Gorgonzola Tart

My lovely friend McLean forwarded along the following recipe. In response to her, email I shot back that this recipe would be great if I decided to never wear skinny jeans again. Her response, "pole dancing classes start on Monday". So what does someone wear to pole dancing class after just eating Gorgonzola Tarts? Basically, anything inspired by Miley Cyrus will do.....

And in some ways, this tart is exactly her--- a little sassy, a little bootlilicious, not exactly good for you and all around home spun Americana.

Gorgonzola Tart Recipe

6-8 Servings
1 Refrigerated pie crust
7 oz. Gorgonzola cheese
4 large egg yolks
1 tab. all purpose flour
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line 9 inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom with pie crust, trimming edges if necessary. Bake according to package directions until crust is golden brown - about 10 min.
Cool crust completely--I bought the Pillsbury crust in a box.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place Gorgonzola, 4 egg yolks and 1 tab. flour in processor and puree until almost smooth. Add whipping cream and process just to blend. Pour mixture into cooled pie crust and smooth top Sprinkle tart filling with pepper. (I used the blender).
Bake tart until golden brown and just set in center, about 25 minutes. Cool at least 1 hour but can be made up to 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temp. Cut into wedges. Serve with salad or as an appetizer.

Crema Cataluna and Spanish Fashion

When I think Spanish fashion, I often get confused between traditional Spanish clothing and anything that Penelope Cruz wears. The truth though is that often
Spanish fashion is on the cutting edge-- Barcelona is itself a city of the advant-garde.

This recipe, I apologize, is not of my own creation but instead from a Spanish cooking class that I recently took. It is funny though how well it complimented this image that I have been waiting for the perfect moment to release.



Creme Cataluna, much like its French cousin the Creme Brulee, is sexy, sheer and deliciously sweet. However, the Spanish version adds a bit more spice and can easily be enhanced with lemon zest, almond oil, or any other flavor combination that fits your particular fetish....mmmmm.... enjoy!

Creme Cataluna


Ingredients:

* 1 cup sugar
* 4 egg yolks
* 1 tbsp cornstarch
* 1 stick cinnamon
* grated rind of 1 lemon
* 2 cups milk

Preparation:

This easy Catalan Cream recipe makes 4 servings.

This is a great dessert to make ahead of time, since it is very easy and requires 2-3 hours of refrigeration before serving. Make it the day before and leave it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Then, heat the broiler, carmelize the sugar and serve!

In a pot, beat together the egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar until thoroughly blended and the mixture turns frothy. Add the cinnamon stick and grated lemon rind. Pour in the milk and cornstarch. Slowly heat the mixture, stirring constantly, just until thickened. Remove pot from heat immediately.

Tip: As soon as the mixture thickens and you feel resistance while stirring, remove the pot from the heat or the mixture may curdle or separate! The texture of the finished crema will be grainy instead of smooth and creamy as it should be.

Remove the cinnamon stick and ladle the milk mixture into 4-6 ramekins (depending on size). Allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.

Before serving, preheat the broiler. Remove ramekins with the crema catalana from refrigerator and sprinkle the rest of the sugar over each ramekin. When broiler is hot, place the ramekins under the broiler on the top shelf and allow the sugar to caramelize, turning gold and brown. This may take 10 minutes or so, depending on your broiler. Remove and serve immediately.

If you'd like, you can serve the crema catalana chilled, but we think it has more flavor when served warm from the broiler.

Fantasy Bread

I love all the fashion trends around fantasy things lately. After all, I wore a midsummer night's dream inspired mask on Halloween.... So, given our emerging theme of connecting fashion and food, I decided to create the sort of food this mask made me think of. Technically, i should have baked a 10 layer fairy cake (my initial thought). Instead I baked a warm cinnamon raisin bread because it represented the fantasy of my childhood: of cinnamon raisin french toast, of fall mornings hanging out with my dad, and of the fantastical way in which a big gooey blob can grow to become a beautiful delicious bread.


Fantasy Bread

• 1 cup milk
• 2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 raw turbindo white sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 tbsp almond extract
  
• 2/3 cup raisins
• 4 cups whole wheat baking flour
• 1 1/3 cup white flour
  
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon milk
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon butter
  

1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Let cool until lukewarm.
2. Dissolve yeast in warm water, and set aside until yeast is frothy. Mix in eggs, sugar, butter, almond extract salt, and raisins. Stir in cooled milk. Add the flour gradually to make a stiff dough.
3. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes. Place in a large, greased, mixing bowl, and turn to grease the surface of the dough. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled.
4. Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Moisten dough with 2 tablespoons milk. Mix together 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon, and sprinkle mixture on top of the moistened dough. Roll up tightly; the roll should be about 3 inches in diameter. Cut into thirds, and tuck under ends. Place loaves into well greased 9 x 5 inch pans. Lightly grease tops of loaves. Let rise again for 1 hour.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 minutes, or until loaves are lightly browned and sound hollow when knocked. Remove loaves from pans.

Cranberry Lemon Sugar Cookies

This weekend I went to NYC to do a bit of shopping, to visit an old friend, and to sway the heart of a beautiful boy a tiny bit more in my favor. Lately, I've taken a turn towards 1950s housewife (a really unprecedented turn) and in doing so, I baked cookies for said boy and said friend.

Inspired by my cozy wintry outfit, vaguely resembling something crossed between this and this:

I made something both beautifully sweet and wholesome and fresh and frankly perfect. When telling said NYC boy about cooking cookies for my neighbors, he said "Watch out, they will fall in love with you." Yes, I thought, handing him another cookie-- point exactly.

Cranberry Lemon Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup white sugar

1 cup butter

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 c. cranberries

2 tsbps. lemon extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) .
2. Sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
3. Cut in butter and blend with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Stir in lightly beaten egg, vanilla and cream. Add cranberries and lemon extract.
4. Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar.
5. Bake for 6 - 8 minutes, or until lightly brown.

Apple Oatmeal Cookies

My neighbors and I only meet each other when drunk in the elevator. I always promise to make cookies. This time I came through. They are from California. So I decided to make the most New England cookie possible.

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. melted butter
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. milk
1 3/4 c oatmeal
1/4 c. almonds
1 apple, peeled and diced

Preheat oven the to 350 degrees F. Mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Arrange by teaspoonfuls on an unbuttered cookie sheet and bake until the edges are brown 10-12 minutes.

Entire Whole Wheat Almond Bread

I really want to create a whole wheat bread recipes that is amazing and fortified with good yummy things because (as previously discussed) I like wholesomeness. Its sort of like how I would always choose the lead actor from Glee over Johnny Deep-- I just can't help it. It's how I was raised. So, this week I tried a new super easy bread recipe and then modified it a little because, well, that's what I do.


2 c. hot milk
1/3 c. tamarind sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 package dry yeast
1/4 c. warm water
2 eggs
1 tbs. almond extract
1/3 c. almonds
5 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 cup flax-seeds, milled

Heat the milk and sugar in a sauce pot until hot. Transfer to a large bowl, add salt, and let cool until lukewarm. At the same time, mix the yeast with the water and let double in bulk. (I add a little sugar to my yeast to help it grow). Mix in 2 eggs beaten and the almond extract.


Finally add the chopped almonds, flour and flaxseed. Stir, cover and let double in bulk.

Remove from the bowl, punch down and put into two small greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise again to not quite double in bulk.


Preheat over to 375 and bake bread for approximately 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the bread comes out clean. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack.

Enjoy a slice warm and then save the rest for sandwiches during the week. Yum!

Pumpkin Muffin Tops

These technically are not muffin tops - but that is what they taste like. They feel like total breakfast food, not cookies at all.

Preheat oven to 325F. Yesterday I pulled a blond move and turned the timer on, but not the oven. Then I couldn't figure out why my cookies were not baking.

Anyways, sift together and set aside:

2 cups flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt

Beat together using a mixer:

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

Once combined and smooth add:

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup pumpkin puree

Then add the four mixture into the wet mixture and combine until smooth. Then I placed it into a piping bag and piped out round cookies about 2 inches wide.

Bake for 15 min, let cool.

Kris - the only reason I am letting you get away with the butternut squash on our blog is because you have the word "baked" in the title. LOL.

Baked Butternut Squash

Technically, this recipe has no place on this blog BUT it is even more technically a baked item and thus by default....... Okay, okay, I'm trying here. Its just I never bake sweet things really because Ash is just so much better at it then me. Well Ash is better at everything sweet and super girly and artful. I'm the heartier, New England one.... Anyway, my contribution...

1 acorn squash
4 c. wild rice
1/4 c. cranberries
1/4 c. almonds
1/4 c. mushrooms
1/4 c. onions
2 heads garlic
olive oil
1 tbs. cumin
1 tbs curry

Cut acorn squash in half. Place in a 375 degree oven upside down on a cookie sheet for 40-50 minutes until you can easily stick a fork through the flesh. In small sauce pan on the stove, make the rice. (You can substitute microwave rice if you want! I recommend using a wild rice with chicken seasoning). While rice and squash are cooking. Saute mushrooms, onions and garlic in a small frying pan over medium heat. Once almost cooked, add the cranberries and spices. Remove from heat mix with rice. Remove squash from oven, stuff with the rice and vegetable mixture. Serve hot.

This recipe is also easy to make ahead of time and heat up in the microwave! Makes 2 servings as an entree or 4 servings if using as a side dish.

Enjoy!

Cumin-Curry Biscuits

This weekend, I taught my adorable 23 year roommate TJ how to make soup. We made a delicious Cream of Aspargus soup which I complimented with these cumin-curry biscuits. "Oddly", he had never made either.

As I sent him to the store to fetch vegetable broth ("What is that?" He asked...), I mixed together the necessary ingredients for the biscuits.

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup flax seeds
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. curry
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. hot pepper flakes
4 tbsp. baking powder
6 tbsp. buttter
1/2 cup milk


Directions: Heat oven to 425. Mix together the first nine ingredients in a medium size bowl. Cut in the butter with two knifes until the dough begins to resemble a course meal. (Cutting in the butter is done exactly how it sounds. Simply hold the two knifes as if you are cutting it and then proceed to cut like you would with a fork and a knife. Should take no more than 3 minutes). Add the milk all at once. Mix until the mixture begins to form a ball.

Spread flour on a smooth clean surface. Roll out the dough mixture until 1/2 inch thick. Using a glass or a cookie cutter, cut round biscuits from dough. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 14 minutes. Remove, cool and serve!

TJ brought them to our upstairs neighbor's dinner party. The verdict-- biscuits were almost as good as the soup. Together they were a "rock star item". ;)

Whole Wheat (whole grain!) bread

So, I find myself devoid of a boyfriend. Finally only working one real job and in need of a hobby. As such, I'm posting again on this blog because 1.) I love Ashleigh 2.) I love baking 3.) I hate boredom!

So, this really easy, really healthy bread is amazing. My directions:

1 packet yeast
1 1/3 c. lukewarm water
1 tbs. vegetable oil
3 tbs. almond oil
2 tablespoons organic raw sugar
3 c. King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/3 c. flaxseed meal

- Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix and then knead until dough is smooth .


Let rise in a warm dry place until double in bulk. (I like to cover with a warm damp towel).



- Shape the dough into a bread pan. Cover with towel or plastic wrap and let rise until it comes 1" over the top of the pan. (I'm impatient and couldn't wait this long.. Mine was double in bulk.).

- Remove plastic wrap and bake until the bread is double in cooked through. Approximately 35 minutes at 350. You know its finished when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

I ate mine with pumpkin butter because its fall and its amazing...

Sea Salted Caramels

There is one word to describe this treat - DELICIOUS!!!

I cannot stop eating them - which rarely happens. Normally I like to just give all my baking away but not this time. These are so simple and yet so decadent and impressive. Here is the recipe so you too can impress your friends:


1/2 cup condensed milk
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1.5 tsp sea salt


Melt the condensed milk, butter, brown sugar and honey together in a heavy bottomed skillet. Bring to a boil and stir constantly for 5 minutes (the texture and colour of the caramel will change). After boiling for 5 min remove from heat and stir constantly for another minute or so. Then pour into a greased 9x5 cake pan - let caramel cool and harden.

To finish, melt the 50% cocoa dark chocolate and pour over the caramel (once cool) then sprinkle with the sea salt.

To die for!

Peach Cake

As I sat in my apartment last night watching the food network I realized I bought WAY too many peaches on the weekend. Like I bought one of those containers with 3lbs of peaches in them. I like peaches - but I can only eat like 1 a day. Needless to say I had a lot of peaches to use up before they got attacked by fruit flies. I wasn't in the mood to make a pie - so I decided to make a cake. I have never eaten a peach cake. I am sure such a thing exists but it is not something I have experienced or baked before. It turned out pretty well I must say - I did a variation on about 3 fruit cake recipes I have seen...

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 peaches - peeled and mashed
splash of milk
1 cup flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp salt
3 peeled peaches cut into slices (for on-top of cake)

Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add in the egg and beat until blended. Add in the mashed peaches. Pour in half of the flour mixture, add a splash of milk, add the remaining flour mixture - mix until blended. Pour into a greased 9" pan. Arrange the peach slices on top of the batter and bake in the oven for 25 min @ 350.

Meanwhile, cut together with a fork:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 0.5 tsp cinnamon
-0.25 tsp nutmeg

After 25 minutes open the oven and crumble the sugar/butter mixture over your cake. Let bake for another 8 minutes until cake is firm to the touch and topping has distributed over the cake.

I think this would taste really good served warm - it was late at night so I let it cool and brought it into work. It's yummy!

Boozy Fudge

I made fudge last night. I started around midnight and I chose fudge because it doesn't take that long to make. Around 12:15 I realized I didn't have enough of any of the ingredients the recipe called for - so I decided to just make the recipe up. I like the fudge, good consistency, yummy, just super boozy. A cup of liquor sure does make some fun fudge (especially when you feed it to your co-workers/clients).

Fudge:

- 3 cups of chips (I had about 2 cups of chocolate chips and 1 cup of butterscotch chips)

- 1/4 cup of butter

- 3 cups icing sugar

- 1 cup cream liquor (I used Starbucks cream liquor because that's what I had in my cupboard)

- 1.5 cups coconut

I melted the butter and chocolate together over medium heat until melted through. I then took it off the heat and added in the icing sugar and booze. Mixed it all together, added the coconut and mixed until consistent. Then I placed in a 9x9 pan and put it in the fridge overnight to harden.

Carrot Cake

I made carrot cake for Easter dessert. My logic was that since bunnies like to eat carrots this was the right cake choice. This is one of the best cakes I have ever made - I know I say this every time but seriously this cake is moist and delicious.

Carrot Cake

2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp all spice

4 eggs

3/4 cup canola oil

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

3 cup shredded carrots - lightly packed

Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour to 9" round cake pans.

Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and all-spice together - put aside.

Whisk eggs, oil, sugars and buttermilk.

Add flour mixture to egg mixture and mix until smooth. Fold in carrots.

Evenly divide mixture between two pans and bake for 40 min.

Cream Cheese Frosting

500g cream cheese (two packages)

6 tbsp unsalted butter

1+1/4 cup icing sugar

1+1/2 tsp vanilla

Make sure cream cheese and butter are at room temperature - mix until smooth. Slowly add icing sugar, once mixed add vanilla. Once icing is smooth and cake is cool - ice away.

Cowboy Cookies

These are basically kitchen-sink cookies, probably one of the best versions I have ever made.

3/4c chopped toasted pecans

1c unsalted butter

2/3c brown sugar

1/2c white sugar

2 eggs

1.5 tsp vanilla

2c flour

1 1/4tsp baking soda

1/2tsp salt

2c oats

1/4c unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2c chocolate chips

Bake for 10 min at 350 degrees.

Chocolate Chunk Macaroons

These are by far the BEST macaroons I have ever made. I think the secret is that the recipe doesn't call for condensed milk, which gives the macaroon that gooey, heavy consistency. These ones are light, fluffy and crunchy on the outside.

2.5 cups sweetened shredded coconut

2 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp sugar

pinch salt

Mix the ingredients together in a bowl. Add 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks. Bake for 15 minutes at 325.

Chocolate Meringues

I love meringues - they are so simple to make, you just need time cause they do take about 2 hours in the oven.

Preheat oven to 175.

4 egg whites

pinch cream of tartar

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup Dutch unprocessed cocoa powder

Place the egg whites, cream of tartar and sugar in a double boiler. Whisk constantly until mixture is warm to the touch and the sugar has dissolved (approx. 3 min).

Pour mixture into the mixer fitted with a whisk - beat for approx. 10 minutes until stiff peaks form.

Sift cocoa into mixture - fold in leaving streaks of cocoa. Put into piping bag fitted with a #825 star-tip.

Pipe mixture onto parchment paper, bake for 2 hours until they come of parchment easily.

Fudge

3/4c butter
2c brown sugar
1c white sugar
2/3 evaporated milk
1.5c chocolate chips
2c marshmallows
2tsp vanilla

I melted the butter then added the sugar and milk. I brought it to a boil and kept it at a rolling boil for 9 minutes. After 9 minutes it should be a smoother texture - remove it from the heat and add the chocolate chips, marshmallows and vanilla. Mix until smooth and then place in a 9x13 greased pan - let cool and cut into squares.

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

4 ounces chocolate

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

3 egg whites

2 1/2 cups sweetened coconut

Whisk together the egg whites, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and salt - set aside.

Cut up the chocolate and melt it over a double boiler.

Sit the melted chocolate and coconut into the sugar mixture until blended.

Drop teaspoon sized drops onto a baking sheet and bake at 325 for 15 minutes until shiny.