Southern Christmas cake aka Cream Cheese-Coconut-Bourbon-Pecan Pound Cake

My office has close to 80 student works on staff and I supervise 9 of the most active employees and so we decided to throw them a winter appreciation party (aka PC version of a holiday party) and the theme was home baked goods. I asked my colleagues to back something sweet and yummy to be served at our winter open house. I decided to make something festive from the December double issue of Southern Living. It was so pretty in the magazine that I just could not resist...

INGREDIENTS
* 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
* 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 3 cups sugar
* 6 large eggs
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup bourbon (or equal parts milk)
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted (1.5 cups if you add the bourbon)
* 1/2 cup shredded coconut
* Powdered Sugar Glaze (optional)--see below
* Sugared Rosemary (optional)--see below
* Sugared Cranberries (optional)--see below

PREPARATION

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until the yellow yolk disappears.

Sift together flour and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with bourbon, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat batter at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla, pecans, and coconut. Pour batter into a greased and floured 12-cup tube pan.

Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 35 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.


POWDERED SUGAR GLAZE

Yield: Makes about 1 cup

PREPARATION

Stir together 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth, adding another 1 tablespoon milk, if necessary, for desired consistency.


SUGARED ROSEMARY

INGREDIENTS
* 1/2 cup corn syrup
* 12 rosemary sprigs
* granulated sugar

PREPARATION

Microwave 1/2 cup corn syrup at HIGH for 10 seconds or until warm. Brush 10 to 12 rosemary sprigs lightly with corn syrup; sprinkle evenly with granulated sugar. Arrange in a single layer on wax paper. Use immediately, or let stand at room temperature, uncovered, for up to 24 hours.
Southern Living


SUGARED CRANBERRIES

PREPARATION

Bring 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, and 1 cup fresh cranberries to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring often, over medium-high heat. (Do not overcook; cranberries should swell and just begin to pop.) Remove from heat, and drain, reserving liquid for another use. Toss cranberries with 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and arrange in a single layer on wax paper. Use immediately, or let stand at room temperature, uncovered, for up to 24 hours.

Recipe from Southern Living Magazine, December 2008.

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Toffee Sauce

12 oz pitted dates, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 c. boiling water
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1.5 c. packed golden brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place chopped dates in medium bowl. Pour 1 cup boiling waster over, stir, and let stand until cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter and flour 9x9x2 inch metal baking pan. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and 1/2 tsp. salt in another medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add brown sugar and beat until blended (mixture will be grainy). Beat in eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and stir in flour mixture in 4 additions alternating with date mixture in 3 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.Spoon 1/2 cup warm toffee auce over cake (recipe below) and spread evenly. Put cake back into oven and bake until sauce is thick and bubbling about 8 minutes.

Cool cake in pan until lukewarm. Cut into rectangles and serve cake warm or at room temperature with warm toffee sauce spooned on top.


TOFFEE SAUCE
2.5 c whipping cream
1 c sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 c light corn syrup (this was the hardest ingredient to purchase.. this is an evil product but I could not think of a substitute--can you?)

Bring 1.5 c cream sugar, butter and corn syrup to boil in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Reduce heat to medium and boil gently until mkixture is thick and deep amber, stirring often for about 35 minutes.

Remove sauce from heat and whisk in remaining 1 c heavy cream (mixture will bubble FURIOUSLY). Strain into medium microwaveable bowl. This can be made 3 days ahead. Cool, cover and refrigerate. Rewarm in microwave in 15 second intervals...

Recipe from Bon Appetit, January 2009.

Portobello Mushrooms w/ Spinach and Goat Cheese

Mmmm... who doesn't like those three ingredients? This was actually one of the entree options at our fabulous rehearsal dinner at Kelly's in State College and I have to say that the version I prepared recently, was just as good.

Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed w/ Spinach and Goat Cheese

MARINATED MUSHROOMS
1 C. EVOO
1/2 C. balsamic vinegar
1/2 c. reduced sodium soy sauce
2 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp. coarse kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. marsala (optional... I did not have any so if anyone makes it with the wine, let me know what you think of the taste...)
4 large fresh Thyme sprigs or 2 tsp dried thyme
6 large Portobello mushrooms

FILLING
1 10 oz. package frozen spinach
1 pound button mushrooms
2 T EVOO
1 c. chopped sweet onion
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 c. plus 6 T finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. seasoned dry breadcrumbs
1 5 oz. package soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled

MARINATED MUSHROOMS
Whisk first 6 ingredients and Marsala in medium bowl for the marinade. Stir in Thyme sprigs. Cut stems from mushrooms and place stems in a food processor. Arrange mushrooms gill side up in 15x10x2 inch glass baking dish. Pour marinade over mushrooms and marinate for at least 4 hours, turning to coat occasionally.

