Petit Pots de Creme Au Chocolat

Pin It

I can't think of a better dessert to enjoy with a good bottle of wine than chocolate pots de creme.  Make them the night before so they are really cold the next day.  You can whip some heavy cream at the last minute, mainly for decoration, for they scrumptious and rich on their own.  Make sure you use the best chocolate you can find as it is all about the chocolate...nothing else.

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream
4 oz (4 squares) semisweet baking chocolate
2 to 3 TB sugar
1 whole egg plus 2 large egg yolks
1 TB espresso
orange peel
Pinch salt

4 1/2 cup ramekins


Directions

The heavy cream with orange zest and coffee are heated to a simmer then steeped 5 minutes off the heat.

The egg and egg yolks are whisked with the sugar until the yolks are pale and thick. Then the hot cream is slowly stirred into the egg mixture.

The custard is then poured through a sieve, (which removes the orange zest and any coagulated bits of egg) into a bowl with broken chocolate pieces (4 oz unsweetened). It is stirred to melt the chocolate.  You can add 1 tsp of vanilla extract here if you wish.

The petits pots are filled with the chocolate mixture, then placed in a baking pan with hot water about half way up the pots. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Top loosely with aluminum foil to prevent from crusting.  They are done when they have puffed into a slight dome but still tremble a bit.  Cool briefly then refrigerate to chill thoroughly.

Adapted from Julia Child

Arroz Con Leche...Rice Pudding

Pin It

This is the rice pudding I grew up with and the one I still pester my mother to make.  It is light, mellow, not too sweet and very white, nothing like the yellow goop with raisins you find premade at the deli.  Once you try this recipe, nothing else will ever do!

The key here is the lime peel and the use of whole milk rather than evaporated or condensed milk.  If you can't find limes go ahead and use lemon peel, but I much prefer the former.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup white rice

• 1½ cups water

• 1 small piece of lime peel.

• 1 small cinnamon stick

• 4 cups milk

• 1 cup sugar

• ¼ tsp salt

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• cinnamon powder


Preparation:

Boil the water, lime peel, and cinnamon stick. Add rice. As soon as the rice begins to boil, turn down
the heat, stir, and cover. Cook until soft, about 20 minutes.

Add the milk, salt, vanilla and sugar. Cook at medium-low heat, uncovered, until it gets thick and rice has absorbed most of the milk. Stir once in awhile so it will not stick.

Fish out the cinnamon stick and pour into a bowl or several individual bowls and sprinkle with powdered cinnamon. 

Let cool and stick in the refrigerator.  Serve cold.


Source: Cocina Criolla by Nitza Villapol

Coffee Caramel Creme Brulee

Pin It

Did you miss this recipe when it came out in Bon Appetit last year? If so here it is and keep it close to your heart.  I love coffee anything...as a matter of fact, I love caramel too, so this is a double whammy for me!


Ingredients

2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

1/4 cup dark-roast coffee beans (such as French roast; about 3/4 ounce), crushed with mallet in plastic bag

1 cup sugar, divided

1/2 cup water

2 cups half and half

8 large egg yolks

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 teaspoons raw sugar*


Preparation


Bring 1 cup cream and coffee beans to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat; cover and let steep at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Stir 2/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, swirling pan occasionally, about 11 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add remaining 1 cup whipping cream (mixture will bubble up). Stir over low heat until caramel is smooth. Stir in half and half. Strain coffee-infused cream into caramel cream; discard coffee beans in strainer.

Whisk yolks, salt, and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in cream mixture. Strain custard into large measuring cup.

Arrange eight 2/3-to 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups in roasting pan. Divide custard among ramekins. Add enough warm water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins or custard cups.

Bake custards until just set in center, 65 to 70 minutes. Transfer custards from water bath directly to refrigerator. Chill uncovered until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

Sprinkle top of each custard with 1 teaspoon raw sugar. Using kitchen torch, melt sugar on each custard until deep amber. (Alternatively, preheat broiler. Arrange custards on small rimmed baking sheet; broil until sugar topping melts and browns, about 2 minutes.) Refrigerate custards until sugar topping hardens, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour (do not chill longer than 1 hour or topping will start to soften). Serve custards cold.

* Also called turbinado or demerara sugar; available at most supermarkets and at natural foods stores

Recipe courtesy Epicurious March 2009

10 Recipes for Leftover Ham!

Pin It

Easter is one of the best holidays for leftovers.  If you baked a big ham, there is a bonanza of recipes you can make and even freeze using both the bone and the meat.  By the time I'm finished with that ham everybody is threatening a ham boycott!

To begin with, never, ever, ever throw a bone away. In most cases, they are the the basis for a great soup or broth and even a sauce. Always look inside your refrigerator for interesting things to cook with what you already have. Take a look inside the "old cemetery" and see what is going to go bad before too long. Some things may already be too dead to salvage. Throw those out! As to the rest, you will be surprised at how many ideas will pop in your mind.

Some of our best and most creative recipes sometimes come from these leftovers, and I can't tell you how proud you will feel after you have used them. You don't have to use up all the ham in one week either.  Slice it, freeze it and save it to make any one of the following recipes next week, or next month! Chopped frozen ham defrosts quickly and can also be used in omelettes and sofritos for rice and other dishes. If you haven't used that Easter ham yet, freeze it  before it's too late.

So, forget those ham sandwiches and take a look at these great suggestions for what's left:

Croque Monsieur

Ham Croquettes

Deep Dish Ham Quiche With Asparagus Salad

Broccoli and Ham Casserole

Ham Tetrazzini

Split Pea Soup

Basic Ham and Bean Soup

Ham, Gruyere and Caramelized Onion Frittata

Ham, Gruyere And Spinach Bread Pudding

Ham And Green Eggs

and...more recipes in:

 My Kitchen By The Lake

This should tie you over 'til next Easter!

Ham, Gruyere And Spinach Bread Pudding

Pin It

Ingredients

Custard:

4 large egg whites

4 large eggs

1 cup Half and Half

Seasonings:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

Bread & filling:

4 cups Italian or French  bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (crusts removed if desired)

5 cups chopped spinach, wilted (see Tip)

1/2 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers

1 cup diced ham steak (5 ounces)

Topping:

3/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese


Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat an 11-by-7-inch glass baking dish or a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray.

To prepare custard: Whisk egg whites, eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Add mustard, pepper and rosemary: whisk to combine.

Toss bread, spinach, roasted red peppers and ham in a large bowl. Add the custard and toss well to coat. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and push down to compact. Cover with foil.

Bake until the custard has set, 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and continue baking until the pudding is puffed and golden on top, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

To wilt greens, rinse greens thoroughly in cool water. Transfer them to a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and punch several holes in the wrap. Microwave on high until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Squeeze out any excess moisture from the greens before adding them to the recipe.

Oh, and dont' forget to check 10 Recipes for Leftover Ham!

Recipe adapted from EatingWell.com

New Orleans Bread Pudding With A Whiskey Sauce

Pin It

I know, all of us got sucked in with the nice weather we got last weekend.  I for one went shopping for t-shirts and flip flops for the lake and started thinking asparagus and spring pea soup.  We spent the weekend starting tomato plants from seeds and I even swept the deck  and put out some cushions so we could sit out and enjoy the weather.  And then...snow on Monday! It happens every year, and every year we get fooled into thinking Spring is in the air.. Wrong. We all know there's usually one more cold spell towards the end of March before we see Spring, the real Spring. If I were you, I would hurry up and make this... I had forgotten all about it!


Servings: 8

For the Bread Pudding:

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 stk butter, softened

5  eggs, beaten

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 tbl vanilla extract

1/4 cup raisins

12 slc French bread, 1 inch thick


Directions :

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together sugar and butter in a large bowl.

Add eggs, cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and raisins.

Mix well. Pour into a glass 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Arrange bread slices flat in the egg mixture.

Let stand 5 minutes.

Turn bread over. Let stand 10 minutes more.

Set pan in larger pan.

Fill larger, outside pan with water to within 1 inch from the top.

Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, uncovering the last 10 minutes.

Top with Whiskey Sauce (recipe follows).

Serve hot.


Whiskey Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream

2 tsp Cornstarch

2 Tbsp Water

a few drop of Vanilla extract

1/3 Cup Bourbon

1/3 Cup Sugar


Directions

Mix together the water and cornstarch. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. While boiling slowly whisk in the cornstarch slurry, when the sauce is thickened remove from the heat and add the vanilla, bourbon and sugar. Set aside to cool to room temperature.