Fresh Banana Cake

This is really really good and very easy.

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (I often use about 3.5 ripe bananas, which I think is more than 1 cup)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream (or use yogurt if you want to be virtuous)

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9" square pan.

Cream butter and sugar.  Add bananas, eggs and vanilla.  Beat well.  Add dry ingredients and mix.  Add milk and beat until well blended.  Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 45 minutes or until done.

I am pretty sure that I have baked this in small loaf pans as well.  I can't recall how long.  I guess you'll have to figure that out.

One Crust Fresh Blueberry Pie

This delicious recipe is adapted from the Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. It is easy, can be made ahead and incredibly good. Make it and enjoy the raves of friends and family. I've never served it and not gotten raves and recipe requests. To really make it easy, use pre-made Pillsbury piecrust. That said, there is no comparison to homemade crust and trust me, it is very easy to make pie crust if you have a food processor. I suppose you could even use a cookie crust or a graham cracker crust if you like.

1 Single Pie Crust (your own recipe or see the one below)

4 cups fresh blueberries. Really good ones. Big plump yummy ones.

1/2 egg white, lightly beaten (sometimes I can't be bothered to separate the yolk out, and it's still good)

1/2 cup of water plus 2 T, divided

2 T cornstarch

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

A pinch of salt

Roll out the dough and put it into a pie pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 - 24 hours. This helps the dough relax and not shrink before baking. If using prepared pie crust, follow whatever directions they give.

Preheat the oven to 425 at least 20 min before baking. Line the pie crust with parchment, pleating it as necessary for it fits into the pan and fill it with dried beans. (or you can use a great big paper coffee filter - those work very well). Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully lift out the parchment with the beans in it and place them aside. You can use the beans many more times as pie weights. Prick the bottom and sides (gently) with a fork and put the crust back inot the oven and bake 5-10 minutes until the crust is nice and golden brown.

Cool the crust on a rack for a few minutes and then brush on the egg whites. Set aside.

Measure out one cup of blueberries. Place them in a medium saucepan with 1/2 cup of the water. Cover and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and remaining 2 T of water. Set aside.

When the water and blueberries have come to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes until the berries begin to burst and the juices start to thicken. Stirring constantly, add the cornstarch mixture, sugar, lemon juice and salt. Simmer for a minute or two or until the mixture becomes translucent. Remove from the heat and quickly fold in the remaining 3 cups of berries.

Spoon the mixture into the baked pie shell and allow it to sit at room temp at least 2 hours before serving. You can store it for up to 2 days at room temperature, but believe me, there won't be any leftovers to store.

(It's great for breakfast...ask my son)

SINGLE PIE CRUST RECIPE

(Food processor method. In my never humble opinion, there is no other way to make it.)

8 T unsalted cold butter (Land O Lakes is best )

1 1/3 cups bleached flour OR 1 1/3 cups plus 4 teaspoons pastry flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 tablespoons ice water
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Keep the butter in Combine dry ingredients in the bowl of the food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse many times to mix it all up. Now get your butter out of the fridge & work fast so it stays cold. Cut it into little cubes and toss the cubes into the processor. Pulse (1 sec pulses) 12 times. The mixture should have the texture of coarse meal with no butter pieces larger than a small pea. Pulse a few more times if you're not there yet. Add the smallest amount of ice water and vinegar and pulse 6 ish times. Pinch a small amount of the mixture together between your fingers. If it does not hold together, add a little bit of the rest of the water and try it again. I have never had to add more water than the minimum so you probably won't have to either. The mixture will be in particles. Dump it into a bowl and smush it together until it forms a ball. Try to do this with minimal handling so you don't toughen up the dough.

On a piece of plastic wrap, flatten the ball of dough into a disc about 4-5 inches in diameter. Wrap it up and put it in the fridge for at least an hour and up to a couple of days. You can freeze the dough at this point if you like.

Moroccan Carrots

This is an easy and unusual and DEElicious salad for parties. It should be made a day ahead. The recipe makes a lot, so keep that in mind. If you like bland food, skip this dish. It has strong and vibrant flavor.

