Dawn – Page 29 – First Look, Then Cook

Chocolate Spice Bread

Published on April 21, 2012April 22, 2012 by Dawn5 Comments

I have been living the sweet life in Paris for the past week, having an amazing time sampling pretty much all Paris has to offer. Today was a bonus, as we were walking through The Grand Epicerie sampling different treats they had out to try. I am in love with Paris. Don’t get my wrong, I love Seattle, but this is really where I belong. Without my husband and younger daughter though, I am just not whole, so we are heading back tomorrow to join them in the wonderful city of Seattle, our home for now… Who knows what life will bring in the future, but I know Paris will always be there for me to visit if nothing else.

Since it is my last day in Paris, I thought it was only fitting to post this incredible recipe that I found in David Lebovitz’s book, The Sweet Life in Paris. I made this bread the other weekend – my husband’s birthday weekend. Every year I make him a wonderful chocolate cake – usually something special. This year though I was sick, and just not feeling well enough to do much of anything. I couldn’t let his birthday go though without something chocolate – so I decided on this cake. It was simple, and combined chocolate and cinnamon, his two favorite flavors. This was a hit, the cake was dense and extremely delicious. The best part was that it lasted for days – he had to go on a business trip the day after his birthday, and when he came back – it still tasted good. Now that is a cake.

So, if Paris is not in your future, why not try this cake? I love how the title says that it is a bread, which just means you can have an extra piece…

Ingredients

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for the pan
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1-1/4 cup flour
3 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder (preferable aluminum-free)
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon whole anise seed
2 large eggs at room temperature
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup honey
2/3 cup sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan, line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper, and butter that as well. Dust the insides of the pan with a bit of flour or cocoa powder and tap out any excess. In a double boiler or a large, heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and the butter together, stirring until smooth. Let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a large bowl.

In another bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Add the anise seed. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer or with a handheld mixer, whip the eggs, yolks, honey, and sugar until thick and mousselike, about 5 minutes, on high speed. Fold half of the whipped eggs into the chocolate and butter. Then fold in the remaining egg mixture.
Add the dry ingredients one-third at a time, using a spoon to sprinkle them over the batter and folding until the dry ingredients are just combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cake feels barely set in the center, but still moist. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Tap the cake out of the pan and cool completely on a rack. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours to let the flavors meld. Well wrapped, this cake will keep for about one week at room temperature, or one month in the freezer.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Chocolate Spice Bread

Creamy Ranch-Style Dill Dip

Published on April 18, 2012April 19, 2012 by Dawn2 Comments

So what do you do when you have 4 oz. of cream cheese left after making this? Well, if you are like me, it sits in the refrigerator for quite a while, until I am able to get my act together and find something to do with it. I actually didn’t have to look that far this time. I happened to be looking through the recipes I had piled up in the pantry, and there it was. It was almost fate – for multiple reasons.

My husband was away, and I was making dinner for the girls and I – a play on mac-n-cheese, which I will post soon – as it was quite good. Since my husband is not a big pasta eater, whenever he goes away, that’s on the menu at our house. My girls LOVE their father, and do not like it when he goes away, but knowing they will have pasta for dinner makes it a little more palatable. So, back to the story – the mac-n-cheese was in the oven, and I was wondering what I should make for a vegetable. I opened the vegetable drawer, and the carrots were staring at me – I knew it was the easy way out, but I was tired. So I placed them on the counter, and then decided (because this is how I do things), to clean out the refrigerator and see what I had to get rid of. I saw the big bunch of dill that I had used for the Matzo Ball Soup the other weekend, and the cream cheese I had used for the tomato basil soup. I was just about to close the refrigerator, when I took the buttermilk and looked at the date on the carton – that went on the counter as well. Then it hit me – I knew I had seen a recipe for a healthy ranch dressing in Cooking Light, and I was right – the amazing part was, it used all the ingredients that went on the counter to either use up or get rid of. It was meant to be.

This ranch dip was delicious, so much so that I ate most of it. My younger daughter who will not eat her salad without ranch was a big fan as well, but I hate to say she prefers the bottled version. This was thicker, and more like a dip than a dressing. The fresh garlic really gave it a nice kick, and the fresh dill gave it a wonderful flavor. It gives me such pleasure not to waste food, especially in such a tasty way!!

Ingredients

4 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons nonfat buttermilk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Combine cream cheese and buttermilk in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended. Stir in remaining ingredients.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Creamy Ranch-Style Dip

Grapefruit Pound Cake

Published on April 15, 2012November 1, 2013 by Dawn7 Comments

My husband and I have been really into grapefruits lately. Whole Foods has been getting these big Harbor Island grapefruits that are just incredible. They are so amazingly sweet, and oh so juicy! I swear I could easily squeeze a cup of juice from each one. We have been waiting for the girls to go to sleep, and then we dig in. You would think we were doing something scandalous, but no, just eating perfect grapefruits. Since I am not a big fruit person, this is a really big deal for me. I can basically go weeks without fruit and not miss it one bit, but these grapefruits are something else.

I saw this recipe in Cooking Light the other month, before we went on our grapefruit bingeing – and because we were enjoying them so much, I decided to make this cake. Boy was I glad I did – I knew when I saw the ingredients that it was going to be good – adding cream cheese to just about anything makes it creamy and delicious, and the cake was no exception. If you are not a big grapefruit fan, you will probably still love this – it is not an overpowering flavor, it comes out mostly in the glaze. The cake was very moist, especially for a light cake, and had some dearth to it, like a good pound cake should. I will definitely be making this again – as soon as I have an extra grapefruit lying around…

Ingredients

Baking spray with flour
9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon baking powder
5/8 teaspoon salt, divided
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
6 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
2 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons grated grapefruit rind
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1/2 cup fresh grapefruit juice
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°.

Coat a 10-inch tube pan with baking spray. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring well. Place granulated sugar, butter, and cream cheese in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in oil, rind, and vanilla.

Add flour mixture and milk alternately to batter, beginning and ending with flour. Spoon batter into pan; bake at 325° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Invert cake. Cool on rack.

Place juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 3 tablespoons (about 4 minutes). Cool slightly. Stir in powdered sugar and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Drizzle over cake.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Grapefruit Pound Cake

Lebanese Peppers

Published on April 11, 2012April 11, 2012 by Dawn5 Comments

My kids are turning into such adventurous eaters – I just love it. I never thought I would be here, but I finally am. I remember the early days when I actually had to make them a separate dinner every night – for one, they couldn’t stay up late enough to eat with us, but in addition, they never would have touched anything I put on their plate. Unless it was plain meat with nothing else touching it or covering it, they wouldn’t go near it. It even took a while for my girls to like pasta – but never with sauce. I had to ease them into the cheese.

Well, life is much different now. We all sit down to eat dinner together almost every night (unless my older daughter has a conflicting activity during dinner time, which seems to be happening more and more), and they almost always eat what I serve. They don’t always like it, but they will always make a valiant effort. I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, and I thought it would be something fun to make. I told the girls that I was going to make stuffed peppers, and my little one was not overly excited. I showed the picture to my older one though, and she immediately started explaining how she didn’t have to eat the pepper, it was just used as a cup to hold the rice mixture. My little one bought it. They of course had to come to the store with me and pick out four different colored peppers. The funny thing is that the orange one actually turned yellow after it was cooked, otherwise it really would have made a colorful picture. They both loved the filling – I must say, with some of the sauce on top, this was an incredible dinner. My husband and I each ate our daughters peppers, which was probably overkill, but we couldn’t let them go to waste. Someday I will even get them to eat the peppers…

Ingredients

4 medium bell peppers (any color)
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth, divided
1 cup cooked long-grain white rice, cooled
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 pound ground sirloin
2 cups water
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
4 lemon wedges

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cut tops off bell peppers; reserve. Discard seeds. Place peppers in a microwave-safe baking dish; cover with damp paper towels. Microwave at HIGH 6 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.

Combine 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 cup broth, and next 5 ingredients. Divide beef mixture among peppers; top with tops. Pour 2 cups water into dish; cover. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes. Sprinkle peppers with 1/4 cup parsley.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Add onion; sauté for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 cup broth, tomatoes, and the next 4 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 30 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup parsley and yogurt. Serve with lemons.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Lebanese Peppers

Matzo-Almond Roca

Published on April 8, 2012April 8, 2012 by Dawn3 Comments

I am very frustrated right now…I have been typing away for a while, I hit the save button, and there it went – everything I typed was gone. I am SO FRUSTRATED!!!

Ok, I will try to calm down as I try to recreate this post. I was really on a role, and now my mind is blank. It is time for me to post my annual Passover recipe, although I am not sure anything can top my grandmother’s Matzo Ball Soup – this actually comes close. But before we get to that…let’s talk about what we call today in our house – Bunny Day!!!

My younger daughter is OBSESSED with bunnies. It all started when she was born, and a good friend of my mother’s sent her some things from this darling store north of Seattle, called Bunnies by the Bay. They actually sell their stuff all around the country (my mother’s friend lives in Tennessee), but it is a local business for us. She sent her a bunny blanket which is her favorite bedtime buddy, best friend, and the one thing she goes to when she is sad. Her whole world now revolves around bunnies – so you would understand when she received an invitation to a Bunny Birthday Party, that her head just about exploded. At this birthday party, each girl got to hold their very own bunny for the entire party – she could hardly contain herself. Needless to say, it was one of the best days of her life. Even though we don’t celebrate Easter, she wore her bunny ears all day today to celebrate.

So, back to Passover. There are not many Passover recipes that warrant you to drop everything and run to the kitchen. This happens to be one. My neighbor introduced me to this recipe years ago – she is a fabulous cook, and always has such perfect recipes for the holidays. She made a batch of these, and I fell in love. I am telling you – you do not have to celebrate Passover to enjoy these babies. A few years ago, she sent me this…the first blog post I ever read. It was after I read this post, that I started thinking about creating my own blog. So please enjoy my other favorite Passover recipe – I only wish my grandmother was still alive so I could share it with her – she would have loved it. All you need is some Matzo Ball Soup and some Matzo-Almond Roca – who needs anything more than that?

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
5 sheets matzo
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 72% cacao), melted
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt

Preparation

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; coat with nonstick spray. Place matzo on sheet in a single layer, breaking as needed and overlapping slightly, leaving no gaps.

Stir sugar, margarine, honey, and 1/4 cup water in a heavy saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and boil without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until caramel is a deep amber color, 13–15 minutes. Pour caramel evenly over matzo. Immediately sprinkle almonds over. Let cool.

Drizzle melted chocolate over caramel. Sprinkle salt over. Let stand until chocolate sets, about 30 minutes. Break into pieces.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Matzo-Almond Roca

Roasted Pineapple with Honey and Pistachios

Published on April 4, 2012April 4, 2012 by Dawn9 Comments

I came into work a little later today, my husband was travelling, and I needed to get the kids off to school. I like to be the first person at work in my area, with only the security guards wandering around – and when I am not, it usually throws off my entire day. This morning, when I finally did get in, everyone was there, and my boss mentioned that she had donuts in her office. It is not often that we have sweet treats like that in the morning, and I figured it would be nice to have with my tea. It turns out, one of my co-workers went to a new donut shop near her house and brought them in for all of us to try. These were no ordinary donuts, they were basically like cupcakes in the shape of donuts. I cut off a tiny taste of about 4 kinds, and they just about did me in for the rest of the day. The universe was already a bit off by me coming in so late, but those donuts were just too much…talk about over the top. I was craving fruit for the rest of the day – which if you know me, does not happen very often.

I grew up in a house that was against fruit for some reason. My grandmother pushed fruit on my mother to the extreme, so in revolt, my mother banned it from the house. Ok, not exactly, but I swear I can hardly ever remember seeing it when I was growing up. On the other hand, when I would visit my grandmother, it was a course at every meal. Don’t forget the fruit! My husband has had to train me over the years to purchase fruit for the house – he sometimes will make a special trip to the market just so there is enough, and it always has to be fresh. My girls love fruit – especially berries – so I am definitely the outlier of the house when it comes to this part of the food pyramid.

I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit, and I thought my family would be proud of me. It would satisfy my need to make something, but in the end, we are talking about fresh fruit. It was certainly a big hit – I loved the yogurt on the side – the pineapple was so sweet, it was a welcome accompaniment. I didn’t end up pouring more syrup on the top, because it didn’t need it. I ended up using the extra syrup on top of the extra plain yogurt – delicious. So – if you are in the mood for something sweet, and want to feel like you are being healthy – here is the perfect dessert for you. Then you can wake up the next morning and stop for a red velvet donut…

Ingredients

1/2 cup(packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons honey
1 medium ripe pineapple, peeled, cored, cut lengthwise into 8 wedges
1/4 cup crème fraîche or yogurt
1/3 cup natural unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons torn fresh mint leaves

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir first 3 ingredients in a large bowl until sugar dissolves. Add pineapple; toss to coat. Let marinate, tossing occasionally, for 10 minutes. Place pineapple, one flat side down, on prepared sheet; reserve marinade.

Roast pineapple for 15 minutes. Turn, brush with marinade, and roast until tender and caramelized, 10–15 minutes. Drizzle remaining marinade over; let cool slightly.

Divide pineapple among plates. Spoon crème fraîche alongside. Garnish with nuts and mint.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Roasted Pineapple with Honey and Pistachios

Moroccan Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup

Published on March 31, 2012March 31, 2012 by Dawn3 Comments

My kids crack me up. Yes, there are times when I have had enough, and I just snap, but sometimes the things they say are just too much. Last month when we were with my father-in-law, my youngest was playing a guessing game with him. She wanted him to guess the person she was thinking of – he happens to be a very famous person, with a very big job. She said, “His first name begins with a B, and his last name begins with a B.” At first we thought we knew who it was, but when she told us the last name began with a B, we were all stumped. After a few more clues, we were sure she was talking about the President. We asked, “Are you sure his last name begins with a B?” She said, “Yes, Barack0 Bama.” I swear I could not stop crying, I was laughing so hard.

Now back to food…I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, and I knew it would be risky. Squash is not a fan favorite among the little people of the house. I decided I wasn’t going to let that stop me though. If it was tasty enough, they would love it. I happened to make it one night when my older one was not home for dinner – which sometimes helps my younger one to be more adventurous. I served the soup, and my husband and I loved it. It had a really nice tomato flavor, and chock full of stuff – chicken, squash and couscous – with this lovely cinnamon flavor. It was even better than I imagined. Then came the moment I was waiting for – she was all excited to have soup for dinner, and took a bite, and actually went in for another. After a few bites she said, “Mommy, I wouldn’t say I hate this.” Well, that is better than the alternative. She didn’t eat a ton of the squash, but managed to eat around it and got lots of chicken, couscous, and soup. At least we avoided the cold cuts…success!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
4 cups Chicken Stock or fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup uncooked couscous
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced into 3/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons grated orange rind

Preparation

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken; cook for 4 minutes, browning on all sides. Add cumin, cinnamon, and pepper to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add butternut squash and tomato paste; cook 1 minute. Stir in Chicken Stock, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Stir in couscous, salt, and zucchini; cook 5 minutes or until squash is tender. Remove pan from heat. Stir in chopped basil and orange rind.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Moroccan Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup

Butterscotch Blondie Bars with Peanut-Pretzel Caramel

Published on March 28, 2012March 28, 2012 by Dawn10 Comments

So, when is enough enough, and when is it overkill? That is a question I ask myself constantly – mostly at work, but pretty much in all situations. I learned years ago that there is a big difference between good enough, and too much. The difference can actually mean good enough somewhere else – if you understand where I am going with this. The time we invest in going overboard could be time actually well spent somewhere else. In a world (at least like mine), where there is never enough time – it is an important question to ask, and I think the most successful people are the ones that know exactly how much time to spend to get the biggest return. I admit that sometimes it is luck, but I have to believe this is something you can get good at over time.

Take food for example, the time it takes to make homemade caramel vs. buying a jar in the store, in my opinion, is well worth it. I have had some good purchased caramel, but it is nothing like what I can make using sugar, butter and cream. Homemade pretzels though that you are going to crush up and cover with caramel after placing on the blondies – in my opinion, not worth the time. I’m sure you can make some pretty amazing pretzels, but that my friend, seems like overkill. This recipe from Bon Appetit, well worth every minute I put into them – the chewy blondies, the salty pretzels combined with the sweet homemade caramel – it was over the top, but wonderful at the same time. I guess sometimes overkill is the way to go…as long as you leave some time for the next amazing quest.

Ingredients

Blondie:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peanut-pretzel caramel:

4 cups roasted unsalted peanuts
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups 1 1/2″-wide thin twisted pretzels, coarsely crushed

Special equipment: A 13x9x2″ metal baking pan

Preparation

For blondie: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1″ overhang on long sides of pan. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Stir butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until browned bits form at bottom of pan, 7–8 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add brown sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat until well combined and mixture resembles wet sand, 2–3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until fluffy and well combined, about 2 minutes. Add dry ingredients; beat until smooth (batter will be thick). Using an offset or regular spatula, evenly spread batter in prepared pan.

Bake blondie until golden brown, edges pull away from sides of pan, and a tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 20–25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

For peanut-pretzel caramel: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread peanuts over sheet in an even layer. Bake, stirring frequently, until golden brown and fragrant, 5–7 minutes. Set aside.

Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until caramel is deep amber, 12–15 minutes. Add honey; return to a boil, stirring often, about 1 minute longer. Add butter; stir until blended. Add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously); whisk until smooth. Stir in peanuts and pretzels. Pour over cooled blondie. Chill until cool, about 30 minutes.

Run a knife around short sides of pan to release blondie. Using parchment-paper overhang, lift from pan. Cut lengthwise into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 10 bars.

DO AHEAD: Chill for up to 1 week in an airtight container. Bring to room temperature before serving.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Butterscotch Blondie Bars with Peanut-Pretzel Caramel

Tomato-Basil Soup

Published on March 24, 2012March 28, 2012 by Dawn20 Comments

I know you have all been sitting at the edge of your seat waiting and wondering what I served with those delicious Mini Bacon and Egg Tarts…and here it is. Tomato-Basil Soup.

When I was in college, my roommates were into food almost as much as I was. For the most part we cooked for ourselves (and I got really good cooking for one), but sometimes we would make stuff for us all to share. One of my roommates was not a huge fan of cheese, but she loved italian food, and had spent a lot of time in Italy growing up. She made this amazing pasta dish for us that we would ask for again and again – the secret was that she added cream cheese to the tomato sauce, and it made this very creamy sauce, almost like a vodka sauce, that covered the pasta just beautifully so you would get a mouth full of sauce with every bite. I absolutely loved it, and was so excited whenever it was in my future. I had almost forgotten all about this, until I saw this Tomato-Basil Soup…

As I was looking through my Cooking Light, I spotted this soup. My girls have been asking for tomato soup lately – mostly because they know it goes well with grilled cheese, one of their favorites. I looked at the recipe and I noticed the cream cheese. My mind went instantly to college and that pasta recipe my roommate used to make. I could taste the soup before even making it – and I knew it would be amazing. Well, I was right – and as a bonus, this was incredibly easy to make, and a light version. Back when I was in college, I don’t think light cream cheese existed, but I tell you, you would not notice the difference. This soup was so creamy, and so rich tasting – and together with those delicious tarts, it was just perfect.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, cut into cubes
2 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook for 1 minute. Add basil and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Stir in cheese until melted. Place mixture in blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pan; stir in milk, salt, and pepper. Return to medium-high; cook 2 minutes.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Tomato-Basil Soup

Crack Pie

Published on March 20, 2012March 28, 2012 by Dawn9 Comments

A few years ago, the Momofuku Milk Bar craze began. It wasn’t until I actually visited it myself in New York City did I really understand why. This place was too much. The desserts in the case were incredible, the cookies outrageous, and the cereal milk ice-cream…let’s just say, I am hooked for life. It was really quite a experience, and that was before I tried the Crack Pie. So, what kind of pie is called Crack Pie? A pie that is so irresistibly delicious, you just can’t stop. The name captures it perfectly.

A good friend of mine in Seattle is a huge fan as well – in fact, she lived in NYC and frequented the Milk Bar often before moving out west. She is a huge Momofuku fan. We had been talking about having a Momofuku dinner for a while – she would make the main dishes, I would make the dessert. Since Crack Pie was printed in Bon Appetit a couple of years ago, I was all set. We finally put a date on the calendar to have our special meal, and since the pie had to chill overnight, I put a note for myself on the counter on Friday night to remind myself to make it on Saturday (our dinner was Sunday). We had some friends over on Friday night for cocktails – unfortunately I still had a ton of work to do – so after everyone left – I went to the computer to tackle my emails. A couple of hours later – I went back to the kitchen to look at my list for the next day – and mind you, I could barely keep my eyes open I was so tired. I saw the pie, then brownies and cookies. I thought I only had to make a pie? Why do I have to make Pot Brownies and Cocaine Cookies? I burst out laughing. Obviously my friends were as well – as I figured out exactly what happened. When I spoke to them the next day, we all had a good laugh about it. No, their friend had not turned into a dug addict…just a pie addict.

Ingredients

Oat Cookie Crust

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
5 1/2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar, divided
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt

Filling

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
6 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Preparation

Oat Cookie Crust

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper; coat with nonstick spray. Combine 6 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. Add egg; beat until pale and fluffy. Add oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Turn oat mixture out onto prepared baking pan; press out evenly to edges of pan. Bake until light golden on top, 17 to 18 minutes. Transfer baking pan to rack and cool cookie completely.

Using hands, crumble oat cookie into large bowl; add 3 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar. Rub in with fingertips until mixture is moist enough to stick together. Transfer cookie crust mixture to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Using fingers, press mixture evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie dish. Place pie dish with crust on rimmed baking sheet.

Filling

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Whisk both sugars, milk powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add melted butter and whisk until blended. Add cream, then egg yolks and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie 30 minutes (filling may begin to bubble). Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Continue to bake pie until filling is brown in spots and set around edges but center still moves slightly when pie dish is gently shaken, about 20 minutes longer. Cool pie 2 hours in pie dish on rack. Chill uncovered overnight.

DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; keep chilled.

Sift powdered sugar lightly over top of pie. Cut pie into wedges and serve cold.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Crack Pie

Ingredients

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Ingredients

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Ingredients

Oat Cookie Crust

Filling

Preparation

Oat Cookie Crust

Filling

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