Chocolate Cream Cups

Greetings, Dear CT Readers!

This holiday season sort of crept up on me! We were away in beautiful Hawaii over Thanksgiving (more about that in a later post) and now Christmas is only two weeks away (aaaaahhhhh!). Additionally, Hannukah is happening right now. So I am WAY behind on holiday baking, but starting to catch up with this delicious little recipe. Read on!

Chocolate batter

I’ve been making these Chocolate Cream Cups for as long as I can remember. My mom made them when I was growing up and they became a family and friend favorite. I have no idea where she got the recipe because I’ve seen similar recipes online but this one is definitely a winner. These adorable little cupcakes were also a top seller when my friend, Phyllis, and I ran I Love Cheesecake (local NJ dessert catering company) many years ago. We baked hundreds of these darlings for our customers because, not only are they yummy, but they are bite-sized. 

Cream cheese chocolate chip filling

Mini cupcake tins ready to go!

Ready for baking!

They are easy to whip together, make enough to feed a crowd (one recipe yields approximately four dozen cupcakes but you can easily double the recipe), freeze well (in fact, they are terrific eaten right out of the freezer, not that I would know anything about that...), and really, what more do you need to know except dark, moist chocolate cake with a luscious cream cheese-chocolate chip filling?! Helllooooo! These are a terrific addition to your holiday dessert table and because they freeze so well, you can bake them now (and cross one thing off your baking to-do list). 

Wishing you & yours a happy and bright Hannukah and a very Merry Christmas!

Terry’s Mom’s Chocolate Cream Cups

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine:

1 8oz pkg cream cheese

1 egg

1/3 c. sugar

1/8 t. salt

Whip until creamy; then stir in 6 oz pkg chocolate chips (I use mini chips).

In another bowl, combine:

1-1/2 c. flour

1 c. sugar

1 c. water

1/3 c. oil

1 TB vinegar

1 t. baking soda

½ t. salt

¼ c. Hershey’s cocoa powder

1 t. vanilla

Beat until smooth. Line miniature cupcake tins with gem-size cupcake papers. Fill each muffin tin about 1/3 with chocolate mixture & then spoon about ½ t. cream cheese mixture on top of chocolate.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Makes approx 4-1/2 dozen miniature cupcakes. Store in refrigerator. Cupcakes freeze well (in fact, they are wonderful right out of the freezer...).

“Eat Well, Stay Warm, Be Happy”

From Breakfast to Dinner in One Post!

Greetings, CT Readers! Hoping November is treating you well. Here in NJ, we are in the midst of an early cold snap (with temps in the 20-30s), much to my dismay. You may recall that I am not winter’s biggest fan but later this week it should get back into the 50s (more normal for this time of year) before the already-hyped “first winter storm” of the season that may blow into the Northeast right around Thanksgiving. Ugh.

I’ve got a couple of recipes for you today: a great granola recipe for breakfast or snacks, and a super easy three-ingredient pasta-sausage dinner.

First, let’s talk about granola. This could be an entire blog post on its own. A few months back I was looking to add some crunch to my morning cereal routine. I am not a sweet cereal person and gravitate toward the healthier section of the cereal aisle but not something that’s 100% cardboard.  I began searching for “low calorie” granola recipes on the web. There must be a zillion granola recipes out there! Culling through the various offerings (no sugar, no nuts, no gluten, vegan), I began my tests. The good news is that granola can be tailored to your own likes and dislikes. The bad news is that it takes alot of trial and error to find that one perfect recipe. And really there is no one perfect recipe because everybody likes something a little different in their granola. But making your own is so easy and requires no special skill or tools, that it really doesn’t pay to buy it.

I won’t bore you with the many recipes I went through. I’ll just cut to the chase and present the recipe that, for me, constitutes the best granola recipe. It’s got that all-important crunch factor, whole grain oats, nuts and seeds for texture, and a bit of sweetness. Of course, you can taper the recipe to your needs/wants.

I add about four tablespoons to one half-cup of my usually boring (but healthy) box cereal and it really jazzes up my breakfast. I also use it as a topping to plain yogurt, and could definitely see it sprinkled over ice cream or over a luxe coconut or vanilla pudding. Hmmmmm, that last one about the pudding just came to me as I was writing; I may have to try that!

maple syrup drizzle

The recipe from Elizabeth Rider, a blogger and health counselor who focuses on healthy eating follows. 

 Prep Time: 10 min Total Time: 20 min 

Serves 4-6 

Use raw, organic ingredients whenever possible. These measurements are flexible; don’t worry too much about being exact. 

Ingredients: 

2 cups raw, whole rolled oats (aka old fashion oats), preferably organic 

½ cup raw nuts, chopped 

¼ cup raw seeds (sunflower or pumpkin seeds are great) 

½ cup unsweetened dried fruit, chopped (optional) 

2-3 tablespoons grade-b maple syrup or raw honey (or a combo of both) 

2 tbsp virgin coconut oil or other healthy cooking oil 

½ tsp vanilla extract or almond extract 

1 large pinch fine sea salt 

1 t cinnamon

1/4 cup flaked coconut 

Recipe: Preheat the oven to 300º F. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and use your clean hands to mix well and toss to coat; it will be sticky and messy but that’s the fun part.* The coconut oil might be liquid or solid depending on the temperature of the room you are in (it has a melting point of about 75ºF.) Your hands will warm it up and melt it into the mixture if it’s solid, just be sure to mix it all through the other ingredients so there aren’t any chunks of oil left. 

Spread the mixture in a thin layer on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until very lightly toasted. (To make this recipe completely raw-friendly, dehydrate the mixture 5-6 hours at 115ºF in a food dehydrator instead.) Cool before serving or storing. This granola can be kept in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks. I keep mine in a mason jar in the refrigerator at home and in a BPA-free plastic bag when traveling.

*Cook’s Tour note: I always use gloves when mixing food. The directions above are taken directly from the original recipe’s author.

Ready for milk!

On to dinner! The original recipe comes from Proud Italian Cook and is so easy, the author doesn’t even include measurements (I’ve included approximate measurements in my version)! If you are looking for a quick, weeknight dinner, this is it. She used Italian pork sausage with fennel, but since we almost always have Italian chicken sausage in the freezer, I used that. We really enjoyed it the first night but when we were planning to use the leftovers another night, I felt it needed a little “bulking up.” So my recipe includes the addition of pasta shells. You could also throw in some cannellini beans. Technically, my adapted recipe is four ingredients (or five with Parmigiano Reggiano grated over the finished dish) but when the outcome is this delicious, who's counting?!

Let me know what you think about both of these recipes (leave comments below).

I’ll be off-line for a bit while we do some traveling, but I’ll be back soon! Wishing you and yours a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Sausage, Brussels Sprouts, and Pasta with Balsamic Glaze (adapted from Proud Italian Cook)

Serves 2 (with leftovers) or 4 (with no leftovers)

About 1 pound Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and sliced in half lengthwise

Extra virgin olive oil 

salt and freshly ground pepper

4-5 links Italian chicken sausage

about one pound pasta shells

Good quality balsamic glaze

Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees
2. Trim sprouts and slice in half lengthwise
3. Toss sprouts with about 1-2 TB olive oil, salt, pepper
4. Place on rimmed baking sheet, cut-side down and roast until tender & golden but not overcooked or too deep a caramelization (about 20-30 minutes). Test to be sure they are done.
5. In the meantime, remove sausage from casing, place in a skillet on stove and crumble into bite-size pieces.
6. Cook sausage until completely done, remove and drain on paper towel.
7. Cook pasta according to manufacturer’s directions and drain.
8. In a large bowl, combine roasted sprouts with the sausage and pasta.
9. Just before serving, lightly drizzle with balsamic glaze and grate cheese over top.

If so inclined, a crisp Sicilian Grillo white goes very nicely with this dish. We discovered Grillo during our trip to Sicily in 2016 and when we returned I found this really nice version here in the states.

Eat well, stay warm, be happy!

Rum Raisin Cake

I know, it’s October and I should really be writing about a pumpkin recipe, right? Listen, I love pumpkin as much as the next person, but I feel like everywhere (EVERYWHERE!) I turn, the word “pumpkin” is screaming at me. From lattes and bread, cookies (even Paleo cookies) and candies, to pancakes, pasta and beer.  I know that pumpkin has a short window in which to take over our minds and diets (basically from October to late November), but I’m going to buck conventional thinking here and give you a recipe for a fabulous cake that will still give you that cozy, warm, autumn feel (and the house smells wonderful as it's baking): rum raisin cake.

I recently got the new baking book from Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh called Sweet. Yotam is the chef-owner of several delis and restaurants in London. He is also a prolific author, having written five cookbooks (I also own his terrific cookbook, Jerusalem), and is a frequent contributor to The New York Times and The Guardian newspapers. 

Helen Goh is a pastry chef who has worked closely with Ottolenghi for many years as his lead product developer. 

bake prep

When Sweet came in the mail a few weeks ago, I set it aside. With cookbooks that appear to have real promise, I like to wait until I have a chunk of time to relax with it. Depending on the time of day, I either get a cup of coffee, tea, or a glass of wine, and settle in. I leaf through the entire book, earmarking recipes that sound good. It’s a lovely way to force myself to “detox” from all things digital, at least for a little while.

my well-tagged copy!

And that’s exactly what I did last week. By the time I was done, there were so many post-it notes sticking out of the book that I knew it was a keeper! My goal was to find a cake to accompany a fall-themed luncheon we were planning. And as you may have guessed, it wouldn’t be pumpkin! 

Helen Goh’s description of how she came up with this cake really won me over: Helen and her son have a tradition of sharing a sundae when they go to an ice cream parlor. On the rare occasion they don’t share, she always orders a rum raisin cone. “This, along with her affection for the rum-soaked retro classic rum baba, was the inspiration for this cake.” I loved this little story. I, too, almost always order a rum raisin cone when I go to our favorite ice cream store in the area, Gelotti’s. The combination of the custardy vanilla oozing with boozy raisins speaks to my soul.

So onto the cake! First off, it’s got a good amount of rum in it. The raisins soak overnight in a half-cup of dark rum. And there’s an additional tablespoon if you make the optional rum-caramel icing.

the gorgeous batter

ready to bake!

just out of the oven

isn't this gorgeous?!

The cake is chock full of butter and sour cream so it’s super-moist. But what really makes this cake stand out is the rum-soaked raisins. The rum infuses the cake with a sweet warmth and the now plump raisins are bursting with flavor. 

Due to time and logistics, I simply dusted the finished cake with powdered sugar (which was lovely), but next time I would try the recommended icing or just add a dollop of whipped cream on the side. You can’t go wrong with any of the additions.

ready for your Fall dessert table

The cake keeps very well wrapped in foil for a few days. In fact, I’m going on day four now and it’s still moist and delicious. 

So, my friends, break out of that same old pumpkin routine and bake up something different! 

Print recipe here.

Happy Fall!

Eat well, stay warm, be happy.

Sicilian Pistachio Cookies (gluten-free)

Greetings, Dear Readers.

I feel a bit out of sorts posting a simple cookie article after yesterday's horrible event in Las Vegas (I wrote it last week). Even though I feel depressed and at a loss to come to terms with the senseless violence, and our government's inability to take serious action about realistic gun control, sometimes it does help to cook or bake to relieve some of the stress and anxiety (I know it helps me). Even better would be to invite friends and/or neighbors for a meal, or "coffee and..." to talk peacefully and calmly, or simply to just be together. I hope you and your loved ones are safe.

--------------------

While summer is my fave season, I do love the Fall - the warm days/chilly nights, country drives, throwing on a cute little jacket, and the luscious flavors of Fall - plums, pumpkins, pistachios, cinnamon, cardamom. 

Last year at this time I was in Sicily (read about my trip here and here). Ahhhhhh. Beautiful, mysterious, complicated, delicious Sicily. How I loved that trip! Feeling a bit “homesick” for my ancestral homeland, I needed to make something to help me get back there virtually. 

Mt Etna's volcanic landscape

The adorable donkeys of Etna Donkey Trekking

That’s when I came across this recipe on Food52 for Sicilian Pistachio Cookies. Pistachios are a huge part of Sicily’s agriculture, especially near Mt Etna, which we visited. We were taken in by the otherworldly volcanic landscape of Etna. The mountain had just erupted a couple of months before we were there and black lava was everywhere.  The trusty, adorable donkeys of Etna Donkey Trekking carried us over craters, through ancient forests, and afforded us panoramic views otherwise impossible. I highly recommend this excursion if you visit the Catania area.

Back to the cookies! These little gems are SO easy to make, and as a bonus to people who need to watch their gluten intake - they are GF! The cookies have it all: crunch, spice, citrus - a trifecta of deliciousness! 

crunch, citrus, spice pre-rolling

What are your favorite Fall recipes? Do they bring back memories of a favorite trip? Leave a note below. And let me know if you bake these cookies!

Enjoy!

Full recipe here!

Republishing from 2009 (because it's that good!): September Plums

Wow, this was first published in 2009, one year after I started writing The Cook's Tour. I'm embarrassed by the photo that accompanied this post (above), which did not show the beauty of this cake (suggestion: ignore the photo and make this cake!) I've learned alot in these last eight years about photographing food, and blogging in general, and I thank you for joining me on the "tour" as we've traveled the globe (literally and figuratively) eating and discovering. 

I also noticed from the original post that there was no "print" option for the recipe (because I didn't know how to do that back then!). So I've added the print version for this recipe here and below.

