Occupy Kitchen

When I hear occupy I hear it as occu-PIE, and it makes me want to go to the kitchen and make a pie. So with 2 months of the news reminding me to make a pie, I finally decided on a Peanut Butter Pie.
I have made several Peanut Butter Pies in the past, the first Peanut Butter Pie I made was good, but the best one I have made was from Sweet Serendipity (Humble Pie). This recipe was pretty good, but I think if I mix this recipe's chocolate bottom cookie crust and the Sweet Serendipity filling,  I would have the PERFECT Peanut Butter Pie. Until then...

No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie
Adapted from Baked
Makes a 9" pie

Cookie Crust:
16 Oreo Cookies
4 tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled


Chocolate bottom:
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ tsp light corn syrup

Peanut butter filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
¾ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1½ cups heavy cream

Easy hot fudge sauce:
Milk chocolate
Dark chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup corn syrup

Cookie crust:
Preheat oven to 350. Process the cookies in a food processor until fine powder. Sprinkle the butter over the crumbs and pulse to incorporate.
Sprinkle the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate, pressing it up the sides and onto the bottom. You can use the bottom of a measuring cup to even out the crust. Bake until the crust is fragrant and looks set, 10-15 minutes. When it’s done place in the refrigerator until chilled.

Chocolate bottom:
Melt chocolate chips in a microwave on 50% power. Add the corn syrup and stir to combine. Use a spatula to spread the chocolate in a thin layer on the bottom of the chilled pie crust.
Put the crust back in the refrigerator while you make the peanut butter filling.

Peanut butter filling:
Put the cream cheese, peanut butter, vanilla, and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until well combined and completely smooth. Set aside.  In a clean bowl, use the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to whip the cream until soft peaks form. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, with a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture until the mixture is uniform in color. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and freeze for at least 4 hours. Once the pie is frozen, you can cover it with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 days.

Easy hot fudge sauce:
Place both the chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl and set aside.
In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer over medium heat. Add the corn syrup and stir to combine. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 2 minutes. Whisk the chocolate, starting in the middle, until completely smooth. Sauce can be refrigerated for 3 days.

Serve a small slice of pie with 3 tablespoons of warm fudge sauce poured directly over the top of the pie. The fudge sauce is key, without it it's just too peanut buttery.

Better Than New York Waffles & Dinges

I'm back at it, trying to recreate some of the memorable treats I had while in New York, and in this case trying to make it better.
My experience at Waffles and Dinges in New York didn't go quite as I had hoped. The idea was great, fresh waffle with ice cream and chocolate sauce, just like the breakfast my dad made for me as a kid.

The problem with the Waffles and Dinges, at least from the cart at Central Park, was that they were hard as rocks, and had little flavor. I was hoping to find a recipe for a delicious Belgian waffle that would be softer than the original brick that I tried and tastier as well.
The recipe I decided to try was a recipe from the founder of Waffles and Dignes, which was a basic Belgian yeast batter. The outcome was a tasty waffle that was now too soft and chewy.

I didn't want to waste the batter, so even though I didn't care for the waffles, I continued making the entire batch. When I finished pulling the last waffle out of the waffle iron I had an idea...toast them in the toaster. That was just the answer, a few seconds in the toaster made the waffles perfect, slightly crunchy on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside.
 

And as if these waffles weren't sweet enough I tried making them again using an idea from a recipe my friend emailed me, Liege Waffles, using pearl sugar in the batter. (Actually I couldn't find pearl sugar. Ikea use to carry it but now when I need it they don't, so I used sugar cubes.) Adding the "pearl sugar" not only adds sweetness to the waffles, it also adds little bits of crunch, from the sugar crystallizing in the waffle iron. Even without the ice cream and chocolate sauce, these waffles are the best waffles I have made...as long as I toast them before serving :)

Waffles and Dinges
From Food & Wine

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup pearl sugar, or 24 sugar cubes quartered (Optional) 

Belgian Chocolate-Fudge Sauce:

1 cup heavy cream
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar 

 

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. In a large bowl, stir the flour with the salt. Whisk in the yeast mixture, milk, butter, egg yolks and vanilla until smooth.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold them into the batter and let stand for 20 minutes.
While you let the batter stand you can make the chocolate sauce. In a saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes, then stir until the chocolate is melted. Add the confectioners' sugar and whisk until smooth.
Preheat waffle iron. Pour batter into the iron and sprinkle with some of the "pearl sugar". Cook until the waffles are golden. Repeat with the remaining batter. Toast waffle in toaster for several seconds before serving with your choice of maple syrup or ice cream and chocolate sauce.

* In the original recipe they say to put the waffles in a 250 degree oven after they are done cooking in the waffle iron. When I tried this it did not help with their sad limp exterior, so I have skipped that step and replaced it with toasting them in the toaster.

Trick or Treat Macarons

These macarons were perfect for Halloween, because they were both a trick and a treat.
The macaron shells were definitely a treat because they came out perfect; smooth, nice feet, moist interior, and more importantly not hollow. The filling on the other was quite the trick. I made two different fillings, Dark Chocolate Caramel and Browned Butter Spice. The Browned Butter Spice Frosting was a little freaky tasting. I was hoping for a nice warm fall flavor but it turned out to be a weird mixture of sour and spice.

The Dark Chocolate Caramel filling was a mix of a trick and a treat. It had an amazing rich chocolate flavor followed by a hint of caramel, but the consistency was a nightmare. It was too thick to spread on the shell but so thin it oozed out of the cookies while they were sitting in the refrigerator, making a sticky mess.

With that said, the Dark Chocolate Caramel filling with the chocolate shell was so fudgy and delicious, that I would probably make them again.

Basic Macaron Shell
from Kitchen Musings

3 egg whites (aged in the refrigerator 1 day and then microwaved 10 seconds)
125g almond flour
225g powdered sugar
25g granulated sugar
pinch of cream of tartar
1/2 tsp powdered food coloring (optional)

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Prepare pastry bag with a 1/2 inch plain tip.
Using a food processor, pulse almond flour and confectioner's sugar until combined.
In the bowl of a stand mixer whip the egg whites and cream of tartar on low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium high and beat 1 minute. Add granulated sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute.
Gently fold 1/4 of the flour mixture along with the vanilla into the egg whites. Continue adding 1/4 and folding until all the flour is combined, making a thick batter. Fill the pastry bag with the mixture.
Pipe the batter into 1 1/2 inch mounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.
Let the macarons rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 310. Bake the macarons for 10-12 minutes.

*For chocolate shells add 2 tbs unsweetened cocoa to almond flour and confectioner's sugar during the processing step.


Browned Butter Spice Frosting
Adapted from myrecipes.com 

2/3 cup butter 
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon five spice
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon apple cider
3 cups powdered sugar 

Cook butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, swirling pan occasionally, until deep golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer, place in refrigerator and chill until solidified.
Add remaining ingredients and beat until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes, occasionally scraping inside of bowl.

Dark Chocolate Caramel Filling
From winespectator.com

3/4 cup (180 grams) heavy cream
2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (4 grams) freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
4 ounces (120 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon (3 grams) vanilla extract
Heat cream in a saucepan over medium heat until scalding, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
Heat the sugar and lemon juice in another medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar resembles wet sand. Cook until the syrup turns a clear amber color, and the edges begin to foam,  about 10 minutes. Stir only if the sugar does not melt evenly.
Remove from the heat and immediately pour in the cream to stop the cooking process. Be careful, the syrup will steam and may splatter. Whisk in the chocolate and vanilla, pour the caramel into a container, and let it cool at room temperature for 2 hours. Cover, then refrigerate for several hours.

This is Halloween, Halloween! Halloween!

One of my favorite candies of all time is the See's Scotchmallow, A layer of caramel with a layer of honey marshmallow covered in chocolate. As a kid my Great Uncle would give out 1 pound gift certificates to See's, and I would get an entire pound of Scotchmallows.

For Halloween I made my own candies that I call Carmallows. And then to really show off I wrapped them in Fanci-Foil (paper foil for cake boards found at Walmart) and decorated them with jack-o-lantern stickers. A perfect candy for a Halloween Party.

The recipe I used came from the Chocolates and Confections book from The Culinary Institute of America, but this recipe is very similar.


Carmallows
Caramel
Adapted from Allrecipes
1 cup Butter
1 pound Sugar
1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened condensed milk
1 cup Light corn syrup
1 pinch Salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla extract

Marshmallow
From Hutchinson News
3 envelopes Gelatin
1/2 cup Cold water
1 1/2 cups Sugar
3/4 cup Light corn syrup
1/4 cup Honey
1/2 cup Water
1 tablespoon Vanilla extract

3 cups chocolate, melted, tempered (Callebaut Couverture Callets)


Directions:
Set aside a silicone 9x13 pan
In a heavy bottom saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, condensed milk, and corn syrup. Stirring constantly bring to a boil over medium heat, until the syrup reaches 240 degrees.
Remove from heat and carefully stir in the vanilla and salt.
Pour into the silicone pan and let cool while you make the marshmallow.

To make the marshmallow, stir the gelatin and cold water in a small bowl. Set aside.
In a 2-quart saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, honey, and water. Cook to 250 degrees.
Remove from heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Allow to cool undisturbed until syrup reaches 210 degrees, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the gelatin over a hot water bath. 
When the syrup reaches 210 degrees add the melted gelatin and mix on high speed for 6 minutes, until light and fluffy. 
Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated.
Pour over the top of the caramel and spread evenly.
Allow to cool to room temperature for at least 2 hours.

Chill slightly before cutting into bars.
Using an oiled knife, cut around the edges of the pan to loosen the marshmallow. Remove the entire slab from the pan and place on a silpat, caramel side down.
Cut slab down the middle lenghtwise. Cut each half slab into 1 inch bars, then cut each bar in half. (Be careful not to cut the silpat. I used my bench knife.)

Dip each bar into tempered chocolate and place on baking rack, allowing excess chocolate to drip off. Remove from rack before chocolate sets and place on a piece of parchment paper to set completely.

Desperation Bars

Early Saturday morning I woke up to a sore throat, then a runny nose and then a full blown cold. After 4 days of being confined to a couch and watching Food Network I was ready to crawl into the kitchen and bake something.
Still being a hot mess I could not be seen in public so I had to find something that I could make with whatever I could scrounge up in the pantry. Chocolate chips...nope, milk, heavy cream, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa powder....uh-uh. I was desperate and had very limited ingredients available, so I threw a Hail Mary, and it turned out extremely tasty. (And I am not a cookie bar kind of person.)

Desperation Bars

Based on 7 Layer Cookie from Inn Cuisine

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tbs melted butter
1 cup Scharffen Berger bittersweet chunks
1 cup Scharffen Berger semisweet chunks
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup shredded coconut
2-3 tbs cocoa nibs  (Doesn't everyone have nibs on hand at all times) (:
1/3 cup old fashion oats
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix graham cracker crumbs and butter and press into 9x13 pan
Sprinkle bittersweet and semi sweet chocolate over the graham cracker
Sprinkle the white chocolate over the bittersweet and semi sweet chocolate
Sprinkle coconut over white chocolate
Sprinkle cocoa nibs over coconut
Sprinkle oats over the top of the coconut and nibs
Pour sweetened condensed milk over all the layers.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool and cut into squares.

Next time I make them I will make sure my pantry is fully stocked, because there are so many possibilities. Peanut butter chips, mini marshmallows, M&M's, raisins... ooh what about pretzels :)

Baked NYC Brownies

I'm still missing New York City so I continue to live vicariously through recipes of New York bakeries and restaurants. This brownie recipe from Baked turned out to be one of my favorite brownies, dare I say...gasp...even better than Bouchon's.  They are everything I like in a brownie, a rich chocolaty flavor and a gooey fudgy texture. YUMMY! 

Baked Brownies
from brown eyed baker

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder (Valhrona)
11 oz dark Chocolate, chopped (Scharffen Berger Bittersweet Chunks & Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chips)
8 oz unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tsp instant espresso powder (Ghirardelli Mocha Hot Chocolate Mix)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
5 eggs room temperature (if you are in a hurry place eggs in warm water for 10-15 minutes)
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of a 13x9 baking pan, and line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, salt and cocoa powder. Set aside.
Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate, butter and espresso powder, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. Turn off the heat and add the sugars, whisking until completely combined. Remove the top bowl from double boiler.
Add 3 of the eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the 2 remaining eggs and vanilla and stir just until incorporated. Be careful not over beat the batter.
Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture, and fold until just a bit of the flour is visible.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the pan half way through the baking. The brownies are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it.
Let brownies cool completely before cutting into squares.

Junior's New York Cheesecake

I have gone on several vacations this summer, and as much fun as all those vacations have been, I am still obsessed with New York. Every chance I get I have been researching and testing recipes to bring some of New York to me.
I started with a New York Cheesecake from Junior's. When we walked by Junior's after seeing How To Succeed In Business, we were too stuffed and tired to try their famous cheesecake, but luckily for me I found their recipe online.

Like I have said before I have never been a big cheesecake fan, but I am slowly growing as a person and warming up to cream cheese. Junior's cheesecake is a little different than the cheesecake most people think of, as it replaces the traditional graham cracker crust with a sponge cake. I loved the added layer of sponge cake, but still wanted the familiar graham cracker crust, so I added graham cracker crumbs around the side. It is an extremely impressive cheesecake, and so easy to make.

JUNIOR'S FAMOUS CHEESECAKE
Adapted very slightly from food.com

Sponge Cake
1/2 cup sifted cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
3 large eggs separated
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 drops lemon extract
3 tbs unsalted butter, melted
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Cream Cheese Filling
4 (8oz) packages cream cheese
1 2/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tbs vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 cup finely ground graham crackers
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 stick melted butter

Sponge Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and generously butter a 9in spring form pan.
Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl with and electric mixer on high for 3 minutes. With the mixer still running, gradually add the 1/3 cup of sugar and continue beating until thick light yellow ribbons form in the bowl, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts. Sift the mixture over the batter and stir it in by hand until no more white flecks appear. Blend in the butter.
In a clean bowl, using clean dry beater, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on high until frothy. Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Stir in 1/3 cup of the egg whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining egg white. (don't worry if a few white specks remain.)
Spoon the batter into the spring form pan.
Bake the cake just until the center springs back when lightly touched, only about 10 minutes.
Let cool in the pan on a wire rack while you continue making the cheesecake filling. DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE PAN.

Cream Cheese Filling:
Place one 8oz package of cream cheese, 1/3 cup of sugar, and the cornstarch in a large bowl.
Beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, then beat in the remaining 3 packages of cream cheese. Increase the mixer speed to high and add the remaining 1 1/3 cups of sugar and vanilla extract. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Blend in heavy cream. Mix the filling only until blended. Be careful not to over mix.

Wrap the outside of the spring form pan with two layers of tin foil.(This is to protect it from the water bath, while it's cooking.)

Spoon the filling on top of the baked sponge cake.
Place a kitchen towel in the bottom of a large shallow pan (disposable roasting pan). Place the spring form pan in the towel lined pan. Pour water into the large baking pan about 1 inch up the side of the spring form pan.
Bake the cheesecake until the center barely jiggles when you shake the pan, about 1 hour.
Turn oven off and open the oven door for 1 minute. Close the door and let set inside oven 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Remove from oven and place in refrigerator at least 6 hours.

Run a knife around the side of the spring form pan and remove the cheesecake.

Graham Cracker Crumbs:
In a small bowl mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Pour into a cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes.
Pat the sides of the cheesecake with the graham cracker crumbs, and serve.