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Come Party With Me: Campfire Fiesta - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:00:45 -0700

This week I'm celebrating the waning days of Summer with a Mexican-inspired menu for my campfire fiesta. But I know that if I don't serve s'mores, there may be a wilderness mutiny. So I'm bringing along milk chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers to make the traditional fireside treat.

But I also want something special to kick the s'mores concept up a notch, so I'll use the same marshmallows and chocolate as filling for easy cream puffs. Baked in foil, these gooey goodies are made from buttery biscuit dough that's dusted with cinnamon and sugar. They're even better with high-quality milk chocolate, so be sure to splurge on the fancy stuff. To get the recipe, read more.

Campfire Cream Puffs
Modified From Love the Outdoors

Ingredients

1 can of frozen biscuit dough (such as Pillsbury Grands)
8 large marshmallows
8 milk chocolate squares
Cinnamon and sugar to taste
2 10-inch by 10-inch squares of aluminum foil

Directions
Makes 8 cream puffs.

Sprinkle a plate with a dusting of cinnamon and sugar.
To make each cream puff, open the biscuit roll and pull off one biscuit. Open it up and stuff a marshmallow and one chocolate square inside. Close the biscuit so you can't see the marshmallow. Roll the biscuit dough in the cinnamon and sugar.
On each square of aluminum foil, place four of the stuffed biscuits; bring the sides of the foil around the biscuits, leaving a small space for ventilation.
Place the foil packets over the campfire for about 10 minutes, until dough is golden brown and marshmallow is melted.

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Cream Puffs Two Ways - Beginner and Expert

partysugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:31:35 -0700

Ever since I saw the March cover of Gourmet magazine, I've been craving cream puffs. However, the recipe the cover featured had ice cream and I prefer my cream puffs filled with lusciously smooth cream - like the ones seen here. Cream puffs are a classic dish that every home baker should artfully master. They are lovely with a cappuccino, delightful with a glass of bubbly, and complete crowd-pleasers.

I've found two recipes, one is super easy and the other is a little more time consuming. Experiment with one, both, or combine the two to make your own version! To get started, read more.

Beginner Cream Puffs
From Kraft Foods

Ingredients

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (1/2 of 17.3-oz. pkg.), thawed
1 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (4-serving size) vanilla flavor instant pudding & pie filling
1/2 cup thawed cool whip whipped topping
1 (2oz) square semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Unfold pastry on lightly floured surface; roll out to 10-inch square. Cut into nine circles with 3-inch cookie cutter or rim of glass. Place on baking sheet. Bake 10 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
Meanwhile, pour milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping. Cover. Refrigerate 15 min.
Cut pastry circles horizontally in half.
Spoon pudding mixture evenly into bottom halves of pastry; cover with tops. Drizzle with chocolate.
Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 9 cream puffs.

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Expert Cream Puffs
From Food and Wine magazine

Ingredients

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
9 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
2 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large saucepan, bring the milk, water, 1 stick of the butter, and the salt to a boil over high heat. Add the flour and remove from the heat.
Stir until the dough forms a shiny mass.
Using a mixer, beat the dough at low speed for 2 to 3 minutes, just until slightly cooled.
Increase the speed to medium and beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions; be sure to scrape down the saucepan.
Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 3/4-inch plain tip. Pipe twelve 1 1/2 inch mounds onto each sheet. Using a moistened finger, round the tops of the dough. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the puffs are golden, shifting the sheets halfway through.
Poke a 1/4-inch-deep hole into the side of each puff and return them to the oven. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the puffs cool and dry out for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, using a mixer, beat 1 1/2 cups of the cream with the confectioners’ sugar until firm. Beat in the vanilla extract.
Cut off the top third of each puff and scoop out the soft dough in the center. Spoon the cream into the puffs, replace the tops and stack them on a plate. Chill for 10 minutes.
In a small saucepan, bring the remaining 3/4 cup of heavy cream just to a boil. Remove from the heat.
Add the chocolate and the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and let stand just until the chocolate is melted. Whisk until smooth.
Drizzle some of the chocolate sauce over the puffs and serve, passing the remaining sauce on the side.

Serves 8.

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52 Weeks of Baking: Informal Croquembouche (Cream Puffs)

YumSugar — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:13:33 -0800

There are only a few weeks left in my 52 weeks of baking resolution, so I'm trying to find things on my "I can't believe I haven't made these before" list. Cream puffs were near the top of that list, but after last night, I'm officially able to cross them off.

I found a pastry recipe that looked simple and yielded a large haul of puffs. However, instead of a traditional custard cream - there wasn't enough time to let it set - I went with a whipped cream filling and a chocolate glaze. While mine isn't quite a traditional French Croquembouche - aka stacked cream puffs coated with caramel - it does work as a modern twist. To get the recipe that I put together on a weeknight just read more

Informal Croquembouche

Pâte à Chou (Cream Puff Pastry)
From Gourmet, December 1994

1 1/4 cups water
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
4 to 6 large eggs

In a heavy saucepan bring water to a boil with butter and salt over high heat.
Reduce heat to moderate. Add flour all at once and beat with a wooden spoon until mixture pulls away from sides of pan, forming a dough.
Transfer dough to bowl of a standing electric mixer and beat in 4 eggs, 1 at a time, on high speed, beating well after each addition. Batter should be stiff enough to just hold soft peaks and fall softly from a spoon. If batter is too stiff, in a small bowl beat remaining 2 eggs lightly, 1 at a time, and add to batter, a little at a time, beating on high speed, until batter is desired consistency.
Preheat oven to 425°F. and butter and flour 2 baking sheets.
Spoon pâte à chou into a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip and pipe about 55 mounds onto baking sheets, each about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, leaving 1 1/2 inches between mounds.
With a finger dipped in water gently smooth pointed tip of each mound to round puffs.
Bake puffs in upper third of oven 10 minutes, switching position of sheets in oven halfway through baking if necessary. Reduce temperature to 400°F. and bake puffs 20 minutes more, or until puffed and golden.
Let puffs stand in turned-off oven 30 minutes. Transfer puffs to racks to cool.
With a skewer poke a 1/4-inch hole in bottom of each puff.
Puffs may be made 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container. Recrisp puffs in 400°F. oven 5 minutes and cool before filling.

Whipped Cream Filling

2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 tbsp powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Whip cream until frothy.
Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
Whip until stiff peaks can be formed.

Chocolate Glaze

6 oz semisweet chocolate cut into pieces (or chocolate chips)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter

Place the chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl and set aside.
In a medium sized saucepan heat the cream and butter over medium heat. Bring to a boil.
Pour boiling cream over the chocolate and let stand for five minutes.
Stir with a whisk until smooth.
Add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg or clove if desired.

To Assemble

While cream puffs are cooling, make whipped filling. Transfer filling to a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain top and barely fill each puff (do not overfill).
Using toothpicks or skewers stack cream puffs into a cone shape.
Make glaze. Drizzle glaze on top of stacked cream puffs.

Alternatively, you can just dip each cream puff into the glaze and serve individually.

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Summer Of Sandwiches: Puff Pastry & Cherry Chocolate Sandwiches

partysugar — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 10:53:13 -0700

After obsessing about what to make for my next ice cream sandwich - seriously I discussed it nonstop with my poor friend Deiter for over 20 minutes - I finally decided on puff pastry "cookies" and cherry ice cream with chocolate shavings. Because the ice cream mixture is whisked, the most difficult part of this recipe is pitting the cherries - unless you have a cherry pitter of course! If you don't own an ice cream maker simply purchase Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia. These babies are big and you may need a fork to eat them. To kick it up a notch drizzle warm chocolate over the top. Take a look at how I made these ice cream sandwiches - Dieter thinks "it's a winner" - just read more

For an easier to eat sandwich, go ahead and cut the puff pastry in half horizontally and place ice cream in between. It won't be as puffy, but this way you'll have enough pastry to make twice as many sandwiches!

Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream & Almond Puff Pastry Sandwiches
Modified from Batch Family Mountain and Epicurious

For the ice cream:
1 1/2 cups sliced Bing, Lapin or Sweetheart cherries
1 pint whipping cream
1 pint half and half
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup shaved dark chocolate (or to taste)
For the puff pastry:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-ounce package), thawed
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup sliced almonds (I was lazy and processed mine in a food processor)
1 large egg white

Whisk whipping cream, half and half, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add cherries and stir. Chill mixture for 30 minutes in freezer.

