Creme Brulee

Relatively easy creme brulee recipe

Ingredients:
1 qt heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, halved and scraped
6 ounces white sugar (3/4 c) - divided in half
10 egg yolks
6 tbsp brown sugar
ramekins, cooking torch

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Boil cream, split/scraped vanilla bean and half of the white sugar together - watch closely because it will boil over if unattended!
Mix yolks and other half of white sugar with whisk, whisking until foamy and pale
Remove the vanilla bean from the pot
Slowly and constantly whisk in boiling cream mixture to yolk mixture
Put ramekins in a deep baking dish, fill baking dish with water until it comes halfway up sides of ramekins
Pour the custard evenly into the ramekins, bake for about 45 minutes until tops are set but jiggly
Let cool to room temperature (or cover with plastic in fridge overnight)
Sprinkle brown sugar on each custard, carmelize with cooking torch

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:

6-8 red potatoes
2 tsp olive oil
.5c onion
1 1/4c broth
3 tbsp flour
2 c milk (or half-half)
1/4c sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
5 strips bacon
1/2c cheddar cheese
4 green onions

Directions:

- Pierce potatoes with fork, microwave on high 13 minutes, halve, cool
- Heat oil in saucepan, sautee onions 4 minutes
- Combine flour and 1/2c of the milk, add into pot
- Add the remaining (1 1/2c) milk
- Bring to boil, stir often
- Remove from heat, add in sour cream, salt, pepper
- Cook bacon on paper towel in microwave 4 minutes, crumble
- Remove potato skins, mash potato into soup
- Top with green onions, cheese, bacon

Berry Custard

Ingredients:

1 tsp melted butter
1 c raspberries
4 sliced fresh peaches
.5c flour
2/3c sugar
1 1/4c milk or half-half
3 eggs
.5 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Directions:

Arrange peaches and raspberries in 2-quart baking dish
Whisk all other ingredients together for 2 minutes, pour over fruit
Bake at 350 for at least 50 minutes until puffed with golden brown edges

Sea Salt Brownies

Salted, fudgy brownies are addictive.  If you want to be all smitten kitchen, you could add caramels as well into the mix.  I was a purist on these.

Ingredients:
1.5 sticks butter
2 ounces chopped baking chocolate
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
3 eggs
1.5 tsp vanilla
1.c flour
3/4+ tsp flaky sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350, line 9" pan with buttered aluminum foil
2. In microwave on half power in 1 minute increments, melt butter and chopped chocolate together until melted
3. One at a time whisk in cocoa, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour
4. Pour into pan, smooth evenly, sprinkle sea salt, mix in slightly into batter
5. Bake at least 30 minutes (more like 45) until batter in center on toothpick test isn't wet, cool one hour in pan

Recipe for 9x13 pan:
2 1/4 sticks butter
3 ounces chopped baking chocolate
a little less than 1/2c unsweetened cocoa
1.5 c white sugar
1.5 c brown sugar
4 eggs
2+ tsp vanilla
1.5c flour
1+ tsp flaky sea salt

Banana Muffins

Banana Bread Recipe

- 3 or 4 overly ripe bananas, smushed
- 1/3c melted butter (5+ tbsp)
- 1c sugar (or reduce to 3/4)
- 1 beaten egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking soda
- pinch salt
- 1 1/2c flour
- optional: add chocolate

Mix butter and bananas

Add sugar, egg, vanilla

Sprinkle in baking soda and salt, mix. 

Add flour

mix, and pour into muffin tin - makes 1 dozen muffins. 

Bake at 350 until toothpick tests clean, maybe 15-20min

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Hold on to your hat, this one's a winner!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/40-a-day/chocolate-fudge-cake-with-vanilla-buttercream-frosting-and-chocolate-ganache-glaze-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

Cake:

3 cups packed brown sugar

3/4 cup canola oil

3 eggs

2 2/3 cups (cake) flour

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 1/8 cups cocoa powder

Frosting:

5 sticks butter, soft

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Ganache:

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

To make 1 two-layer cake plus 36 mini cupcakes or one three-layer cake:

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees - Oil 2 9-inch cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper, plus 3 mini cupcake pans. 

- In electric mixer, combine the brown sugar and oil. On low speed, mix in the eggs. 

- In large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. 

- In small bowl, mix the vanilla into the milk. 

- Sift cocoa into a bowl, bring the water to a boil and pour over the cocoa and whisk it until it is smooth. 

- To the egg mixture, alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture beginning and ending with flour. With the mixer off, scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. 

- With the mixture at a low speed add the cocoa. 

- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pour this mixture into the prepared cake pans. It will seem extremely watery. You may want to bake it with a cookie sheet under to catch drips if you're using springform pans. 

- Bake the cake for approximately 30 minutes (cupcakes - around 10min) or until tester comes out clean. Cool and refrigerate. 

Frosting: In an electric mixing bowl place the soft butter and beat it on a low speed while adding powdered sugar, then vanilla, let the mixer beat for 5 to 7 minutes on a medium speed. 

Fill and frost the cake and refrigerate. 

Ganache: 

- In a heatproof bowl, place the chocolate chips. 

- Bring the heavy cream to a full boil. - Pour the cream over the chocolate until  just covered and whisk it until smooth. 

- Let sit, then pour over the top of the cake and refrigerate. (spoon on top of frosted cupcakes)

To make a smaller amount of cake (because this is a ton!) I use a 2/3 recipe as follows:

2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups (cake) flour

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

1.5 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup milk

1 cup boiling water

3/4 cups cocoa powder 

Lemon Chiffon Cake

Lemon Chiffon Cake from tasteofhome

This cake was truly light and delicious, but the one criticism is that it has a spongy, chewy quality - not bad but worth noting.

Ingredients:

• 7 eggs, separated
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water with 1/4 tsp lemon extract
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 4 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Whipped Cream frosting:

• 1 pint heavy cream
• 6 tbsp+ powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp (or more) vanilla extract
• lemon extract to taste

Directions:

- Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. (or, for speed's sake, put them in microwave at 10% power for 1 minute

- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt (ideally, sift). In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks, water, oil, lemon peel and vanilla; add to dry ingredients and beat until well blended. Add cream of tartar to egg whites; beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter.

- Gently spoon into a greased bundt pan. Bake on the lowest oven rack at 325° for 50-55 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert pan; cool completely, about 1 hour. Yield: 12-16 

- Beat heavy cream in stand mixer until light and whipped - add powdered sugar a spoonful at a time (ideally, sift it in) until you reach desired sweetness, then add vanilla extract and lemon extract to taste.