Soap Mom's Kitchen

Mama's Banana Pudding

2012-05-13T12:04:00.002-04:00

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!

I am going to a potluck barbeque today at my sister's house to enjoy my Mother's Day with my adorable Mother who is 76 years old and awesome. This is a wonderful recipe for potluck. It is easy to transport, prepare and everyone loves it. My mother has had this recipe for years and it was a very popular dessert back in the 70's made with the Nilla Vanilla Wafer Cookies.

Banana Pudding Recipe

1.5 cups cold water
1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 regular size package of instant vanilla pudding powder
4 cups very cold heavy cream
1 1/2 boxes Nilla wafers
5 to 6 medium bananas plus drizzle 1 to 2 tsp. of lemon juice over bananas to prevent discoloration

Directions

One the low speed on an electric mix, blend the water, milk and pudding powder until thoroughly mixed, about 1 minute. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight) until firm.
Whip the heavy cream in a separate bowl until soft peaks form If planning on piping some whip cream shells follow recipe below. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well incorporated. Try to deflate the whip cream.
In a large bowl or disposable aluminum pan (Great for Potluck), starting with the wafers, make five to six layers with Nilla wafers, sliced bananas and then the pudding mixture until all of the pudding mixture is gone. End with the pudding and decorate with crushed wafers and extra whip cream on, if desired. Refrigerate about 2 hours before serving, and refrigerate (or freeze) any leftovers.

Piped Whip Cream Shells:
1 cup cold heavy cream
3 T. confectioner's sugar
Whip with mixer until stiff peaks form. Pipe using a large star tip and piping bag.

Lemon Blueberry Tea Bread

2012-05-10T19:03:00.000-04:00

This is a lovely tea bread to make when you have blueberries on hand. It is quick to put together and even taste better the next day. My hubby loves this bread.

Lemon Blueberry Tea Bread

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs room temperature
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk or whole milk
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; beat into creamed mixture alternately with milk. Fold in blueberries.
Pour into a greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.
Combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth; drizzle over warm bread. Yield: 1 loaf (12 slices).
Special Note: If using frozen blueberries, use without thawing to avoid discoloring the batter.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins

2012-05-04T06:04:00.000-04:00

This is a wonderful muffin with a strong cup of coffee for Sunday morning breakfast.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins
Large muffin tin; lined with paper liners
Makes 8 to 10 large size muffins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Dry Ingredients
1 stick butter, plus 2 Tablespoons (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch salt

Combine in liquid measuring cup and mix well
1/2 cup whole milk (room temperature)
1/2 cup full fat sour cream (room temperature)

Cinnamon Sugar Coffee Cake Mixture
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup ground walnuts (optional)

Reserve a few tablespoons of Cinnamon Sugar to sprinkle on top of each muffin before baking.

Cream your butter with sugar, until light and fluffy, add eggs continue to cream until lighter in color. Add extract. Combine all dry ingredients and sift. Combine milk and sour cream. Alternate between dry and wet and add to cream butter mixture, mix until well incorporated, do not over mix the batter. Add cinnamon sugar mixture and gently fold in to batter. Do not over mix you want to see ribbons of cinnamon sugar throughout the dough. I use liners for easy removal. Let batter sit out for 30 minutes. Scoop into liners, 3/4 full. I use an spring-loaded ice cream scoop. Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top of muffins. Bake 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

Glaze for Drizzle
Mix a 1/2 cup of powder sugar with a few teaspoons of water until you have a medium to thin glaze. Drizzle on top. Add water one teaspoon at a time to reach desired consistency.

Sesame Almond Roasted Asparagus

2012-05-02T15:27:00.001-04:00

This vegetable dish is spicy and tasty. The almonds, toasted sesame seeds, chili flakes and sesame oil add a level of complexity that is really appealing to me in flavor. It is also very appealing visually. I think it looks elegant.

Sesame Almond Roasted Asparagus
1 lb Asparagus Spears, trimmed
2 Carrots, peeled and sliced
1T. olive oil
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 Cup Sliced Almonds
1 T. toasted sesame seeds
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
pinch salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a shallow greased baking dish place all ingredients and toss with hands to coat asparagus. Roast in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until fork tender.

Cheesecake bars

2012-04-17T13:59:00.001-04:00

Creamy and Delicious

I saw this recipe on Lynda's Recipe Box. It sounded delish. I did make a few changes, because I like the added richness from the sour cream and butter from a New York Cheesecake that I made recently. Like I really needed to gild the lily here. Well, you can never have enough butter or sour cream, right? This one is definitely a keeper and I know I will be making this all the time. Thanks Lynda:)

CHEESECAKE BARS

adapted from Lynda's Recipe Box
I doubled Lynda's original recipe and made a few more fattening changes.
Click on the link above to see her recipe.

Ingredients for crust:
2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup soft butter
2 cup flour

Cream the brown sugar and butter together. Then blend in the flour until crumbly. Separate 1 cup for topping. Place the rest in a 13x9 inch spray baking pan with spray release and press down to make crust. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven to cool.

Ingredients for filling:
4- 8 ounce bars of cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
8 tablespoons sour cream
1 stick butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, milk, lemon juice and vanilla and beat well. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust and spread out evenly. Sprinkle the reserved flour mixture (topping), over the cream cheese filling. Bake at 350 degress for about 25 minutes. Cool and refrigerate. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Simple Apple Pie

2012-04-09T13:10:00.002-04:00

This apple pie will win any red-blooded American over. When I eat apple pie I feel like I'm walking through an apple orchard feeling alright. I have had a very stressful few weeks and I needed some lovin from the oven. Apple pie makes me feel loved. I adore the smell of apple pie baking in the oven. It just makes me feel happy!

Pastry dough - double crust
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup ice cold water
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1 teaspoon cold corn oil

Apple Filling
6 cups tart apples, peeled and cored
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

Apple Pie Directions:

Prepare the pastry: In a food processor add flour, salt, sugar and process. Add 2 sticks of butter cut up into cubes and process until the size of peas. In a measuring cup, measure water and add oil. While processing slowly add water/oil until a dough ball forms. Form into a disk and wrap in clear wrap, refrigerate for 30 minutes. *If you do not have a food processor just mix the dry ingredients and cut the butter into the flour. I use my fingers and rub the butter with flour until I get pea size butter pieces. Slowly add the cold water/oil mixture. Gently form into a ball, wrap and place in fridge.

1. Roll the pastry and line a 9-inch pie plate with the bottom crust. Roll out the remaining dough for the top crust. Chill the pastry.

2. Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Apple Pie Filling

3. Prepare the filling: Pour the fresh-squeezed lemon juice in the bottom of a large bowl. Add your lemon zest to the bowl. Peel, halve and core the apples. Be sure to remove seeds. Slice them evenly about a 1/4 inch thick into the bowl, coating them with the lemon juice as you go.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together the sugars, flour or cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Add them to the apples just before you want to bake the pie, mix gently. If your apples are really tart you can add more sugar or use less. This is a personal preference.

