce at the table. Enjoy!

*I used capers and omitted the nuts and cheese and tossed the broccoli with all the dressing then added more salt and pepper to taste. YUM-OH!

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

2011-01-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

Ohhhhh, cookies and cream cupcakes - where have you been all my life?! If you enjoy eating OREOS - this recipe should not be missed. It literally tastes like an OREO cookie on steroids! I've always loved cookies and cream ice cream, but I never thought of turning that concept into a cupcake - whoever thought of this was one smart focker!

These cute cuppies were whimsical and a delight to make. The tangy cream cheese frosting is heavenly and balances out the sweetness of the cake. As if these cupcakes weren't sinful enough, chopped Oreo cookies are mixed straight into the batter for a joyful surprise. Take one bite, close your eyes, and all is good in the world :) Love it! Lick it! Bite it! Whatever you do...make it!

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Recipe from Annie’s Eats

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
12 Oreos, twisted apart with cream filling attached
1 cup + 2 tbs all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar
1.5 large egg whites, at room temperature (I ended up using 2)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup 2%milk
10 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped (I quarter them)

For the frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tbsp. heavy cream*

For garnish:
Oreo cookie crumbs
6 Oreo cookie tops, halved

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line the wells of cupcake pans with 12 paper liners. Place an Oreo halve in the bottom of each liner, cream side up. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir together with a fork to blend and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Blend in the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Add the milk and beat just until combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Gently fold in the chopped Oreos with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.

Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 14-17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in the vanilla extract. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar until incorporated and smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add the heavy cream to the bowl and beat on medium-low speed just until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Don’t overbeat because it can become runny. If frosting is a bit runny put it back in the fridge for an hour for it to set-up.

Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired. Sprinkle with Oreo crumbs and garnish with Oreo halves don’t garnish until just before serving b/c will get soggy.

Source: adapted from Beantown Baker

*I added about one teaspoon of milk instead of the cream and beat the mixture until it was light and fluffy.

Matcha Green Tea Chiffon Cupcakes

2011-01-11T09:37:00.000-08:00

For my sister's birthday, she requested green tea chiffon cupcakes for her dessert of choice. I was excited to make these little "Green Hulk" babies since they're not your "typical" cupcake and a bit out of the norm.

The chiffon cake was fluffy and moist and the green tea frosting was the perfect compliment. While the frosting tasted terrific, I had a bit of trouble with the consistency since the end result was a bit runny. Not sure what I did wrong, but just wanted to give you a heads up before you try them. Make these for the green tea fan in your life and they'll love you forever!

Matcha Green Tea Chiffon Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from Mood Food Blog
Makes 12 cupcakes

150g golden caster sugar
175g all purpose flour
2 tbs matcha green tea powder (Maeda-en brand)
½ tsp baking soda
1 eggs
175 ml vegetable oil
145 ml buttermilk*
½ tsp sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:
• Sift flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl. Add sugar and green tea and mix well.
• In another bowl, mix together eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract.
• Make a well in the flour bowl and add the wet ingredients. Slowly begin to incorporate the two together making sure you have a nice smooth mixture.
• Do not over beat.
• Have your oven on at 350F and prepare add batter to paper lined muffin tins.
• Cook for about 15-17 minutes and then leave them to cool down completely.
*I added 1 ½ tsp of white vinegar to regular milk for the buttermilk

Green Tea Cream Cheese Frosting:
6 oz Philadelphia cream cheese (1/3 less fat)
3 tbs unsalted butter
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
2 ½ tsp matcha green tea powder*
Milk or heavy cream, optional

Method:
• Make sure everything is at room temperature.
• Mix together the butter and Philadelphia and beat till well combined. Add the vanilla extract and mix until fully incorporated. Add the green tea powder and mix until fully incorporated
• Begin adding the icing sugar and continue beating until you get to the right fluffy silky consistency for about 1-2 more minutes. If you need to thin out the frosting, add a bit of milk or heavy cream a little bit at a time till you get to the right consistency.

*Add more to taste
**UPDATE: so I realize where my frosting went astray - I didn't have the correct amount of butter to cream cheese ratio. I would add an additional 2 tbs of butter next time.

Notes: While the overall taste of the cupcake did not taste oily whatsoever, next time I would use a bit less oil b/c the cupcakes left a ring around whatever they touched. If you try this recipe with less oil please let me know how it worked out for you.

Cioppino

2011-01-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

If you've ever visited San Francisco, you've probably had a bowl of their famous cioppino soup. Fresh seafood simmered in tomato broth hits the spot on a cold, rainy, winter day. My brother has been requesting this soup for months now, so I finally ran out of excuses and made it for him. I don't really know what cioppino tastes like, but the soup had a lovely balance of flavors and the seafood and tomatoes were not overpowering in the least bit. The verdict: he thoroughly enjoyed it! It's always a good sign when people are making mmmm sounds when they're eating :)

Cioppino
Makes 6 servings
Adapted From Gourmet, March 2002

4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 Turkish bay leaf or 1/2 California bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tbs olive oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups dry white wine*
1 (28- to 32-ounces) can whole plum tomatoes, drained, reserving juice, and chopped
1 cup bottled clam juice
1 cup chicken broth
1.5 pound skinless tilapia, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2.5 pound assorted seafood (mussels, scallop, calamari, shrimp)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Garnish: shredded fresh basil leaves and small whole leaves
Accompaniment: focaccia or sourdough bread

Preparation

Cook garlic, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and red pepper flakes with salt and pepper in oil in an 8-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and boil until reduced by about half, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice, clam juice, and broth and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

While stew is simmering, Add mussels to stew and simmer, covered, until they open, 5 to 10 minutes. (Discard any unopened mussels after 10 minutes.) Lightly season remaining seafood with salt and add to stew, then simmer, covered, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes - stir ingredients around and let simmer on low for 45 minutes. Discard bay leaf and adjust taste with S&P, then gently stir in parsley and basil. (I actually omitted the herbs b/c I forgot to add them)

Serve cioppino immediately in large soup bowls with slices of bread.

Cooks' note:
The stew — without seafood — can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, uncovered, then chill, covered. Bring to a simmer before adding seafood.

*I used $2 Chuck Sauvignon Blanc

PB&J Cupcakes

2011-01-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

PB&J Cupcakes! That's right, your eyes are not deceiving you. I knew these were going to be awesome before I even put them in the oven. The cake batter was soooo delicious - some of it didn't make it into the liners - and the icing, ohhhh the icing (swoon) - it's like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup on CRACK! They taste pretty similar to the PB&J bars I made a while back, but I think they're even better because the frosting takes them over the top! This is a cupcake adults and kids of all ages will enjoy! What are you doing reading still? Run and make these!

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes
Recipe from I Heart Cuppy Cakes
Makes 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
For cupcakes
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter, room temp (Private Selection Organic PB, Creamy)
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
Raspberry jam to fill cupcakes

To make cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin tin cupcs with paper cupcake liners
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl and set aside
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, peanut butter and brown sugar until smoothly blended and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Mix in egg. Add vanilla and beat for 1 minute or until batter smooth.
On low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and mixing until the flour is incorporated and the batter looks smooth.
Fill each liner with a generous 1/4 cup of batter, to about 1/3 inch below the top of the liner. Bake just until the tops feel firm and are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. There will be cracks on the top. Cool cupcakes for 10 minutes in the pan on wire rack. Once cooled - fill cupcakes with jelly either by cutting out a little cone shape and then filling with jam or inserting a piping tip and squirting jelly into the cupcake.

