My favorite desserts are custard based which are dishes composed of a mixture of egg, milk, and cream.  Pot de crèmes are custard based and are essentially the French version of the American pudding with the direct translation being pot of cream. Pot de Crème sounds so much fancier though doesn’t it?

Along with most desserts I like to make, pot de crèmes are very fast and easy and they make a big impression.  I know I have also said this many times, but I like individual desserts-cupcakes, individual sized cakes, and anything in a ramekin.  I love ramekins; I have about 100 of them. Don’t ask why, it’s become a sick obsession. In my own defense, I do entertain a lot….but probably not enough to justify that many ramekins.

So this recipe is very rich, I mean what else would you expect with cream, dark chocolate, espresso, and very little sugar. This will definitley fulfill that chocolate craving. If you love chocolate you will love this recipe. 

Espresso Pot De Crème
Adapter from Gourmet

Ingredients
8 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), finely chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
½ cup whole milk
1 1/2 instant-espresso powder
6 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
Special equipment: 8 (4- to 5-oz) ramekins or pot de crème cups

Directions

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 300°F.

2. Put chocolate in a large heatproof bowl.

3. Bring cream, milk, espresso powder, and a pinch of salt just to a boil in a small saucepan. Keep mixing until all the espresso is dissolved.

4. Pour liquid over chocolate, and mix until smooth.

5. Whisk yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a bowl, then add warm chocolate mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a 1-quart glass measure and cool completely, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

6. Poke several holes in a large sheet of tin foil. Divide custard among ramekins and place in a pan with sides high enough to fill half way  up with ramekins with water.  Fill pan carefully with water and cover tightly with foil. Bake until custards are set around edges but still slightly wobbly in centers, 30 to 35 minutes.

7. Transfer ramekins to a rack to cool completely, uncovered, about 1 hour. (Custards will set as they cool.) Chill, covered, until cold, minimum 3 hours- overnight preferably.

Enjoy!

This has been a recipe I have been curious about since the first time I heard about it. At first when I heard the name Black Bean Brownies, I thought to myself ‘ew’ and then ‘why’?  I mean why mess with something as perfect as a brownie?  But then a funny thing happened, the recipe got really popular and more and more people started trying it and singing its praises. So I then curiousity was heightened and knew I had to try it.

I have to admit I was skeptical right up to my first bite. However, I was in for a really pleasent surprise as it was actually really good and in case you are wondering you can’t taste the beans. Now it is one thing to make brownies made with black beans for you, it’s another to try to serve them to other people.  I knew if I told my husband I was serving him Black Bean Brownies he would give me a funny look and tell me they’re awful before even trying them. To avoid that scenario, I just passed them up as good old regular brownies and waited in anticipation for his reaction.  To my amazement, he thought they were great but I wondered why I was looking at him strangely.

A couple notes on the recipe, the beans serve as flour and the agave nectar serves as the sugar.  You can get agave nectar in any health food store and most mainstream grocery stores now carry it as well. As I mentioned you really can’t taste the beans and the texture is very dense and fudgy. Now I do recommend you read the recipe before starting as it is a bit peculiar.  When you take these brownies out of the oven, they’re not going to be completely set. I recommend refrigerating them overnight.

 Black Bean Brownies (Gluten-Free)
Recipe found on: 101 Cookbooks who Adapted From “Baking With Agave”

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate

1 cup unsalted butter or non-hydrogenated butter substitute

2 cups soft-cooked black beans, drained well

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup natural coffee substitute (or instant coffee, for gluten-sensitive)

¼ teaspoon sea salt

4 large eggs

1½ cups light agave nectar

Canola oil spray

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line an 11-by-18-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly coat with canola oil spray.(I used an 11×13 pan because I like a little more substance to each bite)

2. Melt the chocolate and butter-a minute and a half in the microwave works just fine.

3. Blend the beans, 1/2 the walnuts, the vanilla extract, and a couple of tablespoons of the melted chocolate in a food processor. Blend until all the beans and the overall mixture is smooth.

4. In a large bowl, mix together the remaining walnuts, melted chocolate mixture, coffee substitute, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

5. In the bowl electric mixer, beat the eggs until light and creamy.. Add the agave nectar and continue to beat until blended. Set aside.

6. Add the bean-chocolate mixture to the coffee-chocolate mixture. Stir until blended well. Add the egg mixture, reserving about 1/2 cup.