Meanwhile make the puff pastry: preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut pastry into thirds lengthwise along folds, then cut each strip crosswise into 4 pieces. Arrange squares on prepared sheet, spacing apart.

Put sugar, almonds and egg white in a small bowl; stir to coat. Spread almond mixture atop squares, dividing evenly.

Bake pastry squares until tops are golden around edges, 18 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

Make the ice cream: pour into ice cream maker canister. Run machine until mixture reaches milkshake consistency. Add chocolate and mix until they're incorporated. Continue running machine until ice cream reaches desired consistency.

Using a serrated knife, cut each piece horizontally in half. Spread 1/3 cup ice cream over each pastry bottom, then press on top to adhere.
Freeze until ice cream is hard, about 1 hour.

Serves 12.

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Yummy Link: Lavender Cupcakes

YumSugar — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 04:48:12 -0700

These lavender cupcakes are almost too beautiful to eat. Almost... - Cream Puffs in Venice

In Season: Cherries

YumSugar — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:50:02 -0700

Watermelon, strawberries, peaches - there are so many fruits that get me jazzed for Summer, but the cherry is my all-time favorite. Whether it's the mild, yellow rainier or the ultrasweet bing, there's something magical about the sensation of biting through the cherry's taut, shiny skin and getting a burst of sweet, slightly tart, juicy flesh. Take advantage of cherries now, because they have a short Summer season that lasts through July. Find out how to best choose - and use - these miniature stone fruits when you read more.

When picking cherries, select fruits that are firm, plump, and without blemishes. Cherries are among the fruits that don't ripen once they've been picked, so choose the darkest ones for the sweetest taste. Don't discount those bright red cherries, however: they make a wonderful tart addition to pies, jams, and drinks.

Admittedly, my favorite way to eat cherries is out of my hand, but nonetheless, I also enjoy making them a regular part of my Summer kitchen in a multitude of ways:

Serve sweet cherries alongside mint, grapes, and peaches in a Summer fruit salad.
Whip up a fast cherry pan sauce for lamb rib chops.
Make cherries the life of the bar with a cherry mojito or a bing cherry margarita.
Transport yourself to the French countryside by baking a classic cherry clafouti.
Cool down for dessert with ice cream sandwiches made with cherry chocolate ice cream and puff pastry.

What are your favorite tips for preparing cherries? Please share them with me below!

Must-Read: Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey

YumSugar — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 03:30:04 -0800

Party recently polled you about dessert preferences, and it came as no surprise that most of you love dessert in any form. Many of you, however, singled out gooey, sticky sweets as your preference. Naturally, I had this in mind when I came across Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth ($15.61) by pastry chef Jill O'Connor. To find out what I thought of this collection of puddings, cookies, cakes, and sweet pies, read more.

Pros:

Helpful primer explains everything from the differences between types of cocoa powder to the best bristles for a pastry brush.
Desserts strive to be complex, with innovative, sophisticated flavor pairings.
Whimsical, vintage-inspired graphic design makes for an aesthetically pleasing book.
O'Connell adds plenty of personal flourish, telling amusing anecdotes, explaining the story behind every recipe, and sprinkling poignant quips about desserts along the way.

Cons:

Some recipes, like Cap-n Crunch Crispy Treats, are basic, but others - such as a three-page recipe for Coconut Cream Puffs - are tricky and complex.
Unless you're cooking for a party of eight, you may need to cut the recipes in half.
As pretty as the typography is, the ingredient list is written in such small font that it can be difficult to read quickly.
Rather than being easily numbered, the steps are written in paragraph form.

Recipes: The recipes cover just about everything. A few that left my mouth watering:

Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake Pots With Shortbread Spoons
Coconut Milk-Cream Cheese Flan
Milky Way Tempura-on-a-Stick
White Trash Panini
Gingersnap Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Sandwiches
Dark Chocolate Soup With Cinnamon-Toasted Pound Cake Croutons
Double-Crumble Hot Apple Pies
Sweet Pink Grapefruit-Tangerine Mousse With Phyllo Ruffles

Imagery: Although only a third of the recipes have pictures, the photographs are vivid, lush, and beautifully arranged.

