No Knead Bread

I blogged about this no knead bread recipe quite some time ago. I stumbled upon the recipe after receiving pieces of that beautiful French cookware, Le Creuset.

Again, I made the New York Times recipe for bread. The result? A beautiful rustic loaf of crispy bread.

I'm not a breadmaker. Yeast, not my thing. Check this out for the tutorial providing proof even a 4-year-old can succeed making this bread.

Chocolate Intemperance

The original recipe for Chocolate Intemperance calls for a charlotte mold. I once made the recipe in multiple loaf pans and it turned out perfectly. You really need the whipped cream to cut the chocolate in this dessert. It's killer rich.

Mix together 3 eggs, 2 T. water and 1 Duncan Hines Brownie mix and pour into cookie sheet. Bake according to directions on mix . . . cut to line charlotte mold. Round for bottom of mold, sides, and round to fit on top.

Filling: 1.5 lbs. semisweet chocolate melted with 1/2 cup water

3 eggs, separated
2 T. sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped

Beat egg whites until stiff. Mix yolks, sugar and juice and incorporate into chocolate mixture. Fold in egg whites (gently) and pour into charlotte mold. Place last cake round over chocolate filling. Place in refrigerator overnight. Unmold and glaze.

Glaze: 1/2 lb. chocolate mixed with 1/3 cup water.

Serve with whipped cream.

Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins

I remember the bakery box these came in and the delicious sugary crunch on top. They're terrific.

Cream together:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla

Mix dry ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/2 t. salt
2 t. baking powder

1/2 cup milk

Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, alternating with the 1/2 cup MILK.

Mash 1/2 cup blueberries. Add to muffin mix. Fold in additional 2 cups blueberries.

Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and sprinkle with turbinado sugar (for an extra crunchy top). Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.

7 Minute Frosting (or Fluffy White Frosting)

I'm such a sucker for this recipe. It's like homemade marshmallow . . . and on a deep chocolate cake it's the only way to go, even the next day after it crystalizes a little. I don't care.

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
2 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Place sugar, cream of tartar or corn syrup, salt, water, and egg whites in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a handheld electric mixer for 1 minute. Place pan over boiling water, being sure that boiling water does not touch the bottom of the top pan. (If this happens, it could cause your frosting to become grainy). Beat constantly on high speed with electric mixer for 7 minutes. Beat in vanilla.

Parmesan Basket

Bravo has the best reality shows, yes? Chef Academy was a favorite . . . the first time I saw Chef Novelli make this parmesan basket I knew I'd give it a shot. They were simple to make. Fill with small bunches of tossed greens with some halved grape tomatoes and crumbled gorgonzola.

Click here to watch Chef Novelli's demonstration of how to make this parmesan basket.

Donut Muffin

Ever see The Best Thing I Ever Ate? Big fan. Yesterday one of the celebrity chefs talked about the Donut Muffin - this donut muffin. I had to make them again. They're even better than they look.

Originally posted February, 2008

One of the blogs I frequent sent me on a quest for recipes for a Donut Muffin. Thank you The Wednesday Chef. Thank you...

For the muffins:

12 oz. (24 Tbs.) unsalted butter, warmed to room temperature
1-3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 lb. 11 oz. (6 cups) all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1-2/3 cups milk
1/4 cup buttermilk

For dipping:

8 oz. (16 Tbs.) unsalted butter; more as needed
2 cups sugar
2 Tbs. ground cinnamon

To make the muffins:

Put a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. In a stand mixer or a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just mixed in. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Combine the milk and buttermilk. With a wooden spoon, mix a quarter of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Then mix in a third of the milk mixture. Continue mixing in the remaining dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dry. Mix until well combined and smooth, but don't overmix. Grease and flour a standard-size muffin tin. Scoop enough batter into each tin so that the top of the batter is even with the rim of the cup, about 1/2 cup. (A #16 ice-cream scoop gives you the perfect amount.) Bake the muffins until firm to the touch, 30 to 35 min.

To finish:

Melt the butter for the dipping mixture. Combine the sugar and cinnamon. When the muffins are just cool enough to handle, remove them from the tin, dip them into or brush them all over with the melted butter, and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar.

From Fine Cooking 42, pp. 54-55

Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Yogurt Cake

Have you made this? It's light and fluffy and delicious. Try ...

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 ½ x 4 ¼ x 2 ½ - inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into one bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

Bumbleberry Pie

I stumbled upon this recipe in Bon Appetit many years ago and it continues to be my favorite fruit pie. You can make it all winter long since all of the fruit is frozen, except for those two apples. I LOVE this pie.

2 unbaked pie crusts
2 large Baking apples, peeled, cored, chopped
1 cup Frozen, chopped rhubarb
1 cup Frozen raspberries, thawed
1 cup Frozen blackberries, thawed
1 cup Frozen strawberries, thawed
1 cup Sugar
1/3 cup All purpose flour
1 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in large bowl and stir to combine. Spoon mixture into pie crust. Roll out remaining dough disk on lightly floured surface to 11-inch-diameter round. Place round atop pie filling. Trim crust, leaving 1/2-inch overhang. Fold top crust edge under bottom crust edge, pressing to seal. Crimp edges. Cut slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. Place pie on baking sheet and bake 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350'F and bake until crust is golden and juices bubble, about 30 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool.

Lemon Bar from the Barefoot Contessa

This filling in these is tart and wonderful and full of lemon-ey goodness. Love these.

