Posts Tagged ‘dessert’

Here Today, Ganache Tomorrow

Friday, April 17th, 2009

The weekend is coming. It’s time to relax and spend time outside enjoying the newly arrived warm weather. Or not. If your to-do list is anything like the one on my desk, Saturday is probably more of an overflow bin for tasks remaining from the week than it is a day to relax.  I wonder if my wireless will reach the back deck.

Even if your schedule is packed, take some time to slow down this weekend. And while you’re at it, enjoy this fabulous ganache recipe. It only takes a few minutes to prepare and is the perfect topping for cheesecake or the first dish of summer ice cream.

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Chocolate Ganache

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

2 tbl butter

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Combine whipping cream and butter in a heavy saucepan. Heat until mixture just begins to bubble around the edges. Do not boil the mixture! Pour over chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl. Stir until chocolate chips are melted and ganache is smooth. Drizzle over cheesecake or ice-cream. Ganache may be stored in the fridge and reheated for up to two days.

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The Great Chocolate Nightmare

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

Thanks to Mom’s culinary endeavors, our pantry is generally stocked to overflowing with nutritious and yet gourmet foods that please everyone from the youngest to the oldest. They’re designed to stretch our pallates while soothing us with a sense of the familiar. Or not.

Do we love great food? Oh yes. But we’re not that weird. Five nights out of seven, most of us would just as soon eat a grilled cheese sandwich as the gourmet meals that Mom prepares. Complete with the fake Kraft cheese. And non-organic ketchup. However, we do fully appreciate Mom’s efforts in the kitchen.

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However, sometimes even the best cooks try recipes that really do go awry. One perfect example is presented by what we fondly refer to as “The Chocolate Nightmare Cake”. Her intentions were noble. It was the middle of summer, the sun was beating down, the thermometer was soaring, and bored family members aimlessly wandered the path between the garage and the living room. So Mom decided to make a sumptuous chocolate cake. This wasn’t just a plain sheet cake, either. It was the real deal.

She enhanced two white boxed cakes and created four layers of vanilla richness. Then she created a sinfully delicious milk-chocolate frosting. Emphasis on the milk. It was nothing short of fabulous. The only hitch was that, by the time she was done thickening the frosting with powdered sugar, there was about 3 gallons of the stuff. (Or should I measure that in pounds?) There was a lot. Way too much.

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Ignoring that issue for the moment, Mom turned to the task at hand: applying the frosting to the cake. Have I mentioned that the kitchen was hot? The first layer went on as expected. Mom set the second cake layer on and began to frost the top. And then things started to slide downhill. Literally. The second layer started to slide off towards its impending doom.

The gravity of the situation began to dawn upon us. The frosting was melting before our eyes. Mom shoved the bowl into the fridge to chill. A few minutes later, the frosting looked stable. So Mom pulled it out and began to frost the sides. This time she moved fast. And the frosting moved faster. Drip. Drip.

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And suddenly, her magnificent tower of chocolate began to look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Finally, every inch of the cake was covered in (rapidly liquifying) chocolate frosting. Mom pushed the cake into the fridge, slammed the door shut and reassessed the situation. What were we going to do with the massive amount of extra (melting) chocolate?

What are neighbors for? Mom whipped up another cake mix and slathered excess frosting on it. Then we bore it down the street and delivered with a stern warning: “This is  . . . um . . .  melting. You should probably put it in the fridge. Soon.”

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Don’t get me wrong – the cake tasted great. And I’d love to provide you with a recipe so that you could recreate The Chocolate Nightmare for your home. Unfortunately, in the rush of rescuing the cake, Mom neglected to write the recipe down. Sadly, that recipe has disappeared from history forever.

The End.

~Emily

Emily Adams is the oldest daughter of Kathy Adams and a 2007 graduate of  Belhaven College. She is a freelance writer and firmly belives that reality is funnier than fiction.

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Burning Daylight

Sunday, January 4th, 2009

It feels like I haven’t blogged in ages. The time saved not blogging has allowed me to spend time in other areas:

  • Catch up on reading
  • Play board games with my children
  • Organize my pantry
  • Keep up with the wash
  • Sew 

In all honesty, I probably could have accomplished the above and blogged. However, I really couldn’t think of anything worthy of penning. So, I thought maybe it was appropriate to use the “time crunch” excuse to  say good-bye to Bona Vita.

But, then I would miss my blogging friends.  And I know Emily would miss our mother-daughter “bonding” moments over photo editing in the wee hours of the morning. . .

So, I began to think about all that I could  share here today.

I would love to tell you about my daughter’s and son’s road trip to Florida this weekend.  I could spend several paragraphs explaining the car trouble they encountered in Nashville.  The bottom-line is God sent them an angel in a not-so-angelic package. This rough and tumble good Samaritan went above and beyond the call of duty to help them alleviate their auto problems (all on New Year’s Day). They were back on the road in record time. This was accomplished with out him expecting anything in return. Maybe I will elaborate on this story in another post.

I might spend some time writing about the Basic Instructor Workshop for Cued Speech that my kids are attending in Tampa (thus the road trip) this weekend. But, I think I will save that for another time, as well.

I could just wax eloquently about Cued Speech.  I might define it for you and discuss it’s history and uses. I could tell you what a huge blessing it’s been to our son as he works on language acquisition.  But then I would be led to talk about cochlear implants . . . I would get quite excited as I think about the possibility of our son receiving his second implant allowing him to have binaural hearing.  I am not ready to go into this yet.

I could visit the subject of ice fishing. I don’t know much about this topic. I have become more aware of this sport lately.  Our view of the pond on the 18th fairway has been transformed into a view of sportsmen precariously engaged in, what I consider, another “extreme” sport.   The whole thing makes me nervous. . . Will they fall through the ice?  How can we help them?  Will they want our help? Should we throw them a rope? For now, I watch as they haul in another fish. How many 4 inch fish would one need to provide dinner for a family of 11? I think I have exhausted this topic.

So, instead, I will share a terrific recipe for a coffee cake that I have been serving my family for years.  The recipe originated in the Better Home and Garden Cookbook. Of course I didn’t leave it alone. I have been tweaking it routinely.

 

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Coffee Cake

3 cups flour

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 tblsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup milk

1/2 oil

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Preheat the oven to 375°. Butter a 9 x 13  baking dish.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Stir the milk, eggs and oil together and add to the flour mixture. Mix well. At this point, you can add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips or nuts if you desire. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the mixture. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 – 35 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of the cake should come out clean.

Topping

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

3 tsp. ground cinnamon

4 tblsp. butter

Combine utilizing a pastry cutter until uniform and crumbly.

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After you remove the cake from the oven drizzle sparingly with a thin powdered sugar icing.

Powdered Sugar Icing

1 Cup sifted powdered sugar

2 – 4 tblsp milk

1/2 tsp. flavoring ( vanilla, almond or orange)

Combine powdered sugar, flavoring and enough milk to form the desired consistency.

 Serve warm. This warm, fragrant cake always makes hearts happy.

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” – Psalm 100: 4-5

 

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Boxed Blessings

Wednesday, December 31st, 2008

Yes, I enjoy cooking and baking with recipes and ideas from Gourmet, Bon Appetit, and interesting cookbooks. However, a few of my favorite recipes are derived from the packaging of common grocery items.

For instance, I love using a recipe that I call Roasted Seasoned Potatoes. I have served this side dish to small and large crowds alike for years. It is a favorite with both children and adults. Aside from chopping millions of potatoes into bite-size pieces, it is quite easy to make.  I stumbled upon this recipe on the back of a Lipton’s Onion Recipe Soup and Dip Mix years ago.

Another box-top favorite of mine is One-Bowl Brownies.  I discovered this recipe on the back of Baker’s Unsweetened Baking Chocolate Squares. I have customized it with various toppings over the years, but the integrity of the original recipe remains the same. This is an easy dessert to prepare and receives rave reviews.

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Baker’s One Bowl Brownies (with my twists)

4 squares Baker’s unsweetened baking chocolate

1 1/2 sticks butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1/2  cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350°.  Line a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with foil and butter the foil. Make certain that the ends of the foil extend over the sides of the dish.

Place the chocolate and the butter into a microwavable bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes or until the butter is melted.  Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Add the sugar. Blend in the eggs, milk and vanilla.  Mix in the flour. Spread the brownies into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes. Do not overbake. A toothpick inserted into the middle should have fudgy crumbs on it.  Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Remove the brownies from the pan utilizing the foil “handles”.  Cut into squares.

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Toppings: 

  • Immediately after removing the brownies from the oven, sprinkle chocolate chips over the hot brownies and spread them with a spatula as the chips melt.
  • Sift powdered sugar over the hot brownies
  • Serve topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate drizzles, and strawberries

 ”A hundred times a day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depends on the labor of other [people], living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving. I am strongly drawn to the simple life and am often oppressed by the feeling that I am engrossing an unnecessary amount of the labor of my fellow [people].”   – Albert Einstein

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Visions of Sugar-Plums

Monday, December 22nd, 2008

I have loved peeking into so many of my blogger friends’ homes this Christmas season. I am always  amazed at the elegant, creative motifs at this time of year. I have tucked away terrific new ideas hoping I might recreate these lovely embellishments in our own house . . . one year in the future. In the mean time, I am enjoying our Christmas decorations and the lovely spirit that permeates our home and hearts .

Our Christmas motif doesn’t have a theme, it certainly doesn’t carry a professional look, but it’s cozy and warm, filled with my children’s special touches. In the spirit of Christmas, we spent Sunday baking. Here is our favorite sugar cookie recipe. The almond extract adds a nice touch.

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Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter ( 2 cubes), softened

2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 tsp almond extract

1 tsp lemon juice

5 cups flour

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Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 45 seconds. Combine sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the sugar mixture to the butter and mix until combined. Add the sour cream, almond extract, and lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Beat in the eggs.  Now add the flour, one cup at a time and beat until blended into the mixture. You may have to mix the last cup or  2 of flour in by hand utilizing  a wooden spoon as the mixture will become very stiff. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Cover and chill for at  least 2 hours.

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Working with 1 piece at a time, roll out the dough on a well floured surface to 1/4 – 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheets and bake in a 375° oven for 7 – 9 minutes. Do not over bake. The cookies should just start to turn golden on the edges.

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Decorate with your favorite frosting and embellishments.

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“Christmas was close at hand, in all his bluff and hearty honesty; it was the season of hospitality, merriment, and open-heartedness; the old year was preparing, like an ancient philosopher, to call his friends around him, and amidst the sound of feasting and revelry to pass gently and calmly away.” -Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers

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It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

Don’t forget “Photographic Friday”. The theme is “Celebrating Christmas”. Share your photos that depict the sights and sounds of this holiday season . Remember, the simple and the ordinary are full of beauty if gazed upon from the correct angle.

Today I would like to share a recipe for an absolutely delicious peppermint cake. My daughters and I were immediately drawn to the December 2008 cover of Bon Appetit. It sported a luscious Devil’s Food Cake with Peppermint Frosting. As we are not fond of Devil’s Food Cake, we came up with our own version featuring a lovely white cake with peppermint flavoring. Our recipe  utilized the frosting and filling featured in the Bon Appetit recipe with a few minor adjustments.

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Peppermint Triple Layer Cake

3  9-inch cake pans, generously greased with solid shortening and lightly dusted with flour (you may utilize a cake release product instead)

1 plain white cake mix

1 cup whole milk

8 tablespoons melted butter

4 eggs

1 tsp peppermint extract

Combine the cake mix, milk, butter and peppermint extract in a  mixing bowl and blend for about 30 seconds. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after every addition. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes scraping bowl about every 30 seconds.

Divide the batter between the 3 pans. Weigh your batter in the pans to ensure even baking. You can utilize just 2 pans. You will have to adjust your baking time. I would suggest when utilizing 2 pans, split the layers so that you have 4 thin layers to stack.

Bake the 3 layers for 17 – 19 minutes at 350°. Be careful to not over bake your cake layers.

Cool the layers on a rack for 10 minutes in the pans. Then turn the layers out onto the racks and cool completely before frosting.

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White Chocolate Cream

12 ounces high-quality white chocolate, finely chopped

3 cups chilled heavy whipping cream, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons pure peppermint extract

Bring 1 cup of the cream to simmer in a heavy sauce pan. Place the chocolate in a large heat proof bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand 1 minute and whisk until smooth. Whisk in extract. Cover and chill until the sauce thickens. This thickening process takes at least one hour so plan accordingly. Add the remaining 2 cups of cream to the white chocolate cream and beat on high in a mixer until peaks form. Be careful – it is easy to over beat the cream at this point and this can destroy the integrity of the sauce. Cover and chill.

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Peppermint Frosting

5 cups sugar

1 cup water

6 egg whites (I utilize  meringue powder as I have a “thing” about raw eggs in any form)

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 cup crushed peppermint candy

Combine sugar, water, egg whites, and corn syrup in large bowl of heavy-duty stand mixer.  Whisk by hand to blend well. Set the bowl over a sauce pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly with hand whisk until mixture resembles marshmallow creme, about 9 minutes. Whisk in extract.  Attach bowl to mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until the mixture is barely warm to the touch and very thick, about 8 minutes. Fold in the peppermint candy.

Place a layer on a cake plate. After dusting off crumbs divide the white cream and spread on the layer. Top with the second layer and repeat with the white cream and then top with the third layer. Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with extra crushed peppermint candy and sugar crystals.

“. . . for it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself.” – Charles Dickens

 

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Kissed By The Sun

Monday, August 25th, 2008

Lime juice, limeade, key-lime pie, lemon-meringue pie, lemonade, lemon cookies, orange slushies, lime marinades, tangerine sauces – summer tables are brimming with delicious dishes and fresh citrus fruits.  You certainly can enjoy citrus fruits all year long. However, there is something delightfully refreshing about their taste and fragrance that particularly lends citrus fruits to summer menus.

I recently made lime cupcakes that were just the right ending to a very spicy and flavorful salmon dinner.  The cupcakes were light, brightly flavored and not too sweet. I was inspired by a Bon Appetit recipe from the September 2008 issue. I utilized the frosting recipe with only a few minor changes. I eliminated the lime zest as I was serving the cupcakes to adults and children and I have found that children do not usually prefer visible zest in their frosting. I sprinkled large, beautiful sugar crystals over the top of each cupcake, giving them a more festive air.

Lime Cupcakes

1 White cake mix

1 cup of water

1 5.9 ounce package lime flavored gelatin

1/2 cup (1cube) melted butter

4 large whole eggs

1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring

Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl combine the cake mix, water, gelatin butter and almond flavoring. Add the eggs one at a time mixing on medium high after each addition. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes scraping the bowl occasionally. Fill the liners about 3/4 full for large cupcakes and 2/3 full for petite cupcakes. If you are making large cupcakes you will only have enough batter for about 18 cupcakes.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 18 minutes or until the top springs back when gently pressed down. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Lime Frosting

2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened

2 sticks ( 1 cup) butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons lime juice

Large sugar crystals for garnish (India Tree makes lovely sugars)

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl and blend until  you achieve the correct consistency for frosting your cupcakes. You may have to add additional powdered sugar.

Remove the paper liners from the cupcakes (unless you utilize festive liners) and place the cupcakes on an attractive tray. Generously  spread the cupcakes with the frosting and sprinkle each with the sugar crystals.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”  – Galatians 5:22-23

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Say “Cheese”!

Tuesday, June 17th, 2008

Cheesecake is a rich, sumptuous dessert created from cheese (usually cream, ricotta or cottage), sugar and eggs. It is found on the menus of the best restaurants.  This scrumptious treat is certain to be a favorite when served at any event, formal or informal.

It is a serious dessert with a history. Cheesecake is thought to have been served to the athletes at the first Olympic games in 776 B.C.  So, the Greeks enjoyed it and by 1000 A.D. the Romans had broadcast it throughout Europe.  Before anyone could say ”cheese”, it  was being enjoyed in North America.  Cheesecake was here to stay.

Today, one can find hundreds of terrific recipes for cheesecake: traditional, chocolate, pumpkin praline, raspberry swirl . . . the list goes on and on.  It is such an adventure to create one of these fabulous desserts.  I enjoy every inch of it:  working with the different crusts in the spring form pan;  the mixing of the eggs, cheese and special flavors; watching it bake in the water bath; and, of course,  anticipating a beautiful cake without flaws.

Cheesecake can be time-consuming to make.  This can be a road-block to making and serving a fabulous treat.  I am going to share a recipe with you for a quick, easy and delicious version of a traditional cheesecake.  It is made in a pie pan and includes a topping so you do not have to worry about the top cracking. This recipe takes less than 20 minutes to prepare, under 1 hour to bake,  and it can be served after 2 hours of chilling.  You can customize it by serving it with additional toppings like chocolate sauce or fresh strawberries.   It is a fun recipe to prepare with your children.

Express Cheesecake

3 8 oz. packages cream cheese

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 prepared crusts

Graham Cracker Crust

3 1/2 cups finely ground graham crackers

1/3 cup finely chopped nuts, preferably almond or hazelnut

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/4 cup melted butter

Mix the crackers, nuts and cinnamon together.  Blend the butter into the mixture until it is evenly incorporated.  Press into 2 glass pie dishes.  Set aside.  You can also utilize a pre-made crust if you are pressed for time.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Cream the sugar and the cream cheese on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Now add the vanilla and the lemon juice, blending on medium-high speed until incorporated.  The mixture should be smooth and resemble pudding.  Pour the mixture into a prepared crust.  Bake for 40 minutes.  Remove the cheesecakes from the oven and  place immediately in the refrigerator to cool slightly while you prepare the topping.

Topping

2 cups sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until well blended.  Spread the topping evenly over each cheesecake and bake for 5 additional minutes.  Now, chill the cakes for at least 2 hours.  Serve these cheesecakes alone or with your favorite garnish.

“The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a new star.” –Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

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