Homemade Chocolate Eclairs

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup of milk
  • 1 Cup of cream
  • 1/3 Cup sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon of corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/2 Cup of butter
  • 1 Cup of water
  • 1 Cup of all purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 Cup of semi sweet chocolate chips

 

Instructions

  1. In a saucepan, combine milk and cream in a small saucepan. Using a sharp knife, Add vanilla to milk mixture. Place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until hot (do not allow to boil). Remove saucepan from heat.
  2. Start by making the vanilla custard. In a heatproof medium bowl, whisk egg yolks, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1/3 cup of sugar until well combined. Start by taking about 1/2 cup of the milk mixture and mix it in your egg yolks. Add another 1/2 cup and whisk constantly while doing so. Slowly pour the rest of the milk mixture over egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 15 to 20 minutes or until custard thickens and coats the back of a metal spoon (do not allow custard to boil, as it might curdle).
  3. Put in an airtight container and let it cool completely and put in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
  4. Next, make the pastries. Start by putting the water and butter in a medium saucepan and heat up until the butter is completely melted. Add the flour in and mix thoroughly until it becomes a ball of dough. Take off heat and put the dough in a stand mixer bowl. On medium speed, add in your 4 eggs one by one until well mixed.
  5. Put dough in a piping bag and on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, pipe your eclairs, about 1 inch wide and 3 1/2 inch long.
  6. Bake in a 425º preheated oven for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Take out of oven and let them cool off.
  7. In the meantime, melt your chocolate in a small saucepan on low heat, mixing frequently. Put your melted chocolate in a wide bowl, wide enough so you can dip your eclairs in it.
with a sharp knife, slice the top of your eclair from end to end, deep enough to be able to stuff it with a lot of custard but not all the way through.
Put your custard in a piping bag and pipe your eclairs.
  8. Careful pick them up one by one and dip the open part in chocolate to cover it completely. Place on a serving plate and put in the fridge until about 10 minutes before your are ready to serve them.

 

Chocolate Cake IV

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This impressive chocolate cake recipe features three layers of tender chocolate cake and two layers of creamy mocha-chocolate filling covered in a rich chocolate-coffee ganache. The fourth element of chocolate is the garnish of chocolate curls that are sprinkled on top of the cake.

Ingredients

cooking spray 
vegetable shortening 
1/2 (4 ounce) semisweet chocolate baking bar, chopped 
1/2 (4 ounce) bittersweet chocolate baking bar, chopped 
1/2 cup butter, softened 
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar 
3 large eggs 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
2 1/4 cups cake flour 
2 teaspoons baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1/2 cup buttermilk 
1 cup boiling water 
Garnish: chocolate curls

Instructions

  1. Coat 3 (8-inch) round cakepans with cooking spray. Line bottoms of pans with wax paper; grease wax paper with shortening, and set aside.
  2. Melt chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth; set aside.
  3. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla.
  4. Sift together flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating at low speed just until blended, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in boiling water. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.
  5. Bake at 350° for 28 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
  6. Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread top with 4 tablespoons Coffee Liqueur Ganache Icing. Spread half of Mocha-Chocolate Cream Filling evenly over ganache on cake layer. Top with second cake layer; spread top with 4 tablespoons Coffee Liqueur Ganache Icing and remaining Mocha-Chocolate Cream Filling. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining Coffee Liqueur Ganache Icing on top and sides of cake. Garnish, if desired.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-cake-iv#

One Bowl Chocolate Cake III

 708879

Prep Time: 20 Minutes | Cook Time: 30 Minutes | Ready In: 1 Hour

Servings: 24

Ingredients

  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two nine inch round pans.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Stir in the boiling water last. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.
  3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/17981/one-bowl-chocolate-cake-iii/?origin=detail&metric=false

Chocolate Espresso Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Glaze

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Ingredients

For the Cake:

1 cup (2 sticks)(227 g) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (60 g) high quality dark Dutch process cocoa
1 tablespoon (15 g) instant espresso powder dissolved into 3/4 cup water 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
1 cup (240 ml) sour cream
1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (5 g) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (4 g) salt

For the Glaze:

4 oz (114 g) high quality bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cup (76 g) unsalted butter, softened and cut into 1/2″ pieces 1-1/2 teaspoons (7.5 ml) light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon (3 g) ground cinnamon

Instructions

For the Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter and flour a 10-12 cup bundt pan or Kugelhopf pan.
  2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat; add cocoa, stirring until smooth. Whisk in the espresso water and remove from heat.
  3. Add the sugar, sour cream, vanilla and eggs to the warmed cocoa mixture and whisk until smooth. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add all at once to the first mixture, whisking until well blended.
  4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until it feels firm to the touch and has slightly pulled away from the sides of the pan. Cool in pan on a rack for 20 minutes. Carefully loosen the cake with a knife and invert onto a large plate.

For the Glaze:

  1. Place the chocolate, butter, corn syrup and cinnamon in a medium heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir the mixture using a rubber spatula until melted and smooth.
  2. Assembly of the Chocolate Espresso Bundt Cake with Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Glaze:
  3. Pour warm glaze over bundt cake. Keep covered in a cake-keeper at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Caldeirada / Portuguese Fish Stew

DSC_0232
Serves 4
Caldeirada is a very typical Portuguese dish. It is similar to the French dish, Bouillabaisse. It’s a type of fish stew cooked with onions, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, paprika, and of course fish. I remember the first time I ate this meal…it was at my Mother-in-law’s house, back when my husband and I were dating. This is one of my husband’s favourite meals. I know how much he loves it, so I made it for dinner last night. I would like to share the recipe with you.

Ingredients

  1. 1 large onion
  2. 2 large tomatoes
  3. 1 green bell pepper OR 1/2 green, 1/2 red bell pepper 4 garlic cloves
  4. 12-15 small boiling potatoes (of similar size)
  5. 3 tsp coarse salt
  6. 3 tsp paprika
  7. 1 bay leaf
  8. 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
  9. 1 cup dry white wine
  10. 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  11. 2-3 pounds assorted fresh fish
  12. fresh seafood (if desired)

Instructions

First, peel and cut onion into thin slices. Chop 2 large tomatoes into coarse chunks. Cut green pepper in half, lengthwise, remove seeds, and slice into thin strips.(You can also use 1/2 green pepper & 1/2 red pepper). Peel and thinly slice garlic cloves. Set aside. Peel 12-15 small potatoes, cut in half, and keep submerged in water until ready to use.

The trick to Caldeirada seems to be the importance of layering. Here’s how I do it…

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Layer 1 – In a large pot, add half of each (onions, tomatoes, garlic, peppers). Add 1 tsp coarse salt, 1 tsp paprika powder, and bay leaf.

DSC_0236

Layer 2 – Add all of the halved potatoes over the first layer. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of paprika powder.

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Layer 3 – Over the potatoes, add remaining half of each (onions, tomatoes, garlic, peppers). Add 1 tsp of coarse salt, 1 tsp of paprika and 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped cilantro leaves.

Next, add 1 cup dry white wine to the layers and fill the rest of the pot with water, just until the potatoes are covered. (I used 6 cups of water for my large pot). Add 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Bring the water to a boil, over high heat.

DSC_0241

Let the stew boil for 5 minutes before you add the fish. This is what it should look like. Set the heat to medium high. Now it’s time to add the fish…

Copy of DSC_0244

You can use 2-3 pounds of fresh fish. I used sea bass, grouper, red snapper, skate fish, and 2 sardines (typical of Portuguese Caldeirada). This fish was bought fresh and cut at the market. You must use fresh, frozen just won’t give you the same flavour. I also added some mussels, clams, and a couple of blue crabs. (You don’t have to add the seafood if you don’t want to). You can also add shrimp or scallops, if you like. Seafood adds great flavour to the stew.

Place mussels, clams, and crabs on top of your stew, and then the sliced, assorted fish over top. Cover the pot with its lid and cook over medium high heat for approximately 20 minutes, or just until potatoes are cooked. The steam from the sealed pot will cook the fish, without having to immerse it in water. Be sure to check the potatoes, you wouldn’t want them to overcook and break. It will make a mess in the stew. And of course, don’t forget to taste for salt.

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And here is the stew, served on a typical Portuguese plate. Use a ladle to pour some of the delicious sauce over the fish and make sure you have some fresh, crusty bread for dipping! Add some chopped cilantro over top and you have a delicious meal!

Carrot Lentil Soup

Serves 4
Lentils are very high in folate and fibre and are a good source of vegetable protein. Serve with a whole grain baguette and a salad of half spinach and half romaine tossed with Lemon Pesto Buttermilk Dressing. Buttermilk sounds as though it should be high in fat but, in fact, has only 1% milk fat and delivers as much calcium as milk. Any leftover soup makes a tasty lunch the next day.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
  • 3 carrots, sliced
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) minced ginger root
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
  • 1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper
  • 6 cups (1.5 L) vegetable stock or chicken stock
  • 3/4 cup (175 mL) red lentils

Instructions

  1. In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; cook carrots, onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, salt and pepper, stirring often, until onions are softened, 5 minutes.
  2. Add stock and lentils; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until carrots and lentils are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. In batches, transfer lentil mixture to blender or food processor; pur?until smooth. Return to pan and heat through.

Moist & Fluffy Devils Food Cake

IMG_07041Total time – 30 mins

Author: divas can cook

Ingredients

  •  2 cups cake flour or sifted all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup hot coffee
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

WHITE FROSTING (enough for 2 layer cake)

  • 4 cups confectioners suger
  • 2 sticks butter, softened
  • 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325
  2. In a large bowl whisk together dry ingredients.
  3. Add coffee, oil and buttermilk and mix until combined.
  4. Add eggs and vanilla and mix for another 2 minutes.
  5. Pour batter into two greased and floured 9-inch round baking pans.
  6. Bake for 30 minutes.
  7. Let cool in pans until warm and then remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
  8. 8. While cakes are cooling prepare frosting by creaming butter with a mixer.
  9. Slowly add in powdered sugar until mixture is thick, creamy and well combined.
  10. Mix in heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract.
  11. Frost cooled cakes.
  12. Serve.

TIPS ~ Be sure to grease AND flour cake pans to prevent sticking.

 

 

Slow Roast Turkey

IMG_5511

Serves 8

Prep Time – 3 hr | Start preparations 3 days in advance of meal

Ingredients

  • 1 (10-pound) whole fresh turkey, giblets and neck removed and reserved for stock
Turkey Stock
  • Giblets and neck from 1 turkey
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup port wine
  • 1 cup roughly chopped onions
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped carrots
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped celery
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 5 peppercorns
  • Water, to cover
To Stuff the Turkey
  • 1 stick butter, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
  • 2 apples, quartered and cored
  • 1 onion, peeled and quartered
  • 2 rosemary sprigs
  • 3 sprigs sage
  • Olive oil, for drizzling
For the Roasting Pan & Gravy
  • 1 cup cubed carrots
  • 1 cup cubed celery
  • 1 cup cubed onions
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup Madeira wine
  • 4 cups turkey stock (recipe follows)
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 2 sprigs parsley
Beurre-manie
  • (2 ounces butter mixed with 2 ounces flour until it forms a soft dough)
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

Thawing the turkey (four days prior to roasting)

  • Place turkey in refrigerator.

Turkey Stock

Used for gravy (two days prior to roasting)

  1. Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil and heat. Add the neck and giblets and cook until browned all over, about 7 minutes.
  2. Remove the pan from the heat and deglaze with the port. Return the pan to the heat and cook until the port is almost completely evaporated, about 10 minutes.
  3. Add the carrots, onions, celery, rosemary and peppercorns. Cover with cold water by 4-inches. Bring to a boil.
  4. Reduce heat to a simmer, and simmer for 2 hours, adding a little more water, if necessary. Skim any scum that rises to the surface of the stock and discard.
  5. Strain the stock. Use immediately, or cool and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Prep Turkey for Roasting

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  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. In a shallow roasting pan, place the carrots, celery and onions.
  3. Rinse off salt and bay leaf brine. Dry thoroughly with plenty of paper towel.
  4. Mix together the butter, garlic, chopped rosemary, and sage to make a compound butter. Using your hands, loosen to the skin from the breast by gently inserting your fingers between the skin and the flesh. Rub the compound butter underneath the skin. Insert the apples, onions, and whole rosemary and sage into the cavity of the turkey.
  5. Place the turkey on a rack over the vegetables, breast-side up, in the roasting pan. Tuck the wings back and under the turkey. Using kitchen twine, tie the legs together. This will make a compact shape and will create a great presentation.
  6. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil and rub it into the skin. Tent the breast and legs with foil.
  7. Roast the turkey for 45 minutes at 450º. Lower temperature to 225º and roast for 45 minutes per pound.
  8. Turkey is done when it reaches 165º.
  9. Transfer turkey to a platter and cover with foil.

Pan gravy

  1. Tilt the pan and skim as much fat as possible off the juice with a spoon. Set the pan on 2 burners set on medium heat. Deglaze roasting pan with white wine and Madeira. Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any brown bits.
  2. Reduce until only a quarter remains.
  3. Add the turkey stock, thyme and parsley. Bring to a boil and strain into a saucepan.
  4. Bring back to a boil, skim and lower to a simmer.
  5. Whisk in the beurre-manie until well incorporated and continue to cook until gravy has thickened.
  6. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

By Dad

Adapted from Wolfgang Puck, Martha Stewart

Post I made on Chowhound

I’ve prepared our family turkey for the past dozen years or so. This thread was inspired me to slow roast our (Canadian) Thanksgiving turkey two weekends ago. It turned out super juicy and only after they thoroughly enjoyed it did inform my family of the roasting method.