If you are celebrating Rosh Hashana this week, I wish you a sweet New Year! 

Original Post:
Otherwise known as Italian Prune Plums. They are only available for a short period of time, right around mid-September so when I see them, I grab them. These little babies are full of purpley-sweet deliciousness. With beautiful gold flesh, they make terrific desserts. For me, the arrival of these plums heralds the coming of Fall.

One of my favorite prune plum recipes comes from a recipe my late mother-in-law made for years: Viennese Plum Cake. She clipped it from a newspaper who knows how long ago. The Xeroxed copy I have is wrinkled and stained from over-use (is there such a thing as over-use with good recipes?).

This is a perfect example of a cake that is good "plain or fancy." It is excellent as a simple coffee cake with no adornment whatsoever, but with a quick whip of some vanilla-tinged heavy cream, you could dress it up and serve it to some lucky dinner guests. And it is really fast to put together -- I made it Thursday night in about 15 minutes (not including baking time, obviously). Delicious warm out of the oven and at room temp. You cannot go wrong with this cake!

Viennese Plum Cake

1/2 C butter at room temp

1/2 C sugar

2 eggs

1/4 t salt

1 C flour

1 t baking powder

16 medium-sized Italian prune plums - washed, halved, pitted

1/2 C sugar

2 t cinnamon

1 TB butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8x8 square pan.

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend together salt, flour and baking powder in small bowl. Combine flour mixture with butter mixture. Spread dough evenly in prepared pan. Place plums skin side down on top of batter.

Mix together cinnamon/sugar combination; sprinkle over plums (this mixture seems like too much, but use it all). Dot with butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until top is golden.

Wrapped well, it keeps for 4-5 days (this is just an estimate because it never lasts that long).
Print version.

Plum Squares with Marzipan Crumble

Well, it’s that time of year…late August, which begets fall, which begets winter, my least favorite season (oh, who am I kidding? I hate winter). The only good part of August (IMHO) is the arrival of Italian prune plums. These purple beauties make me smile the first time I spot them in the store every year. 

Most years I make my late mother-in-law’s famous plum cake. Friends and family constantly request “the Freda plum cake,” and it is a definite winner. I have also tried other versions because I firmly believe one can never have too many plum cake recipes.

This year, the first plum cake I’ve made is from Smitten Kitchen. Deb Perelman’s Plum Squares with Marzipan Crumble is an absolute delight. I loved the texture of this cake. With sliced almonds AND marzipan (almond paste) in the crumble, which is used on top of the crust and sprinkled over the juicy plum mixture, you get all these luscious flavors and crunchies converging in every bite.

The recipe also has pan size options - only have a 9x13 pan? You can use it. How about an 8” square? That works, too! Just follow Deb’s directions for baking in different size pans. 

The finished product keeps very well, wrapped in the refrigerator for a week. I’m sure you can freeze them, too, but I didn’t have any leftover to freeze! 

Don’t wait too long - go buy your prune plums today (before they’re gone) and make this cake!

Print here and if you've made this recipe, tag us at our FB page to let us know how it came out.

Happy baking!

Great Catskill Mountain BBQ Fest!

Franklin BBQ, Austin

I am so excited to announce that I will be a judge at the Great Catskill Mountain BBQ Fest this Saturday, August 26 in Fleischmanns, NY. This is a Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) sanctioned professional competition and is shaping up to be a terrific event.

There are three separate competitions:

1. Professional Competition: teams come from all over the country to compete against each other for money and trophies. This contest will showcase the standard four KCBS meats: chicken, ribs, pork, and brisket. 
2. Fire Company Throw-down: local fire companies go head-to-head (and hose-to-hose) to compete for prize money and a trophy with one meat category: chicken.
3. “You Be the Judge” - People’s Choice Charity Rib-Off: this is open to all participating (pro and fire company) and all food concession vendors.

Of course, the fest is not just about BBQ. There will be a craft beer tent, plenty of kid’s activities, craft vendors, live music, and other entertainment. Admission is free and all net proceeds benefit the Fleischmanns Park Lighting Project.

Micklethwait BBQ, Austin

As I am a big time BBQ fan, I am really looking forward to my first gig as a judge (and will be studiously reviewing the KCBS rules before the event). If you are a BBQ lover, or just want to take a ride to beautiful upstate New York (the weather forecast is looking good!), put this on your calendar and stop by to say hello (I’ll be the one happily up to my elbows in BBQ!).

Great Catskill Mountain BBQ Fest

Saturday, August 26

11am - 7pm

Fleischmanns Park

242 Wagner Avenue

Fleischmanns, NY