Assemble the Apple Pie

5. Scrape the filling into the bottom crust, dot with butter and cover it with the second crust. Trim and crimp the crust; You can get fancy with your pie pastry, I cut out an apple with stem and leaves and egg washed it. I sprinkled with coarse sugar. Chill the pie for about 10 minutes in the refrigerator.

Cut vent slits in the top crust. It is your option to sprinkle it with sugar or brush the top with egg wash.

Baking the Apple Pie
Make sure to place pie on cookie sheet.
Juices will leak out and make a mess in oven.

6. Bake the pie on a baking sheet for 10 minutes at 400° F or until the crust looks dry, blistered, and blonde. Turner the oven down to 375°F, and bake for at least 45 minutes more or until the crust is golden brown, and visible juices are thickened and bubble slowly through the slits in the top crust.

Check if the bottom crust has darkened. If not, bake a little more and cover the top crust with foil, so it does not burn.

Let the pie cool.

7. Cool the pie completely before cutting at least a few hours. Serve it at room temperature. Store the pie uncovered in a cool place up to three days.

Blackberry Cobbler

2012-03-27T18:28:00.004-04:00

I just love cobbler and this is my go to recipe. You can put this together in a jiffy by using a food processor. Great for last minute company coming over. You can also make this a day ahead and slightly reheat, if you want to serve it warm.

I went to the market the other day and they had the most beautiful blackberries. I instantly had a craving for cobber with real whip cream. This has to be my favorite dessert. You can substitute any fruit you like, my suggestions would be all types of berries, or a mixture of, pears, apples, figs and peaches. This dessert is truly comforting to me. You can double or triple the recipe for a church potluck or party. Travels well. Enjoy!

Blackberry Cobbler
Servings: 6-8
Makes a 9 inch square cobbler

1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
Pinch salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 T. ice water ( you might need more for dough to form a ball)
4 cups fresh blackberries
1 1/2 cups blackberry preserves ( can use 1 cup to cut back on sugar)

Heat the over to 375°F. Lightly butter 9 inch square pan. Combine the sugar, flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks crumbly. Pour in 1 T. ice water and pulse until the dough begins to hold together. Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill for an hour. Combine the fresh blackberries and preserves in a bowl and stir well to coat the fruit. Take about 3/4 of the dough and press into square pan and bring it up 3/4 inch up the sides. Spoon fruit mixture on top of pastry. Take remaining dough and crumble on top of fruit. Bake until golden brown around the edges, about 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream. Dust with confectioner's sugar and a dollop of whip cream or ice cream.

Feel free to substitute any fruit with matching preserves.

Strawberry Jello Pretzel Salad

2012-03-26T08:44:00.002-04:00

It was my sister's birthday over the weekend. She had this dessert at work about a year ago and loved it. She got the recipe from the gal who made it and passed it on to me. My sister is a great cook, but not much of a baker, dessert kind of girl. She puts in a request to me every year on what she wants for her birthday. I hesitated at first when I saw this recipe, cool whip, pretzels and jello????? Has she lost her mind, but the birthday girl gets what she wants. I made it and it was interesting. Well, needless to say she was a happy girl and that is all that matters!

Happy Birthday Alexis and many, many more!

This dessert really combines the best of everything. You've got the salty and sweet thing going on with the crust and jello. Then you have a rich creamy layer and fresh strawberries. It is different!

Strawberry Jello Pretzel Salad

2 1/2 cup pretzels (crushed fine)

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 cup butter (I used a little less than the recipe called for) Crust was a little dry.

1 pkg (6oz - this is the larger one) instant strawberry jello

1 16 oz container fresh strawberries, sliced

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese ( must be very soft and at room temperature)

1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cool whip (8 oz container)

*please note: for best results you must chill between steps. this is an easy dessert to make but it does take time due to chilling.

First step, crushed pretzels! You can use any kind of pretzels, but make sure they have some salt on them. The salty sweet combination is part of what makes this dessert what it is. Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Then crush your pretzels. I used my food processor, but you can use a ziploc bag and rolling pin method.

Combine pretzels, brown sugar, and melted butter and press into a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Once it is slightly cool I put my crust in the refrigerator to allow it to get really cold. (anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour). In the meantime, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. I use my stand mixer for this. You don't want lumps of cream cheese. Blend in cool whip with a spatula. Spread evenly over cooled crust. Make sure you spread this layer completely to the edges. You want to create a seal so your jello doesn't leak through. This is key to keeping your layers separate. Once this is done, put your pan back in the fridge to chill.

Next, make your jello according to the package directions, minus 1 cup of cold water. Put your bowl of jello in the fridge to allow it to partially cool before putting it on top of your cream cheese layer. While the jello partially cools, sliced your strawberries. Then, place them on top of your chilled layer of cream cheese and cool whip. You can be creative in placing your strawberries on top of cream cheese mixture. You can do a symmetrical pattern, etc. I like to place my strawberries in alternating rows across the top. Feel free to scatter them randomly or any other fun pattern you decide. Once your jello chilled to about the consistency of jam or pudding, about one or two hours in fridge, your ready to spoon jello over cream cheese layer. Return the pan back to fridge and cool until your jello is completely set, about one hour. You can even try it with different fruits and jello.

Mini Glazed Apple Pies

2012-03-23T13:27:00.000-04:00

I love mini-size desserts. First of all, they are adorable, easy to pick up and somehow you feel less guilty eating something that is small. My only problem is having the self-control to actually stop at just one. I used a regular size muffin pan and and a large 3 to 4 inch round cookie cutter to cut the pie dough. If it is still too small after cutting, just take your rolling pin and roll over the pastry dough a little more to make it fit in your muffin tin. You can even make them smaller by using a mini-size muffin tin.

You can do all sorts of designs and cut outs for your mini pies. I used a small star fondant cutter. Also, I really love using a glaze on these hand-held pies. These pies remind me of the hostess fruit pies in the packages with all that yummy, sweet glaze on them. Those were a favorite when I was a child and still are. Well, here is the homemade version without all the preservatives. You can also make these pies look like mini empanadas. You will be seeing a lot more mini pies in the future, I am addicted!

Preheat oven to 365 degrees
Makes 9 to 12 pies
Spray Pam on Muffin tins

Ingredients:

Sweet Pie Dough/ Basic Pate Sucree
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cups confectioner's sugar
3/4 cups unsalted butter
4 egg yolks

In a food processor place flour, sugar and pulse a few times to mix well. Add butter and pulse to form a meal. Add egg yolks and continue to process until it forms a ball. If it does not come together and is still crumbly, slowly add very cold water through the feed tube while the processor is running. Only add a tsp. of cold water at a time until it comes together. Gather up your dough into a ball, place in bowl and cover with clear wrap for half hour.

Filling:
5 to 6 medium size apples diced into tiny chunks the size of a small lima bean
( I use Granny Smith and Gala apples)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. lemon juice

Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well with a large spoon.

