Chocolate Pie Diner Style

OK so i made this for Thanksgiving along with pumpkin pie and this one was eaten in seriously, less than a day. It comes from Miss Martha Stewart and it is Ah-may-zing!

I use a couple shortcuts. First she wants you to make the crust by hand. Forget that! Just buy a Oreo or chocolate graham cracker crust and its done.
Just stick it in the freezer while you make the pie. The pie does include alcohol which you can omit if you like. Or try it with a different kind of liquor. We have made it kid friendly and I also made it with kahula which was nice.
# FOR THE FILLING
# 1/2 cup sugar
# 3 tablespoons chocolate malt Ovaltine
# 1 teaspoon salt
# 1/4 cup cornstarch
# 5 large egg yolks
# 2 cups whole milk
# 1/2 cup heavy cream
# 5 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 70 percent cacao), coarsely chopped
# 2 teaspoons whiskey
# 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make the filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, Ovaltine, salt, and cornstarch. Add egg yolks and whisk until combined; mixture will look like a thick paste. Slowly pour in milk and cream, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly; let boil for 30 seconds and immediately remove from heat.

Add chocolate, whiskey, and vanilla; whisk until well combined and mixture has cooled slightly. Let stand, at room temperature, for 15 minutes. If a thin skin forms on the filling while cooling, whisk until skin is gone. Remove pie crust from freezer and pour filling into the crust. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

Serve with whipped cream.

Cinnamon rolls

These are a copycat version of Cinnabon that I found on Recipezaar. I made them today for my sickly hubby- he loved them.

They are super easy and pretty quick to make. I think i will make the dough and filling and make them the night before and stick in the fridge for Sunday morning to bake.

Amazing with coffee or hot chocolate.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup margarine or butter softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups flour, sifted
  

FILLING

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/3 cup margarine, softened
• raisins are optional

ICING

• 8 tablespoons margarine
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

I chose to omit the cream cheese because the hubs hates it and it came really good.

Dissolve the yeast in a large bowl using the warm milk.

Add eggs, butter (i used butter not margarine), salt and sugar. Then add flour. Mix well.

Knead on lightly floured surface a few times. Place in a bowl and covered tightly with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm place for an hour or until it doubles in size.

I left mine out overnight because i started this late.

Once it has doubled in size roll out on floured surface until its 21 inches long by 16 inches wide. Thats what it says in the recipe. I just rolled it out to a decent length and made sure it was about 1/4 inch thick to make really fat cinnamon rolls.

For the filling mix brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread softened butter around the rolled out dough. Then even distribute the mixture over it. It’s a lot of filling so these will very rich in sugar and cinnamon. Just warning you.

From one size roll the dough tightly till you reach the opposite side. Slice to desired thickness. Recipe called for 1.75 inch thickness which made them very big cinnamon rolls.

Bake in a 400 degree oven preheated of course for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Our oven which is new took about 18 minutes to make these perfect so please check yours often!

Icing- mix butter, cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla. Cream until fluffy. Spread over cinnamon rolls.

Ours made 8 giant cinnamon rolls and yeah, they were good.

I seriously can not find my camera since the holidays so i am attaching a stock photo that resembles ours.

Happy 2009

I took an extended break from the blog during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. My momma was out here for 2 weeks, I moved then we had the insanity called Christmas. Now, after the new year has begun I am ready to start blogging again.

So without further ado- let the baking blog begin! (again).

Sticky Toffee Pudding

My husband is English and South African. And he loves his sweets just as much as the next guy. One of his favorites is sticky toffee pudding. When Haag N Daas came out with their STP ice cream seriously our fridge was STOCKED with it. He has finally after a couple years weened himself from the sweetness but I found a recipe for the actual recipe I wanted to share. It isnt a hard recipe and I hope you guys try it- You’ll like it!

Ingredients

• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup pitted dates
• 1 1/4 cups boiling water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

TOFFEE SAUCE:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch round or square baking dish.

Sift the flour and baking powder onto a sheet of waxed paper. Chop the dates fine. Place in a small bowl and add the boiling water and baking soda; set aside. In a bowl of electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla; beat until blended. Gradually beat in the flour mixture.

Add the date mixture to the batter and fold until blended with a rubber spatula. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake until pudding is set and firm on top, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack.

