weekly_food_challenge | Entries tagged with desserts

Mood: hungry

So glad I've been able to join in with the challenge this week - I kept planning to every time a new challenge was posted, but things have been busy and I've not got round to it. But, yes, it's December, the theme is PIES, so obviously I made mince pies.

I've been making these every year for about 8 or 9 years. I make both the mince meat and the pastry myself and both recipes are pretty simple. Boozy mincemeat recipe is here, and unbelievably easy mince pies (pastry) recipe is here. I can recommend being liberal with the booze in the mincemeat recipe. For the pastry recipe, I pretty much make it as per the recipe - lots of people in the comments seem to add some water/an egg/some milk to the pastry so they can roll it out. Yes, it is a little bit faffy to press the pastry into the tins, but I would venture no more faffy than rolling out and cutting pastry, then lining each hole of the tin. Plus it is worth it for very buttery, short pastry. The thing that I do slightly differently is that I use a muffin tin and make 12 large deep-filled mince pies, rather than 18 smaller ones. I also don't weigh out the mincemeat, I just fill each pie up with as much filling as possible.

Icing sugar is also optional. I've found that friends and family actually like the 'rustic' look of these mince pies. They're not going to win any awards for presentation, but they taste damn good.

donutsweeper

Easy but delicious dessert I adapted from a brownie recipe probably a decade ago and the reason I suggested this challenge.

Ingredients:
2 C granulated sugar
1 3/4 C all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
5 eggs
1 C vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C peanut butter
1/3 C cocoa powder
1/2-1 C chocolate chips
1/2-1 C peanut butter chips, coarsely chopped (optional)

1) Preheat oven 350F/180C and grease a 9x13 pan
2) Combine sugar, flour and salt
3) Separately, combine eggs, oil and vanilla (I whisk them together with a fork in the measuring cup after measuring the oil)
4) Combine the dry and wet mixtures
5) Divide dough (pour half into another bowl, it doesn't have to be exact)
6) Blend the peanut butter into one and the cocoa into the other
7) Spread the peanut butter dough into the pan
8) Sprinkle the peanut butter chips on top if using
9) Spread the cocoa dough over that (this takes a bit of doing, it might not cover it completely, that's okay)
10) Sprinkle chocolate chips on top
11) Cook for 28-30 minutes

obligatory terrible photo:
Double Decker Brownies

el_staplador

I don't know why I suggested this challenge. (Twice, apparently.) I grow very little. But I do have a herb planter. The apples were also home-grown, but by my in-laws.

Ingredients
4oz plain flour
2oz butter or equivalent
1oz granulated sugar (I didn't have any, so used caster, but granulated is much crunchier and nicer)
about 3 apples (I started out with five, chucked one in its entirety, and cut off bits of two others)
4 sprigs lemon thyme
a little more sugar
water

Equipment
oven
mixing bowl
spoon
ovenproof dish
sharp knife
peeler (or do it with a knife, if you're brave)

Method

Preheat oven to about 190degC.

To make the crumble topping, rub the fat into the flour until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.

Peel and core the apples. Remove any manky bits too. Slice what's left and put it in the dish along with the lemon thyme. (You can either strip the leaves from the stem and mix them in with the apples, or leave them intact and remove the whole lot after cooking.) Stir in about a tablespoon of sugar and a couple of tablespoons of water. Make sure the apples are distributed evenly across the dish and then spoon the crumble over the top, covering all the apple.

Bake for half an hour or until the topping has become pale golden.

miss_s_b

Mood: tired

We had a friend over for sunday dinner yesterday because she's moving to Sweden and we're going to miss her. For pudding, we had Rhubarb grumble. The rhubarb was TECHNICALLY groan by my dad on his allotment, but I'm making an executive decision that this counts.

You will need:
- an oven and a lasagna dish or similar
- a hob and a saucepan
- some rhubarb - I don;t know how much in weight, but I used 5 stalks. They were big fat stalks though, so you might need more at supermarket size.
- some normal white granulated sugar
- 175g plain flour
- 110g muscovado sugar
- 110g butter
- some powedered cloves
- some powdered cinnamon
- custard (to serve)

Method:
- chop the rhubarb up into 1 inch lengths and put it in the saucepan with a little granulated sugar, on a low heat with the lid on.
- the rhubarb will start to break down and go mushy. Stir it up and check for sweetness. Add sugar to taste. You'll probably want it reasonably sweet, because the topping is not going to be overly sweet.
- once it is all mushy, cook it a bit longer (still on a low heat) to reduce it down a bit. You don't want it too liquid.
- put the stewed rhubarb in the bootm of the lasagna dish and leave to cool while you make the crumble topping
- put the oven on to preheat at about 180c
- mix together the flour, muscovado sugar, butter, cloves, and cinnamon with your hands till you get clumpy breadcrumb consistency
- put the topping on top of the rhubarb and shove in the oven till you get rhubarby bits bubbling up through the topping and it's lovely and brown
- eat with custard

miss_s_b

What do you want when it's hot? Something cold, yummy, that isn't too much of a faff to cook, and won't leave you feeling all bloated and eurgh. This is just the ticket, based on a Diana Henry recipe.

