Posts filed under 'Dessert'
Recipe of the Week – Chocolate Macaroon Jam Tarts
Chocolate Macaroon Jam Tarts
Last week I told you my NY City son asked me to come up with a recipe for cookies he said were all the latest and greatest in New York. What he described seemed to me to be some form of meringue cookie with a filling. In NY City they call them Macaroons or Macroons ( both spellings seem to be correct) which I associate with those warm, coconut cookies. Anyway after tasting them I believe I have come up with the recipe.
These cookies only take a few minutes to make the batter but will take most of an afternoon to bake and dry. Not that it requires you to constantly be working on them; just that they bake, low and slow. A forewarning: these babies are very sweet, a few will go a long way towards satisfying that craving. They would be ideal served after a meal. I filled these with a chocolate filling but they would be just as good with raspberry jam. Sprinkle with a little powdered sugar, serve some strong, hot coffee and you should get rave reviews. Not surprisingly, leave these on a plate on the counter and they will disappear after the first wave of kids runs through.
Chocolate Macaroon Jam Tarts
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 10 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 6 | large | egg, whites |
| 0.25 | tsp | cream of tartar |
| 1 | tsp | vanilla |
| 1.33 | cup | sugar, white |
| 2 | Tb | cocoa powder, unsweetened |
| 0.5 | cup | sugar, white |
| 0.5 | cup | corn syrup, light |
| 1 | Tb | vanilla |
| 3 | Tb | butter, unsalted |
| 0.5 | cocoa powder, unsweetened | |
Place the egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla in a large mixer bowl. whip on low until frothy. Increase speed to high and gradually add the sugar. whip until stiff peaks and glossy. Gently fold in the cocoa until no white shows.
Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper, preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place a spoonful of the mixture onto the cookie sheets, cookies may be placed close together as they do not spread. Bake for 1.5 hour and then turn off oven and leave door slightly ajar. Allow cookies to dry for 2 hours.
For the filling: Heat the sugar,corn syrup, vanilla and butter until blended. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa. Allow the mixture to cool, spread between to cookies.(bottoms in)
Add comment June 1, 2009
Bonus Recipe of the Week – Tiramisu
(From The Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Tiramisu
Tiramisu is a little like handwriting, everyone’s is a little different. I make this recipe in a very large bowl or in a square springform pan… with the bowl it becomes a less formal dessert that you spoon onto plates, the springform allows you to slice the dessert and serve more guests. This dessert is really easy to put together, uses store-bought lady fingers and creates that Oh WOW! at any party or function.
In the old south this would probably be called a Charlotte, in the north a Fool, basically it is pieces of cake, surrounded with sweet cream and pieces of fruit or syrups. It is best made the night before as sitting in the frig helps to develop the flavors. I am taking mine to a party down the street, which started as a neighbor’s family gathering and rapidly progressed to a large group; perhaps it was the Margaritas that were floating around. I think we have lost count of how many will be there but this dessert will easily serve 16 or more people.
Tiramisu
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 12 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Brunch Anyone? (Distinctive Dinners) |
| 1 | qt | cream, whipping |
| 2 | cup | sugar, white |
| 24 | oz | cream cheese |
| 2 | Tb | coffee, instant |
| 3 | Tb | water, hot |
| 4 | Tb | sugar, white |
| 4 | Tb | coffee liqueur |
| 6 | oz | chocolate, ground |
| 4 | Tb | cocoa |
| 2 | package | ladyfingers |
Whip cream with 1/2 the sugar. Cream the cream cheese with remaining sugar until light. Gradually add whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture.
Dissolve coffee in hot water, add sugar and coffer liqueur.
Place a layer of ladyfingers (split) in bottom of serving bowl (6X9), brush with coffee mixture, sprinkle with cocoa and chocolate, spread a layer of cream cheese mixture (3/4” thick). Sprinkle with cocoa and chocolate, repeat ladyfingers, and so on. Cover top with final layer of cocoa and chocolate, refrigerate.
Best when made the day before.
Hint: serve with a drizzle of hot fudge sauce on top. Shown here made in a 9 X 9 springform pan.
This recipe and more like it can be found at www.emealsforyou.com.
Add comment May 22, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Miniature Desserts
(From The Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
This is one of those post you read if : you like looking at the food photos in magazines, you are looking for some dessert ideas for graduation or you are a food nutcase, like me, who likes to cook and a little more work doesn’t faze you. Making one dessert from scratch is crazy; making several desserts is just beyond that.
The top tray is made up of miniature carrot cakes, flourless chocolate cakes, pine nut baklava, lemon tarts, cannolis and swan profiteroles. All of these recipe can be found on emealsforyou.com. I make the basic recipes, only in miniature. The purpose is to allow for a special presentation and give the guests many dessert options, you can never have too many dessert options. The swans, by the way, are profiteroles with the top 1/3rd cut off and then cut into halves for the wings, with the neck and head made by drizzling an “S” of batter onto the cookie sheet.
The bottom tray is miniature cannolis, I buy them at the market and cream puffs and eclairs. Again, all of these recipes are available on the website. Just make the desserts miniature.
When I make these desserts my wife says I am nuts, then she enjoys them with everyone else. Take the extra time and effort and get a huge WOW! when you bring in the trays. As a fun aside, watch people ignore the swans as they don’t want to eat anything that looks that delicate.
Cannoli
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Party Dessert Tray (Theme Meal Plans) |
| 1 | box | cannoli shells -mini |
| 5 | Tb | sugar, powdered |
| 1 | cup | mascarpone cheese |
| 0.125 | tsp | cinnamon. ground |
| 2 | Tb | chocolate, chips |
| 1 | Tb | cream, half and half |
Have all ingredients at room temperature. Reserve 1 Tb of the powered sugar. Combine the remaining sugar, mascarpone cheese and cinnamon in a bowl. Mix thoroughly, add the chocolate chips and mix. Add just enough of the half and half to make a peanut butter consistency. Using a pastry bag fill the cannoli shells from each end. Sprinkle with the reserved powdered sugar.
2 comments May 4, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Carrot Cake
(From The Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
It’s been one of those weeks around here. Our son, the Broadway sound designer, called and asked if I could send some sticky buns and carrot cake for an Easter dinner he was having with friends in New York. This meant not only baking the stuff but figuring out how to get it to New York and have it still eatable. While this seems to be a no-brainer the logistics proved to be a bit difficult.
First there is getting the right size box, not too big, not too small, just right. Then I had to line the box in foam to keep some of the cold in. I thought I did a pretty good job of this but maybe I didn’t count on the US Postal Service giving the box the toss test. So here I am unfrosted carrot cake (three layers), two tins of sticky buns ready for the oven, cream cheese icing and of course a few small Cadbury eggs all packaged nicely. I threw in a couple of frozen shipping bags, sealed it up and off to the post office.
$70 later; the box is on its way, next day delivery. Fine, mission accomplished right? Almost! The first problem was that the frozen bags broke. The Postal authorities called to say that the package was leaking and what was in it. Then an hour later a Postal Inspector called to say they would need to open the package, for safety sake. I have to say they were very professional and I had no problem with them opening the box. Finally at around noon the box made it to Lower Manhattan and was delivered.
My son said that despite the sticky buns needing a little rearranging and one of the cake layers being crushed it all worked out fine… extra icing on the cake and the sticky buns disappeared so fast no one noticed any problem. Oh yeah! the Cadbury eggs were pretty good too.
Carrot Cake
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 12 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | You’re Something Special (Celebration Meal Plans) |
| 1.5 | cup | oil, vegetable |
| 2 | cup | sugar, white |
| 4 | large | egg |
| 2 | cup | flour, all-purpose |
| 1.5 | tsp | baking soda |
| 1.5 | tsp | baking powder |
| 2 | tsp | cinnamon. ground |
| 1 | tsp | salt, kosher |
| 3 | whole | carrots, fresh, whole |
| 1 | cup | walnuts, chopped |
| 0.5 | cup | raisins, golden |
Cream sugar, eggs and oil.
Mix in flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon and salt. Add grated carrots, nuts and raisins.
Bake in greased tube pan or (2) 9 cake pans for 40- 50 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cover with cream cheese icing. *
* The icing recipe can be found at emealsforyou.com)
Add comment April 13, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Espresso Gelato with Chocolate Shavings
(From The Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Espresso Gelato with Chocolate Shavings
I’m in a growth spurt, just like our kids experience growth spurts, except now mine are all about stretching my knowledge and abilities. I usually experience these quests for a better this or that after a period of extended “same ole, same ole.” I see something that keys my mind to investigate how to create dishes I haven’t done before. Last week I had two of these epiphanies, one with getting better at bread making and the other at understanding gelato. As I have already written about the bread thing it is time to go into the pursuit of great gelato.
First of all gelato is very rich and highly concentrated in flavor, so while the recipe below looks like it only makes a little it will be more than enough for a dinner party. For those of you who really like coffee ice cream I believe this will become your new favorite. Those around me know that I can’t just make one kind of anything so last week I made vanilla, chocolate and the above pictured espresso. I still have hazelnut to go this week; and while I stressed the mental growth spurt in this endeavor I do have to report that I did gain a few pounds getting the recipes just right.
