Posts filed under 'Sweet Recipes'
I have been searching around for the best recipe and finally ended up with this one. While many easy pudding recipes call for just cornstarch, I find that this one which combines egg yolk and cornstarch to has the best texture. It also holds together longer in the refrigerator.
If you have issues with cornstarch then you can omit it and bake these in a bain marie in the oven at 300 degrees for about an hour. You will get the same dreamy texture. Not quite as rich as a pot de creme but easily as wonderful. To make it less rich you can omit the unsweetened chocolate.
I have successfully used this pudding as a filling for chocolate pie. It’s best enjoyed with a bit of freshly whipped cream. Chocolate pie should not be confused with Classic Chocolate Tart. Chocolate pie is very down home while the chocolate tart is a bit richer (hard to believe, but it is) and in my view more sophisticated. Either way they are both delicious.
If you are a fan of puddings and chocolate, check out the recipe for malted chocolate pudding at The Improvised Life.
Barr’s Best Chocolate Pudding
3 cups half and half
2/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 egg yolks, at room temperature
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (use milk or semi-sweet for children’s palates)
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature
Heat the 1/2 and 1/2 to a simmer. Mix the egg yolks with the cornstarch and the sugar. Once the 1/2 and 1/2 is warm, temper the egg yolks by adding a ladle full of hot 1/2 and half while stirring. This will prevent the egg yolks from cooking.
Add a bit more liquid then pour all the egg/sugar/cornstarch mixture back into the pan and put the heat on to medium low. Prepare the chocolate and have the other ingredients ready. As the pudding starts to thicken add the chocolates and stir well. Now add the salt and vanilla. As the pudding starts to boil, remove from heat and add the butter. Stir until well combined.Pour into individual ramekins. I love these glass ones that have their own lids. Allow to cool, then cover and place in the fridge until they are chilled through.
For Chocolate Pie Crust
You can purchase a prepared crust but this is so easy to make and is really much tastier. Finding the Nabisco chocolate wafers gets harder and harder. When I find them, I buy several packs. I happen to love the classic ice box cake recipe on the back.
1 1/3 cups chocolate wafer crumbs (from about 26 cookies)
5 Tbsp. melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
Pulse the wafers in the bowl of a food processor with the sugar. Add the melted butter and pulse again. Press the crumbles into a pie plate. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 12 – 15 minutes until toasted.
November 27th, 2010
If you are weary of all of the holiday overindulgence that is about to ensue, I suggest you continue to read for a recipe that you can feel good about and have your chocolate too.
Chia seeds are becoming the buzz ingredient in many natural foods products. This is a recipe I developed in 2004, it was featured in Eating Well magazine. Alas a search on their site did not reveal that recipe. Back then flax seeds were the rage, and they are still very good but chia has some distinct advantages.
They are high in protein, fiber and unlike flax, you don’t have to grind chia in order to get the benefits of the omega 3 fatty acids and ALA. Chia is also high in calcium, iron and in anti-oxidants. Chia does not contain phtyoestrogens like flax does. This is only a concern for those of you who are trying to reduce the amount of estrogens that you are getting from food. That said I do recommend that you use chia meal in this recipe. Seeds work too but they have a tendency to stick in your teeth.
Unlike flax, chia is not as easy to grind in a coffee grinder because of the small size of the seeds. Cold milled chia seeds are available at good natural foods stores or online. If you can’t find them or don’t want to bother, then use ground flax seeds or replace the seeds with a nut flour. The cake will still be delicious and offer you more stealth health in form of fiber, vitamin e and protein than a regular piece of chocolate cake.
Plum butter, like apple sauce, can be used as a fat replacer in baking. Making dried plum butter is easy. You simply take 1 cup of putted dried plums (aka prunes) and rehydrate in 6 Tbsp. boiled water. Let that sit for a few minutes then puree in a food processor until very smooth. This will make 1 cup of puree. If you don’t want to bother than you can purchase fat replacer.
I chose to use plum butter because the flavor is actually very complimentary to cocoa. I like to say it acts as a potentiator in that it helps to round out and enhance the cocoa flavors in a positive way. It is also a great source of antioxidants.
