Strawberry Santas

 Some of the absolute cutest things can be the simplest as well. Last weekend, my parents and I were going to a few different Christmas parties, and amidst preparations for the last week of school before break (always full of tests and projects), shopping for my friends and family's presents, and going to my last pottery class of the year (*sniff*), I needed to make something quick to take to one of the parties.
  These little Santas were perfect. Strawberries are cut and hollowed out, and then they are filled with a simple, sweet cream cheese. I also used the cream cheese to pipe little buttons and a top to Santa's hat! For the eyes, the original recipe seems to use some sort of little black seed; I used chocolate jimmies, but poppy seeds or black sesame seeds would work too.

  Besides being cute, these are shockingly delicious. The cream cheese and strawberries blend together to make a delicious, cheesecake-like party in your mouth. These were greatly enjoyed by everybody at the party, from the 1-year-old baby to his grandparents!
 Enjoy!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Santas

(I got the recipe from the Christmas Spirit facebook page)

1 lb large strawberries
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

                               chocolate jimmies (or other small decoration to use for eyes)

Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of the strawberry. Remove the top, (enough for a hat). Clean out the whole strawberry with a paring knife, if necessary (some of them are hollow already. Prep all of the strawberries and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add cream cheese mix to a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped off. Fill the strawberries with cheesecake mixture.
Once strawberries are filled, top with the 'hats.' Decorate according to photo.
If not serving immediately, refrigerate until serving

Simple Chocolate Fondue

Late-night treat sessions with best friends are one of the greatest ways to spend a weekend night. Last night, I had two friends over for a night of takeout and romantic comedies (I know, crazy partying right there). At around 11, we decided to pause our movie and make this simple but delicious dessert.

 This chocolate fondue is one of the easiest yet most indulgent treats to make on whim. Cream, vanilla, and the chocolate of your choice are melted together to create this perfect dip for any sweet bite-sized snack. We used strawberries and mini marshmallows, and once we were out of those (although this doesn't look like all that much fondue, it is so rich that we only ended up eating about half of it, and trust me, we ate a lot of fondue), we tried dipping some frozen fruit, too.

 I actually have a fondue pan, but wasn't able to find it and didn't feel like searching the house at 11 o'clock, so I just made this in a saucepan. We ate it pretty quickly, so there was no need to keep it warm for a long time, but if you are serving this at a party where people will be eating it gradually, you may need to reheat it.
Chocolate fondue is the perfect late-night, date-night, family get-together, or hey, breakfast, indulgence, and this one is so simple, you can have it ready in five minutes. Enjoy!

 Simple Chocolate Fondue

(slightly adapted from Simply Recipes)

1 cup heavy cream

12 oz. chocolate of your choice, chopped, or chocolate chips (use good quality, as you will really be able to taste it)

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

bite-sized snacks for dipping, such as marshmallows or fresh fruit (frozen strawberries are good too!)

Bring the heavy cream to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.

Stir in the chocolate, salt, and vanilla. Stir over high heat until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is creamy. 

Pour into a bowl and serve with bite-sized snacks on wooden or metal skewers for dipping.

Airy Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse

 Family recipes are the greatest. Especially the old ones: although they are sometimes hard to understand or make with the ingredients you can find at your grocery store (I'm thinking grandma's handwritten recipes saying "bake in hot oven until ready"- true story), they have stood the test of time. Perfected over the years by generations, I love getting my hands on a new one and finding out why so many people in my family make this specific recipe so often.

My mom and I just came home from Brazil this morning, and I am oh-so-sad to be away from so much family again. This mousse was part of one of our last few sweet nights having dinner with friends. It is an old family recipe, perfected by a great-aunt, and made (this time) by me and my cousin. It doesn't take too long to put together, and though it uses lots of eggs, the ingredients are all probably ones you have on hand. We probably made it in half an hour, and then let it sit in the fridge for about nine - although around four hours is probably enough. It is so airy, with lots of bubbles; it makes you feel like you are eating a light dessert, even though it is actually filled with butter and chocolate. Its classic deep chocolate flavor makes it the perfect dessert for a dinner with friends and family. 

Enjoy!

Airy Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse

250 grams bittersweet chocolate

250 grams butter

9 egg yolks

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

6 egg whites

Chop the bittersweet chocolate and cut the butter into several pieces. Place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in one-minute intervals until melted, or melt in a heat-proof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar in an electric mixer until the mixture becomes a very pale cream. Stir in the hot chocolate mixture and the vanilla.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Fold into the egg yolk and chocolate mixture. 

Pour it all into a big bowl or serving dish and refrigerate until serving, at least 4 hours.

                                                  

Brigadeiros (Brazilian Chocolate Truffles)

If there's one thing that you'll find at just about every party, of somebody of any age, from 1 to 100, at least in the U.S., it's probably... Well, I don't know. We don't really have that one thing- it might be pizza, soda, maybe a birthday cake? In Brazil, there is one thing you will always find: Brigadeiros.
These are the simplest chocolate truffles- a can of sweetened condensed milk, a few tablespoons of sweetened cocoa powder or hot chocolate mix, cooked until the right consistency, refrigerated, rolled into balls and then in chocolate sprinkles. Make them the size you want, throw them in some little candy cups (don't use mini cupcake wrappers, unless you want enough richness in each one to last you a week), and these chewy chocolate bites will be a huge hit. They are sweet, chocolatey, the perfect texture for everyone from babies to great-grandparents. If you don't want the fuss of rolling, spoon the hot mixture into shot glasses and it will be like having a little grown-up pudding cup. Either way, delicious, and a Brazilian classic. Enjoy! <3 Brigadeiros

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup sweetened cocoa powder or hot chocolate mix
chocolate sprinkles, for rolling

Stir together milk and chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave for two minutes, stir, two minutes, stir. Microwave in one-minute increments until the mixture reaches the consistency of a thick caramel sauce: too thin for scooping but too thick for easy drizzling (this should only take an additional 2-3 minutes, but depends on your microwave.)
Refrigerate until completely cool and thickened, about 3 hours. Once cool, scoop into small balls (less than a tablespoon usually, but the size is up to you) and roll in chocolate sprinkles. Place in candy cups and leave at room temperature until serving.
Note: while in the microwave, the mixture may overflow; just pause, stir, and continue.

KitKat Ice Cream Torte

Remember how I was telling you about Brazilians and how much they love trifles? Well, this is a frozen trifle. A frifle? I decided to call it a torte.
In this party-perfect dessert, brigadeiro, the gooey chocolate made of sweetened condensed milk and cocoa powder that is often rolled into little truffles, is layered with KitKats and vanilla ice cream. The ice cream is filled with chocolate shavings- we bought it that way, but it's easy to do yourself if you can't find it to buy. The three layers go perfectly together: the crunchy, cookie-like KitKats, the gooey, chocolatey brigadeiro, and the creamy, cool ice cream.
According to my aunt, who taught me how to make this, it is easily adaptable. Don't want all the chocolate flavor in the brigadeiro? Just leave out the cocoa powder and make it just with the sweetened condensed milk and butter. If you don't want vanilla ice cream with chocolate shavings, substitute a different add-in or change the ice cream altogether. However you make it, I promise it will be delicious. Enjoy! <3

KitKat Ice Cream Torte

Enough KitKats to cover a 9x9" pan, cut into fourths
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup sweetened cocoa powder or hot chocolate mix
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup chocolate shavings

Cover the bottom of a 9x9" pan with the chopped KitKats.
In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, butter, and cocoa. Microwave for 2 minutes, stir, 2 minutes, stir. Continue microwaving in 1-minute increments, stirring inbetween, until the mixture reaches the consistency of a caramel sauce: too thin to scoop, but too thick to drizzle easily. Pour over KitKats and put pan in the fridge until cool.
Soften the ice cream by microwaving for 15 seconds or leaving out at room temperature for a while. Stir in the chocolate shavings and spread the ice cream over the chocolate layer. Freeze until serving, at least an hour.

