Recipes Discovered - Recipes

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup p0wdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup pistachios, chopped
• Chocolate bar, for garnish

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt until combined. Divide into 4 small dishes and top with pistachios. Grate a little of the chocolate bar on top of each serving. Refrigerator until ready to serve.

Serves 4.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

This would also be a great filling for a cannoli!

My own concoction.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

For dough:

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 hard-boiled egg yolks
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

For rhubarb:

• 2 pounds rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1-inch piece of vanilla bean, split lengthwise, pulp scraped
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Directions:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, egg yolks, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the flour resembles coarse meal. Add 2/3 cup of cream and pulse until the dough comes together. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat it together, incorporating any stray crumbs.

Using a small ice cream scoop or a large spoon (or roll out and cut with a cookie cutter), form the dough into 2-inch balls, then flatten them slightly into thick rounds. Chill for 20 minutes (and up to 2 hours). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the rhubarb in a shallow 2 1/2- quart casserole dish and toss with sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch. Allow to macerate 15 minutes.

Arrange the biscuit rounds on top, leaving about an inch between them. Brush the biscuits with cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake the cobbler until the rhubarb is bubbling and the biscuits are golden brown, about 40 to 45 minutes. Serve with ice cream or crème fraîche.

If serving individually, divide rhubarb between ten 8 ounce ramekins and top with one biscuit each. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until browned and bubbley.

Serves 10.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

The egg yolk does sound like an odd addition, but from what I’ve read, it adds richness to the dough without adding the liquid from the egg. Whatever the reason, it’s quite good.

Recipe courtesy of Smitten Kitchen.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

For the rhubarb filling:

• 1/2 pound rhubarb, trimmed
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

For the crumbs:

• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) butter, melted
• 1 3/4 cups cake flour (I used all-purpose and it worked great)

For the cake:

• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup cake flour (again, the all-purpose flour worked just fine)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons softened butter, cut into 8 pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. For filling, slice rhubarb 1/2 inch thick and toss with sugar, cornstarch and ginger. Set aside.

To make crumbs, in a large bowl, whisk together sugars, spices, salt and butter until smooth. Stir in flour with a spatula. It will look like a solid dough.

To prepare cake, in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add butter and a spoonful of sour cream mixture and mix on medium speed until flour is moistened. Increase speed and beat for 30 seconds. Add remaining sour cream mixture in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the sides of bowl with a spatula. Scoop out about 1/2 cup batter and set aside.

Scrape remaining batter into prepared pan. Spoon rhubarb over batter. Dollop set-aside batter over rhubarb; it does not have to be even.

Using your fingers, break topping mixture into big crumbs, about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in size. They do not have to be uniform, but make sure most are around that size. Sprinkle over cake. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean of batter (it might be moist from rhubarb), 45 to 55 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

I doubled the recipe and made it in a 9×13 pan, which took about 60 minutes to bake. It needs to be fairly brown on top before it’s done. Also, the rhubarb made quite a bit of juice while it sat. I’m not sure if all of that was supposed to be added to the cake or not. I did add it, but had second thoughts about it. The cake turned out fine, but maybe a little on the wet side. I will try mixing the rhubarb right before I add it to the cake next time.

I tried making this cake with blueberries (reduced the sugar to 1 tablespoon and omitted the ginger). For some reason, the cake turned out very differently. I made it twice with the rhubarb with great results, so Im not sure why the blueberry version failed. With blueberries just starting to ripen, Im sure I will try it again.

Recipe courtesy of Smitten Kitchen.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 (20-ounce) box fudge brownie mix
• 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained, juice reserved
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 bananas, sliced and tossed in lemon juice to prevent browning
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• Chocolate ice cream topping or chocolate syrup, for drizzling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 15-inch pizza pan. Prepare the brownie mix according to box directions. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until done. Remove from the oven and cool. Beat the cream cheese, pineapple, and sugar together in a bowl. Use any reserved pineapple juice at this time, if needed, to soften the mixture to a good spreading consistency. Otherwise dispose of or save the juice for another use. Spread the mixture over the cooled brownie crust. Arrange the banana and strawberry slices over the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with the chopped nuts and drizzle with chocolate ice cream topping. Refrigerate. To serve, slice as you would a pizza, and enjoy!

