Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Crepes


This is something I wanted to make this weekend but Saturday I was home alone and today (Sunday) we're fasting. Maybe next weekend!

Crepes (from Closet Cooking)
Makes 4.

Ingredients

1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp milk
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter (melted)

Instructions

  1. Mix the flour and egg in a large bowl. Slowly stir in the milk. Add the salt and butter and beat until smooth.
  2. Pour 1/4 of the mixture into a lightly oiled pan heated at medium. Tilt the pan and turn so that the mixture evenly coats the entire bottom of the pan. (Use a small 7-inch pan for best results.)
  3. Cook the crepes until golden brown on bottom, about 2 minutes.
  4. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter.
Some examples of fillings:
Lemon and sugar (sprinkled on top - my favorite)
Peanut butter, banana, and honey
Nutella and banana crepes
Strawberry and nutella crepes

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Corn pudding

Closet Cooking is one of my favorite blogs to follow, and I knew when I saw the recipe for corn pudding I just had to try it. Especially because it looked soooo good in the picture. Pictures speak louder than words, sometimes. :) My mom used to make a great corn pudding-type thing every thanksgiving when I was young, and I still remember it and crave it sometimes. I should probably ask her if she still has the recipe, but I was hoping this would save me the trouble. :)
It was yummy but a bit sweet, and I think I'd prefer a less sugary version. Maybe next time I'll cut down on the sugar in the recipe. Otherwise, it was pretty good! The recipe recommends 30 min in the oven, but my oven took about 50 min to brown the top (but I was also making something else in the oven). I would start with 30 min and keep checking until it has browned sufficiently.

Corn Pudding, from A Yankee in a Southern Kitchen, via Closet Cooking

Ingredients:
2 ears worth
of corn kernels
3 tablespoons g
ranulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon sa
lt
1/
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 egg (beaten)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon of melted butter
1/4 teaspoon freshly
grated nutmeg


Directions:
1. Mix everything in a bowl.
2. Pour into a baking dish.
3. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until it is golden brown on top and set like a custard, about 30 minutes. (A knife inserted into the center should come out clean.)

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Date Almond Milk Shake


My friend Seema was talking about a date milkshake she makes and it sounded soooo good. I love milkshakes but this sounds like a healthy alternative to the fast food ones that you typically can find.

Date Almond Milk Shake
from Home Spices

Ingredients:

4 large dates
4 almonds
2 cups frozen milk
1/2 banana (or Coolwhip)
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp sugar

Method:

1. Soak the dates in milk for about an hour or heat it with milk in the microwave for 40 seconds.
2. Add all the dates, banana, and almonds into a blender and add frozen milk, then blend it to a smooth mixture.
3. Add sugar and honey and give another whip in your blender.
4. Serve in a glass with wafers on the sides.
Can't wait to try this!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

New Florida Key Lime Pie

I've tried this dessert and it is so super easy. It's great if you want to take something to someone's houes and don't have a lot of time to prepare. This is from a friend's mom's cookbook, she got it from "cookin' with kevin".

New Florida Key Lime Pie

1/2 cup key lime juice
14-oz. can of fat free, sweetened condensed, skimmed milk
3 whole egg whites
8-inch prepared graham cracker crust

1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
2. Combine key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, and egg whites in a mixer. Mix on medium speed for 3 or 4 minutes.
3. Pour mixture into crust. Cover edge of crust with small strips of aluminum foil and bake approximately 22 minutes.
4. Refrigerate till cool, and garnish with whipped cream and lime slices when cold.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Flourless Chocolate Cake


I was home alone on Sunday so I spent the time doing laundry and catching up on cooking shows (I think I'm showing my age), including Everyday Food and Everyday Baking on PBS. I don't bake very much (not at all is more accurate) but I love watching people bake because they make it look so easy, and it's probably easier than cooking. This recipe was in an episode on Sunday and I'm itching to try it. I might make it for my in-laws who are visiting next weekend. I'm posting it here for anyone who is interested - it looked mighty delicious!



Flourless Chocolate Cake from Everyday Baking on PBS

Serves 8 Prep time: 30 minutes Total time: 1 hour plus cooling time


Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
1/4 cup sifted unsweetened best quality cocoa powder, plus more for pan
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
5 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
sweetened whipped cream for serving


To make:


1. Preheat the oven to 375. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan; line bottom with a parchment round. Butter parchment and dust all over with cocoa powder shaking out excess; set aside.

2. In a medium heatproof bowl set over, not in, a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate and butter; cool to room temperature.

3. Using an electric mixer on high, beat eggs, sugar, and salt until light and foamy, about 2 minutes.

4. Gently fold ¼ of egg mixture into cooled chocolate mixture to lighten the chocolate. Then gently fold chocolate mixture into remaining egg mixture until marbled. Fold in cocoa powder. Spoon into prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until center still feels soft (a toothpick inserted comes out moist) and top has a thin crust.

5. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Run a metal spatula around the sides of pan and invert; remove parchment. Invert again so cake is right side up. Serve with whipped cream. (Berries or ice cream are other optional toppings.)


Wednesday, May 7, 2008

PB and ..... M?


One thing I absolutely cannot get enough of - I would choose it over ice cream, cake, or any of my other favorite sweets - is medjool dates stuffed with peanut butter. I discovered it in college courtesy of an old friend and I'm just recently re-discovering it. If any of you have never tried it, you're really missing something. Unless of course you hate peanut butter, in which case it's probably not a mistake that you haven't tried it :)

It takes a second to make - just cut open one side of a juicy medjool, discard the seed, and fill with peanut butter. Eat... mmmmmmmmmmmm... and repeat :) Try to control yourself, these are rich ones!

Monday, March 31, 2008

Sticky Rice with Mango

If you're really my friend you'll know I love sticky rice with mango with a passion (just kidding about the being my friend part). The only problem is whenever we eat out I'm always stuffed long before the end of the meal and thus never have the guts to order dessert (I don't like wasting food). So since I was making thai food for some friends we had over for lunch yesterday, I decided it was a prime time to make some sticky rice with a little recipe I cut out from some box of something many months ago and filed away for future reference (I don't like wasting recipes, either). All I can say is..... yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Sweet mangoes are hard to find outside of summer so it was a little early for this dessert, but I actually liked the contrast of sweet rice and slightly sour mango...

Sticky Rice with Mangoes

1 cup uncooked Jasmine Rice
1 can of coconut milk (I prefer the lite, lower-fat version)
2/3 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 mangoes, peeled and sliced
1/4 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1. In a medium saucepan, boil 1 1/2 cups of water. When boiling, add 1 cup of jasmine rice (Note: I didn't wash the rice because I wanted some starchy gooeyness). Return to boil and then cover and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, then remove from heat.

2. In a small saucepan, combine coconut milk, sugar and salt. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

3. Pour coconut mixture into cooked rice. Stir well. Cover with foil and pan lid. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

4. To serve, spoon rice onto a plate, sprinke with sesame seeds and arrange mango slices on the side.

Serves 4.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Long Live the Stir-Fry

Stir-fries are my new favorite dish to make - once you have the basic steps down, they are so simple and quick. Cook's Illustrated sent a recipe from The Best International Cookbook the other day, and it was so timely because I was *craving* sticky rice. Don't ask me why, I usually don't like the rice from Chinese restaurants. But I love using chopsticks and basmati wasn't really designed for it, let's be honest. So I bought some carolina rice from the supermarket and used it in this sticky rice recipe. Dude! So easy and carolina rice is yummy! The sticky rice was 1000 times better than what you get in chinese take-out, no offense. I don't know why I never tried it before. Sameera used it in some paella she made the other day.. Sam will you post the recipe for your paella please? :)

They used chinese rice wine in their recipe, so I substituted vegetable broth with a dash of rice vinegar. I didn't make the ginger ice cream, cause I'm not into making that, but I thought I would include it anyway. Let me know if one of you tries to make it!

Stir-Fried Shrimp, Asparagus, and Carrots with Orange Sauce
Use a vegetable peeler to peel strips of zest, but take care to avoid the bitter pith beneath the skin. If the asparagus spears are very thick, slice each stalk in half lengthwise before cutting them into 2-inch lengths. Stir-fries cook quickly, so have everything prepped before you begin cooking.


Serves 4

Sauce
2 orange zest strips (2-inch-long) from 1 orange
1/2 cup fresh orange juice from 2 oranges
1/4 cup vegetable or any low sodium broth with a dash of rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Stir-Fry
1 pound extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound) peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons vegetable or other broth
3 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon minced or grated fresh ginger
2 scallions , minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus one additional teaspoon
1 pound asparagus (about 1 bunch), tough ends trimmed and sliced on the bias into 2-inch lengths
2 carrots , peeled and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks


1. For the sauce: Whisk all of the ingredients together; set aside.

2. For the stir-fry: Toss the shrimp with the soy sauce and broth with vinegar in a small bowl and let marinate for 10 minutes, or up to 1 hour. In a separate bowl, mix the garlic, ginger, scallions, and 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil; set aside.

3. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons more vegetable oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add half of the shrimp and cook, without stirring, until the shrimp are browned at the edges, about 1 minute. Stir the shrimp and continue to cook until they are nearly cooked through, about 30 seconds longer. Transfer the shrimp to a medium bowl and repeat with 1 1/2 teaspoons more vegetable oil and the remaining shrimp; transfer to the bowl, cover with foil, and set aside.

4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the skillet and return to high heat until just smoking. Add the asparagus and carrots, and cook until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Clear the center of the skillet, add the garlic mixture and cook, mashing the mixture into the pan, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds. Stir the garlic mixture into the vegetables.

5. Stir in the shrimp with any accumulated juices. Whisk the sauce to recombine, then add it to the skillet and cook, tossing constantly, until the sauce has thickened, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.





Ginger Ice Cream
Prepare the ice cream quickly to prevent it from melting too much, (Recipe from: Restaurant Favorites at Home)


1 pint
2 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger , scrubbed
1 pint vanilla ice cream (premium), softened (but not melting)


Using a Microplane grater or fine-holed grater, grate the ginger. Transfer the grated ginger to a fine-mesh strainer set over a small bowl and press firmly with a spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Place the softened ice cream in a medium bowl and, using a stiff rubber spatula, fold the ginger juice into the ice cream. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic flush against the ice cream. Return the ice cream to the freezer to firm up, about 30 minutes.





Chinese-Style Sticky Rice
Do not stir the rice as it cooks. The finished rice can stand off heat, covered, for up to 15 minutes.


Serves 4 to 6
2 cups long grain white rice
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt


1. Place rice in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl. Rinse under running water, swishing with hands until water runs clear. Drain thoroughly.

2. Bring rinsed rice, water, and salt to boil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, uncovered, until water level drops below surface of rice and small holes form, about 5 minutes.

3. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until rice is tender and water is fully absorbed, about 15 minutes. Serve.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Tour de France

If you want to see what we made for our Tour de France cook-off, go to Sameera's blog.

I would only change one thing - for the chocolate mousse I really wanted a recipe that didn't ask for anything alcoholic, so I actually used this recipe instead from Cook's Illustrated:

Dark Chocolate Mousse

When developing this recipe, we used our winning supermarket brand of dark chocolate, Ghirardelli bittersweet, which contains about 60 percent cacao. If you choose to make the mousse a day in advance, leave it out at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with very lightly sweetened whipped cream and chocolate shavings. A hand-held mixer can do the job of a standing mixer in this recipe, though mixing times may vary slightly.

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped fine
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-processed)
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
6 tablespoons water
2 large eggs , separated
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 cup heavy cream , plus 2 additional tablespoons (chilled)


1. Melt chocolate, cocoa powder, espresso powder, water, and brandy in medium heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat.

2. Whisk egg yolks, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, and salt in medium bowl until mixture lightens in color and thickens slightly, about 30 seconds. Pour melted chocolate into egg mixture and whisk until combined. Let cool until just warmer than room temperature, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. In clean bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites at medium-low speed until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, increase mixer speed to medium-high, and beat until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, about 1 minute. Detach whisk and bowl from mixer and whisk last few strokes by hand, making sure to scrape any unbeaten whites from bottom of bowl. Using whisk, stir about one-quarter of beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten it; gently fold in remaining egg whites with rubber spatula until a few white streaks remain.

4. In now-empty bowl, whip heavy cream at medium speed until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, about 15 seconds more. Using rubber spatula, fold whipped cream into mousse until no white streaks remain. Spoon into 6 to 8 individual serving dishes or goblets. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set and firm, at least 2 hours. (The mousse may be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Fool Proof Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Who doesn't love LOVE love chocolate chip cookies...I can't stop eating them...until I discovered this recipe...it's absolutely delicious and just as good as the original chocolate chip cookie..and the oatmeal makes me think *maybe* they're good for me. My husband and I are addicted to these cookies and can't keep our butter supply stocked high enough to make as many of these as we'd like. Just a tip: follow the recipe exactly...it'll pay off. The only thing I did differently was bake an extra two minutes but that depends on your oven.

happy baking.

sameera
--
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (from allrecipes.com)
Yield about 3.5 dozen

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Welcome to my blog! This is space for my random acts of cookery, mostly the successful ones. :)