Hot Fudge Sauce (to beat all other hot fudge sauces)

We have favorite brands of products.  I am rather devoted to those which I love and often I would rather by none at all rather than a different brand.  Thus, I found myself without the promised chocolate sauce for Madeleine's birthday angel food cake.

I knew I had made Dorie Greenspan's chocolate sauce before and loved it, but this is the summer of Ruth.  I turned to my summer cookbook and found a hot fudge recipe.

After one child guest told us it must be made out of all fake things because it had corn syrup in it (someone asked how I made it), I took a deep breath and went to my happy place.  I didn't have to wait long for her (and everyone else) to get over the "fake stuff" and talk about how wonderful the sauce was.

If you make this, use the best chocolate you can.  We used our Chicago chocolate (from Blommer's--a chocolate factory who filled our Architectural boat tour with a wonderful aroma) and this sauce was amazing.  I may be hording it a bit in the fridge and hoping everyone else forgets about it so there is more to myself.  I don't think that's really possible though.

Makes about 2 cups

Hot Fudge Sauce
adapted slightly from Ruth Reichl's My Kitchen Year

2/3 c heavy cream
1/3 c brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cocoa powder (Dutch processed is preferable)
1/2 c light corn syrup
6 oz bittersweet chocolate (coarsely chopped or in chip form)
2 T butter
1 t instant espresso powder
1 t vanilla

Combine heavy cream, brown sugar, salt, and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat.  When the mixture has reached a smooth consistency, stir in the corn syrup.  Continue to stir frequently over medium heat and add the bittersweet chocolate.  Stir constantly and bring the sauce to a near (or slow) boil.  Once the sauce is thick and rippling, stir in the butter and instant espresso powder.  Once the butter has melted and is incorporated, stir in the vanilla.  Keep warm until ready to pour on ice cream (if it's soonish) or allow to cool and store in the refrigerator until you need it.  Microwave cooled sauce briefly to heat up and soften.  Pour over ice cream or angel food cake (and berries!).

Dark Chocolate Pecan Sea Salted Toffee aka I Do Like Toffee! Toffee

"I can make the toffee," I told my neighbor when we discussed what we were going to make for our book club meeting we were co-hosting.  I make tortes, soufflés, and Italian bread from scratch so what was toffee?  Little did I know.

The month we hosted book club, we read Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist.  When she described making toffee I thought it would be so easy.  What is there to it?  It's just like caramel sauce but hardened.

Wrong and wrong again.  After my first total toffee fail, I remembered Jen Hatmaker blogging about repeated toffee fails and how she could never figure out what in the world she was doing wrong.  Just expect to fail your first time, ok?  Low expectations folks, low expectations.

What I learned:

Shauna Niequist's recipe made it look way too easy and I needed to look elsewhere, say the Pioneer Woman with her step by step instructions with pictures!!

Start with melted butter, don't melt the butter with sugar, I'm convinced that's where my problem lay (because it was a problem from the get go).

Stir constantly.  Usually when recipes say stir constantly, I ignore them.  Don't ignore this instruction.  Stir constantly.

If this recipe doesn't work, goggle toffee mistakes and expect everyone to give you conflicting advice.  Then find a food blog that you generally have good success with and try their instructions.  It's just sugar and water and butter folks, it's not like you're throwing out chocolate or a tasty fruit or vegetable.

It's ok to mess up and try again.

Here's the version I came up with--a lot of the Pioneer Woman's and a little bit of Shauna Niequist's.

Toffee
from The Pioneer Woman and Shauna Niequist

1 c (16 T or 2 sticks or 8 oz) butter, melted
2 c  (or 8 oz) sugar
1/2 t salt
3 T water
1/2 t vanilla (optional)

1 c good quality dark chocolate chips or chunks
1/2 c or so chopped pecans (you can use more or less depending on your whim)
1 t good quality coarse sea salt--fleur de sal or a fancy salt

In a saucepan (I use my stainless one--not my cast iron one because it heats up faster), combine melted butter, water, salt, and sugar.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Cook over medium-high heat (a 6 or  7 on my stove), stirring gently the whole time.  Using a candy thermometer, bring the sugar mixture to 298 degrees faranheit or until it is a deep amber color.  (I like candy thermometers.  If your mixture doesn't seem to be reaching 298, turn up the heat a bit).  Be very careful not to let any of the melted sugar get on your skin.  I have a scar to show what it can do to you on my wrist.

Remove from the heat and pour onto a rimmed baking sheet (cookie sheet) lined either with parchment paper or a silpat.  Let cool until solid to the touch.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips.  Pour it over the toffee and top immediately top with pecans and sea salt.  Let cool until solid and rather hard.  Break into irregular pieces and serve.

Vanilla and Intensely Rich Chocolate Frozen Custard

I have learned this summer that frozen custard and ice cream are not the same thing.  I prefer frozen custard.  Ice cream tends to leave that funny, fat coating on my spoon and then on my tongue.  Frozen custard leaves none of that but doesn't sacrifice richness.

This chocolate frozen custard is intensely rich.  I am a chocolate lover and I only could manage one scoop.  I'm not complaining.  It's not often ice cream or custard has such a wonderful chocolate flavor.

The base for the chocolate is a vanilla recipe.  The vanilla recipe received mixed reviews in my family.  M thought it was great, Curtis not so much.

Vanilla Frozen Custard
adapted a hair from Bon Appetit magazine

1 1/2 c heavy (whipping) cream
1 c milk (I use skim without any problems)
1/2 c sugar, divided
pinch of salt
1 t vanilla
5 large egg yolks

In a medium saucepan, combine cream, milk, 1/4 c sugar, pinch of salt, and vanilla.  Bring the mixture just to a boil, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat.  In a heat proof bowl or glass measuring cup (my preference), beat the 5 egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 c sugar, until pale yellow and thickened (it should form "the ribbon").  Gradually whisk in 1/2 c or so of the hot milk.  This is tempering the eggs so they don't scramble when they are come in contact with the hot milk.  Slowly whisk the hot egg/milk mixture into the saucepan of milk and cream.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat a wooden spoon.  (In other words, if the custard is on the back of the spoon, you can draw your finger through the custard and it doesn't run down over the finger line immediately.)  Be careful not to overcook so the eggs don't scramble or clump.

If your custard is smooth, pour into another bowl.  Place bowl in a bowl of ice water and stir occasionally until custard is cool.  Process according to your ice cream maker directions.  Try not to eat all of the custard before you freeze it, which is always an issue for me.

The plain vanilla frozen custard makes about 3 1/2 c.


Chocolate Frozen Custard
adapted from the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Book

one recipe of vanilla frozen custard, hot off the stove
1/2 c sugar
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

Place unsweetened chocolate and 1/2 c sugar in a bowl.  Pour the hot vanilla custard over the chocolate and sugar.  Let sit for a couple of minutes or so and then stir to melt and incorporate chocolate.  Place bowl of chocolate custard over another bowl of ice water and stir occasionally until custard is cool.  Process according to your ice cream maker directions.

The chocolate frozen custard makes about 1 quart.

Chocolate Semifreddo

Lest you think we just ate fish sauce this summer, let me reassure you we didn't by sharing this recipe.  Chocolate semifreddo.  Before making this recipe, I didn't know what a semifreddo was.  I was drawn to it because it was frozen and had the word chocolate in the title.

Semifreddo is basically a frozen mousse.  It is an Italian dish and if you are comfortable with whipping cream/beating eggs and folding things into the light airy beaten eggs/cream, it is easy to make.

We all enjoyed this.  The original recipe also included a instructions for making a chile-chocolate sauce.  I omitted that and just used a good chocolate sauce in it's place.  The cinnamon whipped cream is fabulous though, and leftovers are great in coffee!

This serves 8 - 12 depending on how thick you make the slices.

Chocolate Semifreddo
adapted from Bon Appetit

2 large egg whites
1/4 c sugar
4 oz semi or bittersweet chocolate (don't exceed 61% cacao)
2 T butter, at room temperature
1 c chilled heavy cream

1 c chilled heavy cream
1 T sugar
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1 t vanilla

good chocolate sauce (probably a step above Hershey's) (optional)

Line a 9x4 1/2x3 loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving a 2" overhang.  Set aside.  Whisk the egg whites and 1/4 c sugar in a medium heatproof bowl set over a medium saucepan of simmering water until sugar dissolves and egg whites are warm (but not hot), about 5 minutes (this helps reduce the risk of salmonella).  Remove from heat.  Using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk, beat on medium-high speed until cool, tripled in volume, and stiff peaks form.  (Check this periodically by putting spoon into the egg whites and seeing if they will stay standing in peaks).

Stir chocolate and butter together in another heatproof bowl over the same saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth.  Remove from heat and let cool, slightly.

Beat 1 c cream in another medium bowl until medium-stiff peaks form (the peaks should just gently fall over onto themselves).  Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate.  Fold in the whipped cream.  Be careful not to over-fold.  Stop folding as soon as the mixture is smooth and of uniform color.  Scrape the mixture into the prepared loaf pan.  Smooth top and cover tightly with the remaining overhang of plastic wrap.  Cover tightly and freeze until firm, 3 - 4 hours.

To make the whipped cream, combine the 1 c cream, 1 T sugar, and ground cinnamon in a bowl.  Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk again, beat until soft peaks form.  Stir in vanilla and beat a little longer (don't over beat you will end up with cinnamon-vanilla butter).

To serve, uncover semifreddo and invert.  Slice, using a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry.  Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

Brownies with Chile and Sea Salt

I am full of excuses for the month of July---the number one excuse being that I broke my arm and have been in a splint the past two and half weeks, which it makes it rather difficult to type. This morning, I have removed the splint just to add this recipe.

These brownies are addictive. They are the ultimate "adult beverage" (which my cousins and I jokingly call desserts because for the longest time, we only had dessert after the kids went to bed---similarly to how some people consume adult beverages.) It's easy to eat a quarter pan at a time, thanks to the salt sprinkled on top. The chile isn't enough to make the brownies spicy (M would eat them which would mean they are not spicy whatsoever). It's just enough to leave a little hint of tickle in the back of your throat after you ate the brownies (a tickle in a good sense as opposed to a choking tickle or a full out spicy throat burn).

Enough said. There are no pictures. The brownies don't last long enough. Plus, it's hard to get a good picture of a brownie. :)

Brownies with Chile and Sea Salt

adapted ever so slightly, maybe, from In the Kitchen with Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

18 T butter (also equal to 1 c plus 2 T butter or 2 sticks plus 2 T butter)

3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 c flour

1/2 t salt

1/8 - 1/4 t cayenne (I think I used closer to 1/4. Don't substitute chile powder)

1/2 c plus 1 T cocoa powder

2 1/2 c sugar

3 large eggs

1 T vanilla

fancy sea salt flakes like Fleur de Sel or Maldon, for sprinkling

Melt together the butter and unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler, stirring until smooth. In a separate small to medium bowl, combine the flour, kosher salt, and cayenne. Transfer the chocolate and butter mixture to a larger bowl. Stir in the cocoa powder and sugar (it will be rather thick). Add the eggs and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Fold in the dry ingredients (flour, etc) and continue to fold until batter is lump-free. Scrape the batter into a 9 x 13" baking pan that has been lined with parchment paper (alternately, you could just butter the bottom really well, but it may stick). Smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle all over with the sea salt flakes. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes in a preheated 350 degrees oven or until the edges just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and the top is set and shiny (if you like your brownies undercooked, just bake a minute or two less). Allow to cool until they won't burn your mouth any more and enjoy.

By the way---these, like most good brownies, are fabulous served warm with a scoop of ice cream melting over top. :)

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

When I was young, every once in a while my mom would have her "Ladies" over. While this bothered my brother, sister, and I slightly because we had to stay out of sight and quiet, for the most part it was ok because my mom almost always made this for dessert for them. It was some what of a magical dessert to me---cake on the top with hot fudge pudding on the bottom. A piece was inverted on a plate and topped with vanilla ice cream. The vanilla ice cream always melted a bit in the hot fudge and it was wonderfully gooey mess of ice cream, hot fudge, and cake--perfect for a little girl.

Once I started making this for myself, it was no less magical or special, although for some different reasons. My favorite discovery was my mom used no bowls to make this. Every thing was measured and then mixed in the 9 x 9" pan it was baked in. I still love how during baking the cake floats to top and the vanilla ice cream makes a gooey mess with the hot fudge and cake.

This is always a hit when I make it. I love it because it's easy and good!

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

from my Mom :)

1 c flour

3/4 c sugar

2 T cocoa

2 t baking powder

1/2 c milk

2 T oil

1 t vanilla

1 c brown sugar

1/4 c cocoa

1 3/4 c hot tap water

Mix flour, sugar, 2 T cocoa and baking powder in an ungreased 9 x9" pan. Mix in milk, oil, and vanilla with a fork until smooth. Spread evenly in pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and 1/4 c cocoa. Pour hot water over batter. Bake 40 minutes in a preheated 350 degrees oven. Let stand 20 - 30 minutes. To serve, invert on dessert plates and top with vanilla ice cream.

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart

It's official everyone! The strawberry fields at Sweet Berry Farms in Marble Falls are officially open. Since I've been hankering (to put it mildly) for fresh strawberries for about a month, we headed out the second day the farm was open. Sure enough, as soon as we got there, it started raining. The above picture is exactly how muddy one mother and two children (who didn't even pick any strawberries) can get while picking strawberries. (Curtis and little I stayed in the car during the rain shower). After having our shoes get stuck in the mud, we abandoned them at the end of a row and picked in barefeet. It was glorious.

We picked about 15 pounds worth of berries. I had absolutely no plans on making strawberry freezer jam--Easter weekend is too hectic to throw jam in the mix as well, even if the jam is incredibly simple to make. We ate homemade strawberry shortcake for breakfast Saturday morning and oodles of just plain strawberries. We gave some berries away to neighbors. About 2 pounds were set aside for a Strawberry Mascarpone Tart.

I am looking for the perfect strawberry dessert. Curtis pointed out it doesn't get much better than homemade strawberry ice cream or strawberry shortcake. I need a dessert with a crust. I am not in love with the strawberry pie recipe I've made. Only way I like it is if my mom makes it. She's 1500 miles or so away, so that's not happening. I think this recipe comes pretty close. It's not overly sweet. The mascarpone cheese is subtle and not too rich. The strawberries can shine.

I attempted a non-alcoholic version of the glaze and failed miserably. Next time I'll either make the Port glaze or leave it off entirely. The strawberry juice by itself was too thin and ran off the tart onto the cake stand and thus into the crust--not exactly what I was after.

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart
from Gourmet

For the shell:
1 1/4 c flour
3 T sugar
fat 1/4 t salt
7 T butter, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 large egg yolk
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 t fresh lemon juice
3 T cold water

For the filling:
1 1/2 lbs strawberries, trimmed and halved lengthwise
1/3 c sugar
3/4 c ruby Port (optional)
1 lb mascarpone
1/4 c confectioners sugar
1 t fresh lemon juice
1/2 t grated lemon zest
3/4 t vanilla extract

To make the tart shell: Blend together the flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a bowl with a pastry blender (or your finger tips or pulse in a food processor---many options!) just until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-sized butter lumps. Beat together yolk, vanilla, lemon juice and water with a fork, then drizzle over flour mixture and stir with a fork (or pulse) until mixture comes together. (You can add some more water if absolutely necessary to get the dough to hold together). Knead gently with floured hands on lightly floured surface until dough forms, then gently knead 4 - 5 more times. Press into 5" disk. Place in center of tart pan and cover with plastic wrap. Using your fingers, spread and push dough to evenly cover bottom and side of 10" fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Pick bottom of tart shell all over with a fork and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.

Remove from freezer and line tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees oven until side is set and edge is pale golden, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and continue to bake until shell is deep golden all over, about 20 minutes more. Cool in pan about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Stir together the strawberries and granulated sugar in a bowl and let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Strain in sieve set over a small saucepan, reserving berries. If using port glaze, add port to liquid in saucepan and boil until reduced 1/4 c, 10 - 15 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and cool slightly. Meanwhile, whisk together the mascarpone, confectioners sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until stiff.

To assemble the tart, spread mascarpone mixture evenly in cooled tart shell, then top with strawberries. Drizzle port glaze all over tart (if using).

Orange Sauce

I made an orange cake last weekend that was ok. I didn't love it and I may or may not make the cake again. If you are interested, the recipe is here.

What impressed me was the orange sauce that went on top of it (well, to be exact, it goes on top of the whipped cream that what on top of the cake). I loved the orange sauce. The rest of the family did too. The cake was gone before the sauce and I ended up eating the sauce on top of chocolate ice cream (oh my goodness!!) and on top of pancakes. I will make the orange sauce again!

Orange Sauce
from Bon Appetit

1 c fresh orange juice
1 1/2 T cornstarch
2 T butter
1/4 c sugar
1 T grated orange peel

Whisk juice and cornstarch in a small bowl until cornstarch dissolves. Melt butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in sugar, orange peel and orange juice mixture. Whisk until sauce boils and thickens slightly, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Brownie Buttons

It's been awhile (a week or two maybe) since I've posted a dessert recipe. I just discovered these in the past week and have made them twice already. These are, in fact, the perfect brownie recipe. What makes these better than the other perfect brownie recipes? you may find yourself asking. Well, let me tell you.

These are very easy to make (especially if you leave out the orange zest). You can make the whole thing in the time it takes to preheat the oven. You only need one pot (in which to melt the butter, brown sugar, and chocolate). Plus, they only take 15 - 18 minutes to bake.

These brownies pair oranges and chocolate. Mmmm....

These make a small batch. Come to think of it, that may be problem. There is no picture because of the small batch problem. They were eaten before I had a chance to photograph them. Very rarely, do I want to make a 9 x 9" pan of brownies or worse, a 9 x 13" pan of brownies. These are bite sized and make only 12 little cupcake size of brownies. Perfect for an evening snack.

I am craving chocolate just thinking about Brownie Buttons.

Brownie Buttons
adapted from Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Grated zest of 1/2 orange (optional)
1 t sugar (optional)
1/4 c plus 2 T all purpose flour
pinch of salt
1/4 c butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/3 c (2 1/2 oz) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/3 c packed brown sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 large egg

In a small bowl, using your fingers, mix together the orange zest and sugar. Set aside. Meanwhile, over very low heat, melt butter, chocolate and brown sugar, watching frequently to be sure nothing overheats or burns. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, egg and orange zest. When the mixture is well blended, stir in the flour and salt, stirring only until it is incorporated.

Spoon the batter into 12 lightly buttered mini- muffin cups (one pan's worth). Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 15 - 18 minutes, or until the tops of the brownies spring back when touched. Cool for 3 minutes and then remove from pans and cool on racks as long as you can wait (which is not at all. Warm brownies...).

