boston cream cake

We were celebrating my SIL's birthday today, so I quickly whipped up this easy but quite delicious Boston cream cake.

I kept going back and forth all week trying to decide what to make. I had a ton of egg yolks left over after making an angel food cake earlier in the week, so I quickly decided to make pastry cream out of them before they dried out and went bad.

Pastry cream  

7 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup cornstarch
3 cups whole milk
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, half of the sugar, the salt, and cornstarch until the mixture is pale, thick and smooth.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the milk and the remaining half of the sugar. Continue stirring until the mixture boils. Remove the pan from the heat, and slowly stream the liquid into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer the tempered egg mixture back to the saucepan and, whisking constantly, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until thickened to pudding consistency.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter, and vanilla until combined. Strain throught a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.

Once the pastry cream have cooled for about 15 minutes, wrap the bowl in plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly onto the top of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours of overnight.

 Recipe source: Baked Explorations

I was still hesitating between a strawberry shortcake style cake, or one with rhubarb and strawberry compote as the filling with the pastry cream but settled on the Boston cream cake after my husband suggested it.

I used a basic yellow chiffon style cake recipe because I wanted the cake to stay nice and fluffy even straight out of the refrigerator.

Great Yellow Cake

3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup apple juice
2 cups (9 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray or butter two round cake pans, each 8 inches in diameter and 2-inches deep, and line the bottoms with parchment.

In a liquid measuring cup, mix the oil, water, and apple juice and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set that aside as well.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Whip on medium-high speed until the mixture is thick, has tripled in volume, and makes a fat ribbon that holds its shape for a few seconds on top of the batter when you lift the whisk, about 4 minutes.

With the motor running on medium speed, add the liquid in a slow, steady stream. (The trick here is to incorporate and emulsify the liquid into the eggs without causing the eggs to deflate. Adding the liquid slowly in a constant stream is the name of the game.)

Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix on low speed just until the batter is smooth and lump-free, about 30 seconds. (Be careful not to overbeat, which will make the cake tough.)

Divide the batter between the cake pans. Bake until the cakes are golden, spring back to a light touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

Let the cakes cool in the pans for 40 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack. Remove the parchment and let cool completely.

Recipe source: Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones (Bi-Rite Creamery)

I had a hard time deciding on the glaze, but went with a modified version of the glaze I had made for the Mile high cake, just cutting out some of the cream so the glaze wouldn't be too soft.

Milk Chocolate Glaze

5 ounces good-quality milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
5 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60–72%), coarsely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 ounce unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into ½-inch cubes

Place the chopped chocolate in a large heatproof bowl and set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the heavy cream and corn syrup and bring just to a boil.

Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 2 minutes, then slowly blend the chocolate and cream together, whisking from the center, until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Whisk for another 2 to 3 minutes to release excess heat from the mixture. Add the butter and whisk again until the butter is completely melted and incorporated. Leave the glaze at room temperature for about 3 hours, until slightly thickened (it should drip thickly when poured slowly from the spoon).

Spoon teaspoonfuls of glaze up to 2 inches apart around the top edge of the cake, allowing glaze to drip down the sides of the cake. Spoon the remaining glaze over the top center of the cake and smooth with an offset spatula, covering the top completely. Chill the cake until the glaze sets, at least 1 hour.

Recipe source: Baked Explorations

I split each cake into two layers and filled each layer with 3/4 cups pastry cream. Once all my layers were stacked, I left the cake set in the refrigerator over night. The next morning, I made the glaze first thing, and finished the cake around noon. A quick trip into the refrigerator to set the glaze, and that was it!

I think the pastry cream between the layers helped the cake stay moist and gave it a really good texture. The glaze consistency was just right, and the flavor spot on. I had lots of leftover glaze, but I'm sure we'll find a way to use it up :)

classic crème brûlée

The Baked Sunday Mornings Bakers made Crème Brulée this morning.

I wasn't sure I was was going to get around to making it this weekend but dreaming about work woke me up early, so I had plenty of time to steep a vanilla bean and seeds into some cream while setting up the rest of the recipe.

Egg yolks are whisked into sugar and a bit of salt and then the mixture is tempered with the still hot cream before being strained into a clean container.