Makes 10 - 12 servings. Keeps well in the refrigerator for leftovers.

Ingredients:

3 pounds carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1/3 inch slices.

1 cup good quality olive oil

1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup (yes, you read that right) Hungarian sweet paprika

1/4 cup (yes, you read that right) ground cumin

5 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 cup fresh minced parsley

1 T salt or to taste

1. Place the carrots in a large pot and add water to cover. Cook over high heat until crisp-tender. Drain but do not rinse with cold water.

2. While the carrots are cooking, make the dressing. Whisk the oil and vinegars together in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the paprika, cumin and salt.

3. Add the hot drained carrots to the dressing and stir to coat. Add garlic and parsley and toss to combine. Let cool to room temperature, then serve. If you make it in advance and refrigerate it, let it come to room temperature before you serve it.

Perfect Potato Salad

This is always a huge hit. I get Raves from my guests every time I serve this. The recipe makes a ton (serves 15-20). You can half it, though.

One of the keys to success here is cooking the potatoes until they are just done. Don't over cook them and end up with a mushy mess. They should be firm to the bite for the best results. Also, if your onion seems very strong, either get another one or use half. You'll be tossing the warm potatoes with a vinaigrette (recipe below). Make that in advance. The recipe makes much more than you will need for the salad - you might want to quarter or half it if you won't use vinaigrette for something else.

Ingredients:

6 pounds small Red Bliss potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled.

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice

6 ribs celery, choppped

1 large red onion, minced (make sure it is not too strong!)

1 cup chopped fresh dill

1 cup Basic Herb Vinaigrette (see below)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 cups Hellmann's mayonnaise

3/4 cup sour cream

1. Prepare the carrots, onion, celery and dill and place in a large bowl. Set aside.

2. Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Heat to boiling and simmer uncovered until fork-tender (but not too soft). Drain in a colander. (I lay them out on a towel to dry.)

2. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle (but still warm - as warm as you can stand it - cut them into uneven chunks and combine them with the vegetables in the bowl. Mix together the vinaigrette and the white wine and add it to the bowl. Toss well.

3. Mix together the mayonnaise and sour cream. Add it to the bowl and toss well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate the salad for at least a few hours to blend the flavors.

Basic Herb Vinaigrette

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

3 T Dijon Mustard

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 cups olive oil

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 T dried Italian Herb Blend

salt & pepper

1. Whisk garlic and mustard together in a mixing bowl.

2. Pour in olive and vegetable oils in a steady stream while continuing to whisk. (I have done this in a blender or using a hand held blender stick with very good results.)

3. Mix in dried herbs and salt and pepper.

4. Let stand at room temperature for a couple of hours to blend the flavors.

5. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Makes about 4 cups.

A Fabulous and Easy Cheesecake

This is my go-to cheesecake recipe. It is very easy and incredibly delicious. It is light and as one person recently said, "It tastes like spring."

It can be made Kosher for Passover by omitting the cornstarch and using six egg yolks instead of three eggs.

There is no crust. You can press one on if you like after you unmold it, but I never do. It just does not need it.

Be careful not to whip too much air into the batter. The cake will rise and then fall. It will still taste great, but won't look as lovely as the one in this picture.

Basic Cheesecake

Prepare an 8 inch spring form pan by greasing it, cutting a round of parchment or aluminum foil to fit into the bottom and then greasing the foil. Wrap the bottom of the spring form pan with a double layer of foil to prevent leakage.

Have ready a large roasting pan into which the spring form pan will fit. This will be the water bath.

Preheat your oven to 350.

Ingredients: All at room temperature.

Two 8 oz packages Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese (do not use any other brand or a low fat kind)

1 cup of sugar

3 eggs (or 6 egg yolks if you want it to be Kosher for Passover)

1.5 tsp vanilla

3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 T cornstarch (omit if using 6 egg yolks)

3 cups sour cream (full fat)

1. Beat the cream cheese and sugar together on medium high for three minutes until light and fluffy.

2. Beat in (on a low speed) cornstarch if using.

3. Add eggs one at a time, beating on a lower speed only until incorporated.

4. Add vanilla and lemon juice in the same manner as eggs. Mix by hand to finish uniformly incorporating everything.

5. Mix in the sour cream. Use a low speed or do this by hand until uniform. Do not beat air into the batter.

6. Place the prepared pan into the roasting pan. Then pour the batter into the spring form pan. 7. Pour about an inch of very hot water into the roasting pan.