7.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

8. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the brownies are set.  These brownies need to be refrigerated a couple hours to preferably overnight to harden.

Makes 45 (2-inch) brownies

Enjoy!

There is something deeply satisfying about making your own bread. However, every time I have tried to make it in the past, it was this huge labor intensive ordeal. That is, until I discovered Jim Lahey’s no –knead method. Lahey calls his method revolutionary, and I think I have to agree. Since discovering Jim Lahey’s book, I have made almost ever recipe in the book-so beware it is addictive.

The great thing about this and all his recipes are that they involve very little work, maybe five minutes total. It does; however, require a bit of planning as the total time for most of his recipes start to finish is about 20 hours. So it’s not really a recipe you can decide to make at 3pm for dinner at 5pm. In any instance, if you have any interest in bread making, I urge you to try this recipe and pick up his book.

Recipe

Rye Bread

Adapted from Jim Lahey “My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-knead Method”

Ingredients

Bread flour- 300 grams or 2 ½ cups

Rye Flour- 100 grams or ¾ cup

Table Salt- 8 grams or 1 ¼ teaspoon

Instant or other active dry yeast- 2 grams or ½ teaspoon

Cool water (55-65 degrees F) – 300 grams or 1 1/3 cups

Rye flour for dusting

Directions

1.  In a medium bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. Add water and with your hands or a wooden spoon mix the dough. Cover with a dish towel and let sit at room temperature for about 12-8 hours-the rise is complete when the dough is double its size and dotted with bubbles.

2. Dust a work surface with flour. Scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece. Using floured hands, take the dough and fold the four sides towards the center.

3. Let sit for another 2 hours. At about an hour and a half turn the oven to 475 F. Take a 4-5lb heavy pot (Dutch oven works great) and place in oven while it is heating.

4. When oven is ready, take pot out and place the dough in it. Place the covered pot back in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove lid and bake for another 15 minutes. When it is ready, take pot out of the oven and let bread cool before serving.

Enjoy!

I have been inspired by strawberry season and my local strawberry festival and so in its honor,  I have decided to make some strawberry cupcakes. Please notice my pretty cupcake liners and holders! I’ve been dying to make some cupcakes so I can use them.

Strawberries always signal summer to me. They remind me of sitting under the warm sun on a hot day cooling off with some fresh strawberries. Unfortunately, right now cool fresh strawberries give me goose bumps.  For some reason, the warm weather has decided to abandon Florida and its place give us close to freezing temperatures.  I know all you northerners will roll your eyes and say you would be in a bikini rolling on the beach right now if you had our weather but trust me it really is cold! I have friends from Canada visiting next week who think they are going to be going to the beach everyday and return home with a tan….I’m scared to call to tell them they should be packing more sweaters and socks and less bikinis and shorts.  Anyways, I digress…back to strawberries and cupcakes.

The cupcakes itself are phenomenal; not too sweet or heavy.  They are the perfect cupcake base. I will say the baking time was a little off; mine needed about 35 minutes instead of the recommended 20-25 minutes, so I would encourage you watch the temperture and maybe leave them in a little longer than the book states. I adjusted the temp in my recipe below.

The buttercream, unfortunately, is a different story. I had tons of problems with it, and so it is with great hesitation that I give the recipe.  I really really really had to adjust this recipe to make it work (texture and taste wise) and because of that I would not recommend this recipe. However, I know of others who have had luck with it so I will give the recipe and leave it up to you to decide.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Cupcakes
adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour (not self rising)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large whole eggs, plus 1 egg white
1 cup milk
2 cups finely chopped strawberries, plus more for garnish
Strawberry Meringue Buttercream

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line muffin tins with paper liners.

2. Sift flours, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. Cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, including egg white, one at a time.

4. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture while alternating with the milk. Fold in strawberries.

5. Divide batter between the cups. Bake for about 30 -35 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Strawberry Meringue Buttercream
from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes

1 cups fresh strawberries (6 ounces), rinsed, hulled, and coarsely chopped
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cups butter, cut into tablespoons, at room temperature

1. Puree strawberries in a food processor.

2. Combine egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a electric mixer. Set over simmering water and mix until all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warn to the touch.

3. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and start whisking on low and gradually increase speed to medium-high. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool-about 15 minutes.