According to the book, the recipe yields 4 servings but a half a cup of cream per serving seemed a bit much to me, so I poured the cream and egg mixture into 8 smaller containers. The custard is baked in a bain-marie in the oven until the edges are set and the center still soft.

The custards need to cool, then chill for 4 hours before sugar is added to the top of them, and melted with a blow torch. Usually, white granulated sugar is used to make the glass-like top of the crème brûlée but in this case, dark brown sugar is used to give it a more pronounced caramel flavour. Brown sugar does not spread as nicely as white sugar, so I had a hard time melting the sugar evenly since it was bumpy.

I thought the crème brulée had the perfect texture with a nice crunchy top. And it looked so cute in the little teacups! Loved it!

For the recipe, and to see how my fellow bakers enjoyed this recipe, click on through to the Baked Sunday Mornings blog!

breakfast banana cake with banana mousse

I made this week's Baked Sunday Mornings Banana Mousse recipe and used it in a father's day cake for my dad.

As we were going over to my parent's for brunch, I was looking for a cake that was not too rich and heavy. I made a banana cake and stuffed it with a bunch of breakfast-y things.

Banana cake, bananas being a breakfast fruit, obviously. I then slathered nutella on the cake layers. Topped the nutella with a very addicting cornflake crunch, a momofuku recipe that combines cornflakes, milk powder, sugar and butter. And used Baked's Banana Mousse to tie everything together.

I only had a very small slice after a very copious brunch, but loved the different flavors and texture contrasts!

Mousse recipe can be found on the Baked Sunday Mornings blog. And since I know some of the BSM bakers topped their banana mousse with granola, I'm sharing the Cornflake Crunch recipe, via Martha Stewart. This stuff is dangerous to keep around, and I can't wait to eat for breakfast with vanilla yogurt and local strawberries!

Cornflake Crunch
recipe source : momofuku milk bar by Christina Tosi

1/2 (12-ounce) box cornflakes (about 5 cups)
1/2 cup milk powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
9 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.

Place cornflakes in a medium bowl. Using your hands, crush to one-quarter of their original size. Add milk powder, sugar, and salt; toss to combine. Add butter and toss to form small clusters.

Spread cornflake mixture in an even layer on prepared baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake until clusters are toasted and smell buttery, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

malted milk chocolate pots de crème

Not big fans of malt in this house. When we have Baked recipes on the Baked Sunday Mornings recipe schedule that call for it, I usually try to get the fam to eat them, without telling them there's malt in there. Sometimes it works (malted waffles and vanilla bean malt cake come to mind) sometimes it doesn't. This time, it didn't.

I thought the pots de crème would be a nice fancy dessert for the nice fancy meal I was planning for New Year's eve (planning would be the operative word here... we ended up eating pizza). I made the pots de crème early in the day so that I could photograph them while there was still natural light coming in the house.

They are not hard to make... Easier than pudding in fact. Egg yolks, sugar and salt get whipped together while the cream and malted milk that will melt the chocolate heats up. All the ingredients then get combined. I did chose to strain the mixutre before baking in in a water bath to ensure that the pots de crème would be absolutely creamy. And they were.

Although we didn't enjoy the flavor of these, the texture was absolutely wonderful. I topped them with whipped cream, but it wasn't needed at all. In fact, I preferred this dessert without, and without the crushed malted milk balls as well, as to not distract from the texture of the pots de crème.

For the recipe, and to see how the other bakers enjoyed this dessert, please visit the Baked Sunday Mornings blog.

I'm also submitting this post to Domestic Sluttery for their baking club Just Desserts. The most recent theme is Fighting for Custardy, so I thought these pots de crème were absolutely fitting!

tiramisu

I traded a cardboard house for dessert last summer. I was working at a fair with a colleague I rarely see. We both wanted the cardboard houses on display at one of the booths and she ended up getting the last one at the end of the day, but gave it to me instead of keeping it for her own daughter. I said I'd make her whatever dessert she wanted the next time I saw her. She picked tiramisu. Kinda took me off guard since I've never had tiramisu, let alone made it, but whatever. I'm up for a challenge!

So tiramisu is layers of cookies (savoiardi or ladyfingers or langues de chat) dipped in sweetened espresso, and creamy filling, this one made by combining mascarpone, vanilla pastry cream, zabaglione and whipped cream. Then the whole thing is dusted in cocoa powder.

I picked the recipe the Daring Bakers had made back in February 2010, a full year before I joined.

In the challenge, they were supposed to make the mascarpone from scratch, but I ran out of time and didn't plan ahead properly, so I bought it. And the zabaglione was supposed to be flavored with marsala wine, but there was an option to use coffee, so that's what I did. I don't know my colleague very well, and didn't know if she liked wine. What I do know is that she's trying to get pregnant, so I chose to go with coffee in case she's avoiding alcohol. Now I don't know if coffee zabaglione is even a thing, since I think zabaglione is a custard made with alcohol. But whatever, I'm going with zabaglione anyways.

I made the zabaglione and the pastry cream the first day, let the mixtures chill overnight. Felt really fancy flavoring the zabaglione with coffee and lemon zest. Felt European. Although I don't drink coffee, I love the smell of it. And this mixture smelled so good!  The next morning, I made the savoiardi, whipped the cream and combined the four components of the creamy filling. I made the required 2 cups of sweet espresso (which was a cup too many) and layered the dessert.

Dipping the cookies in coffee before layering them with the creamy filling seemed wrong. Soggy cookies are gross, unless it's because oreos were dipped in milk. And even at that, they need to be dipped quickly, and consumed immediately. But then again, the cookies by themselves were not that delicious either. They had a crispy meringue-like shell, but a dry cookie texture inside. And I was surprised that they kept their shape in the oven, just puffing up a bit, just barely spreading.

I wish I could have prettied up the dessert a bit, but it needed to travel a couple of hours by car, then spend the day hanging out in a small fridge before travelling a couple more hours to it's final destination, so I played it safe, and left it in its throwaway container.

This dessert got rave reviews. I was told the flavors were perfect, and the sugar didn't overwhelmed the coffee. The cookies were not soggy and the final product could have  been served in an Italian Piazza. Score 1 for the tiramisu.

LADYFINGERS/ SAVOIARDI BISCUITS
(Source: Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)

3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup cake flour, sifted
6 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed.
Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5" long and 3/4" wide strips leaving about 1" space in between the strips.
Sprinkle half the confectioner's sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining sugar.
Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.
Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.
Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.

TIRAMISU
(Recipe source: Carminantonio's Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007 )

For the zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup Marsala wine (or port or coffee)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

For the vanilla pastry cream:
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup whole milk

For the whipped cream:
1 cup chilled heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

To assemble the tiramisu:
2 cups brewed espresso, warmed
1 teaspoon rum extract (optional)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1 recipe savoiardi/ladyfinger biscuits
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

For the zabaglione:
Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.
In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.
Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency. Strain into a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the pastry cream:
Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.
Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. Strain the cream into a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the whipped cream:
Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.

To assemble the tiramisu:
Have ready a  8" by 8" serving dish.
Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.

Now to start assembling the tiramisu.
Workings quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row. You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered.
Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.
Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.
To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer or decorate as you please. Cut into individual portions and serve.

pâte à choux swans

It's Daring Baker's reveal day!

I was very excited when I saw August's challenge! Kat of The Bobwhites was our August 2012 Daring Baker hostess who inspired us to have fun in creating pate a choux shapes, filled with crème patisserie or Chantilly cream. We were encouraged to create swans or any shape we wanted and to go crazy with filling flavors allowing our creativity to go wild!

A couple weeks prior to the challenge being announced, I had played with pâte à choux for the first time, planning on making eclairs to bring to a family gathering. Although my eclairs shells turned out fine, I undercooked my pastry cream and it was too soupy to pipe in the shells. So that was a fail!

I was quite ready to give it another go, and this time, it did turn out!

I used the pâte à choux recipe provided by our hostess, but took the lazy way out, and used the stand mixer to finish the dough. There doesn't seem to be much variations between pâte à choux recipes, so you can't go wrong!

Pâte à choux

½ cup (120 ml) (115 gm) (4 oz) butter
1 cup (240 ml) water
¼ teaspoon (1½ gm) salt
1 tsp sugar
1 cup (240 ml) (140 gm) (5 oz) all-purpose flour
4 large eggs

Line at least two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper, or grease pans well.
Preheat oven to moderately hot 375°F/190°C/gas mark 5 .
In a small saucepan, combine butter, water, salt and sugar. Heat over medium until butter melts, then remove from stove.
Add flour all at once and beat the mixture until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pot.
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer, and using the paddle attachment and a low speed, mix briefly before adding the first egg. Beat for about a minute, until well combined. Add remaining eggs one at a time, beating for about a minute after each addition. Resulting mixture should be somewhat glossy, very smooth, and somewhat thick.

