Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

I have this weird habit of doing more than normal amounts of cooking before big life events. The night before I took the SAT for the first time, I was not studying, taking a practice test, or even goofing off with friends. Nope, not me! I was making broccoli soup and chive biscuits. First finals week in college? Stuffed mushrooms and cheesecake-swirled brownies. Month leading up to my wedding? Oh my. Anyway, I think cooking may just be something of a stress response for me. But if cooking tends to cause more stress for you than it relieves, this frozen yogurt is the perfect recipe to have in your repertoire. It takes all of 3 ingredients and 3 minutes to prepare, and yet it is perfectly sweet and tangy and sophisticated all at once. Also, these pictures were taken three days prior to my nuptials, in case you were wondering.

Homemade frozen yogurt is a far cry from the stuff out of a yogurt shop. I’ve never had anything against yogurt shops, but now that I know I can get what tastes like superb, mildly tart cheesecake in soft, frozen form with little more effort than preparing a bowl of cereal, I will never feel the same about by-the-weight dispensed yogurt again.

This recipe is from David Lebovitz’s wonderful book, “The Perfect Scoop.” It does require an ice cream maker, but you can find fairly inexpensive models these days if it’s worth it to you. And oh, it is so worth it. I particularly like this maker because it doesn’t take up loads of space, it’s easy to clean, and I can control exactly how fast or slow I want to churn the ice cream.*

Fun Fact: The amount of air whipped into ice cream is called the overrun. Cheaper ice creams at the store typically have more overrun, or more air whipped into them, which is why they have a light and foamy texture (and also cost less). The more expensive brands, such as Haagen-Dazs, typically have less overrun, which is why their mouthfeel is so much creamier. *This is also why I like to be able to control how much air is whipped into my ice cream at home.

Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

From “The Perfect Scoop” by David Lebovitz

3 cups whole milk plain yogurt**

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir all ingredients together until the sugar has dissolved, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for an hour or longer. Pour into ice cream maker, and freeze according to the instructions for your machine. This yogurt is particularly good topped with fresh fruit or berries sprinkled with sugar.

** Or, since grocery stores sell yogurt in quarts, you could just increase everything here by 1/3…I’m sure no one would mind.

Fudgy, Fuss-less, Flourless Chocolate Cake

Hopefully you’re not too sick of chocolate after Valentine’s Day. And if you are, well, at least bookmark this for later because I’m excited to tell you about my birthday cake. I like to make my own birthday cake because it’s fun, I ensure that I get the cake I want, and I get to “clean” the batter bowl without sharing. While for past birthdays, I have gone the extra mile with towering layer cakes, fancy soufflés, and beautiful bundts, this year I wanted something simple. Perhaps it is my advancing age spurring me to laziness, but I just didn’t want to spend half my birthday on baking. However, I also wanted something decadently chocolate-laden.  This cake exceeded my expectations on all accounts.

This is the easiest and quickest cake recipe I have ever encountered that doesn’t compromise one bit on flavor. It tastes like a perfect hybrid between cake and fudge with a slightly crackly exterior that gives way to a moist and deeply chocolaty interior, and then it all gets covered in ganache that cools to the texture of truffle filling. It made a nice end to a very good birthday.

Stirring Ganache

The original recipe comes from the King Arthur Flour blog. I have made a few alterations, one of which is to bake it in a 9-inch round baking pan (because I don’t own an 8-inch one). If you choose to use an 8-inch pan, you will likely need to increase the baking time to about 25 minutes, as in the original recipe.

Fun Fact: I calculated some baking pan dimensions for you because I do this all the time for myself and forget to write the information down. I frequently substitute pan sizes in recipes with pan sizes that I actually own, but I like to be aware of the differences so I can adjust baking time accordingly.

8-inch diameter round pan: 50.24 sq. in.

9-inch diameter round pan: 63.59 sq. in.

8-inch square pan: 64 sq. in.

9-inch square pan: 81 sq. in.

