puddin' family

olive likes to say, "we are a puddin' family." I agree. This is the most recent variation on pudding that I've made. it's very dense, more like a pot de crème. Ivy could only eat one spoonful at a time. Making with the Ghirardelli Bittersweet chocolate chips was a bit too rich, will try semisweet chips next time. You could also leave out the 2 tbsp flour and make it gluten free. the egg mixture was thick enough without the flour.

PUDDIN' FAMILY POT DE CRÈME

INGREDIENTS
(makes 8 chocolate pots)

3 large eggs, separated into yolks and whites
3/4 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
Pinch of fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, Greek yogurt, brown sugar, flour, and sea salt. Place over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until the mixture has thickened slightly.
2. Remove saucepan from heat and allow to cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the chocolate chips and stir until they melt into the egg yolk mixture. Set aside to cool.
3. In a standing mixer, whip egg whites to stiff peaks. Slowly drizzle in melted chocolate mixture, folding carefully as to not deflate the egg whites. Fold until homogenous.
4. Pour mousse into 8 small ramekins, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours (up to 5 days) before serving! Optional toppings: whipped cream

Christmas Candies: Salted Whiskey Caramels, Seafoam & Salted Honey Chocolate Bark

bourbon caramels & seafoam candy

salted honey & chocolate bark

SALTED BOURBON CARAMELS (from Bon Appetit)

INGREDIENTS
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons bourbon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

INSTRUCTIONS
Lightly coat an 8x8” baking pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2” overhang on 2 sides; spray parchment.

Bring sugar, corn syrup, and ¼ cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture turns a deep amber color, 8–10 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and whisk in sweetened condensed milk and butter (mixture will bubble vigorously) until smooth. Fit pan with thermometer and return to medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until thermometer registers 240°.
Remove from heat and whisk in bourbon and kosher salt. Pour into prepared pan; let cool. Sprinkle caramel with sea salt, cut into ¾” pieces, and wrap individually in parchment paper.

DO AHEAD: Caramels can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store wrapped tightly in plastic in airtight container at room temperature.


SEAFOAM

INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
1 Cup Dark Corn Syrup

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine sugar, corn syrup and vinegar over medium heat, stirring until sugar melts.
2. Cook without stirring until very brittle . Remove from heat.
3. Stir baking soda in completely and quickly.
4. Pour onto well greased large pan (cookie sheet) when hard, break into pieces and coat with chocolate or other coating.


SALTED HONEY & CHOCOLATE BARK (Recipe from Bon Appetit)

INGREDIENTS
12 oz. saltine or Ritz crackers
1 cup sugar
½ cup honey
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted
½ cup dried tart cherries or sweetened dried cranberries
2 tablespoons coffee beans, crushed
¼ cup roasted hazelnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons roasted cacao nibs
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°. Using your hands, coarsely crumble crackers onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Toast in oven until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack and let crackers cool.

Meanwhile, heat sugar, honey, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted. Fit saucepan with thermometer and cook, whisking frequently, until thermometer registers 300°, 8–10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda (mixture will bubble vigorously). Quickly pour mixture over crackers, spreading to coat evenly. Let cool completely.

Drizzle chocolate over cooled crackers; immediately top with cherries, coffee beans, hazelnuts, and cacao nibs and sprinkle with salt. Chill until chocolate is hardened, at least 10 minutes. Break bark into pieces.

DO AHEAD: Bark can be made 3 days ahead. Wrap tightly and keep chilled.

love, love me 'due

on valentine's day Dan and I made a chocolate pecan pie for dessert, and decided to put the fondue and fondue fixings on hold.  too much chocolate and too much richness for one day.

instead we made the fondue this past Monday.  not too shabby for a monday, if you ask me.  we ate it with bananas, strawberries, amaretto injected strawberries, walnuts and an apple. sounds like a lot, but once you start dipping you just get curious about flavor combinations. let the dipping begin! 


Chocolate Fondue
1 pound of  semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, well chopped or chips
1 1/2 cups of organic heavy cream


For dipping (really, anything is delicious dipped in chocolate goodness):
strawberries
bananas
marshmallows
graham crackers
apples
nuts
cake?


Set aside the chocolate. Pour the cream into a medium, thick-bottomed saucepan (or double boiler if you have one) over low heat. Bring the cream to a simmer and add the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted.


Transfer the chocolate to a fondue pot and enjoy.

alligator pudding

this is not literally a pudding made of alligators, it is a pudding made of chocolate for an alligator. this little pudding treat was made for Allison on her bday day. she deserved a special, and gluten-free, treat on this day. Luckily this pudding was sturdy enough to hold a candle in order for us to sing the birthday song and for her to make a happy birthday wish. 

I had a little trouble getting the pudding to set, as I cooked it in a double boiler.  If I were to do it again, I would do it as detailed below sans double boiler, just straight-up in a non-stick pot.  If the idea of milk directly atop a burner scares you, no matter, just remember to stir religiously with a whisk or rubber spatula so that the milk doesn't burn. 

also, i'd really like to make a shout out (yeah that's right, a shout out), to Jean and Leslie who really outdid themselves this year with a whole-body alligator cupcake cake made especially for Allison.  very impressed. that is some crafty baking and cake decorating, if I've ever seen it. the alligator now lives on as our house pet. until we eat it all.  

jean posing in front of Allison's bday alligator.

the finished pudding product.

