Mostly Sweet and Sometimes Salty

My Favorite Pie Crust

2013-07-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

My Favorite Pie Crust

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Yield: One double or two single crust pies

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon (15 grams) granulated sugar
1 (5 grams) teaspoon table salt
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, very cold and cut into small cubes
1/2 - 3/4 cup buttermilk

Directions

In the bowl of your food processor, pulse the flour, sugar and salt to combine. Add butter cubes and pulse until only small pieces of butter remain, about the size of small peas. Pour in buttermilk ( I usually start with 1/2 cup) and pulse until dough barely comes together.

Divide into two even discs and chill for at least 2 hours. Once chilled, roll out for desired use, I like to throw the rolled out dough back in the fridge for about 30 minutes after rolling to ensure it is thoroughly cold. Bake as directed in your recipe.

Angel Food Cake

2013-07-01T11:43:00.001-07:00

Angel Food Cake
Serves 10-12
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated
Printable recipe

1 cup (4oz) sifted cake flour
1 3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons egg whites
1 1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325°F. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position, have ready a 16 cup tube pan. Do not grease it as the cake needs to climb the sides/center to rise. Sift together your cake flour and 3/4 cup sugar, set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment, on low gently break up the egg whites then add salt and cream of tartar. Increase speed to medium and once soft billowy peaks start to form, slowly (very slowly!) pour in your remaining 3/4 cup sugar. Once all sugar has been added, continue beating until soft peaks have formed (make sure you do not get to stiff peaks as my cake fell when I did this previously). Add in vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Remove bowl from the stand mixer and sift in your set aside flour/sugar mix. Sift on about 3 T at a time and gently fold into the whites, repeating until all your flour/sugar has been added. Carefully pour batter into your tube pan and smooth the top. Rap it on the counter a few times to dislodge any air bubbles that may have developed. Bake in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes, checking towards the end to make sure it is not getting too dark. If it is, cover top with a piece of foil to slow down further browning. Cake is done once the top springs back when gently pressed and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Invert cake in it's pan to cool, about 2-3 hours. To remove, run a knife along the sides of the pan as close to the pan as possible to keep crust intact. Repeat with bottom and center tube, place bottom side up on serving dish.

© 2012 - 2013 Mostly Sweet & Sometimes Salty - All Rights Reserved.

New York Blueberry Crumb Cake

2013-06-19T15:16:00.002-07:00

New York Blueberry Crumb Cake

Serves 8-10

Printable Recipe

Crumb topping

1/3 cup sugar (2 2/3 oz.)

1/3 cup dark brown sugar (2 2/3 oz..)
3/4 t cinnamon
1/8 t salt
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
1 ¾ cup cake flour (7 oz.)

Cake

1 ¼ cup cake flour (5 oz.)

1/2 cup sugar (3 ½ oz..)
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
6 T unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces, softened but still cool
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 t vanilla extract
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 ½ cup blueberries, frozen or fresh ok
Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

For the topping, Whisk sugars, cinnamon, salt and butter in a medium bowl to combine. Add flour and stir until mixture resembles a thick cohesive dough; set aside to cool, 10 minutes.

For the cake, heat oven to 325℉. Line bottom of a springform pan with parchment (you can also use an 8x8 baking dish). In the bowl of your mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt on low speed to combine. Add butter one piece at a time while mixer is running on low. Continue beating until mixture resembles moist crumbs and no visible chunks of butter remain, about 1-2 minutes. Add egg, yolk, vanilla and buttermilk; beat on med-high until light and fluffy about 1 minute. Be sure to scrape bottom and sides of bowl.

Transfer batter to the prepared pan and spread into an even layer, top with blueberries. Break up crumb topping into large, pea sized crumbs and spread evenly over batter. Bake until crumbs are golden and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool completely and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Peanut Butter Cookies with Honey Roasted Peanuts

2013-05-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

Peanut Butter Cookies with Honey Roasted Peanuts
Yield: 18 - 20 cookies
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
3 Tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, cream together the peanut butter, butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until well blended. Beat in the egg and milk. Add flour, salt and baking powder, stir to combine. Using approximately 3 T per cookie, roll into balls and then roll in chopped nuts. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. These will not spread much so be sure to flatten slightly. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until edges are lightly browned.

© 2012 - 2013 Mostly Sweet & Sometimes Salty - All Rights Reserved.

