Asparagus Crepe with Vegan Hollandaise

by my flickr pal of 5 years now Janet Hudson (Norwichnuts)

1/2 cup silken tofu
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. turmeric
2 Tbs. vegetable margarine
Heat tofu on plate in microwave 30-45 seconds, or until warmed through. Transfer to food processor, and puree until smooth. Add lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, cayenne, and turmeric; pulse until well combined. With food processor running, add margarine in steady stream to finish sauce

Baugette and Tofu Salad

submitted by Norwichnuts (Janet Hudson)

Salad recipe to follow--
Diced tofu
Mustard
Sundried tomato
Basil
Chives
Celery
S & P
Vegan Mayo
Sprouts
Combine.

Manny's Chocolate Fudge Caramel Print Cookies

Photo by Manuela of Passion for Baking my very good friend
The recipe:
Mix well together until everything is well blended. Add the flour, cocoa and salt, and mix it on Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. .... After 30 minutes you make small bowls. Beat egg white lightly in a bowl and in another bowl, add the crushed hazelnuts. First, scroll through the egg white bowl and let it drain well when you take it out. Then roll it through the crushed hazelnuts. Make sure that the whole bowl is dekt.Sett them on a baking sheet that you have covered with baking paper. Keep some distance between each bowl. Into the oven at 180 C for about 12 minutes.
Now would I have pressed a small indentation in the middle of the buns before baking, but forgot it, so it was done afterwards. As I mentioned earlier I had this caramel biscuits on top, and I make the
these ingredients:

    * 10-12 pieces Werther's Original toffees
    * 3 tablespoons cream
I use these caramels but another brand is just as well. Place them in a saucepan with the cream and heat it up. Stir it while it warms opp.Legg now 1 tsp. caramel into each indentation on your biscuits. On top of this I have liquid chocolate that I make by:

    * 50 g dark chocolate
    * 1 Tbsp. corn syrup (or regular syrup)
Heat in microwave for 1 minute Stir well! So either I'm the chocolate into a syringe bag, cut off one corner and squirt it with a zig-zag movement of the cone. The result was super good biscuits that melted in your mouth ... .. They are soft inside and simply dangerous good !!!!! So to all those who were tempted to bake these ...: Happy Baking!
Thanks to Manuela for this recipe xo

 I have translated this from Norwegian to English so there will be some typos =o)

Wassail Punch Ingredients...

 

Wassail Punch Ingredients...

1 1/2 cups white sugar
8 whole cloves
3 cups water
3 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1 cup lemon juice
1 gallon apple juice

Directions...

1.In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cloves, water, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, and continue to boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to cool for 1 hour.
2.Stir in the orange juice, lemon juice, and apple juice. Return to the heat, and boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove cloves and cinnamon sticks before serving.

Lynds Egg Nog Cupcakes

Creating a recipe is a task that is fun yet can be a frustrating one, this one frustrating haha First I did a scratch cake just basic butter method and was not so bad but failed to calculate eggs based on me using eggnog. Quick fix I used a little milk and added a  tablespoon grated nutmeg (the fresh nutmeg was what sealed the flavour in these) The eggnog made for a dense silky cake which will impress you. The filling I pulled a too easy step and simply used birds custard and eggnog thinned with 2% milk as the substitute for just milk YUM! The frosting was a few attempts at different methods but decided on an Italian buttercream using egg yolks instead of whites which are used in a Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Yes these cupcakes are a tad high in cholesterol but you will only be able to eat almost one I guarantee that! This looks time consuming but really not if you do the custard and steeped tea the day before. Happy Holidays all my eggnoggers out there!
Egg Nog Filling
First: prepare the filling as per the birds custard directions using 1 1/2 cups eggnog instead of milk and then use the 1 cup milk in the recipe that is left. You can also use eggnog to make an instant pudding if you are in a hurry (I tried both methods but did prefer the birds custard method) I added nutmeg while it cooked to give it a little extra spice
Then make your buttercream before the kitchen is oven hot because it will fail =o)
You will need:


Grans Buttercream Egg Nogged
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
2 cups softened butter (I can see certain cupcake gurus eyes go huge. Natalie Slater comes to mind after watching her on you tube)
1 tsp nutmeg for flecks
1/4 tsp cinnamon oil extract (optional)
Grease a measure cup and set aside. 1or 2 cup size will do. Beat the yolks in a large bowl until very pale in colour *this is important and then set aside. Combine sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil (don't use a flimsy pot) Stir constantly. Pour the syrup into the greased measure cup. Ok ready. Beat the syrup into the egg yolks into a steady stream avoiding the moving beaters (you all know why) You are beating this until the mixture is cool.
Now one tablespoon at a time beat in the butter. This is totally worth it to watch how this evolves! Once all your butter is fluffed add the spice and oil. Use it right away or store tightly sealed in the refrigerator. You are gonna love the feel of this in your mouth!
The cupcakes
3 tsps vanilla 1/4 cup boiling water steeped with one tea bag (Christmas flavour) or add 1 tsp rum extract instead of tea
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup bread flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder (double acting)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature (must be at room temp)
1 1/2 cups sugar minus 2 tbsp
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup heavy cream (must be 18% or better)
1/2 cup chopped up glace cherries
Oven temp 350 degrees
Steep the tea in 1/4 cup boiling water and set aside 10 - 15 minutes, remove tea bags (I do this a day ahead) Sift together all dry ingredients in a medium lightweight bowl. In your mixer bowl cream butter and sugar until very light (8 minutes on med speed) Add the eggs one at a time beating each addition for 1 minute With mixer turned to low alternate adding flour mixture and the cooled tea with vanilla extract combined  (vanilla will equal 3 1/2 reaspoons total) until batter is smooth.

With ice cream scoop dish one serving into each lined cupcake cup Our foil liners work best but any liner doubled will do. Bake for up to 20 minutes but only until light and tops spring back
Assembly : Core each cupcake with an apple corer (save the bits of cake to make truffles) Pipe using a star tip the egg nog custard into the whole Push a glace cherry into the top of the hole you do not need to countersink this. Pipe using a star tip, buttercream over the top of the cupcake. Decorate with your bits of chopped cherry. Then pipe on two green leaves with a leaf tip. I use the green tree sprinkles instead. Sprinkle clear sparkling sugar on top.

Cocoa Molasses Toffee

Cocoa Molasses Toffee

Cocoa Molasses Toffee

about 150 pieces, depending on the size you cut them

Ingredients:
1 cup unsulphered molasses
3 cups granulated sugar
2 cups whipping cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Line a 9×13″ jelly-roll sheet pan (with sides) with heavy duty foil and butter generously.
Heat the molasses and sugar over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let it boil without stirring for about 8 minutes, or until the sugar caramelizes. This is tricky, because you can’t see the color turning – the molasses is already so dark. Use a candy or deep-fry thermometer and pull it off the heat when the sugar starts to smoke or hits 350 degrees F.
Meanwhile, warm the cream over medium heat until hot but not boiling. When the sugar caramelizes, whisk in the cream and butter. Return to low heat and bring to a simmer. Clip your candy thermometer on the side of the pan and watch the temperature. You will need to boil this, relatively unsupervised, for about 45 minutes to an hour. When it hits 250 degrees F (the lower end of the hardball stage) remove from heat and immediately whisk in the cocoa and salt. Pour into the buttered pan.
When it has cooled for a couple hours, score into 1-inch pieces with a knife. Then cover lightly and put in the fridge.
After it has cooled all night, break into the scored pieces with a knife – this may take some work! Wrap in parchment paper. These can be stored almost indefinitely at room temperature.

Horchata Christmas Drink

 

Ingredients from Scratch

6 tablespoons rice
6 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) blanched almonds
1 inch cinnamon stick (canella)
3 "2-inch" strips of lime zest (rind only, not the white pithy part) 3/4" long
1 cup white granulated sugar

Instructions:

The traditional way to make horchata is with a metate y mano. For those of us less adventurous, or simple those with less time, we can use a blender. Pulverize the rice using your blender.  Grind the mixture as smooth as possible. Combine the rice with the almonds, cinnamon and lime zest. Stir in 2 1/4 cups hot tap water then cover and let the mixture stand overnight (minimally 6 hours).

