caramel sauce

In the photo above, there are several jars of Pear jam which I will get too shortly. But that jar on the bottom left? BEST Caramel Sauce EVER. My favorite recipe to use. The one I always have in the refrigerator. The sauce that is served with apples, and pears, and cookies, and cakes, and sometimes enjoyed with a spoon, secretly, when no-one is looking (not so much of a secret anymore is it?) 

What else can I tell you about this? I feel caramel sauce - as is the case with many other things but especially my favorite caramel sauce - is a matter of practice, and may take a couple of attempts. As you are cooking it, it will seem like it's taking forever. Then all of a sudden you start seeing that gorgeous amber color and you're all excited. Then within the next nano-second you smell it burning. And then it's a mad dash to get the heavy cream (carefully) in there and calm things down. But then that cream bubbles up like a creature out of Star Trek and you're wondering why you didn't just purchase the cute little jar at the grocery with the gingham checked lid.

Does it still smell like it's burning? You probably burnt it. And the family is going to ask "why does it taste like it's burnt?" And then they may refuse to eat it. And then you're going to toss the entire thing in the trash. And then a few days later you're going to try again and it's going to be perfect. Moral to this little peek into my first few attempts? Practice. It is completely worth the effort and expense to make your own caramel sauce. There will be no turning back after you do this. And the fresh vanilla beans that will require an entire week's paycheck? Just do it.

Here's how.

YOU WILL NEED:

2 cups of sugar

1/2 cup water

1 vanilla bean - split - seeds scraped 

1 cup of heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon good salt - preferably fleur de sel

TO DO:

Sugar into a large saucepan - pour the water around it.

Add the vanilla bean and seeds and cook over medium high heat.

Stir only until the sugar is dissolved.

Continue to cook without stirring until you get a deep amber color.

Should only be 7 to 8 minutes.

Swirl the pan occasionally to even out the color (cooking).

Remove from the heat and add the heavy cream.

Let the bubbling calm down.

It might look like one big glob of weirdness at this point.

It's okay.

Return to the stove and cook over medium heat stirring constantly.

That big glob will go away.

Cook until smooth.

Remove from heat.

Discard the vanilla bean.

Stir in the fleur de sel.

Let cool.

Sneak as many tastes as you can before anyone gets home.

OR...serve over this pear cake

Here's a link to the cake above (click here for Gateau de Poire)

note:

there is a post-it in my recipe binder that says this caramel sauce was found in an old issue of Epicurious magazine...okay...good luck if you go searching for it :-)

TK dinner ~ July 2014

A while back I was told "you live a magic life". I can't remember who said this to me but I didn't really give it much thought beyond my reply of Thank You. Then this past weekend we had the monthly dinner and this photo was taken.

I have named this the Clown Car photo since it looks like "how many people can we cram into that itty bitty kitchen?!" And I love this moment. I can't tell you what was said, or what might have been so funny, but this was one moment during the dinner service where we all decided we needed to stop for two seconds and finish our laughter. Perfect. There have definitely been many moments in my life that I would wholeheartedly title "magic" - the above is one of them.
So, on to what we were all doing in the kitchen to begin with! 
July dinner was a larger group than normal with the usual amount of kitchen incidents and shenanigans.  (always shenanigans - see above photo)
We started the evening with little fig, prosciutto bites - some of these were stuffed with goat cheese and some had a little square of parmesan cheese. Finish with fresh thyme and a drizzle of wildflower honey.

Next were these little pluot crostini bites with ricotta cheese and basil. Nice and easy. Quick and simple.

We then served some fresh fruit before starting entree.

Main course for this meal were lamb chops served on a bed of greens. The greens were sauteed with onions, garlic and bacon. The lamb chops were seasoned with cumin, allspice and a lot of mint. DELICIOUS.

Confession time here - during the Sunday dinner I completely massacred one of the racks of lamb and of course THAT plate was served to the one person who photographed and posted to Facebook ( I cannot apologize enough to Greg for serving him such an ugly dish) The above photo is from the Thank you dinner I served last night to part of my kitchen staff. I guess it's sort of a redemption photo? Believe me, if you saw the original pic you would understand.

Anyway, the lamb chops were finished with pepper, sliced onions and cilantro.

With the lamb we served some roasted fingerling potatoes spiced with paprika.

We also had the most amazing looking red onion flowers.

These were gorgeous! And delicious. And super easy.

Finally dessert.

What can I say here? Have you ever made Piroulines?

I told everyone to enjoy these because they will most likely never see them in my kitchen again. Holy Hell! An entire day dedicated to rolling these little creatures. They were originally being served with chocolate mousse so I opted to not fill them - thought it might be too much richness. But, my stand mixer seems to be having some issues therefore chocolate mousse did not make an appearance. We had brownies instead.

Served the above brownie tart with raspberry coulis, some fresh berries and a semi-sweet chocolate sauce.

I did actually serve the Piroulines alongside the above. And they got rave reviews. And I sincerely hope everyone enjoyed them and knows where they might find them in their local grocery.

I mentioned above I had a little thank you dinner for part of my kitchen staff.

Here are a couple photos from last night. They totally deserved this. This is an awesome group of friends who tolerate me a great deal.

And the carcass.

I really love the carcass photo - it makes me happy to see people loved the meal.

I even made them the official dessert - sans Piroulines.

Whew!

Now on to the next project right?

I know I say this every time - but I will get many of these recipes posted to share with all of you soon.

Tremendous Thank Yous to all the people who have been attending these dinners. It's sort of frightening and hugely humbling all at the same time. The response to these invitations blows my mind every time I send it out. Thank you.
And my absolute FAVORITE part? Standing in the kitchen and listening to all the chatter and tons of laughter floating in from the dining room. That part is magic.

bittersweet chocolate cremeux

I'm on a roll today with the computer so I figure I'll just keep going until my eyeballs fall out of my head. Edit edit edit...upload 9 bajillion photos to Flikr and Facebook...edit some more...label...tag...organize...someone pour me a beer stat!

Anyway...
This was one of the desserts served at the June TK dinner - in addition to Florentines and Lemon curd filled thumbprint cookies - I know...I'm nuts for making all those treats. But this little dish just HAD to make an appearance because it is delicious! I served it with a raspberry coulis, fresh berries, cream and chocolate shavings. All gone.

From the July issue of Food and Wine magazine. 

If you love chocolate this is the dessert for you.

YOU WILL NEED:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk

5 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

9 ounces dark (or bittersweet) chocolate

sweetened whipped cream

chocolate shavings

fresh berries for garnish (optional)

TO DO:

chop the chocolate - place into a good sized heatproof bowl - set aside.

medium saucepan - add the heavy cream and whole milk - bring to a simmer over medium heat.

turn off heat.

in a bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar and salt until creamy.

add very little of the hot cream to the egg mixture whisking continuously.

gradually add the hot mixture to the egg mixture until it is all incorporated.

everything back into the saucepan and back onto the stove - medium low heat.

stir constantly! until custard is thickened and coats the back of a spoon - 

5 to 6 minutes.

pour the custard over the chopped chocolate.

let stand until chocolate is melted - just a couple of minutes.

whisk the cremeux vigorously until smooth.

pour into a shallow glass or ceramic dish.

press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate until set - overnight is best.

when ready - spoon into bowls - add a dollop of cream - add chocolate shavings - berries - serve.

dinner @Tate's / june 2013

Cook, cook, cook...eat, eat, eat...

and it's a bajillion degrees in this house with no real air conditioning!

Is it worth it?

Of course it is.

LOVE hearing everyone at the table chatting and laughing and then the moments of silence when someone takes a bite and encourages all others to do so.

...perfect...

Here was the June dinner...

We started with a mushroom bruschetta,

And an avocado, lime soup with fresh crab, red radishes and cilantro,

Next up was a spicy grilled shrimp served with a traditional risotto and some kale chips,

Also a Tilapia with paper thin slices of potato baked until crispy and delicious,

Another photo of the Kale chips which everyone MUST try soon,

I also tested this recipe for a kale and zucchini bread pudding which I have made 3 times since this dinner - I will get that recipe up very soon,

Finally it's time for dessert,

Some lemon curd filled thumbprint cookies,

Some Florentine cookies,

And a bittersweet chocolate Cremeux served with raspberry coulis, fresh berries and a little touch of fresh cream,

WHEW

Until next time...

chocolate mousse

Does that title really need any further verbage? Someone asked me why I didn't have a chocolate mousse recipe up on this site and I was actually a little shocked! I make this all the time. I hadn't posted it already?

Well, Chocolate Mousse! Here it is. I might bathe in this one day.....just lay in the tub with a spoon.....I'm sure that's a pretty horrid visual you all have now so I'll stop.
But it's that good. And it's become quite easy to assemble and is always a giant hit whenever served.
This recipe is from America's test Kitchen (of course it is) and is rich and creamy and decadent and completely chocolate.

YOU WILL NEED:

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

5 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 tablespoon brandy

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

2 large eggs - separated

1 tablespoon sugar

dash of salt

1 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream

TO DO:

on the stove - a saucepan with an inch or so of simmering water.

set a large glass bowl on this and melt the chocolate, water, cocoa powder, brandy and espresso powder.

make sure the bowl does not touch the hot water.

stir frequently until all the chocolate is melted and glossy.

remove from heat

in a second bowl whisk the egg yolks with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the sugar and the salt.

whisk until mixture thickens and lightens in color.

add a couple scoops of the chocolate mixture to the egg yolk mixture and mix well.

slowly drizzle in the rest of the chocolate mixture - whisking constantly.

in your stand mixer - whisk the egg whites with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar.

whisk just until soft peaks form.

remove from the machine.

using the whisk attachment continue mixing by hand to make sure you get all the whites off the bottom.

add a couple dollops of the egg white mixture to the yolks and chocolate mixture.

stir with a rubber spatula.

add the rest of the egg whites mixture and gently fold in until very few white streaks remain.

in the now empty mixing bowl, add the heavy cream and whisk until soft peaks form.

do not overmix this - you will lose the light, airy texture of your mousse.

fold the cream into the rest of the mix.

gently.

continue until no white streaks remain.

spoon the mousse into individual serving cups.

cover and chill for a couple of hours or overnight.

enjoy.

lemon chiffon cupcakes

For the September dinner@Tate's I needed a dessert I could make the day before and a dessert that felt light since it was following a pretty heavy meal. These seemed to fit the bill perfectly plus, cupcakes always seem to be a crowd pleaser - I think partially because it feels like portion control! 

(not really, but maybe...just a little bit.....)

Now, as I've stated in past posts, I really do not like making cupcakes, but I had to give these a try since I love lemon anything.

And they were so pretty.

And I could make them a day ahead - except for the frosting part.

So it seemed like a win, win all around.

They were delicious.

Please try this.

recipe VERY loosely adapted from 

Food and Wine "Our Best New Classics" book

YOU WILL NEED:

for the CUPCAKES...

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

dash of salt

3/4 cup sugar + maybe a dash or so more

2 large eggs - at room temperature

1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

4 tablespoons butter - melted

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup milk - at room temperature

for the FILLING...

2 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon gelatin

1/2 stick of cream cheese - at room temperature

1 cup lemon curd

3 egg whites - at room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

zest from 1 lemon

for the FROSTING...

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons water

2 large egg whites - at room temperature

pinch of cream of tartar

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

TO DO:

oven to 350

cupcakes: 

whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.

in different bowl - whisk the sugar with the eggs and vanilla until smooth and slightly thickened.

add the melted butter and oil and mix until completely incorporated.

add all dry ingredients and milk in alternating batches - mixing well between each addition.

fill muffin tins about 2/3 full.

bake at 350 for 15 - 17 minutes.

let cool completely before filling and frosting.

filling:

in a small bowl add 2 tablespoons water - sprinkle the gelatin across the top and let sit 5 minutes.

in a small saucepan - low heat - add cream cheese, lemon curd and lemon zest.

once all the cheese is melted add the gelatin mixture.

continue to cook on low- stirring constantly - until the mixture is smooth and glossy.

in a stand mixer - beat the egg whites until foamy.

add the 1/4 cup of sugar.

when the whites are stiff, turn the mixer to low and slowly pour the cheese mixture down the inside of the bowl.

turn off the mixer - using a rubber spatula -  gently fold all of the egg whites and cheese mixture together until no white streaks remain.

frosting:

in a small saucepan combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil over medium heat - stirring constantly - until all sugar has dissolved.

let cool for a few minutes.

in a stand mixer - beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.

with mixer on medium speed carefully pour the sugar mixture into the egg whites.

continue beating until frosting is cool and billowy - 5 or 6 minutes.

add the lemon zest and juice and beat until combined.

ready to put all this craziness together???

oven to Broil.

carefully slice all around the top inside edge of the cupcake - at an angle.

same concept as the way I do the Boston Cream cupcakes.

fill the centers with the cheese, lemon curd mixture.

place on the hats back on.

let sit for about a half hour (long enough for me to wash all those dishes)

top each cupcake with frosting - I used a spoon instead of piping because I liked all the stickyuppy parts - do whichever way you like best.

place all your cakes on a tray.

stick under the broiler until peaks are toasty.

remove and let cool just a couple minutes.

serve and enjoy.

homemade Samoas

Not even sure where to start with this. 
Here's what they look like.

You know the Girl Scout cookies with the chocolate and the coconut?
This is my attempt to make those cookies at home. I don't really know why I decided to make my own instead of just buying the little box but I did.
And I don't think they turned out real pretty but they are most definitely real tasty! And I will most likely never make these again.
Why? Because all that toasted coconut and caramel and buttery shortbread goodness is NOT good for my jeans!
And because I have no self control. I'm adult enough to admit that. 
Of course now, I do have an entire plate full here, and I'm not sure what to do with them (besides grab a little hunk every time I walk by the counter)
Looks like I'm bringing treats to Ada's school again.


This recipe is originally from bakingbites.com.




YOU WILL NEED:


for the cookie base:
1/2 cup sugar
12 tablespoons of butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
dash of salt


TO DO for the cookie base:
oven to 350
line a 9x13 sheet pan with parchment paper.
cream the sugar and butter.
beat in the vanilla and the egg.
scrape down the sides and mix another minute.
turn the mixer to low and gradually beat in the flour and the dash of salt.
mix until crumbly then dump the contents onto the sheet pan with the parchment paper.
using your fingers - press the dough into an even layer.
bake 20 to 25 minutes until the edges are all golden brown.
once done set aside.


this must cool completely before applying the topping.




for the topping:
3 cups of coconut
12 oz of caramels
3 tablespoons of milk
dash of salt


TO DO for the topping:
oven to 300
spread the coconut out onto a large baking sheet.
toast until crispy.
should take about 15 minutes.
give it all a good stir once or twice while it's in the oven.
once it's done set aside to cool a bit.
leave it all spread out and on the sheet.


in a microwave safe bowl melt the caramels, milk and the dash of salt.
about 1 minute intervals.
stir in between each time segment to help melt the caramels.


once the caramel mixture is melted and smooth pour it over the toasted coconut.
then gently mix the whole thing together.


once the coconut, caramel mixture is mixed carefully spread it out onto top of the cookie base.
use all of it.


let come to room temperature.
then place a sheet of parchment paper on top.
wrap with clingwrap.
refrigerate about an hour.
this will make it easier to cut and get the nice little squares.
(as you can probably see I did not wait and therefore have very uneven squares...sigh...)


when ready cut the sheet of coconut, caramel cookie heaven into 2 or 3 inch squares.
set aside.
melt the chocolate in the microwave.
about 30 second intervals - stirring between each time.
be sure to NOT burn the chocolate - you will have to toss the whole thing and start over. (does that sound like the voice of experience?)


get a new tray with a new sheet of parchment on it ready and very nearby.


dip the bottom of a cookie into the melted chocolate.
place onto the parchment paper.
repeat until all the cookie bottoms are covered.
(this part is messy and more than a little frustrating - but I found the best tool to help me with all this dipping and moving over was a chopstick.....I know.....what can I say?....)


pour the rest of the chocolate into a piping bag fitted with a skinny tip.
or a ziploc bag with a corner cut off.
pipe the zig-zag lines across the tops of all the cookies.


refrigerate until the chocolate is set.
should be about a half hour.


try not to eat them all!

chocolate meringue tartlets

Yesterday I tried to make those little cookie bowls I saw on Pinterest. Epic fail as my daughter would say. But I did successfully make her birthday banner and these little chocolate meringue bites. Strange because none of the above items are really at all related so I'm not sure what was going on in my head. Nevertheless here are the chocolate meringue bites.

It's puff pastry and warm chocolate and an airy meringue that tastes like toasted marshmallow. How could it be bad? It isn't. And I felt the portion was just enough to satisfy a little chocolate craving (actually maybe two will be enough) I think what I enjoyed most about this little creation is that it seemed to come together so easily. The imperfections are what made it so attractive to me. The pastry baked into all different shapes and sizes. The chocolate melted just enough to fill all the nooks and crannies of the pastry. And the meringue only took a minute to whip up. I had this fantastic dessert in no time!
Now I did do a few experiments. 
First - I left the pastry flat then baked the disks. 
Yes - when I added the chocolate and put it back in the oven there was chocolate everywhere! Using the muffin tin was definitely the way to go.
Second - I piped the meringue for a more polished effect. This was really pretty but didn't work with the rustic look of the pastry. Just using a spoon to place a dollop on top made me much happier with the whole presentation.
Third - the chocolate ganache should ideally be made a day ahead. You really want the chocolate completely chilled and firm otherwise you have another big mess in the oven.
And by the way - I use this chocolate recipe for so many things that I always keep a bowl of it made and in the fridge. It is originally from Cook's Illustrated (of course it is - I love them) and it's the glaze recipe for their Boston Cream Pie. I use bittersweet chocolate instead of the suggested semisweet but you can use whichever you prefer.


YOU WILL NEED:


chocolate:
1 cup of heavy cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 cups of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
dash of vanilla extract


1 package puff pastry
flour for work surface
muffin tin
non-stick spray


3 egg whites - at room temperature
around 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
dash of salt


TO DO:


bring the heavy cream and corn syrup to a full simmer.
off the heat add the chocolate and stir until smooth.
add the vanilla extract.
stir well then cover and chill overnight.


oven to 350


lay your puff pastry on a well floured work surface.
roll this until its about 8 by 10.
using a circle cookie cutter cut out 6 or 9 circles - depending what size cutter you are using.
yesterday i used a 3 1/3 inch cutter and today i used a 4 inch cutter.
not sure i really noticed a difference.
while the circles are still on the work surface - poke holes all over each one especially around the edges.

spray a muffin pan with non-stick spray.
then carefully lay each piece of pastry in a muffin slot.

bake about 12 minutes - until golden brown.
leave them in the pan and let cool completely.

once the pastry is cooled - make your meringue.
using a mixer whip the egg whites on medium high.
when foamy add the cream of tartar and a dash of salt.
slowly incorporate the confectioners sugar.
scrape the sides one time then mix for another minute.

now to assemble the tartlet.
roll a little disk of chocolate - shape it to sort of fit whichever cup you are working with - flatten it a bit then place in the center of the pastry cup.
repeat and fill all of them.

now add a small spoonful of meringue to each chocolate mound.

bake around 8 minutes - just until the tops are toasted and chocolate is beginning to melt.


let cool for a minute.
using a butter knife - carefully remove each tartlet from the tray and just hand them out! with a napkin of course.
not really.  
serve and enjoy.