FFwD: Sweet and Spicy Cocktail Nuts - Sugared Pecans

One of the recipes from Around My French Table chosen for this month's French Fridays with Dorie was for Sweet and Spicy Cocktail Nuts - a mixture of nuts, tossed in egg white and a combination of sugar and spices.  I only had pecans around the house, but wanted to try the recipe because I've never seen or heard of tossing them in egg white first.  My favorite way to make candied pecans up till now - which is a bit of a process and a bit of a mess, but oh so good - is to boil them, then let them dry a bit, then toss them in powdered sugar, and then they are deep fried, then allowed to cool (a method we used long ago from the Sky High cakes book for The Cake Slice Bakers).  While they are crazy good that way, as you can imagine, they are definitely a treat and not anything I feel good about snacking on.  That is why Dorie's method seemed like an interesting and worthwhile alternative.

That said, you know I never leave well enough alone, and since the only cocktails involved around our house involve juice boxes, I bagged the spices in our version.  I used the same amount of sugar called for, then just upped the amount of cinnamon and added a small splash of vanilla.  I have to admit, I'm sure the nuts would have looked nicer had I followed Dorie's directions to remove them from the egg whites individually to get rid of the excess.  Let's face it though.  With three small kids around, there was no time for that.  I tossed, mixed, stirred, dumped and baked.  I did give them a stir in the oven about half way through to help break up all the extra sugar and egg white I dumped in there with them, which was bubbling a bit more than I expected, but didn't seem to do any harm.  So, bottom line, when my pecans were all done they were just a bit clumpier and not as pretty, but they still tasted really good!  

This recipe and method is a definite keeper - we love tossed candied nuts in our salads and this ended up being a lot less messy and not as labor intensive (at least when done the lazy way like me!).

Happy New Year everyone!  Visit the French Fridays with Dorie site to see all the links to this month's recipes under the LYL posts.  I hope you all had a wonderful 2010 - now on to 2011!

TWD: Banana Cake into Banoffee Cake

If anyone out there has figured out how to squeeze more hours into the day, please let me know! I actually made this cake almost two weeks ago... and I just remembered in the wee hours of the morning that though I had loaded the pictures, I had yet to write and post about this week's Tuesdays with Dorie pick.

This week is bananas - both the cake, and my life (see what I did there with my lame-it's-reeeeaaaaalllly-late-early-whatever BAD sense of humor - sorry about that).

Anyway, the Lots-of-ways Banana Cake, chosen by Kimberly at Only Creative Opportunities is a great recipe with lots and lots of options for what to do with it.  It really got me thinking, and what I really wanted was a snacking cake with lots of goodies loaded into it.  I didn't feel like coconut, so I opted to turn the cake into a halved-recipe (only 1 9-inch cake) banana-toffee-chocolate-pecan confection.  I'm so glad I did because it was a delicious and imminently snackable treat.

I made a plethora of changes and wanted to save them, so I opted to post my version of the recipe over on my SLC Baking Examiner page at Examiner.com - just in case anyone else out there was looking for a very simple and snackable cake.

The cake itself turned out moist, and tender with just a little banana flavor.  It is fairly dense for a cake, but not as dense as most banana breads I've had.  I made a mixture of dark chocolate chips, homemade toffee chunks, chopped pecans and even added a little raw sugar on top for an extra crunch.

For many more variations, check out the TWD Blog.

TWD: Cocoa Volcano Cookies

Tuesdays with Dorie this week is hosted by MacDuff at Lonely Sidecar who chose the Cafe Volcano Cookies. As you can tell by the title, I made a substitute right off the bat with the recipe and used cocoa powder (2 Tablespoons Dutch processed) in place of the espresso in the cookies.

Dorie's description, which I haven't got in front of me while I type this, is something to the effect of shiny, puffed, craggy, crunchy cookies. I definitely hit on all those textures here so I would have to say I consider these a success. I do think that my cookies were slightly over baked though at the 20 minute mark, but that is an issue with my oven and not the recipe. Next time I will probably just take the cookies out of the oven sooner and hope they end up with a little more chew than super crunch.

I do have to say however that my boys loved these cookies (I did too, but my boys were really into these). I liked that they were easy to toss together and didn't take a lot of time or ingredients. I also liked the mixture of nuts and actually added in a few pecans as well because I didn't have enough walnuts.

The only other change to this recipe I made was just to give myself a little bit of insurance with the egg whites. I whisked them slightly in the pan before adding anything else, adding about 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar to help stabilize them. I did this for two reasons - my egg whites were several days old and had been hanging out in the refrigerator and it has also been snowing here quite a bit, which usually means that anything I try with egg whites is doomed to failure. Since the texture of my cookies turned out perfectly (other than the over baking) I don't regret taking out that bit of insurance.

I've got a feeling from the P&Q on the Tuesdays with Dorie blog that there will be many fun versions of these cookies around today, so be sure to check the blogroll and see what the other bakers have come up with.

TWD: Coconut Butter Thicks

Yes, Coconut Butter Thicks, not Thins. Why? I would like to tell you that I'm really smart and thought it would be cool to make these cookies nice and thick so that they end up more like shortbread instead of being thin and lacey. I'd like to tell you it was all a great plan of mine. I would be lieing. This ended up being at least one time for me though that my lack of clearly reading instructions all the way through because I was in hurry actually worked in my favor.

What a way to end my very first NaBloPoMo!

Clearly marked in the instructions for these cookies it says to roll them 1/4-inch thick. I didn't see that part. In fact, all I saw was the dimensions for the size of the rectangle to roll these cookies out. Add to that the fact that I made a half batch and then tried to roll my rectangle to half the size of the full batch and well, basically, this was a snafu of all kinds of mathematical errors on my part.

All I can to that is, it really didn't matter. In fact, I think I probably would still love these cookies in their thin and lacey form (and I will try again to make them that way now since I had a plan for that). That said, I loved, loved, loved these cookies as thick shortbread type cookies. They taste incredible. Other than my little snafu I didn't change the recipe at all.

I wanted to take a moment to send @doriegreenspan (that is where you can find our one and only Dorie on Twitter, in case you were wondering) for helping me through a couple of tweets to figure out what I had done wrong. Thank you Dorie for the technical support! You're the best!

This week's recipe for Coconut Butter Thins was chosen by Jayne, The Barefoot Kitchen Witch, which is where you can find the recipe for these awesome cookies, as well as in The Best Baking Book EVER. Don't forget to visit the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll to see all the cookies made by people who can actually read directions!

This is the main reason why making these cookies thicker really worked in my favor. We had a little chocolate and fruit fondue last night with some friends while we played a little Catan (and no, I didn't win... this time!). These cookies dipped in a little chocolate, are nothing short of extraordinary!

Easy Chocolate Fondue
(This recipe makes about 3 cups)

16 oz. good quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl. In a large Pyrex container or other heat-proof bowl, measure and heat the heavy cream until almost boiling. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. Using a small whisk, stir the chocolate and cream together until it all comes together into a smooth sauce. Add the vanilla and whisk in. Serve warm.

Marshmallows + Chocolate Ice Cream = Stone Soup Ice Cream

Oh, sweet nostalgia. Growing up, Rocky Road Ice Cream was my absolute favorite. Today, while I was looking at the marshmallows still left from my first Tuesdays with Dorie and thinking about how to use them up I decided to make some ice cream.

Here's the thing. I've made ice cream with the machine I "had" to have only 3 or 4 times in the past four years... and two of those times are in the past month. I think I just used to be a lot more intimidated about making custard than I am now. Anyway, I went to my copy of BFMHTY... book and decided to check out her ice cream recipes. I figured this would probably be safe, since it would be difficult to choose ice cream for Tuesdays with Dorie since it is a given that not everyone has an ice cream machine.

While I was making this, I realized that I've only made vanilla ice cream before and with no mix-ins. Well, now the top is blown off folks, because there is no going back. Oh, I'll still make vanilla, but now the sky's the limit! Oh, yeah. Homemade ice cream rocks! This recipe ended up being the perfect one to make because I already had all the ingredients on hand and needed to get them used up. It kind of reminded me of a cold version of Stone Soup, so I guess for me, at least today, that is why it's called Rocky Road (and seriously, does anyone know why it is called that or who came up with it?!). So, here is another great way to use homemade marshmallows with another great Dorie recipe.

Before we get to the ice cream, one last reminder that you still have a few days to send in your entry for Blogging for Babies. I also updated a few days ago that there are some prizes up for grabs, so send in your entry (or entries) and get in on the fun. The deadline for entries is April 21st (Monday) and I'll post the round-up next week so everyone can check it out and vote for their favorites!

Stone Soup (aka Rocky Road) Ice Cream
(Adapted with the Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream Recipe from Baking: From My Home to Yours)

Notes from Dorie: I go for dark, dark bittersweet chocolate in this ice cream, but it is good made with semisweet as well. (You could even use milk chocolate, but the flavor will be very mild.) It's also good with chocolate chunks, rum raisins (page 92) or both, tossed in at the last minute of churning.

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I actually used Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips - mainly just because I had them on hand)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup small diced marshmallow pieces (I cut my marshmallows with a clean, sharp pair of kitchen shears into pieces about the size of mini marshmallows)
1/2 cup toasted almond slivers

Put the chocolate in a 2-quart liquid measuring cup or large heatproof bowl. Bring 3/4 cup of the cream to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit a minute, then, using a rubber spatula and starting in the center of the mixture, slowly stir the cream into the chocolate in ever-widening concentric circles. When the ganache is smooth, set it aside.

Bring the milk and remaining 3/4 cup cream to a boil in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the yolks and sugar together until well blended and just slightly thickened. Still whisking, drizzle in about one third of the hot liquid - this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remaining liquid. Pour the custard back into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring without stopping, until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon; if you run your finger down the bowl of the spoon, the custard should not run into the track. The custard should reah at least 170 degrees F, but no more than 180 degrees F, on an instant-read thermometer. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and slowly and gently stir the custard into the ganache.

I also poured the custard into another bowl at this point through a strainer to make sure it was nice and smooth. Dorie doesn't suggest this step, but I did it just in case and there was a little bit of a skin from boiling the cream, so, totally up to you.

Refrigerate the custard until chilled before churning it into ice cream.

Scrape the chilled custard into the bowl of an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. At this point, in the last couple of minutes of churning is when you would add the nuts and marshmallow pieces. Pack the ice cream into a container and freeze it for at least 2 hours, until it is firm enough to scoop.

Raspberry Swirly Goodness

When I signed up for this month's Cookie Carnival I didn't know what the recipe would be. When Kate over at the Clean Plate Club, the event's creator, sent me the recipe I had to laugh because I've been using coconut and raspberries together a lot lately. I have to admit though that I really wanted to fiddle with the recipe because for some reason I just didn't think I would like it. I decided to make them anyway and find out. Thank you Kate for what proved to be an absolutely lovely recipe.

While I didn't entirely love the directions for the recipe I did know that I would have to try at least one cookie. Oh, am I glad that I did. I will be making these again and again. They were nothing short of sublime. This is one of those recipes that blends together beautifully while still highlighting and showcasing the individual flavors and textures at the same time.

These cookies are definatelly worth a try - as is, no changes needed. While I can still think of some other variations that I'm sure will be lovely, this one has me hooked. Use the best quality ingredients you can because their flavors will shine through. The cookies were soft with a little bit of a nice sugary crispness on the browned edges.

Aidan was the one that wanted cookies, so here he is enjoying the spoils. That is one happy boy!

Raspberry Swirl Cookies
Bon Appétit February 2004

Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Preparation
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar and beat until blended. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and beat until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball. Flatten and shape into rectangle. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Soften dough slightly before rolling out.)

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 13x10-inch rectangle (about 1/4 inch thick). Mix jam and coconut in small bowl to blend. Spread over dough, leaving 1/2-inch plain border. Sprinkle nuts evenly over jam mixture. Starting at one long side, roll up dough jellyroll style into 13x2 1/2-inch log (I used a long clean ruler to help me pick the dough "up" while rolling to keep it from tearing. I think it would even be a good idea to roll the dough out on the plastic wrap directly.). Wrap in plastic and chill 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap cookie log; cut 1/2 inch off each end and discard. Cut remaining log crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Arrange rounds, cut side down, on prepared sheets, spacing 1 inch apart; reshape into neat rounds, if desired. Bake cookies until edges and bottom are golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool.