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Butterscotch Pots de Crème

12 Feb

It’s almost Valentine’s Day  – a day like most holidays that somewhat resolves around food.  This holiday in particular though resolves around sweets.  Most people gravitate towards chocolate – which I can completely understand, but what about trying something new this year? 

I saw this recipe in Cooking Light - and saw this as a challenge.  Make a light Pots de Creme?  How could you?  There is no way this can taste good, just no way.  But, I was determined to try – I love butterscotch, and love custard, so I figured I had nothing to lose.  Amazingly, they came out wonderful.  The first surprise was that all the ingredients below made this somehow taste like butterscotch with very little butter.  The second surprise was how creamy the custard was!  I couldn’t believe it – it was definitely rich, and with a touch of whipped cream on top, it was heavenly.  Even my husband who doesn’t like butterscotch, thought it was delicious.  For 200 calories a pot, you cannot go wrong here.

But, if you just can’t let go of the traditional Valentines fare, how about this…my absolute favorite – and also a light version.  With the little hearts on top, it is definitely screaming out for Valentine’s Day…

Ingredients

  • 3/4  cup  whole milk
  • 3/4  cup  2% reduced-fat milk
  • 7  tablespoons  brown sugar
  • 2  tablespoons  water
  • 1  tablespoon  dark molasses
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt
  • 2  large eggs
  • 2  large egg yolks
  • 1 1/2  teaspoons  butter
  • 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract
  • 1/4  cup  heavy whipping cream
  • 1  tablespoon  powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°.

Heat milks over medium-high heat in a heavy saucepan to 180° (do not boil). Combine brown sugar and next 5 ingredients (through egg yolks) in a medium bowl; stir well with a whisk. Gradually pour 1/2 cup hot milk mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return egg mixture to pan, stirring constantly. Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. Stir in butter and vanilla. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Divide mixture evenly among 6 (8-ounce) custard cups. Place cups in a 13 x 9-inch metal baking pan; add enough hot water to come halfway up sides of cups. Bake at 325° for 24 minutes or until center barely moves when cup is touched. Remove cups from pan; cool on a rack 20 minutes. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.

Place cream and powdered sugar in a bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Top custards with cream.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Butterscotch Pots de Crème\

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Crème Caramel Bread Pudding

6 Feb

Bread pudding, comfort food at it’s finest.  As a kid, bread pudding completely grossed me out.  I couldn’t understand how you could make a delicious dessert out of a loaf of bread.  It just didn’t seem right.  For many years, I stayed away from it – even as an adult – bread pudding was not my idea of a wonderful treat.

About five years ago I was at a very good local restaurant, and on the dessert menu was Banana Bread Pudding.  Now I thought to myself, this is something worth ordering.  Banana Bread combined with a custard all baked together, now we’re talking.  I loved it – it was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and it was served with caramel drizzled on top – I basically licked the plate clean.

That’s all it took to get me started on bread pudding – just wait until next fall when I post my Pumpkin Bread Pudding…  I saw this recipe over a year ago in Bon Appetit, and it sat in my pantry waiting for me to make it all this time.  I just had to wait for the right occasion, and make sure I had a lot of people to serve.  After about a year, and it was still in the pile, I figured I just had to bite the bullet.  The next occasion that came up, that was it.  So, I brought it to my daughter’s book group – warning people that I was only going to bring an adult dessert.  Well – not only did the mom’s love it – but the girls loved it also.  It came out perfect – and tasted just like the most wonderful french toast with maple syrup on the bottom.  It was crispy on the top, soft and rich on the inside, just the way I like it.  Good thing I finally came to my senses.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups (packed) dark brown sugar
  • 4 1/2 cups 1/2-inch cubes crustless egg bread (such as challah or brioche)
  • 7 large eggs
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 pinches of salt

Preparation

Spread brown sugar evenly in bottom of 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish (or other 9- to 10-cup dish). Sprinkle bread cubes evenly over. Combine eggs, cream, milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt in large bowl; whisk to blend well. Pour custard through sieve over bread in dish. Let pudding stand 30 minutes, occasionally pressing on bread to submerge.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Place baking dish in roasting pan. Pour enough lukewarm water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of baking dish. Bake pudding until set, brown on top, and small knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Let cool in water 20 minutes.

Spoon bread pudding into dessert bowls and serve warm.

test-kitchen tip

To keep the water in the roasting pan from boiling (which would affect the texture of the pudding), add several ice cubes to the water every 10 to 15 minutes to bring down the temperature.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Crème Caramel Bread Pudding

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Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Cinnamon Caramel

4 Feb

One of the first “fancy” desserts that I fell in love with was a crème brûlée – that vanilla custard with the burnt sugar on top was music to my mouth.  The custard was so silky smooth, I just wanted to jump right in.  Many years later, I tried my first Panna Cotta.  The texture was very similar to the crème brûlée, but the flavor was completely different.  Instead of being on the sweet side, it was a little more acetic.  In contrast to the crème brûlée, the panna cotta was stark white – it didn’t have that yellow hue that the crème brûlée had because of the egg yolks.  I also starting noticing that whenever panna cotta was on the menu, it was served with a fruit compote – which is not usually my preference.  Nevertheless, from time to time I would order it for dessert, and I was never disappointed – until one time…

We were at an Italian restaurant that was noted for being kid friendly (normally our kids do not accompany us when we go out, but this time they did) – usually when a restaurant is kid friendly, you are not heading into a mecca of fine dining, but still, we try to choose places that are at least decent.  When we got the dessert menu, I saw the Panna Cotta, and I urged my older daughter to get it – I told her she would love it, it was like a cross between yogurt and pudding.  When it arrived at the table, it looked different – almost like jello.  She took a bite, and was not pleased.  I took a bite – and it was jello – white jello.  Whoever made it put in a little too much gelatin.  It was unlike anything I had ever had before – which was a good thing.

I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit, and I was instantly drawn to it since it had a cinnamon caramel topping.  Also – reading through the recipe, it seemed too simple to be true.  This was my first attempt at Panna Cotta, and will definitely not be my last.  It was incredible – and the caramel sauce, OH MY.  This should be a staple for everyone when you need a quick caramel sauce – it came out perfect.  Print this out, and make it tonight – you will thank me, I promise.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (scant) unflavored gelatin
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream, divided
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
  • 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon (generous) ground cinnamon

Preparation

Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons water into small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes.

Combine 3/4 cup cream and 1/3 cup sugar in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture just begins to simmer. Remove from heat. Add gelatin; stir until gelatin dissolves. Cool until warm, stirring occasionally. Stir in buttermilk and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Divide among six 1/2-cup ramekins. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours.

Combine brown sugar and remaining 1/4 cup cream in small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and caramel sauce is smooth. Remove from heat; stir in cinnamon and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Take the panna cottas out of the refrigerator and run a thin knife around the edge.  Take a plate and put it on top of the panna cotta, then turn it over.  If it does not come out, fill a shallow dish with warm water, and let the panna cotta dish soak in it for a minute.  That should help.

Spoon slightly warm caramel sauce over each panna cotta and serve.

For a printer friendly version of this recipe, click here:  Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Cinnamon

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