Egg Wash
1 egg
2 tsp. water
Mix in a coffee mug with a fork until well blended. Reserve on side. You will need a pastry brush.
Demerara Sugar for sprinkling for extra texture

Glaze:
1 cup powder sugar
and enough water to make a glaze. Note: add a one tsp. of water at a time until you get a medium to thin consistency. You will need a clean pastry brush to apply glaze.

Directions:
On a well floured surface using a rolling pin, take a baseball size piece of dough and roll out. Using a round cookie cutter place disc in a greased muffin tin. Add filling and pack in tightly. You can add a top piece to your pie, do a cut-out of pastry, or lattice pattern. What ever makes you happy. Apply egg wash with pastry brush and sprinkle Demerara Sugar on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes. If your pie is getting to dark, place a piece of foil on top. Let stand on rack for 15 minutes, gently loosen with a round blade knife and transfer to cooling rack. When cool, brush with glaze, let dry.

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

2012-03-19T10:11:00.000-04:00

This bar was a big hit over the weekend. My whole family loved them. What's not to like, graham cracker crust, cheesecake filling and chocolate chip cookie dough on top. Yum!

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
Yield: 12 bars

Ingredents:

For the Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips

For the Cheesecake Filling
10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil allowing a little overhang and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove pan to a cooling rack. Do not turn your oven off.

3. While the crust is cooling, prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed, and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set aside.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust. Using your hand to form clumps. Flatten the clumps of dough in your palms to flatten them out a bit. Distribute the cookie dough onto the top of the cheesecake batter. Be sure to use all of the dough. You will cover most of the cheesecake batter.

5. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top feels dry and firm (the cookie dough) and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

6. Lift the bars out by the overhang; slice into desired size and store in the refrigerator. Serve cold or at room temperature. Keeps in fridge for up to 5 days.

Blueberry Streusel Bars

2012-03-13T20:19:00.001-04:00

I love anything with blueberries and I was having a craving. This was delicious. The recipe is from American's Test Kitchen for Raspberry Streusel Bars. I substituted blueberries for raspberries. I am sure you can do apricots, figs, etc. You can be inventive with this recipe and make it your own. Just change your preserves to match your fresh fruit.
Blueberry Streusel Bars Makes: 24 2-inch squares Adapted from American's Test Kitchen
Ingredients: 2 ½ cups flour 2/3 cup sugar ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and softened to cool room temperature (divided) ¼ cup brown sugar ½ cup old-fashioned oats ½ cup pecans or walnuts, finely chopped ¾ cup blueberry preserves ¾ cup fresh blueberries 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Preparation: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut 18-inch length of foil and fold from sides to 8-inch width. Fit lengthwise into 13-by-9-inch pan, allowing excess to overhang pan edges. Cut 14-inch length of foil and fit into pan perpendicular to first sheet. Spray foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine flour, sugar and salt in mixing bowl at low speed of mixer for about 5 seconds. With mixer on low, add 1 cup butter, separating pieces. Continue mixing on low until mixture resembles damp sand, about 1 to 1 ½ minutes. Remove 1 ¼ cups of mixture and set aside. Press remaining mixture firmly and evenly into foil-lined pan. Bake until edges begin to brown, 14 to 18 minutes. While crust is baking, add brown sugar, oats and nuts to reserved flour mixture and toss to combine. Work remaining 2 tablespoons butter into mixture using fingers. Pinch mixture into hazelnut-size clumps. Set streusel aside. Combine preserves, fresh berries and lemon juice in small bowl. Mash with fork, leaving some berry pieces intact. Spread filling over hot crust. Sprinkle streusel evenly over filling. Do not press streusel into filling. Bake until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool to room temperature on wire rack, 1 to 2 hours. Remove from baking pan by lifting foil extensions. Cut into squares. Store in an airtight container.

Oreo Cookie Centennial Celebration Today

2012-03-06T05:44:00.001-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OREO AND MANY, MANY MORE!

I was informed by a fellow blogger, Louise at Months of Edible Celebrations that it is Oreo Cookie Centennial Celebration Today. I didn't have time to conjure up something scrumptious, but I do have a previous post, Cookies and Cream Chocolate Chip Muffins you might like if you're a big fan of this black and white delight. Who doesn't love these cookies?

French Croissants

2012-03-03T05:59:00.000-05:00

The weekend is here and I love to bake with my daughter. She wanted to learn how to make croissants. She is 12 years old and it's time for her to learn. She did pretty good for her first time. I used the recipe from Esther MacManus, baking with Julia. They taste wonderful. These croissants taste very French and authentic. I used french butter and that makes a difference. If you can't find French Butter use the best butter you can buy. Layers and layers of flaky, buttery dough. Yum.....It is perfect with with a smear of soft French butter and homemade preserves.

CROISSANT RECIPE
Recipe from “Baking with Julia: Savor the Joys of Baking with America’s Best Bakers”
Ingredients
For 20-24 croissants
For the dough:

1 ounce compressed fresh yeast
3 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1 cup milk

For the butter:

4 1/2 sticks (1 pound 2 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tbsp unbleached all purpose flour

For the egg wash:

1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp cold water

Place butter square on top of dough

Fold into packet

Roll out and get prepared to fold

Fold into thirds like an envelope

Place in fridge

Completed first turn do 2 to 3 more

Roll into rectangle and clean edges.

Save scraps for later in preparation.

