Cannoli with Ricotta and Chocolate Chips

If you like cannolis you will LOVE these!  Yes, they do take some time but they will be the best cannolis you have ever had.  Be sure to use whole milk ricotta.  You will also need the cannoli tubes that you can get at a specialty kitchen store like Sur La Table or Williams Sonoma. 

Ingredients:
For the filling:
2 cups whole milk ricotta
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 oz chocolate chips
zest of one orange
powdered sugar for dusting

For the shells:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 TBSP chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
8 TBSP limoncello or other lemon or orange liqueur
1 egg white, lightly beaten
canola oil, for frying

Make the filling:
Place the ricotta in a colander and pat dry with paper towels.  Take your time and get in as dry as you can.  Transfer to a large bowl.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla, chocolate chips, and orange zest, mix until smooth.  Transfer the mixture into a piping bag with a large tip.

Place in refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.  Don't fill the cannolis until you are ready to serve them or they will become soggy.

Make the Cannoli shells:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and cinnamon.  Using your fingertips or a food processor, blend in the butter just until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Drizzle limoncello over the mixture and gently stir with a fork until incorporated.  Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap.  The dough will still look dry and crumbly.  Gather together into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 45 minutes to an hour.

Remove the dough from the fridge and work it into a ball.  Cut into 4 even pieces.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece to 1/8 inch thickness.  Cut out 2 or 3 (4 inch) rounds.  Transfer to a parchment lined cookie sheet and keep covered with plastic wrap.  Roll out the the remaining dough and cut rounds the same way.  Gather the scraps, re-roll and cut again.

These were a little thick.  Roll yours out thinner.

Fill a heavy 4-quart pot with oil to a depth of 2 to 3 inches.  Heat over medium heat until a thermometer reads 375 degrees.  

Brush the bottom edge of 1 dough round with egg white.  Wrap a dough round around 1 cannoli tube with egg white-brushed end overlapping other end and gently press edges together to seal.  Make 5 more shells in the same manner.  Keep remaining rounds covered with plastic.
Working in batches, fry the formed shells in hot oil until a deep golden brown, about 1 minute.  Transfer to a paper towel to drain and cool for 5 minutes.  Stand the tubes upright and tap gently on the counter top to loosen the shells.  Twist the tubes to remove the shells.

Repeat with the remaining dough.  Pipe the filling into the shells and dust with powdered sugar. 

Vanilla Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta in Italian means "cooked cream".  There isn't much cooking in this recipe though.  Sour cream and buttermilk add an acidic element giving it a delicate finish.   Serve it with a berry sauce or a sprig of mint and fresh mixed berries.  Try to find the Madagascar pure vanilla bean paste at a specialty store.  It make a big difference in the vanilla taste that you will get vs. regular vanilla extract. 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tsp powdered gelatin
1 TBSP water
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup plus 1 TBSP buttermilk
1 1/4 tsp vanilla paste
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup creme fraiche

Pour the water and the gelatin in a small glass and let sit for about 5 minutes to soften.

In a medium bowl whisk together the sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla and sugar.

In a small saucepan pour about 1/2 cup of the sour cream mixture over medium low heat.  Heat just until warm and add the gelatin stirring to dissolve.  Rub a little between your fingers, it should not feel gritty.

Let cool for about 5 minutes and then stir into the sour cream mixture.
Whisk the creme fraiche in a medium bowl until it is thick and holds its shape.

Fold in the sour cream mixture.

Strain through a fine mesh conical strainer into a bowl with spout or liquid measuring cup.  Pour into six 4-5 ounce ramekins or molds.

Refrigerate for at least 5 hours or let set for up to 2 days.
To unmold, run a paring knife about 1/4 inch deep around the edge of each panna cotta.  Dip the bottom 2/3 into a bowl of very hot water just long enough to unmold.  If  you leave it in too long it will liquefy the dessert.  Invert onto a serving plate.  Serve with fresh mint and mixed berries.

Recipe from Thomas Kellers Ad Hoc Cookbook

No Bake Nutella Cheesecake

 

 

The original version of Nutella was made in little loafs wrapped in foil so that it could be sliced and placed on bread for mothers to make sandwiches for their children.  But many children, as you can imagine, would throw away the bread and only eat the Nutella.  This is when they decided to make it into a spreadable version and is the Nutella that we all know and love today.  Two of my favorite people are Nutellaholics.  You know who you are.  This recipe is for you and the rest of the Nutella lovers out there.  The past two days I have been testing out cheese cake recipes.  I take 2 slices, one for me and one for Cameron (hehe) and then send the rest to work with Will.  It's called portion control!  Let's see if this one even makes it out of the house. 

Ingredients: 

2 cups chocolate graham crackers such as teddy grahams, crushed

3/4 cup finely chopped nuts any kind, i used pecans

1/4 cup butter melted

1 tsp vanilla, divided

2 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 jar (13 oz) hazelnut spread such as Nutella

1 tub (8oz) extra creamy whipped topping

Make the crust:  mix graham crumbs, nuts, butter and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until well blended and then press evenly onto bottom of a 9 inch pie pan.  Place in fridge. 

Make the filling:  Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together in a large bowl until blended.  Add the hazelnut spread and remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.  Mix well and then stir in the whipped topping.  Spoon it gently into the crust.  

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.  This is enough cheesecake for about 10 people. 

Strawberry Pretzel Layered Dessert

Today we are visiting cousin Katie her husband Cory and her little baby boy Everette.  They just moved into a new house and are having a pot luck!  Yay!  Another excuse for me to make something.  I learned this recipe in a Toast masters meeting.  The exercise that day was giving instructions.  One of the girls did a presentation on how to make pretzel salad dessert and she even brought samples.  This recipe is so good.  There is a crunchy pretzel layer and a creamy cream cheese layer. It has sweet and salty flavors as well.  It is just so good!  Be prepared to share the recipe because more times that not someone will ask you for it. 

Ingredients:
3 cups crushed pretzels
1 cup (2 sticks) melted butter
3 TBSP granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1 package cream cheese softened
1 tub whipped topping, thawed
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 large package strawberry jello
4 cups water
12 oz frozen strawberries or mixed berries

Make the crust:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put the pretzels into a zipper bag or use a food processor and crush them.  You want smallish sized pieces not pretzel dust.  Melt the butter and pour into a 8x11 baking dish.  Mix in the pretzels and the granulated sugar.  Spread this mixture evenly onto the bottom of your pan.  Bake for 7-8 minutes.  You will see the mixture bubbling.  Don't bake it for more than 8 minutes or you will have concrete instead of a nice crust.  Sprinkle top with kosher salt.  Set aside and let it cool completely.

Make the Jello topping:  Dissolve the jello in 2 cups boiling water.  Add 2 cups very cold water and frozen berries and let set just a little in the fridge about 20-30 minutes.  Its ok if it looks a little  bit lumpy. Don't forget about it or you wont be able to top your dessert! 

Make the cream cheese filling:  With a hand mixer or stand mixer mix the softened cream cheese and the powdered sugar together.  Fold in the whipped topping.  It will look like marshmallow cream when it is blended.  Let this set in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

Cameron snuck this out of the sink!

Build your dessert:  Very gently spread the cream cheese filling over the completely cooled crust.  Be sure the spread all the way to the edges of the pan so your jello won't leak through to the crust.  Pour the jello on top of the cream cheese layer.  Cover and put it back into the fridge to let it set up completely. Its best if  it sets overnight. Be ready to share the recipe!  Everyone loves this dessert!

Remember, spread all the way to the edges.

Mango Sorbet

Mangooooo!  We love mangos!  One of the great things about summer is all of the fresh fruits and veggies that are in season.  Right now is the perfect time to buy a ton of ripe mangos.  Mango sorbet is so easy to make and very refreshing.   You could also add pineapple or strawberries for some variation. 

Ingredients:
5-6 VERY ripe mangos - peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Make the simple syrup: In a medium saucepan boil water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.  Set aside to cool thoroughly.  