Place the mixture in the blender jar and blend for at least 3 - 5 minutes until the mixture is smooth and no long has a gritty texture. Add 2 cups of water and blend again for just a few seconds.  Place a large sieve over a mixing bowl.  Line the sieve with 3 layers of damp cheesecloth.  Pour in the rice mixture, a little at a time and keep stirring to help the mixture go through the sieve.  Once all the liquid has passed through to the bowl gather the cloth together at the top, give it a twist and squeeze out any additional liquid.

Now add 2 more cups of water and stir in as much sugar as you'd like, to taste. If the mixture is too thick, add some additional water. 

Cover and refrigerate. The drink should keep several days, refrigerated.
Serve in a tall glass over ice.

Mix also available

Egg Nog Truffles by McCormicks Kitchen

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Eggnog Truffles make a great holiday or hostess gift. Package the truffles in a holiday tin between wax paper.

 

Makes 2 dozen or 12 (2 truffle) servings. Prep Time: 25 minutesRefrigerate Time: 5 hours 

INGREDIENTS  

1 pound white baking chocolate, divided  

4 ounces (1/2 package) cream cheese, softened  

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar  

1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Nutmeg, Ground  

1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Imitation Rum Extract  

McCormick® Nutmeg, Ground (for sprinkling) 

DIRECTIONS 

1. Melt 8 ounces of the chocolate as directed on package. Beat cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, nutmeg and extract in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed mixer until well blended and smooth. Add melted chocolate; beat until well mixed. Cover. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or until firm. 

2. Shape into 24 (about 3/4-inch) balls. Place on wax paper-lined tray. Refrigerate until ready to dip.

3. Coat only 12 truffles at a time. Melt 4 ounces of the remaining chocolate in small microwavable bowl on MEDIUM (50% power) 1 1/2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Using a fork, dip 1 truffle at a time into the melted chocolate. Tap back of fork 2 or 3 times against edge of dish to allow excess chocolate to drip off. Place truffles on wax paper-lined tray. (If there are any “bald” spots on truffle, cover with melted chocolate that remains on the fork.) Sprinkle truffles with nutmeg. Repeat with remaining 4 ounces chocolate and remaining truffles.

4. Refrigerate 1 hour or until chocolate is set. Store truffles between layers of wax paper in airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 week Tips Test Kitchen Tip: When dipping the truffles, do so in 2 batches (as directed above in Step 3) as the coldness of the truffles may cause the melted chocolate to harden

Chocolate Banana Muffins oh so good!

Chocolate Banana Muffins
{adapted from Recipe Girl  &Bridget Bake 350

10 oz. pitted dried prunes
2 c. water
1 c. minus 1 TBSP all-purpose flour
1/2 c. dutch-process cocoa powder (Brute)
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 and 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. mashed ripe banana (about 2 bananas)
2 eggs
1/2 c.  reg. banana chips
1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips
sparkling or sanding sugar

Combine the prunes and water in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce to a simmer  and cook for 20 minutes.  Drain.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350.  Butter 12 cups of a muffin tin.  If you are really paranoid like me, line the bottoms of the muffin cups with a small circle of parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon and baking soda.  Set aside.

Process the prunes and bananas in a food processor until smooth.  Add eggs and process until combined.

Stir the prune mixture into the flour until combined. Add in the banana chips and chocolate chips.  Spoon into prepared muffin cups.  Sprinkle with sparkling sugar.

Bake 16-20 minutes until the tops bounce back when lightly pressed.  Cool on a cooling rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely.  Enjoy!

Violet Buttercream

Violet Bettercream
Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons flour
* 3/4 cup milk
* 3/4 cup butter
* 3/4 cup violet sugar
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 teaspoon violet extract
Preparation
Place flour in a saucepan and stir in a few tablespoons of the milk to make a paste. Add remaining milk. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens. Cool. Cream butter using an electric mixer, gradually adding violet sugar and salt. Beat well. Add cooled milk mixture. Beat until fluffy. Add vanilla. Spread on cooled cake or cupcakes.