Chocolate Custard Cups

Chocolate Custard Cups Recipe

Ingredients-

3 ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate, roughly chopped

1 cup heavy cream

3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

3 tbsp sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

Small pinch salt

Directions-

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Add the chocolate to a large heatproof bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a slow simmer over low heat, and then pour over the chocolate. Whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.

2. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and salt together until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then whisk in the warm chocolate and cream mixture. Set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.

3. Strain the chocolate custard through a sieve and divide equally among four 5-ounce ramekins, coffee cups, or pots de crème cups. Place the custards into a baking pan just large enough to hold them and carefully add enough hot water to cover them about halfway. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

4. Place the custards in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the custards are set but still a little wobbly.

5. Chill completely and top each with a dollop of whipped cream before serving.

            My last stop on my journey around the world is in France. Pots de crème au chocolat, or chocolate custard cups, in English, is a traditional dessert from France. It was originally served in little cups with lids, but it can also be made in coffee cups or ramekins. This chocolate treat is very popular on Valentine’s Day, as well as a vanilla version of the custard. I decided that my last blog post should be a chocolate dessert, because it’s my favorite.

            This recipe was once again, found at the popular website: www.whats4eats.com/desserts. The beginning of the directions was pretty simple. It took a while for the cream to come to a slow simmer (or maybe I was just being impatient), but eventually it did and I whisked it together with the chocolate. The only issue I had with this recipe was that I didn’t own a sieve to strain the custard with. I had to check with my neighbors, and I was quickly able to find one that I could borrow. It worked well, and was able to separate the unwanted chocolate chunks from the liquid part of the custard. I then poured the cup into the separate little mugs that I had. When I added the water to the pan, it became pretty heavy, so I had to be very careful putting the custards in the oven. When I took them out after a half an hour, I wasn’t sure if I should take the custards out of the water or not. I decided to, and I set them on a cooling rack to cool them completely before eating it. They looked a little wobbly, just like the directions said they would be, so I knew I was on the right track.

            The chocolate custard cups were very tasty! The first bite had an overwhelmingly rich, chocolate flavor, and was very creamy. It had a different consistency then I am used to, but I got used to it, and it ended up being very good. If I ever decide to make these again, I will be sure to try the vanilla bean version – it sound really yummy! Pots de crème au chocolat was definitely a good choice to end my blog with, and I am glad it was such a delicious one.

Danish Apple Cake

Danish Apple Cake

Ingredients-

{Cake}

¼ cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups apples, peeled and grated

{Topping}

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

½ cup nuts, chopped

Directions-

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9x9 inch baking pan.

2. Cream butter and sugar together in mixing bowl. Add egg and vanilla, beating well. Add flour, baking soda, and cinnamon, and blend well. Add grated apples and beat well by hand. Pour cake batter into prepared baking pan.

3. Combine all topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly on top of cake batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes.

4. Remove cake from oven, and let cool. Cut 3 rows horizontal and 3 rows vertical (yielding 9 servings).

            Danish apple cake, which was originally created in Denmark, is now very popular all over Europe, America, and several other areas in the world. In the Danish language, this cake is known as “Aeblekage”. I chose this apple cake because it’s my mom’s birthday today, and apple desserts are one of her favorite treats – mine too, especially after tasting one this delicious!

            I found this recipe at the website: http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-danish-apple-cake-426636. This cake was probably the easiest recipe of all the desserts I’ve made for this blog. I had all the ingredients on hand, and the directions were really simple and easy to follow. The only thing I was a little worried about was how stiff, and hard to mix, the batter was before the apples were added. But, the grated apples were very juicy, so that added a lot of moisture into the batter, and therefore made it much easier to stir everything all together. Before I put the cake in the oven, I had to sprinkle the topping on. The nuts I chose for the topping were a mixture of chopped walnuts and chopped pecans. I also ended up using an 8x8 pan instead of a 9x9 one. I thought the time spent in the oven might go down a little, so I checked the cake at 30 minutes, instead of 40. It wasn’t done, and checked it again after five more minutes and it still wasn’t fully done. I figured out that the time between an 8x8 and a 9x9 pan is the same; 40 minutes. As the cake was baking in the oven, the whole house gradually began to smell of a delicious apple and cinnamon aroma.

            After the cake had cooled, I tried a piece and, wow. It is seriously one of the best apple desserts I have ever had. It was very moist, with a crunchy topping and a great, naturally sweet taste. The nuts and cinnamon really added to the topping, and I couldn’t stop eating it! I had about three pieces before I forced myself to sit down and write this blog. My mom, and the rest of my family, loved it! I definitely recommend this dessert, and I know that I will be making this again in the near future.  

Chinese Almond Cookies

Almond Cookies Recipe

Ingredients-

2 cups flour

½ tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

½ cup butter

½ cup shortening

¾ cup white sugar (can add up to 2 more tbsp, if desired)

1 egg

2 ½ tsp almond extract

¼ pound whole, blanched almonds (one per cookie)

1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions-

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter or margarine, shortening, and sugar. Add the egg and almond extract and beat until well blended. Add to the flour mixture and mix well. Note: the dough will be crumbly at this point, but don’t worry – that is what it’s supposed to be like.

3. Use your fingers to form the mixture into a dough, and then form the dough into two rolls or logs that are 10-12 inches long. Wrap and refrigerate for two hours (this will make it easier to shape the dough into circles).

4. Take a log and lightly score the dough at ¾ inch intervals so that you have 15 pieces and cut the dough. Roll each piece into a ball and place on a lightly greased cookie tray, approximately 1 ½ inches apart. Place an almond in the center of each cookie and press down lightly. Repeat with the remaining dough.

5. Brush each cookie lightly with a beaten egg before baking. Bake for 15 minutes to 18 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool and store in a sealed container.

            Almond cookies, or almond biscuits, are a traditional sweet treat found in China, and also several Chinese restaurants around the world. In Chinese, the actual name for these yummy cookies is “Hang Geen Bang”. This dessert is a staple in the Chinese diet and several variations can be found throughout the country. Almond cookies are a sweet and crunchy treat with a great almond taste!

            I found this recipe at the website: http://chinesefood.about.com/od/dessertcookies/r/almondcookies.htm. After searching around, this was the one that looked like the best to me. The first step in the directions was fairly easy; just like any other cookie recipe. The second step, though, was a bit trickier. Forming the dough into logs was very difficult when the dough was still room temperature and sticky. To make it easier on myself, I took wax paper and wrapped it tightly around the long, rectangular-shaped dough. I then taped the wax paper so it wouldn’t come undone, and began rolling the dough into a more circular form. This seemed to do the trick. After refrigerating for about two hours, the rest of the recipe was pretty simple to follow. The only difference I’d say was that it made about 12 cookies per log, not 15, so there was a total of 24 cookies made (for me, it was two pan-fulls). I almost forgot to brush the beaten egg on, but I remembered just in time! My cookies took about 16 minutes to bake until they were golden brown on the edges.

            The cookies smelled so good as they were baking. I had gone outside to put the garbage out, and when I came back in, the house had a mouth-watering smell of sweet almond. The aroma definitely proved right when I took the cookies out of the oven. After about two minutes, I took the cookies off the pan and transferred them to a cooling rack. I tried to wait, but I couldn’t. I ate one while it was still hot, and let me tell you, it was delicious! They were soft, with a slight crumble, and had a great flavor. After they cooled a bit longer, I tried another one, and noticed that it was a bit crunchier. The Chinese almond cookies are overall super yummy, and one of my new favorites. I will definitely keep this recipe on hand for another time! 

Pavlova

Pavlova Recipe

Ingredients-

6 egg whites, room temperature

Pinch of salt

1 ½ cups superfine sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

2 tsp vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups whipped cream

3 cups fresh fruit

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper, and use a plate or pie tin to draw a 9-inch circle in the middle of the paper with a pencil. Turn the paper over so the circle is on the bottom.

2. Add the egg whites and salt to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high until the whites form soft peaks, about one minute. With the mixer still running, slowly add the sugar and beat on high for another minute or so until the whites hold firm, shiny peaks.

3. Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift the cornstarch over the beaten whites. Add the vinegar and vanilla and gently fold them all into the whites with a spatula.

4. Scoop the meringue into a pile in the circle on the parchment paper and smooth them out with a spatula. Use the spatula to make a gentle depression in the middle of the meringue.

5. Reduce the oven heat to 250 degrees F. Place the meringue in the oven and bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn off the oven, leave the door closed, and let the meringue cool completely in the oven.

6. Carefully remove the pavlova from the baking sheet and center it on a serving platter. Spread the top evenly with whipped cream and arrange fruit nicely on the top. To serve, cut into wedges.

            This next recipe, called Pavlova, is a baked meringue topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit. It originated in both Australia and New Zealand, made to honor the talented Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, who had visited those countries in the 1920’s. This delectable treat is sometimes called Pav, for short, and is now found in many parts of the world.

            I discovered this recipe at the same website as the Banana Fritters: www.whats4eats.com/desserts. The picture looked really good, so I decided to try it! The first step was fairly simple, but I had to call my grandma to make sure that wax paper wouldn’t burn in the oven. She said it wouldn’t and gave me another tip: make sure that none of the egg yolks mix with the egg whites, or else they won’t form peaks. That was probably one of the hardest parts in baking this recipe. I had to be very careful while cracking the eggs, so as to make sure I only got the egg whites. The fourth step says to scoop the meringue onto the wax paper and spread it out to fit the circle you drew. This was kind of tricky because my meringue was not as solid as I think it was supposed to be, so it spread out a little bit farther than the original circle was, and it was hard to make a very deep depression in it. But, everything turned out okay. After it finished cooling in the oven (which took about 2 extra hours), I took it out and piled the top with a tub of cool whip and my choice of fresh fruit; raspberries. I was debating between several different fruits, so my dad had to make the final decision for me. I have to admit – it was a good choice!

            Pavlova has a hard, crunchy outside, so parts of the crust broke off when I touched it. Since it was doing this, I decided to just leave it on the pan instead of transferring it to a serving tray. I didn’t want it to break apart any more than it already had. Despite the crispy outside part, the inside of the meringue was softer and resembled a marshmallow flavor and texture. It was really sweet and sugary, so the tartness of the raspberries really added to the overall taste. This dessert got great reviews from my family members, especially those who love raspberries. Pavlova is truly delicious and I will most likely be making this recipe again!

South African Banana Fritters

South African Banana Fritters Recipe-

Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

4 or 5 medium sized ripe bananas

3 eggs

1 cup milk

6 Tbsp sugar

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Confectioner’s sugar

Directions

1. Stir the flour and sugar together, in a deep mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time with a wire whisk. Whisking constantly, add the milk approximately 1/3 cup at a time. Continue to beat until the batter is smooth and elastic enough to stretch like a ribbon from the beater when the beater is lifted out of the bowl.

2. Peel the bananas, chop or slice them coarsely, and place them in a shallow bowl. Mash the bananas to a smooth puree, using the tines of a table fork.

3. Stir the puree into the batter and allow the mixture to rest at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes before frying. Pour oil into a deep fryer or a larger, heavy saucepan to a depth of 2-3 inches. Heat the oil until it shimmers with heat.

4. For each fritter, ladle approximately ¼ cup of the banana batter into the hot oil. Deep-fry 2 or 3 fritters at a time, taking care to leave enough space between them to allow them to spread into 4 inch rounds or oblongs. Turning once or twice with a slotted spoon, fry for approximately 3 minutes or until the fritters are a rich, golden color on all sides.

5. As they brown, transfer the banana fritters to paper towels and allow them to drain. While the fritters are still warm, sprinkle lightly with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately.

            My fourth “visit” around the world is all the way in Africa. Since bananas are one of their major food sources, Africans have had to create several banana treats throughout all of history. The banana fritter, most popular in South Africa, is a deep-fried concoction that has a strong and delicious banana taste. When I found this recipe, I knew I had to try it!

            The South African banana fritters recipe was found from the website www.whats4eats.com/desserts (this site has several other yummy-looking recipes, so I highly recommend it if you’re looking for more). The first step to this sweet treat was pretty easy – the only thing I would add is to watch how much milk you pour. Don’t add the full amount right away; instead, add little bits at a time as you watch to see how dry or runny the mixture is. You don’t want your dough to be too moist, like mine was. I had to add extra flour in order for the dough to become drier. The second step says to “mash the bananas to a smooth puree, using the tines of a table fork”. Well, the tines of a table fork don’t exactly make it as smooth as the directions suggest. My mashed bananas still had some chunks in them, but it turned out fine in the end. The last step in the directions was the frying portion. As you pour the batter into the hot oil, several little pieces will break off. I used a slotted spoon to scoop them out, and I set them on a separate little plate, so as not to let them burn and stick to the fritters.

             The banana fritters were a little strange-looking when they came out of the hot oil; one side looked flat (like it does in the picture), but the other side looked more like a funnel cake. I thought this was pretty weird, and their appearance wasn’t exactly the most appetizing... but it didn’t matter, because they tasted delicious! The fritters were surprisingly rich, and had a strong banana taste. The outside was sweet and crispy, and the middle was gooey, with some small chunks of banana that added to the flavor. Also, as the recipe suggests, you should definitely serve them immediately. If you wait, even for a couple of hours, they will become soggy and cold. Despite this little downside, the South African banana fritters turned out really good! 

Swedish Kringle

Swedish Kringle Recipe-

Ingredients-

(First Layer)

1 cup flour

½ cup butter

1 tbsp water

(Second Layer)

1 cup water

½ cup butter

¼ tsp salt

1 cup flour

3 eggs

½ tsp almond extract

(Frosting)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp butter

½ tsp almond extract

1 ½ tbsp cream

Directions-

1. Mix together the first three ingredients with a fork. Spread onto a cookie sheet.

2. Mix together the water, butter, and salt over the stove until it reaches boiling point. Take off heat and add the cup of flour; stir until smooth. Stir in 3 eggs – one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add the almond extract and mix. Spread over first layer. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. It should puff up while baking, then fall after coming out of oven.

3. While baking, mix together the last four ingredients to make the frosting. When cool, spread frosting onto kringle. Cut into slices.

            Since I am in a Christmas mood right now, despite there still being over a month until the holidays, I decided to bake something that reminded me of Christmas-time. Swedish Kringle, a recipe passed down by my grandma, which can be found in the family cookbook, is something that my family makes every year for Christmas. I unfortunately do not know much about the history of this delectable pastry other than the fact that it originated in Sweden. I Google-searched it and all I came up with was more recipes and Wikipedia’s page on Santa Claus...not exactly what I was going for, but oh well.

            As you can probably see, the directions to this recipe aren’t very detailed, so I asked my dad for a little help. He is usually the one who bakes the kringle every year, so I figured he could give me some advice. The first step; mixing the first three ingredients together with a fork, is a bit more complicated than it sounds. The mixture is very dry and crumbly, so at first I thought I had done something wrong. But you just have to keep at it, and if the fork doesn’t work, use your hands. Keep mashing the ingredients together until it resembles a more doughy form. Spreading it onto the pan is also a bit tricky. My dad gave me a tip; he told me to use the heel of my palm to flatten it out as thin as possible. I eventually got it to work. The rest of the recipe was much easier, and I was able to follow the directions pretty well, as I am sure you will be able to as well!

            Swedish Kringle is a delicious pastry that my whole family and I enjoy every year at Christmas. It has a flaky texture with a buttery taste, among many others. My favorite part of all the flavors, however, is the hint of almond extract in the custard-like frosting. This yummy dessert tastes great with coffee, milk, or just by itself. It is one of my favorite treats, and everyone always has a hard time stopping themselves from continuously eating it! Swedish Kringle is not a taste most people experience very often, so if you’re looking for something unusual, but still tastes great, I would definitely recommend it!  

Lekach

Lekach Recipe –

Ingredients -

Flour – 3 ½ cups

Baking powder – 1 ½ teaspoons

Baking soda – ½ teaspoon

Cinnamon – 1 teaspoon

Allspice – ½ teaspoon

Salt – ¼ teaspoon

Honey – 1 cup

Strong coffee, cooled – ½ cup

Vegetable oil – 2 tablespoons

Eggs – 4

Brown Sugar – 1 cup

Chopped Walnuts or Almonds – ¾ cup

Raisins, soaked in warm water and drained – ¾ cup

Brandy or rum (optional) – 3 tablespoons

Directions -

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the honey, coffee, and oil. Both set aside.

2. Add the eggs and brown sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until light and foamy, 4-5 minutes.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add about 1/3 of the flour mixture, allowing it to incorporate fully. Next add half of the honey-mixture, once again allowing it to be fully incorporated. Continue with another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining honey mixture, and finish with the remaining flour.

4. Remove the mixer bowl and gently fold in the walnuts, soaked raisins and brandy with a wooden spoon or spatula.

5. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9-inch round or square cake pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

6. Remove the cake to a counter and cool completely before removing from the pan. Cut into diamond-shaped slices and serve with hot coffee.

My second stop on my way ‘around the world’ is in Israel. Lekach is a traditional Jewish honey cake, seasoned with many spices. This dessert, which is usually served with coffee, is eaten mainly within the Jewish religion, or anywhere in Israel. It is especially popular on the Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah. The cake symbolizes a sweet New Year on the Jewish calendar. To me, this cake symbolizes a very sweet treat! I chose this dessert, thinking it would be an easy one to make - I was right! The recipe was pretty easy to follow, and the cake turned out very good! I altered the ingredients a tad by using pecans instead of walnuts or almonds, like the recipe says. I had mistakenly bought the wrong kind of nut! But, it still turned out delicious, so if pecans are the only nut you have, they work perfectly fine for this kind of cake. I also did not use the optional brandy or rum in my recipe, because we did not have any on hand. One of the variations for the recipe was using apple juice instead of coffee. If I ever make this cake again, I will most definitely try that; it sounds like it would be a good replacement. My cake also took a little bit longer to bake – about 60 minutes. Something strange that I noticed was that, after it had been out of the oven for a little while, the middle part of the cake had sunk in a little bit (you can see this in the picture). I thought this was kind of weird, but it tasted normal to me! The Lekach was very moist, and the spices added some great flavor. Overall, the cake turned out super yummy, and got great reviews from most of my family members (except the non-raisin lovers). I would give it a rating of 4 stars out of 5! 

Alfajores

Alfajores Recipe -

 

Ingredients

Cornstarch - 1 cup

Flour - 1 cup

Baking powder - 1 teaspoon

Unsalted butter - 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks)

Sugar - 3/4 cup

Egg yolks - 2

Dulce de leche - 1 cup

Directions

1.      Sift the cornstarch, flour and baking powder together in a medium bowl. In a mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, beating until they are incorporated.

2.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 batches, allowing each batch to become incorporated before adding the next.

3.      Form the dough into a disc without handling it too much. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

4.      Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll out to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out 40 2-inch rounds, and carefully place the rounds on two lightly greased cookie sheets.

5.  Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, but not so long that they begin to brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the cookies to wire racks and cool completely.

6.      Spread about 2 teaspoons of dulce de leche on the flat half of a cookie and cover it with the flat half of another cookie to form a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining cookies. If desired, sprinkle the finished cookies with powdered sugar.

I tend to think that the richer, the better when it comes to desserts. That’s why, for my first stop in my 'around the world' blog posting, I decided to bake Alfajores; South American dulce de leche sandwich cookies. When I found this recipe, I immediately thought, yum. These cookies actually originate in Spain, but are much more popular in South America. They are very common and traditional in several Latin American families. The dulce de leche is used as a topping on many other foods, like muffins, cakes, and ice cream. This dessert is made up of two, thin shortbread cookies, with a dulce de leche (caramel spread) in the middle. The original Alfajores recipe calls for 1 cup of dulce de leche. I don’t know about everyone, but I don’t have that just sitting in my fridge. So, I searched around, and found a pretty easy-looking recipe for it. As you can see, the recipe says to simmer for about an hour to an hour and a half until it thickens or caramelizes. Well... more like three and a half hours! I kept looking over my recipe and ingredients to check and see if I had forgotten or missed something – I didn’t. So, I just kept the caramel mixture on the stove, over low heat, just like the directions instructed. Even though it took some time, everything worked out in the end. The only other problem I had was with the cookie dough. It was slightly difficult to roll out thin enough because it kept breaking apart. Eventually, I figured everything out, and the cookies were delicious! The dulce de leche was creamy, and the overall cookie was very rich, just as I had predicted. A tip for anyone wanting to make these cookies: they taste much better if you refrigerate them for a while. This allows the caramel filling to harden, so it’s easier to eat, and in my opinion, it makes it taste a whole lot better! I definitely recommend Alfajores to anyone with a sweet tooth!