Espresso Gelato with Chocolate Shavings
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | other (General) |
| 5 | large | egg, yolks |
| 1 | cup | sugar, white |
| 1.5 | cup | milk, whole |
| 0.5 | cup | water |
| 2 | Tb | espresso, instant, divided |
| 1 | Tb | chocolate, semi-sweet bar |
Whisk egg yolks and sugar together until light yellow. Place 1/2 of the espresso in the water in the microwave for 1 minute. Bring milk to a boil on the stove. Pour 1/3 of the milk into the egg/sugar mixture and whisk. Pour remaining milk into the egg/sugar mixture, add the espresso mixture and continue to whisk. Pour mixture back into the pan and heat over low-medium heat, stirring constantly until thick (do not boil). Sprinkle remaining espresso powder into mixture and stir. When you put a spoon into the mixture and remove it you can draw a line with your finger on the spoon. Cool the mixture in the frig. Pour into an ice cream maker and allow it to reach a custard consistency. Shave chocolate into small pieces and add to ice cream maker just before you remove the gelato. Place in a storage container and seal with a lid. Freeze in the freezer until hard.
(See more gelato recipes in the Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Add comment February 24, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Flourless Chocolate Cake
I have been remiss in my posting lately, combination of having the flu and then a family trip to NJ, but I am back now and writing. For those of you who frequent this blog you may remember my previous posts about travel to NJ. This typically means large family dinners, good conversations and even better food. This time was no exception to either.
We started with Ravioli with Vodka Sauce and after a Stuffed Pork Roast we finished with grilled 2″ thick t-bones, but that is not the story. The story is the desserts. I decided to take about 6 desserts with me on the trip. This way everyone could chose their favorite or as it turned out, favorites. With so many to choose from the four nights provided an opportunity to give a few a try. The list of “suspects” included: Carrot Cake, Profiteroles with Hot Fudge Sauce, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Croissant Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce and Cheesecake. Needless to say: many diets will begin today.
Here is the recipe for the Flourless Chocolate Cake from the Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Dana's Flourless Chocolate Cake
Dana’s Flourless Chocolate Cake
| Complexity: | Medium |
| Serves: | 10 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Happy Birthday (Celebration Meal Plans) |
| 8 | Tb | butter, salted |
| 16 | oz | chocolate, semi-sweet bits |
| 9 | large | egg, separated |
| 1 | cup | sugar, white |
| 3 | Tb | cocoa |
| 1 | recipe | chocolate ganache |
Preheat oven to 350. butter a 9” springform pan; line the bottom with buttered wax paper, dust with cocoa powder. Melt chocolate and butter together, allow to cool slightly. Separate eggs; beat yolks on medium for 1 minute, add sugar and beat until light yellow. In a separate bowl beat egg whites until just peaking. Blend cooled chocolate with egg yolks, add cocoa; fold in egg whites. Pour into pan, bake for 40-45 minutes. This is a very moist cake and an inserted knife should come out barely wet. Allow to cool for ½ hour prior too removing from pan. Pour chocolate ganache over top, leave on counter until ready to serve.
If you refrigerate this cake the ganache will lose its shine.
·Note: This is almost a soufflé; it will rise and drop, if the center caves in don’t panic. Fill with berries and pretend it was on purpose. It happens to all of us.
Add comment January 26, 2009
Time for that Summer Picnic – Really
(From the Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Country Apple Crisp
Country Apple Crisp
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 12 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Dinners for New Parents ( leave behind food to feed the viewing public) (Share-a-Meal Plans) |
| 3 | cup | flour |
| 3 | cup | sugar, white |
| 3 | lb | apples, peeled and sliced |
| 1 | Tb | cinnamon. ground |
| 0.5 | cup | walnuts, chopped |
| 3 | Tb | raisins, golden |
| 2 | cup | apple juice |
| 8 | Tb | butter, salted |
Spray bottom of 10 X 14 baking pan with PAM; mix 1/2 of the flour and 1/3 of the sugar together.
Sprinkle enough in pan to cover bottom about 1/2 “ thick. Peel apples and cut into slices, arrange evenly around pan.
Add nuts and raisins, sprinkle on cinnamon.
Mix remaining flour and 3/4 of the remaining sugar together, cover top with remaining flour/sugar mixture, add apple juice. Sprinkle top with remaining sugar. Cut butter into small pieces and dot top of crisp. Bake @ 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until the top is golden brown and crunchy.
