Ginger Panna Cotta with Cranberry-Blood Orange Sauce

Why have cranberries as your dinner side when you can dress them up a little bit for a fun and spicy dessert? Evaporated milk, lite cream and yogurt lighten up this creamy Italian classic while maintaining the rich flavor that makes panna cotta so irresistible.

For Panna Cotta:
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1/2 cup lite cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup lowfat Greek vanilla yogurt
1 teaspoon grated ginger, juice reserved

Mix milk (minus 1 tablespoon that you need to save) and cream in saucepan. Add grated ginger. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat. Cover; let steep (cover) 30 minutes. Strain to remove ginger.

Sprinkle gelatin over ginger juice/reserved tablespoon milk. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. Stir sugar and gelatin mixture into milk mixture. Stir over low heat until sugar and gelatin dissolves. Remove immediately from heat. Whisk in vanilla yogurt. Divide among ramekins. Cover; chill until set. It typically needs at least 5 hours to set.

For Cranberry-Blood Orange Sauce:
12 oz fresh or unthawed frozen cranberries
1 cup honey or light brown sugar
Juice from 2 blood oranges, about 1 cup

Use a peeler to remove 2 large strips (about 4 inches long) from 1 orange. In a saucepan of boiling water blanch zest 1 minute and drain in a colander. Chop zest very finely and transfer to a bowl.

In a saucepan bring to a boil juice and sugar/honey, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries, return to a boil. Simmer for 10-25 minutes or until cranberries burst. Taste for sweetness, add extra sweetener if needed.

Remove from heat and stir in chopped zest. Refrigerate until serving.

Run small knife around panna cotta. Place bottoms of ramekins in bowl of hot water briefly to loosen them. Place plate atop ramekin. Hold plate and ramekin together and flip gently to removed panna cotta.

Serve with a generous helping of Cranberry-Blood Orange Sauce

Dulce de Leche Empanadas

I love dulce de leche. I love ice cream. I love apples. I figured they can only be more delicious when combined (sort of a holy triad, if you will). I felt what some might describe as inappropriate joy upon eating these gooey, creamy and sweet creations...*content sigh*.

Maybe these are better described as turnovers, but as I am using frozen empanada wrappers (not as homemade, I know, but it saves SO much time, I highly recommend them in a pinch) to create empanadas de dulce de leche con manzanas y una bola de helado: dulce de leche and apple empandas with good old fashioned vanilla ice cream.

To make 10 empanadas:
1 pack frozen Goya empanada shells
5 small to medium sized apples
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 cup dulce de leche
Vanilla ice cream

Defrost empanada shells in fridge until ready to bake.

Preheat oven to 400.

Slice apples into 8ths and then once again horizontally. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon over apples and add lemon juice. Stir mixture.

Melt butter in medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add apples and stir until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Use a rolling pin to flatten empanada shells, one by one. Add about 1/2 of an apple to shell and a scoop of dulce de leche (a bit less than a tablespoon).

Fold dough over and pinch shut. Use a fork to create ridges along edge of dough. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon and brown sugar over the empanadas.

Bake empanadas for about 20 minutes or until slightly golden brown.





Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Mango Mousse with Berry Sauce

Mango mousse is a cool and light dessert for summer.

Ingredients:
1 packet unflavored Knox gelatin
2 cups chopped mango
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (peach juice would be a lovely substitution)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup light cream
2 cups raspberries
1-2 tablespoons Chambord (optional)
2 tablespoons sugar

To Make Mango Mousse:

Sprinkle gelatin over juice in small bowl and let soften 5 minutes.

Place bowl in small saucepan with water and heat on low until gelatin is completely dissolved.

While gelatin is heating, puree mangos and sugar in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Add gelatin mixture to mangos and mix again until smooth and uniform. Pour into a large bowl (with enough room to add about 3 cups of whipped cream).

Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold into mango mixture.

Place remaining 1 cup raspberries at bottom of mousse dishes so that the side of the berry with the hole faces up.

Spoon mousse mixture over raspberries, cover and refrigerate a minimum of 4 hours before serving.

To Make Fruit Sauce:

Puree 1 cup raspberries and pour into a fine sieve, pressing down with the back of a large spoon to extract liquid.

Mix in sugar and Chambord (if using), stir until sugar has dissolved.

To serve, decorate small dessert plates with raspberry sauce (in a spiral, lattice pattern, etc). Flip mousse dishes upside down so that mousse releases self onto dessert plate (you may need to run a knife lightly around it to loosen).

Lemon Trifle with Fresh Raspberries

Ingredients:
18 ladyfingers
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup mascarpone
7 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
1 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 cups fresh raspberries

Whisk eggs and 1/2 lemon juice in small heavy sauce pan. Add zest, 1/2 cup sugar and butter. Stir occasionally until butter melts over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly as egg mixture starts to bubble. It should turn a creamy yellow at this point. Remove from heat and pour through sieve to catch any egg pieces that may have separated from curd mixture.

As curd is cooking, mix together 1/2 cup lemon juice, water and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves into liquid.

Beat mascarpone and whipping cream until stiff peaks form.

Pour 1/2 lemon curd over bottom of trifle dish.

Dip 9 ladyfingers into lemon syrup and place above curd.

Spread 1/2 mascarpone cream over ladyfingers.

Sprinkle 1 cup raspberries over cream and drizzle half of remaining curd over raspberries.

Dip remaining ladyfingers in lemon syrup and place above berries. Spread remaining cream over ladyfingers.

Drizzle remaining curd over trifle in a lattice pattern. Decorate with raspberries at points where the lemon curd intersects.

Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours before serving.

Passionfruit Panna Cotta with Raspberry Lime Coulis

2 cups light cream
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup thawed Goya passionfruit pulp
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons hot water
3 teaspoons Knox gelatin

2 cups fresh raspberries
Zest of 1 lime
1-2 tablespoons sugar

To Make Panna Cotta:

Heat up cream, milk, passionfruit pulp and sugar in medium heavy sauce pot over medium-low heat. Cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If mixture begins to steam, turn heat down to avoid boiling. Remove from heat.

Whisk together hot water and gelatin in small bowl. Let dissolve for about 5 minutes. Stir in some hot passionfruit cream until gelatin dissolves.

Mix in gelatin mixture into passionfruit cream. Taste and add more sugar if cream is too tart. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Pour into 6-8 ramekins and refrigerate, covered with Saran wrap at least 4 hours.


To Make Raspberry-Lime Coulis:

Place 1 1/2 cup raspberries in a saucepan and add the lime zest. Mash with a fork and add 1 tablespoon, stirring until dissolved.

When the raspberries are just beginning to simmer, pour through a sieve into a bowl, pushing the berries with a large spoon to release the juice. Taste, adding more sugar if needed.


Serve panna cotta with raspberry-lime coulis. Garnish with fresh raspberries.

Vanilla Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce and Creme Anglaise

I have never been especially drawn to French cuisine - those who know me know Italian, Spanish and Caribbean occupy most of my heart and stomach - but lately I have found myself intrigued by the recipes in my Corden Bleu cookbook. This dessert is based off a similar recipe in my cookbook, altered for my convenience and taste.

For Creme Anglaise (adapted from Epicurious):

1 cup whole milk
1 2-inch piece vanilla bean, split
3 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar

Combine milk and vanilla in heavy sauce pan and bring to a simmer/boil. Remove from heat. Whisk egg yolks and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into yolk mixture. Return custard to saucepan. Stir over low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 5 minutes (do not boil). Strain sauce into bowl. Cover and chill.


For Chocolate Sauce:

2/3 cup whole milk
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Bring milk and vanilla to a simmer in small saucepan. Add chocolate and turn heat to low, whisking until melted and smooth. Cool sauce to room temperature.


For Pears:

1 bottle white wine, such as Viognier
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
Zest of 1/4 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 Bosc pears

Core and peel pears.

Place the white wine, water, sugar and vanilla and zest into a large saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to medium low and place the pears into the liquid, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes until the pears are tender but not mushy.

Remove the pears, stand them upright in a dish, and refrigerate.


To serve, scoop creme onto small dessert plates. Place pear upright over cream and drizzle with chocolate sauce.


Happy Eating,


Caitlin

Guava and Passion Fruit Popsicles

3 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons water
1 cup guava nectar
1/2 cup passion fruit juice
2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice

Combine sugar and water. Stir to dissolve sugar. Stir in guava nectar, lime juice and passion fruit juice.

Divide mixture among eight Popsicle molds.

(If you don't have Popsicle mold, buy 3 oz paper or plastic cups. Freeze for 3 hours or until firm. When mixture is slushy but not solid, add wood handle-the kind you use for caramel apple).

Freeze for 3 to 4 hours or until firm. Makes 8 Popsicles.

Open Faced Peach & Raspberry Pie

1 pie crust (bottom only, for a 9 inch pie dish)

3 1/2 lbs ripe peaches
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup raspberries
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons apricot preserves

Preheat oven to 375.

Cut the bottom of each peach. Cook the peaches in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Remove and place in bowl of ice water. Let cool, then peel off skins.

Slice the peaches into 3/4 inch thick slice, and toss with the lemon juice to prevent discoloring.

Add 1/2 of the peaches to raspberries, vanilla, cornstarch and sugar; toss well. (If peaches are not very sweet, add additional 2 tablespoons sugar).

Lightly brush crust with the egg white.

Fill pie crust with raspberry-peach filling. Arrange peach slices in concentric rings so that the pie resembles a flower.

Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until the juices are bubbling, about 30 minutes.

Brush with apricot preserves. Cook another 15 minutes until bubbling.

Let the pie cool on a wire rack before serving.

Serve with creme fraiche, vanilla ice cream or whipping cream.


Happy Eating,

Caitlin

Early Summer Berry-Rhubarb Pie

Growing up with a rather over sized rhubarb tree (bush? plant?) and wild strawberries, blueberries and raspberries near our home in the country, my mother prepared some beautiful and delicious pies, crisps and assorted desserts for my family. I love the sweet and tart combination found in rhubarb-berry pies. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.


Pie crust (for top and bottom of 9 inch round pie)
1 1/2 pounds trimmed rhubarb
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup raspberries
1 cup blueberries
1 cup sliced strawberries

Cut rhubarb into 1/2 inch chunks.

In large sauce pan, stir rhubarb, 1 cup sugar, vanilla and cinnamon and stir over medium-low heat until sugar has melted. While this is cooking, stir lemon juice and corn starch together until dissolved. In a small bowl stir together cornstarch and lemon juice. Add cornstarch-lemon juice to rhubarb and cook until thickened, stirring often, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Add berries to rhubarb mixture and refrigerate 30 minutes, covered.

Preheat oven to 400.

Press dough into 9 inch pie dish. Spoon filling over crust. Drape remaining pastry round over filling and trim so that dough overlaps the edges slightly (about 1/2 inch, as crust will shrink when cooking). Pinch crust together with bottom and crimp to decorate if desired. Score pie on top with small knife.

Bake pie in middle of oven 40 minutes, with baking sheet on lower rack to catch any filling spills, until pie crust is just lightly golden brown.

Transfer pie to a cookie rack to cool. Let rest a minimum of 30 minutes to let filling set.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Happy Eating,

Caitlin

Avocado Smoothies

So, the first time I drank this, I was a bit dubious upon learning the ingredients, but upon first sip I fell in love with Avocado Smoothies. The blended avocado makes the creamiest smoothie and is a nice alternative to sweet fruit smoothies.

Ingredients:
1 avocado
1 1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups ice cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup ice

Heat up 1/2 cup milk with vanilla in small saucepan until steaming (to cook out alcohol from vanilla). Remove from heat and let cool.

Wash and peel the avocado, removing its pit. Cut into large chunks.

Pulse together vanilla milk, remaining cup of milk, ice, sugar and avocado, adding in scoops of ice cream slowly. Blend until puree is smooth and one uniform color.

Pour into tall glasses and serve with a straw, or use fun margarita glasses with sugar coated rims.

Peanut Butter Brownies

Before giving this recipe I have to warn you that these are highly addictive. They are gooey and sweet and salty and oh-so-delicious. It is nearly impossible to just eat one.

And I must give credit to my genius mother Alberta for coming up with the perfect recipe for these brownies. ...Happy Mom? ; )

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
3/4 tablespoon peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup(?) milk

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter with peanut butter. Use a beater to mix in brown sugar, egg and baking soda. Mix in flour and oatmeal (on slow speed).

Spread batter over lightly greased 9 by 13 glass baking dish. Cook about 20 minutes, this should be very soft when done (golden means it is drying out).

Spread chocolate chips over brownies and return to oven for 1 minute.

Mix remaining peanut butter with powdered sugar. Stir in milk until frosting is very creamy. Drizzle over chocolate and spread evenly over brownies with a spoon.

Strawberry and Lemon Tiramisu

For Cake:
36 Fresh ladyfingers

For Strawberry Cream & Topping:
2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar (+ 1 teaspoon to garnish)

For Lemon Syrup:
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

For Curd:
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 3/4 sticks (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces

To Make Curd: Whisk together zest, lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and a pinch of salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Add butter all at once and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about 10 minutes. Immediately pour curd through a fine sieve into a bowl, then chill, covered.

To Make Strawberry Cream:
Use hand mixer to whip cream with sugar and mascarpone to soft peaks. Add 1/2 cup mashed strawberries and continue to mix until cream forms hard peaks.

To Make Lemon Syrup: Stir ingredients until dissolved.

Spread lemon curd over bottom of 9 by 13 pan. Line up 18 ladyfingers over curd, covering bottom completely. Sprinkle 1/2 lemon syrup over ladyfingers. Spread 1/2 of strawberry cream over ladyfingers, covering them completely.

Line remaining ladyfingers over cream. Sprinkle remaining syrup over fingers. Top with remaining cream.

Wash strawberries and remove stems. Slice vertically and arrange on top of cream to serve.

*Lemon syrup and curd can be made the night before assembling the tiramisu.

Lady Fingers

I love playing off the idea of tiramisu by adding seasonal ingredients and using ladyfingers for my base. I was excited to see that Epicurious has a recipe for homemade ladyfingers, as they are not terribly cheap. The recipe takes a little bit, but the result is worth the effort.

Ingredients: (from Epicurious.com)
5 large eggs, separated, at room temperature 30 minutes
2/3 cup sugar, divided
7/8 cup all-purpose flour
Confectioners sugar for dusting
Equipment: a pastry bag with 3/4-inch opening

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Beat yolks with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale yellow, then gradually beat in all but 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar.

Beat at medium-high speed until pale yellow, tripled in volume, and thick enough to form a ribbon that takes 5 seconds to dissolve when beater is lifted, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir until just combined (batter will be very stiff).

Beat egg whites with cleaned beaters until they just hold soft peaks.

Add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar in a slow stream, then beat until whites hold stiff peaks.

Stir one third of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Spoon batter into pastry bag.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment, piping a dab of batter under each corner to secure. Pipe 2 rows of (3 1/2-inch-long) ladyfingers (12 to 16 per row) onto sheet, piping them so they almost touch. Dust with confectioners sugar.

Bake until pale golden, dry, and soft but springy to the touch, 14 to 16 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheet.

Raspberry-Almond Cream Tart with Chocolate Ganache

For Cashew Crust (crust recipe from Epicurious):
1/2 cup salted roasted cashews
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, cut into small 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg yolk

To Make Crust:
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Wrap outside of 9-inch-diameter spring form pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Finely grind cashews and brown sugar in processor. Add flour and spices; blend 5 seconds. Add butter and blend until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolk; using on/off turns, blend until moist clumps form. Press dough over bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of prepared pan. Pierce crust all over with fork. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool crust. Maintain oven temperature.

For Almond Cream:
1 7-ounce package almond paste
1/2 cup whipping cream
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup raspberries

To make Almond Cream:
Blend almond paste, cream cheese and whipping cream in processor until almost smooth. Sprinkle 1 cup raspberries over crust. Spoon almond cream into center of tart and spread evenly. Bake 7 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool.

For Chocolate Ganache Topping:
1/2 cup whipping cream
6 ounces chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup raspberries

To make Chocolate Ganache Topping:
In medium sauce pan, heat cream over medium heat. Add chocolate and stir as it melts. When mixture is smooth and shiny, add vanilla and remove from heat. Cool 10-15 minutes, so that it is not hot but is still very pliable. Spoon chocolate ganache over almond cream and spread smoothly so that it covers entire top and touches the sides of the crust. Arrange raspberries atop chocolate.

Let stand until until chocolate reached room temperature, then refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Cherries Simmered in Red Wine

4 cups dry red wine (I just buy a bottle of $5 Zinfandel or Cabernet at Trader Joe's)
1 cup sugar
2 pounds sour red cherries, stemmed & pitted (You can use frozen cherries, but if they are sweet cherries add 1/2 cup sugar then taste & add more if necessary)
1/2 teaspoon orange zest (or just use 1 tablespoon OJ if you are feeling lazy or are without zest)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract

Stir wine and sugar in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add cherries. Bring to boil. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Transfer cherries to a bowl.

Mix in orange peel, extract and cinnamon to wine-cherry liquid. Boil cooking liquid until reduced to 2 cups, about 25 minutes. Cool.

Pour syrup over cherries; toss. Cover; chill until cold.

Serve over vanilla ice cream, with flourless chocolate cake or top with creme fraiche! I am submitting these cherries to One Page Cookbooks by Varsha Vipins and Ramki

Sour Cherry and Ricotta Tart

I posted recently about making fresh Ricotta Cheese. I received the Silver Spoon cookbook as a gift from my parents and found a recipe that utilizes the ricotta nicely. A ricotta and cherry tart is an elegant dessert - AND you can use the leftover lemon rind from making the ricotta cheese.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sweet butter, chopped into small 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 egg yolk
Lemon rind, minced (from 1/2 lemon)
2 cups sour cherries, pitted
1 1/2 cups Ricotta Cheese

Sift to make a mound. In the center, add the egg yolk, butter, lemon rind and half of the sugar. Mix well and shape into a ball. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350.

Add cherries, 4 tablespoons water and remaining sugar in medium sauce pan and cook 20 minutes over medium-low heat. (Bring to a simmer, then turn to medium-low).

Drain the cherries and mix with ricotta in medium-sized bowl.

Grease and dust a tart pan. Halve the dough and roll out one half on lightly floured surface to make a 1/4 inch thick circle. Place in tart pan. Roll out remaining dough and cut into long strips to make a lattice top for the tart.

Sprinkle ricotta mixture over tart shell. Cover with lattice strips and press remaining dough around sides of tart forming a ring. Use enough pressure to seal the dough to tart shell.

Bake about 45 minutes, then let cool before serving.

Slovenian Apple Strudel

Apple strudel from Slovenia-štruklji-is not your average store-bought strudel. The dough is pulled and pulled on a floured cloth until it is paper thin; it is then coated with apples, cracker crumbs, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice. It is then rolled up and baked. It takes time and patience, but when it comes out of the oven....magic! The following is my grandmother's recipe, with a few minor tweaks. She inspected the process, and then proceeded to take 1/2 of it home with her, so I assume the strudel was a success.

Ingredients:
2 eggs (room temperature)
8 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
5 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup warm water

Apple Filling:
2 quarts of thinly sliced apples (sorry I had written 1 quart before-wrongly!)
2 sticks of melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon juice
6 graham crackers, crushed into crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 F

Mix together egg, oil and salt until well combined. Alternate adding flour and water until combined. Mix until smooth then kneed for 15 min. Place finished dough in slightly warmed oven for 1/2 hour, covered with floured cloth. Clear off large table surface and place clean floured cotton cloth over top of table. Start stretching dough slowly in circular motion. Check to see that dough is not sticking to cloth-if it it, add more flour. Place your hand palm-side up underneath dough and slowly, patiently pull towards you (it is almost like the dough is sliding off of your hand). Continue pulling from all directions until stretched large without holes. It should be about newspaper thin and translucent if you are somehow amazingly gifted at this. Mine had spots like this, a few holes and some thicker ones. C'est la vie. The warmth from your hand makes the dough more pliable, so if it is hard to pull the dough, try to soften it a bit with your hands.

Drizzle butter over stretched dough until covered. Place filling evenly over dough, leaving one end with about 3 inches bare. Drizzle more butter over ingredients. Hold cloth at filling end and slowly help dough roll over itself evenly. Pinch ends shut to prevent filling leakage. Place in buttered 9x13 inch buttered pan in three strips to fit pan lengthwise or in S shape without cutting. Bake for 1 hour, basting with remaining butter often. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pineapple Napoleons with Coconut-Chocolate Glaze

5 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup whole milk or evaporated skim milk
4 large egg yolks
6 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, room temperature
2 cans diced pineapple
1 package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets, about 17 ounces)
3/4 cup cream of coconut
8 ounces of chocolate

Mince pineapple or use a food processor to make into a slush. Cook with juice in saucepan over medium heat. Cook about 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally until puree has thickened. Add 2 tablespoons sugar Cook on low heat an additional 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Blend 3 tablespoons sugar and cornstarch in medium sauce pan. Add 1/4 cup milk, whisking until cornstarch has dissolved. Whisk in remaining milk and yolks. Over medium heat, whisk occasionally until mixture is smooth, thick and is just starting to boil (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from heat. Add cream cheese and, using a mixer, beat until smooth. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of pastry cream and chill until cold.

Use mixer to beat in 1/3 cup pineapple puree so that pastry cream has an even, smooth appearance.

Roll out puff pastry sheets on wax paper-lined baking sheets so that they are about 1/8 inch thick. Prick all over with a fork. Bake about 10 minutes the cool on cookie rack. Once the pastry has cooled, cut them carefully (serrated knife works best) into three even parts, this should give you 6 pieces total.

Spread 1/2 of pineapple puree evenly onto 2 puff pastry pieces. Top each with 1/4 of pineapple cream (1/2 of total cream). Top each with another puff pastry piece. Spread remaining pineapple puree on top of both sheets. Top with remaining pineapple cream, and finally with remaining 2 puff pastry sheets.

Melt chocolate in double boiler over medium heat (Do not allow to bubble/boil, as this will burn the chocolate). As it melts, whisk in coconut cream until mixture is shiny and smooth. Remove from heat. Let cool until sauce is no longer hot but still falls freely from spoon.

Drizzle chocolate coconut sauce diagonally over napoleons. Repeat in opposite direction to form diamond pattern. Slice napoleons according to personal preference (my servings tend to be a bit large...) and enjoy!

Guava and Mango Paté

Ingredients:

2 cups mangos (from 2 ripe mangos or 2 cups of frozen chunks, thawed)
1 cup thawed Goya guava pulp
1 envelope plus 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/3-1/2 cup sugar (for sweeter mangos, use less sugar)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 ounces of cream cheese, cut into small chunks and allowed to warm to room temperature

Puree mangos in blender until smooth. Pour into medium mixing bowl. Pour guava pulp into another medium mixing bowl.

In small pyrex bowl, sprinkle gelatin over water and let soften for about 5 minutes. Place pyrex bowl in small saucepan. Add water to pan until it reaches about 1 inch below pyrex top. Simmer water until gelatin has dissolved.

At the same time, heat cream and sugar in clean saucepan until almost boiling. Remove from heat and whisk in cream cheese chunks until most has melted. Whisk in vanilla and gelatin. Pour 2/3 mixture into mango puree. Using mixer, beat until mixture is incorporated. Pour remaining 1/3 cream mixture into guava and beat to incorporate. Taste mixtures for sugar; add more if needed.

Pour mango puree into square or round glass baking pan (about 9x9). Pour guava mixture slowly on top, swirling into mango (this makes it look pretty).

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Candy Cane Tiramisu

I was inspired to create this last night while eating a vanilla ice cream, Trader Candy Cane Joe-Joes and Hershey's chocolate syrup. I plan to make it soon, but if you feel inspired before I get the chance, please send me a picture of yours and I'll post it (with proper credit).

Ingredients:

36 ladyfingers (add more or less as needed to fit your pan)
4 ounces liquor (Bailey's Chocolate Mint, Bailey's Cream or Godiva Chocolate Liquor)
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1 3/4 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup crushed candy canes
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
6 ounces shaved semi-sweet chocolate (you can grate the it or use a butcher knife and chop it up)
4 ounces white chocolate

Melt white chocolate over double boiler. Add 1/2 cup milk and whisk until smooth,

In large mixing bowl, beat mascarpone, white chocolate ganache, peppermint extract, 3/4 of crushed candy canes (reserving the rest for garnish) and 1 1/2 cups whipping cream until they begin to form stiff peaks.

Whisk 4 ounces chocolate in 1/4 cup milk over medium heat until incorporated. Mix liquor into chocolate cream.

In glass or ceramic pan, spread mascarpone cream mixture so that the entire bottom has some cream on it. Arrange a layer of ladyfingers to cover cream. Drizzle 1/2 liquor mixture over ladyfingers. Spread another layer of mascarpone whipping cream on top of ladyfingers, ensuring they are completely covered. Arrange a new layer of ladyfingers above cream. Drizzle remaining liquor mixture over ladyfingers. Top with remaining mascarpone cream. Garnish with remaining 2 oz of shaved chocolate and reserved candy canes. Let tiramisu set overnight in refrigerator. (If it doesn't set for long enough, the ladyfingers will not be moist).

Enjoy with friends :)