Bisque de Langoustines and Whisk Wednesdays

I joined Whisk Wednesdays this past week!! I found WW a month or so ago but our construction was still "progressing" and I could not commit to a weekly recipe at that time. But now that we've received our Final Inspection I am relatively free to do as I please. Recipes are from "Le Cordon Bleu at Home".

Since I am joining late I've missed some of the classes but I will make up as I go along. This weeks lesson was Bisque de Langoustins. I have never made a successful bisque and I love bisque, any kind of bisque and at any price. I was very excited to make this weeks recipe.

Recipe called for lobster or shrimp in the shell as the shells are used to flavor the bisque and then strained out. Lobster is out of the question and I prefer shrimp over lobster...so shrimp it was. And I ran into a great deal on shrimp so stocked up!

The recipe involved several things I've never done before, which is a good thing being this is a weekly cooking lesson. And believe me when I tell you I'm a baker not a cook and I need the cooking lessons!

I started my bisque about 4:00 pm and finished around 6 pm and really had a good time as I went along. Of course I had to feed the dogs, greet my husband and answer the phone twice during the process so that added to the time. It's a relatively simple recipe. First you make the broth with the seafood shells, butter, shallots, leeks, carrots, tarragon, parsley, cognac, white wine, tomato paste, salt/pepper and heavy cream. Strain and set aside.

Then you process the raw shrimp into a fine mush and add whipped egg white, salt/pepper and parsley. And then form small saucer-shaped quenelles with the shrimp mixture and poach them until done. The quenelles reminded me of dumplings.

Then you make a rue with butter and rice flour and add the broth and stir. Adding water to thin if needed. To serve pour the bisque into a tureen and add quenelles. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot.

It was exquisitely delicious, very rich, very French, very good! And I had 2 bowls!!





All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

Gateau'ing with the Daring Bakers

Well, it's that time again! Time to post our monthly Daring Baker challenge. This months hostess is Chris of Mele Cotte. Thanks Chris for introducing us to such a wonderful recipe!



The Filbert Gateau layered cake was not difficult and I did learn a few tricks along the way. I'm not much of the cake baker, particularly layered cakes and being I just completed 2 back-to-back cake decorating classes we were a bit tired of layered cakes. So I decided to try making mini cakes instead.

And I discovered I love making mini cakes! I made 2 sizes a 4" by 3" that I baked in mini springform pans. And 2 micro minis, 2" by 1 1/2", that I baked in my custard cups. I had all intentions of making all the cakes 3 layers but the micro minis rose so well, I only made them 2 layers.

Here's a picture comparing the difference in size between my mini and micro-mini cakes.

I've wanted to decorate a cake with the squiggly, free-form lines of my micro-mini for a long time now and it was so fun! I can't wait to do it again!!



But even the micro-mini is not a single serving as it would be too much for 1 person to eat. And cutting it in half seems so cruel and thirds just looks silly. I will make the micro-minis just for fun. But the mini cake was a perfect size and if you cut it into 5ths or even 6ths, it made perfect wedges of cake for dessert...just enough but not too much.



Of course I loved the ganache but the Praline Buttercream was out-of-this-world DELICIOUS! And what a fabulous idea to mix the praline paste into the frosting...WOW!!! I love experimenting with my frosting and this opens up an entirely new venue for me. I am excited....WOW....WOW....WOW!

I did substitute almonds for the hazelnuts as I could not find any hazelnuts. And I used my home canned kumquat, fig and cherry preserves, one flavor per cake, for the fruit glaze. The kumquat was so good but my favorite was the fig.

Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream
Recipe adapted from "Great Cakes" by Carol Walter

1 Filbert Genoise
1 recipe sugar syrup, flavored with dark rum
1 recipe Praline Buttercream
½ cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
1 recipe Apricot Glaze
1 recipe Ganache Glaze, prepared just before using
3 tablespoons filberts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Filbert Genoise

Because of the amount of nuts in the recipe, this preparation is different from a classic genoise.

1 ½ cups hazelnuts, toasted/skinned
2/3 cup cake flour, unsifted
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
7 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar, divided ¼ & ¾ cups
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. grated lemon rind
5 lg. egg whites
¼ cup warm, clarified butter (100 – 110 degrees)

Position rack in the lower 3rd of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10” X 2” inch round cake pan.

Using a food processor, process nuts, cake flour, and cornstarch for about 30 seconds. Then, pulse the mixture about 10 times to get a fine, powdery mixture. You’ll know the nuts are ready when they begin to gather together around the sides of the bowl. While you want to make sure there aren’t any large pieces, don’t over-process. Set aside.

Put the yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, and beat until thick and light in color, about 3-4 minutes on med-high speed. Slowly, add ¾ cup of sugar. It is best to do so by adding a tablespoon at a time, taking about 3 minutes for this step. When finished, the mixture should be ribbony. Blend in the vanilla and grated lemon rind. Remove and set aside.

Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl of the electric mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed, until soft peaks. Increase to med-high speed and slowly add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, over 15-20 seconds or so. Continue to beat for another ½ minute.
Add the yolk mixture to the whites and whisk for 1 minute.

