Mandarin Sorbet

My darling husband got me a Vitamix for Christmas. He also got me the Dirty Dancing Limited Keepsake Edition so he’s obviously a keeper. He may not have felt the same about me though after hearing my initial reaction upon opening the Vitamix. You see, I opened the parcel and said…" we already have a blender." Yep, I sure did. And yep, I sure did feel like a total a@# when I did a little research on this freak of nature machine.

Now, scientific explanation is the furthest of my strong suits so I’ll explain it to you like this; this machine acts as a food processor, cooks AND blends soups at the same time right there in the container. On the other hand it blends AND freezes sorbet at the same time (some kind of freezing mechanism in the motor or something). You can knead bread in it and make your own flour. You can make your own dairy alternatives like almond or rice milk. There are some other things too but that’s all I can process at the moment. Anyway, to say the Vitamix is a remarkable machine is an understatement. Just don’t call it a blender.

The first thing I made with it is this delicious mandarin orange sorbet.

Recipe:

4 large mandarin oranges, peeled and halved

3 tablespoons sugar

4 cups ice cubes

tiny splash vanilla

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in the vitamix in order as listed. Secure lid.

2. Select variable 1. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to variable 10, then to high.

3. Use the tamper to help push the ingredients into the blades.

4. In about 30-60 seconds the sound of the motor will change and four mounds should form.

5. Stop the machine. Don’t over mix or the sorbet will melt.

Serve immediately.

Daring Cooks October Challenge: Pho

October's Daring Cooks challenge just happened to be one of my favorite foods, hosted by one of my favorite food bloggers. Chicken Pho was on the menu courtesy of Jaden from Steamy Kitchen. Jaden's new cookbook came out this month and it is stunning. Last year I was one of the recipe testers for her book and every single recipe I tried was delicious. This Pho is no exception. Pho, which is pronounced "fuh" is a Vietnamese soup that can be made with chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu. It's really the broth and the accompaniments that are the stars of this dish, they are the definition of flavor explosion. If you're feeling under the weather, Pho will surely bring you out of your funk. It is so warm and comforting. You'll notice the complexity of the dish when you read the broth ingredients below. I wasn't kidding about the abundance of flavor.


This month there was a second optional challenge which was chocolate wontons. But in an attempt to hold on to Thanksgiving glory just a little longer, I decided to try a pumpkin pie filling. The wontons were fantastic and I may just substitute them next time for the usual pumpkin pie. Okay, maybe not but I will be making them again very, very soon.

Check Jaden's original recipe here.



Here's my recipe for Shrimp Pho with the pumpkin wonton recipe to follow:
2 quarts shellfish stock, see recipe below
1 lb dried rice noodles (about 1/4″ wide)
1/2 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1. Cook the noodles according to package directions.
2. bring the stock to a boil.
3. Add the shrimp to boiling stock and cook for 2-3 minutes, or just until the shrimp have turned pink.
4. Ladle the stock into bowls, add the cooked noodles and shrimp and serve with the accompaniments below.

Accompaniments:
2 cups bean sprouts, washed & tails pinched off
cilantro leaves
1/2 cup shaved red onions
lime wedges
Sriracha hot sauce
Hoisin sauce
sliced chili

Garnish the soup to your taste with all of the above ingredients.

Shellfish Stock:
3 lbs seafood shells, such as shrimp, crab and/or lobster
3 quarts cold water
1 lemon, halved
handful of fresh parsley
a couple of sprigs fresh thyme
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
10-15 black peppercorns
1 large onion, unpeeled and cut in half
3" chunk of ginger, unpeeled
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
small bunch of cilantro stems only, tied in bunch with twine

1. Place ginger and onion on a small baking sheet. The top of the onion should be about 4″ from the oven’s heating element. Set to broil on high for 15 minutes. Turn the onion and ginger occasionally, to get an even char. The skin should get dark and the onion/ginger should get soft. After cooling, rub to get the charred skin off the onion and use a butter knife to scrape the skin off the ginger. Slice ginger into thick slices.
2. Place all of the ingredients in a large stock pot and fill the pot with enough cold water to cover the shells. Bring to a boil
3. Reduce the heat to a simmer, partially cover the pot and simmer the stock for 1 1/2-2 hours, skimming off any foam that comes to the surface of the liquid.
4. Strain the stock through a fine colander or cheesecloth. You may have to strain the liquid a few times to ensure all of the solids are removed.
5. Taste and adjust the broth seasoning with more fish sauce and or sugar.

*You can freeze any unused stock.

Pumpkin Wonton Recipe:
wonton wrappers
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup toasted walnuts* roughly chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch ground ginger
pinch allspice
oil for frying, such as grapeseed, peanut or vegetable

1. Mix the pumpkin puree, sugar, spices and walnuts together.
2. Place 1 teaspoon of filling on each wonton wrapper.
3. Lightly moisten the edges of the wrapper with water.
4. Fold the edges of the wrapper together and pinch the edges to seal.
5. Preheat oil in a deep, heavy bottomed skillet to 350 degrees.
6. Place the prepared wontons in the hot oil and fry for 5-6 minutes, turning occasionally or until golden brown.
7. Remove the wontons and drain on paper towel.
8. Sprinkle the wontons with cinnamon and icing sugar.

*To toast the nuts, place them in a frying pan over low heat. Toast the nuts, stirring frequently for about 8-10 minutes or until the nuts become fragrant. The nuts will burn very easily so keep an eye on them.

Rhubarb Crumble

Spring is by far my favorite season. The tulips, crocuses and hyacinth are in full bloom. We have an abundance of exotic mushrooms, asparagus, the sweetest of sweet peas and of course rhubarb. Man oh man, do we have a lot of rhubarb. While I have planted my first vegetable garden here in our new house, the previous owners must have loved rhubarb, like, loved because we currently have 4 huge rhubarb plants just waiting to be eaten. Luckily for us, we love rhubarb too. My Husband likes it so much, he breaks the stalks off and eats it right there in the garden. I'm looking forward to trying new recipes with the rhubarb but I have to pace myself. There is plenty of rhubarb and plenty of time to get creative, the plants grow like weeds! For the first harvest, I wanted to kick it comfort style, aka, rhubarb crumble.

Perhaps one of the simplest of desserts, the crumble can be made with about 10 minutes of prep time. Serve a warm crumble with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you've got a winner on your hands, every time. Seriously, who doesn't like a fruit crumble? I mean, what's not to like...a buttery crust on top of tart, juicy delicious fruit. It's like pie made easy. And I like me some easy.

Recipe from Recipezaar:

FILLING:
2 lbs rhubarb, chopped into 1/2 in pieces
1/4 cup sugar (superfine)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch

FOR THE CRUMBLE TOPPING:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and diced
3 tablespoons vanilla sugar (can substitute ordinary sugar)
3 tablespoons brown sugar

Place a large baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. (The baking sheet will be used to place your cake pan on to catch any drippings in case the filling boils over.) Place all of the filing ingredients in a saucepan, stir together and heat over low-med heat for about 5 minutes or until the rhubarb is glossy and everything has melted together. Transfer the rhubarb mixture to a buttered 9" cake pan. Make the crumble topping by placing the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add the butter to the flour and using either a pastry cutter or your fingers, combine the butter and flour until you reach a texture of soft crumbs. (This could easily be done in a food processor as well, pulsing the butter and flour together.) Stir the sugars into the flour using a fork. Spread the crumble topping evenly over the fruit mixture, covering all of the fruit. Place the cake pan on the baking sheet and bake for 35-45 minutes. When the topping is golden brown, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Vash's Brownies

These Brownies come from my friend Vash. Vash and I worked together a couple of years ago and she would often bring delicious baked treats to work. She is without a doubt one of the best bakers I know. She loves it and it shows. She calls these "Evil Killer Brownies" and after trying them, it was very apparent as to why, they are impossible, impossible to resist. Knowing Vash's baking skills, I knew that if she said these were the best, they would be. Which is why I halved the recipe. I'm no dummy, I know myself and my lack of will power. Thankfully I've come to terms with this fact because I was right...I had brownies for breakfast, brownies for lunch and you guessed it, brownies for dinner. Evil indeed. But so perfect for your Valentine's sweetheart.

RECIPE:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 heaping Tbsp. cocoa
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
1 tsp. vanilla

Icing:
2 cups icing sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. cocoa
2 - 4 Tbsp. boiling water
2 tsp. vanilla

Instructions:
Cream sugar, cocoa and butter. Add beaten eggs and vanilla. Add flour. Bake in greased 9"x13" pan at 350 F. for 40 - 45 minutes. Top will appear to be underdone (falls in middle) but don't overcook.

To make icing: Mix ingredients together with electric beater while brownies are cooking. Spread icing on top of brownies immediately after removing from oven so it will melt into a shiny glaze.

Chai Tea Chocolate Truffles

I know the holidays have come and gone but I wanted to share these Chai Chocolate Truffles with you. Afterall, why on earth should we not be enjoying these for any occasion, right? In fact, I can guarantee that there will be a platter of assorted truffles at my wedding. It's just good sense, they are one of the easiest treats to make and they can be made way ahead of time and in many different flavors. Did I mention they look good and people think they're hard to make? I bet that got your attention.

I just had to update because as my lovely, bright readers have mentioned, these would be perfect for Valentine's Day! What was I thinking?!...

RECIPE slight adaptation from Joy of Baking:
8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy whipping cream
2 chai tea teabags
2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons alcohol (Cognac, brandy, Grand Marnier, kirsch, rum, bourbon, or Kahlua to name a few) (optional)

Different Coatings for Truffles:

Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder
Confectioners Sugar (Icing or Powdered)
Toasted and Chopped Nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts)
Toasted Coconut
Shaved Chocolate

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream with the tea bags to a low simmer. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 5-6 minutes. Remove the teabags from the cream. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth. If desired, add the liqueur. Cover and place in the refrigerator until the truffle mixture is firm (this will take several hours or overnight).

Place your coatings for the truffles on a plate. Remove the truffle mixture from the refrigerator. With your hands, or else a melon baller or small spoon form the chocolate into round or mis-shaped bite-sized balls. Immediately roll the truffle in the coating and place on a parchment lined baking sheet or tray. Cover and place in the refrigerator until firm. Truffles can be refrigerated for a couple of weeks or else frozen for a couple of months. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Makes 30 small truffles.

Blueberry Peach Galette

I've only been baking for about a year or so, therefore I consider myself to be a fairly novice baker. That's why I get excited when a dessert is simple to make but still delicious. That's exactly the case with a galette. Galettes are one of the easiest desserts to make but they are also very versatile. Galette is basically a fancy name for a tart. And I love tarts in any form. I've made them with plums, apples and cranberries but my favorite is this blueberry peach galette.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's hoarded the last of the seasonal fruit. I have a fridge and freezer full of peaches, nectarines, plums and blueberries. Making a galette is a perfect way to use up an overabundance of fruit. I just realized, it's almost cranberry season. Looks like I'll be needing a bigger freezer.

RECIPE:
Pate Brisee (or store bought pie crust)
1 Cup peaches, sliced in 1/8' wedges
1 Cup blueberries
2 TBSP flour
2 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 TBSP Apricot preserves, gently heated

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough into a circle about 1/4" thickness. Combine the peaches, blueberries, flour, sugar and lemon zest in a bowl. Gently stir to combine. Spread the fruit mixture onto the dough, leaving a 2-3" edge. Gently lift the outer edges of the dough over the fruit mixture, pinching the dough every 2" or so. Place the galette onto a parchment lined baking sheet, Place in oven for 10 minutes. Remove the galette fro the oven and brush the fruit (not the pastry) with the apricot preserves. Return to the oven and bake another 20 minutes or until the crust is a nice golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly on a rack. Serve warm with a sprinkling of confectioners sugar.

Southern Peach Cobbler

I've gone and done it again...I am not one to be trusted at any farmer's market. I could literally spend our life savings on local food, fruit and vegetables in particular. So it was no surprise that I had way too many peaches on hand given my "eyes are bigger than my stomach" syndrome. Well that, and my lack of self control. So poor, poor me and my waistline just had to make a dessert. I adore Southern cuisine. I really can't wait for the day when I can visit the South and eat to my hearts content. Until then, I channeled my wanna be Southerner this weekend and made Peach Cobbler.

The good news is that I didn't begin our meal with fried chicken and mac and cheese. Although I wanted to. The bad news is that I'll certainly have to up my exercise routine because this Peach Cobbler is so good that I could eat the whole thing by myself. And would that be so bad? It is mostly peaches after all, besides the delicious cake-like biscuit topping but that doesn't count, right? That's what I thought.

RECIPE adapted from All Recipes:
8 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced into 1" chunks
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Topping:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup boiling water (you may have to add a couple extra teaspoons of water to achieve a smooth biscuit like consistency)

MIX TOGETHER:
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.
Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake until topping is golden, about 30 minutes.

Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce

To go along with my fear of baking with yeast is my fear of using gelatin. It's because both are so finicky and if you don't use them properly, you won't find out until it's way too late. I've always wanted to make panna cotta however, and I thought it was time to face my fear. I found this recipe on all recipes and it had really good feedback so it seemed like a safe bet.

I've seen some beautiful presentations for panna cotta especially on tastespotting and foodgawker. I've always loved the look of it with blueberries but you can make these with any berry and any shape. Something about the bright blue of the berries popping against the white really catches my eye. So with wild abandon I mixed up the ingredients, poured the molds and let them chill overnight. If you ask me, that is one of the best things about this dessert, you can make it the night before. I still didn't know what I would find when it was time to serve them but to my absolute joy, they turned out beautifully. Not to mention so delicious. I served these for company and they were such a crowd pleaser. I was surprised that something so pretty and tasty could be so easy to make. I honestly think that these were the easiest desserts I've ever made. But let's just keep that between us.

RECIPE (courtesy of All Recipes)

Panna Cotta:
1/3 Cup skim milk
1 (.25 ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
2 1/2 Cups heavy cream
1/2 Cup white sugar (I used 1/3)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pour milk into a small bowl, and stir in the gelatin powder. Set aside. In a saucepan, stir together the heavy cream and sugar, and set over medium heat. Bring to a full boil, watching carefully, as the cream will quickly rise to the top of the pan. Pour the gelatin and milk into the cream, stirring until completely dissolved. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and pour into six individual ramekin dishes. Cool the ramekins uncovered at room temperature. When cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight before serving.

Sauce:
2 Cups fresh blueberries
zest and juice of 1 orange
1 Cup water
(you can add a touch of sugar if needed however, the Panna Cotta is sweet)

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan (reserve a few blueberries for serving.) Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and
simmer mixture, stirring often, until the water is absorbed and it thickens into a sauce. Use the back of a wooden spoon or a fork and gently break up the berries. Allow the sauce to cool before serving with the Panna Cotta.

Serves 6

Putting Egg Yolks to Good Use-Butterscotch Pudding

I often find myself with extra egg yolks for various reasons. Whether it be from an egg wash or my favorite egg white omelette (I just prefer the taste, don't hate me,) It seems like I'm always swimming in egg yolks. I decided to put an end to the madness. With the exception of making a chiffon cake, I figured there had to be something simple to do with them. Why haven't I ever thought of pudding? I love pudding, in every flavor available, I love it. Vanilla, chocolate and banana are fantastic but butterscotch, now that's the best.

Truth be told I've never made pudding from scratch. I am guilty of using the boxes on more than one occasion. I once even convinced myself that because it was of the organic variety, it was a little closer to home made. If only I had known just how easy pudding is to make. What a perfect little treat to utilize all of my leftover egg yolks. Virtually guilt free, easy to make and delicious, that's speaking my language and my language tastes so good.

RECIPE courtesy of Joy of Baking:
3 cups whole (full fat) milk
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch (corn flour)
1/8 tsp salt
4 large egg yolks
2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 TBSP unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Garnish: Lightly sweetened whipped cream

In a large stainless steel (heatproof) bowl whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the milk until you have a thick paste. Set aside while you heat the milk. Have ready a fine medium-sized strainer and bowl as you will need to strain the pudding after it is cooked.

First, rinse a medium-sized heavy saucepan with cold water and then shake out the excess water. Doing this step prevents the milk from scorching. Then pour the remaining 2 1/2 cups of milk into the saucepan and bring just to a boil. Gradually pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth. Transfer the pudding mixture to a clean large, heavy bottomed saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of mayonnaise (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract. Pour through the strainer to remove any lumps that may have formed during cooking.

Pour into 4 bowls or wine glasses. The pudding can be served warm or if chilling, press plastic wrap onto the surface of the warm puddings to prevent a skin from forming. If you like the skin, simply leave the pudding uncovered until cooled, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The puddings can be made a day or two ahead of serving. Garnish each pudding with a large dollop of softly whipped cream.

Makes 4 servings.

Mother of All Inventions-The Bread Machine

Over the holidays, my boyfriend's Ome gave me her bread machine. I had no idea what a difference it was going to make in my life. I was always too chicken to attempt making bread before, I have a secret fear of working with yeast, don't ask me why. Since receiving the bread machine my life has forever changed. We haven't bought bread since December and probably never will again. The bread machine is one of the best inventions ever!

I should note that I've never actually baked the bread in the bread machine, I've only used it to make the dough. In my opinion baking the bread is the easy part and that way I can shape the dough the way I like. So far I've made bread and buns (2 times a week, every week,) pizza dough and these sinfully delicious cinnamon buns. These are the best Cinnamon Buns I've ever had. My boyfriend took a batch to work and everyone loved them. I honestly don't know how I lived without a bread machine. I have the utmost respect for people who can make bread without one but for those of us who don't have that confidence, the bread machine is indispensable. Once again, here's another example of how Ome has changed my life.

RECIPE (courtesy of Recipezaar):

1 cup milk
3 TBSP water
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup butter
3 1/3 cups all purpose white flour
3 TBSP granulated sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp yeast

FILLING
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 3/4 tsp cinnamon
2 TBSP softened butter

GLAZE
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
2-3 tsp milk

Put yeast in bread machine first on bottom, then flour, sugar and salt. Then melt butter in microwave. Add beaten egg, milk and water. Pour onto dry ingredients in bread machine. When dough is done, put it onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough flour to make it easy to handle. If it is too elastic, cover and leave 10 minutes. Use floured rolling pin to roll out dough on floured surface. Roll out into rectangular shape to approx 1/4-inch thick. Use filling and spread over entire surface of dough with spoon. Roll up dough. Cut into circle with a sharp knife about 1-inch thick; place these in a greased 9x13-inch pan. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for approx 30 minutes, until double in size. Bake in a 350° oven for about 25 minutes, light brown on top. When done, make glaze and swirl over buns.

Key Lime Squares

While grocery shopping the other day, I fell into a bit of an impulse buy trap. Meaning that when I got home and unpacked my bags, I found myself with nothing I needed and a bunch of random items that where neither here nor there. One of those items happened to be key limes. it was the first time I had seen them in the produce section and now I have seen them every time I go. I would say this is good merchandising on behalf of the produce person! So I googled recipes for key limes with excitement and turns out, they are pretty limited to key lime pie, key lime squares and key lime cookies. While I love key lime pie, it seemed a little dangerous to have a whole pie laying around for just the two of us and I have been baking cookies all week long so I went with the squares.

I really love anything lemon or lime, they are my favorite flavors, so it was a sure bet that these squares would go over well. I appreciated the use of animal crackers as a base rather than the usual graham cracker crust. Just so you know, I had a one pound bag of key limes and using my electric citrus juicer, I ended up with 1/2 cup of lime juice. Even with the help of the juicer, it was a little hard on the hands so I can't imagine the work involved without it. That's okay though, you can always substitute regular limes. Crampy hands aside, these tarts turned out fabulous and so worth it in the end. I love the contrast of the slightly sweet animal cracker crust and the tang of the lime. These squares are so good in fact, that they may one day rival my VERY favorite treat, the lemon tart, and I thought that was near impossible.

RECIPE: (courtesy of Cook's Illustrated)

If you cannot find fresh Key limes, use regular (Persian) limes. Do not use bottled lime juice. Grate the zest from the limes before juicing them, avoiding the bitter white pith that lies just beneath the outermost skin. The optional coconut garnish adds textural interest and tames the lime flavor for those who find it too intense. The recipe can be doubled and baked in a 13- by 9-inch baking pan; you will need a double layer of extra-wide foil for the pan (each sheet about 20 inches in length) and should increase the baking times by a minute or two.
INGREDIENTS

Crust
1 1/4 cups crushed animal crackers
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar (light or dark)
Pinch table salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly

Filling
1/4 cup cream cheese , room temperature
1 tablespoon grated lime zest , minced
Pinch table salt
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice , either Key lime or regular

Garnish (optional)
1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut , toasted until golden and crisp


1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut about 12-inch length extra-wide heavy-duty foil; fold cut edges back to form 7 1/2-inch width. With folded sides facing down, fit foil securely into bottom and up sides of 8-inch-square baking pan, allowing excess to overhang pan sides. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. TO MAKE THE CRUST: In workbowl of food processor, pulse animal crackers until broken down, about ten 1-second pulses; process crumbs until evenly fine, about 10 seconds (you should have about 1 1/4 cups crumbs). Add brown sugar and salt; process to combine, ten to twelve 1-second pulses (if large sugar lumps remain, break them apart with fingers). Drizzle butter over crumbs and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened with butter, about ten 1-second pulses. Press crumbs evenly and firmly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake until deep golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling. Do not turn off oven.
3. TO MAKE THE FILLING: While crust cools, in medium bowl, stir cream cheese, zest, and salt with rubber spatula until softened, creamy, and thoroughly combined. Add sweetened condensed milk and whisk vigorously until incorporated and no lumps of cream cheese remain; whisk in egg yolk. Add lime juice and whisk gently until incorporated (mixture will thicken slightly).
4. TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE: Pour filling into crust; spread to corners and smooth surface with rubber spatula. Bake until set and edges begin to pull away slightly from sides, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Cover with foil and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours.
5. Loosen edges with paring knife and lift bars from baking pan using foil extensions; cut bars into 16 squares. Sprinkle with toasted coconut, if using, and serve. (Leftovers can be refrigerated up to 2 days; crust will soften slightly. Let bars stand at room temperature about 15 minutes before serving.)

Coconut Cupcakes

So I have totally jumped on the baking with buttermilk train and by saying I have jumped on any kind of baking train is shocking to me. I'm not sure why but I have finally embraced baking and I find myself actually excited to do it. I'm so glad I started using buttermilk because it makes for a nice tart but subtle twist to regular ol' baked goods.

On the menu this week was coconut cupcakes with a cream cheese icing which I got from Ina Garten of the Food Network. I was pretty nervous to take these on because although Ina makes things look breezy on her show, I could tell these required a bit of an experienced baker. That being said, I'm always up for a challenge and I also had a back up plan in strawberry shortcake. Nerves aside, I whisked (a lot) and sifted all the while maintaining my deep breathing exercises and to my surprise, they worked, really well actually. These cupcakes are awesome, not overly sweet because of the buttermilk and cream cheese frosting (so delicious) and they look so cute!

RECIPE:

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Heat oven to 350°. Sift the dry ingredients together into a medium mixing bowl, and set the bowl aside. Break eggs into a small bowl, and set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. With the mixer running, carefully pour in eggs and vanilla and almond extracts.
Mix in the flour mixture and buttermilk by alternating between 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup buttermilk, be sure to start and end with the flour mixture. Add half the coconut, and mix until just incorporated.
Line a cupcake tin with paper liners. Fill each cup with batter to nearly reach the tops of the cupcake cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove cupcakes from the oven, and allow them to cool briefly in the tin before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely, about 45 minutes. Generously ice them with cream cheese frosting, and sprinkle with remaining coconut. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes to set the frosting a bit.

Frosting:
1 cup cream cheese, room temperature
8 TBS unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well
blended. Sift in confectioners’ sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla, and stir to combine.

Makes 12 cupcakes

If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemon Tarts

Be still my heart, I made a lemon tart. As much as I rant about how much I hate baking, for some reason I still force myself to try to enjoy it. I think this yearning might come from my undying love for lemon meringue pie and my lifelong envy for those talented enough to make it. Perhaps if I just mastered this one recipe I could somehow be content. The attempt at the pie might come in the near future but first we must begin with baby steps and these lemon tarts are pretty satisfying and rewarding in the meantime.

Now, most recipes for lemon curd call for a double boiler but I don't know what that is, therefore I'm pretty sure I don't have one. Anyway, I used a stainless steel bowl over a simmering pot of water and it worked out great. Other than that, the only other essential tip is the boring art of chilling the dough and the lemon filling. These tarts are rather easy to make and are pretty forgiving as far as baking goes, so they are perfect for those of us just starting off but still wanting to impress. They didn't come out looking quite as fancy as the ones from my bakery but they tasted exactly the same and that's good enough for me.

RECIPE:

Lemon Curd Filling:
3 large lemons, zested and juiced
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted

Place the zest and sugar in a stainless steel bowl and whisk until combined. Add the lemon juice and eggs and whisk until smooth. Slowly add the butter to the mixture, whisking continuously until thoroughly combined.
Place the mixture in the top of a double boiler (or place bowl over pot with water apr. 1/4 full) and cook over simmering water making sure to continue stirring the mixture with a rubber spatula. Cook the mixture until thick, about 7 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and strain immediately through a fine stainer. Cover and chill in the fridge until needed.

Pastry Dough:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/4 cup white sugar
1 large egg, beaten slightly
1/8 tsp salt

Whisk butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the egg. Add flour and salt to wet ingredients and mix
together just until all ingredients are incorporated (over working will result in a tough crust.) Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Form the pastry into 1" balls and place into an ungreased mini muffin tray. Press the dough with fingers into the bottom and up the sides of the muffin tins. Prick the bottom of the dough and return the tray to the fridge for 20 more minutes. Place muffin tray on the center rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes in a 375 degree oven, until lightly browned.

Carefully remove the tart shells from the pan and fill the center with the lemon filling.