TWD: Cinnamon Squares

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie is from Tracey of Tracey's Culinary Adventures. She chose for us to bake the Cinnamon Squares from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. The recipe can be found here. I was excited to try these. The recipe is extremely easy to put together, and I really like the combination of chocolate and cinnamon. Usually I make quite few substitutions to these recipes to put my own spin on them, but this one I kept simple. The only think I changed was substitute skim milk for the whole milk because that is all I had on hand. I figured it wouldn't make much of a difference given all the butter that was in the recipe. The whole house filled up with the smell of cinnamon. The cake took about 50 minutes to bake.

I halved the recipe for the icing and only spread a thin layer of it over the cake, because I didn't want the cake to be too sweet or the chocolate to be the dominating flavor. I think this cake tasted great. I might reduce some of the sugar in the batter next time because it still was rather sweet, but not too bad. This cake goes great with coffee or milk. Another great recipe from Dorie! Be sure to check out the blogroll to see what other bloggers did.

Crab Salad in Phyllo Cups

For my cousin's bridal shower, I decided to make a simple crab salad. To dress it up a bit, I served it in these miniature phyllo cups. I used a mixture of real crab meat and imitation crab meat, just because real crab meat is so expensive where I am from. This was easy to put together, and was a big hit at the party.


Crab Salad in Phyllo Dough Tartlettes
makes about 65-70 appetizers

Ingredients

• 8 oz crab meat (I used back fin meat)
• 16 oz imitation crab meat, chopped
• 1 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 stalk of celery, minced
• 2 green onions, minced
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons (or more if you like) Old Bay Seasoning
• 3 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• salt and pepper
• Approximately 70 miniature phyllo dough cups
  

Directions

• In one bowl, combine the crab meat and the imitation crab meat.
• In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, celery, green onions, lemon juice, milk, Old Bay, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
  
• Pour the sauce over the crab meat, and gently mix. Try and fold the sauce into the crab meat as to not break up the pieces of crab meat. Overmixing can result in a "pasty" salad.
  
• Spoon the salad into the phyllo cups and serve immediately. I probably fit about 2 teaspoons into each cup.
  

TWD: Fresh Mango Bread

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie is from Kelly of Baking with the Boys . She chose for us to bake the Fresh Mango Bread from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. The recipe can be found here. I have never been a huge fan of mangoes. Either I get one, and it's not ripe enough and too sour, or it just seems to have an "off" flavor for me. Nevertheless, I still keep tasting them, hoping that one day I will find that "magic" mango that will turn things around for me. So I was excited to try the Fresh Mango Bread. It's a pretty simple recipe, you don't even have to use a mixer, just a whisk and a wooden spoon. The dough is a little thick, but it eventually came together.

I made a few substitutions/alterations to the original recipe.

• I decreased the amount of white sugar from 1 cup to 1/2 cup. It just seemed like too much for me, and it would make the bread too sweet.
• I decreased the amount of ginger from 1 1/2 teaspoons to 1 teaspoon.
• I didn't have any golden raisins so I chopped up 1/2 cup of dried apricots and used them instead.
  
• I didn't use one loaf pan, I used 4 mini-loaf pans.
• I used the leftover lime zest and lime juice and made a glaze with powdered sugar to spread over the bread.
  
• Since I used mini-loaf pans, I decreased the baking time to 40 minutes.
  

The bread was really tasty. The bread was sweet and the apricots went well with the mangos, which have a really nice flavor when baked in the bread. The glaze was a great addition. The tartness of the glaze balanced out the sweetness of the bread. The Black and White Banana Loaf is still my favorite quick bread we have made so far though, but if I had some mangoes on hand, I would definitely make it again. Be sure the check out the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll to see what other members did with their recipes.

Orange Creamsicle Cake

For Mother's Day, my mom requested that I make a cake that tasted similar to one she gets at a local BBQ restaurant. It tastes similar to a Creamsicle, basically an orange and vanilla cake. These cakes have also been called poke cakes, or Jello cakes, or refrigerator cakes. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, and it seemed like a good choice. I made a few changes, because it seemed that the cake might be too sweet with some of the components. Fortunately, the cake turned out really well, and was a big hit on Mother's Day. It looked great with the streaks of orange running through the cake.

