Cake Tuesday: Lemon Honey Cake and Lemon Bread

*** For fellow Lemon Heads: get 2 awesome lemon recipes and armchair travel to a wonderful luxurious bed and breakfast inn located in Asheville, North Carolina.





From Denny: First off is a recipe from a Texas chef for which he is well known - Lemon Honey Cake. He even keeps his own bees and provides the honey! Now that's dedication to local food sources. :)

Check out a recipe for lemon bread from a wonderful bed and breakfast inn located in Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville is a beautiful town, full of friendly relaxed people and they are very proud of their small city. It's where the famed Biltmore House lives and is quite the community's featured attraction. When we used to live in Atlanta, Georgia, we would often drive up to The Biltmore during the Christmas season to hear the Christmas music and enjoy all the Christmas decorations and festivities on the grounds. We were close enough to go and return in one (long) day.

There is plenty more to entice you in Asheville as it's a great place for family vacations. There are pet friendly hotels and bed and breakfast inns like this one where your family can vacation in comfort.

Some of these bed and breakfast inns are quite luxurious, like some of the hotels, with some awesome amenities in this city. Asheville is a town where for the past 100 years the very wealthy from New York City come to summer vacation. There are hiking trails to enjoy, museums and more. The President and his family vacationed here early this summer as there is quite the golf course here.




*** Photo of Lemon Honey Cake from Bolsa Restaurant website


Lemon Honey Cake

From: Graham Dodds, executive chef of Bolsa Restaurant, here's a photo and short interview, go here. (Bolsa is Spanish for bag like in grocery bag.)

Makes: 1 (10-inch) cake

Ingredients:

Spray shortening and extra sugar, as needed to coat a cake pan

2/3 cup bread flour (not the usual all-purpose or cake flour, this is different)
1/2 tbl. baking powder
2/3 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup Texas honey (or fresh honey from your area)
2 lemons, zest removed and reserved
1/4 cup whole milk
1 stick butter, melted
Fresh berries, whipped cream and/or chunk of honeycomb for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray and 10-inch cake pan at coat with sugar, tapping out the excess sugar but making sure that the pan is evenly coated.

Sift bread flour, baking powder and 2/3 cup sugar together into a large bowl and set aside.

Place eggs, honey and lemon zest in a mixer and beat to a ribbon stage. (A ribbon stage is reached when a whisk or spoon moved through the mixture leaves a trail behind that is visible for a short while before merging back into the mixture.)

Squeeze lemons and gently fold the lemon juice and then the milk into the egg mixture.

Now, gently combine the flour mixture with the egg mixture, being careful to just incorporate the flour and not over beat the flour. The cake will come out tough if the flour is overworked.

Gently fold in the melted butter.

Pour the finished batter into a prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until the top is light brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Serve with fresh berries and whipped cream or a chunk of honeycomb.





Lemons in blue bowl photo by Jill Clardy @ flickr


Meet Applewood Manor Inn

From the website: 1908 New England Style Inn, nestled on 1.5 acres, 6 blocks from downtown, service focused, relaxed, Pet Friendly Cottage.

Larry and Nancy Merrill are your hosts in this fine, old colonial turn-of-the-century Asheville bed and breakfast. Located in the historic Montford District of Asheville, NC, Applewood Manor Inn sits on its' quiet acre and a half of "country in the city" surrounded by giant oaks, pines, maples and a variety of flora. Yet the manor if just 3 miles from the breathtaking Biltmore Estate, a short 10-minute drive to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and a 25-minute stroll past magnificent old homes to downtown Asheville.

Check in and unwind from your travels with a complimentary beverage in a rocker on one of five porches ... plan your next day's adventures to Smoky Mountain National Park, snow skiing, whitewater rafting, a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway during its glorious autumnal display, a visit to the world famous Biltmore Estate, or one of many local historical attractions of Asheville, "Land of the Sky." Later, Retire to your spacious room decorated with antiques, lace, and fine linen ... curl up to the cozy, working fireplace and get a refreshing night's sleep in a room garnished with fresh flowers.

Awaken to the smell of the Manor's fresh fare: Enjoy a cup of fresh brewed coffee or hot tea by the fireside in the parlor or living room or lounge on one of the Manor's multiple porches while Nancy & Larry prepare your three course breakfast of homemade bread with a side of cream cheese, seasonal fruit with sides of Nancy's "home brew" granola and vanilla yogurt, and varied and equally enticing entrees fit for the Lords and Ladies of the Manor.