Serves 8-10.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

I made this in a 9×9 dish (I also used my own brownie recipe), so the brownie was slightly thicker than if I had made it in a pizza pan. However, that wasn’t my issue. Something about the pineapple cream cheese and the chocolate didn’t jive for me. Seth suggested peanut butter instead of cream cheese, but I personally think it was more so the pineapple. Cute dessert idea though - other people seemed to enjoy it.

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup peanut butter chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF (325ºF for glass dish).

In small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; mix well. Press crumb mixture firmly on bottom of 13X9-inch baking pan.
Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with remaining ingredients; press down firmly with fork.
Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars.

For perfectly cut bars: Line entire pan with a sheet of aluminum foil first. Coat lightly with no-stick cooking spray. When bars are cool, lift up edges of foil to remove from pan. Cut into individual squares. Lift off foil.

Makes at least 24 bars, 36 if you cut them small (they are definitely on the sweet side).

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

Be creative, try these combination:
- chocolate graham crackers, peanut butter chips, and peanuts
- cinnamon graham crackers, chocolate chips, and almonds
- honey graham crackers, chocolate chips, and coconut

Recipe courtesy of Eagle Brand .

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh berries - strawberries (sliced), blueberries, raspberries, ect
• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 package(3.4 ounces) Jell-O vanilla instant pudding mix
• 8 ounces Cool Whip, thawed
• 2 cups angel food cake cubes

Directions:

Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk.  Add dry pudding mix; mix well. Fold in Cool Whop. Spoon half into 2-1/2-qt. bowl. Top with layers of cake, berries (reserve a few for on top) and remaining cream cheese mixture. Scatter reserved berries on top. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Serves 10 - 12.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

Recipe courtesy of Kraft Foods.

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
• 1 cup flour
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Heat the water, sugar, salt and butter over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the flour all at once and beat it with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together and forms a dough. Allow to cool for 2 minutes. Dump the hot mixture into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the eggs and pulse until the eggs are incorporated into the dough and the mixture is thick. Alternatively, briskly beat the eggs, one at a time, into the hot mixture, until smooth and shiny.

Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip. Pipe in mounds 1 1/2 inches wide and 1-inch high onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. With a wet finger, lightly press down the swirl at the top of each puff. You can also use 2 spoons to scoop out the mixture and shape the puffs with damp fingers.

Lightly beat the egg yolk and milk together and brush the top of each mound with some of the glaze. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned, then turn off the oven and allow them to sit for another 5 minutes, until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Make a small slit in the side of each puff to allow the steam to escape. Set aside to cool.

Best served the day of baking, cut in half crosswise, fill with a small scoop of ice cream, and drizzled with slightly warm chocolate sauce.

Makes about 24 profiteroles.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

Perfect vessel for any ice cream, or to make cream puffs.

Recipe courtesy of Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon espresso powder
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Whisk together the sugar, cork syrup, water, espresso powder, and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble at the edges. Continue to whisk until it just comes to a low boil. Cook for 1 minute, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat, stir in vanilla, and let cool. Chill in the refrigerator before using.

Will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

Makes about 1 cup.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

Perfect match for Tiramisu Ice Cream!

Recipe courtesy of Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 packages unflavored gelatin
• 3/4 cup ice cold water, divided
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar, plus more for tossing cut marshmallows

Directions:

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.

In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/4 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar sugar  and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Tap the excess powdered sugar into another bowl.

When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of powdered sugar  to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1/4-inch squares using a pizza wheel or scissors  dusted with powdered sugar. Once cut, toss marshmallows in a bowl of powdered sugar, using additional if necessary. Shake excess powdered sugar from marshmallows, then allow them to dry in an even layer on a baking sheet (several hours or overnight).  Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Makes about 4 cups of marshmallows.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

Great folded into chocolate ice cream!

Recipe courtesy of Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup flour
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup semisweet or milk chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil, making sure the foil covers the bottom and sides. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over med-low heat. When butter is melted, reduce heat to low and add chocolate, stirring constantly until melted. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition. Add vanilla. Stir in the flour and salt, and stir vigorously for 30 seconds until batter is smooth. Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the center is barely set. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Store at room temperature.

Nutrition:

Substitutions:

Great on there own, but also as a base or mixed into some ice cream.

Recipe courtesy of Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments