Category Archives: desserts

Peanut Brittle

Everyone serves pie on Thanksgiving! I do too , but I like to go along with the abundance theme and serve several desserts and sweets. Here are two great recipes to add to your feast of desserts . The first recipe is for a cranberry and pecan biscotti ( this is also great to serve at breakfast too) and the other is for the perfect peanut brittle. I was never a fan of peanut brittle until the first time I tried it at Craft Bar in New York. I went from loathe to love! Fortunately, Tom Colicchio shared his recipe in “Craft of Cooking”. I’ve tweaked it a little but it’s sublime. Enjoy!

Come back on Wednesday for some great leftover ideas.

From by the bay wishing you the happiest Thanksgiving and fond food memories!
Maryann

Peanut Brittle

Adapted from “Craft of Cooking” by Tom Colicchio

Makes one 10 x 15 – inch pan

2 cups sugar

1/4 pound unsalted butter

6 tablespoons corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 pound shelled dry roasted salted peanuts

1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

extra coarse sea salt to top – Maldon preferred

Directions

Line a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil or non-stick baking pad. Take a large non-stick pot and add sugar, butter, corn syrup and 1 1/3 cups water. Place on high heat melting sugar until the caramel turns amber color, stir occasionally as this is cooking. This might take awhile, it will thicken as it boils before it finally turns amber. At this point add the baking soda and salt, then remove from heat and add the peanuts. Stirring well, then quickly pour onto the baking sheet and spread out evening with a spatula. Sprinkle with the coarse sea salt. Let the brittle cool and then break into pieces. If you can resist eating this , store in an air tight container.

Star Spangled Desserts

Article first published as Star-Spangled Desserts on Technorati.

I love holidays! The 4th of July is no exception. I enjoy creating wonderful memories with my friends and family gathered together by the bay for a special celebration! We gather in early evening , sitting out of doors sharing a meal focused on food made on the grill. When dusk arrives, we have dessert and watch fireworks from the deck over the bay, as each town adds some spectacular colors to the sky. The desserts need to be as special as the firework displays in the sky. Here are a few of my favorite star spangled desserts to try for your own celebration.

From by the bay wishing you the happiest 4th of July food memories!

Maryann

Red and Blue Berry Firework Crisp

Serves 4 to 6

Topping

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup crushed store bought oatmeal cookies

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Filling

4 cups mixed berries – raspberries and blueberries

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon raspberry liquor

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place all ingredients for topping in a bowl and mix well. In a a shallow baking dish add the berries , cornstarch, sugar and liquor. Mix well. Cover the berries with topping. Place dish on a baking

sheet in to the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Serve at room temperature as is or serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Red Velvet Cheesecake
Crust:
2 cups chocolate wafers
4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Filling
20 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs plus 3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons melted chocolate
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 tablespoon vanilla

Topping
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon fine sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon red food coloring

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Take a 9 inch spring form pan and line with aluminum foil wrapping the outside twice. It’s important to keep water out when cooking with bain marie. To make crust use food processor to finely grind the wafers, then add sugar and melted butter and process until moist. Take out and place in bottom of spring form pan. Press down with fingertips to cover the bottom of pan. Bake the crust until set about 12 minutes. Cool crust.

To make the filling : Using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar. Make sure to scrape down the mixture with a spatula from the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and continue to beat. Next add the vanilla until all is well blended. Take a bow and add 1/3 of the batter. To the batter add the melted chocolate and food coloring.

Pour the chocolate cheese mixture onto the cooled crust in the spring form pan. Next pour on top the remaining batter. Place the pan into a roasting pan add hot water to the roasting pan until it’s half the height of the spring form pan. Place in oven and bake for 50 minutes. In themeantime, make sour cream topping by combining the sour cream, sugar and vanilla. After the cheesecake has baked for 50 minutes remove from oven and spread the sour cream topping evenly across the top. Place back into the oven for another 10 minutes,. At this point the cheesecake should be set. Take out of the oven. Remove carefully from the bath. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cover with foil and place in refrigerator over night to set.

Recipe for Dreamy Limoncello Ice Cream and More

My early years were spent growing up in Glendale, Queens. The streets were all two story brownstones. These homes were filled with families many with young children. Each day in the summer as it turned to dusk you would hear the bells of the ice cream truck and see kids pouring out on to the street, waiting impatiently in line to order their daily ice cream. It was the perfect end to a day filled with playing games outside or splashing around those small kiddie pools, At that young age ice cream never tasted better. Well, kids grow up and tastes become more selective. I never had the desire to make ice cream, thinking it was a lot of work , until I discovered Nigella Lawson’s recipe for no churn ice cream in her book “Forever Summer”. It tasted terrific and was just too easy. It’s a cross between having dessert and a cocktail. I created my own version, reminding me of how meals ended while visiting Capri, Italy. At the end of each meal , you would be served an ice cold shot of Limoncello. Limoncello is a digestive make from the peel of Sorrento lemons. It is both sweet and tart without being bitter. It became the perfect base for this adapted no churn ice cream. You’ll love eating this dreamy, pillowy dessert! From by the bay wishing you dreamy food memories! Maryann

Maryann Kraker

Recipe for Dreamy Limoncello Ice Cream Serves Six:

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

5 tablespoons Limoncello liquor

1 1/4 cup powdered confectioner’s sugar

2 cups heavy cream

Directions:

Pour lemon juice and Limoncello into sugar and dissolve. Add cream and whip until thick but not too stiff. Spoon whipped cream into and airtight container. Place in the freezer for at least 6 hours or overnight. Serve as is or with a little Limoncello poured over the ice cream.Here are some dreamy variations from the recipe above:

Dreamy Apricot Crunch Replace 1/2 cup lemon juice with apricot juice and skip the lemon zest. Replace limoncello with 3 tablespoons Amaretto Liquor and 3 tablespoons crushed amaretti cookies.

Dreamy Chocolate Replace 1/2 cup lemon juice with 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, replace the lemon zest with one teaspoon vanilla and replace the limoncello with 5 tablespoons chocolate liquor. Add some chocolate shavings to the top when serving.

Eating this ice cream brings back the happy memories of those wonderful “Ice Cream Nights”!

Halloween Devil Food Cup Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I love holidays! I love cooking for holidays, decorating for holidays and entertaining for holidays. I like to make every holiday possible, a little special event, especially with my cooking! My niece tells me, I should make my house by the bay like the house in ” Holiday Inn”. This is a classic movie with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Bing Crosby’s character in the film , moves to Connecticut and buys a country inn. Bing turns the inn into a super club open only on the holidays and is off the rest of the year. If I could make that work, believe me, I would do it. With my love of holidays out in the open, you can be sure that I will be blogging recipes before each holiday in order for you to celebrate. With Halloween arriving in few days here are two treats to make. Start the morning right with pumpkin muffins. With anticipation of the day ahead, get the holiday going with this tasty treat, the aroma in your home will be intoxicating. The next recipe is a devil foods cupcake with cream cheese icing the kids and adults will love it. Trick or treat!

From by the bay, wishing you treats and fond food memories!
Maryann

Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Muffin batter

1 ¾ cup flour

¾ cup fine granulated sugar

½ cup dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

2/3 cup sour cream

½ cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon honey

2 eggs

½ cup pumpkin puree

Topping

1 tablespoon fine granulated sugar

½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

In a small bowl mix topping by combining sugar and cinnamon and set aside. In another bowl mix together dry ingredient s of sugar, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and ginger. Using another bowl combine sour cream, oil, honey, eggs and pumpkin puree. Whisk together. Add ingredients to the dry ingredients in the other bowl. Mix until incorporated, batter will be lumpy don’t over mix. Take a lined 12 muffin tin and fill each muffin tin to 2/3 with batter. Top the batter with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake in a preheated 400 degrees F oven for 20-22 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Halloween Devil Food Cup Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

12 cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2/3 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups flour

2 squares melted chocolate

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add egg and mix well. Add the dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk and vanilla and beat well. Melt chocolate squares in microwave, heat 30 seconds remove and stir with a spoon until melted. If chocolate is not completely melted repeat process. Cool for 5 minutes and add into the batter combining well. Place paper liners into a 12 muffin tin. Place batter into each cup until about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Keep in airtight container until ready to frost and eat.

Tip: If you don’t have buttermilk substitute 2/3 cup milk with one tablespoon of white vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup confectionery sugar

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Mix the above ingredients until smooth. Keep in air tight container in the refrigerator until ready to frost and eat the cupcakes. After you frost the cupcakes decorate with sprinkles, crush candy or chocolate cookies.

Chocolate Crumb Cake

Chocolate Crumb Cake

Serves 6-8

Topping

1 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup sifted cocoa powder

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Cake

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon coffee

1 ounce bittersweet chocolate , melted to drizzle on top

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8″ square baking pan with butter. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Make topping for cake by combining all dry ingredients in a bowl. Stir in melted butter and place in the refrigerator to cool for about 15 minutes, While topping is cooling place the 2 ounces chocolate and melt in microwave for 30 seconds, remove and stir. If not completely melted repeat again and stir , then set aside to cool. Use an electric mixer and cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add egg and mix well. Add vanilla and cooled chocolate and mix again. Alternate adding the flour and baking soda with the coffee . once combined pour batter into baking pan and spread out with spatula. Remove the crumb topping from the refrigerator and crumble the topping over the batter. Place in the oven to bake the on the center rack for 25 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for another 20-25 minutes until tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack 15 minutes, Turn cake out onto rack remove parchment paper and turn upright onto plate. Microwave the remaining ounce of chocolate as before and use a spoon to splatter the melted chocolate across the top of the cake. let the chocolate cool and harden on the crumb cake for about 30 minutes and serve.

Mitzi’s Plum Cake

Mitzi’s Plum Cake

¼ pound unsalted butter softened plus 1 tablespoon

½ cup fine sugar, plus 1 teaspoon for topping the cake

1 egg

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

6 italian plums

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Split plums and remove pits. Place plums in bowl, cover with lemon juice, mix and set aside. Using electric mixer combine ¼ lb butter and sugar until fluffy, then add egg and combine. Next add the flour and baking powder and combine. This makes a soft dough. Take an 8” non stick cake pan line with parchment and butter and flour the pan. Press the dough into the pan covering the bottom of the cake pan. Use a spatula to spread evenly on the bottom of the pan. Press plums into dough with the cut side facing up in a concentric circle. Combine 1 teaspoon sugar with ½ teaspoon cinnamon, mix and sprinkle on top of the plums. Dot with extra butter. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, until cake tester is clean.

Variations: replace plums with apricots or peaches

Peach Almond Crostata

Peach Almond Crostata
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 stick butter diced and chilled
4- 5 tablespoons ice water (approx.)
2 peaches stoned and sliced
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons peach jam
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Directions:
To make pastry place into a food processor the flour, almond flour , salt and sugar. Pulse to blend. Add the chilled butter and pulse until the texture is grainy . With the motor running add the water slowly, stop just when the dough comes together. Remove dough onto parchment paper, flatten into a disk and cover. Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour. While the dough is chilling place remaining ingredients into a bowl and mix. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Once the dough is chilled, remove from the refrigerator and keep dough on parchment paper and lightly flour top of the dough. Quickly roll out into a circle approximately 10 inch diameter. Transfer parchment paper with dough onto a baking sheet. Place peach mixture in the center , leaving a 2 ” border. Fold border over the peaches making a circle. Place in the over and bake foe approximately 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Bourbon Butterscotch Pudding

Pudding is one of the ultimate comfort foods and if you are really in need of some extra comfort think about making this extra creamy bourbon butterscotch pudding. It’s a great twist on a classic dessert – consider each spoon as a little hug!

Enjoy!!From by the bay wishing you comforting food memories!
Maryann

Bourbon Butterscotch Pudding

Recipe by Allison Roman, Published in Bon Appetit, March 2013

Ingredients

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

¾ cup (packed) light brown sugar

2 ½ cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon bourbon or Scotch

½ teaspoon kosher salt

6 large egg yolks

¼ cup cornstarch

3 tablespoon sugar

Crème fraîche and crushed gingersnap cookies (for serving; optional)

Directions

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until butter begins to brown and smell nutty, about 3 minutes. Add brown sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is starting to dissolve, about 2 minutes. Add cream, milk, bourbon, and salt; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.

Whisk egg yolks, cornstarch, and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Gradually add hot cream mixture, whisking constantly. Wipe out saucepan. Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve back into saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until custard bubbles occasionally and starts to thicken, 5–6 minutes. Transfer mixture to a blender. Blend briefly on low speed until smooth. Place ramekins or bowls on a rimmed baking sheet. Divide custard evenly among ramekins and chill until set, at least 3 hours. Top with creme fraiche and crushed cookies to serve.

Citrus Pistachio Pound Cake

This buttery pound cake is filled with the taste of fresh citrus for tang and green pistaschios for crunchy texture. This cake looks and taste like the sunhsine in Spring. Enjoy this dessert and say good bye to winter!! No looking back.From by the bay wishing you tangy citrus food memories!
Maryann

Citrus Pistachio Pound Cake

Recipe published in Bon Appetit 2012 from The Tasting Room in Houston Texas

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

2 cups all-purpose flour plus more

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

5 large eggs

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

1 cup shelled, unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped, divided

Directions

Arrange a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°. Coat a 9x5x3″ loaf pan with nonstick spray. Dust pan with flour; tap out excess.Whisk 2 cups flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes. Add sugar; beat until well incorporated, 1–2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions. Add juices and zests; beat until well combined (mixture will look curdled), 2–3 minutes. Add dry ingredients; reduce speed to low and beat just until blended. Fold in 3/4 cup pistachios. Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup pistachios over.Bake cake, rotating halfway through, until a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely in pan. Run a sharp knife around sides to loosen; unmold cake. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

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entertaining by the bay

casual cooking and living

Category Archives: desserts

Peanut Brittle

Star Spangled Desserts

Halloween Devil Food Cup Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Crumb Cake

Mitzi’s Plum Cake

Peach Almond Crostata

Bourbon Butterscotch Pudding

Citrus Pistachio Pound Cake