Category Archives: Desert

Easy Pastry Shop Apple Tart

22 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by in Baking, Desert, Recipes

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Ingredients

  • For the crust:
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • For the cream filling:
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • For the top:
  • 3 apples, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds or chopped walnuts

Notes

If you want to put on a glaze, I’d use apricot jelly, but thin it out with a little water first because you’re working on a bumpy surface with those nuts.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Make the crust: Cream the butter and sugar. Stir in the vanilla. Finally, mix in the flour to make a smooth dough. Alternately, put the butter, sugar, vanilla, and flour in the food processor and pulse to crumbs. Pour them into your pan and press into place. Press into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan, giving it about a 1-inch rim. Bake 15 minute, or until lightly golden. Remove the tart shell from the oven.

While the crust bakes, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla for the cream filling until smooth. Make the topping by tossing the apple slices with the cinnamon, sugar, and nuts.

Remove the tart shell from the oven. Spread over the cream mixture. Arrange the apple slices on top, and then scatter over the nuts. Bake until the apples are tender and golden, about 40 minutes.

Swedish Christmas Cookies

22 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by in Baking, Desert, Recipes

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Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), at room temperature
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • Colored sanding sugars or chopped toasted pecans

Directions

Whisk the flour, cardamom, and salt in a bowl.

Put the butter and confectioners’ sugar in a food processor, and process until smooth. Pulse in the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest until combined. Add the flour mixture and process to make a soft buttery dough. Divide dough in half onto 2 (12-inch long) sheets of plastic wrap, using the plastic, shape into rough logs. Refrigerate the dough logs for 30 minutes until just firm enough to shape into uniform logs, 8-inches long by 2-inches in diameter. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Scatter either the sanding sugars or toasted nuts on a work surface and roll the logs until completely coated. Cut into 1/4-inch thick cookies and space about 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until golden around the edges, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool cookies on the pan on wire racks. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks

Ricotta Orange Pound Cake with Strawberries

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature, plus more to grease the baking pan
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 orange, zested
  • 2 tablespoons Amaretto
  • Powdered sugar, for dusting
  • 1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered or 3 oranges, cut into supremes

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, ricotta, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs 1 at a time. Add the vanilla, orange zest, and Amaretto until combined. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Using a mesh sieve, dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar.

Meanwhile, place the strawberries (or orange supremes) in a small bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Let sit until the juices have pooled around the strawberries.

To serve, slice the cake and serve with a spoonful of strawberries and their juices over the top of the cake.

Struffoli

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

Dough:

  • 2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 large lemon, zested (about 2 teaspoons)
  • 1/2 large orange, zested (about 2 teaspoons)
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon white wine, such as pinot grigio
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Canola oil, for frying
  • 1 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted (see Cook’s Note)
  • Vegetable oil cooking spray
  • Sugar sprinkles, for decoration
  • Powdered sugar, for dusting, optional

Directions

For the dough: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together 2 cups of flour, lemon zest, orange zest, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the eggs, wine, and vanilla. Pulse until the mixture forms into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough into 4 equal-sized pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough until 1/4-inch thick. Cut each piece of dough into 1/2-inch wide strips. Cut each strip of pastry into 1/2-inch pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a small ball about the size of a hazelnut. Lightly dredge the dough balls in flour, shaking off any excess. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don’t have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.). In batches, fry the dough until lightly golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. (The rested and quartered dough can also be rolled on a floured work surface into 1/2-inch thick logs and cut into equal-sized 1/2-inch pieces. The dough pieces can then be rolled into small balls and fried as above).

In a large saucepan, combine the honey, sugar, and lemon juice over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the fried dough and hazelnuts and stir until coated in the honey mixture. Allow the mixture to cool in the pan for 2 minutes.

Spray the outside of a small, straight-sided water glass with vegetable oil cooking spray and place in the center of a round platter. Using a large spoon or damp hands, arrange the struffoli and hazelnuts around the glass to form a wreath shape. Drizzle any remaining honey mixture over the struffoli. Allow to set for 2 hours (can be made 1 day in advance). Decorate with sprinkles and dust with powdered sugar, if using. Remove the glass from the center of the platter and serve.