DIY Honey Roasted Peanut Butter

2012-04-05T10:18:00.003-07:00

I've been on a nut butter making rampage. In addition to the honey roasted peanut butter I'm sharing today, I've made cashew butter, coconut butter, coconut pecan butter, maple cinnamon almond butter, chocolate almond butter, mixed nut butter, pistachio butter.... I know there are others that are not coming to mind, but do you believe me when I say I can't do anything in moderation? It's pretty much all or nothing around these parts. Anyway, these are all incredibly simple and in my opinion much better tasting than most of the butters you'll find on the market, not to mention at a drastically reduced price tag, especially once we are talking some of the more exotic nut butters. What started this obsession was that I paid $3 for one single serving of pistachio butter at a local co-op here. It was delicious but there was no way I was going to buy a full jar with a price tag of almost $15 bucks. No way. So I present to you less of a recipe and more of a method, the only essential tool would be a powerful food processor but I'm betting most of you already have one of those.

Homemade Honey Roasted Peanut Butter
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups dry roasted peanuts
1/4 cup honey
Salt to taste
Peanut oil or another oil of your choice (optional, I prefer not to use any oil)

Directions:
In a 350 degree oven, roast your peanuts for about 20 minutes, stirring half way through. You want to develop some color on the nuts but definitely don't want to let them get too dark, also keep in mind they will continue to cook a bit after they've been removed from the oven. Let cool for about 5 minutes before adding them to your food processor. Start by blending just the nuts by themselves, the whole process can take anywhere from 7 -20 minutes depending on your processor, the type of nuts (almonds usually take much longer) etc. They will go through a couple of stages, first you'll see ground nuts that appear fairly dry, continue processing and they will turn into a very thick paste, as you continue blending, this will eventually loosen up and become quite liquidy. I like to add my additional ingredients after it has just started to liquefy but is not yet to the consistency I like. The final consistency is a personal preference, stop when it's perfect for you. Some people prefer thick, others prefer it to flow from their spoon.

Hummingbird Cupcakes

2012-04-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

Hummingbird cake (or cupcakes) are a very southern thing, they combine banana, coconut, pineapple and pecans. Many people I've talked to have never even heard of them, much less tried them but they are ridiculously delicious, especially when topped with a big swirl of cream cheese frosting. You can taste each of these ingredients and one doesn't over power the other, I've even found that even coconut haters fall in love with them as the coconut is not an overpowering flavor. For some reason, they usually seem to make an appearance in spring, even more so at Easter, I think they would make a perfect addition to your Easter menu.

Hummingbird Cupcakes
Yield: 24 cupcakes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 large)

8 ounces pineapple, chopped finely (use crushed if using canned)

1 cup chopped roasted pecans

1 cup coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.with rack in center. Line cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, vanilla, and sugar until combined, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next. Beat at medium speed until mixture is pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
In a medium bowl, stir together banana, pineapple, walnuts, and coconut. Add to egg mixture, mixing until combined. Stir in flour mixture.
Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cupcakes have cooled, frost cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Yields enough to generously frost 24-30 cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
8oz cream cheese, cubed and cold
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Cream your butter and powdered sugar in your stand mixer until very well combines, approximately 3 minutes. With your mixer running on low, slowly add in your cubed, cold pieces of cream cheese one at a time. Once incorporated, add in your vanilla extract and heavy cream. Continue beating for a few minutes longer until light and fluffy.
Note: If you desire a dense frosting with a heavier cream cheese taste, use equal amounts of cream cheese and butter.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Banana Pudding with Salted Caramel

2012-03-28T10:24:00.002-07:00

This may be the best thing I've ever eaten. EVER. Holy cow...

I never knew I was such a fan of banana pudding, I mean, I've always liked it but this? This has changed my life. I set out looking for a recipe to try and came across the Magnolia Bakery recipe, I was very hesitant since it uses convenience ingredients like instant pudding and sweetened condensed milk. I passed by it several times thinking I wanted to make a scratch pudding or pastry cream but eventually decided to give it a shot since so many people swear by their version. Although I'm not sure the magic of the dish is a result of these ingredients, it works and it works well. The addition of salted caramel takes this from really good to mind blowing, as in take this spoon away from me or I will eat the whole batch. I've already declared this as my birthday dessert and my birthday is over 2 months away. That's how good this is.

Banana Pudding with Salted Caramel
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1½ cups ice cold water

1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix (preferably Jell-O brand)

3 cups heavy cream

1-2 boxes Nabisco Nilla Wafers (depending on preference, I like a lot)

4 cups of ripe bananas, sliced

Salted Caramel Sauce

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the water and the condensed milk until well mixed, add your instant pudding and continue whisking for about 2 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill until set ( I only waited about an hour but recipe says 3-4).

Once set, whip your heavy cream to stiff peaks and gently fold in your pudding. In the vessel(s) of your choice, layer the wafers, pudding and bananas, and caramel, making sure to end with a layer of pudding to keep bananas from being exposed to the air. Refrigerate overnight to allow cookies to soften.

Note: You can make one big dish or like I did, individual servings, this recipe makes a lot.

Adapted from Magnolia Bakery via Yumsugar

Crepes

2012-03-26T13:53:00.002-07:00

Dessert the other night was a spur of the moment decision and a good one at that. Crepes. Not something I've made in years and years, maybe 10-12 years ago was the last time? I don't know what lit the fire under my behind or what I was waiting for but I've got to make up for lost time. I had recently seen an episode of Mexican Made Easy, Marcella made savory cheese crepes with a poblano cream sauce (these sound great don't they? Note to self to try them soon) but I used her recipe for the crepes mainly because she mentioned the added yolk made for a sturdier crepe that was easier to deal with, I don't know if that was the key but these were super simple. Mix all ingredients in the blender, let sit and throw it in the pan, I had no trouble flipping them just loosened it with a spatula and flipped it by hand. I chose to fill some with fresh berries, Nutella and whipped cream, others with just banana slices and Nutella, both were mind blowing but the possibilities are endless.

Crepes
Yield: about 8 crepes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole milk

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, slightly cooled

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Place all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth. Let rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to let bubbles settle. When you're ready to make the crepes, heat a 10 inch skillet over medium high heat, spray with cooking spray and add 1/4 cup of your batter to the pan. Immediately swirl the pan to evenly distribute batter to cover bottom of the pan. Cook for 30 - 40 seconds until set and bottom is starting to brown. Loosen the edges with spatula and flip, cooking for another 30 seconds. Repeat until no batter remains. I kept the completed crepes warm on a plate in a 200 degree oven. Fill as desired.

Recipe adapted from Mexican Made Easy

© 2012 Mostly Sweet & Sometimes Salty - All Rights Reserved.

Olive & Cheese Loaf

2012-03-21T16:07:00.002-07:00

Within the last month or so, I've tried a few 'no knead" bread recipes and I've had very good luck with all of them but this one is the hands down favorite. The technique is usually the same, mix together a few simple ingredients, cover and let sit overnight, punch down, let rise again and throw in a smokin' hot oven but the olives and the Gruyere put this one over the top. It's so simple and produces such a wonderful bread, crusty on the outside, moist and chewy on the inside there's really no excuse not to give it a try.

Olive cheese loaf
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

3 cups bread flour (I didn't realize I was running low so I used 2 cups bread + 1 cup APF)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 3/4 cups cubed Gruyere
1 1/2 cup pitted olives, sliced ( I used Kalamata)
1 1/2 cups cool water

Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and yeast. Add in your Gruyere and olives and toss to combine. Stir in your water, starting with 1 1/4 cups, adding more if needed to form a wet sticky dough. Cover and let sit a room temperature for 12 hours or until dough is bubbling and has doubled in size.
Flour your work surface and turn out the dough and using a bench scrapper or spatula, fold the edges of the dough to the center.
Generously (and I mean GENEROUSLY) flour a piece of parchment paper and place dough on top, seem side down. Cover with another sheet of parchment and then a kitchen towel. Let rise at room temperature for about 2 hours until it has again doubled in size.
Place a dutch oven (handle unscrewed and removed and hole lugged with foil) into your oven and preheat to 475 degrees, allowing your pot to preheat with the oven. After 10 minutes, remove the pot from the oven and gently place your dough inside and return covered to the oven and bake for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, remove the lid and continue to bake uncover for 20-30 minutes longer, until crust is dark brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

© 2012 Mostly Sweet & Sometimes Salty - All Rights Reserved.

Baked Egg Boats

2012-03-19T10:18:00.003-07:00

On Saturday I had the pleasure of sitting down at the kitchen table with a glass of juice, an iced coffee, some fruit and these wonderful "egg boats" that I'd seen on spoonforkbacon. As usual, I was out and about early and managed to get my hands on some fresh from the oven demi baguettes from a local store. These remind me quite a bit of quiche, taking my least favorite element out the equation (the crust) and replacing it with a crusty, chewy piece of delicious bread. I followed the original recipe's flavor profile fairly closely but these would work with any combination of add ins you'd like. I will say that these were very good right out of the oven but that I much preferred them closer to room temperature where the flavors melded together and really had a chance to shine.

Baked Egg Boats

Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

4 demi baguettes
6 eggs
1/2 cup half and half
4 oz cooked ham, chopped
3 oz Gruyere, shredded
2 scallions, sliced thinly
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut out a channel in the top of each of your baguettes and remove some of the bread to create a boat in which you will pour the egg mixture. Be sure to leave about 1/2 inches of bread on the bottom/sides. In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk your eggs, half and half and salt and pepper together until well broken up and combined. Now add in your ham, Gruyere and scallions, give another quick whisk and pour mixture into your prepared baguettes. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until tops are puffy and starting to turn golden brown. Let cool a minimum of 5 minutes to allow eggs to set but as I said earlier, I much preferred these when just barely warm.

Adapted from SpoonForkBacon

Green Smoothie

2012-03-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

With it being St. Patricks day and all, this was my afternoon snack.....

... a green smoothie! I've been drinking a lot of smoothies lately and this is the one I threw together today for the occasion, pineapple, banana and spinach. For those of you who have not tried a green smoothie, this is a good place to start. Spinach has a very mild flavor so it's not even detectable in the finished drink, I didn't feel the need for anymore sweetness but feel free to add some honey or maple syrup if you desire.

Green Smoothie
Yields one 24 oz or two 12 oz smoothies
Printable Recipe

1 cup diced fresh pineapple
1 large banana, frozen
1 cup milk, I used unsweetened SoDelicious coconut milk (50 cals per 8oz)
2 big handfuls of spinach
8-10 ice cubes
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Place all ingredients in your blender and blend until very smooth. Enjoy!

© 2012 Mostly Sweet & Sometimes Salty - All Rights Reserved.

Bailey's Scones

2012-03-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

Since St. Patricks day falls on a Saturday this year, why not take advantage and take a few minutes to whip up a celebritory breakfast for yourself and those you love? These scones are bursting with the flavor of Irish Cream thanks to the addition of Bailey's brand coffee creamer. If I'm honest, in general I'm not a huge fan of Irish cream but in these scones it mellows enough and combines with the cappuccino chips and creates something quite unbelievable. I can say with confidence that I will continue making these throughout the year. My inspiration for using the creamer in place of cream/milk/buttermilk was thanks to Amber and her caramel macchiato scones (which are super yummy!) from Bluebonnets and Brownies. This has now become my go to scone recipe, swapping out flavors of creamers and add ins to achieve different results.

Bailey's Scones

Makes 8 large scones

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup Bailey's or Irish cream flavored coffee creamer
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, frozen
1/2 cup cappuccino chips
Sparkling Sugar for topping

Preheat over to 375 degrees. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the cream and the egg, set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to break up any lumps. Using a cheese grater, grate your frozen butter into your dry mixture, working as quickly as possible so butter stays frozen. Add in your chips and lightly combine butter/chips into dry mixture with a fork. Pour in your creamer and egg and stir until dough just comes together. Pat out into a circle that is about 1 1/2 inches thick and cut into 8 equal wedges. Place wedges on a parchment lined baking sheet, brush the tops of the scones with the egg/creamer residue left in the bowl and top with sparkling or sanding sugar. Bake for about 14 minutes until tops are just starting to brown.

Recipe adapted from Bluebonnets & Brownies

Baked French Toast

2012-03-12T11:31:00.000-07:00

My weekends lately have included what I've been referring to as "special breakfasts". You see, as much as I hate to admit it, I don't normally eat any sort of breakfast in the mornings, especially on weekdays. Having these "special breakfasts" on the weekends have really been giving me something to look forward to. It could be something as indulgent as french toast or as simple and healthy as the baked oatmeal I shared a few weeks ago, the joy is in planning, making and taking the opportunity to sit down and enjoy them. This baked french toast was pretty incredible, almost like a cross between french toast and bread pudding, served with fresh berries and topped with almonds and real maple syrup, it was a perfect start to my Sunday.

Baked Almond French Toast
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

1 Tablespoon butter, melted
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 loaf of Brioche, sliced into thick slices, approximately 11/2 inches thick
1 cup milk
1/2 cup half and half
4 eggs
1 12 teaspoons vanilla
Pinch of salt

For serving:
Fresh berries
Powdered sugar
Pure maple syrup

The night before, slice your bread and let sit uncovered on the counter to stale slightly so bread will absorb more of the custard.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack set in center of oven. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together almonds, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter; set aside. Arrange bread slices in an even layer in prepared baking dish; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together milk, half and half, eggs, vanilla, salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Pour over bread and let stand 5 minutes. Carefully drain custard from baking dish and pour over bread a second time, tilting baking dish to evenly distribute; let stand 5 minutes. Custard should be almost completely absorbed. Sprinkle evenly with almond mixture.
Cover baking dish with parchment paper-lined foil and transfer to oven; bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until slightly puffed and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Serve immediately with maple syrup, powdered sugar, and berries.

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Bailey's Marshmallows

2012-03-07T19:16:00.002-08:00

In the past few weeks, I've made vanilla bean marshmallows, smoked vanilla bean marshmallows, espresso marshmallows, creamciscle marshmallows, cake batter marshmallows and these. Bailey's Marshmallows. To say I've been on a bit of a marshmallow kick would be a gross understatement. I plan on sharing many, if not all of these recipes with you at some point but since it's so close to St. Patricks Day, these got top priority. Marshmallows are extremely easy to make and the recipe is surprisingly adaptable. These would be awesome in a cup of coffee or mug of hot chocolate - spiked or not, your choice.

Bailey's Marshmallows
Printable Recipe

3 packets of gelatin
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup Bailey's, cold
1/2 cup water
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
Powdered Sugar to coat marshmallows and pan

Place the cold Bailey's in the bowl of your stand mixer, slowly sprinkle the gelatin on top. Set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium high heat combine the sugar, water, corn syrup and salt. Continue boiling, stirring occasionally until the mixture reaches 240 degrees. Using the whisk attachment, whisk the gelatin mixture while pour your hot sugar mixture in in a very slow but steady stream. Once it has all been added to the mixer, turn up to the highest speed and whip for about 15 minutes or until mixture has lightened and tripled in volume. While mixer is running, prepare a pan of your choice (I've used 9 x13 but prefer 9x9 as I like the thicker cubes) by lining with parchment, spraying completely with non-stick spray and then dusting powdered sugar to cover. Once your marshmallows are done mixing, pour into the pan ( a greased spatula helps with this) and allow to sit overnight uncovered to firm up. Cut into desired size(s) with a pizza cutter and coat each marshmallow with powdered sugar. This will keep in a storage bag for at least a week, probably longer.

Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa

Rice Pudding

2012-03-07T15:31:00.000-08:00

Some days you find yourself in need of some good ol' fashioned comfort food. The other night we had a dusting of snow and we'd both had a rough day so I thought I'd whip up something warm and comforting. Dave is a big fan of rice pudding but I'd only attempted making it once a few years ago using already cooked rice. I was not in love with the result. This time around, I decided not to follow any recipe, just to use my instincts. Apparently my instincts were pretty good because the resulting rice pudding was delicious, much better than any store bought I've had. The secret (if you can really call it that) is to start with uncooked arborio rice, the kind normally reserved for risotto. The constant stirring develops the starches in the rice and make it nice and thick - and creamy to boot. You could really go any direction you want in terms of flavoring, I kept it pretty simple using a vanilla bean, cinnamon and some freshly grated nutmeg. Top it all off with a dollop of whipped cream and call it a night.

Rice Pudding

Serves about 6

Printable Recipe

3 cups milk
1 cup half and half
3/4 cup arborio rice, uncooked
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 vanilla bean
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt

Split vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds, place (along with pod) in a medium saucepan with remaining ingredients. Heat over medium low uncovered, stirring frequently for about 40 minutes until the rice has absorbed most of the liquids and you are left with a creamy, thick pudding. In the beginning you will question whether the rice will absorb all of the liquid, I assure you it will. Remove vanilla bean before serving.

Note: You can also serve at room temperature or cold from the fridge but I preferred it warm.

Guinness Bundt Cake

2012-03-05T09:27:00.001-08:00

In honor of St. Patricks day, which is quickly approaching, I thought I'd share the recipe for this yummy cake. Now I know many of you are thinking that the idea of Guinness and chocolate doesn't sound appealing but let me assure you the cake does not taste of Guinness. It definitely changes the flavor profile so you know something is different but the flavor does not scream beer. I made a few modifications to the original recipe by adding chunks of dark chocolate and cocoa nibs to the batter. This was the first time I had baked with the cocoa nibs and I have to say that I quite like the results. They add a slightly crunchy little bite, a nice little texture change. The cake stays nice and moist from the addition of sour cream and the ganache bumps up the chocolate factor to another level. If you're planning a St. Patricks day celebration (let's me honest, even if you're not) consider adding this to your menu.

Guinness Chocolate Bundt Cake

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more to coat the pan
Unsweetened cocoa powder, for the pan
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup stout beer (such as Guinness)
16 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped (8oz for batter, 4oz for chunks, 4oz for ganache)
3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup roasted cocoa nibs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

Heat oven to 350° F. Butter a 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with the cocoa powder, tapping out the excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a small saucepan, combine the butter and stout. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter is melted. Remove from heat, add 8 ounces of the chocolate, and whisk until smooth.
Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugars on medium-high until fluffy. Beat in the chocolate mixture and sour cream. Reduce speed to low and gradually mix in the flour mixture until just combined (do not overmix). Mix in your chocolate chunks and cocoa nibs by hand.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool 30 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.
In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream just to a boil. Remove from heat, add the remaining 4 ounces of chocolate, and let sit 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Set the cooling rack with the cake over a baking sheet. Drizzle the cake with the glaze and let set before serving.

Recipe adapted from Real Simple

Brown Butter and Bacon Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2012-03-01T15:46:00.000-08:00

Bacon + Browned Butter + Dark Chocolate Chunks = Heaven

Does it get any better than this? If so, I can't think of what. The combination of these three components is out of this world. The salty smokiness from the bacon, the nuttiness from the browned butter and the sweet bitterness from chunks of chocolate. The only thing I changed up was using a good quality bar of dark chocolate that I'd cut up into nice big pieces rather than using store bought chips. I've decided recently that I prefer this in my cookies, I think it (obviously) gives better flavor but I've found that I also enjoy the texture more. I guess I'm not so much a fan of the waxiness of the chips. Not to say I won't use them, I know myself well enough not to make that promise but when I'm looking to make something special, I will be sure to reach for the bar rather than the bag.

Browned Butter and Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Printable Recipe

14 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup dark chocolate, chopped into desired size

3 tablespoons milk chocolate, grated

10 strips bacon, crumbled

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, line two baking sheets with parchment. In a saucepan over low heat, melt 10 tablespoons of the butter stirring frequently. Continue to cook until butter has browned which should take about 10 minutes. Now remove from heat and stir in your remaining 4 tablespoons of butter.
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachments, mix the sugars, salt, vanilla, egg and yolk. Slowly add in your melted, slightly cooled butter until it is well incorporated. Add your flour and baking soda, mixing until it just comes together and no flour is visible. Add your chocolates and bacon and finish stirring by hand to be sure not to over work the dough. Scoop out onto your prepared baking sheets into your desired size and bake for 12 - 14 minutes until cookies are just barely set. Cool and enjoy.
Recipe adapted from From Away
© 2012 - 2012 Mostly Sweet & Sometimes Salty - All Rights Reserved.

Roquefort Crackers

2012-02-28T10:23:00.001-08:00

The other night, we were having a few friends stop by, it was after everyone had eaten but I wanted to have something for them to snack on. I'd been eyeing these Blue Cheese and Walnut Crackers from Barefoot Contessa for years but never got around to making them. I decided these would be perfect to put out with some fruit. The crackers are basically a savory shortbread, they have a nice delicate, crumbly texture. The flavor is where these crackers really shine, I decided to use a Roquefort (rather than Stilton) I picked up a Trader Joes and made them without the walnuts. Not because I don't think that the addition of nuts would be great, I do, in fact I love pecans with blue cheese but well... it's because I was feeling lazy. They came out wonderful and Dave especially loved them. They are definitely best the same day, we had some leftover and while the flavor was still good, the texture was a little off.

Roquefort Crackers

Printable Recipe

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

8 ounces Roquefort cheese

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the butter and Roquefort until well blended, about 1 minute. Add flour, salt and pepper and mix until combined. Roll dough into a 12 inch log, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment. Remove dough from fridge and slice into 1/4 inch thick rounds and place on prepared sheet, leaving space between. Bake for 20-22 minutes until they are just starting to brown. Cool to room temperature before serving.

Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa

Raspberry Peach Baked Oatmeal

2012-02-26T09:01:00.000-08:00

My oh my was this a wonderful Saturday morning breakfast....

I've never been a huge fan of oatmeal although I find myself eating it quite often. It's not that I don't like it, I do, it's just never usually anything special. This my friends, is special. Baked oatmeal is in a whole different category to me, the texture is completely different, it's like eating dessert for breakfast - something which I of course am a fan of. I spotted this recipe on Piece of Cake and made plans right away to make it this weekend. The original recipe calls for blueberries, bananas and walnuts. I'm sure this would be awesome and I plan to try it this way soon but I decided to use the flavors of Peach Melba for inspiration. Peaches, raspberries and I swapped the walnuts for toasted pecans. Heavenly. This definitely started my weekend off right (the tiny dollop of whipped cream I added to my portion didn't hurt either....)

Raspberry Peach Baked Oatmeal
Serves about 6
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup toasted pecans
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 egg
3 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 ounces peach slices, I used frozen and thawed
6 ounces raspberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine oats, pecans, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, butter and vanilla. Place half of your dry mix into an 8 x 8 baking dish, pour over half of your wet mixture and top with half of your fruit. Repeat, making sure everything is moistened. Bake until oatmeal is golden brown and appears set, it took me about 45 minutes, I would begin checking at 35 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Piece of Cake

Chipotle Peanut Brittle

2012-02-24T13:12:00.001-08:00

I love taking classic recipes and tweaking them just a bit to get an unexpected (but delicious) result.

This recipe is a perfect example of that, a classic, no frills recipe for Peanut Brittle. By itself it's sweet, crunchy and salty with hints of caramel but once the chipotle powder is added, it elevates it to a new level. A smokey heat that lingers on your tongue just long enough to keep you reaching for more. I've found this spicy/sweet/salty combo goes over especially well with men. If you don't like spicy sweets, feel free to use the recipe without it but I would encourage you to give it a shot - you might find you like it!

Chipotle Peanut Brittle
Printable Recipe

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup salted peanuts
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder, more or less depending on taste
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 275 degrees, place sheet pan in the oven to warm while preparing the brittle. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, corn syrup, water and salt. Continue cooking until mixture reaches 300 degrees. Stir in your peanuts and cook until mixture returns to 300 degrees, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in your butter, baking soda and chipotle powder, mixture will bubble up. Pour mixture onto warmed sheet pan and tilt pan to spread mixture, try and avoid using a utensil to spread as this will deflate the mixture. Allow to cool completely before breaking up into desired sized pieces.

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

2012-02-22T10:54:00.002-08:00

Lately I've been trying my hand at (what I consider) more adventurous baking. Trying things that used to seem too involved or too complicated. I find that I actually enjoy recipes that are time consuming or have multi -step processes involved. This has opened up a whole new world of recipes for me. This cake here is a perfect example, it's actually very simple to make, it's just done in a few different steps and when spread out over the course of two days is actually very easy. The reward is a delicious light cake, each layer bringing a different flavor and texture to the party. Since it was just Dave and I that would be eating it, I scaled it down to my 7 inch springform pan which worked fairly well but I did have to make an impromptu cake ring out of parchment since my pan was not deep enough for all of the layers. I've provided the full recipe here which is designed to for a 9.5 inch pan. It's rich and decadent, the perfect end to a wonderful meal.

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake
Printable Recipe

For the Bottom Layer:

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter , cut into 6 pieces, plus extra for greasing pan

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

3/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 large eggs , separated

Pinch of salt

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

Middle Layer:

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

5 tablespoons hot water

7ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Top Layer:

3/4 teaspoon powdered gelatin

1 tablespoon water

6 ounces white chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream

FOR THE BOTTOM LAYER:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees, butter bottom and sides of your springform pan and set aside. In a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt your butter, chocolate and espresso powder, stirring until just melted. Remove from heat and set aside to cool, about 5 -10 minutes.

Once cooled, whisk in your vanilla and egg yolks.

In the bowl of your stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat egg whites in they become frothy, with mixer running, slowly add in your brown sugar and salt. Continue beating until soft peaks form. Place 1/3 of your beaten egg whites into your chocolate mixture and whisk to combine, this will lighten your chocolate and make it easier to fold in the rest of your whites. Place the rest of your beaten egg whites into the chocolate and very gently fold until there are no visible white streaks. Place batter into your prepared pan and bake for 13-18 minutes until cake is set around the edges, the center should still be slightly soft. Cool completely before moving on to the second layer, cake will collapse as it cools down.

FOR THE MIDDLE LAYER:

Stir together your cocoa powder and hot water in a small bowl and set aside. In a large metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt your chocolate. Remove from the heat and cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together the cream, sugar and salt at medium high speed until soft peaks form, this should take 1-2 minutes but be careful not to over-whip

Just as we did with the bottom layer, whisk in 1/3 of your whipped cream into the chocolate. Once combined, fold in your remaining cream until there are no remaining streaks. Place your mousse in your pan atop the bottom layer and smooth top. Gently tap on the counter to release any trapped air bubbles, refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

FOR THE TOP LAYER:

In a small cup, sprinkle your gelatin over cold water, let it sit. In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup cream to a slight simmer, remove from heat and stir in your gelatin and water until thoroughly combined. Pour cream over your white chocolate and stir until all of the chips are melted. Set aside to cool. Mixture should thicken slightly from the gelatin. In the bowl of your stand mixer, whip your remaining cream to soft peaks and repeating as we did before, whisk in 1/3 of cream and fold in the remaining cream. Spoon over your previous layer and smooth the top. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 - 3 hours.

Recipe from Cooks Illustrated

Coconut, Almond & Banana Granola

2012-02-20T17:25:00.000-08:00

Despite what it may seem like around here, we do in fact eat regular, healthy food. Not just a diet of indulgent desserts from dusk to dawn. In fact, for the most part we eat a very healthy diet consisting of mostly lean proteins, vegetables and whole grains. Eating like this allows us the ability to splurge when we want to. Making your own granola is surprisingly easy, so easy and so much less expensive than store bought, that I'm kicking myself for not doing it earlier. The customizations are endless and it is a wonderful topper for yogurt or eaten as a cereal with milk. In this batch here, I used large flakes of coconut, banana chips, pepitas and sliced almonds. You can follow the recipe here or let your imagination run wild.

Coconut, Almond & Banana Granola
Yield: about 4 cups
Printable Recipe

3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup coconut, shredded
1 cup almonds, sliced
1/2 cup pepitas
1/2 cup banana chips, broken into smaller pieces
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment. In a large bowl, combine oats, coconut, almonds, pepitas and banana chips. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, sugar and honey until melted. Pour sugar mixture over dry ingredients and stir until very well combined. Spread evenly among the two baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes, stirring half way though to ensure even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

© 2012 - 2012 Mostly Sweet & Sometimes Salty - All Rights Reserved.

Vanilla Bean Scones with Grapefruit Curd

2012-02-18T22:15:00.000-08:00

It doesn't get much better than a lazy Saturday morning does it?

Scones, grapefruit curd, a big cup of coffee and a good book. The only thing more I could ask for would be some sunshine but in Washington in February that's not gonna happen. Hell, we're lucky if that happens in the middle of June. These scones are perfect to keep on hand in the freezer for a quick solution to a delicious breakfast. Bake off how ever many you desire, be it one or all 10, just be sure to add a few extra minutes to the baking time. Now, on to the curd (that;s not a very pleasant name is it?). Since it's the time of year for great citrus, I decided to try my hand at some making some. As usual, I was indecisive and ended up making grapefruit, meyer lemon, orange and lime. I'll share the other recipes soon but the grapefruit stood out as my favorite.

Vanilla Bean Scones
Yield: 10 large scones
Printable Recipe

3 cups flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar

4 ounces (1 stick) butter, cold and diced into small cubes

2 eggs

1/2 cup half and half

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

For the topping:

2 Tbsp heavy cream
2 Tbsp Demerara sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk together half and half, eggs, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds until well combined, set aside. In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add in your cubes of butter and mix until pea sized crumbs are formed. With the mixer running on low, slowly pour in your wet ingredients, turning off the mixture just as everything comes together. Divide dough in half and form into two separate discs. Cut each circle into 5 equal wedges and place your scones on a parchment lined baking sheet leaving space between them. Brush the tops of each scone with cream and sprinkle with Demerara sugar. Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until tops are golden brown.

Recipe adapted from: Sugarcrafter

Grapefruit Curd
Yield: about 2 cups
Printable Recipe

1/2 cup grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon grapefruit zest
1 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
8 egg yolks
4 Tbsp butter, room temperature

Combine juice, zest, sugar, salt and yolks in a medium saucepan and whisk to combine. Stirring constantly over medium heat, cook for approximately 8-10 minutes until mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and stir in your butter 1 Tbsp at a time, waiting until it melts before adding the next. Once all butter has been added, strain mixture through a fine sieve to get rid of any lumps that may have formed. Transfer to storage container and refrigerate once cooled. Mixture should keep in fridge for 10-14 days.

© 2012 - 2012 Mostly Sweet & Sometimes Salty - All Rights Reserved.

Pistachio Shortbread

2012-02-16T14:28:00.000-08:00

I know most of you by now have probably picked up on that fact that I am a fiend for the sweet and salty combo. This might be evident by the numerous recipes I've posted or by the title of the blog itself. These cookies are a perfect example of why I love it so much, the added salt from the pistachios perfectly balances the sweetness from the milk chocolate while also enhancing the flavor of the chocolate itself. The addition of cornstarch in the shortbread creates a crumbly, almost sandy texture which I love. It's a perfect treat for an afternoon pick me up when pair with a nice big cup of coffee.

Pistachio Shortbread
Yield: About 20 cookies
Printable Recipe

1 1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 cup cornstarch, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 ounces chocolate, chopped fine
1/2 cup chopped pistachios

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, line baking sheets with parchment. In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream your butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, add your vanilla. On a low speed, gradually add your dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until dough is firm and easy to handle.

On a lightly floured surface, roll your dough to approximately 1/4 inch thick and cut into rectangles about 1.5 x 2 or you can use a cookie cutter of your choice. Place cut cookies on your prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool. Once cookies have completely cooled, place them in the fridge while you melt your chocolate slowly over a double boiler. Dip one end of each of your cookies into the melted chocolate and then immediately into the pistachios. Place the back onto the parchment and once all cookies have been dipped, return to the fridge for about 20 minutes to allow chocolate to set.

Adapted from Joy of Baking

Almond Lovers Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-02-14T12:52:00.000-08:00

The other day I was going through some older posts on Picky Palate and spotted these chocolate chip cookies that have been infused with almond paste, an ingredient that I've just recently discovered a love for. Jenny mentions that the almond flavor is subtle but it was definitely a prevalent flavor in my batch. It makes me wonder if there is a big difference between the the paste sold in a tube vs that in the can, which is what I used. Oh well, whatever the reason, these were very good. A strong almond flavor and really great texture, nice and crisp on the outside but the inside stayed soft and chewy. I did notice last minute that the recipe calls for almonds which I did not have so I just left them out this time. I brought some in for my co-workers and they went over very well. Now I need to find another recipe to use up the leftover almond paste....

Almond Lovers Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Picky Palate
Printable Recipe
Yield: 24 cookies

8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
3/4 Cup sugar
3/4 Cup brown sugar
3 oz Almond paste, I used Solo brand
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 oz bag chocolate chips
3/4 Cup chopped almonds, optional

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cream your butter and sugars in the bowl of your stand mixer until well combined and then incorporate your almond paste. Add in your eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk your flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add this to your wet mixture and mix until just barely combined. Stir in your chocolate chips (and almonds if using) by hand.

Scoop dough onto prepared sheets and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 14 minutes, the cookies should be slightly browned and no longer appear "wet". Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.