Egg Pasta

I love making my own noodles for lasagna. I can cut them to the exact length of the pan and because they are thin and fresh, you don’t need to boil them. However, you do need a pasta machine for this recipe. This makes more than we need for lasagna so I make the excess into spaghetti.

Blueberry Buttermilk Sherbet

At the height of blueberry season, when blueberries are at their lowest cost, I buy as much as I can. I individually quick freeze them on a cookie sheet and vacuum seal in 24 ounce bags with my Food Saver. When the berries are defrosted they retain their fresh flavor but lose their texture. This recipe is perfect for frozen blueberries. The buttermilk adds a tartness that works well with the sweetness of the blueberries.

I adapted this recipe from Three Berry Buttermilk Sherbet from the June 2010 Sunset Magazine.

Note: You can use a food processor with a metal blade to purée the berries. However, I have found that a blender works better.

Strawberry / English Muffin French Toast

Thanks to this year’s El Niño effect there is currently an abundance of strawberries on the market (I can get them for 88 cents a pound at Ralph’s supermarkets in southern California). So I was ecstatic when I received a Food Network e-mail with a link to the Food Network Magazine Strawberry Shortcake French Toast recipe. If you add a spoon of fresh whipped cream, this is a breakfast I would be happy to order in a restaurant.

Dark Chococolate Mocha Cookies

These cookies are based on the Marta Stewart recipe for Dark-Chocolate Espresso Cookies. They are crunchy on top and soft on the bottom and middle.  The salt along with the espresso powder adds a bit of complexity to the recipe.

Chocolate Caramel Layer Cake

Although the cake looks dense each layer is very light and so is the filling. I hate frosting cakes and the ganache frosting in this recipe is easy to apply. The recipe is based on the Fine Cooking Cinnamon-Caramel-Ganache Layer Cake.

Makes 1 cake (about 12 servings).

Ingredients

Filling

• 2 cups heavy cream
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons + ¼ cups water
• 4 ½ ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• ½ cup sugar

Frosting

• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• Pinch of table salt
• 6 tablespoons cool water

Cake

• 1 ½ ounces unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup lukewarm + ½ cup cool water
• ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 6 ounces cake flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into 4 pieces
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten

Recipe

Filling

1. Bring the cream, salt and 2 tablespoons of water to a simmer.
2. Put the chocolate in a medium bowl and set a strainer over it.
3. Pour ¼ cup water in a 3-quart saucepan. Pour the sugar in the center of the pan and pat it down until it is evenly moistened. Cover pan and cook over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves (2 – 4 minutes). Uncover and cook without stirring until the syrup begins to color (about 1 minute). Reduce heat to medium and cook until the caramel turns red-amber (about 1 – 2 minutes). If the syrup colors unevenly swirl the pan gently. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cream mixture. Return to low heat and simmer stirring constantly until the caramel is completely dissolved (1 – 3 minutes).
4. Pour the caramel cream through the strainer. Whisk until the chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Scrape into a wide shallow bowl, cover loosely, cool and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (at least 4 hours and up to three days).

Frosting

1. Put the chocolate, butter, corn syrup and salt in a metal bowl set over barely simmering water. Stir gently until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.
2. Take the bowl off the water and stir in water. Let cool and thicken without stirring at room temperature for at least three hours (the consistency should be like chocolate pudding).

Cake

1. Line the bottom of three 9×2-inch round cake pans with parchment. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In a bowl whisk cocoa powder and lukewarm water. In another bowl mix buttermilk and cool water. In a third bowl whisk flour, baking soda and salt and sift them three times.
3. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment beat the butter on medium speed until creamy (15 seconds). Add the white and brown sugars gradually while beating until the mixture lightens in color and appears sandy but fluffy (5 minutes). Add the eggs slowly over the course of one minute. Continue to beat for a few more seconds until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Stop the mixer and add the cocoa mixture. Beat on medium speed until just combined. Stop the mixer and add one-quarter of the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until just incorporated. Stop the mixer and add one-third of the buttermilk. Repeat, scraping the bowl as needed, until all the flour and buttermilk have been added.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the three pans. Bake 17 – 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes for five minutes and then turn on to racks, remove the parchment and cool completely.

Assemble Cake

1. Beat the chilled filling in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment at medium speed until very thick and stiff enough to hold it’s shape but still spreadable (1 – 2 minutes). Put a cake layer upside down on a cake circle and spread half the filling evenly all the way to the edge of the layer. Top with a second upside down layer and gently press in place. Spread the remaining filling on the second layer. Top with the third layer, also upside down. Smooth any filling that protrudes from the sides.
2. With an offset spatula spread a thin crumb-coat layer of frosting evenly over the top and sides of the cake. Put cake in refrigerator for 10 minutes to set the crumb-coat. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake.
3. Garnish as desired.

Chewy Almond Orange Cookies

This recipe is from Martha Stewart Living. The consistency of these confections is like a cross between a cookie and a soft meringue.

Makes 18 cookies.