Cook’s Note: To toast the hazelnuts, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven until lightly toasted, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely before using.

Malted Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

22 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by in Baking, Desert, Recipes

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Ingredients

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup golden brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (rounded) malted milk powder
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • One 12-ounce bag milk chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cream the butter, then add both sugars and cream until fluffy. Add the eggs and beat slightly, then add the vanilla and beat until combined. Add the malted milk powder and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the butter mixture, beating gently until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir in gently.

Drop by teaspoonfuls (or use a cookie scoop) on an ungreased baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between the cookies (they spread out quite a bit). Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. The cookies will be very flat and very chewy. Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan with a spatula.

Optional: Allow to cool completely, then use 2 cookies to make an ice cream sandwich. Add sprinkles to the sides of the ice cream, then wrap individually in plastic wrap.

Blackberry Cobbler

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

  • 1/2 stick butter, melted, plus more for greasing pan
  • 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 cup self-rising flour
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 cups fresh (or frozen) blackberries
  • Whipped cream and/or ice cream, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 3-quart baking dish with butter.

In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup sugar with the flour and milk. Whisk in the melted butter.
Rinse the blackberries and pat them dry. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Sprinkle the blackberries evenly over the top of the batter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the blackberries. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 1 hour. When 10 minutes of the cooking time remains, sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over the top. Top with whipped cream or ice cream . . . or both!

Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge Recipe

20 Tuesday Dec 2011

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Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole milk
4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate (squares)
4 cups sugar
3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Combine milk and chocolate in medium-size heavy saucepan; cook over low heat until chocolate is melted. Add sugar, corn syrup and salt and cook, stirring constantly, to boiling.

2. Cook, without stirring to 234 degrees F on a candy thermometer. (A teaspoonful of syrup will form a soft ball when dropped into cold water.) Remove from heat at once. Add vanilla and butter or margarine, but do not stir in.

3. Cool mixture in pan to 11 0F, or until lukewarm; beat with wooden spoon until mixture thickens and begins to lose its gloss. (This will take about 15 minutes.)

4. Spread in a buttered 8x8x2″ pan. Let stand until set and cool; cut into squares. Makes about 2 pounds.

Blackberry and Apple Pie

13 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in Desert, Dinner, Recipes

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Ingredients

•Old-Fashioned Sweet Shortcrust Pastry, recipe follows

•1/4 cup butter, plus extra for greasing
•1/3 cup raw sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
•2 large Bramley or McIntosh apples, cored, peeled and each cut into 16 wedges
•4 Cox’s, Empire or Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and each cut into 8 wedges
•1 heaping tablespoon chopped ginger, in syrup
•5 ounces blackberries
•1 large free-range or organic egg, beaten
•1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•3 1/2 cups organic all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
•1 cup icing sugar, sifted
•1 cup plus 2 tablespoons good-quality cold butter, cut into small cubes
•1 lemon, zested
•2 large free-range or organic eggs, beaten

•Splash milk
•All-purpose flour, for dusting

Directions

First, make your pastry dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and rest it in the refrigerator for at least half an hour. Then preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the butter and sugar into a saucepan and, when the butter has melted, add the apples, ginger and a tablespoon of the ginger syrup. Slowly cook for 15 minutes with a lid on, then add the blackberries, stir and cook for 5 more minutes with the lid off.

Meanwhile, remove your pastry from the refrigerator. Dust your work surface with flour, cut the pastry in half and, using a floured rolling pin, roll 1 of the pieces out until it’s just under 1/2-inch thick or looks as if it will cover a shallow 10-inch pie dish. (Rolling the dough between 2 layers of waxed paper will also stop it sticking to your rolling pin.) Butter the shallow 10-inch pie dish and line with the pastry, trimming off any excess around the edges using a sharp knife.

