Derby Tartlets

This month's What's Baking theme was mini bites.  So when I got this month's issue of Food Network Magazine and saw this recipe for Derby Tartlets I knew that was what I wanted to make.  The combo of the walnuts and chocolate is delicious and brings me back to my childhood when I would get Derby Pie from a local restaurant.  This was a perfect bite sized way to enjoy this old favorite.  And, of course, to make it a little more "derby" appropriate it incorporates bourbon, like all good Kentucky dishes should.  I used the complete amount of bourbon in the filling, but didn't add as much to the whipped cream as I need to watch my consumption of non-cooked alcohol.  But I used a splash so that the cream still had a bit of that flavor.

They were pretty easy to make, though there's a lot of non-active time spent.  But at least partway through you can take a break.  I ended up making the crusts as I was doing some work around the house and then when they went onto the rack to "cool completely" we went out for dinner, then I made the filling when I returned home.  So it's not something where you really feel like you're stuck home all day to make.

I think my favorite part of this is the walnut crust.  Definitely makes a difference!

Derby Tartlets (from Food Network Magazine, May 2013)

Ingredients

for the crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
4 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 in pieces
2-3 tbsp ice cold water
cooking spray

for the filling:
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup plus 3tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp burbon
1 tbsp confectioners' sugar
candied walnuts, for topping


Directions

- Make the crusts: pulse the flour, walnuts, granulated sugar and salt in a food processor until finely ground.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal.  Drizzle in 2-3 tbsp ice cold water and pulse until dough starts to come together.  Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap; shape into a disk, then wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
- Spray  an 18-cup mini-muffin pan with cooking spray.  Press 1 tbsp dough into the bottom and up the sides of each cup (it helps to flatten dough into mini discs first).  Refrigerate 20 min.
- Preheat oven to 375.  Bake the crusts until golden brown, 20-25 min, then press the centers of the crusts down with a small spoon.  Let cool in the pan 10 min, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
- Make the filling: Combine 3 tbsp cream and 1 tbsp bourbon in a small, microwave-safe bowl and microwave until simmering, about 30 seconds.  Put the chocolate chips in a bowl and pour the hot cream/boubon mixture over the chocolate chips and let stand 1 min, then stir until smooth.  Let cool slightly.
- Spoon the filling into the crusts and let set, about 20 min.  Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup cream and 1 tbsp bourbon with the confectioners' sugar until soft peaks form; spoon into the tartlets and top with candied walnuts.

Three Cheese and Artichoke Calzones

Some of our best weekend mornings are spent eating breakfast or drinking coffee curled up on the couch while watching Food Network (have I mentioned that it's almost all we watch at my house?).  This past weekend I flipped on FN in time to see Giada making delicious looking calzones.  We were basically drooling as we watched this episode, so I knew we needed to add this to our menu ASAP.

I love a good calzone, but normally get them with just cheese or cheese and mushrooms, so this was a nice twist on them.  I didn't even need sauce to dip them in!  I did have to go to the store to buy almost all of the ingredients (none were really staples in our pantry/fridge) but aside from that they were pretty easy to make.  The hardest thing to me was rolling out the dough into the 6 inch circles.  I'm pretty sure the end result was smaller than they were supposed to be, though they still tasted delicious!

Three Cheese and Artichoke Calzones (recipe by Giada De Laurentiis)

Ingredients

Yellow cornmeal
4 oz frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1/2 cup finely shredded Pecorino Romano
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
1/3 cup shredded fontina
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more for sprinkling
Zest of 1 lemon
All-purpose flour
One 1-pound ball purchased pizza dough
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 large egg white, beaten
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Lightly sprinkle a heavy nonstick baking sheet with cornmeal. Set aside. - In the bowl of the food processor, add the artichoke hearts, Pecorino Romano, ricotta, fontina, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon juice, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Pulse until combined and chunky. - Using a knife, cut the pizza dough into quarters. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into four 6-inch circles, each about 1/4-inch thick. Using a pastry brush, brush the dough with the egg white. Place a quarter of the filling on one side of each circle of dough. Fold the dough over the filling, forming a half circle. Pinch the edges of dough firmly together and crimp to seal. Place the prepared individual calzone on the prepared baking sheet. - Drizzle the calzones with extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Using a sharp knife, cut a slit on the top of each calzone. Bake until golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes.

Matzah Meal Pancakes

Every year during Passover I try to not stock up on boxes of the mixes you can buy to make pretty much anything.  I like making things from scratch, if possible.  So I turned to a packet of family recipes that I was given at my bridal shower.  My aunt had given this packet to my cousin (her niece)at her bridal shower back in the 90's, so when my shower came around the cousin made sure to pass it along to me.  Of course, to give proper credit I have to remind myself who these were originally typed up for ("Mom" is actually Aunty Barbara and "Uncle Steve" is really my dad).  Though I also have insider info of knowing that this recipe for matzah meal pancakes, which is credited to my dad is actually a recipe from his mother (different sides of the family, so my cousin wouldn't know who my grandma is necessarily).

I grew up eating these pancakes, though I had forgotten all about them until I saw this recipe and asked my dad to clarify something.  When he mentioned what he puts on his pancakes (a sprinkle of sugar) memories of eating them as a child came rushing back to me.  This was my first attempt at making them and they ended up coming out pretty good!  They're not quite as fluffy as non-Passover pancakes, but they're not too dense, and they don't taste as fake as the stuff from the box.

My only complaint is that it only made 9 pancakes, so after my husband and I split a batch we were still a bit hungry.  But I definitely plan on making these again next year.  With a little maple syrup on them...delicious!

Matzah Meal Pancakes  (my grandmother's recipe)

Ingredients
3 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup matah meal
1/2 cup water

Directions
- mix yolks gently in small bowl
- in a medium bowl, beat egg whites until "fluffy" (they should be bubbly and forming soft peaks, not hard like a meringue)
- in a small bowl mix matzah meal, salt, and water.
- mix matzah meal mixture into the yolks.
- fold into the egg whites.
- fry on greased skillet or griddle.

Decadent Fudge Brownies with Glossy Fudge Frosting

It's Passover again!  I'm trying to expand my Passover repertoire this year (and not make so many things from boxed mixes), so I cracked open A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking which I had received as a Chanukah gift from my husband's aunt and uncle.  Many recipes looked delicious, but this one really stood out to me.  Brownies that were Kosher for Passover and tasted good???  What??!!  So I decided to give them a whirl.

Boy am I glad I did!  They really are decadent, and everything about them is delicious, down to the mocha frosting (the recipe says you can use either water or coffee, I highly recommend using the coffee!).  To be honest, these were some of the best brownies I've had, Passover or not.  I think I may even break this out at other points of the year!  Maybe I should stock up on Passover cake meal.....

And the best part?  This month's theme for What's Baking is "sprinkles", so these qualify for my submission there, too.  Though regular sprinkles have corn starch, so I used the sugar crystal type.

Decadent Fudge Brownies with Glossy Fudge Frosting


Ingredients

for the brownies:
2 cups white or brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or unsalted Passover margarine, melted and cooled
3 eggs
1 tablespoon brewed coffee
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
1 scant cup matzah cake meal

for the frosting:
2/3 cup water or brewed coffee
7 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp unsalted butter or Passover margarine, softened


Directions
- preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- lightly grease a 7-by-10 inch rectangular baking pan, a 9-inch square pan, or an 8 or 9 inch springform pan.
- in a bowl, mix the sugar into the melted butter, then the eggs, coffee, cocoa, salt, and cake meal.
- spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 min.  Do not overbake.  The brownies should be set and seem dry to the touch, but there should not be a crust around the sides.
- Cool in the pan

For the frosting:
- heat the water or coffee in a small saucepan.
- as it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate.
- remove the pan from the stove and stir until the chocolate is thoroughly melted.
- cool in the refrigerator for about 30 min.
- whisk in the softened butter or margarine and spread the frosting on top of the cooled brownies.
- let frosting set
- cut into squares (or wedges if using a round pan)

Caramel Shortbread Bars

It's time for the monthly recipe swap, hosted by the fabulous Sarah of Taste of Home Cooking.  When I saw the theme of this month's recipe swap, I immediately got excited.  Who doesn't love dessert??!!  I sent off my submission and eagerly awaited my assignment.  When I first saw these caramel shortbread bars I was excited, they looked delish!  It wasn't until I went to go make them that my feelings for this dessert started to sour.

I try not to adjust recipes that I'm assigned.  The point of the swap is to make what is sent you, not just something like what is sent.  So although I was a little surprised at just how much butter went into a dish baked in an 8x8 pan (3 1/2 sticks!!) I went with it and hoped for the best.  Thankfully I didn't have much planned the weekend I made this.  There are so many steps and most of the stuff has to then chill for an hour.  I ended up making this over the course of 2 days.

The end result was just ok.  It seemed way too butter-y and the chocolate was a bit bitter.  I think if I made this again I'd adjust a few things - I'd make less dough (and definitely use less butter), more caramel and use 70% cocoa (the original recipe said "the higher percentage, the better" so I aimed high).  My proportions seemed a bit off from what Coleen had ended up with.

