BEST flourless chocolate cake EVER

Actually, best CAKE period!

For my mom's birthday I wanted to make something special. One of my favorite recipe websites is bon appetit. I found this recipe there that they called "the black beast" (or at least was translated to mean that). Anyway, I made it with lindt chocolate bars, and it blew my mind. I forgot to take a picture before it was all scarfed down, but here is the picture from the website.... mmm boy!

Ingredients

Cake
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, diced
18 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 large eggs

Ganache
1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
Lightly sweetened whipped cream

Preparation

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 10-inch-diameter springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment round; butter parchment. Wrap 3 layers of heavy-duty foil around outside of pan, bringing foil to top of rim. Combine 1 cup water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk sugar syrup into chocolate; cool slightly. Add eggs to chocolate mixture and whisk until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan.
Bake cake until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken, about 50 minutes. Remove from water bath; transfer to rack. Cool completely in pan.

For ganache:
Bring whipping cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat (or in the microwave). Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour over top of cake still in pan. Gently shake pan to distribute ganache evenly over top of cake. Refrigerate cake in pan until ganache is set, about 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.
Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release sides. Cut cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream.


(http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2006/09/la_bete_noire#ixzz1gR3y89tB)

Turducken

This year for thanksgiving I made a Turducken. It was a huge undertaking. In case you don't know, a Turducken is a chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey. All three birds are deboned so one slice gets all three meats. You also sew up the turkey so it looks just like a regular thanksgiving bird. Pretty cool hu? It was tasty, although not as good as I was hoping. The recipe's ingredients and baking time was way off, so here is a revised recipe for what the dish actually entailed...

Ingredients

deboned turkey
deboned AND skinned duck
deboned AND skinned chicken
seasoning
stuffing

Here is a tutorial on how to debone a turkey (same for duck and chicken, except you cut off the legs and wings)

Directions

Preheat roaster to 500 degrees F.

Lay turkey skin side down on a flat surface. Dust turkey with House Seasoning and add 1/4-inch layer of cornbread dressing. Lay duck on top of dressing. Dust duck with House Seasoning and add 1/4-inch layer of dressing. Repeat with the chicken.

Begin stitching up the turkey at the neck. Insert metal skewer about 1/2-inch from the edge and up through the other side. Run butcher's twine between skin and skewer and tighten to draw both sides together. Continue down to legs. With every other skewer, draw together the duck and chicken skin. Tie together turkey legs to resemble standard turkey. Dust turkey skin with paprika. (you can also used needle and twine or just make holes with a knife and thread a string through)

Roast turducken for 15 minutes. Then turn the roaster down to 225 degrees F to finish, approximately 7-8 hours. Remove turducken from roaster once the internal temperature in the chicken reaches 155 degrees F. Let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.

Cut across the middle of the breast completely through. Plate thin slices containing turkey, duck and chicken.

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Cornbread Dressing:

Cornbread:
1 cup self rising cornmeal
1/2 cup self-rising flour
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Dressing:
7 slices white bread, dried in warm oven
Cornbread
1 sleeve saltine crackers
2 cups chopped celery
1 large onion, chopped
8 tablespoons butter
4-5 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
5 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the cornbread, combine all ingredients and pour into a greased shallow baking dish. Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

To make the dressing, crumble dried white bread slices, cornbread and crackers. Mix together and set aside. Saute chopped celery and onion in butter until transparent, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Pour over corn bread mixture. Add stock, mix well and add salt, pepper, sage, and poultry seasoning. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Follow instructions above to stuff birds.

Minimug Gingerbread Houses

Do you enjoy a hot drink with gingerbread or sugar cookies on the side during the holidays? What better way to enjoy them together, than with a cookie that perches on top of your mug? These little gingerbread houses are adorable and practical. You can even decorate them, although I did not have time. Here is the recipe I used for the gingerbread, and here for the sugar cookie dough (although you need to bake the sugar cookies long enough to NOT be soft anymore)

Pretty much all you have to do is cut out this pattern (I found it on another blog website-www.notmarth.org) out of the dough and cook it.

I melt sugar (just 1/2 cup sugar and a dab of butter) and glue the sides together but BEWARE! That method is very dangerous. Use icing if you aren't sure of your abilities! Have fun.

Oh and be sure to make the opening big enough for the mug you are using. For complete instructions see this website

Gingerbread for houses and cookies

Here is my favorite gingerbread recipe. I like it because it calls for margarine, which is significantly less expensive than butter, and when you are making a lot of dough for a large gingerbread house it's nice not to use the expensive ingredients. Try it out!

Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine or shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg yolk
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until smooth. Stir in molasses and egg yolk. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; blend into the molasses mixture until smooth. Cover, and chill for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. Frost or decorate when cool.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

I found this fun pumpkin whoopie pie recipe on Martha Stewart. They tasted pretty good, although unusual. Thy have pumpkin filling between chocolate cookie cakes. It was an interesting combination. I'm not in love with this recipe, but it was pretty good and a great Halloween dessert. I imagine they would also be good without the pumpkin part (that might make them taste better). I'll have to try that next time I make this recipe

Ingredients

For The Cookies
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For The Filling
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup canned solid pack pumpkin
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg

Directions

Prepare cookies: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.

Place butter, shortening, and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add egg; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in half the flour mixture, then the milk and vanilla. Mix in remaining flour mixture.

Drop about 2 teaspoons dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies spring back when lightly touched, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cool 10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets and transfer to wire racks using a spatula; let cool completely.

Prepare filling: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together cream cheese, butter, and confectioners' sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg; whip until smooth, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
Pipe or spoon about 2 teaspoons filling on the flat sides of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, keeping the flat sides down.

Spaetzle (German Noodles)

My family is big on Germany. We have all been there, some more than once. One of our favorite German dishes is this flour and egg noodle. It is eaten plain or with herbs and cheese (no marinara sauce or anything like that). It is pretty simple but very tasty.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch freshly ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 gallon hot water
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Mix together flour, salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Beat eggs well, and add alternately with the milk to the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.

Press dough through spaetzle maker, or a large holed sieve or metal grater (I use a bag, cut the corner off it and pipe it through the opening. A pastry bag with a large round tip works even better. It does take a strong hand to force it through though.)

Drop a few at a time into simmering liquid. Cook 5 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Saute cooked spaetzle in butter or margarine. Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley on top, and serve (parmesan cheese sprinkled on top is great too)

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

This recipe I found on "our best bites" one of my favorite food blogs. It is really simple and the sugar cookie recipe is just fabulous! I think it would also be fun to do red and white and lay them flat then roll them up into a swirl to make Christmas cookies. Even if you just try the sugar cookie recipe part it is amazingly tasty. DON'T OVERCOOK!!

Ingredients

1 C real butter (no substitutions!)
1 C sugar
1 egg (make sure to use a large or extra large egg)
1 1/2 t almond extract (or other flavor of your choice, like vanilla)
3 C flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
yellow and orange food coloring

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy- about 2 minutes. Add in egg and extract and mix to incorporate.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. A very important note: It’s important to correctly measure your flour or you will end up with a dry, crumbly dough. Never, ever use your measuring cup to scoop up the flour. Use a regular sized spoon and spoon the flour into the cup and then level it off with a knife.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until completely combined.

Divide prepared sugar cookie dough into three equal portions. Leave one as is and color one other portion yellow and another portion orange.

Line a standard loaf pan with plastic wrap. Gently press layer of uncolored dough into bottom of pan and smooth flat, keeping it at least 1/2-3/4 inches high (you don’t have to use the whole pan if you have a small batch of dough) or larger if desired. Layer orange dough on top of previous layer and smooth. Finally layer yellow dough and smooth on top. Wrap plastic over dough and chill until firm, 30-60 minutes in freezer or 1-2 hours in fridge. Or you can store the dough in fridge for 2-3 days before baking.

Remove plastic and slice loaf into 1/4 inch slices. Trim top of slice to make straight line. Cut each slice into triangle shape and dip top side in sugar if desired. Bake according to sugar cookie directions. Cool completely and then if desired, dip ends in almond bark or white chocolate and decorate with sprinkles.