9 x 13-inch pan: 117 sq. in.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Adapted from King Arthur Flour (blog.kingarthurflour.com)

Cake:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

½ cup (8 Tablespoons, or 1 stick) butter*

¾ cup sugar

pinch of salt*

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 large eggs

½ cup unsweetened, Dutch process cocoa powder

*if you use unsalted butter, increase the salt to ¼ teaspoon

Ganache:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips OR chopped semi- or bittersweet chocolate OR a combination**

½ cup heavy cream

Chocolate covered caramels or other decorative candies, optional

**Both taste great, but it’s easier to get a smooth, picture-perfect ganache with the bar chocolate because it doesn’t have stabilizers

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch cake pan lightly with butter. Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of the pan, and grease the top of the paper as well.

Place the chocolate chips and butter together in a medium large, heat-safe bowl. Melt the chocolate chips and butter together in the microwave, heating for 30-second intervals and stirring in between, until both are melted and smooth. (This step can also be done in a glass bowl set over a pan of simmering water.) Once the mixture is melted, stir in the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add the eggs, and stir to break up and fully incorporate. Mix in the cocoa powder, just until combined.

Pour/scrape the batter into the greased cake pan, and bake for about 18-20 minutes until the top has formed a thin crust. (Sometimes I will check on it early, and the center of the cake wobbles a somewhat as I’m pulling the rack out. You don’t want a liquid center, but you don’t want the cake totally dried out either. The original recipe says the center should be 200 degrees Fahrenheit, but I don’t have a thermometer conducive to testing a shallow cake…) Remove the cake from the oven, and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then cut around the edge of the cake to release it from the sides of the pan, and invert pan onto a cooling rack. Remove parchment, and let the cake cool completely.

Once the cake is cool, make the ganache by placing the chocolate and cream together in a heat-safe bowl. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds or so, until the cream is hot enough to melt the chocolate when you stir. If it needs additional heating time, return it to microwave for short intervals (10-15 seconds), stirring in between, until fully melted. (As with the first step of the cake batter, this can also be done in a glass bowl set over a pan of simmering water.) Pour the ganache over the top of the cake, and smooth it out with a knife or the back of a spoon, letting it reach the edges of the cake to run down the sides. If using, place decorative candies on top of the ganache. Let the ganache set for 2+hours, and enjoy!

You Deserve a Treat

To my two loyal readers, I regret that I have kept you waiting so long, and I have made you a treat to reward your patience. To all my other readers, hello! I'm not sure if you exist, but if you do, you also deserve a treat for simply being here.

This fudge and this butterscotch are two of my favorite ice cream toppings, which would make them perfect to write about as summer blazes on, but ironically, every time I set out to share these recipes it rains where I live. Harumph! The joke is on Mother Nature, though, because I love rain, and I am a firm believer that ice cream is good in all weather, so bring on the downpour (of both rain and fudge)!

Fudge Ingredients

Butterscotch Ingredients (similar, no?)

This fudge recipe is one my mom (hi, Mom!) has been making for several years, and I LOVE it. The recipe comes from a family friend, but my mom altered the preparation of it in a way that makes the texture super thick and fluffy. It’s deeply chocolaty and reminiscent of brownie batter. In fact, if you replaced the cream with eggs and flour, I bet it would bake up nicely. This fudge sauce is quick and easy to prepare and really turns a good bowl of ice cream into an amazing one. It’s also not too shabby with fresh berries or drizzled over pastries. You know, if you like that sort of thing.

Stirring in sugar...

corn syrup...

and cream

mmm....

The butterscotch recipe comes from smittenkitchen.com, aka my first love in the food blog world (and probably still my favorite). It is exceedingly simple to prepare and has a rich, delicious butterscotch-y flavor without requiring any fussy ingredients or any booze, as some butterscotch recipes suggest. It keeps well in the fridge and is awesome over ice cream (of course) as well as crepes, waffles, French toast, bread pudding, etc. Super yummy. Good to have around.

I didn't take as many pictures of the butterscotch because my stove (and elevation maybe?) makes it hard to keep it at a low boil, so I was whisking instead of photographing...

Fun Fact: What everyone calls “caramelization” is often actually Maillard browning. Caramelization and Maillard browning are two different things. Caramelization occurs when sugar is exposed to high temperatures and begins to break down and release delicious chemical compounds. Maillard browning occurs when both sugars and amino acids are exposed to high temperatures and the two compounds react with each other (and also produce delicious chemical compounds). Maillard browning is responsible for the golden crust on bread and the delicious seared exterior of a steak. Basically, if the “caramelized” food contains protein, it’s probably Maillard browning at play. Granted, the two processes are not remarkably different. In fact, one article I read called me a “pedantic hairsplitter” for even distinguishing the two. I guess I just wanted you all to be as pedantic as I am. You can go enjoy your ice cream with Maillard browning sauce now.

Fudge Sauce

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

3 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup superfine sugar

Dash salt

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1/3 cup cream (or evaporated milk)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Carefully melt the butter and chocolate together in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in the sugar, salt, and corn syrup. Stir in the cream, a drizzle at a time, until smooth and incorporated. Finally, stir in the vanilla. The fudge will be smooth and fluffy at this point. You may return it to the heat, if desired, to try to decrease the slight graininess from the sugar, but I like it best without reheating.

Butterscotch Sauce

Adapted slightly from smittenkitchen.com

4 tablespoons butter


½ cup dark brown sugar, packed

½ cup heavy cream


1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or more to taste

pinch of salt, or more to taste

Melt the butter, sugar, and cream together in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, whisking often, or constantly if it's really boil-y. (You can go longer than 5 minutes if you want a thicker butterscotch, but the butterscotch also thickens after it cools. It’s really not a terrible thing to learn by making this repeatedly and taste-testing.) Stir in the vanilla and pinch of salt. Taste a tiny bit (carefully! After cooling!), and add more vanilla and salt to taste. Let cool to good drizzling temperature, and serve.

Dark Chocolate Orange Pistachio Bark

More often than is probably normal, the moments before I fall asleep at night are spent thinking about things I want to eat. This recipe began just that way about one year ago, also near Christmas, a time when everything I want to make seems to involve chocolate, ginger, or copious amounts of cheese piled on starchy things.

This recipe is decidedly chocolate-focused. I used a nice bittersweet chocolate bar because I love dark chocolate and orange together. They’re incredibly fragrant, floral, and holiday-ish in combination. The pistachios add a nice mild, slightly salty crunch that goes perfectly with the chocolate and orange. Also, they look pretty.

This recipe is very easy to make, and it gives me a sense of accomplishment to make my own candy (and eat it). You can feel even more accomplished by candying your own orange peel, or you can just buy it already made. I won’t judge you.

Fun Fact: Pistachios contain lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which are carotenoids (yellow-red-orange pigments) that are involved in retina health. Those who eat foods high in lutein and zeaxanthin may have lower rates of age-related macular degeneration.

Dark Chocolate Orange Pistachio Bark

3½ oz. bittersweet chocolate

3 Tablespoons shelled, roasted, salted pistachios

2 teaspoons diced candied orange peel (instructions for candying below)

The measurements above are to taste and can be altered as desired.
Chop the chocolate, and melt in a double boiler. (I use a glass bowl set over a pot with about an inch of simmering water.) While the chocolate is melting, shell the pistachios, if not already done, and chop to whatever size you want in the bark. I did mine in approximate halves and quarters. Spread the melted chocolate to desired thinness over waxed paper. Distribute the pistachios and orange peel prettily over the top. Let the chocolate cool and harden for 2-3 hours, then break into pieces. Store unlikely leftovers in an airtight container.

Candied Orange Peel

2 oranges

1 cup water

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar

Prep: Bring two small-medium pots of water to boil (or just one – you decide after reading instructions). Rinse oranges thoroughly. Slice the ends off of each orange, then score the peels so that there are two peel hemispheres on each orange. Carefully remove the peels without ripping into smaller pieces, and then slice into 1/8 or 1/4-inch slices.

Blanching: Blanch the sliced orange peels in boiling water twice for about 3 minutes each time, rinsing the peels and changing the water after each blanch.