Thankfully my husband's coworker will eat almost anything put in the break room, so I sent these treats with him and they were gone within a few days.

Caramel Shortbread Bars (submitted by The Redheaded Baker)

Ingredients:

For the cookie crust: 

- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, soft 
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 
- ¼ cup powdered sugar 
- 1 tsp vanilla extract 
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 
- ¼ tsp salt
For the caramel:
- ½ cup light brown sugar 
- 1 cup sweetened condensed milk

For the chocolate glaze: 
- 9 ounces chocolate, finely chopped (the higher percentage, the better) 
- 1 ½ tsp light corn syrup 
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, soft

Directions: 
- Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving three to four inches of overhang on two sides.  
- Cream the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and creamy. Beat in the sugars and vanilla.  
- Whisk together the flour and the salt, then fold into the butter mixer. Spread the dough into the baking pan and smooth in an even layer. Chill for one hour.  
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes, just until the cookie crust starts to brown at the edges.  
- Refrigerate crust until ready to add caramel layer, at least one hour and up to two days.  
- Place the brown sugar and sweetened condensed milk in a medium saucepan. Cook on low heat, stirring frequently, for one hour to 90 minutes, until caramel-colored and thickened.  
- Pour over cookie crust. Place in the freezer for one hour.  
- Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before adding chocolate glaze.  
- Place the chocolate, corn syrup and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water over lowest heat. Stir frequently, until only a few lumps of chocolate remain. Remove from heat and stir until smooth. Pour over caramel layer. Refrigerate at least one hour.  
- To cut, dip knife in boiling water, wipe clean with a kitchen towel, and make a cut. Dip knife in hot water, wipe dry, make another cut. Repeat with entire sheet. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator with wax paper between each bar.

Eggplant Parmigiana

If it were up to me, I would eat cheese for every meal.  Seriously, my husband says that it explains why I'm so cheesy (insert rim shot sound here).  When the latest issue of Food Network Magazine showed up in my mail box with the big headline announcing it's "the cheese issue", I immediately curled up on the couch and read it cover to cover.  Unfortunately due to the mixing of meat and dairy, about 60% of the recipes are not able to be made in my home (others can be amended, but for many it would totally change the dish).  When I came across the recipe for eggplant parm, I knew I wanted to try it out.  Then my husband saw it over my shoulder and immediately asked if we could make it.

The one thing about this dish is, it takes a long time to make.  The printed recipe says it takes 2h 45min, but it took me just a little longer (about 3 hours).  I did make one switch in the order of things.  As printed, it said to make the sauce, then prep the eggplant (which then sits for an hour).  I did the eggplant first, then made the sauce, which made a lot more sense.  I even had a little down time after the sauce was done to eat a salad (I had started cooking a little later than I meant to, so we needed the salad to tide us over until the main course was ready!).  I think I can shave a little time off the prep time the next time I make this, everything is always a little clunky the first time you make it!

This recipe was fun to make, especially because it was easy for 2 people to do together.  After the eggplant was ready to be fried, my husband took care of that while I grated the cheese and got everything to put the whole thing together.

A few things I'd do differently next time - the eggplant we got was most bulbous on the bottom so the slices ended up varying in size, next time I'd get one that was a little more symmetrical so the slices come out more uniform.  Also, the package of mozzarella slices I bought was only 8oz which I didn't realize at the time, so it wasn't quite as cheesy (and I bought regular mozzarella, not fresh, so I'd buy fresh next time and slice it myself).  On the third layer of eggplant I didn't end up using the mozzarella so that I could use the final slices on top.

It definitely lived up to any expectations we had.  And it says it serves 6, which is just about right (it would have been 6 full servings had my husband not eaten 2 slices the first night, so technically it served 5).

Eggplant Parmigiana (recipe by Alex Guarnaschelli)

Ingredients
for the sauce:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 small onions, halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, grated
kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 28oz can plus one 15oz can whole San Marzano plum tomatoes
for the eggplant:
1 medium eggplant (about 1 1/4lbs) sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds
kosher salt
1/4 cup all purpose flour
freshly ground pepper
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tbsp milk
2 cups Italian-style breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 to 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
12 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (about 1 oz)
2 cups grated provolone cheese (about 8oz)
handful of fresh basil leaves, torn

Directions
 - Prepare the eggplant: Put the eggplant rounds in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt on both sides and let sit, about 1 hour.
- Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and garlic and season with salt and the red pepper flakes; cook until the onions are soft and translucent (7 to 8 minutes).  Add the sugar and tomatoes and break up some of the tomatoes with a wooden spoon.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring from time to time, until the tomatoes are fairly borken down (10 to 15 minutes).  Taste for seasoning.  Let cool.
- Rinse the eggplant with cold water and dry thoroughly with a kitchen towel.
- Put the flour in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper.  In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk and season with salt and pepper.  In a third bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, oregegano, and thyme and season with salt and pepper.  Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour and shake off any excess.  Dip in the egg mixture and finally in the breadcrumbs, coating both sides.  Lay the eggplant slices on baking sheets in a single layer.
- Heat about 1/2 inch vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke lightly (between 380 and 400 degrees).  Using tongs, add a single layer of eggplant to the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and season lightly with salt.  Repeat until all of the eggplant is fried.
- Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350.  Spoon about one-quarter of the tomato sauce into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.  Top with a layer of the fried eggplant, overlapping the slices slightly.  Top with one-quarter of the mozzarella, then sprinkle with about one-third each of the parmesan, provolone, and basil.  Repeat the layering 2 more times (sauce, eggplant, cheese, basil), then finish with the remaining sauce and mozzarella.  Press the layers firmly into the dish.  Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly (30 to 40 min).  For an extra-brown top, put the dish under the broiler for a minute or two just before serving.        

Flourless Raspberry Souffle

A few weeks ago my husband and I went down to Atlantic City to see a cooking demonstration by Geoffrey Zakarian.  It's no secret we're huge fans of Chopped, so if we have a chance to see a judge in person, we're there.  And another thing we don't usually pass up is a good excuse to go to Atlantic City!  The demonstration was a lot of fun.  Chef Zakarian showed us how to make a hamburger (apparently if you mash it too much and add things to the meat, it's a meatball, not a burger....who knew?!) with a side of coleslaw, plus a dessert of raspberry souffle.

Souffle is one of those things that I never attempted because I had heard how hard it was to make it, and all the superstitions about how easy it is to make the souffle fall (making loud noises, opening the oven, etc).  But the way he demonstrated it, he kept saying how easy it is, even showing that you can open the oven, let the souffle sit there before putting it in the oven, etc.  So, I decided to attempt making this dessert for Valentine's Day, and the results were a success!

The demonstration itself was a lot of fun.  For some reason Bobby Flay's mother was there and sitting a few rows ahead of me.  The audience could ask questions, so I asked him about the weird ingredients in the Chopped baskets (they had to eat lamb testicles...ick!).  One woman asked the best way to cut onions without crying (the answer?  "have your boyfriend do it") and there was also an older Italian woman there with her American daughter who asked questions, but then answered them herself like she was testing Chef Zakarian.  It was a lot of fun.

The souffle made a lovely dessert for a special dinner, and honestly was so easy and so yummy, I'm definitely going to make it again.  It's also a good dessert to make when you have folks over for dinner because it's sure to impress!

Flourless Raspberry Souffle (as printed in Geoffrey Zakarian's Town/Country)

Ingredients
for the puree:
4 6oz containers fresh raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
for the souffles:
butter, for greasing the souffle dishes (**to make this parve, use vegetable shortening)
1 cup sugar
18 large egg whites
confectioners' sugar, for garnish


Directions
- Set aside 36 raspberries for garnish.  Place the remaining raspberries, 6 tbsp of the sugar, and the lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until the fruit is very soft (15 to 20 min).  Remove the raspberries from the heat and allow them to cool to room temperature.  Puree the berries in a blender (or use an immersion blender, stirring, then transfer them to a bowl.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Prepare six 8oz ramekins (**though if you have a different size, it's ok to use what you have) by generously buttering them on the inside and then coating the butter lining with 2 tbsp of the sugar.  Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment on low speed.  Whip the whites until they form soft peaks, then gradually begin adding the remaining sugar.  Continue whipping until the egg whites form stiff, glossy peaks.
- Remove the egg whites from the mixer and gradually fold in 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of raspberry puree in thirds, taking care to not over fold (if you like an airy, lighter-flavored souffle, add the lesser amount of the puree; if you prefer a more intense fruit flavor, add the greater amount).  Reserve any remaining puree.  Using a pastry bag with the large plain tip, pipe the souffle mixture into the ramekins, swirling it so each souffle has a peak like a soft ice cream cone.  (Alternatively, just spoon the mixture into the ramekins, filling them not quite to the top).  Stud the peaks of the souffles with the reserved raspberries.
- Place the souffles in the oven immediately and bake until puffed and golden, about 15 min.  The center of the souffle should still be soft.  Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately, garnished with any leftover raspberry puree.