Galette Gusto!

I have been really into desserts lately, especially with all the delicious fruits coming into season! Nectarines only come around once a year for a few months so I jumped at the chance to create a simple, rustic, yet impressive dessert for my clients.

Fussy tarts and pies can be such a pain to form and of course as a chef I always want to create that perfect aesthetic, however I discovered that when time is of the essence, something comparable like a galette can impress just as much but with less of a hassle.

A galette is essentially a free form rustic, generally crusty pastry that can be topped with various sweet or savory toppings. I chose to pair fresh nectarines tossed with vanilla bean and citrus to accompany the delicate yet crisp crust made with cornmeal. The result was delicious and it couldn’t be easier….here’s what I did….

For the Crust:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick cold butter, cubed
2 tbsp. buttermilk
1 egg (for egg wash..this creates that golden brown color)

In a food processor combine all the ingredients, except the egg. Pulse until the butter is small and pea sized, but not too small! (if the butter is fully incorporated it will not achieve the same flaky crispy texture you want)

Pull the dough out of the processor and knead by hand JUST until a ball is formed. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

For the Filling:

6-8 ripe nectarines, sliced
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup white sugar
1 lemon, juiced & zest
2 tbsp. all purpose flour

In a large bowl toss all ingredients until combined and the nectarine slices are evenly coated.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out until the dough is about 1/4 inch thick. You may need a bit more flour to prevent sticking for this step…use your noggins people! Transfer the dough to a parchment paper lined sheet tray.

Arrange the nectarines in the center of the dough leaving about a two inch border of crust. This will allow us enough room to fold up the edges and prevent any of that yumminess from creeping out. Fold up the edges of the dough and brush only the crust with your left over egg.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. It may take a few minutes longer depending on your oven, but ultimately all you need is for the nectarines to be partially cooked and the dough to be crisp. Check this but CAREFULLY lifting the galette and checking for browning underneath.

I topped mine with a fresh raspberry whipped cream…It’s super easy….1 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 3 tbsp. powdered sugar and 1/4 cup fresh raspberry puree. Sub out the raspberries for any other berry that you have

Spring Fruit Crostata

Ever crave a pie but reallllly don’t want to go through the trouble of trying to create that perfect pie crust with an uncooperative pie pan? Yeah me too.

A crostata is basically a free form rustic pie. These can be made individual like I have done, or family sized! Either way they are going to be delicious and easier than you may think. I used fresh apricots and cherries for my simple filling, but try these during any season. (Think apples in fall, cranberries in winter & berries in summer)

Tip: Try getting your kids involved in forming the crostata, this way each one can be unique and personalized!

The most important part of the crotata is the crust….heres my take on it:

Dough:

1 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup cornmeal flour
1/4 cup white sugar
Pinch of salt
6 tbsp. cold butter, cubed
1/2 cup cold buttermilk (or ice water if buttermilk isn’t readily available)
Extra flour for rolling out

Filling:

4 fresh apricots, sliced
1 cup cherries, pitted
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 lemon, zested

1.) In a food processor pulse cornmeal, flour, sugar & salt. Add in the cold butter all at once and pulse until the butter is around pea sized. (This helps the butter spread evenly throughout the dough and helps promotes flakiness) Slowly stream in the buttermilk just until the dough starts to form. Turn the dough out onto a cutting board and knead to combine…..Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. (the colder the better)

2.) In a medium sauté pan on medium heat, saute the apricots and cherries in the butter until they just start to soften. Don’t turn these to mush! Once the fruit has softened just slightly, add in the remaining ingredients. Continue cooking until the sugar has melted and coats the fruit. Let cool.

3.) Separate the pie dough into fourths or even eights depending on how big you want your crostata to be. Using the extra flour, roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch and place on a parchment lined sheet tray.

4.) Take about 2 tbsp. of filling and put into the center of the dough. Fold up the edges of the dough creating an even crust around the crostata. Bake these suckers at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

I plated mine a bit fancier with lemon curd, caramel and a sour cream sauce. These crostatas are perfectly good alone or with some fresh home made whipped cream!

Banana Bread Pancakes

Banana bread is one of my favorite comfort foods. When I smell it baking it immediately reminds me of home. I mean these pancakes take everything you love about banana bread and elevate them to the next level. The velvety smooth glaze over the crispy exterior of the pancake is amazing. Try these out on a Sunday morning; kids and adults will love them.

Pancakes

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Cinnamon and Oats to garnish

In a bowl whisk together oil, sugar, vanilla, milk and mashed bananas. In a separate bowl sift flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix to combine. (Yes this will be a thick pancake batter and will resemble that of a banana bread batter…go figure!)

Vanilla Bean Maple Glaze

1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
2 teaspoon milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Feel free to make any flavor glaze you want but make sure you have plenty it goes fast!

Elevating Classics

One of my favorite things to do is take classic recipes and put a twist on them. Strawberry Shortcake is just one of the many American staples that I LOVE. The classic style is too plain for me. I really love being creative and different…and maybe a tad dramatic! With that in mind, I created a cornmeal biscuit, macerated berries with lemon zest and whipped vanilla bean mascarpone. Your childhood favorite is still there, it’s just a modern mature approach, which is sure to impress your friends.

P.S. Remember that all my recipes can be altered. Cooking is about having fun and using what you have on hand. This recipe would be great with a different fruit as well!

Cornmeal Biscuits
1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Cornmeal (gives a great texture to your biscuits)
1 1/2 tbsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/8 cup white sugar
1 stick butter (cold! this helps create the layers you know and love)
Buttermilk as needed….( start with 1/2 a cup save some more for brushing on top prior to baking)
Zest of 1 lemon

Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, lemon zest and sugar together in a large bowl. Cut in the stick of butter. (this basically means incorporate butter using a pastry blender or fork until the butter is pea sized.)
Drizzle in the buttermilk until dough starts to form. Remember you can always add but you can’t take away in cooking!

Roll out your biscuit dough onto a floured surface until about 1 inch. Brush with buttermilk and bake at 375 degrees until golden and risen. Let cool.
For my filling I used strawberries and blackberries tossed with lemon zest, juice and white sugar. Feel free to switch up the fruit I used for something more to your liking…e.g. peaches, cherries or plums!

The typical whip cream is replaced by a rich and creamy whipped mascarpone cheese (basically this is an Italian cream cheese) Whip the mascarpone with white OR brown sugar, vanilla beans AND extract and slowly drizzle in some heavy cream to thin out to your desired consistency.

Tis’ the Season!

I am obsessed with any holiday food. Something about the warm spices and bold flavors of seasonal holiday food that really gets me excited! One of my favorite types of cake is gingerbread. It is so intensely flavored, and if made correctly, decadently moist. Growing up I’ve always loved a company called Gingerbread Construction Company’s gingerbread muffins with cream cheese frosting. I have taken a recipe from a friend and molded it to remind of my childhood favorite. Here’s what’s in it…

Ingredients

1 cup Guiness Stout (helps with the rich flavor)
1 cup Molasses
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 cups AP Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
2 tablespoons ground ginger (this seems like a lot but its necessary!)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (you can used freshly grated)
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1 cup Light Brown Sugar
3/4 cup Vegetable Oil

Step 1:
Boil molasses and Guiness for one minute, take off heat and whisk in the baking soda. Cool.

Step 2:
In a separate bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and spices. Set aside.

Step 3:
Whisk together sugar, oil and eggs. Slowly add in the room temperature molasses/stout mixture. Fold the dry ingredients to the wet. Bake at 350 degrees until done.

I topped mine with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting and Homemade Candied Ginger!

Frosting

1 8 oz. Package Cream Cheese Frosting, softened
1 Stick Butter, softened
1 Tablespoon Orange Zest
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Powdered Sugar To Taste (Some like it sweeter, I like the tang of the cream cheese to be in tact)

Beat all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Top with candied ginger or any other garnish you may want…Try candied orange peel or sprinkle with cinnamon

No Graham Flour? No Problem!

I recently was trying to put a fun twist on a S’more. My end result was a graham cracker cupcake, salted dark chocolate mousse filling and a toasted marshmallow meringue garnished with crushed graham crumbs and chocolate ganache.

While the cupcake as a whole was a success, the real star for me was the cupcake alone…It has a perfect graham cracker flavor with the soft texture of a cake. I highly suggest you try this out, even if just for the cake….

Graham Cracker Cupcake

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp corn starch
1 cup finely ground honey graham crackers
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 tbsp honey
1/2 cup buttermilk

This link will take you to the finished product https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1230006_770105626648_1716084835_n.jpg

Thank you, Thank you very much

Did you know Marshmallow Fluff was created in Lynn, MA? Me either..and if you did..Good for you!

Every year there is a ‘Fluff Festival’ with a recipe contest in which the product must feature Marshmallow Fluff. I came up with three ideas almost instantly…1.) Sweet Potato Casserole Cupcake 2.) S’mores Cupcake and 3.) Elvis Cupcake.

All three of these cupcakes would obviously incorporate Fluff…The tricky part was how? I wanted the Marshmallow Fluff to come through without overpowering the rest of the product. I tested all three out and to say the least my favorite was the Elvis Cupcake. Elvis loved a peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich…so this is my take on his favorite. This cake starts with a brown sugar banana cupcake, peanut butter- Fluff filling and a browned butter Fluff buttercream topped with crispy bacon, home made peanut brittle and dried banana chips! Here is the recipe…roughly…can’t give away all my secrets

Brown Sugar Banana Cake

1 1/2 Cups Mashed, ripe bananas (I cannot stand the texture and taste of an unripened banana!)
3 Cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/8 Cups Light brown sugar
1 Cup Dark brown sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 Large Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Buttermilk
3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil

In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk until incorporated.

In a separate bowl whisk together sugars, vegetable oil, vanilla and eggs until incorporated.

Fold in the mashed bananas to the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet a little at a time until just incorporated…do not over mix! (This will make for a tough texture in your ending product)

Peanut Butter-Fluff Filling

This stuff is rich and each cupcake only needs about 1 Tablespoon each.

1/2 Cup Smooth Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Marshmallow Fluff
Half and Half to thin it out

Browned Butter Frosting

1 Stick butter, browned and cooled
1 8 oz. Package Greek Cream Cheese (This product has a great tang that cuts through the sweetness of the filling)
1 Tsp. Pure vanilla extract
1/2 Cup Marshmallow Fluff
Pinch Salt
Powdered sugar to desired sweetness
Half and Half to thin out to desired consistency

The garnishes on mine were crushed banana chips, peanut brittle and crispy bacon bits the saltiness from the bacon, crunch from the chips and the extra nuttiness from the brittle really round out this cupcake perfectly…Elvis would be proud!

Tartlet Trouble? Peaches & Cream Goodness

Sick of bringing the same desserts to a dinner party or family function? Me too. I have the most simple solution: Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough. This stuff is great and so versatile. The recipe to follow can be molded to your liking, the possibilities are endless. (sounds cheesy, but it is true!)

Mini Peaches & Cream Tartlets
1 package sugar cookie dough (you know, the kind in the tube!)
4 ripe peaches small diced (I say ripe because if they are not they are hard and not sweet whatsoever)
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 oz. “Greek” Cream Cheese and Greek Yogurt, softened
3 tbsp. powdered sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar (I am obsessed with this stuff)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
dash salt

Here we go…

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Put about 1 tablespoon of cookie dough in each mini muffin tin and bake until golden brown about 12-15 minutes. Immediately take the cookies out and press down in the center of the cookie to form a little cup. (I used the back of a wooden spoon, lets not use our hands and burn ourselves!)

Set the cups aside to cool.

In a medium sauté pan cook diced peaches, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt until peaches are tender and the sugar is cooked down to a syrupy consistency.

I then pureed my peaches so until the mixture resembled a chutney consistency. You will want to go ahead and chill this mixture for at least a half hour. Feel free to not puree them at all and use the diced peaches in the tartlets instead!

Now take the cream cheese, heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat with an electric mixture until light and fluffy. You may want to add more sugar to your topping but I like the tangy contrast to the sweet peach filling. Fill the cooled cups and top with the cream cheese mixture.

See! They are so cute!

To Stuff or Not to Stuff?

Okay, I tried to make this dish as light as possible. Lets face it, sometimes on a Sunday morning you just need a big hearty breakfast. This Cream Cheese, Banana & Peanut Butter Stuffed French Toast will always do the trick….Elvis would be proud.

Cream Cheese, Peanut Butter & Banana Stuffed French Toast

2 Slices Bread (not specific I know, but use whichever type you want, preferably NOT white bread because it will not hold up to the batter)
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter (feel free to use chunky if it floats your boat)
1 ounce “Greek” Cream Cheese and Greek Yogurt
1 ripe banana (Unless you like the unripe taste…no thanks!)
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk (usually heavy cream is used in some French toast batters, but it is not necessary)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 cup dark brown sugar (as I have said before, it is so much better than light brown sugar)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Non-Stick cooking spray as needed

Using an electric mixer beat together the peanut butter and cream cheese. Spread evenly between the two slices of bread. Slice the banana to desired thickness and put it on the bread as well. Make a sandwich with the two slices and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, whole milk, cinnamon, dark brown sugar and pure vanilla extract until combined.

Spray a non-stick pan with the cooking spray and turn on medium-low heat. While the pan is heating up dip your sandwiches in the batter for about 5-10 seconds per side. (too long and your bread will fall apart) Sear the sandwiches until golden brown on each side and the batter is cooked about 3-4 minutes per side.

Drizzle the French toast with maple syrup and I topped mine with crispy crumbled bacon

Coconut Concoction

Whenever I go to a get together or a dinner party at a friends house, I always ask “what can I bring?” There are the typical store bought dips, cookies, brownies; yawn. -__-

With a little help from the store, and a touch of homemade cooking these treats can be made easily and inexpensively. I called them Toasted Coconut-Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Cups…My inspiration? I have been obsessing over this toasted coconut vanilla yogurt lately and have grown to love everything coconut flavored.

Cheesecake Cup Filling

1 8 oz. package “Greek” cream cheese, softened (this stuff is amazing!!)
1/4 cup white sugar
1 small box instant cheesecake pudding
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk (you can use whole milk if need be, but NOT non-fat, it will not set as firmly)
1/2 cup prepared vanilla bean whipped cream, recipe follows (no vanilla beans no problem, use extract!)
1/2 cup toasted coconut (I used flaked sweetened coconut)

Whipped Cream

1 cup cold heavy whipping cream (the colder the better, this will make whipping the cream much easier)
1/8 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean pod scraped (can be omitted, as they are a bit pricey)

For the filling, prepare the cheesecake pudding as directed on box but only use the 1 1/2 cups of milk versus the two; set aside and chill for 20 minutes or until firmly set. (This allows for a thicker consistency)

Beat cream cheese with 1/4 cup white sugar until combined. Beat this mixture into the chilled cheesecake pudding just until combined. Fold in 1/2 the whipped cream until mixture is light, fluffy and consistent.

Whipped Cream

Combine cream, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat until medium peaks are formed. Do not over work this or else you will wind up with butter.

To assemble:

I used phyllo dough and created cups in muffin tins easily. (by brushing melted butter in between the dough layers (about 4) and pressed into the muffin tins.)Don’t have the time to make your own? You can find these pre-made individual mini cups in most any grocery store. Feel free to also use a graham cracker crust base as well.

I garnished mine with more toasted coconut, graham cracker crumbs and some berries. Try them with pineapple! This is such a quick and easy take on cheesecake. All your guests will be asking for the recipe.

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