Skip to content

Posts from the ‘Desserts’ Category

Dec 5

17 Comments

Triple Threat Chocolate Squares-Day 5 of 7 Days of Holiday Cookies And A Give Away!!

Triple Chocolate Threat

Triple Chocolate Threat

You will notice that so many of recipes contain chocolate, well, it’s because I am a shameless chocoholic.  I always try to include cookies in my gift boxes that do not have any chocolate in them but I always come back to my true love. The photo above is right from Abby’s book, I made these a while back, they were eaten before I could take a picture, I will be making them again next week when I start assembling my gift boxes,

I first saw this recipe when I received my copy of Abby Dodge’s new cookbook Mini Treats And Hand Held Sweets. In case you don’t know who Abby Dodge is, check out her website, she is a published cookbook author, brilliant founder of “Bake Together” and one of nicest people I have ever met. One look at the photo and I knew this was a recipe I needed to make immediately (and I did) These bite size squares contain some of my favorite ingredients, chocolate, cream cheese, coffee liquor (Kahlua), butter  and sugar. I was wowed with the results, they are moist and chocolatey, the filling has a slight tang from the cream cheese, I fell in love, instantly. Abby graciously gave me permission to post this recipe, thanks so much Abby!!

Because there is cream cheese in the filling I will not be able to send these through the mail to gift box recipients but everyone that I give to locally will have these luscious little bites in there boxes.

Now for the giveaway!!!  This is my first ever and I have a copy of Abby’s fantastic cookbook that I will send to one lucky person. All you have to do is comment on this post and a name will be randomly picked using random.org. Believe me when I say you will LOVE this cookbook.  I certainly do. I will announce the winner on December 14th.  Residents of USA only.  Shipping rates for a book were really expensive. I really wanted to include those outside the US.

IMG_0228

Triple Threat Chocolate Squares

For the filling:

8 oz cream cheese softened

4 oz bitersweet chocolate melted

1 yolk from a large egg at room temperature

2 tbs brewed coffee, coffee liquor or water at room temperature

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Put cream cheese in medium bowl. Beat with electric mixer (hand held is fine for this job)until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the melted chocolate, yolk, coffee, vanilla and salt. Beat just until blended.

For the brownie layers:

1 1/2 cups (6 oz) unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz) unsweetened natural cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy.

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp table salt

16 tbs (8 oz) unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cup (12 oz) granulated sugar

3 large eggs at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13″  baking pan (I like the straight sided kind) with foil, leaving about a 1 inch overhang on two sides. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of the foil.

Whisk the flour,cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl until well blended and no lumps remain. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer with a paddle attachment on medium speed until well blended and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one a time beating until just blended between additions. Add the vanilla with the last egg. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms, about 1 minute. Divide the dough in half (each half weights 1 pound but eyeballing it is fine).

Scrape one half of the dough into the prepared pan and using an offset spatula spread evenly. Drop spoonfulls of the filling evenly over the batter and spread evenly. If the filling is still soft, pop the pan in the freezer for a few minutes until it’s firmer, this will make it easier to spread the top layer. Drop small chunks of the remaining dough evenly over the filling and carefully spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean (a few crumbs sticking is good) 27-29 minutes. Move the pan to wire rack and let cool completely.

For the glaze:

5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

4 tbs (2 oz) unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz) pistachios lightly toasted and chopped (Optional)

Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave or in a small bowl over a pot of simmering water, stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside. Scrape the glaze on top of the brownie and using an offset spatula spread evenly. Sprinkle pistachios if using. Slide the baking pan into the refrigerator until the glaze is set, about 20 minutes.

Use the foil handles to lift the entire brownie from the pan onto a cutting board. Carefully peel or tear away the foil and toss it out. Using a ruler as a guide(or by eye) and a large knife, cut crosswise into 6 equal strips, then cut each strip into 9 peices. Cover and stow in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Serve slightly chilled.

NOTE: These bars can be prepared and baked  then covered and frozen for up to 1 month before glazing and serving. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before proceeding with the recipe.