For the crust:

1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 t. kosher salt

For the filling:

6 eggs
3 cups granulated sugar
2 T. grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
Confectioners sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light. Combine flour with salt and add to butter until just mixed. Dump dough onto well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten with well-floured hands and press into 9 x 13 baking sheet, building up a 1/2 inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake crust for 15 to 20 minutes until very lightly browned. Let cool on wire rack. Leave oven on.

For the filling, whisk together eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and flour. Pour over crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature. Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners sugar.

These are so good I deleted my previous 'lemon bar' post. Thank you, Ina!

Brownies

Husband's favorite since 1983.

Mix the following dry ingredients:

3/4 cup flour
1/4 t. soda
1/4 t. salt

Mix over low heat:

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 T. water

Add 6 oz. semisweet bits until blended with 1 t. vanilla.

Beat in 2 eggs

Fold in dry ingredients and spread in 9" square pan. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes.

Quiche

I had a taste of quiche yesterday . . . it was lucious. This recipe is another really ancient recipe from an old friend in Boston - I learned many things from her about cooking and baking, including that thing about never running mushrooms under water. Maybe she lost it when she saw me rinsing her mushrooms. Yep, she did.

Best thing about quiche is the versatility factor. Have some leftover bacon? Throw it in. Like spinach and mushrooms? Do it. Want broccoli and ham? That works! Most cheese variations work. Go crazy. Don't forget that tiny bit of onion on the bottom of that quiche. If you hate the onion, grate it. Just don't skip it.

7-8 eggs
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup swiss cheese (or cheddar)
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup onion
salt and pepper
brocooli
ham

Place onions and cheese on bottom of precooked crust and pour egg mixure over top. Bake at 375 till tip of knife comes out clean and egg mixture is solidified.

Janeil's Baked Stuffed Shrimp

This was our Christmas Eve dinner. I confess I added a tiny bit of onion to the stuffing. I've been using this recipe for 20 years. I like it that much.

2 t. fresh parsley
1 sleeve Ritz crackers
1 slice white bread
1/2 stick butter
1/4 lb. scallops

Cook scallops and butter until no longer transparent. Spoon into Cuisinart and add liquid until moist. Lay shrimp split with stuffing on top. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes or until easily pierced with knife.

Apple Slab Pie

Last July I saw this recipe for Sour Cherry Slab Pie. Will you look at those pictures? I bookmarked the recipe and was determined to get around to it. Sour cherries are hard to come by in the desert. Eventually I stumbled across them at Harry & David, but alas . . . $25 was a little too steep for someone with a tendency to be crust-challenged. So apple it was. Same recipe, different fruit. It was a Christmas dessert this year and, sadly, I have no pictures. I am committed to buying the sour cherries now. Slab pie is spectacular.

Barefoot Contessa's Mac and Cheese

I doubled this recipe for our family Rock Band party tonight. I still haven't been able to find cavatappi in my grocery store. Have you?

Kosher salt
Vegetable oil
1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
1 quart milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

THE Sugar Cookie . . .

I'm fairly confident this is the one I've settled on. Have a Merry...

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 cup softened butter
1 egg
3 T. cream
1 t. almond extract

Sift dry ingredients together. Cut in butter and other ingredients. Blend thoroughly and chill for several hours. Using a rolling pin roll out dough on floured board between wax paper. Roll out to about 1/4" thickness (see post below re: rolling pin gadget). Cut out dough and place on parchment paper. Bake 5 - 8 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove the cookies from the oven as soon as you see them turning color at the base of the cookie. Let cool completely.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Christmas breakfast? I'm always looking for something to have on that cake platter for the kitchen table. I watched Ina make this one ... piece of cake!

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the streusel:

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional
NOTE: Next time I make this I will double the streusel ingredients

For the glaze:

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons real maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the walnuts, if desired.

Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners' sugar and maple syrup together, adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.

Cookie icing . . .

Have you made Christmas cookies yet? Try this...

2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
1/2 t. almond extract
1/4 cup milk
food coloring

Combine to make the frosting the consistency of thin glue. Pour into shallow bowls wide enough for dipping cookies. Add food coloring.

To decorate, dip the topside of each cookie into the icing. Remove quickly and let icing drip off. Let dry if you want to further embellish.

Anna Mason's Buttercrunch - Toffee!

More Christmas candy . . . and so easy to make.

1 cup butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 T. light Karo
3 T. water
1 cup chopped almonds
6 oz. chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds

Melt butter in 2 quart saucepan. Add sugar, water, Karo. Cook, stirring often, to hard crack stage - 300 degrees. Quickly stir in chopped almonds and spread in well greased 9 x 13 pan. Cool. Spread melted chocolate bits and sprinkle finely chopped nuts on top. When thoroughly cooled (4 hours) break up and package.

Anna's Caramels

Want to make candy this Christmas? My longtime friend, Anna Mason, taught me how to make these (what seems like) a hundred years ago.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 t. vanilla
3/4 cup corn syrup
1 cup light cream
1/2 cup nuts (if desired)

Combine sugar, syrup, butter 1/2 cup cream and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Add remaining 1/2 cup cream and cook slowly to hard boil stage (260 degrees). Remove from heat, add nuts and vanilla and pour into greased 8 x 8 inch square pan. Cut when cold, wrap each piece in a square of waxed paper. Keep in airtight container. Makes 36 pieces or 1.5 lbs.

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprints

1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and white sugar until smooth. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Mix in flour until dough comes together. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Make a small hole in the center of each ball, using your thumb and finger, and fill the hole with preserves.
3. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Let cool 1 minute on the cookie sheet.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together the confectioners' sugar, 3/4 teaspoon almond extract, and milk until smooth. Drizzle lightly over warm cookies.