Scoop or pipe the mixture in desired shapes and bake in a 375 F oven. Start checking the progress at 20 minutes (10 minutes for the swan heads). The dough should be golden.

To make the swan bodies, pipe the dough in a tear drop-like shape, about 1.5 inch long and 1 inch wide.

The swan heads are piped using a much smaller plain tip, in a 2 shape.

I chose a crème chiboust to fill my pastries with. I had never heard of this kind creamy filling before researching pâte à choux, but a crème chiboust is a pastry cream combined with italian meringue. It's traditionally used to make St-Honoré cake.

The pastry cream is made by combining flour, salt, sugar, egg yolks and  milk in a saucepan, and cooking it while constantly stirring until thick. Gelatine is then added in, with vanilla, and a bit of heavy cream. The pastry cream is kept warm while the italian meringue is being made, by heating water and sugar to 240F degrees, then adding it to whipped egg whites and whipping the resulting meringue until the mixture is cooler, but still warm. The two mixtures are then combined to make chiboust cream.

Crème Chiboust

recipe adapted from Tartelette and Gary Rhodes

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
1 Tbsp vanilla
¼ cup whipping cream

5 egg whites
dash of salt
1 cup sugar

Bloom the gelatin in the 1/4 cup of cold water.
Put the sugar, flour, and salt into a saucepan and stir together with a whisk. Add the yolks and enough milk to make a paste. Whisk in the remainder of the milk. Place over low heat and stirring constantly, cook until thick. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and the gelatin. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in the whipping cream.

In another saucepan, boil together the sugar and water to around 240°F, which takes 2-3 minutes. While the sugar is boiling, whisk the egg whites to firm peaks. Gradually pour the boiled sugar onto the egg whites, whisking all the time; slowly continue to whisk the egg whites until just warm. Fold the meringue into the custard.

I was afraid the crème chiboust would set solidly if I let it cool, so I used it immediately. It was a bit soft for piping, but held up anyways. I should have strained the pastry cream before combining it with the italian meringue, as it was a bit lumpy, but still, super delicious! Once cold, it did set very solidly, so next time I would decrease the amount of gelatine, but it was still very delicious!

Now that I know how simple make cream puffs can be, and what pretty creations you can make with them, this could get very, very dangerous!

Thanks for the challenge Kat. Can't wait to see what challenge September brings!

chocolate pudding cups

I'm not a big fan of graham cracker crusts. I don't like crumbs in general, and the graham cracker crusts that I make, always fall apart on me (thinking of *you* magic bars that are impossible to cut or eat cleanly). So I was only mildly interested  in this week's recipe for Baked Sunday Mornings, Aunt Sabra King's pudding bars. They sound intriguing, but really, it's just a spiked chocolate pudding on a graham cracker crust.

So I made the crust in individual molds, and in the chocolate pudding, I used Frangelico instead of Whisky, since that's what I had on hand. I started eating the delicious pudding on its own, but eventually paired it with the graham cups I had made and was very surprised at how much it added to the dessert. They were nice and chewy, and not at all crumbly! I'm assuming the massive amount of butter that went into the crumbs had something to do with it!

For the recipe and to see how the other members of the group fared with this one, visit the Baked Sunday Mornings site!

banana peanut butter pie

When mother's day rolled around, it just so happened that the next recipe on the Baked Sunday Mornings recipe schedule was perfect for my mom, who has a banana with peanut butter on it for breakfast almost every single morning. I had fully intended to make if for her, but life got in the way, and I brought morning glory muffins to breakfast instead. (My dad's favorite, kinda weird, the breakfast being for mother's day...)

Although I don't think I ever had banana pie, I still wanted to make this recipe because I skipped a lot  of Baked Sunday Mornings recipes, and felt bad. And it was straightforward enough. Plus it wasn't banana flavored pudding, which sounds gross, but vanilla pudding topped with bananas.

Made the crust one morning, the pudding in the afternoon, and the banana layer and peanut butter topping the next morning.

