Lemon Bars

I have been trying to expand my repertoire beyond the regulars.  I found this recipe on the Food network's website it is by Ina Garden.  Why Lemon...well one it is a sour fruit that fills desserts with a goodness that can't be matched by anything else.  I hope you enjoy making these Lemon Bars as much as I did.

Ingredients
For the crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt

For the filling:
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
- Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add the butter until just mixed.  Dump the dough onto a well floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2 inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2 inch edge on all sides.  Chill.
3. Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned.  Let cool on a wire rack.  Leave the oven on.
4. For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour.  Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set.  Let cool to room temperature.
5. Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

I made these lemon squares several weeks ago and I give them a 3.7 out of 5.  The squares were good, but I was a little weird-ed out  by the lemon zest within the bar itself.  Was it really necessary to bite into lemon zest?  Did it really add that much to the flavor?  To answer these questions, I surfed the web... Lemon zest is the skin of a lemon peeled with a specific grater.  Apparently, the zest contains an oil that adds a specific flavor to food.  As it is cooked, it releases the oil into the food making it awesome.  Some websites say it is ok to use an oil substitute for zest, but I am skeptical.  I may have to test it out.  In addition, there is a small chance...just a small one that I am not grating my lemon zest thin enough?  Any thoughts? My second thoughts on the bars was they were a little too lemony.  I know the name is Lemon Bar, but I think there could have been a balance.  Despite all of my negative comments, the bars are quite tasty, unhealthy and fun to eat.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

     About two weeks ago, I went to visit my family in San Antonio for a couple of days.  My mother's kitchen is just so much better than my own.  For this reason (and the seemlingly endless supplies), I always feel the need to cook while I am there.  I will have to post of picture of my small kitchen sometime soon so that you guys can see the tight quarters that I am working in.  Going home though, reminds me that I hope someday I will have a kitchen as nice as hers except with gas appliances.  Maybe this doctor thing will eventually pay out after all of these sleepless nights and countless hours in books?  LOL.  Anyways, to celebrate the wonderful weather that we have had in Texas this October and the feeling of fall, I decided to make Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing from the Martha Stewart Cookie book.     

Above: My mom decided to take a picture of me icing the cookies.

Given the fact that I have already posted several of her recipes on my site.  I am only going to post a link to the recipe that I found on her website for the recipe.  Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing Recipe

Overall I give these cookies 4.2 out of 5 stars. They were simply delightful and I couldn't help eating them even if I tried to stay away from them. My favorite thing about these cookies was how incredibly soft they were! They simply broke apart... I am not going to lie...this characeristic was slightly magical. The brown butter icing tasted a little like cinnamon roll icing. It was really sweet...almost too sweet alone. However, it melded well with the cookies when I put them together and the cookies balanced the sweetness. When I make this recipe again, I may try to cut the recipe in half. The recipe produces TONS of cookies.  I was overloaded with cookies afterwards that even after giving away half of them, I still had cookies to eat a week later.  Craziness!  I highly recommend trying to make these cookies especially in the spirit of the fall season.  Enjoy!

Snicker's Cupcakes

I had this past Sunday off from work and was in the mood to bake.  I seized this rare opportunity to tackle a recipe that looked like it would take several hours of my time.  I have been reading Annie Eat's blog quite a bit lately and I have been wanting to tackle some of her scrumptious looking recipes.  An aside from baking altogether, just saying the word scrumptious reminds me of the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  I watched the movie over and over again when I was a kid.  There is a song in the movie where Dick Van Dyke sings about the female lead being "Truly Scrumptious".  Truly Scrumptious Video  Anyone remember this scene?  :)  The thought of the movie brings back good memories and I hope these Snicker Cupcakes from Annie Eat's blog are a scrumptious as my memories of the movie are.  Maybe they will be "Truly Scrumptious"...who knows...

Recipe from Annie Eat's

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

½ cup hot water

2 cups all-purpose flour

¾ tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. coarse salt

16 tbsp. unsalted butter

1½ cups sugar

2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk

1¾ tsp. vanilla extract

2/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature

For the caramel sauce:

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup sugar

1 cup heavy cream

¼ tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

For the filling:

24 fun-size Snickers bars, chopped

For the frosting:

16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 lb. confectioners' sugar

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 cup caramel sauce

Pinch of coarse salt

2 tbsp. heavy cream

For garnish:

8 fun-size Snickers bars, chopped

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

I have only made cheesecake once.  About two years ago, I made a chocolate cheesecake for a friend from Cooking Light.  My mom recently bought me a cheesecake pan from Ross and I have yet to use it.  Mitchell mentioned on our camping trip that he really liked White Chocolate raspberry cheesecake from the Olive Garden.  So I have been meaning to make a cheesecake for multiple reasons for a while now.  So when Mitchell was in town last month, I wanted to make this particular White Chocolate raspberry cheesecake.  I found the recipe by typing White Chocolate raspberry cheesecake from the Olive Garden in google and it was one of the first websites to pop up.  He helped me make this delicious creation. 

Caramel Popcorn Ice Cream

 About a month ago, Mitchell sent me a recipe from a South Carolina cookbook that he owns.  The recipe was for Caramel Popcorn ice cream.  Sounds like interesting all in one combination, right?  Caramel...good.  Ice Cream...good.  Popcorn...amazing!  The three things just don't seem to mix when you first think of them.  However, how could these three things together not be good?  Anyways,  Mitchell was in town last weekend and we decided to make the ice cream together.  : )  Below is the recipe and the results of our taste test follow: 

For the ice cream:
1 1/4 cups heavy cream, plus more if needed
3/4 cup whole milk, plus more if needed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 bag popped extra buttery popcorn
8 egg yolks

For the caramel popcorn:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 bag popped extra buttery microwave popcorn
Pinch of kosher salt

Special equipment: ice cream maker

Directions:
1. To prepare the ice cream, combine the heavy cream, milk, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla extract in a large sauce pot and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to combine.  The second it comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and stir in the bag of popped popcorn.  Set aside and allow the mixture to steep and absorb the popcorn flavor for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  After it is steeped, strain the mixture through a fine sieve, discarding the solids.  Measure the strained liquid.  You're shooting for a total of 2 cups liquid.  If what you have is shy of that amount, add equal parts of heavy cream and milk until you get there.  Return the liquid to the sauce pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, being careful not to scorch.

2. Combine the egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl.  Whisk vigorously until the mixture is frothy, light, and lemon yellow in color.  As soon as the milk mixture reaches a boil, whisk it, in a slow and steady stream, into the egg and sugar mixture.  Whisk until thoroughly incorporated, then return the mixture to the pot.  Cook the custard mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it reaches 180 F and coats the back of a spoon.  (Be careful here.  If the custard gets too hot or if you stop whisking, you could end up with a pot of sweet scrambled eggs.)  Remove the custard from the heat, strain through a fine-mesh sieve, and refrigerate in a covered bowl overnight.

3.  Meanwhile, prepare the caramel popcorn.  Prepare and ice bath in advance, combining a large bowl of ice with a bit of water, to stop the caramel from cooking once it's prepared.  In a medium sauce pot, heat 3/4 cup sugar over medium-high heat.  Once it's melted, add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar.  Stir gently with a flat-edged wooden spoon, being careful not to burn the sugar.  The sugar is caramelized when it has turned a dark amber or light to medium brown color.  At this point, remove the pot from the heat and immerse it in the water bath for 5 to 10 seconds.  Remove from the bath and stir in the popcorn, gently stirring to fully coat.  Pour the popcorn out onto a parchment lined sheet pan and spread out with a wooden spoon.  Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.  When it's moderately cool (but not cold) remove the popcorn from the pan, breaking into individual kernels and discarding any unpopped corn.

4. To finish the ice cream, freeze the cooled custard according to your ice cream machine's instructions.  After it's done setting up in the machine,  stir in the caramel popcorn, reserving 1 cup for garnish.  Return the ice cream to the freezer to harden.  When it's reached ice cream consistency, serve.  Place 2 or 3 scoops in each bowl and drizzle with the reserved caramel popcorn.

This is a fairly time intensive recipe to be warned.  It was so much fun making it with Mitchell.  He really helped me not miss any steps.  (If you read most of my blog entries, you will see how this happens occasionally to me!  I attribute this more to not reading ahead in the recipe though!)  Anyways, our little adventure in ice cream making went well.

Overall, I give this recipe 4.0 out of 5 stars.  I was surprised how good it tasted with such a weird combination of ingredients.  The ice cream itself tastes a great deal like a custard and the caramel was surprisingly easy to make.  Popcorn in the ice cream is seemingly easy to eat.  You don't have to worry about the ice cream getting hard with the popcorn inside.  The ice cream is soft and easy to eat.  I now want to go to South Carolina and try the real deal.  I wonder whether the real deal is as good as the recreation we made?