Tag dessert

50/50 Week 24: Japanese Soufflé Cheesecake

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Everything should be room temperature!

Ingredients:

  • 5 eggs
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1/2 cup sugar, divided
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup AP flour
  • 2 Tbsp corn starch

8 inch cake pan (you’ll want it to be decently deep)

Line the bottom and sides of your pan with parchment paper. If you’re like me though..and you ran out, just butter like hell and hope for the best. If you’re using a spring form pan, wrap the outside with several sheets of foil to ensure its sealed completely.

Fill a large baking pan halfway with water and place in the lowest rack of your oven. Preheat to 315F

Separate all of your eggs and place the whites in a mixing bowl and the yolks in a small bowl. Beat your egg whites on low for 30 seconds until foamy. Add cream of tartar and increase speed to medium and beat until whites start to thicken. Add 1/4 cup of sugar gradually. Beat until whites reach soft peaks~about 3 minutes

In a separate bowl, mix milk and cream cheese on low speed unitl creamy and smooth. Add butter, remaining sugar, and lemon juice, mix. Sift in your flour and corn starch and mix for another minute. Add your egg yolks and mix. Push your batter through a sieve to make sure you don’t have any clumps.

Add 1/3 of your eggs whites and gently fold into the batter. Continue adding and gently folding in the rest of your mix.

Pour into your pan and spread batter evenly on top. Very gently tap your pan on the counter to get out any big air bubbles.

Place your pan in the water bath and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Check with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, its done, but you may need to cook an additional 10 minutes or so. Once its done, turn off your oven and leave the door cracked. Leave your cake in the cooling oven for another hour.

Gently remove your cake from its prison and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Optional: take about a tablespoon of honey and put in microwave for a few seconds to thin it out and brush it over the top of your cheesecake. Simple addition and so so yummy!

50/50 Week 23: South Africa Tameletjies

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This was a super fail on my part. I got excited and forgot to take it off the heat. Sugar pounces on weakness.

Ingredients:

  • 500g brown sugar
  • 250ml water
  • 125g butter
  • 2ml vanilla
  • 1 cup nuts ( traditionally pine nuts but I used what I had, which was pecans)

Dissolve sugar and water over low heat, add butter. Boil steadily without stirring until the miture starts frothing, test a drop in cold water to see if it hardens. Once it passes that test, REMOVE FROM HEAT. Then add your vanilla and your chopped nuts, stir. Pour into a shallow, well-greased pan and park off squares with a wet knife. Let cool and then break into squares.

Tameletjie is supposed to be like a nut brittle. I made…a disaster. Good luck!

50/50 Week 22: New Zealand Jelly Slice

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Ingredients

  • 2 packs of strawberry jell-o
  • 3 cups boiling water
  • 1 packet (250g) superwines or any plain sweet biscuit
  • 175g melted butter
  • 2 Tbs gelatine
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
  • juice of 1 lemon

Hooray for no-bake desserts! I’m not going to lie, initially when I was reading about this dessert it struck me as that weird jell-o pretzel dessert that shows up at every redneck cook-out. After tasting it though, its so much better!

Line your desired dish with parchment paper and set aside. Grind up your biscuits in a food processor and combine melted butter and optionally, the zest from a lemon. (I highly recommend bc its delicious) Press into your dish to form the crust and place in fridge for 30 minutes to chill

In a medium bowl, combine gelatine and 1/2 cup boiling water and mix until dissolved. Add the sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice and mix well. Pour over the crust and place back in the fridge for 30-40 minutes until completely set.

Mix your jell-o with the 3 cups of water and let cool- don’t let it set. Pour it on top of your milky layer and then place back into the fridge until set.

Once its all set up, slice into squares and serve. It can be easier if you use a hot knife, but I think that depends on the pan you’re using.

Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge, though, I don’t think leftovers will be much of a problem.

50/50 Week 21: Morocco Seffa Medfouna

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A literal mountain of food! Delicious, delicious food.

For the Seffa:

  • 2 pounds of dry broken vermicelli
  • 3 Tbs vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup golden raisins, soaked in water for 20 minutes
  • 4 Tbs butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar

For the Saffron Chicken

  • 1 whole chicken, disassembled
  • 2 large onions chopped
  • 1 Tbs ground ginger
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 small sticks of cinnamon
  • 1 tsp saffron threads, crumbled
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 1/2- 2 tsp salt- to taste
  • 4 Tbs butter
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Toppings

  • 1/2 – 1 cup almonds (blanched, fried & ground)
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 Tbs ground cinnamon

I will warn you that this is time consuming. Not a casual weeknight meal, definitely a special occasion- lots of people over- type meal.

I bought an instant pot for this haha If you have a steamer, you’re good. I’ve had so many recipes that require a steamer and I made due, but for this recipe in particular, I knew I needed to bring out the big guns.

Fill the base of your steamer with salted water and proceed to steam the broken vermicelli 4-5 times (add the raisins for the 4th steaming)

For exactly how to do the steaming process, go here: https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-make-seffa-medfouna-2395009

Mix the chicken, lamb or beef with the onions, spices, butter, oil and cilantro in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Gently brown the chicken over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Cover the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender. This will take about 1 hour. When the chicken has been cooked, reduce the liquids until a thick sauce has formed. Discard the cinnamon stick, and taste for seasoning. If desired, remove the chicken from the bones.

To Serve:

Gently toss the steamed broken vermicelli with the butter and powdered sugar. Place about 1/3 of this mixture on a very large serving dish. Arrange the chicken in the center, and cover with the sauce. Pile the rest of the vermicelli on top of the meat, using your hands to shape a dome.

Decorate the mound of seffa in a vertical pattern with the cinnamon, ground almonds and powdered sugar. Serve immediately, with small bowls of powdered sugar, ground almonds, and cinnamon on the side.

50/50 Week 20: Egyptian Jalebi

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Batter

  • 3 cups AP Flour
  • 2 cups plain greek yogurt (original recipe calls for hung curd, but greek yogurt is a good substitution)
  • 1/2 cup ghee
  • 1/2 cup corn starch
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda

2 cups of oil for frying

Syrup

  • 3 cups sugar
  • 3 cups water
  • 5 strands of saffron
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom
  • 4 drops rose essence

So first things first, this isn’t a one day recipe. You need to let the batter ferment over night. Mix AP flour, cornstarch, and baking soda together in a bowl. Add ghee, food coloring, yogurt, and water. I didn’t list the water in the ingredients because you’ll add it little by little until you reach a slightly flowing consistency. Cover the bowl in a towel and let sit for 8-10 hours on the counter.

For the sugar syrup, heat water in a pan over medium heat. Add sugar and stir until fully dissolved. Simmer the syrup until it reaches one string consistency. ( I didn’t know what this means so I messed up this step and had to redo it) One string consistency is reached when you put a little of the syrup between your fingers and there’s a “string” when you pull your fingers apart. Remove from heat and add saffron, cardamom, and rose. Stir well

Now time to fry!

Heat your oil over medium heat until you’re about 350-365F

Put your batter in a ziplock bag and snip a small hole in the corner. Moving from the inside-out you want to make concentric circles in the oil with your batter. This will take a few tries to look right. Practice makes perfect and all that.. Fry a few minutes on either side until they’re crisp and golden.

Your syrup should be warm, but not hot. When your jalebis are done frying, soak them in the syrup for 2-3 minutes and place on a foil lined tray. They should be served warm or at room temperature.

I will warn you that this makes A LOT of batter. The good news is that it freezes well.

50/50 Week 1: Pavlova

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Ingredients are pretty simple here 🙂

For the pavlova:

  • 6 egg whites
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar (granulated, not powdered)
  • 2 teaspoons of corn starch (sifted to ensure no lumps)
  • 1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/12 Tablespoon vanilla extract

For the whipped cream:

  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar (granulated)
  • optional: splash of vanilla extract

Fruit or whatever else you wish to add. I used kiwis and blueberries and the kiwis added just the right amount of tartness to cut the sweetness of the pavlova. (highly recommend)

This recipe is definitely more about technique than anything else since the ingredients are pretty simple. There’s not much room for experimenting here unless its with your toppings.

The key is low and slow. Preheat your oven to 225 F

You can either line a baking tray with parchment paper or like me, a silicone baking mat. I had mixed results when I was trying to research which I should use, but my silicone didn’t fail me 🙂

Aside from technique, you need patience. I would HIGHLY recommend using a stand mixer but a hand mixer will work as well. I definitely wouldn’t suggest someone do this manually. You’ll start by whipping your egg whites until soft peaks form. For me, I whipped it until it was passed the foamy stage. Then slowly add in your 1 1/2 cups sugar. Slowly. This is where the patience starts to come in. Once all your sugar is added, you’ll continue to whip until you get stiff peaks which will be a good 10 min or so.

Once you’ve reached stiff peaks, get out a spatula because the rest of this is manual. Add your lemon juice, and vanilla and gently fold to incorporate. Now sift in the cornstarch and gently mix it in. Now, you can certainly pipe your mixture onto your baking mat/parchment or you can do as I did and just plop it on there. I kind of shwooped up the sides to make some peaks and just ensure there’s a little bit of a well in the center. (that’s where your whipped cream/fruit will go later)

Now just pop that bad boy in the oven and forget about with for an 1 hour and 15 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN. Just leave it be. Once that time has elapsed, turn off your oven. KEEP THE OVEN CLOSED. Leave it until the oven has completely cooled. We’re talking several hours or even overnight. It will be fine. The longer you leave it, the less cracking you’ll have.

Once everything has cooled. Seriously, all the way cooled. Go ahead and make your whipped cream and cut up your fruit as needed.

I would recommend transferring the pavlova to whatever you wish to serve it one since I didn’t do that and well…that was a mistake. Add your whipped cream and fruit to the top of your pavlova and voila!

Once you’ve added the toppings, you have to eat within a few hours. Your pavlova will lose its crispiness if you put it in the refrigerator. I didn’t know this until I made it…I still put the leftovers in the fridge, I even put some in the freezer as an experiment. I’ll let you know how that goes..

This was the first time I’ve ever tried Pavlova (making and eating) and it did not disappoint. The textures are amazing. Nice crisy shell and that soft, pillowy center. *chefs kiss*

10/10 would recommend

Homemade Marshmallows

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This is a very messy project. You’ve been warned..

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 Tbsp of gelatin (or 8 sheets)
  • 1 cup cold water(divided)
  • 2 cups of sugar
  • 1/3 cup corn syrup
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch

To start off, go ahead and mix your powdered sugar and cornstarch together and set to the side. You’ll use this throughout this daunting process.

First things first, get your gelatin going. Having used the sheets for the first time here..I recommend probably going with the basic ass powdered gelatin. Combine your gelatin with 1/2 cup cold water and let it soften for at least 15 minutes. Put this directly in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment but don’t whisk it just yet.

Grab a small saucepan and add the other 1/2 cup water. Make sure when adding your sugar, you add it to the direct center of your pan. Do it slowly so you’re not splashing about. You want to avoid getting the sugar on the sides of your pan so you don’t end up with grainy marshmallows. I don’t care what you think, but peeps are disgusting. Also add in the corn syrup and salt. DO NOT STIR. Seriously, put the spoon down. If you’re feeling antsy, you may swirl the pan gently. Thats all you get though.

Bring to a boil but don’t let it bubble over. You want to get your mixture to 240 degrees F. Once this temperature is reached, remove from heat. At this point, your gelatin should be good to go. Turn your mixer on low to break up the gelatin. Then slowly (seriously, SLOWLY) add your liquid hot magma of sugar syrup into the gelatin. Try not to just pour it down the side of the bowl but don’t pour it on the whisk either..I promise there’s a happy medium here.

Once the syrup is all added, increase your mixer speed to high and continue to whip the devil out of it for at least 10 minutes. Around the 10 minute mark, add in your vanilla. You can feel the sides of your mixer bowl to know when its getting close as well. You’ll want it to be thick and fluffy, and warm but not remotely hot.

Instead of just standing around while your mixer does all the work, use this time to prepare your pan. Spray a metal pan (9×13 would work beautifully) liberally with cooking spray. Then take your powdered sugar mixture and sprinkle your pan with it so that you can coat all the sides well. (Don’t use all of your powdered sugar, you still need this.)

Once your marshmallow fluff is all fluffy, you’ll want to work fast to get it all out of your mixing bowl and into your prepared pan. You won’t be able to get your bowl completely cleaned out. Seriously, you won’t. Just do your best. Now that your mixture is in the pan, just tap it on the counter to even it out a bit and sprinkle with more of your powdered sugar mix.

Leave it out on the counter to sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours. Go put your feet up..or maybe start cleaning some dishes..I know you’ve made a mess.

Lets start this party by dusting your clean counter/work area with, you guessed it, more powdered sugar mix. Turn out your marshmallows onto your dusty surface (heh) This may take some coaxing. I had to scrape that sugar loaf out. You can spray your knife with cooking spray, though I don’t think this really made any difference at all. Its going to stick regardless. As you cut up your marshmallows, toss them in your remaining powdered sugar mixture. Store in an air tight container once well dusted. They’ll keep easily for a week or two..unless you eat them.

That’s it! Its quite an undertaking, but the results speak for themselves. You will have a super messy kitchen, but you’ll also have these soft little pillows of happiness that taste nothing like store bought marshmallows.

French Fucking Macarons

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Learn from my mistakes please.. This was a trial by fire but we made it out alive. Just do yourself a favor and buy almond flour…

Ingredients

Macarons

  • 100 grams egg whites
  • 50 grams granulated sugar
  • 200 grams powdered sugar
  • 110 grams almond flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • pinch of salt

Buttercream

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • optional: 2 teaspoons of homemade raspberry jam (or literally whatever flavoring you want)

Step 1: Assemble all of your essentials. Silpat or Silicone baking mat..or two. and get your scale ready and set for grams. You could theoretically make this with american measurements, but I’m personally going with the “if it ain’t broke” method and weighing everything out..when in Rome and all that

Beat your egg whites until foamy. Gradually add in your granulated sugar, cream of tartar, and pinch of salt and then beat until glossy, fluffy, and holding soft peaks. At this point, I added the coloring as well.

Sift together powdered sugar and almond flour

Gradually fold into your egg whites..as few strokes as possible to avoid deflating your mixture

Now this is where is got a little dicey for me..you want to incorporate it in as few strokes as possible but you also want it to be mixed well enough that it will flatten down into itself…so…just play with it and hope for the best

Put your mixture into a piping bag with a regular round piping tip..or if you’re fancy..a large ziploc with the end snipped off 🙂

I recommend keeping your sploops of batter fairly small…1 1/2 inch diameter-ish. The smaller ones definitely seemed to work a lot better.

After you’ve piped out all of your batter, put your baking sheets in a semi warm, non drafty area to sit for an hour. Your macarons need to dry and form a skin. You’ll know they’re good to go if you can lightly touch them and not have your finger stick.

Preheat your oven to 285F

Bake for 10 min. They should be set but not browned.

Once they’re done, put them on a cooking rack to cool completely. Don’t try to peel them off immediately..you’ll regret it. Once they are COMPLETELY cooled, gently..GENTLY pry them off your baking mat. About half of mine got jacked up because I made them way too big. But you know what? They still tasted the same.

Make your buttercream by creaming together your butter and powdered sugar. Add in your flavoring (jam in my case) and voila!

Pipe your buttercream on your macarons and make lil sandwiches. Easiest part of the whole process!

Don’t come for my sizing hahaha Do as I say..not as I do.
As you can see, the little ones did the best. The little ridged part at the bottom is what you want to see. Letting them sit and dry is essential to form the “foot”

Banoffee Pie

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Ingredients:

  • 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
  • about 10 graham crackers
  • 5 Tablespoons melted butter
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 bananas
  • 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • optional: dark chocolate to shave on top

Preheat your oven to 350

You can put the can of sweetened condensed milk in a pot of boiling water for 2 hours..but since that can result in an explosion..I avoided that method like the plague.

So, get a deep sided pan large enough to put a partially submerged pie plate in. Place a pie plate inside the pan and pour out your sweetened condensed milk. Put warm water into the pan until its about half way up the pie plate. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 2 hours.

For the crust, if you choose, you can just get one of those premade graham cracker crusts. Making it yourself is super easy though. Crush 10 graham crackers..either by hand or in a food processor. Stir in the sugar and melted butter. Then just press it in a pie pan by hand or with the help of a flat bottomed measuring cup. Set aside until your toffee concoction is done.

After 2 long hours, carefully remove the toffee colored gloop from the pan and set aside to cool. I stirred mine a little so that it smoothed out..it was a bit chunky at first.

Put your pie crust into the oven for 15 min.

Make your whipped cream. For the love of all things holy, please do not opt for Cool Whip. Just don’t..

In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, combine the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla on med-high speed for about 4 minutes until you get medium-stiff peaks.

Once your pie crust and toffee gloop have cooled, spread it into the crust. then slice your bananas and layer them on top. Then add your whipped cream. Super simple construction!

mmmm bananas..
Finished product. Doesn’t have to be perfect, but still super delicious