Two Novice Chefs, One Tiny Kitchen

Yum! What a delicious torte! This recipe gave me the chance to use the springform pans I got for my birthday for the first time. I used the 9.5 inch springform which made for a more level torte, not “domed” like the picture in the cookbook. Tyler and I love the combination of chocolate and peanut-butter and thought this torte was excellent, he called it “a giant Reese’s Cup.” On a scale of 1-10 Tyler rated it a 9, just below his mom’s apple and blueberry pies! Tyler requested I not pawn this torte off on friends and co-workers, he wants it for himself! Since I was running short on daylight hours to photograph on Sunday I let the torte refrigerate overnight and added the ganache on Monday when I got home from work. Made for a great dessert on Cinco de Mayo! We actually ate it BEFORE dinner, it was just so tempting!

This week’s recipe was chosen by Elizabeth over at Ugg Smell Food. To see a roundup of all the TWD bakers check out the blogroll.

Peanut Butter Torte (from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours.)

Ingredients:
1 ¼ c. finely chopped salted peanuts (for the filling, crunch and topping)
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (or finely ground instant coffee) I omitted this ingredient since we don’t have it in our house and it would be a waste to buy it.
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
½ c. mini chocolate chips (or finely chopped semi sweet chocolate)
24 Oreo cookies, finely crumbed or ground in a food processor or blender
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Small pinch of salt
2 ½ c. heavy cream
1 ¼ c confectioners’ sugar, sifted
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ c salted peanut butter – crunchy or smooth (not natural)
2 tablespoons whole milk
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

Getting ready: center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch Springform pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Toss ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chops together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in another small bowl and stir with a fork just until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan (they should go up about 2 inches on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Crape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Wipe out (do not wash) the bowl, fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one, or continue with the hand mixer, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts and the milk.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gingerly fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Scrape the mouse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.

To Finish The Torte: put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan.

Bring the remaining ½ cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and , working with a a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and glossy.

Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing it with a metal icing spatula. Scatter the remaining ½ cup peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, about 20 minutes.

When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the Springform pan; it’s easiest to warm the pan with a hairdryer, and then remove the sides, but you can also wrap a kitchen towel damped with hot water around the pan and leave it there for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Well things are starting to be a little less crazy around here. We have a routine with the dog and I’m no longer an anxious mess, so cooking and eating are actually appealing again I haven’t found any new recipes to try this week but stop in on Tuesday to see my latest TWD baked treat!

Monday: Mexican Lasagna in honor of Cinco de Mayo

Tuesday: blue cheeseburgers

Wednesday: chicken salad sandwiches

Thursday: homemade pizza w/veggies and goat cheese

Friday: haven’t thought that far ahead yet

See what’s on the menus of other food bloggers by going to the weekly roundup post here.

Despite being extremely preoccupied with the latest addition to our family, I did manage to get food on the table a couple of nights this week!  I haven’t had much time to read through the latest issue of Cooking Light, but this recipe did catch my eye and I put it on our weekly menu.  I really liked the flavor of the turkey sausage and the cherry tomatoes were a great fresh addition to this dish.  Photographing food with a puppy in the house is my latest challenge, he is into EVERYTHING!

Three-Cheese Baked Penne (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups uncooked whole wheat penne (about 8 ounces tube-shaped pasta)
Cooking spray
2 (4-ounce) links sweet turkey Italian sausage
1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
10 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 garlic clove, minced
Dash of salt
1 (8-ounce) can garlic-and-herb tomato sauce
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add bell pepper and next 6 ingredients (through salt) to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until bell pepper is tender. Stir in tomato sauce. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add pasta to pan, tossing gently to coat. Spoon pasta mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Stir in mozzarella and goat cheese; sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 350° for 7 minutes or until bubbly and top is browned.

Serves 6

WW pts per serving=7

Well I did have intentions on trying out the Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake for this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie, chosen by Caitlin of Engineer Baker, but then on Friday of last week we found out we were going to become parents….PUG parents!  Saturday morning we brought home our first baby, Toby the Pug.  He comes from a rescue outside St. Louis and he has kept us insanely busy!  I didn’t really eat for the first 3 days we had him, I was very anxious and stressed out (yeah I lost 7lbs in the last week, not good!!)  and the meals we’re having this week are super easy i.e. hot dogs, crockpot meals, frozen pizza, etc.  At least I am actually eating again!  Hopefully I’ll get back in the kitchen soon!  I really want to make the next TWD recipe so I will schedule time for that over the weekend!  Check back next Tuesday for the chocolate peanut butter torte!  And to tide you over until my next blog entry (which may not be until next Tuesday!), here’s a picture of my baby.  Yeah, you wouldn’t be cooking much either if that little face was staring you down every second you were home!

check out how the other TWD bakers did this week over on the blogroll!