Bottom line: My kids snarfed the cake and I felt good knowing that their afternoon snack proved them with 7 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber and antioxidants in a 250 calorie piece of cake.
Feel less Guilty Chocolate Bundt Cake
1/2 cup almond or hazelnut flour (hazelnut is especially good here but has more flavor than the almond)
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup milled chia seeds
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup canola or safflower oil (you could even use coconut oil as it’s mild in flavor)
1 tsp. vanilla extract plus 1 tsp. vanilla paste
1/2 cup dried plum puree (see note above)
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift the dry ingredients, except for the sugars, together. In a mixing bowl blend the sugars with the eggs. Alternate adding the remaining liquids with the dry ingredients until all incorporated.
Fold in the chocolate chips and pour into a prepared bundt pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick come out clean when pushed through the center of the cake. Allow to cool for 10 to 20 minutes before turning out on to a plate and serving.
November 17th, 2010
Camping out and summer time bonfires on the beach are not the only times you can enjoy the decadent s’more. This recipe is adapted from the Hershey’s website. My changes included using a dark chocolate candy bar and cinnamon flavored graham crackers. One bite will transport you back to your summer s’mores moment, minus the sand.
The hardest part of making these bars is spreading the fluff on to the chocolate.
If you are looking for other ooey gooey treats, Baked Perfection is a terrific blog concerning all things sweet. It’s down right decadent. She has a similar recipe (and a ton of other must make treats).
Click here for the original recipe over at Baked Perfection.
October 28th, 2010
The following post is brought to you by happy kitchen serendipity. Starting with my neighbor, Eliza, who had a bumper crop of pears this year. Our hot, dry summer delivered an early harvest of sweet, juicy pears. If you need a second opinion, feel free to ask the neighborhood children who plucked pears from the bottom branches for eating out of hand.
I made a Gingered Pear and Peach Jam (recipe soon) and a pear cake so delightful that I can’t wait to make it again with apples. Where is the serendipity you ask? After consulting a few baking books in my library, I could not find the right recipe. I found plenty of delicious sounding recipes but they were fussy and I wasn’t feeling fussy.
While catching up on some blog reading, Molly’s post about leeks offered a coy link to Clotilde’s blog and the most perfect pear cake (compliments of Clotilde’s grandmother’s friend, Ella). Three kitchens in completely different corners of the world (Maine, Washington state and France) all nibbling on the same cake. Isn’t the blogosphere great?
With no mixer required and simple pantry ingredients, I knew I had a winner on my hands before I pre-heated the oven. As Clotilde predicted, this cake did not last long. It was lovely with tea in the afternoon and outstanding with coffee for breakfast. Eliza shared a slice with me. Mimi never even got a taste (sorry Mimi).
Simple Pear Cake from Chocolate and Zucchini
One bite and you’ll easily imagine yourself in France enjoying "Le Goutier." My metric conversions may not be exact but they worked just fine.
6 small pears, peeled, cored and sliced
1 stick plus 1 Tbsp. butter, melted plus a bit more for greasing the pan
2 eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2/3 cup flour
pinch salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with butter. Place pears into pan.
Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla together. Add baking powder, flour, salt and stir until evenly blended. Stir in the butter until smooth. Pour batter over pears and spread if necessary to even it out.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, the top will be golden and a cake tester will come out clean. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes and then invert onto a cooling rack and then again onto a plate (the fruit should be on the bottom).
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Chocolate and Zucchini marked its 7th anniversary today! Congratulations!
September 29th, 2010
If you have zucchini coming out of your ears, we have posted some good ideas here and here. This cake is one of my favorite ways to use up bountiful summer zucchini.
The recipe in Saveur magazine a few years back but when I pulled the recipe from my stack of recipes to post, I realized to my horror that there was no date or issue reference on the page! Luckily they have an amazing website and low and behold the recipe was right there.
For the original recipe click here.
I added 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips to the recipe which I highly recommend. Dusted with powdered sugar and served with lightly sweetened whipped cream and fresh berries is a great way to enjoy this as a dressed up dessert.
Otherwise it a great snacking cake. A simple glaze of chocolate ganache would also be lovely. My kids snarfed up this cake and had no idea there was zucchini in it.
August 12th, 2010
Vincenzo and I made these cupcakes to celebrate the last day of school. It has taken much too long to get this post up. But alas, school is out and I spend most of my days not seeing straight.
This Joy of Baking recipe was quite good. It resulted in 12 yummy, bakery-quality cupcakes. I could have passed on the rather Smurfy, blue on blue theme but Sir Vincenzo is almost 5 and very insistent.
Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream – Blue Food Coloring Optional
from Joy of Baking
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean, 18 – 20 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost and decorate.
Frosting
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. light cream
Assorted food colors (if desired)
In an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add cream and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add a little more cream or sugar, if needed. Tint the frosting with desired food color.
Makes about 12 cupcakes
June 29th, 2010
A recent work project has me making ice cream! A recipe for homemade honey ice cream is offered below.
I wish I could use liquid nitrogen as it is far more dramatic. I don’t even know where to begin on this part of the lecture series as I was so mesmerized by the liquid nitrogen.
Harold McGee started off with a brief history if ice cream along with a sample of what would be considered the first ice cream. Click here to read his account and technique for making "instant ice cream." Dave Arnold’s raspberry concoction was made by pouring in liquid nitrogen. It was part of his quest to try and replicate Salep dondurma – or Turkish ice cream.
This unique frozen concoction has a secret ingredient that is illegal to take out of Turkey, it is so highly revered and impossible to reproduce commercially. To read more about it click here.
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In the course of my research, I rediscovered one of my favorite Saveur articles on the world of ice cream. It was published back in 2001. Coming up with the flavors and making them outstanding for a commercial package is harder than you think.
Ice cream always tastes unbelievably the best just after it’s been processed. Still gooey and nicely chilled, the texture is dreamy and no commercial ice cream can come close to the almost chewy texture.
Once ice cream firms up and sits in the freezer, it changes in flavor as well as in texture. I love my Cuisinart ice cream maker and once you make ice cream, like most things, it gets easier and easier and more fun to do as you become less intimidated by the process and more creative.
And if you don’t even want to bother with making the custard, Kim’s No Cook Vanilla from July 2009 is fantastic.
This recipe – however is slightly old school. It does require making a custard. I recommend a nice clover or star thistle honey. Creamed honey would also work nicely but anything darker would be a bit overbearing.
You can easily make this into cinnamon ice cream by replacing the honey with 1 cup of sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Serve it with the Mexican Chocolate Sauce featured a few weeks back.
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Honey of a Honey Ice Cream
It really helps to have a candy thermometer so that you don’t over cook the eggs.
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
5 egg yolks
3/4 cup honey
In a heavy bottom an heat the cream and milk and bring to almost a boil. In a another bowl whisk together the honey and the eggs. Using a ladel, slowly pour some of the hot milk mixture into the eggs while whisking.
Keep pouring until all the milk is gone and the eggs are "tempered". Return mixture to the pot and cook on moderately low heat until the thermometer reads 110 degrees. Stir constantly and do not allow the mixture to boil, this will cook the eggs. If you don’t have a thermometer then you can tell when the custard is ready when it coats the back of a spoon
At this point, remove from heat and pour the custard into another bowl (If you are nervous about having cooked the eggs, pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve). Allow to cool completely.
You can speed this process up by placing the bowl into a ice water bath and stirring occasioanlly to release some of the heat. I like to refrigerate my custard for a few hours before processing. Usually I make the custard the day before want to have homemade ice cream or at least in the morning.
Process according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. Once it comes right out of the ice cream maker, I think it’s perfect to eat. It is also the best consistency for making ice cream cookies, cakes and for filling roulades.
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June 18th, 2010
I bought a bag of Mayan spiced cocoa from Savory Spice Shop a while back. In the winter I enjoy it prepared as hot chocolate. The heat from the chilies makes it especially warming on a cold, blustery day. Its unique blend of chilies, hazelnut powder, vanilla and cinnamon inspired this chocolate sauce.
I served it on on homemade cinnamon ice cream with cinnamon sugar palmiers. The palmiers recipe is from Martha Holmberg’s gem of a book on recipes made with puff pastry entitled Puff. You could also use gingersnaps or cinnamon shortbread cookies.
Mexican Spiced Chocolate Rum Sauce
½ cup unsalted butter, soft
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup Mayan cocoa
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Meyers rum (or any dark rum like Goslings. Captain Morgan’s would work too)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Heat the butter in a sauce pan; add sugar, cocoa cream and salt. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in rum and vanilla.
Serve warm. Refrigerate any leftovers.
June 1st, 2010
We love brownies.
We love making them.
We love buying them at Verbena.
But mostly, we love eating them.
When it comes to desserts, a well-made brownie is the real deal. Rich chocolate flavor in a sweet, buttery dough – It just doesn’t get any better.
Most brownies are easy to prepare and the following recipe definitely falls into that category. I am happy to report that Lollie, the hesitant cook, and her friend have become quite the expert brownie makers.
This is a fabulous recipe to make with children. There are three eggs to crack (All kids love cracking eggs as much as mine do, right?). These brownies are made from 7 pantry items with a bowl and a spoon. Stove-top cooking and electric mixing are not required.
I found this recipe on GoodLife {Eats}, a lovely blog about food and family. Many thanks to flavorista Katie Goodman for this one bowl wonder.
One Bowl Cocoa Brownies, slightly adapted from GoodLife {Eats}
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cups good quality cocoa powder
generous pinch of kosher salt
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup flour
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8×8-inch baking pan. Set aside.
Add butter to a large microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high for 1 minute to melt. Stir in the sugar; then stir in the cocoa and salt until evenly blended.
Whisk eggs and vanilla into the cocoa mixture. Stir in the flour and mix until smooth. Pour batter into a prepared 8×8 pan. Spread batter into an even layer.
Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool in pan, on a wire rack, for at least 2 hours before slicing. Brownies can be stored on the counter or in the fridge in an air-tight container.
May 26th, 2010
For my first born’s 14th birthday, a super fudge chocolate cake was requested. I decided to try a cake made with vinegar. Vinegar is one of the secret ingredients in Red Velvet cake. It is also used in vegan baking because vinegar reacts with baking soda creating carbon dioxide which causes cakes and cookies to rise.
I can’t say this cake was super tall, but it delivered on super fudge as I layered the cake with milk chocolate ganache and then topped the whole cake off with a fudge frosting. The result was a very rich, moist cake. Since the chocolate, sugar and butter are all melted together, the batter is very loose and pours like a liquid.
For the cake:
2 cups sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 stick of butter (1/4 lb)
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
(At high altitude you need to decrease leavening by 1/3 otherwise the cake gets dry and tough)
1 tsp. sea salt
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 375 degrees( 350 degrees at high altitude). In a sauce pan melt together the chocolate, sugar and butter and stir well. Allow to cool.
In a large bowl sift together the dry ingredients. Pour the milk into a measuring cup and add vinegar and eggs and beat together so the eggs break up.
Once the chocolate is cool to the touch whisk it in the milk mixture. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Now slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry stir well and slowly until the batter is smooth.
Add the vanilla and stir again. Pour into 2 prepared 9-inch round cake pans. Bake until firm and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center – about 30 to 35 minutes. Allow to cool entirely before removing from the pan and frosting.
Milk Chocolate Ganache
1 cup heavy cream, heat to almost boiling
9 ounces milk chocolate chips
Pour the heated heavy cream over the chips and stir until all smooth.
Super Easy, Very Kid Friendly, Fudge Frosting
1 lb. powdered sugar, about 3 3/4 cups
1/4 tsp. salt
4 ounces butter, softtened
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
Place the powdered sugar and butter into the bowl of a food processor and process until combined. With the machine running, pour in the milk and vanilla and blend until smooth then add the melted chocolate. Use immediately.
To Assemble: Using a serrated knife, slice each cooled cake in half. You will have a total of four layers.
Place the first layer on a platter and pour some of the ganache on top. With a flat spatula or knife spread it to about 1/8 inch from the edges. Now add next 2 layers and repeat. Add the top, and it should be a smooth top piece from one of the 2 original cakes so that there are no crumbs present.
Spread the fudge frosting across the top and down and around the sides. For best results, allow this cake to sit together from a couple of hours so that the ganache permeates the cake.
Off to have a piece with vanilla ice cream right now!
May 19th, 2010
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