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Category Archives: Dessert

Jul 27 4 comments

Nutella and Strawberry Mini Pies

Last week I made a panna cotta tart to share with you. I did not have the pretty rectangular tart pan that Martha Stewart used for the recipe and I pulled out the only tart pan I own. It’s round, it’s old, it’s German and it was my Oma’s. Deep down I knew the pan was too large, but I proceeded. Of course my fears were realized and I created the thinnest tart ever. In all seriousness I don’t think the inside (crust and filling) was more than 1/8 inch thick. It was still delicious, but not photogenic. The sweet tart dough I used made enough for two applications, though, and my mind raced with all of the possibilities for this second half of dough. Then I remembered these gorgeous mini pies and decided this was the best way to bake up the crust. The classic strawberry/Nutella combination was too tempting not to try here and a mini pie was born. These were heavenly! Sweeter than I usually prefer dessert, but oh so good. I recommend serving them warm because I liked the way the Nutella melted into the middle, but you can keep them in the refrigerator for a few hours or up to overnight. We tried them warm and cold and every bite was enjoyed thoroughly.

Pate Sucree

Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cooking School

2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour

3 T. sugar

3/4 t. salt

1 C. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

1/4 C. ice water, plus more if needed

1. Pulse flour, sugar and salt in a food processor to combine (or whisk together by hand in a bowl).

2. Add butter. Process until mixture resembles coarse meal, 10 to 15 seconds. The butter pieces should be 1/8 inch or smaller, with no pea size pieces remaining. (Or cut in butter with a pastry blender or your finger tips).

3. Add yolks; pulse to combine (or stir with fork by hand).

4. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube until dough just holds together. Do not process longer than 20 seconds. Check by stopping machine and pressing some between your fingers. Do not wait until dough comes together in machine. (If mixing by hand, slowly add water and stir with a fork until mixture just comes together.)

5. Divide in half and shape into disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to overnight). It can be frozen up to 1 month. Defrost in refrigerator overnight before using.

Nutella and Strawberry Mini Pies

My own concoction, inspired by The Honey Eater

1/2 of above recipe for Pate Sucree

4 T. Nutella

5-6 strawberries

1. Grease 4 ramekins and put on a half sheet pan lined with parchment or a silpat. Roll out pate sucree on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to an 1/8 inch thick circle with a rolling pin (like you would roll out a pie crust), making a quarter turn with every roll to ensure an even circle.

2. Using a small knife, cut into 4 equal pie-shaped pieces. Tuck the dough into the greased ramekins and try your best to make a decorative crust on the edge. Poke the crust with a fork to form tiny air holes. Put the sheet pan with ramekins into the freezer.

3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash and slice the strawberries and get your Nutella ready. By this time the oven should be preheated and the pie crust should be firm. Put the crust into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the outer crust is golden brown. If outer crust browns too early, you can cover it with foil as the inside continues to bake.

4. Put one tablespoon of Nutella in the warm mini pie crusts and top with sliced strawberries. Continue with all 4 mini pies. I really enjoyed trying these when they were slightly warm and the Nutella was slightly melted.

Jul 20 4 comments

Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Recipes

Blueberry Amish Friendship Bread

Have you heard of this bread before? It’s like a baked goods chain letter. When a starter is given to you, you’re given a baggie of creamy liquid with directions on what to do for the next 10 days. It comes off as a bit bossy, I know. All of a sudden, you have a yeasty little pet on your hands that smells a bit like an old beer bottle. To be honest, I tried getting out of this baking obligation. We were on our way out of town and it seemed like the worst time to acquire something that needed care. When it was apparent that my excuses were not working, I accepted my fate and took the baggie with a smile. My new friend did not require much care, though and sat happily on a table that weekend. Instead of baking with it, though, I gave this first starter away and told my victim that if she needed someone to take a starter off of her hands, I would take one. This is where the friendship part of the name comes in. After 10 days you bake 2 loaves of bread and give away 4 new starters, continuing the string of excuses from one friend to another.

A few days after I gave away my starter, it was back in my hands to do with what I’d like. Part of the Amish friendship bread guilt-trip is that you always tell the friend that they can just throw it away if they don’t want to make it. I could see myself throwing it in the trash and feeling guilty every time I passed the garbage. Thinking of my little pet bubbling away among discarded coffee grounds while I neglected it. Nope, couldn’t do it. However, out of rebellion I decided to test how flexible the recipe is. No, I wouldn’t intentionally throw it away, but if it got ruined while I played around, well, it seemed more palatable. The directions say to “get creative” by adding nuts or dried fruit. People have tried omitting an egg, decreasing the sugar, adding applesauce and the bread was still good. Those tidbits were scribbled in the margin of my directions.