Carrot Cake

I hate carrots, but oh how I love carrot cake. I guess I can't escape the call of sugar.
After trying several different recipes for carrot cake, I combined the best of each into this. Try it out! And yes, Josh, myself, and my grandma ate the WHOLE thing by ourselves :)

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup crushed pineapple (or you can chop up some larger chunky pineapple)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan (or 2 8 inch pans).
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots and pineapple. Fold in pecans and coconut. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Frost the cooled cake.

YUM!

Pumpkin Pie Tartlets

I just made the cutest little mini pumpkin pies the other day. They are just about as much fun to look at as they are to eat!

Crust:
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold water

Combine the first 3 ingredients, and then add the water to desired consistency. The dough should be moist enough to roll out, but not so sticky that it is squished beneath the rolling pin. It takes practice to find that consistency. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm-up the dough.

The crust should then be cut into 3-4 inch circles (I used a tupperware bowl. cups work great too).

Then line either cupcake liners in a cupcake pan, or little tartlet pans (like you see in the picture below) with the dough circles. Make sure to grease well! Take a fork and jab the bottom of the crust a few times.

Filling:
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 (15 ounce) can Pure Pumpkin
1 (12 fluid ounce) can NESTLE® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
1/2 tsp vanilla


Whisk ingredients together until smooth.

Fill with crusts with the pumpkin pie filling and bake for 30-45 minutes.

Cool the tartlets for at least 30 minutes before you attempt to remove them from the pans/cupcake liners. Ease them out slowly and top with whipped cream if desired.

Chocolate cake from scratch

I have been hunting for a good chocolate cake recipe for a while now, and while this one isn't perfect, it's the best I've found so far.

Ingredients:

1 egg
2 egg whites
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. cocoa
1 c. flour
1/2 c. boiling water
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, and butter. Beat until light and whipped, about 4 minutes. Add soda, vinegar, salt and cocoa, beat until mixed in. Add flour, water and flavoring. Beat just until mixed. Do not over-beat. Spoon into pan (12 cupcakes or one cake) and bake at 350 degrees for 24-27 minutes.

Cheddar Crackers

Homemade crackers are surprisingly easy. This recipe is one of the best I have tried.

Ingredients

4 ounces cheddar, coarsely grated
2 ounces Parmesan, finely grated
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons water, plus more if needed

Directions

In the bowl of a food processor, place all ingredients and pulse till crumbly (add more water if dough does not hold together).

Turn the dough out onto a large piece of waxed paper. Roll the dough into a log, 9 to 10 inches long, and square off the ends. Refrigerate, well wrapped, for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. Or freeze it for up to 1 month. (You may want to cut the log in half or in thirds to freeze if you think you will want to defrost a smaller amount at a time.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

To make the crackers, cut the log into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet 1-inch apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crackers are a light golden color. Cool on a rack. Serve at room temperature.

The secret of the mashed potato....CLASSIFIED NO MORE!

I have been trying to weasel out my friend the mashed potato's secret for years. After countless interviews (some not so tasty), I am pleased to announce the once highly classified information is out!

I have been privileged to taste many superb servings of mashed potatoes in my life (the best being the loaded mashed potatoes from Texas Roadhouse, although Outback is a close second). I could not, however, understand what the secret was. I have often tasted something I liked at a restaurant and been able to recreate it, but not with this. Attempt after attempt left me with a dry or sticky mess. Then, one afternoon I tried yet another attempt, and happened upon the mashed potato's secret.

The Secret of the Mashed Potato:

1. CREAM CHEESE!!!! That is the secret ingredient! Smooth, creamy, and loaded with flavor, it will spice your taters to a whole new level. And don't be afraid to pile it in. Not too much of course, but a good half package will blow your taste buds!

2. Too much butter makes the potatoes too sticky. Only use a few tablespoons, NEVER a whole stick unless you are making a gigantic batch.

3. Use what you have in the fridge. Sour cream, cheese (you can see the melted cheddar in these pictures), bacon, garlic... adding a dash of any of these will dress up your potatoes.

4. Use milk to thin out the potatoes to the right consistency.

5. The kitchenaid is the key to whipping the potatoes to a smooth finish. Use the whisk beater.



Now that you know the classified information, give it a try! The truth is out!