Peanut Butter Frosting
Recipe from Mommy's Kitchen

1 - 16oz box powdered sugar
1 - stick of butter, softened (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (Private Selection Organic PB, Creamy)
1 - tsp vanilla extract
milk (about 3 - 4 tablespoons)

Cream powdered sugar and butter together, add peanut butter. Mix well, add vanilla extract and enough milk to make it easy enough to spread. Beat mixture together until you have the consistency you want. Frost cupcakes when completely cooled.

*If you'd like to try another variation of this cupcake - instead of the PB frosting and jelly - try a chocolate glaze instead.

Recipe from I heart cuppy cakes:

For chocolate glaze
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

To make chocolate glaze
In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and butter over low heat until the cream is hot adn the butter has melted. The mixture should form tiny bubbles and measure about 175F on a thermometer; do not let it boil.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the milk chocolate and let it sit in the hot cream for 30 secs to soften. Add the vanilla and whisk the glaze until it is smooth and all the chocolate has melted. (Return the glaze to low heat if necessary to melt the chocolate completely, whisking constantly.) The glaze should be thick enough to hold its shape when spread over the cupcakes. If it is too liquid to spread, let it sit at room temp for 5-15 minutes, depending on the temp of your kitchen.

Using a small spatula, spread 1 tbsp of glaze over the top of each cupcake.

Spiral Stuffed Rolls with Turkey, Cheese and Broccoli

2011-01-05T08:54:00.000-08:00

Who can resist cheese, turkey, and bread. It's like a grown-up "Lunchable" - which were my fave growing up - so these were a wonderful trip down memory lane. These little spiral rolls made for a lovely weeknight meal for Lobster and I. They take a bit of time to make, but we enjoyed them enough that it was worth the extra effort. They're very reminiscent of a calzone, so if you like calzones - you should give this a try. We actually ate them with marinara sauce which made them extra tasty.

For all you moms out there, this meal is very kid friendly. If you find yourself cooking different meals for members of your family each night, these are your solution. If you don't like turkey or broccoli, swap them out with whatever you like. Try some spicy sausage and spinach instead, or turn it into a pizza and add pepperoni and mozzarella - what kid wouldn't love that! The combinations are endless! So switch up your weeknight meals and give these spiral rolls a whirl.

...I called dibs on the fat slurpy guy in the middle

Spiral Stuffed Rolls with Turkey, Cheese and Broccoli
Serves 3-4
Makes 10-12 rolls
Recipe from Mel's Kitchen

Dough Recipe:
3/4 cups warm water
1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cups all-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour , give or take a few tablespoons (you can also use all AP flour)

Combine yeast, water and sugar in bowl of a stand mixer and let proof (until foamy and bubbly) for 5 minutes. Add oil, salt and 1 cup of the flour. Begin mixing and continue to add the rest of the flour gradually until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Judge the dough not by the amount of flour called for in the recipe but in how the dough feels. The dough should be soft and smooth but still slightly tacky to the touch.

Knead the dough in the stand mixer on medium until it is very smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer or 8-10 minutes by hand. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until it has doubled (this usually takes about an hour and a half).

Punch down the dough and roll the dough out into a large rectangle about 1/2-inch thick (I actually rolled it about ¼ inch thick)

For the stuffing:
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cups chopped deli meat turkey (leftover ham or deli ham works great here)
3/4 cups finely chopped broccoli
1 cups shredded cheese (Swiss, Cheddar..options are limitless)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions

In a small bowl, cream together the cream cheese. Spread the rolled out dough with the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with pepper, and generous amount of garlic powder. Top with the turkey, broccoli, cheese, Parmesan cheese, and green onions. Roll the dough up (starting with the long end), pinching the seam to seal. Slice the roll into about 1-inch segments. Place the rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet cuts side down and cover with plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise until nearly doubled (mine took about an hour) and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly.

Recipe from Mel’s Kitchen

Croquembouche

2011-01-03T09:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Grandpa! To celebrate Lobster's grandpa's birthday, I eagerly volunteered to make dessert. I knew I wanted to make something special since he was turning the big 9-0, so a boring dessert wasn't gonna cut it! As I sat there drumming my fingers against the table, I was racking my brain about what to make. Cake? Nah. Cupcakes? Been there, done that. Croquembouche? Yaaaah! If you've never heard of a croquembouche, it's a french cake often served at weddings piled high with cream puffs bound together with caramel.

The dessert was a hit and it turns out grandpa's a fan of cream puffs - which was a good thing since this made a lot, so there was plenty for him to snack on later. The croquembouche, which I began to refer to as the "poof," was an exciting challenge to make and I only suffered one kitchen wound during the process. A finger was slightly burned during the compilation. But, the burn was well worth it since grandpa was excited when he saw his leaning tower of poofs. I say "leaning," because the tower slowly began to melt and collapse during transport. It literally fell five minutes after we arrived - but, the little guy made it to his final destination! Burns and all, the poofs were a success and grandpa had a wonderful birthday!

Notes: I had some architectural flaws due to attaching the cream puffs to each other improperly with the caramel. When you make this, make sure you dip the cream puffs enough along the sides so the puffs are attached to each other on the top and sides as you build the cone. (This will make sense during compilation) I only attached mine on the top portion so it was not structurally sound. Happy building!

Croquembouche
Adapted from Daring Baker's Challenge.
Recipe from Peter Kump’s Baking School in Manhattan and Nick Malgieri.

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.

For the Vanilla Crème Patissiere
2 cup (225 ml.) 2% milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
12 Tbsp. (100 g.) sugar
2 large egg
4 large egg yolks
4 Tbsp. (30 g.) unsalted butter
2 Tsp. Vanilla

Dissolve cornstarch in 1/2 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 for a few hours until ready to use

*I would double the filling to fill all the puffs

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.

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 or side 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.

When you have finished the design of your piece montée, using two forks or a chopstick spin sugar around your croquembouche.

Additional Information: Here are some videos you may want to take a look at before you get started on your piece montée.

http://video.about.com/candy/Sugar-Corkscrews.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcsTdDtk1gU

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/marthas-famous-croquembouche

*Additional filling flavors

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.

Happy New Year and Best of the NuM NuM 2010

2011-01-01T08:53:00.000-08:00

Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year

YAY - it's finally that time of year again. The day I get to reminisce and look at past recipes and choose "The Best Of!" Since it's too difficult to choose only ten - I've included a few honorable mentions as well. I made a list before for my One Year Blogiversary, so if you'd like to see the past winners from there, feel free to click here. Now, without further ado, in no particular order whatsoever, I give you: my Top Num's from 2010.

Top 10:

Cranberry, White Chocolate, Oatmeal Cookies

Pumpkin Granola

Double Broccoli Pesto Quinoa

Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Chocolate and Almond Meringue Cake with Popcorn Ice Cream

Greek Turkey Burger with Cotija Cheese and Muhammara Sauce

Salted Butter Almond Ice Cream

Homemade Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli

Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls

Top 5 Honorable Mention:

Tiramisu

Italian Meatball Sub

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Korean Chicken Taco Bar

S'mores Bars

Meatloaf Sammie

Jalapeno Popper Dip

2010-12-30T09:03:00.000-08:00

Warning: This could become your new favorite dip! If you enjoy all things spicy and cheesy, you will lovey this! This isn't the most figure friendly appetizer, but I did use reduced fat cream cheese to cut the fat a bit :D

Even though the ingredients list mayo, you can't taste it whatsoever. So if you have any guests who have an aversion towards mayo, do not tell them it's in there since they probably won't want to try it - which I've learned from experience. Serve this with thinly sliced crostini or tortilla scoops and you'll be the hit of the party.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

8 servings

Ingredients:
2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup cheddar cheese (grated)
1 cup parmigiano reggiano
1 (4 ounce) can sliced jalapenos, drained*
1 (4 ounce) diced green chiles
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano

Directions:
1. Mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, parmigiano reggiano and jalapenos in a bowl and pour into a 2 qt baking dish (8x8 pan).
2. Mix the panko bread crumbs and parmigiano reggiano and sprinkle over the dip.
3. Bake in a 375F oven until bubbling on the sides and golden brown on top, about 10-20 minutes.

Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over the dip and bake in a 375° oven for about 20 minutes. You want the top to get browned and the dip to be heated through and bubble gently on the edges. Do not over heat this dish or the mayonnaise with separate and you will have a grease puddle in your dip.

*I like my food spicy so I chopped 4 more small whole pickled jalapenos, sliced them thinly and added them to the dip. I would also forgo the panko and parm topping since I felt like it didn't add much to the dip.

Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls

2010-12-28T09:28:00.000-08:00

Nothing says Christmas like the smell of fresh baked cinnamon rolls. How good are homemade cinnamon rolls piping hot from the oven?! Melt in your mouth tender bites of dough filled with warm spices of cinnamon and sugar - YUM!

Lobster and I have started our own Christmas tradition and begin our morning of present opening with these bad boys. I tried a new recipe this year and warning: they are decadent, heavenly and oh so yummy and make you wish every day was Christmas! The dough is rich and moist and each bite has you yearning for more. I still can't decide whether I prefer them over my old ye faithful cinnamon rolls - I hope they'll forgive me for my infidelity - but perhaps I'll have to do a taste comparison in the future.

I served these to my family and instantly won them over - they couldn't believe they were made from scratch. Since it's the holidays, it was nice to spread a little Christmas glee and see the joy on everyone's face as they ate these babies. It's a good thing there were a lot of people around since I could have literally eaten the entire batch. I found myself attacking the center part of each roll - everyone knows that's the best part - then serving the outer scraps to everyone else. Haha - I wish! In all fairness, I only did that to Lobster and mine....okay and maybe my mom's. :D I think it was well deserved, I did slave away in the kitchen and make them after all. Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker - recipe from Saveur Magazine

Makes 16 rolls

FOR THE DOUGH:
1 1⁄4-oz. package active dry yeast
1⁄2 tsp. plus 1⁄4 cup sugar
1⁄2 cup milk, at room temperature
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 3⁄4 cups flour, sifted, plus
more for kneading
3⁄4 tsp. fine salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room
temperature, plus more for the pan

FOR THE FILLING:
1⁄2 cup sugar
1⁄4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1⁄4 cup finely chopped pecans
1⁄4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1⁄2 tsp. fine salt
1⁄8 tsp. ground cloves
2 tbsp. maple syrup
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE ICING:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1⁄4 cup milk

1. Make the dough: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a hook, combine yeast, 1⁄2 tsp. of the sugar, and 1⁄4 cup water heated to 115°. Stir to combine and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add remaining sugar, milk, light brown sugar, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk. Beat on low speed until thoroughly combined, 1 minute. Turn mixer off and add the flour and salt. Mix on medium speed until the dough just comes together. Turn mixer speed to high and knead dough for 4 minutes. Add the butter and continue kneading until dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, about 6 minutes. Remove bowl from the mixer, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place. Let the dough rise for 1 1⁄2–2 hours, until it has doubled in size.

2. Meanwhile, make the filling: Combine the sugar, dark brown sugar, pecans, walnuts, raisins, cinnamon, salt, and cloves in a large bowl; stir to combine. Stir in the maple syrup. Set filling aside.

3. Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a heavily floured surface. Gently knead the dough until it's no longer sticky, adding more flour as necessary, about 1 minute. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10" x 10" square. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese with a rubber spatula until it's smooth and spreadable. Spread the cream cheese evenly over the dough square; then fold square into thirds as you would fold a letter to fit it into an envelope. Take the open ends of the resulting rectangle and fold into thirds again, to make a smaller dough square. Invert the dough so that the seam is face down and, using the rolling pin, gently roll into a 10" x 20" rectangle.

4. Turn the dough so the long end is facing you. Brush the dough with the melted butter. Drizzle the reserved filling over the dough, leaving a 1" border at the edge farthest away from you. Lightly press the filling into the dough. Using your hands, lift up the bottom edge of the dough and roll it forward into a tight cylinder. Place dough cylinder, seam side down, on a cutting board and, using a thin, sharp knife, trim off the ends; cut cylinder crosswise into 16 equal-size slices. (I find it MUCH easier to cut the rolls with dental floss) Nestle the slices, cut sides up into a buttered 9" x 13" baking dish. Cover pan with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to let rise for 2 hours. (Alternatively, the rolls may be refrigerated overnight to rise in the fridge.)

5. Heat oven to 375°. Uncover the rolls. (If refrigerated, let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.) Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the rolls comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

6. Make the icing: While the rolls are baking, whisk together the sugar and milk in a small bowl until smooth.

7. Transfer the pan of cinnamon rolls to a cooling rack. Let cool for 5 minutes. Dip the tines of a fork into the icing and drizzle all over the rolls. Serve immediately.

Cranberry, White Chocolate, Oatmeal Cookie

2010-12-26T09:54:00.000-08:00

I realize I've posted many things in the past as best thing EVERRR, fan-freaking-tastic, or yummylicious - using capital letters, exclamation points and whatever bells and whistles I can think of. But rarely do I ever make the bold statement that something is my favorite. Well friends, this is one of my absolute favorite cookies. In fact, I vividly remember the day they entered my life! It was a bright sunny day in March, I was at the beach, there was a slight breeze in the air - okay, maybe I'm being the tiniest bit melodramatic, but really, these cookies are fabulous! They're crispy and soft, but chewy. Sweet but tart. They're just (insert sigh) the best cookies EVERRR :D Give 'em a try and hopefully they'll become a favorite of yours too.

Cranberry, White Chocolate, Oatmeal Cookie

Recipe from Nigella Lawson

Makes 40 1-1/2” cookies

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon soft unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
3/4 cup white chocolate chips, roughly chopped

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Measure out the flour, baking powder, salt and rolled oats into a bowl.

Put the butter and sugars into another bowl and beat together until creamy — this is obviously easier with an electric mixer of some kind, but you just need to put some muscle into otherwise — then beat in the egg and vanilla.

Beat in the flour, baking powder, salt and oat mixture and then fold in the cranberries, chopped pecans and chocolate chips.

Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into a ball with your hands, (I use a small cookie scoop) and then place them on a lined or greased baking sheet and squish the dough balls down with a fork. You may need two baking sheets or be prepared to make these in two batches.

Cook for 9-11 minutes; when ready, the cookies will be tinged a pale gold, but be too soft to lift immediately off the tray, so leave the tray on a cool surface and let them harden for about 5 minutes. (I like to make them extra crispy around the edges so I keep them in a bit longer until the bottoms are a golden brown then take them out of the oven and leave them on the tray for 5 minutes longer) Remove with a spatula or whatever to cool fully on a wire rack.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

Wishing you and your family a happy holiday season!

Christmas Party, a Dessert Bar and Chewy Brownies

2010-12-24T09:05:00.000-08:00

The other night Lobster and I hosted a Holiday party and had about fifteen guests, twenty platters of food, seven desserts, and chocolate treats here, there and everywhere! There was an insane amount of food and I went a little nuts and also made a dessert bar.

I made cute little mini raspberry lemon cupcakes, salted caramel cupcakes, almond toffee brittle "crack," peanut butter blossoms, and chewy brownies. Needless to say it was a sugar overload and everyone took home a doggie bag of sweets to enjoy for the next few days. Luckily for me, there were a few stragglers left behind so Lobster and I had desserts for the week.

