Cream Puffs

February 16, 2015 / featherheadlady / 2 Comments

Cream puffs are one of my favorite desserts to make for guests. They look like a little fancy or, as my dad would say, “store bought.” The puffs only requires 4 ingredients that most everyone has on hand and are very simple to make. The filling I always use is one of my mom’s recipes; a recipe I think my mom got from her mother because my cousins remember it from their childhood as well. I grew up enjoying this filling in a pie. Graham cracker crust, sugar custard filling topped with a beautiful meringue. It’s a great memory. It was a great pie. And it tastes awesome in a cream puff.

Puff Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup flour

1 cup water

4 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

In a heavy saucepan bring water to a boil and melt the butter in the boiling water.

Once the butter has melted add the flour and salt all at once and stir vigorously. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture forms a ball that won’t separate. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until smooth.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet.

Bake at 450 for 15 minutes.

Bake at 325 for 25 minutes

Turn the oven off, split the puffs, and put them back in the oven to dry for 20 minutes. Put dried puffs on a rack to cool.

Now you’re ready to prepare the filling.

Filling ingredients:

2 cups whole milk

1 cup sugar

3 T flour

3 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

Whisk together the flour and sugar in a heavy saucepan.

Whisk egg yolks.

Add milk and egg yolks to the sugar, flour mixture. Cook over medium heat whisking constantly until mixture comes to a full boil.

Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla. Allow the filling to cool. Assemble the cream puffs.

Serve with some fresh berries or drizzle with a little chocolate, caramel or hot fudge. Add a dollop or two of whipped cream if you’d like.

Cream Puffs. It’s what was for dessert tonight. And probably again tomorrow.

NOTE: Add coconut or bananas to the vanilla filling for a cream pie or pudding. Or, if you don’t have time to make cream puffs, serve the cream filling on its own with fruit of your choosing.

Rice Pudding

February 5, 2015February 5, 2015 / featherheadlady / 1 Comment

For years we regularly went to a little diner called the Virginia. Their specialty was coney islands and whenever you went there you left smelling a little like onions and coney sauce. The Virginia made great steak and eggs for breakfast and waffles shaped like the state of Michigan. Their French fries had just the perfect amount of grease and they made a tasty liver and onion dish. Part of the charm of the Virginia was the regulars…some real characters, and the waitresses who had all worked there for years and years. But one of the best memories of the Virginia was their amazing rice pudding. No matter what you ate there was always room for rice pudding!! This recipe is good but does not quite replicate the Virginia’s rice pudding. This rice pudding was made in a pressure cooker.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

2 cups whole milk

1 14oz can coconut milk

1 cup water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup golden raisins (or dried tart cherries)

Put the rice in a colander. Rinse and drain.

Place the rice, milk, water, sugar, salt and cinnamon in the cooking pot.

Select sauté and bring mixture to a low boil stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, cover and lock the lid in place. Select low pressure and set the timer for 15 minutes. After the beep use the quick pressure release to release pressure. When the float drops remove the lid away from you and stir in the vanilla and raisins.

Place the cover back on the pot but do not turn on. Let stand 15 minutes while the raisins plump up. Stir and serve. Garnish with a little cinnamon and whipped cream. If we were at the Virginia the waitress would bring a handful of the little half n half containers to pour on our rice pudding.

I will definitely make this again in my pressure cooker because it was fast and very tasty. But I would make a few modifications. Today I added about a half cup of half n half at the very end to make it a little creamier. Also I would wait and stir the cinnamon in at the very end.

Rice pudding, it’s what’s for dessert.

But I still kind of miss the Virginia.

Lemon Bars

February 1, 2015 / featherheadlady / 1 Comment

This is Super Bowl Sunday and I was asked to bring something sweet to the party. I thought about making football shaped sugar cookies or some clever sports themed cake but vetoed both for lemon bars and chocolate chip cookies. I have had this lemon bar recipe for ages and am not sure where I first got it. Simple to make. Very rich. Very sweet.

Preheat oven to 325.

Ingredients for the crust:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup melted butter

Ingredients for the filling:

4 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

4 eggs beaten

2 cups granulated sugar

4 T flour

Whisk together the flour and powdered sugar.

Add the melted butter and stir until combined. Put the crust into an ungreased 9×13 pan and, using your fingers, pat the crust down evenly. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes.

While the crust is baking prepare the lemon mixture. Whisk the flour and sugar together. Whisk the eggs well.

Squeeze the lemons. Mine were particularly juicy and I got more than 4 T from one lemon.

Once the crust is baked increase the oven temperature to 350. Whisk together the lemon juice, eggs, and flour/sugar mixture. Pour over crust and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Put the pan on a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Cut into bars and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Enjoy! I’m thinking they’re yummier than football shaped sugar cookies.

My contribution to the last football Sunday of the season.

(You can find the recipe for the chocolate chip cookies in an earlier post.)

Oatmeal Cake with Coconut Pecan Topping

January 25, 2015January 25, 2015 / featherheadlady / 1 Comment

I am not sure where this recipe came from but I’ve been making it for years. It’s always moist and tasty and the fact that it contains oatmeal gives some of us the delusion that we are eating “health food.” We had friends spending the weekend with us and I chose this for our Friday night dessert.

Cake Ingredients:

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 1/4 cups boiling water

1/2 cup butter flavor crisco

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine oatmeal and boiling water and let it stand for 20 minutes.

In a mixing bowl combine shortening, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Cream together until fluffy.

Beat in the oatmeal.

Measure out your dry ingredients and whisk them together. Gradually add them to the creamed mixture and beat on medium speed until everything is incorporated. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean. While the cake is in the oven prepare the topping.

Topping Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts if you prefer)

1/3 cup butter

1 cup coconut

1/4 cup half and half

Rough chop the nuts.

Mix all the ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil stirring frequently. Allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes.

As soon as the cake comes out of the oven spread the topping over the hot cake. Allow the cake to cool completely before serving.

Serve as is or with a little dollop of whipped cream. Oatmeal cake with coconut and pecans. It’s what was for dessert.

NOTE: I really do measure my ingredients out in advance into prep bowls. That way I can put my containers away right after measuring out the ingredients keeping my kitchen neater and I am less likely to forget to add essential ingredients. Also, it’s important to whisk your dry ingredients together before adding them to ensure even distribution of things like salt and leavening.

Galette aka Rustic Tart

January 5, 2015January 5, 2015 / featherheadlady / 1 Comment

Pie is one of my favorite desserts and this rustic tart (or galette) is easy and beautiful in its simplicity. My good friend Jane introduced me to this recipe a couple years ago. She made hers with pears. It works with almost any kind of fruit filling….peaches, pears, apples, berries. Today I made it with pears and apples. Awhile back my daughter and I made a galette with apples and raspberries. I keep my cornstarch and baking powder right next to each other in my baking cupboard and I somehow confused the two. We wondered why our fruit was bubbling. Was a fail that we fortunately were not serving to guests. But, we did eat it ourselves. Waste not, want not…or something like that. Pay attention to the ingredients and I promise that you will enjoy this recipe.

Ingredients:

Pie crust (homemade or pillsbury refrigerated crust)

I prefer to make my own crust but in a pinch the refrigerated crust works fine.

5 cups of sliced fruit (I used 2 pears and 3 apples)

1/2 cup golden raisins or dried cherries or cranberries

1/2 cup amaretto

3 T cornstarch

3 T brown sugar

5 T white sugar

Preheat oven to 450

Peel, core and slice the apples. Core and slice the pears. Put them in a shallow dish with the raisins and amaretto and let them marinate for about 30 minutes. Longer is okay. While you’re waiting for the fruit, prepare your pastry. Roll out a disc about the size of a pizza pan.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Once your fruit has marinated combine the brown sugar, corn starch, and 3 T of the white sugar. Drain the amaretto from the fruit. (Save it, it’s perfectly fine to sip on while you finish preparing the tart). Toss the fruit in the sugar mixture. Heap the fruit in the center of the prepared pastry. Fold the edges over. Sprinkle with 2 T of granulated sugar.

Bake at 450 for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake for 45 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or at room temperature with a generous dollop of whipped cream.

Galette is a French word and means “any of various round flat pastries with a sugar glaze or a sweet filling such as fruit.” If you want to impress people serve them a “galette”. If you’re just serving it for dessert tonight call it a rustic tart. Either way, enjoy!

Rugelachs

December 13, 2014 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

Every year, for nearly 30 years, my very good friend and I have a candy making, cookie baking marathon for the holidays. We used to do it over a three day weekend. Now that she recently joined the ranks of the retired we held our marathon over an entire week and we were able to go to lunch a couple times and even got a little shopping in. The real significance of our candy making, cookie baking bonanza is not just that we make the most beautiful, awesome tasting, melt in your mouth sweet treats. It’s really about two good friends in sync with one another in the kitchen. Over the years we have fallen into a comfortable routine. I make most all of the cookie shapes (balls, sticks, knots, cookie press) and my friend does the messy stuff (dipping in chocolate, rolling in nuts, powdered sugaring). We both make dough. We both do cleanup. Not everyone can work well with another person in the kitchen. And our ability to do that makes our Christmas goodies just a little more special.

We have cookie recipes that we have made forever. And every so often we experiment with a new recipe. A few years ago we started making the Rugelach and it has become one of our favorites.

Ingredients:

Dough

1 cup butter at room temperature

1 8-oz package cream cheese at room temperature

2 cups of flour

1/2 tsp salt

Filling

1 cup sugar

2 T cinnamon

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

(We make a double batch. Actually we make two double batches.)

In a stand mixer cream butter and cream cheese together. Combine the flour and salt and gradually add to the creamed mixture. Divide dough into fourths and roll into balls.

Wrap each ball in wax paper and refrigerate for one hour or more for easy handling.

Preheat oven to 350.

After dough has chilled roll out into approximately a 12 inch circle. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Brush each circle with the melted butter. Sprinkle with 3 T cinnamon sugar and then with 2 T chopped pecans. Cut each circle into 12 wedges.

(The dough circle pictured was small and was only cut into 8 wedges.)

Roll up wedges beginning with the wide end. Place pointed side down on ungreased baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart. Curve ends to form a crescent.

Bake for 24-26 minutes or until golden brown. Seems like a long time for cookies but they need to bake that long. Remove to wire racks to cool.

One of the secrets to really good baked goods is really good ingredients. Always use real butter, fresh, quality spices and chocolates.

Maybe one day our beautiful and amazing daughters will take over for us and we can wait anxiously to receive our cookie trays. That will be a happy day.

Caramel Corn

December 10, 2014 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

More holiday nosh! This caramel corn is an irresistible, addictive sweet treat that’s easy to make. As a child I remember getting a box of cracker jacks and enjoying every bite of the molasses flavored, candy coated popcorn and peanuts AND finding the prize that was in every box. You might find a ring, stickers, plastic figurine, whistle, or a temporary tattoo. If any of you saved the toys from your cracker jacks they have become collectible and are probably worth a few coins. Whether or not this caramel corn makes you feel nostalgic I’m confident you’ll enjoy every last bite. And if you want to include a prize in every bag, well all the sweeter!

Ingredients:

16 cups popcorn (approximately 2 bags of microwave popcorn)

1 cup nuts (optional)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

(Sorry I open the brown sugar bag on the wrong end.)

Spread popcorn (and nuts if you’re using) on a greased jelly roll pan or in a large roasting pan. Try to pick out any unpopped kernels to save on dental work as you’re munching your caramel corn.

Preheat your oven to 250.

In a heavy saucepan combine sugar, butter, and corn syrup.

Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Boil mixture for 5 minutes without stirring.

Remove from heat. With a wooden spoon stir in vanilla and baking soda stirring constantly.

After the addition of the vanilla and the baking soda the consistency of the mixture makes a dramatic change.

Pour the caramel over the popcorn and stir well to coat. Bake for 45 minutes stirring every 15 minutes.

Pour out onto freezer or parchment paper to cool. Spread out to separate. Store in air tight containers or sealed zip lock bags.

We made some with pecans and some with lightly salted cashews. You can use any kind of nut you prefer. Or you can go nutless. I have always used the light butter microwave popcorn but if you have a hot air popper or like to make your popcorn on the stove the old fashioned way it’s all good.

If you put a bowl of this out at your holiday party or while you’re watching a movie, I guarantee you it will be one of the first things to disappear. Prize or no prize. Enjoy!!

Very Chocolate Chocolate Fudge

December 9, 2014January 5, 2019 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

One of my favorite holiday traditions is candy making and cookie baking with my very good friend of nearly 40 years. We’ve been doing it together so long we have an easy routine. Usually we start on a Friday evening and finish up our thousands, and I do mean thousands, of sugary sweet treats on Sunday evening. But this year my friend has joined the ranks of the retired and we are taking an entire week to do what we’ve always done in two and a half days. We always do our candy the first night. This year we are trying a new very chocolate chocolate fudge recipe that another friend shared with us. I cannot eat chocolate but all of the fudge samplers are confirming that the recipe switch was a good one.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 14-oz can evaporated milk

4 1/2 cups sugar

1 8-oz bag miniature marshmallows

2 oz unsweetened chocolate

2 4-oz boxes semisweet chocolate

2 4-oz boxes German chocolate

1 T vanilla

2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Combine butter, milk and sugar in a heavy kettle. Stir over medium high heat until sugar dissolves. Continue cooking to a full boil. Turn off the heat and cover for five minutes.

Add marshmallows and stir until melted.

Break the chocolate up and add a few pieces at a time stirring until all of the chocolate is melted. Add the vanilla.

Pour into foil lined 9×13 pan. Make sure to butter the foil or spray with Pam. Let stand until cool.

Once the the fudge has cooled you can lift it out of the pan using the foil, cut into squares and enjoy.

My dining room table is groaning under the weight of all our candy!

Peanut Butter Cookies

November 18, 2014 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

My dad is visiting and these are one of his favorite cookies. It’s funny because he would never eat a peanut butter sandwich or have peanut butter on his toast or on an apple. And a Reese Peanut Butter cup has never crossed his lips. But peanut butter cookies he loves. It was also opening day for deer hunters and my non-hunting husband goes to opening day deer camp fish fries every year so I always send cookies.

Peanut butter, chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin are my standbys. I like to freeze cookies 3-4 to a zip lock bag after they are cooled (unless of course they are all going to deer camp). They always taste fresh and I have something homemade on hand to serve with coffee or as a little dessert.

Preheat oven to 375

Cookie dough:

1 cup butter at room temperature

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Cream together butter, peanut butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla.

Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together.

With a wooden spoon stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture.

Once the dough is thoroughly combined use a cookie scoop and put on an un-greased cookie sheet. Use a fork dipped in white sugar and press to make ridges on each cookie.

Bake for 11 minutes. Remove to cooling racks. Enjoy!!

You can use smooth or chunky peanut butter, it’s a matter of personal preference. But I don’t recommend substituting oleo for the butter. Ever.

Everyone has their own favorites but I always use airbake cookie sheets. Especially when baking, it’s a good idea to have a thermometer in your oven to make sure the oven is at the proper temperature.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

November 10, 2014 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

My brother and sister-in-law and her parents were visiting this weekend to celebrate her birthday. I wanted to make her something special and different from a typical birthday cake. I looked through my stash of recipes torn from my cooking magazines and came across Emeril Lagasse’s Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Spiked Cream. Well, I love pumpkin, I love cheesecake and I love bourbon so I’m thinking this looks promising. This looks like something my sister-in-law would love as much as me. And she would love me for making it for her. It’s definitely a day before recipe which is a good thing when you’re having guests. It was relatively easy to make. The instructions have you mixing most of it in a food processor but if you don’t have one a good stand mixer would work fine. Pumpkin cheesecake, it’s what was for dessert tonight. Happy birthday sister!

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups of vanilla wafer crumbs (about 45 crushed wafers)

1 cup of pecans, ground

1 stick unsalted butter

For the Cheesecake:

2 pounds cream cheese, cubed and at room temperature

1 cup packed light brown sugar

6 large eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup all purpose flour

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups canned pure pumpkin

Preheat at the oven to 350.

Combine the crumbs, ground pecans and melted butter in a bowl. Press into the bottom of a 12-inch springform pan. (I happen to have a square springform pan that I love.)

In your food processor fitted with the metal blade mix the cream cheese until smooth.

Add the brown sugar and process until blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, processing until fully incorporated. Next blend in the heavy cream. Add the flour, salt, cinnamon and vanilla and blend until smooth. Add the pumpkin and blend until smooth. Pour the filling over the crust in your springform pan.

Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cheesecake is just set. Remove from the oven. Use a knife to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan to prevent the center from cracking. Let the cake cool completely before slicing. I refrigerated mine when it had completely cooled.

Now for the bourbon whipped cream.

2 cups of heavy whipping cream

dash of bourbon

2 T sugar

Stir the dash of bourbon into the cream. Whip the cream until soft peaks form gradually adding in the sugar as you whip. I think my “dash” was a little heavy handed but please “season to taste.”