Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake

Today was our eldest daughter's birthday and so Gerry and I celebrated with her.  It's great when special days fall on the weekend.  We have always had the tradition of whoever's birthday it is, that person gets to pick the menu for the entire day along with all activities for the day.  Since we sold the house and are now in the motor home, we are still trying to see what these celebrations will look like.  We celebrated at Val's house with her husband and their two beautiful children. 

We went out for lunch since that is what Val wanted to do and she chose her dinner menu a couple of days ago.  I shopped for all the ingredients and did some of the prep work before going over there today.  Her dinner choices were Flat Iron Steak with Red Wine Sauce, grilled sweet onions, grilled zucchini and yellow squash, sauteed mushrooms and mashed potatoes.  For the second year in a row she chose Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake for dessert which is seriously the easiest dessert to pull together.  It is layers of chocolate chip cookies and mascarpone/whipped cream with chocolate in between.  It is assembled in a springform pan, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight, hence the name "Icebox Cake".

Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake
Makes 8 servings

2 cups cold heavy cream
12 ounces Italian mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 (8-ounce) packages chocolate chip cookies, such as Tate's Bake Shop (or homemade cookies)
Shaved semisweet chocolate, for garnish, if desired

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream, mascarpone, sugar, coffee liqueur, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and vanilla.  Mix on low speed to combine and then slowly raise the speed until it forms firm peaks.

To assemble the cake, arrange chocolate chip cookies flat in an 8-inch springform pan, covering the bottom as much as possible.  (I break some cookies to fill in the spaces.)  Spread a fifth of the mocha whipped cream evenly over the cookies.  Place another layer of cookies on top lying flat and touching, followed by another fifth of the cream.  Continue layering cookies and cream until there are 5 layers of each, ending with a layer of cream.  Smooth the top, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

Run a small sharp knife around the outside of the cake and remove the sides of the pan.  Sprinkle the top with the chocolate, cut in wedges, and serve cold.


Recipe from Barefoot Contessa

Our rating:

Buttermilk Pie

I recently made this pie for dessert since I have always been intrigued with the idea of it.  Since we moved to Texas 17 years ago, buttermilk pie has cropped up in conversations here and there.    It is a southern dessert and it turned out beautifully.  It was definitely a dessert without being overly sweet.  It is really something different for the end of a meal.

Buttermilk Pie
Makes 8 servings

For the dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
9 tablespoons (4 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg

For the filling:
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the dough:
In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, sugar and salt.  Pulse until combined.  Scatter the butter pieces over the flour.  Process in short bursts until the butter is the size of the peas.  Add the egg and process in long pulses, about 5-7 seconds until the dough has started to clump.  Place a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and dump the dough onto the surface.  Using the plastic wrap and the back of your hands, gently press the dough into a disk.  Wrap tightly with the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator.  If refrigerated overnight, let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.  On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle, flouring the dough and surface as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.  Roll up the dough around the rolling pin and gently unroll it over a 9-inch pie plate.  Trim the excess dough from the pie plate and crimp the edges.  Place pie crust in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Line the pie crust with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the weights and foil and bake for another 3-5 minutes.  Place on a rack to cool completely.  Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees.

For the filling:
Place the cooled pie plate on a baking sheet. 

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until light and lemony in color.  Gradually add the flour to the egg mixture.  Mix in butter.  Dissolve the baking soda in the buttermilk and add to the egg mixture.  Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla.

Pour in the prebaked pie shell and bake for 8 minutes.  Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 40 minutes or until the pie is set.  Cool completely.  The filling will fall.  Serve at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream, fresh berries or both.  Enjoy!

Recipe from the Gourmet Galley.net

Our rating:

Pumpkin Butterscotch Blondies

I have not done a lot of baking since settling into the motor home and I was definitely craving something sweet and so I tried these blondies.  Blondies are like a brownie without the chocolate and in addition to having pumpkin in them, these bars also have white chocolate and butterscotch chips in them.  I love Blondies...don't get me wrong, I love brownies as well, but every once in a while it's nice to have these.  Just like my favorite ice cream flavor is plain vanilla, a blondie is just the right treat.

Pumpkin Butterscotch Blondies
Makes 24 squares

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated or brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips
1/2 cup chopped toasted nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with foil or parchment, leaving an overhang on the long sides.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.  Add the pumpkin puree and continue mixing until well combined.  On low speed, add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in the white chocoloate and 1 cup of the butterscotch chips (and nuts, if using).

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan, then sprinkle the remaining butterscotch chips over the top.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.  Transfer pan to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before cutting.