It was my turn at this recipe and I had lots of ideas. First, I knew I wouldn’t have much time to make it on a Monday night, so guess what? I made it a day early. Scandalous! Then I took a look at the ingredients and first thing was first, I was in no way going to add jello vanilla instant pudding to the bread. I highly doubt the first maker of this Amish yeast bread had that ingredient to work with. Maybe I’m wrong, but it did not seem right to me. I halved the sugar, cut back on the oil, used half white and half whole wheat flour, increased the vanilla extract and added 2 cups of fresh blueberries. You know what happened to my yeasty friend? It became a delicious, nutty and moist bread. I was glad I decreased the sugar because with the addition of fresh blueberries it was in my sweetness comfort zone. I sent a loaf to work with Marc and he said there was 1 slice left when he grabbed his lunch from the refrigerator. I think it was a hit. I hope so, anyway, because tomorrow he’s bringing little starter friends.

Amish Friendship Bread

makes 2 loaves

Starter recipe

Starter Instructions

do not refrigerate your starter
the yeast will create air in the bag, let it out periodically

Day 1 – do nothing

Day 2, 3, 4, 5 – mash the bag

Day 6 – add to the bag 1 C. flour, 1 C. milk, 1 C. sugar, mash the bag

Day 7, 8, 9 – mash the bag

Day 10 – Pour the entire contents of the bag into a non-metal bowl. Add 1 1/2 C. sugar, 1 1/2 C. flour and 1 1/2 C. milk and whisk. Measure out 4 starters of 1 C. each and put into 4 gallon-size baggies. Keep one for yourself and give the remaining 3 to friends with these directions. If you keep one starter, you can bake this bread every 10 days. If you do not pass the starter on the first day, make sure to indicate which day of the process the starter is on.

Baking Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

To the remaining batter in the bowl, add (these are the ingredients I used):

3 eggs

3/4 C. oil

1 C. white flour

1 C. whole wheat flour

1/2 C. skim milk

1/2 C. sugar

1 t. vanilla

2 t. cinnamon

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

2 C. fresh blueberries

1. Grease 2 loaf pans and pour half of batter into each loaf pan. Bake about 1 hour.

2. Cool until bread loosens from sides of the pan and remove. Cool completely and dig in.

Jun 15 10 comments

Cookbooks, Dessert, Fruit Dessert, Pie, Recipes

Peach and Blackberry Galette

I had never made a galette, but wanted to for a long, long time. I received Martha Stewart’s Cooking School two years ago for Christmas and flipped through the recipes and techniques, reading every word. This galette caught my eye and I put a little orange post-it on the page for later. Martha’s galette was filled with ripe plums and as soon as they’re in season I’m all over that one. Jump ahead to June 2010 and me picking up some sweet blackberries from Trader Joe’s and peaches were on sale. Peach and blackberry have been a winning combo for me since I made a trifle with both because it was what I had on hand. This was several years back when I was first exploring desserts and it has had a soft spot in my heart ever since. Once the fruit hit my shopping cart, I knew I had to make something with them. Then I remembered Martha’s beautiful galette. That Saturday I made my first galette and it was a big success. Minus my mini panic-attack when the juices seeped out of the edge and bubbled and blackened in the corner of my rimmed baking sheet. However luck was on my side and the burnt sugar came off quite easily with some hot, hot water. If this happens to you, be careful when scrubbing the sugar. I got a small cut on my finger from the shards of hardened sugar. My brain knows not to touch sharp things, but the other side of my brain was like, “It’s just sugar!”

I highly recommend this easy recipe that comes together quickly with impressive results. Marc was outside mowing the lawn and came back inside right when the galette came out of the oven and he looked at it and said, “That looks fancy.” So there you have it. Make this easy free-form pie and impress your friends.

Pate Brisee

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Makes enough for 2 galettes

2 3/4 C. all-purpose flour

1 T. sugar

1 1/2 t. coarse salt

1 C. plus 2 T. (2 1/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

7 T. ice water, plus more if needed

1. Pulse flour, sugar and salt in a food processor to combine (or whisk together by hand in a bowl).

2. Add butter to dry ingredients and pulse until coarse crumbs form, about 10 seconds (or cut butter into dry ingredients with a pastry blender or your fingertips). The mixture should have pieces ranging from coarse crumbs to the size of small peas.

3. Add the ice water (start with 7 T. and add up to 2 T. more, if necessary) and pulse until dough just holds together when pinched. Do not process longer than 30 seconds. The mixture should retain a crumbly texture at this point; it should not be sticky.

4. Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Knead once or twice to incorporate loose bits. Divide in half. Pat each half into a thick disk, then place on a piece of plastic wrap and gather wrap to flatten disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or overnight). Dough can be frozen up to 1 month; thaw in refrigerator overnight before using.

Fruit Galette

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Serve 6 to 8

1/2 recipe pate brisee, chilled

all-purpose flour for dusting

3 C. fruit, I used 2 C. of blackberries and 2 sliced peaches

1 lemon, juiced

1/3 C. sugar (if your fruit is tart, use a little more)

1 T. cornstarch

1/2 t. coarse salt

1 large whole egg

1 T. milk or heavy cream

sanding sugar or granulated sugar

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.

2. Let chilled dough sit out at room temperature until slightly malleable, about 10 minutes. Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 14 inch round (it does not have to be a perfect circle). Transfer to the prepared baking sheet by rolling it around the rolling pin, the unrolling onto the sheet; refrigerate 15 minutes.

3. Mix together fruit, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Remove pastry from refrigerator and arrange fruit over center, leaving a 1 1/2 inch border all around. Fold border over filling, the dough will naturally fall into creases.

4. Whisk together egg and milk (or cream) and brush over the edges of the galette. Sprinkle crust generously with sugar. Bake until filling is bubbling in the center and crust is dark golden brown, about 1 hour. Mine was done before the hour was up.

5. Run an offset spatula under the tart to release it from the sheet. Transfer sheet to a wire rack; cool 15 minutes. Transfer galette to rack, and let cool completely before serving. Galette is best eaten the same day.

May 15 0 comments

Dessert, Fruit Dessert, New Food, Recipes

Rhubarb Crumble

Marc and I have an interesting relationship with rhubarb. When we had been dating a year or so, we went to a picnic and a legendary pie maker from the community made a rhubarb pie. We both took a big piece to have for dessert and sat near the pie maker. We both took our first bite, hated it immediately and realized the error in our choice of seat. I quickly got my wits about me and started taking large bites to get the pie down as quickly as possibly. In the corner of my eye, I see that Marc had rested his fork on the side of the plate and had decided he was taking whatever consequences that were coming his way, as long as he did not have to eat this pie. Horrified, I continue to make small talk hoping to distract from Marc’s refusal to eat the pie. I threw a glance of “you better eat that damn pie” to Marc and he threw me an “I don’t think so” look right back. Now, having finished my piece, I try to casually slip Marc’s plate in front of me and pass the empty plate to Marc. I proceed to finish the piece of pie that he had barely touched. If this were a romantic comedy featured film, the pie lady would have insisted I take the pie home and enjoy as much as I like because she saw how much I loved it. She also would have made me that pie on my birthday every year or some equally crazy ritual that ties me to that pie for life. Thank goodness this was not a movie and I politely excused myself from the table in case the pie decided to make a reappearance. I was so angry at Marc that afternoon, but it has become one of our favorite stories.

I saw rhubarb a few weeks ago at Whole Foods, the first crop from a local farm. I knew that there had to be a preparation of rhubarb that we would enjoy. After a bit of internet research, I found a recipe for Roasted Rhubarb from Molly of Orangette and a Rhubarb Crumble from Jamie Oliver. I only had enough to make the one recipe and I was intrigued by Molly’s unique recipe. I roasted the rhubarb with sugar, white wine and vanilla bean. The pretty pink and green stalks quickly turned into a hot pink sludge. I tried it warm and thought, hmm, not bad. Molly said she enjoyed it best cold and I looked forward to how that might taste. The recipe made an insane amount of this stuff and I was thinking of putting it over Greek yogurt as a treat. You, my friends, might like this recipe, but I did not. It was very tart and I felt it needed to be paired with something sweet, like ice cream. I had no ice cream in the house, so I put it over my plain Greek yogurt and puckered like you wouldn’t believe. I paid a pretty penny for this rhubarb and I was not about to throw it away. For a week, I scooped away at it, not daring to let Marc near it lest it put him off the stuff forever. I tried to think of something creative I could do with it, but the busy week did not allow a trip to the grocery store and I really had no good ideas to speak of. It was better than the pie, but this was not endearing me to rhubarb. Would this have to be one of those things I don’t enjoy with others during the spring?

Last night, our neighbor came to the door with the most beautiful bunch of rhubarb from his garden. I was happy and sad, all at the same time. I remembered Jamie’s recipe and pulled it out of my recipe folder. I immediately had a good feeling, but didn’t want to get my hopes up too high. The recipe had orange juice and that was a special bonus because I have a ridiculous amount in my fridge leftover from last week’s bridal shower, score! This recipe came together quickly and I hoped with every step that I was onto a winner. Guess what? We love rhubarb crumble!! I pulled out the crumble and was dizzy with excitement when I saw the beautiful ruby hue it now was. I scooped two servings and we were in rhubarb heaven instead of rhubarb hell. A much better place to be.

Rhubarb Crumble

Adapted from Jamie Oliver

1 kg rhubarb, trimmed and sliced into large chunks (2.204 lbs)

200 g soft brown sugar (.87 C)

1/2 C. orange juice

100 g all-purpose flour (.435 C)

100 g cold butter, cut into small chunks (1 stick)

100 g old fashioned oats (.435 C)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking dish (the recipe did not specify, but I used a glass dish that I believe is a 2 qt. dish).

2. Put the rhubarb and half of the brown sugar in the pan. Add the orange juice, put a lid on top, bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for 5 minutes more, until the rhubarb has softened slightly. Spoon into an ovenproof baking dish and spread evenly across the bottom.

3. Cut cold butter into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Stir in the oats and the rest of the brown sugar. Sprinkle the crumbs over the rhubarb and bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the rhubarb is bubbling and the crumble is golden.

Because the rhubarb is hot during assembly, the crumble topping melted a bit, but it was still insanely delicious. If you want your crumble to be more crisp, wait for the rhubarb to cool down before adding the topping.

Mar 30 5 comments

Chocolate, Cookies, Dessert, Recipes

Chocolate Mudslide Cookies

I think these are the prettiest cookies I’ve ever seen. Mini toasted marshmallows in a pretty pattern on top of a chocolate cookie? Perfection. I saw these recently on a blog and not only did they look amazing, but the ingredients are items any baker will have in their pantry. Even though I had some random pistachios and peanuts in the pantry, I did buy deluxe mixed nuts for the recipe and I’m glad I did. I liked the nuts so much that next time I make these I’ll scale back a bit on the chocolate chips and add more nuts for the perfect chocolate to nut combination. I haven’t tested out my new measurements, but I’ve listed them below in the recipe. The roasted and salted nuts make these a great sweet and savory treat. When they come out of the oven, they are ooey gooey and brownie-like.

Chocolate Mudslide Cookies

Slightly adapted from Cookbook Chronicles

8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used Callebaut)

3/4 C. sugar

3 T. unsalted butter

3 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips (I love Ghirardelli’s bittersweet chips)

1/4 C. flour

2 T. cocoa

1/4 t. coarse salt

1/2 t. baking powder

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla extract

2 C. roughly chopped assorted nuts, roasted and salted

mini marshmallows (5 per cookie, about half a bag)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Melt chopped semisweet chocolate, sugar and butter in a double boiler over simmering water until mixture is mostly melted. Stir until the mixture is completely melted and cool to room temperature.

3. In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder. Whisk to combine.

4. In a large mixing bowl, lightly whisk the eggs and vanilla. Slowly pour the cooled chocolate mixture into the eggs in three additions, stirring between each addition.

5. Stir the flour mixture into the chocolate batter just until combined, then stir in the mixed nuts and chocolate chips.

6. Place heaped tablespoons of cookie dough (I used a large cookie scoop) on a lined baking sheet (I like to use silpats), leaving room for them to spread, 9 cookies per sheet. Top each cookie with 5 mini marshmallows, pressing them into the dough lightly. Use only the upper or middle baking rack for these cookies, they have a tendency to burn on the lower rack.

7. Bake for approximately 10 minutes (rotate sheets halfway through baking time). The cookies will be slightly soft when they come out of the oven, but will firm up as they cool. After a few minutes, transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. Makes 20-24 cookies (I had 23).

Mar 17 4 comments

Dessert, Recipes, Vegetarian

White Chocolate Tiramisu Trifle with Spiced Pears

Holy title of a recipe, huh? I cannot remember the last time a recipe captivated me as much as this dessert. The combination sounded like pure heaven to me. I was waiting for the right occasion to make it and then a group of food and wine lovers that congregate at Whole Foods every month for wine night decided to get together for dinner. One of our group members was moving to London and while we were jealous, two excellent members of the group offered up their home for the best going away dinner party ever. I said I’d make dessert and thought this could be the moment to make THE dessert. At first I did not want to reveal what I was making for fear that I would start the recipe, ruin it and then have people ask what happened to the fancy spiced pear thing I was going to bring. Ugh. It was a multi-step process, but boy was it worth it. It came together so beautifully that when it was finished I started asking Marc if I was going to look like the biggest dork alive for bringing such a fancy dessert.

Then we arrived at the party. Brian and Shannon’s house smelled amazing and we were greeted with big smiles and a bunch of delicious wines to choose from. There was a gorgeous antipasti platter of delicious cheese and smoked meats in the living room. We wandered into the kitchen to see two of the most beautiful lasagnas I’ve ever seen bubbling with goodness. We dined on garlicky and delicious panzanella with fresh baguettes and I tried a bit of both lasagnas because I couldn’t decide between the sausage and vegetarian. They were both bright with fresh ingredients, but the roasted vegetables in the vegetarian lasagna rocked my world. Marc declared the lasagna the best he’s ever eaten.

The dessert was unveiled and everyone seemed excited to try it. They even clapped when it was brought to the table. Isn’t it great cooking for people that appreciate a recipe of effort? Even after all of that wonderful food, the guests made room for this bit of heaven on a plate. The mousse is sweet, full of flavor and pairs well with the spiced pears, lightly sweetened whipped cream and spongy ladyfingers. I highly recommend making this for a group of appreciative friends. Speaking of appreciation, today happens to be the first anniversary of my first blog post and I want to thank you for dropping by. I love reading your comments and checking out your blogs and I’m honored that you’ve decided to take a few moments out of your busy life to stop by here and listen to me talk about some recipes. You’re the best!

