Apple Cranberry Phyllo Rolls
This one got away from me. I really didn't plan to make two huge phyllo rolls. But when you have a one-pound box of frozen phyllo dough thawed, you use it. It's not like it's going to be any good next week.
So... I made two huge phyllo rolls.
And my-oh-my did they come out good! We're definitely set with desserts for a while.
I love phyllo but just don't use it enough. It's good savory, it's good sweet. You can fill it with absolutely anything.
This recipe came about because I had just picked up a couple of apples at the store and had a bag of cranberries sitting in the 'fridge. The phyllo has been in the freezer for a couple of weeks. Time to use stuff!
Buttering every other phyllo layer gives it a bit more substance - and actually cuts down on the calories considerably. Not that I did it for that reason... I wanted a bit more chew in the center and a bit less crumbly. I should freeze one for Thanksgiving...
Cranberry Apple Phyllo Rolls
Makes 2
- 1 tbsp butter
- 5 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1 1/2 cups finely-chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup demerara sugar
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 16 sheets phyllo dough
Preheat the oven to 350. Combine the apples, cranberries, brown sugar and spices in a heavy covered skilletand cook for about 10 minutes or until tender. Cool to room temperature.
Mix walnuts and demerara sugar.
Layer 2 sheets of the phyllo on table and brush with butter. Sprinkle with walnut and sugar mixture. Repeat three times for a total of 4 2-sheet layers per roll.
Heap the apple mixture along (one end if square, long end if rectangular) of the phyllo dough. Carefully roll up, enclosing filling. Place seam-side down on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush top with butter and sprinkle with additional demerara sugar.
Bake for 35-40 min minutes. Cool and slice.
Seriously. I have two. I need to freeze one!
Pumpkin Cupcakes
Our sister-in-law Marie's birthday was Friday. We've reached the point where we don't really celebrate them. A phone call, a message on Facebook... Very 21st century.
But at the same time, a bit of real-time recognition is always nice.
Pumpkin Cupcakes seemed to fit the bill, today.
If we had baked a whole cake it would have been greeted with heartfelt thanks and a demand to take half of it back home with us. Cupcakes were the perfect idea.
I decided we needed to be seasonal. I had a pumpkin cake recipe I hadn't made in years and lots of homemade pumpkin butter.
As I was getting ingredients together, I realized we had no white sugar in the house! Victor had used the last of it for the peanut butter cookies. I had put it on the shopping list - but hadn't yet gone shopping.
I had plenty of brown sugar so I decided to make a substitution. I've baked long enough to know when ingredients can be changed out and when they can't. I had pretty much made up this recipe in the first place, so I felt comfortable making the change.
And it worked just fine - maybe even better. They came out with a really nice pumpkin/spice flavor.
Pumpkin Cake
Cake:
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 3/4 cup Pumpkin Butter
- 1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
Frosting
- 8oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 stick butter, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar (or more)
- 1/2 cup Pumpkin Butter
Make cake:
Preheat oven to 350°. Line cupcake pans with paper holders. Sift flour and next 5 ingredients into medium bowl. Whisk pumpkin, yogurt, honey and vanilla in small bowl to blend. Using mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix dry ingredients into butter mixture alternately with pumpkin mixture.
Fill cupcake tins about 2/3 full. Bake about 25 minutes. Cool.
Make frosting:
Beat cream cheese and butter together. Add pumpkin butter and mix well. Add powdered sugar and mix until creamy. Add more sugar, as necessary, to gain desired consistency.
I used large cupcake liners and got 20 cupcakes. Using standard liners would net 24 cupcakes.
And look what Victor just brought home from Marie's!
She made us Caramel Apples!
There is no shortage of desserts tonight at our house!
Perfect Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Pie. One of my all-time favorite breakfasts. Ah... er... I mean... desserts. With whipped cream, of course.
Victor actually prefers his pie without cream. I don't get it. I am of the opinion that the pie is merely a vehicle to bring the whipped cream to the mouth.
But it's a win-win for me. I get all the whipped cream!
I've been making this particular pie for a while. Secret ingredient is a 1/4 cup of maple syrup. It really adds a subtle flavor. I like.
And the pie crust is homemade, of course. This is enough for two crusts.
Crust:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup pastry/cake flour
- 2 sticks butter, frozen
- pinch salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup ice water
Using a food processor, add flours, salt, and sugar. Pulse to mix.
Chop up frozen butter and add. Pulse until butter is incorporated and mixture looks grainy.
Slowly add ice water and pulse until mixed.
Turn out onto counter. Press and form mixture into two disks . Wrap in plastic and refrigerate about an hour to allow the flour to properly absorb the water and to relax the gluten.
Roll out crust and place in pie plate. Crimp edges and fill.