After breakfast you may be off for a stroll in the nearby Botanical Gardens, a game of croquet or badminton in the yard, a brisk bike ride around the area or a walk through the historic neighborhood for a peaceful start to your day's activities. Upon your return from your adventures, pause a while by the fireplace in the parlor, or in the library with a calming cup of tea or other refreshments, good conversation or a good book, and look forward to another day of living well under the cordial roof here at Applewood Manor Inn.



Applewood Manor Inn
62 Cumberland Circle
Asheville, North Carolina 28801

Phone: (828) 254-2244
Fax: (828) 254-0899

email: innkeeper@applewoodmanor.com
Nancy & Larry Merrill, Innkeepers



*** Remember to support small business in your area and when you travel. Why stay at a Big Business hotel as you travel when you can stay in a more home like atmosphere of a bed and breakfast inn? The prices are comparable, the people friendlier and your stay will be memorable.





*** Another version of Lemon Bread photo by little blue hen @ flickr



Lemon Bread

From: Applewood Manor Inn

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp slat
1/2 cup mild
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup sugar

Directions:

Cream butter (or margarine) & sugar. Add eggs and mix well. Add flour baking powder and salt. Mix and add milk and grated rind.

Bake at 350° in greased loaf pan for 50 minutes for 1 large loaf, or 30 minutes for 2 small loaves.

Mix together the juice of 1 lemon and 1/3 cup sugar. Pour mixture over bread while it is still warm. Can be made ahead and frozen.



*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

The Social Poets
The Soul Calendar
Visual Insights
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations
Poems From A Spiritual Heart
The Healing Waters
Dennys Food and Recipes
Dennys Funny Quotes

Chocolate Cream Cake with Chocolate Frosting

*** Made from scratch a hearty cake with an intense chocolate flavor in the icing for a man's birthday. Just make sure to cut those slices thinner for women to enjoy. Cream cakes are tasty desserts of the past but tend to be heavy by modern standards. But oh, the flavor! :)




Photo by Tommy Simmons, Food Editor @ The Advocate


From Denny: Our local newspaper's food editor has decided to learn how to bake cakes. She is brave to chronicle her baking journey as it happens in real time. This is her first cake.

Most of us these days bake with cake mixes which are lighter versions of cakes our mothers and grandmothers used to bake. The difference is usually in the type and amount of flour utilized.

When I was eleven years old I made my first simple white cake recipe but doubled the dose of butter by mistake. It was awesome! My Cinderella style evil stepmother, a real killjoy personality, fussed about the expense of an extra stick of butter. I didn't see her in the kitchen trying to help guide the process as she hated kids, even her own grandkids. Of course, the funny part was the cake was a huge hit at the dinner table with the rest of the family. I've kept that recipe of beginner's luck with me all these years because the story still makes me smile.

So, when I see an adult food writer brave the cold cruel world of criticism to learn how to bake, well, I just have to support her! :) Tommy Simmons goes on to talk about this cream cake as "so dense and sturdy it would not dream of crumbling." A good cake for a beginner as it's easier to get these kinds of cakes out of the cake pans after baking.

She learned all the basics a novice learns about baking like not to leave the baked cakes in the pan for too long or you practically "have to get a crowbar to pry the cooled layers from the cake pans. The problem was I had left the cakes in the pans overnight." Been there and done that mistake! :) The reason for that issue is because the greased pans had oil that solidified, holding the cake in place.

An easy fix to that problem is to reheat your oven and pop the baked cakes back into the oven for anywhere for 2 - 5 minutes at 300 degrees F. to melt the oil on the sides of the pans to release the cake. Once the metal of the pan is reheated, but the cake is not hot or warm to the touch, the job is done. You don't really want to re-bake the cakes. You could also reheat the bottoms of the pans over the stove burner though I've found you can still encounter issues with the sides of the pans not releasing well so I use the oven method.

How do you know the cake is ready to be released from the pan? Run a knife around the edge of the pan, then shake gently, you will feel a little give from the cake which means the oil has softened. That's when it's time to invert the cake onto the cooling rack.

Food editor Simmons goes to to remark that the cake's flavor improves the second day. Such is the case with most cream cakes. That's why they are still so popular in south Louisiana and the American South in general. They are forgiving cakes, easy to make and store well in the refrigerator.

Simmons did not enjoy the Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa in the frosting as she found it too assertive and downright bossy for her favorite chocolate taste. She thought it was too much chocolate. When she bakes this cake in the future she made a mental note to herself to substitute Hershey's Cocoa, the regular one.

As an experienced cake baker who adores chocolate what I would do is use the lighter version of cocoa for the layers and use a thinner layer of the dark chocolate icing just for the top. You just divide the icing by 2/3 and 1/3, using the 1/3 as the dark chocolate. Or to keep it really simple just make two chocolate icing recipes, one light and one dark. Icing keeps well and you know you are going to be making another cake in need of icing very soon! :) Besides, Simmons advised you to make two recipes of the icing to have enough volume to properly ice the cake anyway.

Any time you have an assertive taste for a cake, it's best to use it in moderation. Lemon cakes are like that too. When using lemon curd, just use it on the filling and use a lighter lemon taste for the icing.





Cream Cake With Hershey’s “Especially Dark” Chocolate Frosting

From: “Cake Keeper Cakes” by Lauren Chattman and “The Fannie Farmer Baking Book” by Marion Cunningham

Serves: 12 to 16

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbl. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 large eggs, room temperature
2-3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tbl. vanilla extract
2 cups whipping cream, not whipped, room temperature
Hershey’s “Especially Dark” Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)


Directions:

1. Grease and flour 4 (8-inch) layer-cake pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside.

3. Beat eggs and sugar together in large bowl until mixture is thickened (about 5 minutes). Stir in vanilla.

4. Alternate adding flour mixture with the cream to the egg mixture. Don’t overbeat at this stage. Beat for about 1 minute just to make sure everything is combined.

5. Distribute batter evenly among the 4 cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6. Let cake layers cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

7. When cooled, you can slice each layer in half crosswise if you like thin cake layers and then frost and stack to assemble the cake. To store, seal the cut surface with plastic wrap and cover the whole cake with additional plastic wrap or a cake cover and refrigerate. Serve at room temperature.





Hershey’s “Especially Dark” Chocolate Frosting

From: Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa can label

Makes: about 2 cups

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2/3 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa (very intense chocolate flavor, you may want to just use Hershey's Cocoa, the regular one, for the normal level of chocolate flavor if you are not used to deep dark intense chocolate flavors.)

3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans, if desired


Directions:

1. Melt butter and stir in cocoa.

2. Alternate adding confectioners’ sugar and milk. Beating to achieve a smooth, spreadable consistency.

3. Stir in vanilla.

4. Frost between cake layers, sides and the top of the cake.

5. Press chopped pecans onto top of cake.

Note from Tommy Simmons: Double the frosting recipe so you have plenty of frosting. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.


*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

Elegant Cheap Dishes From Manhattan Chef: Chicken With 40 Garlic Cloves, Salad and Dessert

From Denny: CBS runs this Chef on a Shoestring segment over at The Early Show where they give a chef the challenge of creating a wonderful meal to serve four people and do it for $40 or less. In this economy, more and more people are turning to clever ways to create great entertaining dishes for less money.

Featured in this video clip is Manhattan, New York Chef Sebastian Zijp who runs the kitchen for Bar Blanc Bistro. He became executive chef in 2008. His specialties are drawn from fresh seasonal ingredients from local markets. Though he was born in Africa to Dutch parents, he has traveled the world and chose to settle in New York City.

If you have never made this traditional French dish, don't be intimidated by the many garlic cloves. As they bake in the oven the flavor goes from sharp and pungent to softer and mellow. If you really enjoy the flavor of garlic, you can always add more to the dish or bake some (covered or in tin foil) on the side in the oven. If you are in a hurry - or don't enjoy peeling garlic cloves - just use that minced garlic in a jar at the grocery store, usually on the produce aisle. Spoon out about the same volume amount as the garlic cloves - about 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic for an average sized garlic clove.






Recipes Featured:

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic
Simple Arugula Salad
Lemon and Parsley Couscous
Poached Pears with Amaretto Cream





Watch CBS News Videos Online



FOOD FACTS From Epicurious.com about some of chef's ingredients:

Pecorino: In Italy, cheese made from sheep's milk is known as pecorino. Most of these cheeses are aged and classified as grana (hard, granular and sharply flavored); however, the young, unaged Ricotta pecorino is soft, white and mild in flavor. Aged pecorinos range in color from white to pale yellow and have a sharp, pungent flavor. The best known of this genre is Pecorino Romano, which comes in large cylinders with a hard yellow rind and yellowish-white interior. Other notable pecorinos are Sardo, Siciliano and Toscano. These hard, dry cheeses are good for grating and are used mainly in cooking. They can be used in any recipe that calls for parmesan cheese, especially if a sharper flavor is desired.

