I have been very fortunate in that so far, neither of my girls have any food allergies (nor do hubby or I!). My young niece, on the other hand, has not been so lucky, and cannot eat nuts or eggs. Because she is often placed in the unfair position of not being able to share foods being enjoyed by others, we try to make family get-togethers as seamless as possible so that at the very least, any unsafe foods are easy to avoid and not something she'd really want to eat anyway.
While nut allergies are certainly scary, we have found that with some careful ingredient checks, they are fairly easy to avoid when cooking at home. Eggs, on the other hand, are in everything, especially dessert! The good news is with the rise of both egg allergies and veganism, it's getting easier and easier to find ideas for egg free recipes. I've had success so far with cookies and cupcakes (recipes to come!), but one of the most elusive desserts has been brownies, since eggs are really integral to the texture. I love rich chocolate desserts, though, and after a few holidays with some version of chocolate mousse/pudding made without eggs, I was really antsy for a true brownie that we could all share.
So off to the internet I went, and found a recipe on a vegan website promising the "ultimate" brownie, which got some strong reviews. I gave it a try mostly as written (only eliminating the walnuts and subbing real buter for the vegan "butter") and found the texture to be great, but the flavor severely lacking. They looked like brownies, but barely tasted like chocolate! So even though baking chemistry is not my specialty and I am especially inexperienced with vegan-style baking, I decided to take a chance on some modifications. Miraculously, the second batch was delicious! I still think I prefer my one bowl brownies, which are incredibly rich and smooth, but these are certainly a great alternative if you have any need for an egg-free version - they are dense, with a fudgy texture and rich chocolate flavor. Plus, they even have a great crust on top.
And as an added bonus, since I made this recipe 4 times in 1 week, I came up with some ways to streamline the process from the original, which was pretty fussy, so now they're not even complicated to make. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!
Brownies (Egg-free!)
adapted from Vegan Baking
7 tablespoons water (this is 1 tablespoon short of 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons golden flax meal
2 ounces good quality dark chocolate (I used 70%), chopped into ½ inch pieces
6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (or more chopped chocolate pieces)
1 1/2 (rounded) cups all purpose or white whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together water and flax meal, and let it sit (and gel) while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on 2 sides so that you can easily remove the brownies when they're done (or just grease your baking pan!). Preheat the oven to 350.
Melt the butter and chocolate together over a double boiler* or in the microwave, stirring occasionally, until just melted. Remove from heat and mix in sugar until thoroughly combined. Then add cocoa powder, salt, vanilla, and water/flax mixture and mix well (I used a silicone spatula, but you could use an electric mixer at this point if you prefer). Check to make sure your mixture isn't warmer than room temperature, and then gently stir in chocolate chips (if your mixture is too warm and your chocolate chips melt, no biggie, you'll just have extra fudgy brownies without chocolate chips!).
Next, add the flour and baking soda to the chocolate mixture. Use a spatula or a spoon (or even your hands if needed) to incorporate all of the flour. The batter will be VERY thick, more like a dough.
Dump batter into your prepared pan, using a spatula or your hands to spread it out evenly. Bake for 28 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack, leaving the brownies in the pan for at least an hour, and then remove brownies to the rack to cool the rest of the way.
Makes 16-20 smallish brownies
To double recipe, use a 9x13 pan and bake for an extra 3-4 minutes.
*Not sure what a double boiler is? Find a heat-proof bowl, either metal or tempered glass, that fits securely on top of one of your pots. Put 1-2 inches of water in the pot, heat until barely simmering, and then place your bowl on top with the butter and chocolate. The indirect heat of the steam on the bottom of the bowl will melt them gently without burning the chocolate. If you use a big enough bowl, you can continue with the rest of the recipe right in the same bowl!
Showing posts with label Special Occasions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Special Occasions. Show all posts
Friday, September 21, 2012
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Passover is often filled with yucky foods made with matzo meal that do a terrible job of imitating real food. I have found that dessert are especially tough, as many people try to modify regular recipes to be kosher for Passover, but the result is never going to be quite the same. My opinion is that there are plenty of sweets out there that don't require flour to begin with, and these should be the food we focus on during the holiday. For example, I have a recipe for coconut macaroons that I happily make all year round (fyi, I like these better without the chocolate coating). Another obvious choice for Passover is flourless chocolate cake - the name says it all!
Well, as it turns out, Deb at Smitten Kitchen has the same issue with Passover desserts as I do, and a couple of years ago published 17 ideas for things to make that actually taste good! She recommended a flourless chocolate cake recipe by David Lebovitz which is called "Chocolate Idiot Cake", because it's apparently so easy only an idiot could screw it up. I took on the challenge and prayed that I didn't turn out to be that idiot! The ingredient list is as easy as it gets - chocolate, butter, sugar, and eggs. I figured there wasn't much risk because no matter what you do, how could that combination possibly taste bad?
As it turns out, I might not be as smart as I thought! I first tried this recipe last year (and in fact am updating the post I intended to share at that time) with so-so results. The cake was delicious - it really can't be anything else, but I couldn't quite get it to set up as promised in the instructions. David Lebovitz says that when the cake is done, your finger will come away clean when you gently touch the center. No such luck. I thought I just didn't bake it long enough and ran out of time to experiment by keeping it in the oven, but when I reread the recipe in preparation for posting I realized I made a big mistake - the recipe calls for 7 ounces of butter, and I used 7 tablespoons, which is half that amount! Ok, so maybe I'm an idiot after all, but who writes recipes in ounces of butter??
This year, determined to correct the mistake, I dug up the recipe and tried again, this time following every detail to the letter. And guess what - my finger still had a blob of chocolate on it when I touched it after 1 hour 15 minutes! I left it in for another 15 minutes and still had some yummy chocolate to lick off my finger, so under the assumption that the eggs had to be cooked after 90 minutes in the oven, I took it out.
The next day when we cut into the cake after being refrigerated overnight, it was definitely cooked through and delicious! It is the true chocolate lover's dream - unbelievably rich, moist and smooth, with that super-intense dark chocolate taste that almost has a hint of coffee or a burned undertone (anyone know what I'm talking about here?). It's the kind of dessert that benefits from a hot beverage to help wash it down, and you can't eat more than a small piece in a sitting. Ok, well I can, but if I do I tend to regret it afterwards!
In hindsight, I'm thinking it was probably done in an hour 15 minutes, but the extra 15 minutes didn't hurt it, so I've put 90 minutes in the recipe below. Feel free to take it out early and let me know how it goes! I've also eliminated that silly part about the clean finger and next time will just trust the clock to avoid fingerprints on my beautiful cake :)
Flourless Chocolate Cake
adapted from DavidLebovitz.com
10 ounces good quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used E. Guittard 72%)
7 ounces (14 tablespoons or 1 3/4 sticks) butter, salted or unsalted, cut into pieces
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and dust it with cocoa powder, tapping out any excess. Wrap the outside tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil to make sure no water will seep in during baking.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler (take any heat-proof bowl and set it on top of a pot with about 2 inches of barely simmering water), stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat. (You can also do this step in the microwave but I find the double boiler method easier!)
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar, then whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and cover the top of the pan snugly with a sheet of foil. Put the springform pan into a larger baking pan, such as a roasting pan, and add enough hot water to the baking pan to come about halfway up to the outside of the cake pan.
Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. The cake will still be jiggly in the center but should set up nicely once cool. Lift the cake pan from the water bath and remove the foil. Let cake cool completely on a cooling rack.
Store, covered, in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream, ice cream, or just a cup of tea.
Serves at least 16.
Well, as it turns out, Deb at Smitten Kitchen has the same issue with Passover desserts as I do, and a couple of years ago published 17 ideas for things to make that actually taste good! She recommended a flourless chocolate cake recipe by David Lebovitz which is called "Chocolate Idiot Cake", because it's apparently so easy only an idiot could screw it up. I took on the challenge and prayed that I didn't turn out to be that idiot! The ingredient list is as easy as it gets - chocolate, butter, sugar, and eggs. I figured there wasn't much risk because no matter what you do, how could that combination possibly taste bad?
As it turns out, I might not be as smart as I thought! I first tried this recipe last year (and in fact am updating the post I intended to share at that time) with so-so results. The cake was delicious - it really can't be anything else, but I couldn't quite get it to set up as promised in the instructions. David Lebovitz says that when the cake is done, your finger will come away clean when you gently touch the center. No such luck. I thought I just didn't bake it long enough and ran out of time to experiment by keeping it in the oven, but when I reread the recipe in preparation for posting I realized I made a big mistake - the recipe calls for 7 ounces of butter, and I used 7 tablespoons, which is half that amount! Ok, so maybe I'm an idiot after all, but who writes recipes in ounces of butter??
This year, determined to correct the mistake, I dug up the recipe and tried again, this time following every detail to the letter. And guess what - my finger still had a blob of chocolate on it when I touched it after 1 hour 15 minutes! I left it in for another 15 minutes and still had some yummy chocolate to lick off my finger, so under the assumption that the eggs had to be cooked after 90 minutes in the oven, I took it out.
The next day when we cut into the cake after being refrigerated overnight, it was definitely cooked through and delicious! It is the true chocolate lover's dream - unbelievably rich, moist and smooth, with that super-intense dark chocolate taste that almost has a hint of coffee or a burned undertone (anyone know what I'm talking about here?). It's the kind of dessert that benefits from a hot beverage to help wash it down, and you can't eat more than a small piece in a sitting. Ok, well I can, but if I do I tend to regret it afterwards!
In hindsight, I'm thinking it was probably done in an hour 15 minutes, but the extra 15 minutes didn't hurt it, so I've put 90 minutes in the recipe below. Feel free to take it out early and let me know how it goes! I've also eliminated that silly part about the clean finger and next time will just trust the clock to avoid fingerprints on my beautiful cake :)
Flourless Chocolate Cake
adapted from DavidLebovitz.com
10 ounces good quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used E. Guittard 72%)
7 ounces (14 tablespoons or 1 3/4 sticks) butter, salted or unsalted, cut into pieces
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and dust it with cocoa powder, tapping out any excess. Wrap the outside tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil to make sure no water will seep in during baking.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler (take any heat-proof bowl and set it on top of a pot with about 2 inches of barely simmering water), stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat. (You can also do this step in the microwave but I find the double boiler method easier!)
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar, then whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and cover the top of the pan snugly with a sheet of foil. Put the springform pan into a larger baking pan, such as a roasting pan, and add enough hot water to the baking pan to come about halfway up to the outside of the cake pan.
Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. The cake will still be jiggly in the center but should set up nicely once cool. Lift the cake pan from the water bath and remove the foil. Let cake cool completely on a cooling rack.
Store, covered, in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream, ice cream, or just a cup of tea.
Serves at least 16.
Charoset, kid friendly and nut free!
Those of you who celebrate Passover know that the holiday has its benefits (matzo ball soup!) and drawbacks (how long has this seder been dragging on??). On the plus side for me is definitely charoset - this sweet apple and walnut mixture comes near the end of the seder, and marks the beginning of the yummy dinner portion. It must have some magic powers, because it even manages to make the plain matzo taste good! This year I was in charge of making the charoset for a seder at my mom's house. I immediately went to this recipe which I've made in the past with much success before I realized that 1) wine as an uncooked ingredient probably wasn't the best idea for the 3 kids under 6 at the table, and 2) my niece is allergic to nuts and therefore it was potentially dangerous to have walnuts floating around! That led me to do a little searching, and I found this recipe for nut-free charoset, basically using pumpkin seeds as a substitute for the walnuts. I thought that was a good idea, but then I heard a rumor that my brother really likes sunflower seeds, so I decided their nutty taste would work well, too! I also still liked the proportions from my original epicurious recipe, so the result was a combination of a few ideas along with some improv.
FYI, the recipe as written below makes a TON of charoset - we used it for a seder for 12, another seder for 6, and still had a lot left over. Feel free to half or quarter recipe as needed. For those of you who don't celebrate Passover and/or have never had charoset, there is no reason why you couldn't make this as a snack for you or your kids any time - I know I have been enjoying the leftovers all week!
Charoset (kid friendly and nut free)
7 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
1 cup roasted unsalted sunflower seeds*
1 cup grape juice (or sweet Passover wine if you're not serving to kids, e.g., Manishewitz Extra Heavy Malaga)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Place apples in food processor and pulse until chopped to your liking (you could chop by hand to get a more consistent texture, but I don't think it's necessary or worth the extra time!). Dump into a large bowl, wipe out food processor, and add sunflower seeds. Pulse just to chop a little bit (some whole seeds is fine) and add to apples. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Taste and adjust any of the ingredients as you see fit. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to a few days. Charoset will taste better as it sits, so feel free to make ahead and plan for leftovers!
*I would use more next time; I went light because I was unsure how it would taste but would probably use closer to 1 1/2 cups
FYI, the recipe as written below makes a TON of charoset - we used it for a seder for 12, another seder for 6, and still had a lot left over. Feel free to half or quarter recipe as needed. For those of you who don't celebrate Passover and/or have never had charoset, there is no reason why you couldn't make this as a snack for you or your kids any time - I know I have been enjoying the leftovers all week!
Charoset (kid friendly and nut free)
7 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
1 cup roasted unsalted sunflower seeds*
1 cup grape juice (or sweet Passover wine if you're not serving to kids, e.g., Manishewitz Extra Heavy Malaga)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Place apples in food processor and pulse until chopped to your liking (you could chop by hand to get a more consistent texture, but I don't think it's necessary or worth the extra time!). Dump into a large bowl, wipe out food processor, and add sunflower seeds. Pulse just to chop a little bit (some whole seeds is fine) and add to apples. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Taste and adjust any of the ingredients as you see fit. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to a few days. Charoset will taste better as it sits, so feel free to make ahead and plan for leftovers!
*I would use more next time; I went light because I was unsure how it would taste but would probably use closer to 1 1/2 cups
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Hi everyone! I started the story of the munchkin's birthday cupcakes in this post, but decided the chocolate cupcakes needed a post of their own!
Whereas I was happy with a modified muffin for the vanilla version, I needed to try 2 chocolate recipes to find a winner. The first one was from Weelicious (with whole wheat pastry flour subbed for the all-purpose). They looked great when they came out, but were a little dry (definitely could be the result of my whole wheat substitution) and didn't have quite the chocolatey taste I was hoping for. The second recipe from Sweet + Natural, however, was delicious, even without frosting! They came out moist, light, and really chocolatey - almost like a souffle consistency, which makes sense given that the recipe has 3 eggs in it! As an added bonus for some of you out there, this recipe is also gluten-free. I am not concerned about gluten, but I did like that these muffins used high protein and high fiber coconut flour instead of whole wheat for a change.
I used the coordinating chocolate frosting recipe from the same site, but with a few modifications (see my rant on frosting here for more details!). First, I eliminated the peppermint since I was going for a more traditional flavor. I also decided to lighten it a bit by reducing the sugar and using neufchatel cheese (already in my fridge from the vanilla version!) in place of half of the buter. I don't generally harp on nutrition calculations, but I think it's noteworthy that neufchatel cheese has less than half the calories and 1/4 the fat of butter, so this makes a big difference with what I would consider no compromise in taste or texture! Let me tell you, this frosting is delicious, and so easy. I generally don't like chocolate frosting altogether, but I could not get enough of this one, and the feedback from others was just as positive! As some final inspiration for the skeptics out there, I'll share a conversation between two of the mommies at the party, which was overheard by hubby:
Mommy 1: Did Alissa make these cupcakes?
Mommy 2: Yeah, which probably means they're all organic and healthy...
Mommy 1: I don't care what's in them, they're delicious!
Which is exactly the reaction I was going for :)
Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting
adapted from Sweet + Natural
Cupcakes:
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 375. Spray mini cupcake pan with cooking spray or line with mini-cupcake papers and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together coconut flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, oil, agave and vanilla extract until well-combined. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Pour or scoop 1 tablespoon batter into each muffin cup and bake for about 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (note: the first time I made these 10 minutes was perfect, the second time I needed 15 - no idea why, so be sure to test for doneness!).
Frosting:
1/4 cup butter, softened (1/2 stick)
2 oz neufchatel cheese
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons milk (any kind, dairy or non-dairy, should work)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
dash of salt
While cupcakes are cooling, prepare frosting by blending together all ingredients with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
Once cupcakes cool, spread frosting on top.
Do ahead: I made the cupcakes a couple of days in advance and froze them in a plastic bag until the day of the party. I also made the frosting the day before, covered it tightly with plastic wrap, and left it in the refrigerator. Right before the party, I frosted the cupcakes straight from the freezer - they were defrosted by the time I got through the batch and everything tasted perfect!
Makes 22 teeny tiny cupcakes with extra frosting forsnacking after the party another use :)
Whereas I was happy with a modified muffin for the vanilla version, I needed to try 2 chocolate recipes to find a winner. The first one was from Weelicious (with whole wheat pastry flour subbed for the all-purpose). They looked great when they came out, but were a little dry (definitely could be the result of my whole wheat substitution) and didn't have quite the chocolatey taste I was hoping for. The second recipe from Sweet + Natural, however, was delicious, even without frosting! They came out moist, light, and really chocolatey - almost like a souffle consistency, which makes sense given that the recipe has 3 eggs in it! As an added bonus for some of you out there, this recipe is also gluten-free. I am not concerned about gluten, but I did like that these muffins used high protein and high fiber coconut flour instead of whole wheat for a change.
I used the coordinating chocolate frosting recipe from the same site, but with a few modifications (see my rant on frosting here for more details!). First, I eliminated the peppermint since I was going for a more traditional flavor. I also decided to lighten it a bit by reducing the sugar and using neufchatel cheese (already in my fridge from the vanilla version!) in place of half of the buter. I don't generally harp on nutrition calculations, but I think it's noteworthy that neufchatel cheese has less than half the calories and 1/4 the fat of butter, so this makes a big difference with what I would consider no compromise in taste or texture! Let me tell you, this frosting is delicious, and so easy. I generally don't like chocolate frosting altogether, but I could not get enough of this one, and the feedback from others was just as positive! As some final inspiration for the skeptics out there, I'll share a conversation between two of the mommies at the party, which was overheard by hubby:
Mommy 1: Did Alissa make these cupcakes?
Mommy 2: Yeah, which probably means they're all organic and healthy...
Mommy 1: I don't care what's in them, they're delicious!
Which is exactly the reaction I was going for :)
Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting
adapted from Sweet + Natural
Cupcakes:
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 375. Spray mini cupcake pan with cooking spray or line with mini-cupcake papers and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together coconut flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, oil, agave and vanilla extract until well-combined. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Pour or scoop 1 tablespoon batter into each muffin cup and bake for about 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (note: the first time I made these 10 minutes was perfect, the second time I needed 15 - no idea why, so be sure to test for doneness!).
Frosting:
1/4 cup butter, softened (1/2 stick)
2 oz neufchatel cheese
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons milk (any kind, dairy or non-dairy, should work)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
dash of salt
While cupcakes are cooling, prepare frosting by blending together all ingredients with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
Once cupcakes cool, spread frosting on top.
Do ahead: I made the cupcakes a couple of days in advance and froze them in a plastic bag until the day of the party. I also made the frosting the day before, covered it tightly with plastic wrap, and left it in the refrigerator. Right before the party, I frosted the cupcakes straight from the freezer - they were defrosted by the time I got through the batch and everything tasted perfect!
Makes 22 teeny tiny cupcakes with extra frosting for
Birthday Cupcakes
I'd like to start this post by wishing my little munchkin a very happy birthday! I cannot believe it's been 2 years already, and at the same time I can't believe how grown up she is - talking and singing, jumping and climbing, and even knowing enough to get excited about her own birthday party :)
In honor of the munchkin's birthday, we hosted a small party with some of her friends at a local play space. Rather than have the party during a meal time, I decided to just serve a snack - cupcakes, pretzels, animal crackers, and water. The party place would provide all the food if we wanted, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to make some cupcakes that were a little more wholesome than what's typically served. You may recall that I also decided to make cupcakes for the muchkin's first birthday last year, but fortunately I've learned a lot about healthier baking in the past year, and was able to spare my guests hidden blueberries and spinach hidden this time ;). After a lot of internet searching and thinking, I decided to make 2 kinds - vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting, and chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting.
But before I get to the recipes, I wanted to share some thoughts on frosting - did you all know that frosting is actually really easy to make?? I didn't! For most of my life, I was convinced by Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker that frosting only comes in a round container with scary ingredients. If you don't believe me, see for yourself - here is the ingredient list for some "home-style" vanilla frosting:
Sugar, Vegetable Oil Shortening (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean And Cottonseed Oils, Mon-And Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60), Water, Corn Syrup. Contains 2% Or Less Of: Corn Starch, Salt, Colored With (Titanium Dioxide, Yellow 5, Red 40), Natural And Artificial Flavors, Rum, Caramel Color, Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate), Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate.
Ack! How many of you have those ingredients in your home?? Impressively, this includes every ingredient category I try to avoid...trans fats (a.k.a. partially hydrogenated oils), artificial flavors, artificial colors, and preservatives. But I believed that you have to be an expert baker to actually make frosting at home, and that it required a lot of effort. I was SO wrong and will never go back...even without efforts to lower the fat and sugar, home-made frosting is way more wholesome in that it will include real ingredients like butter, sugar, and pure vanilla extract, and can be made in minutes by anyone who owns a mixing bowl and a hand mixer. Plus, I have also discovered that a few tweaks can help the fat and sugar content quite a bit without sacrificing taste.
The first trick is to use cream cheese! Cream cheese is not exactly a low fat food, but tablespoon for tablespoon, even the full fat variety has half the fat and calories as butter, which is the traditional base for frosting. Sub a low-fat variety (like Neufchatel) and you're now at less than half the calories and one quarter the fat of butter. As you'll see in the cupcake recipes, I actually used a combination of cream cheese and butter so that the frosting would taste a little more traditional, but would have some of the benefit of the substitution. The second trick is to add sugar slowly. I found I was able to reduce the sugar in both recipes I found and still have a frosting that was plenty sweet by starting with about 1/2 to 2/3 the recommended amount and increasing only as needed.
In honor of the munchkin's birthday, we hosted a small party with some of her friends at a local play space. Rather than have the party during a meal time, I decided to just serve a snack - cupcakes, pretzels, animal crackers, and water. The party place would provide all the food if we wanted, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to make some cupcakes that were a little more wholesome than what's typically served. You may recall that I also decided to make cupcakes for the muchkin's first birthday last year, but fortunately I've learned a lot about healthier baking in the past year, and was able to spare my guests hidden blueberries and spinach hidden this time ;). After a lot of internet searching and thinking, I decided to make 2 kinds - vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting, and chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting.
But before I get to the recipes, I wanted to share some thoughts on frosting - did you all know that frosting is actually really easy to make?? I didn't! For most of my life, I was convinced by Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker that frosting only comes in a round container with scary ingredients. If you don't believe me, see for yourself - here is the ingredient list for some "home-style" vanilla frosting:
Sugar, Vegetable Oil Shortening (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean And Cottonseed Oils, Mon-And Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60), Water, Corn Syrup. Contains 2% Or Less Of: Corn Starch, Salt, Colored With (Titanium Dioxide, Yellow 5, Red 40), Natural And Artificial Flavors, Rum, Caramel Color, Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate), Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate.
Ack! How many of you have those ingredients in your home?? Impressively, this includes every ingredient category I try to avoid...trans fats (a.k.a. partially hydrogenated oils), artificial flavors, artificial colors, and preservatives. But I believed that you have to be an expert baker to actually make frosting at home, and that it required a lot of effort. I was SO wrong and will never go back...even without efforts to lower the fat and sugar, home-made frosting is way more wholesome in that it will include real ingredients like butter, sugar, and pure vanilla extract, and can be made in minutes by anyone who owns a mixing bowl and a hand mixer. Plus, I have also discovered that a few tweaks can help the fat and sugar content quite a bit without sacrificing taste.
The first trick is to use cream cheese! Cream cheese is not exactly a low fat food, but tablespoon for tablespoon, even the full fat variety has half the fat and calories as butter, which is the traditional base for frosting. Sub a low-fat variety (like Neufchatel) and you're now at less than half the calories and one quarter the fat of butter. As you'll see in the cupcake recipes, I actually used a combination of cream cheese and butter so that the frosting would taste a little more traditional, but would have some of the benefit of the substitution. The second trick is to add sugar slowly. I found I was able to reduce the sugar in both recipes I found and still have a frosting that was plenty sweet by starting with about 1/2 to 2/3 the recommended amount and increasing only as needed.
For the vanilla cupcakes I actually just adapted 2 recipes I already have - for the base, I made my Whole Wheat Apple Muffins, eliminating the apples and cinnamon, upping the sugar to about 3/4 cup, and adding 2 teaspoons of vanilla. And for the frosting, I used the Cream Cheese Frosting from my Pumpkin Cake, but replaced 4 ounces of the neufchatel cheese with 1/2 cup of softened butter to tone down the cream cheese flavor for the little ones. Both parts of the cupcake were delicious and went over really well, but next time I will probably look for a different recipe for the base - I loved the buttery vanilla flavor, but the texture is dense and, well, muffin-y! Until they were frosted, I didn't realize how much lighter cupcakes generally are.
The chocolate cupcakes required a little more research and testing, but were a huge success! Check this post for the complete story and recipe :)
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
---This post is part of my Canadian Thanksgiving series---
I have to apologize, I failed as a food blogger and didn't manage to get my pumpkin cake recipe posted before Thanksgiving! But even if you didn't have the opportunity to make this for Thanksgiving, it is still a great all-purpose recipe. I originally got this recipe after freaking out that my frozen apple crisp was going to be inedible when I reheated it, and therefore I wouldn't have enough dessert (both of which, in hindsight, are ridiculous thoughts - how bad could apple crisp be, really, and even without it we would have had MORE than enough dessert on the table).
In any case, I was complaining to my friend who offered up this pumpkin cake recipe which could not possibly be easier to make. It requires one mixing bowl, a 1 cup and a 1 tsp measure, and a mixing instrument. You seriously can't mess it up, and, while not the most healthy recipe out there, it is simple and tasty. In the future I'd like to try lightening it up with less sugar, some whole wheat flour, and possibly some applesauce in place of some of the oil - I will let you know how it goes when I do! But for Thanksgiving, of course, I decided to make it even more decadent by adding some cream cheese frosting, which was absolutely delicious, but not at all necessary to make the cake enjoyable. As a side note, this frosting is incredibly easy, too. I will have more info on frosting in a future post (my little munchkin is turning 2 and it's cupcake time!), but in the mean time, please know that it is not difficult to make frosting that is tastier and way more wholesome than anything you can buy in a tub :)
Pumpkin Cake
adapted from a friend
2 cups all purpose flour
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 cup canola oil
1 14 oz can pumpkin
4 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350. Butter or spray a bundt pan or 9x13 baking dish.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake for approximately 35 minutes until lightly brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool completely before frosting (optional; see recipe below).
Do ahead: This cake was perfect made a few days in advance and frozen, wrapped tightly with foil. Just defrost at room temperature, frost (if you want), and serve!
Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from Sweet + Natural
12 ounces Neufchatel cheese
2-2 1/2 cups unrefined powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Blend ingredients with an electric hand mixer until smooth, starting with 2 cups of sugar and adding more as needed to get to your desired sweetness level. Note that you do NOT have to soften the cheese, it works just fine straight from the fridge.
Do ahead: The frosting holds up perfectly made 1-2 days in advance and refrigerated with a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the frosting. If you have a sturdy bowl with a lid, even better - just mix it up in that bowl, throw some plastic wrap on before putting on the lid, and refrigerate until you're ready to use!
I have to apologize, I failed as a food blogger and didn't manage to get my pumpkin cake recipe posted before Thanksgiving! But even if you didn't have the opportunity to make this for Thanksgiving, it is still a great all-purpose recipe. I originally got this recipe after freaking out that my frozen apple crisp was going to be inedible when I reheated it, and therefore I wouldn't have enough dessert (both of which, in hindsight, are ridiculous thoughts - how bad could apple crisp be, really, and even without it we would have had MORE than enough dessert on the table).
In any case, I was complaining to my friend who offered up this pumpkin cake recipe which could not possibly be easier to make. It requires one mixing bowl, a 1 cup and a 1 tsp measure, and a mixing instrument. You seriously can't mess it up, and, while not the most healthy recipe out there, it is simple and tasty. In the future I'd like to try lightening it up with less sugar, some whole wheat flour, and possibly some applesauce in place of some of the oil - I will let you know how it goes when I do! But for Thanksgiving, of course, I decided to make it even more decadent by adding some cream cheese frosting, which was absolutely delicious, but not at all necessary to make the cake enjoyable. As a side note, this frosting is incredibly easy, too. I will have more info on frosting in a future post (my little munchkin is turning 2 and it's cupcake time!), but in the mean time, please know that it is not difficult to make frosting that is tastier and way more wholesome than anything you can buy in a tub :)
Pumpkin Cake
adapted from a friend
2 cups all purpose flour
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 cup canola oil
1 14 oz can pumpkin
4 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350. Butter or spray a bundt pan or 9x13 baking dish.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake for approximately 35 minutes until lightly brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool completely before frosting (optional; see recipe below).
Do ahead: This cake was perfect made a few days in advance and frozen, wrapped tightly with foil. Just defrost at room temperature, frost (if you want), and serve!
Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from Sweet + Natural
12 ounces Neufchatel cheese
2-2 1/2 cups unrefined powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Blend ingredients with an electric hand mixer until smooth, starting with 2 cups of sugar and adding more as needed to get to your desired sweetness level. Note that you do NOT have to soften the cheese, it works just fine straight from the fridge.
Do ahead: The frosting holds up perfectly made 1-2 days in advance and refrigerated with a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the frosting. If you have a sturdy bowl with a lid, even better - just mix it up in that bowl, throw some plastic wrap on before putting on the lid, and refrigerate until you're ready to use!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Apple Crisp
---This post is part of my Canadian Thanksgiving series---
Well friends, we have finally made it to dessert in my Canadian Thanksgiving feast! Sorry for cutting this so close to our American Thanksgiving; it's become harder and harder to carve out time to get through my blog backlog. But even if this doesn't make it into your holiday menu, it is a great, all purpose recipe to file away. Back when I was in college, one of my roommates made a delicious apple crisp. I can't remember anymore whether my mom actually tasted it or I just told her about it, but somewhere along the line the recipe was passed on. My mom has since made this tons of times and when I asked my friend about it recently, she could barely remember making it! So I think it's safe to say my mom now gets the credit for the current version, as who knows how many changes have been made in the last decade.
I love apple crisp as a dessert option, especially when trying to come up with a non-chocolate addition to the table. In my opinion, pie crust is a bit of a waste of calories - I certainly don't mind it, but I don't love it either. If it were healthy that would be great, but generally it's not worth eating something so unhealthy if I'm not getting a lot of enjoyment out of it. Crumb topping, on the other hand, gives me LOTS of enjoyment! And it even has some redeeming qualities with the oats :). I'm not trying to say this is healthfood, but all things considered, fruit is good for you, oats are good for you, and there is not a crazy amount of sugar or butter in this recipe, making it quite a wholesome choice as far as desserts go.
It is also fairly simple to make, although I will warn that peeling and chopping apples always takes longer than I think it should, which is why I wanted to make this dessert ahead. I knew I had bought a frozen apple crumb pie once that came with directions on how to bake in the oven at home, but when asking around and searching the internet, everyone seemed to have a different opinion on the best way, if at all, to make a crisp ahead of time. Should I refrigerate or freeze? Cook it completely or freeze the apples raw and then cook that day? Thaw before heating up or put in the oven frozen? In the end, I decided to go against much of the advice and just cook it through, freeze, and reheat in the oven after letting it thaw a bit (mainly because I was scared my baking dish would crack if I put it right from the freezer into a hot oven). And guess what - it worked perfectly! So in case you were wondering, YES, you can make apple crisp ahead and freeze it! I include some more detail below on how to do this.
One caveat before I go on - some of my measurements are estimates or missing. Please bear with me and rest assured that there is a LOT of leeway in this recipe and I think your judgment will be just fine :)
Apple Crisp
from my mom!
8-10 medium granny smith apples (or your favorite baking apple)
Cinnamon
Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups quick oats
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
Cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 9x13 (or equivalent) baking pan.
Peel, core, and slice apples into 8 wedges each. Mound in baking pan and toss with cinnamon - they should be piled pretty high as they will cook down a lot.
Mix all topping ingredients together. There should be enough butter so that mixture is all "wet". Sprinkle over apples and shove into crevices between apples as well.
Bake for about 50 minutes or until apples are soft to your liking (I like my crisp to resemble applesauce with crumb topping, so check sooner if you prefer crunchier apples). Don't worry if the crisp is still piled up high when you take it out; it will "deflate" as it cools.
Serve warm, either right after baking, by refrigerating for 1-2 days and reheating in oven, or freezing and reheating in oven after letting it thaw for a couple of hours.
Well friends, we have finally made it to dessert in my Canadian Thanksgiving feast! Sorry for cutting this so close to our American Thanksgiving; it's become harder and harder to carve out time to get through my blog backlog. But even if this doesn't make it into your holiday menu, it is a great, all purpose recipe to file away. Back when I was in college, one of my roommates made a delicious apple crisp. I can't remember anymore whether my mom actually tasted it or I just told her about it, but somewhere along the line the recipe was passed on. My mom has since made this tons of times and when I asked my friend about it recently, she could barely remember making it! So I think it's safe to say my mom now gets the credit for the current version, as who knows how many changes have been made in the last decade.
I love apple crisp as a dessert option, especially when trying to come up with a non-chocolate addition to the table. In my opinion, pie crust is a bit of a waste of calories - I certainly don't mind it, but I don't love it either. If it were healthy that would be great, but generally it's not worth eating something so unhealthy if I'm not getting a lot of enjoyment out of it. Crumb topping, on the other hand, gives me LOTS of enjoyment! And it even has some redeeming qualities with the oats :). I'm not trying to say this is healthfood, but all things considered, fruit is good for you, oats are good for you, and there is not a crazy amount of sugar or butter in this recipe, making it quite a wholesome choice as far as desserts go.
It is also fairly simple to make, although I will warn that peeling and chopping apples always takes longer than I think it should, which is why I wanted to make this dessert ahead. I knew I had bought a frozen apple crumb pie once that came with directions on how to bake in the oven at home, but when asking around and searching the internet, everyone seemed to have a different opinion on the best way, if at all, to make a crisp ahead of time. Should I refrigerate or freeze? Cook it completely or freeze the apples raw and then cook that day? Thaw before heating up or put in the oven frozen? In the end, I decided to go against much of the advice and just cook it through, freeze, and reheat in the oven after letting it thaw a bit (mainly because I was scared my baking dish would crack if I put it right from the freezer into a hot oven). And guess what - it worked perfectly! So in case you were wondering, YES, you can make apple crisp ahead and freeze it! I include some more detail below on how to do this.
One caveat before I go on - some of my measurements are estimates or missing. Please bear with me and rest assured that there is a LOT of leeway in this recipe and I think your judgment will be just fine :)
Apple Crisp
from my mom!
8-10 medium granny smith apples (or your favorite baking apple)
Cinnamon
Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups quick oats
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
Cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 9x13 (or equivalent) baking pan.
Peel, core, and slice apples into 8 wedges each. Mound in baking pan and toss with cinnamon - they should be piled pretty high as they will cook down a lot.
Mix all topping ingredients together. There should be enough butter so that mixture is all "wet". Sprinkle over apples and shove into crevices between apples as well.
Bake for about 50 minutes or until apples are soft to your liking (I like my crisp to resemble applesauce with crumb topping, so check sooner if you prefer crunchier apples). Don't worry if the crisp is still piled up high when you take it out; it will "deflate" as it cools.
Serve warm, either right after baking, by refrigerating for 1-2 days and reheating in oven, or freezing and reheating in oven after letting it thaw for a couple of hours.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Silky Smooth Mashed Potatoes
---This post is part of my Canadian Thanksgiving series---
I'm easy when it comes to mashed potatoes - I've pretty much never met a mashed potato I didn't love, from super-buttery, creamy restaurant style to my healthier, minimal butter, skins-included Smashed Potatoes. I really am telling the truth when I say that I enjoy my healthier version just as much, but I've been told (by hubby of course) that most people prefer the smoother, more buttery variety. So for our Thanksgiving meal, I tried to find a middle ground - I was not about to pour a carton of heavy cream into my potatoes, but I thought a little extra butter could be nice, and decided we could leave the skins off this time.
I ended up finding a recipe on Epicurious promising a silky texture that got fabulous reviews. I was sold on this recipe after reading the instructions to use a food mill or potato ricer instead of a masher. You see, over the summer, in preparation for our big move out of the city to a home with an actual back deck and grill, hubby and I signed up for a grilling class at the Institute of Culinary Education (which has great recreational classes, by the way). The class didn't quite give us the foundation we were looking for in how to grill, but we did make an amazing "mashed potato salad" that required cooking potatoes, skin on, simply cut in half, and then pressed through a potato ricer to remove the skin and "mash" all in one go. This method really did produce amazingly smooth results, and I loved the idea of not having to peel raw potatoes or chop into small pieces Thanksgiving day.
These potatoes came out fabulous. I was happy because they had what I considered a reasonable amount of butter, and called for milk instead of cream, but I don't think even the most die-hard mashed potato fanatics could have complained that they weren't luscious enough. Using a ricer instead of mashing really does produce an amazing texture, and the ratio of added fat/liquid was perfect, although I think if you're not making these for a special occasion you could easily use less butter and/or low fat milk with great results. As I hoped, it was nice not having to peel potatoes or do more than cut them in half in advance, but I will give one warning - try to find the biggest Yukon Gold potatoes you can find - I ended up buying a 5 lb bag that had tiny little ones, and ricing each little half was a bit of a painful job (for hubby). With bigger potatoes, it would have been half as much work!
Silky Smooth Mashed Potatoes
adapted from Epicurious
2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes (preferably large)
2/3 cup whole milk
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black or white pepper
Special equipment: a potato ricer*
Wash potatoes and cut in half across the equator. Place in a large pot and add cold water up to 1 inch above potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, approx 10 to 15 minutes (but this will vary based on the size of your potatoes, so check every few minutes - overcooked potatoes will become waterlogged).
Drain potatoes in a colander, shaking to dry as thoroughly as possible (alternatively, you could return them to the hot pot to dry and then transfer to a bowl, but I didn't find this step necessary). While potatoes are draining, add milk, butter, salt, and pepper to pot and warm over moderate heat until butter is melted.
Place each potato half in the ricer with the cut side towards the holes and squeeze into the hot milk mixture - the skin will simply stay in the ricer and only the insides of the potato will go through. Remove skin from ricer and repeat until you've finished all of the potatoes. Gently stir with a large heatproof rubber spatula just until combined. Taste and season with additional salt and/or pepper as needed.
Do ahead: Potatoes can be cut and sit in cold water for an hour or so before cooking. They are best served immediately, but this recipe on Epicurious suggests a reheating process (which I have not tested!) if you just have too much else going on at the last minute.
Serves 4**
* I think the ricer is important to the texture achieved with this recipe, but if you don't have one and don't want to buy one (like I did for this meal!) reviews on Epicurious suggest that just peeling and mashing the potatoes as you normally would will still yield great results.
** I tripled this recipe for my Thanksgiving crowd of 10 adults and 5 kids/toddlers and had plenty of leftovers; if not serving for a holiday meal with lots of other sides, there would probably not be much leftover.
I'm easy when it comes to mashed potatoes - I've pretty much never met a mashed potato I didn't love, from super-buttery, creamy restaurant style to my healthier, minimal butter, skins-included Smashed Potatoes. I really am telling the truth when I say that I enjoy my healthier version just as much, but I've been told (by hubby of course) that most people prefer the smoother, more buttery variety. So for our Thanksgiving meal, I tried to find a middle ground - I was not about to pour a carton of heavy cream into my potatoes, but I thought a little extra butter could be nice, and decided we could leave the skins off this time.
I ended up finding a recipe on Epicurious promising a silky texture that got fabulous reviews. I was sold on this recipe after reading the instructions to use a food mill or potato ricer instead of a masher. You see, over the summer, in preparation for our big move out of the city to a home with an actual back deck and grill, hubby and I signed up for a grilling class at the Institute of Culinary Education (which has great recreational classes, by the way). The class didn't quite give us the foundation we were looking for in how to grill, but we did make an amazing "mashed potato salad" that required cooking potatoes, skin on, simply cut in half, and then pressed through a potato ricer to remove the skin and "mash" all in one go. This method really did produce amazingly smooth results, and I loved the idea of not having to peel raw potatoes or chop into small pieces Thanksgiving day.
These potatoes came out fabulous. I was happy because they had what I considered a reasonable amount of butter, and called for milk instead of cream, but I don't think even the most die-hard mashed potato fanatics could have complained that they weren't luscious enough. Using a ricer instead of mashing really does produce an amazing texture, and the ratio of added fat/liquid was perfect, although I think if you're not making these for a special occasion you could easily use less butter and/or low fat milk with great results. As I hoped, it was nice not having to peel potatoes or do more than cut them in half in advance, but I will give one warning - try to find the biggest Yukon Gold potatoes you can find - I ended up buying a 5 lb bag that had tiny little ones, and ricing each little half was a bit of a painful job (for hubby). With bigger potatoes, it would have been half as much work!
Silky Smooth Mashed Potatoes
adapted from Epicurious
2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes (preferably large)
2/3 cup whole milk
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black or white pepper
Special equipment: a potato ricer*
Wash potatoes and cut in half across the equator. Place in a large pot and add cold water up to 1 inch above potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, approx 10 to 15 minutes (but this will vary based on the size of your potatoes, so check every few minutes - overcooked potatoes will become waterlogged).
Drain potatoes in a colander, shaking to dry as thoroughly as possible (alternatively, you could return them to the hot pot to dry and then transfer to a bowl, but I didn't find this step necessary). While potatoes are draining, add milk, butter, salt, and pepper to pot and warm over moderate heat until butter is melted.
Place each potato half in the ricer with the cut side towards the holes and squeeze into the hot milk mixture - the skin will simply stay in the ricer and only the insides of the potato will go through. Remove skin from ricer and repeat until you've finished all of the potatoes. Gently stir with a large heatproof rubber spatula just until combined. Taste and season with additional salt and/or pepper as needed.
Do ahead: Potatoes can be cut and sit in cold water for an hour or so before cooking. They are best served immediately, but this recipe on Epicurious suggests a reheating process (which I have not tested!) if you just have too much else going on at the last minute.
Serves 4**
* I think the ricer is important to the texture achieved with this recipe, but if you don't have one and don't want to buy one (like I did for this meal!) reviews on Epicurious suggest that just peeling and mashing the potatoes as you normally would will still yield great results.
** I tripled this recipe for my Thanksgiving crowd of 10 adults and 5 kids/toddlers and had plenty of leftovers; if not serving for a holiday meal with lots of other sides, there would probably not be much leftover.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Classic Lasagna
---This meal is part of my Canadian Thanksgiving series---
Hubby's family had a long trip to our house for Canadian Thanksgiving - about 8-10 hours. So before I could worry about the Thanksgiving feast itself, I wanted to have a nice meal for them when they arrived. I decided that I needed something that could be made and frozen in advance but could also be reheated multiple times in case hubby's parents and sister arrived at different times. My first thought was baked ziti, until a friend recommended a Barefoot Contessa recipe for lasagna that she's had great success with in the past. After a few failed veggie lasagna attempts recently I've been kind of avoiding it, but this recipe sounded very safe and not complicated at all to make.
I got to work, making a couple of changes - the original recipe calls for chicken sausage and goat cheese, both of which would make this dish very special but also not as universally liked, so I wanted to stick to more classic flavors. If those ingredients sound good to you, though, please check out the original as it gets amazing reviews from my friend and reviewers over at the Food Network website!
I have to admit, making lasagna is a pain in the neck - every step was simple and the components were easy to pull together, but it took me a solid 20 minutes just to layer everything in the pan! The result, however, was delicious, and accomplished my goal of still tasting good even after being reheated several times. I was especially excited to get rave reviews from my mother-in-law who makes a great lasagna herself! The proportions were great - cheesy but not too much cheese with plenty of sauce, and I think the fresh mozzarella adds a really special touch - I got several comments about it. I served this with caesar salad and home-made whole wheat rolls, but I ran into some issues with those so the recipe on that will have to wait until I get it right :)
Classic Lasagna
adapted from Ina Garten
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/2 pound whole wheat (or regular) lasagna noodles
15 ounces ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Romano or Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Take out a 9x13 baking dish (I used a disposable foil pan so as to not tie up one of my others while the lasagna was in the freezer).
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the beef over medium-low heat, breaking it up as it cooks, until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.
Meanwhile, fill a large bowl or dish with the hottest tap water (I used instant hot). Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain. (If you are using no-cook noodles, follow directions on the box - you may be able to skip this step.)
In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of romano cheese, the egg, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta (this should fit nicely in one layer), half the mozzarella, half the ricotta mixture, and 1/3 of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of romano. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.
Do ahead: Entire lasagna can be cooked according to directions above and frozen. Place frozen lasagna covered in 350 degree oven for approximately 90 minutes, until lasagna is steamy when uncovered and knife inserted into the middle feels hot when removed.
Serves 8 for dinner, or 12 for lunch
Hubby's family had a long trip to our house for Canadian Thanksgiving - about 8-10 hours. So before I could worry about the Thanksgiving feast itself, I wanted to have a nice meal for them when they arrived. I decided that I needed something that could be made and frozen in advance but could also be reheated multiple times in case hubby's parents and sister arrived at different times. My first thought was baked ziti, until a friend recommended a Barefoot Contessa recipe for lasagna that she's had great success with in the past. After a few failed veggie lasagna attempts recently I've been kind of avoiding it, but this recipe sounded very safe and not complicated at all to make.
I got to work, making a couple of changes - the original recipe calls for chicken sausage and goat cheese, both of which would make this dish very special but also not as universally liked, so I wanted to stick to more classic flavors. If those ingredients sound good to you, though, please check out the original as it gets amazing reviews from my friend and reviewers over at the Food Network website!
I have to admit, making lasagna is a pain in the neck - every step was simple and the components were easy to pull together, but it took me a solid 20 minutes just to layer everything in the pan! The result, however, was delicious, and accomplished my goal of still tasting good even after being reheated several times. I was especially excited to get rave reviews from my mother-in-law who makes a great lasagna herself! The proportions were great - cheesy but not too much cheese with plenty of sauce, and I think the fresh mozzarella adds a really special touch - I got several comments about it. I served this with caesar salad and home-made whole wheat rolls, but I ran into some issues with those so the recipe on that will have to wait until I get it right :)
Classic Lasagna
adapted from Ina Garten
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/2 pound whole wheat (or regular) lasagna noodles
15 ounces ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Romano or Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Take out a 9x13 baking dish (I used a disposable foil pan so as to not tie up one of my others while the lasagna was in the freezer).
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the beef over medium-low heat, breaking it up as it cooks, until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.
Meanwhile, fill a large bowl or dish with the hottest tap water (I used instant hot). Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain. (If you are using no-cook noodles, follow directions on the box - you may be able to skip this step.)
In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of romano cheese, the egg, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta (this should fit nicely in one layer), half the mozzarella, half the ricotta mixture, and 1/3 of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of romano. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.
Do ahead: Entire lasagna can be cooked according to directions above and frozen. Place frozen lasagna covered in 350 degree oven for approximately 90 minutes, until lasagna is steamy when uncovered and knife inserted into the middle feels hot when removed.
Serves 8 for dinner, or 12 for lunch
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Thanksgiving in October!
So be honest, how many of you out there know that Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving about 6 weeks before we do in the US? I'm not sure I would have ever learned this tidbit if I hadn't married a Canadian, but interestingly enough Canadian Thanksgiving coincides with our Columbus day, which means we all have a long weekend at the same time. That made it the perfect opportunity to invite hubby's entire family down to see our new house in the burbs and have a big holiday meal at the same time :) To add to the fun, we decided to invite my family as well, since our families very rarely see each other. The grand total for the feast would be 10 adults, 2 big kids, and 3 toddlers, not a huge crowd for experienced entertainers, but until a few months ago I lived in an apartment where 6 people for a sit-down meal was tight. I was excited to host my big holiday meal as entertaining is always the perfect motivation for me to try out new recipes - who better to experiment on than family?
When I sat down to start planning, I realized there was a bit of a catch here - I didn't just need to plan a holiday menu, I needed to plan a long weekend meal plan since hubby's parents and sister + her hubby and 2 kids would be staying with us. That certainly complicated things a little more, but really just added to the challenge! I decided I would selectively cook meals and plan other meals to bring in food (e.g., bagels, sandwiches, etc) or have people fend for themselves in a well-stocked kitchen (e.g., eggs, cereal, frozen muffins, and home-made bread for breakfast). For this weekend I made EXCELLENT use of my extra fridge and freezer in the basement, planning a menu carefully so that I could get a lot of the work done in the weeks ahead.
Thought it might be helpful to share my ideas for do-ahead vs. freshly made options in case any of you find yourself in my shoes. Most of the new recipes will be posted in the coming week or two, so stay tuned - I'll add links to this post as I do!
Dinner on arrival:
Traditional Lasagna (frozen in advance) - absolutely delicious!
Home-made Dinner Rolls (frozen in advance) - I made the dough in my bread machine and par-baked the rolls before freezing. They were delicious, but required some troubleshooting so I will try these again before sharing the method.
Caesar Salad - I decided to save myself a task and bought caesar dressing from Trader Joe's, but did make home-made croutons a couple of days in advance. That left chopping and washing some romaine hearts to be the only work for that evening.
Post Thanksgiving Lunch:
Chili (frozen in advance) - I've shared this one before, and I still love this recipe!
Cornbread (frozen in advance) - I tried a new recipe this time, and made both Cheddar Jalepeno Cornbread Muffins and Corny Whole Wheat Cornbread.
Thanksgiving Dinner:
Spinach Salad with Candied Walnuts, Crumbled Ricotta Salata, and Sliced Apples - I made the candied walnuts about a week in advance, and crumbled the cheese and sliced the apples in the morning so that the salad was ready to be plated by one of my wonderful assistants at dinner time. Salad was drizzled with my standard balsamic vinaigrette (recipe to come!) that's always in my fridge.
Simplest Roast Turkey with Red Wine Gravy (made that day) - something went wrong with the cooking time and/or my thermometer and the turkey wasn't completely cooked when we cut into it. Will need to test this one again before sharing.
Traditional White Bread Stuffing (made 2 days in advance and refrigerated) - there is nothing healthy about this recipe, but it is wholesome in that I made the bread myself and used all organic ingredients. This method is a little labor intensive, but delicious and can be made ahead which is a big help!
Silky Smooth Mashed Potatoes (made that day) - I decided to go a little more decadent for the holiday than my typical Smashed Potatoes and tried out a new recipe that was a huge hit!
Sweet Potato Pie (outsourced to my mom) - I don't even want to know what goes in this - rumor has it there's a lot of butter and sugar, and that's before you even get to the pie crust and toasted marshmallows on top, but for me Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without it!
Waldorf Salad (outsourced to my mother-in-law) - this fruit & nut salad tossed with whipped cream is apparently a traditional side dish in hubby's family, so my mother-in-law threw this together Thanksgiving morning.
Cranberry Sauce (store-bought) - I served this from a can. I have made this recipe in the past which I think is delicious and is also easy to make, but hubby insists that people prefer the canned stuff. I can't really understand that; the stuff in the can grosses me out, but who am I to create more work for myself and have it not be appreciated at all?!? In my defense, I did at least get the organic version at Whole Foods ;)
Thanksgiving Dessert:
oh, you thought there was enough at dinner??
One Bowl Brownies (made 2 days in advance) - still love this recipe, and I don't think they suffered at all from being made ahead.
"Baked Bars" (frozen in advance) - this recipe for 7-layer bars was from a cookbook written by the guys who own the Baked bakery in Brooklyn. They were unbelievably delicious, but the recipe is neither simple nor wholesome, so I don't think I'll be posting that one here!
Apple Crisp (frozen in advance) - I finally made my mom's recipe myself, and it is delicious!
Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (cake frozen in advance; frosting made 1 day ahead) - this was a last minute addition to the menu when I got nervous about how well the apple crisp would freeze. As it turns out, the crisp froze perfectly but the pumpkin cake was delicious anyway!
Lemon Pound Cake (outsourced to my mother-in-law) - this cake is always a hit, and a special request for my dad who wouldn't have been excited about any of the other sweets.
Fruit Plate (outsourced to my mother) - putting some fruit on the table negates how unhealthy the rest of the meal is, right? :)
When I sat down to start planning, I realized there was a bit of a catch here - I didn't just need to plan a holiday menu, I needed to plan a long weekend meal plan since hubby's parents and sister + her hubby and 2 kids would be staying with us. That certainly complicated things a little more, but really just added to the challenge! I decided I would selectively cook meals and plan other meals to bring in food (e.g., bagels, sandwiches, etc) or have people fend for themselves in a well-stocked kitchen (e.g., eggs, cereal, frozen muffins, and home-made bread for breakfast). For this weekend I made EXCELLENT use of my extra fridge and freezer in the basement, planning a menu carefully so that I could get a lot of the work done in the weeks ahead.
Thought it might be helpful to share my ideas for do-ahead vs. freshly made options in case any of you find yourself in my shoes. Most of the new recipes will be posted in the coming week or two, so stay tuned - I'll add links to this post as I do!
Dinner on arrival:
Traditional Lasagna (frozen in advance) - absolutely delicious!
Home-made Dinner Rolls (frozen in advance) - I made the dough in my bread machine and par-baked the rolls before freezing. They were delicious, but required some troubleshooting so I will try these again before sharing the method.
Caesar Salad - I decided to save myself a task and bought caesar dressing from Trader Joe's, but did make home-made croutons a couple of days in advance. That left chopping and washing some romaine hearts to be the only work for that evening.
Post Thanksgiving Lunch:
Chili (frozen in advance) - I've shared this one before, and I still love this recipe!
Cornbread (frozen in advance) - I tried a new recipe this time, and made both Cheddar Jalepeno Cornbread Muffins and Corny Whole Wheat Cornbread.
Thanksgiving Dinner:
Spinach Salad with Candied Walnuts, Crumbled Ricotta Salata, and Sliced Apples - I made the candied walnuts about a week in advance, and crumbled the cheese and sliced the apples in the morning so that the salad was ready to be plated by one of my wonderful assistants at dinner time. Salad was drizzled with my standard balsamic vinaigrette (recipe to come!) that's always in my fridge.
Simplest Roast Turkey with Red Wine Gravy (made that day) - something went wrong with the cooking time and/or my thermometer and the turkey wasn't completely cooked when we cut into it. Will need to test this one again before sharing.
Traditional White Bread Stuffing (made 2 days in advance and refrigerated) - there is nothing healthy about this recipe, but it is wholesome in that I made the bread myself and used all organic ingredients. This method is a little labor intensive, but delicious and can be made ahead which is a big help!
Silky Smooth Mashed Potatoes (made that day) - I decided to go a little more decadent for the holiday than my typical Smashed Potatoes and tried out a new recipe that was a huge hit!
Sweet Potato Pie (outsourced to my mom) - I don't even want to know what goes in this - rumor has it there's a lot of butter and sugar, and that's before you even get to the pie crust and toasted marshmallows on top, but for me Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without it!
Waldorf Salad (outsourced to my mother-in-law) - this fruit & nut salad tossed with whipped cream is apparently a traditional side dish in hubby's family, so my mother-in-law threw this together Thanksgiving morning.
Cranberry Sauce (store-bought) - I served this from a can. I have made this recipe in the past which I think is delicious and is also easy to make, but hubby insists that people prefer the canned stuff. I can't really understand that; the stuff in the can grosses me out, but who am I to create more work for myself and have it not be appreciated at all?!? In my defense, I did at least get the organic version at Whole Foods ;)
Thanksgiving Dessert:
oh, you thought there was enough at dinner??
One Bowl Brownies (made 2 days in advance) - still love this recipe, and I don't think they suffered at all from being made ahead.
"Baked Bars" (frozen in advance) - this recipe for 7-layer bars was from a cookbook written by the guys who own the Baked bakery in Brooklyn. They were unbelievably delicious, but the recipe is neither simple nor wholesome, so I don't think I'll be posting that one here!
Apple Crisp (frozen in advance) - I finally made my mom's recipe myself, and it is delicious!
Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (cake frozen in advance; frosting made 1 day ahead) - this was a last minute addition to the menu when I got nervous about how well the apple crisp would freeze. As it turns out, the crisp froze perfectly but the pumpkin cake was delicious anyway!
Lemon Pound Cake (outsourced to my mother-in-law) - this cake is always a hit, and a special request for my dad who wouldn't have been excited about any of the other sweets.
Fruit Plate (outsourced to my mother) - putting some fruit on the table negates how unhealthy the rest of the meal is, right? :)
Monday, September 20, 2010
One Bowl Brownies
There is a debate in my family about brownies. My mom thinks that Duncan Hines makes the best brownies, and I used to agree. But once I started reading labels I just couldn't bring myself to make anything that includes ingredients like partially hydrogenated oil and artificial flavors. Brownies shouldn't need factory processed chemicals to be delicious! And to be honest, once I started thinking about what's in them, they stopped tasting as good to me...I don't know if my taste changed or my mind got in the way of my enjoyment, but I decided there has to be a better alternative.
So I set out on the somewhat bizarre quest to make brownies that taste as "good" as the ones that come from the box! I've tried out a few recipes that were promising, but none really blew me away, and my mother still won't let me make brownies for any family function based on my previous experiments. So when I saw a recipe on Smitten Kitchen that Deb specifically said would appeal to those who love the boxed variety, I was intrigued! I wanted to make brownies for my brother's family for the Yom Kippur break fast, which presented the perfect opportunity to test the new recipe out on my 5-year-old nephew who also loves brownies from a box.
I thought these brownies were absolutely delicious - dense, fudgy, and such a rich chocolate taste. My nephew (and everyone else at the table) seemed to agree! And the best part of this recipe is that it is made in just one bowl (plus a pot that just gets wet, not dirty), with one mixing utensil, and with ingredients that you may very well have in your kitchen already - I didn't have to buy a thing!
So while the holidays have not been the best opportunity to showcase healthy cooking, I feel good that through my experiments with spinach leek dip and brownies, I've proven to myself that we don't need chemicals in neat little packages to have tasty special occasion indulgences - good old wholesome ingredients still do the trick, and the effort involved does not need to be monumental. Take that food manufacturers! :)
One Bowl Brownies
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder (this seems like an awfully fussy measurement to me...it simply means 2 tablespoons short of a cup, which I'd call a scant cup - I just didn't fill my cup all the way and it worked fine!)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, cold
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup walnut or pecan pieces (optional)
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.
Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl on top of a pot of barely simmering water. Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the pot and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot. It looks fairly gritty at this point, but it smooths out once the eggs and flour are added.
Stir in the vanilla, and then add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes. Stir in the nuts, if using (I didn't). Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, approximately 30 minutes.
Let cool completely on a rack. Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares.
Makes 16 smallish brownies
So I set out on the somewhat bizarre quest to make brownies that taste as "good" as the ones that come from the box! I've tried out a few recipes that were promising, but none really blew me away, and my mother still won't let me make brownies for any family function based on my previous experiments. So when I saw a recipe on Smitten Kitchen that Deb specifically said would appeal to those who love the boxed variety, I was intrigued! I wanted to make brownies for my brother's family for the Yom Kippur break fast, which presented the perfect opportunity to test the new recipe out on my 5-year-old nephew who also loves brownies from a box.
I thought these brownies were absolutely delicious - dense, fudgy, and such a rich chocolate taste. My nephew (and everyone else at the table) seemed to agree! And the best part of this recipe is that it is made in just one bowl (plus a pot that just gets wet, not dirty), with one mixing utensil, and with ingredients that you may very well have in your kitchen already - I didn't have to buy a thing!
So while the holidays have not been the best opportunity to showcase healthy cooking, I feel good that through my experiments with spinach leek dip and brownies, I've proven to myself that we don't need chemicals in neat little packages to have tasty special occasion indulgences - good old wholesome ingredients still do the trick, and the effort involved does not need to be monumental. Take that food manufacturers! :)
Btw, how cool is this picture? Thanks hubby!
One Bowl Brownies
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder (this seems like an awfully fussy measurement to me...it simply means 2 tablespoons short of a cup, which I'd call a scant cup - I just didn't fill my cup all the way and it worked fine!)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, cold
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup walnut or pecan pieces (optional)
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.
Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl on top of a pot of barely simmering water. Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the pot and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot. It looks fairly gritty at this point, but it smooths out once the eggs and flour are added.
Stir in the vanilla, and then add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes. Stir in the nuts, if using (I didn't). Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, approximately 30 minutes.
Let cool completely on a rack. Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares.
Makes 16 smallish brownies
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Easiest Noodle Kugel
For those of you who may not know what noodle kugel is, it's a dish traditionally served at Jewish holidays (at least in my family!). It's basically a casserole made with a custard base and egg noodles, and is really yummy - it's almost like sweet mac & cheese with sour cream instead of cheese, and corn flakes on top instead of breadcrumbs :). Not the most healthy dish - refined pasta loaded with butter, sour cream, and sugar, but hey, we're still talking about the holidays here! But if it can't be a healthy side dish, can't it at least be easy? Most noodle kugel recipes require cooking the pasta as a separate step (and creating another pot to clean), but I found one years ago that just requires putting uncooked pasta right in the baking dish. Perfect.
The resulting dish is soft, a little sweet, creamy, and delicious. Everyone out there seems to have an idea of what kugel should be like - some will say there has to be raisins, or pineapple, or it should have cottage cheese, cinnamon, etc, but I really like this very simple recipe. That being said, feel free to experiment - I think there's lots of room for playing here!
Btw, apologies for no picture on this post...forgot to take them while it was still fresh and didn't want to discourage anyone by taking pictures after it was already cold! I promise to update when I make this again next year :)
Easiest Noodle Kugel
adapted from Epicurious
8 ounces wide egg noodles (feel free to try with whole wheat egg noodles if you can find them - I looked but didn't see any!)
1 cup raisins (optional)
5 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled
1/3 cup sugar (if you like a really sweet kugel you might want to increase this amount, but I like the lightly sweet version)
4 cups whole milk (or lowfat...I used half whole and half 1% with good results)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups cornflakes, coarsely crushed (I used Nature's Path organic)
1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish.
Spread uncooked noodles over bottom of prepared dish and sprinkle with raisins, if using. Whisk together eggs, sour cream, butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla in large bowl until smooth. Pour mixture over noodles and let kugel stand 5 minutes.
Mix cornflakes and brown sugar in bowl and sprinkle evenly over kugel.
Bake kugel until set in center, about 1 hour. Cut into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Serves 12
The resulting dish is soft, a little sweet, creamy, and delicious. Everyone out there seems to have an idea of what kugel should be like - some will say there has to be raisins, or pineapple, or it should have cottage cheese, cinnamon, etc, but I really like this very simple recipe. That being said, feel free to experiment - I think there's lots of room for playing here!
Btw, apologies for no picture on this post...forgot to take them while it was still fresh and didn't want to discourage anyone by taking pictures after it was already cold! I promise to update when I make this again next year :)
Easiest Noodle Kugel
adapted from Epicurious
8 ounces wide egg noodles (feel free to try with whole wheat egg noodles if you can find them - I looked but didn't see any!)
1 cup raisins (optional)
5 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled
1/3 cup sugar (if you like a really sweet kugel you might want to increase this amount, but I like the lightly sweet version)
4 cups whole milk (or lowfat...I used half whole and half 1% with good results)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups cornflakes, coarsely crushed (I used Nature's Path organic)
1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish.
Spread uncooked noodles over bottom of prepared dish and sprinkle with raisins, if using. Whisk together eggs, sour cream, butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla in large bowl until smooth. Pour mixture over noodles and let kugel stand 5 minutes.
Mix cornflakes and brown sugar in bowl and sprinkle evenly over kugel.
Bake kugel until set in center, about 1 hour. Cut into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Serves 12
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