Rocky Road Bark

July 21, 2010 by
 
I love Cook’s Country magazine. In fact, it’s the only one I subscribe too.  I like some others, but I always feel guilty spending money on myself (What’s with that? Is that a general mom thing?)
Anyways, it’s definitely my favorite cooking magazine. Sometimes I get great ideas for my own recipes just flipping through looking at the pictures.  I almost didn’t try this recipe, but I’m so glad I did.  Everyone always loves it, it’s simple and quick to make. And it contains chocolate, so how can that be bad?
 
ROCKY ROAD BARK
Recipe from Cook’s Country Magazine
 
6 whole graham crackers
5 T unsalted butter (Don’t substitute, it’ll be too salty)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet sometimes)
3/4 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds (we like walnuts)
Heat oven to 375. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang.*
(* Sometimes I just spray the pan with non stick spray, because sometimes the caramel does stick a bit to the foil- it’s up to you)
Line bottom of pan with graham crackers in a single layer, breaking them if necessary to fit tightly.
(I was making a double batch in this photo- using a 9 by 13 inch pan)
Make the caramel. Combine butter, brown sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and sugar has dissolved.
Scrape mixture onto graham crackers and smooth with a small spatula so that mixture covers crackers completely. 
Bake for about 10 minutes, until caramel is bubbling.
Remove pan from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips, and return to oven to soften chocolate, about 1 or 2 minutes.  Remove from oven and, using a spatula, smooth chocolate in an even layer.
Sprinkle with marshmallows and then nuts over chocolate. Press lightly with fingertips to adhere to chocolate.  Cool on wire rack for 30 mintues, then freeze until chocolate hardens, 30 minutes.
Grabbing overhang of foil, lift from pan onto cutting board and cut into 2 inch squares.
Filed Under: Desserts

Berry Flummery

March 8, 2010 by

This is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE thing in the entire world. I know, that’s quite the statement, but you’ll have to try it, and then you’ll understand why.  Fresh berries are one of my favorite things, and growing up in the Pacific Northwest it’s no wonder why. Every summer I stock my freezer with fresh berries (Lay on a cookie sheet in a single layer and place in freezer until hard, then throw into a ziplock or freezer container.) They easily keep good for at least one year, staying as individual berries, never clumping together.  If you don’t have access to all the berries I used, you can easily adjust to what you have on hand. I wouldn’t recommend using frozen strawberries though, as they will be too watery.
And DON’T skip toasting the Irish Oatmeal, it adds a very important touch.

BERRY FLUMMERY

1 lb strawberries
1 cup raspberries*
1 cup blackberries*
1 cup marionberries*
2 T sugar
2 cups cream
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tsp instant clearjel, optional**
2 T vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 cup McCann’s Quick Cooking Irish Oatmeal (or quick oats)

Spread oats on a dry baking sheet, toast at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until toasted and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
Chop strawberries, add other berries and sugar. Stir to combine.

Cover and chill in fridge for an hour or 2. (This step can be skipped if necessary).
Mash berries with a potato masher or fork, still leaving some chunks.

Whip cream, and before it gets to soft peaks, sprinkle in instant clearjel and confectioner’s sugar. Continue whipping to soft peaks. Stir in sour cream, vanilla, and 2/3 cup of the oats.
Layer in parfait glasses, putting a spoon or two of the cream mixture, berry mixture, and continue layering, (this size of glasses you use will determine how many layers).
End with a dollop of the cream mixture. Sprinkle tops with the 1/3 cup remaining toasted oats.
You can also top with a fresh berry.

*I used frozen marion, black, and raspberries, but fresh strawberries. It works quite well in this dish, and you can also use a different combination of berries, or use just strawberries alone.

**You don’t have to use the instant clearjel, but it stabilizes the whipped cream, so you can make it ahead of time and not worry about it losing its body or getting runny.

Filed Under: Desserts, Irish

Eclairs

February 10, 2010 by

Eclairs. I know what you’re thinking. Eclairs? Seriously, Holly?  Who makes Eclairs? Well…. I do. And soon, YOU will too. Just trust me, you CAN do it. AND, you’ll be glad you did. Actually, the ones you love enough to share them with, THEY’LL be glad too. I shared these with my daughter’s therapist, because I totally love them.  Now, I included the recipe for filling them with Vanilla Pastry Cream, which is quite yummy, but my personal favorite is filled with whipped cream or ice cream. Now, what are you waiting for? You’ve got Eclairs to make – for Valentine’s Day! Or…for Wednesday!

ECLAIRS
Cream Puff Pastry:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup flour
4 eggs
1 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
In a medium saucepan combine margarine or butter, water, and salt. Bring mixture to boiling, stirring until butter or margarine melts.
Add flour all at once, stirring vigorously.  Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball that doesn’t seperate. (It will come in pieces if you try-but should make a fairly good ball).
Here’s after adding the flour and stirring a bit, you can see it needs more stirring:
This looks pretty good here, you can see it’s pulling together nicely.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon after each addition for about 1 minute or until smooth.
Or, you can cheat and throw it in the mixer, adding an egg every minute or so. : )
*At this point, if you want just plain cream puffs instead of Eclairs, drop by heaping tablespoonfulls onto a greased baking sheet. (Makes 10). Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes and golden brown.
But we’re not making cream puffs, we’re making Eclairs. So, fill a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip, about a 1 inch opening (or you could do 1/2 inch for smaller eclairs).
Now, twist the top nice and tight, and hold with one hand.  This is where you’ll apply pressure, not in the middle. Trust me, that would be messy.  As you pipe, you’ll need to adjust occasionally, twisting more.
When you get to the end of each eclair, flip up slightly, releasing pressure BEFORE you’re at the end.

They should be about 4 inches long. (Unless you’re making smaller ones).

Pipe 12 Eclairs onto a large cookie sheet. Now, lightly wet your finger and smooth down any bumps or flips at the end.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and puffy.  Cool on a wire rack.
After cool, make the chocolate ganache icing.
GANACHE:
4 oz chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips-I use dark chocolate chips) about 1/2 cup
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 T unsalted butter
Melt the butter and cream in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Take off heat just before boiling, add chocolate, and cover. Let sit for a couple minutes to soften chocolate, then stir until smooth, shiny and delicious.
Carefully dip the tops of the Eclairs into the ganache, and lay out to dry. (Unless you’re doing the next step and adding the white chocolate hearts.)
And share some extra ganache with any cute cupcakes around the house.
Now, this is a little extra twist I came up with one day because I had some extra melted white chocolate lying around. You can use white chocolate, or candy melts, or almond bark, whatever, you could even use different colors if you’re feeling adventurous.
Using a small spoon, drop 3 tiny dots of the white chocolate on the still wet eclairs.
Now, take a toothpick and drag it straight thru all 3 dots.
See, isn’t that the cutest?!
Now, some people would say you should fill them BEFORE you do the icing, but I really prefer to do this step first, then add the filling later.  And sometimes we like them filled with ice cream, which is my favorite way, but if you want to do pastry cream, I’ll oblige.
VANILLA PASTRY CREAM:
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups light cream or half and half
4 slightly beaten egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup whipping cream
Stir together sugar, flour, and salt in a heavy saucepan.  Slowly stir in light cream.  Cook and stir over medium heat till mixture is thick and bubbly.  Cook and stir for another minute.
Gradually stir about 1 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks (this is called tempering- you’re slowly getting the eggs hot without scrambling them- Eclairs with scrambled egg pudding? Not good eats.)
Return all of it to the saucepan.  Cook and stir for 2 more minutes.    Remove from heat, add vanilla.
Put in a bowl and cover, making sure ENTIRE surface is covered with either plastic wrap or wax paper, if you don’t it’ll form a yucky skin. Again- not good eats.
Cool in fridge. Do not stir during cooling.
Now, beat whipping cream in a bowl until soft peaks form.  Fold into chilled pastry cream, chill well.
Next, cut the eclair horizontally just below the ganache. Either spoon the pastry cream in or pipe in with a pastry bag.



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Filed Under: Desserts, Tea time