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‘Just Desserts’ Category

  1. “Sticky Toffee” Bites

    October 24, 2012 by Cas

    OK, folks… these need a bit of an intro and explanation. And before I go any further, start dusting off your prayer books, because a few of these and you’ll feel guilty as original sin.

    This is my gourmet take on going ghetto. Park Avenue meets Trailer Park.

    And I say this because the roots of these sweets — part confection, part cookie, completely indulgent — are to be found in the realm of no-bake simplicity that is the hallmark of the sort of kitchen crafting upon which foodies tend to look down.

    Fuck that.

    What a true foodie — a TRUE culinary maestro — should know above all else is that food is value, calculated the same way we value any other material good. If price (in this case not just monetary, but also in terms of time investment) is justified by quality of the goods, then it is valuable. And these treats, my friend, are worth a King’s ransom.

    These came into my world as a no-bake no-brainer, but I’ve found that a quick stint in the oven helps the whole thing set up so much better, plus it makes the flavors harmonize like they just wouldn’t in a traditional no-bake cake or cookie bar. These are highly adaptable, and this is just the first of my now begged-for creations along the line of the basic Mother Recipe. In addition to penning Mama below, I’m sharing the details for her first born — Bacon, Chocolate and Sea Salt — and will post my further prunings of the family tree as I go (let’s just say that kid sibling, White Chocolate Chili, literally had friends’ eyes rolling back into their heads when I introduced them at a birthday party in a gay bar in Hell’s Kitchen; proudly, it’s the first time I’ve elicited that reaction in such a venue with my fly still up).

    I’ve named these “Sticky Toffee Bites” for the following reasons: these share a close kinship with “beggar’s toffee”, which is an old confectionery staple that utilized a combination of saltine or soda crackers, sugar, and butter. Those are generally baked to the point of a more brittle bite, and since these provide more of a finger-licking gooey finish, “sticky” applies here the same way it does to buns and baked puddings.

    I have adapted the single-bowl method through which I developed these to the more  modern (and simple) single-food-processor-session preparation you’ll see below. It is not essential that you go New School with these, as they’re still easy as hell to throw together the old fashioned way. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.

    Mother Recipe:

    INGREDIENTS

    3 Sleeves Ritz Crackers (or similar)
    1 Can (14 oz.) Sweetened Condensed Milk

    In bowl of food processor, pulse crackers to coarse crumbs. IF DOING A VARIATION WITH NUTS OR CANDY ADDITIONS, add these now and pulse a few times to chop them a bit.

    Pour sweetened condensed milk into the cracker mix. Pulse several times to mix completely.

    Bacon, Chocolate and Sea Salt Bites

    1 Batch Sticky Toffee Mother Recipe (see above)
    6-8 Slices bacon (fried, drained, and crumbled to equal about 3/4 C.) or equivalent, divided
    1 Bag (11.5 or 12 oz., depending on variety) chocolate morsels of choice (I use Nestles or Ghirardelli semi-sweet), divided
    1 tsp. Coarse sea salt

    Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8″ x 8″ baking pan with waxed paper or parchment, leaving at least an inch of overhang to help lift out finished bars (if using flexible silicone bakeware, lining isn’t necessary).

    Begin with preparation of Mother recipe; reserve 1 Tbsp. of the crumbled bacon, and add the rest of the bacon  and roughly 2/3 the bag of chocolate morsels to the processor bowl, pulsing several times to chop along with the crackers. Add the sweetened condensed milk, and pulse several times to mix completely.

    At this point, you have a choice: the larger crumb as it is will provide a very nice, more cake-like bite to your toffee bars. Further processing until it resembles more of a coarse cookie dough (a few more pulses or a brief steady run on “low”) gives a more dense, soft-cookie finish. Sadly, I cannot recommend one over the other, because happily, I’ve done both and enjoy them equally. So like “salt and pepper to taste” in any recipe, I’ll say this “pulse for consistency to taste.”

    Dump the contents of the processor bowl into the baking dish. Press the dough evenly into bottom of pan, then wet a kitchen tablespoon and smooth the top with the back of the spoon to get it to as even a thickness as possible.

    Bake for 8 minutes. Open oven, sprinkle remaining 1/3 bag of morsels equally over top of baked toffee, and return to the oven for 2 minutes more.

    Immediately remove the pan from the oven and, using an offset spatula or the same big spoon you used a few minutes ago, spread the melting chips around to evenly frost the top of the toffee. While the chocolate is still soft, sprinkle evenly with the reserved 1 Tbsp. of bacon bits and the sea salt, pressing any runaway bits into place.

    Allow the bars to cool in the pan (placing pan on a cooling rack will help) at least an hour. This lets the chocolate top set up, but a time-out in the freezer will help to totally harden it after the base is cool.

    I’m lying to you and myself if I say this is necessary. If you’re packing it and giving it away, yes: you want to cool it completely so the chocolate is solid, cut it into neat little 1″ squares (and YES, I use a ruler and a mezzaluna to accomplish this because — hello, are you new?).

    But these are really totally ready to eat warm out of the oven if you so fancy. And that could mean anything from popping it out of the baking pan, cutting it into bars, and serving with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream, to standing over the sink in your underwear and eating it straight out of the pan with a spoon. Or your fingers. But then you’d be scraping chocolate out from under your fingernails with your teeth, and that’s a great way to fuck up both a manicure and a pricey set of veneers in one fell swoop, and personally I don’t want to be liable for any such personal tragedies.

