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Posted on » by Ashley » Theme:

Dark Chocolate Dipped Pecan Sandies

Pecan Sandies
Smitten Kitchen

1 cup (about 110 grams) pecans
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (225 grams or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup (80 grams) confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons (25 grams) turbinado (raw) sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the nuts out in one layer on a baking sheet and bake them, stirring occasionally, until they are well browned, 10 to 13 minutes (they will smell toasted and nutty). Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool.

In a food processor, grind the nuts with 1/4 cup of the flour. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat well. Sift together the remaining 1 3/4 cups of flour, the salt, and the baking powder, and add it to the dough, mixing until just combined. Stir in the nut mixture. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Roll the dough between two sheets of wax paper to 3/16 inch thick (a rectangle approximately 10 x 14 inches). Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1-inch squares, then cut the squares on a diagonal into triangles (I skipped the last cut into triangles). Sprinkle the cookies with the turbinado sugar. Place them 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets (do not reroll the scraps). Prick the cookies with a fork and bake until pale golden all over, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Posted on » by Dino » Theme:

Crispy Cannoli Cups

Crispy Cannoli Cups

Description

I had to combine two separate recipes to be able to have something to serve. One for the cups, one for the filling. Overall, these are pretty easy to make- much easier than making your own cannoli tubes from scratch.

Leaf lard? Nope! Deep drying in 2″ of Crisco? NOPE! Requiring a stainless steel cannoli shaping tube? I DON’T THINK SO! Baking wonton wrappers for 10 minutes? Yes, that will do just fine.

Ingredients

Crispy Cups

  • 1 package (16 oz.) wonton wrappers

Filling

  • 2 cups ricotta cheese, preferably whole milk
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup small/mini semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 lemon

Directions

Crispy Cups

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Then press 30-35 wonton wrappers (you can do this in multiple batches) into a mini baking cup pan to form the “cups”. (Be sure that the corners do not fold in after the pan sits for a minute!)
  • Bake the cups for 10-15 minutes, or until the wrappers are golden brown.
  • Remove and let cool.

Filling

  • In a medium bowl, whisk the ricotta until smooth.
  • Sift in the powdered sugar, cinnamon and allspice. Mix to blend.
  • In a separate bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment), beat the heavy cream until fairly stiff.
  • Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the cream into the ricotta mixture.
  • Stir in the chocolate chips.
  • Lightly zest the exterior of the lemon and stir it into the ricotta.
  • Refrigerate for a half hour to an hour.
  • Pipe the filling into the wonton cups using a tip with a large opening to allow the chips to flow through without clogging

References

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Twice-Baked Potatoes with Chipotle Pepper and Onion

PUBLISHED JANUARY 1999
SAVE
Twice-Baked Potatoes with Pepper Jack Cheese and Bacon
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
We had a head start on our twice-baked potato recipe, having already developed a recipe for the Best Baked Potato. Starting there, we let the baked potatoes cool slightly before slicing them open and removing the flesh. We found that we could keep the skins from turning soggy and flabby by keeping them in the oven while making the filling. And for the filling we found it best to combine the potato with a tangy dairy ingredient like sour cream or yogurt, a small amount of butter, and ingredients with strong flavors like cheddar cheese, bacon, or chipotle peppers. For a perfect finish, we placed the filled potatoes under the broiler, where they turned brown and crisp.
Cooking School

Homemade Pasta

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INGREDIENTSPrint Shopping List

4 russet potatoes (7 to 8 ounces each), scrubbed, dried, and rubbed lightly with vegetable oil
2tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
4ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
½cup sour cream
½cup buttermilk
3 medium scallions, white and green parts sliced thin (about ½ cup)
1 – 1 ½tablespoons minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
½teaspoon table salt
Ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONSSERVES 6 TO 8

Yukon gold potatoes, though slightly more moist than our ideal, gave our twice-baked potatoes a buttery flavor and mouthfeel that everyone liked, so we recommend them as a substitution for the russets. For a slightly smoky aftertaste with just a hint of heat, limit the chipotle pepper to 1 tablespoon. For a little bit of upfront heat, increase the chipotle to 1 1/2 tablespoons.

1. Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake potatoes on foil-lined baking sheet until skin is crisp and deep brown and skewer easily pierces flesh, about 1 hour. Setting baking sheet aside, transfer potatoes to wire rack and let sit until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.

2. Heat butter in medium skillet over medium heat; sauté onion until soft, 3 to 4 minutes, and set aside.

3. Following illustration below, using an oven mitt or folded kitchen towel to handle hot potatoes, cut each potato in half so that blunt sides will rest on work surface. Using a small dinner spoon, scoop flesh from each half into medium bowl, leaving a 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thickness of flesh in each shell. Arrange shells on lined sheet and return to oven until dry and slightly crisped, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mash potato flesh with fork until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients, including pepper to taste, until well combined.

4. Remove shells from oven and increase oven setting to broil. Holding shells steady on pan with oven mitt or towel-protected hand, spoon mixture into crisped shells, mounding slightly at the center, and return to oven. Broil until spotty brown and crisp on top, 10 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

TECHNIQUE

The Right Slice
Most potatoes have two relatively flat, blunt sides and two curved sides. Halve the baked potatoes lengthwise so the blunt sides are down once the shells are stuffed, making them much more stable on the pan during the final baking.