I’m revisiting another recipe that I’ve made before. I’ve calculated the WW points using e-tools and taken some new pictures. It was a quick and easy dinner for a Thursday night (Office night!!) and I served it with spinach salad with warm bacon dressing. Best part was I got to use one of my new tart pans for the first time. Loved it!! The 11 inch was the perfect size for the Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust.

Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche (from Weight Watchers online)

6 oz pie crust, 9-inch, refrigerated
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup red onion(s), chopped
1 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
1 large egg(s)
2 large egg white(s)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
10 oz frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well-drained
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Press pie crust into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch, removable-bottom tart pan (I used my 11 inch) or a 9-inch pie pan; refrigerate until ready to use.

To make filling, heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Transfer onion to a large bowl and add ricotta cheese, cheddar cheese, egg, egg whites, mustard, oregano, salt and pepper; mix well and fold in broccoli. Spoon mixture into prepared crust and level surface with a wooden spoon; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake until a knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing into 8 pieces.

Serves 8

WW pts per serving = 6

I know I said we weren’t really trying any new recipes this week but I lied!  Tyler requested I buy a bag of spinach last weekend and since we’d gone 4 days without using it I figured it was time I took matters into my own hands.  So I got a recommendation for what to do with this salad from another blogger and was led to this tasty looking recipe!  I made a few changes to lighten it up (removed the bacon grease from the dressing) and Tyler and I think it’s a winner!

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing (original recipe courtesy of Alton Brown)

8 ounces baby spinach
2 large eggs, hardboiled
4 pieces bacon cooked and chopped
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 T EVOO
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large white mushrooms, sliced
3 ounces red onion (1 small), very thinly sliced
1/4 c. crumbled blue cheese

Remove the stems from the spinach and wash, drain and pat dry thoroughly. Place into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Whisk together the red wine vinegar, EVOO, sugar and Dijon mustard. Season with a small pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper.

Add the mushrooms, sliced onion, and blue cheese to the spinach and toss. Add the dressing and bacon and toss to combine. Divide the spinach between 4 plates or bowls and evenly divide the egg among them. Season with pepper, as desired. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Approx WW pts. per serving = 4

This was a delicious bruschetta recipe!  So glad I remembered that I had seen it awhile back.  I just typed in “bruschetta” in my google reader search and it came up, even though I hadn’t actually bookmarked it.  Love that Google Reader!  I whipped up the mixture fairly quickly and managed not to burn the toasts too bad.  I didn’t rub them with garlic because I don’t really “get” how you do this.  I’ve tried but….nothing happens.  So I just drizzled the toasts with EVOO and called it a day, I thought they tasted great and my friends agreed.  I took the filling and toasts to the first meeting of our cooking club and let people assemble them themselves.   Our next meeting is in June and we will be learning to make risotto from the group members that already know how to make it.  I’ve never made it so I’m excited.  Also on our list of ideas: making fresh pasta, making our own sushi, trying local ethnic restaurants, fondue night.  It will be great!  I will absolutely be making this recipe again, it was SO good.  The arugula really gave it a kick!  Our local grocery store was out arugula but SuperTarget had it, what would I do without Target?

Bruschetta with Arugula, Smoked Mozzarella, and Tomatoes (as seen on Cara’s Cravings, originally from Epicurious)

Ingredients:
1 large bunch of arugula (about 1/4 pound), coarse stems discarded and the leaves washed well and
spun dry
1/2 pound smoked mozzarella, chopped fine
2 tomatoes (1/2 pound total), seeded and chopped fine
12 diagonally cut 1/2-inch-thick slices of Italian bread (about 1 1/2
loaves)
2 garlic cloves, halved
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation:
Chop the arugula fine and in a bowl stir it together with the mozzarella, the tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Grill the bread on a rack set 4 inches over glowing coals, turning it once, until it is golden. (Alternatively, the bread may be toasted on a rack in a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat, turning it once.) Rub the toasts with the garlic on one side and brush the same side with half the oil. Spoon the arugula mixture onto the oiled sides of the toasts and drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over it.

Carrot cake was a challenge I knew I could handle! Unlike the marshmallows last week this recipe gave me very few headaches, and it turned out wonderfully. Now as much as I love a huge slice of carrot cake layered with cream cheese frosting, I only let myself join TWD on the condition that I would not use it as an excuse to gorge myself on sweet baked goods. So I opted to make cupcakes that Tyler and I could easily transport and pawn off on our co-workers and one mini-cake for us to split.

I had actually seen this recipe featured awhile back on Nemmie’s blog and I bookmarked it for later use. I love what she did with her mini-cakes! Unfortunately I dropped the pan while I was testing for doneness and my cake collapsed a bit and ended up lopsided. So I wasn’t able to cut it in half and turn it into a mini-layer cake. I just covered it with frosting instead. SO VERY DELISH! I think the toasted coconut on top really adds the perfect touch! I opted for pecans instead of walnuts and I also omitted the raisins. I know Tyler and I would have just picked them out. Everyone we shared the cupcakes with has just raved about them! They taste so delicious, the cake is perfectly moist and the frosting is just gooey enough.

The only real “problem” I had with this recipe was that the cupcakes sank a bit in the center, which I read other people had happen with their cupcakes as well. The frosting covered it up though so no big deal.

To see how other TWD participants fared with this week’s challenge, head on over to the blogroll.

Bill’s Big Carrot Cake (from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours)

Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots (about 9 carrots, you can grate them in food processor fitted w/ a shredding a blade or use a box grater) (I bought julienned carrots and ran them through the food processor a few times to chop them up, saved me a ton of time!)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
½ cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs

For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese and had no problems)
1 stick ( 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound or 3 and ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
½ cup shredded coconut (optional)
Finely chopped toasted nuts and/or toasted shredded coconut (optional)
I also added 1/2 T of vanilla for some added sweetness

Since I made cupcakes I just put liners in the cupcake pan, I made two batches of 12 cupcakes each. I baked my cupcakes for 25 minutes and tested for doneness with a toothpick. For my mini-cake I sprayed a ramekin with non-stick spray and filled it 3/4 full with batter, baked for 25 minutes. Cooled 5 minutes in the ramekin, then I removed it and let it cool all the way on a cooling rack with my cupcakes.

Getting ready:

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, flour the insides, and tap out the excess. Put the two pans on one baking sheet and one on another.

To make the cake:

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean. The cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

The cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.

To make the frosting:

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract. (I added the vanilla with the lemon juice)

If you’d like coconut in the filling, scoop about half of the frosting and stir the coconut into this position.

To assemble the cake:

Put one layer top side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. If you added the coconut to the frosting, use half of the coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer (or generously cover with plain frosting). Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake stop side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting or plain frosting. Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top- and the sides- of the cake. Finish the top with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle them on now while the frosting is soft.

Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

Serving:

This cake can be served as soon as the frosting is set. It can also wait, at room temperature and covered with a cake keeper overnight. The cake is best served in thick slices at room temperature and while it’s good plain, it’s even better with vanilla ice cream or some lemon curd.

Storing:

The cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen. Freeze it uncovered, then when it’s firm, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.

Not trying many new recipes this week, decided to stick to what I know to save time. Monday night my new cooking club is meeting for the first time, I’m excited! It’s basically just a group of other newlyweds that want to learn new skills and figure it’s cheaper to teach each other than take classes It should be a lot of fun! The weather is improving and I’d like to spend more time outside and less time in the kitchen!

Monday: Julia-cooking club appetizer night. Making bruschetta with smoked mozzarella Tyler- spinach salad with grilled salmon.

Tuesday: chicken orzo salad w/goat cheese

Wednesday: slow cooker beef stew

Thursday: broccoli-cheddar quiche

Friday: Chick-fil-a baby!

See what’s on the menus of other food bloggers by going to the weekly roundup post here.

Oh sweet mercy this pasta was so so so good!  The toasted pine nuts truly made the dish, they are small but packed with so much flavor!  Kind of high in WW points, but worth it!  Tastes great reheated for lunch the next day too!

Spinach-Feta Pasta with Pine Nuts (adapted from recipezaar)

Ingredients:

8 oz pasta (I used campanelle)
1.5 T extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz crumbled low fat feta cheese
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 T toasted pine nuts
fresh spinach to taste (I used 5 big handfuls, I love the stuff!)

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.  Heat olive oil in large deep skillet or wok, add garlic and saute over medium heat for about 30 seconds, being careful not to let garlic brown.  Stir in cooked pasta.  Stir in feta and Parmesan cheese and cook for 2-3 minutes, until feta cheese just starts to melt and pasta and cheese is thoroughly melted through.  Stir in spinach and continue to heat until spinach barely starts to wilt.  Take pasta off heat and stir in the pine nuts.  Transfer to serving dish and serve.

Serves 4

WW pts per serving = approx. 8