    So cool them completely, cut them into nice, bite-size pieces, and share with people you love.

    Or with people you hate and tell them they’re only a point a piece on Weight Watchers and watch them get really really fat because they’re so stupid they believed you.

    Category Cakes, Pies & Pastries, Cookies, Just Desserts, NO-Bake Fresh Baked, Snack Yourself Silly | Tags: ,,,, | No Comments

  2. Daddy’s Spicy-Sweet Nuts!

    October 7, 2011 by Cas

    Deck the Halls!

    As the holiday season approaches, I start thinking about homemade treats — both for serving and for gift-giving.

    Seriously, folks: nothing says “from my home to yours” more than something that was actually MADE in your home. That’s why I’ve always encouraged crafting and ornament-making with my kids and party guests — when you unwrap a sweet or a savory that you know was carefully prepared with your enjoyment in mind, it just makes you smile a deeper smile than  you’d get from the tissue paper wrap and logo-emblazoned sticker sealing up a store-bought gift that sometimes can say, unwittingly, “I’m Thinking of You… But Only While I’m Standing at the Cash Register.”

    Here is a recipe for nuts that definitely have a holiday — or at least Autumn — taste to them. I decided to shake things up a bit with an egg-white based coating which will require a bit of baking off in the oven, as you’ll see, versus my stove-top versions which I will share in the coming weeks as well. The benefit of using egg to act as glue versus honey, caramelized sugar or corn syrup is twofold:  you can use less sugar than normal, plus you can create purely savory coatings that don’t have any sweetness to them at all.


    These are lovely as a gift: they’re pretty and festive and versatile. In a nice, shiny confection bag (available in sizes from lollipop cover to Groom’s Cake take-home favor at virtually every craft or culinary store) or a gathered square of wrapping cellophane — each tied with a bit of colored ribbon or natural raffia or twine — these say “I worked hard to make something special just for you.” In a glass container — think a fish bowl, or mason or apothecary jar — even a fluted champagne or a martini glass, covered with a round remnant of plain or colored fabric secured with a bit of double-faced tape and decorative string — these become a lovely hostess gift or part of a basket of holiday-inspired homemade treats.

    If you’re paying a visit at Thanksgiving, mix these with some Reeses’ Pieces or just the brown, yellow and orange guys from a bag of M&Ms. The blue and white Hershey’s Almond Joy Pieces, or silver-wrapped Kisses, can be tossed in for the Happy Hanukkah Host. And Lord knows there are enough red, green and gold candies, wrapped and unwrapped, chocolaty and otherwise, that can provide some visual Christmas stimulation.

    Or just pack them up plain, alongside a sharp, tart cheese, some gourmet crackers and a bottle of your favorite wine.

    I love to keep these in display jars in different flavor varieties pretty much all year long. When someone drops in for a cup of tea these are a nice sweet note or addition to a plate of cookies or biscuits; and with bread sticks, dried meats and sliced cheese, olives and fresh or dried fruits, these nuts can really pull together an impromptu Tapas. They’re so simple to make that there’s very little excuse for me to answer “no, sorry,” whenever a guest in my house asks for them, out of Pavlovian expectation.

    It seems I’ve trained my foodie friends well, and irreversibly.

    No doubt, you will do likewise with your crew.

    Enjoy.

    INGREDIENTS:
    1 lb. Pecans

    1 Egg white
    1 Tbsp. cold water
    1 tsp. Vanilla

    1 Cup white sugar
    1/2 tsp. Salt
    1 tsp. Cinnamon
    1/2 tsp. Ground clove
    1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
    1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper (optional, but just do it — it makes such a difference!)

    Preheat oven to 225°. Line two baking sheets with parchment or wax paper, or lightly grease the sheets.

    In a cold bowl, whisk egg white until frothy, about two minutes by hand. Add vanilla, whisk again for about a minute, then add water and whisk again. Mix does not have to be peaking, just foamy and gaining some volume.

    Add nuts, stirring to coat completely. Set aside.

    In a separate bowl, mix all remaining dry ingredients thoroughly with a fork until uniformly blended.

    Add half the wet nuts to the sugar and spice mixture. Toss to coat completely, using fork and hands. Holding a colander (not a fine mesh strainer) above the wet nut bowl, transfer the sugared half of the nuts into the colander and then, holding the colander above the dry ingredient bowl, shake to return any loose sugar mixture to that bowl. Transfer prepared nuts to one sheet, and repeat with the remaining nuts and sugar mixture. Transfer to second sheet, and toss nuts on baking sheets to separate as much as possible.

    Bake nuts 30 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully toss and separate them, moving them around on sheets as much as possible. Return to oven, switching each sheet’s prior position from top to bottom rack.

    Bake an additional 30 minutes. Carefully remove nuts on paper from baking sheets to counter top, table, or cooling racks. If using paperless greased sheets, transfer either to clean counter top, paper- or towel-lined surface, or large bowl affording “breathing room” for the finished nuts.

    Toss nuts frequently to cool. Allow to cool completely for 30 minutes to an hour depending on temperature and humidity, then transfer to serving bowl, storage bags or decorative container.

