TIRAMISU

I was craving for this dessert last weekend.  Found a recipe from BigOven.com and made it, but tweaked it a bit as I read most of the reviews were saying that dipping the lady fingers in the coffee and brandy mix made the dessert soggy.

TIRAMISU

Ingredients:

2 cups strong coffee

3 tbsp Brandy

2 large eggs, separate yolks from whites

3 tbsp white sugar

3 cups mascarpone cheese

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

150 grams Cocoa powder; dark

500 grams Lady fingers

Directions:

1.  Mix cold coffee with Brandy and set aside.

2.  Beat egg yolks and the sugar together in a large bowl until thick and pale.

3.  Add the mascarpone cheese and mix until combined.

4.  In another bowl, whip the heavy cream and then fold into the egg, sugar and cheese mixture.

5.  In a third bowl, beat the egg whites into soft peaks and then quickly fold into the cake mix.

6.  Sprinkle a thin layer of cocoa powder into a  large dish.

7.  Arrange lady fingers in the bottom of the dish afte cocoa powder.  Brush coffee and Brandy mixture on the lady fingers ( do not overdo it as it can make your tiramisu soggy).

8.  Spread a thick layer of the cake mixture over the soaked lady fingers .  Then dust  with another sprinkling of cocoa powder.

9.  Place another layer of lady fingers and brush with the coffee and brandy mix, again sprinkling with cocoa powder.

10.  Smooth the rest of the cake mixture in a thick layer over the second lady finger layer.  Sprinkle with Cocoa powder.

11.  Place in the refrigerator and allow to set.  DO NOT serve for at least 2 hours, FOR BEST FLAVOR, leave it in fridge for 24 hours.

Easy Chocolate-Coconut Cream Muffins

Two of our favorite things to eat are chocolate and coconut.  I found this recipe as I was searching for a new muffin recipe online.  Since I didn't have to work today due to the icy conditions of the roads in Houston, I kept myself busy in the kitchen.

Recipe for Chocolate-Coconut Cream Muffins: 


Ingredients:


Muffins:


1 pkg Duncan Hines® Moist Deluxe®Devil's Food Cake Mix
1(3.4oz)pkg.coconut cream instant pudding and pie filling mix
4 large eggs
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup flaked coconut


Frosting:


3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 to 1 cup powdered sugar


Directions:


CAKE

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
2. For cake, combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil in large bowl. Beat at low speed with electric mixer until moistened. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup coconut. Divide into pans.
3. Bake at 350°F for 32 to 37 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool following package directions.
4. Frost muffins. Sprinkle with remaining coconut. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

FROSTING

1. Heat butter, corn syrup, and water to boiling in 1-quart saucepan; remove from heat.
2. Stir in chocolate until melted.
3. Beat in vanilla and enough powdered sugar, using wire whisk, until spreadable.
4. Spread over cooled muffins.

Peach & Hazelnut Cobbler

Monty, my husband loves peach cobbler.  I made several in the past, but this one came from the Baking Book I got for Christmas.  I didn't have the pistachio (that was what the recipe called for), so I substituted it with hazelnut.  

Recipe for Peach & Hazelnut Cobbler


For the Filling:                                      
1/2 cup sugar                                       
2 tbsp cornstarch                                  
1/2 tsp cinnamon                                        
1/4 tsp nutmeg                                     
1/4 tsp salt                                            
3 cans of peach halves in light syrup                      


For the Topping:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped finely
1-4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup unsalted butter cut into 1/2 cubes
3/4 cup milk   
Ground cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling                                        
                                                        
Directions:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
Grease 9-by-13 inch baking dish with a 2-qt capacity.


To make the filling, in a small bowl. stir together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.  Place the peaches in a large bowl, sprinkle with the sugar mixture, and toss to distribute evenly.  Spread peach mixture in the prepared baking dish and set aside while you prepare the topping.


To make the topping, in a large bowl, mix together the flour, toasted hazelnuts, sugar, salt, and baking powder.  Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse meal, leaving some pieces of butter about the size of small peas.  Add the milk and stir just until the mixture pulls together.


Pinch off chunks of the dough and place them on top of the peach mixture, covering it nearly completely.  
In a small bowl , mix together 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1 tbsp sugar and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of the dough.  Bake until the topping is firm and golden brown and the filling bubbles slowly, 45-60 minutes.


Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes before serving.


Serving tip: Accompany the cobbler with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream or a splash of heavy cream.

Roast Pork

Today I had a craving for Pinoy/Filipino food.  Since I married Monty, I seldom cook traditional Filipino food.  My husband doesn't like it except adobo, lumpiang shanghai and my pancit.  I thought that I will give him another chance to really enjoy Filipino dishes.  From the grocery, I got this pork picnic (that's what the label said..I thought that it was a piece of pork thigh).  I  cross-hatched the skin & seasoned it liberally with salt & pepper.  Oven roasted the pork picnic @ 325 degrees for 4 hours.  It turned out looking like "lechon".  

Ringing in the New Year with A Scrumptious Coconut Custard Pie

This is my first dessert for 2011.  My dear brother gave me the WILLIAMS-SONOMA BAKING BOOK for Christmas.  While flipping through the pages, my husband saw a recipe for this pie.  Monty loves coconut pie.  So, for this relaxing Sunday afternoon, I decided to make this pie from scratch, including the flaky pastry dough.

Flaky Pastry Dough recipe to follow


COCONUT CUSTARD PIE


1 1/2 cups flaked dried coconut
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest, grated


Bake pastry dough in a 9-inch pie pan or dish.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
Spread coconut flakes evenly on a baking sheet and bake until lightly golden, about 12 minutes.  Set aside to cool.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and salt until blended.  Add the flour, milk, melted butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix well.  Stir in the toasted coconut flakes and mix to combine.  Pour the mixture into the baked crust.
Bake the pie until the top is golden and the filling is firm in the center, 45-55 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool completely.  Serve at room temperature.

Chocolate Pecan Turtles

I received 2 bags filled with pecans last Friday from a patient of mine.  So, last weekend, after going out on a date with my hubby, I spent most of the afternoon shelling those pecans.  I didn't know what to do with them.  Then, another of my patient said that she loves pecan turtles.  Early this morning, around 5 am, I decided to make these pecans to turtles.  I arranged all of the turtles in a decorated Christmas tin cans to be given to my patients who are not diabetics =)

Chocolate Pecan Turtles


1 lb of pecan halves
1 pack of Hersey's Cinnamon Chips
Homemade Caramel (recipe to follow)




Directions


Arrange pecan halves on pan lined with parchment paper.  Pour spoonful of homemade caramel over each pecan halves.  Let it cool.
Melt Hershey's cinnamon chips in a double boiler.  Add 1/4 cup of heavy cream.  Mix well until all chips are melted.  Pour melted cinnamon chips over caramel-coated pecans.  Let it cool.
Arrange pecan turtles  in any preferred container. Then enjoy!


Homemade Caramel


1 2/3 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup light syrup
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup whole milk
2 tbsp vanilla extract


Directions:


In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients above.  Put on medium heat, stir constantly until heat temperature reaches to 250-260 degrees ( or until a small amount of syrup is dropped into cold water forms a rigid ball).  

Sausage, Biscuits and Gravy

A usual Sunday routine after church,  a hearty breakfast for us.  I fixed some cheese biscuits, sausages, scrambled eggs and gravy.  Washed it down with pressed coffee,  OJ (for me)and milk (for Monty).  It was a heavy breakfast!  Now, I'm planning for dinner =)