Chocolate Pudding

Serves 6
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole milk
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, or a bar coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


Combine the cornstarch, sugar and salt in a non-stick saucepan. Slowly whisk in the milk, scraping the bottom and sides with a heatproof spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients. Place over gently simmering water and stir occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides. Use a whisk as necessary should lumps begin to form. After 15 to 20 minutes, when the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon, add the chocolate. Continue stirring for about 2 to 4 minutes, or until the pudding is smooth and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.


Pour into dishes or a large serving bowl, and cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.

1/2 oatmeal, 1/2 everything else cookies

these healthy little morsels come via the January 1978 issue of Home Cooking. They are healthier than your average cookie because they include no butter or flour.  But then I added chocolate to make them more satisfying.  This might cancel out the healthy, but it doesn't cancel out the delicious. 

dry ingredients.

teaspoonfuls.

 kicking back with my recipe book and a warm cookie.

ULTIMATE OATMEAL COOKIES
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup nonfat powdered milk
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips, chopped
1/2 cup dried fruit or nuts, chopped (apricots or raisins)
1/2 cup coconut
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Beat eggs and mix wet ingredients in a seeparate bowl. Slowly pour wet ingredients into dry while mixing.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake at 300 for 20 minutes.

banana & chocolate chip bundt

BANANA & CHOCOLATE CHIP BUNDT
2 1/4 c. flour
1 2/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves or nutmeg
2/3 c. skim milk
1/2 c. vanilla or plain nonfat yogurt
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 c. mashed ripe bananas (about 4 bananas, depending on size)
2/3 c. chopped nuts or chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bundt pan. Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl and blend 1/2 minutes on low speed, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes on high and pour into pan. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

classic babycakes

B-day treats for Erin: babycakes with yellow cake and chocolate frosting.

 mmm chocolate.

naked babycakes.

rolled in sprinkles.

all dressed up and ready to go.

CHOCOLATE SOUR CREAM FROSTING


This recipe is adapted from The Dessert Bible

Makes 5 cups of frosting, or enough to frost about 90 babycakes (srsly.)
15 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 1/4 cups sour cream, at room temperature
1/4 to 1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the chocolate in the top of a double-boiler. Stir until the chocolate is melted. You can also melt it in the microwave, just check every 30 seconds to prevent burning. Remove from heat and let chocolate cool until tepid.

Whisk together the sour cream (room temperature), 1/4 cup of the corn syrup and vanilla extract until combined. Add the tepid chocolate slowly and stir quickly until the mixture is uniform. Taste for sweetness, and add 1 tablespoon at a time, until it’s sweetened to your liking.

Let cool in the refrigerator until the frosting is a spreadable consistency. This should not take more than 30 minutes. Should the frosting become too thick or stiff, just leave it out until it softens again.

Serve it with a yellow cake.  It's a classic!

quite possibly the moistest cake ever

I LOVE yellow cake coupled with bittersweet sour cream frosting. The combination makes for one tasty dessert treat.

I tried a new frosting recipe for the latest cake bake. They say “everything’s better with butter”, this frosting is the exception to the rule. For one, there’s no softening or waiting for ingredients to reach room temperature, there’s no weird texture issues with the butter, and incorporating warm chocolate with the other frosting ingredients was no problem. The mixture stayed very fluffy and smooth, all the way from mixing and chilling to the actual frosting of the layers. One other word to the wise, using corn syrup also means that you can easily sweeten the frosting to your liking, without changing the consistency.

Now for the cake layers, Mr. Bittman knows how to cook everything. (can you imagine what that would be like???) Well, since I do not know how to cook everything, I look to him for wise words of cooking advice and his broad recipe knowledge.

His recipe for golden layer cake looks slammin (and not just because it includes almond extract), but because it's pretty much just sugar, flour, eggs and butter. I own all of those things. Every baker should be able to knock this one out, no problem.

GOLDEN LAYER CAKE

(courtesy of How to Cook Everything)

1 and 1/4 sticks butter, softened
2 cups cake or all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs or 8 yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract OR 1 tablespoon grated or minced orange zest
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk

For cakes, preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9-inch cakes pans.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth, then gradually add the sugar. Beat until light, 3 or 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs or the yolks (I used eggs) one at a time, then the vanilla or orange zest, and the almond extract.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and add to the egg mixture a bit at a time, stirring in milk as needed. Stir until just smooth.

Fill the cupcake papers, each with about 2 large spoonfuls of batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a rack. Frost and serve without the paper.


CHOCOLATE SOUR CREAM FROSTING
This recipe is adapted from The Dessert Bible

Makes 5 cups of frosting, or enough to frost and fill a three layer 8 or 9-inch cake

15 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 1/4 cups sour cream, at room temperature
1/4 to 1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the chocolate in the top of a double-boiler. Stir until the chocolate is melted. You can also melt it in the microwave, just check every 30 seconds to prevent burning. Remove from heat and let chocolate cool until tepid.

Whisk together the sour cream (room temperature!), 1/4 cup of the corn syrup and vanilla extract until combined. Add the tepid chocolate slowly and stir quickly until the mixture is uniform. Taste for sweetness, and add 1 tablespoon at a time, until it’s sweetened to your liking.

Let cool in the refrigerator until the frosting is a spreadable consistency. This should not take more than 30 minutes. Should the frosting become too thick or stiff, just leave it out until it softens again.