Salted Caramel Pecan Tart

I love this tart as an alternative to traditional pecan pie.  And if you bake it in a pretty tart pan, it looks beautiful, too.

Salted Caramel Pecan Tart

3 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
2/3 cup butter
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1 teaspoon fleur de sel or coarse salt 

In a food processor, pulse 3/4 cup butter, flour, and powdered sugar until it resembles coarse meal.  Pat mixture evenly into a lightly greased 11 inch tart pan with removable bottom.

Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack 15 minutes or until completely cool.

Bring brown sugar, honey, 2/3 cup butter, and whipping cream to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in pecans, and spoon hot filling into prepared crust.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Cool on a wire rack until completely cool.  Sprinkle with coarse salt.

Caramel Apples

This is a beginner from-scratch caramel apple recipe.  It's only slightly more difficult than melting store bought caramels.  But then again, given how much I hate going to Walmart, I'd say this recipe brought me significantly less stress than a trip to the store for caramels and was therefore much EASIER!

Anyway, melt store bought caramels and dip the apples or make this recipe;  they are both great.   Just make these before fall is over. Yum!  Oh, and you need a candy thermometer and some sort of stick for the apple.  You can also use a plastic fork in a pinch...

Caramel Apples

1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups light brown sugar
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
washed and dried apples

In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Heat to between 234 and 240 degrees F, also called soft ball stage.  I don't exactly know what that means.  I just use a candy thermometer.  Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Dip the apples in the caramel and then in whatever toppings you like.  I made walnuts with sea salt and m&m versions.   Put the apples in the refrigerator to harden before eating.

Monster Munch

I made Monster Munch for the teachers at our elementary school to snack on during parent/teacher conferences this week.  I was extremely glad to get it out of the house; it's so good I couldn't stop eating it!! 

Monster Munch
This recipe makes a lot.  You can adjust all the amounts to your tastes.  
1 package almond bark (this stuff tastes like white chocolate, but melts easily and perfectly)
3 bags Orville Redenbacher Tender White microwave popcorn (this is the best popcorn ever)
1 bag candy corn
2 cups dry roasted peanuts
1 package Reeses Pieces

Line 3 sheet pans with wax paper.  Pop popcorn.  Melt almond bark in microwave until smooth.    Add candy corn, peanuts, Reeses Pieces to the popcorn.  Pour chocolate over the popcorn, candy, and peanuts and stir until everything is coated.  You'll probably have to do 2-3 batches, depending on the size of your bowl.  Spread popcorn mixture onto the sheet pans and let cool.

Pumpkin Spice Latte (almost)

Everyone loves a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks, right?  Everyone except my wallet and my waistline, that is.  Here's a fantastic substitute for you.  And you don't have to wait in line, pay $4.50, or do any extra crunches at the gym! 

Pumpkin Spice Latte (almost)

1 cup skim milk

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (recipe follows)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 tablespoons Splenda (or sweetener of choice, brown sugar or maple sy)

Blend all the ingredients in your fancy blender.  Hint hint, I want one of these for Christmas! 

Warm the pumpkin milk mixture in the microwave for a few seconds before adding it to your coffee. 

Pour 1 cup of brewed coffee into a mug and pour about half a cup of the pumpkin over the top and stir.  You can add a little whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon if you want.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

makes about 2 tablespoons

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg*

Blend all spices together, working out any lumps that might occur.  Store in an airtight container.

*To grate nutmeg, just run the whole nutmeg over the microplane to grate.

Monkey Bread Muffins

The easy to delicious ratio for these Monkey Bread Muffins is really high.  I made these as a thank you gift for a neighbor, and I had to stop myself from eating them straight out of the oven with a spoon.  The sweetened condensed milk is the key, don't leave it out.  Soo good.

Monkey Bread Muffins
makes about 22 muffins

2 cans Grands Homestyle biscuits
1 1/2 sticks butter
cinnamon
sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Add 1/2 teaspoon butter to each muffin cup (that's about half a pat, don't bother to measure any of this). Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon to each muffin cup.
Cut biscuit dough into quarters, and place three into each muffin tin containing butter, sugar, and cinnamon.
Top muffins with another 1/2 teaspoon butter. Sprinkle about 1/3 teaspoon sugar and a big pinch cinnamon on top to finish.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
Remove from oven and immediately drizzle a big teaspoon of sweetened condensed milk over the top of each one. Be generous! Allow rolls to cool completely before serving (if you can).

Since I was making these for a friend, and I had a hunch they were going to be sticky and gooey, I got some disposable muffin tins.  They came with a plastic top and it was the perfect way to give them. I would suggest these disposable muffin cups if you plan to take them anywhere as well....they're kind of messy.

Lemon Buddies

I won't bore you with what we had for dinner, because we're working on cleaning out the fridge and pantry before our family vacay.  So here's a recipe for the Lemon Buddies I made this afternoon.

These are like Muddy Buddies/Puppy Chow snacks that have been around forever, except with lemon.  In my opinion, they need a lot more lemon, but I like lemon more than most people... I made them for a friend who did an awesome favor for me, but my family loved the leftovers, even without extra lemon. 

Lemon Buddies

9 cups Rice Chex cereal

1 1/4 cup white chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter

4 tsp grated lemon zest

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 cups powdered sugar

Measure cereal into a large mixing bowl and set aside.  In a microwaveable bowl, microwave chips, butter, lemon peel and juice uncovered on high for 1 minute; stir.  Microwave about 30 more seconds or until mixture can be stirred smooth.  Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.  Pour into a 2-gallon resealable food storage plastic bag.  Add powdered sugar, seal bag and shake until all the cereal is well-coated.  Cool on wax paper or foil.

10 Minute Creme Brulee

Ten minute creme brulee, you say? How is that possible, you wonder?  Creme brulee is hard to make!

Well, you gotta have an awesome friend who lives all the way in SPRINGDALE (ok, only 15 minutes away, but still) who brings it to you! I cannot attest to how exactly she made it, other than she told me it's Pioneer Woman's recipe.  She brought it to me raw, having done the hard part herself, so all I had to do was bake and do the sugar on top. 

And let me tell you, it was better than any restaurant creme brulee. 

Note: I do not have a blowtorch, kitchen or otherwise.  So I had to caramelize the sugar on top under the broiler.

• 4 cups Heavy Cream
• 1 whole Vanilla Bean OR 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract OR 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Paste
• 10 whole Egg Yolks
• 3/4 cups Sugar
• 6 Tablespoons Superfine (Baker's) Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Pour the cream into the saucepan. Add vanilla (whichever product you're using) and simmer over medium-low heat.
Whip egg yolks with the sugar until pale yellow and thick.
Strain cream using a fine mesh strainer.
Whip yolks while you very slowly drizzle in 1 cup of warm cream. Go slowly so as not to cook the eggs! Once the first cup is added, you can add the rest of the cream slowly.
Place ramekins onto a rimmed baking sheet. Pour custard mixture into ramekins. Pour water in bottom of baking sheet until it comes halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes, or until just set. Do not allow to get brown.
Cool ramekins on countertop, then chill for at least 2-3 hours, covered in plastic wrap.
To serve, sprinkle 1 tablespoon over each ramekin of custard. Use a kitchen torch to quickly (but carefully) brown the sugar. There should be a thin, crisp surface of burned sugar on the top.
Serve immediately!

Summer Strawberry Tart

It may seem weird for somebody who has a food blog, but I don't really enjoy hosting fancy dinner parties at my house.  It's so stressful to me!  My bathrooms have to be clean (with 3 kids they are always filthy), I have to clean the kitchen while still trying to cook dinner, I have to wear makeup and shoes at home, I have to make sure there are enough plates and utensils clean (again, 3 kids use a lot of spoons and forks and ours are always dirty),  AND you have to act like it was all so easy!!

But what I do enjoy is having small groups of friends over.  The kinds of friends who know where to find a hand towel if one is missing from the bathroom, and the kind who say, "oh, why don't we just use paper plates?"  and then when you insist on regular plates, help you with the dishes.  Last night we had some of our good friends over for dinner; such good friends that I served them sandwiches! :)

Actually, BLTs with vine ripe tomatoes, fresh bakery bread I picked up at the Sunday morning Farmers' Market at the Botanical Gardens, Arkansas Petit Jean bacon, arugula, and garlic aioli.  Here's the recipe, just leave off the egg. Or use it. It's really good both ways.

 

We also had the Watermelon Pineapple Salsa I talked about yesterday, and a Strawberry Tart that is one of my summer staples.  You can make the crust early in the day and assemble the tart at the last minute, so your kitchen will stay cool.  

Summer Strawberry Tart

Crust:

1 stick cold butter, cut into cubes

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/8 tsp. salt

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons heavy cream (I had to use skim milk and it was fine)

In a food processor, blend the flour, sugar and salt.  Add the butter and pulse until it looks like coarse meal.  Add the egg yolk and the cream/milk and pulse until the dough comes together and begins to form a ball. 

Flatten the dough into a 6-inch disk, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes. (I also had to skip this step and it turned out fine.  So do it if you have time, if not, it will be okay.)

Preheat oven to 375°.

Press the dough into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.  

Reduce oven temperature to 375°. Bake 20 minutes.

Prick the crust lightly all over with a fork and return to the oven. Bake 10-15 minutes more until the crust is light golden brown but is still soft to the touch.  Cool crust before filling.

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer or food processor until smooth.  Mix in
sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix well.
Spread on top of cooled crust and top with berries.

The Best 4th of July Cake

In honor of the 4th, here is the BEST flag cake you'll ever eat.  It's not the quickest or easiest to make (there isn't any cool whip or instant pudding involved),  but it's the one you'll want to take to your 4th of July party.  I had 6 little hands helping me decorate mine, and I was wracking my brain to answer all the questions about how many stars and stripes are really on the flag and what they all mean, all with a pastry bag in hand, so yours will be more perfect, I'm sure.   I should have brushed up on my American history before we started the cake....

This is a Barefoot Contessa Recipe, but Pioneer Woman did a step by step a while back.  If you need more direction, go there. 

For the cake:

2 1/4 sticks butter
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 cup sour cream (not low fat, Jeffrey wouldn't like that, now would he?)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda



For the frosting: 
3- 8 oz packages cream cheese
4 sticks butter
1 pound powdered sugar (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 pint blueberries
2 pints raspberries
 

Cake:

In a mixing bowl, mix butter and sugar together on high until light and fluffy, about a minute or so. Add eggs, two at a time. Mix after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, kosher salt and baking soda. Turn mixer to low and gradually add flour mixture to butter/sugar mixture, one scoop at a time. Mix after every addition. Keep adding the flour mixture, mix until just combined. Do not overmix!

Grease and flour a 17 x 12 1/2-inch sheet cake pan.

Pour the thick cake batter into the pan. (It’s much thicker than regular cake batters.) With a knife or offset spatula, spread the cake batter evenly over the pan.

Place the pan into a preheated 350-degree oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. I baked mine for exactly 20 minutes, so you probably want to start checking then.

To make the cream cheese frosting, in a mixing bowl, add softened cream cheese and butter. Whip to combine. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix until thoroughly combined, scraping the sides once during mixing.

Put about 1/2 the frosting on the cake. Mark off the area of the stars with a toothpick. Prepare a pastry bag with a large star tip and fill up to 2/3 with icing. Fold down both corners to keep icing from splurging out the top.

Gripping the folded-down end tightly under fingertips and start squeezing two lines of frosting at the bottom of the cake. Make two rows of raspberries on the cake, then add another two lines of frosting.
Keep repeating: two lines of frosting, two lines of raspberries, two lines of frosting, etc.

Fill the square in the corner with a nice layer of blueberries. With the star tip, squeeze little dollops of frosting all over the blueberries.

Fresh Peach Pie

This peach pie was magnificent.  I didn't use a recipe because it's so simple I didn't need one.  And I kind of like how it's not perfect (not that I could have possibly made it perfect anyway); it looks homemade.  Don't forget the ice cream!

2 refrigerated pie crusts (the refrigerated crusts are better than my homemade ones!)
6-8 large peaches, peeled and sliced (may need more or less depending on the size of the peaches)
1 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon heavy cream or 1 egg plus 1 teaspoon water

1. Peel peaches.  Bring a pot of water to a boil.  With a small knife, score a small X at the bottom of each peach.  Put the peaches into the boiling water, let them go for 30 seconds to a minute, and remove with a slotted spoon.  Place peaches into cold water (or just running cold water) and skins will just slip off.

2. Prepare crusts.  Place first crust into bottom of pie plate.  Cut second crust into strips.

3.  Cook filling.  Melt butter and sugar in medium saucepan until sugar dissolves.  Add sliced peaches, flour, cinnamon, and salt.  Cook for a couple of minutes, or until the sauce thickens a bit.  You can cook the peaches longer if you like them mushy.  I like the peaches a little bit firm in the pie.

3.  Assemble pie.  Pour peach filling into first crust.  Arrange the second crust strips into a lattice design.  Flute edges, brush crust with heavy cream or egg wash, sprinkle with sugar.

4.  Bake pie.  Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, or until crust is golden.  If the edges of the crust start to burn, cover the edges with foil.  You have to cool the pie before you cut it.

Homemade Frozen Yogurt with Hot Fudge Sauce

My name is Amy, and I'm an addict.  A fro yo addict.  My favorite shop is downtown and you have to pay to park; it's the only thing keeping me from going every evening.  Thanks, city of Fayetteville, for keeping my weight under 200 pounds!

I ALWAYS get original tart flavor with a little chocolate syrup and walnuts.  And now, I've made it at home. This is dangerous. If you make this and try a different flavor, let me know!  I like the plain vanilla, but others in my fam prefer the flavors.

Homemade Frozen Yogurt
3 cups plain Greek yogurt (either whole-milk or 2%, NOT nonfat..I tried it, it won't work)
3/4 cup  sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Mix together the yogurt, sugar, and vanilla. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

And because I NEEDED chocolate sauce, I made a quick hot fudge sauce:

Hot Fudge Sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a microwave safe measuring cup, heat cream to almost boiling, about 60 seconds. Pour over chocolate chips and vanilla. Allow to rest for 35 seconds, or long enough for the chips to start melting. Whisk until chocolate is smooth and glossy.
Save leftover in fridge, and just microwave for a few seconds to reheat.

Creamy Lemon Squares

Like Lemon Squares? I sure do.  Well, these Creamy Lemon Squares knock them out of the ballpark!  They are even better cold.  It's funny how the recipe says it makes 12 squares.  Ha! It was about 4 squares in my house....so good.

Creamy Lemon Crumb Squares

from the Pioneer Woman

1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, slightly softened

1 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)

1 cup oats

1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk

½ cups lemon juice

zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix butter and brown sugar until well combined.

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.

Add oats and flour to butter/sugar mixture and mix to combine.

 

Press half of oat crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 8 inch pan.

Mix together condensed milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Spread onto the bottom layer of the crumb mixture. The other half of the crumb mixture mix and knead together with clean hands so that the butter that you added earlier gets incorporated then crumble on top of lemon layer but don’t press.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Allow pan to sit on counter for 30 minutes after baking. Cut into squares and refrigerate for a couple of hours or until cool.

Serve cool. Makes around one dozen.

 

S'mores Bars

Have you noticed the theme of healthy, family friendly dinners has been lacking around here lately?  Well, I hurt my foot a little while ago and I can hardly walk, much less exercise, so I've taken to baking for the time being! :)

I ran across photos of these bars on Pinterest the other day, and I couldn't wait to make them! We all love s'mores, and these are even better than the real thing (if that's possible).  They were gone before I even had a chance to take some to the neighbors like I had planned. 

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized Hershey bars (or a bunch of little ones)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme (not melted marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.

Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.

Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick.

Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together).

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Makes 16 cookie bars.

Texas Sheet Cake

This is not a new recipe for anyone who lives in the south, I'm sure.  It's a staple at group gatherings, not only because it's a big cake (it's the size of Texas, get it?), but because it's really good and super easy to make.  And if you live in Maine (@pajiba) or somewhere, you can call it Maine Sheet Cake if you want!

Texas Sheet Cake

2 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
2 sticks Butter (the original recipe I have calls for Oleo. This recipe is an oldie!)
1 cup Boiling Water
½ cups Buttermilk
2 whole Beaten Eggs
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla
_____
FOR FROSTING

½ cups Finely Chopped Pecans (leave these out if you want)
1-¾ stick Butter
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
6 Tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

Note: I use an 18×13 sheet cake pan, it's also called a half sheet pan, jelly roll pan, or a cookie sheet.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.

Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

Our Favorite Homemade Ice Cream

I haven't cooked in days.  Seems like weeks!  But I broke out the ice cream maker to make dessert for dinner with friends.  I don't make homemade ice cream very often, not because it's difficult, but because I will eat it all.  It's my favorite dessert!  Add some oreos to it and I can eat it for breakfast. My friend made a Texas Sheet Cake, too, and I'll share that recipe later this week.

 Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
(adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz)

2 cups heavy cream and 1 cup whole milk (I used skim because that's what I had)
¾ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Oreos

Pour 1 cup of the cream into a medium saucepan and add the sugar and salt. Warm over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved.

Remove from the heat and add the remaining 1 cup cream and the milk and the vanilla extract.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator. When ready to churn, freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Stir in crushed oreos by hand when ice cream is finished.  Transfer to covered container and freeze until firm.

Chocolate Revel Bars

How in the world have I never heard of Revel Bars before?  I ran across this recipe on Pinterest, which is my new favorite thing by the way, and I HAD to try these bars immediately. I sprinkled a little fleur de sel on the top, because the nuts I had were raw.  And wow.  This picture does not do Revel Bars justice.

1/2 cup butter, room temperature, divided
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract, divided
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oatmeal (not instant)
7 oz sweetened condensed milk (1/2 can)
1 1/2 cups dark or bittersweet chocolate chips, divided
1/2 cup toasted and salted pecans, coarsely chopped


Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and oatmeal.
In a large bowl, cream together 7 tbsp butter (reserve remaining tablespoon) with brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Blend in flour mixture until well incorporated.
In a small, microwave safe bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk with 1 cup chocolate chips and reserved 1 tbsp butter. Melt on high heat in 40 second intervals, stirring frequently, until mixture is smooth. Stir in remaining 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Take 1 1/2 cups of the cookie dough mixture and press it into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Spread the chocolate mixture evenly on top of the cookie layer.
Stir remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips and toasted pecans into remaining cookie dough. Break dough into small chunks and sprinkle evenly over entire chocolate layer. Chocolate layer will still be partially exposed.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until top is lightly browned. Chocolate will still look “wet.”
Cool completely in the pan before slicing.

Chocolate Creme Brulee

This is the recipe for the Chocolate Creme Brulee my friend, Liz, made for the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon.  This recipe seems pretty difficult to me, but she's an excellent cook and says it's not, so I'll be trying this recipe for my next party.  :)  This dessert was so beautiful in addition to being delicious!  And perfect for a party because they can be made in advance. She topped them with fresh raspberries glazed with orange marmalade, too. 

Yield:  Six or 7 4-ounce ramekins

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped into small pieces

2 cups heavy cream

1 tsp grated orange zest-optional

4 large egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Special equipment

ramekins, a wire whisk, a sieve; a bowl and a large 4-cup measuring cup, or 2 mixing bowls, a baking pan large enough to serve as a water bath for all the ramekins.

Preheat the oven to 350.  Put the chopped chocolate in the large measuring cup or one of the bowls and melt in the microwave and then set the sieve on top.  Pour the cream into a medium saucepan and bring to the simmer, then remove from the heat.  If using orange zest, stir it into the cream before heating and steep 5 minutes covered, off the heat.

Meanwhile, whisk the yolks in the empty bowl, adding the sugar gradually.  Continue whisking for a minute or more, until the yolks are pale yellow and thick and form a ribbon when dropped from the whisk.

Pour the hot cream into the yolks, stirring--not beating-- with the whisk, until evenly blended.  Immediately pour this custard through the sieve over the chocolate, removing any coagulated bits of eggs, and stir gently with a large spoon to melt the chocolate and blend it into the custard.  Stir in the vanilla extract.  Skim off surface bubbles.

Arrange the ramekins in the baking pan, fill each with 1/2 cup of custard.  Set the baking in the oven and pour in hot water to come halfway up the ramekins.

Bake the custards for about 25 minutes, or until the tops are just set.  The custard will still be quite soft.  Carefully remove the baking pan from the oven and lift the ramekins from the hot water.  Let them cool briefly, then chill in the refrigerator, at least 4 hours, before serving. 

Forming the brown-sugar crust.

Loosen the brown sugar if packed and break up any lumps with your fingers.  Sprinkle a tablespoon or so over each custard and smooth it gently with the back of a spoon, forming an even layer of sugar that completely covers the surface.. Set the ramekins on a  heatproof

tray and turn the broiler on watching them like a hawk until it bubbles.  If you see smoke---pull it out immediately!  If the ramekins have been heated by the broiler, chill them briefly before serving.

Blondies

What do you do when you say on a cold, rainy day, "hey kids, wanna make brownies?" and then realize you have neither brownie mix nor cocoa powder, and only 1/2 cup of chocolate chips?  Make blondies!  These are fabulous and quick.

Blondies (from Smitten Kitchen)

1 stick butter, melted
1 cup  brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Grease an 8×8 pan.

Mix melted butter with brown sugar – beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla.

Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in any additions (below). I added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle.


Further additions, use one or a combination of:

• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts, toasting them first for even better flavor
• 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips
• Stir 1/2 cup dried fruit into the prepared batter (craisins and white chocolate chips, yum)
• 1/2 cup mashed bananas
• Top with a vanilla butter cream or chocolate peanut butter cream frosting

Feta in Phyllo

John and I first ate Greek food at the Greek Food Festival in Little Rock when we were first married (not a lot of Greek restaurants in Arkansas when we were growing up!).  We spent all afternoon one day sampling the best food we'd ever tasted, and ended up going back every year we lived there.  John always jokes that he must be part Greek, based on his love for the food (have you seen him? Definitely not Greek.).

So when one of Beta's sweet preschool teachers offered to make me something she had eaten on a recent trip to Greece, I was so excited!  She handed me the dish of feta cheese wrapped in phyllo, and I had every intention of saving some for John....but then I tasted it, and had to eat the whole thing! It's salty, sweet, crunchy, gooey.

I'm not sure what to call it, and I can't really find the exact recipe she gave me anywhere, so I'll just call it Feta in Phyllo, since it's kind of like Brie en Croute.  It's an appetizer, but I had it for lunch. :)

Feta in Phyllo

1/3 of a whole block of feta
several sheets of phyllo dough (the directions are on the box)
butter, melted
honey
sesame seeds

Wrap the feta cheese with sheets of Phyllo dough, each sheet coated with butter.  Bake until brown and then drizzle with honey and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Serve hot.

The Best Coffee Cake Ever

This is seriously the best coffee cake.  The recipes says it is so, but I can attest to the fact that it is.  It was even better because my friend brought it over when she came to visit.  Eating coffee cake and visiting all morning was very Mad Men of us....

The Best Coffee Cake
 
FOR THE CAKE:
1-½ stick Butter, Softened
2 cups Scant Sugar
3 cups Flour, Sifted
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1-¼ cup Whole Milk
3 whole Egg Whites, Beaten Until Stiff
_____
FOR THE TOPPING:
1-½ stick Butter, Softened
¾ cups Flour
1-½ cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
1-½ cup Pecans, Chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat egg whites and set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until combined. Don’t overbeat. Fold in beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula. Spread in a well-greased 9 x 13 (or LARGER!) baking pan. A cake pan with higher sides would be best.
In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle all over the top.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.