Raspberries Three Ways #2: Raspberry Rose Pots de Crème by madlyinlovewithlife on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
I think that the perfect thing to do on a snowy spring day is to make something delicious. A while back I started a little series called Raspberries Three Ways. I posted the first in the series: Raspberry Smoothie, then got diverted from my little project. I’m back on it.

Here’s a lovely dessert called Raspberry Rose Pots de Crème. It’s simple to make, silky smooth, just sweet enough, with a nice burst of raspberry zing and a hint of rose which gives it a slightly exotic taste. It’s delicious. With a prep time of only 10 minutes, nothing could be easier to make. The only difficult part is waiting for the pots de crème to cool and set in the refridgerator before diving in.

From Wikipedia:

Pot de crème (plural: pots de crème) is a loose French dessert custard dating to the 17th century. The name means “pot of custard” or “pot of creme”, which also refers to the porcelain cups in which the dessert is served. It is usually looser than other custards, flans, or crème caramel.

Pot de crème is made with eggs, egg yolks, cream, milk, and a flavor, often vanilla or chocolate. The milk and cream are heated and flavored, then mixed into the whisked eggs and egg yolks. The mixture is strained and poured into cups, which are then baked in a water bath at low heat.


Recipe by Giada de Laurentis. Here’s the link: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/raspberry…
Giada calls for “Pop Rocks” or carbonated candy, which isn’t something I usually have on hand, so instead I added an extra tablespoon of sugar to the custard and topped it with some sugared fresh raspberries.

Sweet potato cinnamon spice bread by honey drizzle on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
The addition of sweet potatoes in bread give it a tender crumb, keeping it soft and moist (:

Recipe:
1 large sweet potato (about 250g)
1/2 cup milk
11g yeast
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
50g unsalted butter, melted
5g salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 cups bread flour

1. Prick sweet potato all over with a fork. Microwave on high for 5 minutes under tender. Let cool, then slice in half and scoop out flesh. Mash the potato thoroughly.
2. Heat the milk until lukewarm. Add the yeast and let stand for 5 minutes until mixture is bubbly.
3. Add eggs, melted butter, brown sugar and mashed sweet potato. Stir to incorporate.
4. Transfer to bowl of heavy duty mixer fitted with dough hook. Add half the flour, all of the salt and cinnamon. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Add remaining flour and knead on med-low speed for 10min until dough is smooth and shiny.
5. Shape dough into a smooth ball. Place in a lightly oiled large bowl, cover bowl with a damp towel and let proof until double in size, about 1 hour.
6. Punch dough down and divide into three pieces. Shape into long rolls and braid. Place bread on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Let rise until double in size, about 45 min.
7. Brush with heavy cream. Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
8. Bake for 25-30min until browned slightly.

recipe book open by ionracas on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
renovated recipe book compiled by my grandmother, decoupage collage with vintage cookery book pages and advertisement

thefoodhabit:

Lunch: Greek Quesadillas

Recipe @ A Couple of Cooks

mynuejeens:

foodfuckery:

Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Bread Pudding

Recipe 

Need!  May be trying this on Tomorrow, but umm how wrong would it be of me to add the bacon she so lovingly talks about in her story? I know.. I know.

enochiancub:

The Bull’s birthday is Monday, subsequently, we will be spending the weekend at his parents farm to celebrate. His mom is having me bake the cake (Gee, let the pastry chef in the family make the pastry? Unheard of!) so I’m making my inside out german chocolate cake. The Bull is rather fond of it, and I have used it in my restaurants to great success.

Inside Out German Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

Cake

• 1 ¾ c AP flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ c cocoa powder (Unsweetened)
• ½ c hot water
• ½ c buttermilk, room temp
• 2 tsp vanilla
• ¾ c unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 c white sugar
• ½ c brown sugar (packed)
• 3 eggs, room temp

Filling

• 1 ½ c sweetened condensed milk
• ¾ c unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 c shredded coconut
• 1 ½ c chopped pecans

Ganache

• 1 lbs bittersweet chocolate
• 2 ½ c whipping cream

directions:
Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line the bottoms of two 9” round cake pans with parchment and butter pans. Set aside.
2. Sift flour, salt and baking soda into large bowl - set aside. In another bowl, whisk cocoa powder with hot water. Allow to cool to warm, then whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, on medium until creamy. Add both sugars and beat until fluffy. Lightly whisk the eggs and incorporate slowly. With mixer on medium-low, add dry ingredients in three additions, alternate with the buttermilk mixture, beating until just combined.
4. Pour batter into prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake until cakes are puffed up, slightly springy and a tester inserted comes out clean, about 30 - 35 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack. Remove from pans and carefully slice both layers into two disks. Put bottom layer of cake on a cooling rack set on top of a cookie sheet. Set three other layers aside.

Filling

1. Place milk, butter, and vanilla in a medium saucepan, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and combined.
2. Whisk egg yolks in a medium bowl, and, whisking constantly, add some of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks until combined. Whisk the mixture back into the saucepan, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. This is called Tempering.
3. Remove from heat, and stir in coconut and pecans. Cool completely.

Ganache

1. Chop chocolate roughly; place in a large heat-proof bowl.
2. Bring cream to a boil over medium-high heat; pour directly over chopped chocolate. Allow to sit 10 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to gently stir chocolate and cream until well combined and smooth. Let sit at room temperature until cooled and just thickened, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes, but up to an hour depending on the temperature of the room.

Assembly

1. Spread 1/3 of filling over the bottom layer, and invert the second layer onto the top, covering layer with another 1/3 of filling. Repeat with layer three and top with nicest cake layer, leaving the smoothest side up. Press down gently on top layer to evenly distribute filling layers to edges. Using a metal spatula, smooth filling flush with sides of cake. Refrigerate until ready to glaze.
2. Pour enough ganache glaze over cake to fully coat, shaking pan gently to help spread ganache if necessary. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes. The ganache in the pan may be melted and strained through a fine sieve and added back to glaze. Pour remaining glaze over cake, allowing excess to drip off sides. If top is not smooth, gently shake pan or run an offset spatula quickly over surface. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving. Carefully slide the cake off of the wire rack and onto serving platter.

Cake will be very dense and rich. Serve slightly smaller than average pieces, with fresh whipped cream to offset the sweetness.

Little gingerbread men, all in a row by Brown Eyed Baker on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Gingerbread Men Cookies on BrownEyedBaker.com

Eggnog Fudge by Brown Eyed Baker on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Eggnog Fudge on BrownEyedBaker.com