0 Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart

Halloween is almost here and the bags of candy are aplenty. I'm taunted by well stocked shelves and overflowing bins whenever I walk into the market. And not to mention the bags, bowls and jars at the office. But I'm not complaining. I love a box of tombstone and scary cat shaped SweetTarts as much as the next gal. I do have some preferences when it comes to big-brand Halloween candy however. I will always choose sour candy over chocolate candy. I prefer the miniature sized candy bar over the fun size. I only eat the Special Dark from the Hershey's miniatures variety pack. I never eat candy corn and it takes me more than three licks to get to the center of my Tootsie Roll Pop.

Aside from the sour candies, Reese's peanut butter cups are my favorites. I never, ever eat the regular sized ones but I love the teeny-tiny-mini ones sold in bags. I think there's something about the ratio of chocolate coating to peanut butter filling that I find more appealing in the mini than in the regular ones. Oh, how I wish they would make it with dark instead of milk chocolate!

So when I saw this chocolate glazed peanut butter tart in an old issue of Fine Cooking magazine, I knew I had to make it. I mean, the tart looks like a Reese's peanut butter cup! All I have to say is omigoodess! The filling is an amazingly decadent peanut butter pastry cream. Peanut butter pastry cream – a phrase that I have never uttered before tasting this luscious creation but will forever speak with the utmost reverence. Can you tell how much I loved this tart? The peanut butter pastry cream filling was topped off with a rich chocolate glaze. You could gild the lily and add a dollop of lightly whipped cream too. Heaven on a plate!




Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart

Cookie Crust
1 cup finely ground chocolate wafers
(I used Trader Joe's brand "oreos" – just the wafers not the cream filling. Feel free to use chocolate graham crackers or Nabisco chocolate wafers. I used a food processor to grind my wafers, but crushing them in a zip top bag with a rolling pin works well too.)
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 ounces (3 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, mix cookie crumbs and sugar with a fork until well mixed. Drizzle butter and mix until crumbs are moistened. Press crumbs evenly into a 9 1/2 - inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake crust for about 10 minutes until fragrant. Let crust cool completely before filling.



Peanut Butter Filling
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 tsp salt
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
4 tsp all purpose flour
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cookie crust, baked & cooled (see recipe above)

Glaze
3 ounces semi or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 ounces (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tbsp light corn syrup

To make the filling

In a medium saucepan, bring milk and salt to a simmer. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, brown sugar and flour. Whisking constantly, slowly ladle in half of the hot milk over the egg mixture. Pour mixture back into the remaining milk in the pan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, about 4 minutes. Continue to cook, still whisking constantly, for 1 more minute. Remove pan from heat and whisk in peanut butter and vanilla.

Pour hot filling into cooled crust and spread evenly. Carefully press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the filling (to prevent a skin from forming). Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before glazing.

To make the glaze and finish the tart

Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler over medium heat. Stir corn syrup into the melted mixture until smooth. Remove plastic from chilled tart. Carefully pour the hot glaze over the filling and spread evenly to cover the filling. Refrigerate the tart for 30 minutes before serving.

0 Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake w/ Ginger-Pecan Crust

I like making cheesecakes and I use cream cheese in other baking too, but generally speaking, I don’t like to eat cream cheese. I don’t schmear it on my bagels and I don’t usually eat cheesecake since I find some to be too "cream cheesy". About 10 years ago, after a fabulous meal at Postrio, we ordered the dessert sampler. If memory serves me, there was ice cream, chocolate cake, huckleberry tart and pumpkin cheesecake in the sampler that evening. My husband tasted the pumpkin cheesecake and told me that I might like it since it wasn’t too "cream cheesy". So I hesitantly took a tiny taste and another and another. It was the best cheesecake I’ve ever eaten! I could hardly taste any of that "cream cheesiness" that I don't like. Maybe it was masked by the pumpkin and the spices? Well, anyway, I’ve never forgotten that wonderful pumpkin cheesecake.

When cream puff Ivonne suggested that a few of us food bloggers do a cross-post featuring a recipe from Tish Boyle’s "The Cake Book", I was pretty excited that we decided on the creamy pumpkin cheesecake with a ginger-pecan crust. I mean, there are a lot of great recipes in this cookbook, but this particular recipe brought back memories of that Postrio cheesecake.

Despite popular belief, cheesecakes are actually pretty simple to make. All you really need is cream cheese, sugar and eggs. Even crust is optional if your custard (yes, cheesecake is technically a custard) is firm enough. But why wouldn’t you want to have a crust? This cheesecake’s crust is made from pastry dough as opposed to the more typical cookie crumb crust. The crust, with its combination of pecans and crystallized ginger, pairs exceptionally well with the slightly spicy pumpkin custard filling. I always bake my cheesecake in a water bath (or bain marie). The water protects the custard from cooking too quickly and ensures even, gentle baking throughout. The resulting filling is creamy and smooth. And, as an added benefit, cracking is never an issue.

The author says that this cheesecake is a "wonderful alternative to the pumpkin pie" served at Thanksgiving. Personally, I see nothing wrong with serving both pie and cheesecake for dessert! Thanks to Tish Boyle for a great recipe and make sure to visit Peabody, Kate and Ivonne to see their yummy cheesecakes.



Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake with Ginger-Pecan Crust
(makes one 9-inch cheesecake)

Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup (40g) chopped crystallized ginger
1/3 cup (54g) pecans
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, cold & cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tbsp cold water

Filling

1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 lbs (567g) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
4 large eggs, at room temp.

To make the crust

Position oven rack in the center and preheat oven to 350F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x3 inch springform pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with 2-3 layers of aluminum foil.

Place the flour, sugar, salt, ginger, and pecans in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the pecans are finely ground. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Add the cold water slowly until the dough just comes together. Press the dough into the bottom of your prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the crust just starts to brown. Cool crust completely on a wire rack.

To make the filling

Reduce oven temperature to 325F. In a bowl, whisk together pumpkin, heavy cream, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium-low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugars and beat on low speed until smooth. Mix in the pumpkin mixture, then add the cornstarch and mix until just blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and do a final mix by hand to make sure all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Pour the filling in the cooled crust. Set the still wrapped springform pan in a large roasting pan. Carefully pour enough hot water into the large pan to come 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Bake for 70 to 80 minutes until the center is set but still a bit wobbly.

Remove cheesecake from water bath to a cooling rack. Carefully remove the foil and run a thin knife tip around the edge of the cake. This will loosen the cake and help prevent the top from cracking. Cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate the cooled cheesecake for at least 4 hours before serving.

0 Chocolate Glazed Yellow Cake

A few weeks back I was testing out some basic yellow cake recipes for my Boston cream pie cupcakes. I found this cake recipe in my recipe folder. It was written on a sheet of binder paper and the origin of the recipe is now long forgotten. But it was for the cake part of Boston cream pie so I thought it would be a nice cupcake base for my BCP cupcakes. Boy was I wrong!

I made one 9-inch round cake and 12 standard (4-ounce capacity well) cupcakes from the batter (instead of two 9-inch rounds). Even though I know I followed the recipe exactly and I filled my muffin wells no more than two-thirds full, the batter swelled to monstrous proportions in the oven and formed one large "uni-muffin" top. I thought the 9-inch cake would fare better, but as the baked cake cooled, the center sank (along with my hopes for a successful baking session).

Well, my husband and I each tried one-twelfth of the "uni-muffin" monster. It smelled and tasted pretty good, but it was such a shame that they were so ugly. I hate to see perfectly good food go to waste, so I gave the remainder of the cupcake creature to my parents (who can totally look past the ugliness of food) and they, in turn, fed them to my niece and nephews (who just like to eat cake). I then sliced the sunken 9-inch cake into wedges and topped it with a quick chocolate glaze. Imagine my surprise when it was a big hit at the office! I guess the moral of the story is there’s nothing a little chocolate can’t fix.

Yellow Cake

3 cups sifted cake flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 ounces unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup buttermilk, at room temp.

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

Sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and then eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

On low speed, beat in the flour alternatively with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape batter into prepared pans.

Bake until cakes are light golden brown and tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cakes in the pan on cooling racks.



Quick Chocolate Glaze

6 ounces (1 cup) semisweet or bitterweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 ounces (3 tbsp) butter
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Place chocolate, butter and corn syrup in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat. Stir until chocolate melts and mixture comes together, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Use immediately.

0 Yogurt Cake

There’s nothing quite like a simple slice of butter cake. Be it pound or otherwise, sometimes I don’t need any glaze or frosting to adorn my cake. The yogurt in this light pound cake provides a slight tang that is enhanced by the addition of lemon. I originally thought this cake would be more lemony but it was a very mild, delicious cake.

By the way, I baked my cake in a nonstick tube pan. Since my pan has a dark finish, I should have decreased my oven temperature by 25 degrees (from 375F to 350F), but I forgot. The edges of my cake came out very dark but didn’t taste burnt.



Yogurt Cake

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temp.
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temp.
1 cup plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 375F. Butter and flour a tube or bundt pan.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium speed.

Add lemon zest and beat for 30 seconds. Add lemon juice and vanilla and beat for 30 seconds.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

On low speed, mix in one-third of the flour mixture until flour is just incorporated. Mix in half of the yogurt. Repeat, ending with last third of the flour.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes until the top is light golden brown. Cool for 30 minutes in pan then turn out onto a cooling rack.

0 Diane

Our sweet cat Diane is no longer with us. After months of coping with chronic renal failure and lymphoma, Diane was no longer eating and was not responding to her treatment. At the pet hospital this morning, she drifted off peacefully while we huddled close and stroked her gently.

Before Diane, I wasn’t much of a pet person. But this beautiful white cat with the blue-green eyes won me over. Ever since we adopted her when she was 2 years old, I always wished that I had known her as a kitten (as I’m sure she must have been the cutest little ball of white fuzz). But over the last 12 years, and most especially today, I realized that I was blessed to have known her at all. She was a sweet, loving and affectionate companion. We will always miss her dearly.

0 Triple Ginger Cupcakes

Ginger is a great flavoring to use in baking anytime of the year, but fall and winter seem to be the best time. The spiciness of the ginger provides a little bit of heat that is welcomed during the colder months. This cupcake contains three forms of ginger: ground ginger, fresh ginger and Australian crystallized ginger. I considered adding ginger a fourth way by soaking the baked cupcake with a ginger infused simple syrup, but the cupcakes were moist enough without it.

I love the base recipe for this cupcake. The cake flour and sour cream keep the cake tender. And although butter based cakes don’t take to refrigeration as well as an oil based cake, this cupcake was still moist the next day.



Triple Ginger Cupcakes
(from Fine Cooking issue #64)

4 ounces (1 cup + 3 tbsp) sifted cake flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp baking powder
6 tbsp (3 ounces) unsalted butter, softened at room temp.
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1-inch cube fresh ginger, finely grated (plus any juice)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 30 wells of a miniature cupcake pan with paper cupcake liners.

Sift together cake flour, ground ginger, nutmeg, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside dry ingredients.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon zest, grated fresh ginger, and vanilla extract and beat for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and beat until smooth, about 1 minute.

Using a rubber spatula, fold in one-third of the flour mixture. Fold in half of the sour cream. Repeat ending with the last third of the flour mixture. Fold in the chopped crystallized ginger.

Fill the prepared wells of the mini muffin pan approximately three-quarters full. Bake until light golden brown and cupcake springs back when lightly pressed, about 16-20 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

6 ounces Philly cream cheese, softened at room temp.
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened at room temp.
2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

With a mixer or by hand, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Gradually mix in the confectioners’ sugar. Continue to beat until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

0 Baked Vanilla Custard

The first "big" rain of the season fell in the Bay Area today. Of course, my evening commute home was terrible (as it always is during the first rain). But it was made less terrible by the song stylings of Ella and Sarah. That’s Fitzgerald and Vaughan, respectively (and respectfully). Classic jazz standards sung by these legends soothe me and make my commute almost bearable.

This first autumn rain was the perfect occasion for a soothing dessert like baked custard. Smooth and creamy with a hint of sweetness and the amazing fragrance of vanilla. Custard is a truly wonderful comfort food that can only be improved when accompanied by a steaming cup of coffee and great jazz music.

Baked Vanilla Custard

2 cups half-and-half
(or 1 cup whole milk + 1 cup heavy cream)
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla paste or vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300F.

Pour the half-and-half in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla until well mixed. Slowly add the hot half-and-half to the egg mixture, making sure to whisk well. Strain custard through a sieve to remove any large bits of egg.

Pour the mixture into four 6-ounce ramekins. Place the ramekins in a roasting pan and add enough hot water to come up halfway the sides of the ramekins. (I line the bottom of my roasting pan with a kitchen towel to keep the ramekins from sliding around. I make sure my towel is completely submerged in water otherwise it can burn.)

Bake custard at 300F for 40 minutes or until the custard is just set.