Time Crunch S'mores Tart

I'd been craving s'mores for weeks but was thwarted in my first attempt by a box of stale graham crackers and some rock hard marshmallows from the depths of my parents pantry.  After said disappointment, I imagined making my own graham crackers and my own marshmallows and using some fancy chocolate to make a kind of gourmet s'more.

Unfortunately(?), my cravings and a fast approaching occasion got the best of me.  One of my good friend's birthdays was a few hours away and I couldn't imagine buying a cake from the store (the horror!).  I knew she'd appreciate a s'mores tart, but I also knew I didn't have nearly enough time to make all the components by myself.  So I took a shortcut, which though I don't do often, I also don't regret.  

This took about an hour to make, baking and setting time included, and if you're curious about how it tasted, come on, when are s'mores ever not good?  In the end, I think using all the old school (read: processed) ingredients (Nabisco graham crackers, Campfire marshmallows) wasn't such a bad thing.  I'm not sure you could achieve the same kind of nostalgia with the homemade varieties.

Time Crunch S'mores Tart
There are a million variations you could do on this, such as picking and choosing which components to make or not make from scratch or doing a meringue topper as Big City, Little Kitchen does.  Have fun with it!
Adapted from Big City, Little Kitchen

Crust
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter [I think an extra tablespoon would be helpful here]

Filling
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping
Mini marshmallows (as many as you want!)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Crust 
In a medium bowl, stir together crumbs, sugar, and melted butter with a fork, until all ingredients are well-incorporated and mixture resembles wet sand. Using the back of a spoon (or your fingers), press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan (it will be delicate). Place pan on baking sheet, and bake for 8 minutes, then cool completely. [note: because I was in a rush I did not "cool completely and it was fine... I just stuck the whole thing in the freezer after pouring in the chocolate mixture]

Filling
Heap the chopped chocolate into a medium heat safe bowl. In a saucepan over a medium heat, heat the milk until steaming, stirring often; pour into bowl over chocolate. Whisk until all chocolate is melted into milk, then whisk in vanilla; let cool completely. [as stated in my note above, I ignored the "cool completely" instruction]

Assemble
Pour chocolate into shell. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes (or freeze for 15-20 if you're in a time crunch), or until firm. Preheat the oven’s broiler. Top the tart with as many marshmallows as you'd like.  Put tart on baking sheet and ease under broiler; cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the tops of the marshmallows are nicely browned*. Carefully remove tart pan from baking sheet and put back in refrigerator for another 30 minutes or so, allowing the chocolate filling to reset. To serve, carefully remove tart pan, and slice with a very sharp knife.

 * If you're wondering why my marshmallows don't exactly look toasty, I brought the tart to an apartment my friend was house-sitting at and we couldn't figure out the broiler on her 1960's oven.  It was unfortunate but we made do with a lighter and some patience (and it was still pretty darn good).

Triple C Vegan Veggie Burgers

When I lived in St. Louis and worked way too many hours for not enough money, I needed quick, easy, healthy and hassle-free lunch options.  With only 30 minute break, much less a 10 minute break, or even worse NO BREAK AT ALL (what is the world coming to?), fast, portable and satisfying lunches were a much needed accessory.

Since I try not to over-do it with soy (I can talk more about this in the comments if anyone's interested), especially the overly processed kind that's in most commercial veggie burgers, soy nuggets and the like, I've stopped buying most grocery store veggie burgers (textured soy protein, anyone?) and instead opted to make my own.  I've tried a lot of different recipes and have always had good results but I guess I never thought they were "blog worthy." 

What I like about making your own veggie burgers is that they're very forgiving and completely customizable.  You can pretty much use any kind of beans, grains, veggies, and spices you want and chances are they'll come out tasting pretty darn good (especially with some hummus and avocado).  So here's one of my most recent recipes; I love that its simplicity doesn't compromise the flavor at all.  I call them Triple C Burgers because they're made with Chickpeas, Carrots, and Chipotle seasoning.

Triple C Vegan Veggie Burgers
Adapted from Angela's Curry Chickpea Burgers

Ingredients
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon tahini
2 teaspoons (or to taste) smoky chipotle seasoning (I used this one) 
1/4 cup roasted salted pepitas (or unsalted and add a bit of sea salt)
1 15oz can chickpeas (or about 2 cups freshly cooked chickpeas)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a food processor, process the oats, carrots, tahini and the seasoning for 30 seconds or until somewhat smooth. Now add in the chickpeas stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary. Once the chickpeas are mostly processed and smooth, take the mixture and place in a medium sized bowl. Stir in the pepita seeds. Wet your hands and into about 6 patties.

Bake for about 15 minutes on each side.

Black and White Cookies

There are many recipes I've been keeping from you lately but it's more out of blogger lazyness than a real desire to keep them hidden.  There are some Vegan Chipotle Veggie Burgers, an Israeli Cous Cous Salad with Broccoli Pesto, yummy Buckwheat Granola and, oh yeah, these Black and White Cookies.

I decided to share this one today because, well, it's the best looking and I guess I'm superficial like that. I was  so happy with the way these cookies turned out.  Instead of being 'brown and white,' which was a momentary fear, and instead of sloppy lumpy frosting or wonky elliptical shapes, to me, they looked New York bakery-style authentic.

I made these with a great friend from high-school (and fellow baking enthusiast) and we both thought the texture (cake-y cookie, smooth hard-when-set frosting) was pretty spot on.  Though Black and Whites aren't the most flavorful cookie (our families reminded us of that when they tried them), we both thought the taste was nearly identical to those that you'd buy from a local bakery.  The cookie was tender with a very subtle lemon-y undertone and the chocolate frosting was quite good.  The white frosting, however, could be improved and I've added suggestions for doing just that to the recipe below.

Overall, I thought these cookies were a big success and if you're someone who takes pleasure in time consuming and precise recipes (like me) then I think you'll find them a joy to make.

Black and White Cookies 
Makes about 32 medium-large cookies
Ingredients

For Cookies
Barely adapted from Gourmet

3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest (or 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract)
3 large eggs

For Icing
I think adding a 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest or an 1/8 teaspoon lemon extract to ONLY the vanilla frosting might help the flavor even more.  If you decide to do this, make sure you split the frosting mixture in half (note in prep. before adding in the lemon, otherwise you'll also have lemon-y chocolate).
Barely adapted from Smitten Kitchen
 
4 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
1/3 to 1/2 cup water
[I needed at least 2/3 of a cup added over time]
3 ounces very bitter or unsweetened chocolate

1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1 to 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (optional)

Preparation

For Cookies
Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add the lemon zest and egg, beating until combined well. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed (scraping down side of bowl occasionally), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Spoon 1/4 cups of batter (I made my cookies slightly smaller than this for a more manageable size) about 2 inches apart onto a parchment lined baking sheet using the back of a spoon or your finger to shape them into neat circles.  Bake in middle of oven until the edges begin to brown 15 to 17 minutes (for large cookies). Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool.

For Icing
Boil a cup or so of water in a small pot. Place confectioners’ sugar in large, heat-safe mixing bowl. Gradually stir in enough boiling water to the sugar to make a thick, spreadable mixture. Err on the side of caution because a too-thin frosting is hard to undo. Leave remaining boiling water on the stove.

Mix in the vanilla. (If you're going to add lemon zest or extract to the white frosting, split the confectioners sugar/water mixture in half at this point and only add the lemon to half) Spread frosting on half of the flat side of each cookie (the side that was against the baking sheet). Once all cookie halves have been frosted, place the bowl of the remaining frosting over the hot water and bring it back to a simmer (creating a double-boiler). Stir in the bitter or unsweetened chocolate until melted, as well as the light corn syrup.

Ice the remaining half of the cookies with the chocolate frosting. I find that the chocolate frosting is especially prone to getting too dry, so don’t worry about whisking in an extra teaspoon or so of that hot water from time to smooth it back into a shiny frosting.

Let the frosting set. Store in an airtight container. These cookies keep for a few days, but are best on the first or second. Because of the cake nature of the bases, they can get stale quickly.

Good Rugelach, Better Pictures

A few of you may remember something I posted awhile ago, all the way back in December but, if you don't, and I can't really blame you, let me refresh your memory:

I made some Rugelach, the taste of which made me slightly nostalgic for New York.  Recently, I decided to make some more.  And take better pictures.

I used the exact same Dorie Greenspan recipe from my original post but made them with half whole wheat pastry flour, which I am happy to report was absolutely indiscernible.  This gives me high hopes for a 100% whole wheat version (still with all the butter and cream cheese though, I'm not that crazy).

This time I made one chocolate version very similar to the one I made last time and one cinnamon sugar version that was pretty much perfection, if I do say so myself.  For the cinnamon sugar version, I used apricot jam, a cinnamon sugar mixture made from 1 T white sugar, 1 T brown sugar and 1 T cinnamon.  I think I also used a few chopped walnuts. 

What really made the cinnamon sugar ones stand out for me, love for cinnamon aside, was the fact that I rolled the dough a bit thinner, which allowed me to make tighter, more professional looking cookies.  I also invested ($3.99, big investment) in a small pastry brush, which I used to apply the egg wash a bit more precisely than my fingers were able to...

I hope you enjoy the better pictures.

Ricotta with Vanilla Sugar Croutons and Berry Syrup

I don't have too many words for you today.  But I do have this beautiful dessert.

Oddly enough, I came across this recipe at the gym as I was spinning away on some sort of machine, trying to get my mind off the fact that I was spinning away on said machine.  The magazine was Women's Health and the recipe comes from Giada de Laurentiis.  I know most people have their own opinions about the Food Network and it's 'chefs' but I'm alright with it.  I've made a recipe of Giada's before and enjoyed it very much so I don't think I'm above the Food Network (even if I may not share the cooking philosophy of all of it's stars).

Ok, that's already more words than I'd planned on but here's the bottom line: these croutons are amazing; sweet, buttery, crunchy, sugar-crusted, vanilla bean-y amazing.  Do not skip out on them.  They make this dessert.  And, in case you were wondering, you should probably make this dessert too.

Ricotta with Vanilla Sugar Croutons and Berry Syrup
I made some changes in the type and amount of sugar used in this recipe.  I used raw sugar for the syrup and croutons and cut it back by half for the syrup.  I also used agave nectar in the ricotta.  Additionally, I used a blackberries, cherries, and a plum for the syrup because I felt they would complement the flavors nicely and I'm not the biggest fan of blueberries (unless they are in baked goods).  Feel free to experiment!

Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis
(serves 4-6)

Croutons
1/4 ciabatta loaf (4 oz), cut into 1-inch cubes (4 cups)
1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon raw sugar
1/4 vanilla bean

Berry Syrup
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (from 1 medium orange)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 small plum, chopped
1 cup blackberries
handful of cherries, halved and pitted

Ricotta
1 1/2 cups part skim ricotta cheese
3 tsp grated orange zest (from 1 medium orange)
1 tsp grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
1 tablespoon agave
1/4 vanilla bean
fresh mint sprigs or leaves, for garnish

Preparation
For croutons: Preheat oven to 400°F.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter and scrape in 1/4 of a vanilla bean (halve the vanilla bean horizontally, cut it in half vertically and use the tip of a sharp knife to scrape out the seeds).  In a medium bowl, toss together bread cubes and melted vanilla bean butter. Add the raw sugar and toss to coat.  Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely.

For berry syrup: In a small stainless-steel saucepan, bring orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar to a simmer over medium-low heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Add blackberries, chopped plum and cherries; simmer until the fruit softens, 6 to 8 minutes. Cool syrup to room temperature. 

For ricotta: Combine ricotta, orange zest, lemon zest, 1/4 of a vanilla bean and agave in a medium bowl. Mix well.

To serve: Divide ricotta and berry syrup among 4- 6 decorative bowls.  Top with croutons. Garnish with mint sprigs is desired.

Vegan French Toast with Creamy Coconut Milk Maple Syrup

I wish I could come back here and say that it's taken me three weeks to post because I've been perfecting a wonderfully complicated recipe and crafting the perfect way to tell you all about it.  Unfortunately, the truth is much more mundane.  I mentioned before that I was moving and now, well, I've moved.  A very sweaty night and a very early morning packing up my car and clearing those last few pieces of crap things out of my apartment, two ten hour days in the car, a stop at a lovely bed and breakfast, a scenic trip to Fallingwater (which also included getting a bit lost and slightly freaked out when I was running low on gas on a two lane road with nary a gas station in sight...), lots of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me podcasts, an unintened drive through Manhattan and finally,  finally, I'm home.  But, quite honestly, it doesn't really feel like home anymore and, more honestly, it hasn't in a while.

But on a happier note(!), I made this Vegan French Toast for breakfast a few days before I left.  I used one of the last pieces of my homemade cinnamon raisin bread (recipe hopefully to come sometime soon, I'm still perfecting that one).  It's definitely not my usual breakfast but it's a nice change of pace and very well suited for a relaxing Sunday morning with a hot cup of coffee and the paper.

I want to keep cooking and keep blogging while I'm "home" but lately, I've been feeling a bit uninspired in the kitchen.  Perhaps because it's not my kitchen, or because it's quite a bit messier than my past kitchens have been, or because there are often other people using the kitchen when I want to cook.  Whatever the reason(s) it's put a bit of a damper on my usual cooking and eating, but I'm trying to get back.  Send me some inspiring recipes to help!

Vegan French Toast
Ingredients (for one)

1 thick piece of bread or two thin (I used a homemade whole wheat cinnamon raisin)
1/4- 1/3 cup light coconut milk
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2- 3 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
1 banana, sliced
2 teaspoons roasted almond butter (optional)
extra cinnamon for garnish (optional)

Preparation
Spread the toasted wheat germ in a thin layer on a small plate and set aside.  Mix the coconut milk, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, and vanilla together with a fork in a shallow dish (something that will be able to fit the bread, so you don't have to dirty two dishes).

Begin to heat the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Dip the bread into the coconut milk mixture and let it soak at least 20 seconds on each side (more or less depending on the thickness/ porosity of your bread).  Next, dip the bread into the wheat germ mixture and make sure to evenly coat both sides.

Drop the bread onto the hot skillet and cook for about 2 minutes on each side.  You want the wheat germ crust to get slightly crunchy and the bread to be fully warmed through.

Serve topped with sliced banana, roasted almond butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon and coconut milk maple syrup (recipe below).

Creamy Coconut Milk Maple Syrup
Inspired by Angela's Low Sugar Maple Syrup

Ingredients
1 tablespoon grade B maple syrup
1- 2 tablespoons light coconut milk

Preparation
Mix ingredients together in a small ramekin.  Drizzle over French Toast or use for dipping. 

Raspberry Almond Breakfast Bars

If you read my last post, perhaps you remember that I'm moving, and I have a somewhat stocked pantry of food to use along with 7 different kinds of flour (I later realized I had 9 kinds-- seemed to have missed the rye flour and brown rice flour on first count...).

I've been waking up pretty early the past few mornings, both intentionally and unintentionally, and since it's a bit cooler in the mornings, they've proven to be a perfect time to bake.  Thus, I've sort of been baking up a storm lately.  I made two batches of vegan cookies yesterday, these easily vegan breakfast bars this morning, and probably some biscotti later today or tomorrow.  P.s- vegan baking is a great way to use up ingredients when you don't want to buy perishable items (i.e. a whole carton of eggs that probably wouldn't be used up by the time you left).

So far, I've succeeded in using up my whole spelt flour, white whole wheat flour, canola oil, sunflower seeds, honey, and half my supply of oats.  Not too shabby, if you ask me.

I think these bars are the favorite of what I've baked thus far though.  I found the recipe on Whole Foods' recipe page and a number of reviewers mentioned they were very crumbly so, I set out to fix this problem and, of course, make a few other adaptions along the way.  As with most recipes I like, you can easily change these to suit your tastes by using whatever flavor preserves you'd like and any flavor in the crust/ topping that you think would complement the preserves, as well as any kind of seed or nut.  You can even add dried fruit if you so choose.  So, if raspberry almond isn't your thing, here are some other suggestions:

strawberry preserves, orange (or lemon) zest, almonds
apricot preserves, cinnamon, walnuts
cherry preserves, vanilla, cashews
lemon curd, vanilla, poppy seeds

Let me know if you try anything wonderful!

Raspberry Almond Breakfast Bars
As written, I used 1 1/2 teaspoons of almond extract because it's usually very strong; however, the brand I used this time seemed to be a bit weaker.  Though the flavor didn't disappear entirely, it was not as strong as I'd hoped, so I would suggest trying to be familiar with the strength of your extract before you deciding how much to use.  If you'd rather not use almond extract, you could try vanilla, or perhaps adding a bit of ground cinnamon.
Adapted from Whole Foods

Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats, can use quick or old fashioned
1 cup whole spelt flour
1/3 cup sucanat
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted or raw
1/3 cup expeller pressed canola oil
 2 tablespoons honey (or agave nectar if you'd like a vegan version)
1/4 cup light coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract (optional, see above note)
1/3 preserves of choice [I used Bonne Maman Raspberry]

Preparation
Preheat oven to 325°F.  Combine oats, flour, sucanat, salt, baking soda, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds in a large bowl.  Add oil and1/4 cup light coconut milk, mixing well until all ingredients are fully combined.  Reserve a scant half cup and press the rest into a parchment lined bread pan (The original recipe used an 8x8 pan but I wanted the bars to be a bit thicker).

Spread the preserves evenly over the oat mixture in the pan. Break up and sprinkle the reserved oat mixture (it will be somewhat sticky) over the top.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.  Cool in the pan on a wire rack then cut into bars or squares.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.