You will need:

Two smallish saucepans, and a hob to heat them on.
A blender that can cope with warm things.
A sieve and a wooden spoon.
An ice cream machine, OR an ice cream attachment for Kenwood Chef or Magimix or similar, OR a freezer and a lot of elbow grease.
A freezer, and a suitable storage container (we keep the containers from bought ice cream).
(at least) 6 limes
Probably a bottle of shop bought lime juice.
300g sugar
2 x 300ml water.
60g fresh basil (yes, you read that right. Yes, that's a lot of basil).

Method:

Make a simple syrup with your first 300ml of water and the 300g sugar - heat the water and dissolve the sugar in it.
Zest and juice your limes. Top up the lime juice to 300ml from the bottle, or juice extra fresh limes and then throw away the skins if you're feeling extravagant.
Add the lime zest to your simple syrup, bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
Leave the zesty syrup to cool for a bit - it doesn't need to be completely cold, but no more than hand hot.
While it's cooling, bring your second 300ml of water to the boil, and once it's properly boiling, dunk the basil leaves into it for 10 seconds, then pour them into the sieve and run cold water over them. This blanching is not strictly NECESSARY for flavour, so you can leave this step out if you're feeling lazy, but it means you get a nicer colour in the finished sorbet. Once the basil leaves are properly cold, drop them into the blender and wash the sieve.
Put the zesty syrup and the 300ml of lime juice into the blender too, and then blend.
Pass the resulting glop through the washed sieve into your ice cream machine - you may need the wooden spoon to help things along here, but if you do, be gentle - and then follow the instructions on the machine OR pass it through the sieve into your freezer-safe container, and prepare to take it out and reblend it every couple of hours (at least 3 times or it'll go all crystally and manky). Ice cream machine really is a lot easier.

This works really well as a palate cleanser if the heatwave doesn't last. It's also nice in a G&T.

norfolkian

Mood: geeky

Ford Prefect said: ‘I bought some peanuts.’
Arthur Dent moved, and groaned again, muttering incoherently.
'Here, have some,’ urged Ford, shaking the packet again, ‘if you’ve never been through a matter transference beam before you’ve probably lost some salt and protein. The beer you had should have cushioned your system a bit.’

For this challenge (which I LOVE, by the way), I took inspiration from the bit quoted above from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I largely followed this recipe from Jack Monroe for Beery Berry Crumble, but I did 50g oats and 50g crushed salted peanuts in the crumble (I roughly crushed the peanuts using a pestle and mortar). The texture and slight saltiness of the peanuts worked really well with the beery fruit. :)

I used dark muscavado sugar in the fruit mixture and white caster sugar in the crumble (as that's what I had in), but in my experience with crumbles golden caster sugar works really well in crumbles too.

A crumble fit for eating after going through a matter transference beam. :)

donutsweeper

Perfect timing for this challenge since I had to make something for a potluck and decided on a dessert I adapted from a brownie recipe years and years ago.

2 C granulated sugar
1 3/4 C all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 C vegetable oil
5 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C peanut butter
1/3 C cocoa powder
1/2-1 C peanut butter chips (coarsely chopped), if desired
1/2-1 C chocolate chips, if desired

1) Preheat oven 350F/175C and grease a 9x13 pan
2) Combine sugar, flour and salt
3) Separately, combine oil, eggs, and vanilla (I whisk them all together with a fork in the measuring cup used for the oil)
4) Combine the dry and wet mixtures
5) Divide dough (it doesn't have to be exact, just pour about half into another bowl)
6) Blend the peanut butter into one of the bowls and the cocoa into the other
7) Spread the peanut butter dough into the pan
8) Sprinkle the peanut butter chips on top if you're using them
9) Spread the cocoa dough over that (don't worry if it doesn't cover it completely- dollops of the cocoa dough over the peanut butter dough works just fine)
10) Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top, if you're using them
11) Cook for 28-30 minutes

Double Decker Brownies

(terrible picture, sorry)

donutsweeper

Super easy and delicious way to use up ripe or overripe bananas:

Two bananas
1-2 C oats (quick, old fashioned or gluten free, depending on banana size)
Add-ins of your choice - chocolate chips, dried fruit or nuts (1/2-1 cup, if desired)

Preheat your oven 350F/175C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or something similar.
Mash the bananas (with a potato masher or even just a fork). Stir in the oats. Mix in the add-ins.
Spoon out onto cookie sheets flattening slightly. Bake about 15 minutes or until set (rolled oats will take longer to cook).
Cool a little before eating.
Makes 16 or so cookies, recipe can be easily halved.

miss_s_b

(note to

el_staplador: THIS is cutting it fine ;) )

Equipment needed:

Slow cooker/crock pot
a couple of mixing bowls.
Chopping board and sharp knife, unless you buy your fruit precut.
weighing scales
1 tbsp & 1 tsp measuring spoons

( Recipe under the cut )

miss_s_b

Mood: accomplished

The deli counter reduced cabinet was a bit of a bust, but the bread counter one was an embarrassment of riches (even got some Pokemon mini rolls for the daughter). So you're going to get a couple of posts, I'm afraid...

Firstly, Bread and Butter Pudding. Normal Bread and Butter Pudding, not the Extremely Boozy variant.

Equipment Required:

Deep lasagne dish or similar that holds at least 2 pints.
Oven.
Balloon whisk.
Measuring jug.
1 tbsp measuring spoon
Butter knife

( Rest of recipe and pictures under the cut )

moetushie

The lowdown about black bean brownies is that of course they're not going to taste like regular flour, butter, egg brownies. Anyone who tells you differently is not being on the level. But! You could end up with something enjoyable and chocolatey anyway, so why not give it a go?

( Text and pictures under the cut. )

el_staplador

This is a good thing to do with those pears that refuse to ripen. It's a nice comforting autumn/winter sort of pudding with some interesting textures: it's a little bit crisp on the top, and gorgeously fudgy and sticky around the pears. It would probably work well with vanilla ice cream, but we didn't have any.

3-5 pears (depends on the size of your pears and on the size of your dish)

4oz caster sugar
4oz butter (or equivalent)
2 eggs
4oz self-raising flour
1tbsp cocoa powder
pinch salt

Preheat oven to about 200degC.

Grease an oven-proof dish. Peel, quarter and core the pears and place them in a single layer over the bottom of the dish.

Dump all the ingredients for the sponge into a mixing bowl in the order they're listed. Beat until smooth. (Alternatively - which might be slightly less messy - begin by creaming the sugar and butter together, then add the eggs gradually, then the flour and cocoa. But it's a pudding.) If it looks a bit too thick you can add some milk to loosen it.

Spoon the mixture over the pears, making sure they're all covered.

Bake for about 25 minutes.

This quantity serves four, or five if you're being stingy.

matgb

OK, so it's "Treats" at the moment, and

miss_s_b insists I post my new ice cream method here.

Backstory: my ice cream maker is broken and I can't afford to fix it, and I had a cupboard with some ingredients that needed using, so I googled. I have adapted this from multiple articles.

Ingredients:
600ml Double Cream (USians: I believe "heavy cream")
1 tin Condensed Milk (sweetened)—the 14oz tin now sold in metric
Flavouring (eg: 2 tsp vanilla essence)

Put the cream and the milk in a mixing bowl and whisk, preferably with an electric whisk but a hand whisk will do, it'll just take an age. When soft peaks are beginning to form, add in your flavouring and whisk a bit more, making sure that you've got any edge bits incorporated nicely.

Pour into either 2 1-litre tubs or one bigger tub, put in the freezer for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. Enjoy.

You might find it needs to be removed from the freezer a bit before serving up as it might go very solid.

Variants: Nestle make a 'caramel' condensed milk, use that and, if you want, add a teaspoon or 2 of salt for salted caramel. Any other oil base or highly concentrated flavouring, it's important the water content is low.

This works because condensed milk and double cream are very low in water content, so you don't get ice crystals or similar. Jennie didn't like my salted caramel that I made last night, which, y'know, more for me...

miss_s_b

Mood: busy

This recipe is in imperial rather than metric measurements because milk still comes in pints over here.

Equipment

Slow cooker (Crock pot?)
Tablespoon
possibly a measuring jug if your milk doesn't come in pints?

Ingredients

6oz pudding rice
3 pints milk
4 tablespoons of golden syrup
1 vanilla pod
Knob of butter - the size of your knob is up to you

Method

Put the pudding rice, the milk, the syrup and the Knob into the slow cooker.
Cut open the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into the slow cooker. It's imperative you do this as quickly as possible to retain maximum flavour.
Put the actual pod bits of the vanilla pod into a jar of sugar; this will flavour the sugar for use in cakes etc. Put this aside for another recipe.
Turn on the slow cooker and go do something else for a bit - recommended setting is high but slow cookers are ridiculously variable, so use your judgement.
Stir after about 2 hours.
It'll be ready anywhere between 3 and 6 hours depending on your slow cooker - it should be thick and creamy and not runny.

miss_s_b

Mood: cheerful

So it was Burns' Night on Monday, and we went the whole sheep's intestine.

