Posted: July 25th, 2010 | Filed under: Pie | Tags: chocolate pie, diner style chocolate pie, diner style pie | 1 Comment »
I know that I went on and on about the amazing pie at Royer’s Round Top Cafe… but here is the truth. They were missing one thing. Nowhere on the menu is chocolate pie. Now they do have a stellar chocolate chip pie (which I fully intend on recreating) but no chocolate pie. And I’m sorry, but chocolate pie is delicious, and essential. Now you all know how much I love the cookbook by the Baked boys, and I’ve been wanting to make the “diner-style chocolate pie” for way too long. A little while back posed the perfect situation for such a thing to happen. I had made a quiche for dinner and in doing so I made homemade pie crusts. I only used one for the quiche, and I really don’t like freezing them, so I thought to myself… “Self, what do you want to do with that pie crust in there?” It was already late, and I didn’t want to run to the grocery store, so I popped open a few cook books and lo and behold, there it was, a very tasty chocolate pie. Now chocolate I definitely had on hand. Plenty of it. And all of the other needed ingredients. So with a few tweaks and changes, there it was, a lovely chocolate pie covered in whipped cream and sitting in a beautiful butter pie crust.
I made a scalloped edged pie crust, it was really pretty, I’m not going to lie. And I chose to go with out any chocolate malt, and instead use unsweetened dark chocolate.
We shared it with friends - it was amazing.
Alyssa’s Diner Style Chocolate Pie
adapted from Baked
FOR THE CRUST
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water
FOR THE FILLING
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons chocolate malt Ovaltine
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cornstarch
5 large egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
5 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 70 percent cacao), coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons whiskey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
FOR SERVING
2 c heavy whipping cream
1/4 c confectioners sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract
Make the crust: Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 5 seconds. Make one large dough disk and refrigerate for 1 hour or over night. Roll the crust out to 1/4 inch or so thick. Trim or fold under edges and scallop edges if you please. Line the inside with parchment paper and use pie weights to keep bubbles from forming. Bake at 350 for 20-30 min, or until golden brown. Take out and let cool to room temperature.
Drizzle water evenly over mixture. Pulse until mixture just begins to hold together, about 10 seconds. (Dough should not be wet or sticky.) Press dough into 1 large disk (for mini pies) or 2 small disks (for large pie), and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.
Make the filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, Ovaltine, salt, and cornstarch. Add egg yolks and whisk until combined; mixture will look like a thick paste. Slowly pour in milk and cream, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly; let boil for 30 seconds and immediately remove from heat.
Add chocolate, whiskey, and vanilla; whisk until well combined and mixture has cooled slightly. Let stand, at room temperature, for 15 minutes. If a thin skin forms on the filling while cooling, whisk until skin is gone. Remove pie crust from freezer and pour filling into the crust. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.
For the whipped cream: In a cold mixing bowl beat whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla together until soft peaks form. Spread on top of the pie.
Serve to friends, or just eat it yourself. Either works!
Posted: July 19th, 2010 | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: best pie, Pie, pie challenge, round top tx, royers cafe | No Comments »
I have been silent for awhile now… and for that I half way apologize. Only half way because it has been an insanely busy summer thus far. And between searching for a teaching job, working, searching for a teaching job, fun with the family, celebrating a million and one birthdays, searching for a teaching job, enjoying the summer nights and trying to relax every now and then… I have just needed a little breather from the blogging world. So… to start from awhile back, here is an update on one amazing weekend I took with my mom and sister to Round Top, TX. This city girl is not used to a population of 77, but I could certainly get used to more antique fairs, porch swings, and pie in my life.
We stayed on a family friend’s property, an amazing woman who collects art, antiques, and everything awesome.
It was so beautiful, comfortable, and quiet… you couldn’t help but relax from beginning to end. It was wonderful… full of naps, and chats and lying around. I loved it.
Then there was Royer’s Round Top Cafe. If you are ever even near the Austin area, especially on a Sunday you must take the “trip” over to eat. And please, save room for pie. You will not regret it. Our one goal for the weekend was to make it as far through the pie menu as possible. And really, I don’t truly regret it. We made it nine slices through in less than three days. I was proud honestly. And man it was tasty. My favorite… well, it wasn’t a real pie, but a “sinful cinnamon roll bread pudding,” but the strawberry rhubarb came in a very very close second.
So besides the pie and napping and porch swinging, we did go antiquing, and came back with some pretty neat finds… including a great pie dish, but that is for another post. So as our summer is quickly slipping away, I encourage to take a few minutes (or days) to relax, nap, and maybe treat yourself to something deliciously sweet.
And I promise, to not be gone for so long again…. I hope.
Posted: June 12th, 2010 | Filed under: Cake, Uncategorized | Tags: best peanut butter icing, chocolate and peanut butter, chocolate cake, cowboys cake, peanut butter icing | 1 Comment »
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- Today I’m updating from Humble Texas, where we are celebrating the 1 year birthday of Tristan Jarrell… our cute little nephew! What a doll, all cute and round and amazing. So for the party we contributed some amazing little cupcakes, crowned with little Cowboys helmets. So we’ll update with photos now, and I’ll add a recipe later… here you go.
Barefoot Contessa Chocolate Cake
from Barefoot Contessa
Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Scoop into prepared cupcake liners… and bake for 12-15 minutes. Cool on wire racks for at least an hour before frosting.
Peanut Butter Frosting
Place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.
Frost your sweet sweet cuppy cakes… and enjoy!
Posted: June 9th, 2010 | Filed under: Vegetables | Tags: cake toppers, cowboys helmets, home grown tomatoes, patio garden, patio produce | 2 Comments »
So this is just a quick mid week update of a few things that have happened (things that caused dancing) and a little preview for later this weekend. As you know, I have been tending to my little patio garden like a good little Dentonite - and while I have been harvesting in on my herbs none of my little veggie plants had ripened quite yet. Until this week… welcome Tomato 1 and Tomato 2 - my first little tiny tomato harvest from the patio! So exciting - and super tasty little guys!
Now for a little preview action… this weekend I’m making cupcakes for a Dallas Cowboys theme 1 yr old birthday party… and this evening I made these cute little cake toppers…
So there you go… anything exciting happening with you mid week?
Posted: June 7th, 2010 | Filed under: Cookie | Tags: best fudge-y chocolate cookies, chocolate cookies, soft chocolate cookie | No Comments »
I am not much of a cookie baker. I would love to be. I would. It’s just that… well, most of the time I have problems with cookies… hey hey hey.. lay off me… we all have our week spots. And its not that I’m terrible per say… its just that I’m not amazing, yet. Maybe these little guys are on my pathway out of Cookiesofdoomsville. But here is the thing… it is HOT here in Texas. Really hot. And trust me, I’m not exaggerating. This last weekend had predictable highs of 103 degrees. That is not pretty. That is not even a little bit comfortable. That is stay inside weather… thankfully I’m inside most of the time. However, this blistering heat does call for something cool and creamy… like a nice homemade ice cream sandwiches with some chocolate-y fudge-y deliciously soft cookies… yum!
Cocoa Fudge Cookies
Cooking Light
Mix these little guys right in the saucepan you melt the butter in… less dishes to clean… awesome.
1 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
5 tbsp butter
7 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
2/3 c granulated sugar
1/3 c packed brown sugar
1/3 c plain low fat yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat; stir in cocoa and sugars. Add yogurt and vanilla, stirring to combine. Add flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake for 8-10 minutes until cookies are almost set. Cool cookies on pans 2-3 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from pans, and cool on wire racks.
**I made three batches, one with the plain yogurt, one with vanilla, and one with sour cream… they were all perfect and delicious…. so don’t be afraid to use what is on hand.
Posted: June 3rd, 2010 | Filed under: Breakfast, Entree | Tags: breakfast quiche, breakfast/brunch, brunch dish, brunch entree, brunch quiche, herbed quiche, quiche, vegetable quiche | No Comments »
I love myself a great quiche… I do. It was one of the first “grown up” dishes I learned to make, thanks Mom! And I’ve always enjoyed making it - quick, easy, a crowd pleaser and you can throw in whatever you have on hand. How nice and versatile is that? So I had the pleasure to make breakfast for some amazing people the other morning and this was one of the main delights. I really loved the fact that I got to use fresh herbs cut from my patio, it made me feel so productive. I also love that I could prep almost everything the night before (crusts in the pie plates, veggies cut up, herbs shredded, bacon cooked and crumbled, cheese grated) so it made the morning super easy. And I have to say, I love how light and fluffy and fragrant and satisfying this quiche is. I think you’ll love it too.
Herb-y Brunch Quiche
1 round of pastry crust (use homemade or store bought roll out, both are acceptable)
1/3 c thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/3 c tomato, chopped
1 c spinach, shredded
1/2 c sharp white cheddar cheese
2 tbsp fresh chives, roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil, roughly chopped
3 large eggs
1 c heavy whipping cream
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a buttered pie pan roll out crust and press edges. Sprinkle bacon, cheese, veggies, and herbs inside the crust. In a mixing bowl whisk together cream, eggs, salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the crust. (You may also brush the edges of the crust with egg whites if you would like a little extra shine.) Bake for 30 min or until firm with browned edges. Take out of the oven, and let it rest for at least ten minutes before cutting into it. Enjoy with your favorite breakfast/brunch sides!
(Yes… the pictures have two… I doubled the recipe, and if you would like two quiches, you should double the recipe too!)
Posted: June 1st, 2010 | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: patio garden, patio vegetable garden, small space veggie garden | 1 Comment »
My sweet little patio is a growing and a growing and I spend quite a lot time watering and trimming and watching my sweet little plants. And my oh my… those sweet little tomatoes are sprouting and I have more than a few sweet bell peppers starting to turn bright sunny yellow. And man, I gave my basil and chives and rosemary a sweet trim for a tasty quiche and they are coming back strong! They smell so yummy when I trim them for the kitchen. The mint is so crazy these days its growing in circles around the pot! And then there are my two faves… the desert moss succulents that greet me daily with plenty of bright and happy little flowers in pinks, purple, yellows and oranges. And my precious gardenias, so delightfully fragrant every time I walk out. So here is your update… and hopefully there will be more, praying the Texas sun doesn’t burn them up.
So go and plant something! Or at least take the time this week to stop and smell the herb garden/gardenias.
Posted: May 27th, 2010 | Filed under: Bread, Breakfast | Tags: cinnamon rolls, cinnamon rolls from scratch, homemade cinnamon rolls | No Comments »
I have spent many a morning wishing for a delicious cinnamon-y, soft, buttery cinnamon roll. Warm and gooey and covered in something I will have to work extra hard to spin off later. And I have been searching high and low all over the Dallas/Denton/Lewisville area for this cinnamon roll, but everything is just too bread-y, or too hard, or too sweet or flavorless. But I saw these sweet little babies somewhere… and it was only a small matter of time until I could come up with an excuse to make these sweet morsels of deliciousness. And man… what a way to wake up! If you follow my twitter feed and happened to be up on Sunday morning around 8 am you probably saw my ecstatic tweets about how amazing my apartment smelled when these guys were baking away. It didn’t help that I also had a little mug of coffee in my hands… (I don’t normally drink coffee in the morning).
So I give you… Cinnamon Rolls via The Pioneer Woman. And I’m just do us all a favor and link straight to the page. Trust me.. her step by step instructions are amazing and I could not do a better job.
So don’t wait.. here you go… http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/cinammon_rolls_/ — and don’t wait too long to try them.. okay?!
Posted: May 23rd, 2010 | Filed under: Entree | Tags: asparagus, asparagus entree, Asparagus tart, bacon and asparagus | 3 Comments »
Recently my sweet little sister and her best friend finished their finals and came and visited me! Very fun! Before they headed down sweet little sister had one request… that I cook dinner. Thats cool, I can handle that. I had been wanting to adapt a recipe… so this would be the perfect opportunity to demonstrate a really fun recipe for the girls that they could cook together in their new apartment together… Nice. Not to mention that the asparagus have been really pretty lately.
I love love asparagus. In fact, I have always liked asparagus, even since I was little. And my sweet husband has not always felt this way, until I converted him with fresh green delicious asparagus. (Not from a can.) And now he too loves it. Ariel is similar… (except for the can part) she just needed to grow into the idea of asparagus I think. And I’ll tell you this… she called me shortly after for the recipe so she could make this with friends. Yea! I personally wish I had known this recipe in college… it feels so grown up… “Asparagus tart”… yeah, tell your friends that you’re bringing that to the party, and they will be surprised. But what they don’t know is how easy it is.
I hope you try it out… and enjoy the flavors of spring/summer. And maybe brag a little to your friends that you can make an “asparagus tart.”
Asparagus Tart
Adapted from delicious days.
1 bunch of organic green asparagus (I used about18 pieces)
2-3 slices of thick cup apple wood bacon
1 large red potato, sliced into 1/4 in slices
3-4 tbsp olive oil
Store bought pie crust (from the refrigerated section, I like Pilsbury)
1 - 2 c Sharp white cheddar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 c heavy whipping cream
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On a baking pan with a wire cooling rack on top, place your slices of bacon. Bake your bacon until crispy and delicious, about 20-30 min. Remove from the wire rack, drain the bacon and pat dry with paper towel.
Thinly slice potatoes and toss in a few spoons of olive oil. Bake potatoes in a layer on a baking sheet at 400 degrees F until soft in the middle, about 15 min.
Grease a tart pan (I used 9 inch rectangular form) with butter, arrange pie crust and form a small rim. Using a fork, stab little holes all over the arranged puff pastry. On top, add a layer of potato slices and sprinkle with grated cheese. Crumble the bacon on top of the cheese.
Combine eggs and cream in a bowl, season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and pour over the potato/cheese/bacon layer. Arrange asparagus spears equally across the tart. You may want to brush the tart edges with egg yolk to let it gain a nice golden color while baking.Bake at (350°F) in the preheated oven for about 30min or until edges are golden.
Serve warm.
This pairs really well with a nice fresh lemon dressed mixed green salad and a big glass of iced tea.
Posted: May 16th, 2010 | Filed under: Bread, Breakfast | Tags: banana bread, cream cheese, cream cheese and banana bread, cream cheese banana bread | 1 Comment »
You know, when I was a little girl… I remember my mom making banana bread. You know how the bananas are perfect for just a day or two, then they start to over ripen — (I like mine with just a tiny bit of green.)– and she would let them over ripen, and when I would ask about them - “Mommy, the bananas have spots, should we throw them away?” and she would simply reply… “No, no, we are saving them for banana bread.” Mmmm… I would think… I like banana bread. And I still do. And I let my bananas over ripen to the point of Ryan asking… “Alyssa, when can we toss these things?” And then I make banana bread. And while I have made some tremendous banana breads - using whole wheat, and half wheat, pecans, walnuts, and lots of butter and no butter and yogurt and I am still always ready for a new recipe… just to see. And I stumbled across this one. Full of cream cheese and banana and just tangy enough and perfectly soft and yummy. And do I even need to discuss how the house smells while it is baking away in the oven? Good. Really good.
Cream Cheese Banana Bread
adapted from Southern Living Cookbook
3/4 c butter, softened
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
2 c sugar
2 large eggs
3 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blened. Stir in mashed banana and vanilla. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8 x 4 inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan, shielding with aluminum foil the last 15 minutes to prevent browning. Cool on wire racks for at least 10 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool 30 minutes.