Tip the cooled apples and blackberries into a sieve, reserving all the juices, then put the fruit into the lined pie dish so you have a mound in the middle. Spoon over half the reserved juices, (if desired use all the juice). Brush the edge of the pastry with beaten egg. Roll out the second piece of pastry, just as you did the first, and lay it over the top of the pie. Trim the edges as before and crimp them together with your fingers. Brush the top of the pie with the rest of the beaten egg, sprinkle generously with sugar and the cinnamon, and make a couple of slashes in the top of the pastry.

Place the pie on a baking tray and then put it directly on the bottom of the preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. To serve, slice the pie into portions and serve with a generous dollop of custard.

Old-Fashioned Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

Sift the flour from a height onto a clean work surface and sift the icing sugar over the top.

Using your hands, work the cubes of butter into the flour and sugar by rubbing your thumbs against your fingers until you end up with a fine, crumbly mixture. This is the point where you can spike the mixture with interesting flavors, so mix in your lemon zest.

Add the eggs and milk to the mixture and gently work it together until you have a ball of dough. Flour it lightly. Don’t work the pastry too much at this stage or it will become elastic and chewy, not crumbly and short. Flour your work surface and place the dough on top. Pat it into a flat round, flour it lightly, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it into the refrigerator to rest for at least half an hour.

Lemon Tiramisu

13 Tuesday Dec 2011

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INGREDIENTS

5 egg whites
5 tablespoons/71 g sugar, plus extra if desired
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cups/470 ml whipping cream
1 cup/235 ml limoncello liqueur (lemon-flavored), plus an extra splash
Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon, plus more for sprinkling
1 cup/235 ml water
40 Italian ‘Savoiardi’ lady finger cookies
Lemon-infused white chocolate, chopped, for topping


DIRECTIONS

In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites, sugar, and lemon juice together until you achieve white fluffy peaks. 

In a separate bowl, whisk the whipping cream until fluffy. Fold in the egg white mixture, a splash of limoncello, the lemon zest and carefully fold into the whipping cream. 

In another bowl, combine 1 cup limoncello with water. Add more water (to dilute the limoncello) and sugar, if desired. 

Lightly dip both sides of each lady finger cookie in the limoncello mixture. The exterior of the cookie should be wet while the interior should remain somewhat dry. Arrange the dipped cookies in one tightly packed layer on the bottom of a cake pan. Spread 1/2 of the cream mixture evenly over the cookies, making sure the cookies are completely covered. Add a second layer of dipped lady fingers, and then evenly spread the remaining cream mixture on top. Sprinkle the top with lemon zest and lemon-infused white chocolate. 

Unlike the traditional tiramisu, this version can be served immediately.

Pie Crust

12 Monday Dec 2011

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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup cake flour

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon white sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 5 tablespoons shortening

  • 1 egg yolk

  • 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

  • 3 cubes ice

  • 1/2 cup cold water

Directions

1.     Measure butter & shortening onto a plate, put into freezer for about 20 minutes.

2.     Measure cake flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds to mix.

3.     Take 1/2 of the cold butter and 1/2 of the cold shortening, put into processor with dry ingredients and pulse off and on for about 1 minute. Scrape down twice while doing this.

4.     Take remainder of the cold butter & cold shortening and cut in very briefly with the processor, leaving visible pea-sized chunks. Do not over process at this stage!

5.     In a measuring cup, mix egg yolk and vinegar together, add ice cubes and water. Let this get chilled, about 3 to 4 minutes.

6.     Remove mixed flours and shortening from processor, put into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle approximately 4 to 5 tablespoons of this egg, water, vinegar mixture, a little at a time, mixing gently with a fork. The key to this is, you do not want a wet dough, and you do not want to overmix.

7.     Place this dough into plastic wrap or plastic bag, chill in refrigerator for a few minutes. (May also be frozen for a few weeks at this stage for future use).

8.     Remove from refrigerator and roll out. This makes absolutely the BEST pie crusts. I have won County Fair competitions with this pie crust. Double for making a 2-crust pie.