From Cook Like a Champion

Our rating:

Thoroughbred Pie

We have been involved in watching our grandchildren since last Friday evening while their parents are away celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary.  So far, we have had either both of them or just the almost two-year old.  The other grandfather gets to take care of them for the next two days, so we are enjoying a break and I got to make what I wanted for dinner.  I chose to make charcoal grilled T-Bone Steaks, Twice Baked Potatoes, coleslaw and Thoroughbred Pie for dessert.  Everything turned out wonderfully and I will definitely be making these dishes again.

Traditionally Thoroughbred Pie is a dessert served at a Kentucky Derby party, but at least I tried it during the month of May.  This has been a busy month and I have not been posting as regularly as I have in the past.  This recipe was delicious without being too sweet.  The pastry was rich and flaky, with a nice layer of chocolate covering the bottom of the crust.  The filling was smooth and creamy, laced with a hint of bourbon and filled with walnuts.  The top of this filling had a nice crackle to it which added another texture to the dessert.  I added a dollop of Bourbon Whipped Cream to each slice as I served it.

Thoroughbred Pie (Serves 8)

1 recipe Foolproof Single-Crust Pie Dough (recipe follows)
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
3 tablespoons bourbon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups walnuts, toasted and chopped

Foolproof Single-Crust Pie Dough (makes enough for 1 9-inch single-crust pie)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled
1/4 cup vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces and chilled
2 tablespoons cold vodka
2 tablespoons cold water

Bourbon Whipped Cream (makes about 2 cups)

1 cup heavy cream, chilled
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the dough:

Pulse 3/4 cup flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, about 2 pulses.  Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps. about 10 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining and there should be not uncoated flour).  Scrape down bowl and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade.  Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bow and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses.  Empty mixture into bowl.

Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture.  With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together.  Flatten dough into 4-inch disk.  Wrap dis in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

For the pie:

Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured (up to 1/4 cup) counter to 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick.  roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhand.  east dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand, Refrigerate until dough is firm, about 15 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees  Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch beyond lip of pie plate.  Fold overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate.  Flute edges using fingers or press with tines of fork to flatten against rim of pie plate.  Refrigerate dough-lined plate until dough is firm, about 15 minutes.

Remove pie pate from refrigerator, line crust with aluminum foil, and fill with pie weights or dried beans.  Bake until surface of dough no longer looks wet, 20 to 25 minutes.  Remove pie from oven and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.  Remove foil and weights and sprinkle chocolate over bottom of hot crust.  Let sit for 5 minutes, then spread chocolate into even layer; set aside.

Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Cook, stirring constantly, until butter is nutty brown, 5 to 7 minutes.  Off heat, slowly stir in bourbon; let cool 5 minutes.

Whisk granulated sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in large bowl until combined.  Add eggs and yolk and vanilla, whisking until smooth.  Slowly whisk in warm butter mixture until incorporated.  Stir in walnuts and pour filling into chocolate-line crust.  Bake until filling is puffed and center jiggles slightly when pie is gently shaken, 35 to 40 minutes.  Cool on wire rack for 4 hours.  Slice and serve.  (Pie can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 days).

For the whipped cream:

Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip ingredients together on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute.  Increase speed to high and whip to soft peaks, 1 to 3 minutes.

Adapted from The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2012

Blackberry Ice Cream

A couple of weeks ago when I made my blackberry jam, I ended up with a couple of extra containers of blackberries and since I also had extra heavy cream in the refrigerator, ice cream immediately came into mind. I did have to go out and get some half and half, but it was a small price to pay for such a delicious treat. I'm usually a pretty plain ice cream fan with some form of vanilla being my choice when we're out, but it's a whole different ballgame with homemade ice cream. This blackberry ice cream was so good, it has me dreaming about what other flavors I want to tackle next.



Blackberry Ice Cream (makes about 1 quart)
1 1/2 cups half-and half
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups strained blackberry puree
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Warm the half-and-half and sugar in a medium saucepan. Pour the cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer over the top.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Mix in the blackberry puree and lemon juice, then stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, but to preserve the fresh blackberry taste, churn the ice cream within 4 hours after making the mixture.


Adapted from The Perfect Scoop.

My rating:

Key Lime Pie Bars

If you are a reader of my blog, you may remember that I made Key Lime Panna Cotta last week and since I still had more than half of a bag of key limes left, I decided to make these Key Lime Pie Bars. I liked the idea of these since I knew I could cut them into smaller squares which seems much more reasonable than eating a slice of pie. These bars are really very easy to make; the only hard part was squeezing the tiny little limes to get a total of 3/4 cup fresh lime juice. I used the entire rest of the bag (minus one little key lime) to get the necessary juice and my hands smelled great the rest of the afternoon. These were definitely delicious (although absolutely not low-cal) and sure to make the occasional appearance on our dessert table.