4. With the mixture on low speed, add butter one tablespoon at a time.

5. Switch to the paddle attachment and beat on low speed until all air bubbles are gone-about 2 minutes.

6. Add strawberries and beat until combined.

7. Pipe on cooled cupcakes or refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze up to a month.

Fast, quick, and healthy is my motto for everyday meals. One of my favorite meals to make is a quinoa black bean and tomato salad. Now you know there are some stuff that’s healthy but doesn’t really taste that good. Then, there’s stuff that’s fast but you know it doesn’t exactly qualify as a meal. Then there’s stuff that’s fast and healthy that you make but would never dare to serve someone else out of pure embarrassment. Now, I’m here to tell you that this salad is healthy and fast and you don’t have to be embarrassed to serve it. In fact, I would totally encourage you to take this for a picnic, luncheon or serve as a side salad.

Quinoa is native to South America more specifically Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. It is not a true grain, but rather the seed of a plant related to the spinach, beet, and tumbleweed. However, for the most part in cooking it is treated as a grain.

It is a nutritional powerhouse because it is a complete protein meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. It is also a high source of lysine, magnesium and copper.

I think this recipe lends itself very well to adapting.  For example, corn and avocados would go wonderfully with the mix of ingredients. I also think the butter and vegetable oil could be omitted in favor of just olive oil. Craving greek? Add olives, cucumber and feta. This is the type of recipe that after you make once, you will make it your own. It’s also one of those recipe you can adapt according to what you have on hand.

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Tomato (adapted from Gourmet)

Recipe

Ingredients

2 teaspoons grated lime zest
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup quinoa
1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced
½ cup of red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions

1. Cook Quinoa according to directions.

2. Make the dressing: mix lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

3. Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed.

4. Add tomatoes, onion, beans, and cilantro.

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine’s Day! Hope everyone is having a great day whether it’s with a partner, family or simply just treating yourself. Today, my post is a bit different in that it is more of a tutorial. I don’t normally do tutorials because I don’t think I have the authority to do tutorials just quite yet. I’m still learning just like everyone else but cake pops/balls are so fun to make and I wanted to show how easy they are to make. I first saw these cute little creations on Bakerella’s blog; now while she didn’t invent them I would venture to say she put them on the map.

I’ve made these for Christmas, birthdays, and large gatherings and I can tell you there are a hit every time. I’ve seen people make these as hostess gifts or as favors for weddings. One box of cake mix can make 60 to 75 cake balls depending on how big your balls are-so it is actually very cost effective. I made red velvet cake balls with pink coating but you can try different combinations and I’m sure I’ll post other combinations to come.

Tutorial:

This is your cast of characters: one box of cake mix, 16-oz can of cream cheese frosting, chocolate bark or candy melts (you will need about 3 bags for an entire box of cake balls). If the idea of boxed cake mix and canned frosting makes you want to fall over-you can make them from scratch and in fact I have. But, I will tell you my husband can not tell the difference between the two!

Make your cake according to the directions on the box.

When the cake has cooled, it’s time to get messy. Get in their with your hand and crumble it up. Then add the cream cheese frosting.

Mix, Mix, Mix! Then stick in the fridge to cool. The mix needs to be cool in order for balls to form.

Form the balls and lay on wax paper, then stick in the fridge. I recommend sticking them in the fridge overnight. I usually make the cake and balls at night and take them out when I’m ready I coat them. They don’t need to be coated right away so that will give you some leeway.  I know some people freeze them and take them out as they are ready to coat them. Whatever you do is up to you but I will say at the very least freeze the for a couple hours or refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Your now ready for the fun part. I recommend melting the coating in batches ( I do it in the microwave) as it is easier to deal with and if you get crumbs in the coating it’s not a crisis to melt your next batch in a new dish. I use a little spoon to coat and take out. Make sure to lay them on way paper so they don’t stick to anything.

Let them sit to dry. The candy coating only takes a couple minutes to harden.

Now stick the lolipop sticks in or serve them as balls and take a bite

Enjoy!

I was looking over the list of recipes I will be making this month and two of them included marshmallows. So this of course naturally put the idea of making my own marshmallow in my head (isn’t that the thought that would go through any normal persons head?) Before making them, to me marshmallows were  just one of those things that just ‘were’…you know things that exist but have never really thought about or considered making. It’s like Gummy Bears; it would never occur to me to make my own Gummy Bears. Yet, despite my lack of confidence in making marshmallows, I started researching recipes and to my surprise it seemed quite simple.

So of course because it appeared ‘quite simple’ to make, my confidence grew tenfold and I wanted to make Valentine’s Day marshmallows. To me this meant pink and a different flavor. After some research I settled on Martha’s strawberry marshmallow recipe.

To review the recipe, I will say the marshmallows taste delicious and the strawberry flavor is pleasently prominent but the texture was a little sticky. However, it did get less sticky the more it sat on the counter so you may want to let it sit out on the counter a while after cutting it up and before serving. As for the recipe, it calls for mixing the mixture on low speed for 30-40 minutes until peaks form. Well, I can tell you after 40 minutes it was still pure liquid and so in order to save it I had to start mixing on high speed and thankfully within 10 minutes I had peaks. Next, I don’t think the parchment paper is a good idea.  Next time I would probably oil and sugar a metal pan very thoroughly and flip over to take out the marshmallow. So before I could actually recommend this recipe, I would have to try several more but all in all it was a good starting point. Also, I would urge you to try a marshmallow recipe because they really were fun to make and there is a noticeable difference between homemade and storebought!

To mak the hearts, I just used a very well greased cookie cutter. As you can see, they’re very cute and should be a crowd pleaser. Martha has them as part of kids recipes and I do think this would be a totally fun recipe to make with children or serve at a  little girls birthday party.

Of course, I made them for Valentines Day which I think they’re perfect for. I loved dropping the hearts in hot chocolate-very unique and cute!

Recipe ( Adapted from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients

Makes about 50

• Vegetable oil or cooking spray, for pan
• 4 envelopes unflavored gelatin
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup seedless strawberry jam or jelly
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• Dash of salt
• Red food coloring
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions

1.  Thoroughly oil a 9 x 13 metal pan. Generously dust with confectioners’ sugar.

2.  Pour 2/3 cup cold water into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle in gelatin and stir.  Let stand 5 minutes.

3.  In a medium saucepan, stir together granulated sugar, jam, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water.

4.  While continuously stirring bring to a boil. Continue to boil until syrup registers 240 degrees on a candy thermometer.

5.  Add syrup to gelatin. Mix on high speed until peaks form, about 10 minutes. Mix in pink food coloring.

6.  Pour mixture into prepared pan; smooth surface. Let stand, uncovered, until firm, about 3 hours or overnight.

7.  Dust a cutting board with confectioners’ sugar. Carefully turn pan over onto cutting board.

8.  Cut marshmallows with an oiled knife or pizza cutter.

 Enjoy!

Banana bread is one of my weaknesses, which is funny because as a child I hated anything that had to do with bananas…they tasted too buttery to me. However, somewhere along the line I saw the light and now it’s really one of my favorite things. It may not be traditional but it’s definitely on my list of comfort foods.

Now, I have to reluctantly admit there are very few recipes that I use repeatedly. This has nothing to do with the quality of the recipes I try, but more to do with the fact that I have a blog and about 100 cookbooks, so I make an effort to try new recipes all the time. However, my banana bread is the exception to that rule. I have my banana bread recipe that I like in fact I like it a lot and so I’m sticking to it. I have made and tweaked this baby so many times that I would feel I am betraying my efforts by trying a new recipe

While I may not try new banana bread recipes, I do love to play around with it and I’ve been meaning to try a chocolate banana bread with chocolate chips and walnuts. Now while I may still prefer the traditional banana bread; this is a nice change. If you really like bananas and chocolate it may be the recipe for you.

Walnuts are always voluntary but sometimes the added texture is a nice welcome. Remember to use very ripe bananas; keep them in a brown bag for a week to ripen if you need. Also, if the idea of an hour and a half is a life time for you to wait for something to bake, you can try baking it in a min pan or in batches.

 Chocolate Walnut Banana BreadIngredients

 Chocolate Walnut Banana Bread

Ingredients

5 very ripe banana’s (2 cups mashed)
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
walnuts, dusted with flour1 cup Chocolate Chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease pan.
2. Sift all the dry ingredients. Set aside.
3. Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and blend until smooth. Add eggs one a time, vanilla extract, mashed bananas, yogurt. Carefully fold in dry ingredients.
4. Add walnuts and chocolate chips. Make sure you’ve tossed them in flour or they will all sink to the bottom of your cake.
5. Spoon mixture into pan
6. Bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean

Enjoy!

Sundays call for a special breakfast. I like the tradition of it and it is something I have started in my home.  I think breakfast has sadly become the most unappreciated and underrated meal of the day. For most of us, it is a bowl of cereal or whatever else we can make and consume in less than five minutes or even worst in the car on the way to work. Mornings have become stressful and rushed and breakfast is a chore as opposed to an enjoyable experience.

So there’s something nice about waking the morning and not having to rush to work. It’s nice to be able to take the time to make something and sit down to enjoy it. It’s nice that it’s a Sunday morning and there is nothing on TV so I don’t feel a need to turn it on. It’s nice to sit down as family and just hear ourselves. It’s also nice that most breakfast foods are very quick and easy to make.

Below I have included recipe for something my husband always requests-Blueberry Muffins.  For the most part, these are a Sunday treat as there is also something practical about eating a small and healthy breakfast every morning-which on a day to day basis should not include muffins

Factoid- Blueberries are truly a super-food. Not only are they good for your heart but also they fight the aging process. Best of all-they taste good! I have a list of my own super foods that I try to include in my diet year long and blueberries are one on top of the list. During season, I of course buy fresh but really I do buy frozen year long because I love to eat them frozen sprinkled with cinnamon. They are a wonderful treat when I get late night munchies. Now I’m going to leave you with this thought-aside from blueberries and blue potatoes how many other naturally occurring blue foods can you name? Purple foods don’t count!

Morning Blueberry Recipe

(makes 12 standard sized muffins or 6 large ones)

 Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of plain yogurt (if you use fat-free you will get a drier texture)
• 2 cup fresh blueberries
• Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare muffin pan-grease pan or place muffin cups.
2. Put the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl combine sugar and oil and blend until combined.
4. Add eggs one at a time and blend until combined. Mix in Vanilla.
5. Add the dry ingredients to mixture. Mix until just blended. Too much blending here will give you flat muffins!
6. Dust blueberries with flour and add to mixture. Lightly fold into mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula.
7. Fill muffin cups.
8. Bake for about 30 minutes.(baking time depends on muffin pan size)

Enjoy!

 It’s funny how some of the easiest things to make are the things people are most impressed with. For example, take Lava Cakes; everyone is always so impressed when you serve them. They’re just convinced there is some sort of secret or skill to the gooey liquid middle. But in reality lava cakes are probably one of the easiest desserts you can make.  It’s basically just a mix of very simple ingredients that are under baked….yes under baked. The gooey middle is just batter that has not formed yet.  You could literally whip up some lava cakes in half an hour. So the next time you have the unexpected guest and you really want to impress them with your culinary abilities try whipping up some lava cakes! I will assure you your guests will love you!  However, if you are like me and like preparing everything in advance you can make the batter ahead of time and just stick it in the oven when you are ready to serve.

The only advice I have to offer in regards to making these is that with any recipe where you only use a few ingredients the quality of the ingredients becomes paramount, so I would advise you to use the best quality of chocolate you can. It really will make all the difference in the world. Also, oven temperatures vary and what takes me 13 minutes to get perfect may only take you 11 minutes. So do not despair if at first the center does not gush out or it gushes out too much-just adjust how long you bake it for next time!  Now, if the idea of taking them out of the ramekins causes you an undue amount of stress-just serve them in pretty ramekins!

These are also an insanely romantic dessert. So if you’re looking for ideas for what to serve on Valentines Day look no further!

Recipe (adapted from Gourmet)

Ingredients

• 5 ounces bittersweet, chopped
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon of espresso powder
• 1 tablespoon of Frangelico
• Pinch of salt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

2. Butter six ramekins. Dust with granulated Sugar and cocoa powder. Trust me these babies will slide right out!

3. Melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat. Let cool.

4. Whisk eggs and egg yolks in large bowl. Add sugar, then chocolate mixture and flour. Pour batter into dishes, dividing equally.

5. Bake cakes until sides are set but center remains soft and runny, 11-14 minutes. Bake for a couple more minutes batter that was refrigerated. Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Immediately turn cakes out onto plates.

Serve with ice cream

Enjoy!