Apple Crisp

 

Ingredients:

12 apples

1/3 cup of flour

1/2 cup of sugar

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 Tbs cinnamon

Topping:
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup oats 

Put it in the oven for about 1 hour at 350 F.

BROWNED BUTTER SOURDOUGH CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup salted butter (see note above for unsalted butter adaptation)
• 1 cup white cane sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 cup flat and runny sourdough discard (220 grams) 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour 
• 12 oz. chocolate chips (about 1 1/2 cups or one bag) for cookie dough
• 4 oz. (1/2 cup) chocolate chips for pressing into the top of the cookies
• sprinkle of course flake salt for the tops of cookies

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown the butter. Do this by adding the butter to a saucepan over medium heat. letting it melt, then foam, then when the liquid becomes brown underneath the bubbles and brown flecks appear, it’s done! Remove from heat. 
2. Let the butter cool to room temp, at least 30 minutes or longer.
3. Prepare one cup of sourdough discard. (Notes above on how to make discard).
4. Combine the browned butter and both sugars. Beat together with an electric hand mixer or with a stand mixer. The mixture will look a bit dry and crumbly, like semi- wet sand. 
5. Add the egg yolk to the mixture and beat with an electric mixer for a couple of minutes. As you continue beating, the mixture will become lighter and fluffier.
6. Add the sourdough discard and beat together until just barely combined. The dough will look more like cake batter than cookie dough. don’t fret.
7. Add the salt, baking soda, baking powder and vanilla. Mix until combined.
8. Add the flour and mix together by hand until just barely combined, being careful not to overmix.
9. Add the chocolate chips and mix together by hand.
10. Test the dough. *see note above* This is an optional step, but helps you to prevent cookies from coming out flat. Bake one, 1/4 cup sized ball of dough at 350 for 12-13 minutes. Depending on you elevation and the weather outside, the cookie dough texture can vary a bit. Testing one dough ball allows you to see if the cookie comes out well. If it is too flat, then the dough needs about 1/4 cup more flour. If it is just right, then leave it be and continue on to the next step.  
11. Cover the bowl of dough with plastic or a lid, and refrigerate. OR, roll into balls and transfer to an air tight container and refrigerate. Let the dough stay in the refrigerator to ferment for anywhere from one hour to seventy-two hours. I usually aim for about 4 hours. The longer it sits in the fridge, the more fermentation will happen and the more sour the cookies will taste. 
12. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
13. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper*. 
14. Remove the dough from the fridge and scoop in to smooth 1/4 cup balls if you haven’t already. Place six dough balls on each baking sheet. Top the dough balls with a few more chocolate chips.
15. Bake the dough balls for 13-14 minutes, or until edges just begin to brown. 
16. Remove from oven, and place {even more} chocolate chips on the top of each cookie…. just to make it look pretty. Then sprinkle the cookies with some coarse sea salt flakes.* (Honestly… don’t skip this! It’s so good!) 
17. Let cookies cool on a cooling rack. Serve immediately, and freeze any leftovers! 

Fresh Fruit Tart with Almond Press-In Crust

 This was our Passover dessert. 

Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup almond flour 
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 large egg yolks
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

CUSTARD AND ASSEMBLY

2 cups whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla paste or 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks
⅓ cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ tsp. kosher salt
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 pint fresh blueberries
½ pint fresh blackberries (I used strawberries instead of blackberries)

Directions: 

CRUST

Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk flour, almond flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk egg yolks and 1 Tbsp. cold water in a small bowl.

Add butter to dry ingredients. Rub butter into dry ingredients with your fingertips to create large, shaggy pieces of dough (the idea is to smash the butter into the flour, creating some pieces that are flat and thin and some that are large and irregular).

Using a fork or your fingertips, toss egg yolk mixture into dough to combine. Knead dough in bowl with your hands until it starts to come together (it will still look a little dry; if it looks too dry and doesn't come together, add 1–2 Tbsp. more water, but only if needed).

Turn dough out onto a work surface and knead 1 or 2 more times. Divide dough in half, stack 1 piece on top of the other, then press down firmly to smash both dough pieces together. Repeat several times until dough is well combined and becomes slightly sticky.

Press dough into bottom and 1" up sides of a 9" springform pan or a 9" tart mold. Prick dough all over with a fork. Freeze until very firm, 20–30 minutes.

Bake crust until deep golden brown all over, 35–40 minutes. Let cool.

Do Ahead: Crust can be baked 2 days ahead. Wrap very tightly with plastic and store at room temperature.

CUSTARD AND ASSEMBLY

Bring milk and vanilla to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl (start slowly—it won’t want to combine easily at first). Then vigorously whisk until mixture lightens in color to a very pale yellow and is very thick, about 1 minute (the sugar should be nearly dissolved). Slowly whisk in hot milk mixture. Return custard base to saucepan. Heat over medium and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, until mixture is bubbling and thick with no cornstarch taste, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter a couple of pieces at a time, whisking until fully melted before adding more, until all butter is incorporated. Transfer to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly against surface of cream. Let cool.

Vigorously whisk cooled custard until smooth and slightly loosened. Spread inside cooled crust. Top with berries.

Do Ahead: Custard can be made 4 days ahead. Keep chilled.

I have to admit that I was kind of scared making the custard (don't know why) and I almost used instant pudding instead. I decided to go ahead and just make the custard and am sooo happy I did. It was amazing, both the texture and taste and it was so easy to make. 

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

 I found this recipe because I wanted to make a stove top cake. There is a stove top oven called the Omnia. I decided to create my own stove top oven out of cheap pans from DI and what I had laying around the house. I was pleasantly surprised that it worked. I halved the batter recipe and it cooked 15-20 minutes longer but everyone liked it. 

I used an angel food pan with a removable inside. I put a wide camping pan on the bottom. 

I lined the inside with aluminum foil but am planning on buying a sillicone bundt pan insert. (this will avoid burning of the bottom)

I used a 5 quart mixing bowl as a lid. 

Ingredients: (this is the full recipe)

1 cup butter
1 cup water
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt

Directions:

Line the angel cake pan with aluminum foil and spray with oil.  In a saucepan, melt 1 cup of butter. Stir in 1 cup water and 6 tablespoons cocoa powder. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, dissolve the baking soda in 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the cooled cocoa mixture.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the cocoa buttermilk mixture. Stir until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated stove top oven for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

I forgot to take a picture of the finished cake but will do so next time. 

Jane's Heavenly Cake Sauce

Jane always makes this sauce and this kids love to put it on their cake. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbs flour
1 can evaporated milk
1 ts vanilla