Kings Rejected!

Have you ever seen that Far Side comic where the Fourth wiseman gets rejected from the manger because he brought fruitcake? Well here's what else he would have been turned away for: chocolate puff pastry!

It's an abomination that only the American market could support. For however many centuries the French have been making puff pastry, they knew instinctively that the only way to make it chocolaty was to fill it with big chunks of chocolate. To flavor the actual pastry with cocoa powder creates something that is sort of neither here nor there...not chocolaty (is that even a word?) enough to be good, but enough to get in the way of the other flavors.

It serves me right for being too lazy to make my own puff pastry from scratch. But this company, DuFour, makes a frozen one that is easily as good as anything I could do, so I went to the store, grabbed a box, and put it in the fridge to defrost at home. I made my frangipane filling for a traditional Galette des Rois (Kings' cake), pulled out my puff pastry, and noticed the little brown label in the corner: chocolate.

In a further (and more incriminating) onrush of laziness, I neglected to go back to the store and exchange it, and instead talked myself into trying a new thing.

I will post the recipe anyway, because I think with regular pastry this would have been perfectly delicious. Make changes at your own risk!!

Frangipane

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup ground almonds

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 tblsp. flour

2 tblsp. amaretto

pinch of salt

1 packet puff pastry

1 egg for egg wash

Mix all the ingredients for the frangipane and set aside.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

Lay out the puff pastry and cut in half. Whisk the egg for the egg wash with a fork and add a tiny bit of water. Brush the rim of one pastry sheet with the egg wash. Using a spoon or a big piping bag, place a layer of frangipane within the egg wash rim (not too thick or it will spill out during baking...maybe a quarter inch or a little more).

Place the second layer of puff pastry on top and press down the edges so they stick together. Brush the top of the tart with egg wash, making sure not to get any on the sides (otherwise it won't puff up). Using the back of a knife, gently score the egg wash to make any pattern you desire.

Bake at 450 for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 and bake another 20-25 minutes, until it turns golden brown.

Serve the same day for best results!

Last minute dessert!

We had wanted to make caramelized apples with vanilla ice cream for christmas dessert. There was no room in the freezer for the ice cream though, so we left it outside in the snow, where it melted into a soupy mess! And the stuffing with dinner contained apples, so we switched gears at the last second, while everyone was digesting their three or so helpings of food.

My mom had frozen berries so she cooked them up with some sugar. My friend Maike and I whipped up some cream, mixed in a cup of sour cream, and enough powdered sugar to sweeten. A raid of the liquor cabinet produced a bottle of Cointreau. We started out with 2 tablespoons, then 4, then 6, then a few more generous swigs of the bottle! Just short of the cream getting runny, we layered it with the berries in glasses.....voila....one of the most delicious desserts ever! No need for long prep! Hooray!!

Rum Raisin Tart

Another Martha-inspired creation. This was the dessert we brought to Thanksgiving this year and it was a big hit! Completely decadent but seemingly light, like creme brulee with a crust. We made it a day ahead and refrigerated it, though we made sure to eat it at room temperature.

Pate Brisee

1 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces

cold water

Place flour, salt and butter in the food processor, or knead by hand. Gradually add water until dough holds together without being sticky. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out on a floured surface. Line a 10-inch buttered tart pan with dough. Pierce a few times with a fork. Trim the edges. Line with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans.

Pre-bake the shell until edges start to turn golden, about 15 minutes.

remove pie weights and parchment. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake another 15 minutes.

Filling

3 cups heavy cream

2/3 cup sugar

4 (organic, free-range) eggs and 2 egg yolks

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup dark rum

1/2 cup raisins

In a small bowl, pour 1/2 cup of rum over raisins and let soak (the longer the better, perhaps even overnight, if you think of it in time).

Heat the cream until it is almost boiling. Remove from heat. Whisk the egg yolks, and while you are whisking, add the sugar and salt. Pour hot cream onto the egg mixture slowly, whisking constantly. Return everything to the saucepan, over low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk to prevent lumps. When the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, stir in the remaining rum. Remove from heat.

Arrange raisins in the bottom of the pie crust. Pour hot custard on top. Bake until the center is set, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool.

Just before serving, sprinkle an even layer of granulated sugar on the custard and caramelize with a chef's torch or under the broiler (the latter is more risky because you can easily burn the crust and the sugar).

Oatmeal Pancakes

MarthaStewart.com is very much in my kitchen these days, though V's ipad is looking a little worse for it ("that floury fingerprint? Noooooo, that wasn't me!)

I was using Alton Brown's recipe for pancakes, but Erica inspired me to try oat pancakes, so I adapted Martha's recipe. It makes thick, slightly denser than usual, pancakes. We froze the leftovers and have been eating them with veggie sausages all week!

2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar (I used white because it's all I had, but Martha calls for brown)

1 tblsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

2 cups milk (regular, soy or any other kind)

2 (organic, free-range) eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Soak oats in the milk for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight (turns out this makes them a lot more easily digestible).

Mix the remaining dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix until combined.

Spray skillet with oil and cook pancakes over low to medium heat, flipping when they start to bubble.

Holiday Cookies

These cookies have become a holiday must for me! The first are orange spice cookies with pistachios, sesame seeds and fruit. I usually use a moon-shaped cutter but I got this pig a while ago and hadn't used it, and nothing says "christmas" like pigs, so here we are.

The little ravioli-like cookies are filled with hazelnuts, cranberries and chocolate chips.

Both of these are a bit time-consuming, but totally worth it! And really, is there anything more festive than spending a whole day baking and listening to the radio (or in this case Jonathan Franzen's "Freedom")?

Both are German recipes, adapted from Brigitte magazine, so measurements are by weight, not volume.

Orange Spice Cookies

Dough:

300g flour

200g cold butter

100g hazelnut flour

grated peel of one orange

1 egg

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp ground cloves

Topping:

50g dried fruit (like cranberries or apricots), chopped small

100g flavorful honey (like wildflower or acacia)

50g butter

3 tblsp milk

75g sesame seeds

30g chopped pistachios

Using your hands, knead together the ingredients for the dough. Roll into a ball, wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.

Roll out the dough and cut out your desired shapes. Lay on a baking sheet (the dough is buttery enough not to require buttering the pan).

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Warm up the butter and honey together and mix. Brush each cookie and sprinkle with sesame seeds, pistachios and fruit. Bake until the edges start to brown.

Christmas "Ravioli" Cookies

Dough:

200g flour (I made mine half whole wheat, as usual)

75g corn starch

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

60g sugar

1 egg

150g cold butter

Optional decoration: Chopped dried cranberries and 1 egg for eggwash

Filling:

1 cup strongly brewed spice tea

60g chopped dried cranberries

100g hazelnut flour

35g sugar

mini chocolate chips (amount at baker's discretion)

Knead together all the ingredients for the dough. Divide into 4, wrap and refrigerate for an hour or more.

In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients for the filling. Add enough tea to make the mixture just hold together. Set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll out dough, one portion at a time, working quickly to prevent it from getting too soft. Cut out cookies with a round scalloped cookie cutter. Place on cookie sheet.

Using your fingers, place a small amount of filling on each cookie. Cut out more cookies and place them on top of the filling, pressing down the edges to make "ravioli."

Optionally, whisk an egg and brush each cookie with a thin layer of eggwash (making sure not to let it drip onto the pan, where it will burn and stick)! Place a piece of dried cranberry on each cookie.

Bake until edges start to brown, about 12 minutes.

Best Carrot Cake Ever!

It's our friend Michael's birthday next week and we met him and his wife for dinner last night, so what better occasion to make another cake! He wrote this bestseller about the perils of genetic engineering in the 80's so that became the theme.

Michael loves carrot cake, so I went on a hunt for a good recipe and found it! Carrot cake is easier to make moist because of all the fresh carrots, but this one is extra good because it substitutes oil for butter and adds canned pineapple. I didn't have too many raisins so I added some dried cranberries.....very yummy...and seasonal!

The frosting is a basic cream cheese frosting that has a great consistency for spreading.

I made this on a half sheet pan, because I was shaping it, but 2 10-inch rounds would have worked as well.

Carrot Cake

6 cups grated carrots

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup dried cranberries, or raisins, or a combination

4 (organic free-range) eggs

1 cup white sugar

1 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons of vanilla

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup chopped walnuts

In a bowl, combine the grated carrots and brown sugar. Set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease, or line with parchment, whatever cake pan you are using.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the white sugar, then the oil and vanilla. Mix in the pineapple.

In another bowl, combine the 2 flours, baking soda, salt and spices. Stir into the egg mixture until combined.

Add raisins and cranberries to the carrots, then add this and the walnuts to the cake mixture. When everything is combined, pour into cake pans.

Cooking time will depend on the pan you are using (30-50 minutes). A knife should come out clean, when it's done.

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract to taste

Combine everything in the mixer until there are no lumps.

Spread on the cool cake.

Apples Everywhere

The neighbors brought over a bag of apples from their trip to Long Island last week, so I wanted to use them to make something quick to serve as a weeknight dessert. I decided on an apple tart, and added a rim just to use up my extra dough.

Because I was making chili at almost the same time, I wasn't paying enough attention and ended up with only half the recommended amount of butter in the dough.
The result is a firm but crumbly crust. V. says it's the best tart or pie he's ever had. I wouldn't go that far - it's just not dessert-y enough. It also contains very little sugar, so I feel like I've discovered a delicious new breakfast item, as well as a dessert that we like, but that I might be hesitant to serve to guests (except for brunch)!

Here's the version that ended up in my oven:

I used a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom (one of the greatest inventions of all time)!

Nutty Pate Brisee

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup ground hazelnuts

salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 stick cold butter, cut into thin slices

Apple Filling

6-9 apples, depending on size, peeled and cut into small pieces

cinnamon

nutmeg

powdered ginger

honey

sugar

I instinctively kneaded all the ingredients for the dough by hand, though putting them in the food processor would have been just as good (except for the extra dishes).

I rolled out the dough and lined my buttered tart pan.

In a bowl, I tossed the apples with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger to taste, and drizzled some honey over the top.

I pierced the tart crust we mixture with a fork a few times and filled it with the apples. Sprinkled a bit of sugar and butter over the top so the apples would caramelize.

Cut a wide strip of dough and laid it around the edge of the tart, pressing down the sides to adhere them. Cut out leaves and attached them with a bit of eggwash.

Baked at 350 degrees for about 45-50 mins.