Dec 4

25 Comments

Chocolate Hazelnut Rugelach-Day 4 Of 7 Days Of Holiday Cookies

Photo taken by Whole Foods

Photo by Joseph De Leo for Whole Foods

I love rugelach and have eaten the traditional and non traditional varieties. I also love chocolate and hazelnuts together (nutella!!) and thought that it would be wonderful in rugelach, the combination is fantastic and the apricot jam with the chocolate and nuts takes it to a whole new level.

I entered this in the Whole Foods Holiday Cookie contest in 2011 and won, these are exceptional and it’s another cookie that is included in my gift box every single year.

Making rugelach is a bit labor intensive but so worth it, I am not very good at making each wedge evenly sized but it’s alright, part of the beauty of homemade baked goods is that they are not always perfect. I used the traditional apricot jam for these cookies but this year I think I will use orange marmalade, I think the orange with the chocolate and hazelnut will be a wonderful combination.

Makes 4 dozen

The Dough and filling:

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar + more for sprinkling on cookies

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups  all purpose flour

1 1/2 cup hazelnuts

1/2 cup apricot jam(If you have preserves puree in food processor until smooth

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped into small pieces (or mini chips)

1/4 cup light brown sugar packed

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

  1. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment cream the cream cheese and butter until light. Add the sugar, salt and vanilla. With mixer on low add the flour and mix just to combine. Dump dough onto work surface form into a ball cut into four quarters and wrap each in plastic wrap, refrigerate for one hour
  2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, line a sheet pan with parchment and spread hazelnuts on pan. Toast in oven approximately 6-8 minutes take them out when you can smell the nuts. If you want to remove the skins you can do so by rubbing the nuts in a tea towel. I don’t do that. Chop the nuts and mix with the brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
  3. If using preserves add to food processor and puree until smooth, remove and set aside. Chop chocolate into very small pieces, cover and set aside.

Making the rugelach:

dough

jam

hazelnuts

chocolate

1 egg beaten with a tsp of water for egg wash

sugar to sprinkle on rugelach

  1. Take your dough out of the refrigerator working with one quarter at a time. On floured work surface roll dough into a 9 inch circle. (I use a lid from my dutch oven and cut around it making a neat circle) spread jam on dough, sprinkle with hazelnuts and chocolate. Press the nuts and chocolate lightly with your hand. Cut first into quarters and then each quarter into 3 equal wedges, you will have 12 when finished, Roll each wedge starting from the largest end rolling to the smallest end.
  2. Place rugelach on parchment lined sheet. pan Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.Chill in the refrigerator before baking for 15 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Repeat with each quarter of the dough. Dough can be refrigerated for 2-3 days or frozen for later use.
My Photo

My Photo

Dec 3

14 Comments

Ginger Spiced Molasses Sugar Cookies-Day 3 Of 7 Days Of Holiday Cookies

Ginger Spiced Molasses Sugar Cookie

Ginger Spiced Molasses Sugar Cookie

This cookie is a relatively new entry into my gift boxes, last year was the first time I made it, and one bite and I knew it was a keeper. I saw the recipe on Food52 and wanted to give it a try. The cook who penned this amazing recipe is, Lynda whose cooks name is Taste Food, she has  a blog right here on wordpress appropriately named Taste Food.

This cookies is beautifully spiced, chewy  and utterly delicious! It’s very easy to make and the dough freezes well. I will be tripling the recipe this year, the cookie was such a hit with everyone who tasted it. I just love the warm spices, molasses and crunchy sugar coating.Heavenly really! The only change I made is a matter of personal preference, I omitted the cloves (cannot stand cloves) and I didn’t add the candied ginger. If you are looking for another cookie recipe for the Holidays I highly recommend you give these a try!!

Makes 24 cookies

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon  ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon  allspice

1/2 teaspoon  salt

1/4 teaspoo ground cloves

3/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup unsulfured molasses

1/3 cup finely diced candied ginger (optional)

granulated sugar for rolling

  1. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, salt and cloves in a bowl and mix well.
  2. Beat butter and sugar together in bowl of electric mixer until light and fluffy, 3 minutes.
  3. Add egg and molasses. Mix to combine well. Stir in dry ingredients. Stir in candied ginger if using. Refrigerate batter 1 hour.
  4. Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll dough into 1 1/2″ balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar. Arrange on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and gently flatten. Bake in oven until set and crinkled on top, about 12 minutes. Remove and cool.