The filling can be made with a can of pumpkin, but it really is better with fresh.
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree (or 1 15 oz can)
- 1 can (12 fl. oz.) evaporated milk
Preheat oven to 425°. Beat eggs, sugar, maple syrup, and spices in large bowl. Add pumpkin amd mix well. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
Pour into pie shell. Bake at 425° F. for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Top with whipped cream before serving.
It is so easy to make and so good you may just be tempted to have some for breakfast!
Pumpkin Butter
I know that I can buy pumpkin butter at the store. I can buy canned pumpkin at the store, too. And canned, packaged, and/or prepared just about anything else.
But buying something pre-made is just not the same as making it myself. Yes, it is easier to open up a jar. To me, it's not nearly as rewarding. There is something mystical and magical about cooking. About blending flavors. About taking something and making it different. About watching eyes light up and smiles on faces as people see and try different foods.
Pumpkin.
Most people know it as something that comes out of a can that says Libby Libby Libby on the label label label. Or as a frozen Mrs Smiths pie. Or carved into a jack o'lantern on halloween.
I don't think a lot of people even know what to do with a pumpkin other than carve it or use it as a fall centerpiece on a dining table that never gets used.
It's too bad, because besides tasting great, pumpkins are actually good for you, too. It's low-calorie, high in beta carotene, potassium, fat-free, sodium-free... And really versatile.
From soups and stews to pies and flan, salad dressings to a sauce for meatballs, sweet or savory, it can go with just about anything.
My Uncle Dick - half Irish and half-Mexican - made a Jalapeño Pumpkin Soup that was outstanding. I made a pie last night.
And Pumpkin Butter, today.
I have to admit I had no intention of making pumpkin butter, today, but I was perusing David Lebovitz' blog and followed a link to Hedonia and that became my inspiration. Two guys in San Francisco cooking? Sounds like Victor and me before we moved east.
The fun guys at Hedonia got their inspiration from About.com.
The only difference was About.com called for "pumpkin pie spice" and Hedonia made his own blend. As did I.
This is the recipe I used:
Pumpkin Butter
Ingredients:
- 4 cups cooked and pureed pumpkin
- 1 (1.75-ounce) package powdered pectin
- 4-1/2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter
Preparation:
Place pumpkin in a heavy kettle. Stir in pectin. Place over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar, spices, and butter. Continue stirring and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil hard exactly 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir 5 minutes.Ladle jam into 1/2 pint hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Adjust caps according to manufacture's directions. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath. After cooling, check seals.
Yield: 6 (1/2-pint) jars.
I did get slightly more than what the recipe called for, but I probably used a bit more pumpkin. (You know me and measuring...) It still came out great.
Love it!
**Update
Just got an email from Sean at Hedonia... He says:
Pear Pastry
Since we can't be at AT&T Park watching the game live and eating garlic fries, we needed something to start tonight's baseball game. We keep seeing our former season ticket seats... It is such an awesome ball park. I miss those seats. Those were fun days.
But I digress...
I picked up a couple of great-looking pears yesterday, thinking they would lend themselves to a fun dessert. They did - except I didn't make the dessert!
We had puff pastry in the freezer...
Victor peeled and cubed the pears and coated them with maybe a quarter-cup of sugar. Into a skillet they went with a tablespoon of butter, a bit of flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.
When they caramelized a bit, he added a splash of apple cider and let that cook down.
Onto the pastry, folded up 2 sides, and baked at 425° for about 15 minutes.
Yum.
Bananas Foster Bread
I was looking at some pretty ripe bananas yesterday. Really ripe; as in use them right now or throw them away really ripe.
I decided to use them.
Fortunately, the latest issue of Cooking Light magazine was sitting here. The cover picture was - banana bread.
Banana bread is one of those things I just tend to throw together. I've made it enough times over the years that I have a recipe memorized. But... I'm always willing to look at ideas.
There was a recipe for a Bananas Foster Bread that looked promising. Cook the bananas with some butter, brown sugar and brandy before mixing everything together? Sounds like a plan.
I tweaked the ingredients a bit (what a shock!) by adding wheat bran in place of ground flax seed and lots more spices. We ended up with a really good dessert - and possible breakfast!
Bananas Foster Bread
- 2 cups mashed ripe banana
- 1 cup packed brown sugar, divided
- 5 tbsp butter, melted
- 3 tbsp brandy or dark rum
- 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup wheat bran
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- pinch nutmeg
- Cooking spray
Glaze:
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 tbsp brandy or dark rum
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine banana, 1/2 cup brown sugar, butter, and brandy in a nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat; cool. Place banana mixture in a large bowl. Add yogurt, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, and eggs. Beat with a mixer at medium speed.