Overall Rating: If you're a dessert fanatic looking to experiment with creative recipes, this would be the perfect cookbook to turn to. It would also make a gracious hostess gift.

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Reader Recipe: Raspberry Turnovers

YumSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:00:55 -0700

One of life's pleasures is spotting a mouthwatering recipe to add to your repertoire, reading through it, and realizing you already have many of the items on the ingredient list. This was the case when I came across Syako's recipe for fruit turnovers, which transforms everyday ingredients like cream cheese, puff pastry, milk, and jam into flaky, golden pockets of nectar. Since I happen to have all of these things in my pantry at this very moment, I've decided there's no time like the present, and I'll be making these tonight! To get the recipe, read more.

Submitted by TeamSugar member Syako

Raspberry Turnovers
Every Day With Rachael Ray (adapted from her Guava Turnovers)

I adapted this from a Guava Turnover recipe in the Rachael Ray magazine. It was very easy to put together and bake, and the final product is cream-cheesy-puff-pastry delicious! Of course, in my book, anything with puff pastry will be amazing.

Ingredients

2 frozen puff-pastry sheets, thawed
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, cut crosswise into 8 equal slices
1/2 cup (roughly) raspberry seedless jam (or any flavor jam)
1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon milk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. On a floured work surface, set a thawed puff-pastry sheet on top and roll out the pastry to a 9-1/2-inch square; cut into 4 squares.

2. Lay 1 piece each of the cream cheese and 1 tablespoon jam diagonally in the center of each pastry square. Brush the pastry edges with some of the beaten egg; fold to enclose, forming a triangle. Pinch the edges to seal, then crimp with a fork. Brush the egg all over the top and sides. Repeat with the remaining pastry, cream cheese, and jam.

3. Arrange the turnovers on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until puffy and golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, stir together the confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled turnovers.

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Summer of Sandwiches: Summer's Over

YumSugar — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 12:01:33 -0700

I can't believe that summer is just about over. Seems like we were just eating ice cream sandwiches yesterday... oh wait, we were! But in all seriousness, the end of the summer also means the end of our summer of sandwiches - after all, we have to make room for new fall features! However, just in case you missed any of them, here's a full recap.

Minty Fresh: Fresh Mint Ice Cream with Ice Cream Cone Cookies
Classic Choco-Vanilla: Chocolate Cookies with Vanilla Ice Cream
The Americone Dream: Americone Dream Ice Cream with Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Peachy Keen: Peach Ice Cream with Ginger Cookies
Salty Sweet: Vanilla Caramel Ice Cream with Saltine Crackers

Graham Caramel: Dulce De Leche Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers
Cravers: Crave Treat Cookies with Coffee Ice Cream
Puff Ups: Cherry Chocolate Ice Cream with Puff Pastry
Bisco Inferno: Chocolate Citrus Biscotti with Orange Ice Cream
Minis It's Its: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with Bite-sized Oatmeal Cookies

Berry Heaven: Vanilla Berry Ice Cream with Fudgy Brownies
PB Choco: Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Ice Cream
Old School Nilla: Strawberry and Banana Ice Cream with Nilla Wafers
Coo-Coo for Coconut: Coconut Macaroons with Creme Brulee Ice Cream

Hostess Etiquette: Offer Your Edible Gifts

partysugar — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:01:16 -0800

Recently geeksugar told me a story I found rather traumatizing. Apparently a friend of hers had taken the day off of work early to make a labor intensive dessert - cream puffs - to bring to a party she was attending that night. The party was a potluck in which everyone was asked to bring a dish. Unfortunately someone else brought ice cream and her dessert was shown up. The host failed to offer the cream puffs as an alternative to the ice cream and the poor girl who made them never even got to taste one! Her attempts to motivate the host into serving them went unnoticed and being a respectful guest, she wouldn't even think of asking for the cream puffs at the end of the night. We can all learn an important lesson from this example of a bad host. If guests bring a homemade dish into your house that they have made specifically for the occasion (not just for you) be sure to thank your guest by serving it to your crowd. Another moral of the story is to assign each guest a category when planning a potluck to avoid multiple dessert dishes. Lastly, when showing up at an event armed with fresh goods from your kitchen be sure to let the host/hostess know if they are for the party or for him/her to enjoy at his or her own convenience.