Serve this Tres leche pudding hot, instead of oatmeal and it could be the most decadent breakfast you’ve ever had. Or you can be like everyone else and eat it chilled for dessert.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup aborio white rice

3/4 teaspoon table salt

1 large egg

One 12- ounce can evaporated milk

One cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk

One 14- ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon and fresh whipped cream to garnish

DIRECTIONS

Cook the rice: Put the rice, 2 cups of water, and the salt in a medium saucepan with a tight- fitting lid. Bring to a boil- you should hear the pot going all a flutter under the lid and puffing steam out the seam. Reduce to a low simmer, and let the rice cook for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Remove the rice pot from the heat.

Once the rice is cooked, whisk the egg in a medium bowl, and then whisk in the evaporated milk. Stir the coconut/almond and sweetened condensed milks into the rice, then add the egg mixture. Return the saucepan to heat and cook the mixture over medium- low heat until it looks mostly, or about 90 percent, absorbed (the pudding will thicken a lot as it cools), about 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour mixture into blender and pluse until well mixed. Divide the pudding among serving dishes. Eat one hot. Trust me on this. Keep the puddings in the fridge until fully chilled, about 1 to 2 hours.

Dollop a spoonful of whipped cream on top of each bowl of rice pudding, and dust with cinnamon.

I worked with this recipe.

Quite an undertaking and I’m not big on decorating but this was just too much fun. Begin with the mushrooms, followed by the cake, mousse, and then ganache.

Meringue Mushrooms

1 cup sugar

4 large egg whites

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon cocoa powder, plus more for dusting

3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

Heat oven to 225 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat sugar and 1/2 cup water over low heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid reaches 248 degrees.(hard-ball stage) on a candy thermometer.

Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric beater fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg whites on low speed until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high, and add hot syrup in a steady stream, beating constantly. Continue beating until cool and stiff, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Fold in cocoa powder.

Spoon meringue into a large pastry bag fitted with a coupler and large plain tip. Pipe meringue onto prepared baking sheet to form 2-inch domes. Pipe a separate stem shape for each dome.

Sprinkle cocoa powder lightly over meringues. Bake until dry, about 2 hours. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

To assemble mushrooms, melt chocolate in a double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Trim off points from tops of stems. With a small offset spatula, spread chocolate on underside of a cap and place trimmed end of stem into center of cap. Place mushroom, stem side up, in an egg carton to harden. Repeat with remaining mushrooms; refrigerate until set.

Chocolate Genoise

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for parchment and pan

2/3 cup sifted cake flour (not self-rising)

1/3 cup sifted cocoa powder, plus more for dusting

Pinch of baking soda

6 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10 1/2-by-15 1/2-by-1-inch jelly-roll pan. Line with parchment; butter and flour paper, tapping out the excess flour.

Sift flour, cocoa, and baking soda together twice into a medium bowl. Set aside. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Skim off white foam, and pour clear yellow butter into a bowl, discarding white liquid at the bottom. Set aside in a warm place.

In a medium-size heat-proof bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water; stir until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, and beat on high speed until mixture is thick and pale and has tripled in bulk. Reduce speed to medium, add vanilla, and beat 2 to 3 minutes more.

In three additions, sift flour mixture over egg mixture, folding in gently with a spatula. While folding in last addition, dribble melted butter over batter and fold in.

Spread batter evenly in pan, leaving behind any unincorporated butter in the bottom of the bowl. Tap pan on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake until cake springs back when touched in center, 15 to 20 minutes. Don’t overbake or cake will crack. Let sit in pan on a wire rack until cool enough to handle.

Dust surface with cocoa powder. To make rolling easier, trim edges of cake, and cover with a sheet of waxed paper and a damp dish towel. Invert onto a work surface, and peel off parchment; dust with cocoa. Starting from one long end, carefully roll up cake in towel. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate until ready to use.

Chocolate Mousse

4 ounces semisweet chocolate

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 large eggs, separated

Pinch of cream tartar

1/2 cup heavy cream

In a double boiler, melt together chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat, and transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in egg yolks, stirring well. Let cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff. Whisk a third of the whites into chocolate mixture; gently fold in remainder of the egg whites.

Whip cream until it holds soft peaks, and fold into chocolate mixture. Chill until set, about 1 hour.

Chocolate Ganache Icing

9 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat cream in a small saucepan until bubbles begin to appear around edges (scalding); pour over chocolate. Let stand 5 minutes, then stir until smooth. Set aside at room temperature until cool but pourable, stirring occasionally.

Assembly

Make chocolate genoise and mousse, ganache icing, and meringue mushrooms.

To assemble cake, carefully unroll genoise on the back side of a baking sheet (discard the plastic wrap and waxed paper, but keep the towel). Spread chocolate mousse evenly on cake to within 1 to 2 inches of one long end. Reroll cake, starting from other long end, using towel to help roll it. Cover with plastic wrap; chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Place cake, seam side down, on a serving platter; tuck parchment around it to keep platter clean while decorating.

Whip ganache at medium speed until it has the consistency of soft butter. Cut two wedges off ends of cake at a 45 degrees angle; set aside. Ice log with a thin layer of ganache. Attach wedges on diagonally opposite sides of log. Spread ganache all over log, using a small spatula to form barklike ridges. Chill until ganache is firm, about 30 minutes.

In the top of a double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl set over simmering water, melt chocolate until smooth. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Spread melted chocolate 1/8 inch thick over parchment. Refrigerate until cold, 10 to 15 minutes. Roll paper back and forth until chocolate splinters; sprinkle over cake. Chill cake until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, arrange meringue mushrooms around and on cake, and dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar.

I worked with this recipe.

Whether you eat it with butter or Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese, this Kaiser roll is a Jersey favorite.

INGREDIENTS

2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast

2 cups warm water, divided

4 tablespoons sugar, divided

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons salt

6 to 6-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg

2 teaspoons cold water

Poppy seeds

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add 1 tablespoon sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the oil, salt, remaining warm water and sugar and 4 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 16 pieces. Shape each into a ball. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Beat egg white and cold water; brush over rolls. Sprinkle with poppy and/or sesame seeds. Shape rolls by making a rosette shape or with scissors cut a 1/4-in.-deep cross on tops of rolls.

Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 16 rolls.

I got the recipe here.

Tessa gave me a bottle of honey and said “I can’t wait to see what you make with this”. I had to make this classic Neopolitan holiday dessert.

INGREDIENTS

Dough

2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting

1 large lemon, zested (about 2 teaspoons)

1/2 large orange, zested (about 2 teaspoons)

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon white wine, such as pinot grigio

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Canola oil, for frying

Glaze

1 cup honey

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted (see Cook’s Note)

Vegetable oil cooking spray

Sugar sprinkles, for decoration

Powdered sugar, for dusting, optional

 

 

For the dough: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together 2 cups of flour, lemon zest, orange zest, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the eggs, wine, and vanilla. Pulse until the mixture forms into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

 

Cut the dough into 4 equal-sized pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough until 1/4-inch thick. Cut each piece of dough into 1/2-inch wide strips. Cut each strip of pastry into 1/2-inch pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a small ball about the size of a hazelnut. Lightly dredge the dough balls in flour, shaking off any excess. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don’t have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.). In batches, fry the dough until lightly golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. (The rested and quartered dough can also be rolled on a floured work surface into 1/2-inch thick logs and cut into equal-sized 1/2-inch pieces. The dough pieces can then be rolled into small balls and fried as above).

 

In a large saucepan, combine the honey, sugar, and lemon juice over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the fried dough and hazelnuts and stir until coated in the honey mixture. Allow the mixture to cool in the pan for 2 minutes.

 

Using a large spoon or damp hands, arrange the struffoli in any shape you like. Drizzle any remaining honey mixture over the struffoli. Allow to set for 2 hours (can be made 1 day in advance). Decorate with sprinkles and dust with powdered sugar, if using.

 

I worked with this recipe.

I didn’t think anything could top my “Fudge Butter” but this just did.  No need to thank me for making everything better with this decadent spread.

Apple Cinnamon Caramel

8 cups apple cider

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, or less of a finer one

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2/3 cup heavy cream

Boil the apple cider in a 4-quart saucepan over high heat until it is reduced to a dark, thick syrup, between 1/3 and 1/2 cup in volume. Stir occasionally. This takes about 35 to 40 minutes on my stove.