I started defrosting the frozen turkey (23 pounds) on the Monday. Thursday evening, I opened the package to wash it and dry it completely with paper towel. Giblets were set aside for turkey stock. I then followed Martha Stewart’s dry brining with salt and bay leaves instructions (http://www.marthastewart.com/317581/r…) and left it in the refrigerator for two days uncovered.

I also followed portions of Wolfgang Puck’s recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/br…) for the turkey stock, preparations for roasting and the gravy.

Saturday morning I prepared the turkey stock which forms the base of the the gravy. I doubled Wolfgang Puck’s turkey stock ingredients to produce enough gravy for a large crowd. I slowly reduced the stock until only two cups remained.

Saturday evening I washed the bird again to remove the brine, dried it thoroughly with paper towel and followed Wolfgang’s instructions for seasoning the bird and vegetables for the roasting pan. Into the oven it went at 11:15pm with a small piece of foil over the breast. 

Our bird was 23 pounds. I roasted it at 450º for about 45 minutes, then turned it down to 225º for 45 minutes per pound which worked out to roughly 17 hours. I raised the temperature to 300º for the final hour. I added the pan juices to the stock and reduced it further to thicken the gravy. A 45 minute drive (at about the 12 hour mark) to take it over to my parent’s home didn’t cause a problem. 

We ate the turkey Sunday afternoon at 4pm and happily both dark meat and breast lovers were pleased. 

Thanks everyone for contributing to this thread.

Chicken And Leek Soup

chicken and leek soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 small whole organic chicken (about 1 kg/2 Ib 4 oz)
  • a few flat-leaf (Italian) parsley sprigs 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 small handful pearl barley or white rice
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 large leeks, rinsed and finely sliced
  • 4 large all-purpose potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 1 handful flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, roughly chopped

Instructions

  1. Rinse the chicken under running water. inside and out. Remove any chunks of fat from the cavity. then place the chicken into a large saucepan along with the parsley sprigs, carrot and barley or rice. Fill the pan with water and bring to the boil. Skim away any foam that rises to the surface. Add the salt and reduce the heat to low. Allow to simmer gently for 2 hours. or until the meat is falling from the bones of the chicken.
  2. Remove the chicken from the stock. then strain the stock through a colander which is positioned over a large bowl. Skim any fat from the surface of the stock. Clean the saucepan and return it to the stove. Add the butter and saute the leek until soft. Pour in the strained chicken stock, add the potato and continue to cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, or until the potato is tender when pierced with a skewer.
  3. Meanwhile. remove and roughly chop the chicken flesh. discarding any skin. A few minutes before you are ready to serve, return the chicken meat to the soup along with the roughly chopped parsley. Season to taste with sea salt.

Focaccia

focaccia

Yields 8

Prep Time – 20 min | Cook Time – 30 min | Total Time – 2 hr 15 min

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups warm water
  • 1 package active dry yeast (one tablespoon)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Instructions

  1. Combine the warm water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Put the bowl in a warm, not hot or cool, place until the yeast is bubbling and aromatic, at least 15 minutes.
  2. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, 1/2 cup olive oil and the yeast mixture on low speed. Once the dough has come together, continue to knead for 5 to 6 minutes on a medium speed until it becomes smooth and soft. Give it a sprinkle of flour if the dough is really sticky and tacky.
  3. Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured surface, then knead it by hand 1 or 2 times. Again, give it another sprinkle of flour if the dough is really sticky and tacky.
  4. Coat the inside of the mixer bowl lightly with olive oil and return the dough to the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, at least 1 hour.
  5. Coat a jelly roll pan with the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. (Chef’s Note: This may seem excessive, but focaccia is an oily crusted bread. This is why it is soooooooooo delicious!).
  6. Put the dough onto the jelly roll pan and begin pressing it out to fit the size of the pan. Turn the dough over to coat the other side with the olive oil. Continue to stretch the dough to fit the pan. As you are doing so, spread your fingers out and make finger holes all the way through the dough. (Chef’s Note: Yes, this is strange. But when the dough rises again it will create the characteristic craggy looking focaccia. If you do not make the actual holes in the dough, the finished product will be very smooth.)
  7. Put the dough in the warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour. While the dough is rising a second time, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  8. Liberally sprinkle the top of the focaccia with some coarse sea salt and lightly drizzle a little oil on top. Bake the dough until the top of the loaf is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the focaccia from the oven and let it cool before cutting and serving.

By Anne Burrell

everything Bibassis