Crackle Top Cream Puffs filled with Rummy Pumpkin Mousse!

11/24/2014 by Laura 1 Comment

I have been away from my kitchen far too long! I hope you have escaped the ridiculous upper respiratory infection going around, but if you have not, you understand why I haven’t been cooking or eating much for almost 4 weeks! Food is just not very interesting when you cannot smell or taste! I’m feeling a lot better and I wanted to share this treat with you as it might be a nice addition to your Thanksgiving dessert table. My inspiration came from the baking demonstration I attended with Dorie Greenspan, where she shared her Crackle Top Cream Puffs from her newest book, Baking Chez Moi. A couple of days later, I found a Pumpkin Bourbon Mousse recipe, recently republished as part of Saveur magazines Thanksgiving suggestions. I added a personal twist by using a unique and new (to me) spice blend Advieh, from World Spice Merchants here in Seattle. I ran across it when I was ordering other fresh spices for holiday baking. I knew nothing about it, but after reading the ingredients: cinnamon, cardamom, roses, cumin, black pepper and coriander…. I knew it would be fabulous. I also changed out the bourbon in the mousse, for my favorite rum, which I think is a natural complement to pumpkin.

More Savory, Less Sweet isn’t just a catchy title for my blog; it pretty much defines my palate! These little 2-3 bite treats are just my style and are perfect with an after dinner espresso or a final glass of bubbly!

Crackle Top Cream Puffs with Rummy Pumpkin Mousse

adapted from Baking Che Moi, Dorie Greenspan, and Pumpkin and Bourbon Mousse, Saveur

I split this up over two days, just to make things easier. Make the custard and the cookie pastry the first day. As always, read all steps through carefully and make sure you have all ingredients and equipment needed on hand.

for the Pumpkin Mousse

¾ cup sugar
6 tbsp. high quality aged rum, like Zaya Gran Reserva (my all time favorite, thanks Dave!)
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground Advieh or Pumpkin Pie spice
8 eggs, yolks
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup heavy whipping cream whipped with 2 teaspoons powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Bring 2″ water to a boil in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Place a medium metal bowl over pan, and add sugar, rum, salt, spice, and egg yolks; whisk together, and cook, whisking constantly until thickened and pale, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and add canned pumpkin, fold until almost combined. Place in a bowl and chill thoroughly. Make the whipped cream, fold the chilled mousse into the whipped cream. Keep cold until ready to fill the cream puffs.

for the Crackle Tops

4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Let the butter sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before using. Put the brown sugar and salt into the bowl of the food processor. cut the butter into 10 pieces and add to the sugar. Process until almost blended Add the flour and pulse until the dough forms moist curds. Pulse in the vanilla.

Scrape the dough onto a sheet of parchment or wax paper and form into a disc. Caver with another sheet or parchment or wax paper and roll out dough to a thickness of about 1/16th inch. Slide the dough onto a tray or cutting board and place in the freezer for a minimum of two hours. Cut the dough into 1 1/2 inch rounds and return to the freezer until ready to bake the puffs.

for the Cream Puffs

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup water

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, one stick cut into 4 pieces

1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 large eggs, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 425′. Position the racks to be able to use the top 2 of 3. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to a rolling boil in a heavy saucepan over high heat. Add the flour all at once, reduce the heat to medium low and stir vigorously using a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. The dough should be very smooth. Let the dough rest 3 minutes. Turn the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the eggs into the dough ONE AT A TIME, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. The dough should be used immediately.

Either pipe the cream puffs onto the prepared pans with using a pastry bag, or use a small cookie scoop that holds about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Leave at least 2 inches between puffs. Gently top each puff with a round of frozen crackle top dough. Place the baking sheets in the 425′ oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 375′. Bake for 20 minutes and rotate the pans from top to bottom; front to back. Bake another 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool to room temperature.

To fill the puffs for my recipe, I cut them in two along the edge of the crackle top and piped the whipped cream pumpkin mouse into each one using a large star tip. I did this about an hour before serving and kept them cold in the refrigerator.

