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Category Archives: Desserts

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Bread

Posted on October 22, 2010 by amydeline

The kids and I cook together quite a bit. In fact, I can’t enter the kitchen these days without my three year old on my toes, shouting, I want to help! I want to help! As you may imagine, the more we cook together, the more smoothly our cooking adventures tend to go. The boys understand the lay of the land in the kitchen. Mostly. Wildly running their hands through a floured table is still irresistible to them. But, for the most part, our cooking moves along smoothly. They mix, they measure, they stir, they smell, they taste. We move along like a well-oiled kitchen brigade. Until I handed my three year old a ramekin of eggs, mistakenly assuming that he’d pour them into the mixing bowl, as he’d poured in the oil and water. Rather, he inserted his hands into the dish of raw eggs and attempted to pick one up. I’ve never seen such an adorably puzzled reaction. I guess we’ve still got a few things to work on.

This recipe is a little unplanned extra for the week. I ended up with a bunch of leftover pumpkin puree, which would have been a pity to waste. So, I stuck it in the fridge while I waited for pumpkin inspiration. Then, after passing a loaf of pumpkin bread in the grocery store, it occurred to me that I could use my leftover pumpkin in exactly the same way I use my leftover, over-ripe bananas! I went straight to my favorite banana bread recipe and made a few tiny adjustments; a little extra sugar to account for pumpkin not being as naturally sweet as bananas, a little extra cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg. Adding chocolate was a no-brainer for me. The resulting bread is sweet, delicious, and seasonly perfect.

We’ll be making this recipe again next week, in muffin form, for my little guy’s nursery school Halloween party! To make as muffins, follow the same recipe, but reduce the cooking time to about 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Bread

Adapted from my recipe for Banana Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups Flour
  • 1 1/3 cup Sugar
  • 3/4 tsp Baking Soda
  • 3/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • 1/8 tsp Nutmeg
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/3 cup Water
  • 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
  • 1 cup Pumpkin Puree
  • 3/4 cup Chocolate Chips or Chocolate Chunks

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a loaf pan by greasing and lightly flouring the bottom and sides. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

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A Better Caramel Apple Cake

Posted on October 16, 2010 by amydeline

You may remember a couple weeks ago, when I shared a recipe for a Caramel Apple Cake, which I’d found in the Food Network magazine. I baked the cake for the dessert table at my little guy’s birthday party. In theory, the cake was inspired genius; the gooey, fruity top of an upside-down cake; oozing with homemade caramel. In execution, it was less than perfect. While the cake up near the apples and caramel was sweet and tender, the bulk of the cake struck me as a bit too dry and bland.

But the idea was too good to let go. So, I reworked the recipe a bit. The result was a definite winner; a better Caramel Apple Cake. I don’t want to insist that you ignore the Food Network on this one and listen to little ol’ me. But, well… Listen to me!

My adjustments are as follows. I reduced the amount of flour and increased the cinnamon. I halved the entire caramel recipe since, as written, it produces WAY more caramel than necessary. I eliminated the center apple, which seemed unnecessary and did little for the finished appearance. Finally, borrowing the idea from my favorite, super-moist chocolate cake recipe, I added 2/3 cup of boiling water to thin out the batter. The result was a significantly moister, more flavorful cake with less fat and calories than the original! An all-around win!

Caramel Apple Cake

Adapted from Food Network Magazine’s Caramel Apple Cake

Ingredients

For the Caramel:

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp light corn syrup
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

For the Cake:

  • 2 Apples (Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, or Crispin)
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2/3 cup Boiling Water

Directions

Butter a 3 inch deep, 8 or 9 inch diameter cake pan.

Prepare the Caramel. In a deep saucepan over medium-medium/high heat, combine the sugar and corn syrup until the sugar melts and the mixture turns a deep amber color. Be careful, because the mixture will be extremely hot. Turn down the heat to medium and carefully add the butter and cream. Be prepared that the mixture will bubble up vigorously. Stir with a long-handled spoon for about 3 minutes, until combined.

Allow the caramel to cool for  a minute. Reserve 1/2 cup of the caramel in a container. Pour the remaining caramel into the cake pan. Allow the caramel to set for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice both apples into thin pieces. When the caramel has cooled, arrange the apple slices in an overlapping ring around the edge of the cake pan. Chop up the remaining apple slices and set aside.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a separate small bowl, mix together the sour cream, orange juice, and vanilla. Set aside.

Use a hand mixer to beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. One at a time, beat in the eggs. Then, add half of the flour mixture, followed by half of the sour cream mixture. Continue beating to combine. Add the remaining half of the flour mixture and remaining sour cream. Beat until combined.

Stir in the 2/3 cup of boiling water, until the batter is smooth.

Pour the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the top of the batter with the chopped apples.

Bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the cake springs back when gently pressed. Cool completely in the pan.

To serve, bring about an inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan or skillet (with a wider diameter than the cake pan). Turn off the heat and place the bottom of the cake pan in the hot water. Allow the pan to sit in the hot water for 5-7 minutes to soften the caramel. Then, run a knife along he edges of the cake to loosen and invert the cake over your serving plate. Microwave the caramel for a few seconds at a time until it is softened. Drizzle the remaining caramel over the top of the cake. Serve immediately.

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Apple Cinnamon Rangoons

Posted on October 13, 2010 by amydeline

I was seated on a comfortable bar stool set up against a large granite island countertop in the most bright and beautiful kitchen. I was eating a mouthwatering salad of mixed greens, lobster, and avocado, dressed in a fresh vinaigrette. It was course two of a nine course tasting menu. On the other side of the island countertop, dressed in a dalmation print apron, was Chef Patrick O’Connell, busy at the stove, artfully crafting the most perfect dishes. Then it occurred to me. I’m sitting in the kitchen at The Inn at Little Washington and Patrick O’Connell is personally preparing me a nine-course tasting menu. That’s when I realized that I was probably dreaming. But I took another bite of lobster and then proceeded to share a story with my new pal, Patrick, about how the cast of The Hills randomly stopped by my beach house one afternoon to use the bathroom. He laughed and then told me of his encounter with the cast of Jersey Shore. Mind you, I neither have a beach house, nor have I ever even watched The Hills, let alone met the cast. I took another bite of my salad.

Patrick took a piece of foie gras out of the fridge and raised the heat on the skillet. Course three would be foie gras. Fantastic. In the background, I heard an unusual roar and a thump. I turned my attention to a woman who’d entered the kitchen and was standing on the opposite side of the island countertop. Clearly she was an acquaintance of Patrick. She was flipping through the pages of a scrapbook. Feeling right at home, I began flipping through the pages with her; pictures of a grandson. I heard the pop and sizzle of the foie gras hitting the hot pan. And then that strange roar and thump again.

Patrick began preparing my plate, with a perfectly petite mound of baby watercress and a drizzle of a thick, dark sauce. Is that a cherry-balsamic reduction? My mouth was watering. Roar and thump. I opened my eyes. Roar and thump; the sound of the garbage truck passing down my road. I quickly closed my eyes, pressed them tightly together, desperate to return to The Inn at Little Washington. Come on! The foie gras was almost ready! I tried to will myself back into that dream. No such luck. Moments later, a small voice, magnified by the effects of the baby monitor, called to me, Mommy, I’m done with my nap, followed by the sound of small footsteps as he ran to exit his room.

You owe me seven more courses, Patrick O’Connell, starting with that foie gras!

Back to reality… Today’s recipe is the brainchild of three hungry minds. It began with a discussion of an apple cinnamon cream cheese, which my sister enjoys at the bagel shop near her office. Within moments, we’d developed a fully formed idea for a decadent treat, which we named Apple-Cinnamon Rangoons. Think crab rangoons, but take away the crab and throw in some cinnamon apples instead. Pure genius. I’d have made them that very moment if I wasn’t missing the essential cream cheese and too lazy to run down to the grocery store. But I made these little babies yesterday and boy are they spectacular! They’re a tad tedious to assemble, but the result is well-worth the small labor. Make sure you make these when you have a crowd of people around to help you eat them. Or trust me, you will eat them all yourself.

Cinnamon-Apple Rangoons

Ingredients

  • 2 medium Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, and diced
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp Butter
  • 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp Water
  • 4 ounces Cream Cheese, chilled and cut into cubes (approximately 1/2″ each)
  • 40 Wonton Wrappers*
  • Vegetable oil, for frying
  • 1/8 cup Sugar, for sprinkling
  • 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon, for sprinkling

*My grocery store carries Wonton Wrappers in the frozen foods section. Some grocery stores carry them near the refrigerated produce. Defrost before using.

Directions

In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced apples. Stir and cook for a minute or two. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and water. Stir until the brown sugar  begins to melt and coat the apples. Cook for a few minutes until the apples are tender, but not mushy. Cool before using.

Set up a work station with the cinnamon apples, cream cheese cubes, defrosted wonton wrappers, a small bowl of water, and a large piece of wax paper.

To Assemble the Rangoons:

Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of a wonton wrapper.

Place a small spoonful of the cinnamon apples around the cream cheese.

Use your finger or a pastry brush to wet the edges of the wonton wrapper with water. Fold the wrapper in half, over the filling, to create a rectangle.

Use your finger or a pastry brush to wet one corner of the rectangle. Fold the corner down to form a diagonal edge.

Turn the wonton wrapper over and fold down the opposite corner, to form a triangle packet. Place the prepared rangoons onto the wax paper.

**It’s not absolutely necessary to fold the wonton in this manner. You can create any type of packet, even as simple as folding the wonton wrapper in half diagonally.

Repeat until you’ve used all of the filling.

To cook, heat about 1/2″ of vegetable oil in a skillet. Get it good and hot. Add a few of the rangoons and cook for a minute or two on each side, until golden brown and crispy. If they seem to be cooking too quickly, turn down the heat. Remove the rangoons from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Sprinkle the hot rangoons with a mixture of the cinnamon and sugar. Serve hot.

Makes about 40


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Pumpkin Gingersnap Parfait

Posted on October 1, 2010 by amydeline

Seems like everywhere I turn these days, people are talking about Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Tis the season. People are drinking their Pumpkin Spice Lattes and proudly announcing it to the world. I’ve even seen people throwing around the acronym, PSL, to describe the country’s current favorite barista-prepared beverage. Come on people! It took me about a year to learn that LOL meant Laugh out loud and not Lots of Laughs, which I somehow got stuck in my head. And I never would have figured out that FTW meant For the Win, if I hadn’t asked someone to explain. Heck, even once I knew that it meant For the Win, I still didn’t exactly understand in what context I was supposed to use it. What does For the Win even mean?? I can’t keep up.

As a teen, I remember mercilessly laughing at my mom who’d recounted her story of going into the music store in search of the INXS cassette on my Christmas list and asking the clerk where she could find the Inks cassettes. Wow, I really dated myself with that last statement, didn’t I?? INXS, cassette tapes, and people actually purchasing music in non-digital form. I still have that cassette. If only I could find a functional walkman to play it in.

Oh, but I am quickly becoming that hopelessly clueless mom. My children will surely be laughing at me by the time they reach second grade, when I’ll be rocking out to Green Day on the oldies station. Lots of Laughs! Somebody slap me upside the head if I ever throw on a pair of mom jeans.

Anyway, back to those PSLs. The talk is contagious. I’ve found myself drooling over the thought of a Pumpkin Spice Latte. I’m a Peppermint Mocha kind of gal, but I’m pretty sure that if I were standing in front of a Starbucks barista, I’d involuntarily order a Pumpkin Spice Latte. But, I wasn’t standing in front of a barista this morning. I was at the grocery store. And as I passed the prominently displayed racks of canned pumpkin, I couldn’t help but grab a few.

Canned pumpkin is a product I can stand behind. I’m a big proponent of avoiding unnecessary preservatives, thickeners, stabilizers, and flavor enhancers often found in processed foods. And if it means doing things the long way, I’m ok with that. But, canned pumpkin is a major time and mess saver which doesn’t come with any undesirable extras. The only ingredient is pumpkin; pure and simple. So, go ahead and feel good about using canned pumpkin. By all means, if you’ve got a fresh pumpkin and a bit of extra time, feel free to use that too.

These little parfaits are a quick and delicious solution to a spiced pumpkin craving. They’re made simply with lightly sweetened, spiced pumpkin, layered with fresh whipped cream and crushed gingersnap cookies. Pumpkin Gingersnap Parfaits…FTW!

Pumpkin Gingersnap Parfaits

Ingredients

  • 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2-3 tablespoons sugar
  • 16 gingersnap cookies

Directions

Crush 12 of the gingersnap cookies. Set aside.

Beat together the pumpkin, cream cheese, brown sugar, and spices until evenly combined. In a separate bowl, beat together the heavy cream and sugar until thickened.

To assemble the parfaits, divide half of the pumpkin mixture into four cups. Sprinkle 1/3 of the gingersnap crumbs over the pumpkin. Spoon about half of the whipped cream over the gingersnaps in the four cups. Sprinkle with another 1/3 of the gingersnap crumbs. Spoon the remaining pumpkin mixture over the gingersnap crumbs. Sprinkle with the remaining crumbs. Garnish with the remaining whipped cream and a gingersnap cookie.

Serves 4


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Post-Party Relief and a Caramel Apple Cake

Posted on September 26, 2010 by amydeline

Ahhhhhhhhh… Deep breath of relaxation. The birthday party for the little man was a grand success. I love throwing parties, but it’s always a great relief on the morning after. No long list of things to cook, corners to clean, or balloons to inflate. Just a house which looks like a herd of elephants charged through during the night and me on my computer, looking through pictures from the party and eating leftover caramel apple cake.

Mmmm… Caramel Apple Cake.

We’ll get to that cake in a minute. But first a few pics from the party.

The little man requested a dumptruck party. So, a dumptruck party he received.

There were construction themed plates with dumptruck designs, construction vehicles hanging in the windows, dumptrucks filled with potato chips, and hard hats, of course.

The sandwich and salad menu was a hit. Once the work of composing the sandwiches was complete, it was an easy meal to serve. The popular favorite turned out to be the Roast Beef, Cheddar, Apples, and Horseradish Sauce, which I served on cheese bread, lightly warmed in the oven.

For dessert, we enjoyed the Muddy Cups, which were my personal favorite. You may remember that I made the Muddy Cups as a solution to mangled, over-filled cupcakes. They turned out to be delicious. I’d purposely mangle cupcakes any day, in order to make more Muddy Cups.

We sang Happy Birthday, of course, and the little man blew out his birthday candle. It was sweet to watch the expression on his face as the room full of people sang to him. He was clearly confused and intrigued by the event.

Amongst other fantastic gifts, he received a dinosaur costume, which we all enjoyed.

Rrrrroar!

And did I mention this Caramel Apple Cake??

On the flight home from NYC a couple weeks ago, I picked up a copy of Food Network magazine and was greeted with the recipe for this cake. I instantly added it to my list of recipes to try.  Last weekend’s apple picking excursion provided me with the star ingredient. So, I whipped it up yesterday as an extra party treat.

The recipe starts with a homemade caramel, which is delicious and simple to make. The entire process sort of has a mad scientist feel to it. You start with a pot full of dry sugar, which magically melts in an amber syrup. Then you add the butter and cream. Do be careful and use a deep pot and a long spoon for mixing. It will bubble up a storm once you add the butter and cream. The vigorous bubbling which ensues the moment the butter and cream hit the syrup actually led my husband to question whether I was doing it right. Yes, dear. I’m doing it right. It’s a lot of fun to make. Just be careful and keep kids at a distance.

Part of the hot caramel is poured into a buttered pan. You need a deep pan for this recipe, at least 3 inches deep. I was able to find one in the baking section of my local craft store. After the caramel has cooled a bit, sliced apples are arranged in an overlapping round and a halved apple is placed in the center.

The batter is then prepared and poured over the apples. Chopped apples are placed on topped and the cake is baked for about an hour and twenty minutes.

To serve, the caramel is remelted by placing the cake pan in a dish of boiled water. The cake is inverted over a serving plate. Then, the reserved caramel is warmed and drizzled on top.

Overall, I really liked this recipe, though I agree with some of the reviews that 1 1/2 cups of caramel is more than necessary for drizzling over the top. No real complaints here though, since the extra caramel will be great over ice cream. As far as the cake batter goes, I’d rework this part of the recipe if I made it again. It was just a touch too dry and a tad bland for my tastes. I’d be inclined to sweeten it up a touch, add a bit more cinnamon, and decrease the flour for a moister, sweeter, spicier cake.

You can find the recipe for Caramel Apple Cake, along with a step by step slideshow, by clicking here.

Looking forward to a day of eating leftovers and relaxing in my messy house!

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Mission Fiesta

Posted on September 24, 2010 by amydeline

Tomorrow afternoon we will celebrate my little one’s second birthday. Where in the world did two years go?? It seems like only yesterday that I was waddling around, anxiously awaiting his birth. And now he’s this tiny little man. So utterly perfect.

I really love throwing birthday parties. There’s a good possibility that I actually enjoy throwing the party more than the kids enjoy celebrating the party. And with a little bit of thoughtful planning, I find it to be a relatively stress-free and enjoyable experience. In my opinion, a stress-free party is all about planning a menu which can be mostly prepared the day before and requires minimal fuss on the day off. I like dishes served cold or at room temperature or trays of food which can be reheated in the oven, while still maintaining their fresh taste and appearance. I avoid things like burgers, which need to be cooked in batches during the party and usually result in people standing around waiting for the platter to be refilled. I think burgers are great for barbecues, but for birthday parties, I like all the food to find its way to the table at the same time. Just my personal preference.

I also like to vary our party menus so that there’s always something new for our guests to enjoy. I’ve also got a few party standards, which I make again and again, like the Dinosaur Bar B Que Macaroni Salad. For this little fiesta, I’ll be serving an assortment of sandwiches and salads. Hopefully there will be a little something to delight everyone’s tastebuds.

Sandwich and Salad Party Menu

Sandwiches

Waldorf Chicken Salad on Pain de Campagne

Egg Salad on Marble Rye

Honey-Roasted Turkey Breast with Lorraine Swiss, Thinly Sliced Pears and Honey-Mustard on Mutligrain Baguette

PB&J on White

Roast Beef, Cheddar, and Apple with Horseradish Sauce on Onion Rolls

Prosciutto and Figs with Gorgonzola Cream on French Baguette

Fresh Mozzarella and Roasted Red Tomatoes with Basil Pesto on Ciabatta

Salads

Dinosaur Bar B Que Macaroni Salad

Greek Couscous Salad

Ambrosia Salad

Napa Cabbage  Salad

Today’s mission was simple. Prepare as much of the food as possible.

I started with the Ambrosia Salad. Ambrosia is a childhood favorite of mine. Seriously, it’s hard to disappoint kids with a salad whose main ingredient is marshmallows. My Aunt Theresa is the queen of ambrosia, so I use her recipe, which couldn’t be simpler. There are no set measurements and it’s almost impossible to mess up. Simply mix a bag of mini marshmallows with a can or two of strained mandarin oranges and a can or two of strained pineapple tidbits. Then mix in about 1/2 cup of sour cream. If desired, throw in a cup of shredded coconut. Stir and refrigerate. Make a few hours or a day ahead of time. If desired, garnish with marashino cherries.

Next, I got to work on the Greek Couscous Salad, another simple and delicious side salad. Simply cook some couscous according to package directions. Allow it to cool for a few minutes. Then, I made a greek vinaigrette using lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, a bit of greek seasoning, salt and pepper. Toss the couscous in the dressing. Throw in some crumbled feta cheese, chopped kalamata olives, marinated artichoke hearts, and sun-dried tomatoes.

The macaroni salad is one of my recurring regulars. I use the Dinosaur Bar B Que recipe, found in their cookbook. As I’ve mentioned before, I have a bit of an aversion to mayonnaise. So, I tend to avoid salads dripping in mayo. The Dinosaur recipe is hands-down my favorite macaroni salad, since it incorporates a good amount of creole mustard into the dressing, which cuts the mayo consistency. The flavor is fantastic! The salad starts with a pound of small pasta shells. Throw in some chopped celery, tomatoes, and green peppers. For the dressing, combine a cup of mayo (Hellmans, of course) with 1/4 cup of Creole Mustard. (I tend to add a bit more mustard). Add a teaspoon of brown sugar, 4 cloves of minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Toss the dressing with the pasta and veggies, then refrigerate to cool.

My egg salad recipe couldn’t be simpler. Hard boil some eggs. Cool the eggs under cold running water. Remove the shells and cut the eggs in half. Remove the yolks and place in a bowl. Use a fork to crush the yolks. Combine with enough mayonnaise and mustard until creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Chop the egg whites and add to the bowl. Slice a few green onions and add. Stir until well mixed.

I prepared my recipe for Waldorf Chicken Salad, which you can find here and my Basil Pesto recipe, which you can find here. To keep things simple tomorrow, I also sliced the mozzarella and the figs and prepared the honey-mustard sauce, horseradish sauce, and gorgonzola cream for the sandwiches.

For dessert, I baked my little guy a giant cupcake, using my favorite chocolate cake recipe, found here. I decorated the top with a dumptruck and candy rocks, per his request.


I made a double batch of the cake batter, so that I could bake some cupcakes. But, I way overfilled the cupcake pan, which caused the cakes to overflow. They began to fall apart when I tried to remove them from the pan. They were not in any condition for frosting. So, rather than waste the perfectly tasty cakes, I made Muddy Cups; a perfect addition to the Construction theme we’ve got going on. I stuffed the slightly mangled cupcakes into the bottom of small plastic cups. Then I covered them with a scoop of chocolate pudding and sprinkled them with crushed Oreos and candy rocks.

I’ll also be serving a Caramel Apple Cake and Peanut Butter and Jelly Baklava. Those recipes will follow at a later date.


It was a productive day and we’re in good shape for tomorrow’s party. All that remains for tomorrow is composing the actual sandwiches, baking the Caramel Apple Cake, and decorating, of course! Should be a fun, stress-free, and tasty party!

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Bloody Molten Lava Cakes

Posted on September 23, 2010 by amydeline

Is anyone else as excited about the Season 5 premiere of Dexter as I am?? I should be spending the day preparing for my little guy’s upcoming birthday party. Yet instead, I’m thinking of that lovable serial killer and dreaming up culinary ways to celebrate his return to TV. I found myself thinking…WWDE? What would Dexter eat?

Well, we know he’s a blood splatter analyst by profession. And I guess you could say that he’s got a thing for blood during his recreation time as well. But despite his penchant for blood, he’s got a sweet side. He’s a father, a brother, and a reliable coworker; an all-around swell guy, by outward appearances, at least. In truth, he’s hiding a horrifying secret.

Bloody, sweet, and secretive. I could only think of one thing which fits that bill. Bloody Molten Lava Cakes. Sweet white chocolate cakes, accented with rich cocoa and orange liquer and colored with a good dose of bloody red. Serve the individual cakes hot out of the oven with fresh orange supremes. As you cut into the tender cake, you’ll discover the secret which lies within; a bloody red, hot molten center.

These little cakes would be a great treat for a Dexter viewing party or even for a Halloween gathering. And aside from being a cute, kitchy TV-themed treat, they’re actually a really delicious dessert. I started with a traditional recipe for Molten Lava Cakes and adjusted from there to achieve a rich, red color and a white chocolate-orange flavor. The batter comes together in a pinch and they only take 14 minutes to bake!

White Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup White Chocolate Chips
  • 7 Tbsp Butter
  • 1/3 cup Flour
  • 3/4 cup Confectioner’s Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder*
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 Egg Yolks
  • 1 Tbsp Orange Liquer
  • 1 Orange, supremed**
  • Red Gel Food Coloring***
  • Confectioner’s Sugar, for garnish
  • Butter or Vegetable Shortening, for greasing ramekins

* For an even redder result, you can skip the cocoa powder

** To see my photo guide on How to Supreme an Orange, click here.

***If your supermarket doesn’t carry gel food coloring, check the baking section of your local craft store.

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease four ramekins with butter or vegetable shortening. Melt the white chocolate chips and butter over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring until smooth. Add the flour, sugar, and cocoa. Stir to combine. Add the eggs, egg yolks, and liquer. Stir until smooth. Add several drops of red gel food coloring and stir. Equally divide the batter amongst the four ramekins. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake on the middle oven rack for 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a minute or two. Run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen. Then, invert the cakes over a serving plate. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and garnish with orange supremes. Serve immediately.

Serves 4


Season 5 of Dexter premieres this Sunday, September 26, 2010 at 9:00 on Showtime. Don’t miss it!

We'll start cooking for his birthday party tomorrow.

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Apple Walnut Crisp

Posted on September 21, 2010 by amydeline

I ate apple crisp and ice cream for dinner last night. There, I said it. We might as well be honest with each other. I had dessert for dinner. It wasn’t an accident or the result of poor self-control. It was a conscious decision, well thought out and carefully calculated.

You see, I subscribe to my own personal balance theory of healthy living. I love food and I’m almost always hungry. Whereas my husband can easily go for six hours or more between meals, I’m hungry again two hours after a big meal. Every two hours or so, my belly sounds the alarm and if the response isn’t immediate, hunger anger ensues. Ask my husband what I’m like during a hunger anger attack. It’s not pretty.

The Face of Hunger Anger

Anyway, back to balance. I like to eat and I eat a lot. So, in order to counter the effects of my endless appetite on my waistline, I seek balance. I usually find it through a healthy breakfast and a light lunch. Healthy snack selections, staying active with the kids, and a few runs every week help too. The combination of these behaviors allows me a little leeway with a few indulgent cheesy, delicious dinners and the occasional gooey, sweet treat.

But recently, my neat little healthy-living balance equation has been thrown off by the early sunset. I’d had a good routine going for a while. Put the kids to bed at seven, then hit the pavement for while. But, lately it’s nearly dark by the time the kids are in bed. I’ve lost my run time. I need to rework my running routine.

In the mean time, I’ve got this little gap in my balance equation, which means I need to be a little more careful on the indulgent side. So, this afternoon, when I pulled the apple crisp out of the oven and gave it a little taste test, I knew I needed a plan. The problem was that the moment that first bite hit my mouth, I knew that a small, reasonably sized portion wasn’t going to satisfy me. No. I know myself all too well. Only a heaping bowl of the hot, cinnamon-doused apples, mounded with crispy nuts and oats, and a huge scoop of vanilla bean ice cream would fit the bill.  It wouldn’t matter how much or how little I ate at dinner. I’d eat a heaping bowl of that apple crisp for dessert, even if it hurt me to do so.

A heaping bowl of apple crisp and ice cream, tacked on to the end of an already full day of eating, would most definitely throw off the balance. So, I did the only thing I could think of and substituted the apple crisp for dinner. Balance maintained. Well, sort of.

Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking with it.

Apple Walnut Crisp

Ingredients

For the Apples

  • 6 cups Apples; cored, peeled, and thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup Sugar
  • 2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • Dash of Nutmeg

For the Walnut Streusel Topping

  • 1 cup Flour
  • 2/3 cup Light Brown Sugar
  • 2/3 cup Walnuts, chopped
  • 2/3 cup Oats
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 stick Butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a 13×9 baking dish. Toss the apples with the sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, vanilla, and nutmeg. Pour the apples into the prepared baking dish. For the topping, mix together the flour, sugar, walnuts, oats, and cinnamon. Pour the melted butter over the mixture and stir until combined. The mixture should appear slightly moist and crumbly. Generously sprinkle the topping over the apples. Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Cool slightly and serve with vanilla ice cream.


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Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Pie

Posted on September 20, 2010 by amydeline

You may be starting to suspect that I’ve got a little problem with Chocolate and Peanut Butter. First, the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream Pie, then the Funny Bone Cupcakes, and now this; Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Pie. The first step towards recovery is admitting you have a problem, right? So, yeah. Maybe I’ve got a little thing for chocolate and peanut butter. But, cancel the intervention. It’s a lost cause. You’ll never get me to stop combining the two.

For today’s version of this fantastic flavor combination, I’ve made a peanut butter cheesecake, sprinkled with chocolate chips and baked in a chocolate cookie crust. It’s super simple to make and incredibly satisfying.

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Pie

Ingredients

  • 1 Chocolate Cookie Pie Crust, homemade or store-bought
  • 1/2 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
  • 2 (8-ounce) bars Cream Cheese, at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup Peanut Butter, at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup Sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 tsp Vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scatter most of the chocolate chips in the bottom of the pie crust, reserving some for the top. Beat together the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla until well combined. Add the eggs and blend for another minute or two until well combined. Spread the batter over the chocolate chips. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the center appears set. Allow to cool on a cooling rack for about an hour. Then, refrigerate until completely cool.

I should warn you, we took the kids apple picking yesterday. I foresee quite a few apple recipes in the near future.

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Coconut-Macadamia Nut Biscotti

Posted on September 9, 2010 by amydeline

It took me a long time to appreciate the flavor of vanilla. As a child, and most of my adulthood, I equated anything vanilla flavored as being plain flavored. You might have just asked me if I wanted chocolate or plain flavored ice cream. Of course I’d choose chocolate. I couldn’t fathom why anyone would pick plain.

And then there was the scent of vanilla. Vanilla candles, vanilla body washes, vanilla room spray. I just didn’t get it. What was so darn intriguing about the scent of vanilla?? At one point during my early teenage years, I joined my mom at a gathering with her girlfriends. They would meet at one or another’s house each week to watch the show Thirty-Something. They’d ooh and aah over the leading males characters and talk girl-talk. I felt shy. Then, at one point, someone took out a bottle of vanilla extract, unscrewed the top, and passed it around the room for all to smell. I’m pretty sure they told me I wouldn’t understand, when I questioned this odd ritual. I wanted to go home. From then on, vanilla was not only plain to me; it was weird too.

I avoided vanilla for most of my life. Given the choice, I’d always pick the chocolate option. And then my life was changed at the Starbucks inside my local Target. I’d stopped by to pick up a Grande Nonfat Iced Peppermint Mocha for myself, my drink of choice. For the kids, I grabbed a couple biscotti, a considerably less messy option than the giant chocolate chip cookies. I picked up one double chocolate biscotti for my oldest and a vanilla-almond for the younger. I broke off a piece of the vanilla almond for myself, since I knew the baby wouldn’t give me any slack about it.

And that’s when my world was forever changed. It was in that bite of Starbucks Vanilla Almond Biscotti that my perception of vanilla was altered. It was no longer the plain flavor. It was good. It was amazing. I must have eaten 10 of those biscotti in the first week after my earth-shattering discovery. Vanilla tastes good. Only took me 30 or so years to figure it out.

I owe many thanks to my mother-in-law for a multitude of generosity, including traveling out from Ohio yet again to watch our little men while we head down to NYC for our weekend of food and fashion fun, courtesy of Bertolli. I wanted to bake a little something as a welcome and thank you gift. After a bit of brainstorming, I decided this was as good a time as any to try my hand at vanilla biscotti. For good measure, I decided to throw in a few macadamia nuts and a handful of shredded coconut. The result was quite good. Quite cook indeed. Sweet, crunchy, and perfectly dip-worthy.

Coconut Macadamia Nut Biscotti

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 2 1/4 cups Flour
  • 1/2 cup Macadamia Nut, slightly chopped
  • 1/2 cup Shredded, Sweetened Coconut

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, baking powder, and vanilla extract. Add in the flour, nuts and coconut. Stir to combine. The batter will be soft and sticky. Coat your hands with flour, then gather the dough from the bowl. On a well-floured surface, knead the dough a few times. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a log with a diameter of about 2 inches. Place the logs on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Use a serrated knife to cut 1/2 inch slices. Stand the slices up on the baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes more.

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