Candying: Stir together the water and sugar until sugar is dissolved, and bring to a gentle boil. Place the orange peels in the syrup, and boil for about one hour, checking occasionally to make sure the water hasn’t boiled away. Note: I have made these twice, and the first time, I found an hour to be too short because the orange peels were limp, though delicious. The second time, I went closer to 75 minutes, and it worked pretty well, though some might find them too sticky. You can try lifting them with a fork during cooking to check progress.

Cooling: Remove the candied peels from the syrup, and place on a cooling rack set over a plate or waxed paper to catch the drips. Let cool thoroughly. The orange peels will stiffen as they cool.

Caramel Apple Cake

If you like the idea of caramel apples but get overwhelmed by the apples, this is the cake for you. If you like desserts with plenty of butter, sugar, and happiness, this is the cake for you. If you like desserts that typify everything that is good about autumn and life itself, this is the cake for you.

Apple Carnage

This seasonal beauty comes from the King Arthur Flour website, which has yet to lead me astray. There are a few steps involved in the assembly, but none are difficult, and each is well worth it. This cake is moist, intensely apple-flavored, and pleasantly spiced. It’s warm and autumnal and crowd-pleasing.

Deceptively Unattractive

From Drab to Fab 

I must warn you that should you decide to disregard the recipe’s advice to use a deep cake pan, you will have batter and caramel ooze out and burn on your oven floor. I saved myself the second time around by putting a sheet of tin foil underneath the cake while it was baking. To be honest, though, I rather like that it overflows a bit. I’m always left with deeply browned, extra-caramelized bits that I have to cut off to get the cake out of the pan. I took a plate of these crispy-licious bites around my apartment, and my roommates and I devoured them greedily. They make a nice appetizer while you’re waiting for the cake to cool.

Fun Fact: Cake is good for the soul. Also, it increases your levels of friendship, which is definitely health promoting.

Caramel Apple Cake

Not really adapted at all from kingarthurflour.com

Topping:

2 small apples, peeled and sliced between 1/8-1/4 inch thick*

4 Tablespoons butter

¾ cup brown sugar, packed

2 Tablespoons frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup light corn syrup

Cake:

¾ cup canola oil

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 Tablespoons frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed

2 large eggs

1½ teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour**

1 medium apple, peeled and finely chopped

(The original recipe includes ¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, which would definitely cut the sweetness. However, I have a childlike palate and don’t want to cut the sweetness.)

Preheat the oven to 325-350 degrees F. (I have only baked this in Utah, and 350 seemed excessive for my particular oven. I usually preheat to 350 and then turn down to 325 or even a little lower once I put the cake in. Peek at the cake after about 10 minutes to see how quickly it’s browning.) Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan that is at least 2-inches deep (see commentary above). Cut a circle of parchment to line the bottom of the pan, and grease that as well.

To make the topping:

Place the butter through corn syrup in a saucepan, and heat over medium flame, stirring occasionally until the brown sugar is dissolved. It’s okay if it reaches a gentle simmer.

Place the sliced apples in a ring around the bottom of the pan, overlapping each other. Place a few extra slices in the center so it isn’t lonely.

Pour ½ cup of the caramel over the sliced apples, and set the remaining caramel aside.

To make the cake:

Beat the oil, brown sugar, juice concentrate, spices, and salt at medium speed for about 2 minutes. (You can do this by hand easily enough too.) Mix the flour and baking soda together separately, and then stir into the batter a bit at a time. Finally, stir the chopped apples into the cake batter.

Drop the batter in large spoonfuls over the apple topping, and spread smooth. Bake for 50-55 minutes until a fork or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for five minutes in the pan. Then, run a knife around the edge, and invert onto a plate.

Reheat the reserved caramel sauce, and boil for 30-60 seconds to thicken, if desired. Keep in mind that it will thicken as it cools. Pour desired amount of caramel over the cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. I usually have extra caramel, but you could definitely use all if wanted.

*You can really use any variety that you like. I’ve tried both Red Delicious and Fuji.

**I may or may not have accidentally left out ½ cup flour the last time I made this. I admit nothing, except that this cake has been delicious every time. Good thing it’s hard to mess up.