I hope you give this pumpkin pie alternative a try!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Laura

“Baking Chez Moi” a book signing and baking event with Dorie Greenspan

11/05/2014 by Laura 1 Comment

I was one of the 60 lucky folks to attend the outstanding Hot Stove Society event with Dorie Greenspan. Dorie included a stop at Hot Stove Society on her book tour for her 11th book, Baking Chez Moi, Recipes from my Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere”. First things first…. Hot Stove Society is a year-round cooking school operated by Tom Douglas restaurants. It is located across the street from Tom’s first restaurant, Dahlia Lounge, on the second level of Hotel Andra. It is a beautiful space for hands on cooking classes, as well as lectures and demonstrations, like the event with Dorie. It is a warm and intimate environment. I had the chance to say hello to Dorie before she began speaking. I introduced myself and told her I was a blogger. When I informed her of the name of my blog, she said “well what are you doing here?”. I assured her I loved to bake and was actually a quite accomplished baker and I appreciated her recipes very much. I also spoke with her husband Michael and asked him how he and Dorie managed to stay so thin and fit, in spite of all the amazing goodies Dorie creates. He informed me they subscribe to a strict “taste and release” policy! I wonder if their doorman is as svelte? Chef Tom Douglas and Dorie pictured below.

Dorie’s newest book is a peek into what people in Paris actually bake at home as well as traditional recipes from her favorite Parisian shops. Dorie told many delightful stories about the effort it took to gather the recipes from friends and friends of friends, as well as their reaction to seeing the recipes in the book. She talked about the history of the Tarte Tropezienne; a delicious cake like creation made from brioche style dough, baked in a large round then split and filled with pastry cream lightened with whipped cream. You can find some version of this creation in every pastry shop in St. Tropez, along with a picture of Brigot Bardot who named the cake La Tarte Tropezienne. Dorie informed us the new trend in Parisian cream puffs includes different flavored fillings and a crackle top due to the addition of a butter cookie on top, a delicious twist. Un Dimanche A Paris, or Sunday in Paris Chocolate Cake is from one of Dorie’s favorite pastry shops. The cake called for peanut butter, which is a rarely used ingredient in Paris and took Dorie days to find before she could actually make the cake. We were treated to these three desserts, prepared by the students from the South Seattle Community College Culinary School Pastry Program, and demonstrated by the director of the program, Chef Christopher Harris under Dorie’s watchful eye.

Yes, my serving of Tarte Tropezienne is missing from the photographs. I totally lost my mind and ate it without taking a picture first. What was I thinking? It was delicious!

The event ended with Dorie graciously signing our books. In my case, it was a total of three of her books. She is so kind, friendly, witty, and charming and spent a good amount of time talking with each one of us. I cannot wait to bake and share with you, from Baking Chez Moi.

Have a great evening,

Laura

Bumper Crop Blueberry Pie

07/31/2014 by Laura 2 Comments

Our blueberry bushes are loaded with large berries in various stages of ripeness. The weather has been just perfect for them. I barely picked two gallons last year. I have picked about 4 gallons already.

So what do you do with an abundance of blueberries? You make pie, of course! This time, I made two. One for a friends birthday and one for my nephew, who just finished his bar exams. Lots of reasons to celebrate with pie.

Laura’s Blueberry Pie

pastry for 2 pies – detailed pie crust instructions here

Preheat the oven to 450′.

8-10 cups of blueberries, picked over to remove stems, leaves and green berries then rinsed and drained

2 cups of sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup quick cook tapioca

1/4 cup flour

4 ounces of butter

Prepare crust for two pies – or 1/2 recipe, one pie

Mix the berries, sugar, cinnamon, tapioca and flour together in a large bowl, very gently.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pie pans.

Cut two slices of butter into 4th’s and dot the pie with the butter.

Add the top crust. Trim evenly as shown in detailed pie crust instructions linked above. If you like, add little cut outs made from the remaining dough. Brush the crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Place each pie on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. This makes the spill over a breeze to deal with!

Bake for 10 minutes at 450′. Reduce heat to 350′ and bake another 40 minutes. Rotate pies half way through the baking process. Let cool completely and then refrigerate. Serve with a big scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream.

I almost forgot to mention…There is one more celebration happening today. Cooper is turning 3 years old and has officially been a part of our family for two years! (We adopted him on his 1st birthday.) It is traditional for our dogs to get an ice cream cone on their birthday! Happy 3rd Birthday Cooper, and many more!

Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream

06/02/2014 by Laura 1 Comment

I am committed to using everything in my garden when it is ripe. Saturday, it was a small bowl of strawberries and a few stalks of rhubarb. Inspired by memories of fresh strawberry rhubarb pie and ice cream – it struck me! Why not skip the pie and put the roasted fruit in the ice cream? Neither my husband nor my mom sounded very enthused when I shared my idea, but that did not stop me!

Remove the stems from the strawberries. Chop the rhubarb into small pieces. Place all in a baking pan and sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of sugar. Roast at 375′ for about 30 minutes, until the fruit is soft and caramelized. Place in bowl and chill thoroughly.

I am not sure how or when we ended up with the ice cream attachment for our Kitchen Aide mixer! As committed as I am to using all that my garden produces, I am also (newly) committed to using the wide assortment of “I must have this” (never used) kitchen gadgets I have accumulated. So, last weekend the ice cream attachment went from the box to the freezer, ready for it’s first performance.

I chose David Liebowitz Vanilla Ice Cream recipe. As I have never made ice cream before, I thought a tried and true recipe was the best place to start! I used organic milk, sugar and cream.

Vanilla Ice Cream

About 1 quart (1l)

1 cup (250ml) whole milk
A pinch of salt
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 cups (500ml) heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.

1. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk with a paring knife, then add the bean pod to the milk. Cover, remove from heat, and infuse for one hour.

2. To make the ice cream, set up an ice bath by placing a 2-quart (2l) bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice and water. Set a strainer over the top of the smaller bowl and pour the heavy cream into the bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks. Rewarm the milk then gradually pour some of the milk into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan.

4. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.

5. Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Stir over the ice until cool, add the vanilla extract, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly. Preferably overnight.

6. Remove the vanilla bean and freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Add about 1/4 cup of the chilled strawberry rhubarb mixture during the last 7 minutes of mixing / freezing time.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

03/17/2014 by Laura Leave a Comment

There was no doubt we would make Corned Beef and Cabbage for a traditional Saint Patrick’s day dinner. We love this meal and we always comment “why don’t we make this more often”? Our only “twist” is using Guinness Stout as the cooking liquid. Other than that, it is 100% traditional: corned beef, carrots, small potatoes and cabbage – roasted for many hours in a slow oven.

What was not so traditional was the Orange Cornmeal and Almond flour cake I made for dessert. Dave asked me “How is this cake Irish”?

I explained that I was browsing Irish recipes on the Saveur website, when I came across the most beautiful Irish blog, Farmette. The cake recipe was created by an Irish chef, Donal Skehan and included in his new book, Homecooked, and was featured on Farmette as part of a virtual book tour. In spite of the fact that none of the ingredients come from Ireland, my explanation was accepted and we agreed this was an Irish dessert.

I followed the recipe exactly the first time, using polenta. The cake was far too gritty and heavy. I made it a second time with finely ground corn meal and it came out perfect. I am wondering if Irish polenta is more finely ground than the Bob’s Red Mill polenta I had on hand. I increased the ingredient quantities to fit a 9″ pan, rather than the 8″ pan used in the original recipe. I added “semi-candied” orange peel*, as a garnish.

ORANGE CORNMEAL CAKE

adapted from Orange Polenta Cake with Honey and Rosewater Syrup, Donal Skehan, Homecooked, via Farmette blog

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

2 cups almond flour

1 cup finely ground corn meal

1/3 cup all purpose flour (or gluten free flour blend, such as Cup 4 Cup)

2 heaped tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cup caster (bakers) sugar

12 ounces softened butter

4 large eggs

Grated zest of 3 large oranges

Additional 2 oranges if making candied orange peel garnish

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/3 cup pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

Creme fraiche, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 350′. Grease a 9″ diameter springform pan, then line the base with baking parchment.

2. Place cardamom in a bowl together with the almond flour, corn meal, all purpose flour and baking powder.

3. Beat the sugar and butter in a bowl until the mixture is light and pale. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold the dry ingredients into this mixture with a spatula until just combined. Add two-thirds of the orange zest together with the vanilla extract, and just fold through.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and place it on the middle rack of the oven to bake for about 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack.

FOR THE SYRUP

Juice of 2 large oranges

1/4 cup of sugar

1 Tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange liquor (optional)

5. Prepare the syrup by placing all the ingredients in a small saucepan over a medium heat and bringing to a steady simmer.

6. Pierce holes all over the cake with a wooden skewer while it is cooling and pour over half the syrup, a little at a time, until the cake has soaked it up. Sprinkle with the pistachio nuts, drizzle with the remaining syrup and sprinkle with remaining orange zest to decorate.

