Cream Cheese Nut Bread

 

It seems that, lately, I have had no time for baking or cooking. Today I had a hankering (I tend to hanker a lot) for a comforting quick bread for tomorrow’s breakfast.  I pulled out a recipe for an old favorite, warming and deliciously scenting the kitchen in the going. This is an easy recipe to make, and you probably have all of the ingredients on hand.  It does take up a number of bowls, but the end result is well worth it.

This moist, dense, nutty loaf is made all the better with an almond-flavored ribbon of cream cheese running right through the center. This cream cheese filling can be used with almost any of your favorite quick bread recipes, by the way, but do give this one a try, and then experiment by adding it to other favorites.  It makes an already delicious quick loaf all the better.  As an added note, this bread gets better every day. Cream Cheese Nutbread

 To make filling:

 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/3 c. sugar

½ t. almond extract

1 large egg, room temperature

 Beat the above ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl on high speed until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

To make bread:

 2 large eggs, room temperature

½ c. canola oil

½ c. whole milk

1 t. freshly grated lemon peel

2¼ c. flour

1/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. firmly packed light brown sugar

1 t. baking soda

1 t. kosher salt

1 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spray a 9” x 5” loaf pan with PAM and dust thoroughly with granulated sugar (or, a cinnamon-sugar mixture, if you prefer).  Set aside.

Beat eggs until frothy and lemon colored.  Slowly add oil, milk, and lemon rind, mixing until well blended.

 In separate bowl, stir together flour, sugars, soda, salt, and nuts.  Add this dry mixture, all at once, to the wet mixture and mix until just moistened.  Do not over mix.  Spoon half of bread batter into loaf pan, smoothing as you go.  Top with all of the cream cheese mixture, then spoon the remaining half of the dough on top, spreading to cover as well as you can.  Bake for 1 hour.  Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

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Bacon Mushroom Caps

 

These are wonderful appetizers, easy to make and delicious. I have served them both at brunches and cocktail parties with equal success, and I always get requests for the recipe. Recipients are continually surprised by one of the ingredients - corn chips!

 Bacon Mushroom Caps

40 medium button mushrooms

½ lb. bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

1 c. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

½ c. butter, softened

½ c. finely crushed corn chips

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 T. finely chopped onion

1 T. dry red wine

 Remove stems from cleaned mushrooms; chop stems. Combine stems with remaining ingredients. Fill mushroom caps. Place an inch apart on baking sheets and broil 5 to 7 minutes until lightly browned and bubbly. Serve hot.

 

Crush corn chips very fine. I used an ice cream scoop.The recipe calls for Monterrey Jack, but I used Fontina.Cook bacon until well done and crispy, and then chop with a sharp knife.Stir ingredients together well. I cubed the butter in order to allow it to more quickly incorporate.Rolling the filling into loose ball shapes makes it easy to fill each cap.

These are a MUST TRY!

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Rainier Cherry Turnovers

  

I love cherries. I particularly love Rainier cherries. Truth be told, I could eat my weight in them. Besides, just eating them as is, this season I decided that I was going to do something different. I decided that I was going to cook them down and turn them into a filling for a cherry turnover. This worked spectacularly. I made enough filling to make eight turnovers (two sheets of puff pastry), but instead just decided to make four and save the rest of the filling to warm and pour over vanilla ice cream. I am in cherry heaven!

Rainier Cherry Turnovers

Turnovers:

1 lb. Melissa’s Rainier cherries, rinsed and pitted

¼ c. sugar

1 T. cornstarch

1 T. unsalted butter

Pinch of salt

1 pkg. puff pastry (2 sheets)

  Egg Wash:

 1 large egg

1 T. water

Glaze:

¾ c. powdered sugar

1-2 T. milk

 Place cherries, sugar, and salt into a medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, mashing down cherries as they begin to soften. (I used an avocado masher.) Stir in cornstarch, and cook over medium heat until thick. Remove from heat and stir in butter; set aside.

Place a Silpat or parchment paper onto a large baking sheet. Lay the puff pastry sheet(s) on top of the Silpat or parchment paper and, using a pizza cutter, cut each sheet pastry into 4 squares.  Place approximately 2 tablespoons of filling into the center of each square (I used a cookie scoop for this).