This feeds a small army and is great for picnics.
Note: This recipe serves at least 12, if you scale the servings of this recipe you will have to use a smaller pan
1 comment January 13, 2009
Christmas Dessert Blast from the Past
Cheesecake
This is a wonderful dessert for the Holiday season. We posted this originally on the blog in July but I thought it is so easy and good we should do it again. Try it and let me know what you think. Take me to the recipe.
Add comment December 23, 2008
Recipe of the Week – Old Fashioned Raisin Pie
(From the Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Old Fashioned Raisin Pie
I got into a discussion with a friend about the cakes and pies we remembered from our long gone youth. I grew up on the East Coast and she grew up in the Midwest. This may not seem like a big deal now; when the grocery stores are full of every produce known to man, and some unknown to most of us, but not too many years ago what you had stored in your pantry is what you used. This is especially true for those who grew up on the Great Plains. So my friend, Mary, tells me she remembers one of her mom’s favorites, Raisin Pie.
Curious to see what a Raisin Pie was, I hit the Internet… type in raisin pie and get hundreds of recipes, stories and some things I can’t go into now. Anyway, I picked the one that I could see, from the recipe, would work out well and made the pie. Being an East Coaster I think the closest we have to this pie is the mincemeat pie my mom would make at Christmas.
I made the pie, froze it and sent it off with Mary to see if we could bring back some of the past to her mom. If you want to try this great dessert from Christmases past I have included the recipe below. Remember, you must wear an apron when you serve it, just for old times sake.
Old Fashioned Raisin Pie
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Other (General) |
| 2 | cup | raisins |
| 1.66 | cup | water |
| 0.33 | cup | bourbon, Jack Daniels |
| 0.5 | cup | sugar, brown |
| 2 | Tb | cornstarch |
| 0.5 | tsp | cinnamon. ground |
| 0.25 | tsp | salt, kosher |
| 1 | Tb | vinegar, cider |
| 1 | Tb | butter, salted |
| 1 | recipe | Pie Dough |
| 1 | Tb | water |
| 1 | Tb | sugar, white |
| 1 | medium | egg |
Combine raisins and bourbon in a pan, let stand for 10 minutes. Pour water in with the raisins and bring to boil slow boil for 5 minutes. Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt and stir into raisin mixture. Cook for 3 minutes more. Remove from heat, add vinegar and butter and stir. Roll dough into a pie plate, pour mixture into pie plate and cover with a top crust. Brush top with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.
1 comment December 8, 2008
Recipe of the Week – Laurie’s Cake
(From the Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Laurie's Cake
In our house traditionally the birthday person gets to pick the birthday meal and so it was with our daughter-in-law’s birthday dinner last week. This time she and our son went onto the www.emealsforyou.com website and chose the meal. She picked an Italian salad, Chicken Cacciatore and Dad’s Mashed Potatoes. For dessert she wanted something not too sweet, not too fancy and maybe made with cornmeal.
Piecing together several cornmeal type cakes I came up with this wonderfully moist, tasty and satisfying cake. Originally I named it Cornmeal Cake, kind of fit what it was, don’t you think? My wife disagreed with the name but really liked the cake; so she named it Laurie’s Cake. This is the perfect cake if you want something out of the ordinary, something really good and something that your company will want to take the leftovers home; which, by the way, is exactly what Laurie did.
Laurie’s Cake
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Laurie’s B’day Dinner (Celebration Meal Plans) |
| 1 | cup | cranberries, dried |
| 0.5 | cup | flour, all-purpose |
| 0.5 | cup | corn meal, yellow |
| 1 | tsp | baking powder |
| 1 | tsp | orange zest |
| 0.75 | cup | butter, salted |
| 1.25 | cup | sugar, white |
| 0.5 | tsp | vanilla |
| 4 | large | egg, yolks |
| 2 | large | egg |
| 0.33 | cup | orange juice |
| 1 | tsp | sugar, powdered |
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the center of the oven. Place cranberries in a small bowl and toss with 1 Tb of the flour; place aside. Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and the orange zest together. In the bowl of the mixer cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy; add the egg yolks and eggs one at a time. And beat for 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and the flour mixture slowly on low until just mixed. Add the orange juice and mix for 30 seconds. Fold in the cranberries and pour into a greased 8” cake pan. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, in the middle of the oven until brown and the cake is set in the middle when moved. ( a toothpick will come out clean when inserted).
Cool the cake on a rack; dust with powder sugar; serve at room temperature.
Add comment November 11, 2008
