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Archive for the ‘Easy Recipes’ Category

Angel Food Mini Cakes

Posted in Desserts, Easy Recipes, Fast Recipes, tagged , , , on July 30, 2010| 1 Comment »

Angel Food Mini Cakes

The other day I needed to make a dessert for a meeting. My stove was still serving as the world biggest paperweight with the inability to do anything but take up space in my kitchen.

So I started racking my brain for something good that would not require me to bake or cook on the stovetop. What I came up with was something really easy and pretty tasty.

Ingredients for Assembling Angel Food Mini Cakes

Freshly Whipped Cream with Vanilla. Please ignore the fact that I'm sloppy and spilled vanilla extract all over the bottle and dribbled on the counter. Thank you.

Pretty little cakes, just waiting for filling.

The wait is over, filling is in place.

Ready for transport...

Ready to be eaten!

Angel Food Mini Cakes

Angel Food mini cakes

1 box of Jello Mousse Mix

Whipping Cream

Powdered Sugar

Vanilla Extract

Raspberries

Mix mousse according to package directions. Set aside. Use heavy cream and whip until it starts to form peaks. Add in a dash of vanilla extract and a sprinkling of powdered sugar. If you are using a small carton of cream, use about a 1/2 tsp. of vanilla and 1/4 cup of sugar. If you want to use something like Cool Whip  and save yourself the work of this step, go ahead. You’ll miss out on the fresh whipped cream flavor, but if you can live with it, so can I.

Rinse raspberries and gently pat dry on a paper towel.

If you like to slave over a hot stove, by all means, make your own angel food cakes. But I have to tell you, I found these little gems at Costco, pre-made and ready to go and they were excellent! Moist and flavorful and probably better than I could make. So I have decided to embrace the pre-made cakes with abandon!

Fill the centers of each cake with a generous spoonful of the mousse mix. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and then nestle a juicy raspberry right into the centers. Serve on a pretty platter and prepare to be complemented on your excellent dessert!

Enjoy and Happy Entertaining!

Shanna (a.k.a. The Shortcut Taker)

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Mandi’s Vanilla Ice Cream Base

Posted in Easy Recipes, tagged , , on July 23, 2010| 4 Comments »

Today, I have a very special guest blogger. Mandi Konen is a baker extraordinaire. She is a Pastry Chef at The Marc Restaurant in the historic Marcus Whitman Hotel  in Walla Walla, WA. Today she is sharing a great recipe for a vanilla ice cream base. Enjoy!

Ice Cream!

Ice cream can be traced all the way back to the 4th century B.C.  Roman emperor Nero (A.D. 37-68) ordered ice to be brought down from the mountains and mixed with fruit toppings.  King Tang (A.D. 618-97) of Shang, China had a method of creating ice and milk mixtures.  Ice Cream was more than likely  brought over from Europe.  After the dessert was imported to the United States it was served by several famous Americans, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.  The first ice cream parlor in the United States was opened in New York City in 1776.  American colonists were the first to use the term “ice cream” which came from the phrase “iced cream” but later shortened to ice cream.

Since ice cream uses such few ingredients it is important to use premium ingredients to ensure the best frozen treats!

Vanilla Ice Cream Base

2 c.              Half and Half
1.5 c.            Heavy Cream
1 ea.            Vanilla Bean, split in half lengthwise and seeds scraped
8 ea.            Egg Yolks, Large
.75 c.            Sugar, granulated
.25 tsp.        Salt

In a heavy saucepan combine half and half, vanilla bean and heavy cream.  Over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, bring the mixture until barely comes to a simmer (approximately 5 minutes), also known as scalding.  Meanwhile in a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and salt until mixture lightens and doubles in volume, approximately 2 minutes.

Once the cream has been scalded (it will have a distinct odor difference once it has been scalded from when it was cold).  Slowly begin whisking the scalded cream into the egg mixture until smooth.  This technique is known as tempering and prevents the egg yolks from curdling under instant heat.  Pour the egg-cream mixture back into the saucepan, while whisking constantly return to medium heat.  Using a spoon, stir until the mixture forms a custard thick enough to coat the back of the spoon (nappe thickness), about 1-2 minutes.  Do not let it boil!

Meanwhile set up an ice bath (a larger bowl than the one holding the ice cream base filled with ice and a little bit of water) and place the smaller bowl with the ice cream base in it to stop the cooking process.  Pour the ice cream base through a fine mesh sieve (chinois) into a clean bowl or storage container.  Stir the custard until cool in the ice bath, cover and chill for at least 4 hours, up to 3 days.

Pour the ice cream base into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Other ingredients such as fresh fruit, nuts, etc. can be added at this time as well!  Spoon the ice cream into a freezer safe container, cover and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

I hope you have enjoyed this recipe and if you have any questions regarding the process, feel free to email me at pastry@marcuswhitmanhotel.com

Thanks!

Mandi

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Fried Zucchini

Posted in Easy Recipes, Quick and Easy, Sides, tagged , on July 16, 2010| 1 Comment »

Something strange happened during the winter months that caused the zucchini left rotting in my garden area to multiply into about a billion seeds and burst forth this spring with hundreds of plants in my very small garden. The zucchini, like my oven, have gone totally berserk!

I have pulled up plants, tried to give them away, begged family and friends to take them off my hands, and now I am left with a bunch of zucchini that must be turned into something edible.

Captain Cavedweller and his mother would founder on fried zucchini if someone would let them. When I make fried zucchini, I have to quietly sneak into the kitchen and make it as fast as I can, otherwise CC is camped out beside me eating them as fast as they cool down enough to put in his mouth. When his mom is visiting, I can just give up any thought that I will get even one bite, cause they aren’t sharing. Not at all.

Here is my simple recipe for making fried zucchini. Enjoy!

Zucchini sliced and ready for coating.

Ready to dip in our three coatings.

Coat with flour before dipping it into the beaten egg.

Once you’ve got it covered with the egg, move on to the Panko Crumbs with seasoning.

Fry until golden brown on each side – it doesn’t take long.

Yum! Crispy zucchini goodness.

Fried Zucchini

small zucchini (they are more tender and flavorful before they get too big)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup Panko crumbs

salt

pepper

all-purpose seasoning

Heat a heavy skillet (I like cast iron) over medium heat with enough oil to cover the bottom. Let the oil get hot. While it is coming up to temp, wash and thinly slice your zucchini. Put your flour in one dish, the egg in a second and the Panko crumbs mixed with the seasonings  in a third.

Coat each zucchini slice in the flour, drench with the egg and finish off with the Panko crumbs. Then fry on each side until golden brown. Place on a plate or platter covered with paper towels to absorb excess grease. If there are any left to serve, you can have a basic ranch sauce to dip them in or eat plain.

Hoping you get more of them than I do!

Happy Entertaining!

 

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Flank Steak Salad

Posted in Easy Recipes, Salads, tagged , , , , on July 9, 2010| 3 Comments »

Flank Steak - a long and flat cut of meat that can get really tough if not prepared properly. Grill it quickly and it is so good!

The other day I had a wild and crazy idea that I didn’t want to cook dinner and declared it would be salad night. Hubby agreed, as long as there would be meat involved, so we settled on Flank Steak Salad. It was pretty tasty, so I’ll share what we threw together here.

Salads are a great way to eat light (in theory) and not heat up your kitchen by cooking. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Flank Steak Salad

Season the meat before taking out to grill.

Flank Steak cooking on the grill. The heat should be indirect.

Grilled Flank Steak - my mouth is starting to water.

The manly-man Captain Cavedweller version of Flank Steak Salad. Not for the faint of heart or those on a diet.

The prettier, lighter version of Flank Steak Salad. I tossed on a few crumbles of Feta Cheese and, boy, was that a delicious decision.

Flank Steak Salad

1-2 flank steaks per person

lettuce (whatever kind you like best is fine – yes I was lazy and used bagged lettuce)

tomatoes (sliced)

cucumber (sliced)

sliced black olives (again, lazy and used pre-sliced)

shredded colby-jack cheese (pre-shredded – lazy and yes, there is a trend developing here)

salt

pepper

Mrs. Dash (or whatever meat seasoning you like)

Flank steaks are thin cuts of meat that cook really fast. Season them with salt, pepper and whatever seasoning you like best. Get creative – Hubby usually does which is why I ask for half-seasoning on my meat!

Grill the flank steak for just a few minutes. Hubby put these on a hot grill with indirect heat. It took just shy of two minutes per side for them to be done to perfection.

Once the meat is done, let it rest a few minutes before slicing. I made long, thin strips of meat and Hubby whacked his into bite-sized submission.

Layer lettuce, tomato slices, olives and cucumbers in a dish or bowl. If you want the cucumbers to look fancy, peel and then run a fork’s tines down the outside of it all around. It creates a nice pattern when they are sliced.

Place the meat on top and then finish with a sprinkle of cheese. I added Feta cheese crumbles to my salad and it was tasty. Hubby added croutons, sunflower seeds and almost everything except the kitchen sink to his salad. My point would be, add whatever tastes good to you. I used a light vinaigrette dressing and Hubby coated his in salt.

So much for a healthy meal… maybe next time.

Happy Entertaining!

Shanna

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