Dark Chocolate Cashew Lace Cookies

Dark Chocolate Cashew Lace Cookies

3/4 cup very finely chopped lightly salted cashews
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted  butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 tablespoon cream or half-n-half
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 oz. dark chocolate

Stir together cashews, butter, sugar, corn syrup, cream and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil.  Boil 1 minute.  Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla and flour until combined.  Place mixture in a medium bowl, and chill 30 minutes in refrigerator, or until cold. 

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Roll teaspoons of dough into balls.  Place on cookie sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart.  Bake 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.  Cool 2-3 minutes before transferring cookies to wire racks to cool. 

Melt chocolate in a small bowl, in the microwave for 1 minute, or until melted.  Spread a thin layer of chocolate on the bottom halves of cookies.  Press two cookies together to form a sandwich; repeat process. 

Makes 6 large cookies

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
Recipe from United States of Pie by Adrienne Kane

Ingredients:
Sour Cream Pie Dough
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup sour cream
2-5 tablespoons ice water

Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and the salt until well blended and free of lumps. Add the butter and the shortening, and toss gently to coat. With your fingertips, blend the mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Add the sour cream. Work the fats into the flour, rubbing them into the flour until the mixture resembles gravel. Sprinkle on the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, starting with a total of 2 tablespoons and then gradually adding more water if needed. Blend with your fingertips, as quickly as possible, pulling the mixture together and creating a dough. The dough will become less sticky and more of a mass when enough water has been added. Finally, knead the dough minimally in the bowl to make sure it has just enough moisture. Divide the dough in half (One mound of dough should weigh approximately 11 ounces.) Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap and seal it. Gently form each one into a disk roughly 3/4-inch thick. Place the wrapped dough in the refrigerator and leave it for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days, before rolling it out. The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month and defrosted in the refrigerator before using.

Pie
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
Pinch of Kosher salt
12 ounces rhubarb, sliced into quarter-inch pieces (3 cups)
1 pound strawberries, cleaned, hulled, and quartered (3 cups)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon heavy cream (optional)
1 tablespoon turbinado or sanding sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a small bowl, combined the sugar, flour, orange zest, and salt. Stir well, and set aside. In a medium-size bowl, toss the rhubarb and the strawberries together. Set aside.

On a well-floured surface, roll out one portion of the dough until it is about 1/8-inch thick and will fit a 9-inch pie plate. Gently pick up the dough, center it over the pie plate, and ease it into the plate. Let the excess dough hang over the rim. Spread half of the fruit mixture in the pie plate. Sprinkle half of the sugar mixture over the fruit. Repeat the layers of fruit and sugar. Dot the surface with the butter. Roll out the second portion of dough to the same size. Lay the dough over the filling. Trim the edges of both layers of the dough to leave a 1-inch overhang. Pressing the edges together, fold them under, and then decoratively crimp the perimeter. With a sharp knife, cut 5 vents in the top crust.

Bake the pie for 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and continue baking for 45-50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Let the pie cool to room temperature before enjoying. Optional - For a lovely sheen on the baked pie, use a pastry brush to paint the surface with the cream. If you like, sprinkle the sugar over the cream. As the pie bakes, the sugar will caramelize, and it will crackle when you slice a wedge of the freshly baked pie.

Deep Chocolate Pudding

Deep Chocolate Pudding
“In the Sweet Kitchen: The Definitive Baker's Companion. Copyright © 2010 by Regan Daley. All rights reserved.”

1 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups whole milk (3.5%), or substitute 2% milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream (36%)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces good-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

Lightly sweetened whipped cream, to serve, if desired

Place the sugar in a large bowl. Sift over it the cornstarch, cocoa and salt. Add 1/2 cup of the milk and stir the mixture to make a thick paste. Lightly beat the egg yolks, then add these to the cornstarch mixture, whisking to blend well. Wrap a damp towel around the base of the bowl to prevent it from sliding around when the scalded milk is added.

Meanwhile, in a heavy-bottomed 2 quart saucepan, combine the remaining 2 cups milk and the cream. Bring these just to the boil, then remove the pot from the heat. Pour a small amount of the hot liquid into the cornstarch-cocoa mixture, whisking constantly. Continue to whisk the milk-cream mixture into the bowl gradually, until all of the liquid has been incorporated, and the mixture is smooth. Rinse out the pot used to scald the milk and cream, but don't dry it; this will help prevent the pudding from scorching on the bottom. Pour the custard into the clean pot and add the vanilla.

Have ready a clean mesh sieve over a medium-sized bowl. Return the pot to the stove and stir with a wooden spoon over low to medium-low heat until the custard thickens, about 5 to 7 minutes. It should approach, but never quite reach, the boil and be about the consistency of mayonnaise when it's done. This custard behaves very strangely - you may fear something has gone terribly wrong, but press on! It will get increasingly lumpy to the point where, just as it reaches the right thickness, it will seem downright chunky. Never mind! Quickly remove the pot from the element and pour through the sieve into the clean bowl, pressing the custard through with a rubber spatula.

Add the finely chopped or grated chocolate in two additions, stirring gently with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the chocolate is melted smoothly into the pudding. Spoon the pudding into 6 to 8 serving dishes or goblets and chill at least 6 hours or overnight. Serve just as it is, or with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream for a truly decadent dessert.

Frosted Pumpkin Bars

Frosted Pumpkin Bars (Adapted from The Cookie Party Cookbook by Robin L. Olson)

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 (16 oz) can pumpkin puree
4 large eggs
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, toasted

Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 15x10x1 jelly roll pan with cooking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together butter, granulated sugar and pumpkin until creamy - about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs until well combined - about 2-3 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined. Beat in walnuts until just combined.

Scrape and smooth batter into prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the frosting, beat cream cheese in a large mixing bowl using a mixer on medium speed until creamy. Beat in butter until creamy. Beat in confectioners' sugar, cream and vanilla until well combined and smooth - about 2-3 minutes. Spread frosting over cake, sprinkle with extra cinnamon if desired, and slice into bars.

Makes 4 dozen bars