Butterscotch and White Chocolate Haystacks

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love everything about it, from the decorating, to watching the traditional holiday films, to the holiday baking. One of the things I remember as a child was making these "Haystacks" around the Holiday Season. They are extremely simple to make, and they taste great. They are always a crowd pleaser. Everywhere that I take them, they quickly disappear.



Butterscotch and White Chocolate Haystacks:

1-11 oz. package butterscotch chips or white chocolate chips
2 cups chow mein noodles (prefereably La Choy)
2/3 cups salted, roasted peanuts

-Over a double boiler, melt the butterscotch or white chocolate chips. Once the chips have fully melted, mix in the chow mein noodles and the peanuts. Make sure that the peanuts are dispersed evenly throughout the mixture.
-Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto wax paper and allow to harden.

TWD: Thanksgiving Twofer Pie

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie is from Vibi of La Casserole Carrée She chose for us to bake the Thanksgiving Twofer Pie from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. The recipe can be found here. The Thanksgiving Twofer has a layer of pumpkin pie topped with a layer of pecan pie. I followed the recipe exactly, and it was fairly easy to make. The only thing I would do differently next time would make the crust hang over the edge a bit more next time. It really shrunk up during the initial baking time.

This was a big hit at Thanksgiving dinner. My dad, who doesn't like pumpkin pie, liked this one, and my mom said it was the best pie crust she had ever had. I would definitely make this again. Be sure to check out the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll to see what other bloggers did with their pies.

Daring Bakers Challenge: Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting

This month's Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen by Dolores from Culinary Curiosity. Dolores, along with Jenny of Foray into Food and Alex of Blondie and Brownie chose for us to bake Shuna's Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting. The original recipe can be found on her blog, Bay Area Bites. I chose to make cupcakes out of the recipe, it made about 18 total. The cupcakes took about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cupcake came out clean. There is also a recipe for Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels included in this post. I didn't get to make them, but I definitely would like to try them in the future.

CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/4 Cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 Cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
2 each eggs, at room temperature
splash vanilla extract
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk, at room temperature

CARAMEL SYRUP

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelization process)
In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.

When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back. One Daring Baker suggested putting a piece of foil that has a hole in the middle of it over the pot and pouring the water through it, in order to prevent getting burned.

Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}

Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup
Kosher or sea salt to taste

Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.

Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.

Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month.
To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light

(recipes above courtesy of Shuna Fish Lydon)

(Optional) GOLDEN VANILLA BEAN CARAMELS
- makes eighty-one 1-inch caramels -

Ingredients
1 cup golden syrup
2 cups sugar
3/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons pure ground vanilla beans, purchased or ground in a coffee or spice grinders, or 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks, softened

Equipment
A 9-inch square baking pan
Candy thermometer

Procedure

Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil. Combine the golden syrup, sugar, and salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to simmer around the edges. Wash the sugar and syrup from the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. (Meanwhile, rinse the spatula or spoon before using it again later.) Uncover the pan and wash down the sides once more. Attach the candy thermometer to the pan, without letting it touch the bottom of the pan, and cook, uncovered (without stirring) until the mixture reaches 305°F. Meanwhile, combine the cream and ground vanilla beans (not the extract) in a small saucepan and heat until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep the cream hot.

When the sugar mixture reaches 305°F, turn off the heat and stir in the butter chunks. Gradually stir in the hot cream; it will bubble up and steam dramatically, so be careful. Turn the burner back on and adjust it so that the mixture boils energetically but not violently. Stir until any thickened syrup at the bottom of the pan is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, to about 245°F. Then cook, stirring constantly, to 260°f for soft, chewy caramels or 265°F; for firmer chewy caramels.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, if using it. Pour the caramel into the lined pan. Let set for 4 to 5 hours, or overnight until firm.

Lift the pan liner from the pan and invert the sheet of caramel onto a sheet of parchment paper. Peel off the liner. Cut the caramels with an oiled knife. Wrap each caramel individually in wax paper or cellophane.

White Bean and Chorizo Soup

It is starting to get cold outside, so I thought this weekend would be a good time to make a hearty, comforting soup. I found this recipe for a White Bean and Chorizo soup, and I decided to try it. I made a few changes from the original recipe. I like my bean soup thick, and the original recipe calls for a lot of liquid. I also used Spanish chorizo which is similar to andouille or smoked sausage rather than the fresh chorizo that is used in the original recipe. It is less greasy, and the smoky flavor goes well with the beans.


White Bean and Chorizo Soup

serves 6-8

• 1 1/4 pound dried cannellini or Great Northern beans (generous 2 1/2 cups)

• 8 cups water
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 3 garlic cloves; 1 smashed, 2 chopped
• 1 large fresh rosemary sprig
• 1 bay leaf

• 1 cup chopped onions (about 1/2 a large onion)
  
• 1 cup chopped carrots
  
• 1 cup chopped celery (about 2 stalks)
  
• 2 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme, divided
• 2 14.5 ounce cans of chicken broth
  

• 1 pound Spanish chorizo link sausages (fully cooked), casings removed

• 1/4 cup whole milk or whipping cream
• salt and pepper
• fresh parsley, chopped
  

Place beans in heavy large saucepan. Add enough water to pan to cover beans by 4 inches. Let beans soak overnight at room temperature.

Drain and rinse beans; return to same saucepan. Add 8 cups water, 1 tablespoon oil, smashed garlic clove, rosemary, and bay leaf. Bring to boil. Season to taste with salt. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer until beans are just tender, about one hour. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cool slightly, cover, and chill.)

Drain beans, reserving cooking liquid. Discard rosemary sprig and bay leaf. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables are beginning to soften, about 10 minutes. Add chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon thyme; sauté 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups reserved bean cooking liquid, the chicken broth, and beans. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until vegetables are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Cool soup 10 minutes. Meanwhile, sauté chorizo in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until browned and crisp, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer chorizo to paper towels to drain.

Using slotted spoon, remove 2 cups of the bean mixture from soup; reserve. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, or working in batches, purée remaining soup in blender until smooth. Return puree to pot. Stir in reserved whole-bean mixture, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme, chorizo, and the milk or cream. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cold. Cover and keep chilled.) Rewarm soup over medium heat, thinning with more broth if desired. Season with salt and pepper. Divide soup among bowls, sprinkle with fresh parsley, and serve. This soup goes great with some crusty bread for dipping.

TWD: Chocolate and Vanilla Arborio Rice Pudding

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie is from Isabelle of Les gourmandises d’Isa. She chose for us to cook the Arborio Rice Pudding from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. I love rice pudding, so I was excited when I heard we were going to make this. This recipe is very simple. You simply parboil the rice, then simmer it with whole milk and sugar until the mixture is thick and creamy. Dorie had an option of making half the rice pudding chocolate and half of the rice pudding vanilla, which is what I did. You simply divide the mixture once it is cooked and add vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste) to one half, and chopped bittersweet chocolate to the other half. I topped my vanilla pudding with whipped cream and cinnamon, and my chocolate pudding with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. This pudding tasted good. It was a bit too sweet (especially the chocolate half), so I would probably cut back on the sugar a bit, but it was still tasty. The recipe in the book states that you should let the rice and milk simmer for 35 minutes, but Dorie herself posted over at Tuesdays with Dorie, and said that there was a typo, and the actual cooking time is 55 minutes. Fortunately, I caught that message in time, unfortunately, my pudding was still a bit runny. I let mine cook for a bit over an hour, and it still never thickened up the way it was supposed to. However, that didn't stop me from eating it. I think next time, I would probably cut back on the parboiling time, so that the rice releases more starch into the milk mixture to help it thicken better, similar to risotto.

TWD: Rugelach (Pictures coming soon)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie is from Grace of Piggy's Cooking Journal. She chose for us to bake Rugelach from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. Rugelach is a cream cheese dough-based crescent roll filled with jam, dried fruit, nuts, and chocolate. Dorie's recipe offers a lot of combinations of fruit and nuts to be used in the filling. I made a few changes that really made for a delicious Rugelach.

• I used apricot jam to spread on the dough.
• I used chopped almonds for the nuts in the filling.
• I used dried cranberries instead of dried currants in the filling.
• I added one tablespoon of orange zest to the filling.
• I used white chocolate instead of bittersweet chocolate in the filling.

I really liked this Rugelach, and I will definitely make it again. The reason I don't have any pictures for this recipe is that I made the Rugelach a few weeks back, and the pictures are currently on my old computer, which is broken. Just a tip for everyone, make sure not trip on your powercord and break it off in the computer because Apple will want $400 to fix it. My computer was kind of old anyways, so instead of fixing it, I decided to buy a new MacBook, which I am loving. So until I am able to transfer all of my stuff off the old computer, I won't be able to post pictures. I will as soon as I can though! Either that, or I will just have to make them again. Be sure to check out the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll to see what all the other blogger's Rugelach recipes.

TWD: Pumpkin Muffins

It's October! So it's time for another pumpkin recipe. This week's Tuesdays with Dorie is from Kelly at Sounding My Barbaric Gulp. She chose for us to make the Pumpkin Muffins from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. These muffins are very tender and moist with a cake-like texture. You can find the original recipe here. I made the following changes to the recipe to mix it up a bit (and also because I had these ingredients on hand).

• I omitted the salt in the recipe and used salted butter instead.
• I substituted dried cranberries for the raisins in the recipe.
• I omitted the pecans.
• I added the zest of one orange to the batter.
• I made a simple glaze of orange juice and powder sugar for the top of the muffins (1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon orange juice).
• I substituted the sunflower seed topping with sliced almonds, which I sprinkled on top of the orange glaze.
• The baking time in the book says approximately 25 minutes.  My muffins were done in about 18 minutes, so be sure to watch them closely.