Dec 2

16 Comments

Cardamom,Orange And Chocolate Ribbon Cookies-Day 2 of 7 Days of Holiday Cookies

Ribbon Cookies

Ribbon Cookies

These cookies are always included in my gift boxes for the holidays. They pack and travel well and are delicious. This is a vintage recipe from a magazine, I can’t really remember how old the recipe is for sure, or what magazine it came from. The original recipe is just chocolate and vanilla with rum flavoring, I made some additions that I think make this cookie unique and more interesting, To the chocolate dough I add orange zest and the vanilla dough has cardamom. The flavors are subtle yet you know they are there.

I love how easy these cookies are to make, nothing complicated and they are so pretty and in my opinion very festive. The dough freezes well and I think it tastes even better after sitting in the freezer for a while. One very important thing to note is that these cookies are best when baked for EXACTLY the amount of time specified. If baked too long they become a bit too hard. I bake them for exactly 11 minutes and they are perfect.

Makes Approximately 36 cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup good quality shortening at room temperature (I like spectrum)

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon  salt

1 large egg at room temperature

2 tablespoons whole milk or half and half

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups all purpose flour

zest of one orange

1/3 cup (1.5 oz)semi sweet chocolate melted (use the microwave method it’s great)

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 cup toasted walnuts chopped finely

  1. In mixing bowl beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment for approximately 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking soda and salt and beat until combined. Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla. Add flour and mix to combine with spoon. Melt the chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals stirring in between. It took me 60 seconds.
  2. Divide dough in half. Knead the melted chocolate and walnuts into half of the dough and then the cardamom and orange zest into the other half. Line a 9x5x3 loaf pan with plastic wrap. Divide chocolate dough in half and press into the bottom of the loaf pan, now divide the vanilla dough in half and press on top of chocolate layer, now another chocolate layer and finish with the vanilla layer. Cover with the plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. If you plan on freezing the dough after the initial 30 minutes in the refrigerator invert, wrap the dough well in plastic wrap and place in ziplock bag ( I like to double wrap anything going in the freezer).  Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
  3. Remove from refrigerator, invert onto cutting board and remove plastic wrap. Divide into 3 equal pieces (each is 3 inches) and cut each third into 12 equal pieces that are about 1/4 inch thick. Place on baking sheet with either parchment or silpat and bake for 10-12 minutes turning baking sheet around halfway through baking (5 minutes) CAREFUL NOT TO OVERBAKE remove from oven when edges start to turn a light brown. If you leave them in longer than the prescribed baking time they become over done and are really crunchy. I took out my batch of cookies at 11 minutes. They were just right. Its almost counterintuitive but it’s important for this recipe to adhere to the bake time.
Photo by Nicole Franzen for Food52

Photo by Nicole Franzen for Food52

Dec 1

21 Comments

7 Days of Holiday Cookies-Day 1, Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies

For 7 days I am going to post a recipe a day, each one is a recipe for Holiday cookies or other treats that can be included in gift boxes. I bake dozen after dozen of cookies and mini loaves every year that I give to family and friends. I also participate in the Secret Santa Swap on Food52. I love presenting a box of homemade baked goods as a gift, it’s something I have done year after year, a labor of love that I look forward to. I start making the cookie dough on December 1 and make a batch a day of assorted doughs, wrap well and freeze. My freezer is full of various types of cookie dough and it’s very easy to thaw and bake when you need to.

This first recipe is from Food52 and is one of my all time favorites, it is a staple in my holiday box of goodies every year. The recipe is from Kelseythenaptimechef, who is a phenomenal cook and I believe she even has published a cookbook. These cookies are addictive, soft and chewy, not too sweet, simply delicious! I make a couple of changes, very minor really. Instead of semisweet chips I use milk chocolate chips or chunks along with the dark chocolate chips, I like the contrast because I use a dark cocoa powder (Valrhona), Hershey’s works as well both regular and Hershey’s dark.