Whisk together egg and water to make egg wash, and brush each edge so that it will form a nice seal. Fold the pastries over, corner to corner, to form a triangle, and use a fork to press the edges closed.

 Brush the remaining egg wash on top of the turnovers.

Bake 375°F for 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden. Leave on the baking sheet for about five minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool.

 Make glaze by combining powdered sugar and milk, whisking until smooth. Drizzle glaze over turnovers. Serve immediately.

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Peach Coffee Cake

 

I’ve tried to convince myself over the years that I am not a baker, but occasionally I just get the urge to bake, ergo, at least according to number two son, I am indeed a baker. Today he was coming over to hang out with his old mom. I love that my adult son still likes to come hang out with me. As a consequence, I decided that today would be the perfect day to experiment with a peach coffee cake, because I knew that he would enjoy being my taste tester, and give me an honest opinion.

By the time he arrived, the house was scented with cinnamon and toasted pecans. We could hardly wait to dig in, but I knew, considering the moist filling, that the cake was going to have to cool thoroughly before I could cut into it. I think that was the longest hour of our lives.

  We both absolutely loved it! This is a coffee cake, so the cake itself isn’t as sweet as a dessert cake, making it perfect for breakfast. The peach filling is absolute heaven, as is the streusel topping. This is a must try.Peach Coffee Cake

For cake:

2 c. flour

2 t. aluminum free baking powder

½ t. aluminum free baking soda

1/8 t. salt

½ c. butter, room temperature

1 c. sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 c. sour cream

1 t. vanilla extract

1 21-oz. can peach pie filling

Streusel Topping:

1 c. flour

½ c. firmly packed dark brown sugar

½ c. pecans

6 T. butter, cut into pieces and softened

1 t. cinnamon

¼ t. freshly grated nutmeg

 Make streusel: In a food processor pulse together streusel ingredients until combined well and crumbly; set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan with Baker’s Joy; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

 In the work bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and beat in eggs one at a time just until incorporated. With the mixer still on low, add sour cream and vanilla, then add flour mixture in 2-3 intervals, beating just to combine.

 Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan. Top with peach pie filling, spreading to within a half a spreading to within a half inch of the side of the pan. Dollop the rest of the batter over the peaches, spreading to cover.

 Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 15-20 minutes on a wire rack before removing the springform pan sides.

 Because of the fruit filling, this does not keep. What you don’t eat the first day, slice up and freeze. It freezes beautifully.

 *Be sure to spread the dough to the edges. I dampened my hands in order to do so.

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Quiche Florentine

 

You’d be hard pressed, I think, to find someone who hasn’t heard of quiche. What was a bit of a rarity when I was a child is now pretty much everywhere. There’s much to like about quiche. It’s inexpensive, can make use of whatever you happen to have in the fridge, can have crust…or not, and can be served cold or hot. I find it’s a wonderful way to use up ingredients of which I may have over bought, and don’t want to see go to waste. That was the inspiration for this quiche, namely, the bag of fresh baby spinach that had gotten shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten.Florentine Quiche

 1 9-inch pie crust, blind baked*

1 T. olive oil

2 medium Melissa’s shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz. shredded cheese, your choice, I used cheddar

3 c. fresh baby spinach

1 T. flour

½ c. whole milk

½ c. heavy cream

4 large eggs, beaten  

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/8 t. white pepper

Few gratings 

fresh nutmeg

 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Blind bake pie crust. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

 In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive. Add garlic and shallots, and sauté until the shallots are transparent, 2-3 minutes. Add spinach and stir gently until cooked down.

In a small dish, take 2 tablespoons of the milk and whisk together with the flour until the flour is dissolved. Combine the slurry with the rest of the milk, heavy cream, and beaten eggs. Whisk to combine and add salt and pepper. Set aside. Layer the vegetables and cheese in the prepared pie crust. Slowly and carefully pour the liquid over top.

 Bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes until the center of the quiche is cooked through. Use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.

