The Charmed Kitchen

Cashew Brittle

I was given this recipe a few years ago. Cooked in the microwave it is an easy recipe and pretty much fool proof. It takes just a few minutes to make and is ready in a little over 30 minutes from when you start- including cooling time. I have a friend who likes to drizzle the brittle with melted chocolate- but I prefer it plain- if we can ever think of cashew brittle as plain!!

Cashew Brittle

2 c. cashews*

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. corn syrup

1/8 t. salt

1 t. butter

1 t. vanilla

1 t. baking soda

Butter or oil a large baking sheet and set aside. In a 3-4 quart glass bowl combine the nuts, sugar, corn syrup and salt. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Remove from microwave, stir well and return to microwave. Cook 3 more minutes in microwave. Remove and stir in butter and vanilla, stirring until butter has melted. Return to microwave for and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from microwave and stir in baking soda. Stir until well blended and pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet. Spread out quickly then allow to cool. Once cool, break into pieces. Store in a cool, dry place. I normally store it in a tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid.

* I used salted cashews but feel free to experiment with other nuts

Note: Use high power setting on microwave.

Placing ingredients in the bowl

Hot out of the microwave

Spread out quickly onto prepared pan

Cooling down

Break into pieces once cooled

Red Velvet Doughnuts

For Doughnut Daze this year I wanted to make a new doughnut. Having made a lot of chocolate beet cakes this summer I was inspired to incorporate beets into the recipe. The original red velvet cake was colored with beets, not red food coloring. This is what I came up with. A rich, sweet chocolate and beet doughnut that was a big hit. I hope you will think the same thing when you make them.

Red Velvet Doughnuts

3 3/4  c. flour

1/2 c. cocoa

2t. baking powder

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. nutmeg

2 eggs

2/3 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

2/3 c. milk

1/4 c. butter, melted

1 c. cooked, shredded beets

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Beat eggs with sugar and vanilla. Beat in milk and butter. Stir in dry ingredients and beets. Cover dough and chill 2 hours or longer. Roll chilled dough out and cut with a doughnut cutter. Heat oil in deep pan to 375-degrees. Fry doughnuts and holes for about a minute a side, or until golden brown. Turn to cook evenly  Drain on paper towels.  Dust with powdered sugar or glaze, if desired.

Cinnamon Glaze

2 c. powdered sugar

1 t. cinamon

water

Combine sugar and cinnamon and add enough water to make a glaze for dipping the doughnuts.

Cooking the doughnuts

Fresh made doughnuts

Dipping into glaze

Lavender Shortbread

Did a class last night in Mentor on Cooking with Herbs. In spite of the snow a number of people made it. We had several  tasty herb-laden dishes and finished off the evening with Lavender Shortbread. Its a favorite of mine and was a big hit in class, too. Simple to make – it is the basic shortbread recipe with added lavender blossoms. Such a small change and such a wonderful flavor. I grow my own lavender but if you don’t and are going to buy them- be sure to purchase blossoms that are safe for cooking. Some are sold for crafting purposes.

Lavender Shortbread

 1 c. sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

2 c. butter or margarine

4 c. flour

2-3 T. lavender blossoms

Cream together the one-cup of sugar and butter. Stir in the flour and lavender blossoms. Press mixture in to a greased 9×13 inch-baking dish. Cut or score into small squares, or on the diagonal for diamond shapes. Sprinkle with extra sugar and bake in a preheated 300-degree oven for 50-55 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Re-cut the squares as soon as you remove the shortbread from the oven. Cool before removing from pan. Make about 100 small squares.

Adding the lavender blossoms

Score before baking

Fresh from the oven!

Amy’s Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

As promised here is the recipe for the Chicken Pot Pie Amy served last night. Amy doubled the recipe for her dinner and used a larger pan. I love the idea of prepping and cooking in just one pan. Less work and less clean-up later. Tasted amazing!!!! Thanks, Amy.

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Butternut Squash

Place a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 425°. Heat oil in an 8-inch cast-iron or other heavy ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add parsnips, garlic and sage to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Add kale and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing often, until wilted, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle flour over. Cook, stirring constantly, for 4 minutes.Stir in broth, 1/2-cupful at a time, then add squash. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until squash is just softened and broth is thickened, 8-10 minutes. Add chicken to skillet, stir, and season with salt and pepper.Unfold pastry and smooth any creases; place over skillet, allowing corners to hang over sides. Whisk egg and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Brush pastry with egg wash; cut four 1-inch slits in top to vent.Bake pot pie until pastry is beginning to brown, 15-20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375° and bake until pastry is deep golden brown and crisp, 15-20 minutes longer. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Ready for the oven

Served like pie- sort of

Bacon Doughnuts

As promised I will post all the recipes from Doughnut Daze. New this year was a bacon doughnut I made for  my friend, Kim. I used a cake doughnut recipe and added cooked bacon to the dough. I also used a maple glaze to top them and then added candied bacon on top. Decadent, yes, but so good.

Bacon Doughnuts

3 1/4 c. flour

2t. baking powder

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. nutmeg

2 eggs

2/3 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

2/3 c. milk

1/4 c. butter, melted

1 lb. bacon cooked, drained well and crumbled

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Beat eggs with sugar and vanilla. Beat in milk and butter. Stir in dry ingredients and bacon. Cover dough and chill 2 hours or longer. Roll chilled dough out and cut with a doughnut cutter. Heat oil in deep pan to 375-degrees. Fry doughnuts and holes for about a minute a side, or until golden brown. Turn to cook evenly  Drain on paper towels.  Dust with powdered sugar or glaze, if desired

Maple Glaze

2 c. powdered sugar

maple syrup

Combine enough maple syrup with powdered sugar to make a medium thick glaze. Dip doughnuts in the glaze- place on rack to set up.

Candied Bacon

1/2- 1 lb. Thick- sliced bacon- chopped

1/2 c. brown sugar

Cook bacon in skillet until brown. Drain and return to skillet with the brown sugar. Cook over medium heat until sugar melts and browns a little. Remove bacon to dish to cool. Sprinkle on freshly glazed doughnuts.

Glazed and sugared doughnuts

Dulche le Leche

If you love caramel or Dulche le Leche you might like this super easy way to make it at home. All you need is a can or two of sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk), a big kettle with a wire rack that fits in it, water, a lid, a stove and some patience. I like to make a couple at a time. Once cooled they can go back to the cupboard until you are ready to open and use them.

 Dulce de Leche (Milk Jam)

This is the easiest way to make Dulce de Leche…the taste is pretty authentic and the work is almost completely eliminated!

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Place the can inside the pot on top of a wire rack. Add water to completely cover can, plus 1-2 more inches. Simmer, covered, for 4 hours, making sure the can is always completely covered with water…if not…there is an explosion! ! Leave the can to cool several hours and only then open it and serve. You will find the sweetened condensed milk is now a rich golden color and  has a rich, creamy texture.  Serve the golden-brown confection over flan, as a filling for crepes, cakes or just plain. For breakfast you can spread it on croissants, rolls or toast.

Note: The round wire racks used to cool cakes are a great fit for your kettle. If you don’t have one you can set the cans on a towel placed in the bottom of the pot. Just be VERY careful that the cans are not resting directly on the bottom of the kettle.

Cans on rack under water

Fresh made Dulche le Leche

Tiramisu Doughnuts

Invented these when I was making doughnuts and wanted a twist on the jelly doughnuts I made with my parents as a kid. I bit of work but so worth the effort.

Tiramisu Doughnuts

Filling:

5 egg yolks

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. Marsala wine (not cooking wine)

1 c. whipping cream

2 T. sugar

1 lb. mascarpone cheese

Make zabaglione (egg custard). In double boiler, over simmering water, beat together egg yolks and sugar until lemon colored. Stir in Marsala and continue cooking, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and will mound on a spoon. This will take about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool down. You can place in bowl in fridge 30 minutes or so. Beat together whipping cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Beat in mascarpone and chilled zabaglione. Chill 1 hour.

Dough:

4 c. flour

2 T. sugar

1 t. salt

½ c. butter

1 packet yeast

¼ c. warm water

2 t. sugar

1 c. evaporated milk

2 eggs, beaten

Combine flour with sugar and salt. Cut in butter and set aside. Dissolve yeast in warm water and 2 t. sugar and set aside. Combine milk with eggs. Stir in yeast mixture and add to flour mixture stirring well. On lightly floured surface knead dough until dough is smooth, about 5 minutes. Dough will be very sticky. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1½ hours.  Remove dough from bowl and punch down. Using about a third of the dough at a time roll dough out to about an ½ -inch thickness and cut out with a 2½ -inch biscuit  cutter. Re-roll scraps and cut out. You should get about 2 dozen. Place dough circles on a floured surface and cover with a towel until doubled, about an hour. Heat oil in a deep pan until it reaches 375 degrees. Cook doughnuts a few at a time until golden on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels and cool before filling.

Note: You can also refrigerate the dough after kneading it if you would prefer. Just place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. Roll and cut dough into doughnuts when cold from the fridge. Allow to rise, covered, until doubled in bulk, about 2-3 hours. Fry as directed.

Mocha Frosting

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

6 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

5 cups confectioners’ sugar

Mix together; instant coffee, milk, cocoa powder, butter or margarine, vanilla extract, and confectioners’ sugar until of spreading consistency.

Once doughnuts are cooled use a pastry bag with a narrow tube tip. Fill bag with filling and squeeze some into each of the doughnuts. Try to keep the filling near the middle and don’t over-fill or the doughnuts will split. Frost once finished. Refrigerate until ready to eat. Makes 24.

Cutting the doughnuts out

Fry until golden

Doughnuts cooling down

Insert cream filling

Dipped filled doughnut in Mocha Glaze

Freshly dipped Tiramisu Doughnuts

Handy decorating syringe used for filling the doughnuts

Ricotta Fritters

For my annual Doughnut Daze party I made a number of doughnuts. I will be posting the recipes as promised. The first one I want to share with you is a really simple one called Ricotta Fritters.The dough is simple to make, fries up quickly and after a dusting of powdered sugar they are ready to serve. Delicate and not too sweet they are a dessert you can have ready in no time.

Ricotta Fritters

4-6 c. oil for frying

3/4 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1-2 t. grated lemon peel

1 c. ricotta cheese

2 eggs, beaten

3 T. sugar

2 t. vanilla

Powdered sugar for dusting

Heat oil to 370 degrees in heavy saucepan. While oil is heating combine dry ingredients with lemon peel  and set aside. Beat together cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla until smooth.  Stir in dry ingredients. Working in batches spoon batter by level tablespoonfuls into hot oil, turning occasionally until golden brown, about 3 minutes in all. transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Dust with powdered sugar and serve. Makes about 3 dozen.

Frying the Fritters

Cocoa Hearts

This recipe is so easy even younger children can help make them. Just a few ingredients and mixed together, rolled out and cut into heart shapes. No baking, no cooking, no trouble. I used vanilla extract to flavor them but you could add different flavors like mint, orange, almond or even add some cinnamon. Once rolled out let them firm up in the fridge then wrap in lollipop bags with a ribbon, place in small candy boxes or wrap in small pieces of colored foil (available at candy making shops).

Cocoa Hearts

9 c. powdered sugar

1 c. cocoa

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. water

2 t. vanilla extract – or whatever flavor extract you like

In large bowl combine ingredients until well blended. You can add more water, if needed, 1 teaspoon at a time. Divide mixture into 2 pieces and shape in balls. Place each between sheets of wax paper and roll out to 1/4 -inch thickness. Cut out with tiny cutters and place on foil-lined tray. Chill several hours, then wrap up in colored foil or place in tiny candy bags. Makes 80 1-inch candies.

Freshly mixed ingredients

Rolled out between wax paper

Cut out hearts

Fresh Baked Cookies

I was making cookies for a friend the other day and was pressed for time. With one typical sized oven I could do no more then 2 trays at a time which meant about 2 dozen cookies at best. I came up with a plan “B”. I scooped the dough into mini- muffin tins. That made it possible for me to bake 4 dozen cookies at one time. The baking time was the same. I greased the tins to make it easier to get the “cookies” out. It worked great and she loved them. Try it with other cookies. I even thought I might want to press cookie dough into a shell and place something in the middle- like a piece of fruit or perhaps chocolate. Hope you find this a tasty and time saving way to bake your next batch of cookies.

Andes Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. butter, softened

3/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

2 1/4 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 bag (10 oz.) Andes baking chips

Beat together butter, sugars, egg and vanilla until fluffy. Stir in dry ingredients and chips. Preheat oven to 375. Place dough on un-greased baking sheet, rounded teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool slightly, remove from baking sheet. Makes 5-6 dozen.