Candace in the Kitchen

Archive for May, 2009

I made this tart about a week ago and I think I am ready for another one. You could make this into a pie instead of a tart if you want. My edges are a little rough because the recipe for the dough was for a 9 inch tart pan and mine is a 12 inch.

Ingredients:

Tart Shell (source:Smitten Kitchen)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

1/4 t salt

9 T very cold butter cut into small pieces (I cut it into cubes then put it in the freezer until I am ready to use it)

1 large egg, beaten

Strawberry Filling:

1 lb strawberries hulled and thinly sliced

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

3 T strawberry flavored Jello powder

3-3.5 T cornstarch

Tart Shell:

Pulse dry ingredients in a food processor.

Add butter and pulse until is is evenly distributed and pea size or smaller.

Slowly add beaten egg and pulse 10 times until the dough forms a ball.

Turn out onto a floured surface adn knead a few times.

Pat into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

After 2 hours place dough on a floured surface and roll out into a circle.

Place in tart pan and if there is excess dough around the edges fold it over and press into the sides.

Freeze for at least 30 minutes before baking.

Butter a piece of foil and press it tightly against the crust.

Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes.

Remove foil and bake 10-15 minutes longer, until golden brown.

Filling:

In a medium sauce pan whisk all ingredients (EXCEPT strawberries!) together and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir constantly so it doesn’t burn.

When the mixture is thick and translucent remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.

When crust is cooled add the sliced strawberries and pour the jello mixture over the top. Spread with a spatula if needed.

Put in refrigerator until ready to serve, allow at least one hour to set up.

I made this cake for a friends birthday. With the amount of ingredients and time that it took I was expecting it to be a little bigger. Turns out that was the perfect size. It’s so rich you only need a small piece.

I got the coffee and the espresso from Starbucks so there was one less thing I had to do.

Cake adapted from Bobby Flay

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 1/4 cups cake flour (I didn’t have any cake flour so I just took out 2 T of flour after I measured out the 1 1/4 cups)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Ghirardelli)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1/2 cup hot coffee

Ganache:

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used Ghirardelli)

1/2 pound semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used Ghirardelli)

Espresso Buttercream:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 .5 t instant coffee granules

1.5 t freshly brewed hot espresso

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350°

Lightly grease 2 (9-inch) cake pans and line the bottoms with disks of parchment paper.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. Sift again.

Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat at high speed until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Continue beating, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary, until light and fluffy, about 5 more minutes. With the mixer on low speed, beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture. Beat in the vanilla, half of the buttermilk and half of the coffee, then another 1/3 of the flour mixture. Beat in the remaining buttermilk and coffee, then the remaining flour mixture.

Spread the batter evenly in prepared pans. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the centers spring back when lightly pressed. Cool the cakes in the pan on a wire rack.

For the ganache: (while cake is baking)

Bring heavy cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Place chocolate in a large bowl, pour heavy cream over and let sit for 1 minute. Gently whisk until combined.

Place the ganache over a bowl filled with ice water to chill slightly, whisking occasionally. Remove ganache from the ice and whip with a whisk until light and fluffy.

For the buttercream:

In the bowl of a stand mixer whip butter and confectioners’ sugar until fluffy.

Mix instant coffee and espresso in a small bowl until dissolved.

Pour espresso mixture into butter mixture and mix until combined.

Assembly:

Slice each cake in half horizontally to make 4 layers total. Place the first layer down and spread with a thin layer of the Ganache. Repeat with the remaining cake layers and ganache, ending with a cake layer.

Put a thin layer (crumb coat) of butter cream on the cake. Let sit for a few minutes then use the rest of the buttercream to do a full coat.

Slice and enjoy!

I thought these were delicious and they were very easy to make.

Source: Ina Garten

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 T baking powder

1 1/2 t kosher salt

12 T (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

1/2 cup cold buttermilk, shaken

1 cold extra large egg

1 cup grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

1 egg beaten with 1 t milk

Sea salt

Preheat oven to 425°

Place 2 cups of flour, the baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, add the butter and mix until the butter is the size of peas

Combine the buttermilk and egg in a small measuring cup and beat lightly with a fork. With the mixer still on low, quickly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix only until moistened. In a small bowl, mix the Cheddar with small handful of flour and, with the mixer still on low, add the cheese to the dough. Mix only until roughly combined.

Dump out onto a well-floured board and knead lightly about 6 times. Roll the dough out to a rectangle 10 by 5 inches. With a sharp, floured knife, cut the dough lengthwise in half and then across in quarters, making 8 rough rectangles. Transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with the egg wash, sprinkle with salt, if using, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the biscuits are cooked through. Serve hot or warm.

I don’t like store bought croutons. They are just way too crunchy. I want to enjoy my salad without breaking off a tooth, you know?

These are incredibly easy. Not only do they not break your teeth, it’s a great way to use up leftover sandwich bread. Below is enough for about 3-4 salads. 2 salads if you keep eating them before it’s time for dinner.

Ingredients:

6 slices of sandwich bread

3-4 T butter, melted

1/2-1 t garlic powder (depending on how garlicky you want them)

Preheat oven to 350°

Cut bread into small cubes. I do one slice at a time so the slices don’t stick together when you cut them.

Stir garlic powder into melted butter.

Put bread cubes onto an ungreased baking sheet and toss with the butter/garlic mixture.

Spread evenly and bake until golden brown, stirring once or twice, about 15 minutes.

Serve over any salad. (I love it on caesar with freshly grated parmigano reggiano)