料理の鉄人 The Iron "Sheff"

Oatmeal Pie with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

2010-08-11T23:10:00.001-05:00

This is one of my new favorites! I’ve made 3 of these in the past week and everyone I’ve shared it with has really liked it (“Definitely Blog-worthy!” seems to be the consensus).Very easy to make, this pie is reminiscent of pecan pie, but with walnuts, coconut, and oatmeal and with a subtle maple flavor (I used real maple syrup in the recipe, but I think that the cheaper stuff would be just fine). Serve it warm or cold topped with Cinnamon Whipped Cream (recipe follows).

The recipe was passed to my wife from a friend at work (it was originally published in Midwest Living). For all of my Iowa City friends who are looking for a clone of the Oatmeal Pie served at Mondo’s (the best dessert in Iowa City) this is not it. I need to go to Mondo’s again in the near future to refresh my taste memory, but I’m pretty sure that their Oatmeal Pie doesn’t have coconut and I don’t remember it being quite as gooey. Although this pie is a bit different, I’ll be bold enough to say that it is equally as good. Give it a try and see if you agree!

Preheat oven to 375°F.

One 9-inch pie crust pressed into pie pan

Beat together the following ingredients:

2 egg
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter (but not so hot that it cooks the eggs)
1 tsp. vanilla

Stir in the following dry ingredients:

1 cup flaked coconut
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Pour into pie crust and bake at 375°F for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean (a total baking time of 45 minutes seemed to be just right in my oven). Remove from oven and allow to cool. Serve with Cinnamon Whipped Cream (see below). The pie stores well in the refrigerator and can be reheated in microwave or served cold.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream:

Beat the following together in a bowl until whipped to desired consistency:

1 cup whipping cream
2 T. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash of ground nutmeg

Serve with pie and store leftovers in refrigerator.

Pecan Crumb-Top Blueberry Pie

2010-07-16T08:56:00.001-05:00

Fresh blueberries were on sale at the local grocery store last week and so we bought several cartons. On the 4th of July I decided to use them for a pie. I merged two recipes from the fantastic cookbook Pie by Ken Haedrich (contains 300 different pie recipes). The result? One of the best pies I’ve ever had. I would put this up against any blueberry pie I’ve ever had. A few days ago we went and hand-picked blueberries with some friends. So now I have more blueberries and I definitely think it’s time to make this pie again…

A note about pie crust: If you are able to make a delicious pie crust you have my admiration. I’ve found that the pre-made, refrigerated pie crusts (from Pillsbury, for example) that you simply unroll and place in your pie pan are as good as any crust I’ve ever made myself AND SO MUCH EASIER. With a pre-made crust, this pie can be assembled in less than 15 minutes.

One pie crust

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Filling

5 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen (but thawed) or canned (but drained)
1/2 cup sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1 T. flour
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
1 T. lemon juice

Place blueberries in large bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix well, trying not to smash the blueberries. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes while you press pie crust into pie pan.

Pour filling into pie pan and place in 400°F oven for 30 minutes.

Pecan Crumb Topping

6 T. butter, cold and cut into pieces
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 T. milk

While pie is baking, prepare topping by placing butter, flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Combine well with pastry cutter (a food processor can also do the job). Add pecans and milk. Continue to mix with pastry cutter (or fork) until damp and crumbly. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

After 30 minutes in oven, remove pie and reduce oven heat to 375°F. Spread crumb topping onto the pie and lightly pat them down. Return pie to oven and bake for 30-40 more minutes at 375°F until juices bubble thickly. (It is helpful to place foil under the pie to catch dripping juices. Also, if crust starts getting too dark, you can place foil loosely over top of pie for last 10-15 minutes of baking.)

Transfer hot pie to cooling rack and allow to sit for a couple of hours before serving. Enjoy with ice cream or by itself, cold or warm.

Oatmeal-Blueberry Muffins

2010-07-16T08:48:00.001-05:00

I love blueberry muffins, but had never made them from scratch. We had some blueberries left over and I found this recipe on the Better Homes & Gardens website. Very quick and simple to make, very moist and delicious to eat.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease standard muffin pan or line with muffin bake cups.

Combine the following dry ingredients in a bowl.

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix the following ingredients together in a separate bowl (you can mix with a fork or whisk, an electric mixer is not necessary):

1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Pour liquid ingredient mixture into dry ingredient mixture and stir just until moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy).

1 cup blueberries

Fold the blueberries into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each ~3/4 full. (Should make 12 regular or 36 small muffins. I made 9-10 because I was fairly generous with my filling.)

Bake at 400°F for 16-18 minutes (or 10-12 minutes for small muffins), or until done (toothpick in center will come out with just a couple of crumbs on it).

Red Velvet Cake

2010-07-11T01:50:00.001-05:00

Erin requested a red velvet cake for her birthday. I had never made one before, but I decided it would be fun to try. I found this recipe for “Southern Red Velvet Cake” on FoodNetwork.com. It is from the show Sarah’s Secrets and the recipe is presented by Cakeman Raven. It was fun to make and turned out really well. I am posting the cream cheese frosting recipe separately because it was excellent and would also be delicious for use on a carrot cake or cinnamon rolls.

Video from Sara’s Secrets on Food Network:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans (3 may be used, but I only have two—and two worked just fine).

Mix the following dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cocoa powder

In stand mixer bowl, combine the following on low speed:

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk (preferably room temp.)
2 large eggs (preferably room temp.)
2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce—this ended up being the entire bottle)
1 tsp. white distilled vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and beat on medium to medium-high speed until well combined.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake in oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs on it. Allow cakes to cool and then remove from pans. (At this point you can either proceed to frosting or store in the refrigerator until later. Cakes stored in refrigerator are much easier to frost.)

When ready to assemble cake, prepare Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe. Frost generously and then garnish with chopped pecans.

Happy Birthday, Erin!

Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-07-11T01:49:00.003-05:00

This is the recipe for cream cheese frosting to go along with the Red Velvet Cake. It’s very simple and very good and would be an excellent choice for all of your cream cheese frosting needs (carrot cake, cinnamon rolls, etc.).

In a stand mixer (using paddle attachment) or a in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, combine the following on low speed:

1 pound cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar

Beat on high speed until light and fluffy (~5 minutes), then add:

1 tsp. (or more) vanilla extract

Beat on high a little bit longer. You can now use it to frost your cake. Note: You can store it in the refrigerator for later use (the recipe says 3 days, but I bet it can go longer). If you want to do decorative frosting, it may be slightly more workable after being chilled for a bit.

Raspberry Bread Pudding

2009-12-29T14:16:00.007-06:00

Erin's sister made this for us when we were in Utah last year and I thought it was the best bread pudding I've ever had. I've always liked bread pudding, but I've never been a big fan of the raisins that always seem to get put into it. This recipe uses raspberries and then it has a very sweet caramel sauce that can be served with it. I made it for dessert on Christmas day and it was a hit with my family! I used homemade bread that was a couple of days old, but not totally dried out. I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9x13 pan. I made it in the morning and let the ingredients sit in the refrigerator until baking it in the evening. My father-in-law says that this is delicious with mixed berries. I wonder if chocolate chips would be good too?

Bread Pudding
Bake in 8x8” pan or double this recipe and bake in 9x13" pan

4 cups cubed white bread (dense, good quality)
2 1/4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
1 cup brown sugar
1 3/4 cup milk or half and half
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 beaten eggs

Combine brown sugar, milk, and butter in a sauce pan and cook until melts. Cool it. Stir in eggs and vanilla with whisk. Pour into bowl. Fold into bread till well coated. Pour into greased glass baking dish. Add raspberries on top. Cover tightly with foil and let stand at least 20 minutes (or overnight). Bake at 350 degrees covered until set 40-50 minutes (longer if recipe is doubled) or until knife comes out clean.

Caramel Sauce
Double this if you doubled the bread pudding

1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup whipping cream

Whisk brown sugar and butter over medium heat until butter melts. Whisk in cream and stir until sugar dissolved--about 3 minutes.

Serve warm bread pudding with warm caramel sauce and fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

Old-Fashioned Caramel Cake

2009-11-15T16:35:00.008-06:00

I found this recipe on Martha Stewart's website and it is a recipe from Dr. Maya Angelou's cookbook, "Hallelujah." I believe it is her grandmother's recipe. There is a video of Dr. Angelou making this cake with Martha. It's kind of fun to watch. The interesting thing about this caramel cake is that it doesn't contain any brown sugar. The caramel flavor comes from the burnt sugar caramel syrup and from the browned butter frosting. This cake was a big hit when I made it for a dinner party.

Caramel Syrup

1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Heat sugar (by itself--no water) in a sauce pan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar liquifies and comes to a boil. Continue cooking, with light stirring, until sugar turns a golden amber color. Immediately remove from heat and add 1 cup of water. BE CAREFUL, it is really hot and some water may splatter. The caramelized sugar will harden when it is cooled by the water. Return to medium heat and continue stirring until the sugar redissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before using.

Cake

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar, separated
1/4 cup Caramel Syrup (from above)
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.

With mixer on low, beat butter and sugar together for several minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in Caramel Syrup.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.

With mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture and the milk, alternating with flour mixture being added first and last.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs until foamy (whisk attachment or normal beaters will work for this). Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar to the eggs and continue beating until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir into the cake batter until well combined.

Pour batter into the two round cake pans and bake for 25-35 minutes, until cake springs back when gently touched in the center. Cool cakes for ~15 minutes and then invert to remove from pan and continue cooling on wire cooling rack. When completely cooled, frost the two-layer cake with Browned Butter Caramel Frosting (see below) and serve drizzled with remaining Caramel Syrup.

(If you baked the cake ahead of time, you can wrap the cake in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator until you are ready to frost it. I find that keeping cake overnight in the refrigerator makes frosting it much easier.)

Browned Butter Caramel Syrup

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
16 oz. (1 package) powdered sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more if needed
1 T. pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Add butter to saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until nut-brown in color, ~8 minutes. You'll want to watch it closely and continue stirring it to prevent burning it. Once it begins to turn brown, it goes fast! Remove pan from heat and pour browned butter into a heat-proof mixing bowl. Allow to cool.

Once cooled, add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt to the browned butter. Mix on low (with paddle attachment or standard beaters). Continue to mix on low while adding the cream. Beat until smooth. If frosting appears too thick, add more cream until the correct consistency. Generously frost the cake with this delicious frosting.

Chocolate Mousse Crunch

2009-11-15T16:17:00.005-06:00

This is the "Chocolate Mousse" recipe from my mission president's wife. I LOVED it when she would make this dessert for us. I decided to rename this "Chocolate Mousse Crunch" for my blog because it reminds me of a chocolate version of the Coconut Crunch. The recipe that was given to me has the caption, "Men love this!" It's true. My experience has been that women love this, too!

1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter or margarine
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend the above ingredients and press into bottom of 9"x13" pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool.

8 oz. (1 package) cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 of large container of Cool Whip (or 1 carton of whipping cream, whipped)

Beat cream cream cheese and sugar together until smooth, then add the cool whip and mix again. Spread evenly over the crust.

1 large box of instant chocolate pudding mix
2 3/4 cups of milk

Beat together pudding mix and milk until thick. Spread evenly over cream cheese mixture.

The other 1/2 container of large Cool Whip (or another carton of whipping cream)

Top with the other half of the large Cool Whip. Sprinkle with some chopped nuts.

(Serves 12 missionaries)

Apple Cider Syrup

2009-11-15T10:41:00.005-06:00

This is a recipe from my mission president's wife. I remember having breakfast at the mission home in Japan--thick french toast, topped with yogurt and this syrup. It also goes well on pancakes and German Apple Pancakes.

2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
4 cups apple juice or cider (1 liter works also)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup butter or margarine

Mix all ingredients except for the butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and add margarine.

Serve with sour cream or plain yogurt.

German Apple Pancakes

2009-11-15T10:22:00.004-06:00

I can't remember where my mom first got this recipe, but for almost as long as I can remember it has been a family tradition to make these for breakfast on Christmas morning. For any who have not had a similar dish before, these are not the typical flat pancakes that most of us think of--they are literally pan cakes, cooked in a 9"x13" pan. All the eggs in them cause them to puff up and make quite the impressive display (show them off to your family quickly, though, because they settle a bit as they cool). Serve topped with powerdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, your favorite syrup (I recommend the Buttermilk or the Apple Cider syrups posted elsewhere on this blog), or all of the above!

2 tart apples (peeled and cut into thin slices)
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
6 eggs
1 tsp salt
6 T butter
Cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 400°F. Put butter in bottom of 9"x13" baking pan and place in oven to melt while you mix other ingredients and slice apples.

Add all ingredients (except apples and butter) into a blender and blend until smooth.

When butter is melted and sizzling, line bottom of pan with apples and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Pour batter over apples and bake at 400°F for 25 minutes. Remove and appreciate!Serves 6-8.

Kentucky Butter Cake

2009-11-15T09:38:00.003-06:00

This is a delicious and easy cake recipe. Erin's parents discovered it and, after hearing several times how incredibly delicious it was, Erin and I thought we better give it a try. You'll note the use of the word "Butter" in the title. This cake is very rich--which is all the better because it's fun to share with lots of people (spread the calories!). We have now made it several times--it's always good and everyone who tries it seems to agree.

I can't resist making a comment about Kentucky: I visited several times when my brother was attending school there. It's a beautiful state. And if this recipe really originated in Kentucky, then boy-howdy do they know how to eat down there! The other classic Kentucky dish that I am thinking of is called a Hot Brown. When I ordered it at a restaurant is came out so smothered in melted cheese that you couldn't even see anything that was under the cheese. It just looked like a plate of melted cheese! I've never tried making a Hot Brown at home--eating it may have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience--but if you're planning a Kentucky Derby party you could sit down to a Hot Brown and some Kentucky Butter Cake. Your mouth will like it, but I take no responsibility for the cardiovascular consequences!

3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour bundt pan.

Mix the dry ingredients (flour salt, baking powder, soda) together in a bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl blend the sugar and butter. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Gradually add dry ingredients, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed for ~3 minutes. Pour batter into greased bundt pan and bake for ~60 minutes.

Butter Sauce:

5 minutes before the cake is ready to come out of the oven, melt the following ingredients together in a saucepan:

1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 T water
2 tsp vanilla

Cook over medium heat until fully melted. Remove from heat just before it comes to a boil.

When cake is done--a toothpick inserted into the cake should come out with just a few small cake crumbs clinging to it--remove from oven and, while still hot, poke lots of holes in the cake. I've found that chopsticks work well. After holes are poked, pour the Butter Sauce over the top of the cake so that it seeps down through the holes into the center of the cake. Allow cake to cool and then turn over to remove from bundt pan. Slice and enjoy!

Gooey Butter Bars

2009-11-15T09:24:00.003-06:00

This recipe is from the mother of one of Erin's classmates. After tasting them at school, Erin came home and said, "I don't know what it was, but it was sooooo good!" The recipe was published in a class cookbook and now I bring it to you. They're very easy to make and sooooo good to eat. (How could they not be, with a name like Gooey Butter Bars???)

1 package yellow cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

Mix cake mix, egg and butter (it will be crumbly). Press into bottom of 9"x13" pan.

4 cups powdered sugar
2 eggs
8 oz. (1 package) cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Mix together sugar, eggs, and cream cheese. Pour into the pan on top of the cake mixture. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is a light toasty brown color.

Variations include using different flavors of cake mix. So far I can only attest to the yellow mix, but I've heard that lemon cake mix works well.

Coconut Crunch (pie?)

2008-12-03T19:54:00.003-06:00

Last week Erin and I stayed in Iowa City and had Thanksgiving with my family. We usually have at least some people come and share the meal with us, but I think this year was a record--I think we had at least 30 people there! Erin and I were in charge of bringing pies. Other people were planning to bring pies as well, but I wanted to make sure there was plenty to go around and so we went kind of crazy with the pie-making. We made a chocolate chip pecan pie and a pumpkin custard pie (both courtesy of Emeril; see Good Morning America online for recipes), another pumpkin cream pie (made with pumpkin-flavored pudding, cool whip and graham cracker crust), two buttermilk pies served with raspberry topping (these were a really big hit! see past post for recipe), we bought a frozen mincemeat pie specifically for grandma's consumption, and I made this Coconut Crunch dessert (see recipe below, courtesy of Erin's mom).

I need to tell one quick story about the Coconut Crunch: The first time that my family met Erin's family was out in Utah prior to our wedding. Erin's parents invited us to their home and served us a delicious dessert--Coconut Crunch. We all loved it, especially my mom. I still tease Erin about it because pie is her favorite dessert (and I think this is true of her family as well), and I like to point out that even when serving a dessert that is not technically pie, they still served a very pie-like dessert. So the debate continues...I say Coconut Crunch counts as a pie, Erin says it doesn't. Try this delicious recipe and tell us what you think!

½ cup butter, melted
1 cup flour
1 1/4 cups, flaked coconut
1/4 cups brown sugar
1 cup slivered almonds
3.4 oz pkg Instant vanilla pudding mix
3.4 oz pkg Instant coconut pudding mix
2 2/3 cup cold milk
2 cups whipped topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the first 5 ingredients; press lightly into a lightly greased 13 x 9" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 min or until golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes to form coarse crumbs and prevent burning the edges. Cool.
Press crumb mixture into the same baking pan for crust, reserving about 3/4 cups for topping.
In a mixing bowl, beat pudding mixes and milk together till they thicken. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon over crust. Top with remaining crumb mixture.
Keep Refrigerated.

Zucchini Bread

2008-11-02T13:11:00.003-06:00

As it has moved into autumn, we have been looking for more recipes that use squash. I found this recipe on FoodNetwork.com (courtesy of Paula Deen). This is a sweet bread that is good for any occasion: appetizer, snack, breakfast or dessert (but it has zucchini in it so it's healthy, right?). So far I have made it twice and it has been a hit with those who try it. Erin shared it with some friends from dental school and they have been asking for the recipe, so here it is...

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup water
2 cups finely grated zucchini
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Cinnamon sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two standard loaf pans.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix dry ingredients into wet. Fold in nuts. Divide into the two greased loaf pans. Sprinkle the top generously with cinnamon sugar (certainly not necessary, but certainly recommended). Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Flan

2008-10-07T17:54:00.006-05:00

Flan is a baked egg custard with caramel in the bottom. It turned out of its baking dish and served upside down. According to the classic cookbook "Joy of Cooking" (from which this recipe was taken), "flan is the preeminent dessert of Spain and Latin America. It is also a favorite in France, where it is known as crème caramel." Interestingly, I first encountered flan when I was living in Japan. Like most desserts that you find in Japan (and in contrast to most American desserts), flan is more subtly sweet (not in-your-face sugar, sugar, sugar). I appreciated the subtle sweetness of desserts in Japan and was excited to find this recipe. Please don't be intimidated by the length of these instructions. It turned out to be much easier to make than I would have guessed--and just as delicious as I remembered!

Preheat oven to 325°F. Have ready eight 6-ounce custard cups or ramekins (I used four 7-ounce and two 16-ounce ramekins because that is what our corningware set contains) or a 2- to 2½-quart soufflé dish.

Flan, like other custards, should be cooked in a water bath to allow equal distribution of heat. To do this: Find one or two larger pans (like casserole dishes or 9x13 in. baking pans) that will hold the dishes you are using for the flan. Place a dish towel or several layer of paper towels in the bottom of the pan (this helps protect the bottom of the custard dish from direct heat). Partially fill the pan with water, such that when the custard dishes are placed in the pan the water comes 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up the custard dishes.

To prepare caramel in the dishes, combine the following in a small heavy saucepan:

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water

Cook over medium heat without stirring, very gently swirling the pan, until the sugar is dissolved. Do not allow the mixture to boil until after sugar is dissolved, so slide the pan on and off the burner as necessary. Once sugar is dissolved increase the heat to high and bring the syrup to a rolling boil; cover the pan tightly and boil for 2 minutes. Uncover the pan and cook until the syrup begins to caramelize, or darken. Gently stir once again and cook until the caramel syrup turns a deep amber (or light brown or golden) color.

Quickly pour the caramel syrup into the dishes. Immediately tilt the dishes to spread the caramel over the bottom and halfway up the sides. It is important to do this quickly for two reasons: 1) the caramel will continue to cook and quickly turn darker and darker while it is still in the pan, so you want to get it out of the pan and into the dishes before it gets too dark; 2) the caramel will harden quickly as it cools, so you want to spread it around in the dish before it becomes too hard. So if there is someone available to help you, I recommend having one person quickly pour the caramel into the dishes and a second person tilt the dishes to spread the caramel.

To prepare the custard, whisk (or use handmixer on low speed) the following in a large bowl until blended:

4 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks (or 5 large eggs)
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt

Heat the following in a medium saucepan over medium heat until just steaming:

3 cups whole milk (if you normally just buy skim milk like me, you can use 3/4 cups half-and-half, 2 1/4 cups skim milk)

Remove from heat and gradually whisk (or beat on low speed) the milk into the egg mixture and stir gently until the sugar is dissolved. It is important to do this gradually; if you pour too much hot milk in at once, it can cause the egg to cook and leave some lumps in the custard. I didn't find the following step necessary, but for extra smooth custard: Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl or measure with a pouring lip.

Stir in the following:

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Pour into the caramel-lined dishes. Place the dishes into the prepared pans containing the water, being careful not to allow water to splash into the custard. Bake in 325°F oven in water bath for 40-60 minutes for individual cups, 60-90 minutes for a single dish, or until firmly set in the center. To test for doneness, gently shake dish; custard is done if the center appears quivery, like firm gelatin. Alternatively, insert a knife near the edge of the dish; if the blade comes out clean, the custard is ready to be removed. There is enough heat stored in the dishes that the custard will continue to set as it cools.

Remove from oven and cool on a rack; then cover each dish tightly with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.

To unmold and serve, dip the cups or dish briefly in hot water, loosen the edges of the flan with a knife, and invert onto plates. Enjoy!

Lemon Cake

2008-10-04T17:49:00.005-05:00

I'm not sure why, but I've always been intrigued by lemon cakes. So I'd been wanting to make one for awhile. I decided to try it as my brother's 18th birthday cake. The reciped is from Cake Love by Warren Brown. He calls it the "Light and Lemony Cake." It uses both fresh lemon zest and segmented lemons and it achieves a very nice lemon flavor, but not too strong. My brother loves raspberries and so I made the Italian buttercream frosting and flavored about half of it with vanilla extract and the other half with raspberry puree (see recipes on this blog). It was every bit as tasty as it looks!