White Chocolate Tiramisu Trifle with Spiced Pears

Recipe slightly adapted from Bon Appetit via Not Without Salt

I made the spiced pears and mousse 2 nights before the event and made the whipped cream and assembled the dessert the morning we were going to the dinner. I made extra pears and they were so good with the leftover whipped cream, yum. I also subbed in Grand Marnier for the brandy and could not bring myself to use the soft ladyfingers in the produce department when I saw the ingredient list. I used the hard imported ladyfingers and dipped them in the pear syrup. I thought it worked out great.

Spiced Pears:

1-750 ml bottle dry white wine

2 C. pear nectar

1 1/4 C. sugar

12 whole green cardamom pods, crushed in a resealable bag with mallet

1-1 inch diameter rounds peeled fresh ginger (each about 1/8 inch thick)

2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half

9 large firm but ripe Anjou pears, peeled (original recipe calls for 5, but I wanted more)

White Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse:

7 oz. high-quality white chocolate (I used Callebaut)

1/3 C. Grand Marnier

1/4 C. water

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1-8 to 8.8 oz. container mascarpone cheese

1 c. chilled heavy whipping cream

Trifle Assembly:

9 oz. hard lady fingers (I purchased a 1 lb. pkg and had some leftover)

2 C. chilled heavy whipping cream

White chocolate shavings (I used about 2 oz.)

I used a few pieces of an above pear for decoration

For spiced pears:

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large pot. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Add pears and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until pears are just tender when pierced with knife, about 35 minutes. Transfer liquid with pears to a large bowl and refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears to a bowl. Boil poaching liquid in a large saucepan (I used the pot from earlier) over medium-high heat until slightly thickened and reduced to 2-3 cups, about 15 minutes (I think I had close to 3 cups). Strain into a 2-cup measuring cup with strainer over it. Discard spices in strainer and cool liquid. Cover and chill pears and pear syrup until cold.

For mousse:

Combine white chocolate, Grand Marnier and 1/4 C. water in top of a double-boiler set over simmering water. Stir until smooth (mixture will be very liquidy). Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. Transfer white chocolate mixture to large bowl; gradually add mascarpone, whisking until mixture is smooth. Cool mascarpone mixture in 4 additions. Cover and chill white chocolate mousse until st, about 3 hours.

Pears and mousse can be made 1-2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

For trifle assembly:

Cut pears lengthwise in half and remove cores and stems; cut into 1/4 inch thick slices. (Use a sharp knife, but be careful pears are slippery and sticky. I first cut off the ends, then cut them in half lengthwise and then in half lengthwise again. I turned the cut pear to the side and made one cut to remove most of the core and seeds. Then I sliced those into 1/4 inch slices and made sure to remove any remaining hard bits from the center.)

Pour about 1/2 C. (you will use more, but I like to use 1/2 C. at a time) of the pear syrup into a shallow bowl. Dip the ladyfingers in the liquid on both sides (for just a few seconds, they’ll soften up in the trifle) and arrange in a single layer in the bottom of a 12 cup trifle dish, covering the bottom completely (I used about 7 ladyfingers). Drizzle a tablespoon or 2 of the pear syrup evenly over the ladyfingers. (Make sure you have 1/4 C. pear syrup set aside for the whipped cream on top, then you know how much extra syrup you have for dipping ladyfingers and drizzling on top.) Using a small offset spatula, spread 1/3 of white chocolate mousse over ladyfingers, making layer slightly thicker around outer edges of dish to allow mousse to be more visible (center of mousse layer will be thin). Starting at the outer edges of the dish, place a generous amount of pear slices in a single layer with curved edges against sides of dish on top of the mousse, covering completely. Repeat layering ladyfingers, syrup, mousse and pears 2 more times. Cover with fourth layer of ladyfingers (my fourth layer fit 9 ladyfingers and you will have ladyfingers and pear slices leftover). Drizzle ladyfingers with syrup.

Trifle assembly can be done 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate trifle and remaining pear syrup separately.

Using a mixer with whisk attachment, beat 2 C. whipping cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 C. pear syrup and beat until stiff peaks form. Pour generous amount on top of the trifle (I had extra). Using a vegetable peeler, turn 2 oz. of white chocolate into chocolate shavings. Working quickly, put a handful of chocolate shavings in your hand and press up against the edge of the whipped cream until the shaving start to stick. Continue all around the trifle, working quickly because chocolate will melt in your hand. Gently press the shavings into the whipped cream so they will stay. Using 6-7 slices of pear, create a star shape in the center of the trifle and add a few white chocolate shaving in the middle.

Trifle can be fully assembled 6-8 hours ahead of time. Keep refrigerated.

Mar 13 4 comments

Bars, Dessert, Recipes

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pretzel Bars

I’m a big fan of the sweet and salty mix and if you can believe it, I met someone that dislikes the combo. I was telling this person about one of my favorite sweet and salty desserts thinking it might be something she’d enjoy and she said, “Eh, I don’t like sweet and salty together.” She even made a face of disgust to go along with that outrageous statement. What?!? Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, of course, but I like when sweet and salty get together so much, it’s hard to imagine someone not loving it, too.