While trying to decide what desserts to serve, I knew I had to make brownies. After all, who doesn't love brownies?! The question was, what recipe to try? I set out to find the best brownie recipe and my goodness, there are more brownie recipes on the Internet then there are hairs on my head. And jiminy Christmas, are people particular about their brownies! I like mine chewy but the combinations I found were endless - chewy, fudgey, cakey, chocolatey, cocoa-ey.....you get the idea. The recipe I finally chose was ironically called, "chewy brownies" from Cook's Illustrated. They're always a trusted source and deliver excellent results and this time was no different. The brownies were chewy, moist, fudgey, chocolatey and best of all had that lovely crackly top you usually only get from the box-mix everyone loves. I even refrained myself from eating or cutting them until two days later, since brownies apparently taste better with age - such self control I have! Where that self control went when it came to finally eating them - I have no idea.

While I can't leave well enough alone and know I'll still be experimenting with other recipes, this was a good starter recipe for a classic brownie. If you'd like to try a "fancy" brownie, try my all time fave Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Cheesecake Swirl Brownie. Enjoy!

*For the Chewy Brownie recipe, you can find it here

Brown Sugar-Almond Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream Frosting

2010-12-23T22:35:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Lobster gave me a cupcake "courier" to store and transport my cupcakes - best gift ever! Not to be mistaken for a cupcake "carrier" - this baby is the bad ass of cupcake carriers. It was designed by a mom who was obviously brilliant since it's a triple decker carrier that transports cupcakes wonderfully and unharmed. To christen my new gift, I made Brown Sugar-Almond Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream Frosting. This is a bit of a unique cupcake since the bottom is layered with crushed almonds and sugar, then topped with the cake batter. The result is a rather dense cake which is not overly sweet considering it's called a brown sugar cupcake. While the cupcakes were good, they didn't warrant a happy dance like these or these. I tend to like my cupcakes fluffier but these tasted a bit "heavy" IMO. Even though I was a bit disappointed with them, one guest did enjoy them quite a bit and asked to keep a couple extra - so maybe it's just me. Give them a try and let me know whatcha think :)

Brown Sugar-Almond Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream Frosting

Recipe from Raspberry Eggplant blog

Makes 8 cupcakes

For the Brown Sugar-Almond cupcakes:
¼ cup almonds
1 tablespoon sugar
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ cup low-fat yogurt
¼ cup milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature

For the Blackberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting:
4 ounces fresh blackberries
1 tablespoon sugar
[Alternately, 2 tablespoons blackberry jam in place of the blackberries + sugar]
2 egg whites
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and at room temperature

***************

Cupcakes:

Heat an oven to 350 F. Line 8 wells of a muffin pan with cupcake papers.

Put the nuts and sugar into the bowl of a mini chopper and pulse until the nuts are ground – you want some texture so do not grind them too finely. Evenly distribute the ground nuts between the lined wells of the pan and set the pan aside.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, milk, and vanilla. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and light brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg, and mix until combined.

Add half of the flour mixture, all of the yogurt mixture, and then the remaining flour, mixing on medium speed after each addition until just combined.

Distribute the batter between the cups. Bake until lightly golden around the edges and a toothpick comes out clean, 16-18 minutes.

Frosting:

Slice 4 berries in half lengthwise and set them aside.

Puree the remaining berries along with the sugar. Strain the blackberry puree through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan. Gently simmer the puree over medium-low heat until it is thick and reduced to about 2 tablespoons; this will take 10-12 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set it aside to cool.

Put the sugar and egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer. Bring 2 inches of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan and set the mixer bowl on top of the pan. Whisk the egg white mixture until it is 130 F – the mixture will turn thick and white, and this should take about 3 minutes.

Transfer the bowl to a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip the egg white mixture on high speed until it is cool, thick, and glossy, about 7 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-high and add the butter a few pieces at a time, making sure they are fully incorporated before the next addition. After all the butter has been added, continue beating the frosting until it comes together – this will take a minute or two.

Add the reduced blackberry puree (or jam) and mix to combine.

Frost the cupcakes and top each with a berry half.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

2010-12-22T09:01:00.000-08:00

Is there anyone out there who can resist the combination of peanut butter and chocolate? There's a reason why they're a classic pair and these cookies are the epitome of why they go hand in hand together. It's no wonder I've been seeing these little guys everywhere on the Internet lately - because they're fan-freaking-tastic! They're also more manageable to eat now that I figured out how to eat them properly. It was a bit of a challenge at first due to the shape of the Hershey's kiss - until I figured out my plan of attack! Take a tiny nibble off the tip of the chocolate and then proceed to chomp from all angles. Either way you eat it, these will definitely be a crowd pleaser and disappear fast! Start your holiday baking off right and make these PBB's.

Peanut Butter Blossoms
Recipe from Hershey's
Makes about 4 dozen

Ingredients:
48 Hershey's kisses, unwrapped
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

Beat shortening and peanut butter in a large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls (I used my small cookie scoop from Pampered Chef and got exactly 48 cookies). Roll in sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Run the bottom of a Hershey kiss along warm baking sheet and immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. They will make a cute "tssss" noise :) Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Lemon filled Vanilla Bean Cupcake with Raspberry Lemon Frosting and Cupcakes 101

2010-12-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

Cupcakes so cute and light - betcha can't eat just one! Mini cupcakes are the perfect one bite treat to end any meal. Well, two bites if you're me - but tasty and yummylicious none the less. I used my favorite vanilla cake recipe, filled them with lemon curd then topped them with a lovely raspberry frosting.

I am a newbie cupcake "fill-er" and it wasn't as intimidating as I expected it to be. The lemon filling was a nice surprise and made the cupcakes light and refreshing. The blush pink colored frosting make them festive for any occasion. A baby or bridal shower would make for the perfect occasion to showcase these sweet little treats. Make life sweeter, eat dessert first! Num ^_^

Cupcake Tip #1:

If you want to keep your cupcakes fresh and soft DO NOT put them in the refrigerator, it will dry them out. You may put the unfrosted cupcakes in a container and wrap container in saran wrap to freeze them.

Then if you need to whip up a quick snack, take out the frozen cupcakes, and immediately start frosting and decorating. When done, place on a plate in room temperature for an hour or two to thaw. Tastes just like fresh cupcakes.

If you're planning to make the cupcakes ahead, store them in an air tight container at room temperature.

Cupcake Tip #2:

Thawing the cupcakes wrapped--whether enclosed in foil, plastic wrap, or both or left in a zipper-lock bag--allowed condensation to form between the wrapper and the tops, which turned gooey. Those that were unwrapped before thawing were as good as new. In terms of taste, there was little to differentiate one storage method from another. For longer periods of storage, where the likelihood of freezer burn increases, we recommend double-wrapping cupcakes in plastic wrap and foil (in groups or individually) before placing them in the freezer. And make sure to unwrap them before thawing. (Info from Cook's Illustrated)

Cupcake Tip #3

Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting should be store in the fridge

Lemon filled Vanilla Bean Cupcake with Raspberry Lemon Frosting
Yields: Approximately 48 mini-cupcakes or 6 to 7 regular size cupcakes

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cake flour (6 oz)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cups sugar
2.5 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup + 2 tbs buttermilk, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together and set aside. Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the bowl of the mixer with the butter and discard the pod (or reserve for another use.) Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and creamy in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for one more minute.

Add the sugar to the butter mixture, ¼ cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Mix in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Combine the buttermilk and the vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix just until combined.

Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners filling each about 2/3 of the way full (to make them into mini cupcake sizes – the amount I used was 1 tbs plus 1 teaspoon for each cupcake liner) Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. (I like to remove them with a toothpick since that leaves the least dent in the cupcakes)

Yield: approximately 48 mini cupcakes

Source: adapted from Annie's Eats who got it from Confections of a Foodie Bride, who adapted it from The Well-Decorated Cake

Raspberry Lemon Buttercream Frosting

NuM NuM original recipe

½ cups sugar
2 egg whites
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 Tbsp lemon juice
3 tbs raspberry puree
1/4 tsp vanilla

1 cup confectioners sugar

Place the stand mixer bowl over a simmering pot of water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water). Whisk the sugar and egg whites until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture registers 160 degrees with a candy thermometer.

Place bowl on the stand mixer fitted with the whish attachment and whisk on high speed until the mixture is cool and holds stiff, glossy peaks (approximately 10 minutes). Change to the paddle attachment and beat in one tablespoon of butter at a time on medium. Mixture might appear curdled or liquidy but keep beating and it will pull back together after a few minutes. Add lemon juice, puree and vanilla and sugar. Increase speed to high and beat frosting until everything is incorporated. If using buttercream within several hours, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature in a cool environment. Or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Before using, bring buttercream to room temperature, and mix with spoon until smooth or beat on the lowest speed with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 5 minutes.

To assemble cupcake fill cake with lemon curd using a pastry bag inserted with a small frosting tip. Insert the entire tip into your cupcake and squeeze and pull gently up until the cupcake is filled and you can see the curd overflowing a bit on the top of the cupcake. (I just used store bought lemon curd) - but if you would like to make your own, the following recipe looks like a good one but I have yet to try it.

Note: This frosting will only frost 24 mini cupcakes - double if you want to frost 48.

Lemon Curd
Martha Sterwart's Cooking School, p. 477
Makes about 1 & 3/4 cups (you only need like 1/4 of this recipe to fill 12 large cupcakes)

1 1/2 Tsp cold water
1/8 Tsp unflavored powdered gelatin
1 large whole eggs plus 1.5 large egg yokes
1/4 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of lemons (about 1.25 Tsp)
3 tbs fresh lemon juice
1.5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and well chilled

Dissolve gelatin: pour water into a small bowl, sprinkle with gelatin. let stand until gelatin has softened and all the water is absorbed, about 5 minutes.

Cook curd in a small heavy bottom saucepan: whisk together eggs and yokes. add sugar and lemon zest & juice. cook over medium low heat, whisking constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. it should hold a line drawn by your finger, 8-10 minutes.

Thicken curd: remove pan from heat and add the gelatin mixture, stirring until dissolved. stir for a few minutes to cool slightly. stir in butter a few pieces at a time, stirring until smooth after each addition.

Strain and chill: strain through a fine sieve into a bowl (to remove any bits of undissolved gelatin and egg), pressing with a spatula to remove as much curd as possible. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours. Whisk until smooth before using.

Prize Winning Banana Bread

2010-12-18T08:48:00.000-08:00

I love it when you make something and you instantly know you have a "tried and true" recipe that will end your search for all others to come. This my friends, is that recipe! I knew it had potential when I saw the title "Prize Winning Banana Bread" - and that it was! I took my first bite and said, "mmm...it's good." Then after my brain actually registered what I was eating, I squealed with joy, "ooooh, that's really good!" I gave a piece to Lobster and he reaffirmed my thoughts. Since I made the bread for Lobster's grandpa, I of course had to try a piece for quality control purposes :)

This is an excellent recipe and produces a wonderfully moist bread. As an added bonus, the divine smell that exudes from the oven isn't too shabby either. I've been disappointed with other recipes in the past, but this is definitely a winner! I realize the Internet is already flooded with hundreds of banana bread recipes, but I felt this was worthy enough to share since I'm certain you'll go bananas over this banana bread - no pun intended :P

Prize Winning Banana Bread
Recipe from Group Recipes
Makes one loaf

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (I use 3 medium well-ripened bananas)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

How to make it:
• Mix together butter, oil, sugars and eggs.
• Add mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla, stirring together well.
• Mix in flour, baking soda and salt, stirring until it is well blended.
• Pour into 1 greased large loaf pan or 2 smaller loaf pans (I cut the recipe in half and cooked it in a smaller loaf pan)
• Sprinkle additional brown sugar generously over top of batter, using your hand to gently pat some of it into the batter, which is purely optional!
• Bake at 325 degrees: large loaf pan for about 1 hour, smaller loaves for about 40-45 minutes.
• Allow bread to cool in pans for about 10 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the edges, tap the pan on the counter several times to release the bread from the bottom of the pan, then invert pan over a wire rack and let the bread fall onto the rack to finish cooling completely.

Variations and Suggestions: Add any of the following – miniature chocolate chips, toffee bits, shredded coconut, chopped pecans or macadamia nuts.
• Try toasting your banana bread – spread hot toasted bread with butter and even add a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar and some slices of banana, or top with a combination of honey and peanut butter, or spread hot toasted bread with some Nutella…the possibilities are endless!
• Use slices of banana bread to make your French toast. Just dust the finished product with some powdered sugar, or a little powdered sugar glaze, or spread on some Nutella, and maple syrup is good on it, too…you’ve gotta try it!

Chili-Rubbed Pork with Apricot Glaze

2010-12-16T10:16:00.000-08:00

If you’re like me and are a P.O.P., pal of pork, then you’ll enjoy this sweet and savory spin on the "other" white meat. This piggy tantalized all my taste buds - sweet, savory, and spicy. Pair this with my new favorite side dish and you’ve got yourself one delicious weeknight meal. As an added bonus, this meal comes together fast and dinner's on the table in less than an hour. Wait, is that fast? I don’t have any bambinos so that seems relatively quick to me. Although if I had a child frantically running around the kitchen I could see how this could be a bit cumbersome. Perhaps on those days – a drive thru would be more appropriate. But on the “other” days this would be a great option.

Chili-Rubbed Pork with Apricot Glaze

Adapted from Mel's Kitchen

Serves 4

*Note: This recipe requires marinating time (between 2 and 24 hours) so plan ahead!

2 (1-pound each) pork tenderloins, fat trimmed

Spice Rub:
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups apricot jam/jelly
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (I would add more next time)
2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 small limes, juiced

Combine chili powder, garlic powder, sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Season pork with salt and rub the spice mixture on the pork tenderloins. Cover the tenderloins and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.

Prior to grilling or roasting, melt the apricot jam in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining glaze ingredients. Place half of the glaze in a serving bowl and set aside to serve with the pork tenderloins later.

Grilling Instructions: Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Grill the pork tenderloins for 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 148 degrees F. When approximately 4 minutes of cook time remains, brush the pork tenderloins with the apricot glaze remaining in the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, turn the pork tenderloins and brush glaze on other side. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove pork from the grill, tent with foil and let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Roasting Instructions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the pork tenderloins in a lightly greased, foil-lined 9X13-inch pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Brush with the apricot glaze remaining in the pan. Bake for 15 more minutes. Again, brush with glaze. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until the pork reaches 148 degrees internally. Remove the pork from the oven, tent with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve the sliced pork over couscous, rice or potatoes with the reserved glaze alongside.

Grilled Smashed Potatoes

2010-12-16T09:59:00.000-08:00

Although it may seem as if I let out some aggression and threw tonight's dinner against a wall, in actuality, these rustic potatoes are a new and innovative spin on America's favorite side dish. Usually potatoes are baked, fried, boiled, mashed, smashed or swimming in a pool of butter and cheese. While each method yields a tasty side dish, especially the latter - have you ever tried boiling, smashing, and baking a potato? The end result is a healthy starch, crispy and chewy on the outside and soft in the middle. A new spin on your favorite spud :)

Crash Hot Potatoes
Adapted from By Cristina Ceccatelli Cook
4 servings

Ingredients

9 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Kosher Salt To Taste
Black Pepper To Taste
Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven on upper third or second rack from top and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Then sprinkle Parmesan right when they come out of oven. If you want to a add a good helping of your favorite cheese either add them in the last few minutes of cooking or pop them under the broiler but watch them carefully so they don't burn.