Ingredients

• 4 ½ oz sliced almonds (divided into 3 ½ oz and 1 oz)
• ¾ C sugar (divided into ½ C and ¼ C)
• ¼ C all-purpose flour
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 1 tsp anise, crushed
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tsp confectioners’ sugar

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In a food processor, blend 3 ½ ounces of almonds with ½ C sugar until almonds are finely ground.
3. Transfer almond mixture to a bowl and stir in flour, orange zest and anise.
4. Using a stand mixer whisk egg whites, salt, ¼ C sugar until soft peaks form.
5. Fold egg whites into almond mixture.
6. Spoon tablespoons of batter 2 inches apart on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Using remaining almonds arrange three almonds on each cookie. Sift confectioners’ sugar over cookies.
7. Bake until cookies are slightly browned on the edges, about 12 minutes. Cool for two minutes before moving to cooling rack to cool completely.

Blueberry Almond Delights

This recipe is based on a recipe I found on the Food Network web site (one of my favorite places to look for recipes) and adapted for my stand mixer. It took first place at the San Diego County Fair (formerly the Del Mar Fair) in 2008. Because of the almonds the taste reminds me of biscotti.

I used fresh blueberries but it will work well with frozen blueberries if you thaw and drain them. I use a #40 (1½ tablespoon) disher (it looks like a small ice cream scoop). That way the cookies are uniform.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• ½ cup chopped almonds, toasted
• 1 cup blueberries

Recipe

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the beater blade, cream together the butter and sugar. Add egg yolk and beat until incorporated. Add milk, almond extract, lemon zest and continue beating until incorporated.
3. With the mixer on low speed slowly add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients.
4. Fold in the almonds first, then fold in the blueberries.
5. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
6. While dough is chilling preheat the oven to 375°.
7. Drop heaping tablespoons of the mix onto cookie sheets. Bake until golden brown around the edges, about 15 minutes.
8. Cool the cookies on a wire rack.

Moroccan Bastilla

My wife and I occasionally go to a Moroccan restaurant called Marrakesh. They have a traditional Moroccan appetizer called Bastilla (pronounced buh-STEE-ya) that is wonderful. It has sugar, cinnamon, almonds, chicken, spices and it’s all wrapped up in phyllo. A few weeks ago I thought about it and wondered if I could make it at home. I searched Google for a recipe and found one by Chef Daniel Avurto of Mamounia. I’ve made this recipe twice now and each time it tasted exactly the same way it did at the Marrakesh.

This recipe is for one bastilla that serves about eight as an appetizer (so long as you can keep everyone from taking seconds). To make two, just boil the whole chicken instead of half  and use twice as many eggs (no need to double the vegetables and spices in the pot with it). You can split up the labor and cook the chicken the day before if you like.

Ingredients

Chicken filling:

• ½ chicken
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 whole cinnamon stick
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 6 large eggs

Almond filling:

• 8 ounces (230 grams) slivered almonds (if using sliced almonds, crush them)
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Pastry crust:

• 1 box frozen phyllo pastry dough (in your supermarket freezer section)
• ¼ cup melted butter
• Confectioners sugar

Recipe

Chicken filling:

1. Put enough water in a large pot to cover the chicken.
2. Add the onion, ginger, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon stick and cilantro.
3. Bring water to boiling over high heat, add chicken and cook for 30 minutes.
4. Take the chicken out of the stock and set aside to cool. Reserve 1/3 cup of the stock.
5. When cool remove skin, bone and cut the chicken into bite sized pieces.
6. Whisk the eggs with the reserved stock.
7. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the egg mixture and soft-scramble the eggs.
8. Combine the chicken pieces and egg mixture in a large bowl.

Almond filling:

1. Process sugar and cinnamon in a food processor until combined.
2. Put almonds in a bowl, add sugar mixture and mix together.

Pastry crust and final assembly:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Thaw phyllo dough according to package directions (but do not remove from storage bag). Note: Each piece of phyllo dough is paper thin and must be handled quickly and carefully so it doesn’t dry out until it is in place. If you need to leave the dough for more than a few moments, cover with a damp towel to ensure it doesn’t dry out.
3. Remove and unroll the thawed phyllo dough from the storage bag. If you need to leave the unrolled dough for more than a few moments, cover with a damp towel to ensure it doesn’t dry out.
4. Brush melted butter on the bottom and sides of a 9 inch (23 centimeter) oven-proof skillet.
5. Cover bottom and sides of skillet with phyllo dough making sure the dough covers and overlaps in the bottom of the pan and goes over and outside the side.
6. Carefully spread 1/3 cup of the almond filling over the dough in the skillet.
7. Spread the entire chicken mixture on top of the almond filling.
8. Top with the rest of the almond filling.
9. Fold the excess dough over the filing and add more phyllo dough as needed to ensure the top is completely covered. Tuck any excess dough into the inside side of the skillet so the filling is completely encased.
10. Bake Bastilla for 15 – 30 minutes or until lightly browned.
11. Place serving plate upside down on top of skillet and invert skillet.
12. Put confectioners sugar in a sieve and sift a layer of sugar to completely cover the bastilla.
13. Cut into pieces and serve immediately or for an authentic service break the bastilla open with your fingers, let it cool a bit and let everyone pull off pieces onto a plate and eat with your hands.

