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Whole Wheat Popovers with Greek Yogurt Creme and Strawberries

April 27, 2012 by 9 Comments

Two days ago, I walked into a doctor’s office and paid them to shoot lasers into my eyes. I felt very Jetsons… very Star Trek… very Galaxy Quest. I half expected Dr. Crusher to walk into the room to scan me. My sole disappointment was the utter lack of sound effects accompanying the laser eye procedure. I would’ve paid another few bucks for a good solid “PEWPEWPEW”. One hour later, I walked out of the office in a very chic (ahem) pair of goggles and 20/20 vision for the first time in my entire life.

Woah.

Let me just say that again.

Woah.

Science is cool. Unlike me in my Weird Al t-shirt and goggles. I did my very best Bono impersonation. I think that judging by the sniggers-not-swoons reception that my attempts received, I should leave the rock-starring to Paul David Hewson and Weird Al (who DOES rock, thankyouverymuch) and confine my rocking to the kitchen. And I do rock the kitchen, goggles or no goggles.

Let me tell you, this recipe doesn’t just rock, it rocks. the. Casbah. Popovers are simplicity itself: a simple batter thrown together in the blender, poured into a greased pan, then baked at a high temperature until puffy. You already win when you make popovers, but these are special. These are (wait for it…) HEALTHY! Holy moly. It’s true. These are whole wheat popovers. True, they puff ever so slightly less than their all-purpose counterparts, but the difference is negligible really and what you lose in loft (I promise, it’s not much!) you more than make up for in flavour and health. What in the world does a popover have to do with dessert you ask? Oh boy. You are in for a treat. Whisk together some velvety thick Greek yogurt with a little mild honey, then some lemon zest and lemon juice. That’s easy, right? Pop *open* the pop *overs* and dollop the slightly sweet Greek yogurt creme. Then you gild the lily by spooning some sweet, fragrant strawberries folded into just a little strawberry jam.

I need a moment just luxuriate in that thought. (And to grab a spoon.)

Oh forget the spoon. They’re so last century, and I am clearly space age now. Just take a bite off of one of these…

…And pile in the goodies.

I’m all for progress, even if it means strawberry juice running down my arm. Maybe even especially if it means that. Pardon me, I’m off to go look at things…

 

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Whole Wheat Popovers with Greek Yogurt Creme and Strawberries

Whole Wheat Popovers with Greek Yogurt Creme and Strawberries

Perfect whole-wheat popovers are not a myth! The finished simple, textbook pouffy popovers are honest-to-goodness whole wheat and are filled with a slightly sweet Greek yogurt creme made with honey and lemon. To gild the lily, we spoon sweet strawberries folded into a little strawberry jam over the whole thing. This beautiful and delicious dessert has the added bonus of being healthy! (Pssst. There's no reason to confine this gorgeous dish to desserts. Serve these as an eye and stomach pleasing brunch offering!)

Ingredients

    For the Popovers:
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups milk (preferably whole)
  • 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces, by weight) white whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup (2 1/8 ounces, by weight) all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • solid vegetable shortening or non-stick cooking spray for the muffin pan
    • For the Greek Yogurt Creme:
  • 2 cups Greek yogurt
  • 2-3 tablespoons mild honey (clover, orange blossom, etc...)
  • the zest of one lemon (just the yellow part, not the white pith)
  • the juice of half of one lemon
    • For the Berries:
  • 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled (or frozen whole strawberries, thawed)
  • 1/2 cup strawberry jam ( preferably this Strawberry Freezer Jam)

Instructions

To Make the Popovers:

Add all of the popover ingredients to the work carafe of a blender in the order listed. Blitz on high for 15 seconds. Stop the blender, remove the lid to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula or scraper, replace the lid, then blitz on high for another 15 seconds, or until perfectly smooth. Put the blender carafe in the refrigerator to rest while preheating the oven to 450°F. It should take at least 15 minutes to preheat your oven, but if it doesn't, let the popover batter continue resting for a minimum of 15 minutes.

While the batter is resting and the oven is preheating, turn your attention to a 12-cup muffin pan. Use a paper towel to generously grease the wells and the top of the muffin pan. Be sure to grease the entire upper surface of the pan. Popovers have a tendency to spread while they puff upward and it's a sad, sad thing to lose a popover because you can't get it out of the pan.

When the oven has reached 450°F, divide the popover batter between the muffin cups evenly. This should fill them approximately 2/3 full. Carefully slide the pan into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Lower the heat of the oven to 350°F and continue baking for 10 minutes more. Do not open that oven door at any point before the full baking time is complete. You will cry a thousand salty tears of regret.

After the full baking time is done, remove the pan from the oven, let the popovers rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then gently turn them out onto a cooling rack. These taste best when served still warm, but are still delicious at room temperature.

To Prepare the Greek Yogurt Creme:

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the creme until smooth. Refrigerate until you are ready to use.

To Prepare the Berry Topping:

Gently break up the strawberry jam with a fork in a medium sized mixing bowl. Fold in the strawberries.

To Assemble the Dessert:

Slice or gently pull a popover in half. Dollop a generous amount of the Greek Yogurt Creme on the bottom half, position the top half over it and spoon the strawberry topping over the whole thing. Serve immediately!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/04/27/whole-wheat-popovers-with-greek-yogurt-creme-and-strawberries/

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Comfort Food, Comfort Food, Desserts, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Holiday Food, kid food, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes

March 28, 2012 by 17 Comments

I have the privilege of being able to make the cake for the upcoming wedding of my brother and his wonderful fiancée this summer. Besides being excited to be such a big part of their day, I’m thrilled that I’ll be occupied in making sure the cake is just-so and therefore will hopefully not be sitting at the table sobbing from joy over the nuptials and having a massive aging crisis over the fact that my baby brother is now wed.

Ahem.

I have to say that I am a seriously fierce big sister. I’m hyper protective of my little brother and more than just a little bossy. (I’m looking more charming by the moment, aren’t I?) I remember one time Luke had to talk me and another of our sisters out of beating up a kid who had punched him. In retrospect, it’s probably for the best. I had never thrown a punch in my life and didn’t have a clue how to do so. I probably would’ve ended up getting creamed. Nothing screams “pick on me!” like having your big sisters fight your battles and then lose them for you.

I gave the secret stink-eye to girls he dated over the years but then came Elvi. The second I met her I knew. I knew that my brother was going to marry her. And if he didn’t? Well, we were going to adopt her as a sister and he’d be on probation. Luckily, my baby brother is a smart guy.

Aside from being a talented artist (see my header above for an example! Shout out to Elvi!), she’s just plain fun to be around. She has an infectious laugh and a fresh perspective on almost anything. For example, in our food obsessed family, my first question was, “What flavour cake do you want?” She looked at me funny and said, “You know. I hate to admit this, but I don’t really care how it tastes. I just want it to look a certain way.”

While I picked up my lower jaw from the floor and fixed it back in place, I considered what she had said. Well, obviously! She is an artist. The real deal. With studio space and everything. She’s visual! Heeeeyyyy… Does this mean I get to decide the cake flavour?

“Hey, Elvi, does this mean I get to decide the cake flavour?”

She said yes. SHE SAID YES. That was almost as good as her saying yes to my brother. I talked snickerdoodle cakes, carrot cakes and all sorts in between. She didn’t care as long as it had the specified form! Jack. Pot.

And then it hit me. Blueberries and lemons. Nothing screamed my brother more than blueberries and lemons. Blueberries because I’m fairly sure my brother starts panting with anticipation about a week before blueberry season. There is no safe blueberry around him.  Lemons because, well… There’s more than one reason, but here’s a warning. The story I’m about to share is not appetizing.

When we were little we had a station wagon. The drive to the grocery store was pretty lengthy (as in more than a half hour) and over winding country roads full of C.O.D. curves*. Luke -about four or five years old at the time- had a squirrely travelling stomach in the best circumstances and was just about exhausted from a day of “being in town” and out of his routine. He was sitting in the ‘way back’ of the wagon (the rear facing rumble seat) and called to mom that he was hungry. She told him to dig into the bags and eat one of the little single serving containers of lemon yogurt (here comes that lemon!) Luke ate it and promptly threw up over the back of the car, his sisters and everything else he could look at while his head made like a rotating sprinkler.

*Come Over Dear curves. In other words, you’re taking a hairpin turn that requires you to lean against your nearest neighbor in the car.

So lemon and Luke. What can I say? It’s an association.

But there’s more. Lemons equal sunshine. My sunshine haired baby brother who always looked like he had a halo around his head because of his white blonde hair. And Elvi is sunshine. She brings light and joy to the room just like the sun does. I cannot think of a better cake to represent the two of them.

This is my first experiment along the road of providing the perfect wedding cake for two of my very favourite people and I do believe we already have a winner. The tender, fine lemon cupcakes are dotted with juicy, sweet and tart blueberries and topped with a cloud of whipped cream and a pinch of fresh lemon zest. These bright, sunshiney cupcakes are a little burst of spring and freshness.

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Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes

Yield: 24-28 cupcakes

Serving Size: 1 cupcake

Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes

These bright, sunshiney, tender lemon cupcakes are dotted with juicy, sweet and tart blueberries and topped with a cloud of whipped cream and a pinch of fresh lemon zest for a burst of spring and freshness!

Inspired by and adapted from both Sweetapolita and Julievr at Babble Blogs

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • grated zest and juice of a lemon
  • 1 cup milk, divided
  • 2 cups of fresh blueberries (or frozen blueberries, thawed and drained), tossed with 3 tablespoons of flour
    • To Serve:
  • 2 cups whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar
  • additional lemon zest

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Line 24 muffin tins with muffin papers (you may have enough batter to make a few extra cupcakes, so if you have more tins and papers, keep them handy.)

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In a stand mixer or in a bowl with a hand mixer or sturdy spoon, cream together the softened butter, sugar and lemon zest on high speed or until light and fluffy and even. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs -one at a time- beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extract.

Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture, mix in well, add about 1/3 each of the milk and lemon juice and mix well. Repeat until they are used up, ending with the milk and lemon juice.

Shake any excess flour from the blueberries and gently fold them into the cake batter. Fill the prepared muffin tins 2/3 full of batter. Tap the pan gently on the counter two or three times to settle the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cupcakes spring back when gently pressed in the center and a toothpick or knife inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out without gooey batter on it.

Turn out of the pans onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Store the cupcakes, unadorned, at room temperature in a tightly covered container for 3-4 days.

Just Before Serving:

In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer or whisk) on high speed, whip the whipping cream and confectioner's sugar until it holds a peak when the beater is removed from it. Pipe or dollop the whipped cream onto the cupcakes and top with a pinch of fresh lemon zest.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/03/28/blueberry-lemon-cupcakes/

 

Filed Under: Cakes, Comfort Food, Desserts, kid food, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,

Almond Joy or Mounds Cookies

March 2, 2012 by 9 Comments

By a show of hands, who out there is going to be angry with me if I post two dessert recipes in one week? Anyone? No? We’re good? Good. Because this one? Phew. This cookie recipe is the ne plus ultra of cookies.