Toffee Sauce: Combine the butter, heavy cream and brown sugar in a small heavy saucepan; heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil gently over medium low heat until mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes. Preheat broiler. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the sauce over the pudding. Spread evenly on top. Place pudding under the broiler until the topping is bubbly, about 1 minute. Serve immediately spooned into dessert bowls.

Drizzle with toffee sauce and top with a spoonful of whipped cream.

Apple pie

With the season of fall already here there is an abundance of apples. I love apples- Rome are my favorites. They’re so robust and sweet and i dont even realize they are good for me- its like have a dessert to me.

My son loves “Appulles” right now- asks for them every day. applesauce, apple juice, warm apples with sugar and cinnamon. he loves it all. So this weekend I picked up some apples and I plan on making an apple pie. Now the hubs doesnt do warm fruit as crazy as it sounds so i plan on making small pies and handing them out to our neighbors.

I found this recipe on Elise.com and am so excited to try it out. I love her website. Check it out.

Crust Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1/2 cup finely ground blanched almonds or almond flour (can substitute 1/2 cup flour if you don’t have almonds)
16 Tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, chilled in freezer for at least 15 minutes
1 teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon brown sugar
3 to 6 Tbsp water, very cold

Filling Ingredients
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 pounds of 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices of peeled and cored good cooking apples such as Granny Smith, Pippin, Golden Delicious

1 1/2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Egg Wash
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp cream

In a food processor, combine flour, almonds, salt and brown sugar, pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add water 1 Tablespoon at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it’s ready, if not, add a little more water and pulse again. Remove dough from machine and place on a clean surface. Carefully shape into 2 discs. Do not over-knead the dough! You should still be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These bits of butter are what will allow the result crust to be flaky. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F.

Combine sugar, flour and spices in large bowl. Use your hands and mix in the apples so they are well coated, then add brandy and vanilla extract.

Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle some flour on top of the disk. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12 inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, use a metal spatula to check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. Add a few sprinkles of flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Gently fold in half. Place on to a 9-inch pie plate, lining up the fold with the center of the pan. Gently unfold and press down to line the pie dish with the dough. Spoon in apple filling, mounding slightly in center.

Roll out second disk of dough, as before. Gently turn over onto the top of the apples in the pie. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold dough under itself so that the edge of the fold is flush with the edge of the pan. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork.

Stir yolk and cream in small bowl to blend. Brush over top of pie. Cut slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake pie until crust begins to turn golden, about 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F. Tent the rims with aluminum foil or a pie protector if the edges are browning too quickly. Bake until crust is golden and juices are bubbling, anywhere from an additional 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the type of apples you are using. Transfer to rack; let stand 1 hour. Serve pie warm or at room temperature.

Election Cupcakes

happy Election day y’all! In spirit of the election today i am posting the Martha Stewart cupcakes recipe that was on her show this week. It’s a simple chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting but she cut out fondant and decorated them with elephants and donkeys. I am not a fan of fondant- i tolerate it. So i am going to buy blue sprinkles and that will be that.

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, preferably European-style, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, add milk and vanilla extract; stir to combine and set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low, add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with milk mixture; beat until just combined. Add cocoa powder and beat until just combined.
4. Fill each muffin cup two-thirds full with batter. Transfer to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool in pans for two minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frost cupcakes if desired and decorate as you wish. After all- it’s your right to decorate your cupcakes as you like!

Churros

I LOVE Churros. I use to love going to Acuna, Mexico into the marketplaces and buying them from the vendors. But since I havent been back in a long time I seriously love when I go to the different ethnic festivals and you see someone selling hot, fresh churros. My mouth just waters.

here is a super simple recipe to do them at home. Word to the wise- the oil must be VERY hot. Othrwise you get nasty clumpy churros. Also this recipe calls for a frosting decorator tool. They make making the churros very easy.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbs brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup white flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, depending on taste

Preheat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of vegetable oil in a 10 to 12 inch frying pan to 375 degrees F. In a separate dish mix the 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

In a 3 qt. sauce pan add the water, brown sugar, salt, and butter and heat to a good boil. Remove from the heat and add the flour. Stirring in the flour will take some muscle. Mix it in until well blended.

In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and vanilla together and then add this mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until well blended and all the egg is completely mixed in.

Fill your decorating tool with the churro recipe dough and attach the largest star tip you have.

Test your oil by placing a small amount of dough in it. The dough should bubble up right away or that means the oil is not hot enough and a soggy churro is on the way.

Once the oil is hot enough, squeeze some dough (with decorator) into the oil about 4 inches long. I used my finger to release the dough from the decorator. Careful not to burn yourself.

You should be able to cook 4 or 5 churros at a time. Cook them about 1 minute and turn them over with a slotted spoon. Cook an additional minute or two. You’re looking for that nice golden brown color.

Remove the churros with the slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel-covered plate to absorb excess grease.

While still warm, roll each churro into the dish with the sugar and cinnamon until coated.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

Another recipe from Miss Paula. This one, even my husband who refuses sour cream on anything, loves. He ate half the cake.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the sour cream and mix until incorporated. Sift the baking soda and flour together. Add to the creamed mixture alternating with eggs, beating each egg 1 at a time. Add the vanilla and pour the mixture into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes.

Cupcake of the week

Feels like forever y’all. I have a sick bebeh at home, Dave with his new job and me consumed by the election. Promise to write more.

These sound soooo good. I may bake them tomorrow.

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes
3 cups unpasteurized apple cider
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda

For the icing
2 cups apple cider
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into bits and softened
1/2 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar

For Cupcakes:

In a large saucepan boil the cider until it is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups and let it cool. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together the shortening and the sugar until the mixture is fluffy and beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. Into the bowl sift together the flour, the cloves, the cinnamon, the baking soda, and a pinch of salt, stir in the reduced cider, and combine the mixture well. Divide the batter among 18 paper-lined 1/2-cup muffin tins and bake the cupcakes in the middle of a preheated 375°F. oven for 25 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Transfer the cupcakes to a rack, let them cool in the tins, and remove them from the tins.

For Icing:

In a saucepan boil the cider until it is reduced to about 1/4 cup and let it cool. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together the cream cheese, the confectioners’ sugar, the reduced cider, and a pinch of salt until the icing is smooth.

Mrytle- next cake recipe will be carrot cake. Promise.

For My Dad

My dad lost his battle with cancer 4 years ago today. I remember that day I thought to myself, “Today is the first day of you being an adult. No looking back now.” My dad was an amazing man. He was a great husband, good friend and the best dad ever. Sometimes I still catch myself almost saying,”Ok mom pass the phone to dad so I can talk to him.”

I was a daddy’s girl since the day I was born. But i was a typical girl in my teens and fought with him a lot. We were very much alike and a lot of time couldn’t stand each other. As I started to grow up I tried not to fight him so much. We were pals in the sense of debates. He’d oppose me to spite me and get me all riled up and we’d debate for hours in the car driving cross country. So many times he would stop and say,” I don’t know why you want to work in fashion. You should be a lawyer.”

I will watch the debates tonight with fond memories of my old sparring partner. I really don’t remember what stance my father took in politics. I know he was all for Bill Clinton and he hated Bush. George Bush was going to do away with my father’s branch in the government but then decided to cut jobs by 1/4. My father worked in Customs, Border Patrol, Firearms and Immigration. He also taught law in Spanish. He was going to retire early for fear of his job being cut but sadly he died before any of that.

I remember he would always say,”Ok go get married now. I wanna spoil some grandkids.” I wish he could of met his grandson. Jameson has his ears. Jameson has his middle name too. And every night he kisses the picture of his “papo”. Ok i will move on cause I am crying.

My dad was a foodie. Not much he didn’t eat. One of his favorite meals was country fried steak, which is now my specialty. He loved desserts. Always had something sweet every night, ranging from a PB&J to Mexican Wedding Cookies. He loved Miss Eunice’s zucchini bread, our sweet neighbor who fancied my dad. He’d shovel the snow from her driveway or rake her leaves and she’s bake him homemade bread and yeast rolls. I plan on getting her recipe and posting it here soon but even for a bitty in her late 80’s she is all over the country. What I do have is a recipe for his rub he use to make. He loved to grill. There are no exact measurements- he never used them. Just let it happen from your soul.

Leo’s Rib Rub

• Sea Salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• cumin
• brown sugar
• mustard seed
• paprika
• chili powder to taste

I sometimes add a pinch or two of white sugar and a dash of cinnamon. Cayenne pepper if you guys like it a little smoky. Even crushed red pepper flakes if you wanna burn a hole in your tongue. Its something you can adapt to anything you make. I try and stick to his recipe like it is i just make it a little sweet. From ribs to pork chops to wings, this rub is it.

I hope everyone watches the debate tonight. I made those Girl Scout shortbread cookies, got a new bottle of wing and will be calling for chinese food before the debate. Cheers.