Chef Monsta: I cook, therefore I blog » Desserts

No Bake Chocolate Tarts

admin — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 20:56:05 +0000

When you think of Passover desserts, dry pound cakes and macaroons come to mind. Everyone pretends they have delicious no-flour desserts but really they would never eat it the other 357 days of the year! So I decided to keep it simple this year, and you really can’t go wrong with fruit and chocolate (that looks very fancy). It is definitely a year round dessert.

All you need for these chocolate tarts:

paper muffin cups
30 oz of chocolate (I used bittersweet, but any will do)
berries
nuts
coconut
mint

Here is my stack of bittersweet chocolate bars ready for the melting.

In a makeshift double boiler, the chocolate is melted until it becomes a smooth texture.

For the fixins, you can use anything you like (raisins, strawberries, hazelnuts are other ideas).

When the chocolate is melted, pour a spoonful into the muffin cups.

Place in any pattern your toppings. The chocolate is melted and soft so you can decorate in any pattern you like.

One hour is needed in the fridge for the chocolate to harden and set. Pop the tarts out of the muffin cups and voila! Pretty to look at and delicious to eat.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Hamantaschen, Lemon Custard Hamantaschen

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 03:46:43 +0000

Last year I posted a recipe for your basic traditional hamantaschen to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim. This year, it was time to come up with some new flavors to brighten up this drab winter that seems to NEVER END. Peanut butter and Jelly hamantaschen anyone? Lemon custard filling? No problem.

Firstly, preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

Dough:

5 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/3 c orange juice

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and mix by hand.

See? I said BY HAND.

Roll out dough with a rolling pin until large flat sheet of about 1/4 inch thick.

Using a glass, cut out your hamantaschen circles.

Lemon Custard Filling:

1 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
juice and zest of two large lemons
2 tablespoons all purpose flour

In your electric mixer/ hand mixer, beat the sugar and eggs until nice and smooth. Add the lemon juice and zest and stir to combine. Fold in the flour.

Simmer on low flame for 10 minutes, mixing continually until custard thickens. As you can see below, the heat changes the texture from a batter like consistency to a jelly, right before your very eyes.

Here is a snapshot of a proper custard (damn straight).

And now for the assembly….

Spoon your fillings into the middle of the dough circles, pinch the sides to close.

Bake at 350 F degrees for 30 minutes and voila!

Non-Dairy Chocolate Mousse Cake

admin — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:42:39 +0000

Here is a fabulous dairy free yet rich chocolaty cake. The only difficult thing about baking it is finding almond flour. Almond flour is simply, ground blanched almonds. You can make it yourself, by grinding almonds in a food processor (but not too much or almond butter will result). If you can’t maintain the delicate homemade balance between powder and paste, it is available at health food and specialty stores. It adds a moist an nutty flavor to desserts. My friend’s mother made this cake, and it was so amazing I had to get the recipe. I served this at Thanksgiving Dessert and it was a big hit. Enjoy the photos below!

Ingredients:

3 eggs (separated)
1 stick unsalted margarine
1 cup of sugar
1/2 c flour
1/2 c almond flour
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cream of tartar
4 tsp Godiva Liqueur
4 oz dark chocolate
Powdered sugar as garnish

Separate three eggs. Beat the yolks with 1 stick of unsalted margarine and 1/2 cup of sugar.

Meanwhile, in a double boiler, melt 4oz dark chocolate and 4 tsp rum together.

Combine the egg yolk and chocolate mixtures with 1/2 c of flour and 1/3 c of almond flour. Set aside.

Beat the egg whites with pinch of salt, pinch of cream of tartar and 1/2 cup of sugar, until stiff.

When stiff, fold egg white mixture with rest of batter.

Bake in 9″ round pan. Bake for 25 minutes at 350F.

Cool completely. Decorate with powdered sugar.

Thanksgiving Menu 2009

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:52:34 +0000

Recipes and pics to follow, but check out our family’s Thanksgiving menu 2009 (and menu 2008) Cannot wait to cook and eat our hearts out on Thursday…

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Starters:

Potato Soup
Grandma’s Stuffed Cabbage
Hummus, Matbucha, Chazilim (Israeli Dips)

Main Course:

Mom’s Turkey & Potatoes
Grandma’s French Roast
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Moroccan Couscous + Vegetables

Dessert:

Mom’s Jello Mold (sounds weird but is amazing)
Plum Cake
Chocolate Mousse Cake

Sick Day = Baking Day

admin — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:22:40 +0000

Thanks to the recent epidemic of the flu, I fell ill with the grippe on Tuesday afternoon. So I went straight home, drugged myself, and slept til Wednesday….feeling like crap in the fall is surely NO FUN. But, there is an upside of being sick,which is taking a sick day from work! Most people like to catch up on their DVR-ed tv shows or reading on these lazy days, but not me.

I decided to bake myself back to health. In honor of the American Swine flu crisis, I baked some CLASSIC All American treats: brownies and crumb cake. Hooray for the H1N1 vaccine!!!

Here is the recipe for VERY chocolatey brownies:

2 sticks unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the unsweetened chocolate, and whisk in once melted.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the salt and vanilla, just until mixed.

Whisk in the sugar in a stream, then whisk in the chocolate and butter mixture.

Fold in the flour.

I was too lazy to chop up the pecans, so I put them in a ziploc and bashed them with a hammer! It was fun, and a “healthy” way to get aggression out….then fold in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Pour mixture into a buttered baking pan

Bake the brownies for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick or a small knife inserted in the center emerges clean.

And here is the next treat, from the Weekend Baker, Classic Crumb Cake

Topping ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1/2 c sugar
3/4 c light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 2/3 c flour

Topping directions:

Melt butter over medium heat in a sauce pan.

Combine sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

Pour butter into sugar mixture.

Add flour, and mix with a fork, breaking all lumps. Set aside.

Cake ingredients:
3 c flour
1 1/4 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 c whole milk
12 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients; flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until blended.

In another bowl, combine eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Whisk until blended.

Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients and stir.

Pour into baking pan.

Crumble the topping mixture over the batter to form a layer.

Bake about 40 minutes, until toothpick test proves clean.