The recipe for Pecan Crunch Pie (click for it) looked just a little too easy.
Just five ingredients mixed together and put in the oven? No crust? No tricky filling?
I was suspicious of whether or not it would be good, but it is a recipe from Cook’s Country, which I find to be notoriously reliable. And I welcome any chance to make a pie and not fool around with a pastry pie crust.
So I tried it late one evening.
Of course it was terrific. Why did I doubt it may not be?
It satisfies all cravings for pecan pie with a slim fraction of the work. It was ridiculously easy to make.
A couple of things, though. To me, it’s not really pie. It’s more like a cake. And it’s not crunchy, either -- slightly chewy is more like it.
It’s an absolute must to serve the pie this way. Keep the pie stored in the fridge, and when it's ready to be served, take it out to warm up for just a few minutes. Serve the wedges with vanilla ice cream.
Make sure, too, to grind your own graham crackers for crumbs, a direction not outlined directly in the recipe. I used a food processor to grind whole graham crackers.
I used pre-chopped pecans and toasted them for about four minutes in a small frying pan.
The recipe I linked to above is on a newspaper website, and it is exactly the same as the one I used.
Eggs, sugar, baking powder and vanilla extract are beaten together with an electric mixer (I used a hand mixer) until thickened and tripled in volume, about five minutes. The graham cracker crumbs and pecans are folded in with a spatula.
The batter is poured into a greased nine-inch pie plate, then baked for 30 minutes at 350 F.
Before serving, the pie is cooled completely, at least one hour.
Showing posts with label Cook's Country. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cook's Country. Show all posts
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Get in some final grilling action
with these terrific chicken wings
With the final week of August here and Labour Day long weekend coming up shortly, many people are thinking of back-to-school activities, harvest, and the busy times that autumn brings.
But if you’re determined to get in some more grilling action while the heat is still around, I’ve got a great recipe for you: Grilled Chicken Wings (click for the recipe) from Cook’s Country magazine.
They’re very easy and very delicious, perfect for a barbecue this weekend to send off summer’s dog days.
They’re quite family-friendly. Although they are on the salty side, I think most children above perhaps the age of eight or nine will give these a try.
The wings are made without sauce, with just some very simple seasonings to bring home moist chicken.
In fact, there are just four ingredients in the recipe – salt, wings, cornstarch and pepper. It’s putting the chicken in a salty brine in advance of grilling that coaxes out flavor.
The recipe doesn’t say the wings need a dipping sauce; we didn’t use any and found it wasn’t needed. However, some people may appreciate some ranch salad dressing in which to dip the wings.
Instead of buying chicken wings and needing to cut them in half and discard wingtips, I used drummettes instead.
A half cup of salt is dissolved in two quarts of cold water in large container (I used a Ziploc freezer bag). Two pounds of chicken wings are pricked all over with a fork, then submerged in brine, covered or sealed and refrigerated for 30 minutes. (Don’t let the chicken sit in the brine for more than 30 minutes; it will result in chicken that’s too salty.)
The chicken is removed from the brine, patted dry with paper towels, then tossed in a combination of cornstarch and pepper.
The wings are grilled for 22 to 25 minutes, then transferred to a platter, tented with aluminum foil, and left to rest for five to 10 minutes.
The wings are served.
But if you’re determined to get in some more grilling action while the heat is still around, I’ve got a great recipe for you: Grilled Chicken Wings (click for the recipe) from Cook’s Country magazine.
They’re very easy and very delicious, perfect for a barbecue this weekend to send off summer’s dog days.
They’re quite family-friendly. Although they are on the salty side, I think most children above perhaps the age of eight or nine will give these a try.
The wings are made without sauce, with just some very simple seasonings to bring home moist chicken.
In fact, there are just four ingredients in the recipe – salt, wings, cornstarch and pepper. It’s putting the chicken in a salty brine in advance of grilling that coaxes out flavor.
The recipe doesn’t say the wings need a dipping sauce; we didn’t use any and found it wasn’t needed. However, some people may appreciate some ranch salad dressing in which to dip the wings.
Instead of buying chicken wings and needing to cut them in half and discard wingtips, I used drummettes instead.
A half cup of salt is dissolved in two quarts of cold water in large container (I used a Ziploc freezer bag). Two pounds of chicken wings are pricked all over with a fork, then submerged in brine, covered or sealed and refrigerated for 30 minutes. (Don’t let the chicken sit in the brine for more than 30 minutes; it will result in chicken that’s too salty.)
The chicken is removed from the brine, patted dry with paper towels, then tossed in a combination of cornstarch and pepper.
The wings are grilled for 22 to 25 minutes, then transferred to a platter, tented with aluminum foil, and left to rest for five to 10 minutes.
The wings are served.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Icebox Key Lime Pie -- absolutely scrumptious
When you eat a piece of Icebox Key Lime Pie (click for the recipe), it’s hard not to exclaim with joy or sit back, close your eyes and savour the taste.
My husband and I did these actions alternately each time we ate a piece of this easy-to-make dessert.
It was absolutely scrumptious, and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Make this for a summer family get-together, and people will be convinced you have magic powers. You will be asked for the recipe.
The recipe is from Cook’s Country magazine, which explains that icebox key lime pie used to be made from eggs that weren’t cooked.
The magazine’s editors were after a recipe that would have the same smooth, custardy texture as the original without using uncooked eggs.
The solution the recipe developer devised is a combination of instant vanilla pudding mix, sweetened condensed milk and unflavored gelatin.
The solution is a stroke of genius. This pie is smooth as silk and not at all runny.
Plus, because of the vanilla pudding mix aspect, the pie is an absolute snap to make.
The recipe I linked to above is on a recipe-sharing site. It is exactly the same as the one I used from Cook’s Country.
The crust is made by pulsing eight whole graham crackers with sugar and melted butter in a food processor, and then pressing the mixture into a nine-inch pie plate and baking it in the oven. The crust needs to cool completely before the filling is poured in it.
The filling is made by processing sugar, lime zest (grated lime peel), cream cheese, condensed milk and instant vanilla pudding mix in a food processor.
Unflavored gelatin and lime juice is heated in the microwave for 15 seconds, then stirred until the gelatin is dissolved.
The gelatin mixture, more lime juice and vanilla is poured through the feed tube of the food processor as the machine is running.
The filling is poured into the cooled crust, and refrigerated for at least three hours or up to two days. (The two days suggestion is a good one – after that time, the pie starts to lose its delicious lime flavor).
Let the pie sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
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My husband and I did these actions alternately each time we ate a piece of this easy-to-make dessert.
It was absolutely scrumptious, and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Make this for a summer family get-together, and people will be convinced you have magic powers. You will be asked for the recipe.
The recipe is from Cook’s Country magazine, which explains that icebox key lime pie used to be made from eggs that weren’t cooked.
The magazine’s editors were after a recipe that would have the same smooth, custardy texture as the original without using uncooked eggs.
The solution the recipe developer devised is a combination of instant vanilla pudding mix, sweetened condensed milk and unflavored gelatin.
The solution is a stroke of genius. This pie is smooth as silk and not at all runny.
Plus, because of the vanilla pudding mix aspect, the pie is an absolute snap to make.
The recipe I linked to above is on a recipe-sharing site. It is exactly the same as the one I used from Cook’s Country.
The crust is made by pulsing eight whole graham crackers with sugar and melted butter in a food processor, and then pressing the mixture into a nine-inch pie plate and baking it in the oven. The crust needs to cool completely before the filling is poured in it.
The filling is made by processing sugar, lime zest (grated lime peel), cream cheese, condensed milk and instant vanilla pudding mix in a food processor.
Unflavored gelatin and lime juice is heated in the microwave for 15 seconds, then stirred until the gelatin is dissolved.
The gelatin mixture, more lime juice and vanilla is poured through the feed tube of the food processor as the machine is running.
The filling is poured into the cooled crust, and refrigerated for at least three hours or up to two days. (The two days suggestion is a good one – after that time, the pie starts to lose its delicious lime flavor).
Let the pie sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
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Friday, June 24, 2011
Frozen Strawberry Margaritas
- serve without a straw
In my books, it’s firmly margarita time.
I like my margaritas frozen and slushy, with the taste of good tequila present but not to a point that is overwhelming.
Frozen Strawberry Margaritas (click for the recipe) from Cook’s Country magazine fits this order perfectly.
My tip to make this drink its absolute best is to skip serving it with a straw.
While margaritas, especially frozen ones, are often served with straws, in this case it takes away from the whole delicious experience of drinking the margarita.
Putting your lips on the salted- and sugared-rim is a perfect way to start each lovely sip. Be sure, then, to put a salt and sugar mixture on the rims as the recipe directs!
The recipe calls for silver tequila, which is generally considered the best grade of this spirit, but my husband and I have always been fans of Sauza brand Gold tequila.
The margaritas are very easy to make. The recipe I linked to above is on a recipe-sharing site, but it’s the same one I used from Cook’s Country.
Frozen strawberries, sugar, and salt are heated until the berries begin to release their juices (the recipe says this will take about five minutes, but it took barely two minutes for me.) The strawberries are mashed with a potato masher until the fruit breaks down, then the mixture is simmered until it is reduced and syrupy, about five minutes.
Off heat, frozen limeade concentrate is stirred in, and the mixture is covered and refrigerated until well chilled, at least one hour (you can make this strawberry mixture up to one day in advance.)
After chilling, the mixture is transferred to a blender. More frozen strawberries, some ice, tequila and Triple Sec are added and the whole thing is blended until it’s smooth (divide this up into batches if you have a less-than-awesome blender like I do.)
Sugar and kosher salt are combined on a plate. The rims of serving glasses are dipped in water, then in the salt and sugar mixture.
The strawberry margaritas are poured into the glasses and served.
I like my margaritas frozen and slushy, with the taste of good tequila present but not to a point that is overwhelming.
Frozen Strawberry Margaritas (click for the recipe) from Cook’s Country magazine fits this order perfectly.
My tip to make this drink its absolute best is to skip serving it with a straw.
While margaritas, especially frozen ones, are often served with straws, in this case it takes away from the whole delicious experience of drinking the margarita.
Putting your lips on the salted- and sugared-rim is a perfect way to start each lovely sip. Be sure, then, to put a salt and sugar mixture on the rims as the recipe directs!
The recipe calls for silver tequila, which is generally considered the best grade of this spirit, but my husband and I have always been fans of Sauza brand Gold tequila.
The margaritas are very easy to make. The recipe I linked to above is on a recipe-sharing site, but it’s the same one I used from Cook’s Country.
Frozen strawberries, sugar, and salt are heated until the berries begin to release their juices (the recipe says this will take about five minutes, but it took barely two minutes for me.) The strawberries are mashed with a potato masher until the fruit breaks down, then the mixture is simmered until it is reduced and syrupy, about five minutes.
Off heat, frozen limeade concentrate is stirred in, and the mixture is covered and refrigerated until well chilled, at least one hour (you can make this strawberry mixture up to one day in advance.)
After chilling, the mixture is transferred to a blender. More frozen strawberries, some ice, tequila and Triple Sec are added and the whole thing is blended until it’s smooth (divide this up into batches if you have a less-than-awesome blender like I do.)
Sugar and kosher salt are combined on a plate. The rims of serving glasses are dipped in water, then in the salt and sugar mixture.
The strawberry margaritas are poured into the glasses and served.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Tuscan Potato Salad = good potato salad
Upon hearing the words “potato salad,” some people rightly recoil in horror, thinking of the mayo-soaked, bland concoctions they’ve been served in the past.
If you’re one of those people, I’ve got just the thing for you – Tuscan Potato Salad (click for the recipe) has no mayo, and it’s anything but bland.
Roasted red peppers, fresh rosemary, Dijon mustard and Parmesan cheese makes this potato salad fresh and lively, a worthy accompaniment to grilled meat or poultry. Even though it’s got some zesty ingredients, it’s still very family-friendly.
My husband, who isn’t a fan of regular mayo-style potato salads, really liked this one.
The recipe I linked to above is on a blog, but it’s the same one I used from Cook’s Country magazine.
The salad is very easy to make.
Red wine vinegar, minced garlic, minced fresh rosemary, salt and pepper are combined in a bowl.
Two pounds of small red potatoes are scrubbed, sliced 1/4-inch thick, and brought to a boil in a large saucepan with two tablespoons of salt.
The potatoes are simmered for about five minutes, then drained and spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Half of the red wine vinegar mixture is drizzled over, and the potatoes are left to stand until cool.
Dijon mustard is stirred into the remaining vinegar mixture.
Parsley, chopped jarred roasted red peppers and grated Parmesan cheese are scattered evenly over the potatoes, which are then transferred to a bowl with the Dijon vinaigrette and tossed gently until combined.
The salad can now be served, or refrigerated for up to two days.
If you’re one of those people, I’ve got just the thing for you – Tuscan Potato Salad (click for the recipe) has no mayo, and it’s anything but bland.
Roasted red peppers, fresh rosemary, Dijon mustard and Parmesan cheese makes this potato salad fresh and lively, a worthy accompaniment to grilled meat or poultry. Even though it’s got some zesty ingredients, it’s still very family-friendly.
My husband, who isn’t a fan of regular mayo-style potato salads, really liked this one.
The recipe I linked to above is on a blog, but it’s the same one I used from Cook’s Country magazine.
The salad is very easy to make.
Red wine vinegar, minced garlic, minced fresh rosemary, salt and pepper are combined in a bowl.
Two pounds of small red potatoes are scrubbed, sliced 1/4-inch thick, and brought to a boil in a large saucepan with two tablespoons of salt.
The potatoes are simmered for about five minutes, then drained and spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Half of the red wine vinegar mixture is drizzled over, and the potatoes are left to stand until cool.
Dijon mustard is stirred into the remaining vinegar mixture.
Parsley, chopped jarred roasted red peppers and grated Parmesan cheese are scattered evenly over the potatoes, which are then transferred to a bowl with the Dijon vinaigrette and tossed gently until combined.
The salad can now be served, or refrigerated for up to two days.
Friday, June 10, 2011
If you like to bake, buy this book:
Cook's Country Blue Ribbon Desserts
It’s time I told you about a wonderful cookbook I bought recently: Cook's Country Blue Ribbon Desserts
.
Produced by the popular magazine, the book is full of recipes inspired by desserts from years past. But these recipes have been revamped to be refreshing, new and foolproof.
That’s essentially the mission of Cook’s Country magazine – to find America’s classic, favorite dishes and desserts and retool them for today’s home cooks.
For those of you who love baking, especially homestyle treats that please the family, I highly recommend the book to you.
I’ve already made several desserts from the book that are outstanding: Raspberry Cream Cheese Brownies, Icebox Strawberry Pie, 7Up Pound Cake, Pecan-Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Tunnel of Fudge Cake and Mississippi Mud Brownies.
Nearly every recipe has caught my eye to try, for every season of the year.
This summer, if I have the time, I hope to make Icebox Key Lime Pie, Raspberry Chiffon Pie, Peach Brown Betty and Icebox Oreo Cheesecake.
Just take a look at some of the recipes you can find in this book, many of which also have an explanation of the interesting history behind the final product:
- Pies: Fresh Blueberry, Lemon Chess, Mile-High Lemon Meringue, Pumpkin-Praline, Jefferson Davis, Millionaire, French Silk Chocolate
- Cakes: Wacky Cake, Wellesley Fudge, Chocolate Blackout, Lady Baltimore, Strawberry Cream (looks like an absolute stunner), Tennessee Stack Cake, Lemon Buttermilk Sheet, Tres Leches Cake, Southern Caramel, Bold and Spicy Gingerbread
- Breakfast, brunch and coffee treats: Blueberry Boy Bait, Cherry-Almond Coffee Cake, St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake, Blackberry Roly-Poly, Tick Tock Orange Sticky Rolls
- Cupcakes: Red Velvet, Boston Cream, Chocolate Cream, Black-Bottom
- Cookies and bars: Raspberry Mini Cheesecakes, Peanut Blossom Cookies, Brown Sugar Cookies, Whoopie Pies, Turtle Brownies, Seven-Layer Bars, Raspberry Streusel Bars, Cherry Cheesecake Cookies, Raspberry-Almond Sandwich Cookies, Hazelnut Chewies, Chocolate Turtle Cookies
Cook's Country Blue Ribbon Desserts at amazon.ca
.Produced by the popular magazine, the book is full of recipes inspired by desserts from years past. But these recipes have been revamped to be refreshing, new and foolproof.
That’s essentially the mission of Cook’s Country magazine – to find America’s classic, favorite dishes and desserts and retool them for today’s home cooks.
For those of you who love baking, especially homestyle treats that please the family, I highly recommend the book to you.
I’ve already made several desserts from the book that are outstanding: Raspberry Cream Cheese Brownies, Icebox Strawberry Pie, 7Up Pound Cake, Pecan-Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Tunnel of Fudge Cake and Mississippi Mud Brownies.
Nearly every recipe has caught my eye to try, for every season of the year.
This summer, if I have the time, I hope to make Icebox Key Lime Pie, Raspberry Chiffon Pie, Peach Brown Betty and Icebox Oreo Cheesecake.
Just take a look at some of the recipes you can find in this book, many of which also have an explanation of the interesting history behind the final product:
- Pies: Fresh Blueberry, Lemon Chess, Mile-High Lemon Meringue, Pumpkin-Praline, Jefferson Davis, Millionaire, French Silk Chocolate
- Cakes: Wacky Cake, Wellesley Fudge, Chocolate Blackout, Lady Baltimore, Strawberry Cream (looks like an absolute stunner), Tennessee Stack Cake, Lemon Buttermilk Sheet, Tres Leches Cake, Southern Caramel, Bold and Spicy Gingerbread
- Breakfast, brunch and coffee treats: Blueberry Boy Bait, Cherry-Almond Coffee Cake, St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake, Blackberry Roly-Poly, Tick Tock Orange Sticky Rolls
- Cupcakes: Red Velvet, Boston Cream, Chocolate Cream, Black-Bottom
- Cookies and bars: Raspberry Mini Cheesecakes, Peanut Blossom Cookies, Brown Sugar Cookies, Whoopie Pies, Turtle Brownies, Seven-Layer Bars, Raspberry Streusel Bars, Cherry Cheesecake Cookies, Raspberry-Almond Sandwich Cookies, Hazelnut Chewies, Chocolate Turtle Cookies
Cook's Country Blue Ribbon Desserts at amazon.ca
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Great summer recipe ideas from food mags
I love to read food and cooking magazines -- obvious, since I write this blog.
I like to imagine the dynamite secrets a lovely-looking recipe will reveal.
Recently I perused a stack of magazines with terrific-looking recipes I'd like to try this summer (although there are so many nice ones I doubt highly that's possible.)
If you're looking for some good magazines with recipes for the hot weather ahead, here are four I recommend. All are on sale now on newsstands.
Under each is the recipes I have my eye on to try.
Summer Entertaining from Cook’s Illustrated – Summer 2011 (pulled pork sandwich on cover)
- Barbecued Chicken Parts – Chicken thighs and legs are kept in a brine of salt, sugar and water before being grilled.
- Charcoal-Grilled Stuffed Flank Steak – These look like beef lollipops. A spread of herbs and garlic and a layer of prosciutto is put on flank steak before it’s rolled up and tied. Skewers are put in evenly through each section of meat between ties, and then the rolled steak is sliced into pinwheels before grilling.
- Minted Sugar Snap Pea Salad
- Tuscan Potato Salad – Red wine vinegar, rosemary, Dijon mustard and Parmesan cheese provide the coating for new red potatoes.
- Lemon Potatoes – Lemon zest and juice, along with minced garlic and chicken broth, is tossed with boiled new red potatoes.
- Basic Creamy Coleslaw
- Quick Summer Pickles and Quick Bread-and-Butter Pickles
- Gazpacho – the iconic summer tomato soup, created here with fresh tomatoes, red bell peppers, cucumbers, sweet onion, garlic, sherry vinegar and tomato juice.
- Magic Chocolate Ice Cream – A no-machine ice cream using espresso powder, bittersweet chocolate, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream.
Gourmet Grilling: 96 All-Time Favorite Cookout Classics – Special edition summer 2011 (burger on cover)
Tapenade-Filled Burgers, Asian Steak and Noodle Salad, Turkey Cheddar Burgers, Dominican Chimichurri Burgers, Porterhouse Steak with Pan-Seared Cherry Tomatoes, Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Smoked-Paprika Mayonnaise, Barbecued Pork Burgers with Slaw, Chipotle-Lime Chicken, Buffalo Grilled Shrimp with Blue Cheese Dip and Celery, Grilled Salmon with Lime-Butter Sauce, Panna Cotta with Lemon-Thyme Peaches, Peach Ice Cream, Lemon-Herbed Potatoes, Perfect Strawberry Ice Cream, Red Velvet Whoopie Pies.
America’s Test Kitchen 30-Minute Suppers Summer 2011 (chicken skewers on cover)
Grilled Italian Sausage Subs, Grilled Herbed Chicken and Zucchini Salad, Vietnamese-Style Noodle Salad with Chicken, Grilled Spice-Rubbed Chicken Thighs, Glazed Grilled Chicken Skewers, Greek Burgers, Hoisin Pork with Garlic Noodles, Mustard-Glazed Brats with Sweet and Sour Slaw, Wasabi Crab Salad Rolls with Ginger Coleslaw; Chicken, Goat Cheese, and Cherry Salad.
Cook’s Country – July 2011 (peaches and cream pie on cover)
- Dill Potato Salad: Chopped dill is put in a sachet and boiled with the potatoes, and more dill is put in the vinegar that goes on the potatoes.
- Peaches and Cream Pie: Peaches are baked, put in a pie crust, and heavy cream is poured over before baking.
- Grilled Steakhouse Steak Tips: Beef flap steak is cut into small pieces and marinated in brown sugar, garlic, paprika and cayenne pepper before grilling.
- Strawberry Dream Cake: A luscious two-layer strawberry cake that looks perfect for a summertime birthday.
I like to imagine the dynamite secrets a lovely-looking recipe will reveal.
Recently I perused a stack of magazines with terrific-looking recipes I'd like to try this summer (although there are so many nice ones I doubt highly that's possible.)
If you're looking for some good magazines with recipes for the hot weather ahead, here are four I recommend. All are on sale now on newsstands.
Under each is the recipes I have my eye on to try.
Summer Entertaining from Cook’s Illustrated – Summer 2011 (pulled pork sandwich on cover)
- Barbecued Chicken Parts – Chicken thighs and legs are kept in a brine of salt, sugar and water before being grilled.
- Charcoal-Grilled Stuffed Flank Steak – These look like beef lollipops. A spread of herbs and garlic and a layer of prosciutto is put on flank steak before it’s rolled up and tied. Skewers are put in evenly through each section of meat between ties, and then the rolled steak is sliced into pinwheels before grilling.
- Minted Sugar Snap Pea Salad
- Tuscan Potato Salad – Red wine vinegar, rosemary, Dijon mustard and Parmesan cheese provide the coating for new red potatoes.
- Lemon Potatoes – Lemon zest and juice, along with minced garlic and chicken broth, is tossed with boiled new red potatoes.
- Basic Creamy Coleslaw
- Quick Summer Pickles and Quick Bread-and-Butter Pickles
- Gazpacho – the iconic summer tomato soup, created here with fresh tomatoes, red bell peppers, cucumbers, sweet onion, garlic, sherry vinegar and tomato juice.
- Magic Chocolate Ice Cream – A no-machine ice cream using espresso powder, bittersweet chocolate, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream.
Gourmet Grilling: 96 All-Time Favorite Cookout Classics – Special edition summer 2011 (burger on cover)
Tapenade-Filled Burgers, Asian Steak and Noodle Salad, Turkey Cheddar Burgers, Dominican Chimichurri Burgers, Porterhouse Steak with Pan-Seared Cherry Tomatoes, Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Smoked-Paprika Mayonnaise, Barbecued Pork Burgers with Slaw, Chipotle-Lime Chicken, Buffalo Grilled Shrimp with Blue Cheese Dip and Celery, Grilled Salmon with Lime-Butter Sauce, Panna Cotta with Lemon-Thyme Peaches, Peach Ice Cream, Lemon-Herbed Potatoes, Perfect Strawberry Ice Cream, Red Velvet Whoopie Pies.
America’s Test Kitchen 30-Minute Suppers Summer 2011 (chicken skewers on cover)
Grilled Italian Sausage Subs, Grilled Herbed Chicken and Zucchini Salad, Vietnamese-Style Noodle Salad with Chicken, Grilled Spice-Rubbed Chicken Thighs, Glazed Grilled Chicken Skewers, Greek Burgers, Hoisin Pork with Garlic Noodles, Mustard-Glazed Brats with Sweet and Sour Slaw, Wasabi Crab Salad Rolls with Ginger Coleslaw; Chicken, Goat Cheese, and Cherry Salad.
Cook’s Country – July 2011 (peaches and cream pie on cover)
- Dill Potato Salad: Chopped dill is put in a sachet and boiled with the potatoes, and more dill is put in the vinegar that goes on the potatoes.
- Peaches and Cream Pie: Peaches are baked, put in a pie crust, and heavy cream is poured over before baking.
- Grilled Steakhouse Steak Tips: Beef flap steak is cut into small pieces and marinated in brown sugar, garlic, paprika and cayenne pepper before grilling.
- Strawberry Dream Cake: A luscious two-layer strawberry cake that looks perfect for a summertime birthday.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Raspberry Cream Cheese Brownies
knock it out of the park
Raspberry Cream Cheese Brownies (click for the recipe), the latest dessert I’ve made from Cook’s Country magazine, are pure pleasure.
Each brownie is a heavenly combination of rich, spongy chocolate, lined with a cream cheese and raspberry middle. There is also some raspberry jam in the brownie portion, heightening the berry-awesome experience (yes, that was extremely cheeseball of me.)
The first time I tried a bite of these, I had to stop and savor the taste for a moment, closing my eyes and saying to my husband, “My goodness, these are good.”
My husband agreed as he munched away on a brownie.
I found the taste to be best the day the brownies were made and the day after. Although the brownies maintain a rich chocolate flavor and nice soft texture after that time, the taste of the raspberry middle begins to fade.
But if you serve these to a family, they’ll disappear so quickly you won’t even need to think about a timeline.
The recipe I linked to above is on a blog, and it is nearly exactly the same as the one I used, with the exception of one mysterious error. The second paragraph of the directions says to add oil, which doesn’t exist in the recipe ingredients, so don’t worry about it!
The recipe for Raspberry Cream Cheese brownies can also be found in the excellent cookbook Cook's Country Blue Ribbon Desserts.
The recipe says to microwave the butter and chocolate in a large bowl then add the other ingredients. Rather, I microwaved them in a smaller bowl and added the butter/chocolate combination to the other ingredients.
A filling is made by processing softened cream cheese, vanilla, sugar and egg yolk in a food processor.
The first step in making the brownies is stirring together sugar, eggs, and vanilla until combined.
Butter and chopped unsweetened chocolate are microwaved until melted, and ¼ cup of raspberry jam is whisked in. After a slight cooling time, this is added to the sugar mixture. A combination of flour, baking powder and and salt is whisked in to create a batter.
Half of the batter is scraped into an eight-inch square baking plan lined with greased aluminum foil, then the filling is dolloped over and spread into an even layer. Raspberry jam that has been microwaved slightly is dolloped over the filling, and with the tip of a knife, it is swirled in. The remaining batter is spread evenly over the filling.
The brownies are baked, 50 to 60 minutes, then left to cool for a least two hours before cutting into squares.
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Each brownie is a heavenly combination of rich, spongy chocolate, lined with a cream cheese and raspberry middle. There is also some raspberry jam in the brownie portion, heightening the berry-awesome experience (yes, that was extremely cheeseball of me.)
The first time I tried a bite of these, I had to stop and savor the taste for a moment, closing my eyes and saying to my husband, “My goodness, these are good.”
My husband agreed as he munched away on a brownie.
I found the taste to be best the day the brownies were made and the day after. Although the brownies maintain a rich chocolate flavor and nice soft texture after that time, the taste of the raspberry middle begins to fade.
But if you serve these to a family, they’ll disappear so quickly you won’t even need to think about a timeline.
The recipe I linked to above is on a blog, and it is nearly exactly the same as the one I used, with the exception of one mysterious error. The second paragraph of the directions says to add oil, which doesn’t exist in the recipe ingredients, so don’t worry about it!
The recipe for Raspberry Cream Cheese brownies can also be found in the excellent cookbook Cook's Country Blue Ribbon Desserts.
The recipe says to microwave the butter and chocolate in a large bowl then add the other ingredients. Rather, I microwaved them in a smaller bowl and added the butter/chocolate combination to the other ingredients.
A filling is made by processing softened cream cheese, vanilla, sugar and egg yolk in a food processor.
The first step in making the brownies is stirring together sugar, eggs, and vanilla until combined.
Butter and chopped unsweetened chocolate are microwaved until melted, and ¼ cup of raspberry jam is whisked in. After a slight cooling time, this is added to the sugar mixture. A combination of flour, baking powder and and salt is whisked in to create a batter.
Half of the batter is scraped into an eight-inch square baking plan lined with greased aluminum foil, then the filling is dolloped over and spread into an even layer. Raspberry jam that has been microwaved slightly is dolloped over the filling, and with the tip of a knife, it is swirled in. The remaining batter is spread evenly over the filling.
The brownies are baked, 50 to 60 minutes, then left to cool for a least two hours before cutting into squares.
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Thursday, May 19, 2011
Dr. Mandylove, or how I learned to stop worrying and make a pie crust (for amazing Icebox Strawberry Pie)
I finally did it! I made a homemade pastry pie crust.
For years I’ve avoided making one, frightened by tales of fussiness: It’s hard to roll. You’ve got to get the ingredient temperatures and measures just right. Flaky can become easily become lardy and tough.
This past weekend, I decided it was time to face those fears and make a pie crust, and I did so with Cook’s Country magazine's appropriately-titled "No-Fear Pie Crust" (click and scroll down for the recipe).
It’s a press-in crust (no rolling here!) and for the most part, it was successful. Thanks to the secret ingredient of cream cheese, the dough was easy to press into place. After baking, it looked like a homemade pie crust, and it tasted very good.
It was a tad overcooked, though, so next time I make it I will watch it more closely while baking.
I’m glad I made the crust, and will be using the recipe for more pies in the future (lemon, raspberry, chocolate – yummy!)
However, the true crowning achievement of my first pastry pie-making adventure was not the crust, but the filling and topping.
I made Icebox Strawberry Pie (click for the recipe) from Cook’s Country magazine, and it was fabulous.
It’s a luscious, cool pie packed with strawberry flavor that’s dolloped with a cream cheese/heavy cream topping.
Pie lovers will be impressed – I guarantee it.
The recipe I linked to above is on a recipe-sharing site, and it contains both the strawberry pie and pie crust recipes. It is exactly the same as the ones I used from Cook’s Country.
To make the pie filling, two pounds of frozen strawberries are cooked in a large saucepan (I used a soup stock pot), being stirred constantly, for about 25 minutes, until they’ve broken up and become thick and jamlike.
A combination of unflavored gelatin, lemon juice and water is stirred into the cooked berries along with sugar and salt, and the mixture transferred to a bowl to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
A pound of fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced thin, is folded into the filling. The filling is spread into a pie crust that has been baked and cooled, and the pie is refrigerated until set, about four hours.
To make the topping, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and heavy cream (I used whipping cream) are beaten together with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
The topping can be dolloped individually on pieces, or spread over the entire pie.
The pie is stored in the fridge.
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For years I’ve avoided making one, frightened by tales of fussiness: It’s hard to roll. You’ve got to get the ingredient temperatures and measures just right. Flaky can become easily become lardy and tough.
This past weekend, I decided it was time to face those fears and make a pie crust, and I did so with Cook’s Country magazine's appropriately-titled "No-Fear Pie Crust" (click and scroll down for the recipe).
It’s a press-in crust (no rolling here!) and for the most part, it was successful. Thanks to the secret ingredient of cream cheese, the dough was easy to press into place. After baking, it looked like a homemade pie crust, and it tasted very good.
It was a tad overcooked, though, so next time I make it I will watch it more closely while baking.
I’m glad I made the crust, and will be using the recipe for more pies in the future (lemon, raspberry, chocolate – yummy!)
However, the true crowning achievement of my first pastry pie-making adventure was not the crust, but the filling and topping.
I made Icebox Strawberry Pie (click for the recipe) from Cook’s Country magazine, and it was fabulous.
It’s a luscious, cool pie packed with strawberry flavor that’s dolloped with a cream cheese/heavy cream topping.
Pie lovers will be impressed – I guarantee it.
The recipe I linked to above is on a recipe-sharing site, and it contains both the strawberry pie and pie crust recipes. It is exactly the same as the ones I used from Cook’s Country.
To make the pie filling, two pounds of frozen strawberries are cooked in a large saucepan (I used a soup stock pot), being stirred constantly, for about 25 minutes, until they’ve broken up and become thick and jamlike.
A combination of unflavored gelatin, lemon juice and water is stirred into the cooked berries along with sugar and salt, and the mixture transferred to a bowl to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
A pound of fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced thin, is folded into the filling. The filling is spread into a pie crust that has been baked and cooled, and the pie is refrigerated until set, about four hours.
To make the topping, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and heavy cream (I used whipping cream) are beaten together with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
The topping can be dolloped individually on pieces, or spread over the entire pie.
The pie is stored in the fridge.
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Tuesday, May 17, 2011
A terrific homemade pizza crust,
created without fuss (or yeast)
I must admit I’ve stayed away from making fresh pizza crusts because of the ever-present yeast component.
After the failure of some homemade buns a couple of years ago, I’ve stayed away from making things with yeast.
When flipping through a Cook’s Country magazine publication recently, Skillet Suppers, I found a recipe for an alternative to a homemade pizza crust that could be made without yeast: Thin-Crust Skillet Pizza (click for the recipe)..
The recipe promised a thin, crispy crust that could be made quickly in a food processor. The active ingredient? Beer.
You can bet I wanted to give it a try right away.
My husband and I made it for the first time on Sunday, and were very impressed.
The crust was indeed thin, crispy and super easy to make. The toppings were perfect.
Cook’s Country recommends using Newcastle Brown ale, or any other full-flavored ale, for the crust.
The recipe I linked to above is on a blog, but the dough/crust recipe is exactly the same as the one we used.
The combination of toppings is the one primarily offered by Cook’s Country magazine and is very likely amazing, but we tried a delicious variation of four plum tomatoes tossed with ½ tsp salt, one cup of shredded fontina cheese, ½ cup crumbled goat cheese, two ounces chopped prosciutto and ½ cup finely-chopped fresh basil.
The dough and toppings provide comfortably for two nine-inch pizzas.
The dough is made by combining flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a food processor, then adding 1/3 cup beer and one tablespoon of oil slowly through the chute at the top.
The dough is processed until it pulls away from the sides and forms a shaggy ball, about one minute (I found my dough formed three small spheres. I simply combined them into one with my hands.) The dough is covered loosely with plastic wrap and left to rest for 10 minutes.
The dough is divided in half, and each half is rolled into a very thin nine-inch round.
Olive oil is heated in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. A dough round is transferred to the skillet and cooked until the bottom is deep golden brown and crisp, three to four minutes (air bubbles are poked out with a fork during cooking).
The dough is flipped and sprinkled with toppings. The heat is reduced to low and the pizza is cooked, covered, until the second side is crisp and cheeses have melted, about five minutes.
The pizza is transferred to a cutting board, and a second is made with the other half of the dough and toppings.
To keep the first pizza warm while the second was being made, we put it on a plate and put it into the oven at a very low heat.
After the failure of some homemade buns a couple of years ago, I’ve stayed away from making things with yeast.
When flipping through a Cook’s Country magazine publication recently, Skillet Suppers, I found a recipe for an alternative to a homemade pizza crust that could be made without yeast: Thin-Crust Skillet Pizza (click for the recipe)..
The recipe promised a thin, crispy crust that could be made quickly in a food processor. The active ingredient? Beer.
You can bet I wanted to give it a try right away.
My husband and I made it for the first time on Sunday, and were very impressed.
The crust was indeed thin, crispy and super easy to make. The toppings were perfect.
Cook’s Country recommends using Newcastle Brown ale, or any other full-flavored ale, for the crust.
The recipe I linked to above is on a blog, but the dough/crust recipe is exactly the same as the one we used.
The combination of toppings is the one primarily offered by Cook’s Country magazine and is very likely amazing, but we tried a delicious variation of four plum tomatoes tossed with ½ tsp salt, one cup of shredded fontina cheese, ½ cup crumbled goat cheese, two ounces chopped prosciutto and ½ cup finely-chopped fresh basil.
The dough and toppings provide comfortably for two nine-inch pizzas.
The dough is made by combining flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a food processor, then adding 1/3 cup beer and one tablespoon of oil slowly through the chute at the top.
The dough is processed until it pulls away from the sides and forms a shaggy ball, about one minute (I found my dough formed three small spheres. I simply combined them into one with my hands.) The dough is covered loosely with plastic wrap and left to rest for 10 minutes.
The dough is divided in half, and each half is rolled into a very thin nine-inch round.
Olive oil is heated in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. A dough round is transferred to the skillet and cooked until the bottom is deep golden brown and crisp, three to four minutes (air bubbles are poked out with a fork during cooking).
The dough is flipped and sprinkled with toppings. The heat is reduced to low and the pizza is cooked, covered, until the second side is crisp and cheeses have melted, about five minutes.
The pizza is transferred to a cutting board, and a second is made with the other half of the dough and toppings.
To keep the first pizza warm while the second was being made, we put it on a plate and put it into the oven at a very low heat.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Pound cake gets effervescent thanks to 7Up
7Up, the popular soft drink, brings its bubbly effervescence to a lovely dessert, 7UP Pound Cake (click for the recipe).
The cake has a dense-but-light sensation: It’s not crumbly, as is the case with pound cakes, but the texture isn’t as heavy as a traditional pound cake.
And it has a divine lemon-lime taste, thanks mostly to the citrusy glaze that’s drizzled on top.
This delicious, family-friendly cake is ideal for spring, and would be a terrific accompaniment to a cup of tea.
Cook’s Country magazine, whose version of 7Up Pound Cake is the one I made, notes that Sprite, Mountain Dew and ginger ale could all stand in for 7Up, but Fresca won’t – it produces a cake that is pale and tough.
Diet 7Up also isn’t a good substitute – the sugar in regular 7Up is needed to make the cake taste right.
Be sure to use cake flour as the recipe directs. It helps produce the lightness of the cake.
The cake can be made in a 12-inch tube or Bundt pan; I used a Bundt pan. The recipe has a directed baking time of 75 to 90 minutes. The 75-minute baking time was absolutely perfect for me – the cake came out golden and fully baked.
The cake is easy to make. The recipe linked to above on a blog is the same one I used from Cook’s Country. It's also available in the cookbook Cook's Country Blue Ribbon Desserts.
Sugar, eggs, 7Up, lemon zest (finely-grated lemon peel), lime zest (finely-grated lime peel), lemon juice, lime juice and salt are blended in a food processor until smooth, then melted butter is poured slowly through the chute and the mixture is processed until incorporated.
The eggs and 7Up liquid is transferred to a large bowl, and cake flour added in three additions.
The batter is spread in a tube or Bundt pan, baked, cooled for a short time, then turned out onto a wire rack to cool completely, about two hours.
A glaze, made from confectioners’ (icing) sugar, lemon and lime juice, is drilled over the cake. After a 15-minute setting time for the glaze, the cake can be served.
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The cake has a dense-but-light sensation: It’s not crumbly, as is the case with pound cakes, but the texture isn’t as heavy as a traditional pound cake.
And it has a divine lemon-lime taste, thanks mostly to the citrusy glaze that’s drizzled on top.
This delicious, family-friendly cake is ideal for spring, and would be a terrific accompaniment to a cup of tea.
Cook’s Country magazine, whose version of 7Up Pound Cake is the one I made, notes that Sprite, Mountain Dew and ginger ale could all stand in for 7Up, but Fresca won’t – it produces a cake that is pale and tough.
Diet 7Up also isn’t a good substitute – the sugar in regular 7Up is needed to make the cake taste right.
Be sure to use cake flour as the recipe directs. It helps produce the lightness of the cake.
The cake can be made in a 12-inch tube or Bundt pan; I used a Bundt pan. The recipe has a directed baking time of 75 to 90 minutes. The 75-minute baking time was absolutely perfect for me – the cake came out golden and fully baked.
The cake is easy to make. The recipe linked to above on a blog is the same one I used from Cook’s Country. It's also available in the cookbook Cook's Country Blue Ribbon Desserts.
Sugar, eggs, 7Up, lemon zest (finely-grated lemon peel), lime zest (finely-grated lime peel), lemon juice, lime juice and salt are blended in a food processor until smooth, then melted butter is poured slowly through the chute and the mixture is processed until incorporated.
The eggs and 7Up liquid is transferred to a large bowl, and cake flour added in three additions.
The batter is spread in a tube or Bundt pan, baked, cooled for a short time, then turned out onto a wire rack to cool completely, about two hours.
A glaze, made from confectioners’ (icing) sugar, lemon and lime juice, is drilled over the cake. After a 15-minute setting time for the glaze, the cake can be served.
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Thursday, May 5, 2011
Grasshopper Pie - a dessert with a past
“While grasshopper pie is most commonly known these days as a type of ice cream pie, it started off as a mint and chocolate chiffon pie based on a Prohibition-era cocktail,” says the introduction to Cook's Country magazine's version of Grasshopper Pie (click for the recipe). “We wanted to go retro and bring back the original chiffon version of this pie.”
It’s a terrific version – smooth and delicious and sure to impress. This pie would fit right in at the finest bakeries and tea houses.
The secret behind its soft-yet-firm filling is unflavored gelatin, which stabilizes the eggs and whipping cream. The lovely cool, minty flavor comes from crème de menthe and crème de cacao.
Despite the fact the pie is easy to make, cooking with gelatin can be tricky. After having a batch of panna cotta fail to set properly a few years back, I now always make sure gelatin has fully dissolved in a cream mixture before taking it off the heat.
The best way I know to do this is use a small pot, which helps gelatin dissolve more easily, and check the spoon you are using to stir the mixture regularly. Gelatin that is not yet fully dissolved will leave quite obvious large flecks in the liquid on the spoon. The flecks will disappear when the gelatin has dissolved.
If you follow the directions carefully for the recipe, however, things should work fine. I found the cooking times to be about right.
One thing that wasn’t completely right about my pie, however, was the color. Because I used clear crème de menthe, I had grasshopper pie with a white filling instead of pale green, which would have been created by green crème de menthe.
But since the pie ultimately tasted fabulous, the color wasn’t an issue at all.
For the crust, the recipe calls for Oreo Mint n’ Crème cookies – a variation I wasn’t able to find in the supermarket! My substitution was to use regular Oreos and add 1/8 tsp of mint extract to the crust ingredients.
The recipe says to refrigerate the pie at least six hours or overnight. Go with overnight – a slight boozy taste in the pie filling dissipates perfectly with the longer time.
The pie needs to be stored in the refrigerator, preferably with plastic wrap on top.
The recipe I linked to above on a blog is exactly the same as the one I used from Cook’s Country magazine.
The crust is a combination of Mint n’ Crème Oreos and melted butter (or regular Oreos, melted butter and 1/8 tsp. mint extract.)
The filling is made by cooking cream on the stovestop that has gelatin, sugar, cream, egg yolks and salt in it. Crème de menthe and crème de cacao is added right before the mixture is put into the fridge to set slightly.
Cream that has been beaten to stiff peaks is folded into the gelatin mixture, and the resulting filling is smoothed on the crust.
The pie is refrigerated overnight before serving.
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It’s a terrific version – smooth and delicious and sure to impress. This pie would fit right in at the finest bakeries and tea houses.
The secret behind its soft-yet-firm filling is unflavored gelatin, which stabilizes the eggs and whipping cream. The lovely cool, minty flavor comes from crème de menthe and crème de cacao.
Despite the fact the pie is easy to make, cooking with gelatin can be tricky. After having a batch of panna cotta fail to set properly a few years back, I now always make sure gelatin has fully dissolved in a cream mixture before taking it off the heat.
The best way I know to do this is use a small pot, which helps gelatin dissolve more easily, and check the spoon you are using to stir the mixture regularly. Gelatin that is not yet fully dissolved will leave quite obvious large flecks in the liquid on the spoon. The flecks will disappear when the gelatin has dissolved.
If you follow the directions carefully for the recipe, however, things should work fine. I found the cooking times to be about right.
One thing that wasn’t completely right about my pie, however, was the color. Because I used clear crème de menthe, I had grasshopper pie with a white filling instead of pale green, which would have been created by green crème de menthe.
But since the pie ultimately tasted fabulous, the color wasn’t an issue at all.
For the crust, the recipe calls for Oreo Mint n’ Crème cookies – a variation I wasn’t able to find in the supermarket! My substitution was to use regular Oreos and add 1/8 tsp of mint extract to the crust ingredients.
The recipe says to refrigerate the pie at least six hours or overnight. Go with overnight – a slight boozy taste in the pie filling dissipates perfectly with the longer time.
The pie needs to be stored in the refrigerator, preferably with plastic wrap on top.
The recipe I linked to above on a blog is exactly the same as the one I used from Cook’s Country magazine.
The crust is a combination of Mint n’ Crème Oreos and melted butter (or regular Oreos, melted butter and 1/8 tsp. mint extract.)
The filling is made by cooking cream on the stovestop that has gelatin, sugar, cream, egg yolks and salt in it. Crème de menthe and crème de cacao is added right before the mixture is put into the fridge to set slightly.
Cream that has been beaten to stiff peaks is folded into the gelatin mixture, and the resulting filling is smoothed on the crust.
The pie is refrigerated overnight before serving.
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Thursday, April 14, 2011
Old-fashioned Vanilla Wafer Cake
will never go out of style!
Vanilla Wafer Cake (click for the recipe)*, I’m told by doing a little research online, is a recipe that has been around for a long time.
Luckily, delicious never goes out of fashion, so this cake stands up as much as it did years ago.
It’s a crowd-pleasing, family-friendly cake, with no unusual flavors lurking within. It slices nicely, and pieces work just as well packed away for lunches as they do for after-dinner dessert.
My husband, who is cuckoo for coconut, loved that the cake was packed with it – two cups of the sweetened, shredded stuff to be exact.
So many vanilla wafer cookies (seven cups!) are used that no extra flour is needed. I used Nabisco Nilla wafers.
*The recipe for Vanilla Wafer Cake that I used is a version from Cook’s Country magazine. The recipe I linked to above is on the NBC Today website. Chris Kimball, founder of Cook’s Country and America's Test Kitchen, demonstrated making Vanilla Wafer Cake on the show one day. Just scroll down until you find the recipe.
The cake is a snap to make.
Vanilla wafer cookies are processed in a food processor in two batches until fine crumbs form. The crumbs are transferred to a bowl and salt is added.
Sugar, butter and eggs are mixed together with an electric mixer. The cookie crumbs are mixed in alternately with whole milk.
Sweetened shredded coconut and toasted, chopped pecans are folded in. (I bought the pecans already chopped and toasted them in a frying pan on medium for about four minutes.)
The batter is scraped into a nine-inch springform pan and baked until the cake is golden brown, one hour 20 minutes to one hour 40 minutes (my cake only needed the lesser cooking time of one hour 20 minutes.)
After the cake is cooled in the pan for a few minutes, it is inverted on a wire rack to cool to room temperature before serving.
The cake will keep at room temperature covered in plastic for three to five days.
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Luckily, delicious never goes out of fashion, so this cake stands up as much as it did years ago.
It’s a crowd-pleasing, family-friendly cake, with no unusual flavors lurking within. It slices nicely, and pieces work just as well packed away for lunches as they do for after-dinner dessert.
My husband, who is cuckoo for coconut, loved that the cake was packed with it – two cups of the sweetened, shredded stuff to be exact.
So many vanilla wafer cookies (seven cups!) are used that no extra flour is needed. I used Nabisco Nilla wafers.
*The recipe for Vanilla Wafer Cake that I used is a version from Cook’s Country magazine. The recipe I linked to above is on the NBC Today website. Chris Kimball, founder of Cook’s Country and America's Test Kitchen, demonstrated making Vanilla Wafer Cake on the show one day. Just scroll down until you find the recipe.
The cake is a snap to make.
Vanilla wafer cookies are processed in a food processor in two batches until fine crumbs form. The crumbs are transferred to a bowl and salt is added.
Sugar, butter and eggs are mixed together with an electric mixer. The cookie crumbs are mixed in alternately with whole milk.
Sweetened shredded coconut and toasted, chopped pecans are folded in. (I bought the pecans already chopped and toasted them in a frying pan on medium for about four minutes.)
The batter is scraped into a nine-inch springform pan and baked until the cake is golden brown, one hour 20 minutes to one hour 40 minutes (my cake only needed the lesser cooking time of one hour 20 minutes.)
After the cake is cooled in the pan for a few minutes, it is inverted on a wire rack to cool to room temperature before serving.
The cake will keep at room temperature covered in plastic for three to five days.
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Friday, February 18, 2011
Pecan-Sour Cream Coffee Cake:
Serve with a hot drink
Seconds after sampling a piece of Pecan-Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Orange Glaze (click for the recipe), my husband got up and made himself a cup of tea to drink with the rest of his serving.
His actions demonstrated the serve-me-with-a-hot-liquid appeal of this absolutely scrumptious dessert, which doesn’t actually contain any coffee. (Of course, eating this cake with a cold drink is perfectly acceptable, too.)
The cake is moist due to sour cream and maple syrup, is perfectly spiced thanks to a cinnamon streusel, and the orange glaze tops everything off perfectly.
It’s the type of cake you’d serve on an afternoon when you take a break from life and put your feet up. It would also be absolutely wonderful as a brunch dessert.
With this cake, the streusel isn’t a topping as is often the case. The streusel is sprinkled on most of the batter, then topped with a last bit of batter before baking, producing a lovely line of spice near the bottom of the cake.
To produce the finely-ground pecans needed in the recipe, I used a small electric kitchen chopper.
The cake keeps well for about three days at room temperature.
The recipe, which was originally published in Cook’s Country magazine, appears in its entirety at the link above.
The cake is easy to make.
For the streusel, finely-group pecans, dark brown sugar, flour and cinnamon are combined.
For the cake, eggs, sour cream, maple syrup and vanilla are whisked together in one bowl. In another bowl, flour, more pecans, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt are combined.
Butter and the egg mixture are added to the flour mixture and combined with a hand-held mixer.
Five cups of the batter are poured into a greased 12-cup Bundt pan. The streusel is sprinkled over, and the remaining batter spread over the streusel (this is a bit tricky and may require the use of a bread knife.)
After the cake is cooled and taken out of the pan, a glaze of confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar), orange juice and grated orange zest (orange peel) are whisked together and drizzled over the top and sides of the cake.
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His actions demonstrated the serve-me-with-a-hot-liquid appeal of this absolutely scrumptious dessert, which doesn’t actually contain any coffee. (Of course, eating this cake with a cold drink is perfectly acceptable, too.)
The cake is moist due to sour cream and maple syrup, is perfectly spiced thanks to a cinnamon streusel, and the orange glaze tops everything off perfectly.
It’s the type of cake you’d serve on an afternoon when you take a break from life and put your feet up. It would also be absolutely wonderful as a brunch dessert.
With this cake, the streusel isn’t a topping as is often the case. The streusel is sprinkled on most of the batter, then topped with a last bit of batter before baking, producing a lovely line of spice near the bottom of the cake.
To produce the finely-ground pecans needed in the recipe, I used a small electric kitchen chopper.
The cake keeps well for about three days at room temperature.
The recipe, which was originally published in Cook’s Country magazine, appears in its entirety at the link above.
The cake is easy to make.
For the streusel, finely-group pecans, dark brown sugar, flour and cinnamon are combined.
For the cake, eggs, sour cream, maple syrup and vanilla are whisked together in one bowl. In another bowl, flour, more pecans, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt are combined.
Butter and the egg mixture are added to the flour mixture and combined with a hand-held mixer.
Five cups of the batter are poured into a greased 12-cup Bundt pan. The streusel is sprinkled over, and the remaining batter spread over the streusel (this is a bit tricky and may require the use of a bread knife.)
After the cake is cooled and taken out of the pan, a glaze of confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar), orange juice and grated orange zest (orange peel) are whisked together and drizzled over the top and sides of the cake.
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Thursday, January 20, 2011
Warm up a winter weeknight
with Asian Beef and Noodle Soup
An Asian noodle dish – it’s my idea of food heaven.
It’s hard to resist the comforting appeal of rice, ramen, soba or udon noodles. Cooked in a broth, they’re an amazing way to warm up on a winter’s day.
Asian Beef and Noodle Soup (click for the recipe) from Cook’s Country magazine is just such a warming recipe.
This soup is great for weeknights. It’s a snap to make, and it’s family-friendly – everyone will be slurping it up.
Chinese five-spice powder is the secret ingredient that lends great flavor in a short time period.
Chinese five-spice powder, a blend of ground star anise, fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon and Sichuan pepper, can be found in the spice or Asian foods section of many supermarkets. Fish sauce, another key ingredient in the soup, is also in the Asian foods section.
The recipe calls for one small flank steak, cut into ¼-inch pieces. I have often used pre-sliced stir-fry beef to speed the preparation even more.
The recipe also calls for cilantro. As with any time my husband and I encounter cilantro in a recipe, we skipped it completely in the soup.
The recipe I linked to above, which is on a blog, is nearly exactly the same as the one I use from Cook’s Country magazine. (If you have a Cook’s Country website log-in, click here for the recipe.)
There are just a couple of small differences, and they have to do with the toppings the blogger has suggested. The recipe from Cook’s Country did not call for, and so I have never used, sliced green onions, lime juice, soy sauce or Siracha chili sauce as toppings.
Chicken broth, grated fresh ginger, minced garlic, fish sauce and Chinese five-spice powder are brought to a boil in a large pot or Dutch oven, and are then simmered for 10 minutes.
Ramen noodles, sliced beef and cabbage are added and soup simmered for a short time longer.
Then it’s time to ladle out some bowls of comfort!
More warming soups
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It’s hard to resist the comforting appeal of rice, ramen, soba or udon noodles. Cooked in a broth, they’re an amazing way to warm up on a winter’s day.
Asian Beef and Noodle Soup (click for the recipe) from Cook’s Country magazine is just such a warming recipe.
This soup is great for weeknights. It’s a snap to make, and it’s family-friendly – everyone will be slurping it up.
Chinese five-spice powder is the secret ingredient that lends great flavor in a short time period.
Chinese five-spice powder, a blend of ground star anise, fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon and Sichuan pepper, can be found in the spice or Asian foods section of many supermarkets. Fish sauce, another key ingredient in the soup, is also in the Asian foods section.
The recipe calls for one small flank steak, cut into ¼-inch pieces. I have often used pre-sliced stir-fry beef to speed the preparation even more.
The recipe also calls for cilantro. As with any time my husband and I encounter cilantro in a recipe, we skipped it completely in the soup.
The recipe I linked to above, which is on a blog, is nearly exactly the same as the one I use from Cook’s Country magazine. (If you have a Cook’s Country website log-in, click here for the recipe.)
There are just a couple of small differences, and they have to do with the toppings the blogger has suggested. The recipe from Cook’s Country did not call for, and so I have never used, sliced green onions, lime juice, soy sauce or Siracha chili sauce as toppings.
Chicken broth, grated fresh ginger, minced garlic, fish sauce and Chinese five-spice powder are brought to a boil in a large pot or Dutch oven, and are then simmered for 10 minutes.
Ramen noodles, sliced beef and cabbage are added and soup simmered for a short time longer.
Then it’s time to ladle out some bowls of comfort!
More warming soups
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Friday, December 31, 2010
The 10 best recipes I reviewed in 2010
I bravely issued the challenge to myself: Decide on the 10 absolute best recipes you reviewed in 2010 and present them on Recipes That Worked.
After agonizing over the dozens and dozens of recipes I have reviewed from major cooking magazines and cookbooks in 2010, I managed to do it.
All the recipes I write about are very good, but these are the cream of the crop, the top of the heap. They're my favorites, my secret weapons, the ones that get raved about when I make them.
Here they are:
Tunnel of Fudge Cake: A crowd-pleasing treat from America's Test Kitchen that will score on special occasions.
Sticky Chicken Wings: For a casual party or weeknight dinner, these yummy fix-it-and-forget-it-wings from Everyday Food can be prepared in one dish.
Orecchiette with Fennel, Sausage and Tomatoes: This is the best pasta dish I've ever had, at home or in restaurants. It comes from Fine Cooking magazine.
Fast Chicken Fajitas: Have a delicious dinner on the table in a jiffy in this winner from Everyday Food.
Cincinnati Chili: A savory mild chili made with cinnamon and allspice that's served over spaghetti, this family-pleaser is an America's Test Kitchen creation.
Chocolate Mint Cream Pie: The dessert recipe that got me an offer of marriage, from the cookbook 375 Sensational Splenda Recipes by Marlene Koch.
Rum Punch with Passion Fruit and Lime: An easy-to-make, no-fail pitcher drink from Bon Appetit magazine that will bring a summer backyard party to roaring life.
Ray's Cafe Salmon Burger with Basil Mayonnaise: The best burger I've ever tasted or made -- they're good for weeknights or even a casual dinner party.
15-Minute Chocolate-Walnut Fudge: Delicious fudge that takes just 15 minutes to make? Who knew? This time- and sanity-saver is from America's Test Kitchen.
Orange Butter Cookies with Grand Marnier Glaze: I made this for the first time this December, and it instantly became a favorite. Knock their socks off with this confection from Fine Cooking magazine.
Please join me in 2011 as I embark on a new year of letting you know about which recipes I tried that worked.
To get the latest buzz from this blog, join Recipes That Worked on Facebook.
After agonizing over the dozens and dozens of recipes I have reviewed from major cooking magazines and cookbooks in 2010, I managed to do it.
All the recipes I write about are very good, but these are the cream of the crop, the top of the heap. They're my favorites, my secret weapons, the ones that get raved about when I make them.
Here they are:
Tunnel of Fudge Cake: A crowd-pleasing treat from America's Test Kitchen that will score on special occasions.
Sticky Chicken Wings: For a casual party or weeknight dinner, these yummy fix-it-and-forget-it-wings from Everyday Food can be prepared in one dish.
Orecchiette with Fennel, Sausage and Tomatoes: This is the best pasta dish I've ever had, at home or in restaurants. It comes from Fine Cooking magazine.
Fast Chicken Fajitas: Have a delicious dinner on the table in a jiffy in this winner from Everyday Food.
Cincinnati Chili: A savory mild chili made with cinnamon and allspice that's served over spaghetti, this family-pleaser is an America's Test Kitchen creation.
Chocolate Mint Cream Pie: The dessert recipe that got me an offer of marriage, from the cookbook 375 Sensational Splenda Recipes by Marlene Koch.
Rum Punch with Passion Fruit and Lime: An easy-to-make, no-fail pitcher drink from Bon Appetit magazine that will bring a summer backyard party to roaring life.
Ray's Cafe Salmon Burger with Basil Mayonnaise: The best burger I've ever tasted or made -- they're good for weeknights or even a casual dinner party.
15-Minute Chocolate-Walnut Fudge: Delicious fudge that takes just 15 minutes to make? Who knew? This time- and sanity-saver is from America's Test Kitchen.
Orange Butter Cookies with Grand Marnier Glaze: I made this for the first time this December, and it instantly became a favorite. Knock their socks off with this confection from Fine Cooking magazine.
Please join me in 2011 as I embark on a new year of letting you know about which recipes I tried that worked.
To get the latest buzz from this blog, join Recipes That Worked on Facebook.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Trying out Tourtière
My husband and I attempted making Tourtière (click for the recipe) the last week of December 2009 after spotting a recipe for it in Cook’s Country magazine.
It looked like a simple enough recipe, and making it would be a way to use up some of the leftover mashed potatoes my mother sent home with us after Christmas dinner.
We were glad we tried it. It was delicious, warming comfort food, perfect for a cold winter night. It’s even worth making mashed potatoes just to prepare it for Christmas!
Tourtière is a meat pie made with ground pork, beef or veal that originated in Quebec. It’s traditionally served on Christmas Eve.
The recipe I linked to above is on the Cook’s Country magazine website, and a log-in is required to access it completely (there is a free 14-day website trial.)
Here’s the closest free recipe to the one I used that I could find online: The Ultimate Tourtière on Food.com. It uses ground pork and mashed potatoes like the one my husband and I made.
However, there are so many other differences between the two recipes it’s not worth going through them all! The main one is that The Ultimate Tourtière recipe doesn’t have a step for simmering ground pork in beef broth, which I believe is key to the Cook’s Country’s version’s fantastic taste.
For the Cook’s Country recipe I used, there are a couple of important things to note.
First: Two nine-inch pie dough rounds are needed. We bought pre-made deep-dish pie crusts to use in the recipe, and were glad we did. Regular-size pie crusts are too small to hold the filling and to stretch over the top.
Because we used pre-made pie crusts, I was sure to let them thaw as directed on the package so they were pliable enough to work with as needed – you’ll need to straighten out the crust to put it on top of the meat, for example.
Second, the recipe doesn’t specify what size of pie plate to use. Because there was far too much pork filling for a nine-inch pie plate, we used a round glass casserole dish with a nine-inch base and slanting sides that were four inches high.
The tourtière is quite easy to make.
Ground pork, chopped onion, minced garlic, dried thyme, dried sage and ground nutmeg are cooked in a Dutch oven or large soup pot.
Purchased beef broth is added, and the mixture simmered. Off heat, mashed potatoes are stirred in, and the pork mixture left to cool for at least 30 minutes.
The casserole dish is lined with one pie dough round, filled with the pork mixture and topped with the second round. Four vent holds are cut in the top, and the tourtière is baked until the crust is golden brown.
Let cool for 15 minutes and serve.
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It looked like a simple enough recipe, and making it would be a way to use up some of the leftover mashed potatoes my mother sent home with us after Christmas dinner.
We were glad we tried it. It was delicious, warming comfort food, perfect for a cold winter night. It’s even worth making mashed potatoes just to prepare it for Christmas!
Tourtière is a meat pie made with ground pork, beef or veal that originated in Quebec. It’s traditionally served on Christmas Eve.
The recipe I linked to above is on the Cook’s Country magazine website, and a log-in is required to access it completely (there is a free 14-day website trial.)
Here’s the closest free recipe to the one I used that I could find online: The Ultimate Tourtière on Food.com. It uses ground pork and mashed potatoes like the one my husband and I made.
However, there are so many other differences between the two recipes it’s not worth going through them all! The main one is that The Ultimate Tourtière recipe doesn’t have a step for simmering ground pork in beef broth, which I believe is key to the Cook’s Country’s version’s fantastic taste.
For the Cook’s Country recipe I used, there are a couple of important things to note.
First: Two nine-inch pie dough rounds are needed. We bought pre-made deep-dish pie crusts to use in the recipe, and were glad we did. Regular-size pie crusts are too small to hold the filling and to stretch over the top.
Because we used pre-made pie crusts, I was sure to let them thaw as directed on the package so they were pliable enough to work with as needed – you’ll need to straighten out the crust to put it on top of the meat, for example.
Second, the recipe doesn’t specify what size of pie plate to use. Because there was far too much pork filling for a nine-inch pie plate, we used a round glass casserole dish with a nine-inch base and slanting sides that were four inches high.
The tourtière is quite easy to make.
Ground pork, chopped onion, minced garlic, dried thyme, dried sage and ground nutmeg are cooked in a Dutch oven or large soup pot.
Purchased beef broth is added, and the mixture simmered. Off heat, mashed potatoes are stirred in, and the pork mixture left to cool for at least 30 minutes.
The casserole dish is lined with one pie dough round, filled with the pork mixture and topped with the second round. Four vent holds are cut in the top, and the tourtière is baked until the crust is golden brown.
Let cool for 15 minutes and serve.
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Sunday, December 12, 2010
White Chocolate & Peppermint Brownies:
A wintery landscape on a plate!
Updated on Dec. 21, 2023
The swirling white chocolate frosting on the brownies reminded me of snow drifts – the pleasant, lovely type of snowdrift that’s perfect for making snow angels, not the kind of drift that makes you get stuck with your vehicle.
With the topping of chopped peppermint candies or candy canes, the Christmasy feel is complete.
It’s a delicious, family-friendly treat. (Make sure if you are serving this to children, though, that the peppermint candies sprinkled on top are chopped very finely).
The free version of the recipe I linked to above is on a blog. The original recipe I used is White Chocolate and Peppermint Brownies from Cook's Country, which can be accessed by members of the magazine’s recipe website.
The blog recipe differs slightly from the one I used from Cook’s Country magazine.
The main, and most key difference, is the fact the blogger breaks up the recipe into two sections. First, he presents the recipe for the brownies, then adds the White Chocolate and Peppermint part as a variation on the basic brownie.
Make sure you don’t cool the brownies to room temperature after baking as his “basic brownies” section directs. Go instead to his “White Chocolate and Peppermint Brownies section,” where he correctly directs to sprinkle white chocolate chips on top of the brownies right after they come out of the oven. The chips are left to soften, about five minutes, and are then smoothed evenly on top of the brownies for a frosting.
The blogger says to melt the chocolate and butter for the brownies in a “small bowl (micro. or stove.)” The enlarged version of this is “melt chocolate and butter in a small bowl in microwave or in a heatproof bowl set over pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally to combine.”
Another good recipe: Peppermint Brownies
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Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Boursin cheese meatballs - a most heavenly idea!
When I came across the recipe for Skillet Meatballs and Noodles in Creamy Herb Sauce (click for the recipe) while paging through the November issue of Cook’s Country magazine, I stopped dead in my reading tracks.
I stopped not so much because of the recipe's title (although it does sound good!), but because of an ingredient I saw listed in it: Boursin cheese.
This trademarked soft, creamy cheese can be found in the fancy cheeses/deli section of many supermarkets.
And man, is it ever good. Spread over crackers, it is a dream.
In this recipe, the garlic and herb variety of Boursin cheese is mixed with ground beef to make meatballs – an idea that had me salivating. I used the lower-fat variety of Boursin cheese for the recipe.
The meatballs are served in a gravy-like sauce and egg noodles. It’s a cozy, homestyle dish that reminded me a bit of beef bourguignon.
It’s very easy to make. The recipe I linked to above is on a blog but it is the same one I used from Cook's Country.
Ground beef and garlic and herb Boursin cheese are combined gently, then formed into small meatballs that are browned in a skillet.
The meatballs are removed from the skillet, and chopped onion, chicken broth, uncooked egg noodles (we used whole wheat) and white wine are added and cooked until the pasta softens.
The meatballs are put back into the sauce and noodles. Off heat, more Boursin cheese and chopped fresh chives are stirred in.
Another good fall comfort food recipe: Creamy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
I stopped not so much because of the recipe's title (although it does sound good!), but because of an ingredient I saw listed in it: Boursin cheese.
This trademarked soft, creamy cheese can be found in the fancy cheeses/deli section of many supermarkets.
And man, is it ever good. Spread over crackers, it is a dream.
In this recipe, the garlic and herb variety of Boursin cheese is mixed with ground beef to make meatballs – an idea that had me salivating. I used the lower-fat variety of Boursin cheese for the recipe.
The meatballs are served in a gravy-like sauce and egg noodles. It’s a cozy, homestyle dish that reminded me a bit of beef bourguignon.
It’s very easy to make. The recipe I linked to above is on a blog but it is the same one I used from Cook's Country.
Ground beef and garlic and herb Boursin cheese are combined gently, then formed into small meatballs that are browned in a skillet.
The meatballs are removed from the skillet, and chopped onion, chicken broth, uncooked egg noodles (we used whole wheat) and white wine are added and cooked until the pasta softens.
The meatballs are put back into the sauce and noodles. Off heat, more Boursin cheese and chopped fresh chives are stirred in.
Another good fall comfort food recipe: Creamy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Absolutely amazing Cincinnati Chili:
Uses cinnamon and allspice!
When some people think of chili, they have flashbacks to their uncle’s blazing hot concoction.
It may be a fond flashback, but if it’s not, I’ve got a chili recipe you’ve got to try.
Cincinnati Chili is mild and almost sweet, and incredibly delicious.
Cinnamon and allspice, both key ingredients, may seem much more suited to gingerbread, but they are essential to the chili’s exceptional taste.
This Cook’s Country magazine recipe has been featured in a couple of America’s Test Kitchen “best-of” recipe collections, and I can see (or taste!) why.
The whole family will dig into it with vigor.
Make sure to serve the chili over spaghetti, and in turn, some shredded cheddar cheese on top – it makes for very satisfying dish.
The recipe I linked to above is an exact reprint of the Cook’s Country recipe.
The chili is made by cooking onions in a Dutch oven, then adding garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, dried oregano, ground cinnamon, allspice, chicken broth, tomato sauce, cider vinegar (we use apple cider vinegar) and dark brown sugar.
Ground beef is added to the sauce, then it is simmered until slightly thickened.
Serve over cooked spaghetti and watch your family react with delighted surprise!
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It may be a fond flashback, but if it’s not, I’ve got a chili recipe you’ve got to try.
Cincinnati Chili is mild and almost sweet, and incredibly delicious.
Cinnamon and allspice, both key ingredients, may seem much more suited to gingerbread, but they are essential to the chili’s exceptional taste.
This Cook’s Country magazine recipe has been featured in a couple of America’s Test Kitchen “best-of” recipe collections, and I can see (or taste!) why.
The whole family will dig into it with vigor.
Make sure to serve the chili over spaghetti, and in turn, some shredded cheddar cheese on top – it makes for very satisfying dish.
The recipe I linked to above is an exact reprint of the Cook’s Country recipe.
The chili is made by cooking onions in a Dutch oven, then adding garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, dried oregano, ground cinnamon, allspice, chicken broth, tomato sauce, cider vinegar (we use apple cider vinegar) and dark brown sugar.
Ground beef is added to the sauce, then it is simmered until slightly thickened.
Serve over cooked spaghetti and watch your family react with delighted surprise!
Tweet
Pin It
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