FILLING
Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain, cool and the squeeze excess moisture from the spinach (using a cheese cloth is very helpful). Place in a small bowl.
Add half of button mushrooms to processor with portobello mushroom stems. Using on/off turns, process until coarsely shopped. Transfer to medium bowland repeat with remaining mushrooms. Heat oil in heavy skillet over high heat. Add onion and saute until beginning to brown, stirring often for about 3 minutes. Add chopped mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and increase heat to high. Cook until almost all liquid evaporates stirring often, bout 8 minutes. Season mushroom mixture with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl and cool to room temperate.
Add spinach, 1/4 c. parmesan cheese and breadcrumsb to mushroom mixture; toss to distribute evenly. Add goat cheese and toss gently to distribute. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper. * This can be made a day ahead of time if neccessary. Bring filing to room temperate before baking.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and transfer marinated mushrooms with some marinade still clinging to rimmed baking sheet gill side down and roast until beginning to soften. Turn mushrooms over and divide filling amongst the mushrooms. Sprinkle remaining 6 T Parmesan cheese over and bake until heated through and cheese begins to brown, about 15 minutes.

Paneer etc.

This weekend when Mere was in town I showed her how to make paneer (Indian cheese) and last night I made it into an Indian dinner for me and Mr. E. Mere asked that I post the recipe so that she could turn it into something yummy too!

Paneer is actually really easy to make. You only need two ingredients--1 gallon of whole milk (preferably organic and local) and white vinegar. Bring the gallon of milk to a boil in a large stockpot. Continue to monitor the milk so that is does not scald on the bottom of the pot. As soon as the milk has begun to boil, slowly add white vinegar to the boiling milk until it begins to separate into curds and whey. Once it has separated, take the milk off the heat. Take a colander and line it with cheese cloth. Pour the milk/cheese onto the cheese cloth so that it is filtered through the cheese cloth and the colander. Once all of the cheese has been poured out, wrap the cheese cloth tighly around the cheese and squeeze out the excess why. Place a weight (such as the bottle of white vinegar) on top of the cheese for two hours in order to squeeze out any excess whey. Once the two hours have passed your cheese should be in the shape of curved brick and you can refrigerate it in plastic until you are ready to eat!

I usually cook a yello onion in garlic and olive oil until translucent and then add the paneer. Cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat until the flavors have melded. In a separate pan (preferably a wok), I saute a mixture of vegetables such as green cabbage, mushrooms, spinach, green pepper in EVOO, garlic, sesame oil, black bean paste and/or soy sauce. Sometimes I add garam masala (an Indian spice) and chili powder for heat. It is easier to be creative and once you are finished it is easy to serve the two dishes on a bed of brown rice or with a toasted piece of Naan (in the freezer section of Trader Joe's).

Girls Weekend

My BF from college, Meredith, drove 6.5 hours to come visit me this weekend for a girls weekend--lucky me! So I decided to try out a few recipes that I consider to be
health(ier) comfort foods... For an appetizer I tried a fig and onion bruschetta recipe on ciabatta bread. Wow, this was easy to make and it smelled so yummy as it cooked--what doesn't smell better than caramelized onions and red wine reducing? For the entree I went with stuffed Portobello mushrooms (we are weekend carnivores!), and baked squash. I also thought about throwing some seasoned tater tots into the mix but that really did not fit with the theme despite the fact that they are an oh-so-delicious comfort food that I KNOW will make a comeback. There is a bar in our little town that serves 8 kids of tater tots with 8 different dipping sauces... oh heaven! Oh course a girls weekend is not complete without some wine so I choose a Ravenswood 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (gift from a friend!)to start...
For dessert we enjoyed a sticky toffee pudding which is really more like a mix between a pudding and a cake. It was sinful and very far from healthy but absolutely hit the spot. Enjoy the recipes below!

FIGS
1/2 c. dried black mission figs, stemmed and cut into quarters
1 c. boiling water
3/4 cup dry red wine (be sure to enjoy a glass yourself as you cook!)
2 T sugar
1 small bay leaf
1/8 tsp coarse kosher salt
1 tsp. red wine vinegar

ONION
1.5 tsp butter
1.5 tsp. EVOO
1 medium red onion, halved through core and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick strips
2 T red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. sugar
coarse kosher salt

RICOTTA
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese (I used the skim version and it tasted just fine)
1 T EVOO plus additional for drizzling
1 tsp heavy whipping cream
coarse kosher salt

a loaf of French bread or Ciabatta bread, cut in half
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
2 T chopped fresh oregano or 1 T dried

FIGS--place figs in a small bowl. Pour 1 cup boiling water over; let soak 45 minutes.
drain figs; place in small saucepan and add wine and next three ingredients. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until figs are tender and liquid is syrupy, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes. Add vinegar ; cook 1 minute longer. Remove pan from heat; cool.

ONION--melt butter and oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until beginning to soften and brown. Stir occasionally for about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add vinegar and sugar then sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Stir until vinegar has almost evaporated about 1 minute. Cool.

RICOTTA--whisk ricotta, 1 T oil and cream in a medium bowl until fluffy. Season with coarse salt and pepper.

Preheat broiler. Drizzle bread with EVOO and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Broil bread on both sides until toasted and transfer to a serving plate.

Spread ricotta cheese across both halves of bread, spoon glazed figs with some of syrup on top of ricotta and top with onion mixtures. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and oregano. Drizzle with EVOO, cut into slices and serve immediately!

I will post the Toffee recipe tomorrow!

Recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine, January 2009

Edamame Hummus

We had a bag of frozen edamame in the freezer and I decided that I wanted to make something tasty and healthy that both Mr. E and I would enjoy. So I took Tim's hummus recipe and instead of adding chickpeas/garbanzo beans-I add 2 cups of shelled edamame. It really did not taste that different from traditional hummus but I did love the color!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of shelled edamame beans
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1 T. EVOO
palmful of cumin
1/2 c. FRESH lemon juice (none of that fake stuff in the plastic lemons)
1/3 c. tahini (sesame butter)

Blend in the food processor until and serve with pita bread. We actually took the meal to another level and make pita sandwiches with the edamame hummus, chopped purple onions, romaine lettuce and a schmear of goat cheese.

In addition last night was Mr. E's night to cook... I think he is really getting into this blog thing because he was excited for me to take the perfect photo of the homemade chili he made and then assembled for the photo opportunity. Over the past week he has gotten a few compliments about being a good "husband" because of the fabulously nourishing meals he provides on Sunday evenings.

Pumpkin Praline Trifle

Now that I am officially 1/2 of a nuclear family, I get to share Thanksgiving with two families. For our first Turkey celebration, E. and I will be driving to my grandparents' house. For this gathering I wanted to make something sweet and festive but with a spin on the pumpkin pie tradition. I came across this recipe and my belly sing... I LOVE trifle (one of my favorite desserts that my mum makes..) and I LOVE pumpkin (hence the name of the blog!). This turned out to be really easy to make and I cannot wait to share it on Thursday! For our second Thanksgiving we will be returning to E's grandma's home. He decided to prepare a cranberry relish dish that was mouthwateringly described on NPR earlier this week... that recipe can also be found at the end of this post. Happy Thanksgiving!

PUMPKIN PRALINE TRIFLE

Ingredients
PRALINE

* Nonstick vegetable oil spray
* 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/3 cup half and half
* 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 2/3 cups pecan halves (about 6 ounces)

MASCARPONE CREAM

* 2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
* 1 8-ounce container chilled mascarpone cheese*
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FILLING

* 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
* 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
* 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 3-ounce packages soft ladyfingers**
* 4 1/2 tablespoons dark rum, divided

Preparation
PRALINE

*
Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray. Bring both sugars and half and half to boil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 5 minutes, whisking constantly. Add butter, vanilla, and salt. Attach candy thermometer to pan. Simmer without stirring until temperature registers 260°F, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; immediately mix in pecans. Transfer to prepared sheet, spreading in single layer. Cool completely. Chop into 1/4-inch pieces.

MASCARPONE CREAM

*
Using electric mixer, beat all ingredients in large bowl until firm peaks form. Set aside 1/2 cup mascarpone cream for pumpkin filling.

FILLING

*
Whisk pumpkin, brown sugar, cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt in large bowl to blend. Whisk in reserved 1/2 cup mascarpone cream.
*
Spread 1/3 cup mascarpone cream over bottom of 8x5-inch trifle dish (12- to 14-cup capacity). Place layer of ladyfingers over cream in bottom of dish (about half of 3-ounce package). Sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons rum over. Spread 1/2 cup pumpkin filling over ladyfingers, spreading to edges. Sprinkle 1/3 cup praline over. Spread 1 cup mascarpone cream over. Cover with another layer of ladyfingers. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons rum, then spread 1 cup pumpkin filling over. Sprinkle 1/2 cup praline over. Repeat 1 more time with 1 cup mascarpone cream, ladyfingers, 1 1/2 tablespoons rum, 1 cup pumpkin filling, and 1/2 cup praline. Spread remaining mascarpone cream over. Cover and chill overnight. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead... and actually tastes better if the flavors are given time to meld. Keep chilled.
*
Uncover trifle. Sprinkle 1 cup praline decoratively over top (reserve any remaining praline for another use... like sprinkled on top of ice cream!).
*
*An Italian cream cheese; sold at many supermarkets and at Italian markets.
*
**Available in the bakery or bread section of some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

MAMA STAMBERG'S CRANBERRY RELISH

Ingredients

2 cups whole raw cranberries, washed

1 small onion

3/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons horseradish from a jar ("red is a bit milder than white")

Grind the raw berries and onion together. ("I use an old-fashioned meat grinder," says Stamberg. "I'm sure there's a setting on the food processor that will give you a chunky grind — not a puree.")

Add everything else and mix.

Put in a plastic container and freeze.

Early Thanksgiving morning, move it from freezer to refrigerator compartment to thaw. ("It should still have some little icy slivers left.")

The relish will be thick, creamy, and shocking pink. ("OK, Pepto Bismol pink. It has a tangy taste that cuts through and perks up the turkey and gravy. It's also good on next-day turkey sandwiches, and with roast beef.")

Makes 1 1/2 pints.

Recipe from Bon Appetit, November 2008.