Don’t Miss a Thing!

Subscribe via email to receive the latest recipes in your inbox!

Lynsey Lou's

Enjoying Life One Bite at a Time!

Uncategorized

Saucy Catfish

by Leave a Comment

Although I watch Food Network quite often, I always see things that I want to make and eventually I do.  It is very rare that I watch an episode and decide that I need/want to make everything that was made; that being said usually when I want to make everything from an episode I don’t make it all at once.  I guess there is a first time for everything!  I was watching Paula’s Best Dishes and she and Trisha Yearwood were making true southern dishes; saucy catfish, jalapeno hushpuppies with a sweet and spicy chili sauce, stewed collard greens and chocolate pecan cobbler with caramel topping.  Everything they made looked absolutely delicious and I knew I had to make everything and I decided to make it all together.  I’m so glad I did, the meal was incredible!

This fish was so good, it was the perfect texture and so flakey and the sauce was really good as well.  The sauce that it is baked in is like Thousand Island Dressing with a little sweetness.  When the fish is served with the spicey hushpuppies and the salty greens it compliments each other wonderfully.  This meal really does have all the flavors and ingredients of a true southern meal and having all the tastes of the south brings a level of comfort to the table.  The next time you want a home cooked, southern style meal I would definitely suggest this and don’t forget the chocolate cobbler!

Saucy Catfish

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Pounds catfish (about 4 filets)
2 Teaspoons salt
1/2 Cup ketchup
1/2 Cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 Cup brown sugar
2 Teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 Cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 Cup chopped, sweet onion
1 Lemon, sliced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Line a 9×13 glass casserole dish with aluminum foil

Sprinkle the fillets with salt and place in a single layer in the pan.

Make the basting sauce by combining and mixing all of the ingredients besides the lemon.  Once the sauce is made pour over the fish fillets.  Place the fillets in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until it flakes easily with a fork.  Baste the fist every 10 minutes while it is baking. 

Remove the fish from the oven and transfer to a serving platter and garnish with lemon slices.

Recipe source: Paula’s Best Dishes, Food Network

Tiramisu Pound Cake

by Leave a Comment

Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts ever!  Any time I go to a restaraunt that has tiramisu it’s guaranteed that is what I’ll have for dessert, I never pass up an opportunity to have tiramisu.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with the original tiramisu in it’s original form but when I came across this recipe on Taste & See for a Tiramisu Pound Cake I knew I HAD to try it. 

This cake was delicious!  It was also a show stopper, everyone was so impressed with the way the liquor and coffee batter swirled into the regular batter.  This cake was super moist and the perfect consistency and the icing was amazing and sent the cake over the top!  I got so many compliments on this cake; not only on the taste but also on the presentation.  This was definitely a show stopper and a cake that I’ll make many more times!

Tiramisu Pound Cake

Ingredients:

For the Cake-

3 Cups all purpose flour
2 Teaspoon baking soda
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1 Teaspoon salt
3/4 Cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 Cups sugar
3 Large eggs
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 Cups milk
1/4 Cup espresso or very strong coffee
1/4 Cup Kahlua

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325.  Grease and flour a 12 cup bundt pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking poder and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar.  Once the mixture is light and fluffy add the eggs one by one, making sure each egg is incorporated before adding the next and then add the vanilla.

Slowly incorporate the flour mixture and milk; alternating between the two and ending with flour mixture.  Mix until everything is combined.

Place one cup of batter in a small bowl, and another cup of batter in another bowl.  To one of the bowls add the espresso and stir until well combined.  To the other bowl add the kahlua and stir until well combined.

Pour half of the plain batter into the prepared bundt pan and spread into an even layer.  Pour the espresso batter over the plain batter, making sure it is evenly distributed.  Pour the Kahlua batter over the espresso, make sure it is spread over the batter evenly.  Do not stir the batters together.  Carefully pour the remaining batter in the pan and evenly distribute it in the pan.

Place in oven and bake 55-60 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Once the cake is finished baking remove from the oven and let set about 15 mintues and then remove from the pan to let cool completely.  Let the cake cool completely before icing.  Icing recipe follows.

Kahlua Mascarpone Frosting

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup butter, room temperature

4 Ounces Mascarpone cheese, room temperature

1/4 Cup Kahlua (If you don’t like the taste of Kahlua substitue espresso in it’s place)

2 Cups confectioners sugar

1/2 -1 Tablespoon unsweeted cocoa powder

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and beat at a medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, but don’t over beat.

To apply the frosting use a spoon and spoon the frosting over the cake letting is spread and run down the sides.

Sift the cocoa powder over the top of the cake to garnish.

     

Recipe Source: Taste & See

Daring Bakers-Swiss Roll Ice Cream Cake

by Leave a Comment

 The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of  Sunita’s world- life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home .

I was so excited when I saw this month’s challenge.  I had actually seen one of these cakes in a bakery a few weeks ago and thought it looked so neat and I knew I would love to try to make a cake like that at some point in time.  Well, that time came sooner than later since Sunita decided to make that our challenge this month for the Daring Bakers.  When I saw the cake in the bakery I was curious as to what process they had used to accomplish the finished product, but I couldn’t really figure it out but this challenge took me through the step by step process.  I followed this recipe step by step because I wanted to make sure everything turned out properly and it did, but I want to make this again and try out some different ice cream flavors and some different fillings. 

Swiss Roll Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients-

6 Medium sized eggs
1 Cup plus extra for rolling
6 Tbsp All purpose flour + 5 tblsp Natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted together
2 Tbsp Boiling water
A little oil for brushing the pans

For the filling-

2Cups Whipping cream
1 Vanilla pod, cut into small pieces of about ½ cm (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
5 Tbsp. Caster sugar

Directions:
Pre heat the oven at 200 deg C /400 deg F approximately. Brush the baking pans ( 11 inches by 9 inches ) with a little oil and line with greaseproof baking paper. If you have just one pan, bake one cake and then let the pan cool completely before using it for the next cake.
In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar and beat till very thick; when the beaters are lifted, it should leave a trail on the surface for at least 10 seconds.
Add the flour mixture, in three batches and fold in gently with a spatula. Fold in the water
Divide the mixture among the two baking pans and spread it out evenly, into the corners of the pans.
Place a pan in the centre of the pre heated oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes or till the centre is springy to the touch.
Spread a kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle a little caster sugar over it.
Turn the cake on to the towel and peel away the baking paper. Trim any crisp edges.
Starting from one of the shorter sides, start to make a roll with the towel going inside. Cool the wrapped roll on a rack, seam side down.
Repeat the same for the next cake as well.
Grind together the vanilla pieces and sugar in a food processer till nicely mixed together. If you are using vanilla extract, just grind the sugar on its own and then add the sugar and extract to the cream.
In a large bowl, add the cream and vanilla-sugar mixture and beat till very thick.
Divide the cream mixture between the completely cooled cakes.
Open the rolls and spread the cream mixture, making sure it does not go right to the edges (a border of ½ an inch should be fine).
Roll the cakes up again, this time without the towel. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge till needed, seam side down.

The vanilla ice cream-

Ingredients:

2½ Cups Whipping cream

1 Vanilla bean, minced or 1 tsp Vanilla extract

½ Cup Granulated sugar

Directions:

Grind together the sugar and vanilla in a food processor. In a mixing bowl, add the cream and vanilla –sugar mixture and whisk lightly till everything is mixed together. If you are using the vanilla extract, grind the sugar on its own and then and the sugar along with the vanilla extract to the cream.

Pour into a freezer friendly container and freeze till firm around the edges. Remove from the freezer, beat till smooth and return to the freezer. Do this 3-4 times and then set completely.

The Hot fudge sauce

Ingredients:

1 Cup Caster sugar

3 Tbsp Natural unsweetened cocoa powder

2 Tbsp Cornflour/cornstarch

1½ Cup Water

1 Tbsp Butter

1 Tsp Vanilla extract

Directions:

  • In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornflour and water.
  • Place the pan over heat, and stir constantly, till it begins to thicken and is smooth (for about 2 minutes).
  • Remove from heat and mix in the butter and vanilla. Keep aside to cool .

The chocolate ice cream

Ingredients:

2Cup Whipping cream

1 Cup caster sugar

3 Tbsp natural unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

  • Grind together the sugar and the cocoa powder in a food processor .
  • In a saucepan, add all the ingredients and whisk lightly.
  • Place the pan over heat and keep stirring till it begins to bubble around the edges.
  • Remove from heat and cool completely before transferring to a freezer friendly container till firm around the edges. If you are using an ice cream maker, churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instruction, after the mixture has cooled completely.
  • Remove from the freezer, beat till smooth and return to the freezer. Do this 3-4 times and then set completely.

Assembly:

Cut the Swiss rolls into 20 equal slices ( approximately 2 cms each ).

Cover the bottom and sides of the bowl in which you are going to set the dessert with cling film/plastic wrap.

Arrange two slices at the bottom of the pan, with their seam sides facing each other. Arrange the Swiss roll slices up the bowl, with the seam sides facing away from the bottom, to cover the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till the slices are firm (at least 30 minutes).

Soften the vanilla ice cream. Take the bowl out of the freezer, remove the cling film cover and add the ice cream on top of the cake slices. Spread it out to cover the bottom and sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till firm ( at least 1 hour)

Add the fudge sauce over the vanilla ice cream, cover and freeze till firm . ( at least an hour)

Soften the chocolate ice cream and spread it over the fudge sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4-5 hours till completely set .

Remove the plastic cover, and place the serving plate on top of the bowl. Turn it upside down and remove the bowl and the plastic lining. If the bowl does not come away easily, wipe the outsides of the bowl with a kitchen towel dampened with hot water. The bowl will come away easily.

Keep the cake out of the freezer for at least 10 minutes before slicing, depending on how hot your region is. Slice with a sharp knife, dipped in hot water.

 

Sugar Cookies

by Leave a Comment

These cookies were deemed, and I quote, “The best sugar cookies ever” by Spencer.  He loves the way the sugar cookies taste and he likes the texture and chewiness of them when they come out of the oven, but who doesn’t love a cookie fresh from the oven:) ?  This recipe, however, kept that same consistency and chewiness even after they had cooled and were stored for a few days.  He had some that were iced, rolled in sugar and plain and he said they were all good but thought the plains ones were the best!

Everything about them was absolutely incredible.  I have had some sugar cookies that were very good but after you finished eating them they left a not so good after taste, others were great right when they came out of the oven but then became kind of hard or crunchy after they cooled, but these were perfect.  They were great right after they came of the oven; they were soft, chewy and moist but even after they had cooled and been stored for a day or so they were still the perfect!  This is definitely my “go to” recipe from now on! 

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Sticks butter, room temperature
1 Cup powdered sugar
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 Cups flour
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon baking powder
2 Eggs, room temperature
2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 Teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 Teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

In a large bowl sift together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder and set aside.

Using a stand mixer, cream butter and both sugars until smooth.  Beat in the vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, lemon juice and eggs.  Gradually add in the flour mixture, once blended entirely form the dough into two balls, wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350.  Sprinkle powdered sugar onto a surface and roll dough to 1/4 in thick.  Cut cookies out with cookie cutters that are dipped in powdered sugar (to keep dough from sticking to cutter) and place on cookie sheet lined with a silicone mat (or parchment paper).  Bake cookies 8-10 minutes, rotating half way through.  Bake until light and fluffy, but do not let the cookies brown.  Remove cookies from oven, leave on cookie sheet for about 5 mintues and then place on cooling rack to continue cooling.  Let cookies cool completely before icing, if desired. 

 

Recipe Source: Lynsey

Daring Bakers June Challenge-Chocolate Meringue

by Leave a Comment

The June 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Dawn of  Doable and Delicious. Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers’ to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard.

I was so excited when I saw what the challenge was for June for two reasons; it’s been a while since we’ve done anything with chocolate so I was happy and I’ve never made anything like this.  After reading about this recipe and looking at the pictures she posted, I couldn’t wait to attempt this challenge.  I always look forward to the challenges; some are variations of recipes I’ve tried before while others are things that either I hadn’t thought about/heard of or things I thought I just couldn’t even begin to attempt.  I always learn things from these challenges and they encourage me to step out of my comfort zone from time to time.  This challenge was no different; I made something that I would not have otherwise made and I learned some new recipes and techniques to incorporate into my cooking. 

This challenge had a few steps but the end result was incredible.  This would make for a wonderful and impressive dessert and with fruit added to it, it would serve as the perfect, light dessert for the hot summer time! 

Chocolate Meringue (for the chocolate pavlovas)

Ingredients:

3 Large egg whites

1/2 Cup plus 1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1/4 Cup confectioners sugar

1/3 Cup cocoa powder

Directions:

Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 200.  Line 2 baking sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.

Put the egg whites in a bowl and beat until soft white peaks form.  Increase the speed to high and gradually add in the granulated sugar until stiff peaks form.  (they should be firm but still moist)

Sift the confectioners sugar and cocoa over the whites, and gently fold ingredients together.

Fill a pastry bag with cream and pipe onto the line baking sheets in desired shape. 

Bake for 2-3 hours, until meringue becomes dry and crisp.  Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse (  for the top of the pavlova base)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups heavy cream

Grated zest of lemon

9 Ounces chocolate, chopped

1 2/3 Cup mascarpone

pinch of nutmeg

2 Tbsp Grand Marnier or orange juice

Directions:

Pour 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a saucepan and add the lemon zest, place over medium heat.  Once warm, add the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth.  Remove from heat, and transfer mixture to another bowl and let cool until room temperature. 

Place the mascarpone, remaining cream, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl and whip on low until the marscapone is loose.  Add the Grand Marnier and whip on medium speed until soft peaks begin to form. (Do not over whip)

 Mix about 1/4 of the mascarpone mixture into the chocolate to lighten.  Fold in the rest of the mascarpone mixture until well incorporated.  Fill a pastry bag with the mousse, and pipe on the palvova. 

Mascarpone Cream (for drizzling)

Ingredients:

1 Recipe for creme anglaise – recipe below

1/2 Cup mascarpone

1 Tbsp sambucca (optional)

1/2 Cup heavy cream

Directions:

Prepare the creme anglaise and slowly whisk in the mascarpone and Sambucca and let the mixture cool.  Put cream in a bowl and beat until peaks begin to hold.  Fold in the mascarpone mixture. 

Creme Anglaise

Ingredients:

1 Cup whole milk

1 Cup heavy cream

1 Vanilla bean, split OR 1 tspn pure vanilla extract

6 Large egg yolks

6 Tbsp sugar

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and and sugar until the mixture turns pale  yellow. 

Combine the milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat once it reaches  a boil.

Pour about 1/2 a cup of the hot mixture into the egg mixture (to temper the eggs), whisking constantly to ensure the eggs don’t scramble.  Pour the egg yolk mixture into the pan with the remaining cream mixture and put back over the heat.  Stir constantly , with a wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to thicken and can coat the back of a wooden spoon.  Do NOT overcook.

Remove the mixture from the heat and strain through a fine, mesh sieve into a bowl.  Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight. 

For the assembly:

Pipe the mousse onto the palvovas and drizzle with the mascarpone cream.  Dust with confectioners sugar and serve with fresh fruit (if desired).

Additional Information:

Wikipedia’s definition of Pavlova

The history of Pavlova

Videos:

Great video on Youtube – How to Make Pavlova

Another great video that uses whipped cream instead of the Mascarpone cream – Pavlova

One more from Epicurious – Australia Pavlova

Some great photos on Flickr:

La Tartine Gourmand – Red and Orange Pavlova
VROG in Bristol – Birthday Pavlova

Marco Veringa – Pavlova 6 (the fruit on this one is stunning)

Katiequinndavies – Double Chocolate & Raspberry Pavlova

My Food Obsession – Chocolate Banana Rolled Pavlova (something different!)

Sweet Potato Wedges

by Leave a Comment

 Sweet potatoes have recently become one of my favorite vegetables.  I love finding new flavor combinations using them and cooking them new ways.  One of my favorite recipes I’ve tried is a basic sweet potato fry with a basil garlic mayonnaise.  I love the combination of the sweetness of the fries with the sharpness of the maynnaise dip.  As much as I love that recipe I really like this one too, the combination of seasonings and flavors is so different from the other.  The other recipe with the dip has more of a savory taste while this one has the cinnamon butter drizzled on top, so you get a hint of the same flavor that you would get in a sweet potato casserole.  We really enjoyed these wedges, they are the perfect compliment to many things.  I love having a variety of recipes for potatoes, and having the option of using sweet potatoes rather than regular potatoes gives us that many more options!     

 Sweet Potato Wedges

 Ingredients:

1/2 Cup, plus 2 Tablespoons butter
1 1/2 Teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 Sweet potatoes, cleaned and cut length wise into wedges
2 Teaspoons salt
2 Teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
*** I sprinkled a little brown sugar on the fries when they came out of the oven.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large pan, over medium heat, melt the butter.  Remove pan from heat and stir in the cinnamon, then add in the potato wedges and toss to combine.  Season the potatoes with salt and pepper.

Place wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Roast the potatoes stirring occasionally, until tender, about 20-25 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve warm.

Recipe source: Paula Deen, Food Network 

Black Bean Salsa

by Leave a Comment

The first time I had this one of my friends brought it to my house and I was instantly addicted, even after I was full I was still eating it because I just couldn’t get enough!  Any time she asks me what she can bring to a gathering I always ask her to bring this dip and it’s always a huge hit!  It has so much flavor and it’s a good, light dip that can be enjoyed any time but is perfect for something refreshing in the spring and summer.  I love the flavor of cilantro and this dip is packed full of cilantro and it’s complimented by the flavor of lime juice; there are a lot of bold flavors in this dip but they all go together so well.  

Spencer loves this dip also and he and some friends were going hunting one weekend and they asked if I would make a few things for them to take so they could have some snacks.  Along with this dip I also made sausage and cream cheese dip, which is always a hit, and since I always make something sweet, I made brownie cookies.  Everything was a hit, and I think this dip is going to be making a regular appearance on these trips.  I was so excited about making this; and it did not disappoint!  I was a little nervous about making it at first because I wasn’t able to get the recipe from my friend before I needed it so I hunted and found one on-line that I thought was similar; I don’t think it was exactly like hers but it was very close and turned out great!

Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients:

1 (16oz) Can black beans
1 (12oz) Can shoepeg corn
1/2 Cup cilantro
1/2 Cup chopped green pepper
 1 Medium purple onion, chopped
3 Medium tomatoes, chopped (seed one)
1 Jalapeno, chopped
1 Tablespoon canola oil
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 1/2 Teaspoons lime salt
1 Teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Drain and rinse corn and beans and put in a medium bowl.  Add cilantro, green pepper, jalapeno, onion and tomatoes and mix together.  Drizzle the oil and lime juice over the top, mix together and then add seasonings and stir well.  Refrigerate 2-4 hours or overnight.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Recipe Source: Adapted from CD Kitchen

Chocolate Spiced Pork Chops

by Leave a Comment

When I saw these pork chops on Paula’s Best Dishes; she was doing a chocolate episode so I was already interested since I’m a huge chocoholic but when she said she was making chocolate spiced pork chops I was glued to the t.v. because it sounded very interesting.  After I saw her make these I knew I had to try them, there isn’t a lot of chocolate in the recipe so don’t be worried about them being over chocolatey, but there is just enough to add a different depth of flavor.  The rub itself was incredible, it had all the different flavor elements; sweet, salty and spicy and they blended together perfectly and created a wonderful flavor.  The rub would be great not only on pork, but we inted to try it on some red meat as well as chicken.  This has quickly become one of our favorite recipes; it’s easy and the ingredients are ones that most people usually have on hand at all times.  

Everyone was very intrigued by the recipe when I first told them about it, mainly because of the chocolate.  Spencer was very skeptical, and at first he wanted me to omit the chocolate from the rub but when I started mixing it up he had a change of heart and decided it would venture out of his comfort zone and give it a try.  He was very pleasantly surprised with the end result, and he couldn’t get enough.  My parents were over at our house the night I made these and my dad tried a little bite of mine because his curiosity got the best of him since there was chocolate in it and he loved them.  A few days later they asked if we could eat together and asked if I would make the pork chops again, and I gladly did so!  Needless to say these are definitely a crowd pleaser and they are also wonderful for week night meals since there isn’t a lot of prep time.

Chocolate Spiced Pork Chops

    

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 Teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons unsweetend cocoa powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons garlic powder
1 Teaspoon paprika
1/2 Teaspoon ground red pepper flakes
1/2 Teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon fresh, ground black pepper
4 (1 1/2 inch thick) bone-in pork chops
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350.

In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients.  Rub the mixture evenly on the pork chops. 

Add the vegetable oil to a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the pork chops to the heated skillet and cook on both sides for 3 minutes each.  Put the skillet in the oven and bake pork chops until cooked through, the time will vary depending on the size of the pork chops. I cooked mine in the oven about 15 minutes.  

Remove skillet from oven and serve pork chops while hot.

Recipe Source: Paula Deen,  Food Network 

Daring Bakers April Challenge-Toffee Apple Pudding

by Leave a Comment

The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet.

I love being part of the Daring Bakers because I always learn something from the challenge and there are a lot of time it pushes me outside my comfort zone when it comes to cooking and trying new things in the kitchen.  This month was no exception, I was really excited when I read about this months challenge and what it entailed, not only were we challenged to work with an ingredient that is not common in the states but we were also challenged to make a dish that is not common here.  We were challenged to use suet to make a British pudding dish which could be either savory or sweet.  The options were endless as far as the combinations and varieties of puddings that could be made, and there were multiple ways this dish could be cooked.  I really enjoyed this challenge but I was kind of disappointed because I wasn’t able to find any suet so I used Crisco, which was one of the alternative ingredients that was suggested in case suet wasn’t available.  Not being able to find the suet was the only problem I ran into; everything else went well and I was really happy with the outcome.  I made a sweet pudding this time, but I’m still going to be on the look out for suet and once I come across some I want to make a savory pudding.  The toffee apple pudding I made this time was great; the apple filling was so delicious and the crust had a great flavor! 

Some of you reading this are probably wondering what suet is, so before I go any further I will share a brief description. 

Suet (/ˈsuː.ɪt/) is raw beef or mutton fat, especially the hard fat found around the loins and kidneys. 

The primary use of suet is to make tallow, although it is also used as an ingredient in cooking, especially in traditional puddings, such as English Christmas Pudding. Suet is made into tallow in a process called rendering, which involves melting and extended simmering, followed by straining, cooling and usually a repetition of the entire process.

Unlike tallow, suet that is not pre-packed requires refrigeration in order to be stored for extended periods.

Suet is essential in traditional English steamed puddings, and in the pastry for steak and kidney pudding, in which a pudding bowl is lined with the suet crust pastry, the meat added and a lid of suet crust tightly seals the meat. The pudding is then steamed for approximately four hours before serving in the bowl on the table. Suet pastry is soft in contrast to the crispness of shortcrust pastry.

Suet is also an ingredient of traditional mincemeat (fruit mince).

Suet should not be confused with beef dripping, which is the collected fat and juices from the roasting pan when cooking roast beef and is not rendered.

Due to its high calorific content, suet is used by cold weather explorers to supplement the high daily energy requirement needed to travel in such climates. Typically the calorie requirement is in the region of 5,000-6,000 KCals per day for sledge hauling or dog-sled travelling. Suet is added to food rations to increase the fat content and help meet this high calorie requirement.

Information take from: Wikipedia

Now, on to the challenge!

Toffee Apple Pudding

Ingredients:

180 Grams self-rising flour
Pinch of sugar
1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
90 Grams shredded suet (I used Crisco since I couldn’t find suet)
Cold Water to mix (I did half water, half milk for a richer crust)
4 Cooking apples; peeled, cored and sliced
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
120 Grams dermerara sugar
1 Tablespoon golden syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Sift the cinnamon, sugar and flour together and then mix in the suet.  Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until a stiff dough forms.  

Grease a pie plate and line the plate with half of the mixture.  Add the chopped apples, lemon juice and half of the sugar.  Cover with the remaing dough, moisten and press the edges to seal.  

Bake for 20 minutes then spread the syrup over the top of the pie and sprinkle with remaining sugar and place back on the oven for 20 minutes.  Remove and eat hot.

 

Recipe Source: Pudding Club

To see other variations of this dish visit this months host: The Lilac Kitchen 

Brownie Cookies

by Leave a Comment

I absolutely love brownies and I love cookies, so what could be better than combining the two and making brownie cookies?  Cookies are a dessert that is so easy to eat; it is so easy to pick on up and nibble on it while continuing with other tasks.  Brownies are incredible too, but they aren’t necassarily as easy to eat on the go but the ooey gooey goodness of them makes it worth while to stop whatever is going on and savor every bite.  Combining the two gives you the best of both worlds; the convenience of a cookie and the gooey chocolately goodness of a brownie, plus these are the perfect solution when sending brownie goodies on a road trip or camping trip where utensils aren’t readily available. 

I’ve made brownie cookies a few times in the past and they’ve always been a hit but I’ve never made them from scratch.  Since I had a little bit more time this time I decided to attempt a scratch version and I’m so happy I did, these were so good.  Of course they were great fresh out of the oven but even after they had been sitting around for a couple of days they were still very good and ooey gooey.   

Brownie Cookies

Ingredients:

2/3 Cup butter, room temperature
1 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1 Teaspoon water
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
1/3 Cup cocoa
1/4 Teaspoon baking soda
1/4 Teaspoon salt
2 Cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Line cookie sheet with silicone baking sheet.

In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

With a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars.  Once well combined add water, eggs and vanilla and beat well.  Slowly add in flour mixture, until well blended.  Stir in chocolate chips. 

Drop cookies 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-9 minutes, remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 3 minutes then remove to cooling rack to finish cooling.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Food Geeks 

→←