GoodTaste! Pittsburgh

Yay for this Saturday being GoodTaste! Pittsburgh Food and Cooking Show in Monroeville, PA. I requested off work so I can go see (and meet?) Duff Goldman. Wonder what he'll be doing? Talking? Making a cake? Delivering a cake? King Arthur Flour will also be there sharing holiday baking tips. Maybe they'll be selling maple sugar at a discount price? Hopefully I don't spend too much money.

Other celebs will be there too, but I only know Duff and Cake Mix Doctor Ann Byrn. Not sure if I'll make it early enough for Ann Byrn, but I rarely use cake mixes.

Any fellow bloggers or readers going? Or maybe there was a similar expo in your city?

Chocolate Chip Cut-Out Cookies

Look at my new toy! It's a three-layer storage container that snaps together that I'm using for my cookie cutter collection. Top layer is everyday, middle is Halloween, and bottom is Christmas. Because the layers snap apart, I can take only what I need to a friend's house, which I did last night. Guess this is one of the benefits of working at Target. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have gotten the idea.



Halloween is closing in, so I wanted to use my cookie cutters a few times before the holiday is over. I saw a recipe in one of my books awhile ago for chocolate chip cut-out cookies. Who says it always has to be plain sugar cookies? The only bad thing about this recipe is it uses two sticks of margarine, which gives it almost a shortbread undertone. Really don't know how else to describe it.



The frosting was amazing too. Actually, I don't remember where I got the frosting recipe. I found a bunch on Recipe Zaar, which also somehow led me to someone's blog. I have three different recipes written down, so I don't remember. Not only does it stay white, it hardens after a bit so you can stack the cookies. Definitely a keeper since I haven't had such good luck before.

Chocolate Mini Chip Holiday Cookies



2 sticks butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2-3 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

1. Beat butter, both sugars, vanilla, and salt in large bowl until creamy. Beat in yolk. Gradually beat in flour. Stir in the chocolate chips. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill for about an hour.

2. Preheat oven to 350F. Roll out half of dough. Cut into shapes and place onto ungreased cookie sheets. If the dough gets too soft, place back into freezer and take out the other half. Repeat until all the dough is used. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

3. Frosting: Beat together butter and sugar. Add 2 Tbsp of milk and extract. Add more milk if frosting is too thick. Use immediately. If it hardens, beat it with a knife or spoon to soften it up again.

Source: Nestle Best-Loved Cookies, 1995 p. 21

Tuesdays With Dorie - Split Level Pudding

I work 5 days a week at Target, usually evening, so when I have a day off, I'm usually not home. I am cheating this week because I made the split-level pudding last year although I don't think the ganache layer settled properly. Probably because I was too impatient or something. I would have loved to make this again, but I'm just trying to get my life together right now. I'm going to hopefully start zumba classes again to get my motivation back.




Thanks Garrett of Flavor of Vanilla for this week's pick! I know I didn't actually make it with you this week, but the pudding is still yummy.

Tuesdays With Dorie - Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart

FINALLY! After waiting about 16 months, it is now my turn to host Tuesdays With Dorie. Pictures really sell me on a recipe. Although there are many great recipes without pictures, I tend to pick a recipe based on the picture. I've had my eye on Dorie's Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart for ages. The caramel is what really sold me. I love the combination of caramel and salted peanuts, not to mention the chocolate ganache. I used semisweet instead of bittersweet chocolate and salted peanuts.


I feel like such a bad hostess because I couldn't get a decent picture of the tart. For starters, the crust doesn't look like a tart crust. Seems like even though I used frozen butter and froze the crust before baking, the edges melt. Do I not press the crust in thick enough? Is it because I mix by hand and not with a food processor? Taste wise it's delicious.


I made this recipe twice. The first time I used my 11 inch tart pan. Mixing the peanuts into the caramel made it really hard to spread, so the caramel didn't make it to the edges. That and the tart is 2 inches bigger than what Dorie made. The peanut halves were also too big.


The second time I used baby tart pans, so I cut the recipe in half. This was my first time using the pans. The crust shrank like usual, and that really frustrates me. Shrunken crust makes it harder to remove from the pan. With the caramal layer, I decided to use baby food processor to chop the peanut halves and sprinkle on top of the caramel instead of mixing it in.

I really do love this recipe, but I still have ways to go before I can get the crust perfect. Hope all you TwDers enjoyed dessert this week.

Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart

Caramel
Scant 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon corn syrup
2 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 4 pieces, room temperature

Ganache
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, room temperature

3/4 cup honey-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 9-inch tart shell made with Dorie's Sweet Tart Dough (p.444), fully baked and cooled

Getting Ready: Because you have to work quickly once the sugar caramelizes, you should have all the ingredients for the caramel measured out and at hand before you start. Also have a medium heatproof bowl at hand to hold the hot caramel.

To Make the Caramel: Bring the heavy cream to a boil.

Meanwhile, put a medium skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat and sprinkle in about 3 tablespoons of the sugar. When it melts, stir it with a wooden spatula or fork and sprinkle over another 3 tablespoons. When that sugar is melted, add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar - the sugar in the pan may already have started to color, and that's fine. Stir in the corn syrup and boil the syrup until it reaches a deep caramel color - it will probably begin to smoke, and that's normal.

Stand back and stir in the butter. The caramel will bubble furiously and may spatter, so make sure you're away from the action. When the butter is in, add the warm cream - the caramel will bubble furiously again. Lower the temperature just a tad and let the caramel boil for just 2 minutes (226F on candy thermometer). Pour the seething caramel into the heatproof bowl and set aside while you make the ganache.

To Make the Ganache: Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and have a whisk or a rubber spatula at hand.

Bring the cream to a boil. Then pour half of it over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds. Working with the whisk/spatula, very gently stir the chocolate and cream together in small circles. Pour in the remainder of the cream and blend it into the chocolate. When the ganache is smooth and shiny, stir in the butter piece by piece. Don't stir any more than you must to blend the ingredients - the less you work it, the darker, smoother and shinier it will be.

Cover the ganache with plastic wrap, pressing it against the surface to create an airtight seal. Set aside at room temperature for the moment.

To Assemble the Tart: Stir the peanuts into the caramel. If the caramel has cooled and is too thick to spread easily, gently warm in the microwave in 3-second spurts. Spread the caramel over the bottom of the tart shell; you'll have a thin layer. Refrigerate the tart for 15 minutes to set the caramel.

Check the ganache. If it has thickened, warm it in 3-second spurts. Rap the bowl to break any surface bubbles, pour the ganache over the caramel and jiggle the pan to even it.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes - no longer - then keep it at room temperature until serving time.

Baking: From My Home To Yours pages 355-357