The crust was easy enough, but dirtied the appliance I most hate washing, the food processor. I was scared that the crumbs wouldn't hold together to make the crust, but of course, they did. The pudding was next, and I must have read the directions wrong, as I was fully prepared to boil the mixture for 5 minutes. I was surprised to see that it took no time at all to make. But with pudding, you really have to go with your gut. And when the pudding is thick enough, it's time to take it off the heat!  I always love being reminded how easy it is to make pudding from scratch.I loved the look of this one, with the vanilla bean seeds throughout.

The peanut butter topping gave be a bit more trouble, as it was a bit too thick to easily accept the folding in of the whipped cream. I'm sure I lost some airiness with my vigorous "folding" but I managed to get it fully incorporated, eventually.

I topped the pie with Godiva chocolate pearls, mainly because in between the time I decided to make the pie and bought chocolate covered peanuts, and when I actually made the pie, we had eaten all the peanuts. But I really like the look of the chocolate pearls! Too bad they are so insanely expensive!

Turns out, it's a pretty yummy pie! I was test tasting a tiny slice before lunch, and gave a bit to the toddler who, when she got around to putting the spoon in her mouth, immediately demanded more, then pointing up at the pie wanting a slice of her own. She had a big piece after lunch too! I liked that I was able to cleanly slice it. (Presentation is important!) The peanut butter topping was much richer than I would have expected, but was quite good. The only thing is those chocolate pearls... did absolutely nothing for this pie! Wish I had left them off completely!

To see how the other Baked Sunday Mornings members thought of this pie, click on through to the blog! Oh, and the recipe is posted here!

raspberry pretzel delight

This falls into the category of perfect desserts. It's creamy, crunchy, salty and sweet, fruity and cool... It has everything! Unless you are craving cake and/or frosting (many, many options on this blog), or something chocolaty, in which case, I recommend this dessert. But when you have a pan of this stuff in front of you, it's the perfect dessert. And it's in part why I made it in small tins... automatic portion control!

It's not a very challenging recipe. In fact, it's pretty easy. Especially when you already have crushed pretzels. I usually run an entire bag through the food processor, so when I need them for these, or these, or the aforementioned perfect chocolaty version of this dessert, there's one less step involved. I don't make this dessert very often mainly because it relies on boxes of stuff, and cans, and tubs... but I should, because everybody loves this!

In any case... A layer of crushed pretzels, butter and sugar, pressed in a pan, and baked, then cooled. Then, a creamy layer consisting of sweetened condensed milk, water, vanilla pudding mix, and whipped topping. And on top, canned pie filling, in this case, wildberry, because apparently, according to my husband, there's a shortage of raspberry pie filling in our area. They had everything but raspberry. Wildberry did just fine... It was delicious!

I have the recipe written down in a recipe journal, so no idea where it came from, but when I did a quick google search for it (because I was too lazy to find my copy of the recipe), I found it easily.

Raspberry Pretzel Delight

Crust:
1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

Filling:
1 (12 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup water
1 pk (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding
1 3/4 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Topping:
1 (21 oz) can raspberry pie filling

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all crust ingredients; mix well. Press into ungreased 13 x 9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes; cool.

In a large bowl, combine condensed milk and water; blend well. Add in the pudding mix and beat for 2 minutes. Refrigerate 5 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Spread on cooled crust. Refrigerate until filling is firm, about 1 hour.

Spoon fruit topping over filling. Cover; refrigerate until serving time. Store in refrigerator.

I guess it would be a dessert more appropriate in the summer, but we had it new year's eve after a dinner from hell, probably the worse dinner in 2011. So glad that's over! Looking forward to a great 2012.

blueberry rhubarb crisp with pistachios

When I inherited an armful of rhubarb stalks a few weeks back, I made super moist and delicious rhubarb oatmeal muffins and froze the rest of the rhubarb so I could make this crisp. 

For the past few years, I've made this dessert every Spring. Since blueberries and rhubarb are never in season at the same time, I mostly always use frozen blueberries and rhubarb. I know this crisp could be made year round, but like strawberries in June, and cherries, peaches and corn in August, some things you just have to have in season. And this is a Spring dessert! 

