Desserts | A Girl and a Skillet

Archive of ‘Desserts’ category

08
Jun
2015

Cooking Binge Time

categories: Desserts, Life in Alaska, Pasta, Rice and Grains, The Kitchen

I was almost a little sad to go on vacation, but as I was looking out the window watching snow fall I became less sad. The husband and I haven’t learned to appreciate the art of the stay-cation, so I’m cooking my heart out while I can because I have a kitchen sink with a disposal and a dishwasher too! No more cleaning black beans out of the sink while I brush my teeth.

I am instead learning about convection baking and experimenting with the Pie setting on the oven. Yes and there is a Pizza setting too. Aren’t we fancy? Say yes.

I made ricotta gnudi from my Gourmet Today cookbook which is one of my favorites, I ended up making a quick marinara from the next recipe for fresh manicotti. The galette I made by making a simple all butter pie crust, doing about 2/3 wheat flour and no sugar, I did a little egg wash and coarse sugar around the edge. Filling is just 5 cups blackberries, 3/4 cup sugar, couple teaspoons vanilla, a bit of cinnamon (no I didn’t measure). It’s simple, rustic, the wheat flour gives it a little hearty nuttiness that balances the tart and sweet of the blackberries. I suggest homemade vanilla ice cream as a serving suggestion.

There has also been: cinnamon rolls, chocolate cupcakes, ribs, collard green rolls (plan on recipe post for that), sourdough bread, banana barley muffins, kale chips, goat cheese souffle to name a few.

Future plans: carrot cake, coconut cake, waffles, oven fries, raspberry pie. I should make some vegetables too…

20
Apr
2015

A Lazy Idiot

categories: Desserts, The Kitchen

I planned never to have to say this, but I have neglected my blog and been lax on the posting. I had the time, I even did some cooking, but I really just wanted to eat my food. The kitchen has been up and down, and I think now is definitely at an up. Meaning I can cook in the room that is supposed to be a kitchen. There is like a stove and a cook-top and some sort of cabinets. It also looks really good. The husband and I like to stand in there at night and just stare at it. It’s not done, and it’s not perfect but it’s getting there.

I have been more motivated to cook, especially with multiple burners and an oven. But I am still washing dishes in the bathroom so now is not yet the time to go crazy. I’ve been holding back on the my deep, primal urge to bake a cake. Until today as I was sitting on the floor staring straight on at my new oven (really 2 years old, but sitting unused in the shed) and decided it was time. Nothing crazy, I will save my carrot cake with apricot and cream cheese frosting with layers of something curd for later. So of course David Lebovitz to the rescue again. I have been eyeing his chocolate idiot cake for a while. So few ingredients but the combination cannot be wrong. I of course did not have enough bittersweet chocolate, so used some unsweetened baking chocolate and added a touch more sugar. Then I added some salt, and maybe some bourbon. I did not use a springform pan in the water bath because I decided it was too hard, that is what makes it lazy idiot. Fitting that I have also been too lazy to write blog posts.

23
Mar
2015

Meyer Lemon Curd

categories: Breakfast and Brunch, Desserts

Every day is feeling closer and closer to summer. I’m beyond ready for fresh strawberries and sunshine. I also love anything lemon, if it can involve lemon curd, even better. It’s tart, a little bit sweet, and creamy. If you end up with a Costco sized bag of lemons this is a great use for them. Meyer lemons are a little less tart and more floral tasting, they are becoming easier to find at grocery stores, I got mine from Full Circle Farms, if you happen to be in the Pacific Northwest area. Once you have the curd made, you have lemon bars, lemon tarts, and lemon mousse all possibilities in your future. So go make some.

This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart, there are also many other great ideas for using up your lemon curd, like Meyer Lemon Crepe Cake. Please make sure you don’t skip the straining part, otherwise there can be some cooked egg bits in your otherwise smooth and dreamy curd.

Yum

Meyer Lemon Curd

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients

6 tablespoons sugar
zest of 3 lemons
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
2 ounces unsalted butter, cut into chunks

Instructions

Stir together zest and sugar in a medium saucepan.
Whisk in egg and egg yolk, and place pan over medium low heat, whisking constantly until starting to thicken.
Whisk in lemon juice and remove from heat.
Add butter, one or two chunks at a time until fully incorporated. Strain curd through fine mesh sieve into bowl.
Cover and refrigerate until cool.

Notes

-You can use regular lemons if Meyer lemons are not available, you may want to increase the sugar as it will be more tart. -Should keep for a week or two in the fridge.

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes

http://www.agirlandaskillet.com/meyer-lemon-curd/

13
Mar
2015

Banana Cream Pie with Salted Caramel Whipped Cream

categories: Desserts, The Kitchen

I don’t really like banana cream pie, well I didn’t before. But when you are pregnant sometimes the urge strikes. Doesn’t hurt that it happens to be Pi(e) day, a very special one on 3.14.15! When I think of banana cream pie I think of the cafeteria at the hospital, with its rotating dessert case. Gritty chocolate puddings with cool whip and sprinkles. They had been sitting long enough that the sprinkles were starting to dissolve and dye the cool whip in bright neon splotches. Then the banana cream pie rotated slowly, beige, soggy and sad.

But now for some reason, I think of it as comfort food. If you have read my previous post then you will know why I might need some comfort food. Like if you broke up with your boyfriend and you were upset and went to see your favorite aunt, she would give you a slice of this. No, she didn’t bring it home from the hospital, she made it. Made it with love for someone who needs comforting.

The recipe uses a crust made from honey graham crackers, the ones I used were Annie’s bunny grahams, because that’s what I could find at the store. It’s what makes shopping at your small local grocery store fun. I also liked the less grahamy flavor. I crushed the ~~crackers~~ bunnies using a plastic baggie and a glass. This makes a coarser and more irregular crumb and is more work, but meh. Sometimes I am willing to go through tedious extra work if it involves using less brain power to find a quicker way. This recipe makes a lot of crust, so the extra crumbs I toasted on a baking sheet on the side and added on top for a little crunch.

The filling is a vanilla custard with vanilla bean and extract, and just a touch of brandy. I used store bought salted caramel sauce because I am still mad at caramel for being so easy in the beginning and then turning on me. I also don’t want to wash crystallized caramel out of my pan in the bathroom.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious

Yum

Banana Cream Pie with Salted Caramel Whipped Cream

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups honey graham crumbs
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
3 large egg yolks
1 vanilla bean
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon brandy
4 ripe bananas peeled and sliced into 1/4" rounds
2-3 tablespoons salted caramel sauce
1 1/2 cups cold whipping cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 fahrenheit.
Combine crumbs, cinnamon, sugar and butter in a bowl and mix until resembling coarse sand.
Put in a 9" pie plate and press around bottom and sides evenly. If you have extra crumbs put them on a cookie sheet.
Bake crust and crumbs in oven about 10 minutes. Let cool.
Whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan. Gradually whisk in cream, milk and egg yolks.
Cut vanilla bean in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and add to custard along with vanilla bean.
Heat on medium high heat, while stirring until thickened, about 6-8 minutes.
Remove from heat, stir in butter, vanilla and brandy.
Let cool until warm to room temperature, stirring occasionally, remove vanilla bean.
Add about a cup of custard to cooled crust, layer half the bananas, then another layer of custard and remaining bananas. Add last of custard over top.
Let set in the fridge for 6-8 hours.
Before serving prepare whipped cream by chilling cream, bowl and whisk or beaters.
Place caramel in bowl and pour cream over top.
Stir initially to mix togeter then beat on high until soft peaks but do not overbeat.
Spread over pie, use extra caramel to drizzle over top. Spread crust crumbs on top and serve.

Notes

This pie will keep in the fridge for a day or two covered in plastic wrap.

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes

http://www.agirlandaskillet.com/banana-cream-pie-with-salted-caramel-whipped-cream/

19
Feb
2015

Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta with Blueberries

categories: Desserts, The Kitchen

The kitchen is coming together surely but very slowly. Funny how somethings always take longer than anticipated, cost more and are just more difficult than you imagined. I oscillate between excited anticipation, plain old freaking out and tired frustration. Good news is the countertops have been ordered and will ship at the end of February. Our wall has insulation again, yippee for cheaper gas bills in winter. The next big hurdle will be building the cabinets. This is a time where I sit back and trust the husband and go into the office/kitchen/wine cellar/nursery to cook something. I needed to use up some cream, terrible dilemma, and with having no oven what better than panna cotta.

Panna cotta, meaning cooked cream in Italian, is just cream, milk (in this case yogurt) and gelatin gently heated. You can add sugar, fruit, flavorings, or not. I had an amazing buttermilk panna cotta at Coppia Restaurant and Wine Bar in Portland. It was cool and silky with a delicate tang from the buttermilk. I like the tartness and color from the blueberries. I think blueberries and Greek yogurt were meant to be.

This would be perfect in the summer too, use whatever fruit is in season and you don’t need to worry about heating up your house with the oven. It’s also easy to make ahead, say for a dinner party.

Recipe

adapted from: The Kitchn

Time: 4-6 hours including chill time

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons water
1 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 1/4 cups cream
1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups whole milk Greek yogurt
pinch of salt
2 cups of blueberries, fresh or frozen

Instructions:

Put water into a small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over the top, set aside to let gelatin soften.
Put cream into a saucepan with the sugar and place over medium heat, whisking well until bubbles form around the edge, don’t let it boil.
Remove saucepan from the heat and add gelatin, whisking well to combine.
Then add yogurt and salt. Continue whisking every few minutes until cooled to room temperature.
While panna cotta is cooling, divide blueberries among four medium sized bowls.
When panna cotta is cooled divide equally among bowls. Place bowls in the fridge for about four hours or until set.

Note: I like to keep it simple and serve in the bowls. You can unmold the panna cotta for presentation purposes but I would recommend leaving the berries out of the bottom and adding to the top. The frozen berries especially can make the consistency a little thinner. Here is a great tutorial on doing such from The Kitchn.

02
Feb
2015

Slow Cooker Salted Caramel Brownies

categories: Desserts, Recipes, Slow Cooker and Braising, The Kitchen

I have moved out of the world of slow cooker stews and into the realm of desserts. My lack of an oven is requiring this. The kitchen is making progress daily, albeit slow. The doorways has been moved. The wiring is near completion. The biggest setbacks of the week: our cabinets have turned out to be particleboard held together by glue (not gonna work) and lack of companies wanting to ship large chunks of butcher block counter tops to Alaska. They will ship to the lower 48 states, and they will ship internationally, but if you are in the death zone of Alaska or Hawaii you are expected to down your own trees as it was likely your choice to live in such rural and inaccessible reaches.

(more…)

1 2 Next