Pour the warm butter in a liquid measure cup (or a spouted container). * It must be a deep bottom bowl and work must be fast.* Put the nut meal in a mesh strainer (or use your hand – working quickly) and sprinkle it in about 2 tablespoons at a time – folding it carefully for about 40 folds. Be sure to exclude any large chunks/pieces of nuts. Again, work quickly and carefully as to not deflate the mixture. When all but about 2 Tbsp. of nut meal remain, quickly and steadily pour the warm butter over the batter. Then, with the remaining nut meal, fold the batter to incorporate, about 13 or so folds.

With a rubber spatula, transfer the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with the spatula or back of a spoon. **If collected butter remains at the bottom of the bowl, do not add it to the batter! It will impede the cake rising while baking.

Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. You’ll know the cake is done when it is springy to the touch and it separates itself from the side of the pan. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Invert onto a cake rack sprayed with nonstick coating, removing the pan. Cool the cake completely.

*If not using the cake right away, wrap thoroughly in plastic wrap, then in a plastic bag, then in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If freezing, wrap in foil, then the bag and use within 2-3 months.

Sugar Syrup
Makes 1 cup, good for one 10-inch cake – split into 3 layers

1 cup water
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. dark rum or orange flavored liqueur

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the liqueur. Cool slightly before using on the cake. *Can be made in advance.

Praline Buttercream
1 recipe Swiss Buttercream
1/3 cup praline paste
1 ½ - 2 Tbsp. Jamaican rum (optional)

Blend ½ cup buttercream into the paste, then add to the remaining buttercream. Whip briefly on med-low speed to combine. Blend in rum.

Swiss Buttercream
4 lg. egg whites
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm
1 ½ -2 Tbsp. Grand Marnier or liqueur of your choice
1 tsp. vanilla

Place the egg whites in a lg/ bowl of a electric mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until the whites are foamy and they begin to thicken (just before the soft peak stage). Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with about 2 inches of simmering water, making sure the bowl is not touching the water. Then, whisk in the sugar by adding 1-2 tablespoon of sugar at a time over a minutes time. Continue beating 2-3 minutes or until the whites are warm (about 120 degrees) and the sugar is dissolved. The mixture should look thick and like whipped marshmallows.
Remove from pan and with either the paddle or whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and sugar on med-high until its a thick, cool meringue – about 5-7 minutes. *Do not overbeat*. Set aside.

Place the butter in a separate clean mixing bowl and, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter at medium speed for 40-60 seconds, or until smooth and creamy. *Do not overbeat or the butter will become toooooo soft.*

On med-low speed, blend the meringue into the butter, about 1-2 Tbsp. at a time, over 1 minute. Add the liqueur and vanilla and mix for 30-45 seconds longer, until thick and creamy.

Refrigerate 10-15 minutes before using.

Wait! My buttercream won’t come together! Reheat the buttercream briefly over simmering water for about 5 seconds, stirring with a wooden spoon. Be careful and do not overbeat. The mixture will look broken with some liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Return the bowl to the mixer and whip on medium speed just until the cream comes back together.

Wait! My buttercream is too soft! Chill the buttercream in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes and rewhip. If that doesn’t work, cream an additional 2-4 Tbsp. of butter in a small bowl– making sure the butter is not as soft as the original amount, so make sure is cool and smooth. On low speed, quickly add the creamed butter to the buttercream, 1 Tbsp. at a time.

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or can be frozen for up to 6 months. If freezing, store in 2 16-oz. plastic containers and thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for several hours.

Praline Paste
1 cup (4 ½ oz.) Hazelnuts, toasted/skinless
2/3 cup Sugar
Line a jelly roll pan with parchment and lightly butter.

Put the sugar in a heavy 10-inch skillet. Heat on low flame for about 10-20 min until the sugar melts around the edges. Do not stir the sugar. Swirl the pan if necessary to prevent the melted sugar from burning. Brush the sides of the pan with water to remove sugar crystals. If the sugar in the center does not melt, stir briefly. When the sugar is completely melted and caramel in color, remove from heat. Stir in the nuts with a wooden spoon and separate the clusters. Return to low heat and stir to coat the nuts on all sides. Cook until the mixture starts to bubble. **Remember – extremely hot mixture.** Then onto the parchment lined sheet and spread as evenly as possible. As it cools, it will harden into brittle. Break the candied nuts into pieces and place them in the food processor. Pulse into a medium-fine crunch or process until the brittle turns into a powder. To make paste, process for several minutes. Store in an airtight container and store in a cook dry place. Do not refrigerate.

Apricot Glaze
Good for one 10-inch cake

2/3 cup thick apricot preserves
1 Tbsp. water

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and preserves to a slow boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. If the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the saucepan, add water as needed.

Remove from heat and, using a strainer, press the mixture through the mesh and discard any remnants. With a pastry brush, apply the glaze onto the cake while the cake is still warm. If the glaze is too thick, thin to a preferred consistency with drops of water.

Ganache Glaze
Makes about 1 cup, enough to cover the top and sides of a 9 or 10 inch layer or tube cake

**Ganache can take on many forms. While warm – great fudge sauce. While cool or lukewarm – semisweet glaze. Slightly chilled – can be whipped into a filling/frosting. Cold & solid – the base of candied chocolate truffles.

6 oz. (good) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, like Lindt
6 oz. (¾ cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or dark Jamaican rum (optional)
¾ tsp. vanilla
½ - 1 tsp. hot water, if needed

Blend vanilla and liqueur/rum together and set aside.