8. Place the roasting pan with the spring form pan into the oven.

9. Bake for 45 minutes.

10. Turn off oven and without opening the door, leave the cake in the oven for 60 minutes

11. Remove from oven, place the spring form pan on a cooling rack. You will want to either place a towel under the rack or put the rack over a cookie sheet. There will be seepage from the cheesecake.

12. Cool for at least an hour, then refrigerate over night. I put plastic wrap over the top of the pan and put the pan on a plate to catch additional fluid that will seep from the cake.

14. To unmold, run a thin knife around the sides of the pan. ( I usually find this unnecessary). Open the spring form pan and remove the sides. Place a serving plate on the top of the cake and flip it over. Remove the bottom and the liner from what is now the top of the cake. I serve it upside down because the bottom is usually pristine whereas the top often has some brown spots. If there is moisture on the cake, just blot it gently with a paper towel.

15. Serve naked or topped with fruit.

16. Enjoy the praise and compliments.

Adapted from The Cake Bible.

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

Really Delicious and Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler (and easy, too!)

INGREDIENTS

Filling
1 quart fresh strawberries , rinsed and hulled
10 ounces rhubarb , cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Biscuit Topping
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)
3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar plus 2 teaspoons
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/3 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the fruit filling ingredients together in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the fruit releases its liquid and is hot and bubbling around the edges, 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, cornmeal, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, butter, and vanilla together; set aside. In a third small bowl, mix the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar with the cinnamon; set aside.

3. When the filling is ready, stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined and no pockets of flour remain. Remove the cobbler filling from the oven and stir. Pinch off 8 equal pieces of the biscuit dough and arrange them on top of the hot filling, spaced 1/2 inch apart. Sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with the cinnamon sugar.

4. Continue to bake the cobbler until the biscuits are golden brown on top and cooked through and the filling is again hot and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool the cobbler on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Italian Apricot Cake ("Torta Di Albicocche")

This cake can be made with any number of fruits and in fact, I have never once made it with apricots. I have used apples, pears & plums with great success.

The recipe is easy, comes together quickly and is not a sweet cake. It looks quite plain, but don't be fooled. It is delicious and addictive.

1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 pound ripe apricots or plums, halved, pitted and cut into thin slices (if you are using apples or pears, see note below)
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/3 cup warm water
4 extra large eggs
2 cups unbleached flour
Additional granulated sugar for topping cake

Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 10 inch springform pan. (I just spray it with PAM)

Heat 1 T of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter foams, add the apricots or plums and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Cook, stirring until the apricots begin to soften, 3-4 minutes. With a large slotted spoon, scoop up the apricot or plum slices and place them in a large bowl. Cook the juices in the skillet over high heat until only a few tablespoons of thick, glazy sauce are left. Pour over the apricots or plums. Cool the apricots to room temperature or refrigerate until ready to use.

Stir the yeast into the water until dissolved and let it sit for 10 minutes until it foams up. I always add a tsp. of sugar to the water and then add the yeast to give it a jump start.

Beat the eggs and the remaining sugar in a large bowl until pale yellow and thick. Beat in the remaining butter and when it is incorporated, beat in the flour and the yeast mixture. Add the fruit to the batter and fold it in with a large spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle sugar over the top generously.

Bake 30 - 40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.

NOTE on other fruit:

If you are using apples or pears, there is no need to cook them before hand. Just peel and slice and fold the fruit directly into the batter. Since you will not use the 1 T butter for saute-ing the fruit, you may either use 7 T in the batter or the entire half stick. I have made the cake with as little as one half stick of butter and it comes out fine. For sugar, use a scant cup.