Pineapple Coconut Trifle

Here in Brazil, there are a few desserts they are really crazy about. One is trifles- they like to later just about any sort of sweet things in a dish, and somehow it always works out. Another dessert they love is brigadeiro- a chewy chocolate truffle made simply of sweetened condensed milk and cocoa powder that is cooked, cooled and rolled into balls coated with chocolate sprinkles. These brigadeiro have many variations- I recently tried a delicious salted caramel one- among them brig a white brigadeiro. It is made by omitting the cocoa powder and simply cooking down sweetened condensed milk. I like to make this easier by doing it in the microwave!
This dessert, which I got my aunt to teach me how to make, combines a trifle with brigadeiro. Instead of rolling the white brigadeiro into balls, it is made a bit thinner and layered with pineapple and coconut shavings. It is the perfect combination of classic tropical flavors. The chewy coconut, juicy pineapple and creamy brigadeiro pair together very well. The one above was made with just one layer of each, but it is even better with two. Double layers of all the delicious flavors make it a classic Brazilian dessert that can, and should, be made everywhere. Enjoy!

Pineapple Coconut Trifle

1/2 of a pineapple, cut into very small pieces (you can also buy crushed pineapple and drain it)
2 14-oz. cans sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup shredded coconut (we used fresh, but you can used dried if you can't find fresh)

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk with the butter.
Microwave for 2 minutes, stir, another 2 minutes, stir. Microwave in 1-minute increments, stirring inbetween, until the mixture reaches the point of a caramel sauce- not thick enough to scoop but not thin enough to drizzle easily.
Layer half of the chopped pineapple in a glass dish- a 2-quart one will do. Cover with half of the milk/butter mixture and then half of the coconut. Repeat the three layers.

Black and White Rice Krispies

Rice Krispies were always one of my favorite treats as a kid. The crinkly blue package filled with crispy, sweet squares of marshmallow-covered cereal were the perfect after-school snack. A few years ago, when I became vegetarian, I gave up gelatin, and therefore, most marshmallows. A few weeks ago, I decided that too many things had gelatin in them and I was missing out on too much, so I went back to it. Since then, I've realized that the pre-packaged rice krispie treats are nothing compared to homemade ones. I usually use the classic recipe from the cereal company, but seeing all the variations on food blogs, I decided to try something new.
These are the greatest rice krispies I've ever had. They are made entirely of rice krispie cereal, not half of chocolate cereal, but half of the rice krispies are combined with cocoa powder and chocolate chunks. The chocolate offsets the extremely sweet marshmallows, and the bottom and top layers create the perfect balance of chocolate and vanilla. In my opinion, this is a much better treat than those little blue packages.
Enjoy! <3

Black and White Rice Krispies
(slightly adapted from Baking Bites)

4 tbsp butter, divided
1 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
40 regular marshmallows or 4 cups mini marshmallows, divided 6
1/2 cups Rice Krispies/rice bubble cereal, divided
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or mini chocolate chips

Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt 2 tbsp butter, 1 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate, and cocoa powder. Stir frequently to fully incorporate cocoa and to prevent scorching. Add half of the marshmallows and microwave for 1-2 minutes, until fluffy and melted. Add in 3 1/4 cups rice krispies and stir to combine, making sure chocolate covers the whole batch. Stir in chopped bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips and divide mixture evenly among prepared muffin tins, filling each 1/2 way up.
In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt 2 tbsp butter and mini marshmallows in microwave for 2-3 minutes, until marshmallows are fluffy and butter is completely melted. Add in vanilla and remaining 3 1/4 cups rice krispies and stir to coat every rice krispie.
Divide evenly among chocolate-filled muffin tins, filling each the rest of the way up.
Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or let set at room temperature before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
-makes 18 rice krispies

Sun-Baked S'mores

Some recipes can really only be made in hot weather. Sure, you can make ice cream in the middle of winter (trust me, if you do, you are not alone), but it would be harder to do something like bake chocolate chip cookies in your car when there is snow outside. Today, I made one of these recipes.
New York has hit a heat wave. At the day camp I'm working at, we do lots of science experiments. We decided that we wanted s'mores, but it was much too hot to spend time outside, and the rule against a campfire inside a school building wasn't going to stop us! Another counselor suggested making them in the sun, which ended up working out really well.

It is so simple, and so much easier than building a campfire! You assemble an entire s'more, uncooked marshmallow and unmelted chocolate and all, on a piece of tinfoil.

