Thursday, September 20, 2007

For friends who asked...

The Pina Colada Cake.

Pina Colada Cake
Serves 16

CAKE AND SYRUP:

Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
Flour for dusting the pan
1 can (15 ounces) cream of coconut
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light rum
1/3 cup vegetable oil, such as canola, corn, safflower, soybean, or sunflower
4 large eggs
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple packed in juice, drained
1 cup frozen unsweetened grated coconut, thawed

WHIPPED CREAM:

1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1 can (8. 5 ounces) cream of coconut

1. Place rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour. Shake out excess flour. Set the pan aside.

2. Stir the cream seam of coconut, then pour 1/2 cup into a liquid measuring cup and reserve the remaining 1 cup for the syrup.

3. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, 1/2 cup of coconut, ½ cup rum, oil, and eggs in large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down as needed. The batter should look thick and smooth. Fold in the crushed pineapple until it is well distributed in the batter. Pour the batter into prepared pan, smoothing it out with the spatula. Place the pan in the oven.

4. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. 50 to 55 minutes. Remove the pan from oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Place the coconut in an aluminum pie pan and toast it in the oven until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan and set aside. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a serving platter.

5. Prepare the rum syrup. Place the reserved l cup cream of coconut and the remaining 2 tablespoons rum in a small mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.

6. While the cake is still warm, poke holes in the top with a long wooden skewer or toothpick. Spoon the rum syrup over the top, allowing it to seep into the holes and drizzle down the sides and into the center of the cake. Let the cake cool completely, 30 minutes.

7. For the coconut whipped cream, place the heavy cream and cream of coconut in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.

8. Slice and serve the cake topped with coconut whipped cream and garnished with the toasted coconut.

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This cake is always popular at parties and family gatherings. I usually don't have leftovers, but the cake will keep for a couple of days.

It came from The Cake Mix Doctor . I've made probably half of the cakes in the book!

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Fall= apple treats!

Apple dumplings:

6 medium sized apples, washed and cored

1 package pie crust (2 crusts)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

12 caramels

Preheat oven to 375°. Divide pie crusts into six pieces. Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Fill each apple with the mixture and two caramels. Wrap each apple in pie crust. Place apples on greased baking tray. Bake for 1 hour, or until pastry is browned. Serve with ice cream if desired.

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Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Pesto presto!

My favorite pasta topping is probably pesto. I make mine with fresh basil from my mom's garden!

Basic Basil Pesto (my own recipe)

This is always a favorite in my family, and easy to make.

1 cup packed fresh basil
¼ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
2 large cloves of garlic
½ cup olive oil (or more, depending on how much moisture is wanted)
½-¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Coarsely chop all ingredients in a food processor. Add salt to taste- unless you use a salty cheese. Toss with favorite cooked pasta.

I like to toast the garlic along with the pine nuts. It makes the garlic flavor a little less intense.

I also add a couple of tablespoons of cream to the pasta as I toss it with the pesto, which gives it a creamier texture. My favorite pasta to use is penne. The pesto sticks to it well, so every bite is full of the sauce.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Another older recipe...

Dirty Risotto

From Giada’s Family Dinners

4 to 6 servings

5 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces pancetta, chopped (I don’t like pancetta, so I skip this ingredient)
6 ounces spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
¾ cup finely chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (I use half that. It’s a matter of taste.)
4 ounces button mushrooms, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 ½ cups arborio rice (no substitutions!)
¾ cups dry white wine
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsely

Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Cover the broth and keep hot over low heat.

In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the meats and sauté until golden brown, about five minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms, and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with parsley if desired and serve immediately.

This is not a quick recipe. But it is a very satisfying side dish. Enjoy!



I really enjoy watching Giada's progam on The Food Network. Her books are terrific, too. This book is one of my favorites.