Carrot Raisin Muffins

This wonderful recipe is taken from Vegan with a Vengence.

These muffins are delicious and good for you and very easy to make. So, make them right now, loyal readers. Make them right now!

1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground or freshly grated nutmeg (freshly grated is better!)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup soy or rice milk (my guess is that regular milk will work, though I haven't tried it)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrots

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or lightly grease with oil.

Soak the raisins in a bowl of hot water while you are preparing the batter.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and salt. Create a well in the center and add the milk, oil and vanilla; mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Remove the raisins from the hot water and fold in along with the grated carrots.

Fill the muffin tins three-quarters full. Bake for 18 - 22 minutes (18 is plenty of time in my oven), until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool if you can wait that long.

Eat 'em up YUM.

Really Great Chocolate Chip Cookies

Devoted readers, I rarely give out cookie or brownie recipes as you know, but I am in a generous mood tonight so I am going to post what I consider to be a perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. I have adapted it from The Dessert Bible by Christopher Kimball. These are delicious warm from the oven but in my never humble opinion, they are even better when completely cooled.

Preheat oven to 375 (conventional) or 350 (convection)

Prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with parchment.

Ingredients

1/4 cup Crisco (I know, I know...evil trans fat. But, how many of these are you planning to eat? You have a higher chance of getting killed in a car accident than by these cookies....But for those who might be worried about it, I think that Crisco makes a non-trans fat shortening now. Why even include this? Shortening prevents the cookies from spreading out as much as an all butter formula would. You can substitute butter for this, but the cookies will be flatter. Your call.)

8 T (1 stick) butter, softened just a bit

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg white

3/4 tsp to 1 scant teaspoon vanilla (I prefer 3/4 tsp)

2 cups plus 2 T bleached all purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 - 3/4 tsp salt (your call..I prefer 3/4)

10 ounces great quality chocolate chips or chunks. I prefer Ghiridelli semisweet chips. Bittersweet overwhelms the cookie in my opinion.

1. In a mixing bowl with a hand held electric mixer, beat the butter and shortening (if using) together until smooth and whipped with a few lumps. Add sugars and beat until blended. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.

2. Whisk together dry ingredients (not the chips).

3. Add dry ingredients to butter/egg/sugar mixture. Blend in until smooth. Fold in the chips or chunks.

4. Place heaping tablespoons of batter on the baking sheet, with at least 1 1/2 inches between cookies.

5. Bake for about twelve minutes, rotating baking sheet once half way through. If at the end of the twelve minutes I notice that the tops aren't brown enough, I switch on the broiler and leave the cookies under it for about 45 seconds.

Cool on a wire rack and eat-em-up-YUM.

Banana-Pecan Streusel Bread Pudding

I'm a real bread pudding freak from way back. My mother used to make bread pudding from the old crusts, rolls ,and buns she would save up and store in the freezer. People often think that bread pudding is soggy and mushy, but this recipe and my mother's makes a delicious, firm, loaflike texture that, when served warm with real whipped creme or vanilla bean ice cream, tantilizes the taste buds. This particular recipe is made with croissants instead of bread for a real rich twist.

4 medium ripe bananas, mashed (1 1/3 cups)
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
3 beaten eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 large (5 oz.) croissants, cut or torn into 1 inch pieces (about 5 cups)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. margarine or butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For pudding, in a large bowl stir together bananas, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and almond extract. Place torn croissant pieces in a lightly greased 2-quart rectangular casserole, pour egg mixture evenly over croissants. Press pieces into egg mixture to moisten.
For streusel, in a small bowl combine brown sugar, flour, margerine or butter, and the remaiming 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Stir in pecans. sprinkle streusel topping over croissant mixture. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until slightly puffed and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for about 30 minutes. Makes around 10 - 12 servings.

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Deep Chocolate Vegan Cake (From the Moosewood New Classics)


Don't knock it until you have tried it. It isn't as delicious as what I would call "real cake", but it is very good. It is a good recipe to have in case you have to cook for a Vegan or someone who can't have any cholesterol or if you simply must make chocolate cake and you don't have any eggs or butter. It is the easiest cake I have ever made from scratch.