This is like a combination of a Twix bar with an Almond Joy or Mounds bar. The anatomy of the cookie is thus:

  1. Crispy chocolate butter cookie base. It is what it sounds to be. It’s a little shortbready and carries a little snap to it. It’s the perfect place to put your…
  2. Honey caramel coconut chew. Yes. Just yes. Have you had honey coconut caramels? Maybe not. It’s an old one (and I blush to see the photo of it, but ever onward, right?) And if you’ve parked a honey caramel coconut chew on top of a crispy chocolate cookie, you might as well add a…
  3. Big, fat toasted almond. Sigh. There are very few things I like better than a handful of still warm aromatic, toasted almonds.  Well, maybe there’s one thing I like better than that. It’s when I cover them with…
  4. Melted dark chocolate. This doesn’t require a whole lot of explanation, but I’ll do it anyway because I add a little coconut oil (you could sub in butter if coconut oil is hard to find where you live) to the melted chocolate for added flavour and to make it a little softer once it’s set up. All this would be plenty fine, but if you’re going to the trouble you might as well gild the lily, right? Top the whole thing off with a sprinkle of…
  5. Flaked sea salt. Have you had sea salt with dark chocolate? When you add just a touch of sea salt to chocolate you taste chocolate like you never have before. The salt actually performs in this role. It suppresses some of the bitter flavours and amplifies the sweet and sour flavours.

Can you use regular old table salt here? Negatory. Table salt has iodine added to it which is great if you have goiter issues, but not so great taste wise. You know those bitter flavours you were suppressing with the salt? Yep. The iodine adds it right back in along with a pronounced metallic taste. Don’t go there. If you can’t get my favourite Maldon Sea Salt*, use a nice coarse sea salt or kosher salt (church of the last resort, but still acceptable.)

*I collect different salts. Crazy salts are my impulse buy weakness. Maldon Sea Salt is one of my all time favourites, though. It is harvested in Great Britain and is sold in the most impossibly beautiful irregular flakes. Some of them are pyramid like, some are flat and clear, some of them look like tiny gemstones. You usually grind them together in your fingers while sprinkling over food (or your tongue) and it’s generally used as a finishing salt rather than one you cook into foods.

The cookies, despite all their components, are deceptively simple to make. The dough can be made and frozen ahead of time. In fact, freezing the dough is necessary, so make it up to three months ahead of when you’d like to make it if you feel like it! The honey caramel coconut chew takes only one and a half minutes to make then five minutes to cool before scooping onto the cookie bases. Toasting almonds is a piece of cake and then you melt chocolate and coconut oil together for dunking. It doesn’t get much easier than that. And cookies can’t taste much better than this.

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Almond Joy or Mounds Cookies

Almond Joy or Mounds Cookies

These dreamy crispy chocolate butter cookies topped with honey coconut caramel chew and a toasted almond are enrobed in a subtly coconut flavoured dark chocolate.

To make these into Mounds rather than Almond Joy cookies, simply omit the toasted almonds.

Ingredients

    For the Cookie Base:
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch or rice flour
  • 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • For the Honey Coconut Caramel Chews:
  • 1 cup pure honey
  • 1/2 cup raw sugar or granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups unsweetened medium flake coconut
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • Also needed:
  • 24-30 whole almonds, toasted (If you can only find raw almonds, see instructions below the recipe to learn how to toast almonds.)
  • 2 cups dark chocolate chunks (or chopped chocolate)
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil or butter
  • flakey sea salt or kosher salt

Instructions

To Make the Cookie Dough:

Whisk together the flour, cornstarch (or rice flour), cocoa powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or using a hand mixer, beat together the butter and granulated sugar until smooth and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add in the milk and vanilla extract and beat on low speed until combined. (It will not look smooth, but that is okay.) Add the flour to the butter mixture about 1/3 at a time, beating after each addition to combine. When all the flour mixture has been incorporated, turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and split into two equal amounts. Form the dough into logs and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Place cookie dough logs in the freezer until ready to bake.

To Bake the Cookies:

Preheat oven to 375°F and line cookie sheets with parchment or silpats.

Slice 24 rounds of frozen cookie dough no thicker than 1/4 of an inch.

Arrange the dough rounds on the lined cookie sheets. These cookies do not spread much while baking, so you don't have to worry about leaving more than 1/2 of an inch between them.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until the cookies are firm all the way around on the edges. You can cool the cookies on the sheets on which they were baked.

While the cookies cool, make the honey coconut caramel chews.

To Make the Honey Coconut Caramel Chews:

In a medium sized, heavy bottomed saucepan, bring the honey and sugar to a boil over medium high heat. Boil hard for exactly 1 minute then turn off the heat. Immediately stir in the coconut and salt. Remove from the burner and let cool 5 minutes before portioning onto the cookie bases.

To Make the Chocolate Coating:

In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chunks (or chopped chocolate) and coconut oil or butter. Microwave on high for 45 seconds, stir, and continue microwaving in 15 second increments, stirring well after each burst, until the chocolate is smooth and glossy and completely melted.

To Assemble the Cookies:

Scoop generous tablespoons full of the honey caramel coconut chew mixture on top of each cookie base. Gently press 1 toasted almond onto the coconut chews.

Let the mixture cool completely. Stir the chocolate mixture, which by this time should have thickened just slightly. Lift a cookie by the base, invert it and dunk the coconut/almond part of the mixture into the melted chocolate. When you lift it and turn it back right side up, swirl it around a bit to get the chocolate to coat the coconut and drizzle onto the cookie base. Set the cookie back on the pan and repeat with the remaining cookies.

Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with salt to taste. Let stand until the chocolate has cooled completely.

Store leftover cookies in a tightly covered container at room temperature.

To Toast Almonds:

Stir almonds in a heavy, ungreased skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Turn them out of the pan immediately when they reach this stage or they will scorch.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/03/02/almond-joy-or-mounds-cookies/

P.S. If you run out of coconut to make the honey coconut caramel chews (like I did), you can make something remarkably similar to a Thin Mint by adding a little peppermint extract or oil to the same chocolate coating and dunking plain old (HA! Plain old chocolate cookies. I should be thrashed with a wet noodle for saying that!) into it with the remaining cookies.

Filed Under: Chocolate, Comfort Food, Cookies, Desserts, kid food, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,

Layered Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake with Salted Caramel

January 18, 2012 by 12 Comments

This cake has two layers and this post has two purposes. One is a no-brainer: to share the recipe. The other? Well the other reason is a serious case of Mama pride. This cake is what my pickle in the middle son requested for his birthday but that’s not why I’m proud. I’m busting my buttons because he came up with the idea for the cake.

Let me backtrack a bit and introduce you to my guy.

This is Ty.

Not Tyler, not Tyrone, not Tyson. He’s Ty. It’s a Welsh word that means “House”: as in strong like one. And Ty is. He’s the strong, silent type. He has a fast wit, but you have to listen for it. Believe me, it’s worth listening.

Ty is a sports and outdoors nut.

He’d just as soon be hitting home-runs, throwing balls,  climbing trees, running laps, slap-shotting, or bicycling at warp speed as he would anything else. Don’t let his elven appearance fool you. He is made of stern stuff. He taught himself to ride his own bike in one afternoon.  It didn’t matter that he fell of about fifty times. He was determined to learn it and no gravity was going to stand in his way.

He zigs when others zag. (Note the upturned corners of the mouth during the obligatory Sturgeon Faces at the Sturgeon River pose. He’s the happy sturgeon next to the Grandpa Sturgeon.)

Sports, admiring cats, and reading Harry Potter are three of his favourite past times, but there’s one bigger than anything else. The boy loves to cook.

It gets better, though, because he’s darned good at it. He loves traditional British food (think treacle tarts, shepherd’s pie, toad-in-a-hole, etc…) but he’s an innovator, too. Proof of this came with his birthday dessert request; he wanted me to whip up a gingersnap crusted pumpkin pie with a thick cheesecake layer on top, thus combining all of his best-loved desserts. And here’s the kicker; he wanted to help make it.

Ty and I made gingersnaps together.

We snuck a couple, shared a few with the rest of the family and turned the remaining cookies into crumbs for our crust. He tossed in melted butter and sugar and pressed it into the bottom of a parchment lined springform pan.

We whipped up a small batch of pumpkin pie filling and a medium batch of cheesecake batter.

We did a very convoluted method of pouring both into the pan (which you can skip since it formed its own layers), put the pan in the oven, then sat down with a cup of tea (any Welsh readers will recognize the seriously appropriate nature and wondrous pun of Ty’s love of tea) to wait for the cake to finish baking.

After it was set up, all that was left was the long overnight wait for the cake to chill through and birthday proper to begin. Showing much more patience than his Mum, Ty insisted on waiting until after dinner (shepherd’s pie) to cut into the cheesecake pie. And like Ty’s humour, it was more than worth the wait.

The spicy, deep molasses of the gingersnap crust was the perfect foil to the custardy pumpkin pie and silky cheesecake. The slight hint of orange in the cheesecake amplified the nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon in the pumpkin pie. The just-this-side-of-burnt sugar salted caramel drizzled over the cloud of whipped cream pushed the entire dessert into the stratosphere.

Can you see why I’m about ready to pop with the pride?

Oh, these boys of mine. I think I’ll keep them. Happy Birthday, my Ty guy. You are very loved.

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Layered Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake with Salted Caramel

Layered Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake with Salted Caramel

The spicy, deep molasses of the gingersnap crust is the perfect foil to the custardy pumpkin pie and silky cheesecake. The slight hint of orange in the cheesecake amplifies the nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon in the pumpkin pie. Then, the just-this-side-of-burnt sugar salted caramel drizzled over the cloud of whipped cream pushes the entire dessert into the stratosphere.

Ingredients

    For the Crust:
  • 2 cups fine gingersnap crumbs
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 a stick) butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup raw or granulated sugar
    • For the Pumpkin Pie Layer:
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground or grated nutmeg
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 can (15 oz.) canned pumpkin (NOT canned pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1 can (12 fl. oz.) evaporated milk
    • For the Cheesecake Layer:
  • 3 (8 ounce each) bricks cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier ~or~ 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
    • For the Salted Caramel Sauce:
  • 1 cup (7 ounces by weight) sugar
  • 1 2/3 cups (13 ounces by weight) heavy cream
  • Sea salt or kosher salt to taste

Instructions

Grease and line a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper. Position the springform pan in the center of a rimmed baking sheet. Toss together all of the ingredients for the crust with a fork and press evenly and firmly onto the base of the prepared pan. The crumbs may extend up to 1/4-inch up the sides, but no higher. Set aside.