Main course was ( Haggis, Neeps 'n' Tatties, and Leeks )

Pudding was a bit more interesting, so you're going to get the full recipe for that.

( Click here for Cranachan )

miss_s_b

... the reason I posted bread for last week's challenge is because I knew if push came to shove and I was really busy I could just C&P this:

Extremely Boozy Bread and Butter Pudding

This serves 4 and is about 750kcals per portion

Equipment:

Deep lasagne dish or similar that holds at least 2 pints and has a flat bottom
Oven
Balloon whisk
Mixing bowl
Measuring jug because baileys doesn't come in pints

Ingredients:

6 thick or 8 medium slices of bread
Some butter
Some dried fruit - Suggestions: sultanas, chopped dried apricots, dried cherries. You need enough to have a reasonable amount distributed through the pudding; Christ alone knows what that is in grams, I always look and say "that's about enough".
Some booze to soak the dried fruit in - a whisky or a brandy is best, but if you're using cherries for the fruit, and you can get it, kirsch is amazing
Optional nuts, but not in our household with nut allergic people.
3 eggs
1 pint of Baileys or equivalent Irish Cream concoction - Tesco's own brand one is quite good.
Nutmeg/cinnamon/mace/vanilla extract to taste.
NB: you don't need any sugar because baileys is full of it

Method:

Soak the dried fruit in the booze for as long as you can stand it before you absolutely must have pudding. Overnight is best, but I can never last that long.
Drain the fruit and save the booze for future soaks. Or drink it. Whatever.
Pre heat the oven to 180 electric/160 fan/Gas 4.
Butter all the bread as if you were making sandwiches with it.
Cover the bottom of the lasagne dish with bread, butter side down. You may need to cut the bread up so it fits in the dish; that's fine.
Sprinkle soaked fruit over the layer of bread, then add another layer of bread, butter side up this time.
Keep layering fruit and bread til is level with the top of the dish, and make sure you sprinkle some fruit on top.
In your mixing bowl whisk together your baileys, eggs and whatever spices etc you are using.
Pour it over the bread & butter slowly so it soaks in.
Stick it in the oven for 40 minutes or so till it's golden brown and risen.
Eat immediately, it won't keep.

el_staplador

Just catching up here; hope that's OK.

( Week 1: Naleśniki Nadziewane z Jabłkami )

( Week 2: Italianate Fridge Salad )

( Week 3: Squash Goulash )

miss_s_b

Mood: full

I suspect all of these were about as Italian as a fourth generation New Yorker, but like that fourth generation New Yorker I choose to call them Italian anyway ;) The meal consisted of: warm bruscetta with tomatoes, basil and cheese; followed by vegetarian spag bol; followed by Italian-style baked fruit and ice cream.

I just et all that lot, and am fit to asplode, so if there are typos and/or some of this doesn't make sense, blame the food.

( pics and recipes under here )

missdiane

Mood: full

Nothing like some comfort food on a really blustery day. I made a baked apple crisp, similar in style to Jennie's pie and to her measurements of "some." But every time I make this, my friend's nieces and nephew are very happy.

( My tummy is full of this apple goodness )Since you can see I have some other apples in the background that need eating, and not even thinking about it, I'd bought a loaf of apple oat bread, I might have to make a sandwich by toasting the bread, adding some of my sharp white cheddar cheese with cracked black pepper and some sliced raw apple for crunch. I'm not sure yet - I'll see what the taste buds say later. Because right now they're thinking about that caramel-y apple gooey goodness we ate.

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Weekly Food Challenge

A challenge for cooks every Wednesday

Entries tagged with desserts

Challenge 63: PIES! - Mince Pies

Challenge #62 - Double Decker Delights

Something home-grown: apple and thyme crumble

Something Home Groan: Rhubarb Grumble

Challenge #48: hot weather comfort food - Lime and Basil Sorbet

Challenge 44: Towel Day - 'Don't Panic' crumble

Double Decker Delights

Banana Breakfast Cookies

Challenge #24: Slow Cooker Fruit Crumble

Reduced Cabinet Bingo Part 1: Bread & Butter Pudding

Challenge # 22: Black Bean Brownies

Challenge 22: chocolate: upside-down pear and chocolate pudding

Easy ice cream-no churn, no machine

Slightly late: Slow Cooker vanilla rice pudding

Scottish things!

OK, I admit it...

3 for the price of 1

Three Course "Italian" Meal

Apple Challenge - Apple Crisp

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