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil (corn oil works well)
1 cup cold water or chilled brewed coffee
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
Chocolate raspberry glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously oil an 8-inch square or round baking pan and dust with a little sifted cocoa, or line the bottom with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar. In another bowl, combine the oil, water or coffee, and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until well- blended and smooth. Add the vinegar and stir briefly. The baking soda will begin to react with the vinegar right away, leaving pale swirls in the batter. Quickly pour the batter into the baking pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. Transfer to a plate when cool and glaze.

Chocolate Raspberry Glaze:

In a double boiler or small, heavy saucepan over a medium flame, melt 1/3 cup raspberry jam with 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips and mix thoroughly. In another small saucepan mix 6 1/4 cups jam with 1 tablespoon water and warm over a low flame until the spread liquefies. Brush the water-fruit mixture over the top of cooled cake. Spread the chocolate mixture on top of that. Allow the glaze to cool before cutting the cake. Serves 8.

Double Layer Chocolate Cake

I won a " delectable deserts" contest in a local paper with this recipe and I can't even take credit for it as being my own. This cake is not your everyday chocolate cake. With a pound of chocolate, a cup of cream and a half a stick of butter in the ganache you can say adios to that diet you've been working on.


For cake layers
3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut (or any decent quality chocolate)
11/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

For ganache frosting
1 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

Special equipment
two 10- by 2-inch round cake pans

Make cake layers:
Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl 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 with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). 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. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Make frosting:
Finely chop chocolate. 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 (depending on chocolate used, 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 before serving.

Carrot Cake

First of all I would like to thank the BloomingtonChef for inviting me to become part of this recipe blog. I only hope I can help spread (no pun intended) some joy and happiness to fellow recipe lovers. This being my virgin post, I thought I would start with one of the most wonderful carrot cake recipes I have ever tried. This cake is extremely moist and pretty much follows the norm for carrot cake recipes except for the amount of oil. The cream cheese frosting is sinful.


2 c. sugar

2 c. sifted flour

4 eggs, beaten

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 c. oil

1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

2 3/4 c. shredded carrots (Don't skimp on the carrots)

Mix together dry ingredients. Add oil and mix well. Add beaten eggs. Mix well. Stir in carrots at low speed. Use two 8" rounds (9" if that's all you have, but 8" rounds give you a thicker, higher cake) Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until done.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

(Double this recipe)

8 oz. cream cheese (room temp)

1 stick butter (room temp)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups frosting sugar

1/2 chopped walnuts (Sprinkle on top) (Optional)

Blend cream cheese, vanilla, and butter. Add frosting sugar and beat well. Sprinkle walnuts on top (optional).

Amazing Peanut Butter Chocolate Tart

This is absolutely heaven. I really miss making and eating this most ethereal of all desserts. Don't be put off by the length of the recipe. It isn't hard to make. You can make the crust dough ahead (up to a week ahead). Just make sure to read the whole recipe before you plan on serving this because there are some refrigeration periods necessary.

I really miss having this tart. Please make it and invited me over, okay?

Sweet Peanut Butter cookie Tart Crust (recipe below)

PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE

7 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter (preferably Smooth Jif) at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup heavy cream

MILK CHOCOLATE GANACHE TOPPING

3 ounces milk chocolate
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
18 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Make the peanut butter mousse. In a mixer bowl, preferably with a whisk beater, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and sugar until uniform in color. On low speed, beat in the vanilla. Beat in 1/4 cup of the whipped cream just until incorporated. With a large rubber spatula, fold in the rest of the whipped cream until blended but still airy. Scrape the mousse into the prepared tart shell and smooth the surface so that it is level. Refrigerate while preparing the chocolate ganache.

2. Make the ganache topping. Process the chocolates together in a food processor until they are finely ground. In a heatproof glass measure, if using a microwave oven, or in a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. With the motor of the food processor running, immediately pour it through the feed tube onto the chocolate. Process until smooth, about 15 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the vanilla and pulse a few times to incorporate it. Pour the ganache into a liquid measure or bowl. Let cool to room temp.

3. Pour the ganache over the peanut butter mousse in a circular motion so that it does not land too heavily in any one spot and cause a depression. With a small metal spatula, start by spreading the ganache to the edges of the pastry, then spread it evenly to cover the entire surface. Make it look pretty.

4. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

5. Remove the tart from the refrigerator at least 15 minutes before serving. Unmold the tart and serve. YUM. YUM. YUM.


Peanut Butter Cookie Tart Crust


1/2 cup bleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/16 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar, superfine if you have it
4 tablespoons unsaltded butter, cold, cut into 1 inch cupbes
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (preferably Jif) at room temperature
1/2 large egg (beat before measuring...about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grease and flour the tart pan if it is being used for the first time. Otherwise, it doesn't need it.

FOOD PROCESSOR METHOD:

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a food processor with the metal blad, process the sugars for several minutes or until very fine. With the motor running, add the butter cubes. Add the peanut butter and process until smooth and creamy, about 10 seconds. With the motor running, add the egg and vanilla extract and process until incorporated. Scrape sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture and pulse until incorporated.

ELECTRIC MIXER METHOD:

Soften the butter. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a mixing bowl, beat the sugars unti lwell mixed. Add butter and peanut butter and beat for several minutes until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until incoporated, scraping the sides of the bowl. At low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture just until incorporated.

FOR BOTH METHODS:

Scape the dough into a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Press the dough evenly into the tart pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until golden brown. It will puff at first and then settle down toward the end of baking. Cool on wire rack.

You can store the unbaked dough for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Sophisticated Brownies with coffee & cinnamon (Dessert)

This brownie is very sophisticated and very easy to make. I have included my notes where I deviate from the recipe. Your call as to how you want to make them, of course.


Unsweetented cocoa powder for dusting baking pan
3 counces (generous 1/2 cup) blanched Hazelnuts (I don't bother to blanch them. Also, you can substitute walnuts or pecans if you wish)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
2 tablespoons finely ground dark-roast coffee
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking pan, dust it with cocoa powder.

2. Scatter the nuts in another small baking pan and toast them in the oven until lightly colored and fragrant, 5-7 minutes. Remove the nuts from the oven & leave the oven on. Coarsely chop the nuts and set aside. (Note: I never roast the nuts)

3. Melt the butter and chocolate in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat. Add coffee, cinnamon and vanilla and stir until smooth and combined. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, stirring briskly after each addition. Stir the mixture until it is thick and shiny. Then, stir in the flour, salt and all but 2 tablespoons of the nuts. (Note: I finely chop the reserved nuts for sprinkling ont the top, almost to a powder consistency. It looks nicer that way.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle with the reserved nuts. Bake in the middle of the oven until the brownies are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 30 - 35 minutes. (NOTE: I think that this is too long. I bake the brownies for 28 to 29 minutes and they are perfect. ) Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pan. Then cut into four squares and cut each square into four triangles.

5. Serve and enjoy the compliments.

Vanilla-Sour Cream Bundt Cake (Dessert)

This is an excellent cake, simple and delicious. It is good at room temperature or refrigerated. You can serve it with chocolate sauce, fruit, plain. It keeps well for several days.

3 cups cake flour
1 2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup milk
3 large whole eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, softened

1. Preheat oven to 350. Generously grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan or tube pan. Tap out excess flour.

2. Blend cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a standing electric mixer.

3. In a medium bowl, using a fork, beat together sour cream, milk, whole eggs, yolks and vanilla until very well blended and smooth.

4. Add the butter and half the egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Beat at low speed just until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to high and beat for 1 minute, do not overmix. Add the remaining egg mixture and beat at medium-high speed until the batter is fluffy and smooth, about 1 minute longer.

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Rap the pan on the counter several times to remove air bubbles. Bake the cake in the middle of the oven for 50 - 60 minutes or until it is well browned, pulls away from the pan sides and a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

6. Run a thin knife aorund the pan edges to loosen the cake and invert it onto a serving plate.

Chocolate Glazed Triple Layer Cheesecake (Dessert)

This is a GREAT cheesecake. Even people who don't love cheesecake love this one. It is one of those Really Great Recipes that is impressive and easy to make. Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients. It goes together in a snap, but you need to make it early in the morning or the day before you plan to serve it because it has to chill after baking.

