52 Weeks of Cooking start now!

Inspired by Reddit's subreddit 52 Weeks of Cooking, I plan to post a new recipe here each week, as my blog lies fallow and sadly neglected. Actually, I plan to post more than one recipe each week, as I have wanted to do the 52 week cooking challenge for quite a while now, and may try to catch up on last year's posts in between waiting for this week's.

This week, the theme is egg. Eggs are not a favorite of mine, although I suspect they may be like ham - something that I hate in theory but love in several forms (chip chop ham, for instance - though if you are not in Pittsburgh, good luck finding a deli counter guy who knows what that is and doesn't give you a really weird look when you ask for it!). I love eggs benedict, and 'dip eggs', which may be sunny-side up, but which I think of as being cooked on the second side just a bit also, all the better to dip your buttery toast into.

After extensive 'research' (looking through cookbooks for a recipe that is not something I do everyday, seems reasonably photogenic, and most of all, tasty), I settled on The Flavor Thesaurus' egg and coconut entry recipe, with a few variations. Here is what I did, in a nutshell:

Coconut Egg Custard

4 eggs - whisk them. 1/2 cup sugar - whisk it in. 1 cup coconut milk - whisk it in. Sprinkle a little flaked coconut in. Put a little more on top.
Bake it in a 300 degree F. oven, in ramekins inside of a cake pan or similar, with ramekins sitting inside of cake pan with water about halfway up the side of the ramekins. (in the cake pan, outside of the ramekins)
Recipe says it takes 40 minutes, but it took me about 50.
When it finishes baking (you can insert clean knife into top of ramekin), sprinkle a little more coconut on top for garnish. My husband liked his with whipped cream, I didn't put any on mine. It's best slightly warm.

Do you have a favorite egg recipe? Or are you, like me, a little on the fence about eggs?

Chocolate eggs, deconstructed

While browsing Reddit the other day, I came across a link to this post, by the exceptionally talented (or should I say 'egg-ceptionally'?) Steph, a food blogger from Sydney. I couldn't wait to try it out, and make my own chocolate cheesecake eggs for a party tomorrow. Since I didn't know where to buy hollow chocolate eggs on short notice, I decided to buy a dozen Cadbury eggs, cut them open, and hollow them out.

Here's what I learned: this does not work. You can't cut the top off smoothly without causing the entire egg to collapse. Or if you do manage, you will find that the filling is pretty much an integral part of the not-so-hollow-as-it-first-appeared egg. So...I decided to deconstruct it.

And that brings us to today's post - Deconstructed 'fried egg' cheesecake tartlets.

Here's what you need:
For filling -
8 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Not for filling -
7 graham cracker tartlets (alas, this is all that it makes. Feel free to double the recipe though!)
apricot jam (I used Smucker's Spreadable Fruit)

Put all the filling stuff in a bowl and beat it with an electric mixer until it is uniformly smooth. It should taste like no-bake cheesecake (because that's what it is!). Fill the tartlet shells. Use an ice cream spoon or other very small teaspoon to make a round scooped depression in the center of each tartlet. Put a small dollop of jam in that depression, so that they look like eggs, sunny side up. See how easy that was? It takes ten minutes, tops, and tastes delicious! Next year I plan to buy chocolate shells and try Steph's version, but in the meantime, I'm pretty pleased with the way these turned out. It just goes to show, there are no mistakes in cooking that you can't turn into something great. Happy Easter, everyone!

Let Them Eat Cake

My dad's birthday was this past week, and I have to say that I think the cake I made for the occasion turned out pretty well! It's very rich, with a chocolate ganache-type frosting. I think this photo does a good job of illustrating its chocolaty excellence, even if it also highlights my less than stellar decorating abilities. While I aim for decorating perfection, the ultimate goal is to have it disappear so fast you don't have time to look, right?

Chocolate Truffle Torte

For cake:
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup flour
4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 oz. hazelnuts, finely chopped and toasted (if you live in Pennsylvania, some people call these filberts)
chocolate chips

For frosting:
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease bottoms and sides of 2 round cake pans (if you use disposable cake pans, the cakes come out very easily, which is nice).

Melt chocolate chips and margarine in heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cool 5 minutes. Stir in flour until smooth. Stir in egg yolks until well blended.

Beat egg whites in large bowl with mixer on high speed til foamy. Beat in sugar gradually until soft peaks form. Fold chocolate mixture into egg whites. Fold in toasted hazelnuts. Spread in pans.

Bake 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle of cake comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Run knife around edge of pan to loosen, then take out of pans. Cool completely.

Prepare frosting by heating chocolate chips and margarine in heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted; remove from heat. Stir in cream. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes until it achieves the texture of frosting. If you haven't made frosting before, try picking up a bit of it on your knife. If it drips off, it's still not ready. If it is too thick, and you think you couldn't spread it on anything to save your life, without ending up with more cake on your knife than icing on the top of the cake, then throw it in the microwave for 10 seconds or so (not in the metal pan!) until it is spreadable.

Ice the bottom layer. Top with other layer and frost top and sides of cake with remaining filling. Drizzle with any leftover filling and garnish with chocolate chips.

A bell(e) of a dessert

Bella made this dessert for her school group today, and it was so delicious I had to share it. It's called a pavlova, and it's an Australian dessert - named for the dancer Anna Pavlova, I think because it's 'light and airy, like a ballerina on her toes', not after Pavlov - although if I think it would work very well for operant condition - one slice of this, and I might do anything you ask.

Pavlova

4 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. white vinegar
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 kiwi or other fruit of your choice

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites with salt until soft peaks form. Add 1/3 cup of sugar and beat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is very thick. Add remaining sugar one or two tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. When sugar is dissolved and mixture is very stiff, beat in vanilla and vinegar. The mixture should be thick and glossy.

Spoon into a smallish pie dish, ideally about 7" across. Smooth the top.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours on 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Meringue should be firm to the touch. Turn off the oven and allow to cool in the oven. I did this overnight.

In a chilled bowl, whip heavy cream until stiff. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the pavlova. Slice the kiwi and arrange on top.

Ours was eaten too fast to photograph, since we were previously unaware of its awesomeness, but here is another picture for you that looks a lot like ours did - with yet another topping idea.

Your Treat of the Week

Here's another recipe for you this week. My grandmother made this one just last weekend for a family party, before heading back to Ohio. It was a big hit with our crew, and your family might like it too!

Sweet Potato Casserole

For Casserole:
5 large sweet potatoes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tb. pumpkin pie spice
1 can evaporated milk
enough milk to fill up the same can again
2 eggs, beaten

For Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Whipped cream or Cool Whip (optional)

Bake the sweet potatoes in the oven or cook in the microwave until soft. Mash them. Mix with other filling ingredients. Pour into a 9x13" pan. Mix topping ingredients together and sprinkle over filling. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream.

Let it snow!

It is almost too late, but I think it's never really too late for cookies, so I am posting one of our family's favorite Christmas cookie recipes today - one that happens to be my favorite recipe anywhere, hands down. It's a bit rich, but quick and easy, and everyone I've ever fed it to has loved it. So here goes:

Snowballs
1 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
coconut

Combine chocolate and milk in a saucepan over medium heat until chocolate has melted and mixture has combined. Remove from stove and stir in powdered sugar and walnuts. Let cool in the refrigerator for half an hour or so. Spooning out teaspoon-sized clumps, form them into ping pong ball-sized balls, and roll in coconut. Put back in the fridge for a few hours until you can pick them up without getting chocolaty. Enjoy!

It's basically the world's easiest homemade nut fudge, with bonus coconut. These are long gone from our house. Maybe it's time to make more?

Happy Chanukkah! (with recipe)

So, I think today is the third day of Chanukah, if I'm counting correctly. On the first day of Chanukah, my brother Jack came home from school and said, "Did you know it's Chanukah today? Let's make latkes."

And I said, "Holidays that involve cooking? I'm always up for those!"

So we made vegan latkes, the recipe I will now give to you, so that you too can enjoy buttery (or fake buttery, as the case may be) potato goodness in your home.
We also, with Bella, explored the history of Chanukah. Up til now, my Chanukah information has come from this source. In our quest to learn a little more about the holiday, we came up with two good sources (particularly for kids under 10) - Sesame Street's very cute, quick explanation and a new app: Chai on Chanukah.

Chai on Chanukah not only explains the history of the holiday in an interactive storybook, but also includes a virtual dreidel game, a virtual menorah to light, and a funny (but also fairly stereotypical) present-opening game. Might be something to check out, if you're looking for a fun new Chanukah app for your kids.

And now:

Vegan Latkes

3 potatoes
1 tsp. egg replacer
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tb. margarine or vegan butter substitute
vegetable oil

1. Peel and grate potatoes to measure 4 cups. Put in colander to drain and press gently on top with paper towels to get rid of excess water.

2. Mix egg replacer, flour, onion, salt, pepper and baking powder in large bowl, then mix with potatoes. Put margarine in skillet and melt, then add vegetable oil to cover the skillet with a thin layer of oil. Set heat to medium high.

3. Make balls of potato mixture and then shape into pancake shapes before gently placing in hot skillet. Flatten out with spatula, but gently. Cook each side until golden brown and thoroughly cooked. Turn the heat down if it seems like they're getting browned too fast.

4. Serve warm, with applesauce and (vegan) sour cream.

4-star vegan cuisine at our house tonight

An exceptional recipe (which just so happens to be both incredibly fast and easy) was cooked at our house tonight (not by me), and since the chef has graciously agreed to share his recipe, I thought I'd pass it on to you! You can also substitute whatever fresh or frozen vegetables you have available in your fridge or garden, in roughly equal amounts.

What's-in-the-Fridge? Vegan Stir-Fry

Serves 3. Takes approximately 15-20 minutes.

1 cup rice
1/2 lb extra firm tofu
2 tb peanut oil or canola oil
1/4 cup of sliced onion
1 tb. minced garlic
5-6 sliced radishes
1 whole carrot, julienned (cut into little matchstick-sized pieces)
1/2 cup frozen mukimame or edamame
1/2 cup of Nestle Asian style sauce or other spicy peanut sauce
Romaine lettuce leaves

1. Cook rice, according to package directions.
2. While rice is cooking, press tofu between several layers of paper towels. Put something heavy on top of it, like a large book, to press the excess water out. Leave this for about 2 minutes.
3. Cut tofu into medallions about 1/2" thick and 1 1/2" long.
4. Fry in a wok or frying pan with oil on medium-high heat til golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.
5. Add onion, garlic, radishes, carrots and mukimame, tossing constantly, til vegetables become crisp-tender.
6. Stir in sauce and turn heat to medium low (3 on an electric stove). Stir in drained rice.
7. Serve with romaine lettuce leaves.

Let me know if you try it!

Using our noggins

Ok, that's a bad title, but what else do you call a post about eggnog? We had a lot of great Thanksgiving food yesterday - and thanks to a few vegans in the crowd, both a turkey and a tofurkey. (The turkey is better, but for some reason you can eat more tofurkey than turkey. Maybe because soy products are less filling than meat?). But the real standout recipe of the day was this incredibly fast and easy recipe for vegan eggnog. I am giving it to you, because it's the kind of thing that you'll be able to use more than a few times this holiday season.

Quick Eggless Nog

1 cup vanilla almond milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg.
Per cup.

In a cup or pitcher, depending on how much you'd like to make, stir everything together. Drink up and enjoy!

Not made from real Girl Scouts

This recipe was a big hit at Bella's Girl Scout meeting, and now I am sharing it with you. It's one of my favorites, especially around Christmas, which we all know is coming up!

Chocolate Crinkles

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 oz, unsweetened baking chocolate, melted (the microwave works well for this - directions should be on the back of the package)
4 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup powdered sugar

1. Mix sugar, oil, vanilla and chocolate in large bowl. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Drop small, slightly smaller than ping pong ball-size balls of dough by teaspoonfuls into powdered sugar, roll around to coat. Place about 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or greased foil.
4. Bake 12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched.

70 calories, 10 carbohydrates per cookie

That's the recipe I used, with one exception. Here is a test for you. Read that recipe again and tell me, which is the most important sentence in the whole thing?

Did you catch it? I didn't. Here it is: Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours. Just what you don't want to see one hour before your daughter's troop meeting. Lucky for me, 1/2 hour in the freezer appears to approximately equal 3 hours in the fridge. So, if you're looking to save time...

This recipe was a big hit with the girls, and with the rest of my family when we got home!

Chocolate Eclairs

Tomorrow I'm going to be going to a potluck, a sort of kick-off-the-holiday-season thing, so I thought I'd use today to do a little advance scouting for yummy potluck recipes. And the one that I've settled on is this:

Chocolate Eclairs:

For Pastry:
1 cup water
1/2 cup stick margarine or butter
1 cup flour
4 large eggs

For Filling:
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened (5 seconds in the microwave if you don't remember to set it out beforehand)
2 teaspoons vanilla

For Chocolate Frosting:
1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
1 teaspoon stick margarine or butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons hot water

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Heat water and margarine to rolling boil in 2 1/2 quart saucepan. Stir in flour; reduce heat to low. Stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture forms a ball; remove from heat.
3. Beat in eggs all at once, continue beating until smooth. Shape scant 1/4 cupfuls of dough into fingers about 4 1/2" long by 1 1/2" wide using spatula. Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until puffy and golden. While they're baking, make the Cream Filling and Chocolate Frosting. Cool. Cut off top third of each puff and pull out any strands of soft dough. Eat them. Or throw them away, whichever you prefer. But I know which one I'll be doing.
5. Fill puffs with Cream Filling, replace tops.
6. Frost with Chocolate Frosting. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Refrigerate any leftovers. Hopefully, there won't be any leftovers!

Cream Filling:
Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in medium to large saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Gradually stir at least half of the hot mixture into egg yolks. Stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in margarine and vanilla. Cool.

Frosting:
Melt chocolate and margarine in small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar and water. Beat until smooth and spreadable.

* I'm going to be trying this one tomorrow morning, so I'll let you know how it turns out. If anyone else tries it too, I'd love to know how it works for you! Or any of your other favorite sweet potluck recipes.

I also solved a small culinary mystery this morning - the difference between the eclair and the profiterole. It looks like it's all in the shape. Eclairs are long; profiteroles are round, like regular cream puffs with chocolate on top. Which is your favorite?