Foodbuzz

Sunday, June 30, 2019

Dark Cherry Danish Tarts


Sometimes it is just simplicity that you crave in a dessert. Not alot of sweetness just fruit and pastry. Usually that means pie, but in this case it means a tart. The flavor of dark cherries against a biscuit type base was just the simplicity I was craving. Another bonus was that it did not take all the effort required for making a pie.

This recipe only has a few steps and has most of the rise time in the refrigerator. Chill it, cut the dough into rounds and stack them, that is about it. The only real concern that came about was finding frozen fruit in heavy syrup. I ended up buying canned fruit in heavy syrup and not the 10 oz of frozen strawberries recommended in the recipe. If you can find strawberries in heavy syrup to make this, I am sure it would be quite tasty.The recipe states the yield is for 24 danishes.

Dark Cherry Danish Tarts
adapted from Fleischmanns

Dough
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
2 tbs cornstarch
1 envelope rapid rise yeast
1/3 cup sugar
5 3/4 cup flour
1 egg
1 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup milk
1 tsp salt

Topping
1 15 oz can dark cherries in heavy syrup
1 tbs cornstarch
powdered sugar for garnish

 Fill a saucepan with milk, butter and water. Place over medium heat and let butter melt. Using a candy thermometer, monitor the temperature, Once it registers 120-130 degrees, remove from heat.

Fill the bowl of a stand mixer with cornstarch, lemon peel, salt, undissolved yeast, 2 cups of flour and sugar. Whisk together until blended evenly. Turn mixer to low speed and slowly stream in butter mixture, scraping sides of bowl as needed and beating until blended. Next, incorporate the egg and 1 additional cup of flour. After mixed together, add the rest of the flour and mix until dough forms. Shape into a ball and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of overnight.

Once the chilling time is complete, lightly dust a flat surface with flour and dust a rolling pin. Then line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Take the dough and divide into equal halves. Place one back in the refrigerator while you work with the other. Roll the dough into a 1/4 inch thick slab. Using a 3 inch round cutter, cut out 24 circles by cutting and then re-rolling scraps and cutting out more circles. Place each circle on the parchment paper, spacing so there is a total of 12 on each baking sheet. Then follow the same process of rolling and forming the other half of the dough, but this time stack the 24 circles of dough on top of the first 24.

Cover both baking sheets and sit in a warm, draft free area for about 45 minutes. As the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Also, make the topping. Fill a saucepan with canned cherries and cornstarch, place over medium heat. Let the mixture cook and come to a boil, about 2-4 minutes. The end result is that the liquid would now be more like a thick jelly. Remove from heat and let cool.

Once the rise time is over, place one pan in the oven and let bake for 10 minutes. Remove and spoon fruit mixture on the top center of each round. Return to oven and let bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove and transfer to rack to let cool completely. Repeat the baking process with the remaining 12 on the other baking sheet.

After completely cooled, dust with powdered sugar.

Tips and Notes:
1. I halved the recipe and ended up with 18 instead of 12.

2. The can of cherries was 15 oz and I had just enough to top all 18 danishes. Also, even though the strawberries were 10 oz and cherries were 15, I did not increase the cornstarch.

3. These should be golden brown on top when done.
                                     **LAST YEAR:Pumpkin Nutella Bars**

Sunday, June 16, 2019

Walnut Butter Cookies


Nut butters are so popular these days and they make for a great ingredient in baking. Today, I bring you cookies made with walnut butter and packed with nuts and chocolate chips.

These cookies have such great taste and amazing texture. They are not chewy or crunchy, but have a soft crumb that just melts in your mouth. Because of the nut butter, I was afraid that they would come out flat, but the baking soda did the trick. The cookies have a normal height to them, so I was well pleased with the size of the cookies. The walnut taste is prominent and the mini chocolate chips are a nice compliment to the overall flavor.

Walnuts do have their health benefits, so sneaking that into a delicious cookie is also a welcome addition. This recipe makes a little over 4 dz cookies. Also, when purchasing nut butter, make sure there are no additives, just pure ground nuts.


Walnut Butter Cookies
by flourtrader

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
8 oz jar of walnut butter
1 egg
1 cup butter
1 1/4 cups mini semi sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Fill a stand mixer bowl with butter, walnut butter and sugar. Cream the mixture together on medium speed until well combined. Add egg and mix to blend for about 30 seconds.

In another bowl, sift together flour and baking soda. Using a wooden spoon, fold sifted ingredients into butter mixture. Once combined, fold in the chocolate chips and the nuts. After chips and nuts are evenly distributed throughout the batter, drop by tablespoons or a scoop onto prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.

Bake until edges are golden brown, about 14-16 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for about 3 minutes then transfer to rack to completely cool. Repeat forming and baking cookies with the remaining dough.
                                      **LAST YEAR:Black Bottom Pecan Cream Pie**

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Pistachio White Chocolate Gelato


I will admit that there is not a lot of green food when it comes to desserts. Also, the color green may not look very appealing...which is why it took me so long to try avocados or guacamole. Even though this may look like guacamole, it is ice cold gelato that has a rich flavor of pistachios that stems from pistachio paste. As an added indulgence, bits of white chocolate are included for crunch and flavor.

Outside of the crunch from the white chocolate curls, it has the smooth texture that is synonymous with frozen gelato. The recipe itself has the bonus of not requiring a lot of ingredients or a lot of effort. One component has to chill overnight and the freezing the next day takes time, so plan in advance.

So if you are ready for a smooth taste of pistachio and white chocolate, proceed below.

Pistachio White Chocolate Gelato
adapted from David Lebovitz

Ingredients
4 cups of milk
14 oz pistachio paste
4 tbs cornstarch
2/3 cup sugar
few drops of lemon juice
2/3 cup white chocolate curls

Fill a bowl with 1/2 cup of milk and the cornstarch. Stir so the cornstarch dissolves into the milk. Set aside. Pour the rest of the milk into a saucepan and add the sugar. Place over medium high heat and stir. Let the mixture heat up to a strong simmer. Prior to the boiling point, stir the cornstarch milk mixture again and pour into the saucepan with the sugar and milk. Let cook for 3 minutes, stirring all the while.

Remove from heat and pour into a heatproof bowl. Let cool for 15 minutes. Then cover and place in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

The next day, combine the chilled mixture with pistachio paste and a few drops of lemon juice. Once thoroughly mixed, add to the ice cream machine and follow instructions. Halfway through the process add the white chocolate curls and churn the mixture more to blend. After completing manufacturer's instructions, transfer gelato to a bowl and cover. Place in freezer and chill until desired consistency is achieved.
                                  **LAST YEAR:Port Cherry Coffeecake**