Prepare the mango puree: 

Place cubed mango in a food processor, and puree until it is really smooth.  If  you are going to add any other ingredients like pineapple or strawberries puree them separately and then strain through a fine mesh strainer.
  

Pour in simple syrup mixture and lime juice and mix well.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker.  I have the Cuisinart frozen yogurt, ice cream and sorbet maker.  Its awesome.  It should take about 20-30 minutes to freeze.  

 Serve it plain, with a raspberry syrup or some shaved chocolate.  Yum! 

Watermelon Sorbet

Mmmmm.  Nothing says summer like juicy watermelon running down your chin.  This watermelon sorbet is refreshing, beautiful and so easy to make.  I made a double batch and it didn't last the day. 

You will need:
5-6 cups seedless watermelon chunks
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 TBSP fresh lime juice

Make the syrup: In a medium saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside to completely cool.

Make the watermelon puree: Put the watermelon chunks into a blender or food processor. Pulse about 20 times to chop the melon and then process until the watermelon is completely pureed. 

Press the watermelon through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds and any extra pulp.

Freeze it all together: Combine with the cooled sugar syrup and the lime juice. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Pour the watermelon mixture into the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker. I have a Cuisinart frozen yogurt, ice cream and sorbet maker.  Its a great thing to have.

How pretty is that color?!

 Mix until the sorbet has thickened, approximately 25-35 minutes.  The sorbet will have soft serve texture. You can enjoy your sorbet right away or put it into an airtight container and place in the freezer until firm for about 2 hours.

Enjoy!

Vanilla Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe is from Bon Apetit magazine.  Why I don't have a subscription to Bon Apetit magazine is beyond me.  I need to get one right away!  The first time I made this cake was for Wills birthday.  Oh my gosh was it ever good.  It is a pretty big cake so I ended up giving a huge slice to Bailey's preschool teacher Ms. Mary.  The next day she asked if I could make one for her for Mother's Day.  What a compliment!  Knowing how good this cake is, it was really hard to make it and not eat any of it.  I might have to make it again for Father's Day. This cake is making it hard for me to be high school skinny again!!  Give yourself plenty of time to make this cake.  You want to make sure that the cake is completely cooled and the frosting is cold before you start adding the frosting and layering the cake. 

For the frosting:
2  8-ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature (don't use low fat, no fat)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup seedless strawberry jam
3/4 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

For the cake:
3 cups cake flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
7 large eggs
2 TBSP vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
6 TBSP plus 1/3 cup seedless strawberry jam
2 1/4 lbs strawberries, hulled, sliced (about 6 cups), divided

To make the frosting put a small/medium bowl in the freezer to chill. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in sugar, then jam. Remove that chilled bowl from the freezer and beat cream in that chilled bowl until peaks form.

 Fold whipped cream into frosting. Cover; chill for a couple of hours until it’s firm enough to spread. (If you are in a hurry, you could put the frosting in the freezer to chill quickly.) 

 Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans with 2-inch high sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and set aside.  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add sour cream, and beat for 30 seconds. Add flour mixture in three additions, beating to blend after each addition. Divide batter into prepared pans.  Spread the batter so that it is even in the baking pans.  

Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, check the cake at 50 minutes and if not done check again at 60 minutes. Remove cakes from oven and cool for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges of the pans, then turn cakes out onto a rack to cool completely.  You can place the cakes into the freezer for 30 minutes if you are in a hurry. Slice the strawberries while the cake is cooling.

Using a serrated knife, carefully divide each layer in half horizontally. Place one half, cake side down, on a cake plate.

Spread 3 TBSP of strawberry jam over the cake, then spread 3/4 cup of the frosting over the jam. Arrange 3/4 cup of the sliced strawberries on top of the frosting in a single layer. Repeat two more times with cake layer, jam, frosting, and strawberries.

Top with remaining cake layer, cut side down. Spread two cups of frosting over the top and sides of the cake in a thin layer, then frost with remaining frosting.  This recipe makes a very big and beautiful 4-layer cake.