Apple and pear crisp

Ingredients

* 2 pounds ripe Bosc pears (4 pears)
* 2 pounds firm Macoun apples (6 apples)
* 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
* 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
* 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the topping:

* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
* 1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel, core, and cut the pears and apples into large chunks. Place the fruit in a large bowl and add the zests, juices, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch oval baking dish.
For the topping:

Combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, until the mixture is in large crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely.

Place the baking dish on a sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm.

Courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa

Red Velvet Cake

My all-time favourite - this is a Magnolia recipe. However, I sometimes substitute sour cream for the buttermilk and it always comes out amazing!

Cake
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2¼ cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
6 Tbl. red food coloring
3 Tbl. unsweetened cocoa
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
1½ tsp. salt
1½ cups buttermilk
3⅓ cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
1½ tsp. cider vinegar
1½ tsp. baking soda
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour 3 (9x2-inch) round cake pans and line bottoms with waxed paper. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time; beat well.

In a small bowl, whisk food coloring, cocoa and vanilla. Add to batter and beat well. In a measuring cup, stir salt into buttermilk. Add to batter in three parts, alternating with flour. In a small bowl, stir together cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to batter and mix well.
Divide batter among 3 pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Let cool for 1 hour. Remove from pans and frost.

Vanilla Frosting
1½ cup (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
8 to 10 cups confectioners’ sugar
¾ cup milk
1 Tbl. vanilla extract

Place butter in a large mixing bowl; then add 4 cups sugar, milk and vanilla.
Using an electric mixer, beat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition, until it’s a good consistency for spreading.

(Photo courtesy of thenest.com)

Deep fried oreos

Deep-Fried Oreos
From Shirley London
October 22, 2003

Deep-Fried Twinkies, fried chocolate bars and now fried cookies have been selling like hot cakes at fairs around the nation recently.

The chefs behind these sugary fried treats say success depends on the batter, which insulates the fried object from direct contact with the oil. If the batter is done right, it will become an edible shell and protect its the melted innards.

Shirley London shared the recipe for her deep-fried Oreo cookie treat with Good Morning America.

Ingredients

1 cup buttermilk pancake mix

3/4 cup ice water

1 quart vegetable oil

1 sleeve of Oreo cookies (14 each)

2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

Directions

1. Freeze cookies for 3 hours.

2. In a heavy-gauge 3-quart saucepot heat oil to 350 degrees F.

3. While oil is heating, set up a sheetpan with paper towels for draining.

4. In a medium-sized mixing bowl stir water into buttermilk pancake mix with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined. As soon as batter is smooth, dip each cookie, one at a time, into batter and smooth batter, making a thin coat completely around the cookie. Place coated cookie carefully into hot oil. Repeat for each cookie. Fry on both sides, turning over once until golden brown.

5. Remove fried cookie from hot oil with metal tongs and drain on paper towels. Dust with confectioners sugar.

6. Let cool slightly (about 2 minutes) before serving.

(The above recipe is slightly different from the original so that consumers can make it at home.)

Shirley London and Food Stylist Karen Pickus contributed to this food report.

Tiramisu

Ingredients
4 eggs (separated)

4 cups of sugar

Mascarpone Cheese

Lady fingers

Espresso

Grated baking chocolate

Preparation
Separate eggs and mix yolks with sugar and mascarpone

Beat egg whites separately. When creamy, add to mascarpone mixture. Blend well.

Line pan with creamy mixture. Dip lady fingers individually in espresso and line up in rows over the cheese. Then add another level of mascarpone. Continue for as many levels as desired (usually 3 or 4).

Garnish top level generously with chocolate. Refrigerate.

Source: Marcela, our Italian chef in Tuscany, summer 2005

Flan

--> My first flan!

*Always best to make the day before serving*

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 can condensed milk
1 small can evaporated milk
Milk
4 large eggs
1 container Philly cream cheese
1 tbsp maple syrup

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Make caramel first.....Pour 1 1/2 cups sugar in a pot and cook over medium high heat and stir constantly until sugar melts. It will start getting golden.. watch the color you do not want it too light or too brown. If it smells burnt start over.
Once you have it perfect pour it immediately into a metal bread pan Tilt the pan to coat all the side with the caramel. Be careful the caramel burns. The pots and spoons that you use will be sticky... just soak them in warm water.
3. Make the flan
4. Pour the mixture into the pan with the caramel in it. Sometimes the caramel fizzles etc.. it is ok it is just that the caramel is hot and the mixture cold...
5. Put pan inside a larger pan with water (bano Maria) and put in oven to cook.
After 30 minutes look at it.. once the top starts toasting... cover with aluminum foil so it doesn't burn.
6. Cook until firm not hard but the middle can't be watery.. In my oven it takes 1 hour to an hour and a half. Make sure the top is toasted but not burned..
Enjoy...

Source: Aunt Rosy

Outrageous Brownies

*This is the dessert am consistently requested to make by all the men in my life! I usually forgo the nuts. Also, I usually cook these for longer, but they always end up being really gooey in the middle, so let them cool before serving*

Ingredients

* 1 pound unsalted butter
* 1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
* 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
* 6 extra-large eggs
* 3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
* 2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
* 2 1/4 cups sugar
* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts)
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 3 cups diced walnut pieces

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.

Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not over-bake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.

Source: Barefoot Contessa

Rocky Road

Ingredients
125g soft unsalted butter
300g best-quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces
3 tbsp golden syrup (I used maple syrup though)
200g rich tea biscuits
40g mini marshmallows
2 tsp icing sugar, to dust


Preparation
1. Heat the butter, chocolate and golden syrup in a heavy-based saucepan over a gentle heat. Remove from the heat, scoop out about 125ml of the melted mixture and set aside in a bowl.
2. Place the biscuits into a plastic freezer bag and crush them with a rolling pin until some have turned to crumbs but there are still pieces of biscuit remaining.
3. Fold the biscuit pieces and crumbs into the melted chocolate mixture in the saucepan, then add the marshmallows.
4. Tip the mixture into a 24cm/9in square baking tin and smooth the top with a wet spatula.
5. Pour over the reserved 125ml of the melted chocolate mixture and smooth the top with a wet spatula.
5. Refrigerate for about two hours or overnight.
6. To serve, cut into 24 fingers and dust with icing sugar.

Source: super-intern Sarah Lai

German Chocolate Cake

*Since Carlos doesn't like coconut, I'll sometimes make this cake with vanilla frosting, also delicious*

Ingredients
For cake
1/2 cup water
6 ounces Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate, chopped

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 large eggs, separated
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For frosting
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
5 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 7-ounce package sweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation
Make cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Bring water to simmer in small saucepan. Reduce heat to low. Add chopped chocolate; whisk until smooth. Cool.

Sift flour, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until blended. Beat in yolks 1 at a time. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk. Using clean dry beaters, beat whites in another large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold into batter in 2 additions. Pour batter into prepared dish. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool cake in pan on rack.

Make frosting:
Combine first 5 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Whisk over medium-high heat until mixture simmers, thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 18 minutes. Mix in coconut and pecans. Spread warm frosting over cake. Immediately sprinkle 1/4 cup chocolate chips over. Let stand until frosting sets, about 2 hours.

Source: Bon Appetit

Paula's Perfect Pie Crust

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1/4 cup vegetable shortening, cold (can replace with lard)
12 tablespoons butter, cold and cubed
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup ice water

Makes two pie crusts

Preparation
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt and sugar. Add the shortening and break it up with your hands as you start to coat it all up with the flour. Add the cold butter cubes and work it into the flour with your hands or a pastry cutter. Work it quickly, so the butter doesn't get too soft, until the mixture is crumbly, like very coarse cornmeal. Add the ice water, a little at a time, until the mixture comes together forming a dough. Bring the dough together into a ball.

When it comes together stop working it otherwise the dough will get over-worked and tough. Divide the dough in half and flatten it slightly to form a disk shape. Wrap each disk in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. On a floured surface roll each disk out into a 10 to 11-inch circle to make a 9-inch pie.

Watch the video

Source: Paula Deen