Apple and Maple Bread Pudding

Custard:

• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (preferably Grade B)
• 1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons apple brandy (such as applejack or Calvados)
• 1 1-pound loaf pain rustique, all crust trimmed, bread cut into 3/4- to 1-inch cubes (6 1/2 to 7 cups)

Apples:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples (about 5), peeled, quartered, cored, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices (about 7 cups)
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup plus additional for brushing (preferably Grade B)
• 1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

For custard: 
Whisk eggs, maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and sea salt in large bowl. Add milk, cream, and brandy and whisk until well blended. Add bread cubes and press to submerge into custard. Let soak at least 30 minutes, occasionally pressing on bread cubes to submerge.

For apples: 
Meanwhile, position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Generously butter 11x7-inch glass casserole pan. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple slices and sauté until deep golden and beginning to soften, stirring and turning apple slices frequently, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup maple syrup, then brown sugar. Simmer until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens to syrup, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Mix half of apple slices into breadcustard mixture. Transfer bread pudding mixture to prepared pan. Arrange remaining apple slices atop bread pudding in 2 lengthwise rows. Spoon any remaining syrup from skillet over apple slices. Place loaf pan on rimmed baking sheet (to catch any spills during baking).

Bake bread pudding until puffed and cracked on top, apples are deep brown, and instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pudding registers 170°F to 180°F, about 1 hour 30 minutes (pudding will rise high above top of pan). Remove from oven and let rest at room temperature 45 minutes to 1 hour (pudding will fall). Brush apples on top of pudding with additional maple syrup. Spoon pudding into bowls and serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious

Aloo gobi

1/4 C vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro, separated into stalks and leaves and roughly chopped
1 small green chili, finely chopped(or 1 tsp chili powder)
1 large cauliflower, cut into large florets
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
2 tsp garam masala

Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Add the chopped onion and cumin seeds to the oil. Stir together and cook until onion becomes creamy, golden and translucent.
Add cilantro, turmeric, salt, chili, ginger and garlic, and stir in tomatoes. Mix thoroughly, then add the potatoes and cauliflower plus a few tablespoons of water. Cover and simmer for twenty minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Add garam masala and stir. Serve with rice and additional chopped coriander leaves.

Breadmachine donuts

3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 C sugar
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons yeast
Vegetable oil for frying

Place ingredients in breadmachine according to manufacturer and set to dough setting. When cycle is done, remove dough, punch down and let rest 10 minutes.

On lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/2-inch thick. Cut with floured doughnut cutter. Place on lightly greased baking sheet and let rise about 1 hour or until very light. Fry in preheated 350*F (190*C) oil, a few at a time, about 1 minute, each side. Drain on paper towel.

Cream cheese raspberry muffin

Ingredients
1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened 
1/3 cup butter, softened 
1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
2 large egg whites 
1 large egg 
1 cup all-purpose flour 
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk 
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries 


Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add sugar, beat until fluffy. Add vanilla, egg whites, and egg; beat well.


Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and buttermilk to cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Gently fold in raspberries.


Place 18 cup liners in muffin cups. Spoon batter evenly into liners. Bake at 350° 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans; cool on a wire rack. 

Danube waves

Batter:
2 jars or cans of sour cherries (drained weight approx. 350 g each), or fresh, pitted
250 g/9 oz soft margarine or butter
200 g/7 oz sugar
3 drops vanilla extract in 1 tbsp sugar
1 pinch salt
5 medium eggs
375 g/13/½ oz AP flour
3 level tsp baking powder
20 g / ¾ oz cocoa
2 tsp milk

Butter Cream:
40g/ 1 ½ oz custard powder or 1 packet vanilla pudding (not the no-coke type)
100 g/ 3 ½ oz sugar
500 ml/ 17 fl oz milk
250 g/ 9 oz soft butter

Topping:
200 g/ 7 oz plain chocolate
4 tsp oil (cooking)


Preheat oven to about 180° C/ 350 °F. Grease the baking sheet. Thoroughly drain the cherries. To make the cake mixture, stir the softened margarine or butter with a hand mixer with a whisk, until it becomes smooth and homogenous. Gradually add the sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt, stir until mixture thickens. Add 1 egg at a time, whisking each one for about ½ minute at the highest setting.

Mix together the flour and baking powder, sift and add to margarine or butter mixture in two stages, briefly stirring with a mixer at the medium setting. Spread 2/3 of the mixture on the greased baking sheet. Sift the cocoa powder and add with the milk to the rest of the batter, and spread it on top of the light batter. Place a strip of aluminum foil along the open end of the baking sheet to form and edge (no need for this if you are using a pan). Dry the sour cherries quickly on kitchen paper, then arrange them on the dark colored cake mixture, pressing them lightly into place. Bake for about 40 minutes.

Take the cake of the baking sheet and place on a cooling rack, or if using a pan, just cool it in a pan.
Make the butter cream filling, make the custard with the custard powder, sugar and milk, following the instructions on a packet. Leave the custard to cool down (don’t refrigerate), and stir occasionally.
Stir the softened butter with a hand mixer with whisk until it becomes smooth and homogenous. Stir in the cooled custard, by the spoonful, making sure that the butter and the custard are both at room temperature because the butter cream could curdle otherwise. Spread the butter cream on the cooled cake, and smooth out the surface. Refrigerate for about an hour.

To make the chocolate topping, coarsely chop the plain chocolate and melt it with the oil in a double boiler, or however you usually do so ( I did it in microwave). Pour the chocolate coating over the set butter cream, and decorate with a baking comb or a fork, creating waves. Enjoy!


Original recipe from Cafechocolada.blogspot

Spaetzle with spinach, mushroom and red pepper

1 box Spaetzle
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 C raw baby spinach
4 oz sliced shiitake mushroom caps
1 chopped red bell pepper
1/2 C cream
1/2 C grated Gruyere

Prepare Spaetzle according to directions. Saute chopped garlic in olive oil, then add mushroom, pepper and spinach. Sautee for 2-4 minutes - don't overcook the spinach. In an 8 by 8 in baking pan, mix the spaetzle, garlic, spinach, pepper, mushroom, and add the 1/2 C milk. Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 15-20 minutes, then sprinkle grated Gruyere on top. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Orange cranberry muffins

1 cup dried (sweetened) cranberries

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 Tablespoon fresh orange zest (the zest of one whole orange)

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon orange extract (optional, but good)

2 Tablespoons oil (vegetable, canola or olive)

1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line a muffin/cupcake pan with paper liners.

Zest one whole orange (making about 1 Tablespoon of zest) and set aside. Squeeze the juice from that one orange (about 1/2 cup).  Put the orange juice (if needed, add some prepared orange juice to the fresh juice to make 1/2 cup) and the cranberries in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Simmer about 5 minutes, stirring as needed.  Turn off heat and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ginger, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, orange zest and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Scrape down the side of the bowl, then add in the eggs (one at a time), vanilla, orange extract, and oil.  Blend until well combined.

Add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk (add about half of the flour mixture, then some milk,then the rest of the flour, and the rest of the milk).  Fold in the cranberries.  Do not over mix. Scoop batter into prepared muffin/cupcake pan. Bake muffins about 20 minutes (test with a toothpick, there should be moist crumbs, but not wet). Cool muffins on a wire cooling rack. 

Enjoy the muffins while still warm, or when cool.  They are best the day they are made, but are still very good the next day.

Yields about 8 large or 12 medium (standard) muffins.

Recipe adopted from Glorious treats

Banana cake with rum icing

For cake
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting pan
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup well-mashed very ripe bananas
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the frosting
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon light or golden rum
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Lightly butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan, knocking out excess flour.
Whisk together flour (1 1/2 cups), baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
Beat together butter (1 stick) and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg until combined, then add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla and beat until combined well. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated.
Spread batter in cake pan and bake until pale golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge of pan, then invert rack over cake and invert cake onto rack to cool completely.

Icing

In a bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter, add the rum, the salt, and the confectioners' sugar, and beat the frosting until it is light and fluffy.

Peanut butter oatmeal dog biscuits

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cups water, or as needed
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
3 tablespoons peanut butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Mix together whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cornmeal and oats. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and gradually pour in water, oil, eggs, and peanut butter. Mix well.
On a flat surface use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Cut the dough into dog biscuit shapes using a cookie cutter. Place the biscuits onto the prepared cookie sheet.
Bake the cookies for 20 minutes. After the biscuits have cooked 20 minutes turn off the oven off but let the biscuits remain inside the oven for another 20 minutes to harden.

Roman nut tart

400 g crushed nuts - almonds, walnuts or pistachios
200 g pine nuts
100 g honey
100 ml dessert wine
4 eggs
100 ml full-fat sheep's milk
1 tsp salt or fish sauce

Preheat oven to 240 C/475 F. Place the chopped nuts and the whole pine nuts in an oven dish and roast until they have turned golden. Reduce the oven temperature to 200 C/400 F. Mix the honey and the wine in a pan and bring to a boil, then cook until the wine has evaporated. Add the nuts and pine nuts to the honey and leave it to cool. Beat the eggs with the milk, salt or fish sauce and pepper. The stir the honey and nut mixture into the eggs. Oil an oven dish and pour in the nut mixture. Seal the dish with aluminum foil and place it in a roasting pan filled about a third deep with water. Bake for about 25 minutes until the pudding is firm. Take it out and when it is cold put it into the fridge to chill. To serve, tip the tart on to a plate and pout over some boiled honey and port.

Pumpkin cookies

Cookie ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white/brown sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven.

     Icing

4 Tbsp milk
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup confectioners sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla

Combine in a pan the butter, milk and brown sugar. Heat to boiling and boil for 2 minutes, stirring
constantly. Remove from heat and let cool (keep an eye on it, though, so that the butter doesn’t
solidify). Stir in confectioners sugar and vanilla. Spread on cooled cookies.