Vanilla Bean Cupcake with Salted Caramel Frosting and how to make caramel sauce

2010-12-14T09:21:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been obsessed with cupcakes! I can't believe it's taken me this long to experiment with them. They really are the perfect dessert since you can mix and match as many flavors as your heart desires and never eat the same cupcake ever again - ever! The combinations are endless! I predict many flavor combos in the near future...PB&J cupcakes, cookies and cream, chocolate on chocolate, filled with more chocolate :D

To begin making your sinful creations, you will need to find your favorite cupcake flavor base. Meaning, a tried and true chocolate cupcake, lemon cupcake, or in this case - a vanilla cupcake. The texture and flavor of this cake was spot on and my search for the perfect vanilla cupcake is officially over. The vanilla bean made a huge difference in flavor and the cake itself was light, moist and not too dense. These were so good you could literally pop them into your mouth without any frosting - which we did but had to restrain ourselves after a while since it was getting a little dangerous. My oh my was the cake batter delicious! Anyway, back to the cupcakes.

Since the vanilla flavor is pretty mild, it serves as the perfect canvas to top with any flavored frosting. I chose a salted caramel topping and the salty frosting mixed with the sweet hint of vanilla made for a lovely cupcake.

Hopefully I've inspired you to make your own creations and the sweet aroma of vanilla and cupcakes will fill your home during this holiday season. Happy baking :)

Vanilla Bean Cupcake with Salted Caramel Frosting
Makes 15 cupcakes

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
Ingredients: 
1 1/2 cups cake flour (6 oz)
 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
 1/4 tsp. salt
 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
 1 cups sugar 
2.5 large eggs, at room temperature 
1/2 cup + 2 tbs buttermilk, at room temperature 
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together and set aside. Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the bowl of the mixer with the butter and discard the pod (or reserve for another use.) Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and creamy in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for one more minute.
Add the sugar to the butter mixture, ¼ cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Mix in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Combine the buttermilk and the vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix just until combined.

Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners – SPRAY LINERS WITH NONSTICK SPRAY, filling each about 2/3 of the way full (you will likely have batter left over after filling 12 wells.) For mini cupcakes, fill each with a little over 1 tablespoon batter. Bake 18-20 minutes (or 8-10 for minis), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Replace paper liners and bake remaining batter if desired. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

Source: adapted from Annie's Eats and Confections of a Foodie Bride, who adapted it from The Well-Decorated Cake

Salted Caramel Buttercream 
makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes
Adapted from Crispy Waffle blog

Ingredients 

For the caramel:
 1 cup sugar
 4 tablespoons water
 1/2 cup heavy cream 
pinch sea salt

1. Wet a pastry brush and brush the sides of the inside of a small saucepan with a bit of water. (You do this so the sugar does not crystallize making your caramel sauce gritty) Add the sugar and pour the water over it. With the heat on low, swirl the pan around until the sugar has nearly dissolved. Be careful not to let it boil — if it starts getting too hot, remove it from the burner for a few seconds, continuing to swirl.
2. Once the sugar has mostly dissolved, raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil and continue to boil and stir pan frequently until it becomes dark amber (think the color of a penny). (Be careful — you want it to be dark, but it can go from dark to burning in seconds.) Take it off the heat immediately.
3. Slowly pour in the cream, stirring with a wooden spoon. Again, be careful as the caramel will start splattering, and will splatter even more if you add the cream too fast. Whisk until combined and smooth and set aside to store and only use half for diesel’s cupcakes

Buttercream
Recipe adapted from How to eat a cupcake blog

3 large egg whites, at room temperature
 3/4 cup sugar 
Pinch salt
 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces, at room temperature *
1 cup confectioners sugar

In a large, clean heatproof bowl, combine the egg whites and sugar. Set the bowl over (but not touching) simmering water in a saucepan and heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is very warm to the touch (about 160°F on an instant-read thermometer), about 2 minutes (It always takes about 5 minutes for me). Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg white mixture until it is fluffy, cooled to room temperature, and holds stiff peaks (the mixture should not look dry), about 6 minutes.   With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the salt and the butter, a few pieces at a time, beating well after each addition. If the frosting appears to separate or is very liquid after all the butter is added, continue to beat on high speed until it is smooth and creamy, 3-5 minutes more. Add the caramel drizzle (I added about 3/4 cup) and beat until combined (or almost combined for a swirling effect), scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.   Add confectioners sugar and mix until thoroughly combined. Frost the cupcakes with the buttercream.

*You do not want your butter to be too soft. Ideally if you made a indentation into the butter with your finger you would be able to see it and not be too melted. If your butter is too soft then the frosting will not be the right consistency.

Broccoli Pesto and Double Broccoli Quinoa

2010-12-12T08:53:00.000-08:00

Broccoli pesto = double broccoli quinoa. Sound exciting? No. Not so much? Well I realize the photo doesn't prompt you to salivate at your computer screen, but don't let its humble appearance deceive you because this was a wonderful surprise! I'm still trying to detox from Thanksgiving so this hit the spot! Dishes like this make me believe I could become a vegetarian or a fruitarian. :) Although, I doubt my carnivorous hubby would approve. The Texan W.M. and sister-in-law would have a field day for sure - it would be the end for this little Korean blogger.

For some reason I can never get excited about describing savory foods as much as I do desserts - so I'll keep this short and sweet. Quinoa is one of my favorite grains and I absolutely heart vegetables. Those two ingredients alone had me hooked and it was a fabulous double whammy of healthiness. Zesty lemon and salty parmesan make this the quintessential side dish for any meal. Add some grilled chicken and you have a perfect meal in itself. I hope you try it and enjoy it as much as I did.

Double Broccoli Quinoa
Recipe adapted from 101 Cookbooks
4 servings

3 cups cooked quinoa*
5 cups raw broccoli, cut into small florets and stems

3 medium garlic cloves
2/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 big pinches salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil***
Pinch of red pepper flakes

Optional toppings: slivered basil, fire oil (optional)**, sliced avocado
crumbled feta or goat cheese

Heat the quinoa and set aside.

Now barely cook the broccoli by pouring 3/4 cup water into a large pot and bringing it to a simmer. Add a big pinch of salt and stir in the broccoli. Cover and cook for a 2-3 minutes, just long enough to take the raw edge off. Transfer the broccoli to a strainer and run under cold water until it stops cooking. Set aside.

To make the broccoli pesto puree two cups of the cooked broccoli, the garlic, 1/2 cup of the almonds, Parmesan, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil and pulse until smooth.

Just before serving, toss the quinoa and remaining broccoli florets with about 1/2 of the broccoli pesto. Taste and adjust if needed, you might want to add more of the pesto a bit at a time (I added half the pesto and seasoned more with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes) or you might want a bit more salt or an added squeeze of lemon juice. Turn out onto a serving platter and top with the remaining almonds, a drizzle of the chile oil, and some sliced avocado or any of the other optional toppings.

*To cook quinoa: rinse one cup of quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium saucepan heat the quinoa, 1.5 cups of chicken broth, and a few big pinches of salt until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa fluffs up, about 20-25 minutes. Quinoa is done when you can see the curlique in each grain, and it is tender with a bit of pop to each bite. Drain any extra water and set aside.

