Crisp Rice Squares

For some one with an almost insatiable sweet tooth, I surprise even myself with how little I bake.  It isn't that I don't have the time or energy or don't like to, it is just that it isn't possible for me to bake a pan of brownies and have any left- after ten minutes.  I cannot be left alone with mass quantities of sweet things.  I cannot be trusted.  If you wanted some of those cookies, sorry Charlie.  They are probably gone.  History. 

It may also surprise you to know that after close to three years of being with a man who has not one, but two children who also have insatiable sweet tooths, did it occur to me to bake for them.  That way I can have my cake and they can too.  I am still so set in my ways that I don't bake and confect sweet things as much as I would like to, but even though old habits die hard, I am in for the fight.  After all, there are 'Crispy Rice Squares' at stake....

 

If you have never made these before, go now and by the three ingredients that you need and take five minutes out of your afternoon to make them.  You will not be disappointed.  They are a cinch to make by merely melting a pat of butter with a package of mini marshmallows, stirring it into a box of crisp rice cereal, and pressing into a pan.  Yes, they are terribly easy to make.  Yes, they are absurdly sweet.  Yes, they are much to easy to eat.  I say, go for it. 

These were adapted from the wonderful Nigella Lawson from Feast.

I cut the recipe in half because we were only four, but they were quite thin, so even if it is only a small amount of people, I would consider making the full batch.  There isn't anything in this to go bad anyways, so left overs are a mere gift, should there be any.

2T. butter
6c. mini marshmallows (one package)
6c. crispy rice cereal (one box)

-Melt the butter and marshmallows together over a gently flame in a pot, stirring occasionally.  It may seem tedious, but the goal is to avoid accidentally burning the sugar in the marshmallows.
-When melted, stir into the cereal, working quickly as the mixture cools surprisingly rapidly, and press into a buttered dish, 8x8 or 9x9. 

Speedy Chocolate Mousse

This is not your mother's chocolate mousse.  Or maybe it is, but I can guarantee that if your mother is a sweet little french woman, then this is definitely not her mousse.  However, it is very creamy, very chocolate-y, very sweet, and very good.  

Oh, and super easy. 

Actually, this isn't even technically mousse, I dont' think.  Instead of fiddling about with separating and whipping eggs, mini marshmallows are used to both sweeten and give the spring and bounce that mousse is known for.  The unusually (and proudly lazy)substitution of mini marshmallows instead of eggs means that this particular mousse is safe for both the elderly and small children which is nifty, you know, if you are serving it to the elderly and small children.    

  

Adapted from Nigella Lawson's Instant Chocolate Mousse

1.5c. mini marshmallows

4T. butter

1/4c. freshly boiled water

9 oz. semisweet chocolate

1c. double cream

1.5t. vanilla

-In a sauce pan, combine the marshmallows, butter, chocolate, and water.  Let this melt and amalgamate over a low-ish flame.  When everything is melty, set it aside to let it cool.

-Meanwhile, whip the cream, by hand or machine, to firm peaks.  Stir in the vanilla. 

-Take one third of the whipped cream and mix it into the chocolate and marshmallow mixture to lighten it.  Fold this into the rest of the whipped cream.  Pour into a serving bowl or individual ramekins and let this rest in the ice box for at least an hour before serving.

Now, this is a pretty rich dessert.  If you are planning on serving it to adults, you can probably count on a minimum of six servings; however, if you are serving it to children, forget about the six and count on around feeding four children with this amount.  And be sure to save some mini marshmallows for a last minute adornment.

Peeps

I'll admit, it is a little late to be writing about Peeps or anything related to Easter for that matter. Let's look at it instead of it being a little early instead, shall we?  It is never too early to plan for a holiday, in my opinion, and I am here to offer a suggestion: Peeps.  Not just any regular ole peeps though, home made peeps. 

I know it may seem a little silly to make your own, but they are a lot of fun and you can control the ingredients (no corn syrup!), colour, shape, size, flavours, etc...

With three or four basic ingredients that are lurking in most kitchens, and a bit of time, you can make some pretty cute Easter or Springtime treats.

I have been making peeps for a couple of years now and have just about perfected my method, but I imagine that you could easily do the same just by making two batches in a relatively small time frame.  The thing that I seemed to get hung up on was shaping the animals to where they actually resembled an animal and not some sort of white sparkly blob thing.  The birds, as simple as they may look, are what I have the most trouble with.  The other thing to keep in mind is that this is a whipped sugar syrup, essentially, which means that as it cools, it hardens.  The gelatin helps to keep it from going completely rock hard but it gets difficult to properly squeeze out of the pastry bag after about 12 minutes, or so.  That being said, it doesn't mean that any remaining marshmallow is inedible, it just won't look very pretty.  That happens to be one of my favourite parts in making these- the cook's treat that they yield. 

My recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe for "Marshmallow for Piping"

2.5t. gelatin*
1/3c. cool water
1c. sugar
1/4c. water
1 drop of vanilla, almond, or other extract (optional)

-Combine the gelatin and 1/3c. water in a large bowl to soften. (This bowl will later be used to whip air into the simple syrup, so it will need to be something that can either be used with a stand or handheld mixer.  I would not reccommend doing this by hand.)
-In a pot, combine the sugar and 1/4c. water and bring to 238f degrees over medium-high heat, monitoring with a candy thermometer.
-When the syrup has reached the soft ball stage (238f), pour, carefully, into the bowl with the softened gelatin and, once again, carefully, begin to whip air into the mixture.  Start slowly, just to incorporate everything and then you can graduate to high speed.  This will take about ten minutes to get the desired texture.
-Meanwhile, prepare a place to pipe them.  I like to use a parchment lined cookie sheet that has then been dusted with granulated sugar.
-To the marshmallow mixture, add the vanilla and stir to combine, if using.
-Spoon the mixture into a piping bag (you'll probably have to do this in two stages, as there is quite a bit of marshmallow here) and begin to pipe.  I have taken quite a bit of help from the Martha Stewart crew on this, using this method for forming my peeps.  Keep in mind that you will have just 10-15 minutes to pipe these, but don't let that stress you out.  You will sort of get a rhythm for it.  I also like to keep a small dish of water handy for dipping my finger tip in to smooth any errors and soften any points from the piping bag.
-Dust with sugar when you are finished piping, making sure to cover the entire surface so that they won't stick to each other.
-Store in an air tight container if not consuming immediately.


*Use flavoured gelatin, if you would like, but I normally just use the unflavoured variety so that I can control what they are dyed/flavoured with.

Yields: about 16-18 2in. diameter peeps

As you can see, I left my peeps quite plain, but that is just how I like them.  I don't bother with their faces or anything like that.  Occasionally, I will dust them with coloured sugar, but once again, I usually go the simple white granulated route.

A Versatile Dessert

If ever there was a need for a multi-functional dessert, it is around the holidays.   I was so pleased when I found this recipe last year that I couldn't wait to make it!  It is absolutely a cinch to make and beautiful to look at; more importantly though, it is a pleasure to eat.  It is almost surprisingly dense in texture but light at the same time and while it calls for just over one cup of sugar, it is not near as tooth-achingly sweet as one might expect.

It is a very eggy and buttery vanilla flavoured bundt cake, and I am proud to say that I can publish this recipe seeing as I forgot to pick up an ingredient at the store and had to make do, thus creating my own variation.  The original recipe (located in Nigella Christmas) asks for you to use some natural yogurt, but all I had was greek yogurt, and knowing that it is much thicker, I added a bit of almond milk as well.

2 sticks of butter
1.5c. sugar
6 eggs
2 1/3c. flour
1/2t. baking soda
pinch of salt
scant one cup of greek yogurt
2-3 T. almond milk
4t. vanilla extract

-If you have a large food processor, then by all means throw everything in there, press the button, and move on with life.  If, like myself, you only have one of the little tiny food processors, go about this the old fashioned way and cream the butter and sugar; add the eggs and vanilla (one or two at a time), and finally, alternate the two dry ingredients and the two wetter.
-Spray or butter a 2.5 quart bundt pan and pour in the batter.  Bake at 350(f) for 45minutes to an hour, checking towards the end of baking to ensure that it isn't getting to brown ontop.
-Let the cake cool in its pan for about 15 minutes, and you should notice the cake beginning to pull away from the edges.  Coax it a bit more before you attempt to invert it.  And if you are normally worried by the inversion, don't be with this cake.  As I mentioned, it is very dense and I think it would take more than a less than perfect flip to break it.

As you can see, at our Christmas, we ate it with nothing more than a fresh dusting of snowy-white icing sugar, but served with chocolate sauce, ice cream, drizzled with heavy cream, or even with fresh fruit for breakfast. Just the other morning, I had the last bit of it toasted with a cup of tea for breakfast.  And yes, I did make it the day before Christmas Eve and as of January 1, protected only by a layer of foil, this cake was still just as wonderfully moist as the day that it was baked (and mold-free to boot).  Just like the little black dress, this cake is perfect for a small gathering or a formal diner party.

I would be interested in baking this with brown sugar next time or adding some almond extract as well.

What do you think?

It's Christmastime, again!

There is no better time, in my opinion, to start a new blog then around the holidays!  I will have so much to post about for the upcoming week that I am just excited beyond imagination.  Spiced scents wafting from a warm kitchen are some of the very essential things that make the holiday season, for me.  I began my holiday baking endeavours last night with some speedy Vanilla Marshmallows and Pistachio Fudge.  I have been making the marshmallows annually for a few years now and am even expected to make them!  It was the first time for the fudge, but I rather think that it will be a new tradition as well!

The Marshmallows, are much easier to make than you might expect.  Most people, when presented with them often tell me that they didn't know that marshmallows could be made.  Well, of course they can!

Here they are, in all of their powdered ivory glory, ready to be plopped into a steaming mug of cocoa or just eaten alone.  To make them, you will need about 20 minutes of hands on work, and 2 hours for them to set up, and of course, some ingredients:

3/4 oz. of unflavored gelatin

2c. sugar

2/3c. light corn syrup

6oz. cold water

2t. vanilla

1/4t. kosher salt

-Begin by blooming the gelatin in 4oz. of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer (you will be needed the whisk attachment).

-In a sauce pan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and remaining 2oz. of cold water.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and let boil for one minute.

-Turn the mixer on medium-high speed and, carefully, pour in the boiling sugar syrup.  Once the entirety has been added, turn the mixer up to the highest speed that it can go and let it whip for 12 minutes.  In about the 11th minute, add the vanilla and salt.  (If you are using peppermint, almond, or any other flavourings, then decrease the vanilla.)  

-Have an 8x8 inch square pan waiting lined with cling wrap that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.  Mound the ivory fluff into the pan and let set for about 2 hours.  If you're leaving it longer, I would cover the top with cling wrap so it doesn't dry-out.  

-When you're ready to cut, spray a knife with non-stick spray and cut into 16 pieces, spraying between each cut.

-Toss each marshmallow into a freezer bag with powdered sugar and shake to cover, and store in an air tight container.

While marshmallows are nice, what is Christmas without fudge?

This is a particularly wonderful recipe, especially if you are not partial to the grainy-sugariness that most fudges tend to have.  It is also perfect for those who claim that they can't cook.  It really is that easy.

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
14 oz. (one can) sweetened condensed milk
2T. butter
1c. shelled & bashed pistachios
dash of salt


-In a sauce pan over low heat, combine the chocolate, condensed milk, butter, and salt.  Let this cook until the chocolate has melted, stirring some what frequently to make sure the chocolate doesn't burn. It should take between 5-8 minutes, depending on your stove.
-When the mixture is melty and gooey, stir in the bashed pistachios and pour into a 6x13 or 8x8 pan that you've lined with foil.  
-Let this set up in the fridge, where it will also be stored.  Keep in mind that this is more of a hardened ganache than actual fudge meaning that at room temperature it will go very soft if left there for too long, but let me tell you- it does the trick nicely.  People will wonder how you've managed to make this terribly difficult confection, when you've only spent fifteen stress-free minutes in the kitchen.

Just in case you still think that this is quite an endeavor for only one evening, I will be honest and let you in on a secret- I made the fudge while the marshmallows were being whipped into shape in the mixer and spent only about 30 minutes of my night with these treats in total.  

I am eager to use different nuts with the fudge and maybe try bittersweet chocolate as well, for a less sweet treat.  Also, am wanting to experiment with the flavorings of the marshmallows- almond and chocolate would be a nice start.  Lavender would be interesting as well, but that might have to wait for Easter.

What are your thoughts?

Merry Christmas, all!