*To blind bake a pie crust,place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pie pan on top of your crust. Place pie weights, dried beans, or rice on top of parchment and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove and set aside the weights and parchment paper. Prick the bottom of the pie crust several time with a fork. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

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Lemon Blueberry Loaf

 

I was craving blueberries, so when I found them on sale at the local market, I had to pick up a pint. I wasn’t paying very close attention at the time, so just grabbed one at random. When I got them home I found that they were the smallest blueberries that I think I have ever seen. In addition, they were pretty tart. Suffice to say that everything I had planned on doing with the blueberries suddenly screeched to a halt and I had to come up with a contingency plan. Because I had been craving lemon as well as blueberries, this Lemon Blueberry Loaf was like the answer to a prayer.Lemon Blueberry Loaf

 Loaf:

1½ c. flour, plus 1 tablespoon extra

1 t. baking powder

½ t. kosher salt

⅓ c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

2 large eggs

2 t. fresh lemon zest

2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ c. whole milk

1 c. fresh blueberries

Lemon glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar

3 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon

 Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with Baker’s Joy.

 In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

 In a separate large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the lemon zest and lemon juice until well combined.

 Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk. Begin and ending with the flour mixture, mixing just until combined.

 Reserve about a dozen blueberries and toss the remaining in 1 tablespoon of flour thereby preventing them from dropping to the bottom of loaf during baking step. Gently fold in the coated blueberries.

 Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smooth the top with a spatula, and scatter the reserved blueberries over the top, pressing down lightly.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until cake tests done.

Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack.

 Lemon glaze:

In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth and glossy.

 Drizzle the glaze over the cooled Lemon Blueberry Loaf, allowing it to drip down the sides.

 Let the glaze set for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

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Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

 

Opening day of the baseball season always makes me nervous. That’s why I generally plan to do something and watch baseball in the periphery so as not to be let down. As luck would have it, I wasn’t, but I digress. This is a recipe that I have had around for ages. It’s from St. Louis’s “Feast” magazine. I had cut it out years ago with the intention of making it, and never did. I thought today would be a good day to do that, so I did. It is wonderful! You can read about how it came to be here.

 On a damp, chilly, windy day like today to be followed by a darned cold night, this is going to be a welcome evening addition with a cup of tea. By the way, I cut this recipe in half and baked it in an 8” x 8” square pan. It worked out perfectly. I’ll also add that the banana bread is good all on its own.

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

As seen in Feast Magazine

Banana Bread (Yields 2 large loaves)

3¾ c. flour

1½ t. baking soda

4 overripe bananas

2¼ c. tightly packed brown sugar

1 t. kosher salt

½ c. canola oil

4 large eggs

2 t. vanilla extract

5 oz. whole milk, divided

Custard

½ c. tightly packed brown sugar

1 t. kosher salt

1 T. vanilla extract

2 T. dark rum

4 large eggs

1 c. whole milk

3 c. heavy cream

Foster Sauce

½ c. unsalted butter

1 c. tightly packed brown sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

½ t. ground cinnamon

½ t. kosher salt

1 T. honey

¼ c. heavy cream

¼ c. banana liqueur*

¼ c. dark rum

1 c. pecan pieces, toasted

Preparation – Banana Bread:Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter and flour 2 9-by-5-inch loaf pans. **

 In a mixing bowl, sift flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat bananas, brown sugar and salt on medium speed until smooth. With mixer running, add oil, eggs and vanilla until combined. Reduce mixer to low, add ¹⁄₃ dry ingredients and ½ milk; repeat until fully incorporated. Divide evenly between 2 prepared pans; bake until golden brown, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool bread in pans for 10 minutes.

 

Preparation – Custard: In a mixing bowl, whisk all ingredients together until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Preparation – Foster Sauce: In a sauce pot over medium-high heat, heat all ingredients except alcohol and pecans until thick and bubbly, 5 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat, add liqueur, rum and pecans. Allow to cool.

Assembly: Preheat oven to 350°F. Cube bread and add to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Pour custard over top and bake until firm, 45 to 60 minutes. Pour cooled sauce over bread pudding and bake 10 minutes more. Serve.

 *I did not have this and didn’t intend to buy it, so I just doubled up on the rum.

 **This is too much work. I just sprayed the heck out of the pan with Baker’s Joy.

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