Pina Colada Panna Cotta

David loves Pina Colada and when I came across to this recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine, I have to make it! I didn’t have rum so I used a pineapple wine I recently bought from Hawaii. The recipe is below and David loved it, but I think it’s a bit on a sweeter side. What do you think?

Pina Colada
Serving: 6

(Adapted by: Bon Appetit)
Ingredients:
2 tsp – Gelatin (approximately 1 pouch)
2 Tbsp - Water
1 Cup – Crushed Pineapple w/ natural juice (no sugar added)
1 Cup – Cream of Coconut (usually found in the alcohol aisle)
1 Cup – Heavy Cream
¼ Cup – Rum
Ground Nutmeg

Procedure
1. Pour gelatin and water into a medium size pan, set aside and let sit for 15 minutes.
2. Combine crushed pineapple + juice, cream of coconut, heavy cream, ground nutmeg and rum altogether and puree.
3. Heat the gelatin until dissolve.
4. Mix gelatin into puree and stir until combine.
5. Divide the mixture into glass cups and refrigerate overnight.

(*NOTE: Serve it with extra pineapples on top)

Chocolate Souffle

Tonight, I have been craving for something sweet and chocolaty. So, I decided to make a chocolate soufflé since these are the ingredients I currently have in stock. Also, I used low fat milk because that was all I had and it turned out fine. Regular milk would possibly make this soufflé a little more rich in flavor. I hope you enjoy this, my little sister and I loved them!

Chocolate Soufflé
Yield: 6 (3/4 Cup Ramekins) Servings
Ingredients:

70g – Unsalted Butter
90g – Bread Flour
8 oz – Milk

60 – Egg Yolk
1 oz – Rum
25g – Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

180g – Egg Whites
160g – Granulated Sugar

Unsalted butter for greasing
Granulated sugar for garnishing

Procedure

1. Lightly grease 6 ramekins with butter and dust with sugar.
2. For cocoa pastry cream, in a small bowl, combine egg yolk, rum, and unsweetened cocoa powder and whisk until well blended, set aside.
3. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over low heat, sprinkle the flour and stir with wooden spoon until it becomes a paste.
4. Pour the milk and whisk until thickened. Cook until it comes to a boil, turn off the heat and set the cocoa pastry cream aside to cool. Whip the egg whites until foamy and soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
5. Spoon about 1/3 of the egg whites into the cocoa pastry cream. Use a rubber spatula, fold gently. Make sure you’re not stirring.
6. Then fold the remaining egg whites just until well blended. Scrape the batter into the prepared dish about almost full. Pour hot water into the pan to reach 1/3 height of the pan. Bake until the soufflé is puffed and the top is browned (15 -20 minutes, depending on your oven).

Oatmeal Cookies Supreme

Hello FALL! Yes, nutmeg and cinnamon fragrant until end of this year, I’m so excited. Today, I’d like to introduce to you my version of an Oatmeal Cookie Supreme. I personally love almonds, but my other half loves pecans more. You’ll notice that I use a lot of pecans as part of my recipes rather than almonds. Plus, my mommy’s allergic to almonds (but when my friend Jenny makes her version of the irresistible oatmeal cookies with sliced almonds and cranberries, mommy simply gobbles the whole thing and tells me she’ll worry about the allergies later). I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe as much as my family and I did.

Oatmeal Cookies Supreme
(Yield: 20 Cookies)

Dry Ingredients:
2 Cups – Rolled Oats
1 Cup – Oat Flour
1 Cup – Cake Flour
1 Cup - Brown Sugar (lightly packed)
1/2 Cup - Granulated Sugar
1 Tbsp, 1 tsp – Baking Powder
1 tsp – Baking Soda
1 tsp – Freshly Grated Nutmeg
1 tsp – Ground Cinnamon
2 tsp – Salt

Wet Ingredients:
2 Sticks – Melted Butter, cooled
2 Large – Eggs

Particulates:
5 oz – Toasted pecans, chopped
4 oz – Dried cranberries
4 oz – Chocolate Chunks

Procedure
1. Shift all dry ingredients, omit the rolled oats. Then stir in the rolled oats.
2. Combine melted butter and eggs to dry mixture and mix.
3. Fold in the chocolate chunks, toasted pecans, and cranberries.
4. Use an Ice – Cream scoop, place cookies on a baking tray.
5. Bake @ 350°F for 14 – 16 minutes (make sure to preheat before placing cookies in).

Pecan & Spiced Baby Cakes

Fall season is making its way soon!  I believe it begins on September 22, 2010.  I look forward to the fall season all the time because it reminds me of my childhood while walking down the street with my little brother in New York.  I enjoy the changing colors of leaves from the trees, the breath of fresh air, the smell of fall.  Sometimes when it rained the day before, I would go with my brother and shake the trees the very next day to pretend it's still raining.  Fall also gives me the butterflies because it's another year I celebrate my anniversary with my love, David.

So tempted by the beautiful fall, I wanted to make something that reminds me of the smell of the holidays filled with cinnamon and spices.  Tonight, I made Pecan & Spiced Baby cakes.  The toasted pecans give these little ones an abundance of flavor.  I hope you’ll enjoy the recipe.

(You can always make Bundt Cake with this recipe)

Pecan & Spiced Baby Cakes

Serving:  30 mini cakes or 12 mini cakes + small bundt cake

Ingredients

7 oz – Finely chopped pecans, toasted before chopping

4 oz – Butter, room temperature

3 oz – Granulated Sugar

3 oz – Brown Sugar

2 – Eggs, room temperature

7 oz – All Purpose Flour

1 tsp – Baking Powder

½ tsp – Baking Soda

1 ½ tsp – Ground Cinnamon

½ tsp – Ground Ginger

¼ tsp – Ground Clove

1 tsp – Ground Nutmeg

¼ tsp – Salted

1 ½ tsp – Vanilla Extract, optional

½ Cup – Buttermilk

1 Tbsp – Confectioner’s Sugar, optional for dusting

Procedure

1.        Toast the nuts, let cool and finely chopped them.  Set aside.

2.       Cream butter until fluffy, gradually add the sugars and scrape the bowl several times.  Mix until combined.

3.       Add eggs while mixing in medium speed until smoothly, but do not over beat.

4.       Sift all dry ingredients together and set aside.

5.       Combine vanilla extract with buttermilk.

6.       With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 stages while alternating with the buttermilk mixture (Make sure you finish your mixing with the dry ingredients last.  For example: mix flour in 3 parts, liquids in two alternating).

7.       Fold in the toasted pecans and use a scoop to divide the batter evenly.

8.       Preheat oven to 350F and bake for 12 – 15 minutes, depending on your oven.

Fruit Tartelettes

I ‘heart’ fruit tarts!  They’re the best dessert because it brings out the best in seasonal fruits.  Fruit tarts can be made with many varieties of tart shells from puff pastry, to pie dough, and even short dough.  My favorite is the Almond short dough because it’s a type of cookie dough that is versatile. 

(Almond Short Dough can be made as a larger batch and freeze up in cylinder shape.  When you crave for cookies, slice a few, pop them in the oven and you can dipped them halfway with melted chocolate.  You can use it as an Ice – Cream Sandwich, it’s also lovely to be used as a crust for cupcake size cheesecake.  See what I mean when I believe how this recipe is the best ever?  I’m confident you’ll find many ways to use this particular recipe and make it your own creation.  Did I mention the marvelous nutty flavor the almond brings to the cookie?  You’re going to love it!)

Here is an introduction to my fruit tartelettes; almond short dough filled with pastry cream and then topped with fresh fruits. (When making tartelettes, go easy on the thickness of the tart shell since it is a smaller size).  Bon Appetite!

(Recipe - In Progress)