    Category Cocktail Party, Just Desserts, Snack Yourself Silly, Vegetarian (or Potentially So) | Tags: ,,, | 1 Comment

  3. Pomegranate Tiramisu

    May 10, 2011 by Cas

    From the “Meet the Lady” files…

    This recipe was created by me to fit the bill for the recent “Meet the Lady” performance (which, if you’ve not heard or read, is a monthly variety show that really rather defies description), titled “Death and the Maiden”.

    I toiled with possible ideas that had to do with death and maidens, figuring most easily that a “death by chocolate” offering would at least use one of the title words. Then lady fingers came into the thought process because, well, if you dismembered a maiden you’d have two byproducts: death, most notably, and lady parts — including, but not limited to, her fingers.

    Lady fingers naturally led to Tiramisu fantasies, but I didn’t want to go the traditional route. And after discussing it and brainstorming, I got smacked in the back of the head with the realization that the mythical Persephone — a maiden — kidnapped as she was by Hades — who, by way of his being the god of the underworld, was death its very self in semi-human form — ate nothing but pomegranate seeds during her detainment in hell.

    If this doesn’t spell fucking dessert, I don’t know what does.

    Herewith, my scaled-down recipe (in scope, not in structure or composition; I doubt you’ll need to serve 75 people with yours, though even at half-size this will serve a small army). You can pare it down even further if you feel such need, or instead of making it into one big sheet cake, assemble several smaller ones (I found this worked BEAUTIFULLY in loaf pans) and send them straight to the freezer for future enjoyment.

    A few other flexible considerations: I made mine in a full-size deep steam table pan for presentation and food service purposes. These things measure roughly 20 x 10 x 3.5”, but you can use the smaller (12 x 9 x 2.5”) disposable aluminum half-pans for this recipe, or as stated above, any other configuration of sizes that suit your needs. If you want to unmold it and slice it after freezing, line your pans first with cellophane wrap. After just a minute or two out of the ice box, you’ll be able to lift it out of the pan (perhaps with the help of a hungry friend) by the ends of the cellophane, place it on a cutting board, and have at it. Tres artistique, even weighing in as mine did at about eight pounds. This last conclusion required me getting on the scale both with and without the final dessert in my arms and subtracting the first weight from the laden number, which could have been quite a site, as I generally refuse to step on a scale until I’ve removed every last stitch of clothing including my socks, and spit out any spare saliva and shaved every last facial hair so NOTHING will add even a bazillionth of an ounce to my readout, lest I suffer a deep fit of depression. And being depressed when you’re holding what turns out to be 8 pounds of really good cake is a recipe for emotion-eating disaster. But I staved off the need to feel slimmer than normal in light of the facts that (a) I was mid-movie shoot that week, and thus had to maintain a larger-than-usual mane of face-hair for my role; (b) spitting near food meant for others would be gross; (c) being naked around the same food would be even grosser; and (d) the tile floor in my bathroom could be a bit chilly, so why risk taking off my socks?

    Socks, spitting, scanty clothing — nothing could have made this less enjoyable. The audience that night devoured what was served to them, and all but attacked the leftovers on the way out of the theater. I had sent samples of this creation to my usual team of taste-testers for input as part of the development process, and perhaps the most poignant and fitting critique came from my dear Mom who, just having started a new diet regimen, had the following to say during our brief check-in on the phone:

    “Hello. This is your mother. Fuck Weight Watchers, and Fuck You.”

    I love you, Mom. And not just because you loved this surprising new take on an old favorite.

    60 Lady Finger cookies

    4 Cups Pomegranate juice
    1-½ Cups plus 2 Tbsp. sugar
    1 Packet unflavored gelatin

    4 Egg whites
    1 tsp. Cream of Tartar

    1 Cup Mascarpone cheese (or our substitute)
    3 Cups Crème Fraiche (try ours)

    1 Tbsp. Corn starch
    ¼ Cup water (or as needed)

    ½ Cup sliced almonds
    ¼ Cup Pomegranate seeds (or dried sweetened cranberries)

    Reserve 6 Lady Fingers for garnish.

    In a saucepan, mix pomegranate juice with 1-½ cups sugar, and sprinkle gelatin on top. Stir or whisk until gelatin is dissolved with no lumps remaining. Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until sugar and gelatin are fully dissolved. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to boil, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set saucepan into a larger bowl filled with cold water. Stir frequently and change cold water bath often, allowing juice reduction to cool as close to room temperature as possible.

    In the bowl of a stand mixer or with electric beaters, whip egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff. Remove to a separate, clean mixing bowl (preferably chilled in the freezer) and set aside.

    In stand mixer or large mixing bowl with electric beaters, mix mascarpone with 1-½ cups of cooled juice reduction until well blended. Beat on medium-high for one minute. Add 1 cup of the crème fraiche and blend until smooth. Finally, fold in beaten egg whites, half at a time, just until fully incorporated.

    Assembling the tiramisu: Here’s where Food Daddy starts getting anal (but this works easiest, so just shut up and do as I say. Love you!). On your prep surface, set your plate or bowl of unpackaged lady fingers (you don’t want to be messing with cellophane and plastic bags and such mid-project here); next to that, set your remaining juice reduction; and next to that, set your cake pan.

    Working from left to right (or for my Hebrew or dyslexic foodies, right to left), dip a lady finger lightly in the juice by placing it on the liquid’s surface, flipping it over with your fingers, then removing it by hand and placing it in the cake pan. Working quickly, repeat this process, building a tightly packed layer of side-by-side, row-by-row, lightly soaked lady fingers on the bottom of the pan. Nobody will see the inside of the tiramisu in its entirety, so if to make a uniform layer with few gaps you need to rip a finger here or stuff a finger there, I won’t tell a soul if you have to be a bit forceful or creative.

    Spoon half of the pomegranate mousse mixture over the bottom layer of lady fingers. Using the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula, spread the mixture evenly. Lift the pan and drop it gently a few times on your work surface, just to make sure all the gaps are filled and big air bubbles are removed.

    Repeat with a second layer of dipped lady fingers, and then a second layer of pomegranate mousse, again tamping pan to release air bubbles and distribute the filling evenly. Top with one final layer of dipped lady fingers.

    Spread the top with the remaining 2 cups of crème fraiche, tamp pan to settle the layers, and set aside.

    Pour remaining juice mixture into a measuring cup, and add enough of the water, if needed, to make 1 cup of liquid. Return to saucepan, and stir in the corn starch and the remaining 2 Tbsp. of sugar until starch is dissolved. Place pan over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil to thicken. Remove from heat.

    In a food processor or with a cutting board and knife, coarsely chop the almonds and the fruit, then add the reserved lady fingers and pulse (or chop and crumble) until the whole thing looks like somebody pawed at a poor helpless berry-nut muffin until there were no big chunks left.

    Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the top of the tiramisu. Drizzle with the pomegranate syrup mixture.

    Chill tiramisu at least 2 hours in refrigerator before serving. For overnight storage or longer, cover with cellophane wrap gently pressed against the top surface.

    This will “cure” and the flavors will blend and the whole combination really pull together if left refrigerated for two days. For storage beyond that or to deal with leftovers, this freezes BEAUTIFULLY. Just allow to come to room temperature before serving, or enjoy it “semi freddo” by removing from freezer and slicing wide, inch-thick slices, laying each on its side on individual serving plates and eating it cold and firm. A dollop of additional crème fraiche and a sprinkling of chopped almonds (did I hear someone say “mint sprig”?) sure would make this anything but a “leftover” dessert.

    Category Just Desserts, NO-Bake Fresh Baked, Vegetarian (or Potentially So) | Tags: ,,,,,, | No Comments

  4. I.C.B.I.N…. Creme Fraiche

    April 22, 2011 by Cas

    OK, so out of the box I will admit that this isn’t ENTIRELY an ICBIN in the truest sense of the made-up non-word.

    But it’s a “home-made versus store-bought” swap that makes a world of difference, and that DOES have an ICBIN component to it.

    True Creme Fraiche should have TWO ingredients, as we have here: equal parts of heavy whipping cream and full-fat sour cream. The third ingredient is TIME, because the best way to make this is to put it up at room temperature or higher (I set my oven to just about 125° and leave a note to remind myself and anyone who might accidentally give it a pre-heat thinking it’s empty) that it’s in there. Or you can leave it on the counter covered with a clean tea towel, but you have to give it room to breathe and grow because the live cultures in the sour cream are hard at work.

    Creme fraiche will increase in volume as it cultures, but I like to give it a bit more rise by whipping the ingredients together versus just mixing them. It will stiffen substantially and become more of a soft whipped cream with a bit of a tang to it, and oh my gosh I am doing a crappy job of describing the taste because you have to taste it to understand.

    Like mascarpone (or our ICBIN swap) it is oh-so versatile and oh-so difficult not to just eat with a spoon right there. I find that if I have a batch, I prefer it to whipped cream as a topping because of its deeper character, and I prefer it to sour cream as a base for savory dips or as a potato topping because of its lighter, fluffier nature versus its soupier, sour-er cousin.

    And now, the long-awaited ICBIN: If you don’t have the time to let this thing sit around playing with itself and cloning and self-generating (I recommend 12 hours or overnight, and I know some chefs who will leave it for a full day, which I think is both obsessive and scary) there is a simple fix to make this ALMOST instantaneously gratifyingly available:

    Xanthan gum.

    If you don’t know xanthan gum and you don’t have any, virtually every natural and organic “health food” market carries it — probably Bob’s brand. It comes in a clear bag, like most gluten-free flours you’ll find alongside it on the shelf, and is a pale beige color.

    Xanthan gum is a naturally occurring spore, which is used commercially (and widely so — check your labels and you’ll see) as a natural emulsifier. I use it to thicken EVERYTHING, especially low- or non-fat salad dressings. It just bulks up liquids and a little goes a long way. A tablespoon in Gluten-free baking mimics the way gluten stretches and captures gases for a bigger “rise”, and it’s a pretty well-established standard for that purpose.

    Buy a bag, keep it sealed and away from moisture. It will keep for a long time in a container in your cupboard.

    What I did to make Creme Fraiche that was ready for use in our next dessert recipe in about an hour (actually it was ready sooner but I didn’t need it as quickly as I’d thought) was to begin whipping the creams together, and once blended, I added 1 tsp. of xanthan gum and then whipped for about a minute on medium high.

    The thickening is immediate, but just to give it a bit of culturing time (and the gum traps more of the bacterial farts that I’m sorry to say are what makes for fluffy fermentation) I set it in the warm oven while it waited for me to call it into action.

    It. Was. DIVINE.

    Have at it…

    1 Cup Heavy (whipping) cream
    1 Cup Sour cream

    Blend the two creams, then whip for one minute on medium high speed with hand beaters or in a stand mixer. Transfer to a clean mixing bowl and set to rest, on counter top or in lukewarm oven, for 12 hours. Refrigerate immediately after if you don’t use it immediately. It will firm up when cooled.

    Layered with fresh fruit with a hit of liqueur poured over it, this makes a really nice parfait, and it’s great to use in place of frosting for a lighter topping on a tea cake or soft cookie. I’m just sayin’…

    Category Homemade or Home-Remade, ICBIN! I Can't Believe It's Not..., Just Desserts, Tips & Tricks, Vegetarian (or Potentially So) | Tags: ,,, | No Comments

  5. Guiltless, Effortless, Oven-less Cheesecake

    April 8, 2011 by Cas

    So today this came up for the third time in about two weeks, and since it did (and since everyone loves when I make some variation of this, or a variety of them) I figured it was time to share, and QUICKLY, to save a gal-pal from falling off the wagon and into a huge vat of cream cheese-coated despair.

    Guiltless, because we’ve taken out all the fat and can pull out almost all the sugar as well (see ingredients); Effortless, because the prep takes under 10 minutes, and you have a table-ready dessert after not much more resting and chilling time; and Ovenless because — let’s hear a collective “Duh!” folks… YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO BAKE THE FUCKER.

    Now traditionally I have used real sugar in this; I give you your choice. And you CAN make it with full-fat cream cheese if you so desire, but why bother? And you CAN make it into a pie with a pre-made or homemade graham cracker crust (I’ve done it from Spring-form pan down to mini-muffin bites, and every size in between) but you don’t need a crust. When you’re looking to STAY ON A CALORIE-RESTRICTED DIET as well as HAVE SOMETHING REALLY TASTY AND SATISFYING, you make concessions.

    Yes, two weeks in Hawaii would be lovely in the presidential suite of a beach-front luxury hotel. But when you have only 2 days and a few hundred bucks, a cheapie weekend cruise to nowhere is better than sticking your feet in a festering kiddie pool in the alley next to your un-air-conditioned apartment, no?

    Try it. Vary it. Enjoy it. And report your own personal touches back to the Food Daddy.

    1 Envelop Knox unflavored gelatin
    1/2 Cup sugar (OR… 12 packets of EQUAL sugar-free sweetener; OR… 1/3 Cup Xylitol or Erythritol) *
    3/4 Cup water
    16 oz. Fat-free cream cheese
    1 tsp. Vanilla extract (or lemon, orange, or almond)

    Optional: Ritz Crackers, ‘Nilla Wafers or Ginger Snap Cookies.

    Line 12 muffin cups with paper cupcake liners. If you so choose, drop a cracker or cookie into each (an additional 30 calories per serving if you use Ginger Snaps, 15 calories for the Ritz and Nilla Wafer options).

    Bring water to a boil. Mix gelatin and sugar in a small bowl. If you are using sugar substitute, do NOT mix it in, but wait until later, as directed below. As soon as water boils, pour gelatin (and sugar, if using) into water, taking it off the flame and whisking it until completely dissolved; set aside to cool slightly.

    Beat cream cheese and vanilla in a separate mixing bowl. Slowly beat in the gelatin mixture until whip until smooth, about an additional two minutes. If using sugar subtitute, add it in now before the final whipping.

    Immediately divide the cream cheese mix among the prepared muffin cups. Tap the pan down on the counter top a few times to loosen any air bubbles, and refrigerate until set to your desired firmness. After a few hours it will be really good and solid.

    NUTRITIONAL IMPACT: ONE (1) serving is 1/12th of this recipe. So one Mini Cheesecake. If you prepare it with sugar, each Mini has 70 calories (mostly from sugar) and about 6 gms. of protein. IF YOU PREPARE IT with the sugar substitute, you’re looking at even LESS guilt (so Italians, Jews, I’m sorry: this dessert is NOT for us) with only 42 calories, 80% of which come from the protein. Huzzah! Take THAT, cellulite! You’ve met your match — and it tastes like cheesecake…

    * Check out this guide to substituting some popular artificial sweeteners in baking.

    Category Cakes, Pies & Pastries, FOOD Daddy not FAT Daddy!, Fresh Baked, G.F. Yourself! Gluten-Free Food Daddy, Just Desserts, NO-Bake Fresh Baked | Tags: ,,,,,, | 3 Comments

  6. Profiteroles with Caramel Sauce

    March 14, 2011 by Cas

    After trying this out, I have found my  new go-to dessert. This is a triple threat:  it’s delicious; it’s elegant; and it’s simple.

    Though you wouldn’t guess the “simple” part by looking at it or by thinking what goes into it — but you’ll have to trust me.

    The puffs can be prepared ahead and filled when you’re ready to serve. The pate a choux dough can also be made ahead and reserved until you’re ready for the baking. And the caramel can be made ahead and warmed at dessert time.

    I served these to my family and friends when my daughter came in for Spring Break and I wanted something special to herald the prodigal offspring’s return. I felt like I was serving 20 people instead of five because by the time I passed the last dish out the first ones started coming back around for more.

    You must try these. And I must develop more ideas for filling the cream puffs because these are easy enough to make every day.

    1 Cup water
    1 Stick unsalted butter
    1 Cup flour
    1 Dash salt
    1 Tbsp. sugar
    4 Large eggs

    1/2 Cup brown sugar
    2 Tbsp. white sugar
    1 Tbsp. corn starch
    1/2 tsp. Salt
    4 Tbsp. (1/2 Stick) unsalted butter
    1 tsp. Vanilla extract
    1 tsp. Rum extract (optional)
    3/4  Cup milk

    Ice cream, frozen yogurt or gelato for filling (your taste prevails, but keep to the lighter flavors such as vanilla, dulce de leche, caramel and such)

    Whipped cream or dessert topping for garnish

    Preheat oven to 425.

    In a saucepan, bring water and butter, sugar and salt to a boil. Add flour, and reduce heat. Dough will instantly form a ball and pull away from sides of pan. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for two minutes.

    Transfer dough to deep bowl (if using hand beaters) or the mixing bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Let dough cool five minutes, then beat eggs in one at a time. With each addition the dough will loosen and become lumpy until the egg is incorporated and it will become smooth and glossy again. After all eggs are added, beat one more minute.

    Spoon dough into a pastry bag fitted with round piping tip, or a ziplock bag, snipping 1/4″ opening in corner. If neither option appeals to you I will not hold it against you if you just use a teaspoon to transfer the dough to the baking sheets.

    Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Pipe or spoon onto sheets, making mounds as round as possible, about 1″ or so apart. Wet a finger (preferably your own, because I’ve found people tend to balk when you just randomly wet their fingers) and smooth down any peaks formed in the piping (they will burn) and nudge any errant batter back into place.

    Bake at 425 for 10  minutes. Without opening door (on the oven, that is — I don’t want you to think I’m saying you have to ignore the knocks of visitors or refrain from stepping outside at all during this process), reduce heat to 350, and bake an additional 25 minutes. In the last 5 minutes, check the bottoms of a random puff or two in each pan; if they are darker than golden brown, or unevenly darkened, switch racks if one is top and one is bottom, and shut the door and reduce the heat to 250 for remaining baking time.

    Remove puffs from oven and transfer parchment to a heatproof surface or cooling rack. Allow to cool thoroughly. Depending on the size of the mounds of batter you pipe out onto the baking sheets, this will yield between 28 and 32 puffs.

    In a saucepan, mix brown and white sugars, corn starch and salt. Add butter and bring to bubbling over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for one minute, then add milk and extracts, and bring back to boiling, stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Remove from heat.

    To assemble and serve, cut puffs in half. If your ice cream is hard-frozen (I used gelato, which stays soft-serve in the freezer) you should temper it in the refrigerator or on the counter top before serving time. Remove the top from each puff, spoon a tablespoon of ice cream onto bottom half, and then replace its cap. Place three in a serving bowl or plate, drizzle a heaping spoon of caramel sauce over the tops, and garnish with whipped topping.

    If you were to sprinkle the dish with very finely chopped nuts or shaved chocolate, or even crushed biscotti or cookie crumbs, you wouldn’t hear ME complaining…

    Category Cakes, Pies & Pastries, Just Desserts, Vegetarian (or Potentially So) | Tags: ,,, | 8 Comments

  7. 30/30 WTF! #26: APPLE FRITTER WAFFLE

    March 5, 2011 by Cas

    I think as many times in my life as I’ve made apple fritters — and I’m going back to my childhood kitchen roots here — I’ve made them in that many different forms.

    I’ve done them like funnel cakes, like miniature cobblers, like mini muffins or like a tempura. But when you walk into a Big Chain Coffee House and see what THEY’RE offering up as apple fritters, the things are as big as your fucking head and so calorically dense that it’s no wonder America can’t zip its jeans without laying on the bed and using a pair of pliers.

    But lest I sound judgmental and insincere (have I been even remotely calorie-conscious in the past 25 of our 30 days?) I offer this: a middle-of the road, “yes it’s indulgent but it’s not going to kill you immediately” waffle version of the apple fritter.

    The key here in likening it to the variety served at the aforementioned, unmentionable chains, is the glaze. And once you try making and using this stuff you’ll realize it can be brushed onto anything for heightened visual and edible pleasure. Brush it on the tops of muffins, pound cakes, cookies, on your cat, your pastor, a Volkswagon — it really doesn’t matter; it’s versatile and delicious. It will set up more quickly on a cooled baked product (or pet, clergyman or automobile) than a warm one, but the warmth will soak up some of this sugar juice and become more moist and flavorful, so you really cannot go wrong.

    1/2 Cup sugar
    1/4 Cup water
    Dash salt

    1 Cup Bisquick
    1/4 Cup sugar
    1/2 Cup milk
    1 Egg
    1 Tbsp. butter, melted
    1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
    1 Large apple, any sweet and tasty baking variety, diced

    Waffle Iron Setting/Cook Time: HIGH

    Mix sugar, water and salt, and bring to a boil in microwave or saucepan. Once the sugar is fully dissolved, continue to boil for one minute. Set aside.

    Mix all remaining ingredients but the apple, beating until smooth. Add the apple and stir to incorporate.

    Grease the waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon batter onto griddle leaving room for waffles to spread, and cook until deep golden brown.

    Open griddle, and with a pastry or basting brush, quickly coat the top of the waffles with the sugar glaze syrup. Remove from waffle iron, flipping glazed side down onto a plate, and glaze the other side. Set aside to cool and let the glaze absorb a bit and set up.

    The longer these sit with the more glaze applied (it sounds like we’re refinishing frigging furniture here instead of cooking, doesn’t it?) the more of a sugary “coat” will develop. And that ain’t a bad thing.

    Break ‘em apart, pop ‘em in your mouth, and lick the rest off your fingers.

    Category 30/30 WTF!, Cakes, Pies & Pastries, Fresh Baked, Just Desserts, Vegetarian (or Potentially So) | Tags: ,,,,,, | No Comments

  8. 30/30 WTF! #23: NANA KITTY’S CHERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING WAFFLE

    March 2, 2011 by Cas

    Food Daddy Foodie Shannon wrote from Colorado to say her mother — too young and hip to be a run-of-the-mill Granny, thus known as “Nana Kitty” — was very fond, having grown up in Cherry territory, of that local fruity favorite. I thought to incorporate cherries into something moist and sweet, and came up with this, pairing it here with white chocolate.

    Now… cherries are a problem, seasonally. You won’t be surprised to learn that the cherry trees on my rooftop just steps off Times Square hadn’t, in this cold and horrid February, bloomed yet. Likewise, you won’t be surprised to learn that I don’t actually keep fucking cherry trees on my roof in midtown Manhattan.

    The Food Emporium will have them in season; the fruit stores and the Farmers Market on Saturdays in Hell’s Kitchen will have them in a few months. But alas… not now.

    Not now.

    So here’s what you do: if you can get fresh, get fresh. And get ‘em ripe and sweet. Measure out your two cups and chop them up for this recipe. If you have to use canned, make sure they’re a brand that won’t be too limp and disappointing. Limp and disappointing… that reminds me I have to return a message from my ex-boyfriend…

    Or if you get dried — the tart Bing variety from Trader Joe’s did VERY nicely in my trials — cover about three quarters the amount you need in EXCRUCIATINGLY hot water to plump them to the two full cups.

    In either of the last two cases, be sure to DRAIN THE HELL OUT OF THEM before adding to the mix or they’ll make it too wet. And in the case of plumping the dried, rinse them in cold water and THEN drain lest you add hot fruit to a mix containing chocolate, and come up with a melted, gooey mess.

    These are really, really good. And I think served warm you’ll find these an ideal dessert.

    Waffle Iron Setting/Cook Time: HIGH

    8 Slices white bread
    2 Cups cherries, chopped
    2 Cups White chocolate (morsels, or bar form, chopped)

    1 Cup sugar
    2 Tbsp. flour
    1/2 tsp.  Salt
    1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

    1/2 Cup orange juice
    4 Large eggs

    Tear the the bread into chunks and place them in a mixing bowl. Add cherries and white chocolate.

    In a separate bowl, mix sugar, flour, salt and nutmeg. Add juice and eggs and mix thoroughly. Pour over bread mixture and toss to coat completely. Let soak 5 minutes.

    Grease waffle iron well with nonstick cooking spray. Scoop waffle mixture onto waffle iron sections or wedges, and close to cook. Check for doneness: waffles should be cooked through and dark golden brown on the outside. You should be able to remove them with minimal fuss; if there is fuss, don’t be a drama queen and just deal with it. A spatula will help and I’m sure you’ll be able to cope.

    I originally thought, “Hmm… powdered sugar for a garnish? Whipped cream? A glaze of some sort, or pastry icing?”

    And then I tasted these and said, “leave perfect alone.”

    To quote “Steel Magnolias”, though, you might consider a scoop of vanilla. In discussing a recipe, Clairee says of the decadent “Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa” dessert, “Sounds AWFULLY rich,” to which Miss Truvy responds, “It is! So I usually serve it with vanilla ice cream — to cut the sweetness.”

    Perfect idea, Truvy.

    Category 30/30 WTF!, Breads, Rolls & Muffins, Cakes, Pies & Pastries, Fresh Baked, Just Desserts, Vegetarian (or Potentially So) | Tags: ,,,,, | 12 Comments

  9. 30/30 WTF! #21: S’MORES WAFFLE

    February 28, 2011 by Cas

    Food Daddy Foodie Joanne wrote to tell us how much she and her family loved the original Brownie Waffle. She and her niece, I was told, were hoping to find a S’mores Waffle in their future.

    Be careful what you wish for, Joanne…

    Herewith all the tastes — and heck, all the components — of a campfire S’more, held together for the waffle iron.

    This one took a bit of experimenting, and I went back to the Iron half a dozen times until I came back to my original recipe.

    Once again harking back to “the problem with cake” on a waffle iron, there are considerations of fat and sugar content, moisture of the batter, and blah blah blah. In any event, I wanted something for you gals and guys to try that would be delicious first and foremost, easy enough to make, and the right consistency to cook and hold together. I found that if you cook these until they are just set (there’s really little else to cook but the batter binding it) and turning golden, YOU’LL be golden. So the iron setting I’ve recommended is MEDIUM. And instead of making too delicate a crumb with the addition of fat, we add the fat after it cooks, by brushing on melted butter.

    Umm… YUM, gang.

    2 Sleeves (18 whole) Graham crackers
    1 Cup Bisquick
    1 Cup +2 Tbsp. milk
    1 Egg
    1/2 tsp. Salt
    3/4 Cup brown sugar
    2 Cups mini marshmallows
    1 Cup semi-sweet (or milk) chocolate morsels

    1/2 Stick (4 Tbsp.) butter, melted

    Additional mini marshmallows, or Marshmallow Fluff, ice cream, and chocolate syrup (for garnish, if desired)

    Waffle Iron Setting/Cook Time: MEDIUM

    Break up the graham crackers and set them in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine Bisquick, milk, egg and salt just until combined. Add to graham crackers and toss to coat. Let the mixture sit for five minutes.

    Add the brown sugar, marshmallows and chocolate, and fold them into the mixture.

    Grease the waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray, and spoon batter into center of waffle segments or wedges, leaving room for the batter to spread slightly. Close iron and cook, checking at medium cook time or about 3 minutes.

    When waffle is set and golden and easily removable (add more cook time if you need), brush melted butter over each, and remove to serving plate.

    Add garnishes of your desire, or serve plain. With a glass of cold milk or hot chocolate. Throw a few pine cones around the living room and watch “Friday the 13th” and you’ll feel like you’re camping in the middle of the woods.

    And someone’s watching you. But throw one of these at him and he’ll be so distracted you’ll be able to make a clean getaway. I freakin’ didn’t see it coming that it could be sweet Betsy Palmer. Whoda thunk it.

    Category 30/30 WTF!, Cakes, Pies & Pastries, Just Desserts, Vegetarian (or Potentially So) | Tags: ,,,,, | 2 Comments

  10. 30/30 WTF! #19: BANANAS FOSTER WAFFLE

    February 26, 2011 by Cas

    I just reread that. “Bananas Foster Waffle”.

    It reads like a WEEKLY WORLD NEWS headline, like some waffle was abandoned in a remote dumpster, and a family of overripe Chiquitas raised it as one of their own.

    Anyway, I had been toying with possible ways of crafting this: Do the bananas and the flavorings go INSIDE the waffle? Do they go ATOP a plain waffle as a syrupy garnish? The answer to both questions turned out to be:

    YES. Yes, indeed.

    The flavors carry through to the waffle itself and flow all over the top, making it not only delicious to eat but to look at. This is barely imaginable without a scoop of ice cream accompanying. It’s the difference between “merely awesome” and “truly awesome” and you should go for the latter. Truly.

    Liberties have been taken for purposes of taste and texture; there is also no flambe-ing, though flaming is completely up to the proclivities of the chef. Also, I’ve given a non-alcoholic option that worked out JUST fine in terms of taste, so don’t even sweat it if you care to go this route. I wanted this relatively easy, universally attainable, and overwhelmingly satisfying. And when I tried my luck and pulled the arm on the slot machine…

    Banana. Banana. Banana.

    Jackpot.

    2 Bananas
    1/2 Cup brown sugar
    1/4 Cup oatmeal (instant or old fashioned)
    1/4 Cup flour
    1/4 tsp. Salt
    1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

    1 Cup Bisquick
    1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
    1 Egg
    1/2 Cup milk
    1 tsp. Vanilla extract

    1/2 Cup plus 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
    1 Tbsp. corn starch
    1/4 tsp. Salt
    4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
    1/2 Cup rum OR 1-1/2 Tbsp. Rum Extract
    PLUS enough water to make 1/2 Cup

    Ice Cream for garnish, and whipped cream if you really wanna go to hell in a handbasket

    Waffle Iron Setting/Cook Time: MED HIGH

    Cut bananas in half; place one half of one banana in mixing bowl and set aside. Cut remaining bananas in half again, then cut those pieces in half lengthwise, and set aside.

    Mash the half-banana in the mixing bowl, and add the brown sugar, flour, oats, salt and nutmeg. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

    There’s a lot of setting aside in this recipe…

    In a separate bowl, mix Bisquick, oil, egg, milk and vanilla. Stir thoroughly to combine, and set aside. See? Told ya. Lot’s of setting aside.

    In a small saucepan or sautee pan, mix brown sugar, corn starch and salt to combine. Add butter, and melt to bubbling over a medium flame. Add rum flavoring and bring to a gentle boil, stirring frequently. Once the mixture bubbles and thickens, add reserved banana slices. Reduce heat and simmer for two minutes or until bananas are tender. Avoid stirring as much as possible so as not to fracture the bananas. They’re very fragile. They were just dumped and the guy who left them turned them to absolute mush. Don’t you help that state any.

    Grease the waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray. Fold the brown sugar/banana/oat mixture into the main batter, stirring just enough to combine (we want more of a ribbon of the banana mixture, versus mixing it into the waffle mixture). Spoon it in batches onto the waffle iron, leaving plenty of room for spread.

    Remove individual waffles or wedges to serving plates. Top with a scoop of ice cream (vanilla bean or dulce de leche being my favorites, though rum raisin here would not be ill advised); top each serving with a few of the sauteed bananas, and then spoon their syrup over the top.

    Oh. Em Gee.

    And no, I won’t be pat and say something about how your guests will go bananas for this. That would be so beneath me.

    And you know, in matters of scathing wit, that I don’t monkey around.

    Category 30/30 WTF!, Just Desserts, Vegetarian (or Potentially So) | Tags: ,,,,,, | No Comments

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