Spaghetti Carbonara

Posted on June 6, 2012 by sparecake

A while ago I had to go up to Concord for a day-long course. My dad’s best friend lives up there and is a cool guy, so I gave him a call before hand and stopped by after the course to make dinner.

That’s him, prepping some pancetta.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups pancetta, diced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
  • 4 eggs, beaten together lightly
  • 2/3 cup peas (optional)
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
  • 1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

When I showed up, Ray’d already done half the work!

In a large pot, cook the spaghetti according to package directions until al dente. Drain well, then toss with one tablespoon olive oil and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook the pancetta until lightly browned.

Remove the pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Drain the fat from the skillet, if there’s more than a tablespoon or two left (we didn’t have much), then add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chopped onion, cooking over medium heat until onion becomes translucent. Add the wine, if desired, then the garlic, and cook one minute. Return the pancetta to the pan.

The bits leftover from the pancetta really turned the onion brown, especially after the wine helped pulled everything up off the bottom of the pan.

Add the spaghetti and toss to combine with the pancetta mixture. Add the eggs and cook, tossing constantly, until the eggs are barely set. Add the half cup of Parmesan and the pepper and salt and toss again. Remove from the heat.

Transfer to your serving dish.

And sprinkle with parsley and extra Parmesan.

Spaghetti carbonara is SUCH a good comfort food! I really love it. Two thumbs up! Also two thumbs up to Ray, for being so happy to cook!

Spaghetti Carbonara

Adapted from AllRecipes.

    • 1 pound spaghetti
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
    • 1 1/2 cups pancetta, diced
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
    • 4 eggs, beaten together lightly
    • 2/3 cup peas (optional)
    • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
    • 1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

In a large pot, cook the spaghetti according to package directions until al dente. Drain well, then toss with one tablespoon olive oil and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook the pancetta until lightly browned. Remove the pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Drain the fat from the skillet, if there’s more than a tablespoon or two left , then add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chopped onion, cooking over medium heat until onion becomes translucent. Add the wine, if desired, then the garlic, and cook one minute. Return the pancetta to the pan.

Add the spaghetti and toss to combine with the pancetta mixture. Add the eggs and cook, tossing constantly, until the eggs are barely set. Add the half cup of Parmesan and the pepper and salt and toss again. Remove promptly from the heat.

Serve sprinkled with parsley and extra Parmesan.

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Banana Blender Pie

Posted on June 4, 2012 by sparecake

I keep buying too many bananas, and I’ve had this pie bookmarked for ages, so…it was time! I had to do some alterations, because I just wasn’t going to go to the supermarket, but it came out well. If you like the taste of bananas, it’s pretty hard not to like this pie!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 box cinnamon graham crackers
  • 7 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 4 bananas
  • 2 eggs
  • 10 ounces heavy cream
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 large handful mini chocolate chips
  • whipped cream, or 10 (additional) ounces heavy cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla

Crush the graham crackers into crumbs, using a food processor or by putting them in a bag and smashing them.

Less dishes/More fun

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, the cocoa powder, and the butter. Stir until well combined.

Looks so niiiice!

Press evenly onto the bottom of a 9″ springform and a bit up the sides.

Refrigerate for at least half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 355 degrees.

Combine the cream, eggs, vanilla, bananas, and sugar in your blender.

hahaha

Blend until smooth and creamy.

Pour into the prepared crust, then sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake for 40 minutes, then remove from oven and cool on a rack. When it’s a reasonable temperature to put in your fridge, refrigerate until ready to eat.

Beat the extra cream and vanilla until light and fluffy (you can do this in your blender too!), if using, or top with canned whipped cream and serve.

If I had had more cream, I think a huge dollop of fresh whipped cream would have been great, but it was not to be. This still most definitely works! I’m glad I finally gave it a try, and glad I don’t have a heap of bananas mouldering on the counter.

Banana Blender Pie

Adapted from Not So Humble Pie.

  • 1/2 box cinnamon graham crackers
  • 7 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 4 bananas
  • 2 eggs
  • 10 ounces heavy cream
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 large handful mini chocolate chips
  • whipped cream, or 10 (additional) ounces heavy cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla

Crush the graham crackers into crumbs, using a food processor or by putting them in a bag and smashing them. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, the cocoa powder, and the butter. Stir until well combined. Press evenly onto the bottom of a 9″ springform and a bit up the sides. Refrigerate for at least half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 355 degrees.

Combine the cream, eggs, vanilla, bananas, and sugar in your blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into the prepared crust, then sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake for 40 minutes, then remove from oven and cool on a rack to room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Beat the extra cream and vanilla until light and fluffy and spread over pie, if using, or top with canned whipped cream and serve.

Posted in Dessert | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Peanut Butter Pretzel M&M Cookies

Posted on June 1, 2012 by sparecake

Sometimes I still really miss the crispy M&MS, which haven’t existed (in the States) since 2005. A pretty exciting alternative, though, are the newish pretzel ones. As in many snack-things, the salt is what sells it. Yum! The perfect complement to a peanut butter cookie.

Wikipedia tells me that “[i]n July 2009, a study showed that a dye similar to that in blue M&M’s showed benefits in helping paralyzed rats to walk again.” I don’t know what to do with this information.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups pretzel M&Ms

Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in the peanut butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl once in the middle.

Beat in the egg and vanilla until evenly mixed in.

Beat in the baking soda and flour, starting with the mixer on slow. Beat until just combined, scraping down the bowl once or twice in the middle.

Fold in the M&Ms, then form the dough into a rough disk on some saran wrap. Refrigerate for at least half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Scoop the dough into rounded tablespoons at least an inch apart on two ungreased baking sheets.

Used a scoop for a change.

Bake for 9-10 minutes. They don’t brown much, and come out of the oven a bit puffy and then flatten some as they cool. Let cool at least 20 minutes on the sheet and they’ll hold together when you try to pick them up.

The ones on the right are straight out of the oven, the other had 10 minutes to deflate. I don’t think it’s necessary to bake one pan at a time, I just…did.

Another hit with the floor hockey team! I would definitely make these again. Next time, though, I might flatten the dough balls out so that they’re a bit more even not bulges with flat edges.

Peanut Butter Pretzel M&M Cookies

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups pretzel M&Ms

Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in the peanut butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl once in the middle. Beat in the egg and vanilla until evenly mixed in. Beat in the baking soda and flour, starting with the mixer on slow. Beat until just combined, scraping down the bowl once or twice in the middle. Fold in the M&Ms, then form the dough into a rough disk on some saran wrap. Refrigerate for at least half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Scoop the dough into rounded tablespoons at least an inch apart on two ungreased baking sheets. Flatten each ball slightly by pressing down with your hand or a spatula.

Bake for 9-10 minutes. Let cool on the pan at least 20 minutes before trying to move.

Posted in Dessert | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Blueberry Brown Sugar Gratin

Posted on May 30, 2012 by sparecake

This is a super easy dessert – it goes from ingredients in packages to out of the oven in under 10 minutes! It’s good with raspberries, blueberries…probably just about any berry, although I might cut strawberries into smaller pieces if I used them. Being mostly fruit and Greek yogurt, it’s not entirely awful for you, and it’s got a brown sugar crust that is worthy of the fattiest dessert. So delicious!

Ingredients:

  • 1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries
  • 2 cups vanilla Greek yogurt – I used two of those small Chobani cups
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar

Turn on your oven’s broiler. Gently fold the berries into the yogurt in a one quart (or roughly similar sized) broiler-safe dish. I used a metal bread pan, because I knew it wouldn’t shatter under the broiler.

Sprinkle the brown sugar over the yogurt mixture. I think you should put a little bit more towards the outside edges, because when you serve the melted sugar pulls in towards your spoon and away from the edges, and you still want some out on the edges too.

Place in the oven under the broiler and cook until the sugar has melted and just begun to caramelize. I gave mine 4 minutes and it was done.

And that’s it! You can begin serving right away, and the sugar will quickly harden into a delicious crust. Super simple, super good. Deb of Smitten Kitchen says the leftovers are still delicious, but we didn’t have any left to worry about!

If you want to get this ready before dinner you can mix up the berries and yogurt beforehand, but don’t put the brown sugar on if you’re not going to cook it right away because it’ll sink in and not create the nice crust.

Blueberry Brown Sugar Gratin

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

  • 1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries
  • 2 cups vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar

Turn on your oven’s broiler. Gently fold the berries into the yogurt in a one quart broiler-safe dish. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the yogurt mixture, going a bit heavier on the outward edges.

Place in the oven under the broiler and cook until the sugar has melted and just begun to caramelize, about 4 minutes. Serve immediately.

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Salted Caramel Apple Sourdough Challah

Posted on May 28, 2012 by sparecake

Happy Memorial Day! May’s Daring Bakers’ Challenge was pretty twisted – Ruth from The Crafts of Mommyhood challenged us to make challah! Using recipes from all over, and tips from “A Taste of Challah,” by Tamar Ansh, she encouraged us to bake beautifully braided breads. I had some sourdough starter that I’d been neglecting and my mom wanted me to do something with, and I’d seen a caramel apple challah sourdough recipe, so I knew what I had to do. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough eggs in the house for any of the sourdough challah recipes I saw, so I sort of…made my own? It came out pretty good, especially for an experiment, although I wish I’d cooked the caramel of the filling a few seconds less.

Ingredients:

Bread:

  • 3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup room temp water
  • 1 cup fed sourdough starter (I really don’t know much about sourdough and hydration and all that, but some poking around the internet leads me to believe mine’s 166% hydration)
  • 1/2  cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Filling:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2  cup water
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
  • 3 medium apples, peeled, cored and cubed
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon (I just used a bunch of cinnamon, no nutmeg or ginger)
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • Squeeze of lemon juice

To make the dough, stir together the starter, water, and three cups of the flour.

Add the sugar, eggs, and salt, and stir together.

Sprinkle half a cup of the remaining flour on a clean surface and turn the dough out on it. Knead until smooth and only lightly tacky, adding as much of the last half cup of flour as necessary – I needed just over 3 1/2 total.

Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise 3 hours.

In the meantime, make the filling. Combine the chopped apples with the spices, lemon juice, and flour in a bowl and set aside.

Put the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the water. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and boil until the sugar turns medium brown, 5-7 minutes.

Too early!

Realistically… a few seconds too late. Oops. Still tasted good in the final product, but was a bit too bitter to eat alone because it was slightly overcooked.

When medium brown, lower the heat and gradually add the cream and butter, being careful of spattering sugar.

Simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon, until smooth and thick, about two minutes.

Stir in the sea salt. Remove from heat and cool about three minutes. Stir in the apples.

Let cool to room temperature. Store whatever’s not used in the bread to put on ice cream, pound cake, or just eat off a spoon.

When the apples are cooled and the dough has risen, divide the dough into three portions. Roll out into roughly 1/2″ thick ovals and spoon some of the apple mixture down each piece.

Carefully pinch together each piece into a (somewhat stumpy) rope, sealing as tightly as possible. Be careful not to get the caramel on the edges or they’re virtually impossible to seal.

Braid the three ropes together, then transfer to a foil-lined baking pan. I used a 9X13″ dish, as this had to fit in the oven with a few other things, and a cookie sheet wouldn’t’ve cut it. Brush with the egg/water mixture.

Cover and let rise one hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and rebrush the top with the egg wash.

Bake until browned, 60-65 minutes.

Let cool fully before slicing.

I grilled a few slices of this on a greased pan and it made a pretty fabulous breakfast. Yum!

Salted Caramel Apple Sourdough Challah

Filling and idea from Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives.

