AwesomeBites

Category: Dessert – Eat dessert first, Life is uncertain

Eat Dessert First – Life is uncertain. This saying was on a packaged cake I purchased 20 years ago. As I have gotten older, it has taken on deeper meaning or at least my understanding has increased.

  • Cannoli

    Six friends went to Italy and we came back excited to eat and drink the happiness we felt there. We had a reunion 1 year later at my house and we made Cannoli, Linquini, and Oso Bucco.
    Wonderful friends. This was our first time making Cannoli and we will definitely do it again.

    This recipe is from Alex Guarnaschelli and makes approximately 24 cannoli.

    Shells
    2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 Tbsp granulated sugar
    1/4 tsp kosher salt
    1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp unsalted butter cut into small pieces
    1 egg yolk
    1/2 cup of dry white wine

    Filling
    2 cups of ricotta cheese, preferable whole milk. (Buy the creamiest you can. Look at Italian Deli’s)
    3/4 cup powdered sugar
    1 tsp ground cinnamon
    1/4 tsp allspice
    1/4 cup heavy cream
    1/4 cup small semisweet chocolate chips
    1 lemon
    1 quart of canola oil, for frying shells
    Flour for rolling shells
    1 egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash
    Powdered sugar for dusting
    Cannoli Baking forms

    For the shell dough, in a medium bowl, sift together flour sugar and salt. Work the butter pieces into the flour with your fingers until the mixture becomes a smooth dough. If it is too dry, add more wine. If you wonder where to find good wine, check the link for this wine box nz club to get some info.
    Wrap in plastic wrap and press the dough down to be 3/4 of a inch thick. It will be easier to roll later. Let is rest in the fridge for 30 minutes while you make the filling.

    For the filling, in a medium bowl, whisk ricotta, powdered sugar, cinnamon and allspice.
    In a separate electric mixer bowl, whip the heavy cream until fairly stiff. Using a rubber spatula gently fold the cream into the ricotta mixture. Still in the chocolate chips. Lightly zest the exterior of the lemon and stir into the ricorra. Refrigerate for a half hour to an hour.

    To roll and fry the shells, heat the canola oil to 360-365 degrees F. Using your Kitchenaid pasta roller, roll out the dough starting at 0 and working your way step by step to a 6.
    Place the thin dough on your work surface and cut with a pasty cutter 4 to 5 inch rounds. Use flour to keep from sticking on your work surface.

    Oil the cannoli mold, and wrap each round usig the egg wash on the edge of each to seal it shut so it doesn’t slide off the mold.

    Fry the shell for 2-3 minutes each. I found I could fry 2 at a time in my small fryer.
    Set aside and allow to cool, and then reoil mold, wrap another two and fry them off.

    Just before serving, fill a pastry bag or ziplock plastic bag with pastry cream. Cut off the corner, or you can use a tip holder. (Choose a large tip so the chocolate chips don’t get stuck in it.)
    Do not fill the shells until you are ready to eat as they will become soggy. Store the extra shells in a ziplock bag and seal. They will stay crispy for several days.
    Everyone love these Italian delights!

  • Lemon Filling, Lemon Poppyseed Lace Cake

    Mmmm tasty. Daughter Denny and I made this for Mother’s Day brunch this year.
    2 boxes Lemon Cake Mix
    1 Can Poppy Seeds
    4- 8 Tablespoons of Lemoncello Liqueur
    3 jars lemon curd (or you can make your own)
    1 can Cream Cheese Frosting
    3 cans Pink Lemonade Frosting

    Prepare Cake Mix according to package directions and bake.
    Using a toothpick, poke holes in each cake layer and sprinkle Lemoncello and allow to absorb into cake. About 1-2 Tablespoons per layer.
    Once the cake is cool, fill between layers with lemon curd, 1 jar per layer.
    Frost the entire cake with Pink Lemonade frosting and put in refrigerator for 30 minutes so it can firm up. Using the white cream cheese frosting and a piping attachment with frosting bag, pipe a curvy line all over the cake.
    Easy, but looks wonderful and taste awesome!

    Lemon Lace Cake

    Yummy Lemon Filling!
  • Caramel Apples

    Caramel Apples


    I think I will make my own caramel next time, but for speed, this works well.

    Ingredients
    6 Chilled Gala or Granny Smith if you want tart apples
    (Make sure your apples are washed well to remove the wax.)
    6 wooden sticks – I like to use actual sticks.
    1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
    2 tablespoons water or cream
    1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or black walnut extract

    Directions
    1.Insert wooden sticks 3/4 of the way into the stem end of each apple. Place apples on a cookie sheet covered with greased parchment paper.
    2.Combine caramels and water in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring often, until caramels are just barely melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Dip each apple into the caramel and gently run apples around insides of saucepan to scrape off some of the caramel. Scrape excess caramel from the apple bottoms using the side of the saucepan. Dunk into nuts. Place on the paper and chill for 1 hour. If you chill too long they get gooey.

    Once you apples have been in the refrigerator for an hour, melt chocolate chips in ziplock bags, cut off a corner and drizzle the apples with chocolate. I love ’em! Awesome bites!

  • Brown Sugar Peach Sauce over naked Bread Pudding

    Brown Sugar Peach Sauce over naked Bread Pudding

    Awesome bites Peaches!

    3 fresh peaches sliced (I like the skins on, if you don’t go ahead and peel them.)
    1/2 cup brown sugar
    1/2 cup water
    1 tsp almond extract
    1 tsp black walnut extract

    Simmer on stovetop until peaches are fork tender. Serve over the top of bread pudding or ice cream.

  • World’s Best Fruit Cobbler

    World’s Best Fruit Cobbler

    Nectarines, Peaches and Plums – So Good!

    Use ANY fruit, such as peaches, apples, apricots, cherries, plums…

    1/2 cup butter
    3-4 cups fruit and its juices
    1-2 tablespoons crystalline candied ginger, if desired
    1 cup sugar
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    pinch of sea salt
    1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

    3/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
    1 cup milk

    Put the butter in a deep casserole at least 9 inches in diameter, (2 – 3 qt oval casserole works as well) put it in a cold oven, and preheat to 350 degrees. Prepare fruit, slicing if necessary, and put into a bowl. Toss in the ginger, if using. If the fruit is not juicy, sprinkle it with some of the sugar. Set aside.
    In a batter bowl whisk together the sugar, baking powder, salt and flour. Add the milk with extract and mix well. Mixture will be thin. When the butter has melted and the oven has reached 350 degrees, pour the batter all at once into the dish, then pour the fruit and juices into the center of the batter. Do not stir. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the batter is done and the top is golden brown. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

  • Blondies have more fun!

    Blondies have more fun!

    Just made a bunch of these for the family reunion, except that I made them into ice cream sandwiches!
    The caterers even liked them!

    8 ounces butter (1 stick)
    1 cup brown sugar
    1 egg
    1 cup flour
    1/2 tsp baking powder
    1 tsp salt
    1 tsp black walnut extract
    1/2 tsp garam masala
    1/2 tsp cinnamon
    1/2 tsp cardamom

    Variations:
    While warm from the oven sprinkle with additional Cinnamon Sugar!
    1/2 cup white chocolate chips
    1/2 cup macadamian nuts

    Bake 350 for 12 minutes

    Beat eggs in mixer with your dough attachment along with melted butter. (Microwave 1 stick of butter in microwave for 1 minute in a bowl. Add slowly to your mixer as you beat eggs for 2-4 minutes on medium high.) Add extracts to egg mixture. In a separate bowl mix all dry ingredients. Slowly add to egg mixture.
    Bake for 10-15 minutes in a 9×9 inch square pan.
    So awesome!

    These taste magical. The spices make this a wonderful blondie! I love them for ice cream sandwiches!

  • Dark Chocolate Brownies

    Dark Chocolate Brownies


    Every now and then, come on, you have to have somethin’ rich, sweet, chocolate and it has to be brownies!

    1/2 cup melted butter
    2 eggs
    1 tsp vanilla
    3/4 cup sugar
    3/4 cup sweet cocoa powder
    2/3 cup flour
    1/2 tsp baking powder
    1/2 tsp salt
    1 tsp instant expresso powder
    1 tsp black walnut extract
    1/2 cup black walnuts (optional)

    Variations: Use one or more of the following to create what you are craving!
    1/2 cup pretzel pieces
    1/2 cup mini marshmellows
    1/2 cup chocolate chips

    Want to decrease the calories?
    Replace the oil with mashed canned black beans. Use the juice and all.
    Replace 1/3 of the sugar with Splenda.
    Be careful not to overbake!

    Beat eggs in mixer with your dough attachment along with melted butter. (Microwave 1 stick of butter in microwave for 1 minute in a bowl. Add slowly to your mixer as you beat them for 2-4 minutes on medium high.) Add extracts to egg mixture. In a separate bowl mix all dry ingredients. Slowly add to egg mixture.
    Bake for 10-15 minutes in a 9×9 inch square pan.
    So awesome!

  • Berry Blue Brownie Ice Cream Sandwich

    Berry Blue Brownie Ice Cream Sandwich

    Yummy!

    Two Batches:
    Bake your favorite brownies, making them in a pan 1 and 1/2 times larger pan size than you would normally use.
    (You want them thinner than standard brownies. You have to adjust the baking time which will be from 8-12 minutes.) Bake them on parchment paper for ease of removing them from the pan.

    Prepare your ice cream:
    1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream (make your own or buy)
    1 large container of cool whip lite or free.
    Juice from 2-4 lemons
    1/2 gallon berry sherbert
    1 can blueberry pie filling

    Defrost sherbert and press into a parchment lined baking dish the same you used to bake your brownies. Cover with pie filling. Refreeze while you prepare the vanilla ice cream.

    Thaw the vanilla ice cream and whip cream for 1 minute in the microwave. Using the dough attachment on your mixer, combine the ice cream and whipped topping. Add lemon juice and taste. It sure tastes like cheesecake, yummy!
    Pour into baking pan on top of the sherbert. Let refreeze for at least an hour. Cover with plastic wrap.

    Bake brownies in sames size baking dish as the prepared ice cream filling. Make sure you line the baking dish with parchment so you can easily remove the brownie.
    Let cool.

    Assemble: Remove the ice cream mixture from freezer and remove plastic wrap and parchment. Place on top of one of sheets of brownies. With the second pan of brownies lift out of the pan using the parchment and invert on top of the ice cream. This gives you perfect finished smooth ice cream sandwiches.

    Now, lift the whole big ice cream sandwich onto a cutting board. I used a pasty cutter and sliced into 1 1/2 inch squares. You want to keep them bite size!

    Cut the ice cream bars

    Refreeze and then wrap in parchment or plastic. To take to a big party, I forgo wrapping them individually and instead cut and then place in square container. Keeping them together keeps them frozen longer. Remove and place on a serving dish, or walk around at dessert time and serve individually with a napkin, of course!

    Awesome bites!

  • Vanilla Ice Cream with Espresso

    Vanilla Ice Cream with Espresso

    Ina Garten suggests a quick and easy dessert, and I cannot agree more.

    Scoop vanilla ice cream into bowls, top with hot espresso. Serve.

    My whole family loves this! When you want to have your guests stay after dinner huddled around the fireplace and chatty, this dessert works wonders because the espresso gives ’em a kick!

  • Bread Pudding Ice Cream Sandwiches

    Bread Pudding Ice Cream Sandwiches

    Ingredients:
    Bread Pudding
    Orange Marmalade
    Vanilla Orange Sherbert

    Make the Bread pudding
    Make two cake pans of bread pudding, cook and allow to cool.

    On the top of layer one, spread a thin layer of marmalade jelly.

    Then, take the orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream mixture and defrost for 10 minutes and spread a layer over the top of the bread pudding.

    Top with the second cake layer of bread pudding. This should resemble a layered cake.

    Allow to freeze for 1 hour. Then cut into ice cream sandwiches. Serve with chocolate sauce or drizzle with warm marmalade jelly.

    Slice to serve in wedges if you used round cake pans, or rectangles or squares.

    Cover each with parchment paper and serve. If storing for a long length of time, freeze in a plastic container.

    Excellent adult ice cream sandwiches.

    You can also make an excellent sundae from the same ingredients.
    Scoop the bread pudding into an ice cream cone, drizzle with warm marmalade, top with scoops of vanilla orange sherbert. Or use a bowl! Any way you slice it, this is an excellent dessert!