Makes 50-55 cookies

2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature (2 whole sticks +2 tbs)

1 cup sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2  eggs, room temperature

2 1/2 cups  flour

3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder (like Medaglia D’Oro, or similar)

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Then, add eggs one at time, mixing after each addition to make sure they are well combined.
  3. In a separate bowl mix together dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. I use a whisk to make sure the dry ingredients are well mixed.
  4. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix everything until the ingredients are fully combined, but do not overbeat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in chocolate chips.
  5. Line a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper. Using a 1 1/2″ ice-cream scoop, or rounded teaspoon, drop dough on the sheet 2″ apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and serve.

Nov 17

49 Comments

Classic Pecan Pie With A Twist

Pecan Pie

Pecan pie is a staple on Thanksgiving at my house. I took a classic pecan pie recipe that I have been using for years (it’s the recipe on a Karo syrup bottle) and I tweaked it by soaking the pecans in cognac (you can use the booze of your choice, bourbon or brandy come to mind) the pecans are then slowly oven dried I also subbed Lyles golden syrup for the clear Karo, I also added an extra egg. The cognac infused pecans are delicious (kept sneaking a nut or two) and for the filling I used vanilla sugar instead of adding vanilla extract and I flavored with cognac. The booze is optional of course you can use this recipe to make a classic pecan pie but the addition of the cognac makes it more festive. Use your favorite pastry recipe. I always use the Julia Child master pastry recipe. I always have a container of vanilla sugar on hand, simply add a split vanilla bean to a container of sugar, cover and let sit so that the vanilla infuses the sugar.

Makes One 9 inch pie

The boozy pecans:

  • 1 1/2 cup pecans
  • 1 cup cognac or bourbon or brandy
  • OPTIONAL you can add a cinnamon stick, whole allspice, cardamom pod or whatever spice you like to the cognac for spiced boozy pecans.
  1. Pour your cognac in a saucepan and bring to a boil, remove from heat and pour onto your pecans. Place them in a covered container and let them sit at least 6 hours preferably overnight.
  2. When the pecans have finished their soak, drain (don’t discard the booze it will look cloudy but thats ok, I use it for flavoring, you will need a tsp for the filling) Turn your oven on to the lowest temperature (mine is 170) line small sheet pan with parchment and spread the nuts. Let them dry in the oven for 4-6 hours.

Making the pie:

  • Your favorite pastry crust or store bought dough
  • 4  large eggs at room temperature (or 3 extra large)
  • 1/4 cup dark Karo syrup
  • 3/4 cups Lyle’s golden syrup
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 cup vanilla sugar or regular granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of your reserved booze or vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cup of your boozy pecans
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350. In mixing bowl add the eggs, just break the yolks and lightly beat them, now add the syrups, sugar, butter and flavoring. Mix with a spoon just until combined. Add the pecans and stir just to mix it all together.
  2. Place dough into 9 inch pie pan, pour in the filling and bake for 60-70 minutes. The middle of the pie should jiggle slightly when lightly touched. Remove from oven let cool completely before serving.

Oct 18

22 Comments

Bake Together-Caramelized Pecan Sweet Potato Skillet Souffle

Sweet Potato Skillet Souffle

This months Bake Together with Abby Dodge is a skillet souffle, Abby’s beautiful caramelized pear souffle was the base recipe and as always we are given creative license to make it our own, I used the basic recipe switching pecans for pears and sweet potato puree for the mascarpone, I made a few other little tweaks to the recipe and I must say this is like a super light pecan pie. It was not without mishaps, I had to make it three times, the first time I burnt the pecans (multi tasking doesn’t work when you have time sensitive food on the stove) the second time I didn’t burn the pecans but I caramelized the pecans in the brown sugar and found that when the souffle was done the brown sugar and pecans turned to hard candy, it was overcooked. To remedy this I roasted the pecans in the butter, added the brown sugar, syrup and rum and just let it sit until I was ready to put the souffle in the pan. This yielded the gooey caramel sauce i wanted.

I just want to give a shameless plug for Abby’s new book,  Mini Treats & Hand-Held Sweets I made her triple threat chocolate squares and they are so good, rich and fudgy I recommend you get this book, I want to make every single recipe.