**To make the red chile oil: You'll need 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil and 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes. If you can, make the chile oil a day or so ahead of time by heating the olive oil in a small saucepan for a couple minutes - until it is about as hot as you would need it to saute some onions, but not so hot that it smokes or smells acrid or burned. Turn off the heat and stir in the crushed red pepper flakes. Set aside and let cool, then store in refrigerator. Bring to room temp again before using.

***I left my pesto a little chunky - if you want it more pureed add more olive oil. I would even add substitute that with more chicken broth.

Optional: This would also be delicious scrambled with eggs I think :)

Shrimp Mousse Ravioli with Shiitake Cream Sauce

2010-12-10T10:56:00.000-08:00

Lobster and I have been eating at this restaurant for years where they serve a delicious shrimp ravioli with shiitake cream sauce. Determined to recreate the dish at home, I came up with this recipe. I'd say for my first run I was pleased with the results. It's so fun trying to recreate meals you've had at restaurants in the comfort of your own home. I was able to use my fancy pasta roller and seriously - nothin' beats homemade pasta! Makes you look like a fancy chef and actually know what you're doing. So if you're looking for a recipe to impress company, this ones definitely a winner.

Shrimp Ravioli with Shiitake Cream Sauce
2 servings

Pasta recipe
1 1/2 cup semolina flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup lukewarm water

Mix ingredients in a food processor. Slowly add water until mixture almost forms into a ball. When you feel the dough it should hold together when you squeeze it with your hand. Mixture should feel moist but not wet. Remove from mixer and shape dough into a ball and knead until smooth 5-10 minutes. Refrigerate and let rest for 30 minutes. Using kitchen aid mixer/pasta attachment follow this recipe to roll out into ravioli.

Shrimp Mousse
Recipe from here
2 servings

Take 1/2 pound shrimp and cut into chunks. In a blender or food processor, whirl shrimp, 1 egg white, 1/3 cup half and half, and 2 teaspoons chopped chives until smoothly pureed. Add salt and white pepper to taste. If made ahead, cover and chill up to 24 hours.

Shiitake Cream Sauce
Adapted from All Recipes

• Shrimp ravioli
• 6 ounces fresh sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup half and half
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions
1. Saute garlic and onion in olive oil over medium heat; add mushrooms and cook until browned. Add chicken stock and wine, and cook until mixture is reduced to 1/2 volume. Blend in half and half, and reduce to desired thickness. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Meanwhile cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until ravioli float to the top.
3. Using a slotted spoon add ravioli and toss with sauce until coated. Serve on small warmed plates, topped with grated Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Blueberry Frozen Yogurt/Sorbet

2010-12-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

Lobster brought a huge box of blueberries home the other day so I played Iron Chef with my secret ingredient. My first thought was blueberry muffins, but for some reason or another my mind shifted to dessert and this sorbet was born. Although the recipe states it's frozen yogurt - it has the consistency of a sorbet more than a fro-yo, so that's what we're callin' it! Sorbets are always so refreshing after a heavy meal and feel more like a palate cleanser then a glutinous dessert to me. It's scary how I can justify things in my mind.

Since the sorbet is made with yogurt it's more figure friendly then some of my other non "ass-friendly" creations like this and this and this. The only downfall of this sorbet is that is freezes rock solid. But I guess it's a good thing since it prevents me from eating out of the container with the freezer door open. Bon appetito!

Blueberry Frozen Yogurt
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
Makes 1 1/2 quarts

3 cups plain yogurt or greek yogurt
1/3 cup to 1 1/2 cup sugar (depending how sweet you like it - I used 1/3 cup)
¼ tsp salt
6 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 tbs vanilla extract
Zest of one lemon

Cook berries, salt and sugar in saucepan over medium heat until berries get soft and dark juices run out of them about 5-10 minutes. Push through strainer then mix with extract and the lemon zest and chill in the fridge for one-two hours.

Freeze in your favorite ice cream maker per their instructions. Enjoy!

Spicy Korean Chicken and a Taco Bar

2010-12-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

Wow, I finally did it - I made Korean food. I'm such a disgrace! I'm sure when Lobster married me he expected many Korean meals in his future. Little did he know the time had finally come for wifey to eat true American food. I'm talkin' chicken pot pie, meatloaf, cordon bleu - all those American-y things I'd only seen in the movies. My do I sound like a foreigner. I swear I was born in this country.

Since I literally ate Korean food for breakfast, lunch and dinner - all day, everyday my entire life, I really have no desire to cook it at home. Of course I couldn't leave well enough alone and just serve a traditional Korean meal with meat, some sort of soup and ban-chan. (side dishes) Nope, I had a fusion Korean bbq taco night. The inspiration came from a dinner we had at the Cindyro's and they were delicious. The tacos were equally well received amongst my friends and everyone enjoyed the new twist. Serve with guacamole and pico de gallo, "Taco Tuesdays" here we come!

*I've made Korean tacos before but I enjoyed this chicken recipe more but used the coleslaw from the old recipe which can be found here.

Spicy Korean Chicken

Recipe from Week of Menus

4 servings

Requires marination of at least 8 hours, overnight is better.
Serves 6-8

2-3 lbs boneless, skinless thighs OR BREASTS THAT ARE POUNDED ½” THEN CUT UP INTO 2” PIECES
1/4 cup Korean chili pepper paste (gochujahng)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons mirin (or sake if you can’t find mirin)
1/2 cup onion, pureed (done in a mini prep chopper is perfect)
3 tablespoons ginger
2 tablespoons garlic

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients EXCEPT chicken together. Make sure that the sugar is well incorporatd in the marinade. Wearing gloves (disposable kitchen gloves are perfect for this), use your hand and mix all the chicken into the marinade. Make sure each chicken piece is thoroughly coated and well mixed with the marinade. Try and get the marinade into all the nooks and crannies of your chicken thigh. Cover and marinate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Heat bbq. The chicken cooks better over lower heat than higher heat as the higher sugar content of the marinade lends itself to burning. Cook for about 7-9 minutes per side over lower heat.

*This does taste best on the bbq grill, but if you cannot grill outside, then use a roasting pan and broil it in your oven - BTW you cannot dry out chicken thighs you can only burn them.

No Knead Ciabatta Bread

2010-12-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

The other day I went to Togo's and had a Turkey & Avocado sandwich. For how simple the ingredients are, the sandwich is always so tasty. I took the inspiration from that sdammie and made my own version - but extra special with homemade bread. Today I give you a recipe for no-knead ciabbatta you can easily make in the comfort of your own home. Let me tell you, this bread rocks! A light and airy open crumb with a perfectly crisp crust. Crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle.

We celebrated my mom's birthday again and I served this with dinner. I was eager to try the bread so I made sandwiches for Lobster and I for lunch. The bread was the perfect vessel for the sammie and held up nicely against the numerous layers of filling I'd built. Apparently I was trying to stick everything but the kitchen sink into the sandwich.

My only complaint is I'd wish the bread had more flavor. Oh well - I guess that's what butter's for. Nonetheless an entire loaf was nearly consumed by the end of dinner. For my next attempt I'll have to focus more on the actual shaping of the dough. As you can tell they weren't the prettiest thing to look at. Overall I'd say the ciabatta was a success. I was feeling pretty proud of myself until my mom walked in the kitchen and said, "what's this ugly looking bread?" Thanks mom.