Nanaimo Bars

Before this recipe was featured on thekitchen.com, I had never heard of Nanaimo Bars. It turns out that most people in the US haven't heard of Nanaimo Bars unless they've been to Vancouver and happened to have them there. Nanaimo Bars is a regional specialty of Vancouver. Curtis, being a Canadian citizen whose mother lived in Vancouver for years, had heard of these and was excited when he heard I was making them in honor of the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics.

My one warning about this recipe is this: Be prepared to share these bars. It makes a lot of bars. By a lot, I mean a cookie sheet worth....an entirely covered cookie sheet. Cut up, it makes between 72 - 100 bars, depending on how small you cut these (and I would recommend pretty small because they are rich).

Curtis and the kids loved these. I had mixed feelings toward them. I think I would like them much better if I had left out the coconut entirely. I don't love them, but I am working very hard to put a dent in our remaining 40 bars that are hanging out in my refrigerator. Next time I make this, I will definitely cut the recipe in half.

Nanaimo Bars
from thekitchn.com

Bottom Layer
3 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
2 c shredded coconuts
1 c almonds, pecans, or walnuts, chopped fine
1 c butter
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c plus 2 T cocoa
2 large eggs, beaten
Middle Layer
1/2 c butter, at room temperature
4 c confectioners' sugar
1/2 c heavy cream
1/4 c vanilla instant pudding powder
Top Layer
12 oz (about 2 c) finely chopped semisweet chocolate
1/4 c heavy cream
2 T butter

For the bottom layer: stir together graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and chopped nuts. In the top of a double boiler over simmering water, melt butter, sugar, and cocoa. Once the butter is melted, add the eggs. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until mixture reaches 160 degrees (this is to reduce the risk of salmonella poisoning because the bars aren't baked). Immediately pour over the graham cracker mixture and blend thoroughly. Press firmly into an even layer in a 12 x 18" cookie sheet (a half-sheet pan with sides).


For the middle layer: Beat together the butter and confectioner's sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and instant pudding powder. Add to the butter mixture and beat 1 - 2 minutes. Spread in an even layer over graham cracker mixture and refrigerate. This is easiest to do using your fingers as the layer is rather thick in consistency. Once spread out, the layer will be thin.

For the top layer: In a top of double boiler over simmering water, combine chocolate, cream, and butter. Stir until melted and smooth. Cool until just barely warm, but still liquid and pour over vanilla middle layer. Spread evenly and smooth the surface. Refrigerate until chocolate topping is firm, then cut.

Pumpkin Torte

I have no idea why this is called a torte. It is not a torte, which is a type of cake that has lots of eggs and nuts, like almonds. While this contains some eggs, it has no nuts and is more like messy bar cookies than a cake. Possibly a better name may be Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars or Layered Pumpkin Bars or Goodness. Or the best name may be the Dessert that Won the Pumpkin Dessert Contest at our church's fall festival.

These are wonderful. They are full of all sorts of goodness and eating just one is close to impossible. The texture is dreamy and it is even a great Thanksgiving dessert (or before meal snack). Eating these are a bit of risk though: it contains raw egg whites (sorry to all those people I've served this to and have never disclosed this information before). You also get to use gelatin in this. Look for plain gelatin (under the brand of Knox) in the baking aisle next to the flavored Jello type gelatin. (Pictured is the graham cracker and cream cheese layer of the dessert).

This recipe is from my maternal Grandmother who claims she never made these. I know she did because she gave me this recipe after she made these for us one Thanksgiving. Make sure you move quickly when you get to the gelatin step--mix it quickly into the cold water and then quickly stir it into the hot pumpkin. If you take too long, it will congeal and get rather funky and inedible.

Best Pumpkin Dessert Bars

Crust
2 c graham cracker crumbs
1/3 c sugar
1/2 c butter
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 c sugar
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

Filling
2 c pumpkin
1/2 c milk
3 egg yolks
1/4 t salt
1/2 c sugar
1 T cinnamon
1 T plain gelatin (Knox brand is what I've found)
1/4 c cold water
3 egg whites, beaten
1/4 c sugar
whipped topping

In a food processor (or by hand), mix together the graham cracker crumbs, 1/3 c sugar, and butter. Press into a greased 9 x 13" pan (I've found lining the bottom with tin foil makes it easier to dish--you can't lift it out of the pan, but it isn't as apt to stick to the bottom). Mix the eggs, sugar, and cream cheese in a blender until smooth and pour over the graham cracker crust mixture. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Cook the pumpkin, milk, egg yolks, salt, 1/2 c sugar, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan until thickened. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, dissolve gelatin in cold water in a small bowl. Stir into hot pumpkin mixture. Set aside and let pumpkin cool to room temperature (if you continue before it is cool enough, the heat will deflate the egg whites).

Beat the egg whites and 1/4 c sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold into cooled pumpkin mixture. Pour pumpkin onto cream cheese/graham cracker crust. Allow to chill in refrigerator for several hours. Just before serving, top with whipped topping. Cut into bars and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers (but there probably won't be many).

Split Level Puddings

As those of you who have been following the blog for a while know, I love homemade chocolate pudding. The only thing I don't love is all the standing at the stove stirring. This past week I decided to try a vanilla pudding recipe (don't be too shocked, the vanilla pudding sits on top of chocolate ganache) that you don't stand over the stove and stir (nor do you use a microwave or a box). I now love vanilla pudding as well and see no reason not to make pudding a lot more often.

Needless to say, these were a hit with my family. Curtis liked to heat his up for 15 - 20 seconds in the microwave before eating it. I liked to allow mine to warm just to room temperature. However you like them, they are good! The chocolate ganache (which is chocolate melted in hot cream) is wonderful on the bottom--a little surprise (unless you use glass ramekins like I did and can see it lurking on the bottom). I used semisweet chocolate instead of bittersweet. I also have both pulsed the vanilla and butter in the food processor and stirred it in on the stove (and not putting back into the food processor). I almost liked just stirring it on the stove better, but you can experiment and see what way you like best (because you will want to experiment with this recipe just so you can make it more than once!). Like all pudding, you can also use skim, it just won't be quite as rich.

Split Level Pudding
slightly adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

2 oz (1/3 c) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 c heavy cream

2 1/4 c whole milk
6 T sugar
3 T cornstarch
1/4 t salt
3 large egg yolks
2 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces,
1 T vanilla

Put the chocolate in a glass measuring cup. Heat the heavy cream to boiling and pour over the chocolate. Allow to stand for almost a minute and then gently stir to melt chocolate. Divide chocolate into 6 ramekins or pudding cups (each cup should hold 1/2 - 3/4 c). Set aside

Bring 2 cups of milk and 3 T sugar to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Meanwhile, pulse the cornstarch and salt in the food processor. Remove from bowl (pouring onto a small piece of parchment paper works well). Put egg yolks and 3 T sugar in bowl and blend for 1 minute. Add the remaining cup of milk and pulse to mix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the cornstarch and salt, and pulse a few times to blend. With the machine running, very slowly pour in the hot milk (doing it slowly will prevent the eggs from scrambling for the sudden heat). Pulse a few seconds and pour back into a saucepan. Bring the mixture to close to a boil (large quarter size bubbles should barely break the surface---kinda like the stinky swamp place in the Princess Bride), stirring constantly. Once it begins to boil and thicken, cook for one more minute, lowering heat if necessary to prevent a fast boil from occurring (and scorching the pudding). Remove from heat. Either 1) stir in butter and vanilla or 2) scrape pudding back into the food processor and pulse a couple of times. Add the butter and vanilla and pulse until everything is blended.

Pour the pudding into the cups. Allow to cool (however cool you like your pudding. I personally love warm pudding). If saving for later, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. To serve cold, refrigerate at least 4 hours.