The Best Hash Brown Potatoes, Ever!

This recipe is from Michel Richard’s Happy in the Kitchen. It is a bit more complex and certainly has more calories than standard hash browns but is definitely worth it. The result tastes like something you would get in a restaurant. The best part is that you can make it in advance, put it in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator and finish it just before serving (it takes about 2 minutes under a pre-heated broiler). I like this with eggs over easy on top.

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

1 pound potatoes (2 large or 4 small), peeled
4 tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
1 cup heavy cream
1 clove garlic
¼ cup fresh Parmesan cheese

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350˚.
2. Lightly butter a 9″ x 13″ baking dish and line with parchment paper (the butter will ensure the paper adheres to the dish).
3. Julienne and then dry the potatoes.
4. Heat the cream, butter, salt and pepper to taste over medium – high heat in a large sauté pan stirring occasionally until the butter is melted.
5. Add the potatoes to the cream mixture and mix / fold until completely coated. Cook just until the cream thickens (approximately 2 minutes). Remove from heat.
6. Grate the clove of garlic into the potato mixture and stir. Again, season with salt and pepper to taste (potatoes need lots of seasoning).
7. Spread the mixture evenly onto the parchment paper and flatten using a spatula. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over the top.
8. Bake in oven 30 – 40 minutes until brown on top. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. If necessary, run a knife between the potatoes and the side of the dish so it doesn’t stick.
9. Put in refrigerator until cold to set. Leaving the potatoes on the parchment paper take them out of the dish and cut into four rectangles with a pizza cutter. At this point you can store them in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator until ready to eat (I don’t know how long they last in the refrigerator as I generally eat them within a day or two).
10. When ready to serve, preheat the broiler on high. Put the potatoes brown side up in a baking pan and broil until the top is crisp and sizzling (about 2 minutes). If you want extra crispy potatoes, turn over and repeat.
11. Drain briefly on a paper towel and serve.

Notes

1. I love the taste, texture and color of Yukon Gold potatoes but it should work well with russets.
2. I use a mandoline to julienne the potatoes but a box grater will work too.
3. A salad spinner works great for drying the potatoes or you can lay them on layers of paper towels.
4. If you use a rasp or microplane grater, the garlic will be nearly liquefied and able to be completely incorporated into the potato mixture.
   

Babka: An Eastern European Dessert Bread

This Eastern European recipe is from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook. It was one of my favorite bakery treats growing up. It had an exotic blend of chocolate and cinnamon mixed with the yeastiness of bread that I found addictive. It’s great with coffee. Wrap the cooled babka in plastic wrap and it will last a week.

Makes 3 loaves.

Ingredients
Loaf

• 1 1/2 cups milk, 110 °
• 2 packages (4 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 1 3/4 cups sugar (divided into 3/4 cup and 1 cup)
• 3 large eggs, room temperature (divided into 2 eggs and 1 egg)
• 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups (3 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature divided into 1 cup (2 sticks) and 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks)
• 2 pounds semisweet chocolate, very finely chopped
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Topping

• 1 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

Recipe

1. Pour milk into a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast and a pinch of sugar over milk; let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. In a bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar, 2 eggs, and egg yolks.
3. Add egg mixture to yeast mixture, and whisk to combine.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour and salt.
5. Add egg mixture, and beat on low speed until almost all the flour is incorporated.
6. Change to the dough hook. Add 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter and beat until flour mixture and butter are completely incorporated and make a smooth, soft dough that’s slightly sticky when squeezed is formed, about 10 minutes.
7. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few turns until smooth.
8. Coat a large bowl with cooking spray, place dough in bowl and turn to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
9. Place chocolate, remaining 1 cup sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Using a pastry cutter, cut in remaining 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter until well combined.
10. Spray three 9-by-5-by-2 3/4-inch loaf pans with cooking spray and line them with parchment paper.
11. Beat remaining egg with 1 tablespoon heavy cream to make an egg wash.
12. Punch down the dough and let rest 5 minutes. Cut into 3 equal pieces. Keep 2 pieces covered with plastic wrap while working with the remaining piece.
13. On a generously floured surface, roll dough out into a 16-inch square; it should be 1/8 inch thick.
14. Crumble 1/3 of the chocolate mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border.
15. Brush edges with reserved egg wash. Roll dough up tightly like a jelly roll. Pinch ends together to seal. Twist several times. Brush top of roll with egg wash. Bend roll in half (like a horseshoe). Fold right half of the roll over onto the left half. Crumble 2 tablespoons of filling over the roll, being careful not to let mixture slide off. Twist roll 2 turns, and fit into prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining 2 pieces of dough and remaining filling.
16. Heat oven to 350° .
17. Make topping by mixing the confectioners’ sugar with flour and cutting in the butter with a pastry cutter.
18. Brush the top of each loaf with the egg wash. Crumble 1/3 of the topping over each loaf. Loosely cover each pan with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm place for 30 minutes.
19. Bake loaves, rotating halfway through, until golden, about 55 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake until babkas are deep golden, 15 minutes more.
20. Remove from oven, and transfer to wire racks until cool. Remove from pans; serve.