Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake

This cake was definitely . . . different.  The layer of liquid caramel we spread on top of the cake before adding the ganache ended up bursting through and leaking down the sides of the cake, which led us to think of names like Side Vent Erupting Volcano Cake among others.  The buttercream by itself is amazing, but the chocolate flavors overwhelmed it.  Next time I might skip the ganache and just do the cake, buttercream, and possibly a drizzle of caramel on top.  Though poorly executed here, it's fun to drip caramel designs onto parchment paper and freeze them, resulting in fancy (or ugly) cake decorations.

Tip: Make it a day in advance and refrigerate it for best results!

Make 1 recipe Best Chocolate Cake, then . . .

In medium saucepan make caramel for buttercream:

(Double this recipe to make enough for a layer of caramel on top of the cake)

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp fine sugar 

1/4 cup water

Bring to boil

Cook undisturbed until caramel is dark amber

Remove from heat, add 1/4c cream, stir with wooden spoon until smooth

Whisk in pinch of sea salt

Let cool

Make buttercream recipe in stand mixer:

- 2 sticks room temp butter

- 3.5 cups powder sugar (1 box)

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 3 tbsp milk

Switch to paddle

- on low, mix in caramel (3-5 min)

For chocolate ganache frosting:

- put 16 oz chocolate chips (preferably dark) in heat safe bowl

- bring 1/4 to 1/2c of cream just to boil, then add to bowl of chocolate, allow to sit 1-2min then mix gently until smooth

- let cool for a long while, then drizzle on top of cake

Lemon Meringue Pie

Make 1/2 recipe pie dough/crust, bake at 350 for 20 minutes until almost done.

LEMON FILLING:

Medium saucepan, whisk together:

1 1/4c sugar

2 tbsp flour

3 1/2 tbsp corn starch

1/4 tsp salt

Stir in:

1 1/2c water

2 oz of lemon juice 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon extract - without the lemon extract it won't have a strong lemon flavor

Cook over medium-high heat, stir constantly, until boiling, then

stir in 2 tbsp butter

Gradually whisk half of this hot mix into a bowl of 4 beaten egg yolks

Whisk all of that back into saucepan

Bring to boil and cook until thick (or lower heat for about 15 minutes)

Remove from heat, pour into baked pie crust

MERINGUE:

In stand mixer whisk 4 egg whites until foamy

Add 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Add 6 tbsp fine sugar

Whisk for about 15 minutes
(Next time I would DOUBLE this amount of meringue)

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes 

Yogurt Chicken and Stuffed Mushrooms

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/yogurt-chicken/

Really simple, easy dinner.  Trim and steam green beans for 5-7 minutes

Chicken breasts: dip in yogurt and breadcrumbs.  Put on glass baking dish coated with olive oil.  Bake at 350 for 45 min or so.

Portobello mushrooms: brush, coat with olive oil, stuff with herbed goat cheese (and additional parmesan, breadcrumbs, anything you like) . . . bake at 350 for around 10-15 minutes (more if they're big).  

spinach frittata

Spinach Frittata Recipe

from http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/spinach_frittata/

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb spinach leaves (about 2 bunches), cleaned, chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 9 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Sausage, cut into small pieces
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3-6 oz goat cheese

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 400°F.

2 Cook spinach in 1/4 cup of water in a covered saucepan until just wilted, a couple minutes. Drain water and set aside.

3 In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and Parmesan cheese. Add in chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.

4 Sauté onions in olive oil in an oven-proof, stick-free skillet, until translucent, about 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Add garlic and cook a minute further. Add cooked spinach and mix in with onions and garlic.  OR, sautee in regular skillet for about 5 minutes and then transfer to oven-safe dish.

5 Spread out spinach mixture evenly on bottom of skillet. Pour egg mixture over spinach mixture. Use a spatula to lift up the spinach mixture along the sides of the pan to let egg mixture flow underneath.  Transfer to oven-safe dish (I use pie dish).

6 Sprinkle bits of goat cheese over the top of the frittata mixture. Bake for at least 15 minutes (depending on how "set" mixture was in skillet, this could be as much as 45 min) until frittata is puffy and golden. Remove from oven with oven mitts and let cool for several minutes. 

Cut into quarters to serve. Serves four+

pies

Indian update

Indian dinner as made before, but with the addition of saag (easy - chop spinach, sautee with garlic and spices, purée with immersion blender + cream) and spiced rice (white basmati with cumin seeds and onion).

Gabi's Pumpkin Mac n Cheese

• Gabi's kick-ass pumpkin mac and cheese
• 
  
• I sized up the recipe by about 6 times to feed an army!
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• 4 16-oz packages of fusilli
• 10 tbsp unsalted butter plus more for the pan 
• 3/4c flour 
• 4.5 cups milk 
• 2.5 cans unsweetened canned pumpkin $1.50 for a 15-oz. can
• 2 blocks aged white cheddar, approx 4 cups
• dash nutmeg 
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray or butter 2 big glass dishes

Cook macaroni in salted boiling water according to package directions.

While macaroni cooks, melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat. As soon as it begins to brown, add the flour and whisk until you have a very sticky dough.

Slowly whisk in the milk to form a creamy white sauce.

Continue whisking as you add the pumpkin and 1/2 cup of the white cheddar. You should have a very creamy orange sauce. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and return it to its pot. Use a rubber spatula to scrape all of the sauce over the pasta and stir to coat the pasta evenly.

Scrape the sauced pasta into the prepared pan(s) and top with the reserved cheddar plus more salt and pepper.

Bake for 30+ minutes or until the cheese is very bubbly and lightly browned on top. Serve hot.

Serves a LOT