Karin's Week Twenty-Six Recipe: Plum Tart

Yay! I've made it half-way through the year, and am still cooking strongly. Appropriately enough, this week's recipe is not one out of a cookbook or off a website, but one that I pretty much made up out of things that sounded like they might go well together. I had 4 plums that were past ripe, and needed to be used in some fashion. We were also having company over for dinner, and they like experimenting with food just as much as we do.  So, without further ado, I give you Karin's Plum Tart.

Karin's Plum Tart

Crust for 9in pie
3 T raspberry jam
4 very ripe plums
5 oz cream cheese, softened
6-7 T sugar, divided

Preheat oven to 400 deg. Place crust into 9 or 10 in tart pan (the one with the very short sides). Melt raspberry jam in microwave until consistency of syrup. Using a spoon, cover the bottom of the crust with the raspberry jam, making sure to cover evenly. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese and 3 T of the sugar until cheese is of a spreadable consistency, rather like frosting. Spread cream cheese mixture into tart pan - this will take a bit of doing, as it does not like to stick to the jam. Slice plums into thin slices, and arrange over the cream cheese in a fan-like pattern, making sure to cover all of the cream cheese with the slices of plum. Sprinkle the tart with the remaining sugar, using enough so that it looks good, I think about 3-4 T was what was used..

Bake at 400 deg until crust is lightly browned, about 35 minutes. Let tart stand for about 4-5 minutes before serving.

This was something that I wasn't sure was going to turn out as well as it sounded in my head. However, I was pleasantly surprised. It smelled good, looked gorgeous (we even took a picture), and tasted so good, that my dinner guests wanted to know if we could just eat it all right then. I said why not, we're all grown ups, and so we did. A tart that lasted all of 20 minutes from the time I took it out of the oven to the time it was completely eaten is a good thing to have in my cooking repertoire. I may have to try this out with other fruits as I come across them. If you do, let me know how it tastes.

Karin's Bonus Week Twenty-Two Recipe: Blueberry Pie

Fresh blueberries were on sale this last week at the grocery store, and I haven't had the fresh kind in a very long time. After asking Nate what type of dessert he'd like, pie was the winner. I used my trusty Betty Crocker 40th Anniversary Edition Cookbook as I wanted to try and make a fruit pie not using my standard tapioca method.

Blueberry Pie

Pastry for 9-inch Two Crust Pie
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I used Penzey's, of course)
6 c of fresh blueberries, or so
1 T lemon juice
1 T butter, cut into small pieces

Heat oven to 425 deg. Prepare pastry and line bottom of pie plate (I used a Pyrex pie plate). Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon in large bowl. Stir in blueberries. Turn into pastry-lined pie plate. Sprinkle with lemon juice and dot with butter. Cover with top crust and slit to let steam and juices escape; seal and flute edge. Cover edge with strip of foil, or pie crust cover. Remove during last 15 min of baking to allow edge to brown.  Bake 35-45 min or until crust in brown and pie is bubbly.

This tasted wonderful. I forget how nice fresh fruit tastes compared to frozen until spring/summer comes around again. The blueberries stayed nice and plump and didn't get mushy. The only issue was with the dry ingredients. When turning the blueberry mixture into the pie crust, the flour/sugar mixture ended up dumping in all in one spot, and although I tried to spread it out a bit, we ended up with clumps of cooked 'crust' in the middle of the pie. Next time I would maybe try and sift the berries out and then pour the dry mixture evenly over the crust.

Karin's Week Fifteen Recipe: Random Fruit Pie

This recipe is a result of moving things from our basement deep freeze into the new freezer in the kitchen. And we were having friends over for dinner, and I needed a dessert recipe that went well with the vanilla ice cream I had made earlier in the week to test the freezing power of the new freezer. I basically took what I've done for other fruit pies and threw a pie together out of what I could find.