Now my crisps always have to have oats in the topping. Its a rule that can't be broken, except when it comes to this crisp. The pistachios and their beautiful green and purple color just make this dish pop! A juicy sweet and tart fruit layer of blueberries and rhubarb tossed in a bit of flour and sugar, topped with pistachios, flour, brown and white sugar and butter. Simplicity at its most deliciousness!

Blueberry Rhubarb Crisp with Pistachio Crust
recipe adapted from Gourmet via a chow life

1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups blueberries

1/2 cup shelled natural pistachios, chopped
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 375°F. and butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish.

In a bowl stir together sugar and flour. Add rhubarb and blueberries to sugar mixture, tossing well, and spread mixture in baking dish.

In a bowl whisk together flour and sugars. Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes and with your fingers or a pastry blender blend into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add pistachios and toss well.

Squeeze a handful of topping together and coarsely crumble in chunks over filling. Squeeze and evenly crumble remaining topping over filling in same manner. Bake crisp in upper third of oven until filling is bubbling and topping is crisp and golden, about 50 minutes.

Serve crisp warm or at room temperature.

I served this dessert with a dollop of vanilla yogurt, but of course, it would be excellent with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. I slightly reduced the sugar in both the topping and the fruit layer from the original recipe, and we all thought it was sweet enough. A delicious Spring dessert.

maple mousse in french toast cupcakes

Last month, I spent countless hours trying to conjure up creative fillings for the meringue filled coffee cake we were challenged with at the Daring Kitchen. This month, it was edible containers. Possibilities I had going through my mind: Waffle cones, eclairs, popovers, banana bread...

The April 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Evelyne of the blog Cheap Ethnic Eatz. Evelyne chose to challenge everyone to make a maple mousse in an edible container. Prizes are being awarded to the most creative edible container and filling, so vote on your favorite from April 27th to May 27th at http://thedaringkitchen.com!

Since Evelyne is from Montreal, and this is April, I had a pretty good idea that she would challenge us with maple syrup. I can image the headaches that caused for some of my fellow Daring Bakers, since maple syrup - the real thing - is not easily found in all areas of the world, and if it is, it's terribly expensive! Luckily for me, maple syrup is produced right here. And it's pretty darn good maple syrup! I went shopping for inspiration.

And look at the goodies I found. Most of them I've previously picked up and put right back on the shelf because I couldn't justify the expense. But for the challenge? Anything goes! And my mom surprised me by paying for my bill on top of hers! Merci mom! So we've got maple syrup in cute touristy mini plastic jugs, maple syrup in a nice clear bottle (2011 syrup! Score!), maple syrup in a can that I probably bought on special at my local pharmacy (yes, the pharmacy sells maple syrup...), maple sugar that's crazy expensive, maple butter that's 100% pure maple syrup (no clue how to get that texture, but boy is it ever creamy! So good!), maple jelly!!! (I know, that was a first for me, and it's incredible. And expensive.), and soft maple candies. I bought a maple lollipop too, but Cha got a hold of it before I could hide it...

I'm so ready for this challenge!

So I stuck with the mousse recipe we were given. Boil maple syrup, temper egg yolks, bloom gelatine in some cream, dissolve gelatine, combine with syrup and eggs, let thicken while whisking once in a while. Whip remaining cream, lighten maple syrup mixture with some of it, then fold in the rest. Chill

Maple Mousse

1 cup pure maple syrup
4 large egg yolks
1 package (7g/1 tbsp.) unflavoured gelatine
1 1/2 cups whipping cream (35% fat content)

Bring maple syrup to a boil then remove from heat.

In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and pour a little bit of the maple syrup in while whisking (this is to temper your egg yolks so they don’t curdle). When mixture is warm, add remaining hot maple syrup while whisking.

Measure 1/4 cup of whipping cream in a bowl and sprinkle it with the gelatine. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Place the bowl in a microwave for 45 seconds (microwave for 10 seconds at a time and check it in between) or place the bowl in a pan of barely simmering water, stir to ensure the gelatine has completely dissolved.

Whisk the gelatine/whipping cream mixture into the maple syrup mixture and set aside.

Whisk occasionally for approximately an hour or until the mixture has the consistency of an unbeaten raw egg white.

Whip the remaining cream. Stir 1/4 of the whipped cream into the maple syrup mixture. Fold in the remaining cream and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Remove from the fridge and divide equally among your edible containers.

