Showing posts with label Cookies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cookies. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
How To Get Gourmet Food Gift Basket
Nowadays, the Gourmet Food is very popular because of it's uniqueness. The taste of the gourmet food is what makes it is popular and the presentation of the gourmet food makes it so delicious to look at. And gourmet food now are available to purchase in any gourmet food stores. But you will have to make sure that you give that person a personalize gourmet food gift basket.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Red Velvet Cupcakes and My Big Moment on Just Desserts
I imagined I’d furiously finished frosting these red velvet cupcakes just as time expired (I think the faux-hawked prima donna with the Jacques Torres tattoo next to me hid the cream cheese to screw me over). I bring them up to the judge’s table, and watch as the lovely Gail Simmons takes a big bite. She swallows, smiles, and then says, “Really not that bad for a food blogger.” Okay, so she’s too classy to ever say that, but still, it would be pretty cool.
Ingredients for 12 Red Velvet Cupcakes:
Dry:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Wet:
4 tablespoons softened butter
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food coloring
Bake at 350 for about 22 minutes
Monday, October 31, 2011
A Pumpkin Bowl of Recipes
After the colonists came over to America, they used pumpkin in side dishes, desserts, stews, soups, and even beer. Although the colonists had a good idea when it came to baking with pumpkin, I have to admit, when it comes to choice of drinks, I’ll choose a pumpkin spice latte over pumpkin ale and save the ale for the stew.
When it comes to baking with pumpkin, sugar pumpkins, also known as pie pumpkins, have the best flavor. While Jack-o-lantern pumpkins are grown for their large shell, sugar pumpkins are grown for their flavorful insides. With a thicker shell, these types of pumpkins are delicious when baked and have the tasty flavor of their squash relatives.
For an alternative to the bread bowl, take advantage of the plentiful supply of sugar pumpkins available at grocery stores and farmers’ markets. When it comes to homemade soups and stews, sugar pumpkins make delicious and edible bowls without all the extra carbohydrates. Whether you are looking to add extra vegetables to your diet or simply looking for a way to add a decorative touch to your dinner table, be sure to add a few of these pumpkins to your shopping list.
Not only are sugar pumpkins a nice alternative to the festive fall dinnerware sold in stores right now, nothing beats the look of them on your table. After baking just until the inside of the pumpkin is tender, each individual pumpkin can be served as its own serving bowl. The baked pumpkin adds delicious flavor to the other ingredients inside and can be eaten just as you would baked squash. As cute, edible decorations, you might find that your children who otherwise wouldn’t eat squash as a side will eat these with their stew or soup.
Since stews and soups always taste better when heated the se
For an easy recipe to fill your sugar pumpkins with, the recipe for Beef Stew below is tasty and filling. Make sure, though, that you bake your pumpkin bowls on a large cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Like many recipes made in my kitchen, I learned this one the hard way. After baking a large pumpkin filled with stew for way too long, three hours to be exact, the bottom of the pumpkin baked itself into my oven rack. After lifting up the large seventeen-pound pumpkin, the bottom broke away and broth from the stew spilled all over the bottom of the oven. Fortunately, a new idea was born out of this kitchen catastrophe. Thanks to my oldest daughter, the idea for the individual pumpkin bowls came about, becoming our newest and favorite way to bake our fall squash.
In keeping with a pumpkin-themed meal, delicious pumpkin desserts don’t come any easier than the recipe for the Pumpkin Sheet Cake below. Capable of being whipped up in minutes, the recipe below is one I’ve been making for years. As one of my kids’ favorite cakes, I make this one a lot throughout the fall and winter. Depending on the size of the crowd, this recipe can be halved for a standard baking pan or in a large jelly roll pan for a crowd of 25. Although some might prefer this cake served with pumpkin ale, some like myself will opt for the pumpkin spice latte. However, whatever your drink, three cheers to your next fall meal.
2 pounds beef stew meat
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 cups water
4 beef bouillon cubes
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, not drained
4-6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
6 medium carrots, sliced
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
6 sugar pumpkins
1) In a Dutch oven, brown meat in 2 tablespoons oil. Add water, bouillon, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, onion, pepper, and salt.
2) Bring all ingredients to a boil. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender.
3) Meanwhile, remove tops of pumpkins and set aside. Discard seeds and loose fibers from inside. Place pumpkins on a large cookie sheet. Scoop stew into pumpkins and replace the tops. Brush outside of pumpkins with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
4) Bake at 350 for 1 ½ hours or just until the inside of the pumpkins are tender (do not over-bake). Serve in bowls or plates.
Kitchen Tip: If you like extra broth, add an extra cup or two of water to the recipe for Pumpkin Stew above.
Pumpkin Sheet Cake (20-25 servings)
2 ¼ cups pumpkin puree
3 cups sugar
1 ½ cups oil
6 eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1) In a mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, and oil. Beat in eggs. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix just until blended.
2) Pour batter into a greased 15 in. x 10 in. x 1 in. jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
5 cups confectioners’ sugar
3-4 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1) For frosting, beat cream cheese, sugar, milk, and vanilla.
2) Spread over cake.