I saw this recipe over at Two Peas and Their Pod last summer and knew it would come in handy. I usually have these ingredients on hand and the recipe is simple. If you’re sharing them with kids, they like hearing that there are pretzels inside. I brought these to a gathering and they were devoured quickly. They taste like a blondie, but with the addition of crunchy pretzels. I noticed in my cupboards that I have leftover cereal from making Chex Mix Party Mix and started thinking that crushed Chex might make its way into this recipe instead of pretzels next time. If you don’t like sweet and salty together, that’s ok, we can definitely still be friends. Next week I’ll have a recipe that’s all sweet.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pretzel Bars

Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod via Food and Wine

2 C. all-purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. coarse salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 C. light brown sugar

1/2 C. sugar

2 large eggs

2 t. pure vanilla extract

1-12 oz bag of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 C. pretzels coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt.

3. In a mixer, beat the butter and sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. On low, beat in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips and pretzel pieces.

4. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and press down with a spatula. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. The middle might still be a bit gooey, but they will set up. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.

5. Use a knife to go around the edge of the pan to loosen bars. Cut into squares and serve.

Jan 30 3 comments

Brownies, Chocolate, Dessert, Recipes

Dark Cocoa Brownies for Coco

I’m really not a weeper, but I have to admit to the world that I was a bit teary-eyed when Conan O’Brien thanked his band, crew and fans for their support and said goodbye to The Tonight Show. Everyone has their favorite late night host and for me, it’s always been Conan. His awkward charm and self-deprecating humor made his show a pleasure to watch. For those that may not know, Tom Hanks gave him the nickname “Coco” a few months back and I’m dedicating these dark cocoa brownies to Coco. On Conan’s last day I changed my Facebook status to “Sad it’s Coco’s last day” and a friend from high school sent me her condolences on the death of my pet. Ha! We had a good laugh about that after I explained.

Now let’s get to some brownies…and I love me some brownies. I’m kind of particular, but I think others may agree with my view of brownies. Fudgy, made with high quality chocolate or cocoa, no chocolate chips for me, but nuts are ok. I also am very fond of dark chocolate and when I saw dark chocolate brownies on The Craving Chronicles, I was jumping up and down. She used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa, but I realized I had seen black cocoa at King Arthur Flour. I added some of this black magic to my KAF order and waited for my delivery.

They are not kidding when they say black cocoa. It is dark and once you add your wet ingredients in, it looks like you’ve made oil. And the photo shoot was no picnic. The brownies mocked me as the natural sunlight bounced off its shiny black crust. I brought these to my in-laws and everyone loved them. They taste like soft Oreos and I think they would make a killer Oreo trifle of some sort, but they were a bit cakey for my brownie tastes. I don’t think it was the recipe since the picture over at The Craving Chronicles looked perfectly fudgy. I think it was too much black magic. If anyone has ever had the dream to incorporate chocolate in every room of the house, I believe you could grout tile with this cocoa powder. When I scraped the bowl, the batter left behind hardened and stuck. If you needed to occupy some kids, give them this bowl to lick and they’ll be working on it for days. I tweeted about my brownies and KAF suggested mixing their black cocoa with regular cocoa so that the deep cocoa is an accent. And that’s just what I did with the next batch.

Brownie attempt #2. I used a different recipe that looked easy and the pictured brownies looked amazing. The first Oreo-like recipe was adapted from a KAF recipe and this next recipe was also from KAF for Deep-Dark Fudgy Brownies. These were really good. So good, that I made my husband take the bulk of them to work as not to tempt myself to eat the entire batch. Marc returned with an empty container and apparently the whole office was buzzing and wondering who had brought in the “black brownies”. I tweaked the recipe a bit because I cannot help myself, so I will share my changes with you.

Deep-Dark Fudgy Brownies

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

1/3 C. black cocoa

1/3 C. regular cocoa (I used Droste cocoa)

1 C. granulated sugar

1/2 C. confectioner’s sugar

1 t. kosher salt (or 3/4 t. regular salt)

1 C. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 T. espresso powder

1 C. toasted almonds, chopped

3 large eggs

1/2 C. vegetable oil

2 T. water (or brewed coffee)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease an 8×8 square pan.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cocoas, sugars, salt, flour, espresso powder and nuts.

3. Add the eggs, oil and water or coffee, mixing just until smooth. Spoon the mixture into a lightly greased 8×8 square pan, smoothing the top.

4. Bake brownies for approximately 30-40 minutes, but check early. Mine were done in about 30 minutes. To check for doneness, stick the tip of a sharp knife into the center and wiggle around enough to see what’s going on. If the batter under the crust is still shiny and smooth, they are not done. Put back in and check frequently If the batter is ultra-moist and crumbly looking, they are done.

5. Place pan on a cooling rack and cool for 1 hour before slicing into 16 rich brownies.

6. Raise your brownie in the air and toast Conan before taking a delicious bite.

Dec 22 5 comments

Bread, Dessert, Recipes

Christmas Stollen

My Oma used to bring Stollen, a German Christmas bread, for Christmas every year. It was lovingly packaged in wax paper and again in aluminum foil. As kids, the glistening sugar crust was the best part. My Mom has insisted since my Oma’s passing that the last year she made it was the best, but sadly my Oma did not have a recipe box and I was never able to see her exact recipe. A week ago I went on an extensive search for Stollen recipes and there are tons of recipes out there, but I was looking for the rum/almond type since it was most like my Oma’s. There are many spiced recipes, usually with cardamom that sound delicious, like this one recommended by The Honey Eater that I will definitely be making another time. I combined a few elements from different recipes to come up with the yeast Stollen I made and then I also adapted a quick Stollen recipe from King Arthur Flour that uses baking powder to help it rise a bit and has the unique addition of ricotta cheese. I thought these two recipes had similar fruits and flavoring like I was looking for, but I was interested in the different approaches to the recipes.

My Stollen Tips

Soaking the dried fruit in dark rum is a good idea. It plumps the fruit and adds great flavor.
After the Stollen has baked, brushing it with melted butter and sprinkling with powdered sugar seals in the flavor and makes the crust extra tasty. I think repeating this process and creating two layers is a good idea, too.
Use your favorite dried fruits. Traditionally, you’d see citron and candied cherries in Stollen, but I prefer to use raisins, currants, apricots and cherries.
Toast the slivered almonds, always!
I used the Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor because I happen to be placing an order at King Arthur Flour and saw it was recommended for their Stollen recipe. It is not heavy or artificial tasting, it just adds a nice hint of sweetness.

Yeasted Stollen

Makes 2 loaves, adapted from several sources.

1/2 C. raisins

1/2 C. dried currants

1/2 C. dried apricots

1/2 C. dried cherries

1/3 C. dark rum

4 1/2 C. all-purpose flour, plus additional as needed

2 (1/4 oz.) pkg. active dry yeast or 2 scant T.

1/3 C. sugar

1 1/2 t. salt

1/2 C. milk

1/2 C. water

4 T. butter, cut up

1 t. grated lemon rind

2 eggs

1 t. almond extract

1/2 C. slivered blanched almonds, toasted and cooled

4 T. melted butter

powdered sugar

1 1/2 t. buttery sweet dough flavor (from King Arthur Flour, optional but good)

1. Combine raisins, currants, apricots, cherries and rum in a bowl and let stand at least 1 hour or overnight.

2. Stir together 2 C. of the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in large bowl. Heat milk, water, butter and lemon rind in a small saucepan over low heat until warm (115-120 degrees, optimal temp. for the yeast). Add to flour mixture along with eggs and almond extract (and buttery sweet dough flavor if using). Beat at low speed of electric mixture until flour is moistened. Beat at medium speed until well combined.

3. Stir 1/3 C. flour into fruit mixture. Stir fruit mixture, almonds and enough remaining flour into batter to make the dough moderately stiff. I ended up adding about 1 C. more flour, but start adding in 1/4 C. increments until you get the desired texture.

4. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 to 8 minutes. Shape into a ball and place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

5. Punch dough down, cover and let rest 10 minutes. Turn onto lightly floured surface and divide in half. Pat or roll each half into an 8×14 inch oval. Fold dough in half lengthwise, bringing upper half not quite to the edge of the lower half and press firmly along edge to secure. Place loaves on lightly greased rimmed baking sheet (I used my silpat, but you could also use parchment). Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

6. Uncover. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven until loaves are golden and sound hollow when lightly tapped, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and brush with melted butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar. When the loaves have cooled, brush with another coat of melted butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar again.

Easiest Stollen

Makes 2 loaves. Slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour

2 1/4 C. all-purpose flour

1/2 C. granulated sugar

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 C. unsalted cold butter, cut into small chunks

1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese

1 large egg

1 t. vanilla extract

1 1/2 t. buttery sweet dough flavor, optional but good

1 t. lemon zest

1/2 C. raisins

1/2 C. dried currants

1/4 C. dried cherries

1/3 C. dark rum

1/2 C. slivered almonds, toasted and cooled

6 T. butter, melted

3/4 C. confectioners’ sugar

1. Soak dried fruit in dark rum at least 1 hour or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with parchment or a silpat. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.

3. Cut the cold butter chunks into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or two forks. In a separate bowl, mix together the cheese, egg, vanilla, lemon zest and buttery sweet dough flavor. Toss the fruit and almonds into the flour mixture until evenly distributed. Then combine the wet and dry ingredients, mixing until most of the four is moistened.

4. Turn the sticky dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times until it holds together. I ended up adding quite a few sprinkles of flour to make it come together. Divide dough in half. Roll each piece of dough into a 8×7 inch oval about 1/2 inch thick.