For my edible container, I chose a french toast cupcake. A good while ago, Food Network Magazine had put a french toast cupcake with maple frosting and a slice of bacon on the cover of their magazine. I didn't make it then, but I thought that now would be the perfect opportunity. But when I looked at the recipe, I didn't have a lot of the ingredients, so I found another recipe that I had bookmarked around the same time. I blogged about them earlier this month, when I actually made the challenge.

And I topped the finished product with bacon that I cooked in maple syrup, and a maple candy or maple sugar.

Very simple, but super tasty! The bacon is an absolute must to counter the super sweet mousse, and I love the chewy texture it brings to the dessert.

april fools

I always hated April Fools day, even as a kid. I just hate being made fun of. I'm very uptight that way. I'm not one to play tricks on people either. But it's a holiday, and I just must celebrate it! So no fish, no fake whatever. But just simple, simple April Fools.

Could a dessert be simpler? I've had fruit and whipped cream many times, but it's the first time that I combine the two and have an actual fool. It tastes the way you would think. Fruit and cream. But the addition of a bit of sour cream to it makes it different. Really good. And after taking the pics, I crumbled a store bought meringue nest into mine to make a Mess. Now that was good. Especially since my strawberries and my whipped cream weren't too sweet. Yum. A great way to use the last of the strawberries I had stashed in the freezer last summer! Can't wait for June!

Strawberry April Fools

frozen strawberries, thawed
cornstarch

1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp sugar

In a small pot, bring the strawberries to a boil. Put a spoonful of cornstarch in a small bowl and add enough water to dissolve it. Add some of the cornstarch slurry to the strawberries, little by little, letting it thicken before adding more, until desired consistency is achieved. Chill in the fridge.

In a medium bowl, combine cream, sour cream, vanilla and sugar. With a hand mixer, mix on low speed until slightly thickened, then at medium speed until thick, and at high speed until the mixture holds stiff peaks.

Fold strawberries into the whipped cream, and crumble in meringue nest if desired.

broken glass jello

My daughter is graduating from... pre-preschool today. Basically, a 10 week program to prepare 3 year olds for school next year. For me, it was just another activity to keep her busy, and get her playing with other kids her age. She loved it! It was one day a week, and she would have gone every day if she could have.

So, to celebrate, we're having a potluck snack. Now, Cha loves the program, and I like going because I get to talk to other adults for 75 minutes, but I have a snack issue. I have to pack a snack for her school in the morning. That I understand. Then she comes home and has lunch. (She always asks for a snack first though.) Then, on Tuesdays, she has that program she's graduating from. It's from 12:45 to 2 p.m. And I have to pack another snack. She just had lunch! But that's nothing. On Thursdays, she has a relaxation activity at 6:15 pm, until 7:30. And I'm required to bring a snack to that too! All they do is eat! OK. I'm done ranting...

So, a snack, for a potluck, for a preschool graduation. I was considering making something that looks like graduation caps, but everything I saw kinda looked like caps, but you had to know... So I gave up on that idea when I saw this. Broken glass jello! Isn't it cute?

Jello is not something we eat here at home. Cha has had it a few times at Chinese restaurants and at my mom's house, but that's basically it. And I'm sure all kids like jello. And the recipe couldn't be simpler. I mean, how hard is it to ruin jello. ;)

Broken Glass Jello
adapted from The Food Librarian via Montcarte

4 small boxes (3 oz. each) of Jello in different colors.
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1. For each flavor, dissolve one box of jello in one cup of boiling water. Pour into a container and chill.

2. After chilling the four flavors, cut them into small blocks.

3. Carefully mix the blocks in a 9 x 13 pan.

4. In a separate bowl, sprinkle 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin into 1/2 cup cold water. After the gelatin blooms, add 1 1/2 cup boiling water and dissolve. Add the can of condensed milk. Stir and cool. Pour cooled milk mixture over jello and chill overnight.

5. Cut into blocks or shapes and serve!

And then, after I cut it, and everything, I quickly realized that jello is really not the ideal snack to be serving to 3 year olds at a potluck... So I quickly scramble around and made mini vanilla cupcakes topped with vanilla icing and colored sugar... Boring! But, of course, they all disappeared within minutes. Lesson learned.

maple apple crisp

I've been craving apple crisp lately. I don't have a go-to recipe, so I don't make it very often. My mom used to have a typewriter-typed recipe on one of those filing cards in a box, but I think it was lost, and since then, some apple crisps, but not necessarily very good ones.