When turns are complete roll and cut with

pizza cutter into triangles

Stretch the dough like the one on the left

Take scrap dough and place in center at the end

and begin rolling

Roll croissant into shape and proof and coat

with egg wash

Method
Preparing the dough:
Put the yeast, flour sugar, salt and 1 cup of milk into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. With the machine on its lowest speed, mix for 1 to 2 minutes, until a soft, moist dough forms on the hook. If the dough is to dry, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. In most cases if the dough does need more liquid, it won’t need more than about 3 tablespoons, but check carefully as you want all the flour to be moistened. Stop the mixer and look into the bowl. If the hook has not picked up all the flour from the bottom of the bowl, add a few more drops of milk.
Set the mixer to its highest speed and work the dough until it is smooth and elastic, no longer sticky and close to the consistency of soft butter, about 4 minutes. To make certain that all the ingredients are perfectly blended you can remove the dough from the mixer after 3 minutes, and then with the mixer on high speed, return plum size pieces to the bowl. The pieces will remain separate for a short while, then come together, at which time the dough is ready.
Remove the dough from the mixer, wrap it in plastic and put it in a plastic bag, leaving a little room for expansion. Keep the dough at room temperature for 30 minutes to give the gluten time to relax; then refrigerate the dough for 8 hours or overnight.
Preparing the butter:
Attach the paddle to your mixer and beat the butter and flour on the highest speed until smooth and the same consistency as the croissant dough, about 2 minutes. Reach into the bowl and poke around in the butter to make sure that its evenly blended – if you find any lumps, just squeeze them between your fingers. Scrape the butter onto a large piece of plastic wrap and give it a few slaps to knock the air out of it. Mold it into an oval 5 to 6 inches long and 1 inch thick. Wrap it tightly and refrigerate until needed. At this point the dough and the butter can be frozen; defrost overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding with the recipe.
Incorporating the butter:
Place the croissant dough on a generously floured large work surface (marble is ideal) and sprinkle the top of the dough lightly with flour. Using a long rolling pin, roll the dough into an oval approximately 10 inches wide and 17 inches long. Brush the excess flour from the dough. Center the oval of chilled butter across the oval of dough and fold the top and bottom of the dough over the butter to make a tidy package. Gently and evenly stretch the folded layers of dough out to the sides and press the edges down firmly with your fingertips to create a neatly sealed rectangle.
If you own a French rolling pin (one without handles) now is the time to use it. Hold one side of the dough steady with your hand and strike the other side gently but firmly with the rolling pin to distribute the butter evenly. As you hit the dough you will see the butter moving out into the crevices. Strike the other side of the dough the same way. After pounding you should have a 1 inch thick rectangle about about 14 inches long and 6 inches wide.
Keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured, roll out the dough. If this your first time working with croissant dough, you may want to roll out the dough just a little to distribute the butter, put it on a baking sheet lined with flour-dusted parchment paper, cover it with plastic and chill it for 1 to 2 hours first; this way you wont risk having the dough go soft or the butter seep out. (Each time you wrap the dough, make sure its well covered – even a little air will cause the dough to form an unwanted skin.) If you are experienced, feeling courageous or have dough that is still well chilled, go on to make your first turn.
Rolling and folding:
Roll the dough into a rectangle 24 to 26 inches long and about 14 inches wide, with the long side facing you. (You may feel as though your rolling the dough sideways-and you are.) Brush off the excess flour and, working from the left and right sides, fold the dough inward into thirds, as you would a brochure, so that you have a package thats about 8 inches wide by 14 inches long.
Carefully transfer the dough to a parchment- lined baking sheet, mark the parchment “1 turn” so you’ll know what you’ve done, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. You can freeze the dough after this or any other turn. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding.
Second turn:
Place the dough so that the 14 inch side runs left to right. (The dough needs 2 more turns; you’ve given it one quarter-turn already.) Making sure the work surface is well floured at all times, roll the dough as you did before into a rectangle 24 to 26 inches long by about 14 inches wide . (When doing the second and third turns, you may find that the dough has cracked a little. That’s natural; its a result of the yeast. Don’t worry, just flour the dough and work surface and keep going.)
As you did before, fold the dough in thirds. Place it on the parchment, mark the paper “2 turns”, cover and refrigerate continued in part 2 for at least 2 hours.
Third turn:
Start again with a 14 inch side running from your left side to your right. Roll the dough into a rectangle 24 to 26 inches long by 14 inches wide. Fold the left and right sides of the dough into the center, leaving a little space in the center, and then fold one side over the other as though you were closing a book. This is the famous double turn, also known as “the wallet”.
Chilling the dough:
Brush off the flour, wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours. At this point the dough is ready to be rolled, cut and shaped into croissants. Storing: The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight, still wrapped, in the refrigerator.
Rolling the dough:
Generously flour a work surface. Position the dough so that it resembles a book, with the spine to your left and the opening to your right. For easy handling, cut the dough in half horizontally so that you have two pieces about 7 inches long and about 6 1/2 inches wide: wrap and chill one half while you work with the other half.
Flour the dough and roll it into a rectangle thats 24 to 26 inches long and 15 to 18 inches wide. This takes a lot of rolling. Keep the work surface and the dough well floured and have patience. If necessary turn the dough so that the long side runs from left to right along the counter. Carefully fold the top half of the dough down to the bottom. The dough is now ready for cutting.
Cutting the dough:
Working with a pizza cutter or a large, very sharp knife, cut triangles from the dough. This is done most easily by making a diagonal cut on the left hand side to get the pattern started; save the uneven piece of dough. Measure off a 3 to 4 inch base and begin cutting the triangles, always cutting from bottom to top. You’ll have another scrap when you reach the other end-you’ll use these scraps when you shape the croissants. Unfold each pair of triangles and cut them in half to separate. You should have 10 to 12 maybe 14 triangles; set them aside while you clear the work surface of all flour. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Shaping the croissants:
Moisten your hands with a wet towel. Working with one triangle at a time, gently stretch the base to widen it slightly, then, holding the base of the triangle in one hand, run the fingers of the other hand down to the point of the triangle. Use your thumb to pull and stretch the dough until its almost twice the original length-have courage and tug; the extra length is what allows you to make a large croissant with sufficient rolls to show off its layers of dough.
Place the triangle, point toward you, at arm distance on the work table this will give enough space to roll the croissant into shape with-out having to lift it in mid-roll) Pull off a little piece of the reserved scrap dough, mold it into a small football shape and center it on the wide top part of the triangle-this will help make the “belly” of the croissant plump. Fold about 1/2 inch of this wide end over itself and press the ends down once to secure. With you palms and fingers positioned over the flattened ends of the croissant and the heels of your hands on the flat work surface, roll the croissant toward you-try to keep your hands moving down and out to the sides as you roll- ending with the point of the triangle tucked under the croissant. A well shaped croissant-and it takes practice to achieve one-will sport at least six clearly accountable sections, or ridges, from rolling. Place the croissants on one of the baking sheets, leaving room for them to triple in size without touching one another. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
Glazing and rising:
Give the croissants a last gentle plumping, carefully turning the ends down and toward the center to produce the classic croissant shape. Brush the croissants with egg wash and allow them to rise, uncovered, at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours, until tripled in size and spongy. (Reserve egg wash, covered in the refrigerator.) The ideal place for rising is a turned off oven (one with a pilot light is fine) containing a pan of hot steamy water. To test that they are properly risen, wet your fingers and squeeze the end of a croissant:It should offer no resistance and feel almost hollow.
Baking the croissants:
Arrange the oven racks to divide the oven into thirds, and preheat the oven to 350 f. Brush the croissants once again with egg wash and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate front to back and bake another 4 to 6 minutes, until the croissants are deeply bronzed. Cool on racks. As tempting as they are croissants should not be eaten as soon as they come from the oven. The dough-and the layers within need time to set.
Storing:
The croissants are best eaten the day they are made. If you must keep them, freeze them, wrapped airtight. Thaw the croissants overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature and reheat in a 350F oven for about 8 minutes.

New York Cheesecake

2012-02-27T16:03:00.000-05:00

A thing of beauty! Only people who love cheesecake

could understand my excitement!!!!

I am so happy because I finally found a recipe for New York Cheesecake that is worthy of that name. I found this recipe on my favorite blog, Food for a Hungry Soul . My fellow blogger, Katy adapted the recipe from, Jim Fobel's, "Old Fashioned Baking Book". In my opinion, this is as authentic as it gets.

I made this for a family Sunday Dinner at my Mom's house yesterday. The table was surrounded by 14 die-hard New Yorkers with very discriminating taste. New Yorkers do not hold back their opinions, including my wonderful New York husband and daughter. They all raved about this cheesecake and said, "This is the best New York Cheesecake they ever ate." Thanks Katy for posting this recipe. I am jumping for joy!!!!! I will never make another cheesecake again! My search is over!

New York Cheesecake

Recipe found at: Food for a Hungry Soul by Katy

Recipe written by: Jim Fobel, "Old Fashioned Baking Book"

Note: There is no crust on a typical New York Cheesecake

Ingredients:

5 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups (one pint) sour cream, room temperature

4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Generously butter the inside of a 10-inch springform pan. Wrap a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil tightly around the outside bottom and sides, crimping and pleating the foil to make it conform to the pan. This will help to prevent water seeping into the pan when you put it into the bain-marie. Position the baking rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 300* Fahrenheit.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the sour cream until well blended.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the cream cheese with the butter until smooth and creamy. Add this to the egg-sour cream mixture and beat until smooth.

Add the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest and beat thoroughly, about 2 minutes.

Pour into the prepared springform pan and place in a roasting pan (or other pan) large enough to prevent the sides from touching. Place in the oven and carefully pour in enough very hot tap water to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan.

Bake for 2 hours, 15 minutes, or until the cake is very lightly colored and a knife inserted in the center emerges clean. Remove from the water bath and carefully peel the aluminum foil from around the pan. Let stand at room temperature until completely cool, about 4 hours. Refrigerate, covered, until well chilled. For best flavor and texture, this cheesecake is best chilled overnight.

Note: For the best cheesecake possible, your ingredients should all be a room temperature. I leave my ingredients out for at least 4 hours. The cream cheese and butter should be very soft. The sour cream and eggs should be room temperature, as well. This makes all the difference in the world.

My quick and delicious Berry Sauce.

2 cups blueberries, frozen

2 cups strawberries, frozen

1/2 granulated sugar

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

2 tsp. cornstarch

2 T. water

Optional: Feel free to substitute other berries like raspberries and blackberries. I have only made this sauce with frozen fruit. If using fresh fruits you may have to add some extra water to sauce pot.

In a heavy duty sauce pot over medium to low heat, place berries in pot with sugar and jam. Bring to a medium to low boil. The fruit will produce it's own liquid, reduce this to half by boiling on a (low simmer for about 20-25 minutes). Dissolve the cornstarch with water in a small cup. Remove the pot from heat and slowly stir the cornstarch liquid into the berry mixture. Place pot back on heat and stir for another 3 minutes. Place in a glass bowl in fridge until cool.

This stuff is great on yogurt, ice cream and toast.

Chocolate Marble Pound Bread

2012-02-26T11:21:00.003-05:00

This is a wonderful tea, breakfast or snack bread. It taste like a pound cake/tea bread. It actually gets better with age. It is simple to make and wonderful if you're having friends over for coffee or tea. I made extra to freeze to have on hand just for quick get togethers with family or friends. This is also a great pound-bread to make for a fondue party, dip pound bread in warm Chocolate Ganache. Yum!

Recipe Source: " Baking with Passion" by Dan Lepard and Richard Whittington.
Chocolate Marble Pound Bread
4 oz semi sweet or bitter sweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup milk (divided)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Optional: (I added 1 T. orange zest and 1 tsp. orange extract)

Directions
Preheat your oven to 325 degree Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a standard sized loaf pan.
In a bain marie (a metal bowl placed over a pot of barely simmering water), combine your chocolate and 1/4 cup of milk, stirring occasionally until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is glossy and smooth.
Using a stand or hand mixer, combine the butter and sugar, and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix in well.
In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Sift to eliminate lumps.
In another bowl combine a 1/4 cup of milk with the sour cream.
In alternating additions, add the flour and milk mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.
Remove half of the mixture and add it to the melted chocolate.
Using ice cream scoop, alternate the chocolate and vanilla batter in layers in the loaf pan. Once the pan is 3/4 of the way full use a knife to gently swirl the two batters together.
Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until the loaf springs back after being lightly pressed or a cake tester comes clean after being inserted into the middle of the loaf.

Garlic Knots

2012-02-22T07:57:00.003-05:00

I was making black bean soup and decided that garlic knots would be a wonderful accompaniment with all that garlic, yum. I found this recipe at Simply Recipes. Warning they are addictive and kids love them! I doubled the recipe below.

Garlic Knots

Dough:

3/4 cup warm water (105°F-115°F)
1 package (2 teaspoons) of active dry yeast (check the expiration date on the package)
1 3/4 cups bread flour (can use all-purpose but bread flour will give you a crisper crust)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Garlic-Butter Coating:

5 Tbsp unsalted butter ( I used half olive oil)
4 cloves garlic, minced (I grated my garlic for intense flavor)
1/4 cup parsley, minced
1 teaspoon salt
Optional: I added 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning and a little grated Parmesan Cheese

Method

1 Sprinkle the yeast on top of the warm water and let it sit for 5 minutes. Stir to combine and let sit for another 5-10 minutes, until it begins to froth a bit.

2 In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the olive oil, then the yeast-water mixture. Mix this together to form a soft dough and knead for 5-10 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and lightly coat with olive oil. Put it in a large bowl, top the bowl with plastic wrap and set it at room temperature to rise.

3 When the dough has doubled in size, anywhere from 90 minutes to several hours, cut it in half. Set out a large baking sheet and line it with a silpat or parchment paper. Take one half of the dough and cut it in half. Working with one piece at a time, flatten into a rough rectangle about 5 inches long 1/2 inch thick.

4 Using a sharp knife, slice the dough into strips of about 1 inch wide by 5 inches long. Cut these strips in half. Take one piece and work it into a snake, then tie it in a knot. The dough will be sticky along the cut edges, so dust these with flour before you tie the knot. Set each knot down on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough. Remember that the dough will rise, so leave some space between each knot.

5 Once all the knots are tied, paint them with a little olive oil. Loosely cover them with plastic wrap and let them rise again until doubled in size, anywhere from 90 minutes to three hours or so. Toward the end of this rising period, preheat the oven to 400°.

6 Uncover the knots and bake in the oven 12-15 minutes, or until nicely browned on top.

7 Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pot and cook the garlic gently in it just long enough to take off that raw garlic edge, about 1-2 minutes over medium-low heat. Add the salt and parsley and stir to combine. Turn off the heat.

8 When the knots are done, take out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Put into a big bowl and pour butter/garlic mixture over knots. Take a big spoon and toss knots with butter/garlic mixture and serve. These are best warm, but are good at room temperature, too.
Yield: Makes about 20 knots.

Black and White Cookies

2012-02-17T05:00:00.000-05:00

On Have the Cake the challenge was Black and White, Linzer and Lace Cookies. I love all those cookies, but I decided to go Black and White for the challenge. They are very popular in New York City. I have a very fond appreciation for these deli favorites. I think every sandwich shop, coffee shop and diner in New York sells these delightful treats. I found this recipe on Joy the Baker. They are very easy to make and I made them with my twelve year old daughter. We had a lot of fun together doing the black and white icings. Enjoy!

Black and White Cookies

Makes about 16 large cookies
Recipe from Joy the Baker who adapted from Gourmet Cookbook

For the Cookies
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg

For Vanilla Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

1 Teaspoon light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Chocolate Glaze

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

3 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

To make the cookies-

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.
Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add eggs, beating until combined well. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed (scraping down side of bowl occasionally), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until smooth.
Spoon 1/4 cups of batter about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until tops are puffed and pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack and chill (to cool quickly), about 5 minutes.

To make the glazes-

In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of corn syrup and 2 tablespoons hot water, until smooth. That’s your vanilla glaze.

In a separate bowl, melt the butter and the chocolate in a microwave for about 1 minute. Add the corn syrup and stir until smooth. That’s your chocolate glaze!

Once the cookies are cooled, face them all bottom side up of a clean surface. Spread half of the cookie with vanilla glaze and the other half with chocolate glaze. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set. And…Yum!

School Cafeteria Rolls

2012-02-15T05:05:00.002-05:00

When I was a kid growing up in Missouri in the 1970's, I have very fond memories of my high school cafeteria rolls. They were high dinner rolls that smelled of yeast and were piled high with thick slices of brown-sugar ham and thick slices of real Wisconsin cheddar cheese, slightly warm with the cheese oozing down the sides of the bread or just served plain with sweet butter. Either way they were delicious.

I found a recipe a few years ago that really comes close to those amazing rolls that I fondly remember in school. My daughter and hubby love them. She has requested ham and cheese sandwiches with a smear of raspberry jam on a cafeteria roll for her lunch box. The name cafeteria rolls is what we call them in my house, but feel free to call them what ever you want. My response for her lunch request is, "No problem, I'll make one for me as well". This is a really good recipe and I think it will be a keeper for you.

Recipe:
Yields: 12 large rolls are 18 medium
Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons butter or shortening
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup half and half or whole milk
1 package active dry yeast
3/4 cup lukewarm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 medium to large egg, beaten
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, may need a little extra
Butter, melted for greasing pan

Preparation:
In a large bowl, combine sugar, vegetable shortening or butter, and salt; stir until well blended. In a small saucepan, scald milk; pour over sugar mixture. Cool to lukewarm (105 to 115 degrees F).
In a small bowl, combine yeast and water; stir until yeast is dissolved. Mix in egg until well blended; stir into milk mixture.

Add 2 cups flour. Gradually stir in as much of the remaining flour as dough will absorb,sometimes you may have to add a little extra, mix well. (Add additional flour carefully. You can always add more flour, but once you've added too much, the result will be a dry product.) You want a soft ball of dough. Place dough into a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover bowl with dough with a film of tight plastic wrap. Place in a warm, draft free place to rise. Must double in size. You can refrigerate dough for up to 3 days.

Grease a baking pan or muffin cups. To bake, shape into desired amount of rolls (cloverleaf rolls, Parker House rolls, crescent-shaped rolls or round balls, like I did.) If your are going to do what I did, shape dough into tight balls and place in well greased pan. As you shape the rolls, you want to stretch the top of the dough ball while simultaneously sealing the bottom. The stretching helps the dough hold up to the expansion that occurs in the oven, while the sealing prevents the rolls from opening up while baking.

Place the balls onto well greased baking pan or into greased muffin cups. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, until double in bulk, about 1/2 to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and remove from pans.

Yields 12 to 18 rolls (depending on size).

Hugs and Kisses Valentines's Day Cupcakes

2012-02-10T15:40:00.000-05:00

My daughter is having a Middle School Valentine's Day Dance tonight. My daughter's best friend is having a pre-dance party at her house. I baked these cupcakes for a sweet treat for the girls tonight.

I downloaded Free Cupcake Printable Toppers that you cut out, put on toothpicks and insert into your cupcakes. Check this sight out, they have many other free printables.

I used Martha Stewart's Old Fashion Butter Cake recipe. I added pink food coloring, 2 T. strawberry preserves, 2 tsp. almond extract and 2 T. chocolate sprinkles into the batter.

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick room temperature unsalted butter

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Sift in confectioners' sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla, and stir to combine. If you need to add extra confectioner's sugar to make a stiffer icing you can but it will become sweeter. optional: Add food coloring and sprinkles. I used a pastry bag to pipe out frosting but you can use a spatula and decorate anyway you like.

German Sauerkaut and Apple Salad

2012-02-09T16:39:00.004-05:00

Do you want an easy side salad recipe that's delicious? This is it. Just a few ingredients and it taste wonderful. This wonderful salad is from my mother's recipe tin from the beauty shop back in the day. It was from a German customer, named Gertrude. It is so simple. Perfect with a pork or sausage. It is also very light and great if you are counting calories. You can even eliminate the oil all together and I don't think you would even notice. Enjoy!

Recipe:
by Gertrude
1 14oz. can sauerkraut
2 large red apples or 4 small apples (grated with skins on) I used Fuji apples
2 tsp. olive oil
2-3 tsp. sugar ( I used Stevia)
cracked black pepper to taste
optional: I am sure dried cranberries would be a nice addition.

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Refrigerate for an hour or so for flavors to merry.

Bougatsa

2012-02-07T10:04:00.002-05:00

Lately, I have been on a Greek baking kick. I am trying to get all these Greek recipes that I love for my daughter and nieces to have when I am long gone. Not that I am planning on departing anytime soon, but we need to keep the family traditions alive and well.

What is Bougatsa? It is a favorite Greek street food and snack, bougatsa in Greece is traditionally made with puff pastry before being folded over the custard filling. I have seen it made with store bought phyllo dough which is fine, but it is not really authentic. In my opinion and I have been all over Greece, I believe that the island of Corfu in the North Western part of Greece makes the best, but I could be bias since that is where my family comes from. Watch this Video from Corfu on how they actually make bougatsa. I acutally had it from this place. The line in the morning goes around the block. It has a creamy custard filling and is sliced and served slightly warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with confectioner's sugar and cinnamon, it is Greek comfort food at its finest. I happen to use the puff pastry recipe from the fame, Chef Michael Richards. I always get good result and use this recipe for all my puff pastry needs. Just follow his recipe below and you should have success.

The filling recipe comes from my blog friend, Rodoula. This is her mothers recipe. Rodoula, thank you so much for sharing!! It is easy and delicious. I love bougatsa for breakfast with a strong Greek Coffee, heaven!!!

Puff Pastry by Chef Michael Richards
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/4 cups ice water
4 sticks (1 pound) very cold unsalted butter

Makes 2 1/2 pounds of dough

Mixing the Dough: Put all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse just to mix. Add water all at once, pulsing until dough forms a ball on the blade. Remove dough from machine, form into a ball, and slash the top in a tic-tac-toe pattern, with a small sharp knife. Wrap dough in a damp towel and refrigerate 5 minutes.

Incorporating the Butter: Place butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat with a rolling pin until it flattens into a 1 inch thick square. Unwrap the chilled dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour. Roll into a 10-inch square. Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with “ears” or flaps. Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold ears over butter, stretching as needed so they overlap slightly and encase butter completely. It should be about 8 inches square.

Making the Turns: Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square. Then, keeping the work surface and dough well floured, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24 inches. (Don’t worry about the width of the rectangle; if you get the 24 inches, everything else will work itself out.) With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich. With a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter, brushing off the excess flour. You have completed one turn.

Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24 inches and then folding in thirds. This is the second turn.

Chilling the Dough: If the dough is still cool and no butter is oozing out, you can give the dough another two turns now. If the condition of the dough is iffy, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you’ve completed. It is best to refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns.

The total number of turns needed is six.

Butter Square on top of dough....

Pull dough over the butter on four sides......

Roll out into a rectangle.....

Fold over into thirds......follow instructions above....

Baked Bougatsa and finished off with confectioner's sugar and cinnamon.....

Custard Filling
by Rodoula's Mom from Athens, Greece
2 eggs,

1/2 cup of fine semolina

1/2 cup of sugar

4 cups milk

1 T. unsalted Butter

1 whole vanilla bean with seeds

In a bowl beat eggs, sugar and semolina. In a sauce pot add milk and split open vanilla bean pod scrap seeds out and place into sauce pot as well, bring milk to a gentle boil. Remove vanilla pod. Pour the hot milk slowly onto the egg, sugar and semolina mixture; whisking while gently incorporating milk to temper the eggs. Pour back into the sauce pot and stir until thick and creamy. Put butter into custard and stir until well incorporated. Place into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap so the custard does not form a skin. Refrigerate until completely cool.

Assembly: Cut a strip of pastry dough the size of a 2 by 5 rectangle. Roll out a rectangle, place about 3 T. of filling , spread filling out a little with the back of the spoon and roll up like a burrito. Make an egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar (optional).

Egg Wash:

1 egg + 2 tsp. water. Mix well..use pastry brush...

Cut pastry dough into 2x5 piece and roll out to a rectangle 4x8

Place a few Tablespoons of filling and spread out with back of spoon. Fold burrito style.

Brush with egg wash and fold over flap.....

The folded filled bougatsa, seam side down.....

Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar.....

Notice my sizes are not perfect, but who cares????

Place in a lightly sprayed pan with spray release.....

I lightly score the top with a sharp knife.

Do not go all the way through to the custard filling.

Bake in a 375 Degree oven for about 35 -45 minutes until golden brown. It may take longer to cook depending on size of bougatsa and oven heat. Keep a close eye the first time. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and cinnamon.

You can make them bigger or smaller, it is up to you....

Tulumba Pastries

2012-02-03T09:10:00.000-05:00

So, what is a Tulumba? It is a Greek/Turkish beingnet. They kind of look like a churro. They are made using choux paste, piped out of a pastry bag with a star tip into hot oil and soaked in lemon sugar syrup. They are delicious. What is a choux paste? It is a French dough that is used typically for eclairs, cream puffs, Paris Brest and beingnets. They are simple to make and are quite impressive to serve to guest. If I am having a dinner party, I will make a double batch of Tulumbas, serve it in individual bowls for each guest and make different sauces for dipping, like chocolate, raspberry and creme anglaise. It is very typical in Greece, Turkey and the Middle East to soak their confections in sugar syrup and honey syrup. Either you love it or you hate it. I grew up on these type of desserts and I adore them. If you love baklava then your in the right place. You can make these Tulumbas and not dip them in syrup, but I would sift a lot of powder sugar on top while they are hot and serve with the sauces. I have sauce recipes below that I use. The texture is crispy and the centers are somewhat hollow, the syrup just adds something to it. It's sticky, crispy and slightly chewy. My 12 year old daughter is the official taste tester and she can't get enough of them.

Tulumba Dough:
choux paste

1 2/3 cup water
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup flour
3 eggs

2 cups sunflower,canola, peanut or any light flavorless oil for frying in heavy duty pot

Heat the water, butter and salt in a pot.

When it starts to boil, lower the heat and add in the flour.
Stirring constantly until the mixture leaves the sides of the pot and becomes doughy.
Remove from the heat put aside for a few minutes.
Add eggs one at a time, blend well before adding the next.
Heat the sunflower oil in a large cooking pot on medium heat.

Fill Pastry Bag with choux paste.
Squeeze out pieces about 3/4 inch long over hot oil.
Break them off with a dull knife and let them fall right into oil.
Fry each piece uniformly, push under using a slotted spoon,
until golden brown and crispy.
With slotted spoon scoop Tulumba onto kitchen towel to remove excess oil.
Let cool completely.

Choux Paste

Pastry Bag with a Star Tip

Fry to a light golden brown

Dry on a Paper Towel or Tea Towel

Lemon Sugar Syrup:
3cups sugar
2 cups water
1 tsp lemon juice and add large cuts of
lemon rind into syrup to boil

Directions:
Put all the syrup ingredients into a heavy duty sauce pot and stir well. Bring syrup to a boil and then simmer on medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes until thick in consistency like thin maple syrup. While still warm throw Tulumbas in small batches in warm syrup for about 5 to 8 minutes remove and put into a colander for excess syrup to drip off.

Make sure they all soak in the syrup. Leave to air dry so that syrup gets sticky. Cover with loose clear wrap or foil.

These are the three dipping sauces I make when I am having a party.

Chocolate Sauce
Makes 2 1/2 cups of sauce

1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup or agave nectar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-processed)
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the water, sugar, corn syrup or agave, and cocoa powder.

2. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once it’s just begun to simmer and boil, remove from heat and stir in the chopped chocolate until melted.

Serving: You should let the Chocolate Sauce stand for a few hours before serving, which will give it time to thicken a bit.

Storage: Store the chocolate sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Rewarm before serving.

Raspberry Sauce (Makes: 2 cups)
1 half-pint package fresh raspberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup (12 ounces) seedless raspberry jam
optional: 1 tablespoon Framboise liqueur

Place the raspberries, the sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries, the jam, and Framboise into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Chill.

Creme Anglaise:
Makes 2 cups

2 cups light cream or half and half
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
5 large egg yolks

Have a fine medium-sized strainer and bowl ready near the stove.

In a stainless steel bowl stir together, using a wooden spoon, the sugar and yolks until well blended. (Do not let this mixture sit too long or a film will develop on the yolks.)

In a small saucepan heat the cream and vanilla bean (if using) just to the boiling point. Remove from heat and whisk a few tablespoons of the cream into the yolk mixture. Then, gradually add the remaining cream, whisking constantly.

Pour this mixture into a medium sized saucepan and, over medium heat, gently heat the mixture to just below the boiling point (170 - 175 degrees F) (77 - 80 degrees C). You will notice that steam will begin to appear and the mixture will be slightly thicker than heavy cream. Do not boil or the eggs will curdle. Check to see if it is the right consistency by holding a wooden spoon sideways that is covered with the custard and run your finger along the back of the spoon. If the streak remains without the cream running down through the streak, it is ready.

Immediately remove from the heat and pour through the strainer, scraping up any thickened cream that settles on the bottom of the pan. Remove the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the sauce. Stir until seeds separate. For maximum flavor, return the pod to the sauce until serving time. (If you are using pure vanilla extract, instead of the vanilla bean, add it to the cream now.)

The creme anglaise can be refrigerated covered with plastic wrap for a couple of days.

Note: If sauce was overheated and curdling occurs, pour instantly into a blender and process until smooth before straining. If necessary, add a little heavy cream to the mixture before blending.

Apple Turnovers

2012-01-29T23:22:00.002-05:00

Layers of flaky, buttery crust! Delish!

This recipe comes from my mother's recipe tin. The recipes date back to the 1960's - 1970's. My mother had a beauty Salon in St. Louis, Missouri. These recipes were passed on to her from her customers. The recipes are representations of home cooking from many different countries. My mom's customers were German, English, Dutch, Irish, Polish, African, Italian and Greek.

Every Friday night we had a feast in that Salon. These ladies had some of the most intricate hairdos. They really got decked out in those days. I was just a tween, but my love of food started in a Salon. I know that sounds crazy, but these ladies were proud about their dishes and loved to share them. Those Friday nights were the best times in my life. I am sure many of those wonderful ladies have passed away. I moved some 30 years ago and settled in New York. My heart and mind is filled with so much love for that simple time and that recipe tin means so much to me. It is all I have left from that amazing time in my life. I have a little bit of all those wonderful ladies in that tin. Well, this recipe is just as good as those memories and I will be making them all the time. I hope you love them as much as I do.

Apple Turnovers

Recipe: 8 Turnovers

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 cup butter (unsalted very cold)

1/2 cup ice water

3 large apples peeled or 4-5 small apples peeled (cut into small dice)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 T. cornstarch

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 egg plus 1 T. water

2T. coarse raw sugar

Glaze

Water and 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

Mix with enough water to form a medium consistency glaze.

1. In a medium bowl with pastry blender, combine flour and salt. Cut in 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle with ice water. With fork, mix well. Shape dough into a ball; with lightly floured rolling pin on lightly floured surface, roll into an 18 inch by 8 inch rectangle. Cut 1/4 cup butter into thin slices. Starting at one of the 8 inch sides place butter slices over 2/3 of rectangle to within 1/2 inch of edges. See pics below:

Fold into envelope

Roll back into 18 inch by 8 inch rectangle and place in fridge

2. Fold unbuttered 1/3 of pastry over middle 1/3; fold opposite end over to make an 8 inch by 6 inch rectangle. Roll dough into an 18inch by 8 inch rectangle (I slide my dough onto a plastic cutting board) and place in fridge for 20 minutes.

3. Take out from fridge, place onto floured board and slice remaining 1/4 cup butter; place slices on dough and fold as in steps 1 and 2; Chill another 20 minutes. Take out from fridge after 20 minutes and fold lengthwise and crosswise and chill for 1 hour.

4. Prepare filling: In a saucepan with spoon, mix diced apples, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and cinnamon. Cook on low heat, stirring frequently until apples are tender, about 5 minutes. Chill.

5. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut dough crosswise in half: roll into a 12 inch square. Chill the other half of dough. Cut into four 6 inch squares. In cup, beat egg with 1 T. water. Spoon 1/8 of apples into center of square and fold over to make a triangle. Take a fork and press the sides all around each turnover to seal edges. Brush with egg mixture. Sprinkle with raw sugar. Continue the same procedure with remaining dough. Bake for about 20-22 minutes until golden. Cool slightly on rack and drizzle with glaze. Can serve warm or at room temperature.

Valentine's Day Cookies

2012-01-25T20:35:00.003-05:00

My daughter and I are making Valentine's Day Cookies for gift giving. We are using our favorite Sugar Cookie recipe and Marshmallow Fondant to cover them. We painted the stripes with almond extract and food coloring. The pearls are made with royal icing and different shades of pearl dust. The heart is made out of fondant. These cookies are great to make in an advance.

Sugar Cookies Recipe:
Make 10-12 large cookies
( Depends on thickness and size of cutter)
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt

Pre-heat oven to 350 degees. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy and creamy. Add egg and continue to beat until lighter in color. Sift flour, pinch salt and baking powder into a bowl. Add extracts into butter mixture, mix well. Slowly add flour mixture and mix well. Wrap dough in clear wrap and refrigerate for 1/2 hour. Roll out dough onto a floured surface and cut into shapes, about 1/8 inch thick. You can go thicker if you like, but adjust cooking time. Bake on parchment or silpat for about 8 - 10 minutes until lightly golden.

Decorate as follows: Brush each cookie with apricot glaze. Make fondant and roll out. Cut using the same cutter as the cookie dough. Place fondant on to cookie. The glaze will help the fondant to stick to the cookie. Decorate as desire. Special note: if you are adding layers of fondant or adding a heart like I did ,you must attach with thinned out royal icing. The pearls are made with stiff to medium consistency of royal icing.

Marshmallow Fondant:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 (16 ounce) package miniature marshmallows
4 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 pounds confectioners' sugar, divided

Directions
Place the butter in a shallow bowl, and set aside.

Place the marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on High for 30 seconds to 1 minute to start melting the marshmallows. Carefully stir the water and vanilla extract into the hot marshmallows, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Slowly beat in the confectioners' sugar, a cup at a time, until you have a sticky dough. Reserve 1 cup of powdered sugar for kneading. The dough will be very stiff.

Rub your hands thoroughly with butter, and begin kneading the sticky dough. As you knead, the dough will become workable and pliable. Turn the dough out onto a working surface dusted with confectioners' sugar and continue kneading until the fondant is smooth and no longer sticky to the touch, 5 to 10 minutes.

Form the fondant into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. To use, allow the fondant to come to room temperature, and roll it out onto a flat surface dusted with confectioners' sugar.

Apricot Glaze
1 jar of apricot preserves

Blend in blender to smooth out. Heat to thin out glaze. Use a pastry brush to brush each cookie with glaze.

Royal Icing Recipe:
3 tablespoons meringue powder
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons water

Directions:
Beat all ingredients at low speed for 7 to 10 minutes, or until icing forms peaks. Tip: Keep icing covered with a wet kitchen towel at all times. Icing can dry out quickly.
Wrap in cellophane bag with ribbon. Add a card for a personal touch.

Sweet 16 Birthday Cake

2012-01-21T23:53:00.001-05:00

I made this "Sweet 16 Cake". It was covered in lollipops, sixteen white chocolate candles and a pulled sugar swirl coming out from the top. I love making Sweet 16 cakes covered in lollipops. The name plate was made out of chocolate. On the top tier there are leopard prints made out of chocolate. My niece loves animal prints. I actually made two cakes for my niece because she had 2 parties. One for friends and the other for family. I will be posting the pic of the second cake soon. This cake was a red velvet from my red velvet cupcake recipe and French Custard Buttercream Frosting. I love making really bright colored birthday cakes. Sweet 16 Birthday Cakes should be all about fun and the cake should be youthful and happy!

The chocolate candles are always a hit!

The kids love the homemade lollipops.