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Lynsey Lou's

Enjoying Life One Bite at a Time!

Archives for April 2011

Daring Bakers’ April Challenge, Bacon Cups

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The April 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Evelyne of the blog Cheap Ethnic Eatz. Evelyne chose to challenge everyone to make a maple mousse in an edible container. Prizes are being awarded to the most creative edible container and filling, so vote on your favorite from April 27th to May 27th at The Daring Kitchen.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I LOVE the monthly challenges that are presented to the the daring bakers.  Every month we are presented with a new and exciting challenge and a lot of them push me out of my comfort zone, but a lot of the challenges are things that I have wanted to make but haven’t gotten around to actually making.  This month was one of those months that we were challenged to make something that I had actually had on my “to make” wish list for quite some time.  I have wanted to make edible containers for quite some time.  I have had a couple of desserts from restaurants that were presented in edible, mostly chocolate, conainers and they were not only pretty and jaw dropping but absolutely delicious.  Having these desserts made me want to make edible containers/dishes that much more.  I mean what’s better than being presented with a dish that looks and tastes amazing?  Being presented with a dish that not only looks and tastes amazing but is also edible.  You really can’t beat that, plus there are no dishes to clean after you are finished with your dessert!

This challenge was so much fun.   Although we had the freedom to create a container out of anything I stayed close to the challenge for two reasons; I have been wanting to make a dessert including bacon and second, I LOVE the combination of maple and bacon!  Not only was it fun making the mousse and bacon cups but it was even more fun eating them!  I enjoyed this challenge so much and I can’t wait to attempt other edible containers; my mind is going non-stop thinking of other ideas! 

Bacon Cups

Ingredients:

24 thin slices good quality bacon

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Turn a muffin pan upside down and cover 6 muffin cups with aluminum foil.

Take 2 strips of bacon at a time crisscross the strips over the backs of the muffin cups and cut to size a tad longer than the bottom part of the cup.  Use an additional 1 to 2 strips to cover the sides of the muffin cups in a weaving fashion. Weave the bacon tight because the bacon shrinks quite a bit when cooking.

Tuck the ends of the bacon strips inside otherwise they will curl while cooking. A good idea is to insert 4 toothpicks where the crisscrossed bacon meets in the weave.

Place muffin pan in a cookie tray to catch drippings.

Bake in oven for about 25 to 40 minutes, or until the bacon is golden and crisp but not burned.

Cool completely, about an hour, before carefully removing cups from the foil.

For smaller cups-use a shot glass with a square of bacon for the bottom and wrap 1 strip around the side.

Maple Mousse

Ingredients:

1 Cup pure maple syrup
4 Large egg yolks
1 Package unflavoured gelatine
1 1/2 Cups whipping cream

Directions:

Bring maple syrup to a boil then remove from heat.

In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and pour a little bit of the maple syrup in while whisking (this is to temper your egg yolks so they don’t curdle).

Add warmed egg yolks to hot maple syrup until well mixed.

Measure 1/4 cup of whipping cream in a bowl and sprinkle it with the gelatine. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Place the bowl in a microwave for 45 seconds (microwave for 10 seconds at a time and check it in between) or place the bowl in a pan of barely simmering water, stir to ensure the gelatine has completely dissolved.

Whisk the gelatine-whipping cream mixture into the maple syrup mixture and set aside.

Whisk occasionally for approximately an hour or until the mixture has the consistency of an unbeaten raw egg white.

Whip the remaining cream until it forms peaks. Stir 1/4 of the whipped cream into the maple syrup mixture. Fold in the remaining cream and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Remove from the refrigerator and divide equally among the edible containers. Drizzle melted, semi-sweet chocolate over each cup.
 
Recipe Source:
Bacon cups inspired by not martha and 59 kilos

Maple mousse adapted from Jamie Oliver is not my boyfriend

Perfect Party Cake

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I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. We certainly did; we enjoyed time with family and friends. Tucker had a great weekend, he played hard all weekend and he had the best time hunting Easter eggs!

Easter started a few days early around our house since Tucker’s daycare had an Easter party. For his party, I decided to make mini cupcakes for all the kiddos. All kids love cupcakes and I especially love these mini cupcakes because they are the perfect size for their little hands and the perfect portion for them. I’ve made a few different types of cupcakes for his daycare for various events, but kept the flavors simple to avoid any food allergies anyone may have. Since I’ve kept it simple, mostly vanilla and chocolate, I have tried numerous vanilla cake recipes and this time I decided to be a little different and try a white cake recipe instead. I know this isn’t too much different than a yellow cake, but like I said, I try to keep it simple to ensure all the kids can enjoy them. I’m so glad I came across the recipe for Dorie Greenspan’s Perfect Party Cake.  Don’t get me wrong, Dorie Greenspan is not a well kept secret, she has many cookbooks and one of the most popular is about baking which is appropriately titled, “Baking: From my Home to Yours.”  There is even a cooking group/club dedicated to making recipes by her, Tuesdays with Dorie, they cooke their way through a cookbook at a time and post their recipes and reviews every Tuesday (hence the name, Tuesdays with Dorie).  Like I said, she’s no hidden secret, she’s a very well know and talented cook/chef and a best selling cookbook author.

I’m so glad I decided to make these for Tucker’s Easter party.  These cupcakes were so moist and light, they were honestly some of the best cupcakes I’ve ever had!  I love yellow cake, but what’s not to love? Sugar, eggs, butter, milk, it’s sweet and most important it’s a dessert…there’s absolutely nothing not to love.  White cake has always been just okay to me, there just wasn’t a whole lot of flavor except the flavor from the frosting.  Well, this cake is completely different, not only is it light and moist but it has a wonderful flavor.  When I first read the recipe I expected the cake to have a heavy lemon flavor based on the amount of the zest and extract that was called for, but it actually didn’t have much of a lemon flavor at all, if any.  I guess the lemon zest and extract just complimented or enhanced all of the other flavors to result in a perfect white cake.  I don’t know what it is about the recipe but the name is completely true, it is the perfect cake.

Perfect Party Cake

Ingredients:
-mini cupcakes

-Recipe yields 3 dozen mini cupcakes
-The recipe listed in this post is half of the original recipe
11/8 cups cake flour
1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 Teaspoon salt
1/2 + 1/8 Cups whole milk or buttermilk
2 Large egg whites
3/4 Cup sugar
1 Teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 Stick (4 tablespoons or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 Teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the frosting-

1 1/2-2 Stick butter, room temperature
2 1/2-3 Cups powdered Sugar
2 Tablespoons milk

Directions:

For the cupcakes-

Preheat oven to 350.

Place cupcake liners in cupcake pan and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Attach paddle attachment to a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, and add the butter beat at medium speed for 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.

Add the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.

Finally, beat the batter on high for 2 minutes to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.

Spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into each cupcake liner of the prepared mini-cupcake pan.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cakes are well risen and springy to touch.  Remove from pan and cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting-

Place butter in a bowl of a stand mixer.  Fit the mixer with the wisk attachment and beat butter on high for 2-3 minutes, until light and airy.  Reduce speed to medium and gradually add powdered sugar and milk until desired consistency is reached.

Place frosting in a piping bag and frost cupcakes as desired.

Recipe Source: Perfect Party Cake-seen on The Way The Cookie Crumbles, originally from Dorie Greenspan Baking:From My Home To Yours.

Frosting: Lynsey original

Cumin-Seared Scallop Tacos

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Kelsey Nixon of “Kelsey’s Essentials” is one of my new favorite cooks.  Most of you may know her from “The Next Food Network Star“, she was on season 4 and she actually made it to the top 4.  I absolutely loved her on NFNS and I had hoped she would win the title of NFNS and have her own show, well that didn’t happen.  When she was cut I was so sad, I really enjoyed her and her spin on recipes as well as her cheery personality and thought she would have made a wonderful host.  Not too long after her dismisal from NFNS, Kelsey got her own show which premeired in 2010 Cooking Channel and I could not be happier.  She has so many helpful tips and the recipes that she prepares look so delicious and very do-able for the homecook.  Since I discovered her show it is now on my DVR list so I am sure to never miss an episode!  Each show has a theme and she prepares recips that correspond with that theme…how nifty is that?

One of the first shows I saw of her was an episode that featured recipes using cast iron skillets.  During this particular show everything she made looked and sounded absolutely delicious, and of course, it was made using a cast iron skillet.  When I saw her make cumin-seared scallop tacos with mango salsa, tomatillo guacomole and cilantro-lime rice I edited my weekly menu right them to ensure I could make them as soon as possible.  I knew if they were anywhere near as good as they looked they would be amazing.  Boy was I right, these were out of this world!  My mouth is watering now just thinking about them.  I loved everything about these tacos.  The spice of the cumin followed by the sweetness from the mangos and the rich butteriness of the guacomole paired so well together and made the best flavor combinations.  Individually the tomatillo guacomole, mango salso and cilantro-lime rice are delicious and would make great sides to go with any meal but they compliment each other so well and make the perfect flavor combination.  I can’t get this on our menu enough; just thinking about it makes me want to go home and make some…I think they just may be on the menu next week!  This is the perfect meal for a fresh spring or summer supper; enjoy them while sitting on the porch and enjoying the nice weather.

Cumin-Seared Scallop Tacos

Ingredients:

For the cilantro-lime rice-

1/2 Cup rice
5 Sprigs fresh cilantro
1 Cup chicken broth
Juice of 1 lime

For the tomatillo guacomole-

6-8 Tomatillos husked and roughly chopped (about 8 ounces)
3/4 Cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
1 Avocado, halved, peeled and chopped
1/2 Onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 Jalapeno, coarsely chopped with seeds
2 Garlic cloves, smashed and quarted
Juice of 1 lime
1 Teaspoon ground cumin
1 Teaspoon salt

For the mango salsa-

1/2 Cup diced mango
1/2 Cup diced tomatoes
2 Tablespoons minced onion
2 Tablepoons chopped cilantro
2 Teaspoons minced Serrano chile pepper
Zest and juice of 1 lime

For the scallops-

1 1/4 Pounds large sea scallops (about 8)
1/4 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Teaspoon cumin
1-2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas

Directions:

First prepare the tomatillo guacomole and mango salsa. 

For the tomatillo guacomole-

Combine the tomatillos, cilantro, avocado, onion, jalapeno, garlic, lime juice, cumin, and salt in a food processor or blender and pulse until combined.

For the salsa-

Combine the mango, tomatoes, minced onion, cilantro, chile, lime zest, and lime juice in a small bowl. Cover and set aside to let flavors combine.

For the rice-

In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the rice, cilantro, broth, rice, and lime juice to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Remove the cilantro sprigs and serve.

For the scallops-

Remove the tough ligament from the side of each scallop and discard. Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel. Season both sides scallops with salt and cumin.

In a large cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Allow the skillet to get as hot as possible without burning the butter.

Sear the scallops, turning once, until golden brown on each side, and just cooked through, about 3-5 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and half.

To assemble-

To assemble, toast corn tortillas, if desired, over an open flame just until slightly charred. Fill each tortilla with 2 tablespoons rice, 1 tablespoon guacamole, 2 seared and halved scallops, then top with mango salsa. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Recipe source: Kelsey Nixon, Kelsey’s Essentials

Macaroni and Cheese with Pesto

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Let’s face it, macaroni and cheese is one of the all time, ultimate comfort foods and this applies for any age group.  It doesn’t matter whether you are 1 or 100 hundred, I don’t think there is a person out there that doesn’t love macaroni and cheese.  It’s just a feel good food.  Although the stuff in the blue box is hands down one of the most popular macaroni and cheeses out there; there are a lot of people who don’t care for it and feels like it’s lacking in flavor.  If you are one of those people, please don’t let this turn you off of this wonderful food.  Macaroni and cheese is so very easy to make and can be customized to your taste.  Just boil your noodles as normal, which is so easy, right?  After this point your half way there.  Then for the cheese sauce, the good stuff, just combine milk/cream, butter, your favorite cheese (this is the fun part where you customize your mac and cheese) and salt and pepper.  I mean, does it get any easier than that?  I think not!

Now, for those of you who love mac and cheese but need a new twist on it to liven things up, this part is for you.  Although this is a wonderful dish by itself, it never hurts to experiment by adding new ingredients.  The first time I did this I made, crab macaroni and cheese, and it was delicious! This time I made macaroni and cheese with winter pesto…and ohmygoodness it was so good.  I think this is one of my new favorite recipes and it would be delicious with any type of pesto.  The pesto adds so much to this and it’s just another depth of flavor the compliments the pasta and cheese so well.  If  you love macaroni and cheese and if you love pesto this is the dish for you, you will not be disappointed!

Macaroni and Cheese with Winter Pesto

Ingredients:

1 Pound Orecchiette or other small shaped pasta

For the Pesto-

1 Cup, loosley packed, parsley
1 Cup, loosley packed, arugula
1 Cup, loosley packed, basil
1 Cup walnuts, toasted
3-4 Gloves garlice, finely grated or minced
About 1/3 Cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

For the Sauce-

3 Tablespoons butter
2 Rounded Tablespoons flour
2 1/2 Cups milk
Salt and pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1/2 Pound Italian Fontina cheese
1/2 Cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Once the water has reached a boil, salt the water and add the pasta.  Cook pasta according to directions until al dente.  Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the water and set both the water and pasta aside.

For the pesto-

Place the parsley, arugula, basil, garlic, walnuts, and cheese in a food processor and pulse until all the ingredients are ground.  Turn the food processor on low and slowly stream in the olive oil until ingredients come together.  Season with salt and pepper and slightly pulsle a few times to incorporate the seasonings completely.  Set aside.

For the sauce-

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in flour and cook one minute.  Add the milk and whisk continuously until all the milk is added.  Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg and simmer at a low bubble until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.  Once the sauce has thickened stir in the Fontina cheese to melt, reserve a handful.

In a large pot or bowl combine the pesto, cheese sauce and pasta and mix together.  Adjust seasonings then place in one large, or several individual, casserole dishes.  Top each dish with the reserved Fontina cheese as well as the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Bake 30-40 minutes, until cheese is melted, brown and bubbly on top.

Recipe Source: Rachael Ray Show, Rachael Ray