Frozen Hot Chocolate

4 oz chocolate (I use 10 blocks from the TJ pound plus bar)

1 1/2 C milk

2 1/2 T sugar

1 1/2 T cocoa powder

1/8 t salt

Ice

Cacao nibs

Melt chocolate for 50 secs or just until no longer solid.

Separately, blend milk, sugar, cocoa, and salt.

Blender should read about 24 oz.

Add ice to 40 oz mark.

Blend again.

Serve immediately.

Garnish with cacao nibs.

Yields 3 reasonable glasses.

Based on
tastesbetterfromscratch

Notes:

It's possible to scald chocolate if you're not careful!

My microwave is gentle and my chocolate pieces are fat, so I'm okay.

This recipe makes a fairly homogenous frozen hot chocolate.

If you prefer frozen bits of chocolate,

    stir melted chocolate with some of the cold milk

    to shock it before blending.

Poured Fondant

500 g sugar

1/2 C water

1/4 C corn syrup

food coloring, optional

2 t clear extract (clear vanilla, almond, lemon, etc.)

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, water, and syrup.

Stir well, insert candy thermometer, and heat on medium high.

Cook to 238° F.

Pour into food processor.

Transfer candy thermometer to food processor.

Let cool to 150° F.

Add food coloring and extracts.

Process 2-3 mins or until mixture is opaque.

Transfer to a large microwave safe bowl.

Use immediately; hardens very quickly.

Can reheat in the microwave to loosen.

Fondant will dry completely.

(All those white chocolate poured fondant recipes are fakes!)

sprinklebakes

Anise Cornmeal Biscotti

3/4 C or 4.5 oz hazelnuts or almonds

4 T butter, cold (original uses salted butter)

125 g sugar

1 egg, cold

1 1/2 t anisette liqueur

156 g flour

2 T fine cornmeal

1 t baking powder

3/4 t salt (original uses 1/2 t salt)

1 1/2 t anise seeds

Preheat oven to 325.

On a lined baking sheet, lightly roast nuts 15 mins or until fragrant.

Remove nuts and set baking sheet aside for biscotti.

If using hazelnuts, rub paper skin off with a kitchen towel.

Coarsely chop nuts.

Remove 3/4 largest pieces of nuts and finely chop remaining 1/4.

In a stand mixer bowl, beat butter and sugar just until uniform.

Beat in egg and anisette.

Separately, combine nuts, flour, cornmeal, powder, salt, and anise.

On low speed, incorporate drys into butter just until uniform.

Dough should be cold and not too sticky.

Using additional flour as necessary, roll into two logs, 1" in diameter.

Space them several inches apart on baking sheet.

Bake 15-20 mins or until slightly brown and firm on the surface.

Dough should still yield to light pressure.

Transfer cookie logs to a cutting board.

Slice on an angle 1/2 - 3/4" thick.

Will yield 24 large or 36 small cookies.

Place cut side down on baking sheet and bake an additional 5 mins.

Best if aged a few days.

Phara,
zunicafecookbook

Swiss Roll

Vanilla Roulade

4 eggs, cold

200 g sugar

3/4 t baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

85 g pistachio oil or roasted hazelnut oil

1 T vanilla
125 g flour, sifted

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and preheat to 350.

Line baking pan with parchment and spray with cooking spray.
In a stand mixer bowl, combine eggs, sugar, powder, soda, and salt.

Mix on medium low 3 mins or until sugar has dissolved.

Mixture should be smooth and runny with fine bubbles.
Increase speed to medium 5 mins or until pale yellow and thick.

Increase speed to high 5 mins or until thicker and doubled in volume.
Reduce speed to medium high and add oil and vanilla in a steady stream.

Reduce speed to medium low and add flour all at once.
Once nearly incorporated, fold by hand.

Scrape into prepared pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula.

Bake 12 mins or until puffy and soft.

Should retain a shallow impression when gently poked.
Immediately after removing the cake, cover with 2 strips of foil.

Crimp around the edges of a pan with a kitchen towel.

Allow cake to steam and cool to nearly room temp.

Cooling too little will melt the filling.

Cooling too much will cause the cake to crack.
Loosen edges of cake and fill with whatever you like.

This cake is very spongy and can/will absorb fillings that aren't stiff.

Roll long side, peeling parchment as you go.

Serve immediately or cover with plastic.

Can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

If refrigerated, let come to room temp before serving.

seriouseats

Chocolate Roulade

70 g pistachio oil or roasted hazelnut oil

2.5 oz dark chocolate (85-100%), finely chopped

    (Stella says this should be very good chocolate)

1 T vanilla

5 eggs

165 g sugar

1 T instant espresso

3/4 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

35 g water

106 g bread flour, sifted

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and preheat to 350.

Line baking pan with parchment and spray with cooking spray.

Melt together oil, chocolate, and vanilla, and set aside.

It should be pourable but not hot when incorporated.

In a stand mixer bowl, combine eggs and sugar.

Add espresso, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Mix on medium low 3 mins or until sugar has dissolved.

Mixture should be smooth and runny with fine bubbles.
Increase speed to medium 5 mins or until dark tan and thick.

Increase speed to high 8 mins or until thicker and doubled in volume.
Reduce speed to medium high.

Add water and chocolate in a steady stream.

Reduce speed to medium low and add flour all at once.
Once nearly incorporated, fold by hand.

Scrape into prepared pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula.

Bake 12 mins or until puffy and soft.

Should retain a shallow impression when gently poked.
Immediately after removing the cake, cover with 2 strips of foil.

Crimp around the edges of a pan with a kitchen towel.

Allow cake to steam and cool to nearly room temp.

Cooling too little will melt the filling.

Cooling too much will cause the cake to crack.
Loosen edges of cake and fill with whatever you like.

This cake is very spongy and can/will absorb fillings that aren't stiff.

Roll long side, peeling parchment as you go.

Serve immediately or cover with plastic.

Can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

If refrigerated, let come to room temp before serving.

seriouseats

Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)

3 onions, finely chopped

2 lbs ground beef or ground turkey

3 oz or 1/2 can tomato paste

1/4 C white or red wine

1 1/2 t salt

1/4 t cinnamon

1 lb Greek macaroni (looks like spaghetti-length ziti!)

4 C shredded cheddar

4 C grated parmesan or romano
4 eggs, divided

3/4 C butter

188 g flour

6 C whole milk

Olive oil

Italian bread crumbs

1/2 t nutmeg

The day before, make meat filling.

Sauté onions and turkey.

Add tomato paste, wine, salt, and cinnamon.

Store overnight.

Boil pasta until al dente.

In a large bowl, combine about 2 1/2 C each cheddar and parmesan.

Mix with pasta and 4 egg whites; set aside.

In a saucepan, melt butter.

Add flour and cook roux for 2 mins.

Whisk in milk, cook until uniform, and turn off heat.

Whisk in remaining cheese.

Whisk in 4 yolks.

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large deep dish lasagne pan, brush with olive oil.

Line with Italian breadcrumbs.

Arrange pasta.

Evenly spread meat over top of pasta.

Evenly spread bechamel over meat.

Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Bake, uncovered, 1 hour or until bechamel begins to brown.

Let cool 1 hour before cutting.

Christina Sutherland

Baguettes

720 g bread flour

2 t salt

1/2 t instant yeast

2 C water, 90-105° F

nonstick spray

semolina or cornmeal

In a large bowl, weigh out bread flour.

Add salt and yeast; drizzle in water.

Knead just long enough to make a shaggy dough.

Place dough in a lightly greased bowl.

Cover and let rest, folding dough several times within the hour.

Let rest a second hour and fold at the end of the hour.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, let dough come to room temp.

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled surface.

Shape dough into six 10" x 4" ovals.

Fold each oval lengthwise and seal the edges with the heel of your hand.

This should yield six 13" baguettes.

Grease 2 Emile Henry baguette pans and sprinkle with semolina.

Place baguettes, seam side down, into pans.

Cover and let rise 90 mins or until very puffy.

Preheat oven to 450°.

Right before baking, remove lid and slash baguettes.

Spritz baguettes generously with water.

Bake 20 mins and remove lid.

Continue baking at least 10 mins or until golden.

Let baguettes cool on a wire rack.

kingarthurbaking

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz package cream cheese, room temp

12 T butter, room temp

480 g powdered sugar
1/4 t salt
2 t vanilla

260 g (1 C) peanut butter with emulsifiers

Beat together cream cheese and butter.
Add sugar, salt, vanilla, and peanut butter.

Beat on low for 30 seconds and high for 3 mins.

LTK

Note 1:

To make a Hedgehog Cake,

Make chocolate cake, using black cocoa for half the cocoa.

Pour into 4 9" rounds instead of 3.

Wrap individually and freeze.

Thaw completely before assembly.

When assembling, you'll need 3 of 4 rounds.

Carve into the shape of a hedgehog.

Make a double batch of this frosting for all the cake.

Make peanut butter chocolate ganache for all the cake.

Use 2 72% pound plus bars, 2 C cream, and 60 g peanut butter.

Crumb coat, layer, and shape with peanut butter frosting.

Let peanut butter ganache cool completely to room temp before piping.

To get the best quills, pipe onto cold parchment and flash freeze.

Press quills onto hedgehog, filling any holes with hand piping.

Eyes and nose can be chocolate covered peanuts.

Assemble leftover cake, frosting, and ganache for family.