Creamy Fruit Tart

For the Top Chef All Stars season finale I had the ladies over for a simple dinner of beef tenderloin with couscous and a refreshing (yet spicy) jicama, cucumber and mango salad. No dinner party at my place is complete with out a homemade dessert, this has become a well known fact with my friends.

Tonight I decided to go for something light and fresh. With spring around the corner the grocery stores are starting to get some fresh looking berries in stock at decent prices. I had not made a berry tart for a few years, as the last one I made resulted in a really funny story (that I will tell at the end of the post, reward for reading people!). So this seemed like a good time to bring it back into my baking repertoire.

Berry tarts are one of the easiest things you can tackle. They are made of three main parts and can be prepared the day before and assembled just prior to being served.

Part one: Your Crust

You will need the following:

• A 10-inch tart pan (preferably with a removable rim, but I used the ceramic pan because I think it has a better appearance)
• 1 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar (I use equal spoonful)
• Pinch of salt
• 8 tablespoons of chilled unsalted butter (cut into small cubes)
• 1 large egg yolk

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir together. Add the butter (cut into small cubes) and work the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers. Once everything is mixed well and appears as crumbs add the egg yolk. Using a fork mix in the yolk until the crumbs are starting to stick together. The dough will not form one ball, but a few smaller balls. Pour the dough into the pan and press it into place with your fingers.

Bake the crust for 25 to 30 minutes at 300 degrees. Let cool completely.

Part two: Cream Filling

You will need the following:

• 1/2 cup sugar (again, I use equal spoonful)
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons flour
• Pinch of salt
• 2 and 1/2 cups of milk (recipe calls for whole milk, but I used skim milk and it turned out fine)
• 1 large egg and 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon raspberry-flavored preserves
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a large sauce pan (not over heat) mix the dry ingredients. Whisk in the milk until all of the dry ingredients are disolved. Add in the eggs and whisk until smooth. Place the pan over high heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until it comes to a boil (it should be quite thick at this time). This will take 4-6 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the jam and butter until both are disolved. Pour the mixture into a medium bowl and set the bowl in ice water. Stir until the cream is cool, this will take about 12 minutes. Keep chilled until you are ready to serve.

Part 3: Fresh Berries/Fruit

For this part you can use what ever berries or fruit are the most fresh. I choose blackberries, raspberries and blue berries, but any combination would work. Wash your berries and dry them prior to using. You will need about three cups of fruit.

When you are ready to serve, assemble your tart by spreading the cream over the base of the crust and topping with the berries. Enjoy!!

So for my funny berry tart story....

A few years ago I purchased an assortment of fresh berries at a local farmers market. I brought them home, washed them all and used them on top of a tart very similar to the one explained above. While eating the tart my boyfriend at the time screamed, dropped the plate and went into the bathroom to throw up. Come to find out that there was an itty bitty inch worm that had worked its way into one of the raspberries and managed to escape my fruit washing. The worm had started crawling around on top of the berries of his tart and he noticed mr. worm right before putting him in his mouth. More protein, right?? :)

Chocolate Angel Food Heaven

So fluffy, moist and sweet. Angel food cake has always been one of my favorites, yet somehow it is also one of the few cakes I had never made before. This summer I inherited an angel food tube cake pan from my Grandmother Signe's incredible kitchen. Until I decided to bake this cake on Monday, I really didn't even know what went into it. I was surprised to find a fairly short list of ingredients on all of the recipes that I looked at.

After some minor research, I landed on a chocolate angel food cake recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Fake Ginger. I followed her version of the recipe, and actually cut out even one more of the sifting phases. Sifting the dry ingredients just the one time. The hardest part of this cake is being patient as you whip your egg whites. I consider myself a decently experienced baker, but after 5 or so minutes I was sure I had done something wrong. Quite the contrary - at that quantity of eggs it is just going to take a long time for them to get to the stiff consistency that you are looking for.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa (I used Hershey's special dark)
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 11 egg whites
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (I didn't have this - so I left it out)
• 1 cup sugar (I used Equal Spoonful to make it a bit more diabetic friendly)

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 375 and get your angel food tube cake pan out; do not grease.
• Sift cake flour, cocoa, and powdered sugar together. Set aside. (This is where the recipe calls for a "tripple sift, but I just did one go through the sifter)
• In a large bowl, combine your egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, vanilla, and almond extract. Beat until foamy. Gradually add sugar beating until meringue holds stiff peaks. This will take quite a long time - so long I almost thought I had done something wrong... so just be patient. It goes something like this ...

The starting gate ... your mixture is runny, yellow and foamy.

A few minutes in ... still foamy but the color starts to soften and the liquid thickens as it grows.