5. Fold each piece of dough roughly in half, leaving the edge of the top half about 1/2 inch short of the edge of the bottom half. Fold lengthwise. Use the edge of your hand to press the dough to seal the edge. This is the traditional Stollen shape. Place the shaped Stollen on prepared baking sheet.

6. Bake the Stollen until they are very light browned around the edges, about 30-40 minutes. A cake tester inserted into the middle should come out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and brush with 2 to 3 T. melted butter and sprinkle heavily with confectioners’ sugar.

7. Allow the Stollen to cool and brush with remaining melted butter and sprinkle generously with sugar again. Wrap in plastic until ready to serve. Plastic-wrapped Stollen will keep well for 2 weeks or so at room temperature.

Tasting Day 1

Yeast Stollen

Marc and I both thought this lacked a bit of flavor. It has a nice spongy texture because of the yeast, though. It is important that it has a nice butter and sugar crust to enhance the sweetness of the fruit.

Easy Stollen

SO tasty! It came out quite flat due to the lack of yeast, but it is moist and flavorful. I think the addition of ricotta adds a hint of tangy creaminess. It reminded me a little of a tender and moist breakfast muffin.

Tasting Day 2

Yeast Stollen

Much improved! I tried a slice this morning to see if it had changed at all and I was not missing flavor this morning. The flavor plus the yeasty texture made this very, very good.

Easy Stollen

Consistently flavorful and tasty. I think the texture of the yeast Stollen plus the improved flavor beat out the easy Stollen this morning, but it is still very yummy and a wonderful alternative.

Both recipes are great and I recommend them both. In the case of the yeast Stollen, I believe that recipe will improve with age since it is a more traditional recipe and I’m sure it was meant to be enjoyed for weeks. If you’re looking for a less traditional recipe with great Stollen flavor, try the easy Stollen recipe. Thank you for taking the Stollen journey with me! Have a great holiday with lots of family, friends and fantastic food!

Nov 14 3 comments

Dessert, Recipes

Detroit Medicine

Last week my stomach was not happy with me. For 2 days, I just did not feel right and I’m pretty sure I know why. We have been installing baseboard molding and it is the molding of my dreams. Contemporary, no frills and 5 1/2″ tall. We have been painting, cutting and sanding and I haven’t had much time to go to the grocery store or cook and we’ve had absolutely no desire to wash dishes (like we ever do). A few times we went the fast food route and on Tuesday and Wednesday my stomach and I were not on speaking terms. Insert great husband. Marc went out and came back with a bag from the pharmacy and I was wondering what he had in his bag of tricks. Pepto Bismal? Ugh. Rolaids? Bearable. Inside the bag was a case of Vernor’s and vanilla ice cream. You see, friends, Marc’s family believe that a Vernor’s float and Nyquil can cure any ailment you have. Marc’s Dad has been known to whisper from the couch that he could use some Vernor’s and ice cream when he didn’t feel well. Not that my family doesn’t have its own weird “cures” (mostly old-school German superstitions) but the pop and ice cream thing boggled my mind.

Ever have Vernor’s before? I have to admit that I was an adult before hearing about the stuff, even though I grew up only 3 hours west of Detroit. The story of Vernor’s is that James Vernor, a Detroit pharmacist, had brewed up a secret mixture of 19 ingredients including ginger and vanilla and put it in an oak cask. In 1862, James was called up to fight in the Civil War and returned 4 years later to find that the aging process had turned his mixture into delicious Vernor’s. It also says on every can that they continue to age their soda in oak barrels to give Vernor’s its distinct flavor.

We don’t usually keep pop (yep, I’m from the Midwest!) around, but Vernor’s is unique. I think the best way to describe it is a mix of cream soda with a bit of gingery flavor. It’s sweet and super bubbly. If you take a breath too close to your Vernor’s, you’ll soon be hacking like a heavy smoker. The extreme carbonation, however, turns the creamy vanilla ice cream into vanilla foam and that’s when the magic happens. I told Marc’s adorable Grandma that he made me a Vernor’s float when I didn’t feel well and her response was, “Well, I don’t know about the ice cream, but the Vernor’s sure helps.” Ha. Well, we’ve proven no facts here, but darn it, this skeptic felt better.

Recipes and Living the Good Life

Category Archives: Dessert

Pate Sucree

Nutella and Strawberry Mini Pies

Amish Friendship Bread

Starter Instructions

Baking Instructions

Pate Brisee

Fruit Galette

Rhubarb Crumble

Chocolate Mudslide Cookies

White Chocolate Tiramisu Trifle with Spiced Pears

Spiced Pears:

White Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse:

Trifle Assembly:

For spiced pears:

For mousse:

For trifle assembly:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pretzel Bars

Deep-Dark Fudgy Brownies

My Stollen Tips

Yeasted Stollen

Easiest Stollen

Tasting Day 1

Yeast Stollen

Easy Stollen

Tasting Day 2

Yeast Stollen

Easy Stollen

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