Bread:

  • 3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup room temp water
  • 1 cup fed sourdough starter
  • 1/2  cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Filling:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2  cup water
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
  • 3 medium apples, peeled, cored and cubed
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • Squeeze of lemon juice

To make the dough, stir together the starter, water, and three cups of the flour. Add the sugar, eggs, and salt, and stir together. Sprinkle half a cup of the remaining flour on a clean surface and turn the dough out on it. Knead until smooth and only lightly tacky, adding as much of the last half cup of flour as necessary. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise 3 hours.

In the meantime, make the filling. Combine the chopped apples with the spices, lemon juice, and flour in a bowl and set aside.

Put the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the water. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and boil until the sugar turns medium brown, 5-7 minutes. Lower the heat and gradually add the cream and butter, being careful of spattering sugar.

Simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon, until smooth and thick, about two minutes. Stir in the sea salt. Remove from heat and cool about three minutes. Stir in the apples. Let cool to room temperature.

When the apples are cooled and the dough has risen, divide the dough into three portions. Roll out into roughly 1/2″ thick ovals and spoon some of the apple mixture down each piece. Carefully pinch together each piece into a rope, sealing as tightly as possible. Braid the three ropes together, then transfer to a foil-lined baking pan. Brush with the egg/water mixture.

Cover and let rise one hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and rebrush the top with the egg wash. Bake until browned, 60-65 minutes. Let cool fully before slicing.

Posted in Bread | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Oven-Barbecued Chicken Breasts

Posted on May 25, 2012 by sparecake

This recipe’s adapted from a book of healthy chicken recipes, so for once I am reasonably sure something I’m posting isn’t awful for you. Exciting? It’s a somewhat sweet barbecue sauce, and I liked it a bunch. It’s great with some corn and maybe a chunk of bread.

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 14.5 ounce can of canned tomatoes, liquid included
  • 1/2 cup pineapple juice
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1/2 pounds total

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil until hot but not smoking. Add the garlic and cook until softened, stirring frequently, about 30 seconds. Stir in the can of tomatoes and crush them with the back of a wooden spoon.

Add the pineapple juice, honey, vinegar, molasses, ginger, and salt, stir together, and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally, continuing to break up the tomatoes, until the sauce has thickened a bit, about 20 minutes.

Put the chicken in the lined pan and pour the sauce on top.

Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Turn on the broil and cook another two minutes. I cooked this in the toaster oven, so it was already close to the top burners and didn’t really need extra broiling.

Plate the chicken and spoon the extra sauce over it. Enjoy!

Oven-Barbecued Chicken Breasts

Adapted from Great Taste ~ Low Fat Chicken.

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 14.5 ounce can of canned tomatoes, liquid included
  • 1/2 cup pineapple juice
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1/2 pounds total

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil until hot but not smoking. Add the garlic and cook until softened, stirring frequently, about 30 seconds. Stir in the can of tomatoes and crush them with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the pineapple juice, honey, vinegar, molasses, ginger, and salt, stir together, and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally, continuing to break up the tomatoes, until the sauce has thickened a bit, about 20 minutes.

Put the chicken in the lined pan and pour the sauce on top. Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Turn on the broil and cook another two minutes.

Plate the chicken and spoon the extra sauce over it.

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Rosie’s Butter Cookies

Posted on May 23, 2012 by sparecake

These’re some shortbread-y thumbprint cookies with your favorite flavor of preserves/jam. They went over really well with my floor hockey team, who have noted that we had won the two games that I had brought snacks to at that point and decided that dessert is our good luck charm.

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup raspberry preserves, or your favorite flavor

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients and beat until light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl several times.

Starts off crumbly, but comes together after a few minutes.

Pat the batter into a rectangle roughly 1/2″ thick and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 3 hours.

15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Measure out rounded teaspoonfuls of dough and roll them into balls.

Place the balls about 1 1/2″ apart on the sheets, then make firm dents into each ball with your thumb or finger.

Bake until lightly golden, 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and increase the oven to 325 degrees. Fill each cookie with 1/2 teaspoon preserves.

Bake another 10 minutes until the jam has begun to melt and spread. Allow to cool on the sheet before eating, as hot jelly burns!

Buttery and delicious!

Rosie’s Butter Cookies

From Rosie’s Bakery All-Butter Fresh Cream Sugar-Packed No-Holds-Barred Baking Book.

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup raspberry preserves, or your favorite flavor

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients and beat until light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl several times. Pat the batter into a rectangle roughly 1/2″ thick and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 3 hours.

15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Measure out rounded teaspoonfuls of dough and roll them into balls. Place the balls about 1 1/2″ apart on the sheets, then make firm dents into each ball with your thumb or finger. Bake until lightly golden, 25-30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and increase the oven to 325 degrees. Fill each cookie with 1/2 teaspoon preserves. Bake another 10 minutes until the jam has begun to melt and spread. Allow to cool completely on the sheet before eating.

Posted in Dessert | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Stuffed Baby Yorkies

Posted on May 21, 2012 by sparecake

Congrats to Barbara Palermo, who won the King Arthur Flour Cookbook! (Thanks again to King Arthur for providing the book!) A bit disappointed, yet also relieved, that it’s going to someone I don’t know. On to the recipe…

Terrifying name, eh? These are mini Yorkshire puddings, which is not something I’d had before, but is similar to a popover, and not like pudding. British people call a baffling number of things “pudding.”

This is a pretty easy dinner, and a good way to use up leftovers if you ever try making prime rib (which also turns out to be super easy). They grow super tall in the oven, but deflate a fair amount if not eaten pretty fast.

Ingredients:

  • 5 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • 4 ounces cooked roast beef, thinly sliced (may use leftover prime rib or from deli)
  • 1/4 cup prepared horseradish
  • 1 cup canned au jus gravy, heated

Whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, and salt together in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth and glistening. It took me ages to get mine smooth – this could be one recipe where sifting the flour saves you a lot of effort later. Set the mixture aside to rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a jelly roll with foil and set aside. Pour 1/2 tablespoon oil into each cup of a muffin pan and put in the oven to heat while the batter rests. Warm the prepared au jus.

After 20 minutes, briefly whisk the batter. Remove the muffin pan from the oven and put it on the lined jelly roll sheet. Quickly fill each cup 3/4 full with the prepared batter. It should sizzle and cook some. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of roast beef and 1 teaspoon of horseradish into each cup. For personal preference reasons, I used a bit more beef and less horseradish, but do what you like.

Return the muffin pan, on the jelly roll pan, to the oven. Bake until puffy and golden, about 12 minutes. I probably cooked mine more like 16 until they looked set.

Remove the puddings from the muffin pan and drain any excess grease with paper towels. Serve immediately with the warm au jus.

These were good, if only to try something new. It’s also fun to see how huge they get! Be sure to put your muffin tin on the other pan, as otherwise grease will end up overflowing onto the floor of your oven, which is awful every time you cook ever again after.

Stuffed Baby Yorkies

From AllRecipes.

  • 5 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • 4 ounces cooked roast beef, thinly sliced (may use leftover prime rib or from deli)
  • 1/4 cup prepared horseradish
  • 1 cup canned au jus gravy, heated

Sift flour, then whisk together with eggs, milk, and salt together in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth and glistening. Set the mixture aside to rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a jelly roll with foil and set aside. Pour 1/2 tablespoon oil into each cup of a muffin pan and put in the oven to heat while the batter rests. Warm the prepared au jus.

After 20 minutes, briefly whisk the batter. Remove the muffin pan from the oven and put it on the lined jelly roll sheet. Quickly fill each cup 3/4 full with the prepared batter. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of roast beef and 1 teaspoon of horseradish into each cup.

Return the muffin pan, on the jelly roll pan, to the oven. Bake until puffy and golden, about 12 minutes. Remove the puddings from the muffin pan and drain any excess grease with paper towels. Serve immediately with the warm au jus.

Posted in Dinner | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Gâteau Basque Cake

Posted on May 18, 2012 by sparecake

I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for almost two years, but never had a chance to make it. A cake without frosting just seemed like it wouldn’t fly at a party, so this cake kept getting put on hold. I’m really glad I finally made it, though, as it’s really lovely. It’s a very lightly orangey cake with a layer each of pastry cream and raspberry preserves in the middle, and the flavors go really nicely together. I never thought I’d say this, but this is a cake where frosting actually wouldn’t add.

Ingredients:

Pastry Cream:

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cake:

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 medium orange
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup pastry cream
  • 1/4 cup raspberry preserves (I used jelly, as my mom won’t eat things with seeds)

Several hours, or a day or two, before you want to make the cake, prepare the pastry cream. In a small saucepan, combine 2 tablespoons of sugar and 3/4 cup milk over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves and milk begins to simmer.

Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar with the egg yolks in a medium bowl.

Add the remaining 1/4 cup of milk and the cornstarch and whisk thoroughly. When the milk on the stove has reached a simmer, pour it into the milk mixture in the bowl in a slow, thin stream, whisking the mixture in the bowl constantly while you do so. You only want to add the hot milk a bit at a time so it doesn’t cook the egg yolks in the bowl.

When all the hot milk has been added to the bowl and whisked in, pour the mixture back into the saucepan and bring to a low boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Continue cooking and whisking until the mixture thickens. You should be aiming for roughly the consistency of pudding. When thickened, whisk in the vanilla and then strain through a fine sieve into a clean bowl.

Oops, into the clean bowl but forgot to go through the sieve. Oh well…

Cover, pressing the saran wrap right down onto the surface of the cream so that it doesn’t develop a skin from contact with air. Place in the refrigerator and chill until completely cooled.

When the pastry cream has cooled, you can begin the cake. Grease and then line with parchment a 9″ cake pan with 3″ sides. If you don’t have a 3″ tall cake pan, you can get them for pretty cheap on Amazon, or use a springform pan, which should have tall sides. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and place the rack in the oven in the lower third of the oven.

Melt the butter, then set aside to cool. Zest and juice the orange (you’ll need 1/3 cup of juice), then set both aside. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl and set aside.

In a stand mixer bowl, using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on high for several minutes until doubled in size. Add the orange juice and zest and beat in on low speed until combined.

Add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with halves of the melted butter, beating and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix until just combined.

Spread half of the batter into the prepared cake pan. Spoon the pastry cream in a circle over the batter, leaving a full inch between the pastry cream and the sides of the pan. Gently spread the preserves over the cream.

I didn’t actually measure the jelly, just used as much as it took to cover the pastry cream.

Spread the remaining batter evenly in the pan, working gently to avoid smearing the cream and preserves about.

Bake 50-65 minutes, until the center looks firm and doesn’t squish to the touch. I think I left mine in over 65, as the center still jiggled a bit at that point.

When the middle finally stopped wobbling all over the place when I shook the pan.

Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan, which probably takes another hour. Turn out onto a plate and serve.

Tiny bit of…subsidence. Cake probably could have used another few minutes in the oven, I guess.

As I said, really good, plus you feel like an adult for having dessert that’s not frosted or chocolate.

Gâteau Basque Cake

From Not So Humble Pie.

Pastry Cream:

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cake:

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 medium orange
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup pastry cream
  • 1/4 cup raspberry preserves

Several hours before you want to make the cake, prepare the pastry cream. In a small saucepan, combine 2 tablespoons of sugar and 3/4 cup milk over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves and milk begins to simmer.

Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar with the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of milk and the cornstarch and whisk thoroughly.

When the milk on the stove has reached a simmer, pour it into the milk mixture in the bowl in a slow, thin stream, whisking the mixture in the bowl constantly while you do so. When all the hot milk has been added to the bowl and whisked in, pour the mixture back into the saucepan and bring to a low boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Continue cooking and whisking until the mixture thickens. Whisk in the vanilla and then strain through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Cover, pressing the saran wrap right down onto the surface of the cream. Refrigerate until completely cooled.

When the pastry cream has cooled, you can begin the cake. Grease and then line with parchment a 9″ cake pan with 3″ sides. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and place the rack in the oven in the lower third of the oven.

Melt the butter, then set aside to cool. Zest and juice the orange (you’ll need 1/3 cup of juice), then set both aside. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl and set aside.

In a stand mixer bowl, using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on high for several minutes until doubled in size. Add the orange juice and zest and beat in on low speed until combined. Add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with halves of the melted butter, beating and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix until just combined.

Spread half of the batter into the prepared cake pan. Spoon the pastry cream in a circle over the batter, leaving a full inch between the pastry cream and the sides of the pan. Gently spread the preserves over the cream. Spread the remaining batter evenly in the pan, covering the cream and preserves gently to avoid smearing them.

Bake 50-65 minutes, until the center looks firm and doesn’t squish to the touch. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan. Turn out onto a plate and serve.

Posted in Dessert | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Chocolate Caramel Stuffed Monkey Bread

Posted on May 16, 2012 by sparecake

I had some people over a few weeks ago and wanted an easily shared dessert. I’d never made monkey bread before, and went straight to one stuffed with chocolate and caramel, because, well, why do things in halves?

Sweet Vanilla Yeast Dough:

  • 3/4 cup lukewarm milk
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 cups all purpose flour

Filling and Topping:

  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/ 2 to 3/4 cup caramel bits (King Arthur has some, which worked well, or I guess you could chop up the caramel cubes you can get at the supermarket)
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Butter Vanilla glaze:

  • 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream

Combine the milk, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl and let sit for five minutes. While you wait, lightly grease a bundt pan and set aside. Add the remaining dough ingredients and knead together until smooth.

Cover and allow to rise for an hour, then gently knock down the dough. Divide into four portions, then roll each quarter into a rope and divide into ten pieces. It may not seem like much dough when you start, but it works out.

Roll each of the 40 pieces into a ball, then press a small dent into one and add several chocolate chips and caramel pieces (3-6 total). Fold the dough over the chips and roll to seal.

Place each of the filled balls into the bundt pan, so that a roughly even amount are on each side. Stir together the 1/4 cup melted butter and vanilla, then pour over the dough pieces.

Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and bake for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and crisp on the outside. I think mine took towards the longer end of that time.

Taking up a lot more space now!

Turn out, still hot, onto a serving dish.

Let cool for 10 minutes while you make the glaze by whisking together the glaze ingredients until smooth. Pour over the top of the bread and serve.

There were very few pieces left of this by the time lunch was over!

Quite delicious! But then, I’m a sucker for just about anything with a sugar, chocolate, caramel combo!

Don’t forget to leave a comment on the giveaway post by Sunday, if you haven’t, to win a King Arthur Flour Cookbook! I’ll be submitting this post to yeastspotting.

Chocolate Caramel Stuffed Monkey Bread

From King Arthur Flour.

Sweet Vanilla Yeast Dough:

  • 3/4 cup lukewarm milk
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 cups all purpose flour

Filling and Topping:

  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/ 2 to 3/4 cup caramel bits
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Butter Vanilla glaze:

  • 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream

Combine the milk, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl and let sit for five minutes. While you wait, lightly grease a bundt pan and set aside. Add the remaining dough ingredients and knead together until smooth. Cover and allow to rise for an hour.

Gently knock down the dough. Divide into four portions, then roll each quarter into a rope and divide into ten pieces. Roll each of the 40 pieces into a ball, then press a small dent into one and add several chocolate chips and caramel pieces. Fold the dough over the chips and roll to seal.

Place each of the filled balls into the greased bundt pan, filling evenly. Stir together the 1/4 cup melted butter and vanilla, then pour over the dough pieces.

Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and crisp on the outside.

Let cool for 10 minutes while you make the glaze by whisking together the glaze ingredients until smooth. Pour over the top of the bread and serve.

Posted in Bread, Dessert | Tagged , , | 1 Comment