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Cool and Creamy Frozen Mojito Cakes

partysugar — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 08:00:34 -0700

When I saw the recipe Yum found for frozen mojito cakes, I knew I had to make them. A cross between key lime pie and a mojito, these individual cakes are everything you want in a summer dessert. They are sweet yet tart, cold but creamy, and downright delicious.The pretzel crust adds a salty flavor and crunchy texture. It's a scrumptious alternative to the classic graham cracker crust that I will definitely experiment with in the future. To get the ideal-for-entertaining recipe, which happens to be from the current issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine, read more.

Frozen Mojito Cakes
From Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine

Ingredients

2 sticks (8 ounces) butter
3 cups salted pretzels, finely crushed
1 cup plus 6 tablespoons sugar
Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
Grated peel of 3 limes, plus 1/2 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons white rum
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint, plus sprigs for garnish
2 cups heavy cream

Directions

In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the pretzels and 2 tablespoons sugar and cook until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool slightly.

Press about 2 tablespoons into the bottom of each cup of a 12-cup muffin pan. Freeze for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Mix in the remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar on low speed, then gradually mix in the lime peel, lime juice, rum and chopped mint.
In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into the cream cheese mixture.*

Divide the cream cheese mixture evenly among the muffin cups; smooth the tops. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight.
To serve, run a wet knife around each cake, then invert the pan onto a clean work surface. Set each cake upright and top with a mint sprig.

Serves 12.

*During this step, I stirred in a few drops of green food coloring.

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Frozen Mojito Cakes

partysugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:25:24 -0700

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Let's Dish: What Are Your Favorite Frozen Treats?

YumSugar — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:00:27 -0700

Right before the Fourth, I shed some light on the best foods to make when it's hot outside - including Summer-perfect desserts like frosty mojito cakes and spicy cantaloupe paletas. But my favorite frozen confections are the ones that remind me of my childhood - like red grapes straight out of the freezer and those triangle-shaped Minute Maid push pops (which, sadly, I haven't come across in ages). As for icy cocktails, I can never turn down a subzero piña colada. What are your favorite things to enjoy that are frozen?

Nutella + Wafer Cookies = Ferrero Rocher Frozen Pie

YumSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:15:16 -0700

After drooling over PartySugar’s mojito cakes, I wanted to experiment with my own freezer pie. When searching for a recipe, I remembered one of my favorite frozen dessert cookbooks, Icebox Pies by Lauren Chattman. Since I'm crazy for Nutella, I decided to make her Gianduia Pie. Gianduia is a type of chocolate candy made with hazelnuts or almonds.
I was unable to find chocolate wafer cookies, so I substituted Fudge Stick cookies, a wafer sandwich-cookie covered in chocolate. To my delight, the creamy, chocolately, hazelnut filling and crunchy crust reminded me of delicious Ferrero Rocher chocolates, minus the gold wrapping! Learn how to make this divine yet minimal, no-bake pie when you, read more!

Gianduia Pie
Adapted from Ice Box Pies by Lauren Chattman

Ingredients

Crust
20 Fudge Wafer Bar Cookies
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Filling
3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
1 1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 13 ounce jar of Nutella

Directions

Preheat the oven 350°F. Place all of hazelnuts (1 1/4 cup) on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes until they are fragrant.
Place the nuts on a clean kitchen towel and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Once cool, rub the nuts with the towel to remove the skin. A little skin won't hurt but try to remove as much as possible.
Make the crust: place the nuts and cookies in a food processor and grind finely. Combine the crumb and nut mixture, butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a medium size mixing bowl and stir until the crumb and nut mixture is moistened.
Press the mixture evenly across the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate and all the way up the sides of the pan, packing it tightly with your fingertips so it is even and compacted.
Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes until edges start to become firm. The crust will become more firm as it cools. Let cool completely before filling. The crust may be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 1 month.
Make the filling: place 3/4 cup toasted and skinned hazelnuts in a food processor and process until very fine.
Combine the cream and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
Place the Nutella in a medium-size mixing bowl and stir in one quarter of the whipped cream.
Gently fold the lightened Nutella mixture back into the remaining whipped cream. Fold in the chopped hazelnuts.
Scrape the filling into the prepared pie shell and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the filling is completely set, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

Serves 8 or makes one 9-inch pie.

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Do You Know What's Cooking This Week?

YumSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:30:00 -0700

The food industry was abuzz this week with all sorts of news. We were hooked: Is the Double Cheeseburger in jeopardy? Will Whole Foods survive the tough economy? Will Adam's new Food Network show top NFNS winner Aaron's?
We also aired out our greatest kitchen pet peeves, made a delicious frozen mojito cake, and continued our obssession with unusual nachos. How much did you tune in? Take our quiz to find out!

Take the quiz

All The News That's Fit to Eat - July 25

YumSugar — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 11:04:48 -0700

Uh-Oh, yet another food recall. This time it's millions of cans of chili sauce, corned beef hash and beef stew from Castleberry. - McClatchy DC
In a slight departure, here's a story about a sanctuary that houses animals that were once destined for your belly. - New York Times

Also in the world of animals: Free range chickens raised on organic grains produce richer eggs and tastier meat. - Boston Globe
Frozen popsicles aren't just for kids. If you think I'm wrong, try popsicles meant to tempt the adult palate like pineapple-cucumber cooler, kiwis 'n' milk, ginger mojito and more. - Houston Chronicle
Martha's on the cover of Wired and this time she's telling us how to make a wii cake. - GeekSugar
Love the scents of summer? Don't just breathe them in, drink them up, too. - Los Angeles Times
Speaking of drinking, here are the top ten rosés for summer dining. - Dallas Morning News
Here's everything you've ever wanted to know about the mysterious scallop. - Sacramento Bee
Like Italian pasta, Asian noodles come in all shapes and sizes. - The Oregonian
Adrien of Next Food Network Star was completely flabbergasted by the fact that Amy won. - Food Network Addict

Recipes From Cat Cora's Cooking From The Hip

partysugar — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 10:51:49 -0800

I was lucky enough to get sent an advanced, not-for-sale copy of Cat Cora's new cookbook, Cooking From The Hip. Cat Cora is the executive chef at Bon Appetit magazine and Food Network's only female Iron Chef. She believes in "cooking from the hip" (a phrase that I still don't fully understand, I keep picturing her in a kitchen doing Shakira style hip motions while she cooks...) which is her term for creating dishes from fresh ingredients and pantry staples. Cat advises stocking your kitchen with a variety of oils, vinegars, and canned goods so you can create simple, delicious, and healthy meals at all times. Her book isn't laid out like your normal cookbook, instead she organizes her recipes into five interesting categories: fast, easy, fun, phenomenal, and good to know. I especially enjoyed her praises for the importance of adult time which she celebrates with daily happy hours (a girl after my own heart!) and the cocktail recipes she includes: sake margaritas, mint juleps and mojitos to name a few. I used a few of the recipes to pack a picnic lunch (perfect a blog party) for YumSugar and I to enjoy at work. The pasta salad was very light and fresh and the sandwich uncomplicated elegance. However the best recipe by far was Cat's lemonade cookies. These cake like cookies were a hit at the office and while many people believe I spent hours zesting lemon after lemon, all of the flavor comes from frozen lemonade concentrate...genious! Cat Cora's cookbook doesn't hit the book shelves until April 10, but you can enjoy a sneak peak of a few of her recipes, and pack yourself a perfect picnic, just read more

Farfalle and Herb Salad with Peas
Reprinted with permission from COOKING FROM THE HIP by Cat Cora, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007

3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 pound farfalle pasta or orzo
3/4 cup peas (blanched if fresh)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
3 garlic cloves minced
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of the salt to the boiling water, then add the farfalle. Cook for 7 minutes, or until the past is done but still firm. Drain the pasta in a colander, rinse with cold water, and drain again.
In a large serving bowl, combine the pasta, peas, herbs, garlic, lemon juice and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Toss and mix well.
Add the cherry tomatoes, drizzle with the oilve oil, and toss gently. Serve or cover and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.

Serves 6.

Make Ahead: the salad can be prepared a day ahead, covered and refrigerated.

Cat Cora says: a pasta salad is a good dish to have in your repertoire, and this one, with its butterfly-shaped pasta, shines-just be sure to choose fresh, bright herbs. For pasta salads, cook the pasta a little less than you would for a hot pasta dish.

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Parmesan, Prosciutto, and Arugula Sandwich
Reprinted with permission from COOKING FROM THE HIP by Cat Cora, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007

2 ciabatta loaves, 12-14 inches long
2 tablespoons best-quality-extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups baby arugula
6 ounces Parmesan cheese, thinly sliced or shaved
2 tablespoons truffle oil

Cut the ciabatta loaves in half lengthwise. With a big spoon or your fingers, hollow out both halves of each loaf, leaving a shell approximately 1 inch thick. (Stash the ciabatta innards in a resealable plastic bag in your freezer and use them when you need bread crumbs.)
With a brush, very lightly coat the insides of the hallowed-out loaves with olive oil. Or, if you don't have a brush, pour the oil into a small bowl and use a spoon to dribble it onto the bread.
Layer half the proscuitto, arugula, and cheese in each hollowed-out loaf. With a spoon, drizzle the truffle oil over the meat, greens, and cheese. Replace the top half of each loaf and slice into rectangular sandwiches, each about 2 inches wide.
Serve or wrap in foil for a picnic.

Serves 6-8.

Cat Cora says: This recipe is fast and easy and luxurious and satisfying. For me, it's a fallback dinner-something I can make much faster than the time it takes to have a pizza delivered. It's also perfect picnic food, packed in a basket with a bottle of wine, and terrific at a tailgating party, or as an appetizer. If you leave out the truffle oil, the sandwich is still delicious, but doesn't have the same flair. Long, flat ciabatta loaves can be hollowed out quite easily. Before I start layering, I divide the ingredients into two equal amounts, so neither sandwich is shortchanged.

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Lemonade Cookies
Reprinted with permission from COOKING FROM THE HIP by Cat Cora, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007

1 6-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar, plus extra to sprinkle over the cookies
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (optional)
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon

Preheat oven to 375°F. Fill a large bowl with warm water, and plop in the unopened can of lemonade to thaw while you make the cookie dough.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and the sugar with a hand mixer.

Add the lemon zest, if desired.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until the mixture is light and creamy, 4 to 5 minutes, then set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, the baking soda and salt.

Measure out 1/2 cup of the thawed lemonade, and set the rest aside.

Add about one third of the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Stir, then add about one third of the 1/2 cup lemonade. Continue adding the flour and lemonade alternately, stirring after each addition, until the mixture shows no streaks of flour.

Beat on low speed with the mixer just until all the ingredients are combined.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart on the ungreased baking sheet.

Bake the cookies, checking them after 8 minutes. When the edges are just starting to brown, remove the cookies from the oven. (The centers will still look soft.) Using a pastry brush, immediately brush the top of each cookie very lightly with a little of the remaining lemonade, then lightly sprinkle with sugar. Transfer the cookies to a rack, and allow them to cool completely.

Makes 4 dozen.

Make Ahead: If you want to make the cookie dough ahead of time, it can be refrigerated for several days if you seal it in two layers of plastic wrap. Dough straight from the refrigerator should bake for about 12 minutes; dough at room temperature bakes for 8-10 minutes.

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