Position your oven racks so there is one in the center and one far enough below it to hold a bread or cake pan that will be filled with boiling water. Preheat the oven to 300°F and put a kettle of water on to boil.

To Prepare the Pumpkin Pie Layer:

Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, use a fork or whisk to combine the sugar and spices. Add those along with the pumpkin puree to the eggs and whisk until smooth. Stir in the evaporated milk and pour carefully into the prepared crust.

To Prepare the Cheesecake Layer:

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade (or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk), blend the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Scrape down the sides, add the eggs and blend until smooth again. Scrape down, add remaining cheesecake ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour carefully into the center of the pumpkin pie filling.

Place the baking sheet with the sprinform pan on the center rack in the preheated oven and pour boiling water from the kettle into the loaf or cake pan. Bake for 60-80 minutes, or until the outer 2/3 of the cake is set but the center is still a little jiggly. Turn off the oven and insert a wooden spoon in between the oven and the door to hold it slightly ajar. Let cool, along with the oven, to room temperature.

Lay plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cheesecake and refrigerate overnight before serving.

To Prepare the Salted Caramel Sauce:

Melt the sugar (with just a couple drops of water to help it along, if you're uncomfortable melting it dry.) over medium heat in a large, heavy-bottomed pot until it is a nice, deep-caramel colour. Do not stir as this causes crystallizing in the caramel. When it reaches the caramel colour you want, pour in the heavy cream (taking care as this will bubble up massively), whisk it and remove from the heat. Add sea salt (a couple good pinches usually does the job) to taste, whisk and set aside to cool to a comfortable temperature.

To Serve the Cheesecake:

Slice the cheesecake into thin wedges. On each wedge, dollop a hearty amount of whipped cream and drizzle the salted caramel sauce.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/01/18/layered-pumpkin-pie-cheesecake-with-salted-caramel/

 

 

 

Filed Under: Desserts, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Boston Cream Pie

January 11, 2012 by 12 Comments

Phew. I made it through birthday season! I cooked, I decorated, I celebrated, I cooked some more and I found the perfect gift for each child. Thankfully, three-fifths of the kids chose their dad’s extra wonderful specialty (extra crispy fried chicken) for dinner, but that didn’t leave me off the hook. Oh, no no no it didn’t.

There were still pig tails (my kids’ name for these), French fries, coleslaw, and various other side dishes to make with those meals. Above all else, though, there were the cakes to be made. Yes, those cakes.

Last year, my studiously wacky second born asked for a three-dimensional Tardis cake. My policy to is to deliver whatever the requested cake is no. matter. what. So I toiled with fondant (blech!), and cake sticks and printable edible transfers and what not. And after the kids went on a three day food colouring induced nutso bender, I prayed that there would be no more Ace of Cakes style requests.

When Aidan approached me this year announcing he’d decided on his cake, I held my breath. “I want a Boston Cream Pie!” Not only was there zero required food dye, he’d chosen one of my all time favourite desserts. Woo to the hoo, people.

I asked the birthday boy why he wanted a Boston Cream Pie (file this question under the “Mom Trying to Understand Male Children” category) and as he ran out of the room he yelled, “Because it’s called a pie but it isn’t one. Isn’t that great?”

Yes.

Yes, it is.

Boston Cream Pie is no pie. It is a cake. It is a darned good rich butter cake filled with vanilla flecked pastry cream and topped with a gooey chocolate glaze and it is also the perfect metaphor for my boy. Playful and silly,

deep,

irresistible, surprising, charming, and easy on the eyes.

Aidan and Boston Cream Pie, two great things that go great together.

 

Happy Birthday, little fire. You are strong, loyal, hilarious and loving. You keep my life full of joy!

 

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Boston Cream Pie

Boston Cream Pie

Layers of tender, buttery cake and rich, custardy pastry cream with a bittersweet chocolate glaze are irresistible for any occasion. This is well worth the little bit of effort required to produce it.

Used with thanks from the King Arthur Flour's The Baker's Companion.

Ingredients

    For the Cake:
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 tablespoons softened butter
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ cup milk
    • For the Vanilla Pastry Cream:
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 4 tablespoons cold butter plus 1 tablespoon
  • 1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
    • For the Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze:
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

To make the pastry cream:

In a heavy-bottomed medium or large saucepan, stir together 2 ½ cups of the milk, the sugar, salt and split vanilla bean with its scrapings. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil.

While the mixture is coming to a boil, whisk together the cornstarch, flour and egg yolks with the remaining ½ cup of milk in a separate bowl.

Carefully ladle some of the boiling milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the boiling milk, again, whisking constantly. Return to a boil for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat immediately and pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of butter to the custard (and the vanilla extract if using) and stir until completely melted and combined. Smooth the top of the custard, rub the remaining piece of butter over the surface of the custard and place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard. Refrigerate until completely chilled.

While the custard is chilling, prepare the cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat together the sugar, butter, salt and vanilla extract in a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer until the mixture is fluffy. Beat in the oil, scrape down the sides, and then add the eggs, one at a time, beating until the mixture is even fluffier.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch and baking powder.

Alternate adding about 1/3 of the dry mixture and 1/3 of the milk, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition, until the batter is even and smooth.

Grease and flour an 8”x8” square baking pan or a 9” round baking pan and spoon the batter into the pan. Bake for 38-45 minutes, or until the cake tests clean with a skewer or tooth pick and the edges pull away from the pan. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning onto a rack to cool completely.

