Posts tagged ‘Dessert’
Recipe of the Week – Frangipane Tart
(From the Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Frangipane Tart
Our youngest son stopped in from his Super Bowl assignment in Indy as a sound assistant for the Jimmy Fallon SuperBowl Show. He had Saturday free and thought the 2 hour drive was worth a meal at home. We asked him what he wanted to eat and he picked Coq au Vin, Caesar Salad and any dessert we felt like making. We don’t get to see him that often and wanted to make this a good meal opportunity, based on his “food on the run” the last two weeks.
The Coq au Vin is a great meal as it is easy, once you get it started you just let it cook for a few hours; makes the whole house smell great. To compliment the meal I made a Pecan Pie, a request from another family member, and the Frangipane Tart. The tart is impressive to look at, easy to make and even better to eat. The poached pears surrounded by ground almonds, butter and brandy. As the Barefoot Contessa would say, “how bad can that be.”
Frangipane Tart
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Sunday at Mom’s (Share-a-Meal Plans) |
| 1 | recipe | Tart Dough |
| 8 | Tb | butter, unsalted |
| 0.5 | cup | sugar, granulated |
| 1 | large | egg |
| 1 | cup | almonds, blanched,finely ground |
| 3 | Tb | brandy |
| 1 | Tb | flour |
| 0.5 | recipe | poached pears |
Pie dough and poached pear recipes can be found in the Misc category under Recipes. Cream butter, egg and sugar in a bowl. Add ground almonds, brandy and flour and mix until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over unbaked tart shell in a 10 inch tart pan. Refrigerate while you prepare the pears.
Cut poached pears in half lengthwise, remove core and stem. Slice into 1/8th inch slices crosswise. Arrange slices on frangipane evenly. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees or until tart is lightly browned.
Brush reduced poaching liquid onto pears. Serve at room temperature.
Give this one a try the next time you want to celebrate an occasion. You might want to try the Coq au Vin and Caesar Salad from emealsforyou.com as well.
Recipe of the Week – Roasted Seckel Pears
From the Appetizer Collection at emealsforyou.com
Roasted Seckel Pears
Our old neighbors from Chicago came for the weekend to catch up on all that has happened in the past couple of years. We were joined by the other Chicago neighbors who live down here in Cincinnati now. As travel timing issues had to be taken into account; we opted for “small plates” for dinner. Pan-seared tuna in a ginger dipping sauce, steelhead trout on cucumber slices with hollandaise sauce, mushroom caps stuffed with blue cheese and a few more were rounded out with the roasted seckel pears.
These pears are smaller than the normal size pears. Usually only available in late October and November, they are the perfect size to add a fruit to our small plate offerings. Sweet pears join with a smooth, tasty goat cheese fondant to give a punch to any dinner. They may be served as an appetizer or even a dessert. Especially good with my goat cheese ice cream.
Roasted Seckel Pears with Goat Cheese
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Appetizer |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 16 | medium | seckel pears |
| 3 | oz | cheese, goat |
| 2 | Tb | honey |
| 0.5 | tsp | pepper, fresh ground |
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut pears in half, scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Place cut side down on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Place in oven for 6 -8 minutes, until the pears are tender. Remove to a serving platter, cut side up, spoon a dollop of goat cheese in the center, dust with fresh cracked black pepper and drizzle with honey.
More small plate ideas at emealsforyou.com
Recipe of the Week – The Best Chocolate Cake
From the Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com
The Best Chocolate Cake
We are off on our quarterly trip to New Jersey with a quick stopover on the Delaware Eastern shore. The menu is set for the usual family meals once we get to NJ. We are planning a mixed group of meals for the family dinners. Starting off with lobster raviolis and ending up with Chicken Piccata; with some slow roasted ribs added in.