Random Fruit Pie

1 full pkg Pillsbury Pie Crusts (or crust for a 2 crust pie)
~ 4-6 c frozen fruit of your choice (I used mostly rhubarb with some strawberries)
2 T tapioca
1 c sugar (or to taste)
1/2 tsp or so lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450 deg.

Bring pie crust to room temperature and fit into 9-in pie plate - I usually use a glass one, as it's a bit deeper than my metal ones. Thaw fruit just enough to break into individual pieces. Place fruit into pie crust. Sprinkle with tapioca, sugar, and lemon juice. Place top crust on pie and tuck in edges. Make slits in pie to allow for steam to escape.

Place pie in oven, with pie plate on cookie sheet so as to catch any drips. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 deg. Bake for 40-50 minutes more, covering edges of pie crust for last 10 minutes to prevent excess browning. Actual time needed depends on amount of fruit used.

Consensus was Yum! I also had enough leftovers to serve for another dinner when my parents & grandmother came to visit. This is a great way to use up the random bits of fruit around the house, and I usually have all the ingredients on hand. Now, I just need to learn to make a pie crust that doesn't split on me, then it will be even more homemade.

Karin's Week Twelve Recipe: Black Bottom Cupcakes

We went for a visit to my sister-in-law's house and I was on task for dessert. Seeing as there are 2 small ones and 1 very wee one in this household, I decided to make cupcakes for a more portable and easy-to-eat dessert. I was going to make a really basic cupcake until I saw this recipe from the Joy of Cooking. And, I actually had all of the ingredients on hand, so no alterations.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 deg.

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 c sugar
1 egg
1 c chocolate chips

Beat cream cheese and sugar in medium bowl until smooth. Add egg and beat until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.

1.5 c flour
1 c sugar
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c water
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 T white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla

Whisk dry ingredients together in large bowl until blended. Add wet ingredients and stir with rubber spatula just until smooth. Fill muffin cups about half full. Place heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center of each. Bake until toothpick inserted into cakey part of cupcake comes out clean, about 20-25 min. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack before frosting or sprinkling with powdered sugar.

Makes 17 cupcakes, plus 3 cupcake papers full of only white filling. (Says it makes 18 cupcakes.)

Results were most enjoyable. I used a Betty Crocker Dutch Chocolate frosting on top, as the white centers still show on the top of the cupcake, and I didn't have time to make frosting. I figured, why not add more chocolate? In fact, my 8-year-old nephew said they were possibly the best cupcakes he'd ever had, and could I please give his mom the recipe so that he could have them for his birthday next month. He reminded me of his request a few hours later as we left - so I think they were a big hit. Everyone, including all the adults present felt that 2 cupcakes per person was the minimum serving allowed!

Karin's BONUS Week Seven Recipe: Tunnel of Fudge Cake

At some point in the past, I thought it would be fun to have a Bundt pan, to make the fancy looking cakes that come out of it. Being me, I bought the big 12-cup sized pan, and at the time, being single had no one to bake giant cakes for, as eating too much cake is not good for oneself. Now, however, that has changed, and I reside with someone who loves to eat (and cook when the occasion presents itself). Now, the world of Bundt has opened itself to me.

These cakes are usually quite easy to make, and turn out looking fabulous, as long as you grease the pan well. I'd heard quite a bit about the Tunnel of Fudge cake over the years, and how it won a bake-off, but never made it. It was also in my Bundt Classics Cookbook. I had to make a chocolate cake for my father-in-law's birthday on Valentine's Day, and thought, "What better cake to try than Tunnel of Fudge?"

I will warn you, gentle readers, the ingredients in this cake may put you into shock, as it really does only make 1 cake.

Tunnel of Fudge Cake

Cake
1 3/4 c butter, softened
1 3/4 c sugar
6 eggs (Yes 6!)
2 c powdered sugar
2 1/4 c flour
3/4 c cocoa
2 c chopped walnuts*

Glaze
3/4 c powdered sugar
1/4 c cocoa
1 1/2 - 2 T milk

*Nuts are essential to the success of the cake

Heat oven to 325. Grease and flour a 12-c Bundt pan (I used cocoa powder instead of flour, as this is a chocolate cake, and I did not want white flour powder on my finished cake). In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Gradually add powdered sugar; mixing well.

By hand, stire in all remaining cake ingredients until well blended. Spoon batter into prepared pan; spread evenly. Bake at 325 for 60-64 minutes. Accurate temp and time are important, as you cannot use a toothpick to test for doneness. (I looked up several versions of this on the web, and most said when the cake pulls away from the edge of the pan, it's done.)

Cool upright in pan on cooling rack 1 hour; invert onto serving plate. Cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine all glaze ingredients; mix well. Spoon over top of cake, allowing some to run down sides. I actually used about 2x as much milk as called for in order to get the glaze to be runny enough to drip down the sides of the cake.

I would make this cake again, as it was very moist and chocolatey, however, it did not have a "tunnel of fudge" as promised, but a very moist and chewy brownie-like center. I looked up several versions of this recipe online, including the one on Pillsbury's website (as it won a Pillsbury bake-off), and they are the same as this one. Some comments though, said that the original recipe had a packet of powdered fudge frosting mix in it, and that created the tunnel of fudge part. The cake didn't look at all like any of the pictures I've seen of a cut Tunnel of Fudge cake, which was disappointing. But in terms of taste, Yum!

Karin's Week Four Recipe: Poppy Seed Filled Ravioli Cookies

From the Betty Crocker 40th Anniversary Cookbook. This was on a facing page to the Spritz cookies I had made earlier in the week, and the pictures looked good. I also had all of the ingredients on hand, and another request for a sweet. I am not sure still exactly why I had so much poppy seed on hand, nor why there seems to be a binge on sweets in my house. And, I'd never made ravioli before, and that sounded like fun. These cookies also required rolling out, which I try to avoid when cookie baking if at all possible, so presented me with a challenge.

Poppy Seed Filled Ravioli Cookies

1c sugar
1/2c shortening
1/4c butter, softened
2 eggs
1t vanilla
2.5c flour
1t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2c poppy seed
1/2c almonds
1/2c milk
2T honey
1t finely shredded lemon peel
1T lemon juice
Honey
Poppy Seed

Mix sugar, shortening, butter, eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Divide dough into 4 equal parts, cover, and refrigerate for 2hours. Place poppy seed, almonds, milk, honey, lemon peel, and lemon juice in blender or food processor. Cover and blend/process until liquid is absorbed.

Heat oven to 400deg. Roll one part of dough (on floured surface) into rectangle 12x8". Cut dough into 12 rectangles each 2x3". Place 1t of poppy seed mixture on each rectangle and fold dough over filling. Press edges with fork (ala peanut butter cookies) to seal edges. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 8-10min until light brown. Brush with honey and sprinkle poppy seed on warm cookies. Cool on rack. Repeat with remaining dough.

This recipe was sort of a comedy of errors in the making; mostly due to the filling. The recipe says that one can use a food processor to make the filling. One can NOT use such a device. If one does, one ends up with filling on the wall, the pup, the counter top, the cupboards, and the floor as soon as one pushes Go. Even if one places a dish towel over the top of the processor as if one is a professional chef. AND, the liquid does not really absorb, but rather oozes out of the seal of the processor and down onto the counter. I could not use a blender, as I have burnt up the gears on my current one and am without. Gentle readers, please, if you try this recipe, use a blender. You will save yourself much clean up.

On a more positive note, the dough was very easy to roll out, but not so much into a nice rectangle. My cookies came out in all shapes, not really looking like ravioli. And if you did indeed make them the correct size, you will have enough filling for at least 2 batches. I got the 48 cookies that it said, and mine were enormous. The dough is quite tasty, but the filling leaves something to be desired. If I try this again, I will make some sort of different filling.

Karin's Week Three Recipe: Nutella Pound Cake

This recipe came out of the "real food" magazine put out by the Lunds/Byerly's grocery chain - the Winter 2009 issue. My mother knows how much I like Nutella and how much my household likes sweets, and thought it would be a great recipe for us.

Nutella Pound Cake

4 large eggs, at room temp
2t vanilla
1.5 c flour
3/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1c (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/4 c sugar
1 jar Nutella

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan. Fill a medium bowl with very hot tap water, and set in the unopened jar of Nutella. Combine the eggs and vanilla in a large measuring cup and lightly beat together. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt (I used about 2 twists of my salt grinder) in a medium mixing bowl.

Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3min, scraping down bowl if necessary. Reduce speed to medium-low and pour in egg mixture in a slow stream, stopping once or twice to scrape down bowl. Turn mixer to low and add the flour mixture 1/2c at a time, scraping bowl after each addition. After last addition, mix for 30 sec on medium.

Scrape 1/3 of the batter into the pan and smooth with a spatula. Take the Nutella out of the water bath and spread 1/2 of the jar onto the batter, smoothing with a clean spatula. Repeat with remaining batter and Nutella, ending with batter on top. Run a butter knife through the pan to create marbling.

Bake 1h 15min until cake is golden and toothpick comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for 15min and then remove from pan and cool on a rack.

I would definitely make this again. It is delicious and fairly easy to mix up. The only down side was that my cake fell in the center when cooling. This is probably due to the fact that I had to leave for work right after it came out of the oven, and so I cooled it in the pan. And, for some reason, my Nutella did not marble, but fell to the bottom of the cake, creating a "U" of fudge around the bottom of the cake. Still tasty though.

Karin's Week Two Recipe: Rocky Road Fudge Bars

This recipe is the result of needing to do something with the 3lb Toblerone candy bar that is sitting in my kitchen. There really is too much of it to just eat it, so I am trying to find something that one can do with that much candy. The recipe is one of Marjorie Johnson's from her cookbook "The Road to Blue Ribbon Baking". This lady has won over 1,000 blue ribbons at the Minnesota State Fair for her baked goods. Talk about a reputation! I knew this one had to be good.

The recipe also was a chance to use up almost all the baking supplies that I had on had. These are rich bars, as you will soon see. They also require a lot of bowls and pans to make. And it only used up 3 triangles of giant Toblerone, so there will be more dessert recipes to come.

Rocky Road Fudge Bars

Dough
1/2c butter
1 square (1 oz) unsweetened chocolate (I used cocoa powder and oil)
1c sugar
1c flour
1/2 to 1c chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
1t baking powder
1t vanilla
2 eggs

In large saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate. Add remaining dough ingredients. Mix well. Spread in a greased/floured 9x13 pan.

Filling
8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2c suguar
2T flour
1/4c butter, softened
1 egg
1/2t vanilla
1/4c chopped nuts (walnuts, again)
1c chocolate chips (I used chopped Toblerone instead)

2c mini marshmallows

In small bowl, combine 6oz cream cheese with next 5 ingredients. Blend until smooth and fluffy. Stir in nuts. Spread in pan over chocolate mixture. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 350deg for 25-35 min or until toothpick comes out clean. Sprinkle with marshmallows and bake 2 min longer.

Frosting
1/4c butter
1 square (1 oz) unsweetened chocolate
Remaining 2oz cream cheese
1/4c milk
1 lb (3c) powdered sugar
1t vanilla

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, chocolate, cream cheese and milk. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Immediately pour over marshmallows and swirl together.

This recipe is good in very small doses. It is incredibly sweet and uses an entire pound of butter. If I make this again, I'd make it for a party where I know that we won't have to eat it all. Kids would probably love it, as it has all of the texture of rocky road ice cream.