Italian Easter Pie

I had a dish like this while I was in Italy, and I've been meaning to try it ever since. Giada De Laurentiis from Food Network is the author of this recipe. I didn't even try to deviate from her instructions my first time trying it, and I'm glad. It's perfectly, subtly sweet, and the pine nuts and orange zest are gorgeous.

Easter Pie
by Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for garnish
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup cooked short-grained rice
• 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
• 6 sheets fresh phyllo sheets or frozen, thawed
• 3/4 stick (3 ounces) unsalted butter,
  

Directions

Blend 3/4 cup of powdered sugar, eggs, vanilla, orange zest and ricotta in a food processor until smooth. Stir in the rice and pine nuts. Set the ricotta mixture aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Lightly butter a 9-inch glass pie dish. Lay 1 phyllo sheet over the bottom and up the sides of the dish, allowing the phyllo to hang over the sides. Brush the phyllo with the melted butter. Top with a second sheet of phyllo dough, laying it in the opposite direction as the first phyllo sheet. Continue layering the remaining sheets of phyllo sheets, alternating after each layer and buttering each sheet. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the dish. Fold the overhanging phyllo dough over the top of the filling to enclose it completely. Brush completely with melted butter.

Bake the pie until the phyllo is golden brown and the filling is set, about 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool completely. Sift powdered sugar over the pie and serve.

Chateau Monet Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Icing

I made these for my daughter's 21st birthday. Huge hit! They were gone faster than any cupcakes I've made in the past. This is my own recipe, based on a recipe I developed earlier in this blog for triple chocolate cupcakes with strawberry icing. The texture and richness are to die for.

Chateau Monet Chocolate Cupcakes

First Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 oz melted 100% cocoa chocolate bar (cooled)
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup Chateau Monet

Second Ingredients:
2 cups white, all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350ºF. Combine First Ingredients in order, beating constantly until smooth. Combine Second Ingredients in a bowl, then add to first ingredients. Mix until smooth. Fill muffin tins to 3/4 full. Bake mini cupcakes for 13 minutes or until done. Bake full sized cupcakes for 35 minutes or until done. Frost with raspberry icing.

Raspberry Icing:
1 lb of powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup fresh raspberry preserves
1- 2 Tbsp Chateau Monet (to texture)

Whip the butter and sugar until crumbly. Add the vanilla, then add the preserves and Chateau Monet until consistency is just right for spreading over cupcakes.

Dave's Brioche Rolls with Hazelnut Filling

Brioche dough is buttery and flaky and is a good base for a fabulous variety of rolls and desserts. Dave is mastering all kinds of artisan breads, and this dough is one that he has been working with.


Dave's Brioche Rolls with Hazelnut Filling
Adapted from Baking Artisan Bread by Ciril Hitz

The brioche dough recipe can be found here.

Filling:
1 1/4 cups hazelnut flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp light corn syrup
6 Tbsp water
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Blend together until smooth. Add more water if necessary, so that filling will not tear dough as you spread it on.

Roll about 1/4 of the dough into a square. Spread with filling and roll jelly-style. Slice evenly and place into a greased cake pan. Allow to proof at room temperature for 1 - 2 hours. Bake in 350ºF oven for 30 - 40 minutes until brown.

Stuff You Should Make in 2011

If you didn't try them in 2010, these are the recipes you should try in 2011.

My Favorites of the Year:

Mimsy's Spiced Rum Apple Cake

This is my own recipe and it's fabulous if I do say so myself. The concept is a blend of various apple cake recipes I've tried before, but this one involves creating a "paste" of spiced rum and dates that are blended into the batter.

Mimsy's Spiced Rum Apple Cake
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/3 cup rum
1 cup unsalted butter
Combine and heat to a just below a simmer in a tiny sauce pan, then remove from heat. Soak for 1 hour. (You can also do this in a bowl in the microwave)

1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
3 sour apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 eggs
Stir into the date mixture set aside.

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
Sift together in a mixing bowl, then combine with date mixture until moistened. Spread in a 9 X 13" greased pan and bake for about 1 hour or until done. Serve with Spiced Rum Sauce.

Spiced Rum Sauce
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup cream
2 1/2 Tbsp spiced rum
Combine in a small saucepan. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Ginger Bread and Pumpkin Custard Trifle

This is a trifle that I've been dreaming up ever since the cool weather hit in September. I was surprised to find out that other people had thought of the same thing, and there are a couple of recipes floating out there. I wasn't too thrilled with either one, because they both used Jello pudding mix, so I came up with my own recipe. Delicious!

Ginger Bread and Pumpkin Custard Trifle

Ginger Bread
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 T ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 dashes black pepper
6 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup molasses
3/4 cup water
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Combine dry ingredients. Beat wet ingredients until combined. Add dry ingredients. Beat until smooth. Pour into greased 8 x 8" pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Brown Sugar Spiced Rum Sauce
1 1/3 brown sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
3 T spiced rum

In a small sauce pan, boil brown sugar, water, and butter for 2 minutes. Take off heat and add spiced rum.

Pumpkin Custard
1 cup sugar
6 T corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups half & half
2 cups pureed fresh pumpkin (or canned pumpkin)
6 egg yolks, beaten
4 T unsalted butter

Mix dry ingredients together in a sauce pan. Whisk in half & half and pumpkin until smooth. Place over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Whisk a little of the hot pumpkin mixture into the beaten egg yolks at a time until they are hot, then add the egg yolks into the rest of the pumpkin mixture in the sauce pan. Cook and stir for another minute or so until thicker. Remove from heat. Add butter and stir until melted. Cool, completely.

Whipped Heavy Cream
1 quart heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar

Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Add sugar and whip until combined.

Poke holes into the gingerbread with a skewer or knife. Pour the Brown Sugar Spiced Rum Sauce over the Gingerbread. and allow it to soak up the liquid. Layer the gingerbread with the pumpkin custard and whipped heavy cream in a trifle bowl. Chill and serve cold.

Pecan & Walnut, Irish Creme, Chocolate Pie

Pecan & Walnut Irish Creme Chocolate Pie

Your favorite pie crust, uncooked
1/2 cup pecans, chopped & toasted
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped & toasted
1/2 cup high-quality dark chocolate chips
4 eggs
3/4 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup brown sugar
6 T unsalted butter, melted
2-3 T Irish creme
1 T flour
1 T vanilla
Dash nutmeg
Dash cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place crust in pie plate. Sprinkle toasted nuts and chocolate chips over the crust. In a large bowl, beat together the remaining ingredients until combined and syrupy. Pour syrup over the crust, nuts, and chocolate. Bake the pie for 50 minutes or until set. Cool and serve warm or at room temperature.