Crème Brûlée

Grab your torch and spoon! We attack the ramekins at 10:00 AM!!

There are a lot of variations to Creme Brulee. You can play a little with ratios to suit your tastes and preferences. But what an amazing creation made from such simple ingredients. Cream, Sugar, Vanilla, and Egg Yolks.

I hope I'm not breaking any code of secrecy by posting this recipe. We basked in the tutelage of a certified Le Cordon Bleu graduate who shared her expertise and recipe with us.

1 qt Heavy Cream

3/4 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean

10 egg yolks

Here are the instructions straight from the recipe:

1. Heat cream, sugar, and vanilla bean over low flame until bubbles form around edges.

2. Whisk egg yolks. Stir in hot cream being careful not to create air bubbles or foam.

3. Strain and pour into ramekins. Place in a water bath to come halfway to the level of the custard.

4. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour or until set.

5. Remove from water bath and chill.

6. Brown with blow torch.

OK. Gourmet Chefs don't need much instruction. So here it goes for us kitchen warriors.

Get set up for success.

1. Set your ramekins in a large, deep roasting pan. Separate your eggs. Split your vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Preheat Oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine cream, sugar, and vanilla bean. Scrape vanilla from the bean and then drop the whole thing in. You'll be able to fish out the vanilla shell later.

3. Heat the creamy mixture over a medium heat until bubbles form around the edge. Stirring constantly.

4. When the cream is ready, turn off the heat and use it to temper the egg yolks. Temper the yolks by:a) whisking the egg yolk itself, just until it is smooth; b)continue to stir as you gradually add about 1/4 cup hot cream to the yolks; c) repeat the previous step at least 3 more times. This will ensure that the eggs have reached the temperature of the hot cream without immediately cooking. Try not to create air bubbles or foam.

5. Pour the egg/cream mixture back into the saucepan. Over a medium heat, sitr and heat the mixture until it sticks to the back of a wooden spoon. In other words, stir and pull the wooden spoon out. Scrape your fingernail across the back of the spoon. If the cream runs down through the line you scraped, keep heating the cream. If the cream does not run through the line you scraped, it is done.

6. Once your cream passes the wooden spoon test, you are ready to pour into the ramekins. If you tempered your eggs correctly, you will not need to strain the mixture. If you think you have some chunks in your creamy mixture, all is not lost. Just pour through a fine sieve before you pour into the ramekins.

7. Place your pan of full ramekins in the middle rack of the oven. Use a pitcher to fill the roasting pan with water until it comes half way up the sides of the ramekin.

8. Bake in the oven fro 45 minutes to an hour or until set.

9. Remove the whole thing from the oven and allow to cool until you can touch the ramekins.

10. Remove and cover ramekins and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

11. Sprinkle about a teaspoons worth of sugar on the top of the chilled pudding. Torch until brown and serve!

Good luck, ladies! And see you on the other side.

Death By Chocolate Cookies

So, um, we didn't have Cookie Day this week, but I've been reading Joanne Fluke's murder mystery with recipes series.  The main character, Hannah Swensen, runs a cookie shop, and is always trying new recipes which are posted at the end of the chapters.  So, I got the urge to bake. This is one I've been wanting to try for a long time.  Sinful.  Rich.  Delicious.

Ingredients:

• 2 pkgs (8 one-ounce squares each) semi-sweet baking chocolate (you could probably use chips if you don't have this, but make sure it's high-quality)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 stick butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups chopped nuts (I used pecans, but you could substitute anything here: other nuts or candy chips, dried fruits etc.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Coarsely chop 8 squares of baking chocolate and set aside.
3. Melt remaining 8 squares chocolate in large bowl.  
4. Stir in sugar and butter.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Stir in flour and baking powder.  With a spoon, stir in chocolate chunks and nuts (this is more of a batter than a dough, with lots of chunks).
5. Drop onto ungreased sheet with medium cookie scoop and flatten slightly.
6. Bake 11-13 minutes or until puffed and feel set to the touch.  Cool on cookie sheet for a minute or two (this helps the centers set, and keeps them on the chewy side).
7. Move to cooling racks to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Bars!

These are so wonderful! I didn't have a jelly roll pan and I made them in a 9x13 pan. I liked how nice and thick they turned out. The frosting is a little thick if you use it all, but man are they good!

3/4 C Butter or marg.
3/4 C Sugar
3/4 C Brown Sugar
3/4 C Peanut Butter
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
3/4 t. Soda
1/2 t. Salt
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 Cups Flour

Beat together Butter, Sugars, PB, Eggs and Vanilla.
Mix in dry ingredients.

Spread in a Jelly roll pan and bake at 350 for 10- 15 minutes.
Dab on more PB and spread evenly. Let cool before frosting.

Chocolate Frosting
1 C sugar
5 T. Butter
1/3 C evaporated milk
Mix in a sauce pan and boil for 45 seconds. Remove from heat and add 1 Cup of chocolate chips, still until smooth. Spread onto bars and enjoy!

Hungry Girl

Joanna recently bought the book Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200 by Lisa Lillien, and yesterday we tried out one of her dessert recipes. We made Cheesecake Brownies, and at only 133 calories a piece, I was skeptical that they'd taste good. I was also wary that the pumpkin puree would make our brownies taste like, well, pumpkin. Everyone pronounced them very tasty, although we decided that if we made them again, we'd probably forgo the cream cheese swirls altogether (Chad confessed that it was a little "slimy" for him). We thought mini chocolate chips mixed into the batter would be yummy instead. At any rate, now you know that you can make simple, "healthy" brownies with only a cake mix and a can of pumpkin! Here's the original recipe:

Ingredients:
One box devil's food cake mix
One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
6 ounces fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup Splenda, granulated
1 tsp sugar-free vanilla powdered creamer
1/4 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix cake mix and pumpkin in large bowl. Batter will be very thick. Spray a 9x13 baking pan and spread batter evenly.
In a medium bowl, mix creamer with 2 Tbsp warm water, and stir until dissolved. Add cream cheese, Splenda, and vanilla. Whisk vigorously until smooth.
Spread creamy mixture over batter in pan, and swirl with a knife.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool.

Makes 16 servings. PER SERVING: 133 cal, 1.75g fat, 29g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 3g protein.

I also thought I'd post a link to the meatballs I made for lunch. I use a package of Jenny-O lean ground turkey instead of beef (it's a little less than 1-1/2 pounds but it works). I vastly prefer the turkey meatballs; they come out so tender. A medium cookie scoop works wonderfully, and be sure to only use 1 tsp of salt! Simmer the meatballs in whatever jar of pasta sauce thrills you (or make your own). Delicious!

Chocolate-Vanilla Meringues

I didn't think I was a fan of meringues, but I think the only meringue I've encountered is the stuff on top of a lemon meringue pie. These little cookies, however, are nothing like that stuff. My friend Londa found this recipe on FoodNetwork.com. The recipe is supposed to yield 20 cookies, but we got more like 60 (it DOES say pipe by the tablespoon). So just divide whatever you get into 5 servings, and chow down. We each got to eat 12 cookies as a serving! Awesome and low-cal.

Ingredients

• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/3 cup superfine (caster) sugar* (we used regular granulated)
  
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (the recipe originally called for almond, but I'm not a fan)
  
• 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place egg whites and cream of tartar in a clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer and beat until foamy. Add sugar and almond extract beat until meringues hold soft peaks, about 3 minutes. Fold in chocolate gently until just incorporated. Using a pastry bag or a sealable plastic bag with the corner snipped off, pipe meringue by the tablespoon onto cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from parchment paper. Transfer to an airtight container.

*You can make your own superfine sugar by placing sugar in a food processor and processing on high for 30 to 45 seconds.

Per Serving (recipe yields 5 servings):

Calories 120; Total Fat 3.5 g; (Sat Fat 2 g, Mono Fat 1 g, Poly Fat 0 g) ; Protein 3 g; Carb 21 g; Fiber 1 g; Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 35 mg

Chili's Southwest Egg Rolls

Friends, Great Food, laughter, and sunshine made this weeks cookie day a success and an added plus we got to meet Jaime from the LV cookie group (Thanks to her this post has pictures). The kids also took full advantage of the sunshine and played outside the entire time.

Friends in our ward made these and brought them to dinner a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't stop munching on them. They are delicious and pretty simple to make.

This makes about 6 egg rolls.

Egg Roll:

1 chicken breast (grilled)
1 Tablespoon veg. oil
2 Tablespoons minced red bell peppers
2 Tablespoons minced green onion
1/3 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup canned black beans, drained
2 Tablespoons frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 Tablespoon diced canned jalapeno peppers
1/2 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 dash cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
egg roll wraps

Dipping sauce:

1/4 cup smashed avocado
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1 dash dried dill weed (I didn't have, so left out)
1 dash garlic powder
1 dash pepper

Add oil to bowl, add minced red pepper and green onion. Dice the chicken into small cubes add to bowl. Add corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper to bowl. Add in shreaded cheese and stir well. Spoon mixture into egg roll wraps and roll. Preheat 4-6 cups of oil to about 375 degrees. Deep fry until golden brown and remove to rack or paper towel to drain. Service with dipping sauce.

I hope you enjoy!

Homemade egg rolls

Our LV Cookie Wednesday group met recently to make these yummy egg rolls. They are so easy to freeze and pull out one at a time. Make sure you pick up some delicious chili or sweet and sour sauce to dip them in. DIVINE!

The recipe is not specific. Just a little of this and a little of that.

ground pork or chicken (We used four pounds of ground pork for nearly 80 egg rolls)
bean sprouts (Jena sprouted these on her kitchen counter for us)
shredded carrots
cabbage, chopped (we used a head and a half - I like to chop it into just smaller than bites-sized so you don't get chunks that are too large when you bite into the egg roll)
salt and pepper to taste
egg roll wrappers (best picked up in a China town or at an Asian Mart - they freeze well for a few months and can be used in other dishes)
egg, beaten
vegetable oil (for frying)
chili sauce or sweet and sour sauce for dipping

Cook the pork. Add the chopped cabbage and carrots just before the pork is completely cooked thru. Add bean sprouts at the end and heat thru. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Set wrap out on counter in a diamond shape so a corner points toward you. Spoon mixture onto corner of egg roll wrap - not in the center. Wrap corner over mixture and begin roll. Fold side corners into center like you are wrapping the edge of a present. Keep it nice and tight but do not rip wrapper. Continue rolling to end. Dab a little bit of the egg mixture on top corner and press to seal. Make sure you do not put too much mixture into wrap or the roll will fall apart and make a mess in the oil.

To Freeze: Place in freezer safe bag and place in freezer.

To Cook: Heat vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Slide egg roll into hot oil and cook until brown on outside. The wrap will be crispy and delicious while the inside is warm and tasty.

"Hostess" Chocolate Cream Cupcakes

When I saw this recipe in my latest Cook's Country magazine, I knew it was destined to be our next Cookie Day feat. So, even though it's been over a month since our last meeting, I hosted this week's bake-fest with an ambitious goal. The filling looked a little intimidating, what with the gelatin and marshmallow creme, but it was so worth it! And I made a couple adjustments to make it a little easier. This recipe is definitely worth a little extra work! But double it, because we each only got to eat one, and that was such a shame! Ours did not come out as pretty as Cook's Country, but I chalk it up to the fact that by the time we got to the decorating phase, our mouths were watering so badly that we rushed it along to get to the tasting phase!

Cupcakes:
(Okay, so I didn't use the real cake recipe from the magazine. I cheated. But I can't seem to stray from this easy pudding cake version! It's too yummy.)
1 devil's food cake mix
1 package instant chocolate pudding mix (4 serving size)
1/2 cup oil
1 1/4 cup water
4 eggs

Filling:
3 Tbsp water
3/4 - 1 tsp unflavored gelatin
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp real vanilla extract
pinch salt
1 jar marshmallow creme

Glaze:
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 Tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:
1) Make cupcakes. Mix all cake ingredients for 2 minutes. Spoon into lined muffin tins (makes approx. 24). Bake about 20 minutes at 325 or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove and cool completely (I baked mine the day before).

2) Prepare filling. Combine water and gelatin (I used 3/4 tsp, and our creme wasn't quite firm enough) in medium-large bowl and let sit until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave until mixture is bubbling around edges and gelatin dissolves, about 30 seconds. Stir in butter, vanilla (recipe originally called for 1 tsp vanilla, but we agreed that it was too much), and salt until well combined. Let mixture cool about 5 minutes. Whip in marshmallow creme until smooth. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. Put 1/3 cup mixture into pastry bag with small tip or plastic bag with hole cut out (be gentle; my hole was a little big).

3) Make glaze: Microwave chocolate and butter in small bowl for 30 seconds. Stir. If necessary, microwave another 15 seconds, and stir until smooth. Cool to room temp.

4) Assemble cupcakes: Cut a "cone" or "plug" out of top of cupcakes (the magazine used a small paring knife. We used a medium cookie scoop, and figured that although it wasn't as pretty, it was a heck of a lot quicker!) and trim the plug to a 1/4 inch disc. Using a Tbsp spoon or a small cookie scoop (love Pampered Chef!) sprayed with Pam, fill cupcakes with creme and replace tops. Frost with cooled glaze and let sit for 10 minutes (We didn't. Couldn't wait that long.). Using bag of reserved creme, pipe curlicues across glazed cupcakes.

5) Eat and remark how these are way better than Hostess!