Key Lime Pie Bars (Makes 16)

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup key lime juice
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
Whipped cream, for serving, (optional
Toasted coconut, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment, leaving a few inches overhang on two sides. Butter the parchment and set pan aside.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and coconut in a medium bowl. Pour melted butter over and stir to combine. Press mixture into prepared pan and bake for 8-9 minutes. Set on a wire rack to cool.

While crust is cooling, make filling by whisking together the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour filling into cooled piecrust and return to oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the filling feels just firm to the touch. Do not brown. Cool at room temperature, then chill thoroughly. Cut into bars and top with whipped cream and toasted coconut, if desired.

Slightly adapted from Cook like a Champion blog

My rating:

Key Lime Panna Cotta with Berry Coulis

A few weeks ago, my daughter Elizabeth mentioned how much she was craving her best friend's mother's recipe for Red Beans and Rice. Later that week, I dug through some recipes that I had collected over the years and found the coveted recipe. I recreated this dish for her tonight and will tweak the recipe a little bit before posting it.

I also made a batch of my homemade dinner rolls since I always try to have some of these on hand in the freezer.



I rounded out dinner with Key Lime Panna Cotta. I found a big bag of key limes on sale yesterday for less than $2.00, so I will be trying a few key lime recipes. Panna cotta is Italian for cooked cream. Basically the cooked cream can be flavored any way you want. This one was flavored with key lime juice, grated zest and some coconut milk. I had never made a Panna Cotta before and was very pleased with how this came out. I also made a mixed berry coulis to go over it which was delicious. I let each person decorate their own dessert plate which was very fun. I will be posting several pictures from this adventure. I will definitely be trying another key lime dessert later this week.


Key Lime Panna Cotta with Berry Coulis (Serves 6)

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 package unflavored gelatin
1 teaspoon grated Key lime zest
1/4 cup fresh Key lime juice


In a saucepan, gently heat the cream, half and half, and coconut milk. Add the sugar and gelatin. Once dissolved, add the grated lime zest and juice. Bring the cream to a simmer and keep at a low simmer for about 10 minutes to meld the flavors then pour into 6 ramekins. Place in the refrigerator to chill and set for about 6 hours or overnight. Serve with Berry Coulis (recipe follows) and top with a fresh fruit, if desired.

To unmold, place ramekins in very hot water for a moment. Run a small spatula around the sides to release. Turn onto a plate, with a vigorous motion if necessary.



Berry Coulis
1 (12 ounce) package frozen mixed berries
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Triple Sec or other orange flavored liqueur, optional

Place berries and sugar in a medium size saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook on medium heat for 1-2 minutes.

Place in a blender or food processor and puree. Add Triple Sec (if using) and lemon juice and strain mixture through a fine strainer. Taste and add more sugar if needed.


Adapted from The Cafe Sucre Farine

My rating:

Fudgy, Chewy Brownies

For Tuesday night dinner, I made my Fusilli with 3 Cheeses and Red Peppers which my daughter requested. It is one of our favorites and is super simple to make. I'm not posting that recipe since I have already discussed it a few times on my blog. I served a simple green salad with the pasta and I made homemade brownies for dessert. The brownies came out beautifully and I hate to admit I usually make brownies from a box. I love this recipe since I will no longer have to turn to a box to get a freshly made brownie.



Fudgy, Chewy Brownies
Adapted from Annie's Eats Blog, originally from Baking Illustrated

5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Place an oven rack in the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt; whisk until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture until incorporated. Then stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until just combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread with a spatula to make an even layer. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, 35-40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Remove the brownies from the pan using the foil and transfer to a cutting board. cut into squares as desired. Store in an air-tight container.

My rating:

Homemade Applesauce

What to do when someone in the house needs to be on a low-fiber diet for a few days? Make applesauce of course. Ever since I made apple butter a couple of months ago, I have been meaning to make applesauce which is really just a simpler process. I had plenty of apples on hand from our CSA basket and the other ingredients needed were water, sugar and cinnamon. This was extremely easy and quick to make and it was wonderful to eat it while it was still warm, not mention all that cinnamon scenting the house wasn't bad either.



Homemade Applesauce (about 8 1/2-cup servings)
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

8 apples (I used half Pink Lady and half Granny Smith)
1 1/2 cups water
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar (depending on sweetness of apples)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Peel, core and chop apples. Place apple pieces in a pot with water, sugar and cinnamon. Stir to combine and place over medium heat. When mixture comes to a boil, cover, reduce heat to simmer and allow to cook for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once apples are very soft, remove from heat and mash with a potato masher or blend with an immersion blender to desired consistency.

My rating:

Tea Time Tassies

The girls and I decided to bake Christmas cookies on Sunday sine Stephanie was here. We always bake dozens and dozens of cookies and bring trays of cookies to co-workers. We drastically cut down on the kinds of cookies this year. We only made six different kinds of cookies this year versus the 10 or 12 we usually do. We have had Emma (5 years old) join us the last couple of years and this year she really spent a lot of time helping us. Emma was really dedicated to helping us as much as she could and it was really fun to have her help and enthusiasm.