Sweet caramel pecans

3/4 cup pecan halves
3 tbs butter
2 tbs firmly packed brown sugar
1 tbs Lyles golden syrup
1 tbs  dark rum
Melt butter in non stick oven safe 8 inch saute pan, add pecans and saute for 2 minutes or until you can smell the nuts, add the brown sugar, rum and golden syrup stir to combine  spread the pecans evenly in the pan and let sit until you are ready to add the souffle.
Souffle
2 large eggs at room temperature separated
1/4 cup sweet potato puree
2 tbs heavy cream
1 tbs brown sugar packed
2 tbs flour
pinch of salt
Pre heat oven to 425 degrees, wash sweet potato or yam, wrap in foil place on baking sheet and bake for 40-60 minutes depending on the size of the potato. You will know its done by pressing on it with your finger and it will feel very soft. Remove from oven and let cool.
When potato can be handled comfortably blend in food processor or blender until very smooth
Make the souffle
 In a medium bowl, whisk the yolks, sweet potato puree, heavy cream and vanilla until well blended and smooth. Add the flour, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and salt and whisk until well blended.

In a (very clean) medium bowl ( you can use a stand mixer, if you’d like. I did.), beat the egg whites with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium speed until the whites are frothy, 30 – 45
seconds. Increase the speed to to medium high and beat until the whites are very foamy and barely soft peaks. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar, increase the speed to high. Continue beating until the peaks are glossy and
form soft, floppy peaks (see pic above). Scrape the beaten whites into the yolk mixture and gently fold until just blended.

Heat the skillet (with the pecans) over medium low heat.  Gently pour/scrape the souffle mixture into the skillet and smooth the top. Reduce heat to low and cook until the edges begin to look dry, 3 to 4 minutes.

Using a potholder, slide the skillet into the oven and bake until the top is puffed, golden brown and the center springs back when lightly pressed, 5 to 7 minutes. Working quickly and using potholders (the
handle is super hot), move the skillet to a wire rack (or cool stovetop and dust the souffle with a light coating of confectioners’ sugar. Gently place the serving plate on top of the souffle and invert. Carefully
lift off the skillet. Using a small serrated knife, cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Sep 19

37 Comments

Apple Cider Applesauce Coffee Cake

Apple Cider Applesauce Coffee Cake
I make this recipe every year during apple season, it’s hands down one of my favorites. The cake is so moist and the aroma when baking is heavenly. I like to make homemade apple cider applesauce for the cake, it’s so easy and I think it really adds to the flavor of the cake, but using commercially made applesauce is perfectly acceptable. I saw this recipe in Martha Stewart Living magazine about 6 years ago. It’s loaded with apples, spices and is utterly delicious. I can’t wait for the apples to arrive at the farmers market this will be the first thing I make. My family loves it as do I. It keeps well and even tastes better the next day.
APPLE CIDER APPLESAUCE
  • 1 pound juicy apples (Macintosh work very well) peeled. cored and cut into quarters
  • 1/4 cup  apple cider
  • 1 tablespoon sugar, you can use white, turbinado or brown your choice
  • pinch of salt
  1. Clean, peel, core and quarter the apples. Add to a medium saucepan. Add the cider, sugar and salt and boil until apples are soft. Remove from heat and mash (I used a potato masher) keep some small chunks of apples. Set aside to cool.
THE CRUMBLE TOPPING AND CAKE
  •  The Crumble Topping
  • 4 tablespoons  unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed
  • 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon  salt
  • 1 cup toasted pecans chopped (If you have a nut allergy the nuts can be omitted)
  •  The Cake
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon  baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons  cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon cloves (Optional, I didn’t use, really don’t like cloves)
  • 1/2 teaspoon  salt
  • 8 tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cup  apple cider applesauce
  • 2 small juicy apples (Macintosh work very well) peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 cup toasted pecans chopped OPTIONAL
  1. Make your crumble topping. In small bowl combine the butter, sugar, oats,flour, cinnamon, salt and pecans mix with fork or by hand to combine. Set aside.
  2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat your tube pan with cooking spray or vegetable oil. (I recommend using a non stick pan) Sift flour, salt, baking soda and spices. Cream butter and white and brown sugar in your electric mixer until smooth about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time make sure egg is incorporated before you add another one. With mixer on low add the applesauce and then the flour mixture. Mix just until combined. Add the optional chopped pecans and fold in.
  3. Pour batter into oiled pan. Place apple slices on top of cake tucking some into the batter,sprinkle on the crumble topping. Bake for 60-70 minutes check by inserting cake tester (I used a bamboo skewer) near the middle of the cake and it should come out clean. Remove from oven and let cake cool in pan on wire rack.
  4. Remove from pan and if you do not serve immediately wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature until ready to serve. NOTE: if you make in a bundt pan like I did it could take some coaxing to get it out of the pan when  cooled. It could be easier to remove from a tube pan because it does not have all the grooves that a bundt pan does.

Sep 18

23 Comments

Fig And Goat Cheese Tart

Fig And Goat Cheese Tart

Figs are in season and then they are gone like a flash. I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful fresh figs available in a recipe using Mosto Cotto syrup. It’s delicious, and can be used in both sweet and savory recipes. I used it as a syrup to pair with a buttermilk panna cotta and as a glaze for ribs. It’s so versatile. For this recipe I steeped fresh mission figs in Mosto Cotto with black peppercorns, orange and cointreau. I wanted the figs to retain their shape and texture so instead of poaching in the syrup I steeped them for a few hours. The figs were soft but firm enough to retain their shape and the flavor of the syrup permeated each fig. I then sliced them, and reduced the syrup by about half and used it as a glaze for the figs. The tangy goat cheese only slightly sweetened with honey and  the figs steeped in delicious Mosto Cotto syrup is delicious. I made a traditional pie dough because I wanted something flaky and a bit more delicate than a tart dough, I used my go to recipe from Julia Child. This would be equally delicious though in a more substantial tart crust or even puff pastry.I created this recipe when I was asked to do a guest post for Marx Foods, who carry Mosto Cotto,  and I happily agreed to do so. I will always keep a bottle in my pantry, it’s just that good.  The beauty of this tart is how easy it is to prepare. It really takes almost no time at all to put together, and makes a lovely not too sweet dessert or put a slice or two of prosciutto di parma on top for a nice lunch. NOTE: If you can purchase Mosto Cotto I highly recommend but if you can’t use wine, the Mosto Cotto is made from Montepulciano grapes from the Abruzzo region of Italy and also Amarena Cherries, try to find a wine using those grapes if you can (Montepulciano d’Abruzzo)  for the syrup if you cannot then use a good red wine it will be fine.

Figs and Syrup

1lb (6-7 fresh ripe figs)
1/2 cup Mosto Cotto Syrup
1/2 cup sugar
2 strips (approx 2 inches wide) orange skin- careful not to include the pith
3 whole black peppercorns
1 tbs cointreau
Bring mosto cotto, sugar, orange rind, peppercorns and cointreau to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. While it’s simmering slice the figs in half and place in heat proof bowl. Pour the hot syrup over the figs and cover. Let sit until it reaches room temperature.
Making the tart
10.5 oz soft goat cheese (chevre) at room temperature
1 heaping tbs honey (I used peach blossom)
Favorite pie dough, tart crust recipe. (You could also use puff pastry for this)

Juilia Childs Pastry Dough

Makes enough dough for a double crust 9 inch pie

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour

1 tsp salt

6 oz cold unsalted butter cut into tbs size pieces

4 tbs shortening or leaf lard cold

1/2 cup ice cold water

You can make this either by hand or in the food processor. To make by hand, put flours, salt, butter, lard or shortening into mixing bowl, use pastry cutter to combine until it resembles pea size crumbs. Add water mix with fork, gather with your hands, divide dough into a 2 discs and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

In Food Processor, add the flours, salt, butter and shortening or lard into the bowl of the processor. Pulse a few times until the mixture resembles pea size crumbs. Add the water and pulse a few times until it becomes a cohesive dough.  Divide dough into two discs and wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Blind bake your pie dough, I like to use a rectangular shape for this tart, either use a fluted rectuangular tart pan or a small 1/2 sheet pan. Pre heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out your dough to fit into the tin, prick with fort multiple times, ( chill in refrigerator at least 20 minutes before baking) place a piece of parchment on top and add pie weights or beans.Bake for 15-20 minutes, remove parchment and weights and bake again for another 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. While the pie crust is cooling slice the figs into thin slices approximately 1/4 inch thick, set aside. Pour the remaining syrup into sauce pan, removing peppercorns and orange zest and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and reduce by 1/2 (It takes about 10 minutes) or until syrup thickens.  Let cool.
Place goat cheese in mixing bowl add honey and whip until fluffy.
Smooth onto tart, arrange figs on top and brush some of the reduced mosto cotto syrup over the fruit. Serve as is or it’s delicious to lay a slice of prosciutto di parma on top.