Jim Lahey No-Knead Ciabatta
Adapted from Jim Lahey
Makes 2 large loaves

* 4 cups of bread flour
* 1/4 teaspoon of instant yeast or active dry yeast
* 1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt
* 2 cups of warm water (think warm bath water)

1. The night before, mix the flour, yeast and salt. Slowly add the water as you bring the dough together with either your hand or a spatula. The dough will seem too wet, then seem too dry. It should end as a fairly shaggy and wet dough.
2. Cover the dough with a clean cotton cloth or a piece of plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm room for 12-18 hours (I let mine rise for 16 hours)
3. When you check the dough the next day after the allotted time has passed, it should be a bubbly wet dough.
4. Gently slide the dough out onto a silpat lined cookie sheet floured and dusted with cormeal. Split the dough into two and shape the dough into the desired shape of Ciabatta, which is a long slipper like shape. Cover the dough and let rise another 1-2 hours. It will roughly double in size.
5. Before the dough is done rising, preheat the oven to 425F. Put rack in middle of oven and another rack just below that one. Meanwhile put a large kettle of water to a boil. Put a shallow baking pan on rack below the middle rack.
6. Remove towel and sprinkle some flour on top of the dough. Open the oven door and throw some ice cubes into the bottom of oven to create a steam bath. Next pour boiling water into the pan then add bread baking sheet into middle rack and quickly close the door.
7. Cook the bread for about 35 minutes or until nicely colored, when bread is ready it will sound hollow to a gentle knock and register 201F. Let bread cook on a wire rack for one hour.

**UPDATE: The trick to shaping a ciabatta is to use lots of dough when flouring the board to shape the ciabattas on and then using lots of flour when shaping as well. I did not use a lot of flour and therefore got an ugly dough.

Candied Bacon Ice Cream

2010-12-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

Bacon and ice cream? Disgusting right?! Wrong! Well...maybe. There was a hung jury on this one. IMO I have come to the conclusion that bacon and desserts should not go together - exclamation point! Since I'm a sweet and salty freak, I thought hands down, guaranteed, without a doubt, I would love this ice cream! Alas, I knew it wasn't a winner when I had no desire to lick the mixing arm of the ice cream maker. Woe is me. BUT, all was not lost because Lobster went nuts over this! He even deemed this his favorite ice cream of all time....strange man that Lobster is. Needless to say I was very surprised since we usually have similar tastes when it comes to food. Well, since I wasn't a fan he gets to hoard the entire batch for himself. I guess it's a blessing in disguise since I've been clogging my arteries lately with the ridiculous amount of sweets I've been consuming. Slowly my blog is turning into a dessert blog. I need to make a new food category on the NuM NuM labeled "ass friendly." Perhaps that will motivate me to cook healthier! In the interim, give this ice cream a try and see whatcha think.

Brown Butter Candied Bacon Ice Cream
Recipe from David Lebovitz
Makes about 3/4 of a liter

For the candied bacon:
5 strips bacon
about 2 tbs light brown sugar

For the ice cream custard:
3 tablespoons (45g) salted butter*
3/4 cup (packed) brown sugar (170g), light or dark
1 1/4 cup half & half
1 1/2 cup 2% milk
5 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons dark rum or whiskey (I omitted)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional (I added)

1. To candy the bacon, preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
2. Lay the strips of bacon on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, shiny side down.
3. Sprinkle 1½-2 teaspoons of brown sugar evenly over each strip of bacon.
4. Bake for 12-16 minutes. Midway during baking, flip the bacon strips over and drag them through the dark, syrupy liquid that’s collected on the baking sheet. Continue to bake until as deep brown. Watch closely towards end of baking since these burn quickly. Remove from oven and cool the strips on a rack.
5. Once crisp and cool, chop into little pieces about the size of rice grains.

Brown Butter Ice Cream:
6. To make the ice cream custard, melt the butter in a heavy, medium-size saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar and the half-and-half. Pour the milk into a bowl set in an ice bath and set a mesh strainer over the top.
7. In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks, then gradually add some of the warm brown sugar mixture to them, whisking the yolks constantly as you pour. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
8. Cook over low to moderate heat, constantly stirring and scraping the bottom with a heatproof spatula, until the custard thickens.
9. Strain the custard into the milk, stirring over the ice bath, until cool. Add liquor, vanilla and cinnamon, if using.
10. Chill the mixture until completely cool. Once thoroughly chilled, pour into ice cream maker. Add the bacon bits during the last moment of churning, or stir them in when you remove the ice cream from the machine.

*I added a little less then 1/8 tsp of kosher salt to my unsalted butter

Daring Bakers Challenge: Apple Crostata

2010-11-30T09:21:00.000-08:00

"The 2010 November Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Simona of briciole. She chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ to make pasta frolla for a crostata. She used her own experience as a source, as well as information from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well."

Remember a few weeks ago I mentioned I joined an Internet cooking club? Well as fate would have it, it's also associated with an Internet baking club.......and guess who joined. :D Laugh if you must, but you all benefit from the yummy recipes - so if you keep laughing, the hand that feeds you will bite you!

Our challenge this month was to bake a crostata which is basically an Italian baked tart/pie. They can be sweet or savory and I've made a couple in the past which I served to guests who ecstatically devoured the whole thing. I'd had my eye on this recipe for a while now so I finally had a reason to make it. I followed the crust recipe from the challenge, but the filling is from Alice Water's Apple Tart which can be found here. Overall the dessert was sweet without being too over the top, and if you hadn't guessed already - yes, the crust was the best part. Buttery and flaky perfection - perfect with a scoop of ice cream.

If you're an apple pie purist, this may not be the recipe for you. It's quite different from your traditional apple pie since cinnamon and nutmeg are not used. The apples are thinly sliced and showered with a coating of turbinado sugar. Once baked, it's brushed with a thick syrupy glaze made from a reduction of apple peals, cores, and sugar. I baked the crostata at the Cindyro's and I think the oven temperature ran a little high so my filling turned into mush - but it was still delectable. This pie travels well and would be great to take to your next holiday party. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Trifle

2010-11-28T09:48:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving I put a twist on your traditional pumpkin pie and served a pumpkin trifle.While I do enjoy a good pumpkin pie, I'm always in search of new and innovative recipes - and let me tell you, this one delivered! What is a pumpkin trifle you ask? Well, think of it as a pumpkiny tiramisu meets bread pudding and marries a pumpkin mousse - yes, it's NUM!

For the photo, I made individual servings for Lobster and I, but for the actual big event I layered everything in a large trifle dish. Visually, it was a lovely presentation. Either way you serve it, your guests will be pleased.

Pumpkin Trifle
Makes 12 to 14 servings
Found on What Megan's Making but recipe adapted from Williams Sonoma

Ingredients:

2 pumpkin bread loaves
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1 10-oz jar pumpkin butter (Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Prepare the 2 pumpkin loaves allow to cool completely. Cut the bread into 15 slices, each 1/2 inch thick. Set aside. (click on pumpkin loaves under ingredient list for recipe)

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the cream, vanilla and sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a rubber spatula, fold in the pecan pumpkin butter. Refrigerate until ready to use.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the maple syrup, juice and water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

To assemble the trifle, slice bread into 1/2 inch thick pieces - make sure not to cut them too thick or else the syrup will not be able to be absorbed in the bread and it will be too dense. Brush top part of bread with syrup mixture. Place 3 slices of the bread (syrup side down) in the bottom of a trifle bowl or deep soufflé dish, cutting the slices in half or into quarters as needed to form a single layer of bread. Using a pastry brush, brush the top part of bread with more of the maple syrup mixture and let it soak in. Using an offset spatula, spread 1 cup of the whipped cream mixture evenly over the bread. Repeat the layering process 3 to 4 times.

Make-Ahead Tips: Up to 2 day in advance, bake the pecan pumpkin quick bread and let cool, then wrap with plastic wrap and store at room temperature. Prepare the pumpkin butter whipped cream and maple syrup mixture and refrigerate separately in airtight containers; The next day assemble the trifle and refrigerate for 24 hours. I'm sure 8 hours is just fine but I found it tasted best the longer it sat.