Dry Ingredients

8 ½ ounces (1 ½ cups + 3 T.) flour (high altitude: 9 ounces; 1 ¾ cups + 1 T.)
2 T. potato starch
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking soda

Liquid Ingredients

2 lemons
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup heavy cream (high altitude: ¼ cup + 2 tsp.)
¼ cup whole milk (high altitude: ¼ cup + 2 tsp.)
½ tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. lemon extract (optional)

Creaming Ingredients

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese
16 ounces (2 cups) extra-fine granulated sugar (high altitude: 15 ounces; 1 ¾ cups + 2 T.)
2 T. turbinado sugar (or dark brown sugar)
1 T. lemon zest
4 eggs, room temperature (high altitude: 5 eggs)
1 egg yolk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (335 for convection oven). Set the rack in the middle of the oven.

Zest lemons and then segment the zested lemons. Lemon zest is the very outside portion of the peel (not the white part). It is filled with the lemony flavor. There are citrus zesters you can buy, but I found that a vegetable peeler works very well. Use the peeler to lightly peel the exterior portion of the lemon peel (be careful not to get the bitter white part)--it helps to wiggle the peeler back and forth slightly as you are doing it. Then use a knife to chop up the peeled portion into pieces as tiny as possible. Segmenting lemons involves cutting all the white away from the lemon and then cutting out wedges containing only the meat of the fruit. If you are unsure, an internet search will yield directions (and even video) on how to do these things.

Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Measure the liquid ingredients into a separate bowl and whisk to combine. Don't try to break up the lemon segments—the mixer will take care of that.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment), cream together the butter, cream cheese, sugars, and lemon zest on lowest speed until it starts sticking to the sides of the bowl. (This is a very important step. Be sure to do it on the lowest setting. It takes about 5 minutes for this step.)

With mixer still on lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time followed by the yolk. Allow to fully incorporate after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape sides of bowl.

With mixer still on low speed, add the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients alternating, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. This should take about 60 seconds in total (3 to 5 steps of alternating adding). Don't wait for the ingredients to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds.

Prepare the pans. For 9-inch-round cakes, grease and flour only the bottom of the pans; do not spray the sides. For cupcakes, grease or use cupcake liners (also lightly spray the top of the cupcake pan to help release any overflowing crowns). For Bundt pan spray generously with nonstick spray. Deposit batter equally into each 9-inch round and smooth with spatula (for cupcakes, fill cups ~2/3 full; for Bundt cake fill to ~3/4 full). Bake 9-inch rounds for 30 minutes (high altitude: 35 minutes); Bundt cake 45-50 minutes (high altitude: 50 minutes); cupcakes for 22 minutes (high altitude: 32 minutes). Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into center of cake. Cake is done when there are just a touch of crumbs clinging to the toothpick. The cakes edges may pull away from the pan. Allow to cool to room temperature, 25-30 minutes, before carefully removing from pan. For Bundt cake, allow to cool 5-10 minutes before removing from pan. May be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 5 days prior to frosting (not necessary, but if you are cutting it into a four-layer cake it will be much easier to work with when cold).

Banana Cake

2008-10-04T17:35:00.004-05:00

I made this cake at the request of Erin. It is from Cake Love by Warren Brown and he calls it "Mr. Banana Legs." It reminds me of banana bread, but sweeter. It is a unique and tasty cake. As the pictures above show, I served it with powdered sugar. I could also see it being good as cupcakes or a round layer cake served with frosting.

Dry Ingredients

10 ounces (2 cups) flour (high altitude: 10 ¾ ounces; 2 cups + 2 T. + 2 tsp.)
1 T. potato starch
1 T. turbinado sugar
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking soda (high altitude: no baking soda)
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Liquid Ingredients

6 ounces very ripe peeled bananas (~1-2 bananas)
¾ cup half-and-half (high altitude: ¾ cup + 2 T.)
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Creaming Ingredients

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
21 ounces (2 ¾ cups) extra-fine granulated sugar (high altitude: 19 ½ ounces; 2 ¼ cups + 3 T.)
4 eggs, room temperature (high altitude: 5 eggs)
3 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (335 for convection oven). Set the rack in the middle of the oven.

Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Measure the liquid ingredients and combine in a food processor or blender for ~30 seconds. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment), cream together the butter and sugar on lowest speed until it starts sticking to the sides of the bowl. (This is a very important step. Be sure to do it on the lowest setting. It takes about 5 minutes for this step.)

With mixer still on lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time followed by the yolk. Allow to fully incorporate after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape sides of bowl.

With mixer still on low speed, add the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients alternating, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. This should take about 60 seconds in total (3 to 5 steps of alternating adding). Don't wait for the ingredients to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds.

Prepare the pans. For 9-inch-round cakes, grease and flour only the bottom of the pans; do not spray the sides. For cupcakes, grease or use cupcake liners (also lightly spray the top of the cupcake pan to help release any overflowing crowns). For Bundt pan spray generously with nonstick spray. Deposit batter equally into each 9-inch round and smooth with spatula (for cupcakes, fill cups ~2/3 full; for Bundt cake fill to ~3/4 full). Bake 9-inch rounds for 26-28 minutes (high altitude: 42 minutes); Bundt cake 45 minutes (high altitude: 55 minutes); cupcakes for 22 minutes (high altitude: 32 minutes). Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into center of cake. Cake is done when there are just a touch of crumbs clinging to the toothpick. The cakes edges may pull away from the pan. Allow to cool to room temperature, 25-30 minutes, before carefully removing from pan. For Bundt cake, allow to cool 5-10 minutes before removing from pan. May be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 5 days prior to frosting (not necessary, but if you are cutting it into a four-layer cake it will be much easier to work with when cold).

Chocolate Pound Cake

2008-10-04T09:46:00.004-05:00

Deliciously chocolate pound cake from Cake Love by Warren Brown. This was a big hit with all the family members who tried it. Delicious on it's own or served with ice cream. To dress it up a bit, consider sifting powdered sugar on top.

Dry Ingredients

10 ounces (2 cups) flour (high altitude: 11 ounces; 2 ¼ cups + 2 T.)
2 ounces (1/2 cup + 2 tsp.) unsweetened cocoa powder (high altitude: 2 ¼ ounces; ½ cup + 3 T.)
2 T. turbinado sugar (or dark brown sugar)
1 tsp. potato starch
¾ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking soda

Liquid Ingredients

½ cup (4 ounces) sour cream
¾ cup + 1 T. whole milk (high altitude: ¾ cup + 3 T.)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Creaming Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
24 ounces (3 cups) extra-fine granulated sugar (high altitude: 21 ounces; 2 ¾ cups + 2 tsp.)
4 eggs, room temperature (high altitude: 5 eggs)
3 egg yolks, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (335 for convection oven). Set the rack in the middle of the oven.

Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Measure the liquid ingredients into a separate bowl and whisk to combine.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment), cream together the butter and sugar on lowest speed until it starts sticking to the sides of the bowl. (This is a very important step. Be sure to do it on the lowest setting. It takes about 5 minutes for this step.)

With mixer still on lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time followed by the yolk. Allow to fully incorporate after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape sides of bowl.

With mixer still on low speed, add the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients alternating, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. This should take about 60 seconds in total (3 to 5 steps of alternating adding). Don't wait for the ingredients to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds.

Prepare the pans. This recipe can be made into cupcakes or baked in a Bundt pan. Spray very well with nonstick cooking spray. Fill Bundt pan about ¾ full. Level the batter with spatula. (Cupcake cups should also be filled about ¾ full). Bake Bundt for 50-55 minutes (high altitude: 60 minutes); cupcakes for 15 minutes (high altitude: 32 minutes). Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into center of cake. Cake is done when there are just a touch of crumbs clinging to the toothpick. Allow to cool until you can hold the pan in your bare hands (5-10 minutes) and then remove cake and allow to fully cool.

Chocolate Butter Cake

2008-08-17T20:10:00.004-05:00

This is another delicious cake recipe from Cake Love by Warren Brown. It makes a delicious chocolate cake--that you can spruce up with the frosting of your choice. So far I have tried it with the Coconut Buttercream and the Pecan Crunch Buttercream. The picture above was taken as I was assembling the cake with Pecan Crunch Buttercream.

Dry Ingredients:

7 ounces (1 ¼ cups + 2 T.) flour (high altitude: 7 ¼ ounces; 1 ¼ cups + 3 T.)
2 ounces (1/2 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder (high altitude: 2 1/8 ounces; ½ cup + 1 T. + ½ tsp.)
1 tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. baking powder (high altitude: 1 tsp.)

Liquid Ingredients:

1 cup half-and-half (high altitude: 1 cup + 2 ½ T.)
1 T. vanilla extract

Creaming Ingredients:

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
14 ounces (1 ¾ cups) extra-fine granulated sugar (high altitude: 13 ounces; 1 ½ cups + 2 T.)
4 eggs, room temperature (high altitude: 5 eggs)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (335 for convection oven). Set the rack in the middle of the oven.

Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Measure the liquid ingredients into a separate bowl and whisk to combine.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment), cream together the butter and sugar on lowest speed until it starts sticking to the sides of the bowl. (This is a very important step. Be sure to do it on the lowest setting. It takes about 5 minutes for this step.) If using a vanilla bean, scrape out seeds and add to the creaming butter and sugar.

With mixer still on lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time followed by the yolk. Allow to fully incorporate after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape sides of bowl.

With mixer still on low speed, add the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients alternating, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. This should take about 60 seconds in total (3 to 5 steps of alternating adding). Don't wait for the ingredients to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds.

Prepare the pans. For 9-inch-round cakes, grease and flour only the bottom of the pans; do not spray the sides. For cupcakes, grease or use cupcake liners (also lightly spray the top of the cupcake pan to help release any overflowing crowns). Deposit batter equally into each 9-inch round and smooth with spatula (for cupcakes, fill cups ~2/3 full). Bake 9-inch rounds for 28 minutes (high altitude: 35 minutes); cupcakes for 22 minutes (high altitude: 20 minutes). Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into center of cake. Cake is done when there are just a touch of crumbs clinging to the toothpick. The cakes edges may pull away from the pan. Allow to cool to room temperature, 25-30 minutes, before carefully removing from pan. May be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 5 days prior to frosting (not necessary, but if you are cutting it into a four-layer cake it will be much easier to work with when cold).

Coconut Buttercream

2008-08-17T19:56:00.005-05:00

I used this Coconut Buttercream with the Chocolate Butter Cake recipe to make a German chocolate cake for my dad's birthday. I put Chocolate Pastry Cream between two of the center layers of the cake. All recipe's are from Cake Love by Warren Brown.

Milk Mixture:

2 cups whole milk
3 ounces (1/2 cup) unsweetened coconut flakes
7 ounces (3/4 cup + 2 T.) extra-fine granulated sugar

Yolk Mixture:

6 egg yolks
2 ounces (1/4 cup) extra-fine granulated sugar
3 T. potato starch
¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

Flavorings and Butter:

3 ounces (1/4 cup) muscavado or dark brown sugar, packed
½ tsp. imitation coconut flavor (to taste)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled

Separate the yolks into a large bowl. Add the 2 ounces of sugar and the potato starch and whisk to combine. Add the 2 ounces of butter, but do not stir in. Set aside.

Measure the milk mixture ingredients into a 2-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat and let the mixture steep for 10 minutes.

Return the milk mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Once it reaches a simmer, slowly pour it into the yolk mixture, whisking slowly in small circles at first and ending with broader strokes until fully combined (it may be helpful to put a damp towel underneath the bowl or to have someone hold it to prevent it from sliding while you stir). Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

Return the saucepan to the stove and heat over medium heat, whisking constantly but not rapidly, for about 4 minutes (high altitude: 3 minutes). The key is to keep the pastry cream moving so it won't scorch on the bottom of the saucepan. When you begin to see lava bubbles—large, slowly forming bubble that burp steam—reduce the heat to the lowest setting and whisk briskly for 1 minute to pasteurize the pastry cream.

Pour the pastry cream into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the wire ship attachment. Add the muscovado, coconut flavor, and vanilla extract. Whip the pastry cream on high speed until it's cooled to room temperature, about 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Whip on medium speed until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Note: This frosting is called BUTTERcream for a reason—it has lots of butter. The butter makes it thicker, but you can get away with adding less butter. I recommend experimenting with it to see what you like best, as far as consistency and flavor. I think you could get away with adding 3 sticks of butter instead of 4 (maybe even less).

Chocolate Pastry Cream

2008-08-17T15:09:00.003-05:00

This recipe is from Cake Love by Warren Brown. It is very sweet, but very good. If you feel the need/desire to add chocolaty sweetness to a cake, this will do it! I used a layer of this in making german chocolate cake (Chocolate Butter Cake with Coconut Buttercream).

Milk Mixture:

2 cups whole milk

Yolk Mixture:

3 eggs
7 egg yolks
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:

24 ounces (3 cups) extra-fine granulated sugar
2 ounces (1/2 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup potato starch
2 T. flour

Butter:

8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled

Separate the eggs and yolks into a large bowl. Add the vanilla extract and whisk to combine; set aside. Mix the dry ingredients into a separate bowl, whisk to combine, and set aside.

Measure the milk into a 2-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat but keep the saucepan on the stove. Meanwhile, combine the yolk mixture and the dry ingredients.

Return the milk mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Once it reaches a simmer, slowly pour it into the yolk mixture, whisking slowly in small circles at first and ending with broader strokes until fully combined (it may be helpful to put a damp towel underneath the bowl or to have someone hold it to prevent it from sliding while you stir). Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

Return the saucepan to the stove and heat over medium heat, whisking constantly but not rapidly, for about 4 minutes (high altitude: 3 minutes). The key is to keep the pastry cream moving so it won't scorch on the bottom of the saucepan. When you begin to see lava bubbles—large, slowly forming bubble that burp steam—reduce the heat to the lowest setting and whisk briskly for 1 minute to pasteurize the pastry cream.

Pour the pastry cream into a mixing bowl. Whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Cover with plastic pressed against the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Immediately refrigerate for at least 3 hours before using.

Pecan Crunch Buttercream

2008-08-17T14:56:00.007-05:00

I made this cake for my grandma's birthday. It is the Chocolate Butter Cake topped with Pecan Crunch Buttercream. Both recipes are from Cake Love by Warren Brown. People seemed to really love this buttercream. It's natural flavor and color comes from real pecans.

Milk Mixture:

2 cups whole milk
3 ounces (1 cup) unsalted pecan halves
7 ounces (3/4 cup + 2 T.) extra-fine granulated sugar

Yolk Mixture:

6 egg yolks
2 ounces (1/4 cup) extra-fine granulated sugar
3 T. potato starch
¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

Flavorings and Butter:

3 ounces (1/4 cup) muscavado or dark brown sugar, packed
1 T. honey
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled

2 ounces (1/4 cup) extra-fine granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Separate the yolks into a large bowl. Add the 2 ounces of sugar and the potato starch and whisk to combine. Add the 2 ounces of butter, but do not stir in. Set aside.

Measure the milk mixture ingredients into a 2-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat and let the pecans steep for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, strain the pecans and capture the flavored milk in a large bowl. Set pecans aside.

Return the milk mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Once it reaches a simmer, slowly pour it into the yolk mixture, whisking slowly in small circles at first and ending with broader strokes until fully combined (it may be helpful to put a damp towel underneath the bowl or to have someone hold it to prevent it from sliding while you stir). Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

Return the saucepan to the stove and heat over medium heat, whisking constantly but not rapidly, for about 4 minutes (high altitude: 3 minutes). The key is to keep the pastry cream moving so it won't scorch on the bottom of the saucepan. When you begin to see lava bubbles—large, slowly forming bubble that burp steam—reduce the heat to the lowest setting and whisk briskly for 1 minute to pasteurize the pastry cream.

Pour the pastry cream into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the wire ship attachment. Add the muscovado, honey, and vanilla extract. Whip the pastry cream on high speed until it's cooled to room temperature, about 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Whip on medium speed until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss the drained pecans with ¼ cup sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Place on an ungreased cooking sheet. Toast for 5 to 10 minutes (high altitude: about 15 minutes). Be careful not to burn.

Let the pecans (pralines) cool completely; then break into chunks. Add them to the buttercream and mix on low speed until the nuts are fully incorporated. (You can also save some of pralines to decorate the top of the cake.)

Note: This frosting is called BUTTERcream for a reason—it has lots of butter. The butter makes it thicker, but you can get away with adding less butter. I recommend experimenting with it to see what you like best, as far as consistency and flavor. I think you could get away with adding 3 sticks of butter instead of 4 (maybe even less).

Vanilla Pound Cake

2008-08-17T14:42:00.007-05:00

The two main varieties of cakes described in Cake Love by Warren Brown are pound cakes and butter cakes. This is the basic pound cake recipe. It can be eaten alone or served with ice cream, whipped cream, fruit (e.g. strawberry shortcake), etc. It is pictured above served with raspberry puree and whipped cream.

Dry Ingredients:

13 ½ ounces (2 ½ cups + 3 T.) flour (high altitude: 14 ½ ounces; 2 ¾ cups + 2 T.)
1 T. potato starch
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking soda

Liquid Ingredients:

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
2 T. heavy cream (high altitude: 2 T. + 1 tsp.)
7 T. whole milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Optional: 2 T. finely grated lemon peel ("lemon zest"). If you like a hint of lemon flavor, this is delicious. If you want a completely vanilla pound cake, leave this out.

Creaming Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
24 ounces (3 cups) extra-fine granulated sugar (high altitude: 21 ounces; 2 ½ cups + 2 T.)
5 eggs, room temperature (high altitude: 6 eggs)
1 egg yolk, room temperature
1 vanilla bean (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (335 for convection oven). Set the rack in the middle of the oven.

Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Measure the liquid ingredients into a separate bowl and whisk to combine.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment), cream together the butter and sugar on lowest speed until it starts sticking to the sides of the bowl. (This is a very important step. Be sure to do it on the lowest setting. It takes about 5 minutes for this step.) If using a vanilla bean, scrape out seeds and add to the creaming butter and sugar.

With mixer still on lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time followed by the yolk. Allow to fully incorporate after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape sides of bowl.

With mixer still on low speed, add the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients alternating, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. This should take about 60 seconds in total (3 to 5 steps of alternating adding). Don't wait for the ingredients to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds.

Prepare the pans. This can be made into cupcakes or baked in a Bundt pan. Spray very well with nonstick cooking spray. Fill Bundt pan about ¾ full. Level the batter with spatula. (Cupcake cups should also be filled about ¾ full). Bake Bundt for 50-55 minutes (high altitude: 70 minutes); cupcakes for 15 minutes (high altitude: 30 minutes). Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into center of cake. Cake is done when there are just a touch of crumbs clinging to the toothpick. Allow to cool until you can hold the pan in your bare hands (5-10 minutes) and then remove cake and allow to fully cool.

Raspberry Puree

2008-08-17T14:34:00.003-05:00

This is a very simple recipe for making a raspberry puree that can be used to flavor (and add color to) the base Italian Meringue Buttercream. It can also be used as a topping itself (e.g. cake, ice cream, waffles, etc.) or any other way that you can dream up. It is from Cake Love by Warren Brown.

12 to 16 ounces frozen raspberries, thawed
4 ounces (1/2 cup) sugar

Thaw a package of frozen raspberries in the bag (do not strain the juice). Combine the raspberries and their juice with the sugar in a 2-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Gently bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and promptly remove from heat. Carefully strain through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl. Try to capture all of the raspberry seeds in the strainer. Transfer the puree to an airtight container. Store in refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Italian Meringue Buttercream

2008-08-17T14:16:00.005-05:00

If you want a cake that tastes like it came from a professional, this frosting is a great place to start! It is much easier to make than I had originally thought. The recipe here is the "base" recipe, that can then easily be flavored in a variety of ways (I list some of them below). The cake above is my 4th of July Cake. I made a batch of the base and flavored half with vanilla and half with raspberry.

5 egg whites
10 ounces (1 ¼ cup) extra-fine granulated sugar, divided
¼ cup cold water
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter

Separate the egg whites into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the wire whip attachment. Measure 1 cup sugar and the water into a 1-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Gently stir to combine. Measure the remaining ¼ cup sugar into a small bowl and set aside. Cut the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces and set aside in a medium bowl.

Make the sugar syrup by heating the 1 cup of sugar and the water in the saucepan over medium-high heat. Partially cover with a lid to capture the evaporating water—this helps to moisten the sides of the saucepan to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Use candy thermometer to monitor temperature.

As syrup is heating, begin whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks. When the peaks are stiff, you have a meringue. Keep the mixer running and pour the ¼ cup of sugar into the meringue.

Raise the heat under the sugar syrup to bring the syrup to 245°F, if it is not there already. When the syrup is at 245°F, remove the thermometer and slowly pour the syrup into the meringue (while the mixer is still running on high speed). After 1 to 2 minutes reduce the mixer speed to medium for 3 to 4 more minutes, or until the meringue is cooled. Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Increase the mixer speed to high for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the butter is fully incorporated.

Note: This frosting is called BUTTERcream for a reason—it has lots of butter. The butter makes it thicker, but you can get away with adding less butter. I recommend experimenting with it to see what you like best, as far as consistency and flavor. I think you could get away with adding 3 sticks of butter instead of 4 (maybe even less).

The following flavorings can be added to the base recipe for Italian Meringue Buttercream:

Vanilla: 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Chocolate: ½ cup melted bittersweet chocolate
Raspberry: ¼ to ½ cup raspberry puree (see separate recipe)
Lemon: 2 T. limoncello
Orange: 1 tsp. orange oil
Lime: 1 tsp. lime oil

Yellow Butter Cake

2008-08-17T13:56:00.011-05:00

This is the first cake I made using the recipes from Cake Love by Warren Brown. We were having a 4th of July dinner at my grandma's house and I volunteered to bring a dessert. I wanted to be a bit creative and go with the patriotic theme. I made the Yellow Butter Cake and frosted it with Italian Meringue Buttercream (both vanilla and raspberry flavored). The cake was decorated with some raspberry puree and blueberries that Erin and I hand-picked at a farm earlier that morning.

Dry Ingredients:

7 ounces (1 ¼ cups + 2 T.) flour (high altitude: 7 ¼ ounces; 1 ¼ cups + 3 T.)
2 ounces potato starch
1 tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. baking powder (high altitude: 1 tsp.)

Liquid Ingredients:

1 cup half-and-half (high altitude: 1 cup + 2 ½ T.)
1 T. vanilla extract

Creaming Ingredients:

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
14 ounces (1 ¾ cups) extra-fine granulated sugar (high altitude: 13 ounces; 1 ½ cups + 2 T.)
4 eggs, room temperature (high altitude: 5 eggs)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (335 for convection oven). Set the rack in the middle of the oven.

Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Measure the liquid ingredients into a separate bowl and whisk to combine.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment), cream together the butter and sugar on lowest speed until it starts sticking to the sides of the bowl. (This is a very important step. Be sure to do it on the lowest setting. It takes about 5 minutes for this step.) If using a vanilla bean, scrape out seeds and add to the creaming butter and sugar.

With mixer still on lowest speed, add the eggs one at a time followed by the yolk. Allow to fully incorporate after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape sides of bowl.

With mixer still on low speed, add the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients alternating, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. This should take about 60 seconds in total (3 to 5 steps of alternating adding). Don't wait for the ingredients to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for 15 to 20 seconds.

Prepare the pans. For 9-inch-round cakes, grease and flour only the bottom of the pans; do not spray the sides. For cupcakes, grease or use cupcake liners (also lightly spray the top of the cupcake pan to help release any overflowing crowns). Deposit batter equally into each 9-inch round and smooth with spatula (for cupcakes, fill cups ~2/3 full). Bake 9-inch rounds for 28 minutes (high altitude: 35 minutes); cupcakes for 22 minutes (high altitude: 20 minutes). Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into center of cake. Cake is done when there are just a touch of crumbs clinging to the toothpick. The cakes edges may pull away from the pan. Allow to cool to room temperature, 25-30 minutes, before carefully removing from pan. May be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 5 days prior to frosting (not necessary, but if you are cutting it into a four-layer cake it will be much easier to work with when cold).

Some more pictures, because I'm really proud of this cake:

Cake Love

2008-08-17T13:34:00.003-05:00

Picture from Amazon.com

I recently got in a cake-baking mood. I think it came with my discovery of the book "Cake Love: How to Bake Cakes from Scratch" by Warren Brown. He is the founder of the Cake Love bakeries which are located in the Washington, DC area. Over the past month or so I have read the book and tested several of the recipes. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning to bake cakes. The book is full of great step-by-step instructions and photographs.

I will not post all of the recipes in this book on my blog. That would take way too long and I'm sure would violate some sort of copyright rules. Also, I only post recipes on this blog that I have actually made myself. It will take quite awhile before I have tested all of the great recipes in this book. I have tried a few of them so far and they were delicious. I'll post the ones that I've tried. Again, if you are excited about cake baking I highly recommend this book—you can find it at bookstores or on Amazon.com (or maybe even at your local library). There are lots of intriguing recipes in the book that I look forward to making in the future. The book contains many pointers, pictures and step-by-step advice that I can't include here.

Please also note that the recipes I record in this blog are adapted by me. There are some ingredients that I haven't been able to find or that I don't feel like I can afford (like vanilla powder, maple crystals, etc.). I have left them out and made some adaptations, but if you want the "real" Cake Love professional recipes, I encourage you to refer to the book. (The cakes I've made have tasted great, but I'm sure using vanilla beans—which are out of my price range for everyday use—and some of the other ingredients would make it all the better!)

My favorite thing about the book is Warren's attitude about baking. He points out that your cake doesn't need to look like a masterpiece for people to love it. He encourages creativity and experimentation. Have fun with it!

I'll conclude this post by giving some basic pointers and tips that Warren emphasizes in his book:

Basic pointers:

Measure ingredients (especially flour) with a scale.
Use a sifter (crank sifter recommended) for flour.
A good stand mixer (e.g. KitchenAid) is recommended.
Set out all the ingredients and have them ready. If you do this, the actual cake baking part goes quite quickly.
Cakes are most easy to frost when they have been refrigerated. I've been making cakes the night before, wrapping them in plastic wrap and storing in the refrigerator, and then frosting and eating the next day. We've even noticed that some of these cakes taste better the second or third day. They keep nicely for about 1 week in the refrigerator.
Cake flour is not recommended. Warren uses unbleached all-purpose flour. I've been using bleached all-purpose flour.
Potato starch is used in many of the recipes to decrease the amount of flour but maintain the structure of the cake. Warren calls it his "secret ingredient."
All recipes from this book call for unsalted butter.
Extra-fine (or superfine) granulated sugar is strongly recommended because it pulls air into the cake batter better than normal granulated sugar. Warren says that well-made cake batter can be thought of as "ingredients floating around a lot of air." Extra-fine sugar makes for a lighter, better textured cake.
All recipes in this book call for large eggs.
Some of the recipes call for whole milk. We usually only have skim milk on-hand. If you have half-and-half, you can use it to turn skim milk into whole milk by adding 1 part half-and-half to 3 parts skim milk (e.g. ¼ cup half-and-half + ¾ cup skim milk = 1 cup whole milk).

Coconut Pecan Yams

2008-08-14T22:30:00.003-05:00

We first had this dish when the Edwards' family brought it to a church potluck. I've never been big on yams (I usually just take a little bit at Thanksgiving to be polite), but I absolutely loved these! As I said to Erin, "How can you ever go wrong when there's butter, brown sugar, coconut, and pecans?" Warning: If you follow this recipe exactly you will notice that it asks you to add a cup of sugar to the yams. It is VERY sweet. I think sweet potatoes are sweet enough on their own (hence the name) and so I would recommend leaving out the cup of sugar (unless, of course you are in a very sweet mood or would like to serve this as a dessert).

3 cups cooked, mashed yams
1 cup sugar (optional)
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine the above ingredients, mix well and spoon into a lightly greased 2-qt. rectangular baking dish.

Topping:

1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans

Combine the Topping ingredients and sprinkle over yams. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown, about 45 minutes.

Scotcheroos

2008-08-14T22:18:00.002-05:00

I always love it when these are on the dessert table at potluck meals, but it wasn't until a couple of years ago that I made them for myself. They are super easy to make and everyone seems to love them. There are lots of recipes floating around for these, but the one I am posting here is directly from the Nestle website (so I guess that means you should use Nestle brand chips when you make them!). By the way, Erin always calls these "Snickeroos" and I like to tease her about it. (Maybe I'll have to try putting Snickers in them sometime!)

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
6 cups toasted rice cereal
1 2/3 cups (11 oz. package) butterscotch chips
1 cup (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Coat 13x9-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine peanut butter, sugar and corn syrup in large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until melted. Remove from heat. Add cereal; stir until thoroughly coated. Press onto bottom of prepared baking pan.

Microwave butterscotch and chocolate chips in large, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on 50% power for 1 minute; stir. If necessary microwave longer, stirring every 15-30 seconds until just smooth. Spread over cereal mixture.

Allow to cool until topping is firm (may refrigerate to speed things up). Cut into bars and enjoy!

Mexicorn Grits

2008-08-14T21:48:00.004-05:00

Erin and I found this recipe in the Taste of Home magazine and, because of our love for Iowa corn, Erin's love of Mexican food my love of grits, decided that we had to try it. It was quick to make and we were very happy with the outcome. (Note: This recipe calls for Mexicorn which, I think is the Green Giant brand. A different brand we found calls it "Corn'n Peppers." It is basically just canned corn with some diced sweet bell peppers mixed in.)

4 cups milk
1/2 cup and 1/3 cup butter, divided
1 cup quick-cooking grits
2 eggs
1 can (11 oz. or 15 oz., depending on brand--either will be fine) Mexicorn, drained
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Mexican cheese blend (or just plain cheddar is good too)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper (black works fine too)
Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, bring milk and 1/2 cup butter to a boil. Slowly stir in grits. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 5-7 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. Stir a small amount of hot grits into eggs; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Melt remaining 1/3 cup butter; stir into grits. Add the corn, chilies, cheese, salt and pepper.

Transfer to a greased 2- or 2 1/2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Yield: 10 servings.

Pretzels

2008-06-22T21:21:00.006-05:00

Due to the flooding in Iowa, the dental school was closed this past week and Erin used her extra time to try making homemade pretzels. I was very impressed and thought I'd post this unique recipe. Making these would be a fun family/group activity. Note that this recipe is from a bread machine cookbook (Better Homes and Gardens) and so the dough was made in our bread machine.

Place the following ingredients in your bread machine and select the Dough cycle. Those listed are for 1 1/2 lbs. (those in parenthesis are for 2 lbs.):

1 cup (1 1/3 cup) milk
2 T. (3 T.) water
1 T. (4 tsp.) cooking oil
3 cups (4 cups) bread flour
2 T. (3 T.) sugar
3/4 tsp. (1 tsp.) salt
1 1/4 tsp. (1 1/2 tsp.) active dry yeast

When dough cycle is complete, remove dough. Punch down. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Grease 2 large baking sheets; set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the 1 1/2 lb. dough into a 12 x 8" rectangle. Cut lengthwise into sixteen 12 x 1/2" strips. (Roll 2 lb. dough into a 12 x 11" rectangle; cut lengthwise into twenty-two 12 x 1/2" strips.) Gently roll the strips into 16" ropes.

Shape each pretzel by crossing 1 end of a rope over the other to form a circle, overlapping about 4 inches from each end. Take 1 end of dough in each hand and twist once at the point where the dough overlaps. Carefully lift each end across to the edge of the circle opposite it. Tuck ends under edges to make a pretzel shape; moisten ends and press to seal. Place on the prepared baking sheets. Do not let rise.

Bake in a 475 degree oven for 4 minutes. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, generously grease another 2 large baking sheets; set aside. In a large pot bring ~8 cups of water + 2 T. salt to boiling. Add pretzels, 3 or 4 at a time, and boil gently for 2 minutes, turning once. Using a slotted spoon, remove pretzels from water and drain on paper towels. Let stand for a few seconds. Place pretzels, about 1/2" apart, on the prepared baking sheets.

In a small bowl combine 1 slightly beaten egg white and 1 T. of water; brush over pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse (kosher) salt and/or sesame seeds. (Note: I recommend making a few with cinnamon sugar.)

Bake in the 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheets; cool on wire racks.

Triple Chocolate Torte

2008-06-22T20:47:00.006-05:00

I've been in a cake mood lately and was excited to try this recipe that Erin got from her parents. Erin made it mostly on her own (while I helped with some mixing and, of course, sampled the batter and frosting at various times just to make sure it wasn't poisoned). We took it to a dinner party at my parents' house. Served with Breyer's vanilla ice cream, it was a hit.

2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk (or sour milk)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9" round baking pans. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. In a large mixer bowl, stir together remaining 1 cup of sugar. Flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt. Add oil, buttermilk, and egg yolks and beat until smooth. Gently fold egg whites into batter. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 25-30 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched in the center. Cool for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and place on wire racks. Cool completely.

Filling:

2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cup cold whipping cream
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a small mixing bowl, combine sugar and cocoa. Add whipping cream and vanilla. Beat on low until blended, then beat on medium until stiff. Once made, keep the filling chilled.

With long serrated knife, cut each cake layer horizontally in half (to make a total of 4 layers). Spread one layer with 1/3 of the filling. Top with second layer of cake and repeat, ending with a plain layer of cake on top. Prepare chocolate glaze.

Glaze:

3 T. butter or margarine
3 T. light corn syrup
1 T. water
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a small saucepan, combine butter, corn syrup, and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips, stirring until melted. Cool to room temperature.

Spread glaze over cake and be as creative as you like with additional decorating (Erin and I drizzled with white chocolate). As the base of the filling is whipped cream, it is best to keep refrigerated when not serving.

BYU Mint Brownies

2008-04-28T20:02:00.007-05:00

As a student at BYU, I was a big fan of the mint brownies that were served in the dorm cafeteria and that could be purchased at the Cougareat Food Court. I was excited to find this recipe in BYU Magazine.

1 cup margarine
1/2 cup cocoa
2 T. honey
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Mint Icing:

5 T. margarine
dash of salt
3 T. milk
1 T. light corn syrup
2 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract
green food coloring (several drops)

Chocolate Glaze:

6 T. butter
1 cup chocolate chips
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Make brownies: Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool.
Prepare mint icing: Soften margarine. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring (until it is a nice green color). Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.
Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen icing.
Prepare chocolate glaze: Microwave butter and chocolate chips together at 50% power until just melted, stirring occasionally. Add vanilla and stir.
Remove mint-covered brownies from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate glaze.

Toasted Butter Pecan Cake

2008-04-20T22:03:00.004-05:00

Erin made this cake last night. It is another recipe from Taste of Home magazine. If you don't like pecans, you definitely won't like this cake. But, in my opinion, any recipe with lots of butter, sugar, and pecans must be a winner!

This recipe calls for a total of 2 2/3 cups of chopped pecans. As you can see from the picture, it is loaded with them. I think you could easily get away with using quite a bit fewer and still have it be delicious (maybe 1 to 1 1/2 cups in the cake and then a few pecans sprinkled on top for appearance). Also, this recipe makes a ton of frosting. Either frost it extremely generously, or expect to have quite a bit of frosting left over.

1 1/4 cups butter, softened, divided
2 cups chopped pecans, toasted
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk

Frosting:

2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened
1 package (2 lbs.) powder sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 to 3 T. milk
2/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted

In a small heavy skillet, melt 1/4 cup butter. Add pecans; cook over medium heat until toasted, about 4 minutes. Spread on foil to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and remaining butter. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Beat just until combined. Fold in pecans. Pour into three greased 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, powder sugar and vanilla. Beat in enough milk to achieve spreading consistency. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with pecans. Store in refrigerator.

Sweet 'n' Tender Cabbage Rolls

2008-04-20T21:37:00.004-05:00

Picture from Taste of Home magazine

Erin and I found this recipe in Taste of Home magazine. We made it together and it is one of my new favorite meals! Basically, they are meatballs wrapped and cooked in cabbage and a delicious sauce. The hardest part about making them is wrapping them in the cabbage leaves, but it is also kind of fun. It is cooked in a crockpot and so it works perfectly if you prepare them the night before and cook them the next day. If I were feeding a family, I would probably make two batches. For just the two of us, Erin and I made one batch but only cooked half of them. We froze the other half and cooked and ate them several weeks later. They froze well and tasted great even the second time around!

By the way, the reason I say the mushrooms are optional is because I don't like mushrooms. I don't think that I'm a picky eater, but after nearly three decades of trying things and trying them again, there are a couple of foods that I am confident that I don't like (e.g. mushrooms & olives).

1 large head cabbage

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

2 cups cooked long grain rice

2 jars (4 1/2 oz. each) sliced mushrooms, well drained (OPTIONAL)

1 small onion, chopped

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dried parsley flakes

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 lbs. lean ground beef

Sauce:

2 cans (8 oz. each) tomato sauce

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 T. lemon juice

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Cook cabbage in boiling water just until leaves fall off head. Set aside 14 large leaves for rolls. (Refrigerate remaining cabbage for another use.) Cut out the thick vein from the bottom of each reserved leaf, making the V-shaped cut.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, rice, mushrooms, onion and seasonings. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Place about 1/2 cup on each cabbage leaf, overlap cut ends and fold in sides, beginning from the cut end. Roll up completely to enclose filling.

Place seven rolls, seam side down, in a 5-qt. slower cooker. Combine the sauce ingredients, pour half over cabbage rolls. Top with remaining rolls and sauce. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.

Pecan Pie

2008-04-20T21:31:00.005-05:00

Pecan Pie is probably my favorite kind of pie. For a long time I have been wanting to learn to make a good, traditional pecan pie. Well, I discovered that they are much simpler to make than I ever expected. This recipe is from Joy of Cooking.

You may use either light or dark brown sugar and either light or dark corn syrup, depending on your taste. I used light brown sugar and half light and half dark corn syrup. The recipe also calls for 2 cups of pecans, but 1 1/2 cups was plenty. Pecan halves look more traditional, but I used the more finely chopped pecan pieces. I think they make the pie easier to cut into slices and, as you can see from the above picture, still make a very nice-looking pie.

Erin and I usually use the refrigerated pie crusts that you unroll and put in the pie pan. We pre-baked the crust for 10 minutes at 375 degrees with tin foil over it, but the pre-bake may not be necessary.

4 large eggs
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup corn syrup
5 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups pecans

Thoroughly whisk all ingredients except pecans together in a large bowl until well blended. Stir in the pecans and then pour into the pie crust. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the edges are firm and the center seems set but quivery, like gelatin. Rotate 180 degrees halfway through baking. If the crust starts becoming too brown before the pie is ready, wrap tin foil around crust to prevent it from burning.

Remove from oven, allow to cool on a wire rack, and enjoy!

Butterscotch Pecan Pie

2008-04-20T20:59:00.003-05:00

This is another very good pecan pie recipe. I found it in the book "Pie" by Ken Haedrich. If you like butterscotch flavor and feel like adding a little excitement to your traditional pecan pie, I highly recommend this one. This recipe also calls for 2 cups of pecans, but 1 1/2 cups is just fine.

1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (light brown works fine too)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup butterscotch chips
Generous pinch of salt
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups coarsely choppped pecans

Prepare the pie crust, partially pre-baking for 10 minutes as in the recipe above. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Gently warm the corn syrup, brown sugar, and butter together in a medium-size saucepan until the butter melts. Turn off the heat and add the butterscotch chips. Scatter them around rather than dumping them in one spot. Set the pan aside for 5 minutes, shaking it once or twice to move hot liquid over the chips. After 5 minutes, add the salt and whisk to smooth. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and let cool for 5 minutes.

In a medium-size bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk together just until frothy. Whisk in the vanilla. Whisk a little less than half of the hot liquid and whisk until smooth. Add the pecans and stir well. Turn the filling into the cooled pie shell. Using a fork, gently rake the filling to distribute the pecans evenly.

Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake until the perimeter of the filling has puffed up and perhaps cracked slightly, 40-45 minutes. Rotate the pie 180 degrees halfway through the baking. When done, the center may wobble a little, but it shouldn't seem soupy.

Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool.

Pulled Pork Barbecue with Hot Pepper Vinegar Sauce

2008-04-20T14:09:00.005-05:00

I love barbecue! I found this recipe for pulled pork in Weber's Big Book of Grilling. I cooked it in the crockpot because it's not barbecue weather here in Iowa yet. It's extremely easy to make and tastes great! This recipe, when served with the Hot Pepper Vinegar sauce, is considered "Carolina-style barbecue." Carolina-style barbecue uses a vinegar-based barbecue sauce, as opposed to the tomato-based sauces most commonly used elsewhere. Erin prefers the vinegar-based Carolina-style. To me, it's not true "barbecue" if there isn't smothered in a thick, tomato-based sauce, but I also like the kick that the Carolina-style adds. So, when making my sandwhich, I usually try to get the best of both worlds and put them both on!

The best meat to use for pulled pork is a pork shoulder roast (interestingly, it is also sometimes called a "Boston butt.") A 4-5 lb. roast serves about 10 people.

The Rub:

1 T. paprika
1 T. firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne

1 boneless pork shoulder roast ("Boston butt"), 4-5 lbs.

The Hot Pepper Vinegar Sauce:

1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 T. sugar
1 tsp. tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
kosher salt (to taste)
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Hamburger buns or other rolls.

I usually start the night before by making the rub (mix all the rub ingredients together) and rubbing it all over the pork roast (although it would be just fine to do this about 30 minutes prior to cooking). Put the roast into a crockpot and begin cooking on low ~6-8 hours before you want to eat.

There is no need to put water or anything else in with the roast, but I like to put about 1/2 a cup of the vinegar sauce in with it to add a little more flavor. As it cooks, you will notice that fat and it's own nature juices make a sauce that the meat cooks in.

To make the vinegar sauce, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

When the meat is done (~6-8 hours on low setting; doneness can be verified when a meat thermometer inserted into the roast reads at least 185-190 degrees), it is time to pull the pork! I usually remove the meat and place on a pan or cutting board. I scrape off as fat as I can, and then I use a fork and my hand to shred the pork. It comes apart very easily and I think it is fun to do! I put the shredded meat back into the pot so that it can soak up the juices and oils that came out during cooking, but it would be fine to dump out the juices and serve the meet more dry.

Serve the meet on the rolls and top with the vinegar sauce and/or other favorite barbecue sauces.

Individual Molten Chocolate Cakes

2008-03-22T18:19:00.003-05:00

Erin has been craving this type of chocolate "lava" cake for the past week or so. In fact, when we were walking along the Chicago river this week she claimed to detect the scent of chocolate in the air (I could actually smell it too--maybe there was chocolate in there). This recipe is from the Ghirardelli website and they fulfilled Erin's craving! The recipe makes 4 individual-sized cakes. The baking bar in the recipe is the Ghirardelli brand. However, we found that using semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 1/3 of a bag) works just fine.

4 ounces 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar
8 T. unsalted butter (1 stick)
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 T. cake flour

Melt butter and chocolate in double boiler (or at 50% power in the microwave, stirring occasionally). Whip eggs, yolks, sugar, and vanilla with a mixer for about 10 minutes on high speed (it gets very fluffy). Fold melted chocolate and butter into the egg mixture. Fold in flour just until combined. Butter and sugar four 6-ounce ramekins, then spoon mixture into ramekins. Bake at 450 degrees for about 9-10 minutes. The center will be quite soft, but the top and sides will be set. Let sit out of the oven for about 5 minutes, then unmold onto a plate. Serve with a few raspberries and a dallop of whipped cream or ice cream.

Buttermilk Pie

2008-03-22T13:47:00.004-05:00

Here's another buttermilk recipe! I couldn't end my streak of buttermilk recipes without including a pie recipe (in honor of my pie-loving wife). This is another recipe from Nan. It turns out as sort of a custard-like pie. The flavor is subtle and it lends itself well to any topping that you may be in the mood for. It is good with just some whip cream or vanilla ice cream, or you could go with some chocolate, or fruit (I made a rasberry sauce to go over it and thought it was excellent). I found that the recipe here is enough to fill 2 of the pre-made frozen pie crusts that you can buy at the store.

7 eggs, beaten
2 cups buttermilk
3 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup melted butter (or margarine)
2 (9 in.) unbaked pie shells

Beat eggs and buttermilk together. Mix flour, sugar, and salt together; add to egg and buttermilk mixture. Blend in vanilla and butter. Mix well. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 325 degrees for at least 1 hour (I have found about 80 minutes to be right for me) until center is set.

Buttermilk Syrup

2008-03-19T09:11:00.004-05:00

This is a delicious syrup recipe that my mother-in-law shared with me. We had it at their home on Christmas morning served with German pancakes (though I think it goes great with any kind of pancake, french toast, waffle, etc.). I have also found that it stores well in the refrigerator and still tastes great when re-heated in the microwave. For those of you who have been to Magleby's Fresh restaurant in Utah, it reminds me of the buttermilk syrup that is served there.

1 cube of butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. light corn syrup

Place the preceding ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute and then remove from heat and add:

1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Syrup will foam up when the baking soda is added. Stir until it is mixed thoroughly. Serve immediately or syrup will lose its foamy consistency.

Buttermilk Pancakes

2008-03-19T09:04:00.002-05:00

This recipe was given to Erin and I as part of a wedding gift from the Stevens family. We tried it and think it's very tasty. (We found that it also makes tasty waffles.)

1 egg
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
3 T. oil
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. sugar

Beat egg, buttermilk and oil in a bowl. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Combine wet and dry ingredients for 30 seconds. The batter will look lumpy. Do not overmix. Let it sit for 5 minutes. The batter should rise and look yeasty. Be careful ladling the batter (Preserve that matrix!).

Cook batter on a hot skillet.

Tahitian Coconut Bread

2008-03-19T08:15:00.004-05:00

This recipe reminds me of Hawaii. In the Tahitian village at the Polynesian Cultural Center they bake this bread and give samples to the visitors. They also pass out the recipe. They divide the dough into about 5 parts, wrap it in aluminum foil and bake it. I have found that all of the dough fits nicely into a bread loaf pan, and makes for a nice loaf of this deliciously simple bread. I use my bread machine to make the dough for me and then put it into a greased loaf pan. Note that it is a not a yeast bread and, therefore, doesn't require kneading or rising.

2 cups grated coconut
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water

Combine cocounut, sugar and water.
Blend flour and baking powder together.
Mix all ingredients to a doughy texture, adding a little flour as needed so it's not too sticky.
Place in greased bread loaf pan (or divide into 5 parts and wrap in aluminum foil).
Bake in 350 degree oven for 60 to 90 minutes, until light brown on top and cooked in the center (a knife or toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean, not doughy).

Roll Recipe (for bread machine)

2008-03-19T08:00:00.005-05:00

This recipe is from my parents-in-law. Whenever I've been at their home I'm always impressed with the delicious food they prepare. During this past winter break--I think it was New Year's Eve--my mother-in-law served these rolls with dinner and I thought they were the tastiest I have ever had. She was kind enough to send me the recipe.

I also should say a word about bread machines. My parents-in-law gave me a bread maker for my birthday last month. Erin and I have been using it constantly--the only problem is that there's not enough of us to keep up on all of the bread eating! One of the coolest things about it is that you can put it on the "dough" setting. It will make the dough for you, and then you can use the dough for whatever you want: dinner rolls, breadsticks, cinnamon rolls, pani popo, etc.

12 oz. Water, 75-85 degrees
4 1/2 T. Butter
4 1/2 cup Flour
5 T. Sugar
3 T. Dry Milk
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
3 tsp. Yeast

Put all ingredients into bread maker in order listed. Use the "dough" setting. When dough is finished, squeeze into rolls and bake on greased baking sheet at 350 (if you put them into the oven before pre-heating it, they will have some time to rise as it is pre-heating). Baking time: Approx. 15-20 min or until golden brown. Makes ~20 rolls.

Praline Squares

2008-03-18T17:31:00.003-05:00

This is a recipe from my mom. It is a good-tasting, simple dessert that I remember looking forward to the times when my mom would make it.

1/4 cup shortening (melted)
1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1 egg
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (sifted)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In mixing bowl, blend sugar with melted shortening; allow to cool. Stir in egg. Mix dry ingredients and add to the shortening mixture. Stir in vanilla and pecans. Spread in 8x8-inch greased and floured pan (or you can double the recipe and use a 9x13-inch pan). Bake for 25 minues, until light touch with finger leaves slight imprint. Don't overbake! Cut into squares while still warm.

Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Fudge Brownies

2008-03-18T17:03:00.002-05:00

I found this recipe in the BYU Magazine. It was contributed by Erin Renouf Mylroie. I made it for a potluck dessert party and was very pleased with the results. If you like chocolate, you'll love these!

3/4 cup butter
4 oz. good quality unsweetened chocolate (I use Baker's in the orange box)
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 T. vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups flour, plus 2 T. flour, divided
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 T. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large microwaveable bowl, combine butter and chocolate. Melt butter and chocolate in microwave at 50% power in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between. Do not let mixture sizzle. When mixture is completely melted and smooth, immediately stir in sugar; continue stirring until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla and buttermilk. Add 1 1/2 cups flour.
Toss chocolate chips with remaining 2 tablespoons flour in a small bowl; add to batter.
Pour into greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish and bake for 28 to 33 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center has just a few fudgy crumbs. Let cool for 30 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar.

Creamy White Chili

2008-03-18T16:52:00.004-05:00

Erin and I first had this recipe at my "cousin-ish aunt" Nan's house. I immediately loved it and finally was able to get the recipe. We recently made it for a group of friends and they all seemed to really enjoy it. It's a winner! I recommend doubling this recipe so that you can enjoy the leftovers (or if you have a large family or group to feed).

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 T. vegetable oil
2 cans Great Northern beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can (14.5 oz.) chicken broth
2 cans (4 oz.) chopped green chilies
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

In a large saucepan saute chicken, onion, garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and whipping cream. Serve immediately.

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

2008-03-18T16:40:00.003-05:00

Erin and I first tried this delicious soup while we were housesitting for some friends. We got the recipe from Lori Dawson who attributes it to Jolie Griffin. It is easy to make and tastes delicious! We have used Pepper Jack cheese in place of the Monterey Jack. You can alter the amount of Tabasco depending on your taste buds (I don't like really spicy things, but adding 1 tsp. of Tabasco doesn't make it too spicy for me). I recommend doubling the recipe because leftovers will keep well for several days in refrigerator or for a long time in the freezer.

1 lb. Chicken breasts
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
3 T. butter or margarine
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup hot water
1/2 to 1 tsp. ground cumin
2 c. half and half
2 c. (8 oz.) Monterey Jack (or Pepper Jack) cheese, shredded
1 can (16 oz.) cream-style corn
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies, drained
1/4 to 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)
1 medium tomato, chopped
cilantro, optional

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. In Dutch oven or large pot, brown chicken, onion, and garlic in butter until chicken is no longer pink. Dissolve bouillon in hot water. Add to pan along with cumin; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add half and half, cheese, corn, chilies, and hot pepper sauce. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted (do not let it boil, or the cream will curdle). Stir in tomato and serve immediately. Garnish with cilantro, if desired. Makes 2 quarts (about enough for 4-5 adults as a main course).

Panipopo

2007-12-09T10:33:00.001-06:00

Panipopo is a Samoan dessert. Pani means "bread" and popo means "coconut." I first had this treat when I was staying in Hawaii with my great friend Huy. His mother, Alofa Nanai, made them and I fell in love with them right away. She has been kind enough to make them for me on subsequent visits to Hawaii and I always look forward to them! Simply put, they are rolls that are baked in sweet coconut milk. The milk becomes like a syrup making the rolls gooey and delicious. They are very good right out of the oven, but I have to agree with Huy who prefers them after they've sat for awhile and absorbed more of the milk (they can always be re-warmed in the microwave).

Rolls:

Huy's mom makes the dough from scratch. It is sure tasty. I have to admit, though, that I haven't mastered the art of breadmaking (I'm hoping to learn soon). So, for this part, I just cheat and buy the frozen roll dough balls and let them thaw/rise according to instructions on the package. But for those who are gifted in the art of bread-making or want to give it a try, here's the dough recipe (watch out--I think it makes a lot):

5 lbs. flour
7 pkg. of yeast
1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 tsp. salt
10 cups warm water

Sauce:

8 cans of coconut milk (any brand)
3-1/2 cups sugar
Flour to make the sauce a little thicker (optional)

Put dough balls for rolls in a large greased baking pan (I use 9"x13"). In a large bowl, mix the coconut milk and sugar until sugar is dissolved. (You can add some flour to thicken it up, but I usually don't). When rolls are risen and ready to bake, pour sauce over them so there is a nice layer of the sauce on the bottom of the pan for the rolls to bake in. Bake at 350 degrees till the rolls are nice and golden brown.

Be aware that this recipe makes a lot. I usually make 2 pans worth. One good way of doing this is using the bread maker roll recipe that I have posted. It makes about 2 pans worth, and then I use 2 cans of coconut milk and ~1 cup of sugar for the sauce. Of course, amount of sugar can be adjusted according to your sweetness preference.

French Silk Pie

2007-12-09T10:01:00.000-06:00

A few years ago I spent the summer living and working in Washington, D.C. as part of the BYU Washington Seminar internship program. My roommate there, Sam, was an aspiring chef and there were a few times during that summer when we were fortunate enough to have him cook for us. He whipped up this chocolate pie (I've always loved French Silk Pies) and I asked him to write down the recipe for me--even though I don't think he used a recipe to begin with. It's easy, tasty, but probably not very healthy!

1 oreo cookie (or graham cracker) pie crust
2 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate (melted)
3/4 cup pasteurized egg product
whipped cream and chocolate shavings for topping/garnishing

Whip butter until very fluffy and soft; add sugar and mix well. Add chocolate (microwaving chocolate gradually at 50% power is a great way to melt it) and mix until fully combined with butter. Add vanilla. Add egg product 1/4 cup at a time, very slowly, then beat for 30 sec. to 1 min. before adding more. This must be mixed very well and very gradually!!!

Fill pie crust and chill for at least 3 hours. Top with whipped cream and chocolate. Refrigerate leftovers (if there are any).

Golden Lemon Bread

2007-12-09T09:48:00.001-06:00

Erin and I tried this recipe one day and really liked the outcome. It is sweet, but not too sweet. It can be served with a main course or eaten later as dessert. It is from Taste of Home magazine and, according to them, it won 'Best of Show' at the New Mexico State Fair (it was submitted by Marjorie Rose). Erin and I served it when we had my Grandma Jane over for a birthday dinner. Grandma approved!

1/2 cup shortening (we used butter-flavored shortening)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk

Glaze:

1/2 cup powder sugar
2 tsp. grated lemon peal (we just used the dry seasoning stuff--I bet fresh would be even better!)
2 to 3 T. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.

Pour into greased 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack.

Combine the glaze ingredients; immediately pour over warm bread. Cool completely before removing from pan.

Nan's Famous Caramel Apples

2007-12-08T13:29:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite memories from my time in Utah was going to my "cousinish-aunt's" (Nan Black) house to make the best and fanciest caramel apples ever! Below, I share her recipe for the caramel as well as the basics of dipping. But the greatest thing about these apples (besides eating them), is that they become a work of art and the artist can be as creative as he/she wants. In memory of caramel-making times at Nan's, I've started hosting annual caramel apple-making parties.

Caramel Recipe:
I usually double this recipe.

2 cups brown sugar
1 cube butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup light corn syrup
14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

Gradually bring these ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan, stirring constantly. Boil until candy thermometer reaches temperature slightly above soft ball stage. This is something you may need to experiment with a bit. It varies with thermometer and with altitude. (Here in low altitude Iowa I found that ~242°F was perfect; in high-altitude Utah 230-232°F. If the caramel is too soft it will take a long time to get firm and it will run off the apples when you put them down; if it gets too firm it will be more difficult to eat. I recommend using your candy thermometer as well as the Cold Water Test. For more help with candy temperature:

http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/candy/sugar-stages.html

1 tsp. vanilla extract

When caramel has reached the desired temperature, remove from heat and add vanilla while stirring.

For Apples:

I prefer large, round, tart apples. Wash and dry apples thoroughly. Put wooden sticks into them. Dip in warm caramel and allow to cool until caramel is firm.

You can then dip them in chocolate (white or dark--almond bark works just fine) and sprinkle with anything else you like (e.g. english toffee, coconut, crushed oreos, nuts, etc.).

Nan's classic ones are dipped in white molding chocolate and then sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

Berry Cream Jell-O Dessert

2007-12-08T13:26:00.001-06:00

Erin and I whipped this up for a potluck dinner recently. It's easy to make and a tasty, somewhat healthful dessert. Note that it should be prepared one day ahead of time to give it time to set. This recipe is from Taste of Home magazine.

1 pkg (3 oz) strawberry gelatin
1 pkg (3 oz) raspberry gelatin
2 c. boiling water
2 c. cold water
1 carton (8 oz) strawberry yogurt
1 carton (8 oz) raspberry yogurt
2 c. sliced fresh or frozen unsweetened strawberries
1 carton (12 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
Additional fresh strawberries or raspberries, optional

In a large bowl, dissolve strawberry and raspberry gelatin in boiling water. Stir in cold water and strawberry and raspberry yogurt until blended. Chill until syrupy, about 1 hour.

Fold in strawberries and whipped topping. Spoon into individual dishes or pour entire contents into large serving dish (depending on how fancy you want to be). Chill until firm, about 4 hours. Garnish with fresh berries if desired.

Yield: 16 servings.
Nutritional analysis: One ¾ cup serving (prepared with sugar-free gelatin, reduced fat yogurt and reduced fat whipped topping; calculated without garnish). Equals 95 calories, 3 g fat (3 g saturated fat).

Muddy Buddies (aka Puppy Chow)

2007-12-08T13:25:00.002-06:00

We love when my sister Abby comes home and makes this tasty treat for us to snack on!

9 cups Chex cereal
6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
½ cup peanut butter
¼ cup butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ½ cups powdered sugar

Put chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir and then microwave for 30 seconds more. Add vanilla and mix.
Pour over cereal in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Put in 1-quart ziplock bag.
Add sugar; seal and shake. Cool by spreading on wax paper. Store in refrigerator in airtight bag or container.

Cowboy Cookies

2007-12-08T13:18:00.001-06:00

Erin and I discovered these recently and really like them. They contain pretty much every tasty ingredient that you can think of—and they're really big!

3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 ½ cups butter, margarine (or butter-flavored Crisco)
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ cups brown sugar (packed)
1 Tblsp. vanilla
3 eggs
3 cups chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet)
3 cups oats
2 cups flaked coconut
2 cups chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350°.
In bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugars and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, and beat well. Add flour mixture gradually and stir until combined. Add oats and stir. Add chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans. Drop dough by ¼ -cup measurements onto greased cookie sheet or silicone baking mat. Bake at 350° for about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Caramel-Pecan Cheesecake Pie

2007-12-08T13:14:00.001-06:00

My wife loves pie. Since Erin and I got married, I've been trying out more pie recipes. My favorite kind of pie is pecan pie. I made this pie a couple of months ago and it was an instant hit with both of us. It's delicious, unique, and very easy to make—one of my very favorite!

To me, this pie is magical. You put in the cream cheese mix on the bottom, then the pecans in the middle, and the caramel mix on top. When it comes out of the oven, the caramel mix is on the bottom, the cream cheese mix in the middle, and the pecans on the top!

Also, note that the pie needs to be refrigerated at least 4 hours before serving so it is best to make it in the morning or the night before you plan to serve it.
This recipe is from Taste of Home magazine.

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 unbaked pastry shell (9-inch, the deep/large size)
1 ¼ cups chopped pecans
1 cup caramel ice cream topping

Preheat oven to 375°.
In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, 1 egg and vanilla until smooth. Spread into pastry shell; sprinkle with pecans.
In a small bowl, whisk remaining eggs; gradually whisk in caramel topping until blended. Pour over pecans.
Bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned (loosely cover with foil after 20 minutes if pie browns too quickly). Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight before slicing. Refrigerate leftovers.

Chunky Apple Cake

2007-12-08T12:55:00.001-06:00

This apple cake is absolutely delicious! And it is easy to make. The recipe is from Taste of Home magazine.

½ cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
6 cups chopped peeled tart apples

Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well (batter will be stiff). Stir in apples until well combined.

Spread into a greased 13"x9"x2" baking dish. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until top is lightly browned and springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Butterscotch Sauce:

½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup butter
½ cup heavy whipping cream

In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar and butter. Cook over medium heat until butter is melted. Gradually add cream. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Spoon over individual servings of cake.

Oatmeal Cake

2007-12-08T12:32:00.002-06:00

This is one of my all-time favorite desserts. It is from the mother (Cristi Johnson) of one of my best friends. She is perhaps the best baker I know, and this is one of her classics!

1 cup quick cooking oatmeal
1 ¼ cups boiling water
½ cup margarine
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/3 cup sifted flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix oats, boiling water and margarine in bowl. Let stand for 20 minutes.
While waiting: Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl.
Then add oatmeal mixture, eggs, and vanilla to dry ingredients. Beat until smooth. Add chopped nuts.
Bake in greased (but not floured) 9"x13" pan at 350° for 45 minutes.

Topping:
I prefer to use 1½x what the original recipe calls for. (I'll list the quantities from the original recipes in parenthesis.)

½ cup butter (1/3 cup)
1 cup brown sugar (2/3 cup)
1 ½ cups coconut (1 cup)
¾ cup chopped nuts (1/2 cup)—I prefer pecans for the topping
9 Tblsp. cream (6 Tblsp.)

Heat and mix the above ingredients in saucepan until a little bubbly around the edges.

When cake is done, remove from oven and cover with topping. Brown lightly in broiler.

Introduction

2007-12-08T12:12:00.000-06:00

My lifelong love of cooking is directly related to my lifelong love of eating. My first memories of cooking were with my mother. I remember, at a very young age, helping her make cookies. I loved to eat the dough—maybe even more than the finished product. I thought the sugar/shortening combo was especially tasty! My solo foray into the world of improvised cooking (excluding such “experiments” as pouring all of mom’s spices into a bowl—and all over the counter—and stirring together the mystery brew) came, I think, before I even started school: I attempted to make Cheerios. Overall, I think that I did quite well. They turned out as little dough things that I baked and were, at least, edible. What puzzles me still about the whole venture is my failure to put holes in the center. Now I can’t imagine Cheerios without holes in the center, but I guess back then I was a bit more imaginative!

One of the defining moments of my amateur cooking career came several years later, when I was 7 or 8 years old. We lived in the Bay Area and I went with my family to the Japanese restaurant Benihana. For those who have never been, Benihana is a chef-cooks-at-your-table teppanyaki-style Japanese restaurant. I watched closely as the chef prepared the fried rice at our table. I made mental note of each of the ingredients he used and how he prepared the dish. Later, I tried it myself at home. My fried rice tasted great! This was the first real dish that I learned to make all on my own.

Around this same time, I had become very interested in Asian cuisine. One of my best friends in the 3rd grade was a boy whose family had emigrated from Japan. His mother made the most delicious teriyaki chicken wings you could imagine! I loved the food and I was instantly drawn to the culture as well.

This brings me to my next formative cooking experience. During my elementary school years we lived near my grandparents and would visit there often. My grandma was very kind and encouraged my interest in Japanese cooking and culture. I remember experimenting together to make a variety of Asian dishes, including egg rolls and gyouza (potstickers). I think they turned out well, and this is a fond memory for me. (My grandma and I still enjoy going out together for Japanese food.)

At some point, I returned to cookie and brownie making. I’m sure that this grew out of my desire to eat cookies and brownies. For brownies, I still mainly stick to the boxed mixes. I make cookies, however, from scratch. I pride myself on making some of the best chocolate chip cookies ever. I don’t do anything complicated, but through experimentation I found a few things that I think increase the likelihood of making a delicious cookie (see recipe on this site).

When I was 19-years old I had the privilege of living in Japan for two years as I served as a volunteer missionary for my church. In Japan I came to love Japanese cuisine more than ever. I ate foods that I never knew existed—and they tasted good! I loved the healthful simplicity of the dishes, which were never short on flavor. Of course, there were a few things that, no matter how hard I tried, never seemed to agree with my palate: ikura (salmon eggs), natto (fermented soybeans), and hoya (sea squirt) are the items that I eventually gave up on. But I had a wonderful adventure as, for the first time in my life, I was responsible for my making my own meals. I learned to bake brownies and cakes in kitchens that were only equipped with toaster ovens. I learned to use the common cooking ingredients of Japan to make traditional Japanese food, as well as some of my own “Americanized” meals. I served under two different mission presidents while in Japan—one Japanese and one American. Coincidence or no, both wives were wonderful cooks and made some of the tastiest meals I can remember. I was able to collect a few of my favorite recipes from them.

I’ve named this blog, The Iron Sheff—a play on my last name and my favorite cooking show. After my mission, Iron Chef (the original Japanese version) became one of my favorite TV shows. I remember first watching it with my dad almost every Sunday night one summer. I remember watching it regularly with one of my best friends when I lived for a summer in Hawaii. I was married this summer to a beautiful girl, Erin. I enjoyed introducing her to the awesomeness of Iron Chef—and we love to cook together. Truth be told, she is the real Iron Chef in our family—she can whip up the greatest meals without even using a recipe (and I think she gets it done in less than 60 minutes)!

In recent years, as I’ve continued my academic pursuits, I continue to enjoy cooking. It is something that I feel relatively skillful in, yet there is always more to learn and new things to try. Unlike some of the experiments I do nowadays in the lab, results in the kitchen usually come in an hour or two, for better or worse. And, barring a freak event where something goes completely wrong, most kitchen experiments result in a product that can be safely consumed—and usually enjoyed!

To me, cooking isn’t nearly as rewarding unless you get to share it with other people. Don’t get me wrong—I love to sample what I cook. But, like most worthwhile things in life, the most satisfaction comes when we share. It is in the spirit of sharing that I created this blog—to share with my family, friends, and anyone else who may be interested. Itadakimasu! Enjoy!

Abe's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2007-12-08T11:53:00.002-06:00

In my partially biased opinion, I make some of the best chocolate chip cookies ever! This is my adaptation of the "Original Nestle Toll House" recipe. I've found that there are three keys to chocolate chip cookies:

I use half semi-sweet chips and half milk chocolate chips (the recipe below is double the original recipe). Sometimes I'll substitute white chocolate chips for the milk chocolate. I bet butterscotch chips would be good also.

Using butter flavored Crisco instead of regular butter or margarine.

DO NOT OVERBAKE! Watch the cookies carefully and it's much better to undercook than to overcook them.

The nuts add toffee pieces are optional, but add good flavor if you like them. The 1 cup of each is just a rough guide—you can experiment with the quantity according to what you like.

4 ½ cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. salt

2 cups of butter-flavored Crisco

1 ½ cups sugar

1 ½ cups packed brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 large eggs

1 12-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 12-oz package milk chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1 cup English toffee bits (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl; set aside. Beat Crisco and sugars in large mixing bowl; add vanilla and mix well.
Beat in eggs, one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture, and mix until well blended. Stir in chips, nuts, toffee.
Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets or silicone pads.
Bake at 375° for 9-11 minutes (depending on cookie size).