This was also the first year that I didn't end up in the kitchen by myself finishing the last couple of batches of cookies. It was a wonderful time spent with my girls.

We decided on the following cookies for our baking day:
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Chocolate Crinkles
Tea Time Tassies
White Chocolate Peppermint Bark
Sugar Cookies
Frosted Molasses Cookies

We have agreed to set aside another day closer to Christmas to decorate gingerbread houses which I think Emma will also enjoy.

The recipe I am sharing with you today is one that I grew up with and we make it every year at Christmas. These are really miniature tarts with the crust containing butter, cream cheese and flour. The filling is like a pecan pie filling so another name could be Miniature Pecan Pies.



Tea Time Tassies (makes 24)

Crust:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour, unsifted

Filling:
1 egg
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pinch salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Have ready 2 miniature muffin tins with cups that measure about 2 inches across and 7/8-inch deep.

For crust, beat butter with cream cheese until smooth. Add flour and mix until a dough forms. Chill for at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide into 24 balls. With your fingers (or a special press made by Pampered Chef), press each ball into an ungreased muffin cup, taking care to make a smooth, even layer over the bottom and up the sides.

For the filling, whisk the egg in a medium bowl. Add sugar, butter, vanilla and salt and mix well.

Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon chopped pecans in to each crust. Add filling so it comes almost to the top of the cups, making sure it doesn't spill over. Sprinkle any remaining pecans over the top.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated 350 degree oven. Reduce oven to 250 degrees and continue to bake until crust is light golden brown at the edges, 10 minutes. Cool.

When muffin tin is cool enough to handle, loosen cups from the sides of the tin and carefully transfer to a wire rack. Cool to room temperature.



My rating:

Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Frosting

We turned to lamb tonight for dinner because it has been quite a while since we have made it. We bought a rack of lamb, which happens to be my favorite cut and Gerry grilled it perfectly. It was drizzled with olive oil and rubbed with salt, pepper, and chopped fresh rosemary. When you start with an excellent cut of meat, all it needs are simple flavorings and an excellent grill master. Gerry grilled this to perfection.

Our side dishes were garlic mashed potatoes and carrots and all was wonderful.



I have been making a sweet treat each week and Sunday seems to be the perfect day to bake. I turned to an Ina Garten recipe in her Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook and it was like eating the best Devil's Food cake with a lightly whipped chocolate frosting. Gerry enjoyed it so much, he said it may be his birthday dessert choice (of course his birthday is in June so who knows how many times he might change his mind).

If you are a chocolate fan, you seriously need to try to make this cake.



Beatty's Chocolate Cake (Serves 8-10)
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

Butter for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8 x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With the mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place one layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with the frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting

6 oz. good semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut (which is what I used)
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.


Our rating:

Apple Cream Streusel Pie

I know I haven't posted anything for a few days but it has been a little crazy around here. I watched my precious 16 month old grandson Ethan for the weekend since Emma was sick and we wanted to keep them apart. Ethan did have a bit of a cold already and we didn't want him to get worse. Since I was already a little under the weather with a sinus thing going on, I think I may have caught whatever he was struggling with. On top of all this, Gerry was attending a user conference and was gone Sunday through this morning basically. With this unique set of circumstances, cooking did not rate high on my priority list like it usually does.

I did make this pie last week and have not yet posted the recipe, so here it is. I used the 4 Fuji apples that were in my CSA bin and the pie was really good, but I should have baked it a little longer since the apples still had a little bite to them. I personally like my apples really tender so I would bake this longer next time.



Apple Cream Streusel Pie
Adapted from Sass and Veracity's blog

1 prebaked pie crust

Filling:
4 peeled, cored, & sliced Fuji apples (about 2 lbs.)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2-3/4 cup sour cream
1/4-1/2 cup mascarpone (the combination of the sour cream & the mascarpone should equal 1 cup)
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Streusel Topping:
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter cut into small cubes
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare the pie crust using desired recipe. While the crust is blind baked, slice the apples and toss in a large bowl with the lemon juice to prevent the fruit from discoloring.

In another bowl, combine the sour cream, mascarpone, egg, sugar, flour, vanilla, and salt until well combined. Add the apples and stir to coat evenly. Pour into cooled pie shell. Bake for 30 minutes until filling is set. You may want to place strips of foil on the crusts to prevent excessive browning.

While the pie is baking, prepare the streusel. Using a fork, mix flour and cold butter in a medium bowl. Add chopped pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon and mix well. When the pie is set, sprinkle streusel over the top and bake until it browns lightly about 10-15 minutes. Watch it to keep it from browning too much. Cool to room temperature before serving and store covered in the refrigerator.

My rating: