Say Cheeeese….cake!

28. February 2011 · 11 comments · Categories: Baking, Cake, cooking, Dessert, food, recipes · Tags: ,

I love baking for no reason. But I really love having an actual event to bake for…particularly because then I know the goods won’t be sitting in my kitchen, calling my name at all hours of the night. I only wish I was kidding about my abilities to communicate with cake.

Birthdays are the perfect reason to bake up something good. So I took this opportunity for Nate’s friend’s birthday to make a Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake I’ve been wanting to try.

The recipe said it made 2 cakes. Even with a celebration like a birthday, I’m not sure why anyone would want to make 2 cakes…or at least 2 of the same cake. Ridiculous. Plus, I didn’t have 2 springform pans. So I halved the recipe and hoped for the best.

It turned out beautifully, and delicious. And the birthday boy seemed to enjoy it, which is the real result you hope for on any birthday baking endeavor :)

cheesecake, pre-glazing

 

Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I hear something calling my name from the refrigerator.

 

 

Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake

Adapted from Southern Living
makes one 9-inch cheesecake

Cake

1/4 cup toasted, chopped pecans
2 (1-ounce) bittersweet chocolate baking squares
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla

Sprinkle 1/4 cup pecans evenly over the bottom of each of 1 greased and floured 9-inch springform pan.

Microwave chocolate squares in a microwave-safe bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) 1 1/2 minutes, stirring at 30-second intervals until melted. Stir until smooth.

Beat butter and 1 cup sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add 2 eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add melted chocolate, beating just until blended.

Add flour, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and chocolate morsels. Divide batter evenly between pans, spreading over chopped pecans.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; add 3/4 cups sugar, beating until blended. Add 3 eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir in 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Divide cream cheese mixture evenly between each pan, spreading over brownie batter.

Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until set. Remove from oven; cool completely on wire rack.

Spread top of cooled cheesecake with 1 recipe Chocolate Glaze (see below); cover and chill 8 hours. Remove sides of pans before serving. Garnish, if desired.

Chocolate Glaze

1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup whipping cream

Melt 1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels and 1/2 cup whipping cream in a 2-quart microwave-safe bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt. Whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.

*Note: The top glaze layer came out extremely thick and rich. I think if I were to make it again, I’d halve the amount.

Butternut Squash and Mushroom Wellington…a fabulous winter dinner

25. February 2011 · 4 comments · Categories: Baking, cooking, Dinner, food, recipes, Savory, vegetarian · Tags: , ,

I checked the weather before I headed out the door this morning and it said it was going to be in the high 40’s today. Since the last few days had been chilly, I figured this was toasty walkin’ weather! I left my apartment with just a light jacket and no gloves. Totally fine for the morning walk.


It was a different story, however, when I left work this evening. It was blustery out! (Nate loves that word…he says it reminds him of Winnie Pooh and the Blustery Day) Man, that wind was seriously strong and I had decided to walk all the way home to my apt from Grand Central Station, which was a 30 min walk.

When I walked in the door to my apartment, my hands were frozen solid and my ears weren’t much better. It was definitely time to make something for dinner that would warm my tummy! I’d been wanting to make this recipe I saw in the New York Times for some time now, and this seemed like the perfect night.

Yes, that's my towel hanging in the background. Yes, I have to take my pictures in the bathroom since it has the best lighting there is for nighttime. Don't judge.

Thank goodness Nate doesn’t get home til 9ish, because I’m not going to tell you this recipe came together in a snap. There were several steps, and the puff pastry got a little messy (but maybe that’s because I’ve never used it before), but in the end, not only was it beautiful, but delicious as well.

No, I mean seriously amazing. You MUST make this. It was just what I needed to defrost, relax, and enjoy my Friday evening.

Oh, and stay tuned…I got a tasty cheesecake comin this weekend…

Pardon the crappy pictures…they were taken with my point-and-shoot which doesn’t know how to focus on the objects I want it to. Hopefully I’ll have Nate’s nice camera for my next pics.

Butternut Squash and Mushroom Wellington
taken from the New York Times (directions slightly edited by Me)
Serves 6-8

Print this Recipe!

3-4 tablespoons butter
1 small butternut squash (1 1/4 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika or regular paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
3/4 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and roughly chopped
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Flour
1 (14-to-16-ounce) package puff pastry
1 cup crumbled goat

1 egg whisked with 1 tsp water

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment.

2. In a very large skillet over high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the squash in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, for 4 minutes. (If squash won’t fit in a single layer, cook it in batches). Stir and continue to cook until squash is golden, 7 to 10 minutes more. Stir in the syrup, thyme, paprika and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook one minute. Scrape mixture into a bowl.

3. Turn the heat down to medium and melt the remaining butter in the skillet. Stir in garlic and shallot; cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and remaining salt. Cook until mushrooms are soft and their juices evaporate, about 10 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook until the mixture is dry, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pepper and parsley. Taste and add more salt if needed.

4. On a lightly floured surface, unwrap the puff pastry. Cut into 2 5-by-15-inch rectangles. *If pastry is already two sheets, no need to cut. Spread mushrooms on each pastry rectangle leaving 1/4-inch border. Spoon the cheese crumbles over the mushrooms. Then spoon the squash over the cheese, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border (it will look like a stripe of squash lying on a bed of cheese and mushrooms).

5. Brush half of the exposed borders of dough on each rectangle with the egg wash(*You will be pinching these together to seal but if both sides to get pinched have egg wash, they wont stick together as well. Better to have one wet side and one dry side meeting). Fold the long sides up to meet in the middle and pinch together to seal; pinch the ends, too. Transfer the pastries to the baking sheet and turn them over so that the seam is face down. Brush the tops with more egg wash. Bake until they are puffed golden, and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, slice and serve.

 

Dinner and Dogs…a relaxing weekend.

22. February 2011 · 16 comments · Categories: Baking, Dinner, Savory · Tags: , , ,

For Presidents’ Day weekend, Nate and I did what we usually do on a long weekend…we headed down to his mom’s house in PA (near Wilmington). As always, I used this time to relax, recharge, and make use of her giant kitchen!

Aaaah, so much spaaaace!

I had so much room I didn’t know what to do with myself…so I decided to cook :) It was so nice to be in a space big enough that I didn’t have to trip over myself. Instead, I was tripping over dogs. See if you can find the furry fella in the pic below. Luckily, they were fairly well-behaved.

I chose two dishes that are always winners. One is a chicken dish with apricots that we seem to always make during the holidays.  It’s been around so long that I have no idea where it came from, but trust me, it’s worth making!

The other is a  Brussel Sprout Hash with Carmelized Shallots that has become a regular on our Thanksgiving menu. People start getting all hot and bothered when we mention anything about trying a different vegetable recipe for that year. Recipes are at the bottom of the post.

I actually did some baking too, but I’m working on tweaking the recipe because I want to enter it in a couple of baking contests. It’s my first time ever doing something like that, so cross your fingers for me! After the contest deadline, I’ll be sure to post the recipes :) Does anyone know of any good contests besides Pillsbury?

Man, I thought I knew how to relax on a long weekend…but apparently I got nothing on these pooches:

"I know, I'm adorable"

Nate’s mom has two adorable Golden Retrievers- Haley and Ezra.

Canine camouflage

These doggies are his mom’s pride and joy, so for Christmas I thought I’d paint one of their portraits for her. I chose Haley since she’s a camera whore. Ezra freaks when you try to take his picture. I did the painting of four 6″ canvases that, when put together, form the painting. I hung them on the wall in her living room.

Haley's Portrait, by Me

The sides of the canvases are deep, for a more modern look.

side view of painting. Note deep side edges I made a contrasting color :)

Long weekends are never long enough. I can’t believe I have to go back to work tomorrow and the next long weekend isn’t until Memorial Day I think!

 

Baked Chicken with Apricots and Currants
Serves 4, source unknown

3-1/2 to 4 lb. chicken, quartered
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 tsp. ginger
1 c. orange marmalade
¼ c. apple juice
¼ c. orange juice (can be canned)
4 oz. dried apricots
4 oz. currants (or raisins)
2 tbsp. packed brown sugar

Preheat oven 375.

Place chicken, skin-side up in shallow roasting pan – can use disposable.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper and ginger. Spread on jam, pour on 2 juices. Bake 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and add fruit, mixing to incorporate. Sprinkle brown sugar over all. Return to oven and bake, basting frequently, until golden and shiny, about 40-45 minutes.

Remove to platter. Pour some juice over meat and serve.

 

 

Brussels Sprout Hash with Caramelized Shallots
Bon Appétit, November 2007
Serves 4-6

3 tbsp. butter, divided into 2 pieces
1/4 lb. shallots, sliced thinly
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
¾ lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed
2 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup water

Melt 1-1/2 Tbsp. butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute until soft and golden, about 10 minutes.

Add vinegar and sugar. Stir until brown and glazed, about 2 minutes.

Halve sprouts lengthwise. Cut lengthwise into thin (1/8”) slices. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add sprouts; sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Saute until brown at edges, 5 minutes.

Add water and rest of butter. Saute until most of water evaporates and sprouts are tender but still bright green, 2-3 min. Add shallots, season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

Banana Butterscotch Ginger Wontons with Spiced Chocolate Sauce

15. February 2011 · 6 comments · Categories: Baking, Dessert · Tags: , , , , ,

So after making those ravioli the other day, I was left with more than half of the package of wonton wrappers left. Who could use so many wrappers at once?? After forming about 20 wontons for dinner, I totally lost the energy to make any more. Maybe they have an assembly line of chefs in chinese kitchens. Or maybe I suck at wonton-making…

Well, I decided to give it another go. I figured maybe if I put dessert in the wonton then I would have a longer wonton-making attention span.

I swear I have ADD, but my mom doesn’t believe me. I even want to take a break from writing this blog after two paragraphs. I think that means I have a problem…or I’m lazy. One or the other. I think I’d like to take a nap. Or watch some tv. I’d probably lose interest in that too.

Anyway, where was I. Right, Banana Butterscotch Ginger Wontons with Spiced Chocolate Sauce. Yummy, right? Plus, they’re baked, not fried so that kinda counteracts all that sugar they got goin on.

I don’t know how Asian these wontons are (although they do have ginger), but I’ll keep thinking of other combos to use with the other hundred wrappers that I still have left…I think it’s a never-ending package. I chose this combo because I had some butterscotch chips in my pantry as well as about a tablespoon of crystallized ginger left. The sauce was inspired by those Winter-Spiced Molten Chocolate Cakes I made for New Years.

Unfortunately, I’m not gonna post this recipe just yet. After biting into one of these babies, both Nate and I agreed that while the flavor combo was delicious, the filling was a little on the dry side (Note: after reading this, Nate said this made him sound like a jerk. The fact is I said it was dry and asked if Nate agreed and he said yes). I’m not sure how to moisten it up. I was trying to keep these on the healthy side (plus dairy free), but I think they prob just need some butter. Also, the banana I used was practically green (what can I say, I lack attention span AND I’m impatient ), so I caramelized it for a bit before putting it in the filling, but I think it could have been moister if it was riper. Is moister a word?

So anyway, I think I’m going to try this flavor combo again, maybe by revamping this dessert, or maybe by creating something new…who knows. But I hope the pics at least made your mouth water :)

Dairy-free Valentine’s Dinner

14. February 2011 · 4 comments · Categories: Dinner · Tags: , , , ,

I recently discovered that dairy and I don’t get along, but have been having trouble figuring out what to cook that’s dairy free yet still tasty…especially since I don’t want to deprive Nate. I miss cheese but decided I’d make it my mission to make a tasty Valentine’s meal despite the limitations.

Last time I was at the grocery store I picked up a couple butternut squash and since they were laying around I figured I’d make some butternut squash ravioli. These typically have milk and cheese mixed into the filling but I used tofu as a substitute. I know it sounds unappealing, but I promise you can’t taste it! It simply adds a creamy texture. I also had some mushrooms and pears, so I made a simple sauce with sauteed mushrooms, shallots, walnuts and a bit of pear.

I also wanted something yummy as an appetizer to hold Nate over til I finished making dinner. Bruschetta is always easy so I contemplated the tasty combos and decided on adding fresh fig and prosciutto. Unfortunately, the store didn’t have any fresh figs, so I got some dried ones and took them home.

I looked around, still unhappy with the dried figs and came up with my Bruschetta with Prosciutto, Pear, and Chopped Figs with Honey Drizzle. And let me tell you…it was DELISH! All in all, a lovely Valentine’s dinner with my man.

I decided to enter this recipe in the The Great Peanut Butter Exhibition #10 – Things Are Heating Up! contest

 

Dairy-free Butternut Squash Ravioli with Creamy Almond, Mushroom, and Pear Sauce
Recipe by Me

Ravioli

1/2 butternut squash, cooked, and skin removed (prob about 3/4 cup total)
1 tsp fresh ginger
1/4 container of lite firm tofu
1/3 cup dairy-free milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk)
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
pinch of dried ginger
wonton skins
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce

1 Tbsp olive oil
16 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup shallots, thinly sliced
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sliced pear
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
2 Tbsp dairy-free milk
1.5 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp almond butter

Ravioli:

Put butternut squash thru dried ginger in food processor and process til smooth and creamy. Add more milk if needed.

Put 1 Tbsp filling on each wonton skin. Wet edges of skin with water and put another wet-edged wonton skin on top. Press edges well to seal. If needed, use a fork to press edges together.

Add ravioli to a pot of boiling water. Cook 2-3 minutes or until ravioli float. Remove to pan and toss with sauce.

Sauce:

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in pan over med-hi heat. Add mushrooms and shallots and saute until soft. Add wine and scape brown bits off pan.

Stir in walnuts, pear, tarragon, milk and almond butter. Stir and cook down sauce til slightly thickened. Add ravioli and toss well. If necessary, add pasta water to spread sauce out.


 

Prosciutto, Pear, and Chopped Fig Bruschetta with Honey Drizzle
Recipe by Me, makes about a dozen

1/2 baguette, sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
olive oil
2 oz. prosciutto, thinly sliced
1/4 ripe pear, thinly sliced
6 dried figs
2 Tbsp honey

Brush tops of bread slices with olive oil and bake on cookie sheet at 350 for 10 min or until slightly toasted.

While bread is toasting, put figs in a bowl and pour boiling water over the top. Let figs soften for 10 min. Remove figs from water, pat dry, and chop into 1/4 inch pieces.

Top bread slices with a small piece of prosciutto, folded over. Top with 1 pear slice and 1 tsp chopped figs. Drizzle with honey. Serve immediately.

 

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