PW's Blackberry Cobbler

Really good, but too much sugar on top. I would double the recipe next time. Also, an hour is too long in the oven. 50 min or less will do. Recipe here.

Lemon Squares

Not sure why the top turned white... maybe I over baked them???

Cozonac Moldovenesc cu Nuca

1 kg flour
10 egg yolks
salt
250 g melted butter
2 tsp rum
2 tsp vanilla
zest of 2 large oranges
4 teaspoon yeast
1/2 liter milk

Filling:
400 g sugar
400 g nuts (crushed)
6 egg whites
3-4 tbsp coco powder
sugar to taste
rum
vanilla

Heat milk to 102 F. Divide in two half's - in one add 4 table spoons of flour and the yeast and in the other the sugar, vanilla, rum and orange peel.

In the kitchenaid, start of (low speed) with the eggs, add milk with flavorings, butter then the flour (cup by cup). After the first 3 cups add the milk and yeast mixture and continue adding the remaining flour (with a dough hook attached).

Grease a large bowl with vegetable oil and place dough in it and let rise at warm temp for an hour or until doubled in size. Divide dough in 3 equal parts and then divide those in half.

Filling: Beat the egg whites and sugar until peaks form. Add coco powder and nuts.

Spread each portion out and spread the filling inside it. Roll back up and braid with it's other half (which needs to be filled and rolled the same prior).

Bake at 350 until golden brown ca. 45 min.

Profiteroles

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for baking sheets
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash
• 2 to 3 pints vanilla ice cream, for serving
• Hot Fudge Sauce

Directions:

1. Make the dough: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. with racks in upper and lower thirds. Butter two large rimmed baking sheets.
2. Combine butter, 1 cup water, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until butter melts. Reduce heat to medium.
3. Add flour; cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball, 30 seconds to 1 minute (see note below). Remove from heat; cool 1 minute.
4. With an electric handheld mixer, beat in eggs, a little bit at a time, until completely incorporated (dough should look shiny and be soft enough to slowly fall off a spoon).
5. Bake the puffs: Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto baking sheets (you should have 24 to 28), about 2 inches apart. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush puffs with egg wash (do not let it drip on sheets).
6. Bake, rotating sheets between racks halfway through, until puffed and brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven; turn oven off.
7. With a toothpick, poke a hole in each puff. Return to oven (still off) for 10 minutes (this helps puffs dry out).
8. Fill the puffs: When cool, halve each puff horizontally with a serrated knife.
9. Working in batches (to prevent ice cream from melting), place a small scoop of ice cream (2 to 3 tablespoons) in each bottom half. Replace tops; press gently. Arrange on one rimmed baking sheet; freeze until firm. Cover with plastic wrap; freeze up to 2 days.
10. Arrange 3 filled puffs in each of eight shallow bowls; drizzle with warm Fudge Sauce. Serve immediately

These came out absolutely delightful. The recipe is the same as for Eclairs, but instead of milk you use water, which makes them hallow inside. They come out less doughy and crispier. We get these every time we eat at Maggiano's Restaurant. Thanks to this site for the recipe find!

Ricotta Orange Pound Cake

This is a recipe by Giada Di Laurentiis - Foodtv.com. I wish I would have read the reviews before I made it. Great recipe, but the timing she's listing is off. I takes way more than 50 minutes to cook and I would recommend using a wider pan. I had to throw out the middle since it didn't get cooked all the way. But the out sides where to die for! Will definitely make this again; the right way.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature, plus more to grease the baking pan
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
  
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 orange, zested
• 2 tablespoons Amaretto
• Powdered sugar, for dusting
• 1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered or 3 oranges, cut into supremes

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, ricotta, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs 1 at a time. Add the vanilla, orange zest, and Amaretto until combined. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Using a mesh sieve, dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar.

Meanwhile, place the strawberries (or orange supremes) in a small bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Let sit until the juices have pooled around the strawberries.

To serve, slice the cake and serve with a spoonful of strawberries and their juices over the top of the cake.

Mixed Berry Strudel

Ingredients
1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet)
1 egg 1 tbsp. water
6 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
12oz of frozen mixed berries

Directions

1. Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature for 40 minutes or until it’s easy to handle.

2. Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or use parchment paper. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.

3. Stir the sugar, flour, thawed berries and toss to coat.

4. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 16 x 12-inch rectangle. With the short side facing you, spoon the berries mixture onto the bottom half of the pastry sheet to within 1-inch of the edges. Starting at the short side, roll up like a jelly roll. Tuck the ends under to seal. Place seam-side down on the baking sheet.



5. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture. Cut several 2-inch-long slits 2 inches apart on the top.Bake for 45 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Easy Moist Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Be sure to use ultra ripe bananas for this. Their skins should be mottled black and they should feel soft to the touch. Using what you would normally consider to be ripe bananas will diminish the bread’s rich flavor. Get video instructions here.

Ingredients:
½ cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter

½ cup (3 ¾ ounces) packed light or dark brown sugar

¾ teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon salt½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups (~ 12 ounces) mashed ripe banana (3-4 medium to large bananas)

¼ cup (3 ounces) honey (I used sugar – works fine)

2 large eggs

2 cups (8 ounces) whole wheat flour, traditional or white whole wheat (I found that 2 cups was closer to 10 ounces – guess my whole wheat is heavy)

½ cups (2 ounces) chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

2. Beat together the butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth.

3. Add the banana, honey and eggs, beating until smooth.

4. Add the flour and nuts, stirring until smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and let it rest at room temperature, uncovered for 10 minutes.

5. Bake the bread for 50 minutes. Lay a piece of foil gently across the top and bake until a cake tester (like a toothpick) inserted into the center comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes more.

6. Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before turning it out of the pan onto a rack to cool completely.

.

If you like the taste of whole grains, then this is a recipe for you. The bread is moist and very easy to make. What do you eat banana bread with? This is the first time I've ever had any... .

Raspberry Brownies

Ingredients

1 (12 ounce) can semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
1/2 cup butter
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped nuts


Directions

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F.

2. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips and butter in large, heavy-duty saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and let cool.

3. Stir in eggs. Stir in eggs, careful not to scramble. Stir in flour, sugar, vanilla extract and baking soda.

4. Stir in remaining chocolate chips and nuts.

5. Line baking pan with raspberries and spread mixture on top. Poor from the outside in, making sure the outside is layered thicker, so that it may not dry out during backing. Batter will even itself out once done.

6. BAKE for 18 to 20 minutes.



These can be made with your own brownie recipe. Just line a pan with raspberries and poor the brownie mixture over the berries. Serve hot with ice cream. The berries stay fresh and don't dry out and the flavor is fruity and intense, but yet not over powering at all. Very yummy!

You can play with the amount of chocolate chips and nuts you use, depending on your taste. These are best when eaten the same day.

Peach Season

I got this great recipe and pie picture from here. My camera was dead at the time and we just couldn't wait that long and risk the pie getting cold. :p

Ingredients:

6 firm-ripe white peaches, peeled and sliced (about 2 pounds)

1/3 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice1/2 (17.3 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 large egg lightly beaten with

1 teaspoon water and a pinch of salt (for egg wash)

Almond Crunch Topping (recipe below)

Powdered sugar, to taste

.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Unfold 1 puff pastry sheet, and roll to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate, allowing edges to hang about 2 inches over rim. Add peach mixture, mounding in center of pastry. (Cup your hands around peach mixture, and push it toward center.) Bring corners of pastry to the center, leaving some filling exposed. Brush pastry with egg wash.

3. Press Almond Crunch Topping into pastry. Place pie plate on baking sheet, and bake at 400° for 40 to 45 minutes or until pastry is golden and filling is bubbly. (Lay a sheet of foil over tart if it begins to overbrown.) Cool slightly, and dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm with ice cream or frozen yogurt, if desired.

.

ALMOND CRUNCH TOPPING

1/3 cup sliced almonds

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.

Best Lava Cake

I found this super easy recipe here. What a treat and so easy to make. my sister and I used to go to Flemings Steakhouse at least once a month, just for their lava cake. Well, no need for that anymore. This one tastes exactly the same and of course the better the chocolate the better the cake. I slightly overcooked mine by a minute or so. It's supposed to be more runny in the middle.

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter
1 1/3 semisweet chocolate chips
5 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 F.
2. Melt butter and chocolate chips in a pan, over low heat, stirring frequently.
3. Beat eggs and sugar well. Add melted chocolate mixture very slowly (careful that eggs don't scramble). Mix well together.
4. Add flour, stir 'til just combined.
5. Pour into 8 greased 10 oz ramekins. Bake 8-10 min.

I used a non stick 6 opening bunt cake tray, which I didn't have to grease. The cakes came right out. I cooked them for 11 min, which was tooooooooooo long. Results were still delicious though.

Daring Baker Challenge - Danish Braid

DANISH DOUGH- Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients:

For the dough (Detrempe) :

1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1/2 cup whole milk

1/3 cup sugar

Zest of 1 orange, finely grated

3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped

2 large eggs, chilled

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage):

1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH:

Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

BUTTER BLOCK

1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.

2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

DANISH BRAID - Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients:

1 recipe Danish Dough

Filling:

2 (8 ounce) cream cheese

3/4 cup raw sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons sour cream

In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, white sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract and sour cream. Spread filling on top of rolls.

For the egg wash:

1 large egg, plus

1 large egg yolk

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.

2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.

3. Spoon the cream cheese filling down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Egg Wash

Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.

Proofing and Baking

1. Spray cooking oil onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.

2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.

3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.

Lemon Tart

I found this recipe here. I used too much lemon juice ( I had large lemons on hand ) which made it a little bitter but other than that, everyone was very pleased with it. The crust is superb!

Pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons raw sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Plus extra melted butter for greasing the pan

1. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

2. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, milk, and melted butter.

3. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, all at once, and stir or whisk just until combined. The batter should have some small lumps. Make sure you do not over mix the batter or the pancakes will be tough.

4. Heat a frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Brush the pan with a little melted butter.
Using a small ladle or scoop, pour about 1/4 cup of pancake batter onto the pan. When the bottoms of the pancakes are golden and bubbles start to appear on the top surfaces of the pancakes (2-3 minutes), turn over.

5. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing the pan with melted butter between batches.

Lemon-Lime Bars

This recipe was adapted from the May 2008 issue of Better Homes and Gardens. It turned out good, but way too sweet for me (my husband liked it). I even added 1/4 cups less sugar than called for. I had to increase my cooking time by 12 min or so, not sure why. This morning I packed all the squares in a tupperware container to bring them to work for people to eat, and forgot them laying on the counter :( Here's the recipe..............

INGREDIENTS:

.

2/3 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

4 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel, divided

6 eggs

2 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cups lemon juice

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. finely shredded lime peel

2 Tbsp. sifted powdered sugar

.

DIRECTIONS:

.

1. preheat oven to 350F. Line 13x9x2 inch pan with heavy foil; set aside.

2. For crust, in large mixing bowl beat butter on medium to high 30 seconds. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Stir in 2 teaspoons of the lemon peel. Evenly press on bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 20 min.

3. For the filling: In a med bowl combine eggs, granulated sugar, remaining 1/2 cup flour, lemon juice, baking powder, and nutmeg. Beat on medium for 2 min. Stir in remaining lemon peel and the lime peel. Pour over hot crust. Bake for 20 min more or until edges are browned and center appears set. Remove to rack; cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate covered for 2 hours.

4. To serve, sprinkle evenly with powdered sugar. Lift from pan using foil; cut into bars. Store covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Romanian Crêpe

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs1 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, to make a thin layer. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot and fill with Nutella or whatever.