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte (makes one tall latte)
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon canned pumpkin
1-2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup strong coffee
1) In a saucepan, combine milk, pumpkin, and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until liquid is steaming. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and cinnamon. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
2) Pour pumpkin mixture into a large mug and add coffee. Top with whipped cream, if desired, and add a light sprinkling of cinnamon or nutmeg. Drink and enjoy!
About this column: In The Kitchen With Jodee brings you easy, economical recipes from Avon Lake's mom-of-eight, Jodee Brooks.
When it comes to baking with pumpkin, sugar pumpkins, also known as pie pumpkins, have the best flavor. While Jack-o-lantern pumpkins are grown for their large shell, sugar pumpkins are grown for their flavorful insides. With a thicker shell, these types of pumpkins are delicious when baked and have the tasty flavor of their squash relatives.
For an alternative to the bread bowl, take advantage of the plentiful supply of sugar pumpkins available at grocery stores and farmers’ markets. When it comes to homemade soups and stews, sugar pumpkins make delicious and edible bowls without all the extra carbohydrates. Whether you are looking to add extra vegetables to your diet or simply looking for a way to add a decorative touch to your dinner table, be sure to add a few of these pumpkins to your shopping list.
Not only are sugar pumpkins a nice alternative to the festive fall dinnerware sold in stores right now, nothing beats the look of them on your table. After baking just until the inside of the pumpkin is tender, each individual pumpkin can be served as its own serving bowl. The baked pumpkin adds delicious flavor to the other ingredients inside and can be eaten just as you would baked squash. As cute, edible decorations, you might find that your children who otherwise wouldn’t eat squash as a side will eat these with their stew or soup.
Since stews and soups always taste better when heated the se
For an easy recipe to fill your sugar pumpkins with, the recipe for Beef Stew below is tasty and filling. Make sure, though, that you bake your pumpkin bowls on a large cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Like many recipes made in my kitchen, I learned this one the hard way. After baking a large pumpkin filled with stew for way too long, three hours to be exact, the bottom of the pumpkin baked itself into my oven rack. After lifting up the large seventeen-pound pumpkin, the bottom broke away and broth from the stew spilled all over the bottom of the oven. Fortunately, a new idea was born out of this kitchen catastrophe. Thanks to my oldest daughter, the idea for the individual pumpkin bowls came about, becoming our newest and favorite way to bake our fall squash.
In keeping with a pumpkin-themed meal, delicious pumpkin desserts don’t come any easier than the recipe for the Pumpkin Sheet Cake below. Capable of being whipped up in minutes, the recipe below is one I’ve been making for years. As one of my kids’ favorite cakes, I make this one a lot throughout the fall and winter. Depending on the size of the crowd, this recipe can be halved for a standard baking pan or in a large jelly roll pan for a crowd of 25. Although some might prefer this cake served with pumpkin ale, some like myself will opt for the pumpkin spice latte. However, whatever your drink, three cheers to your next fall meal.
2 pounds beef stew meat
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 cups water
4 beef bouillon cubes
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, not drained
4-6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
6 medium carrots, sliced
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
6 sugar pumpkins
1) In a Dutch oven, brown meat in 2 tablespoons oil. Add water, bouillon, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, onion, pepper, and salt.
2) Bring all ingredients to a boil. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender.
3) Meanwhile, remove tops of pumpkins and set aside. Discard seeds and loose fibers from inside. Place pumpkins on a large cookie sheet. Scoop stew into pumpkins and replace the tops. Brush outside of pumpkins with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
4) Bake at 350 for 1 ½ hours or just until the inside of the pumpkins are tender (do not over-bake). Serve in bowls or plates.
Kitchen Tip: If you like extra broth, add an extra cup or two of water to the recipe for Pumpkin Stew above.
Pumpkin Sheet Cake (20-25 servings)
2 ¼ cups pumpkin puree
3 cups sugar
1 ½ cups oil
6 eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1) In a mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, and oil. Beat in eggs. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix just until blended.
2) Pour batter into a greased 15 in. x 10 in. x 1 in. jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
5 cups confectioners’ sugar
3-4 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1) For frosting, beat cream cheese, sugar, milk, and vanilla.
2) Spread over cake.
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte (makes one tall latte)
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon canned pumpkin
1-2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup strong coffee
1) In a saucepan, combine milk, pumpkin, and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until liquid is steaming. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and cinnamon. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
2) Pour pumpkin mixture into a large mug and add coffee. Top with whipped cream, if desired, and add a light sprinkling of cinnamon or nutmeg. Drink and enjoy!
About this column: In The Kitchen With Jodee brings you easy, economical recipes from Avon Lake's mom-of-eight, Jodee Brooks.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Beautiful Cookies
As I’ve told you before, last Purim I’ve played the cookie game, on an Israeli food forum I’m a member of. There are many talented members on that forum, but one of the most talented among them is Sivan, the girl who sent me the cookies on that game. The cookies were so great, that they barely lasted a week, and we’re talking lots of cookies here.
One of the cookies we loved most in that package were these alfajores, maybe the best I’ve ever eaten. Avi says I’m declaring that too often about food, but in this case, he definitely agreed with me.
For a few months now, a good friend I work with, told me about her cookie fobia. “No cookies I ever make turn out well”, she used to tell me. So a few weeks ago I invited her over for a cookie baking evening, to get rid of her fobia. And we made these awesome alfajores! The recipe was very accurate, as all Sivan’s recipes, and it allowed us to reach the same great cookies as the ones she sent me.
Do you also have a cookie or other pastry fobia? First of all, try these cookies. They are real easy to make and to get great results with. And second, remember that many times the reason of a failed dish is a not accurate enough recipe, or one that is lacking important information, and there’s also the reason of not following the recipe closely enough. The pastry world, as you probably know, requires a great deal of accuracy. So go ahead, give your fobia subject one more try, this time with a recipe from a reliable source, and try to follow it exactly as it’s written.
Some notes and tips about these cookies:
* This recipe calls for a mixer. Don’t have one? No worries, you can also do it manually. Use cold butter instead of softened one, and cut it into cubes. Place all the ingredients except the egg yolks and vanilla extract in a bowl, and crumble the mixture by rubbing it in your palms. The final mixture should be crumbly, and resemble to couscous crumbles, only a bit bigger. Then add in the yolks and the vanilla extract, and knead it only until a uniform dough is created.
* The secret of a good short crust is processing it as little as you can since the flour comes in contact with liquids, so make sure you pay attention to it.
* Not that much into dulce de leche? You can fill these cookies also with Nutella or with a chocolate spread or halva spread, and even with dates spread.
* If the spread you chose is too firm to work with, warm it for several seconds in the microwave.
Alfajores / Siva
For about 25 alfajores
Ingredients:
150 gr butter, soft
100 gr powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
150 gr cornstarch
150 gr flour
5 gr baking powder
4 egg yolks
For filling and rolling:
A jar of dulce de leche
Coconut flakes
Directions:
1. Cream butter and powdered sugar in the mixer (no mixer? see tips), add in the yolks one be one and then the vanilla extract.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch, flour and baing powder, and add them into the butter mixture. Process only until a dough is formed, and not longer than that. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
4. Roll the dough 0.5 cm thick, and cut cookies out of it using a glass or cookie cutters.
5. Bake for about 10 mins, or until the cookies just begin to change their color, but are still relatively light.
6. Pipe (or use teaspoonfulls) dulce de leche on top of one cookie, close it with a “clean” cookie and squeeze a bit, for the filling to show a little, so that it will easily stick to the coconut. Roll the cookies in coconut flakes.
One of the cookies we loved most in that package were these alfajores, maybe the best I’ve ever eaten. Avi says I’m declaring that too often about food, but in this case, he definitely agreed with me.
For a few months now, a good friend I work with, told me about her cookie fobia. “No cookies I ever make turn out well”, she used to tell me. So a few weeks ago I invited her over for a cookie baking evening, to get rid of her fobia. And we made these awesome alfajores! The recipe was very accurate, as all Sivan’s recipes, and it allowed us to reach the same great cookies as the ones she sent me.
Do you also have a cookie or other pastry fobia? First of all, try these cookies. They are real easy to make and to get great results with. And second, remember that many times the reason of a failed dish is a not accurate enough recipe, or one that is lacking important information, and there’s also the reason of not following the recipe closely enough. The pastry world, as you probably know, requires a great deal of accuracy. So go ahead, give your fobia subject one more try, this time with a recipe from a reliable source, and try to follow it exactly as it’s written.
Some notes and tips about these cookies:
* This recipe calls for a mixer. Don’t have one? No worries, you can also do it manually. Use cold butter instead of softened one, and cut it into cubes. Place all the ingredients except the egg yolks and vanilla extract in a bowl, and crumble the mixture by rubbing it in your palms. The final mixture should be crumbly, and resemble to couscous crumbles, only a bit bigger. Then add in the yolks and the vanilla extract, and knead it only until a uniform dough is created.
* The secret of a good short crust is processing it as little as you can since the flour comes in contact with liquids, so make sure you pay attention to it.
* Not that much into dulce de leche? You can fill these cookies also with Nutella or with a chocolate spread or halva spread, and even with dates spread.
* If the spread you chose is too firm to work with, warm it for several seconds in the microwave.
Alfajores / Siva
For about 25 alfajores
Ingredients:
150 gr butter, soft
100 gr powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
150 gr cornstarch
150 gr flour
5 gr baking powder
4 egg yolks
For filling and rolling:
A jar of dulce de leche
Coconut flakes
Directions:
1. Cream butter and powdered sugar in the mixer (no mixer? see tips), add in the yolks one be one and then the vanilla extract.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch, flour and baing powder, and add them into the butter mixture. Process only until a dough is formed, and not longer than that. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
4. Roll the dough 0.5 cm thick, and cut cookies out of it using a glass or cookie cutters.
5. Bake for about 10 mins, or until the cookies just begin to change their color, but are still relatively light.
6. Pipe (or use teaspoonfulls) dulce de leche on top of one cookie, close it with a “clean” cookie and squeeze a bit, for the filling to show a little, so that it will easily stick to the coconut. Roll the cookies in coconut flakes.
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