Chocolate Peach Cheesecake

A few weekends ago, the farm I always go to had a one-weekend-only special of pick your own peaches. Peaches are my favorite fruit. Give me veggies every day, but fruit? It's a love-hate relationship. I rarely pick up a piece of fruit and eat it like that, where as I can eat most veggies without any seasoning. Peaches I can eat as is, although to fill me up a little more I mix it with Greek yogurt. When we arrived at the farm, we picked 8 quarts. Before we left, I noticed a contest to win 1/2 bushel of peaches. I laughed and entered, not thinking much of it. Well, later that night I got an email, saying I was the winner.







Did you know a bushel is roughly 50 pounds of peaches? So that means I now have 25 pounds of peaches to use, on top of the 8 quarts I had picked earlier. Plus the tiny peaches from the peach tree my landlord planted in the back. If you think that your family could go through that much, don't forget I live alone.







After I found out I won, I made a list of anything and everything I could make. One item I really wanted to make is a cheesecake. One girl at work loves cheesecake, and because she won tickets on my behalf to an NFL game (not Steelers *pouts*), I knew I wanted to make this first.



At first I was planning on making a cheesecake with peach puree in the batter rather than a cheesecake with peach pieces throughout it. Then as I was eating at my kitchen table browsing a cookbook (I think I have more laying around the house than on my bookcase), I found a recipe for a chocolate cherry cheesecake. It had a chocolate cookie crust with a cherry pie filling and ganache on top. I decided to make this recipe but with peaches. First thing - how do you make peach pie filling that typically comes from a can? A few weeks ago, I made cherry pie filling (which I don't think I blogged about...). I went back to this recipe and subbed peaches for the cherries. Perfect!







This cheesecake recipe is rather simple compared to other ones I've made. Most want you to beat for a total of 10 minutes then bake with a waterbath. This one you do beat for several minutes until everything is incorporated. I used crushed (stale) Oreos leftover in my pantry for the crust. I was disappointed when I sliced into it because the filling wasn't very noticeable, but I promise you noticed when you ate it! I shared it at work and didn't take long for it to disappear after lunch.







Feel free to improvise the ingredients. Make the crust with graham crackers or vanilla wafers. Change the fruit in the filling. Use white chocolate for the ganache. This recipe provides a nice foundation for a wonderful end-of-summer dessert.



If you had a bushel of peaches, what recipes would you make?



Chocolate Peach Cheesecake







Peach Pie Filling

1 1/2 pounds peaches, pitted, peeled, and chopped into 1 inch pieces

1 cup water or peach juice

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch



Crust

2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs

3 Tbsp butter, melted



Cheesecake

32 oz cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream



Ganache

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips



1. Make the pie filling first. In a large saucepan, combine water, sugar, and cornstarch. Stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook, stirring 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in peaches. Let cool.



2. Preheat oven to 325F. Combine the cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press them in the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 10-inch springform pan. Place the pan on a cookie sheet for easy transportation (and to catch any possible leaks).



3. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth. Add 1/2 cup cream; blend well.



4. Spoon half of the cream cheese mixture into the pan, spreading evenly. Spoon the pie filling evenly over the layer. You may have leftover syrup in the pan, depending on the ratio of syrup versus peach pieces. Spoon the remaining cream cheese mixture evenly over.



5. Bake for 65-75 minutes or until center is set. Cool in pan on wire rack for 1 hour.



6. Ganache: bring remaining 1/2 cup cream to a boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips until melted.



7. Remove the side of the springform pan. Place cheesecake on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Spread ganache over the top, allowing some to flow down the sides. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.



Serves 16

Source: Pillsbury Holiday Baking Nov. 2002, p. 39

Fruit Popsicles

Fact: I love ice cream. I can eat it any time, any day, any place. It doesn't matter if it's 90 or -9 degrees outside. However, ice cream has all that fat from the heavy cream and whole milk. So when your craving strikes, why not try fruit popsicles? Pureed fruit, a little bit of water, sugar, and lemon juice. Sometimes you just want a healthy frozen treat. Or you want something cold for a sore throat, and all that dairy from ice cream doesn't help. Not to mention the vitamin boost from the fruit.



