Daring Bakers Pick Me Up!

Tiramisu… the dessert I love to order (second only to cremé brulee).  Tiramisu… which translates to “pick me up” because of the sugar and espresso in the recipe… is one of those things that I’d never given much thought to making on my own. And I certainly had never given a SINGLE thought to making every element of the recipe and then making it on my own. Until now. Because I can always count on my fellow Daring Bakers to encourage me to step out of my comfort zone!

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

As I noted in my potato chip post this morning, we’ve been battling the plague for a few weeks and the LAST thing on my mind has been cooking…. much less making marscapone, savoairdi biscuits (aka ladyfingers), or standing over the stove whisking various pastry creams and zabagliones. But, as the posting date drew near, I knew I couldn’t just let this one slip by so I started working on components at night after getting home from work and, by the time Saturday morning rolled around, I needed only to make some savoairdi biscuits and assemble my tiramisu. So, I was up and at it early on a cold Saturday morning so that I could get the assembled cake into the fridge to chill while I was out for the day.

Fast forward nine hours. Arrive home from a busy day of birthday parties and shopping trips, cut tiramisu, and pray for success.

This is, in a word, AMAZING. I’m not even sure I have the words to describe just how goooood it is. Totally worth every second of preparation. And to know I made every single component that went into it? Also pretty amazing.

Thank you Aparna and Deeba for a FANTASTIC challenge. To see everyone else’s interpretation of this Italian “pick me up,” check out the DB blogroll. Full recipe after the jump!

Microwave Potato Chips

Apologies for the prolonged silence… we’ve been trying to get over the plague (again) and the last thing on my mind has been food. Things are on the upswing, though, and I’ll be back soon. In the meantime, head over to FGG, grab a potato and make your own potato chips… that’s right… in the microwave!

Tuxedo Brownies

Just another fabulously easy yet oh-so-cute dessert option — perfect for Valentine’s Day, by the way! Join us over at FGG for Tuxedo Brownies!

chocolate fondue… just in time for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is just a few days away… and I can’t wait! A holiday specifically geared toward spreading love and eating copious amounts of chocolate? I’m SO in!

One of my favorite romantic desserts is chocolate fondue. Getting to dip whatever I want into chocolate is my idea of bliss! You can dip fruit (fresh or dried), graham crackers, pound cake, brownies, rice krispie treats, marshmallows…. the list goes on and on and it’s all wonderful!

My favorite dippers are pound cake, bananas, and cubed rice krispie treats. But… there’s also something to be said for the yummy combination of graham cracker, marshmallow, and fondue chocolate. Mmmm….

In addition to being fabulously tasty, fondue is easily scalable (perfect for parties — of two or twelve). And how romantic is it to feed the one you love bite-sized treats dipped in warm, drippy chocolate?

As you can see, there’s no need to spend hours in the kitchen trying to create an amazing Valentine’s Day dessert. Quite the contrary, my friends… this will take you all of fifteen minutes and packs all of the WOW factor you could possibly need.

Seriously. Who could turn this down? Get out there… create fondue… and enjoy the weekend dedicated to chocolate! Happy Valentine’s Day! xoxo

Chocolate Fondue
1/2 pound of chocolate — milk, semi- or bittersweet (or your favorite combination!), chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream

Heat cream gently in a heavy-bottomed pan over low heat. Bring barely to a simmer and add the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Transfer to a fondue pot and enjoy with your favorite dippers.

it’s here… World Nutella Day!

I mentioned earlier in the week that I was very much looking forward to World Nutella Day (hosted by Ms. Adventures in Italy and Bleeding Espresso) – partly because I have an unadulterated and undying love for Nutella… and partly because this year I’m actually able to participate!

So, we started with the Hazelnut Rugelach. Amazing little pastries filled with Nutella and chopped hazelnuts. And then I whipped up a batch of Nutella Oatmeal Thins for my girls over at The Fat Girl’s Guide to Living. And today? Today I bring you the ultimate gift… the gift that keeps on giving!

I’ve always wanted to make my own Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread. You see, as much as I love Nutella (and oh, I do), I’m quite bothered by the inclusion of palm oil (high in saturated fat and detrimental to rain forests) in its list of ingredients. My love for Nutella often tends to overshadow these negatives; however, I’ve always wondered if making my own might be a way to get my fix with a little less guilt. And now… I know the answer to that question is a resounding YES!

There are many recipes to be found with just a quick internet search, but I’ve had a recipe from Holly over at Phemomenon bookmarked for a few months… and that’s the one I chose to use. I’m SO glad I did!

Though a tiny bit grainier than commercial Nutella, the flavor of this homemade version more than makes up for any shortcomings — the chocolate and toasted hazelnut flavors really shine through! With this recipe you also can control what kind and quality of chocolate you use, which allows you to play a bit with your final results. Customizable Nutella? Yeah!

So, if imitation is the highest form of flattery, then you can imagine how highly I regard Nutella. I’m sure I’ll always buy an occasional jar of “the real thing” — but I bet I’ll make my own just as often! It’s the best of both worlds!

Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread
(recipe from Gale Gand’s Brunch! via Phemomenon)
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted and peeled
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 ounces good quality milk chocolate, chopped and melted

To toast and peel the hazelnuts, heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toast the hazelnuts in one layer on a baking sheet for 12 to 15 minutes, until browned and the skins are slightly blistered. Wrap them in a clean tea towel and rub continuously for a few minutes to remove the loose skin. Not all the skin will loosen enough to come off, just do your best and that’s fine. Let the hazelnuts cool before grinding.

To melt the chocolate, chop it into small pieces. Place a heat proof bowl over barely simmering water (not deep enough to touch the bottom of the bowl) in a medium saucepan – about 1 inch should do it. Stir the chocolate a few times and let it melt slowly. Once it is mostly melted, remove it from the heat and let the residual heat finish melting the rest of the chocolate.

Grind the hazelnuts well in a food processor to make a paste. Add the oil, confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla and continue processing. Add the melted chocolate and blend well. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, to remove any large nut pieces. The mixture will be thin and a little warm. Pour it into a jar and let it cool and thicken slightly. The spread keeps for a month in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

it’s coming… World Nutella Day!

Every year I remember World Nutella Day right about the time all of the great Nutella-related posts start popping up everywhere around me. Always just a wee bit too late to join in on the fun… never enough time to get to the store to pick up a jar of Nutella (I can’t keep it in the house without devouring it spoonful by spoonful), come home and create something wonderful with it, and blog about it. It’s rough being me, people.

This year… my friends… I did it! Not only did I remember far enough in advance that I get to play along… I even have a double-whammy for you! Today, I present you with the first whammy — the Hazelnut Rugelach. Decadent, easy little pastries made with a fabulous cream cheese dough, these would be perfect for entertaining (how adorable would they be for a baby shower?!).  These are, in a word, amazing.

Check back on Friday (the official World Nutella Day!) for whammy number two! What’s that? You want a hint? Hmmm…. Just remember…. imitation is the best form of flattery!

Hazelnut Rugelach
(adapted from The Barefoot Contessa)
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2-pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4-1 cup Nutella or hazelnut spread, heated slightly
1/2 cup skinless, toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash
sparkling sugar crystals for sprinkling

Cream the cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle. Spread the dough with 2-3 tablespoons of Nutella and a sprinkling of the chopped hazelnuts. Press the filling lightly into the dough. Cut the circle into 8 equal wedges—cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into halves. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush each cookie with the egg wash and sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.