MY HINTS:

Whole oreo cookies make better crust than just the crumbs (as in from the oreo wafers). I just throw the cookies into the food processor to grind them.

Before you put the cheesecake into the oven, wrap the bottom of the pan in a double layer of foil. Otherwise, liquid will seep out from the pan and burn on the bottom of your oven.

I find that a hand held mixer works best for this recipe.

The recipe says that the cheesecake should be glazed shortly before serving if you want to maintain a shiny looking glaze. If you have the time to do that, it's great. I usually do it ahead and refridgerate it for convenience. The glaze dulls but it is still a great looking cake.


Crust

2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Layer

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted
1/3 cup sour cream

Pecan Layer

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sour Cream Layer

5 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 almond extract

Glaze

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325.

CRUST: Combine cookie crumbs, sugar & butter. Mix well. Press curunb misture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan and 2 inches up sides. Chill.

CHOCOLATE LAYER: Brend cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, blending well. Mix in chocolate and sour cream. Spoon over crust.

PECAN LAYER: Beat cream cheese, brown sugar, and flour until light and fluffy. Blend in egg and vanilla. Stir in pecans. Carefully spoon over chocolate layer.

SOUR CREAM LAYER: Beat cream cheese sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in egg, sour cream, vanilla, and almond extract. Spoon gently over pecan layer.

Bake 1 hour. Turn oven off and leave cheesecake in oven 30 minutes. Open oven door and leave cheesecake in oven another 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.

FINISHING & GLAZING:

Remove cheesecake from pan and place on serving plate. Refrigerate while you are preparing the glaze. For the glaze, melt chocolate and butter together. Add powdered sugar, water and vanilla. I use a wisk here to eliminate lumps. Stir until smooth. Spread over the chilled cheesecake while glaze is warm.

For the best looking shiny glaze, don't refrigerate the cheesecake again before serving.

Fleur de Sel Caramel Recipe

Recipe Type: Dessert

Fleur de Sel Caramels

1 cup heavy cream
5 T unsalted butter
1.5 tsp fleur de sel
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar

Line an 8 by 8 baking pan with a piece of lightly oiled parchment, making sure the parchment hangs over all four sides so you can just pull the whole slab out of the pan after cooling.
Combine cream, butter and fleur de sel in small heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat & set aside.

Combine corn syrup, water and sugar in a large heavy saucepan, preferably a tall one. Bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Boil and swirl pan from time to time until the syrup is a golden caramel color. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Depth of color/flavor is up to you here but don't go too dark. Lower heat to moderate and carefully pour cream mixture in. It will bubble up. Simmer mixture, stirring gently & frequently until it reaches (on a candy or deep fry thermometer) 246 degrees (for soft chewy caramels) or 248 degrees (I haven't tried that temp yet, I assume they will be firmer.)

Pour bubbling caramel (be careful) into prepared pan. Let cool for 2-3 hours. Cut into squares and wrap in squares of wax paper, candy style. Give to friends. Enjoy the compliments.

Helpful Hints and Comment

Fleur de Sel is a fancy/schmancy kind of sea salt that is harvested only once ever third blue moon by wandering minstrals in a far off land. Or something like that. Zingermans, a gourmet foods seller describes it like this:

"Looking like newly fallen wet snowflakes, this salt collects naturally along the coast of Brittany and is hand-gathered like wildflowers "growing" on the sea. Fleur de sel has an aroma that hints of freshly-picked violets (hence the name "fleur"), and a truly amazing flavor. A revelation prized by the best bakers and chefs of France. "

I got some as a gift and use it on steaks (the large crystals are perfect for that) and in these caramels. My guess is that kosher salt could be substituted for the fleur de sel in this recipe with no problem. If you use table salt, you might want to try it with less salt the first time around. Perhaps 3/4 tsp.