Dessert |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Chocolate Creme Brulee
German Chocolate Cake for Morgan *New
Coconut-Pecan Frosting and Filling *New
Marci's Buckeye Balls *New!
Almond Brittle
Dana's Famous Pumpkin Pecan Pie
Meg's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lemon Bars
Chocolate Mousse
Suzie's Blueberry Crisp
Easy (Really!) Individual Chocolate Soufflés
Chocolate Creme Brulee
5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs sugar
2 cups whipping cream
1 Tbs vanilla extract
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (semi-sweet ok) chopped
Preheat oven to 300F.
Whisk yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl. Bring cream to simmer in small heavy
saucepan. Whisk hot cream into yolks. Whisk in vanilla. Divide chocolate among four 3/4
cup size custard cups (ramekins). Ladle custard over chocolate. Place cups in baking
pan. Add enough hot water to baking pan to come halfway up sides of cups. Bake until
custards are just set in center, about 55 minutes. Remove custards from water and
cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat broiler. Sprinkle 1/2 Tbs sugar over each custard. Broil until sugar caramelizes,
about 2 minutes. Cool 5 min and serve.
German Chocolate Cake for Morgan
From Baker’s Chocolate
1 pkg Baker’s German Sweet Chocolate
½ cup water
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1. Line bottoms of three 9-inch round cake pans with wax paper. Grease sides of
pans (Meg’s note: usually I just some some Pam spray—works pretty well)
2. Microwave chocolate and water in large microwavable bowl on high 1 ½ to 2
minutes or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after each minute (and really do
check often—this can go from melted to burnt really fast). Stir until chocolate is
completely melted.
3. Mix flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl
until light and fluffy—use a mixer. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each
addition. Stir in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with
buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.
4. Beat egg whites in another large bowl until stiff peaks form—again, use a mixer
on high speed. Gently stir into batter. Pour evenly into prepared pans.
5. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out
clean. Immediately run spatula between cakes and side of pans. Cool 15 minutes.
Remove cake layers from pans. Remove wax paper if you used it. Cool completely on
wire racks.
6. Spread coconut-pecan frosting between layers and on top of cake. Makes 16
servings.
Coconut-Pecan Frosting and Filling
1 can evaporated milk
1 ½ cups sugar
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks butter)
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 pkg (7 oz) baker’s angel flake coconut (about 2 2/3 cups)
1 ½ cups chopped pecans
Mix milk, sugar, butter, egg yolks and vanilla in large saucepan. Cook on medium heat
12 minutes or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Add coconut and pecans; mix well. Cool to room temperature and of desired spreading
consistency. Makes about 4 ½ cups, or enough to frost and fill three laters of a cake, or
24 cupcakes.
Buckeye Balls
2 sticks margarine
1 lb. confectioner's sugar
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup coconut
Melt margarine. Stir in the remaining ingredients until thoroughly combined. Chill for one
hour and then form into small balls.
Melt 1 cup of chocolate chips. Dip balls half way into chocolate and place on foil,
chocolate side down. Place another small drop of chocolate on top. Refrigerate and at
least an hour.
These are best right out of the refrigerator, and they freeze really well. If you use about
a tablespoon for each ball, you will make around 50 with this recipe. They are always a
crowd pleaser! Enjoy!
Almond Brittle
2 cups blanched almonds (or pecans)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
Great Christmas treat and will make you a welcome guest if brought to parties. They
burn easily, though.
Combine almonds, sugar and butter in skillet.
Cook over medium heat, stirring until almonds and sugar are golden brown.
Stir in vanilla.
Spread almonds onto foil
Sprinkle with salt
Cool, then break into pieces
Dana’s Famous Pumpkin Pecan Pie
• 2 cups chopped pecans
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons packed Brown Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/3 cups canned solid-packed pumpkin
• 1 ½ teaspoons Ground Ginger
• 1 ½ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Allspice
• 3 eggs lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup unsulphered Molasses
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ cup heavy cream
Don’t argue with the Master.
Preheat oven to 350
In a medium bowl toss together the pecans, brown sugar and melted butter. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and eggs. Whisk to blend
well
Mix in Molasses, sugar, sour cream and heavy cream until thoroughly blended.
Pour the filling into a 10-inch pie crust and bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the Pecan
mixture evenly over the pie and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes until the top is
brown and crust and the filling is set.
Let cool for at least 2 hours and serve with Whipped Cream.
Meg’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
• 1/2 cup butter, real, unsalted
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsps flour (unbleached or White Lily is better)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup nuts (optional and not really necessary)
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (add extra)
Don’t expect these to last long (see recipe for Mark’s Cookies). And this recipe (from the
original Joy of Cooking) doesn’t make very many cookies, if you make them big. Meg has
been refining this for years and has tested all kinds of recipes and this is the best one.
Still hopes these cookies are her ticket to fame and fortune.
Cream 1/2 cup butter
Add sugars gradually and beat until creamy
Beat in egg and vanilla
Stir together flour and baking soda, then add slowly to other ingredients
Add chocolate chips and nuts (really optional)
To get round cookies, roll a heaping tablespoon full into a ball in cold, wet hands and drop
onto greased cookie sheet (use Canola oil spray). You can also use a mini ice cream
scoop but they don’t come out as round.
Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, but keep an eye on them. Let them cool (if you can) for a
minute before you try to get them off the pan or they will break.
Lemon Bars
Crust:
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Topping:
• 2 well-beaten eggs
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp lemon rind
• 1 cup granulated sugar
This recipe came from one of the ladies at Alice’s linen shop in Darien. It really doesn’t
double well-- just make multiple batches separately if you want many of them. Also, I
use extra lemon juice and rind-- if you have two or three fresh lemons, that’s about
right.
Crust:
Combine butter, flour, and sugar
Spread into 8x8 pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes
Let cool while you make the topping
Topping:
Combine eggs, flour, lemon juice, rind, and sugar
Pour over crust and bake at 350 for 20 minutes
Chocolate Mousse
• 8 egg yolks
• 3 oz sugar
• 3 to 4 oz coffee or liqueur of your choice (rum, whiskey, Amaretto, Framboise, Grand
Marnier)
• 1 pound semi-sweet chocolate
• 1 quart heavy cream
Why mess around when you want a chocolate dessert? Do not tell guests what’s in it--
that is on a need-to-know basis only, e.g., they wish to make it themselves, or they
have a heart condition. This recipe came from the mom of a high school friend of Meg’s.
16 servings
Melt chocolate and cool (microwave works, but keep an eye on it and if it burns, you
need to do it over or mousse will have little chips in it)
Beat yolks and sugar until light-- do not attempt by hand- use a mixer
Add coffee or liqueur
Whip cream until very stiff
Add a little cream to yolks then mix in chocolate till smooth
Fold in cream
Chill
Suzie’s Blueberry Crisp
• 1 extra large egg
• 1 cup flour
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup melted butter
Can be made with most any fruit. If fruit is really sweet and ripe, can use less sugar.
Peach, nectarine, plum, apple all work really well. Especially wonderful with whipped
fresh cream or really good vanilla ice cream.
Preheat over to 350
Mix dry ingredients
Add egg
Mix with fork to crumbly texture
In pie dish, place fruit and cover with flour mixture
Drizzle butter over this
Bake 30 to 40 minutes
Serve warm
Easy Individual Chocolate Soufflés
A chocolate recipe that takes about 10 minutes (really!) to mix up, a few more to bake
and at the end you have four little cakes that look like the fancy ones you have to order
ahead at a restaurant. The original recipe from Nigella Lawson says to bake for less time
than I'm suggesting, but instead of being the "Gooey Chocolate Puddings" she
describes, I kept getting undercooked batter, and these puff up very prettily when you
leave them longer.
4.5 oz bittersweet chocolate
1 stick butter
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1. Melt chocolate and butter together (try the microwave, but keep an eye on it)
2. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and flour until just blended (make it quick, use
a stand mixer)
3. Slowly whisk in melted chocolate/butter mixture
4. Prepare four ramekins with cooking spray or butter
5. Pour mixture into ramekins and place on baking sheet.
6. Bake for 15 minutes (but start looking around 12 minutes) until tops are domed and
cracking and edges are set
7. Serve right away with whipped cream on the side or right on top. Cabot's in the can is
pretty good.
"Life is short. Eat dessert first." Words to live by. |