3. Combine flour, wheat bran, soda, salt, cinnamon allspice, ginger, and nutmeg. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; place on wire rack.
4. Combine melted butter, brandy, and powdered sugar; stir until well blended. Drizzle over the warm bread.
It may be the first time I haven't used walnuts or pecans in my banana bread. It worked quite well without them, but would work equally well with. Add 'em if ya have 'em.
And the glaze really makes it special. That little amount of butter with the brandy made for the perfect finish.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
I needed a cookie fix today. The weather forecasters are calling for torrential, biblical, end-of-the-world, monsoon rains to hit this evening and continue into Friday.
Sounds good to me. I love Mother Nature at her finest.
But... While we can still cook in a possible over-the-top-storm-induced power outage, we have electric ovens. If I wanted cookies, I had to make them today to be safe.
So I did.
These are a pretty simple and basic cookie. The ingredients are what every home should have readily available. And they're really good.
Adding a pinch of baking powder and not flattening the cookies makes for a softer finished cookie without going the expensive-gourmet-bakery-under-baking route. I prefer my cookies cooked but I also like them slightly soft and slightly thick. This seems to work just fine.
If you're feeling adultish, you can switch out a tablespoon of the water with a tablespoon of bourbon or whiskey. Makes for a subtle change that's unexpected but really good!
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 2 cubes butter (1 cup)
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 375°.
Cream butter and sugars together until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add vanilla and water and mix well.
Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add slowly to butter mixture, mixing well. Add oats and mix well.
Add chocolate chips and walnuts and mix until blended.
Scoop onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake about 14 minutes. (I use a #30 scoop - about 2 1/2 tbsp per cookie.)
Roasted Figs
Victor found the perfect dessert. He was watching TV yesterday and somewhere saw figs roasted with balsamic vinegar and topped with a dollop of mascarpone.
Wouldn't you know that we just happened to have all three ingredients in the house tonight?!?
They really are simplicity.
Take about 3 figs per person and cut through in quarters about 3/4 through. You want the figs to stay intact.
Place them in a small buttered casserole, sprinkle with a teeny bit of sugar and drizzle with good-quality balsamic vinegar.
Bake at 350° for about 10 minutes.
Place three figs on each plate and drizzle with the accumulated juices. Place a small dollop of mascarpone cheese in the center of each fig, and serve.
This was really good. The perfect ending to the perfect day.
Peaches and Puff Pastry
I had about six peaches that needed using up and a package of puff pastry in the freezer. Almost-instant dessert!
Just for grins and giggles, I actually peeled the peaches - something I rarely do. And they were so sweet I didn't even add sugar to them!
I peeled and sliced them and then mixed them with 3 tbsp flour and 2 tbsp melted butter. Nothing else.
I placed 'em in the baking dish, topped it with the puff pastry, and placed it in a 400° oven for 35 minutes.
Yum.
Homemade Ice Cream
We had a little ice cream making party this evening.
Our niece, Elizabeth, is down visiting from North Jersey. She was supposed to be here going to a cooking camp for a week. Alas, it was canceled at the last minute. A definite bummer because she really does like to cook and is getting quite good at it. They decided to come down anyway and has been cooking up a storm at her Aunt Re's.
So... she asked if she could come over and make ice cream with us tonight. Of course we said yes. Ice Cream is my practically most favorite food on the planet!
We let her decide the flavor. She chose Cookies and Cream.
The recipe is for a Cuisinart 1.5 quart ice cream maker. Your results may vary.
Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1/4 package cream sandwich cookies, broken up
Mix milk, cream, vanilla, and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves.
Follow manufacturers instructions for freezing ice cream and add broken cookies during final five minutes of mixing.
It was fun having them all over, and even more fun to verify that she and her older brother will be here in December to make Christmas Cookies with us.
Traditions are good.
Coconut Tapioca Pudding
Victor has had a hankerin' for tapioca pudding for a while, now. Alas, while we have lots of tapioca, in our non-instant world, one of us has to remember to soak it before we can cook it. Finally, early this morning before work, that someone was me.
The recipe concept came from 101 Recipes, but Victor changed it around, made it coconut instead of plain vanilla, added a pinch of cinnamon... pretty much remade it as his own.
It's really good!
Coconut Tapioca Pudding
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup medium pearl tapioca
- 2 extra-large egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut
Soak tapioca according to package instructions. Drain. Mix together the egg yolks, salt, sugar, and the milk.
Over medium heat slowly bring the mixture just barely to a boil, stirring all along - about 15 minutes.
Reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The tapioca beads will swell up and become almost entirely translucent and the pudding will thicken.
The longer it is on the stove the more important to constantly stir. Timing really just depends. When cooked add coconut, remove from heat and and add vanilla.
Pudding will thicken more in refrigerator. Cool and enjoy!