PPQ: Creme Brulee

I received The Pastry Queen Cookbook last month. The neat thing about finally having the cookbook is I can now participate in the Project Pastry Queen. Each week a member will pick a recipe from the cookbook for us to try.

This weeks pick is Espresso Creme Brulee. Since I already have crazy children, I decided to try the rather sweet variation and top it with bananas instead. My husband helped me make this recipe. This is an awesome recipe. If you are looking for a special dessert, this is the one to try!

Creme Brulee
1/4 cup whole milk
2 3/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean
7 large egg yolks
2/3 cups plus 1/2 cups sugar
1 banana, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Lightly spray 6 six ounce ramekins with cooking spray.
3.  Heat the milk with the cream in a pot over medium-high heat.
4. While the milk is heating, scrap the vanilla bean pod in half and scrap the inside of the pod with a knife. Add the vanilla pod and scraped beans into the heating milk.
5. Bring the milk to a boil and remove immediate from the heat.
6. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until well combined.
7. While whisking continuously, slowly add a little of the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture at a time. 
8. After blending thoroughly, pour the custard through a fine mesh sieve to remove any vanilla pod and any overcooked egg. 
9. Place the ramekins in a baking dish and fill the dish with hot water until it reaches 3/4 up the outside of the ramekins.
10. Fill the ramekins half way with the custard.
11. Carefully, place the dish into the oven without allowing any of the water bath to touch the custard.
12. Bake the ramekins for 1 hour. The custard should just set and jiggle when shaken but not browning or bubbling.
13. Allow the custard to cool for 30 minutes. 
14. Top each custard with a single layer of thinly sliced banana.
15. Top each custard with a thin even layer of sugar. 
16. With a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar or broil the custard in the oven 4 inches from the flame until sugar is caramelized and lightly browned.
17. Serve immediately. 

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen Cookbook.  

Did you already know.................
-Creme brulee is a custard topped with a hard caramel.
-Creme brulee means burnt custard in French.
-The recipe can be found in a 1691 French cookbook by Francois Massialot.

Jalapeno Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

We finally have snow here. It has been one strange year. I am not complaining since I prefer the warm weather. Since it is so cold, I dress with lots of layers. I also dress my younger children in layers. 

 The other day my youngest daughter was walking outside and she didn't have her hat. My husband told her that she needs her hat while he is outside without his jacket. I don't even think we were outside but for five minutes but she still needed her hat. My oldest daughter follows my husbands lead and unless I remind her she will try not to wear a jacket.

I saw this recipe on Tasty Kitchen and I asked my husband if I should make them. He said yes then he wasn't feeling good and never got to try them. My oldest daughter devoured them. She isn't even a spicy girl. The recipe does call for Panko bread crumbs. I guess I was in a hurry since I didn't intentionally forget them. I really liked them. Next time, I am going to leave the bread crumbs off. My sister follows a gluten free diet so she could even try this recipe.

Jalapeno Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms


12 large mushrooms, cleaned
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced
1 oz. cream cheese (I used reduced fat)
2 oz. cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp salt and pepper


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small skillet, saute the bacon until crisp.
3. Take the stems out of the mushrooms and place the mushroom caps onto a cookie sheet.
4. Chop the mushrooms stems.
5. Saute the stems, pepper, onion, and garlic with the bacon. Cook for 5 minutes.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool slightly. 
7. In a bowl, mix the cream cheese and cheddar together.
8. Add the cooked bacon with vegetables to the cheese mixture. Mix well.
9. Top the center of each mushroom cap with the cheese mixture. 
10. Bake for 20 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.
11. Let the mushrooms rest for 5 minutes to cool.

Recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen.

Did you already know.............
-On average, January is the coldest month in Maine and July is the warmest.  
-The average temperature in Portland, Maine in January is 31 degrees and in July is 79 degrees.
-In 2009, Maine record low was -50 degrees.
-In 1911, Maine record high was 105 degrees.

Empanadas

We recently were lucky to go to a Patriots Game. It was a lot of fun. Everyone was nice and no one acted to crazy including myself. My first NFL game and I forgot to bring my camera so I have no photos to share just the ticket stub.

 Well, this weekend my favorite team will be playing the Patriots. Of course, we are going to have company to watch the game. I like both teams so it will be a great game even if my team doesn't win.

For supper, I made empanadas for the first time. I had to create my own filling. My family will not eat raisins or olives. My youngest daughter wanted cheese so it could be more like a hot pocket maybe next time. I served the empanadas with sour cream and salsa. The meal was still very good and I made them in the shape of a football.

Empanadas
Dough:
41/2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
2 eggs
2/3 cup to 1 cup ice water
1 1/2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar

1. In a food processor, combine the flour and salt.
2. Add the butter and pulse for between 20-30 times or until the mixture looks like coarse meal.
3. Add the eggs and vinegar. Pulse 10 times.
4. Slowly add the water and pulse until the dough comes together. 
5. Knead the dough one or two times to bring the dough together.
6. Cut in half and flatten. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 to 6 hours.

Recipe adapted from: Smitten Kitchen.

Filling:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 jalapenos, finely chopped
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 Tbsp of hot sauce or more for spicier
Salt and pepper to taste.

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
2. Saute the onion and jalapenos for 5 minutes.
3. Add the ground beef and brown.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and combine.

To assemble:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the dough into ten pieces.
3. Roll out each piece into a circle.
4. Add about 3 spoonful of the filling into the middle of the dough.
5. Fold over the dough and seal the two pieces together.
6. Brush with egg wash.
7. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Does it look like a foot or more like a yam?

Did you already know..............
-Empanadas are like turnovers filled with meat, vegetables, or fruit.
-Empanadas are popular in Latin America, South America, and Southern Europe.
-Empanadas name is derived from the Spanish word"empanar" which means to wrap or coat in bread.
-They can be baked or fried.

Texas Road House Rolls Copy Cat

     Something about eating in a restaurant that gives you peanuts are cool. I have never understood how steakhouses would think to provide peanuts as an appetizer. I think of steakhouses as an out West kind of thing with cowboys. When I think of peanuts, I think of the South like Virginia. Any insight about the two combination?

     I do like steakhouses but we rarely eat at any since it isn't my husband's first choice. We have ate at Texas Road House restaurant a couple of times. The restaurant serves a basket of rolls which are great. When I saw this recipe, I figured I would try it. The rolls are great. I did freeze half the recipe. These photos are from the freezer batch since there were no left overs from the first batch I had made. Yes, they are really good. I even had purchased some cinnamon butter and it was the perfect combination.

Like Texas Road House Rolls


2 cups milk
3 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 envelope of active dry yeast
1/2 cup water, around 100 degrees
8 cups all purpose flour
2 eggs
2 tsp salt


Directions:

1. Warm the milk in a large pot with the butter and sugar. Heat the milk to just below a simmer and allow to cool about 100 degrees.
2. Add the yeast to the water and allow to sit for about 3 minutes. 
3. Add the yeast water to the milk and stir.
4. Add two cups of flour and mix.
5. Add the eggs and salt to the pot. Stir.
6. Add 5 cups of flour and mix. The dough should be soft and not overly sticky. If the dough is sticky, add a little of the remaining flour.
7. Place the dough onto a clean, floured surface.
8. Knead the dough about 5 minutes.
9. Place the dough in a grease bowl and flip it over. Cover the bowl and let rise about 1 hour.
10. After the dough has doubled, punch it down. Let rest for 10 minutes.
11. Divide the dough into 20-30 pieces. (Freeze at this stage if desired.)
12. Allow the pieces to rise about 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
13. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe adapted from: Eat Cake For Dinner originally posted on Good Stuff Maynard.

Did you already know.............
-In 1993, Kent Taylor opened the first Texas Roadhouse restaurant in Clarksville, Indiana.
-There are over 350 restaurants in 46 states.
-Employees are called "Roadies". 
-The restaurant's mascot is: Andy the Armadillo.

Burgundy Mushrooms

When I was a kid, I did not like mushrooms. I did not like the texture. Also, mushrooms really did not have much of a taste. As an adult, I really like mushrooms. I cook a lot with mushrooms as if you couldn't tell if you read my blog often.

When I lived in Colorado, I use to order marinated mushrooms. The dish was served as an appetizer and they were so good. The restaurant is now closed but I sure miss that dish. These mushrooms look and taste very similar to that appetizer. The recipe takes all day to make.

Burgundy Mushrooms
2 lbs white button mushrooms, cleaned throughly
1/2 liter of Burgundy wine
1 cups boiling water
1 sticks butter
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Add the mushrooms, wine, boiling water, butter, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, bouillon cubes, and garlic to a large pot. Stir to combine.
2. Bring the mushrooms to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 6 hours covered.
3. Remove the lid and continue to cook for 3 hours, uncovered.
4. Add salt to taste after the 3 hours. 
5. Serve with bread, as a side dish, or over meat.

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook.

Did you already know.........
-Burgundy wine is produced from the Burgundy region of France.
-Burgundy wine can be white or red.
-A red Burgundy wine is Pinot Noir. 
-A white Burgundy wine is a Chardonnay.