Couscous: A staple of North African cuisine, couscous is granular semolina. Cooked, it may be served with milk as porridge, with a dressing as a salad or sweetened and mixed with fruits for dessert. Packaged precooked couscous is available in Middle Eastern markets and large supermarkets. The name couscous also refers to the famous Maghreb dish in which semolina or cracked wheat is steamed in the perforated top part of a special pot called a couscoussière, while chunks of meat (usually lamb or chicken), various vegetables, chickpeas and raisins simmer in the bottom part. In lieu of a couscoussière, a colander set over a large pot will do. The cooked semolina is heaped onto a platter, with the meats and vegetables placed on top. All diners use chunks of bread to scoop the couscous from this central platter. Couscous varies from country to country - Moroccans include saffron, Algerians like to add tomatoes and Tunisians spice theirs up with the hot-pepper-based harissa sauce.

Amaretto: A liqueur with the flavor of almonds, though it's often made with the kernels of apricot pits. The original liqueur, Amaretto di Saronno, hails from Saronno, Italy. Many American distilleries now produce their own amaretto.







RECIPES

Simple Arugula Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch baby arugula
2 radishes
1 bag baby carrots
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon shaved pecorino cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

Slice the radishes and shave the baby carrots. Toss radishes, carrots, and arugula with the lemon juice and the oil. Season with salt and pepper, top with the shaved pecorino.








Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

INGREDIENTS:

4 chicken thighs
40 cloves garlic
4 sprigs thyme
1 tablespoon oil
Salt and pepper

METHOD:

Season the thighs well with salt and pepper. Heat a pan to medium high heat and sear the chicken until very dark golden brown. Remove from pan and add garlic, stir until they are lightly browned. Return the chicken to the pan and cover with a lid or tinfoil. Place in a 350º F. oven until cooked. Maybe 22 minutes.








Lemon and Parsley Couscous

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup couscous
1.25 cup stock or water
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Zest of 1 lemon (use the same lemon from the salad)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch of salt

METHOD:

Mix the couscous with the salt, parsley and lemon in a bowl. Bring the stock or water to a boil with the olive oil. Pour the boiling liquid over the couscous, give a quick stir and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand five minutes, fluff with a fork and serve.







Poached Pears with Amaretto Cream

INGREDIENTS:

2 Bartlett pears, cut into quarter inch slices
1 cup water
2 tablespoon sugar
1 cinnamon stick
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 tablespoon Amaretto di Serrano

METHOD:

Bring the water to a boil along with the sugar, cinnamon and zest. Once boiling, add the pears and turn to a simmer until pears are soft, about 20 min. Mix together heavy cream, powdered sugar and Amaretto and whisk until stiff peaks form. Serve atop the poached pears.








So, how did Sebastiaan do in our "How Low Can You Go?" competition?!

Arugula Salad
arugula $2.50
radishes $1.98
carrots $1.99
lemon $0.50
pecorino cheese $5.49
total $12.46

Chicken with 40 Garlic Cloves
chicken $3.98
garlic $2.64
thyme $1.29
total $7.91

Lemon Parsley Couscous
couscous $2.19
stock $2.79
parsley $2.99
lemon $0.50
total $8.47

Poached Pears
pears $0.94
cinnamon $1.99
lemon $0.50
heavy cream $2.25
powdered sugar $1.29
Amaretto $1.50
total $8.47

Grand total: $37.31

That gets him onto our Leaders Board!!

1. Amanda Freitag $37.17
The Harrison

2. Kelly Liken $37.20
Restaurant Kelly Liken

3. Sebastiaan Zijp $37.31
Bar Blanc Bistro





*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

Tummy Warming Desserts for The New Year

From Denny: Celebrity chef Ed Brown is back again to help us keep on the pounds. Oh, what a man! :) Seriously, we adore bread pudding of any variety here in south Louisiana. It stars daily at in-store lunch or deli menus since French bread is still a big hit here, embedded into the traditional French culture stemming from New Orleans. And, just this last weekend I saw the grocer putting out fresh clementines, a delightful citrus for which Chef Brown has a recipe too.

Oh, and when I'm out of fruit for a bread pudding, I often substitute our other fav fruit: chocolate chips. I'm especially a huge fan of Ghiradelli brand double chocolate chips from San Francisco, California. The double chocolate means there is more chocolate in relation to sugar. My complaint about most chocolate chips is there is so much sugar you can barely taste the chocolate and Ghiradelli puts out the smoothest most awesome taste.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Cranberry bread pudding

From: Chef Ed Brown

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 vanilla bean, split and scrape insides, reserve pod for another time
• 3 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 5 whole eggs
• 1 1/2 French baguettes (day-old best), cut into 2-inch-thick slices
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen fine)
• 2 teaspoons soft butter

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

• In a large nonreactive bowl, combine vanilla, milk, cream, cinnamon, lemon, sugar, salt and eggs, whisk until well blended.

• Add the bread slices, raisins and cranberries, toss and soak for 40 minutes.

• Butter a 12-inch (ovenproof) ceramic deep pie dish with soft butter.

• Transfer bread and egg mixture to dish, be sure to have the fruit well distributed.

• Cover dish with aluminum foil, place in oven for 1 hour, removing the foil the last 15 minutes.



Clementines with Grand Marnier

From: Chef Ed Brown

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 15 each clementines, peeled, segmented
• 2 cups simple syrup
• 1 cup Grand Marnier
• 6 each mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons Grenadine

DIRECTIONS

Combine all except Grenadine and refrigerate 2-4 hours before serving. Serve in a glass pedestal. Just before serving drizzle Grenadine on top.



*** ALSO: 5 Recipes: Lemon Chicken, Portobello Fries and Sides

*** THANKS for visiting, feel free to use any of these cute graphics as they are free to use on your site or blog - and stay warm this winter!

Recipe: Atlantas Pricci Restaurants White Chocolate Panna Cotta

From Denny: How many of you like panna cotta? We enjoy this light but tasty dessert at our house often - and it's so easy to make! We love variety and today's recipe is just the ticket.

You can go whole hog and try your hand at making this dessert trio or you could just make the panna cotta with a crushed favorite cookie for a crust to save time.

"This dessert trio from Pricci, White Chocolate Panna Cotta With Pistachio Biscotti and Blood Orange Gelee, is part of a romantic meal they created for Valentine's Day. It can be made a day or two before serving."

Hands on time: 45 minutes
Total time: 3 hours
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

FOR PISTACHIO BISCOTTI:

Makes: about 20 cookies
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 3 hours (includes baking and cooling time)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar plus more for tops of cookies
Pinch salt
1/2 cup finely ground unsalted pistachios
1 cup all-purpose flour

FOR WHITE CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA:

Makes: 3 1/2-cup servings
Hands on: 15 minutes
Total time: 3 hours (includes chilling time)

1/2 packet gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR BLOOD ORANGE GELEE:

Makes: 6 2-tablespoon servings
Hands on: 10 minutes
Total time: 3 hours (includes chilling time)

1/2 packet gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
1/2 cup blood orange juice (from 2-3 blood oranges)
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon limoncello

Instructions:

FOR PISTACHIO BISCOTTI: (Take care handling these shortbread cookies; they crumble easily.)

In a stand mixer or food processor combine the butter, sugar and salt until creamy. Add the pistachios and flour and mix until just combined. Divide the dough into 2 pieces; shape each into a ball and then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour.

Roll a disk of dough between 2 sheets of wax paper to 1/4-inch thickness (do not roll too thin, or the cookies will break). Use a biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter to cut into shapes slightly larger than the molds you will use for the panna cotta. Cut into desired shape and arrange on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for at least 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Sprinkle the cookies generously with sugar and bake until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool completely before removing from the parchment. Store in an airtight container.

FOR WHITE CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA:

Combine gelatin and water and set aside. In a medium saucepan combine cream, milk and sugar. Heat until steaming but do not boil. Add the white chocolate and stir until smooth. Remove from the heat. Stir in gelatin and vanilla. Strain the mixture, then pour it into ramekins or molds. Chill, covered, until set, about 3 hours.

FOR BLOOD ORANGE GELEE:

Combine gelatin and water and set aside. In a small saucepan, bring the orange juice, lemon juice and sugar to a simmer. Turn off the heat; stir in the gelatin and limoncello. Strain into a small pan or dish. Chill until completely set, then cut into 3/4-inch cubes.

TO ASSEMBLE:

Assemble immediately before serving: Place a Pistachio Biscotti on each of 2 dessert plates. Run a small sharp knife around the inside wall of two of the panna cotta molds and unmold a White Chocolate Panna Cotta onto each of the cookies. Arrange a few cubes of Blood Orange Gelee around each plate.

Note: You will have extra of each dessert. Each element can be made up to 2 days in advance.
Total time includes baking, cooling and chilling time for the three components of the recipe.