A few more minutes in ... the mixture starts to change to a glossy white as the foam disappears (you will be in this stage for what feels like forever).

About ten minutes in ... the color is a glossy white, all of the bubbles are gone and you start to feel the slightest resistance on your spatula as you scrape the sides.

DONE! You made it. You will know you can stop beating when the white mixture will hold a stiff peak.

• Slowly add the flour-sugar mixture to the meringue and gently fold it in until you don't see any of the dry ingredients.
• Place batter into tube pan. Smooth it out so it is even and if necessary gently cut through batter with a knife to break up any air pockets. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
• Invert pan on a baking rack until fully cool.
• Sprinkle with some powdered sugar and enjoy!

Pumpkin Baking

I was craving pancakes (mostly because I bought a new pancake spatula at Target today), so I decided to make pumpkin pancakes. In an effort to not waste all of the extra pumpkin in the can, I tried my hand at a nice loaf of pumpkin bread. Best decisions I made all day.

First I made the pancakes. I found a great recipe from All Recipes as the base, with a few modifications of my own.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/3 cup whole wheat pancake mix
• 2 1/2 tablespoon Equal Spoonful
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup fat free milk
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Start by mixing the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients in separate bowls. Combine the two mixtures, stirring just until all of the ingredients are moistened. At this time you may want to add more milk to ensure you have the right consistency.

Now its time to start turning that batter into flapjacks. As healthy as that batter may be, I go with the most unhealthy option for greasing my griddle - shortening. Trust me, this is the best way to have perfect browned pancakes. Totally worth the extra fat that the pancakes soak up. If you use a 1/4 cup measuring cup, you should get the 4-5 inch circles everyone loves so much.

I topped my pancakes with sugar free Smuckers syrup and chopped pecans. Pause to enjoy!

After enjoying my creamy yet hearty dinner, I moved on to the pumpkin loaf. This is equally delicious and simple to make, just a little less healthy. The full recipe from Food Network can be found here.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of sugar
• 1 cup of vegetable
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 16 ounces canned unsweetened pumpkin
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 2/3 cup water

Get your oven good and warm at 350 degrees and butter your bread pan. I used a great silicone pan, my new favorite for breaded goods - the end result just falls out of the pan.

Start by mixing the sugar and the oil together until well mixed. Stir the eggs and pumpkin into the sugar mixture. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients before mixing them into the wet ingredients, alternating with the water. Pour the batter into the bread pans (half in each). Sprinkle the top of the batter with chopped pecans for an added crunch.

Bake the bread for 40-45 minutes, test it by inserting a knife through the center to ensure it is fully cooked. Let stand for 10 minutes before removing from the pans. Serve warm or save for later.

The Moistest Brownies

For years I have failed at brownies. They would either turn out too floury and not chewy enough or lacking flavor. Now I blame the recipe.

From time to time my best friend Nissa would make her signature brownies and bring them to group functions. When we were at her place this past August packing up her boxes for her big move to LA, she served us brownies one last time. These brownies are so moist, chewy, chocolately and all around so wonderful that I swear they are the best I have ever had. Before she moved away I snagged a photo of her recipe.

For a long time this recipe resided as a photo in my phone, until this past weekend when I finally put it to good use. I was having some gals over and wanted to bake a desert worthy of Nissa. So I pulled out my BlackBerry and gave the recipe a try. I have to say, I was beyond impressed. These brownies came out better than one could ever have expected.

As the photo shows, the recipe for these chewy brownies is:

1. Mix 2 cups of sugar and 4 eggs
2. Melt 3 squares of chocolate (I used 2 semi-sweet and one bittersweet) and 2 cubes (1 cup) of butter
3. Combine sugar and chocolate mixture
4. Add in 1 cup of flour, 2 tsp vanilla (I used fresh vanilla bean) and a pinch of salt
5. Once all combined pour into a greased and floured cake pan
6. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

To add my own touch to the recipe, I poured the batter into cupcake tins and pushed raspberries into the middle of the batter. The raspberries added a hint of fruit that gave the brownie even more dimension!! Beyond tasty.

Perfect Pie Crust

The key to a successful pie is a great crust. While store bought crusts cut down the time it takes to make a pie, they also cut down on the flavor. Making pie crust doesn't have to be hard but it will take some time to do it right.

After many pies, I have found a great crust recipe from Jamie Oliver that I love and rely on for all fruit pies. Here is your step-by-step for a successful crust.

Start by sifting 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of powdered sugar onto a clean surface. Cut 10 tablespoons of cold butter into small cubes and add it to the flour mixture.

Using your fingers, slowly rub the butter into the flour/sugar mixture until you end up with a crumbly mixture.

Once you have all of the butter rubbed into the flour it is time to give your crust some flavor. Jamie Oliver's recipe uses Lemon Zest, however you could any flavor that would fit with your pie. For some good ideas check out this article. Add the flavoring and mix it in with your hands.

Form the flour mixture into a "birds nest" so that there is an area to hold two eggs and a splash of milk. Slowly mix the eggs and milk into the flour mixture until you have a ball of dough.

Flour the dough lightly and push it down into a disc shape. Wrap it in plastic wrap or place it in a ziploc bag and put it in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

When you are ready to put your crust into your pie plate, take it out of the fridge and split it into 2 sections. I place one section back in the fridge while I roll our the other, I find the cold dough is easier to roll out. Place the section of dough between slices of wax paper and use a rolling pin to roll it into a circle. The wax paper will prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin or counter surface and it also helps when it is time to transfer the dough to the pie plate.

From here, the pie is up to you. Will it be apple, peach, pear or berry?? I think that this crust works best for sweeter pies because the powdered sugar makes the crust one of the sweeter ones you will make. But I think that a pecan pie would also taste delicious in this crust. My pie this weekend was an apple blackberry and the final product was mighty tasty and looked close to perfect.

Whoopie Pies: Red Velvet Style

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Whoopie pies are potentially one of the best bite sized deserts that exists. They are a magical blend of cake, cookie and frosting all fitting in one perfect desert sandwich. Making a whoopie pie used to seem like it required a bit of magic as well. My first attempt was a fail, complete fail. I quickly learned the value of having parchment paper on hand (because no matter what people tell you, wax paper is NOT the same thing).

This time around I started with a Better Homes and Gardens recipe, with a few modifications. Below is everything you need to attempt your own magical whoopie pie.

Prep your baking area with the following:

• 2 Cups flour
• 2 T Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 t Baking Soda
• 1/4 t Salt
• 1/2 C Unsalted Butter, Softened
• 1 C Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 t Vanilla
• 1/2 C Buttermilk
• 1 1-oz. Bottle Red Food Coloring

Lets get a mixing:

1. Heat your oven to 375 degrees and get your baking sheet ready with parchment paper.
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt
3. Beat the wet ingredients in a bowl on high for 30 seconds. Start by blending the butter and add the brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and the vanilla. Add in the dry mixture and butter milk alternating until fully combined
4. Last turn your chocolate cake red with all of the food coloring.
5. Using a piping bag, pipe 2-inch circles on the parchment paper at least an inch apart. Being careful to make them all as close the the same size as possible.
6. Bake for 9 minutes, or until the top of the cookie is set. Remove from the oven, transfer the parchment paper to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Once the cookies have completely cooled it is time to start the assembly of the whoopie pie. But first we need our creamy filling. Whip together 1/4 cup softened butter and 4 ounces of fat free cream cheese until smooth (free of all chunks). Stir in 7 ounces of marshmallow creme. You may need to double this recipe, as I find it is not enough to put a nice amount of filling between the cookies. Using a piping bag, pipe the filling onto the flat side of one of the red velvet cookies and then place another cookie on top.

Whoopie pies are best served fresh, but if you have the will power to keep them around be sure to refrigerate them in an air tight container.

Simple Soufle

Soufflé. Just the word sounds fancy and complicated. I can remember watching many chef's fail on cooking shows when they are given the soufflé challenge and I myself was always intimidated by the thought of making them. But when you really break it down, a soufflé is really quite simple.

I came across this recipe from Chef Tony, the head chef at the Orlando Airport Marriott, a few years back and it has become my stand by "fancy" desert. It takes just 15 minutes to prepare and bake and the finished look is what you would expect from a high end French restaurant. With only four ingredients, the challenge (in my opinion) is in carefully handling the whipped egg whites.

Directions:

1. Butter (or Pam) and sugar the bottom and sides of six 4oz ramekins.
2. Chop the dark chocolate into small pieces. I prefer Scharffenberger chocolate, but any high quality dark chocolate will work.
3. Melt 5 oz of the chopped dark chocolate over a double boiler and stir in 2 tsp. flour. Once everything is melted, take the chocolate mixture off the stove and let cool slightly.
4. Whisk 7 egg whites and 6 1/2 tbsp. sugar to semi-firm peaks.
5. Mix 1/3 into the cool chocolate mixture until the color is uniform.
6. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites and the remaining 2 oz of chocolate pieces. The color will not remain uniform at this time.
7. Using a large spoon, transfer the mixture to the prepared ramekins and gently tap the ramekin to level the mix.
8. Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and place in 400 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes
9. Serve immediately.

Once you are comfortable with the above recipe, try modifying it to make it unique. One of my favorites is to add a fresh raspberry jam in the center of the mixture just before it is baked.