Get the rest of the ingredients ready. Line the bottom and sides of an 8- inch straight- sided square metal baking pan with 2 long sheets of crisscrossed parchment. Mix cinnamon and salt in small dish.

Once cider is reduced, remove it from the heat. Stir in the butter, sugars, and heavy cream. Return the pot to medium-high heat with a candy thermometer attached to the side, and let it boil until the thermometer reads 252 degrees, only about 5 minutes.

Immediately remove caramel from heat, add the cinnamon-salt mixture, stirring well so that all the ingredients are distributed. Pour caramel into the prepared pan. Refrigerate for about an hour.

For Butter

1 quart of heavy whipping cream

Pour the cream into a bowl, set the electric mixer on medium speed, and blend.

After about 10 minutes, the butter begins to stiffen and clump together and separates from the buttermilk.

Use a spatula to press the butter and squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible. Add about a ½ cup ice water to the butter and use the spatula to press the butter and water against the side of the bowl. This is important to keep the butter from spoiling. Pour off the cloudy liquid. Add more ice water and repeat the process two or three times until the water becomes less cloudy.

Continue kneading butter against the side of the bowl until all the liquid has been pressed out. Set aside to clean out bowl. Once clean, add the butter and the caramel together and blend well. Place in jars and refrigerate for a week or free for 6 months. Make about 1 1/2 pounds of butter.

I got the caramel recipe here.

I got this biscotti recipe from my Grandmother. My son calls them cookie toast. I’ll skip putting up a tree before I skip making these.

INGREDIENTS

5 cups flour

½ pound Crisco

6 eggs

2 ½ tablespoons baking powder

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Walnuts to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sift flour, sugar, and baking powder.

Cut in Crisco.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

Mix in chopped walnuts.

Form in about 8 small loaves (football shaped) and place on cookie sheet. Cook for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let loaves cool a bit and then slice each loaf (carefully so they don’t crumble) on a diagonal. Place individual biscotti back on cookie sheet and then place back in the oven to toast. After about 10 minutes turn them over and do the same until they are browned.

Let cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Even better the next day.

 

There are some things worth cheating (on your diet) for. These crispy oatmeal cookies are one of them.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon table salt

14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

6 ounces good-quality white chocolate bar, chopped (not “white chocolate” chips; they’re almost always artificial. I am adamant about this.)

1/2 teapoon flaky sea salt (like Maldon or fleur de sel) (for sprinkling on top)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and table salt in a medium bowl.

Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then add egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down bowl again. Add flour mixture gradually and mix until just incorporated and smooth. Gradually add oats and white chocolate and mix until well incorporated.

Divide dough into 24 equal portions, each about 2 tablespoons. Roll between palms into balls, then place on lined baking sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart. Using fingertips, gently press down each ball to about 3/4-inch thickness.

Sprinkle a flake or two of sea salt on each cookie

Bake until cookies are deep golden brown, about 13 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool.

I got the recipe here.

  
Buttery berries and crunchy nuts. Did I really just say that?

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

1/3 cup pecans, toasted, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter bottom and halfway up sides of an 8-inch square glass baking dish using 2 tablespoons butter. Spread cranberries evenly over bottom of dish. Sprinkle pecans on top, then sprinkle with 1/3 cup sugar; set aside.

Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; set aside. Put egg and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until pale and thick, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium-low; gradually beat in flour, and then salt. Pour in melted butter in a slow, steady stream, beating until smooth.

Slowly pour batter into pan to cover cranberries. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge to loosen, and invert to unmold onto a serving platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I got the recipe here.

Imagine you made white bread taste like cake and then you topped it with peanut butter, jelly and chocolate.  Then you ate it with a glass of ice cold milk. You’d have the ultimate CPBJ Cake.

INGREDIENTS

4 eggs, beaten well

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup milk

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup jelly

12 oz milk chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Beat eggs well, add rest of ingredients. Mix well.

Lightly grease and flour a jelly roll pan.  Pour in batter and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 min. Cake should be firm but not brown.

While still hot from oven, spread with peanut butter, then jelly.  On top of that sprinkle the bag of chocolate chips.  You can put it back in the cooling oven, with the door open and let the chips get really soft.  Spread them over the top to cover peanut butter mixture. Put in the refrigerator until firm.  Cut in squares and serve with cold milk.