Notes: I really liked the flavor of these muffins. The pumpkin flavor isn't very prominent, but it is definitely there. The cranberries add a tart contrast to the sweet muffins, and the orange zest in the batter smells and tastes great. The muffins are definitely sweet enough on their own, and the glaze is not needed, but it is a nice touch. I only used a small amount of glaze on each muffin, spread in a thin layer, as to not make the muffins too sweet. I will definitely make these again. I would like to make a couple of different versions of this muffins. The original recipe calls for raisins, which would be nice, but I would also like to try dried cherries or chocolate chips as well.

Low-Fat Pumpkin Apple Bread

Fall is my favorite time of year, and I was happy when I saw pumpkin recipes popping up on other blogs, so I decided to try one for myself. Along with pumpkins, apples are another one of my fall favorites, so I decided to make a pumpkin apple bread. I attended an Apple Butter Festival a few weeks ago, where they were making fresh apple butter on site. I purchased some of that apple butter, and I figured it would be a great substitute for the oil that is found in most quick breads. Even better, it makes the bread low-fat!


Low-Fat Pumpkin Apple Bread
-makes 2 9x5 loaves (I made one 9x5 loaf and three mini-loaves)

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup apple butter
• 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/2 cup apple cider or water
• 2 cups apples, diced (I used Honey Crisp apples)

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour your loaf pans.
-In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
-In a large mixing bowl, combine white sugar, brown sugar, eggs, apple butter, pumpkin, and water. Mix until just combined.
-Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and beat until just combined. Make sure not to over mix or the batter will become tough. Gently fold in the apples into the batter and pour into the prepared loaf pans. (If using the two 9x5 loaf pans, divide the batter equally between the two pans. For my loaves, I poured half the batter into the 9x5 loaf pan, and I divided the remaining half equally between the three mini-loaf pans.)
-Bake the 9x5 loaf (or loaves) for about 60 minutes and the mini-loaves for about 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaves comes out clean. Let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes on a wire rack, before turning them out onto the wire rack to cool completely.


Notes: This is a really nice low-fat version of a quick bread. It is extremely moist, and not too sweet, you can't even tell that there is hardly any fat in the bread. If you prefer a sweeter bread, you could always add some more sugar. Neither the pumpkin flavor nor the apple butter flavor is too prominent, but the two flavors blend subtly together, and the apples add just the right amount of texture and tartness to the bread. A very simple, mildly spiced bread. A perfect fall treat that isn't too bad for you.

Roasted Cauliflower

I was never a huge fan of cauliflower. To me it was very bland, and it smelled when it was cooked, and the only way it tasted any good was when it was covered in mounds of cheese. That was, until I tried roasting it. Roasting it brings out the natural sweetness in the cauliflower. It takes on a different flavor that boiling it or steaming it can't do. And the great thing is that you can season it so many different ways. I have posted a few different options at the end of this recipe.


Roasted Cauliflower

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
• salt and pepper

-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
-Remove the core of the cauliflower and slice into uniform pieces or divide into small florets. (I like to try and slice it because it provides more surface area for the cauliflower to brown and get crispy.)
-Spread the cauliflower out on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season liberally with salt and pepper. Toss the cauliflower to distribute the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
-Roast until the cauliflower is golden brown, crispy on the outside, and soft in the middle, about 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately.


Options:
-Season with cumin, ground coriander, and smoked sweet or hot paprika for smoky Spanish flavored cauliflower.
-Season with curry powder and garam masala for Indian spiced cauliflower

-Add some garlic and crushed red pepper to the cauliflower before cooking for a spicy version of roasted cauliflower

-After roasting, add some grated parmesan cheese to the cauliflower

Potato-Tomato-Zucchini Gratin

This dish was made in an attempt to use up some of the vegetables I had around the house. My garden is slowing down, and I am trying to get the most out of my fresh vegetables before winter comes. The combination of potatoes with tomatoes and zucchini works really well together.


Potato-Tomato-Zucchini Gratin

Serves 4

• 1 lb. red potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 3-4 Roma tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 small zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped, divided
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped, divided
• salt and pepper

-Preheat the oven to 400 degreees.
-Heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the potatoes and onions, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Saute until the potatoes and the onions are soft, but not fully cooked, about 7-10 minutes.
-Transfer the potato-onion mixture to a baking dish (I used a glass pie dish), and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and 1 tablespoon each of oregano and thyme.


-Layer the tomatoes and zucchini on top of the potatoes and onions, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and herbs on top of the tomatoes and the zucchini.
-Bake until the zucchini and the tomatoes are soft, and the cheese is golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.


Notes: This is a very simple dish to prepare, and it tastes great. Make sure to season the vegetables lightly with salt because the cheese is very salty. Also, you must make sure to cook the potatoes before adding them to the dish because they will take much longer to cook than the tomatoes or the zucchini.