My New Boyfriend ... True, true, love

Meet Maxx ...

 Maxx (with the double "x" 'cause he's soooooo extream) is a KitchenAid Professional HD standing mixer.  Our match maker was a little place called Cayne's, they're a lovely group of people who knew that Maxx and I were meant to be together and so offered him at a price I could not refuse.  If you're in Canada ... CHECK THEM OUT ... I can't stress this enough.

I was off work today so Maxx and I had a play date ... we made Salted Caramel Tarts with Chocolate Sugar Cookie Shells.

 It's really a recipe in 3 chapters, you're going to want to scroll down to start the mousse and then do the shells and then come back to the mousse.

For the Shells ~ Chocolate Sugar Cookie Dough:

2 ¾ cups all purpose flour

¾ cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 ¾ cups granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350^oF and place rack in the center of the oven.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough.

I used a mini muffing pan and a tart tamper … if you don’t have one, get one, they are a great tool for stuff like this!  Mine looks like this:

and is a perfect fit for regular and mini muffin pans.

Roll dough into two inch balls and drop them into the muffin wells and then squish them into shape with the tamper.  Bake for 7 – 9 minutes, until firm. When I pulled them from the oven I pressed them with the tamper again just to put the shape back into them and then let them cool in the pan for a couple of minutes before pulling them out.

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For the Salted Caramel Mousse:

1/3 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. water

1/3 cup heavy (whipping) cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. sea salt (or more, to taste)

4 oz. PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

Briefly stir together granulated sugar in a small saucepan and let it melt in the pan, stirring constantly.  Watch it carefully as sugar will burn quickly.  When it becomes a nice caramel colour, add the water slowly; being careful, as the mixture will definitely bubble up and possibly splatter a bit.  Bring this to a boil over medium-high heat.

Remove from heat and slowly add in cream (just start with a tablespoon or two), stirring with a wooden spoon until completely smooth. Stir in vanilla and salt.  Set aside until it reaches room temperature, or refrigerate to speed up the process.

(Now’s a good time to go back and do the tart shells)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese on medium-high speed for 1 minute until very smooth.  Add in the room-temperature caramel and powdered sugar, and beat on medium-low speed until combined.  If the mousse is too thick, add in a tablespoon or two of heavy cream.  Then increase speed to medium-high and beat for another 2 minutes until light and fluffy.  

Use the mousse to fill the tart shells and dust with Cinnamon.

Keep tarts in the fridge to chill until you serve them up.

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

I made these a while back but never got to posting the recipe.  I baked them for a co-workers birthday and they were exceedingly popular!

From Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
Makes 30

• Ingredients:
• 30 cream-filled sandwich cookies, such as Oreos, left whole, and a large bag of Oreo Minis (if you can’t get the minis then just chop up some of the large ones)
• 4  8oz. packages of cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 cup sour cream
• Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

3. Add eggs one at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed; then beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in about 1 ½ cups of the Oreo minis by hand  (save at least 30 to decorate the top)

4. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, for about 15 minutes then add one mini to the top of each cupcake and rotate the pan.  Bake another 10 minutes, until filling is set. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

 Happy Feasting!

Banana Crumble Muffins

Ingredients

Muffins Batter:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp powdered ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil/canola oil

1/2 c chopped walnuts (if you like)

Crumble Topping:

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 375^o F

In a medium sized bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; lightly whisk together to mix dry ingredients.

In large bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and the oil. Slowly add the dry mixture in and beat on low.

In yet another bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

Lightly grease, or line, muffin pan with muffin papers.

½ fill with batter and then sprinkle with crumble mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Makes 12 Good Sized Muffins 

Happy Feasting!

Two for one ...

I haven’t done anything for a while so I'll treat it up with double cookies.

The first, Ginger Creams, the softest cookies you will ever taste.

 

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup water

2 cups All-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 2 pinches of Cayenne Pepper (you can leave this out if you want, I just think it gives them a nice snap)

Cream the butter, sugar, egg, molasses together then add water and mix well.

Mix in the flour a little at a time then add in the salt, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and the cayenne.

Cover and chill for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).

Drop teaspoonfuls of dough onto ungreased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 8 minutes; until no indentation remains when touched.

You can frost with a cream-cheese frosting or, as I did, dip them in melted white chocolate.

Super Easy ~ super yummie …

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Cookie number 2 ....

Oatmeal Shortbread

 

Ingredients

1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

3/4 teaspoon salt

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add the flour, oats and salt.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Roll and cut as you like; obviously, I chose hearts.

Bake at 325oF for 10 – 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Once the cookies cooled, I melted a bag of milk chocolate chips with 2 squares of bakers semi-sweet chocolate and a Tbl of cinnamon in a double boiler for dipping and rolled them in crushed Almond slices – a very simple way to make them extraordinary.

Happy Feasting!

Tomato and Green Bean Salad

BBQ season has officially begun … for me anyway … and for my inaugural flame cooked piece of happiness, I made my favourite summer salad.

The secret for this recipe is a fantastic find from The Garlic Box, their Ultimate Garlicky Italian Seasoning, you can buy it on line directly from them here …

For the Salad you will need:

8 vine tomatoes

A Lg handful of green beans (about 50 or so)

½ cup dried couscous

1 cup boiling water

1 Tbls Ultimate Garlicky Italian Seasoning

3 Tbls Salad oil (I like Pumpkin or Sesame Seed oils best for the nutty flavour)

3 Tbls White Balsamic Vinegar   

2 small bowls and 1 large bowl.

In one of the small bowls combine the Garlicky Italian Seasoning, oil, and vinegar.  Mix together and cover with plastic wrap.  Set aside and let it all soak together.

In the other small bowl, combine the couscous with the boiling water and set aside to let the couscous soften.

Wash and coarsely dice the Tomatoes.  Wash the beans and clip the ends; then cut to 1” pieces.  Once the couscous has absorbed all the water, toss it with the tomato and beans.  Add the dressing mix and toss all together well so that the dressing is mixed well.

Happy Feasting!

Cream of Earl Grey Trifel

Cream of Earl Grey Trifle

This is a fantastic dessert from the old country with the help of a favourite from David's Tea.

For the trifle you will need:

A 13 x 9 yellow or white cake, cooled (recipe to follow)

Raspberry Jam

About 6 Bananas

Cream of Earl Grey Custard (recipe also to follow)

Whipped Cream for topping.

For the Cake (straight from Betty Crocker)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter or stick margarine, softened

1 1/4 cups milk

3 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 large eggs  

Pre-heat oven to 350^o    Grease bottom and sides of rectangular pan, 13 x 9

Beat all ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly.

Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally; pour into pan

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center.

Cool rectangle in pan on wire rack; cool rounds 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack.

Once the Cake has cooled, slice in half so the top and bottom are like slices of bread.  Slather Jam in the middle and then cube the cake and put the to side.

For the Custard:

5 cups Vanilla Soy Milk

6 Tbls Custard Powder

6 Tbls Sugar

3 Tbls Cream of Earl Grey

Divide the Tea into t-sac tea filters – 1 ½ Tbls each

Put 4 cups of the soy mild in a pot and warm on medium, add tea bags and heat to near boiling, stirring frequently.

In a measuring cup combine the remaining 1 cup of milk, custard powder, and sugar.  Whisk together powder and sugar to dissolve.  Once the heating milk has reached slow boil, add the custard mixture and let simmer/boil for a few minutes.

In a serving bowl,  layer of cubed cake, then sliced bananas, then ladle the warm custard; repeat until the bowl is full.

Chill and serve with whipped cream. 

Happy Feasting!

Mac & Cheese with Style

Ingredients:

3 c       Macaroni

1 tin     Cream of Mushroom condensed soup

1 tin     Milk

2 tsp    Garlic Powder

70g      Asiago (diced or grated)

80g      Smoked Jarlsberg (diced or grated)

100g    Brie or Camembert dices up as best you can

½ c     Old (Sharp) Cheddar grated (if you’re feeling particularly schmancy, Applewood            

           smoked Cheddar is excellent!)

Pre-heat Oven to 400^o F

Boil up the macaroni.  While that’s cooking, mix the condensed soup, milk, sour cream, and garlic together and dice/grate the cheeses.

Drain the macaroni, once cooked, and put it in an oven-safe dish.  Pour in the mushroom sauce, Asiago, Jarlsberg, and Brie and stir.  Sprinkle the Cheddar on top and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.  Before taking it out of the oven, turn on the broiler and let it crunch up the cheese on top a little, just 5 minutes on the middle rack.

To be “grown-up” it’s a nice side for grilled chicken and goes well with a chilled chardonnay.

Happy Feasting!