While the cake is chilling, prepare the chocolate ganache:

Pour the heavy cream into a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium high heat and bring it to a boil. Pour over the chopped chocolate, corn syrup, vanilla extract and salt and let rest for 5 minutes, undisturbed. When the 5 minutes have elapsed, stir slowly in one direction until the mixture becomes smooth and glossy. Add the pinch of salt and stir in gently. Set aside for 10 minutes at room temperature.

To finish the pastry cream and assemble the cake:

Fold the whipped cream into the chilled pastry custard and set aside.

Level the top of the cake using a serrated knife if necessary then split the cooled cake in half horizontally and carefully transfer the top layer, cut side down, to a cake plate or serving platter. Pile the pastry cream onto the cake layer to within 1/2-inch of the edges. Carefully invert the remaining cake half cut side down onto the pastry cream. This will leave the smoothest surface of the cake on top to be covered with glaze.

Refrigerate the cake without glaze if you do not plan to serve it immediately as the glaze hardens into an almost taffy-like consistency in the refrigerator.

Shortly before you're ready to serve the cake, pour the glaze down onto the center of the cake. This will allow the glaze to spread over the top and drip down the sides of the cake. Slice and serve.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/01/11/boston-cream-pie/

We have one more birthday post coming up, even though Aidan’s birthday wrapped up our birthday season. Even though it’s coming out of order, it’s such a spectacular dessert that it’s worth saving for last. Stay tuned for a tale of Mama pride and a gorgeous dessert.

Filed Under: Cakes, Desserts, kid food, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,

Mounds Bar Rice Pudding | Coconut, Almond and Dark Chocolate Rice Pudding

October 3, 2011 by 15 Comments

How does everyone feel about a week of desserts? I for one feel great. And since I’m the head honcho here (well, the only honcho at the moment) I say we’re having a week of desserts. Here is installment #1!

I’m going to be in some very deep trouble for writing this post. I just know it.

As I made this last night -stirred the pot, dipped my finger in and tasted, sniffed the steam- I became increasingly convinced that I was doing something evil. It was my Doctor Frankenstein* moment. I had created a monster. How bad could a dessert be?

*Frahn-kehn-STEEN! Thank you very much.

If I were to tell you that I had created a rice pudding that tasted exactly like a melted Mounds bar, what would you say? *

*Howzabout “Oh sweet mystery of life at last I’ve found you! At last I know the secret of it all!”?

Oh my goodness.

This is dangerous.

Deadly.

I mean, really, think about it.

Rich, smooth, coconut rice pudding topped with toasted almonds and coconut, shaved dark chocolate and whipped coconut cream… This rice pudding is seriously puttin’ on the Ritz. Are you capable of resisting it? I made double batch of it last night and let’s just say it’s no longer here.

The fact is that the boys and I ate it for breakfast. Then lunch. We’re having it again for dessert tonight. I needed to develop a strategy to deal with this*.

*”We’ve all of us got to behave normal.”

My strategy involved making everyone else eat it so a shortage in the key ingredients would develop and I’d have to cut back our consumption of it by necessity.

Never mind. I can’t do this to you. Don’t make it. Run away. Run far, far away to the land where Mounds Bar Rice Pudding has never existed. Where you’re safe. Where you only eat fruit for dessert. Where you don’t whip the cream from full-fat coconut milk into a frothy topper that could also be dolloped into your hot chocolate or hot lattes or directly onto your tongue.

Wait! Where are you going?… I was going to make espresso!

A little serious advice. When you go buy the coconut milk for this recipe, try to avoid the pre-sweetened ones and the low-calorie or lite versions. They just don’t pack the flavour-oomph necessary to deliver the goods here.  And if you go whole hog and add the whipped coconut cream, you absolutely, positively need that full-fat coconut milk or the process will fail after the first step. The other sorts cannot deliver the fluffy, creamy texture that the good stuff does.

Don’t cheat and use another kind of rice here. Arborio rice is the sort used in risottos, which makes it spot-on for rice pudding. Creamy, creamy, creamy; that’s what you get with arborio!

One last note: Don’t be scared by the forty or so minute cook time. As long as you walk into the kitchen during the commercials on Jeopardy to stir it once in a while, you’ll have this ready in time for viewing Young Frankenstein,  Psych,  Top Chef, Mad Men or whatever show or movie makes you giddy with anticipation.

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Mounds Bar or Almond Joy Rice Pudding | Coconut, Almond and Dark Chocolate Rice Pudding

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

This rice pudding, when warm, tastes like a melted Mounds or Almond Joy candy bar. Creamy coconut rice pudding, topped with a decadent array of toasted coconut and almonds, whipped coconut cream and shaved dark chocolate is how the ultimate in comfort foods meets the ultimate candy bar.

Ingredients

  • 1 can coconut milk (unsweetened)
  • 1 can evaporated milk
  • Whole milk or half and half
  • 1/2 cup arborio rice
  • ¼ cup raw sugar
  • vanilla bean, split and scraped
  • a pinch of salt
  • shaved or chopped dark chocolate
    • Optional Toppings:
  • Whipped coconut cream (see recipe below)
  • Toasted coconut
  • Toasted sliced almonds

Instructions

Pour the coconut milk and evaporated milk into a four cup measure. Add enough whole milk or half and half to measure 4 cups evenly.

Stir together the milk mixture, rice, raw sugar, vanilla bean (both the bean halves and the scrapings), and salt to a medium sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium high heat.

Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently, then lower the heat to medium low and allow it to simmer for 45-60 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid is thickened. It will continue to thicken as it cools.

Let it cool several minutes, covered, before transferring to serving dishes.

To Serve Warm (my preference):

Top the warm pudding with shaved or chopped dark chocolate, whipped coconut cream, and toasted coconut for Mounds bar pudding or add almonds with everything else for Almond Joy pudding.

To Serve Cold:

Cover the portioned pudding with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. Chill for at least an hour (but up to 3 days in advance) before serving. Top the chilled pudding with shaved dark chocolate, whipped coconut cream, and toasted coconut for Mounds bar pudding or add almonds with everything else for Almond Joy pudding.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2011/10/03/mounds-bar-rice-pudding-coconut-almond-and-dark-chocolate-rice-pudding/

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Whipped Coconut "Cream"

Coconut cream is unbelievably decadent. When you take into consideration that it is a one-ingredient (at most, two) recipe, it is mind-boggling. Rich, creamy, and smooth as silk, this cream is equally at home topping desserts, hot chocolate, stirred into lattes or just eaten with fruit. Bonus: You can serve this to your vegan, lactose-intolerant friends.

Ingredients

  • 1 can full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk (I like Thai brand.)
    • Optional: 1 teaspoon confectioner's sugar

Instructions

Put the unopened can of coconut milk into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Do not shake the can.

Open the can and scoop the thickened coconut cream from the top of the can into a mixing bowl. (You can reserve the remaining coconut water to drink, add to cocktails or cook into other recipes.)

If you choose to add sugar, do so before using a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip the coconut cream until it is smooth and creamy.

Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use. This is good for up to a week in the refrigerator.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2011/10/03/mounds-bar-rice-pudding-coconut-almond-and-dark-chocolate-rice-pudding/

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Desserts, kid food, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: , , , , ,

Snickerdoodle Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream

August 26, 2011 by 147 Comments

Here is the cake that upended my tidy little world. This is a Snickerdoodle Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not fond of cake or frosting. (Here and here, for starters…) As a little girl, I watched “Pollyanna” over and over. I’m talking about the original nineteen-sixty Disney film. It was one of the twenty five movies available for rental in the small movie  section of the Glen’s Market in Gaylord, Michigan where we shopped.  Despite my dislike for cake, I dreamed of the giant slab of cake she scored at the fair. That towering layer cake called to me like no other cake could. And for the most  of my life, I resigned myself to the fact that while that Pollyanna cake looked so good, no cake measured up to the promise it offered.  That is still true except. for. this. cake.  And who do I blame thank for this earth shaker? My friend, Krysta. She, without a word, sent me this link. No word of warning, no heads-up. No. Just a link. She knows my feelings on snickerdoodles so she sent it my way. She didn’t know it, but she delivered my Pollyanna cake to me.

All of a sudden, in my brain at least, I was Hayley Mills wandering around a small town fair with the world’s largest slice of layer cake and a sunny disposition. I might’ve even belted out the National Anthem and poked at the little prism dangling in my kitchen window. It was as good as I thought it would be.

The cake itself is a cinnamon vanilla butter cake. (I died a little bit just typing that…) It is moist, it is cinnamon-y. I’ve never had a cake like that. It is layered around and slathered with the only buttercream I have ever craved in my life; brown sugar cinnamon butter cream. (A little more dead now…) It is smooth yet still crunchy with sugar. It has little bursts of brown sugar and cinnamon and it is smoothed out with half and oh-my-goodness half. People. The buttercream. It must be stopped.

Who’s in?

Here are some tried and true cake baking and decorating tips to help you get the most polished finished product before you polish off your finished product.

  • To butter two pans easily, smear the pans with the butter wrappers you used for the cake itself (use more soft butter if necessary.) *If you choose to use parchment, too, butter under AND over the parchment for easiest release.
  • To flour those pans neatly, toss 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour into one pan, swirl it around over the second pan then tap the excess into the second pan. Repeat the process with the second pan, then tap the excess into the garbage.
  • When dividing cake batter between pans, use a scale to get them as close to even as possible. No scale? Scoop it in with a measuring cup.
  • Smooth the top of the cake batter into the pan and tap firmly on the counter several times before baking to settle the batter evenly.
  • Rotate pans front to back and side to side mid way through baking.
  • Cool the cakes COMPLETELY before slicing into layers. Do not hurry this or you will regret it immensely while you cry over your broken cake.
  • Before slicing your cooled cakes into layers, use a large serrated knife to even up the top of the cake. (In other words, to slice off any dome that formed while baking.)
  • Before you move your cake to the plate you’ll use to frost and serve it, lay four strips of parchment or waxed paper around the edges. Center the cake on the parchment strips. This will help you frost the cake rather than the plate. When you’re done frosting, pull the strips straight away from the cake. Ta da! Professionally done. Go you!
  • Make sure each  layer of frosting/cake is level before adding another level. It is much easier to adjust as you go along than to try to fix everything with frosting.
  • When the cake is assembled, refrigerate for at least an hour (preferably more) before attempting to slice into wedges. If you skip this step, the cake is likely to shift around on the frosting and look like it was thrown together by drunken monkeys.
  • If you forget all of these steps it really won’t matter because you’ll still have this cake. Pour yourself a nice hot cup of coffee or tea and enjoy it anyway!

Before you rub your eyes and question me, that is not a typo. Yes, there really ARE 4 1/2 sticks of butter in the buttercream. I told you it must be stopped.

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Snickerdoodle Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Snickerdoodle Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream

The name says it all: Snickerdoodle Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream. This is the well-loved snickerdoodle cookie rewritten as a moist cinnamon vanilla butter cake layered and surrounded with a smooth, decadent buttercream laced with sweet ground cinnamon and brown sugar.

Gently adapted from Always With Butter

Ingredients

    For the Cake:
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 sticks butter (8 ounces by weight), softened to room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cups fine or superfine sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups whole milk, warmed to room temperature
    • For the Buttercream:
  • 4 and 1/2 sticks butter (or 1 pound, 2 ounces by weight), softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 8-9 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup of half and half, plus more if needed
    • Optional:
  • Whole cinnamon sticks for garnish

Instructions

To Bake the Cake:

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Butter and flour two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in colour.

Beat the eggs in one at a time, fully incorporating each egg and scraping down the bowl between each addition. Beat in the vanilla.

Add about 1/3 of the milk, beat to incorporate, then 1/3 of the flour, again beating to incorporate.

Repeat this process, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until all of the milk and flour are added and mixed in evenly.

Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake, rotating midway through, for about 35 minutes or until the cake tests done.

Let the cakes cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes before turning out onto the racks to finish cooling.

To Make the Buttercream:

Beat together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until fluffy and pale in colour.

Add 6 cups of the confectioner's sugar and the vanilla extract and beat, starting on low and moving up to high, until it is fully incorporated.

Scrape down the bowl and add the half and half. Beat to incorporate again.

Add another 2 cups of the confectioner's sugar and beat, starting on low and moving up to high, until fully incorporated. Check the consistency of the buttercream. If it needs to be thicker, add the remaining confectioner's sugar. If it is too thick, add more half and half a teaspoon at a time, beating after each addition, until it reaches the consistency you like.

To Assemble and Frost the Cake:

Level out your cooled cakes and cut each into two even layers.

Place one layer on a cake plate then add a layer of buttercream, spreading to the edges and evening out as you go. Repeat with the remaining layers.

Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining buttercream.

If desired, garnish the top of the cake with whole cinnamon sticks.

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing.

Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2011/08/26/snickerdoodle-cake-with-brown-sugar-cinnamon-buttercream/

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Cakes, Desserts, Instructional, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,

Grandma Val’s Hot Fudge Sauce

July 7, 2011 by 20 Comments

First of all, you know this is going to be good; it’s hot fudge sauce. What you may not know, though, is just how good this particular hot fudge sauce is. It is, in fact, the best hot fudge sauce ever of all time Amen pass the beer nuts. This hot fudge sauce is not just the ne plus ultra of hot fudge sauces, it is a thing of power. Let me tell you a story.

My relationship with my stepmom did not begin smoothly because I was, to put it succinctly, a surly nincompoop. There was no nincompoopitude from Val, who assured me kindly that she did not intend to try to take the place of my mother. It was all me people. I had that arena sewn right up.

And Val?

Val never tried to talk me out of  anything. Each time I visited, she smiled, talked books and movies, and fed me. Val turned out amazing food every time I was anywhere near her and it was not long before I removed my foot from my mouth to make room for dinner, and uncrossed my arms so I could hold a fork.

Then one day, Val served me a bowl of ice cream with a generous amount of this hot fudge sauce on it and I was smitten with both the sauce and Val.

I am fortunate enough to know now that my stepmom is one of my best friends AND I have her glorious hot fudge sauce. There isn’t enough time in the world for me to tell you all the things that make Val so wonderful, but I can spell out what makes this hot fudge sauce so special.

  • This is the best kind of hot fudge sauce. It drizzles onto your sundae and then partially firms up to a stretchy, chewy, caramel-like hot fudgy chocolate crown. Tell me you don’t want to eat that right now.
  • It takes 10 minutes to make and 8 of those minutes you are not to stir anything under penalty of sad sauce.
  • The ingredients are not at all exotic: unsweetened chocolate, butter, sugar, light corn syrup, a pinch of salt and vanilla extract. Hey ho, hot fudge!
  • A spoonful of this, straight from the jar in the refrigerator, is enough to turn a bad day good very, very quickly. I’ll direct your attention to the ingredient list. See? You’re smiling already!
  • This recipe comes from a woman who is arguably one of the most patient, loving, lovely, brilliant, forbearing, forgiving, well-read, witty, insightful people I’ve ever met. You can’t argue with hot fudge that comes from someone like that.

Go make yourself (or someone who you want to make a friend) a batch of this hot fudge sauce. I’ll wait. It’s worth it. In the meantime, I’m going to lick my jar…

4.0 from 1 reviews

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Grandma Val’s Hot Fudge Sauce
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert, Condiment
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 8
 

Seriously fudgy hot fudge sauce that firms up ever so slightly when poured over ice cream to form caramel-like ribbons of chocolatey goodness. Oh yes. It does.
Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup light corn syrup
  • ¾ cup boiling water
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt

Instructions
  1. Melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate together in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally.
  2. Stir in sugar, corn syrup, and boiling water.
  3. Increase heat to medium and stir mixture until it reaches boiling.
  4. Boil without stirring for 8 minutes. Really. Do not stir that stuff.
  5. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and salt. It will bubble up violently, so be careful.
  6. Let rest for 5 minutes before pouring into a heat-proof container with a tight fitting lid. (A canning jar works perfectly for this situation.) Be certain the container you use is small enough to fit into the microwave for reheating purposes.
  7. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator.
To Reheat:
  1. Remove lid from the jar and microwave for about 30 seconds.
  2. Stir.
  3. Heat in additional 10 second bursts until the hot fudge flows freely when poured.

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Filed Under: Chocolate, Condiments, Desserts, Kitchen Techniques and Hints, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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