I had bought a bag of Empire apples at the store a while back, and thought I would use those, but I couldn't find them anywhere. I assume my husband has been eating them, even though he is an absolute Granny Smith type. So is my daughter. So the Emprire apples were gone, but a bag of sad looking Granny Smith remained. I guess that's why he's been eating the red ones.

I know that apple crisp is more of a fall dish, but whatever. I tried to make it more spring like by adding some maple flavors. I know for some maple is also a fall flavor, but here, where maple syrup is locally produced, it's definitely a March flavor. I never even consider using it in baking in the fall. On pancakes and stuff throughout the year, but not in baking.

Maple apple crisp

5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 envelope maple brown sugar flavored instant oatmeal
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp melted butter

1 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss sliced apples in lemon juice and maple syrup. Add flour and cinnamon, and toss so apples are evenly combined. Spread in a 8 or 9 inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients, and drizzle with melted butter. Stir with a fork until mostly evenly coated with the butter. Place topping on the apples. Drizzle with melted butter and maple syrup. Bake for 45 minutes, until topping is golden and apples are tender.

Results were delicious! I like cooking with Granny Smith because the apples retain their shape, and don't go to mush. They were cooked through, but still a bit crisp. The topping was crumbly and tender, and the juices at the bottom of the dish, when spooned over the crisp after dishing out were spectacular! I might just be making apple crisp more often. This one is a keeper!

This was breakfast! I wish I had vanilla yogurt to top it, but it was still good plain! Can't wait to have some with vanilla ice cream as dessert!

risotto rice pudding

My husband and oldest daughter love rice pudding. Cha would bring that to school everyday for snack if she could. Her eyes actually light up when I tell her I made some. It's a treat for them both, because I don't make it often. The fact that I actually make rice pudding for them is strong proof of my love. It takes forever! It's hands-on forever too! And it smells so good. I want to like it. But I just don't. I don't like creamy rice. It's a texture thing.

Although it takes a good hour of stirring to make, at least it makes a lot. It says 4 to 6 servings, but I say it makes way more than that. It's not like you're going to eat a cup and half of the stuff. It's more involved than recipes that call for leftover rice, but it's the only recipe I use, because it's just so decadent. A real treat. Whole milk. Real vanilla. Sugar. Cream. Egg yolks. Oh yeah, rice too! It's not rice pudding that you can find on a grocery store shelf. The real deal.

I topped this serving with fresh pineapples that I sautéed in butter and brown sugar. Just a hint of acidity and bright, fresh flavor to balance out the creaminess of the rice pudding. If I were to eat the stuff, it would totally have to be doused in dulce de leche or something like that. Pineapples are a bit healthier.

The recipe is from the book Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor. This book is a must for dessert lovers. Her recipes are over the top. Soooo bad for you. Soooo expensive to make. Definitely not everyday dessert kind of recipes, but if you're looking for an outrageous dessert for a special occasion, Jill O'Connor is your gal. I found a copy of the rice pudding on the internet already, so I guess it's ok to copy here? I'm new at this. I don't know the rules...

Risotto rice pudding

½ cup Arborio (risotto) rice
8 cups whole milk
½ cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
2 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
~ Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Combine the rice, milk, sugar, vanilla bean, cinnamon, and salt in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring every 5 minutes as the mixture starts to thicken, for about 30 minutes.
Continue cooking until the rice is tender but not too mushy, about 15 minutes longer. The milk will be thick and the rice tender, but the mixture will still be very soupy, which is what you want. (As the pudding cools, it thickens, and if it is too thick while still hot, it will firm up into a thick, stodgy lump without the unctuous creaminess of a great rice pudding.)
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and cream together and stir into the rice pudding. Continue cooking the pudding over medium-low heat for about 2 to 3 minutes, until the eggs are cooked through and pudding is creamy and glossy, but still fairly soupy. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Grate a little nutmeg, if you like, into the pudding. Remove the vanilla pod.
Pour the pudding into a serving bowl or individual serving dishes and press plastic wrap over the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 to 3 hours. Serve cold.