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Crème Brûlée

Crème Brûlée
Today is a very special day. It’s a special day because I’m sharing with you my favorite dessert on earth. Mmm…Crème Brûlée. It’s even fun to say, even if it is a pain in the neck to type. I’ve loved it for a very, very, very long time. I included this crème brûlée recipe in my cookbook, and had planned for it to remain one of the cookbook-only recipes in there. “I’m getting ready to make Crème Brûlée and I can’t stand not sharing it on my website.” Cassie replied “I completely agree. This is why I love Cassie. Then she wrote back and said, “You think you could possibly send me those Black Heels edits so we could actually publish the book sometime?” I didn’t answer her. This is Crème Brûlée, my friends. I think I was hitting the sauce when I wrote that chapter. Here’s how you make it. Begin by pouring heavy cream into a saucepan. This! (Note that this ingredient is not required! Add it right on into the cream. Bring the cream to a simmer over medium-low heat. Look at all the vanilla! Sorry.

Nutella-Mallow Pillow Pockets When I tell you this, take me very seriously…..run, don’t walk to your nearest grocery store and make these today! I knew I wanted to make a Nutella treat the other day and when this simple idea came to mind I had no idea how crazy good it would be! The pastry with the gooey disappearing marshmallow and nutella make for a treat that you just must try for yourself! Enjoy! Can you handle this line up?! Um….this stuff should be illegal. Ok, easy easy. Take a little fork and crimp those edges, nice and firm. Next, you’ll brush with an egg white wash and sprinkle with sugar, mmmmm! Get a load of this! I sprinkled mine with a little powdered sugar Oooey, gooey and delish! Nutella-Mallow Pillow Pockets 1 package puff pastry, 2 pastry sheets thawed 1 Cup Nutella spread 1 Cup mini marshmallows Egg white wash: 1 egg white whisked with 1 Tablespoon water Powdered sugar for dusting 1. 8 pockets Have a great new week! Other recipes you may enjoy...

Rise and Shine: Basic Brioche - Today's Nest I am very lucky to have attended the International Food Bloggers Conference in Portland, Oregon last weekend. It was 3 days completely packed with information, fun, and, as you might have guessed… food. The city of Portland was welcoming and friendly. One such manufacturer is Bob’s Red Mill. Several weeks before attending I received an email inviting me for a tour of the facility along with several other conference attendees.

Brickle A few weeks ago, I went to a barbeque. On the table there was plate of what looked to be a chocolate type dish that was crumbled up. I grabbed a piece, ate it, had eight more pieces, and then went on a mad hunt throughout the barbeque to see who brought the stuff and how much I would have to pay them for the recipe. After not too much work I tracked it down, and trust me. What’s fantastic about this stuff is many things. Directions 1) Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. 2) Then layer in crackers. 3) Melt the butter in a saucepan and then stir in the brown sugar. 4) Once it has simmered for a few minutes, pour it straight on the crackers. 5) Next, stick your baking sheet in the oven at 325 degrees for 5-10 minutes. 6) When you take it out of the oven, pour the chocolate chips on the tray right away. 7) Meanwhile, crumble up some heath bars. 8) After 5 minutes, use a spatula to spread out the chocolate and make the chips flat. 9) Then just stick this whole thing in the freezer! Ok. Cool.

Pumpkin Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting These were a hit with the whole neighborhood. Or to be honest with my three boys and the neighbor girl mainly. They ate the whole sheet full of them in a matter of oh about a 1/2 hour. Pumpkin Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frostingadapted from King Arthur Flour Cake2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, or 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon each ginger, nutmeg, and cloves1 cup (7 ounces)vegetable oil1 cup (7 1/2 ounces) brown sugar1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar4 large eggs1 cup (9 1/2 ounces) pumpkin puree Cream Cheese Frosting8 ounces cream cheese, softened1/4 cup (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened2 tablespoons(1 3/8 ounces) maple syrup2 cups (12 ounces) confectioners' sugar Preheat the oven to 350°F. For the cake: Put the first five ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until well incorporated.

How to Make Caramel Corn How to Make Caramel Corn for Halloween Homemade caramel corn is a classic Halloween treat. This recipe is great to serve at parties or divide it up into individual Halloween bags and give it away as gifts. Step 1 Pop 12 cups of plain popcorn. Step 2 Melt two sticks of butter in a large heavy saucepan over low heat. Step 3 Stir in 2 cups of packed light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup light corn syrup. Step 4 Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Step 5 Insert a candy thermometer into pan, without the tip touching the bottom of pan. Step 6 When the temperature of the mixture is reached, immediately remove from heat and stir in the soda and vanilla. Step 7 Stir the mixture and then immediately pour evenly over the popped corn in the roasting pan. Step 8 Using 2 wooden spoons, quickly mix to coat all the popcorn; spread evenly on pan. Step 9 Bake at 250 degrees for 15 minutes; stir well. Step 10 Turn caramel corn out onto waxed or parchment-lined baking sheets in a single layer.

The Best Chocolate Mousse of Your Life Under 5 Minutes : Cafe Fernando – Food Blog - chocolate mousse recipe - herve this - Chocolate December 22nd, 2010 | Category: Chocolate Two ingredients (seriously, only chocolate and water) and five minutes later, you will be eating The Best Chocolate Mousse of Your Life. I promise. And you don’t even need any fancy kitchen gadgets. This amazing discovery was made by the famous French chemist, Hervé This, who is also known as the man who unboiled an egg. Since the recipe has only two ingredients, it all comes down to the quality of the chocolate you use. Don’t take this as a mousse recipe only. You can also flavor it with spices like cinnamon or cayenne pepper or add a tablespoon of liquor like Grand Marnier, Chartreuse or Tia Maria. Or boil the water first, take off heat, place a couple of Earl Grey tea bags, let infuse and then use it as your liquid. The most important part of the recipe is achieving the right consistency. As soon as I hit the publish button, I’ll start working against a very tight deadline for the book. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Honeyed Pears in Puff Pastry Poaching fruit is one of my favorite things to do when cold weather arrives. It's so warming to stand over a boiling pot of fragrant spices and lose yourself in thought. When I made these, I couldn't help but daydream as I stirred; if I were a pear... I wouldn't want to spend my days on the shelf of a cold produce department. I'd want to be taken to a warm home and placed in a jacuzzi of honey and spices. I'd want to be wrapped in an extra long puff pastry scarf and baked until golden and toasty. That sounds a little silly, but that's what I'd want... if I were a pear. The idea for these came from the Pepperidge Farm website. On a personal note, our Christmas tree is already up courtesy of Mr. Since poaching is a relatively easy task, I'll skip to some helpful tips for wrapping the pears in puff pastry. The poaching liquid has a high concentration of sugar, so your pears will be sticky. When you reach the top, tuck in the end piece of pastry behind the last spiral. 4 small pears 1/2 lemon

Pumpkin Recipes The Finer Things in Life Home About Advertise Contact Pumpkin Recipes October 18, 2009 by Amy Welcome! One of the Finer Things of fall has got to be the smell of freshly baked pumpkin anything. Recipes from my kitchen. Recipes from around the blogosphere. Beverages Breakfast Bread Cakes and Cupcakes Cookies Desserts Main Dish Muffins Pies Soups Other Am I missing your recipe? This post is linked to Photo Credit A few more finer things ~ Menu Plan, Week of December 11 Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls Menu Plan, Week of February 23 67 Comments This post may contain affiliate links. Comments

Vanilla Bean Baby Doughnuts Even though I've been a busy girl lately, I'm never too busy for a doughnut break! I especially love the mini variety. These are extra light and have a double dose of vanilla goodness. The idea for these came from the Starbucks Birthday Cake Doughnut, a very dense doughnut that is eye-catching with pink icing and tiny white nonpareils. Newborn baby doughnuts... aren't they cute? You'll need a mini doughnut pan for this recipe. The recipe is pretty strait forward, and the only extra advice I can give is to put the donut batter into a piping bag. Vanilla Bean Baby Doughnuts [click for printable version]Adapted from Sur La Table Yield: 5-6 dozen baby donuts Doughnut batter: 2 cups all purpose flour, sifted 3/4 cup granulated sugar 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 3/4 cup buttermilk 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 eggs, lightly beaten 2 tbsp. butter, melted Seeds from one vanilla bean Preheat oven to 425°F. In large mixing bowl, sift together all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Jessica's Dinner Party » Buttery Croissants While I was browsing through Gourmet recipes I came across one for croissants. I immediately tagged it, knowing that I would never come up with the nerve to make them. It would be a reference, in case I ever wanted to know how to make them, or if someone wanted a link to a sound recipe. I’ll be honest with you, it’s a long process. Next time, and there absolutely will be a next time, I want to make each layer thinner. Croissant Dough Adapted from Gourmet Makes 24 croissants 1 1/2 cups whole milk, heated warm, about 105-110 degrees F 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed 1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast or two 1/4 ounce packages (I used instant dry yeast) 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting 1 tablespoon kosher salt 3 sticks or 1 1/2 cups cold, unsalted butter In a bowl, mix warm milk, brown sugar, and yeast. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough by hand for 2 minutes. After chilling dough, place butter side by side. Assemblage/Shape Adapted from Gourmet

Scrumptious Baked Cinnamon Breakfast Bites I love a good donut, especially a homemade one. What I don’t love is the pain associated with deep frying them. It is messy, time consuming and certainly more fattening. These baked Cinnamon Breakfast Bites mimic what I love about donut holes but without all the added stress and calories. They are super scrumptious and I encourage you to try them out yourself and see how long they last in your house! Ingredients 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup crisp rice cereal, coarsely crushed 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided 3 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup butter-flavored shortening 1/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 cup butter, melted Directions Mix flour, crushed cereal, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk and stir just until moistened. Roll dough into approximately 2 1/2 dozen 1 inch balls. Mix cinnamon and remaining sugar in a small bowl.

bethany actually» Blog Archive » Make your own vanilla extract Wouldn’t you be happy to get this as a Christmas gift? I read Catherine Newman’s post about making homemade vanilla as Christmas gifts and thought, Brilliant! I’m gonna do that this year! So we did. I bought a dozen 4-ounce clear Boston round glass bottles and 20 organic Tahitian vanilla beans (I actually received 23 beans). [UPDATE 12 October 2011: The company I originally bought vanilla beans from seems to be on hiatus. I also gathered my two lovely and capable assistants, Annalie and my mom Debbie. For each bottle of vanilla, you’ll need 2-3 beans and 1/2 cup of vodka. First, we used the scissors to cut each vanilla bean in half lengthwise and then again crosswise. We stuffed all the bean pieces into the bottles, seven or eight pieces per bottle. We got vanilla-bean flecks and sticky juice on our fingers, but it washed off easily and as a bonus made our hands smell yummy. After we’d distributed all the beans into the bottles, I poured a half-cup of vodka into the measuring cup.

Cheesecake-stuffed strawberries I put a slightly different version of these on my Easter Menu, but I’ve changed them up a bit. With the help of my strawberry huller – I’m not a gadget gal, but this one is worth having — these are a cinch to prepare. I took these up to school for Teacher Appreciation week and was blushing at the compliments. Do you think they knew how ridiculously easy these are? Cheesecake-Stuffed Strawberries 24 large strawberries, hulls removed 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar (add gradually, to taste) 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs Place cream cheese in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, or until soft. Use a sharp knife to make a hole in the center of each strawberry (going as deep as you can without hitting bottom). Spoon or pipe the filling into each hole.

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