Break the chocolate into 1-inch pieces and place in the basket of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer into a medium sized bowl and set aside.

Heat the cream and corn syrup in a saucepan, on low, until it reached a gentle boil. Once to the gently boil, immediately and carefully pour over the chocolate. Leave it alone for one minute, then slowly stir and mix the chocolate and cream together until the chocolate is melted and incorporated into the cream. Carefully blend in vanilla mixture. If the surface seems oily, add ½ - 1 tsp hot water. The glaze will thicken, but should still be pourable. If it doesn’t thicken, refrigerate for about 5 minutes, but make sure it doesn’t get too cold!

Assembling Cake

Cut a cardboard disk slightly smaller than the cake. Divide the cake into 3 layers and place the first layer top-side down on the disk. Using a pastry brush, moisten the layer with 3-4 Tbsp. of warm sugar syrup. Measure out 1 cup of praline buttercream and set aside.

Spread the bottom layer with a ¼-inch thickness of the remaining buttercream. Cover with ½ of the whipped cream, leaving ¼-inch border around the edge of the cake. Place the middle layer over the first, brush with sugar syrup, spreading with buttercream. Cover with the remaining whipped cream.

Moisten the cut side of the third layer with additional sugar syrup and place cut side down on the cake. Gently, press the sides of the cake to align the layers. Refrigerate to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Lift the cake by sliding your palm under the cardboard. Holding a serrated or very sharp night with an 8-inch blade held parallel to the sides of the cake, trim the sides so that they are perfectly straight. Cut a slight bevel at the top to help the glaze drip over the edge. Brush the top and sides of the cake with warm apricot glaze, sealing the cut areas completely. Chill while you prepare the ganache.

Place a rack over a large shallow pan to catch the ganache drippings. Remove the gateau from the refrigerator and put it the rack. With a metal spatula in hand, and holding the saucepan about 10 inches above the cake, pour the ganache onto the cake’s center. Move the spatula over the top of the ganache about 4 times to get a smooth and mirror-like appearance. The ganache should cover the top and run down the sides of the cake. When the ganache has been poured and is coating the cake, lift one side of the rack and bang it once on the counter to help spread the ganache evenly and break any air bubbles. (Work fast before setting starts.) Patch any bare spots on the sides with a smaller spatula, but do not touch the top after the “bang”. Let the cake stand at least 15 minutes to set after glazing.

To garnish the cake, fit a 12 – 14-inch pastry bag with a #114 large leaf tip. Fill the bag with the reserved praline cream. Stating ½ inch from the outer edge of the cake, position the pastry tube at a 90 degree angle with the top almost touching the top of the cake. Apply pressure to the pastry bag, moving it slightly toward the center of the cake. As the buttercream flows on the cake, reverse the movement backward toward the edge of the cake and finish by pulling the bag again to the center. Stop applying pressure and press the bag downward, then quickly pull the tip up to break the flow of frosting. Repeat, making 12 leaves evenly spaced around the surface of the cake.

Make a second row of leaves on the top of the first row, moving the pastry bag about ¾ inch closer to the center. The leaves should overlap. Make a 3rd row, moving closer and closer to the center. Add a 4th row if you have the room. But, leave a 2-inch space in the center for a chopped filbert garnish. Refrigerate uncovered for 3-4 hours to allow the cake to set. Remove the cake from the refrigerator at least 3 hours before serving.

Leftover cake can be covered with foil and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.


All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

Knot-a-Breadstick

I love fennel seed and I dearly love breadsticks. In fact I'd much rather have a breadstick then a cupcake...I know you don't believe that but it's true. I make fennel breadsticks every 2 weeks or so. And although I do enjoy them they are not the easiest things to eat. They are long, hard to handle and the sesame seeds seem to fall off way to easily!

For Bread Baking Day #12, Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen has chosen "Small Breads". My first thought was to make small loaves of sourdough bread. But then I thought, it's summer and loaves of bread no matter the size just did not sound right. Then I thought of my favorite breadsticks. I could change my plain, boring breadsticks into a knotted bread, something that you could easily hold in your hand.

Well the Knot-a-Breadsticks turned out wonderful and the shape is easier to handle and they baked up nice and crispy too, just how I like them.

Knot-a-Breadstick
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
3/4 cup EVOO
3/4 cup milk (I use buttermilk)
1 tablespoon fennel seed, crushed
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Sesame seeds
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the oil, milk, fennel seed and salt. Beat in 3-1/2 cups flour. 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 bowl that has oiled, turning once to oil the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Let rest for 10 minutes. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Take a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball and roll it into a snake about 15" long. Now carefully tie a knot with the dough making sure to secure the ends. Place the knot of dough on the prepared baking sheet.

Place each dough knot about 2" apart of the baking sheet. Beat egg and water; brush over dough and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 325° until golden brown. Remove to wire racks.


All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

Strawberry Lemonade

Oh...I am so behind! And I know I'm behind in making my "once a week" lemonades but heck I am so far behind that I'm at the point that it probably does not matter much any more. In the last 2 weeks I've had a touch of food poisoning, a double ear infection, my modem went haywire, virus program was mysteriously disabled and Mr. Tastebuds had minor outpatient surgery! And to top it off Daring Bakers reveal day is tomorrow. So I'm just a little scattered at this point and having a problem with run on sentences.

Now I'll take a breath and get right on with it............

I made Strawberry Lemonade yesterday and it's probably my best lemonade so far! It did not even need the extra sugar on the rim because the strawberries were so sweet. And it's the most gorgeous pinky-red color similar to a Florida sunset. I know strawberry season is almost over but this lemonade is so good, especially with the mint leaves, it's definitely worth the last of your berries!!





Strawberry Lemonade
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

6 whole lemons, juiced
Zest of 3 whole lemons
Water, enough when combined with the lemon juice you have 4 cups
1 c. sugar
abt 20 medium-sized strawberries, processed until smooth
2 large mint leaves

Garnish: 1 whole strawberry and a Lemon slice or mint sprig

Juice 6 fresh lemons and zest 2 of the lemons. Add enough water to the lemon juice to make 4 cups of liquid. Add processed strawberries and stir. Strain to remove any of the nasty strawberry seeds. Add 1 cup sugar or more to taste and the lemon zest. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Muddle the mint leaves in the bottom of the glass, add lemonade and stir. Add ice. Garish with fresh strawberry and lemon slice or mint leaves.






My Strawberry Lemonade is my entry in Sugar High Fridays #14 Berries blog event hosted by Susan of FoodBlogga.





All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

Choco-Cherry Cupcakes, a fence post and a black cat!

My frig is full of sweet cherries, Bing and Rainier, and I had wanted to try a cherry cupcake. So I went to work and cut down Dorie Greenspan's Chocolate Chocolate Cupcake recipe for a small batch, mixed it up, diced the cherries and popped them into the oven. So far everything is going like clockwork! As I mixed the batter I knew my cupcakes were going to be more brownie-like and Joe would love 'em and he did.

I thought I would make a red and white cupcake and photograph it against the gorgeous blue summer sky. How perfect for a July cupcake! So I finished my cupcakes and headed for our east pasture. It was after 3 pm and time to feed my barn cats so as I walked both my cats, Celia and Tinkerbelle, were in close pursuit.

I was snapping pictures and really just concentrating on looking through my camera lens and suddenly the gorgeous blue sky turned black!




Tinkerbelle has such a fun personality but she is most definitely a working cat! She's small and only weighs 7 lbs but she cleared out our 82'by42', 2-story mouse-infested barn in less then a week. And then proceeded to de-mouse my neighbor's 4-story barn too. We've not had a mouse on our property in 6 years! Tink is the best and keeps me company in my office during the day, but at night she's on guard duty in the barn!! And she takes her job very seriously. We love her!

Choco-Cherry Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from "Baking: From My Home to Yours"

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/8 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
10 sweet cherries, pitted and diced

Garnish:
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 whole cherries with stems

Makes 8 cupcakes

Shift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

With a sharp knife cut fruit from pit. You want as little juice as possible so carefully dice the fruit. Set aside

Working with a hand mixer in a small bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for about 2 minutes, until it is blended into the butter. Add the egg, beating for 1 minute and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the vanilla, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear. Scrape down the bowl and add the buttermilk, mixing until incorporated, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape down the bowl, add the melted chocolate and mix it in with the rubber spatula. Again with a spatula fold in diced fruit. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin molds.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the tops of the cakes are dry and springy to the touch and a knife inserted into their centers comes out clean. Transfer the muffin pan to a rack and let the cakes cool for 5 minutes before unmolding them. Cool to room temperature on a rack before frosting.




I think I'm going to put the cat attack picture on Tastespotting and see what Sarah does with it! LOL!!!!

All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

My "fall back" Linguine Sauce

Everyone has those "fall back" recipes that are quick, easy and always turn out delicious. I started making this Linguine sauce when we were in our temporary kitchen during our construction. We ate quite a bit of soup and pasta while we were living in our basement.

For the first few months of our construction, we had a hot plate and the refrigerator and that's it. No sink except a bathroom sink located on the first floor. So every night I had to run upstairs with dirty dishes and wash them in the sink and the drying rack was on our clothes hamper!

As the construction progressed, the temporary kitchen moved in the new basement laundry room. No oven but I graduated to 2 hot plates, a toaster oven, deep fryer and my slow cooker. And I could roll out dough on top of the washer and dryer and believe it or not, twice I canned jelly!!! All in all, we were in the temporary kitchen for 1 year and 3 months which is not too bad but it was a long time without an oven. And going through major holidays with no cookies was terrible!! Of course my family sent me cookies but it was not the same.

While in construction I made my fall back linguine sauce at least every 2 weeks. I moved in my new kitchen in Aug/Sept '07 and I still my sauce at least once a month. It's delicious and easy.



Michelle's Linguine with Red Sauce
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

1 lb linguine
1/2 lb mild Italian sausage **See note
1/2 can good quality Italian Plum Tomatoes (5-6 whole tomatoes and juice)
3 TBL EVOO
2 TBL minced garlic
5-6 sun dried tomatoes, sliced thin
1 c. fresh basil, minced
2 sprigs of fresh tarragon, minced
1/2 tsp hot Hungarian paprika
1/2 c. fresh parsley, minced
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Break up sausage into bit-sized pieces. In a heavy bottomed pot, over low heat add EVOO and when it's warm add the Italian sausage and slowly fry until no pink remains. Turn down burner to simmer. At the same time, put water in your pasta pot and follow package directions to cook the pasta.

When the pasta is done and in the strainer, turn the burner to medium and add the tomatoes. Break up the tomatoes with a fork. Add the dried tomatoes, garlic, herbs, paprika and pepper and simmer for a few minutes. Add about 1/2 the juice from the can of tomatoes. Continue to simmer for about 5 minutes and then add the fresh chopped parsley and gently stir. Serve hot over linguine and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Note: I use my homemade mild Italian sausage.






All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

Frozen Chocolate-covered Cherry Blitz!

I know this is going to be hard to believe but I had a leftovers of my Frozen Hot Chocolate dessert that I made last week. So I froze it and last night I made a delicious after dinner drink.

Chocolate-covered Cherry Blitz
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 TBL powdered sweet chocolate
1 c. milk
7-8 c. ice cubes
1 oz cherry brandy

Garnish with a sprig of mint and fresh cherries

Heat 1 c. of milk in the microwave. Put chocolate chips in a small bowl and add the hot milk. When the chocolate chips are completely melted, add the powdered sweet chocolate and remaining milk and thoroughly mix. Cool to room temperature.

Put ice cubes in a blender and add the chocolate mixture and the cherry brandy. Blend until smooth. Pour into a martini glass and garnish with mint and fresh cherries.




All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

Strawberry Dots!

Well here it is...finally a delicious Fresh Strawberry Cupcake and it's another small batch recipe too! And they were so good! And I used fresh basil in the frosting...yummy!!

Well actually, this is my 2nd batch of this particular cupcake. With my first batch...well I wanted to taste just one and ended up eating all of them, sans frosting, just because they were so good. I know this sort of defeats the purpose of small batches but I like to bake so I just whipped up another batch.



Strawberry Dots
Recipe adapted from "Small Batch Baking" by Debby Maugans Nakos

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Yolk of 1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large fresh strawberries, diced into 1/4"by1/4" pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 5 muffin cups with baking cups and set aside.

Combine the buttermilk and baking soda in a small bowl and whisk to blend. Add egg yolk and vanilla and again whisk until thoroughly mixed.

Place the flour, sugar and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix. Add the butter and half of the buttermilk mixture. Beat with a hand-held mixer on low speed until the dry ingredients are blended. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the mixture is slightly increased in volume, about 45 seconds, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Pour in the remaining buttermilk mixture and beat on medium speed until well blended, 20 seconds. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl.

With a very sharp knife, slice the strawberries into 1/4" slices and then dice into pieces about 1/4" by 1/4". It is important to not squeeze the berries because you do not want any extra juice in the batter. Very gently fold diced strawberries into batter.

Spoon the batter evenly into the 5 baking cups. Put a little bit of water in the rest of the empty cups in your Cupcake Tin to prevent the cupcakes from scorching. Bake the cupcakes until a tester comes out clean, about 20 to 23 minutes.

Remove from the oven and as soon as you can remove the cupcakes from the pan and let them thoroughly cool on a cooling rack.



Strawberry Dots Basil Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioner's sugar
3 large fresh basil leaves, minced
3 large fresh strawberries, sliced and diced into 1/4" pieces

Place the cream cheese and butter in a medium mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until blended, about 20 seconds. Add the sugar and basil and continue mixing until sugar is completely blended.

Place cream frosting in a piping bag fitted with the tip of choice and decorate the cupcakes.

With a sharp knife slice strawberries into 1/4" slices and then dice into 1/4" pieces. Gently place diced strawberry on and into the frosting, careful to distribute the pieces evenly.



Dear sweet Zorra, now living in Spain, is homesick for Switzerland and is hosting an event, Red, White or Swiss, to celebrate Swiss National Day which is Aug 1st. I dated a gentleman once that was born in Switzerland so I do have a tie to Switzerland although only a teeny weeny one. :) Anyways my red, white and delicious Strawberry Dots are my entry!





All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

The BBLT

It is just too hot here to cook much unless you wait until after 9 pm for dinner. So I prepared the bacon in the microwave and we had a favorite of ours, a Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich. Since my herbs are growing so well, I just hate to miss an opportunity to use them, so I added a layer of fresh basil leaves to the BLT and OH MY...was it good.

BBL & T (Bacon, Basil, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich)

2 slices of bread
2 full slices of fried bacon
Fresh lettuce
Fresh tomato slices
4-6 fresh whole basil leaves
Salt
Pepper
Butter
Mayonnaise

Toast the bread. Butter each piece of toast and then add some mayonnaise. Salt and pepper tomato slices. On the toast layer whole basil leaves, bacon, tomato, lettuce and then the final piece of toast.

I am entering my BBLT in the "Beat the Heat" blog event hosted by Grace of Southern Grace! Don't you just love this theme!!!




All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

The Melon Double Twist

To continue our month celebration of tequila, I whipped up a new drink the other day a refreshing Tequila Melon Twist. It was especially good and we enjoyed them relaxing on our porch on a lazy Sunday afternoon. This is a perfect adult beverage for a brunch.



Infused Tequila

About 1 c. of 1" cubed cantaloupe
Tequila, enough to cover the melon

Dice melon and put it in a glass jar or covered bowl. Add enough tequila to cover melon and let it sit the refrigerator for at least 3 days.



Melon Double Twist
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

2 oz Infused melon tequila
1 c. cantaloupe, cubed (you can use the tequila soaked melon)
Juice of 1 large orange
Juice of 1 lime
About 10 ice cubes
Tad of Pomegranate syrup

Garnish: Course sugar, orange peel curl and slice of lime

Rub a lime around the edge of a champagne flute and sugar the rim. Allow the sugar to dry about 10 minutes.

Put the first 5 ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Add a tad of Pomegranate syrup to the bottom of the flute and then pour in the contents of the blender. Garnish with orange curl and slice of lime.




My Tequila Melon Double Twist is my entry in Lore's Culinarty monthly Original Recipe Roundup.





All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

Hula Hoops and Tarragon!

Since discovering how much fun small batch cupcakes are, I've been working on decreasing my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe, Beatty's Chocolate Cake. It pretty easy to cut down a recipe but it can get fussy at times, but I was diligent with each ingredient and weighed everything. And my first test bake was successful and very delicious!!! Plus the small batch made 8 cupcakes as opposed to a full recipe which made about 30 cupcakes. And I am very happy!!!

Also I've been wanting to try an herb frosting for some time now and today was the day. I added some tarragon, one of my all time favorite herbs, to my standard Cream Cheese Frosting and is out of this world fabulous!!! Now I am working on "small batching" favorite recipes and making new frostings with herbs...this should keep me busy for at least a couple weeks.

My Hula Hoops were wonderful and I'd put them at the top of my list of darn good cupcakes!



Hula Hoops
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

Yield: 8 cupcakes

1/4 c. plus 3 TBL Flour
1/2 c. sugar
3 TBL cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 TBL EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
1/2 whipped egg (just eye ball it)
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. hot coffee

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cupcake tin with 8 baking cups.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into standing mixer’s bowl or you can use a hand mixer. In another bowl, combine the milk, vinegar, oil, egg and vanilla. Turn mixer on low and slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Add the cocoa and keeping the mixer on low slowly pour in the hot coffee. Being that this is a small batch recipe it is crucial that you continually scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure every bit of batter is thoroughly mixed.

The batter will be very thin. Carefully pour into cupcake liners filling each about 1/2 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.




Tarragon Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3-4 cup confectioner's sugar
3 sprigs fresh tarragon, approximately 3 tsp minced
Green food coloring

Place the cream cheese and butter in a medium mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until blended, about 20 seconds. Add the sugar and continue mixing until sugar is completely blended. Mix in the minced tarragon. Remove 3/4 c. of the frosting and put it in a separate bowl. Add some green food coloring a little bit at a time, mixing thoroughly until desired color is reached.

Place the frosting in a piping bag fitted with the tip of choice and decorate the cupcakes.



Minko of Couture Cupcakes is hosting a blog event, Best Evah Cupcakes, in support of Cupcake Day for the RSPCA, and my Hula Hoops is my entry into this wonderful event. Thanks Minko for such a great event highlighting a fabulous cause!





All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

Frrrrrozen Hot Chocolate!

I was watching the FoodNetwork a few weeks ago and a Frozen Hot Chocolate dessert caught my eye. It was from the Serendipity 3 Restaurant in New York and I just had to try it.

I searched for a recipe and did find several but decided to just wing it. It's an easy dessert to make and exact measurements are not necessary.

Frozen Hot Chocolate
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

2 large frozen desserts

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 TBL powdered sweet chocolate **See Note
2 c. milk
5 c. ice cubes
Whipped cream
Chocolate shavings or a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips

Heat 1 c. of milk in the microwave. Put chocolate chips in a small bowl and add the hot milk. When the chocolate chips are completely melted, add the powdered sweet chocolate and remaining milk and thoroughly mix. Cool to room temperature.

It's best to make this in 2 batches because 5 c. of ice is too much for most blenders. Put about 2 1/2 c. of ice cubes in a blender and add 1/2 the chocolate mixture. Blend until smooth. Pour into a large goblet or bowl and garnish with whipped cream sprinkled with chocolate shavings.

Note: I used Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate.



July is National Ice Cream Month and Nikki of Nik Snacks is hosting an Ice Cream You Scream Blog event and my Frrrozen Hot Chocolate is my entry.


All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

Once in a Blue Moon

I did something I rarely do, I bought a cookbook, "Small Batch Baking" by Debby Maugans Nakos. I just don't use cookbooks very much. I do scan through them, reading recipes that catch my eye, and putting little bookmarks with every intention of making the recipe, but I rarely ever follow through. I have so many recipes in my computer file, it will take me literally years to sort through them all.

I never thought I'd be saying this but we've pretty much finished up our 3-year construction project. But now I don't have crews of men around to consume the scads of cupcakes that I bake. So a cookbook specializing in small batch baking could not have come to my attention at a better time! And finding an excellent small batch recipe...is a gift from the cupcake gods! The cupcakes, very appropriately named, Just Plain Good Cupcakes, are delicious...I mean really good...really spectacularly good!

Working in small batches is an entirely different mindset. I mixed everything in my smallest mixing bowl with plenty of room to spare and I used my 1/8 tsp measure for the very first time and it was so much fun. But the best part is the cupcakes were eaten the same day as I made them and now I can make some more! My cupcake experiments are going to increase and my baking will get better and better. Needless to say, I am overly thrilled with small batch baking!! I can't wait to make another batch!



Blue Moon Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from "Small Batch Baking" by Debby Maugans Nakos

Makes 5 cupcakes (isn't that a hoot 5 CUPCAKES!)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Yolk of 1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
20 juicy whole blueberries
1 TBL flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 5 muffin cups with baking cups and set aside.

Combine the buttermilk and baking soda in a small bowl and whisk to blend. Add egg yolk and vanilla and again whisk until thoroughly mixed.

Place the flour, sugar and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix. Add the butter and half of the buttermilk mixture. Beat with a hand-held mixer on low speed until the dry ingredients are blended. Increase the speed to medium and bet until the mixture is slightly increased in volume, about 45 seconds, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Pour in the remaining buttermilk mixture and beat on medium speed until well blended, 20 seconds. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl.

In a small bowl put the whole blueberries and sprinkle with 1 TBL of flour. With your fingers gently roll the berries in the flour making sure that each berry is completely covered with a light coating of flour. Place 4-5 berries in the bottom of each baking cup.

Spoon the batter evenly into the 5 baking cups. Put a little bit of water in the rest of the empty cups in your Cupcake Tin to prevent the cupcakes from scorching. Bake the cupcakes until a tester comes out clean, about 20 to 23 minutes.

Remove from the oven and as soon as you can remove the cupcakes from the pan and let them thoroughly cool on a cooling rack.



Blueberry Feathered Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 c. whole blueberries
Purple food coloring

Place the blueberries in a small food processor and process until finely pureed. Force puree through a sieve to remove any large pieces. Set aside.

Place the cream cheese and butter in a medium mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until blended, about 20 seconds. Add the sugar and continue mixing until sugar is completely blended.

Remove 1/2 of the frosting and mix it with 1 TBL of the strained blueberries. Add some purple food coloring if needed. Place the blueberry frosting and the plain cream cheese frosting in a piping bag fitted with the tip of choice and decorate the cupcakes.




All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

Lavender Chicken

This is one of our favorite recipes and I was so surprised the first time I made it because Mr. Tastebuds really enjoyed it! You can whip this up before going to work, let it sit in the refrigerator all day and then dinner can be ready in about 20 minutes. See quick, easy, uniquely delicious and so summer yet it tastes fabulous during the long winter months too!



Lavender Chicken with Lemon
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

4 whole, skinless chicken breasts, deboned
Juice of 2 lemons
Zest of 2 lemons
1 c. EVOO
1/4 c. lavender blossoms
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. fresh basil, minced

Optional:
1/2 tsp fresh marjoram
1/2 tsp fresh tarragon **See note
1/2 tsp fresh thyme

Put all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag and put it in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 4-5 hours, longer is better. A half hour before you want to serve dinner, remove chicken breasts and discard the marinate. Grill for 20 minutes turning once. Garnish with slices of lemon.

Note: Although fresh tarragon is one of my all time favorite flavors it is a strong, overpowering herb so be careful with how much you add.



Side Note: I am posting this recipe for my beautiful niece, Joelle, who is in cook-off with one of her neighbors. The Lavender Chicken is a sure winner...GO GET 'em girl!!!


My Lavender Chicken is my entry in the July Monthly Mingle Grill It blog event hosted by Sig of Live to Eat.




All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

Pucker up, Baby!

I've been searching for a "healthy" recipe to make for Giz's Healthy Cooking Tested, Tried and True #2 for some time. But face it, I just don't bake or cook much that is considered "healthy". I love cream and butter and eggs and sugar and caffeine! I don't have a cholesterol problem and no one in my family does so I load up my cooking and baking with lots of good...oh I mean bad stuff! ;)

I emailed Giz about a month ago and asked her if it was okay if I made a sorbet and she said she thought it would be just dandy! It was fun to make the sorbet and so easy. I made this for Mr. Tastebuds so it is a bit on the tart side and he will love it!

Power Pucker Kiwi Sorbet
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

3 fresh Kiwi fruit, peeled
3/4 cup sugar **See Note
Juice of 1 large lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
Garnish with fruit of your choice (I used fresh strawberries)

Put all ingredients in your food processor. Process until smooth and sugar is completely dissolved. Pour into a covered freezer container and place in your freezer.

Because of the amount of fruit in my sorbet it really never became hard frozen and I had it in the freezer for over 2 days. When I was ready to serve I just scooped it out and it was fine.

Note: I used a well-rounded 1/2 c. Splenda Sugar Blend (boy is that stuff expensive...WOW). The sorbet is still very tart so you may want to add more sweetener to taste.

Update....Update....Update!

Mr. Tastebuds, aka Joe, said my Pucker-Up Sorbet was "very good". I have never and I mean never received anything but "okay" or "tasty" before. WOW...the sorbet must have been over-the-top good!


All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

Strawberry Margarita

National Tequila Day is July 24th I think we are going to celebrate Tequila for the entire month.

Strawberry Margarita

About 3 oz clear tequila
1 oz triple sec
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1 lime
1-pt strawberries, cleaned and save 2 for garnish
About 12 ice cubes
Sugar, if needed to taste

Makes 2 large Margaritas

Put all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Pour into a margarita glass that has been rimmed with salt. Garnish with a strawberry and a slice of lime.

Enjoy!!


All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

Orange Chicken

I found this recipe for Orange Chicken by Blogchef a month or so ago and I knew it was exactly what I'd been looking for!

The Orange Chicken was a fabulous dish and one I will make again and again! I made just slight changes to the recipe which are listed below in italics and I sauteed the breaded chicken in butter and EVOO.

Chicken Breading Addition:
1/4 c. almond meal

Orange Chicken Glaze changes:
2 tablespoons orange juice; 1/2 c. fresh OJ
1 tablespoon orange zest; Zest of 1 large navel orange
½ teaspoon garlic (minced); 2 TBL minced garlic
2 tablespoons green onion; 2 whole green onions course chopped, some as garnish
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes; Substituted about 1/2 tsp Hot Hungarian Paprika

If you're a lover of Orange Chicken, then this recipe is for you!




I'm entering my Orange Chicken in Nutriferia's July Chicken Roundup.

All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

Rose Petal Flan

I've been wanting to try this recipe for over 2 years, so for our July 4th dinner I finally made it. It was SOOoooooo good and quite refreshing after the spicy rib dinner.

Since I was in a rose mood I made some candied rose petals which were absolutely delicious and a perfect garnish for the flan! I remember wanting to make Candied Rose Petals for one of my badges for Girl Scouts...and no I'm not telling you how long ago that was but it's over 30 years...oops probably over 35 years ago.

My husband and I travel to Mexico quite often and the Mexican Flan is much denser and richer then any other flan I've had. So with this in mind I made up my own recipe and although it's better then a traditional flan, the texture is still not as I wanted, but it was still delicious.






Rose Petal Flan
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

1-13 oz can of Evaporated Milk, about 1 1/2 c.
Milk, enough when added to the Evaporated Milk you get 2 cups
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 tsp rose water

Caramelized Sugar:
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. water

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. I usually grease my ramekins but most recipes do not call for this.

Slightly whip the eggs and add vanilla and rose water.

In a small sauce pan add milk/evaporated milk mix and sugar. Heat and stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Gradually dd warm milk mixture to eggs and continually whisk until well blended.

In a small fry pan, over medium heat, add 1 c. sugar and water. Sugar will melt and start turning a golden color and then amber. When the sugar is a medium amber color it is done.

Pour the hot sugar in the bottom of each ramekin, making sure that each ramekin has approximately the same amount of caramelized sugar. Then pour in the custard mix up to about 1/4" from the top.

Place full ramekins in a sheet cake pan and put it in the preheated oven. Add enough hot water to the sheet cake pan so that the water is at least at the half mark on the ramekins.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until custard is set in the middle. Chill for about 2 hours.

To remove the custard from the ramekin run a butter knife around the edge of the custard. Cover the ramekin with a dessert plate and flip it and the custard should easily pop out. Garnish as desired and serve.







Candied Rose Petals


Rose Petals, from clean (no insecticide) roses **See Note
1 c. sugar, finely processed
1 egg white, whipped.

Gather rose petals. Dip each petal in the whipped egg white. Lay the petal in the finely processed sugar and then cover with more sugar. When petal is completely coated with sugar, lay it on a piece of parchment paper. Let dry for 24 hours.

Note: I used rose petals from my rugosa roses and they had a nice rose flavor before adding the sugar.




All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog

Our 4th of July Feast!

I've not been able to eat BBQ for about 30 years. And the unloved feeling lingered for about 3 days! I was sad.

But a few weeks ago I decided to try my own hand at some BBQ and I've been a happy woman since and Mr. Tastebuds is thrilled! So to put a bit more excitement into our July 4th dinner I made BBQ Ribs with Parmesan Oven Baked French Fries. Remember I'm really not a cook, I'm a baker but OH MY...one of my best dinners yet!! And we topped it off with a Skinny Girls Margarita!




Dry Rub
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

1-2 tsp marjoram
1/4 c. basil
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp rosemary
2 tsp tarragon

Mix all ingredients and rub on top side of ribs. Cook ribs as per directions.

Click to Print Recipe


Strawberry BBQ Sauce
Recipe developed in the kitchen of Big-Black-Dog

2 TBL maple syrup
1-2 TBL brown sugar
1 TBL Worcestershire sauce
1 TBL molasses
2 TBL garlic, minced
1/4 c. cider vinegar
1/2 c. ketchup
2 tsp prepared mustard
1 tsp hot Hungarian paprika or more to taste if you'd like it spicy
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
About 2 c. fresh strawberries, cleaned **See note

Put all the ingredients in your food processor and give it a whirl. Any extra sauce can be frozen.

Note: I would think any fruit would work, except maybe watermellon! I would like to try peaches next! Ooops...I just googled and watermellon does work in a BBQ sauce...LOL!

Click to Print Recipe




Parmesan Oven Baked French Fries
Recipe adapted from "I have no idea"

3-4 medium to large potatoes
1/4 c. EVOO
1/4 c. Parmesan, finely grated
salt and pepper to taste

Cut potatoes into 1/2" wedges. I did not peel my potatoes but you could if you wanted too. Put potato wedges into a large bowl and drizzle with EVOO. Add salt and fresh ground pepper. Toss well so that each wedge is completely covered with EVOO.

Place potatoes on a parchment lined baking sheet so that potatoes do not touch.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with grated Parmesan and bake another 5 minutes. Serve hot. DELICIOUS!

Click to Print Recipe





All Rights Reserved 2008 © Big Black Dog