Orange Creamsicle Cake
serves 12
Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 (3 ounce) packages orange flavored gelatin mix, divided
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 cup cold milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 (8 ounce) carton frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, water and oil. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Using a meat fork or large skewer, poke holes in cake. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, dissolve one package of gelatin in boiling water. Stir in cold water. Slowly pour over cake. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. In a mixing bowl, combine milk, vanilla, pudding mix and remaining gelatin; beat on low for 2 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes; fold in whipped topping. Frost cake. Refrigerate leftovers.

Lemon and Blueberry Upside-down Cake

Happy Easter everyone! Last year I made this Lemon and Blueberry Upside-down Cake from Bon Appetit magazine. It was such a hit, that it was requested that I make it again this year. It really is a fantastic cake. The lemons and blueberries go well together, and I love anything that has almond paste in the recipe. I reduced the amount of butter and sugar in the topping because last year, it ran all over the place, and I had to mop some of it up with paper towels. I also upped the amount of lemon zest called for in the recipe to give it a more lemony flavor. This is one of my favorites!

Lemon and Blueberry Upside-Down Cake

8 servings

Bon Appétit | April 2006

Blueberry topping

• 2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Lemon-almond butter cake

• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces almond paste (scant 1/2 cup), broken into small pieces
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 1/2 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces, room temperature
• 3 large eggs, room temperature

• Lemon slices (optional)
• Whipped Cream (optional)
  

For blueberry topping:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine brown sugar and butter in 8-inch-diameter cake pan (I used a cast iron skillet) with 2-inch-high sides (preferably nonstick). Place cake pan over medium heat and whisk constantly until butter and sugar melt and mixture is smooth and bubbling. Using pot holders, remove pan from heat; cool 15 minutes. Sprinkle blueberries evenly over.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Combine almond paste, sugar, and lemon peel in bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until almond paste is broken into very small pieces, about 1 minute. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, beating until mixture is smooth and scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well and scraping sides of bowl after each addition. Add flour mixture and beat just until batter is smooth. Spoon batter in dollops over blueberries in pan; spread evenly with offset spatula to smooth.

Bake cake until deep golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 43 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 1 minute. Run small knife around cake to loosen. Place large platter atop pan. Using oven mitts or potholders and using both hands, hold platter and cake pan firmly together and invert; shake gently, allowing cake to settle on platter. Cool at least 20 minutes.

Garnish cake with lemon slices and lemon peel curls, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature with additional blueberries and Lemon Whipped Cream.

For lemon-almond butter cake:

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Combine almond paste, sugar, and lemon peel in bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until almond paste is broken into very small pieces, about 1 minute. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, beating until mixture is smooth and scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well and scraping sides of bowl after each addition. Add flour mixture and beat just until batter is smooth. Spoon batter in dollops over blueberries in pan; spread evenly with offset spatula to smooth.

Bake cake until deep golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 43 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 1 minute. Run small knife around cake to loosen. Place large platter atop pan. Using oven mitts or potholders and using both hands, hold platter and cake pan firmly together and invert; shake gently, allowing cake to settle on platter. Cool at least 20 minutes.

Garnish cake with lemon slices and lemon peel curls, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature with Whipped Cream.

TWD: Blueberry Crumb Cake

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie is from Sihan of Befuddlement. She chose for us to bake the Blueberry Crumb Cake from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. The recipe can be found here. It's a simple cake to put together. I made a few substitutions, first, I used plain nonfat yogurt instead of buttermilk because I had that on hand. I substituted one of the cups of flour in the cake with whole wheat pastry flour. Also, I used cinnamon almonds in the crumb mixture instead of walnuts.

I really liked this one. The crumb topping forms a nice crust on top of the cake, and the cake underneath is light and moist. The cake is chock full of berries, and I bet that it will taste even better tomorrow. I will definitely make this again. I think that this cake would also taste great with cranberries, huckleberries, or cherries.

Easy Roasted Potatoes

This is one of my favorite side dishes. It is extremely simple, and it tastes great. Any potato would probably work in this recipe, but I like to use fingerling or small new potatoes. They are not as starchy as other types of potatoes and remain creamy on the inside while the outside develops a crispy crust. I am just posting the simple base recipe for roasted potatoes, but you can also mix things up by adding smoked paprika, parmesan cheese, or herbs such as rosemary and thyme. They are all wonderful variations on a great dish.


Easy Roasted Potatoes
serves 3-4

• 1 lb. fingerling potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 3-4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
  

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the potatoes out on a baking sheet and scatter the garlic cloves amongst them. Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss the potatoes to evenly coat every piece with the olive oil, salt, and pepper, and spread the potatoes back out into a single layer. Place the potatoes in the oven and roast until they are golden brown and crispy on the outside, but give easily on the inside when pierced with a fork, about 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Happy St. Patrick's Day: Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

Guinness is probably my favorite beer, and I have been happy to see lots of recipes for Chocolate Stout Cake on the blogs lately. I decided to make cupcakes using this recipe from Bon Appetit magazine. It is a simple cake recipe that combines stout beer with cocoa powder to give the cake a really interesting flavor. The stout adds a depth of flavor to the cupcakes without changing the chocolate taste. Instead of making the chocolate glaze that went with recipe, I decided to make a cream cheese frosting for the cupcakes. It was a nice balance to the chocolatey cupcakes. I halved the recipe and still came out with 24 cupcakes. Make sure to only fill the cupcakes about two-thirds full because they really do rise quite a bit.



Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting makes 24 cupcakes

Cake

• 1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cups sour cream

Icing

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1-8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake tins with paper liners. Bring 1 cup of stout and 1 cup of butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among cupcake tins. Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cupcakes out onto rack and cool completely.

For the icing:
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar until it is completely incorporated into the butter and cream cheese mixture, then mix in the vanilla extract. Once the cupcakes have cooled, spread the icing on top.

TWD: Lemon Cup Custard

It has been awhile since I have posted a Tuesdays with Dorie recipe. There has been a few that I've wanted to make in the past month or so, but I have been very busy, and some of February's recipes were a bit involved. Fortunately the lineup for March looks great, so I hope to make most of the recipes this month. This week's selection is from Bridget of The Way the Cookie Crumbles. She chose for us to bake the Lemon Cup Custard from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. It is a very simple recipe that involves infusing milk with lemon zest then mixing it with eggs and sugar to form the custard. You can find the original recipe here. Many of the bloggers over at Tuesdays with Dorie said that the custard was too "eggy" and that it didn't have enough lemon flavor. I was planning on halving the recipe this time, so to enhance the lemon flavor, I kept the lemon zest and the lemon extract at the original amounts in order to double the lemon flavor. My custards took about 50 minutes to bake, and they had a really beautiful yellow color due to the egg yolks. I think that doubling the zest, and the extract really enhanced the lemon flavor, and it was eggy, but it is a custard, so I expected that. If I were to make it again, I would try infusing some fresh ginger in the milk as well to give it an extra kick.

Hash Brown Egg Bake

I made this dish for a brunch I hosted a few months ago. I adapted it from a recipe from Taste of Home magazine. I made quite a few changes in adapting this recipe. I decreased the amount of potatoes and bacon (I know, crazy, right?), and increased the amount of eggs that was in the original recipe. I also added some spinach, which really went well with the rest of the ingredients. This recipe is extremely easy, and you can even make the night before and pop in the oven the next morning.

Hash Brown Egg Bake

Serves 8

• 1 package (32 ounces) frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed (I removed 1 cup of hash browns from the package and saved them for another use)
  
• 8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach (packed), chopped
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 10 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• Dash paprika

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine hash browns, bacon, 1/2 cup cheese, spinach, salt, and pepper. Spoon into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. In a bowl, beat eggs and milk until smooth; pour over hash brown mixture. Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for about 45 minutes until golden. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 5 minutes more.