Nutrition:
Pistachio Biscotti, per cookie: 90 calories (percent of calories from fat, 60), 1 gram protein, 8 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 6 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 12 milligrams cholesterol, 8 milligrams sodium.

White Chocolate Panna Cotta, per serving: 416 calories (percent of calories from fat, 75), 3 grams protein, 24 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 36 grams fat (22 grams saturated), 110 milligrams cholesterol, 57 milligrams sodium.

Blood Orange Gelee, per serving: 38 calories (percent of calories from fat, 1), trace protein, 9 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, trace fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 7 milligrams sodium.


gelee, biscotti, Valentines Day, pistachio, panna cotta, white chocolate, recipes, Baking and Confections, dessert recipes, Atlanta, Pricci restaurant

Recipe: Chewy Peanut Brownie Bars

From Denny: Lately, I've noticed how many of you out there in blog land are looking for recipes that combine peanut butter and chocolate and today I found a yummy easy recipe at Jif. There is something magical about the marriage of peanut butter and chocolate! This would be an awesome make and take for your kids at school or for entertaining during the sports season.

Chewy Peanut Brownie Bars

Prep Time: 45 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Yield: 50 bars

CRUST

• 1 (19.5 oz.) package Pillsbury® Classic Traditional Fudge Brownie

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 large egg


FILLING

• 1 cup corn syrup
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


GLAZE

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 (1 oz.) square unsweetened chocolate
• 7 1/2 teaspoons water
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions:

1. HEAT oven to 350°F. Combine all crust ingredients in large bowl; mix well. Press mixture evenly over bottom of ungreased 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking pan.

2. BEAT corn syrup and peanut butter in small bowl at low speed until well blended. Stir in remaining filling ingredients. Spread filling evenly over crust to within 1/2 inch of edges.

3. BAKE 18 to 20 minutes or until edges are firm and center is just firm to the touch. Cool completely.

4. MELT 1 tablespoon butter with chocolate and water in small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Using wire whisk, stir in powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; blend until smooth. Drizzle glaze over cooled brownies. Allow glaze to set. Cut into bars.

Note for High Altitude baking(above 3500 ft.):

1. ADD 1/4 cup flour to dry brownie mix. Bake as directed above.

Recipe: Famous Chefs Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies

Photo by procsilas @ flickr

From Denny: When these pastry chefs come out with a new line of something, dark chocolate chips in this case, why don't they ever post a photo of the finished product on the TV show where they are doing the promotion or the network leave a video showing the process...? Oh, well, today we have to just enjoy this fun poster; it did make me grin. :)

It's interesting this chef uses both pastry and bread flour to make our traditional cookie recipe we love so much! Of course, if you don't want to make giant cookies, this recipe will probably yield a gazillion of them! More to share with friends! :)

The dainty polite version of our beloved chocolate chip cookie Image by esthereggy via Flickr

From: Chef Jacques Torres

Yield: 26 giant cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound butter
• 13 ounces sugar
• 1 pound light brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 14 ounces King Arthur pastry flour
• 14 ounces King Arthur bread flour
• 1/2 ounce salt
• Less than 1/2 ounce baking powder
• Less than 1/2 ounce baking soda
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 pounds Jacques Torres 60% cocoa content dark chocolate, cut in small pieces

DIRECTIONS

Preheat convection oven to 325 degrees. Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle, cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until it reaches a light and creamy texture. Add the eggs, one at a time. When mixed, turn the mixer to slow speed and add the rest of the ingredients. When the mixture is thoroughly combined, bake on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan for about 14 minutes (light brown, a little underbaked).

TIPS

Jacques does not use cups and teaspoons so he suggests starting with the weights if you need to convert the recipe. His secret is in the butter, flour and chocolate ingredients.

Video: 3 Favorite Family Easy Dessert Recipes

From Denny: The Today Show had hundreds of entries for this competition! They were looking for family recipes handed down through the generations and found some good ones that will appeal to a lot of people. These are also fast easy recipes, enjoy! Wait until you see the last one with chocolate, easiest one of all.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

desserts, dessert recipes, recipes, chocolate, baking and confections

Video: 3 Easy Family Favorite Dessert Recipes

From Denny: The Today Show had hundreds of entries for this competition! They were looking for family recipes handed down through the generations and found some good ones that will appeal to a lot of people. These are also fast easy recipes, enjoy! Wait until you see the last one with chocolate, easiest one of all.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

desserts, dessert recipes, recipes, chocolate, baking and confections