I don't buy popsicles from the store, but I imagine their ingredient list is probably ten times that. So far I've made strawberry and black raspberry. I'm sure you could do the same thing with blueberry. Or peach. Or pineapple. Use lime instead of lemon. Cut back on some of the sugar if the fruit is sweet. I've seen some recipes that add herbs, such as strawberry with cilantro. Yesterday I even saw a layered popsicle recipe.

I bought push pop molds awhile ago. However, if you don't have any containers, use Dixie cups and popsicle sticks. Or if you are in a really tight bind, you could probably use an ice cube tray. Since the push pops need to stand upright while freezing, I made a holder out of a box:



I adjusted the recipe so I only made six popsicles with my molds. Unless you have molds similar to mine, it's hard to say how many this recipe will make. At least the ingredient amounts are easy to double.

Berry Popsicles



12 oz (1 1/2 cups) strawberries or raspberries
6 Tbsp sugar
4 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup water

Puree everything in a blender. Set a strainer over a bowl (preferably one with a spout) and strain out the seeds. You'll really need to force the puree with a spoon to get most of it. Pour the mixture into molds. Freeze until firm (roughly few hours). If you are having trouble removing from the mold, dip the bottoms in hot water for 20-30 seconds to loosen.

Strawberry Smores Tart

Hope everyone enjoyed the first unofficial week of summer. It was in the 80s and 90s all of last week and the beginning of this week. I had every intention of going strawberry picking last weekend. However, when I called to verify, they said the berries weren't ready for picking. Boo! I had a long list of recipes to make, including Memorial Day's dessert. I stopped at another produce stand, but the strawberries were unripen. I ended up buying a pint at the grocery store, which I do as a last resort. I figured I would wait on making fresh strawberry jam and freeze pops, but I was still making this Strawberry Smores Tart.



It's a graham cracker crust with a layer of strawberries, topped with chocolate ganache and marshmallow cream. Just like a smores with the addition of strawberries. I followed the recipe as written except I had to add more graham cracker crumbs. This dessert definitely tastes good on a hot day, but you have to be careful and not let the ganache melt. I will definitely be making this recipe again and trying it with different fruits, such as peaches or bananas. If I had a blow torch, I'd toast the marshmallow creme and see if that makes it better.



Strawberry Smores Tart


Crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

Tart
10 oz. semisweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced strawberries
1/2 cup marshmallow creme

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter; mix well. Press the crumbs into the bottom and sides of an ungreased 9-inch tart pan. Place onto a cookie sheet or round pizza pan for easier handling. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool.

2. While the crust is cooling, in a medium saucepan, heat the whipping cream over low heat until bubbles form around the edge. Remove from the heat and add chocolate; stir until melted. Cool 5 minutes or until lukewarm.

3. When the crust is cool, place sliced strawberries in a single layer on the crust. Pour the chocolate mixture on top.

4. Place the marshmallow cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium for 30 seconds or until softened. Stir just until smooth. Quickly drop spoonfuls over the chocolate layer. With a knife, swirl. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving to set the chocolate.

8 servings.

Source: Pillsbury Farmer's Market Cookbook, July 2000, p. 84-85

Tuesdays With Dorie - White Chocolate Brownies

So I'm sitting at my kitchen table yesterday morning and decided "hey I should prob look up the latest TwD challenges, especially since today is Tuesday." I realized yesterday's challenge was white chocolate brownies and knew if I ran out to the store, I could make them in the evening. Plus I had some apricots I wanted to use, so I figured I would sub them for the raspberries. I did bake these last night, but due to some unfortunate news that caused me to stress out (rescheduling stuff with a tight schedule), I was too upset to take pictures and upload them. Hence why they are being posted Wednesday evening.




I tried doing the meringue, but the egg whites wouldn't even whip to soft peaks. I think it was because the house was too hot. I couldn't whip them the other day for a pie I made. Or maybe I just need to buy a bowl just for egg whites so it doesn't get used for food storage.

I cut this recipe in half bc I didn't want all these brownies in the house when I made cheesecake the other night. I don't know if they had enough white chocolate in them. Plus they are super thin. I did use lemon zest instead of orange bc it's what I had, and I hate oranges.

It's hard to say I liked this recipe. I don't think they turned out the way they were supposed to, so I'll have to hopefully try this again the right way. Thanks Marthe of Culinary Delights for hosting this week! You can find the recipe in Baking: From My Home To Yours on pgs. 110-111 or on Marthe's blog.

Small-Batch Jam

Guess what I learned this summer? Raddichio looks like red cabbage except a lot smaller (my argument - it was under the red cabbage sign. I just didn't look up in the top row). That and how to make jam when you only have one jar. Ok so I have acquired more jars since then but back when I picked fresh strawberries, I wanted to make jam. I went and bought a box of pectin before discovering some fruits naturally have pectin in them, mainly berries and apples. Pectin in strawberries can be found in the green tips of not-quite-ripe strawberries. Lemon juice also helps the gelling process.


Link for YouTube

I always considered jam a special technique because you have to make sure everything is steralized and cooked to prevent mold and illnesses when storing. Because the whole jam making process scared me, I decided to do my research. I found a very, very, VERY helpful video on YouTube, which I have posted above.

If you need jam jars, check out flea markets and yard sales. I usually find ones with lids for about 25-50 cents. I've also seen boxes and boxes (and more boxes) of jars without lids, but you can purchase lids separately at the store. It is recommended to replace lids every so often. Jars don't need replaced unless cracked.

Ok so I don't have any pictures of my jams, but I can assure you this recipe works for strawberries and black raspberries. Don't worry about fancy equipment either. I used a giant pot for my boiling water and tongs to grab the hot jar. Just make sure you have a lid that breaks into two parts: the lid itself and the rim you screw on.

The video above uses an 8-ounce and a 4-ounce jar. I adjusted the measurements for a 6-ounce jar.

For 6 ounce jar:
2 cups berries, sliced if needed
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice

1. Make sure jar has recently been washed with soap and hot water. Don't worry about drying because it will be going back into water. Place jar and lid into a pot of boiling water. Make sure it is deep enough for the jar to stand upright completely submerged in water. Or cheat like I do and turn it on its side. Probably not recommended but it works for me.

2. Place a small dish or bowl into freezer.

3. Once the water is boiling, leave the jar in there until ready to use. Meanwhile, place berries, sugar, and lemon juice into a somewhat-deep skillet. Heat and stir until it reaches a rolling boil. Keep stirring until it thickens, usually 10 minutes. When it seems like it is gelling, get your plate/bowl out of the freezer. Put a small drop onto the plate/bowl and let sit for 30 seconds. Tilt it. If it slides too fast, keep cooking. If it barely moves, it is done. Just make sure you don't overcook it, even if you have to test every minute or two. Turn off the heat.

4. Remove the jar and lids from water. Keep the water boiling. I usually put a paper towel on a hot plate so it can sit there for about a minute. Spoon jam into jar. Some suggest using a funnel, but the chunks might get stuck. If you do use a funnel, make sure it is steralized in hot water as well.

5. Wipe excess jam off the rim of the jar so it doesn't mess up the sealing process. Place the middle part of the lid on top. Screw on the lid rim. You may want to use an oven mitt so you can hold the jar still.

6. Place sealed jar back into the boilng water and boil for 15 minutes. Make sure it is submerged in the water. Remove from the water and let dry on a heat-resistant surface for 18-24 hours. Once cool, press down on the lid. If it stays down, it is sealed. If it pops back up, put in the refrigerator and use within two weeks.

Tuesdays With Dorie - Honey Mango Ice Cream

I have a confession - I hate honey. I've been in denial for quite some time. How can I hate something that looks and sounds so sweet, yet the smell and taste just make me unsatisfied? I've tried so hard. I bought honey to make honey sesame chicken. The taste just wasn't there for me. I've ordered a honey latte from Starbucks once because the picture of the honey just made it irresistible. I took one sip and wanted to know what I was thinking. Then one morning, I was craving it, so I put honey in my coffee. However, I love, love, love baklava. WTF honey? I also enjoy Honey Nut Cheerios and Honey Bunches of Oats, but err do those really count? It makes me wonder since there are so many types of honey, maybe I just don't like whatever I have? The bottle says Clover Grade A Golden Honey.

Anyway, that bottle of honey I bought sat in my cupboard for awhile, probably six months I'm guessing. It solidified and insteading of throwing it away, I decided to warm it up in the microwave and stir like crazy. It somewhat worked. However, the smell made me want to gag a little.

As for Dorie's recipe, I have been waiting to make this ice cream ever since I saw the picture. I was going to, but then winter soon rolled around and said ok maybe in the spring. It was actually going to be my pick when it was my turn for TwD (only a few more months!), but somebody beat me to it. Oh well. The original recipe called for peaches, but since I had mangoes in the fridge, I used those instead.

I can't really say if the mangoes worked because the honey really put me off. I couldn't really eat more that a bite. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it, so IDK.




Thanks Tommi of Brown Interior for picking this recipe! You can find the recipe on page 437 of Baking: From My Home To Yours or on Tommi's blog.

Picking Precious Strawberries

Before I share my tart, I would like to ask my readers if they could please vote for me to win coffee beans. I didn't realize the giveaway was a popularity contest *grumblegrumble* I deserve to win because I freshly grind coffee beans and use my espresso machine every morning. I spent $199 on my machine (which was on sale!) and $100 on my grinder (not on sale). Because fresh beans are important, I make sure to buy freshly roasted beans online, roughly $10 for an order. I need a break in my budget because I'm a recent graduate who lives near a city with a not-so-hot video market. I can babble on about beans or different coffee drinks.

ANYWAY

It's finally here - strawberry season! I discovered last year there is a farm about 45 minutes away where I can pick my own strawberries. It seems like the last few things I have made are strawberry-related: strawberry tart, strawberry ice cream, strawberry curd, strawberry jam, strawberry parfaits. Not to mention sneaking a snack here and there.



Although I have recipes to post for all those foods I listed, today I'm bringing you the tart. Now, most strawberry tart recipes were the same - tart crust, pastry cream, strawberries. Then I found a recipe that didn't use a ton of egg yolks or milk. I did have to do a quick run to the store for cream cheese.



The original recipe called for chocolate drizzle on top but also suggested dipping each strawberry tip into chocolate. I probably would have dipped the strawberries, half the tart in white with the other half being dark, but I wanted to cut back on the sugar a little. Besides, it was fine without it.

Strawberries and Cream Tart



1 9-inch pie crust
1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
4 cups strawberries, washed and hulled
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 Tbsp shortening

1. Bake pie crust fully according to your crust directions (whether on package or in recipe). Let cool before filling.

2. Beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Beat cream cheese until fluffy (try to get excess cream off beaters but don't worry about them being clean). Add sugar and extract. Beat well. Fold in cream. Spoon into cooled pie crust.

3. If you want to dip strawberries, melt together chocolate and shortening. Dip each strawberry tip. Arrange strawberries pointed side up over filling. Chill until set. If you want to add a chocolate drizzle, chill the tart for 30 min. Melt chocolate and shortening then drizzle onto tart. Chill again until chocolate has hardened. Store in the fridge.

Makes 10-12 servings

Source: Pillsbury's Four Seasons of Pie Baking, 1988 p. 31

Dorie's Soft Chocolate and Berry Tart

Did anybody else watch The Next Food Network Star premiere last night? I'm excited for a new season! I don't have a favorite yet, but I think Brett looks a lot like Adam from last season. While watching the promos, I did favor Michael, but I'm not too sure after hearing him talk. It does give him lots of character, but I'm not sure if I could watch a whole show with him. Melissa looks like she is going to explode with energy.

Also, I saw promos for Dinner: Impossible with Robert hosting again. I must admit, I enjoy Robert as the host much better than Michael Symon, although I'm really surprised they are letting him come back after he supposedly lied about his credentials.



Enough about tv. Time for dessert! I recently received a tart pan for my birthday a few weeks ago. I was originally going to do Dorie's Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart on page 355, but I also saw the Soft Chocolate and Raspberry Tart on adjacent page. Since I had a container of blackberries to eat, I decided to make the berry tart. Now, the recipe calls for a 9-inch tart pan. Mine is 11 inches. The crust recipe provided does make enough to cover my pan, but the berries definitely did not. I'll have to make sure to buy two containers next time. I would've had enough if mold didn't exist. Grr.



I don't want to post the recipe because although this isn't a Tuesdays With Dorie pick, I still want to support Dorie and her publishing company. Besides, you really should buy this book. For those of you who do own this book, you can find the tart recipe on page 354 of Baking: From My Home To Yours.

Tuesdays With Dorie - Fresh Mango Bread

Man, it's been awhile since I've done one of these. This week's TwD was Dorie's Fresh Mango Bread. Mango is a favorite of mine, so I was really excited to bake this bread. However, I was slightly disappointed. I felt that there was slightly too much ginger in it. My mom said there was too much lime. My dad said it was just right. All I know this bread kinda stuck around longer than usual. I would make this bread again if I have leftover mangoes, but I would probably use the leftovers for mango sorbet rather than bread.



Thanks Kelly from Baking with the Boys for this week's pick! You can find the recipe on page 45 of Baking: From My Home To Yours or on Kelly's blog.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway! In case it wasn't very clear, you need to leave a comment for each step completed. For example, if you are following me on Twitter, comment and say I am following you on Twitter. I am following you in a feed. I subscribed to your email, etc. Each time your comment, you have another entry in the giveaway. Make sense? I hope so!

Tuesdays With Dorie - Blueberry Peach Crumb Cake

This week's TwD pick was really Blueberry Crumb Cake, but past experiences told me to stay away from blueberries. Instead of skipping (especially since I've been a slacker!), I decided to take Dorie's suggestion and use a different fruit instead. We had fresh strawberries in the fridge, but Dorie specifically said not to use strawberries. Boo. My choices then became peaches, apricots, blackberries, or raspberries. Apricots were nowhere to be found in stores, so that was out. Peaches were cheaper than the berries and my mom's choice in fruit. Peaches it is.



A lot of TwDers said they had a pool of butter on the top when their cake was done. As you can see in my picture, I did not. Strange. I did cut out a tablespoon of butter because I didn't have enough, but I think it was in the batter, not the topping. I really can't remember because I made the cake two weekends ago.



Also, many said their fruit sank. My peaches did sink, and they were coated in flour too. Hmm. One blogger suggested sprinkling the fruit on top of the batter instead of mixing it in. Smart idea. Overall, this would make a lovely brunch cake. Or pair it with vanilla ice cream for dessert.




Thanks Sihan for picking this cake! You can find the recipe on pages 192-193 of Baking: From My Home To Yours or on Sihan's blog.

POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice

A special thanks goes out to Diana and the POM Wonderful team for sending me a case of their pomegranate juice! POM Wonderful is 100% pomegranate juice - no sugar, no preservatives, just juice. Because there are no preservatives, POM Wonderful must be refrigerated to guarantee long-lasting freshness.

I love the shape and size of these little 8-oz. bottles. Before receiving this juice, I've only had the actual fruit once back in high school. I was a little weirded out by eating just the seeds, but I don't remember much else of the taste. Since then, I've had pomegranate blueberry juice and applesauce, which is ironic because blueberries and my stomach do not get along. Since I couldn't really tell you what pomegranate alone tastes like, I didn't know what to expect. I must say it is definitely an acquired taste. My dad and I, who eat almost anything, liked it but my mom and brother, who are picky, did not. It's not to say anything against the juice. It's either you like pomegrante or you don't. And since it's 100% juice, there are no sugar or preservatives to hide the pure taste.

Overall, I would recommend this juice to pomegranate lovers (obviously). If you are unsure about liking it, as long as you are open to new tastes and are not picky, you should like this juice. If you don't like "exotic" flavors, you may want to pass on this.

My next step is cook/bake with the juice. I did find a nice white chocolate pomegranate mousse recipe somewhere. That probably won't happen until next month though. Maybe I'll try something quick, like muffins.

Will I buy this product once I'm out? Yes, as long as I can afford it. I honestly don't know how much a bottle goes for at the store, and student loans will be due soon...

Side note - I will be in Washington, D.C. Thursday - Sunday, so all comments and emails will be answered upon returning. Have a wonderful weekend!

Tuesdays With Dorie - Dimply Plum Cake

Another Tuesday, another wonderful recipe. I don't eat plums very often. My dad, on the other hand, eats plums, peaches, and nectarines like candy. So it's not the abundance issue. It's just...I don't eat plums. When this week's recipe was Dimply Plum Cake, I knew I had to make it for my dad. I went home (again) this past weekend because I had tickets to see Colin Mocherie and Brad Sherwood. Since the city is closer to my house than my school, it made more sense to just go home.

This felt like the perfect fall cake. Instead of cardamon, I used cloves. I could definitely taste the cloves but it didn't overpower the cake. You could probably use nutmeg, cinnamon, or a combination of all three. I have no idea what cardamon tastes like, so I can't tell you if that was a close substitution. All I know is it tasted good!

The cake did get slightly soggy from the fruit, so it kinda fell apart when cut. Then again, I didn't remove it from the pan to cool, so that might have be my fault. Dorie gives all kinds of ingredient substitutions so you can enjoy this all year round. I want to try the peaches, lemon juice, and basil version.

Dimply Plum Cake




Thank you Michelle from Bake-En for picking this for September! For the recipe, please refer to p. 41 of Baking: From My Home To Yours or online at Bake-En.

I'm Crumbling Up!

Yes, another Dorie recipe. I made this during the beginning of August when mangoes were only $1 each. Mango is definitely a favorite of mine. I really don't know what made me pick this crumble. I looked up mango in the index, and it found me. This would be a perfect winter dessert because it gives such a warm Caribbean feeling with the mangoes and bananas, but it also works well in the summer with ice cream (preferably homemade vanilla).

For the streusel, I used walnuts instead of pecans and added 1 cup shredded coconut. It did take a little longer than 20 minutes to freeze, maybe 40 minutes or so. Then again, I only had room in the front of the freezer, so it might be colder in the back.

Tropical Crumble




For this recipe, you can check out page 418 in Baking: My Home To Yours.

Sweet Summer Dessert

Before this summer, I have never picked strawberries. I had my mind set that there was no place to pick in western Pennsylvania. Then back in June, the newspaper showed pictures from a local farm's strawberry festival, and a family was featured on the front page picking strawberries. I did some research and found the farm. Sure, it's about 45 minutes from my house, but I thought the trip was worth it.


I think I took this picture after cutting up some berries because it isn't quite as full.
About a week before that, I bought a Hershey's cookbook for $2 at the used book store (oh I'm awesome). I remember flipping through and came across a picture for California Strawberry Log. My dad came over and asked what I was buying this time. I showed him the picture and he said you better be making that for me. He may have been kidding at the time, but I'm sure he didn't mind I took him seriously.

California Strawberry Log



3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp + 3/4 cup powdered sugar, divided
2 cups (1 pint) cold whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups sliced strawberries

1. Heat oven to 375F. Line 15 1/2x 10 1/2x 1 inch jelly roll pan with foil. Generously grease foil. In large bowl, beat egg yolks on high speed 3 minutes. Gradually add 1/2 cup sguar. Continue beating 2 minutes.

2. Stir together flour, cocoa, 1/3 cup sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add alternately with water and vanilla to egg yolk mixture, beating on low speed just until smooth.

3. In small bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add 1 Tbsp sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold into chocolate mixture. Spread batter evenly into pan.

4. Bake 15-18 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Invert onto towel sprinkled with 2 Tbsp powdered sugar. Carefully remove foil. Immediately roll cake and towel together from narrow end. Place on wire rack to cool.

5. In clean large bowl, beat cream, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, and vanilla on high speed until stiff. Fold strawberries into 2 cups of whipped cream. Reserve remaining whipped cream for garnish. Unroll cooled cake and spread with strawberry mixture. Reroll. Spread remaining whipped cream on outside of cake. Refrigerate 1 hour or longer before serving.

Source: Hershey's Chocolate Lover's Cookbook, 1993 p. 110

Yummy Apricot Goodness

Some of you may remember me complaining about apricots being expensive. Well, the store must've heard me because shortly after, they went on sale for $1.99 a pound. I bought eight of these tiny babies and spent an afternoon looking for my cookbooks, deciding what fate they deserved. Eventually, I came across apricot upside-down cake from Donna Hay. If you don't own her book, get it. The photography is amazing, and it's all of your "sweet favorites redefined with modern ingredients, outlook, and style" (this back cover doesn't lie).

A word of caution - this involves making hot sugar syrup, so please wear gloves or oven mitts! I burnt my finger once, and it's worse than your average boiling water burn. Syrup boils at a higher temperature, so it is hotter than 212F (roughly 234F, depending on what you're making). Then on top of that, syrup sticks. You can wipe off boiling water easily, but it takes an extra few seconds to wash off syrup.

My cake came out somewhat soggy, so I'm not sure if the apricots were extra juicy or what. Or I just didn't let it sit long enough. Also, I had batter overflow since my pan was 9 inches instead of 9 1/2, so I filled the apricot pan up to the rim, then poured the remaining batter in an extra pan.

This is a great time to use your stand mixer because it requires at least 8 minutes of beating, but I made mine with my hand mixer, and it worked just the same. I got a nice work out.


Apricot Upside-Down Cake




1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 Tbsp butter, melted
12 apricots, halved and stones removed

Topping
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
5 Tbsp butter

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease 9 1/2 inch round cake pan.

2. For topping, place sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat until dissolved. Increase the heat and boil until the syrup is golden brown (this will take some time, be patient but don't leave the room because once it turns brown, it will burn quickly). Remove from heat and add butter. Pour into bottom of pan. Let set while making the cake.

3. Sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside. Beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla for 8-10 minutes or until thick and pale. Gently fold in flour mixture. Then fold in melted butter.

4. Place apricot halves cut-side down and close together in the topping in the pan. Spoon on the cake mixture and bake 65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to stand 5 minutes then invert cake onto a plate (hence the name). Serve warm with cream.

Source: Modern Classics Book 2 by Donna Hay, 2003 p. 86

Tuesdays With Dorie - Summer Fruit Galette

Who doesn't love fresh fruit in the summer time (or any season, for that matter)? When I saw that Tuesdays With Dorie's next recipe was Dorie's Summer Fruit Galette, I started to think of the possible fruit combinations. Originally, I wanted to do apricots because I have never had fresh apricots (gasp!). Unfortunately, the local farm was sold out and the grocery store didn't put them on sale until the day after I made this (regular price - $3.99 a pound). So I decided to go with peaches. Then I thought, well raspberries compliment peaches, so it turned into a peach and raspberry galette.

For those not familiar with a galette, it's a pie crust filled with whatever (usually fruit but I suppose you could make a nut filling). What makes it a galette and not a pie or tart is the folding of the dough as opposed to putting it in a pie or tart pan.

I used peach preserves for the jam flavor, simply because that's what we had in the fridge. I am still new at homemade pie crusts, and since I don't own a food processor and I was too lazy to use the blender, I made it by hand. I don't think I rolled it out to a full 13 inches, but eh. Mine turned out to be VERY juicy from the peaches, so I guess that means more graham cracker crumbs next time. Also, I didn't use all of the custard. Honestly, I couldn't tell there was the custard filling simply because my galette was filled to max capacity and it was incredibly juicy. I would definitely be making this galette again, perhaps with apricots next time.

It also makes a good breakfast snack *cough*


Summer Fruit Galette




It was Michelle's turn to pick the recipe. If you own the book, the recipe is on page 366. If you don't have the book (what are you waiting for?!), you can find the recipe on her blog. Thank you Michelle for picking such a nice, refreshing summer dessert!

Thanksgiving Season is Upon Us

Only 19 hours and 45 minutes until my dad picks me for Thanksgiving break. Weeeee!! I'm excited to see my baby, although he isn't going to talk to me when he gets his annual booster shot at the vet on Wednesday.


Shh!! Murray's sleeping


I'm in such a good mood right now. I'm done with class for today, I don't have to work until next Monday, and I got a package from wonderful Anj, who generously gave me 16 cookbooks for my collection.


Thank you so much Anj!! I will let you know what I make with them!



I was bored this past Saturday afternoon, so I baked muffins. The muffins originally called for blueberries, but I hate blueberries and I didn't have any, so I subbed dried cranberries and raisins. I didn't taste the oats, so next time I would increase it to 1 cup. Enjoy!!

Oatmeal Cranberry-Raisin Muffins




1/2 cup rolled oats (may need to use 1 cup)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup oil
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup blueberries, cranberries, and/or raisins
1 Tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Line muffin paper with paper liners.

2. In large bowl, combine oats and water. Add flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, oil, and egg. Mix well. Stir in fruit.

3. Fill paper liners 2/3 full. Blend 1 Tbsp sugar and cinnamon together; sprinkle over batter. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Then remove from pan.

Makes 12 muffins

Source: "Muffins and Cupcakes" by Larry Rosenberg, 1986 p.16

Weekend Cookbook Challenge 18

What do you do when you can't find the recipe you're looking for? Make it up. That's right. I made my own recipe!! I had 1 lemon that I needed to use up. When my dad was going through the cupboard above the stove, he pointed out that I had jumbo shells I needed to use (they were up there probably at least a year). What does lemon juice + shells equal? Greek stuffed shells, of course. I googled for recipes, but I got nothing. So I took the typical Greek ingredients and replaced the Italian ingredients with these. I also decided to enter this into the Weekend Cookbook Challenge 18 - Red and White due to the tomatoes and cucumber sauce.

EDIT - Round up is now posted.


Greek Stuffed Shells




12 jumbo shells
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup cucumber, peeled and diced
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dillweed
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 egg, beaten
5 black olives, chopped

1. Boil water. Cook shells for 10 minutes. Drain; run under cold water to stop any further cooking.

2. For the sauce, combine yogurt, cucumbers, garlic powder, 1/2 tsp dillweed, and 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator.

3. Combine cheese, 1/2 tsp dill, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, tomatoes, egg, and olives.

4. Preheat oven to 350F. Spread the bottom of 13x9 pan with some of the sauce. Place shells on top. Stuff with the cheese mixture. Pour remaining sauce on top. Cover with foil. Bake for 35 minutes.

Source: Sauce from Recipe Zaar, Shell recipe by me


Nectarine Crisp




I also made dessert. This has nothing to do with Greek cuisine but still delicious nonetheless. I used this recipe from Recipe Zaar. I left out the blueberries and wheat germ. Next time, I will try it with raspberries.

It's A Tart, Not A Pie!

Happy birthday America!

According to my dear pal Wikipedia, a tart is an open-faced pie. Since it is a type of pie, my family (me included) kept calling it a pie rather than a tart. Whatever you want to call it, it's delicious. I made it for my family's mini 4th of July picnic. If you really wanted it to be patriotic, you could sub strawberries and blueberries for the peaches. I also made a variation of macaroni salad, but I suggest making your own cheese sauce because the packaged mac and cheese has a high sodium level. Next time, I'm going to make Amish macaroni salad.

EDIT: This is a galette, not a tart.


Peach Galette




1 prepared pie crust
4 oz cream cheese, softened
3 peaches, sliced
1/4 sugar
2 Tbsp flour
3/4 tsp sugar + 1/4 tsp cinnamon
8 oz whipped topping

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Grease 10-inch pie plate. Place pie crust into plate. Spread cream cheese on top of crust.

2. Toss sliced peaches with sugar and flour. Spoon over cream cheese layer. Fold edges of pie crust over peaches, leaving a big circle in the middle. Sprinkle cinnamon + sugar over peaches and crust. Bake 25 minutes. Crust should be golden brown and juices should be bubbly. Serve warm with whipped topping.

Source: Kraft "Food & Family" magazine, Summer 2007, p.16


Macaroni and Cheese Salad




1 pkg (14 oz) macaroni and cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup each red, green, and yellow peppers, chopped
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1/4 cup onions, chopped

1. Prepare macaroni and cheese as directed.

2. Meanwhile, chop peppers, eggs, and onion. Toss with prepared macaroni and cheese. Add milk and mayo; mix well. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Source: Kraft "Food & Family" magazine, Summer 2007, p.5