7. Serve in slices with a little creme fraiche.

*Laura’s Semi-Candied Orange Peel

I wanted something quick and pretty. Searching the web did not really give me the results I wanted, which led to my little experiment. I made the orange peel “shreds” using the special peeler I bought to make Green Papaya Salad. It worked really well. I put the shreds in a pyrex bowl, covered them with a little water, covered the bowl and microwaved it on high for 4 minutes. I drained the water, covered the shreds with 1/2 cup of sugar, a little more water, covered the bowl, and cooked another 5 minutes on high in the microwave. I let it cool for a few minutes and then removed the shreds from the bowl with a fork, onto a cutting board. They were not as curly as I wanted, so I wrapped them around a chop stick, held them for a second, and let them continue to cool. It was a lot of extra work, but I really like the results!

Southern Pecan Coconut Cream Cake

01/03/2014 by Laura Leave a Comment

Everything came together at once to inspire this cake! The recipe showed up on my iPad edition of Saveur magazine a couple of weeks ago. I bookmarked it as it looked so good and had such great reviews! http://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/pecan-cream-cake Then… I received a beautiful antique cake pedestal stand for Christmas, in my favorite depression glass pattern: Heisey Orchid. The next “sign” was receiving a one pound bag of pecans in our first Besh Box*. All this coincided with needing a dessert for the Fentons family holiday dinner. My only change to the recipe was using two 10″ cake pans, rather than three 8″ pans.

FOR THE CAKE:

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans
2 cups flour, plus more for pans
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sugar
5 eggs, separated
1¼ cups shredded unsweetened coconut
1 cup finely chopped pecans

FOR THE FROSTING:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup roughly chopped pecans, toasted

Make the cake: Heat oven to 350°. Butter and flour three 8″ (or two 10″) cake pans; set aside.

Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Whisk buttermilk and vanilla in another bowl. Cream butter, shortening, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until fluffy, 2–3 minutes.

Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low-speed, alternately add dry ingredients in 3 batches and wet ingredients in 2 batches. Increase speed to high, and beat until batter is smooth, 5–10 seconds.

Whip egg whites in a bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites, coconut, and pecans into batter.

Divide batter between prepared pans and smooth top with a rubber spatula; drop pans lightly on a counter to expel large air bubbles. Bake cakes until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean, 20–22 minutes. Let cakes cool for 20 minutes in pans; invert onto wire racks and let cool completely.
Make the frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.
To assemble, place one cake layer on a cake stand lined with 4 strips of waxed paper, and spread with ⅓ cup frosting. (The waxed paper protects your plate and will be removed when finished.)

Top with remaining layer. Cover top and sides with remaining frosting and sprinkle top with pecans; chill cake 1 hour until frosting is firm.

*What’s a Besh Box you ask? One of our favorite chefs. John Besh, has created monthly subscription boxes filled with some of his favorite kitchen tools, special ingredients, recipes, music suggestions and cocktail suggestions. Dave and I subscribed for the year. We look forward to sharing our creations from our monthly Besh Box, with you on this blog. Check it out here: http://beshbox.com/about/

Laura’s Clam Chowder and Fresh Sourdough Bread

12/28/2013 by Laura Leave a Comment

Although I have multiple options for chowder and sourdough bread here in Seattle, I happen to love my version of clam chowder. My recipe has evolved over many years. It is not pasty, or all potatoes and it has plenty of clams! Since Santa left sourdough starter and a crock under the tree, I thought the combination of fresh bread and hot chowder would be a perfect alternative to the heavy holiday foods we have been eating!

I fired up the starter according to the directions. Due to getting a late start, this included a 2:00 AM “feeding”! Yikes. I am now responsible for a living, breathing thing. I’ve named my starter “George”. It is definitely alive and growing rapidly, as it was spewing over the sides of the container this morning. Yikes again. Let’s hope I can manage to keep it alive. Any and all advice is welcome!

Rustic Sourdough Bread, from King Arthur Flour Company website

1 cup “fed” sourdough starter

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

5 cups unbleached, all purpose flour

Combine all of the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until a smooth ball of dough forms and dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. You may need a little more flour.

Allow the dough to rise, in a covered bowl, until it’s doubled in size, about 90 minutes.

Gently divide the dough in half; it’ll deflate somewhat.

Shape the dough into two 10″ to 11″ logs. Place the loaves on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. (The next time I make this, I will make 4 baguettes, as the loaves are quite substantial.) Cover and let rise about 1 hour. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°.

Spray the loaves with lukewarm water.

Make fairly deep diagonal slashes in each; a serrated bread knife works well.

Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until it’s a very deep golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Laura’s Clam Chowder

Bacon – 4-6 strips, diced

Onion – one large, sweet yellow onion diced – about 1 cup

Celery-4-6 ribs diced – about 1 cup

Red or gold potato, skin on – about 8 small diced – about 2 cups

Lemon grass – one large stalk, outer layer peeled off, cut into 4, 2″-3″ pieces and smashed

Tarragon – about 1 teaspoon dry

Parsley- about 2 tablespoons freshly chopped, plus a little more for garnish

Salt and Pepper

1/2 cup of flour

2 Tablespoons of butter

Dry vermouth – about 3/4 cup

Canned clams and broth – one large 52 ounce can (drain broth, set clams aside)

½ and ½ – real or fat free or combination, about 1 quart (Did you know the chowder you are served in restaurants is made with Heavy Whipping Cream. That is why it is so silky and rich.)

Sauté chopped bacon in a heavy bottom soup pot, until crispy. Remove from pan, drain. Add some olive oil to pan and add chopped onion and diced celery, sauté about 5 minutes. Return the bacon to pan. Add 3-4 sprigs of lemon grass, a teaspoon of tarragon, salt and white pepper. Add the diced potatoes. Sauté until slightly soft.

Remove all the vegetables and bacon from the pan. Make a light rue by adding the butter to the pan and whisking in the flour. Stir well to incorporate the flour into the butter. Add the dry vermouth and reduce by about half.

Return the vegetables and bacon to the pan. Add the clam broth. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer until thickened – about an hour.

(If not ready to eat in an hour or two, put the “base” in the refrigerator .) Add the ½ and ½ and clams and heat until warm. Do not let boil. Ladle into warm bowls and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Finnish Cardamom Bread – Nissua – Pulla

12/26/2013 by Laura 4 Comments

I first posted this recipe last March when I started my blog. I am reposting it with better pictures and step by step instructions. I make this every year for my Dad at Christmas. The recipe was handed down to me by my Mom. I do not know the origin. It does take about 5 hours, start to finish due to multiple risings. I typically double the recipe, to make 4 loaves. This year I used King Arthur Bread Flour, and the results were better than ever! The only problem with this post is you can not smell the bread baking!

Ingredients

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in the bottom of the mixing bowl (warm the mixing bowl and bread hook in hot water first)

1 cup half and half (my recipe calls for evaporated milk, which I don’t care for)

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon ground cardamom (make sure it is fresh)

2 eggs, slightly beaten in a separate bowl before adding to mixer

2 cups of flour (You will need 4 cups total)

Add the above ingredients to the mixing bowl. Using the bread hook attachment, stir the ingredients together on 1 or 2 until combined.

1/2 cup melted butter

Add the melted butter and continue to stir until mixture is smooth and glossy.

Add the remaining two cups flour. Continue mixing until dough is smooth, pulls away from sides of bowl, and forms a ball.

Cover and let rest 15 minutes.

Turn the mixer back on and “knead” the dough about 8 more minutes. (You can also turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead by hand, if you wish.)

Place dough in a buttered bowl. Cover and let raise one hour.

Punch down, flip, and let dough rise again until doubled. About 1 more hour.

Using your food scale, divide dough in half. (In half again if making a double batch – 4 loaves.) Divide each half into thirds. Roll into even stands. Braid the 3 strands together to form the loaves. Repeat for the other loaves.

Place on slightly greased parchment paper on a baking sheet. Cover and let raise for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375′. Before baking, brush each loaf with an egg wash and sprinkle with sparkly sugar of your choice. Bake about 10 minutes, rotate pans, bake another 10 minutes.

Merry Christmas Dad!

Holiday Cookies – It’s the most sugar-ful time of the year…..

12/21/2013 by Laura Leave a Comment

I guess you can tell by my lack of posts, things have been a little busy around here! Between a few big projects at work and getting ready for Christmas, there has not been time to photograph and write as routinely as I like.

I love to bake. I do not bake often as neither my husband nor I need piles of treats around! When I do bake, it is to share and Christmas is my favorite time of the year for sharing treats with my friends and family. This year was no different from years past, when I stated, “I am just going to do a couple of things”. As you can see, that did not happen. As soon as the calendar hits November 1st, the magazines, and blog posts, and emails all feature a NEW sugary concoctions that MUST be tried! Our kitchen has been coated with a light dusting of flour for over three weeks. The dining room table is covered in containers and sheet pans and sugar. Once again, I got a little carried away, but I had a lot of help!