The meal ideas are easy when compared to trying to come up with desserts that hit on everyone’s favorites. My mother-in- law is easy as she likes anything chocolate. Hot fudge sundaes, profiteroles with chocolate sauce as long as it has chocolate in it she is happy. As we make a couple of desserts each night there will be plenty of leftovers; so some consideration must be given to how well the leftovers will freeze for her to have when we are back home. The chocolate cake below is probably the best chocolate cake I have had. Moist and extra chocolaty, it fits the bill nicely and due to the size there should be plenty for her to enjoy later with her many luncheon groups.
Mary’s Special Birthday Cake
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 12 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Other (General) |
| 3 | oz | chocolate, semi-sweet bits |
| 1.5 | cup | coffee, fresh brewed |
| 3 | cup | sugar, granulated |
| 2.5 | cup | flour, all-purpose |
| 1.5 | cup | cocoa powder, unsweetened |
| 0.75 | tsp | baking powder |
| 2 | tsp | baking soda |
| 1.25 | tsp | salt, table |
| 3 | large | egg |
| 0.75 | cup | oil, vegetable |
| 1.5 | cup | buttermilk |
| 0.75 | tsp | vanilla |
| 1 | lb | chocolate, semi-sweet bits |
| 1 | cup | cream, heavy |
| 2 | Tb | sugar, granulated |
| 2 | Tb | corn syrup, light |
| 0.25 | cup | butter, unsalted |
Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease pans (two 10 inch cake pans or three 9 inch cake pans), line bottoms with rounds of parchment paper and grease paper.
Place chocolate in a bowl and combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes ) Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Remove parchment paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature. Ckae may also be frozen at this point.
Make frosting:
In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.
Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency.
Spread frosting between cake layers and over top and sides. Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring cake to room temperature to serve.
More really good desserts at emealsforyou.com.
To Foodie or Not to Foodie – A Rant and a Recipe
We are always torn when writing on this blog and more importantly when adding recipes to our website at emealsforyou.com how far down the Foodie Road we go. It has been our intention from the start to provide you with recipes and meal plans that are easy to make, use common ingredients and most important, interesting. With this in mind I sometimes think you might take a look at the title and decide the recipe is not for you.
I enjoy cooking, and thinking about cooking. We do have a rule around here that you can’t talk about the next meal while eating the current meal. Cooking is all about confidence. Confidence is about trying new recipes and having them turn out great; or sometimes making them a few times to get it right. The important thought here is to try. Don’t be put off by something new or a “fancy” name. Our readership is composed of all levels of cooks; from chefs to the newly wed preparing her or his first meal for the in-laws.
So here we go! This sounds crazy but it will take a store-bought carrot cake to a new level of dessert. Give it a try and let us know what you think.
Goat Cheese Ice Cream
Goat Cheese Ice Cream
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 12 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 2 | cups | cream, heavy |
| 0.5 | cup | milk, whole |
| 4 | large | egg, yolks |
| 0.25 | cup | sugar, granulated |
| 3 | Tb | corn syrup, light |
| 4 | oz | cheese, goat |
Bring the cream and the milk to a boil. Whisk egg yolks and sugar together and slowly add some of the hot cream into the yolks, stirring constantly. Add the yolk mixture to the cream and cook for 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly. Whisk the corn syrup and the goat cheese together and add to the cream mixture. Remove from heat and whisk until fully blended. Cool in a water bath and then process in an ice cream maker. Freeze until needed.
Note: This is very rich and should be used in conjunction with other desserts.
Shown over carrot cake.
From the Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com.
Who Says Gluten Free is Boring?
From the Dessert Category at emealsforyou.com.
New York Style Cheesecake
I was mixing the ingredients for a cheesecake to serve along with my other desserts for the holidays when it dawned on me that there was no flour in the recipe. Now I have made this cheesecake for about 20 years and never given it a thought. With my current efforts to create recipes and mealplans for those who have serious difficulties planning meals without ingredients that most of us take for granted; I have become, I hope, more cognizant of their needs. A month or so ago I highlighted a recipe of the week, Flourless Chocolate Cake and got many responses from gluten intolerant readers. It didn’t dawn on me at that time that the cheesecake was also gluten-free; maybe because it doesn’t say Flourless Cheesecake.
