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Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Mini Treats for NYE

Happy Tuesday everyone! It's been a hectic "vacation" here in the Lizzy Bee workshop, with lots of holiday meals to prepare. FINALLY, we are seeing the end of the holiday season with the great celebration of New Year's Eve! If you're like me, you're waiting until the last minute to make a fresh and delicious dessert (or maybe you've been putting it off), I've got a few mini - and not to challenging - desserts to try!

Ringing in a sweet new year filled with good fortune...
Green-Tea Fortune Cookies
Joanne Chang

Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3 large egg whites
  • 4 ounces unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon matcha green-tea powder
  • 18 small paper fortunes
Directions
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar with the egg whites, butter, flour and green-tea powder until smooth. Cover the batter and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  2. Preheat the oven to 325° and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat. Have a coffee mug and standard-size muffin tin handy. Spoon two 2-tablespoon-size mounds of batter onto the baking sheet, 6 inches apart. Using an offset spatula, spread the batter to make two 6-inch rounds.
  3. Bake in the center of the oven for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges are browned and the centers are still light. Let cool for 10 seconds, then using a spatula, invert one tuile and place a paper fortune in the center. Fold the tuile in half and then bring the ends together, using the rim of the coffee mug to make the crease. Set the fortune cookie in a muffin cup to hold its shape. Repeat with the second tuile. If the tuile hardens, return it to the oven for a few seconds. Repeat with the remaining batter and fortunes. Let the cookies cool completely before serving.

If you had doughnuts at Channukah and STILL weren't satisfied...
Mini Cake Doughnuts
Lara Ferroni, Real Snacks

Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup (60 grams) white spelt or all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup (30 grams) rye flour or whole-wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup (30 grams) barley flour or all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/3 cup (66 grams) cane sugar
  • Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • Semisweet chocolate, tempered or melted, or powdered sugar, for coating
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a mini doughnut pan.
  2. Sift the white spelt, rye, barley, and baking powder together. Whisk in the sugar, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, milk, vanilla, and egg. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do not overmix or your doughnuts may be rubbery.
  4. Fill each doughnut cup 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full with the batter. You can do this with a spoon, but I prefer using a piping bag to fill each cup evenly and cleanly. It's important not to overfill or as the doughnuts rise, you'll lose the hole. Bake until the doughnuts spring back when touched, 6 to 10 minutes depending on the size of your doughnut pan. Let cool completely on a wire rack; then dip in melted chocolate or dust with powdered sugar.

For a little French flair (the cheater version)...
Petits Pains au Chocolat
Bon Appetit, April 2004

Ingredients

  • 2 sheets frozen puff pastry (one 17.3-ounce package), thawed, each sheet cut into 12 squares
  • 1 large egg beaten to blend with 1 tablespoon water (for glaze)
  • 4 3.5-ounce bars imported bittersweet or milk chocolate, each cut into six 2x3/4-inch pieces
  • Sugar
Directions

  1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush top of each puff pastry square with egg glaze. Place 1 chocolate piece on edge of 1 pastry square. Roll up dough tightly, enclosing chocolate. Repeat with remaining pastry and chocolate. Place pastry rolls on baking sheet, seam side down. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover pastries with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Cover and refrigerate remaining egg glaze.
  2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush tops of pastry rolls with remaining egg glaze. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake until pastries are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Happy baking and Happy New Year!

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Christmas Desserts to Finish Pre-X-Mas Eve

Happy last night of Channukah! We are ending a beautiful holiday and starting a new one - one that has delicious desserts aplenty! The grocery stores aren't closed yet, so if you have time and need one extra dessert for your table, here are a few good recipes.

Chocolate Cream Pie
Nicole Spiridakis, Flourless

Ingredients


Hazelnut-Cocoa Crust:
  • 2 1/2 cups whole hazelnuts
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Chocolate Filling:
  • 2/3 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Coconut Milk Whipped Cream or regular whipped cream for topping
Directions
To Make the Crust:
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Have a 9-inch pie pan ready. To make the crust: Place the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in the oven until the nuts are lightly browned and release a nutty fragrance, about 15 minutes. Remove the hazelnuts from the oven and set aside to cool. When nuts are completely cooled, use your hands to rub off as many of the skins as you can. Don't worry if you can't remove all of the skin; a little bit is OK.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process the hazelnuts, sugar, and cocoa powder until fine. Place in a bowl and add the melted butter, stirring to combine. Press the mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan. Bake the crust until slightly crisp, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
To Make the Filling: 
  1. In a medium, heavy saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks until well combined, then add the milk in a steady stream, whisking continuously. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking, then decrease the heat and simmer, whisking, for 1 minute more (the filling will be thick).
  2. Force the filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then whisk in the chocolate, butter, and vanilla. Cover the surface of the filling with a buttered round of waxed paper and cool completely, about 2 hours.
  3. Spoon the filling into the crust. Chill the pie, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for at least 6 hours. Top with a thick layer of whipped cream.
  4. Use a serrated knife to cut the pie into slices and use a cake server to gently place the slices on plates to serve. Note that the crust will be a little crumbly, so go easy.


Caramel Layer Cake
Lisa Donovan

Ingredients
Cake
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3 cups buttermilk
Caramel Frosting
  • 3 sticks unsalted butter
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
MAKE THE CAKE 
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and flour two 10-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk the 4 cups of flour, the baking powder, salt and baking soda. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the 2 sticks of butter with the sugar and vanilla seeds at medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time until incorporated, then beat until very pale and billowy, 3 minutes. At low speed, alternately beat in the dry ingredients and buttermilk until just combined.
  2. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake for 35 minutes, until the cakes are golden and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Transfer to a rack; let cool in the pans for 30 minutes. Unmold the cakes, peel off the parchment and let cool. Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand or serving platter.
MAKE THE FROSTING 
  1. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over moderately high heat. Stir in the sugar, buttermilk, and baking soda. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture foams up and then subsides, 5 to 7 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring steadily, until the caramel mixture is very dark brown and reaches 240° on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. Carefully pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, add the vanilla and beat at low speed for 3 minutes, until thickened but still pourable.
  2. Using a rubber spatula and working quickly, scrape about 1 cup of the frosting onto the cake layer on the stand and spread it to the edge. Top with the second cake layer. Pour the remaining frosting on top. Using an offset spatula, quickly spread the frosting over and around the cake to cover completely. Let the frosting cool for at least 2 hours before serving.


Sfinj (Moroccan Doughnuts)
Leetal Arazi

Ingredients
Sugar Syrup
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 5 cardamom pods
  • Pinch of saffron threads
Doughnuts
  • 8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons yeast
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3 to 4 cups water
  • Canola oil, for frying
Directions
MAKE THE SUGAR SYRUP 
  1. In a medium saucepan, combine all of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the syrup is the consistency of honey. (To test, place a few small plates in the freezer and drizzle a bit of the syrup on them throughout the cooking process.) Remove from the heat and let cool.
MAKE THE DOUGHNUTS 
  1. In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Add 3 1/2 cups of water and mix thoroughly; the dough should be loose and sticky and doesn’t need to hold its shape. Adjust the consistency if needed with the rest of the water. Cover the dough with cling plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
  2. In the bowl, using your hands, fold the dough over onto itself few times. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes, or until it doubles in volume. In a deep pan, heat 3 inches high of canola oil.
  3. Wet your hands and cut a piece of dough the size of 2 golf balls. With 2 fingers quickly make a hole in the center and stretch it a little to form a ring shape. Repeat to form the remaining doughnuts.
  4. Immediately and gently put the doughnuts in the oil and fry over moderate heat until golden on both sides. Drain the doughnuts on paper towels.
  5. Serve the sfinj immediately and let your guests drizzle them with the sugar syrup.

Happy baking!

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Channukah, Oh Channukah...

I love Channukah time...the latkes, the doughnuts...all of the oil. I've been busy in the kitchen, working through my holiday cookies: gingerbread cake, gingerbread cookies, seven layer cookies, meringue and cookie bars, chocolate chocolate cookies...I've been busy! But in the meantime, I've also been planning a big Channukah feast for Saturday. While my menu is set on doughnuts (pics next week I hope), there are so many ideas for the holiday from some of the great Jewish bakers. Here are a few delicious recipes to spice up your 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th nights of Channukah!

The great Joan Nathan...knower of all things Jewish food. This one is designed to be done with a child...
Sufganiyot
Joan Nathan, The Children's Jewish Holiday Cookbook

Ingredients
  • 1 scant tablespoon (1 package) dry yeast
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 3/4 cup lukewarm milk or warm water*
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter or pareve margarine, softened*
  • Apricot or strawberry preserves
  • Sugar
  • Vegetable oil for deep-frying
*Use butter and milk if serving at a milk meal, and water and pareve margarine for a meat meal
Directions
  1. Child: Mix together the yeast, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and the milk. Let sit to make sure it bubbles.
  2. Child: Sift the flour and mix it with the remaining sugar, salt, cinnamon, egg yolks, and the yeast mixture.
  3. Adult with Child: Knead the dough until it forms a ball. Add the butter or margarine. Knead some more, until the butter is well absorbed. Cover with a towel and let rise overnight in the refrigerator.
  4. Adult: Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/8 inch.
  5. Child: Cut out the dough into 24 rounds with a juice glass, or any object about 2 inches in diameter. Take 1/2 teaspoon of preserves and place in center of 12 rounds. Top with the other 12. Press down at edges, sealing with egg whites. Crimping with the thumb and second finger is best. Let rise for about 30 minutes.
  6. Adult: Heat 2 inches of oil to about 375°. Drop the doughnuts into the hot oil, about 5 at a time. Turn to brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
  7. Child: Roll the doughnuts in sugar.


A Jewish classic, no matter the holiday from one of my favorite Jewish baketresses...
Rugelach
Dorie Greenspan


  • Ingredients
For the dough
  • 4 ounces cold cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces
  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the filling
  • 2/3 cup seedless raspberry jam, apricot jam or marmalade
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup chopped nuts (I prefer pecans, but you can use walnuts or almonds)
  • 1/4 cup plump, moist dried currants
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, or 2/3 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips
For the glaze
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon cold water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar, preferably decorating (coarse) sugar
Directions

To Make the Dough: 
  1. Let the cream cheese and butter rest on the counter for 10 minutes—you want them to be slightly softened but still cool.
  2. Put the flour and salt in a food processor, scatter over the chunks of cream cheese and butter and pulse the machine 6 to 10 times. Then process, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, just until the dough forms large curds—don't work it so long that it forms a ball on the blade.
  3. Turn the dough out, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 1 day. (Wrapped airtight, the dough can be frozen for up to 1 month.)
To Make the Filling: 
  1. Heat the jam in a saucepan over low heat, or do this in a microwave oven, until it liquefies. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.
  2. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. (Silicone baking mats are great for rugelach.)
To Shape the Cookies: 
  1. Pull one packet of dough from the refrigerator. If it is too firm to roll easily, either leave it on the counter for about 10 minutes or give it a few bashes with your rolling pin.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 11- to 12-inch circle. Spoon (or brush) a thin gloss of jam over the dough, and sprinkle over half of the cinnamon sugar. Scatter over half of the nuts, half of the currants and half of the chopped chocolate. Cover the filling with a piece of wax paper and gently press the filling into the dough, then remove the paper and save it for the next batch.
  3. Using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 16 wedges, or triangles. (The easiest way to do this is to cut the dough into quarters, then to cut each quarter into 4 triangles.) Starting at the base of each triangle, roll the dough up so that each cookie becomes a little crescent. Arrange the roll-ups on one baking sheet, making sure the points are tucked under the cookies, and refrigerate. Repeat with the second packet of dough, and refrigerate the cookies for at least 30 minutes before baking. (The cookies can be covered and refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to 2 months; don't defrost before baking, just add a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.)
Getting Ready to Bake: 
  1. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
To Glaze: 
  1. Stir the egg and water together, and brush a bit of this glaze over each rugelach. Sprinkle the cookies with the sugar.
  2. Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until they are puffed and golden. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool to just warm or to room temperature.
Serving: Tea is traditional, but we drink coffee with rugelach. These are pretty and, even with their jam-and-fruit filling, not overly sweet, and they are even good with sparkling wine. 
Storing: The cookies can be kept covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months.



What holiday doesn't need a coffee cake?
Ashkenazic Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Gil Marks, The World of Jewish Desserts

Ingredients
Streusel Topping:
  • 1/2 cup granulated or brown sugar, or 1/4 cup each
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg or cloves (optional)
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans, grated coconut, golden raisins, or chocolate chips, or 1 cup any combination (optional)
Batter:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
  • 1 cup granulated or brown sugar or 1/2 cup each
  • 4 large egg yolks, or 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream or plain yogurt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
Glaze (optional):
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons milk or water
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (325°F if using a glass pan). Grease one 9-inch square pan,9-inch Bundt or tube pan, or 9-inch springform pan. Line with parchment or waxed paper, grease again, and dust with flour.
  2. To make the streusel: Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg if using. Cut in the butter to resemble coarse crumbs. If desired, stir in the nuts.
  3. To make the batter: Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Blend in the sour cream, vanilla, and zest if using. Stir in the flour mixture.
  4. Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of the streusel. Carefully cover with the remaining batter and sprinkle with the remaining streusel.
  5. Bake until the cake is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 50 minutes. Set on a rack and let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Wrap the kuchen in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  6. To make the glaze if using: Combine all the glaze ingredients, stirring until smooth and of pouring consistency. Drizzle over the cake and let stand until set.
HINT:
  1. When baking and storing a cake containing acidic ingredients such as sour cream in an aluminum pan, line the bottom with parchment paper to prevent the juices from reacting with the aluminum and creating a metallic flavor.
Single-Layer Coffee Cake:
  1. Spread all the batter in a 13-by-9-inch pan, sprinkle with all of the topping, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Fruit-Filled Coffee Cake:
  1. After adding the middle layer of streusel, top with 1 cup peeled, cored, and thinkly sliced cooking apples, 1 cup peeled, pitted, and sliced peaches, or 1 cup pitted cherries, blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries.
Cheese Coffee Cake:
  1. Combine 8 ounces softened cream chees, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 large egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Spread over the top of the batter, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. If desired, spread 1/2 cup melted blueberry, cherry, raspberry, or strawberry preserves or pie filling over the cheese mixture. Sprinkle with the streusel.

Happy baking!

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Post Thanksgiving Dessert Plump

Happy Tuesday everyone! It's been hard to write up the post-Thanksgiving blog post, seeing as how I'm still STUFFED to the gills with deliciousness. Today's post is short and sweet: just a few pics from our fabulous event. How was your Thanksgiving? Be sure to share your own photos!

Apple galette with maple whipped cream

Pumpkin mascarpone pie with mascarpone whipped cream

Caramel pecan hand pies

Not pictured: homemade vanilla bean ice cream (it was gone before I could get the camera ready!)