Sep 13

21 Comments

Chocolate Brown Butter Hand Pies With Banana Hazelnut Filling

Chocolate Brown Butter Hand Pies

Every month I look forward to Bake Together, Abby always comes up with a delicious recipe to challenge and entice. Septembers Bake Together is a party, to celebrate the release of Abby’s new cookbook, Mini Treats & Handheld Sweets ~100 Delicious Desserts to Pick Up and Eat! The pie dough is amazing, it’s really adapted from a cookie dough in her book. There is brown butter and brown sugar and each pie is filled with a delicious fruit filling. I took Abby’s wonderful recipe for Brown Butter Apple Hand Pies and added my own touch, I thought it would be fun to make a chocolate crust filled with banana’s and hazelnuts with a hint of orange, a bit of a change from your traditional filling. Abby’s pie’s were rectangular I decided to go for round, using a fluted cutter. The banana mixed with the nuts, brown sugar and orange zest is delicious.

For the  chocolate brown butter dough
16 tablespoons (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup (7 ounces) firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 2/3 cup+ 1 tbs unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup natural cocoa powder
Filling
4-5 medium size ripe but firm banana’s chopped into small pieces
3/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
1/2 cup brown sugar not packed
1/2 tsp orange zest
Make the filling right before you are going to assemble the tarts, place chopped banana, hazelnuts, orange zest and brown sugar in a bowl and toss to combine, the brown sugar should coat each piece of banana.
 

Make the dough
Put the butter in a large saucepan. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until nutty brown and the milk solids are dark brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Slide the pan from the heat and add the brown sugar, and salt. Stir until the sugar is almost dissolved, then set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Using your fingertip, check the temperature of the batter—it should be warm but not hot. If it’s hot, set the pan aside for a few more minutes before continuing with the recipe.

Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until well blended. Add the flour and cocoa and stir until a smooth, soft dough forms.

 Arrange two pieces of plastic wrap on the counter and scrape the dough onto the center of one. Divide the dough in half (about 14 3/4 ounces each) and put half on the second piece of plastic wrap. Using the plastic as a guide, shape both into 5-inch squares.Wrap in the plastic and set aside at room temperature until firm enough to roll, about 3 hours. (You can pop the dough into the refrigerator for a hour or so, but you don’t want the dough to be too chilled. It would be impossible to roll.)

Assemble and bake
Line two cookie sheets with parchment or nonstick liners. Put the egg and water in a small bowl and, using a fork, mix until well blended.

Working with one piece of dough at a time on a lightly floured piece of parchment (this dough is soft, so the parchment is a must for successful rolling), roll out to a rectangle slightly larger than 9×15 inches. Using a sharp paring knife or a fluted roller and a ruler, trim the edges to get a neat 9×15-inch rectangle, then cut into 3 x 2 1/2-inch rectangles (for a total of 18 rectangles).  Arrange the pastry rectangles about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets and cover with plastic. Roll out and cut the second piece of dough as you did the first one. NOTE: I made round pie’s so I did not make an even rectangle.

 Uncover the dough on one of the cookie sheets. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the filling onto the center of each rectangle and spread down the center, leaving a 1/2-inch border at the edges. Using a small pastry brush, brush the edges of each rectangle with egg wash. Lay the remaining rectangles over the filling. Using the tines of a fork, press (or crimp) the pastry edges to seal. Lightly brush the top of each hand tart with egg wash. Using the tip of a small, sharp knife, cut 2 small slits in the top of each hand tart to let steam escape. Sprinkle the tops with some of the turbanado sugar and slide the cookie sheets into the fridge while the oven heats up. (NOTE: because I used fluted rounds I brushed the edge of each with the egg wash, laid the top on and gently pressed all the way around to seal)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Bake on center rack in oven for approximately 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes on pan then remove to wire cooling rack. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »