The Harried Cook

Triple Dark Chocolate Cookies & a Doubly Special Post!

2012-03-08T08:55:00.002+05:30

Happy International Women's Day!

Welcome to a very special post at The Harried Cook.

In today's post, I would like to introduce you to a campaign that a few of my friends have been working on. It is also an doubly special post (as you may have noticed in the title :p), because all the pictures in this post were taken by my friend, and one of the wonderful women working on this campaign, Zippora. She is a gorgeous woman, a great friend, a really fabulous photographer and is the mom of an absolutely adorable little two year old boy. You should check out her blog here. Why don't you leave her a comment, and let her know that I sent you? :)

On to these cookies.

Tell me this - how do you like your chocolate? White? Dark? Extra dark? I like my chocolate dark. I am happy with milk chocolate too, but if I had to pick, I would pick dark. I like my caramel dark too! Mmmmmm dark caramel rocks my world!

When I think back to when I was growing up, dark chocolate was never popular. In fact, I am not sure it was even available. We only had regular, but delicious, milk chocolate and that was all we ever knew. But dark is very popular in India now.

But only when it comes to chocolate.

Not when it comes to skin color.

Millions of people in India grow up hearing, every single day, that they are not good enough because of the color of their skin. I have heard stories from my own friends about how they've been ridiculed at school, given mean nicknames, and how they've even been told by their own families, "Oh! How we wish you were fair!" It is tragic. Now, I am not fair by any standard. According to the Fairness Meter (oh yes, that is a real thing!), I am 'wheatish'. That means I am not fair, but I am not dark either. Whew. I dodged the bullet!

Things are getting worse! Everyday we are bombarded with advertisements for products claiming that they will make you fairer. But it doesn't stop there! Not only will you get fairer skin, you'll get the job, you'll make friends with the popular kids, you'll become a talented musician, you'll become a celebrity, you'll achieve great things in life and most importantly, you'll get the guy/girl that you've been in love with forever, but won't give you the time of day because you are not fair!

You can check out some of the fairness ads on YouTube and see for yourself how ridiculous they are. To normal people, these ads would be funny. I find them hilarious.

But to people who have heard every day of their lives that they are dark, or lived through rejection, ridicule and torment because of their skin color, these ads would appear like a ray of hope. But none of these products can deliver what they promise. Not. One. Of. Them.

They are setting people up for disappointment. Not just women. Men too!

I love this parody. It shows a fairness cream turns you into a blonde, white woman. Because that's what we all want to be, right? It's so funny how while on one side of the world, millions of fair skinned people are trying to get a tan, people with a naturally bronzed complexion, are trying to get fairer.

The Dark is Beautiful campaign has been around since 2009. The main goal of this campaign is to try to make people realize that they ought to be comfortable in their own skins.

It is a lot harder than it sounds.

We are working against a mindset. We are working against an enormous industry. We are working against years, decades and possibly centuries of people telling you that you won't get far because of the way you look, or the color of your skin.

In my mind, Dark is Beautiful is not just about skin color issues. It speaks into every aspect of appearance. Short is beautiful. Curly hair is beautiful. Small eyes are beautiful. Dark hair is beautiful. Seriously people. Do we want to be clones of each other?

I believe God made each of us unique - in appearance, in personality, in the talents and abilities He has given us, and in the color of our skin. I believe that what we can achieve in life is determined by how hard we try, how hard we pray and how much of ourselves we put into what we do. Not by how we look. If the world has given an edge to the fairer, more 'perfect looking' people, let's take that edge back by raising our children to be confident in their skins!

And parents - don't make your kids feel anything less than gorgeous! Help them be the beautiful people God created them to be. It's part of your job.

Triple Dark Chocolate Cookies
Adapted from Annie's Eats
Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz. (227g) dark chocolate (or semi-sweet)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 tsp instant coffee granules
5 tbsp (70g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup chopped dark chocolate, or dark chocolate chips

Method
1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside
2. Melt the dark chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over boiling water. Stir until smooth and molten. Set aside to cool. (You can also melt the chocolate in the microwave, but be very careful not to burn the chocolate. Nuke it 20 seconds at a time, stirring well between each 20 second interval.)
3. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl along with the vanilla and instant coffee granules. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, cream the until smooth and light.
5. Add in the sugars and beat for about 30 seconds
6. Add in the egg mixture and beat for about a minute. Don't worry if the mixture looks a little 'separated'.
7. Pour in the melted chocolate in a slow stream, beating continuously. Beat on low speed for a further 45 seconds until completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat for a further 20 seconds.
8. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Don't over beat.
9. Using a spatula, stir in the chocolate chunks.
10. Set the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. I left mine in there over-night.
11. Preheat the oven to 180. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat.
12. Scoop out tablespoon sized balls of dough and place them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Do not flatten the balls.
13. Bake for about 12 minutes until the sides are set but the centers are still soft.
14. Remove from the oven, and leave on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
15. Store in an airtight cookie jar.

These cookies are delicious! Chewy, fudgy, intensely chocolate-y in every bite. I thought, and my friend agreed, that they taste like brownies in a cookie form. A real treat for chocolate lovers!

You can learn more about the Dark is Beautiful campaign by checking out the website, Facebook page and our first local celebrity-endorsed commercial that is going to be on television soon!

P.S. - When we say 'Dark is Beautiful', we are not saying that other colors are not! :) All the colors in the world are special and make the world a more beautiful place! It's just that 'Dark is Beautiful' sounds a lot nicer than 'Dark is also beautiful'! :) :)

P.P.S. - If you live in Chennai, be at Elliot's beach on Friday, March 9th, at 5:30 P.M. for an awesome and fun evening!

Love the photographs? I know I do! Don't forget to check out Zippora's blog, and tell her what a great job she's done!

Tell me - has skin color discrimination affect you or someone close to you? How has this impacted you? I would love to hear your stories and thoughts!

Vanilla Bean Mini-Bundt Cakes & Winner Announced!

2012-03-06T10:06:00.003+05:30

Isn't this cake gorgeous?

You know what else is gorgeous? I have something really beautiful & special I want to share with you all. The post will be out in a couple of days! :) Don't forget to come back and check it out!

Now, back to these white-capped beauties. I have been wanting to use my mini bundt molds for ages, and I am so glad I finally did!

You know, once I find a good recipe, I stick to it like glue! I've been using the same vanilla cake recipe since the beginning of time! So I decided I would be brave and try something new.

I looked around and finally decided on a new recipe and it made the kind of cake I love! It is not a bundt cak recipe, really. It is just a vanilla bean cake. But I just wanted to use my bundt molds. So I did. I am sorry if this offends anyone.

You know how some cakes have a shiny, slightly crispy top and a soft fluffy interior? This is one of those cakes. Sometime I want a dense, moist pound cake, and sometimes I need light, fluffy, delicate cake. This one is definitely the latter.

This cake method was new to me, and I must admit I was a little skeptical about how it would turn out. Worked just fine! Whew!

Vanilla Bean Mini-Bundt Cakes
Adapted from Sweetapolita
Ingredients
50g egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk, at room temperature
1 vanilla bean
95g (3/4 cup) all purpose flour
110g (1/2 cup) castor sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
55g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour your bundt molds.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the egg whites and half the milk. Slit the vanilla bean down the center and with the tip of the knife, scrape out the insides of the bean into the milk. Throw in the bean to infuse for a while.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, castor sugar, baking powder and salt. With your mixer on low speed, stir well to combine. For the mixer, the paddle attachment is recommended. I used the whisk attachment and it worked just fine.
4. Add the butter and the remaining milk and continue mixing until the mixture is evenly moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for about a minute.
5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and start adding the egg-vanilla mixture (after you have fished that bean out!) in 3 installments. Beat well after each addition.
6. Fill your molds 3/4 full and bake 20-25 minutes or until very slightly golden brown and feels 'set' to the touch. Keep an eye on the cake and make sure you don't over bake.
7. Allow to cool for a while, and turn out of the molds.
8. Glaze when completely cool.

For the glaze, I simply scraped out the insides of half a vanilla bean and combined it with 1 cup of powdered sugar with enough milk to get the consistency I like. I ended up making the glaze a little too thick, and while that makes for nice presentation, I found it too sweet. Next time I will make a thinner glaze.

But I loved the double hit of vanilla. I mean, look at those gorgeous flecks in the cake and in the glaze!

Delicious!

Now, for the giveaway winner!

First, let me thank each and every person who commented on my anniversary giveaway post! I totally appreciate the encouragement and anniversary wishes. I didn't reply to each comment because that would confuse me too much while taking a count for the giveaway.

As you may notice, we have 81 comments, but only the first 80 qualify for the giveaway. That last comment came in too late :( Sorry!

And the winner of this gorgeous book

is... (drum roll, please!)

Comment #47 belongs to Tara, who said - "whoa that is one pretty cake... i would love something like this for my wedding! i've been reading your blog for a while now, and my favorite recipe so far is the brownies with bacon. yummers!!"

Congratulations, Tara! You will be getting an email from me very soon :)

Thank you all once again for taking part in this giveaway, and for all the support!

A quick reminder - please don't miss the special post that will be out in a couple of days. I promise it is going to be really beautiful. So beautiful, that I am considering getting a professional photographer to come take the pictures! Don't miss it!

Note: The giveaway winner has been contacted by email, and if there is no response within 72 hours, another winner will be drawn using the same method, and will be contacted by email.

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies (and an announcement)

2012-03-01T18:25:00.001+05:30

I know! I know! This cookie doesn't look very fancy or impressive. But didn't your mother ever tell you not to judge a book by it's cover?

Before I talk any more about this cookie - have you entered my blog anniversary giveaway yet? No!? Seriously? Go do it now!

Now, let me tell you - this cookie is...

FLASH NEWS!

We interrupt regular programming to bring you this important announcement.

Okay, okay. Sorry about all the drama.

I am more than a little upset about this whole GFC going away thing. Not only do most of my readers get my updates via GFC, but I also subscribe to SO many of my favorite blogs via GFC. It is going to be so tiring to have to make sure that all 1023942323433 feeds in my Google Reader are functioning feeds. Okay. Maybe not THAT many, but still a lot, okay?

To do my bit, I would like to let you know how you can continue receiving updates when recipes are posted on my blog. Here are your options.

1. Subscribe to my RSS feed. You can do that by clicking HERE, or by clicking the RSS icon on the top right of my blog.

2. Subscribe for updates directly in your email inbox! You can do that by clicking HERE or entering your email address in the subscription box on the top right side of the page.

3. To follow me and receive updates via Facebook, you can 'Like' my Facebook page which can be found HERE.

So there. Those are your options. You can also follow me on Twitter, Pintrest or Google Plus.

Here are your options.

I hope you will take the time to do this! :) If I am following you on GFC, I promise to take the time to make sure I am receiving your updates. Or I will email you and pester you for your RSS feed. Believe me. I've done that before.

And now, back to our regular programming.

These cookies are seriously good. I loved these cookies. As I said, they look simple, but let me tell you - looks can be deceptive!

I made a tiny batch and got yelled at! "You made just twelve tiny cookies? What's wrong with you?", I was asked. So I am sharing the full recipe with you. For your safety. Trust me.

They are soft, slightly chewy, mildly sweet - until you bite into an intensely sweet white chocolate chip - and have a slightly salty, nutty kick from the roasted salted macadamia nuts in there.

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

Adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg, chilled

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup salted roasted macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

1 cup white chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190.

2. Cream together the butter, sugars, vanilla and egg until fluffy.

3. Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt and mix well to combine.

4. Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Mix until incorporated.

5. Drop rounded spoonfuls on an ungreased baking sheet, making sure you leave at least 2 inches between the cookies.

6. Bake until the edges are starting to brown, and the centers are still slightly soft, about 8-10 minutes.

7. Remove from oven and leave on the baking tray for 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Have I ever told you that I detest milk? Personally, I have only two uses for milk in life - 1. as an ingredient in baking, and 2. to dunk cookies in. I love dunking cookies in milk and then giving the leftover milk to the dog. He loves it too. These cookies taste delightful with milk! I hope you will try this recipe!

There is still time to enter my giveaway. You could win Alton Brown's book 'I'm just here for the food'. I really hope you'll stop by and enter!

Toodles for now!

Moist Carrot Cake w/ Coconut Milk Magic Frosting & A Giveaway!

2012-02-27T15:49:00.005+05:30

The Harried Cook turned ONE yesterday!

As you may know, I started this blog as a way to chronicle my recipes for my little girl as well. She was only sixteen months old when I started and now she recognizes my blog when she sees it, knows which pictures are of "mommy's num-num". She has even started 'helping' around the kitchen - which usually means sticking her hands into the flour or dropping an egg on the floor - and through it all she chants, "I can cook, mommy. I can cook!" She's her mommy's daughter for sure! And who knows - she may even guest post for me on The Harried Cook's next birthday! :)

When I look back over the year, I am truly amazed - at how much I have learned, how many wonderful people I have met, how much I have drooled over all your fabulous food and most of all at how many friends I have made. This year has been a year of highs and lows for me, and I even took a blog break when I had to move house. You have no idea how touched and happy I was to have people emailing me just to check how I was doing and to see if we had found a home yet!

I am grateful for each and every one of you that has visited, commented, emailed, written on my Facebook wall or more recently, pinned one of my pictures. You have brightened so many of my days!

And thank you to my husband for the gorgeous blog anniversary roses! I love them!

For my blog anniversary, I baked the most amazing, moistest carrot cake and paired it with a coconut milk frosting that I came up with for a baking workshop I conducted around Christmas time. This was the exact recipe I taught at the workshop. I promised in my Christmas cookies post that I would share it with you, and here it is!

This cake is so delicious! I have been using this recipe for years and years and it has NEVER failed me. It is a very popular recipe and I know many people who use it and are very happy with it. The seemingly out-of-place pineapple and coconut contribute to make it an amazingly moist cake.

For the frosting recipe, I took inspiration from the Pioneer Woman's best frosting recipe. It is an easy and very fool-proof recipe. One of my friends (who also gave me this beautiful cake platter for my birthday - THANK YOU, Mousie :) :) I love it!!!)), dubbed this frosting 'Magic Frosting' and the name has stuck. I adapted the recipe to include coconut milk and coconut extract and it was just brilliant with the carrot cake. And if a sworn coconut hater can say so, you can take my word for it!

Moist Carrot Cake
Adapted from Food.com
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut extract (optional)
2 1/2 cups grated carrot
1 cup freshly grated coconut
1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple, drained

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180. Grease and flour cake tin. I used an 8" round pan for this recipe.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon powder & grated nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, coconut extract and vanilla until light.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the oil mixture. Stir well until combined and smooth.
5. Add the grated carrot, coconut and crushed pineapple and mix well to incorporate.
6. Pour into prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes until the center is set and the cake is golden brown.
7. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Coconut Milk Magic Frosting
Adapted from Pioneer Woman's recipe
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
7 1/2 tsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups castor sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp coconut extract (optional)

Method
1. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the coconut milk and flour and whisk till smooth and not lumpy.
2. On low-medium heat, cook while stirring continuously until the mixture is thick and glossy. This will take about 5 minutes.
3. Set aside until completely cooled. It should not be even slightly warm.
4. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and castor sugar with an electric mixer (or in your stand mixer) until light.
5. Add the completely cooled coconut-flour mixture and the extracts.
6. Beat on medium-high speed. Don't panic if the mixture starts to look curdled or 'separated'. Just keep beating on high speed until it comes together. And it will.
7. Keep beating until the mixture has the texture of whipped cream and the sugar has completely dissolved.
8. Use on the same day or store in the fridge for up to three days. (I haven't tried keeping it longer or freezing it, but I don't see why that wouldn't work)

I have never been very good at the artistic stuff. These are supposed to be buttercream roses. I hope they don't look like random swirls.

This a magical combination.

Really. Truly. Take my word for it.

Now for the giveaway!

As a way to say "Thank you!", I would like to share one of my favorite cookbooks with you. If you've been around me long enough, you must know how much I love Alton Brown. So, I would like to giveaway one copy of his book 'I'm just here for the food' as a token of my love and appreciation to the readers of The Harried Cook.

It is only a small gesture, I know, but it is from my heart!

To enter this giveaway, just leave me a comment telling me which is your favorite recipe on my blog. Do you like these Rocky Road Cupcakes or do these Walnut Muffins make you drool? Is your sweet tooth craving some Red Velvet Ice Cream or would you rather have these savory Coconut Sesame Prawns? Just leave a comment and let me know - and that's all you need to do!

For additional entries, you can
- Like my Facebook page
- Pin one of the images of the cake in this post
- Subscribe to The Harried Cook by email or by RSS feed

Don't forget to leave separate comments to let me know you've done each of these things! That's a total of four entries per person. You have till 10 PM (GMT) on March 5th to enter.

This giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere. A random winner will be chosen using Random.org and announced on March 6th in an announcement post.

Please note: As you may have already heard, Google Friend Connect is being withdrawn from March 1st. So if you are following me on GFC and would like to continue receiving updates from The Harried Cook, I would recommend subscribing via email or subscribing to my RSS feed.

Thanks again for all your support! I love you all!

Now go bake this cake, you hear?

Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by me and me alone. Alton Brown does not even know I exist. Sigh!

***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***

Dried Blueberry Scones

2012-02-21T15:29:00.005+05:30

Every time I go through my favorite blogs on my Google Reader, the thing that I feel most jealous about is all the gorgeous fresh berries I see! Except for strawberries and gooseberries, we don't get any other fresh berries where we live and that makes me SO sad! I am starting to hear rumors that we might be getting a few other varieties imported in a few months. I am really looking forward to that!

The only time I got to taste fresh blueberries, I totally loved them! But of course we very rarely get them fresh here. Dried berries are the only option for me. A good friend brought me a nice big bag of dried blueberries recently, and I've been wondering what to make with them. And then I found this recipe.

I LOVE scones. Plain scones, spiced scones, fruity scones - any kind! Remember my Cranberry-Orange scones?

I saw this recipe on Epicurious.com and immediately knew that I would be making this soon. I thought it would be a great way to use these dried bluberries. It was easy to make, and pretty quick too!

The scones turned out really good (better than these pictures did!). Everybody enjoyed them - the husband included. He is usually the hardest to please - especially with non-chocolate dishes. He had a few with a cuppa and seemed to enjoy them.

Dried Blueberry-Lime Scones
Adapted from this recipe on Epicurious.com
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar (plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling)
85 grams unsalted butter (chilled and cubed)
1/2 cup buttermilk (plus 1 tablespoon for brushing the top)
3/4 cup dried blueberries
1 tbsp lime zest

Method
1. Soak the blueberries in a bowl of water for about 15-30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 200. Line a tray with Silpat or parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar until well combined.
4. Add the cubes of butter and using only your fingertips, rub in the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that resembles chunky bread crumbs. Some pieces of butter will be as large as baby peas.
5. Drain the blueberries and add into the bowl. Toss gently to coat the blueberries.
6. In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk and lime zest.
7. Pour this mixture into the large bowl and slowly mix with your hands until most of the flour is incorporated.
8. Transfer onto a work surface and bring all the dough together, kneading very gently. Don't knead for more than 30-40 seconds.
9. Gently flatten the dough into a 1" circle.
10. Transfer to the baking sheet, and cut into wedges.
11. Brush with the remaining buttermilk and sprinkle the top with the reserved sugar.
12. Bake for about 22-25 minutes or until golden brown on top, and cooked all the way through. You can test it with a toothpick.

Of course like all scones, these are best eaten fresh. I found that these scones were on the sweeter side, and so it did not need a sweet accompaniment like jam, or even a glaze, but you could add a simple one if you like! (I think the lime-cream cheese glaze in this recipe would be lovely with the blueberries!) I love scones with butter and so I ate one with a generous amount of butter. I also ate one the next day with some lime curd, and it was delicious! This recipe is definitely worth making again!

And hey - the 26th of February is The Harried Cook's first birthday! I look forward to sharing this special day with all of you who have made my first year so special! See you all on the 26th! :)

Look forward to a special giveaway sponsored by moi! :)

Spinach & Bacon Quiche

2012-02-17T16:50:00.000+05:30

After that marathon blogging session with my Red Velvet Series, I thought it would be a good idea to take a small break from the sweet stuff. Not a long break, mind you! And I thought it would be good idea to show that we don't just live on desserts and sweet treats around here. We eat other stuff too. Like this.

I found some beautiful fresh spinach at the supermarket the other day, and for some reason, my daughter was intent on loading up our cart with nothing but spinach! We left the store with more spinach than we usually buy, and so I decided I would try something new.

This quiche was adapted from Paula Deen's recipe on the Food Network, and it turned out really great. Of course, how bad can it be when it has bacon, right? I adapted the quantities a little because a 9" tart sounded like too much for our family. I made a 6" tart and we still had some left over.

Spinach-Bacon Quiche
Adapted from Paula Deen
Ingredients
Crust
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp ground pepper
1 egg yolk, cold

Filling
1 1/2 cup spinach leaves, chopped
200g cooked bacon, chopped
4 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup cheese, shredded (I used a mix of cheddar, parmesan and mozzarella)
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Method
1. To make the crust, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt and pepper.
2. Add the butter cubes, and with the tips of your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that resembles coarse bread crumbs.
3. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolk and add into the bowl. Bring the dough together lightly with your finger tips taking care not to knead. If needed, add a few drops of cold water.
4. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
5. Roll out and line your pastry tin with the dough and prick all over with a fork.
6. To make the filling, combine the eggs, cream, salt and pepper and whisk until combined, or whiz for about 30 seconds in a blender.
7. Into the pie crust, layer the spinach, bacon and cheese.
8. Pour the egg-cream mixture over the layers in the crust.
9. Bake at 200 for about 45 minutes or until the center is set and the top is golden brown.
10. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before slicing into wedges.

For this tart, I made the crust, but a store-bought crust (refrigerated all-butter, NOT pre-baked), would work just as fine, and would be a lot quicker.

This is a really rich and filling quiche and everyone was happy with it. It was just cheesy enough for my daughter and she loved it. I made a simple salad to serve on the side, but my husband and daughter (who are not salad people), enjoyed eating just the quiche for lunch.

I hope everyone is having a lovely week! :)

Red Velvet Ice Cream

2012-02-12T20:51:00.004+05:30

I'm seeing RED!

In a good way, of course! :)

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I don't really care much for Valentine's Day. But I do love the food surrounding it. Who wouldn't? I've been seeing so many gorgeous treats on all the blogs I visit and have bookmarked quite a few of them!

Back to our Red Velvet Adventures. Someone asked me this - and so, I must answer - I honestly cannot decide which of the Red Velvet treats is my favorite. They all taste SO good. I guess if I was FORCED to pick a favorite, I would have to say it is a two way tie between this soft-serve ice cream and the whoopie pies! :) But, I hate to discrimate! So I guess I would prefer to stop at 'I love Red Velvet anything'.

Anyhoo, I made this recipe for Red Velvet Ice Cream by modifying my Rocky Road Ice cream base, and it turned out just great. Creamy, velvety smooth ice cream with slightly more than a hint of chocolate. It's just yummy!

The cheesecake sauce was added on a whim. I didn't have a recipe. I just winged it, and it worked out great! The tang from the cream cheese worked perfectly with the sweet ice cream. Hey! What am I doing? Do I really have to convince you that 'Red Velvet + Cream Cheese = Best thing in the world'?! (Look at this guy's face! It says it all, doesn't it?)

Red Velvet Ice Cream
Ingredients
1 can condensed milk
1/8 cup cocoa powder
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup full-fat milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Red food coloring (desired amount)

Method
1. In a large saucepan, combine the condensed milk and cocoa powder and stir well to combine.
2. Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
3. Take it off the heat, and stir in the cream, milk, vanilla, food coloring and vinegar, and mix well.
4. When the mixture has cooled, refrigerate for at least 4 hours until chilled.
5. Freeze in your ice cream maker, following the manufacturer's direction.
6. When the ice cream has reached the soft-serve stage, stop the machine, and stir in any add-ins you might want to use.
7. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

To make the cheesecake sauce, whisk 8oz of cream cheese till smooth and creamy. Slowly add enough half-and-half until you get the consistency you want. Add a splash of vanilla and enough powdered sugar to sweeten. I wish I had measured out the ingredients, but it's pretty hard to mess up. Just go slow while adding the half-and-half so you don't end up adding too much.

We made sundaes using Red Velvet Madeleine crumbs, Red Velvet ice cream and the cream cheese sauce, and it was bliss in a bowl... Really, really delicious! I hope you try this recipe!

In case you've missed the other posts, here is a round up of all the Red Velvet recipes on The Harried Cook. Click on the pictures to go to the recipe post.

Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Pancakes Red Velvet Brownie Bites

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies Red Velvet Madeleines

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I hope you have enjoyed this Red Velvet adventure as much as I have!

Have a wonderful week! Take an extra effort this week (and through the year!!!) to let your loved ones know how much they mean to you!

Red Velvet Madeleines

2012-02-11T23:28:00.001+05:30

Welcome to yet another installment in the Red Velvet Series we're enjoying! I am a total Red Velvet fiend and I am thoroughly enjoying baking and sharing these treats with you.

This is the fourth recipe I am sharing in this series, and I will share the fifth and last recipe tomorrow night, hopefully giving you enough time to plan and make one of these treats for your family in the coming week!

As I type this, I realize how much respect I have for the bloggers who manage to get out one post a day! How do you do it? Where do you find the time, energy and inspiration? I am totally in awe of each and every one of you! Today is the 5th day in a row I am posting, and it has been so crazy. I barely got today's post out, and I am amazed at those of you who post every day! Thank you for your dedication & hard work! :)

Today's recipe is a simple treat to share with your family and friends over a nice cup of tea (or coffee, if that's your thing). It is the classic Madeleine. Well, not so classic. It IS Red Velvet madness! Can't forget that, can we?

Red Velvet Madeleines

Adapted from Joyofbaking

Makes 12 regular sized Madeleines

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

Baking Soda, a pinch

Salt, a pinch

2 medium eggs

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Red food coloring, as desired

Method

1. Melt the butter and set aside to cool.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir well to combine and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and sugar together until tripled in volume and very thick. When the beaters are lifted, the mixture will drop in a thick ribbon.

4. Add the food coloring and whisk till completely incorporated.

5. Sift in the flour mixture in three portions, folding gently between additions, taking care not to overmix or stir.

6. Stir the vanilla and vinegar into the melted butter.

7. Add the butter to the batter in three installments, folding gently after each addition. Do not overmix the batter.

8. Refrigerate the batter for at least half an hour. I left it in the fridge for about an hour.

9. Preheat the oven to 200.

10. Grease and flour a madeleine tine. Fill each mould with a heaped tablespoon of the batter, allowing the batter to drop with a mound in the center. Do not flatten the batter.

11. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the centers spring back when touched.

12. Remove the pan from the oven and tap it hard against the counter-top to release the madeleines.

13. Turn over onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

To be honest, I don't drink tea or coffee regularly. I occasionally enjoy a cup of herbal tea, and I made myself a nice cup of fennel tea (not the tea in the pictures!) and these madeleines were delicious with it!

They are light, cake-like, cookie-like and ever so slightly chocolaty. Red Velvet is such a cool thing, isn't it. Works in so many forms! As I sat down to plan my Red Velvet Fest, I came up with 12 different things to do with Red Velvet! Of course, I decided to attempt only 5 because I know that any more than that, and I would lose my mind trying to churn the posts out.

If you haven't already checked them out, don't forget to visit the first three recipes in this series

Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Red Velvet Brownie Bites

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Also, check out one of my very old posts, and the recipe that made me fall in love with Red Velvet

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Also, a BIG thank you to Elisabeth of Food and Thrift Finds for sharing some wonderful awards with me. I am honored to receive them! :) Thank you!

That's a whole lot of RED and it has been SO much fun! I hope you enjoy these Madeleines and I can't wait to share my last Red Velvet recipe with you tomorrow!

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

2012-02-10T21:11:00.007+05:30

Day three of our Red Velvet Journey is here!

I am thoroughly enjoying myself making and sharing with you these Red Velvet Treats. I hope you haven't missed the first two posts of this series - Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Pancakes and Red Velvet Brownie Bites! They were both yummy!

The third Red Velvet treat I want share with you today is my favorite so far. These Red Velvet Whoopie Pies are SO good! For the cookies, I used Paula Deen's Red Velvet Sandwich Cookie recipe, but didn't use her cream cheese filling. I decided to use a creamy vanilla I've used before for sandwich cookies, and it worked great! The combination was dreamy!

Since we have been overdosing on the sweet treats this week, I baked a half batch of these cookies. Drat! Why did I go and do that?! Anyways, this makes 6 whoopie pies and I would recommend not telling anyone that you made them, because you will want to eat all six. Even before I had a chance to take the pictures, my husband ate two. Now that doesn't happen often. So they must be good!

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies (or Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies)

Adapted from Paula Deen's Recipe on the Food Network

Ingredients

105g all-purpose flour

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp buttermilk

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Desired amount of Red Food Coloring

Method

1. Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and continue beating until light and fluffy.

3. Add the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring, one at a time. Beat well to combine.

4. Add the dry ingredients into this mixture and mix well until well combined.

5. Drop large spoonfuls of the batter onto a silpat/parchment lined baking tray. Each mound of the batter should be around 2 inches wide.

6. Bake for about 10 minutes or until completely cooked.

7. Leave for a few minutes to cool on the baking tray, and then remove the cookies onto a baking rack to cool.

8. When completely cool, pair up the cookie halves and sandwich using the creamy vanilla filling.

Creamy Vanilla Filling

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole milk

1/8 cup sugar

Salt, a pinch

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp corn starch

1/4 cup softened butter

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt, egg yolk and cornstarch. Whisk together and set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer. Take if off the heat and slowly stream half of the milk into the bowl containing the sugar mixture, stirring constantly.

3. Add the mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Cook on low heat, whisking continuously until the mixture thickens and becomes glossy.

4. Take it off the heat and whisk in the vanilla. Set aside to cool.

5. When the mixture has cooled, whisk it once again to make it smooth.

6. In a small bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy.

7. Add the butter to the cooled milk mixture and whisk vigorously until light and fluffy.

This is a really delicious treat. I loved the filling, and maybe next time - just out of curiosity - I will try Paula Deen's recipe for the filling.

I hope you like this recipe! Here is how my 28 month old felt about it.

I feel the same way!

Make sure you come back tomorrow when I will share a delicious tea-time Red Velvet Treat!

Red Velvet Brownie Bites

2012-02-09T21:28:00.007+05:30

I cannot tell a lie.

These were not intended to be Red Velvet Brownie Bites.

They were supposed to be regular brownies. Well, not really regular. They were supposed to be Red Velvet Swirl Brownies. Except, as I often do, I went and ruined it with my silliness. For some reason, I looked at the amount of brownie batter in my bowl and decided that 8oz of cream cheese would be too much for that much brownie batter and so I halved the cheesecake layer. Talk about silly!

And then I went and mis-read the pan size (I was reading too many recipes at the same time!) and ended up with really thin, flat brownies. So, I went with the flow, cut them into bite-size squares (well, they were 2 bites sized), and we enjoyed them! Easy to make, super-moist, and really delicious, this crowd-pleaser is a hit!

While the red velvet layer tasted nice, it was the cream cheese layer that was really yummy! Overall, it was like a brownie+cheesecake combination and it really worked! The recipe below has the correct proportions, and not the ones I used. If you want to intentionally make my mistake, or if you don't have enough cream cheese lying around, go ahead and halve the ingredients for the cream cheese layer. But I'd rather you didn't.

Red Velvet Swirl Brownies

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

Brownie Batter

1/2 cup salted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp red food coloring

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 eggs

3/4 cup flour

Cream Cheese Batter

8oz cream cheese

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/8 tsp vanilla

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200.

2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter on low heat, being careful not to burn the butter. (Unless you want burnt butter brownies. Hmmmm... something to think about...)

3. Stir in the sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder and vinegar, stirring well after each addition.

4. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and add to the butter mixture.

5. Add the flour, and stir lightly till combined.

6. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8x8 baking tin.

7. In a medium bowl, whisk cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth and light.

8. Drop teaspoons full of the cream cheese mixture over the top of the brownie batter.

9. Using the tip of knife or a skewer, swirl the cream cheese mixture over the top of the brownie batter until you are satisfied with the swirl pattern.

10. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Allow it to cool completely before slicing. The taste of the red velvet brownie layer and the cream cheese layer together is absolutely divine. The original recipe can be found here.

I am so happy that we're on our Red Velvet adventure! Did you see yesterday's post? A Valentine's Day breakfast idea! Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Pancakes! I look forward to sharing all the other recipes with you. 2 down, 3 to go! :) See you tomorrow!

Oh, and if you haven't already, you must see what Jill Colonna made for my birthday! Go check out my birthday post!