Entries from October 2009
One of my all time favorite desserts has got to be cheesecake. I love the graham cracker crust and all that cream cheese goodness in every bite. Then one day, while in one of my gluttonous moods, I thought to myself…what if I took the delicious glory of cheesecake and transform it into a cupcake? Voila, thus came the creation of the all mighty “strawberry cheesecake cupcakes”. In some instances I would almost have to say that these are better than cheesecake, with the cream cheese goodness in the icing, graham cracker crust for the bottom, AND THEN a moist vanilla cake with fresh strawberries in every bite!!! *Exhales* I am in foodie heaven.
Ingredients for Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes
- 3/4 c all-purpose flour
- 1/2 t baking powder
- 1/4 t salt
- 6 T unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 c + 1 T sugar
- 1/2 t vanilla
- 1/4 c sour cream or plain yogurt
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/4 cup fresh strawberries, hulled & coarsely chopped
- 1 package of graham crackers, smashed into crumbs
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4-oz cream cheese, softened
- 4 T butter, softened
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
Preheat oven to 350 F and prepare 6 – 8 muffin tins. Sprinkle about 1 t of the crushed graham cracker into the bottom of each prepared muffin tin.
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder & salt. In a large bowl, cream together butter & sugar until light & fluffy and then add the vanilla & beat on a low-speed. Then add half the flour mixture until incorporated then mix in the sour cream or yogurt. Add remaining flour & mix until just blended.
In another bowl beat the egg whites until stiff, glossy peak appear, about 2 minutes. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg into the batter until combined, do not over mix the egg whites or the cake will fall flat. Add remaining egg and fold in the chopped strawberries. Fill each muffin tin about 3/4 of the way and bake for about 20 minutes depending on your oven. You can test the doneness by sticking a toothpick through the center, if it comes out clean it is ready to take out!
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy. Spread icing on cupcakes and garnish with fresh cut strawberries — yields 6-8 cupcakes.
Categories: Uncategorized
Ode to the Walnut! Another wonderful gift found during the fall, nuts! I found this recipe in Chanterelle cookbook as well. I usually like soft chewy cookies, but this recipe was definitely an exception–it was a light, buttery cookie with a slight crunch from the toffee topping. Granted the words light and buttery usually don’t belong in the same sentence, a few cookies in the tummy never hurt 
Ingredients for Walnut Wafers:
- 2 1/2 cups of walnuts
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons brandy
Ingredients for Toffee:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon brandy
To make the walnut shortbread dough, grind 2 cups of walnuts with the cornstarch in either a coffee grinder or food processor to form a flour consistency. (Do not over process the walnuts into a paste, this causes the nuts to release all their oils.) Toss the ground walnut mixture with the flour and salt and set aside. Grind the remaining walnuts to use for garnish until you bake the cookies.
If you are using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment, or an electric hand mixer will be work. Cream the butter for 1 minute. Add the sugar and cream with the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and mix for 1 minute. Add the brandy and beat on medium speed until incorporated. (30 seconds)
Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into two long logs. Wrap the logs in a piece of parchment or wax paper and continue to roll until a near perfect cylindrical shape is achieved, 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm enough to cut slices that will hold their shape. The time will vary on the temperature of your refrigerator. You are also able to freeze this dough for up to a week.
To prepare the toffee, bring the butter, both sugars and corn syrup to a boil in a small heavy bottomed saucepan. Let boil for 1 minute, whisking continuously. Remove from the heat and let cool for 20 minutes. Then slowly whisk in the cream until incorporated, (if you add it to quickly, the mixture will vigorously bubble over, it’s preferably 2 tbsp at a time)then finish by whisking in the brandy. Refrigerate until chilled.
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Cut the logs into 1/4- to 5/16-inch thick slices. Lay the pieces out on the cookie sheet. Hold each piece with 3 fingers on one hand while making a slight indentation in the center with the index finger of the your other hand. Squeeze or spoon the toffee over the indented area. (If you prefer, adding more toffee will have a ‘praline’ effect on the top and sides of the cookie) Garnish with the ground walnuts that were set aside earlier. Bake until toffee spreads and cookie is a deep golden brown color, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool before sealing in an airtight container. They can keep for 2 to 3 days.
I am still working on many areas of this site so thank you for being patient . I will continue to update my ‘cooking tips’ section (there are a lot!) and offer any helpful tips I can think of along the way.
Categories: Cookies · Desserts
Tagged: baking, Cookies, dessert, toffee, walnut
It is finally starting to feel like Fall in Texas and I wasted no time unpacking my scarves, sweaters and jackets. Cold weather is short-lived here, so the minute I feel the brisk breeze, the refreshing sense of a chill, I rush to embrace all that is Fall — my favorite season of the year.
With cold, comes the need for comfort. The nights have dropped down to the low 40s recently so I figured, what better relief for your tummy (and soul) than a big giant bowl of chicken soup? My mom often made this soup for me as a child. I always enjoyed the perfect combination of aromas of shiitake, ginger and chicken slowly simmering away, filling the entire house of comforting goodness. Usually this broth simmers for the entire day to draw the flavor out of the bones, but to save cooking time I am using a store-bought chicken broth. “Double Chicken Broth” means that chicken broth is used to poach more chicken, resulting in a richer and more intensely flavored broth.
Ingredients for Double Chicken Broth:
- 1/2 pound chicken breast/thigh, boneless, skinless
- 2 quarts store bought chicken broth
- 1 quart of water
- 2 slices of ginger – about 1/2″ inch
- 4-6 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- salt to taste
- 1 package of firm tofu – cut into 1″ cubes
- 1 package of rice vermicelli
- bean sprouts and scallions for garnish
For the Double Chicken Broth, rehydrate the shiitake mushrooms by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 15-20 minutes. Trim any visible fat from the chicken breast/thigh and discard. Place the chicken breast/thigh in a big pot and cover with stock and water. Bring to a boil and add ginger and mushrooms. Reduce to a medium-low heat and let simmer for 40 minutes. Meanwhile place the tofu on absorbent paper and allow it to drain. and prepare the noodles. Different brands will differ in cooking time, but vermicelli noodles cook fast. Once the water is boiling, don’t leave the noodles in for longer than a minute and immediately drain with cold water. Prepare the garnishes and set aside.
Taste the broth and season with salt accordingly. Add tofu and strain mushrooms and chicken from the broth. Cut into strips when cool enough to handle and place in each serving bowl with 1/2 cup of vermicelli noodles. Add hot broth and tofu over each bowl when ready to serve. Garnish with cut scallions and bean sprouts and finish with a pinch of ground white pepper.
I really love the different textures in this soup — the crunchiness of the bean sprouts, the chewiness of the juicy shiitakes, paired with the thin rice noodles swimming in a supple delicate broth. Simply divine. If you have any questions on how to actually make double chicken broth from scratch, contact me and I can give you the recipe.
Categories: Chinese · Soup · Vegetarian
Tagged: broth, Chicken, Chinese, ginger, scallion, shiitake, Soup, tofu, vermicelli
Citrus citrus citrus! Fall is the start of citrus season and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on some beautiful greens, yellows, reds and oranges. I always enjoy the bright aromas and acidity of these little fruits and thought what better way to celebrate their flavors than with a vibrant sauce featuring grapefruit, orange, lemon and lime juices.
Here are some tips on picking good quality citrus produce:
- Feel how heavy the fruit is. The heavier, the better — it means there is more water content!
- Look for thin smooth peels. Don’t pick the ones with the thick porous skin, the ones that are as smooth as a baby’s bottom are the best! Or else you’re stuck with a thick rind and less fruit. (That is no bueno)
- Avoid any fruit that feels soft or mushy, more than likely it is rotten on the inside.
- Smell the fruit. A sweet aroma usually means a stronger and sweeter citrus flavor.
If at all possible, use wild salmon opposed to farm-raised. Wild salmon is more flavorful but if it is not readily available farm-raised is a perfectly viable alternative.
I found this wonderful recipe from my Chanterelle cookbook and changed a few things. It was a cumin crusted salmon with citrus butter but I didn’t have cumin so I left it off and used coconut milk in place of the heavy cream. I also cut down half the amount of butter and still got great results.
Ingredients for Salmon and Coconut Citrus Butter
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/4 cup heavy cream (I used coconut milk)
- 1/2 lb of unsalted butter (I only used 4 tbsp)
- kosher salt
- pinch of sugar, if necessary
- 4 x 6 oz salmon fillets, at least 1 inch thick, skin and any pin bones removed
- coarse black pepper
- 3 tablespoons of canola
To make the citrus butter, combine the wine and citrus juices in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 10 minutes. This process should be watched over closely, because of the high sugar content it can burn easily. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cold butter, a few pieces at a time, making sure it is completely incorporated before adding more. Season with salt if it lacks taste and sugar if it is too tart. You can keep the sauce at room temperature for up to an hour and reheat at a low heat just before serving.
Take the salmon fillets and place them on a clean, dry surface. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the oil and turn the pan to coat the bottom with oil, allowing it to heat for a minute or two. Place the fillets, skin side down for 2 to 3 minutes then turn the fillets over and cook the other side for the same amount of time or until the desired level of doneness is achieved. The thickness of the cut may affect cooking time so please adjust accordingly.
Spoon a mound of mashed potatoes into the center of the plates. Drizzle with the warm citrus butter around the potatoes and top with a salmon fillet.
Categories: New American
Tagged: Citrus, Coconut, Fall, Grapefruit, Lemon, Lime, Orange, Salmon