Wrap it up in the tinfoil (we made lots and lots!). Place them someplace hot, like in your car or in direct sunlight. We put ours on trays on the roof of the building.
About an hour later, they are ready to eat! The marshmallows will be pretty gooey (leave them longer if you want them really melted) and the chocolate will be melted. We used chocolate chips to ensure that they melted, but a piece of a chocolate bar should work too. Unwrap and enjoy! <3

Sun-Baked S'mores
(recipe by a fellow camp counselor)

1 full graham cracker
about 10 chocolate chips
1 marshmallow

Break the graham cracker in half. Layer one half, the chocolate chips, the marshmallow, and then the other half. Wrap in a sheet of tinfoil.
Place in a very hot place, such as a surface in direct sunlight (if it's very hot out), or a car that has been sitting in the heat for a while.
After about an hour, unwrap and enjoy!
-makes 1 s'more

Strawberry Meringue Trifle

a.k.a. the easiest dessert you will ever make. And one of the most delicious.
In my house, I always somehow get volunteered to make dessert for any sort of party or dinner. Okay, maybe not "get volunteered" - I usually demand dessert rights ;) Anyway, sometimes I forget about the rest of my life besides baking and don't have time to make something elaborate. This "recipe" is really a simple mixture of whipped cream, strawberries, and store-bought meringues. Of course you can make them yourself to add another level of deliciousness, but that would sort of defeat the purpose of a quick recipe.
My mom taught me how to make this yummy mess. She grew up eating it, and it was one of those things that when I tasted it, it felt like I had tasted it lots of times before. I guess my mom made it for me before I started becoming the dessert maker in our house? Or maybe it's just natural comfort food. Either way, this is super easy and quick, and so delicious. Serve it in big scoops in bowls!
*I'm not sure this would technically be called a trifle, but I thought it sounded good so there you go! Enjoy <3

Strawberry Meringue Trifle
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 large package meringue stars (you know, the kind that come in the plastic tub), broken in to large pieces
1 1/2 pints strawberries, chopped

Beat heavy cream until it holds soft peaks. Beat in the confectioner's sugar.
Layer the cookies, whipped cream, and strawberries in a large dish (a deep 11x7" is what I used, but any large dish should work). Chill until serving. Yum!
These measurements are all really guesses. Feel free to adjust it as you like. Adding something like chocolate shavings or nutella would be delicious! Be right back, I have to go buy some cream....

Chocolate Mousse Stuffed Strawberries

Last night, my friend came over and we made these little bites of delicious. I knew she had made them before, so I asked her to show me the way to this paradise of fruity chocolate. These are strawberries that have had the centers removed and have been filled with chocolate mousse. Now, I'm slightly ashamed to say this, but as a food blogger of about 4 years, I had never made chocolate mousse until last night. I don't know why - it's not particularly hard. Yes, it's annoying to make; you melt chocolate and butter, then you cook egg yolks and sugar, then you beat cream, then you mix it all together and wait for it to chill. But it's so worth it.

What I had the hardest time with was the actual coring - my friend couldn't find her strawberry corer (I had no idea those even existed, but apparently they do) and we had to do it with a knife. You just have to be careful so as not to cut all the way through. We also tried with a melon baller, which didn't work but inspired us to go buy a cantaloupe and ball it... okay, that's a whole other story. These aren't the prettiest, and they can certainly be made prettier for something like a party if you have patience and use a star tip on the piping bag. We had quite a bit of mousse left over, so whatever we didn't eat right out of the piping bag (nobody is allowed to judge teenage girls left alone in a kitchen with bags of chocolate mousse, okay??) we put in to shot glasses with a little strawberry jam on top. Yummy! Enjoy! <3 class="separator" div="div" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Chocolate Mousse Stuffed Strawberries
(from Mind Over Batter)

1 cup semi or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces (half a stick) of butter
3 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons of kirsch or liqueur of choice (I left this out)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (8oz) heavy cream
2 lbs. of strawberries, cored from the bottom leaving the stems

Place chocolate and butter in a medium bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water stirring occasionally until melted. Once melted, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Combine the yolks, sugar, liqueur of choice and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer, or a medium sized bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk until very warm and thickened. Once thickened, remove from heat, place in electric mixer and whip until cold and very thick. If you don’t have an electric mixer, just bust out a whip and give it some arm action. Set aside.
In a bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand mixer or hand whip, beat 1 cup of heavy cream until it holds stiff peaks. Set aside.
Working quickly, add the melted chocolate to the thickened yolk mixture and fold thoroughly. Add the heavy cream to the yolk/chocolate mixture and fold quickly, but gently until no white streaks remain.
Place in the freezer to chill for 15-20 minutes.
Assembly:
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with chocolate mousse. Pipe chocolate mousse into each cored strawberry. Eat up!

*photo credit goes to my bestie - hey there if you're reading this!

Oh Wow.

Oh my gosh. I haven't posted in a really long time, and I'm SO sorry. But this time I do have an excuse.
If anybody reading this has ever been in 8th grade in New York City, you know what I'm talking about. I think this past month has been the craziest in my life. Why? I'm dealing with applications to NYC Public High Schools. Admissions to the really good schools is very competitive, and I have spent all of my free time studying for tests, practicing for auditions, going to open houses and tours, and sleeping. :)
Now all of the tests are over, and I seem to have a bit more time on my hands (although I'm still super busy). Also, I was recently on Tuesdays with Dorie's website and read about how anybody who doesn't post by today is getting kicked out. SO.... I decided it was time I put up a post :)
I'm just going to talk about a jumble of TWD recipes I've made over the past few months (no pictures today, because I'm too tired and busy to find them).
Peanut Butter Crisscrosses - I actually made these way back in February, before they were chosen. I believe I doubled the recipe, because I was making them for a big party. They were pretty simple to make and delicious. A hit!
Peach Ice Cream - Oh my goodness, this stuff is amazing and SO addictive. In August, we went peach picking and I had to find something to do with all the quickly ripening peaches, so I went with this. It's actually very easy to make (although a bit time-consuming). The next time you have some extra peaches, go make it!
Crunchy Custardy Peach Tart - This was also a hit. The crust was same as usual, and the thin layer of custard was delicious. My only complaint was that the peaches were baked for so long, they seemed to lose a bit of their flavor. But all in all, a yummy dessert.
Mango Bread - I made this one because I was bored over the summer and wanted to cross something off the old rewind list. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this spicy bread, and I will make it again sometime!

Oatmeal Breakfast Bread - Oh, what we did for this bread. We were in Rome when we decided we wanted this bread. So we looked up the ingredients, got the people at the supermarket annoyed with our hand gestures as we tried to communicate what we were looking for, and went back to the house where we were staying. When we got there, we realized we had forgotten the applesauce. Back to the store we went. And who would have known? Apparently Italians don't believe in applesauce :) So we went back to the apartment, cut up and cooked some apples, and mashed them in a ricer. And you know what? That applesauce was pretty good. The bread, on the other hand, was just okay. This might have been a result of our not really knowing what baking powder/baking soda we were dealing with, and our measurements having been slightly off. We also didn't make the crumble, just sprinkled some spices and sugar on top. I guess I'll just have to make it again!
Raspberry Blanc Manger - When I went peach picking, I also went raspberry picking. When I got home, I decided to make this cold dessert. It was actually a bit of a let-down for me. The agar-agar (vegetarian substitute for gelatin) sort of clumped, making weird lumps in the custard. However, the taste was good, and everyone else liked it.
Blueberry Pie - I had never made a blueberry pie before, although I had always wanted to. I loved seeing the blueberries and sugar become a syrupy, yummy mess. I'll definitely make this one again.

Coffee Break Muffins - It's coffee in a muffin. What's not to love? Mmm, I want one right now.....
Tarte Fine - This was one of the easiest recipes in Dorie's book that I have made. It consists of a thin layer of puff pastry, some apples and sugar, and jam brushed on top. I didn't have high hopes for it, but it was really, really good. And so easy! (Especially when you used frozen homemade puff pastry, because you get the flavor of the homemade in a few minutes.)
Apple Pie - I loved loved loved this pie! It was a simple filling, but the best I've made. Definitely one I'll make again.

So those are the recipes I've made recently. Hopefully I'll be back next week with a more detailed post!

Daring Bakers: The World Comes to Canada

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.

Lauren lives in Canada, and since the winter olympics are going to be there, she wanted to do a Canadian dessert. She also has celiac disease, so she can't eat gluten. This month the challenge had two parts to it. First was gluten-free graham crackers. We were allowed to use wheat flower, though, which I did, because I figured why buy three different types of flour that I probably will end up not using? The graham cracker dough was pretty easy to make, although it was very sticky. It chilled and was rolled out very thin. It was easy to roll out, but I found it super sticky and I had to use a LOT of flour.

The crackers were delicious! I made crumbs out of almost all of them, so I have a cup or two left for something else.

The second part of the challenge was Nanaimo Bars, which apparently is a popular canadian dessert. The first layer is made of butter, cocoa powder, sugar, eggs, graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and almonds. It is pressed into a pan. You are supposed put on the custard layer right away, but I refrigerated it for two days because of time issues.
Next comes the custard. This is made by beating butter, cream, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla custard powder. We were allowed to substitute vanilla pudding mix, which I did, because I couldn't find the powder. However, I think this affected the color, because mine was white while Lauren's was yellow.
Finally comes melted butter with chocolate. You spread it over, but the recipe didn't make a whole lot, so I couldn't get all the way to the edges.

All in all, this was a fun challenge. I loved the graham crackers, but thought that the bars were very rich and tasted a bit too much just like butter and sugar. I think they would be delicious with the same amount of the chocolate layers, but only half of the custard layer. I would recommend trying it this way. If you want to try, the original recipe is below. Enjoy!

Preparation time:
• Graham Wafers: 30 to 45 minutes total active prep, 2 ½ hours to overnight and 45 minutes inactive prep.
• Nanaimo Bars: 30 minutes.

Equipment required:
• Food Processor
• Bowls
• Parchment paper or silpats
• Cookie sheets
• Double boiler or pot and heatproof bowl
• 8 by 8 inch square pan
• Hand mixer or stand mixer (You may use a wooden spoon, but this makes it much easier!)
• Saucepan

For Gluten-Free Graham Wafers
Ingredients
1 cup (138 g) (4.9 ounces) Sweet rice flour (also known as glutinous rice flour)
3/4 cup (100 g) (3.5 ounces) Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/2 cup (65 g) (2.3 ounces) Sorghum Flour
1 cup (200 g) (7.1 ounces) Dark Brown Sugar, Lightly packed
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4 mL ) Kosher Salt
7 tablespoons (100 g) (3 ½ ounces) Unsalted Butter (Cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen)
1/3 cup (80 mL) Honey, Mild-flavoured such as clover.
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Whole Milk
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal. If making by hand, combine aforementioned dry ingredients with a whisk, then cut in butter until you have a coarse meal. No chunks of butter should be visible.
2. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.
3. Turn the dough onto a surface well-floured with sweet rice flour and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight.
4. Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of sweet rice flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be quite sticky, so flour as necessary. Cut into 4 by 4 inch squares. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place wafers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.
5. Adjust the rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
6. Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more sweet rice flour and roll out the dough to get a couple more wafers.
7. Prick the wafers with toothpick or fork, not all the way through, in two or more rows.
8. Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Might take less, and the starting location of each sheet may determine its required time. The ones that started on the bottom browned faster.
9. When cooled completely, place enough wafers in food processor to make 1 ¼ cups (300 mL) of crumbs. Another way to do this is to place in a large ziplock bag, force all air out and smash with a rolling pin until wafers are crumbs.

Nanaimo Bars
Ingredients:

For Nanaimo Bars — Bottom Layer
1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup (50 g) (1.8 ounces) Granulated Sugar
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Unsweetened Cocoa
1 Large Egg, Beaten
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) (160 g) (5.6 ounces) Gluten Free Graham Wafer Crumbs (See previous recipe)
1/2 cup (55 g) (1.9 ounces) Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)
1 cup (130 g) (4.5 ounces) Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)

For Nanaimo Bars — Middle Layer
1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons (40 mL) Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Vanilla Custard Powder (Such as Bird’s. Vanilla pudding mix may be substituted.)
2 cups (254 g) (8.9 ounces) Icing Sugar

For Nanaimo Bars — Top Layer
4 ounces (115 g) Semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons (28 g) (1 ounce) Unsalted Butter

Directions:
1. For bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.
2. For Middle Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light in colour. Spread over bottom layer.
3. For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.

-------------------------------
Additional Information:

These bars freeze very well, so don’t be afraid to pop some into the freezer.

The graham wafers may be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Mine lasted about that long.

If making the graham crackers with wheat, replace the gluten-free flours (tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, and sorghum flour) with 2 ½ cups plus 2 tbsp of all-purpose wheat flour, or wheat pastry flour. Watch the wheat-based graham wafers very closely in the oven, as they bake faster than the gluten-free ones, sometimes only 12 minutes.

For the Nanaimo Bars, if making with wheat, replace the gluten-free graham wafer crumbs with equal parts wheat graham wafer crumbs!

Information on Celiac Disease: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/celiac-disease/DS00319

Information on Vancouver 2010: http://www.vancouver2010.com/

City of Nanaimo: http://www.nanaimo.ca/EN/index.html

Gluten Free Flour Information: http://glutenfreemommy.com/gluten-free-grains-101-the-best-flour-blend/

Video on making Nanaimo bars: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5aqa6R1jIM&feature=fvsr

Recipe and video for Vegan Nanaimo Bars (you didn’t think I’d leave you guys out?):http://www.everydaydish.tv/index.php?page=recipe&recipe=159

Recipe for gluten-free and vegan Graham Wafers: http://www.thesensitivepantry.com/the-sensitive-pantry/2009/8/3/grahams-...

TWD Rewind: Banded Ice Cream Torte

As you can tell, I'm working on catching up with the TWD recipes. I wasn't able to make last week's espresso cheesecake brownies, and probably won't be able to make the chocolate souffles for next week, but I'll try. This torte was for a wedding shower, and since the bride's favorite ice cream is chocolate chip, and here in Brazil you can't find raspberries as easily, we decided to use the chocolate chip. At my grandma's, where we're staying, there is no springform pan, so we had to buy one. On the wrapping it said it was 9 inches, but when we got home it was actually 12. We didn't want the torte to be too thin, so we basically doubled the ice cream. However, we didn't double the chocolate gajavascript:void(0)nache, so the torte ended up tasting like ice cream with thick chocolate sauce. Well, that's what I think, but everybody at the party loved it, so I guess either it was really good and I just didn't think so, or they really like hot fudge sundaes. Despite how mine turned out, I think this recipe would be good as the original. 

And if you want the recipe - well, I think you know how it goes. Something about buying the book? 

Have fun!

Strawberry Torte

I know, I know, I haven't posted in a long time. I'm sorry. But that doesn't mean that I haven't been baking. This is a torte that I made with my mom on Saturday. The original recipe was from allrecipes. I followed one of the reviews for the sauce, but there are a few things that I think could be changed. The following recipe is what I think the recipe should be, so try it and let me know if it works! It should, so don't be scared    :)

Strawberry Torte (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients: 

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup minus 1 tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (if you don't have this, use another teaspoon vanilla)

1 pint minus 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

2 12 oz packs ladyfinger cookies (you won't use them all, but 1 pack isn't enough)

1  1/2   16 oz. packs frozen strawberries

1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch

3/4 cup white sugar

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

fresh strawberries

Instructions:

In a sauce pan, cook 1 pack frozen strawberries and 1 tablespoon cornstarch until strawberries are soft and sauce is thick. Remove from heat and puree with 1 tablespoon cornstarch. 

In a separate sauce pan, cook 1/2 pack frozen strawberries with 1/2 tablespoon corn starch. Puree with 1/4 cup sugar. 

Whip cream cheese, sugar (1st measurement given above), and vanilla together.

In a separate bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.

Arrange ladyfingers around sides and bottom of an 8 or 9 inch springform pan, standing ladyfingers lengthwise around sides of pan. I found that this was easiest by standing some one the side, then against them on the bottom, and repeating this until it was done. 

Pour 1/2 of the filling into the pan, then another layer of ladyfingers. Take the smaller batch of strawberry sauce and pour it over the ladyfingers.

Pour remaining filling over sauce. Mix gelatin into larger batch of strawberry sauce. Pour over the filling. 

Let cool for a little and decorate with fresh strawberries. 

Chill until serving.

Peace and Dee Love,

Sophia