Guinness Stout Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted room temperature butter, cut into cubes
• 8 ounces dark bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup superfine or granulated sugar
• 1-1/4 cups (10 ounces) Guinness Extra Stout beer (see Note below)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/8 cup (about) confectioners' sugar for dusting

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick foil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.

Melt butter, bittersweet chocolate, and white chocolate chips in a double-boiler over very low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add melted chocolate mixture, beating until combined.

Beat reserved flour mixture into melted chocolate mixture. Whisk in Guinness stout beer. The batter will seem a bit thin. Drop semisweet chocolate chips evenly on top of batter (some will sink in).

Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes on center rack in the oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.

Let brownies cool, uncovered, to room temperature. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Note: The Guinness should be at room temperature. This recipe uses a little less than a standard 12-ounce bottle of Guinness stout beer. Do not include foam in the measurement. Either spoon off the foam or let it rest until the foam subsides.

Yield: 36 to 48 brownies, depending on cut size

*from About.com

Champagne Jello with Orange Reduction

Ingredients:

Plain Gelatin (standard box has 4 pckts)

1 Bottle of Champagne (~3cups)

Orange Juice

Orange Wedges

Bitters

Directions:

Heat some water to boiling. Remove from heat and measure out 1 cup. Whisk in the 4 packets of gelatin until fully dissolved. Let cool to just about room temp (must not be hot or all the bubbles will go away - and it's all about the bubbles!). Slowly add the whole bottle of champagne - the more gently the better to keep the fizz in it. Pour into wine glasses or flutes or whatever - as long as they are big enough for spoons to get in!

For the orange reduction, cook down orange juice to a syrup with orange wedges added at the very end, and maybe 5-10 drops of bitters to counter the sourness. You can even skip the reduction and just use fresh whipped cream. Depends how much you like champagne!!

Toll House Pie (AKA Chocolate chip cookie pie)

Ingredients

• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell *
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• Sweetened whipped cream or ice cream (optional)

• Directions

  PREHEAT oven to 325° F.
  
  BEAT eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell.
  
  BAKE for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.
  Enjoy :)

Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients:
1 9-inch frozen unbaked pie shell, baked and cooled
1 1/3 cups creamy peanut butter (do not use chunky)
1/2 cup half-and-half
2/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup cold whipping cream
2 Tablespoons chopped peanuts

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, mix peanut butter with half-and-half and 2/3 cup of the powdered sugar until smooth.
2. Spoon into pie crust.
3. Beat 1/3 cup granulated white sugar with butter and vanilla until fluffy. Add the egg and beat until light and fluffy, then beat in the melted chocolate.
4. Spread mixture over peanut butter filling. Refrigerate 1 hour.
5. Beat whipping cream with remaining 2 tablespoons powdered sugar until peaks form. Spread on top of pie, garnish with chopped peanuts.

Apple Pie with Oatmeal Streusel

Ingredients

• 1 (9 inch) pie shell
• 5 cups apples - peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup butter

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Fit pastry shell into pie pan and place in freezer.
2. To Make Apple Filling: Place apples in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine 2 tablespoons flour, white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix well, then add to apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated.
3. Remove pie shell from freezer. Place apple mixture in pie shell and dot with 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil lightly on top of filling, but do not seal.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
5. While filling is baking, make Streusel Topping: In a medium bowl combine 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, brown sugar, oats, and lemon peel. Mix thoroughly, then cut in 1/2 cup butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Remove filling from oven and sprinkle streusel on top.
6. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until streusel is browned and apples are tender. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning. 

If you’d rather make your own pie crust:

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2/3 cups butter
• 1 tsp salt
•  4 Tbsp ice water (1 at a time, up to 8 depending on weather, temp, etc)

 Directions

Add first 4 ingredients in food processor, or cut with pastry knife. Add water until dough is mendable. Put in fridge for at least 20 minutes before adding filling.
For top and bottom crust, cut in half if just making bottom

(We cut the recipe in half because we only made the bottom crust - the top is the oatmeal streusel!)

Pistachio Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups shelled pistachio nuts
¾ cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cup whole milk
Pinch of salt
3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
¾ cup pistachios, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Grind the 1 cups of pistachios in a food processor until finely ground, but not to a paste. Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, sugar, and salt, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stir in the ground nuts. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep for at least 30 minutes.

3. Strain the warm nut mixture, pressing on the nuts to extract as much liquid as possible, and discard the solids. Return the milk and cream mixture to the saucepan. Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

4. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and add the cream once cooled. Add the vanilla extract and almond extract and stir until combined.

5. Refrigerate until cold. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. Once finished churning, fold in the ¾ cup pistachios with a rubber spatula.

Banana Crepes & Cinnamon Coconut Sauce

Crepe Ingredients:

• ½ c milk, 3 eggs, ½ c flour, 2 T oil

Note: I always triple this recipe, because you can never have too many crepes.

Crepe Directions:

Beat eggs, add flour - beat. Add milk & oil last. Beat batter until smooth. Pour 3 tablespoons into a non greased pan, swirl pan until batter is thinly distributed, cook until golden brown.

Cinnamon Coconut Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk

• 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, or to taste (I used a lot more)

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed in 3 tablespoons coconut milk

Cinnamon Coconut Sauce Directions:

Bring the coconut cream and coconut milk to a boil. Stir in the cinnamon and sugar. Give the cornstarch and coconut milk mixture a quick re-stir. Add to the saucepan, stirring quickly to thicken.

Roll sliced bananas inside crepes. Warm in the oven for 10 minutes before serving. Pour sauce over and serve.

Chocolate Creme Pie

Ingredients (for two pies):

- 3 small packages of chocolate pudding (non-instant)

- 6 cups of whole milk

- 1 pt of heavy whipping cream

- 2 pie shells (shortbread or graham cracker)

- 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Total cook time - 30 minutes. Cooling time - 3-4 hrs

Directions-
First prepare the chocolate pudding. Follow the recipe on the box for pie filling (~25 minutes) - use the 6 cups of milk. After 5 minutes of cooling, pour into the pie shells. Fill until about 1/4 inch of shell remains. Let stand until cool to the touch (about 45 minutes). Cover with saran wrap by placing it right on top of the pudding to avoid condensation and an unappetizing skin forming on the pie. Replace plastic pie shell top and put in fridge for 3 hours. About 20 minutes before serving, pour the pint of heavy whipping cream into a large mixing bowl. Add 2-3 teaspoons of sugar (if unsure, start with 2 and taste when almost done). Add the vanilla extract and mix on high with a hand mixer until the cream is almost whipped completely. Taste and add more sugar if necessary. If not, whip until the correct consistency. Divide the cream over the two pies, serve, and enjoy!

Vanilla Lime Pineapple Skewers

(From Good Eats)

Ingredients

• 1 vanilla bean
• 8 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1 cup firmly packed
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1 whole pineapple
• 8 (12-inch) metal skewers

Directions

Split open the vanilla pod and scrape out the pulp, and add the pod and the pulp to a small saucepan along with the brown sugar, lime juice, and salt. Whisk together and place the mixture over medium high heat and bring to a boil, stirring just until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 2 hours before using. Remove the vanilla pod. Once cool, place the syrup in a squeeze bottle or other sealable container. Store in the refrigerator.
Preheat grill on high.
Peel and remove the core from the pineapple. Cut the pineapple into eighths, lengthwise, and remove any prickly brown eyes.
Thread the pieces of pineapple onto the skewers lengthwise. Coat the skewered pineapple on all sides with the syrup. Grill on all sides until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes per side, 12 minutes total, or until the pineapple is tender. Serve with any remaining sauce.

Pavlova

Meringue Ingredients:

3 egg whites
3/4-1 c sugar
1t corn starch
1/4 t vanilla
1t lemon juice

Topping Ingredients:

1/2 pt whipping cream
4 oz strawberries or raspberries
4 oz stoned cherries
4 apricots or greengages, halved
2 ripe peaches

Decorate With:
red currants
1 egg white
2T sugar

Cook 300degrees 1 1/4-1 1/2 h (can be lower).
Draw an 18 cm circle on a nonstick parchment and place on baking sheet.
Whisk whites until stiff. Add in other ingredients gradually.
Spread meringue on the circle and build into a bowl-shaped shell. Bake until firm--sounds hollow when tapped. Allow to cool before removing from paper. Whip cream and cut fruit-don't put onto meringue until just before serving