The Fudge

I always start with fudge. My Grandmother and my Mom always made fudge at the holiday’s. I have a couple of friends that start calling the first week of December, wondering if it has been made yet! I use the basic Kraft marshmallow cream fudge recipe. However, I use very good quality chocolate and nuts to make it special. (I triple the recipe to fill a 2″ hotel pan, which is 12″ x 20″)

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter

1 small can (5 oz.) evaporated milk (about 2/3 cup) (Do not use sweetened condensed milk.)

12 ounces of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I use 60% bittersweet and 40% semisweet Scharffen Berger chocolate)

1 jar (7 oz.) Marshmallow Creme

1 cup chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts

1 tsp. vanilla

Butter a 9″ square pan. Bring sugar, butter and evaporated milk to full rolling boil in 3-qt. saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook 4 min. or until candy thermometer reaches 234°F, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Warm the chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave, for about 30 seconds. Add the chocolate and marshmallow creme; stir until melted. Mix and mix and mix some more with an electric beater! Add nuts and vanilla; mix well.

Pour into prepared pan; spread to cover bottom of pan. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Christmas Toffee Bars, from “Cuisine at Home, Holiday Cookies”

Makes one 13 x 9 inch pan. I doubled the recipe to make one 13 x 18 half sheet pan.

For the crust, combine the following ingredients. Press into the buttered baking dish. Bake at 350′ for 8 minutes.

2 cups crushed vanilla wafer cookies (smash in a zip lock bag)

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup melted, unsalted butter

While the crust is baking, melt together 1 stick of unsalted butter and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, and boil 1 minute. Pour the mixture over the baked crust. Return to the oven, bake 10 more minutes and let rest 2 minutes.

Sprinkle 8 ounces of chopped chocolate, or one cup of chocolate chips over the bars. Spread to smooth. Top the chocolate with 1/2 cup chopped, toasted walnuts or pecans. Let the bars cool completely and cut into 1″ squares.

Black Forest Crinkle Cookies, from “Cuisine at Home, Holiday Cookies”

Whisk together:

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Melt 1/2 stick, 4 tablespoons, unsalted butter in a small bowl

add 1/3 cup cocoa powder (not Dutch process), 1 egg, 2 Tablespoons of strong coffee, 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Mix well. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in 1/3 cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate pieces and 1/3 cup dry, chopped tart cherries.

Chill for dough about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350′ Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in powdered sugar, 2 times. Bake 12-14 minutes. Let cookies cool on pan 5 minutes before moving to rack.

Savory Fennel Pollen Shortbread with Red Onion Jam, from Ashley Rodriguez, Not Without Salt Blog

If you haven’t checked out Not without Salt, you are missing out on great recipes and delightful stories. I am lucky to have taken Ashley’s Cookie Boot Camp class at The Pantry at Delancey, where I first had the shortbread cookies with jam. Spread the cookies with a little goat cheese or blue cheese, and top with the red onion jam for the perfect appetizer or dessert. I cannot think of a better accompaniment to a midnight glass of champagne, than these cookies.

Red Onion Jam, adapted from Food & Wine

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 medium sweet onions, julienned

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup dry red wine

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/3 cup grenadine

pinch of salt

Melt the butter in a medium skillet. Add the onions and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until soft and just translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the sugar, wine, vinegar, grenadine and a pinch of salt. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the liquid thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 35 minutes. Transfer the onion jam to a bowl and let cool.

Fennel Pollen Shortbread, adapted from Ina Garten

3/4 pound butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon fennel pollen, plus about 2 more Tablespoons for rolling the dough in (You can find at a few gourmet stores and online.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the fennel pollen. In a medium bowl, sift together, with a whisk, flour and salt; then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Roll into a log about 2 inches in diameter. Sprinkle a generous amount of fennel pollen to cover the the log. Cover in wax paper or parchment. Chill until firm.

Carefully slice the log into 1/4″ cookies. Place the cookies on an sheet pan covered with parchment. Bake for 11-13 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Fleur de Sel Caramels, Ina Garten, Food Network Magazine

I have been making these for about 4 years now. Due to a faulty candy thermometer, it took three tries this year! Take my advice – use two thermometers, or at least one that your trust implicitly! I actually quadruple this recipe and use a 10″ x 15″ glass pan. I recommend making the single recipe and watching a video or two, if you have not made candy before. Dave, the WRAPPER, saved a lot of time this year by using pre-cut candy wrappers!

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup of water

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 cup heavy whipping cream

5 tablespoons butter, unsalted

1 teaspoon fine fleur de sel, plus extra for sprinkling

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Butter an 8″ square baking pan, set aside.

In a deep, heavy saucepan combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar and white corn syrup and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the mixture is a warm golden brown. Don’t stir — just swirl the pan. Very important to prevent the formation of crystals.

While the sugar syrup is cooking, in a small pot, bring the cream, butter and 1 teaspoon of fleur de sel to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat and set aside.

When the sugar mixture is done, turn off the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Be careful — it will bubble up violently. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees F (firm ball) on a candy thermometer. (I also used my digital thermometer.)

Very carefully (it’s hot!) pour the caramel into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with fleur de sel. Cool until firm.

When the caramel is firm, cut into squares by prying one strip at a time from the baking pan, and cutting on a cutting board. Wrap the candies.

Lemon Thyme Wreaths, From The Art of the Cookie: Baking Up Inspiration by the Dozen by Shelly Kaldunski

This cookie almost won me a trip to the loony bin! It was one of the last minute impulse cookies, I made. It showed up in my email box from I Village Food, looking so lovely, I had to try them. When Dave saw me placing the thyme leaves on the cookies with a pair of tweezers, he became very worried that I had “gone over the edge of the cookie sheet”, so to speak! They were fun to make and are very pretty as well as tasty.

2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting and rolling

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, separated

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 bunch fresh thyme, leaves and tips picked

1/2 Recipe Royal Icing: http://www.joyofbaking.com/RoyalIcing.html

In a bowl, whisk together the 2 cups flour, the baking powder, and the salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter, shortening, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 2—3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and lemon zest and juice and beat on low speed until the egg is completely incorporated. Beating on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and continue to beat just until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Press the dough into a 7-inch (18-cm) disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk the egg white with 2 teaspoons water.

On a lightly floured work surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough to about 1⁄4 inch (6 mm) thick. Using a 21⁄2-inch (6-cm) round cookie cutter, cut out as many shapes as possible. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to the prepared sheets, spacing them 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Use a 1-inch round cookie cutter to cut a small circle from the center of each shape. Press the dough scraps together, roll out, and cut out additional wreaths. Brush each wreath with the reserved egg white mixture and top with the thyme leaves and sanding sugar.

Bake until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges, 14 – 17 minutes. Let cool on the sheets for 5 minutes. Using the spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks and let cool, about 30 minutes. Spoon the icing into a paper cone with a 1⁄8-inch (3-mm) round tip (page 15). Pipe dots of icing on each wreath. Let the icing dry completely, about 2 hours.

Raspberry Streusel Bars, from The Joy of Cooking

This is one of my favorite cookies to enjoy with a cup of coffee. Almost more of a pastry than a cookie. I made them special this year, by using my raspberry jam that I made this summer. (See “Keeping Up With Summer”post, August 10, 2013) I doubled the recipe and made a 13 x 18 1/2 sheet pan.

Generously grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Stir together in the bowl of a food processor:

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/4 cup of sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Add 12 ounces, 1 1/2 sticks, cold, unsalted butter, cut in small cubes. Pulse mixture, as you would making pie crust. Add in 3 tablespoons of milk and 1 teaspoon of almond extract. Pulse a couple more times. Firmly press the dough into the baking pan. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375′. Bake 12-15 minutes until the dough is just firm. Remove from oven and spread the crust with once cup of raspberry preserves or jam.

Prepare the streusel topping. Whisk together:

1 1/4 cup flour

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Sprinkle over the top:

8 tablespoons of cold, unsalted butter, cut into tiny cubes.

Pulse the mixture in the food processor until crumbly. Add 3/4 cup sliced, blanched almonds and 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats. Pulse again to mix. Add in 1 beaten egg mixed with 2 tablespoons of milk. Pulse a few times to blend. Crumble mixture over the raspberry preserves. Return to oven and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until streusel is lightly brown. Cool completely and cut into bars.

Mexican Wedding Cakes, from The Joy of Cooking

2 sticks softened, unsalted butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup finely chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts

2 cups all purpose flour

Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add in the chopped nuts. Slowly add in the flour. Roll the dough into one inch balls. Bake at 350′ on a parchment lined baking sheet until faintly brown, about 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely and then roll in powdered sugar. Store in airtight container.

Peppermint and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

This cookie came to be because I was given a jar of crushed peppermint candy at a trade show! I was determined to use up all the baking “stuff” I had accumulated over the past year. My nephew and husband are really enjoying these cookies!

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

24 ounces good quality white chocolate chips

1 cup crushed peppermint candies

1 additional bag of white chocolate chips, 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon of milk (or more) to make chocolate drizzle for decorating cookies. (Melt chocolate in microwave in 30 second increments. Stir in between. Add vegetable oil and milk and thin to desired thickness. Place in parchment “cone”. Cut tip and drizzle over cookies.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt, in a small bowl, set aside. Cream butter and sugar together until light in color, in large bowl of a stand mixer. Add the vanilla then the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Reduce the speed on the mixer and add in the flour mixture. Do not over mix. Stir in the chocolate and crushed peppermint. Place dough on a large sheet of parchment or wax paper, and roll into a log. Chill overnight, minimum. When ready to bake, slice the logs into 1/4-1/3 inch thickness. Bake cookies on parchment lined baking sheets about 9 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cookies sit on baking sheet about 5 minutes before moving to cooling rack. Decorate with white chocolate drizzle, if desired.

Coconut Macaroons with a Surprise Center, from Cuisine at Home, Holiday Cookies

These are called “inside-out” Almond Joy Macaroons in the cookbook. This year, I wanted a cookie without nuts, so I used plain chocolate kisses, rather than the chocolate almond kisses I have used in the past. These lean more toward candy than cookie and are absolutely yummy!

1 package sweetened, shredded coconut

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup cream of coconut

3 egg whites

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

pinch of salt

32, approximately, chocolate kiss candies, with or without almonds

Mince 1 1/2 cups of the coconut in a food processor. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the remaining coconut to the minced coconut and all the other ingredients, except the chocolate kisses. Mix until well combined. Chill dough in refrigerator at least one hour. Preheat oven to 350′. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape a spoonful of coconut mixture around a chocolate kiss, enclosing the candy completely. Place on baking sheet about 1″ apart. Bake until cookies are firm and deep golden at the base and lightly golden on the top. Let the macaroons cool on the sheet about 5 minutes before moving to rack. Store in airtight containers.

Extra big Christmas hugs to my husband Dave and my nephew Jacob for the food styling, lighting, photography of all these goodies! And to Jasper and Cooper for keeping the floor clean throughout the entire process!

From the crew at More Savory, Less Sweet – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas!

Rummy Pumpkin Cheesecake

11/28/2013 by Laura 1 Comment

Somehow I got in my head I wanted Pumpkin Cheesecake this year for Thanksgiving dessert. I knew I wanted a gingersnap crust and a little shot of something to deepen the flavor. Having recently stocked the liquor cabinet for the holidays, it came to me. I would use rum as my flavoring. Zaya Rum to be exact. Zaya is an amber rum from Trinidad and Tobago, a friend introduced us to awhile back. With heady notes of caramel and vanilla, it is Rummy Yummy! It makes an amazing eggnog, but is actually wonderful all on its own! My cheesecake recipe is inspired by the Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake in Gourmet Magazine, November 2003. My changes are the liquor and the gingersnaps.

For the Crust

1 9″ Springform pan, buttered

4 1/2 ounces gingersnaps (about 1 cup when ground)

1/2 cup pecans

1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) melted butter

Combine all the dry ingredients in a food processor. Process until finely ground.

Add the melted butter and pulse a couple more times to blend. Pat the mixture into the pan. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

For the Filling

Pre heat oven to 350′

1 15oz can organic pumpkin puree

2 large eggs

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tablespoons sour cream

1/4 cup Zaya Rum

1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon Salt

3 8 ounce packages of Cream Cheese

Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer, and whip until soft. In another bowl, combine the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, sour cream, rum, spices and salt. Mix well. Add this mixture to the cream cheese and blend until smooth and completely mixed.

Pour the filling into the crust, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake until the center is set – about 60-75 minutes.

For the Sour Cream Topping

1 1/2 cups of sour cream

1 teaspoon rum

1 teaspoon sugar Mix all together in a small bowl.

Apply to top of cheesecake as directed below.

Move the cheesecake to a rack to cool, 5 minutes. Top with the sour cream topping, and bake 5 more minutes.

Allow the cheesecake to cool completely on rack. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.