If this cheesecake is boring, then let me be bored.
NY Style Cheesecake
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 12 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Holiday Dinner (Celebration Meal Plans) |
| 48 | oz | cream cheese |
| 8 | large | egg |
| 4 | large | egg, whites |
| 2 | cup | sugar, white |
| 2 | tsp | vanilla |
Have everything at room temperature. Mix together until very smooth. Pour into springform pan, place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Turn off oven and let cheesecake sit ( in oven) for 1 hour. This is best if made the day before and refrigerated over night.
Add any topping you wish.
This recipe serves 12; if you scale the recipe to 8 or less bake 20 minutes less.
More Gluten-free, Diabetic Healthy and Low Sodium recipes at emealsforyou.com.
Recipe of the Week – Sticking with an Old Favorite – Carrot Cake
(From the Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Carrot Cake
We are off again this weekend for our quarterly trip to New Jersey so this week I will be making the desserts that we will freeze and take with us. I try to mix it up and make different desserts each time but somehow I always get a request for carrot cake. So along with a chocolate cake and probably some tart shells to fill with peaches cooked in brown sugar and bourbon; I was in the kitchen this morning putting together this never-fail, always appreciated cake. Just 15 minutes shredding carrots and mixing the batter in the food processor and into the oven and I have a classic dessert that freezes and travels well. I make the cream cheese icing once I get there and I am then prepared to present a great finish to the meal even after our 9 hour drive.
They say carrots are good for the eyes but I think this one is great for your stomach.
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 inch cake pans for 40- 50 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cover with cream cheese icing. *
Cream Cheese Icing
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 12 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Other (General) |
| 8 | Tb | butter, unsalted |
| 1 | lb | sugar, powdered |
| 1 | Tb | vanilla |
| 8 | oz | cream cheese |
Blend together in food processor until smooth.
Find the tart recipe and more at emealsforyou.com
Recipe of the Week – Hot Fudge Sundae
(From the Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
We are having a going away party for a couple in our neighborhood group this weekend and I am responsible for the desserts. I have over 100 dessert recipes on my website (emealsforyou.com) so finding something to make wasn’t the problem, deciding what to make was. After kicking around several ideas we hit on having an old-fashioned Ice Cream Social. We will set up a dessert station with ice cream, hot fudge sauce, caramel sauce, whipped cream and of course cherries to top it all off. The perfect finish for the neighborhood party.
This hot fudge sauce is extremely easy it make and has always elicited rave reviews. Make a double batch, it lasts forever in the frig, well almost forever depending on your families addiction to chocolate.
Hot Fudge Sauce
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Santa Fe Feast (Share-a-Meal Plans) |
| 0.5 | cup | sugar, white |
| 0.5 | cup | corn syrup, light |
| 1 | Tb | vanilla |
| 1.5 | Tb | butter, unsalted |
| 0.25 | cup | cream, heavy |
| 0.5 | cup | cocoa |
Heat sugar, syrup, vanilla, cream and butter in a heavy sauce pan until blended. Mix in cocoa and stir.
Hint: may be kept in the refrigerator for weeks. Re-heat in microwave.
Is your temperature really what you think it is? – A Helpful Rant
As frequent readers will know we moved just before the New Year. Setting up the new kitchen, getting things where I want them, getting a “good flow” of movement has been a building process. Sometimes it’s the little things we miss.
This weekend I was responsible for the desserts at a neighborhood picnic. I settled on Croissant Bread Pudding and Hazelnut Toffee Cheesecake, as both are great and serve a ton of people. Baking the desserts seemed to take longer than it should have. I should have looked into the reason why but rushed through and they came out great, although taking longer and requiring me to constantly check on them.
I should have remembered installing a new oven for my mother-in-law a few years ago. Visiting months after the install she said her recipes were taking a longer time to bake. I cooked some David Lee Shrimp ((From the Appetizer Collection at emealsforyou.com) and they seemed to take forever to bake. Pulling an oven temperature gauge from her closet I found her oven to be off by about 25 degrees. The fix was an easy one, the manual instructed me to push these buttons in sequence then that button to raise the temp and it is fixed.
Back to my problem. When the light bulb in my brain went off I simply checked the real oven temp, hence the picture of the gauge above, and found my oven was off by 10 percent. That means that my desserts, requiring 350 degrees, were baking away at only 315 degrees. The bottom line is for a few bucks you can check your oven and perhaps save time when baking or at least have piece of mind that what you set your temp to is actually the temperature in the oven.
Here’s the Hazelnut Toffee Cheesecake recipe.
Hazelnut Toffee Cheesecake
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 12 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 0.5 | cup | sugar, brown |
| 1.5 | cup | hazelnuts, ground |
| 2 | oz | bourbon, Jack Daniels |
| 8 | Tb | butter, salted |
| 8 | large | egg |
| 4 | large | egg, whites |
| 2 | cup | sugar, white |
| 2 | tsp | vanilla |
| 48 | oz | cream cheese |
| 2 | cup | heathbar bits |
Have everything at room temperature. Combine brown sugar, bourbon, nuts and butter, spread evenly on bottom of spring- form pan. In a food processor mix everything except the toffee together until very smooth. Stir in toffee. Pour into spring form pan, place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Turn off oven and let cheesecake sit ( in oven) for 1 hour.
This is best if made the day before and refrigerated over night.
This recipe serves at least 12.
Recipe of the Week – Pine Nut Baklava
(From The Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Pine Nut Baklava
I know this is weird for those of you who look upon cooking as a chore but every once in a while I get the urge to put together a full dinner party. This differs from most of the meals I prepare in that I make several different complete courses. My wife thinks I usually overdo it but then again she likes the food I serve so the complaints are muted.
A group of the neighbors have been getting together to let our dogs run and enjoy some wine and conversation. As we did or rather Debbie did the picnic thing for Memorial Day (see Best Ribs Ever) I thought it was time to do the full blown dinner party thing. Here is the menu for those who want to know what I will be serving along with the Baklava recipe. It may not seem like it, but I picked these recipes as they are both easy, can be made before the guests arrive and won’t destroy the budget. Here is the recipe for the Baklava which will be part of one of the desserts. Yes I did say part ; so if you are like my wife… right about now you too are thinking I may be a little over the top with this dinner.
A quick note on Meal Planning. Notice that I have the menu pretty much set, the recipes printed and the shopping list printed a full two weeks out from the event. This will allow me to find what I need and also watch for sales on the ingredients; saving money and relieving stress.
Neighborhood Saturday Night Dinner
Drinks
Martinis and Wine
Appetizers
Baked Garlic
TJ’s Special Dipping Sauce
Salad
Warmed goat cheese medallion served on Mixed Greens with French Vinaigrette
Main Course
Bistro Chicken
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
Haricot Vert
Bread
French Rolls
Dessert
Deconstructed Hazelnut Cheesecake
Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese Fondant and Pine Nut Baklava
Pine Nut Baklava
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 10 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Other (General) |
| 2 | cup | pine nuts, toasted |
| 0.5 | cup | butter, unsalted |
| 1 | cup | honey |
| 0.25 | tsp | cinnamon. ground |
| 9 | sheets | filo |
| 1 | tsp | sugar, powdered |
| 0.5 | cup | pine nuts, toasted |
| 0.5 | cup | simple syrup |
Chop the toasted pine nuts and combine with half the butter, honey, and cinnamon in a bowl. Lay 2 pieces of the filo dough on a flat surface, melt remaining butter and brush the filo with the butter, dust with powdered sugar and 2 Tb of the nut mixture. Repeat with the remaining filo, capping with the last piece of filo. Cut the filled filo to fit an oven-proof pan. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the simple syrup in a pan and reduce by half. Pour half of this on top of filo and spread evenly. Bake for 30 -40 minutes , until lightly browned. Pour remaining simply syrup over the top and allow to cool. Cut into serving pieces.
The recipes for this meal and much more can be found at emealsforyou.com
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.
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