Swedish Dammsugare

Here's a special treat for Easter - classic Swedish "dammsugare". The name means "vaccum cleaners", and that's a very strange name for a cookie indeed. The reason? Well, traditionally these are made with lime-green marzipan and chocolate dipped ends, and maybe there was an early vaccum cleaner model that looked like that..? I really don't know, and there doesn't seem to be a simple answer out there, so it'll have to remain a mystery.

And it has many names, "dammsugare" just happens to be most widely used one. "Punschrulle" is also quite common, getting it's name from the liqueur used to flavor the filling. Punsch, as I've written before, is made from arrak and very sweet. If you can't find it, try using something like Amaretto or Frangelico instead - won't be the same, but it'll be really good.

It's impossible to give exact measures here. A lot depends on the type of crumbs you use. I had biscotti crumbs, but if you use something like pound cake, you're getting a much softer texture and might need less alcohol and more sugar to firm it up. My advice is to have extra of everything, and add more as you go along to get a good, firm, rollable texture.

I made marzipan from almond paste, some glucose and powdered sugar, but it's easier to buy ready-made and ready-colored marzipan. You will need about 300-350 g - I ran out and had to throw out the extra filling.



Swedish Dammsugare
about 40 cookies

200 g cake or cookie crumbs (as long as they're neutral in flavor, use anything)
150 g butter, softened
3 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp punsch liqueur

marzipan, see above
150 g dark chocolate, melted

Start by placing the crumbs in a bowl - a regular bowl if you're doing this by hand or with handheld beaters, or in the bowl of your Kitchen-Aid if you have one. Mix in the butter, and then cocoa, powdered sugar and punsch. You need a fairly firm dough, that can easily be shaped, so add ingredients accordingly - and taste it, too.

Roll out thin logs of the dough, and place in the fridge to firm up. Roll out the marzipan and shape it around the dough logs. Place them with the seam-side down, and cut into smaller lengths.

Dip the ends in melted chocolate, and something more if you like - I used some colored sugar, but sprinkles, crushed nuts or coconut would also be nice.

Keep them in a cool place. And if you can stand it, they're better the day after they're made... 

Caramel-Coconut Cheesecake with Pineapple-Rum Topping

Crust: 2 cups/180g graham cracker crumbs, crushed (may substitute 1/2 cup crushed macadamias if desired)
1 stick butter, melted
2 tbsp sugar
pinch salt
1/4 tsp lime zest

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients together, and press into the bottom of a 9" springform pan or cake pan lines with parchment. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant. Set aside to cool. Lower oven to 325.

Filling:
3 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese
1 cup /180g golden brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup coconut milk (found on the ethnic aisle, NOT cream of coconut you use for drinks)
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp coconut rum (recommended: Malibu)
1 tbsp flour

Filling:
Beat softened cream cheese until very smooth. Add sugar, and beat again, scraping bowl as needed. Add eggs, and coconut milk, scraping well after each addition. Add extract, rum, and flour, and mix until well-blended.
Pour into crust, and bake for 50-60 minutes, until cheesecake is mostly set but center still wobbles like jell-o. Internal temperature should read about 165.
Set on a rack to cool at room temperature for one hour, then refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Unmold, slice, and top with Pineapple Rum Topping:

Pineapple Rum Topping:
2 cups fresh chopped pineapple
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp rum pinch salt

Combine all ingredients in saute pan and heat until syrup has reduced to a syrupy consistency. Serve over cheesecake.

Daring Bakers January--Tuile Cookies

Custard-Filled Tuiles with Chocolate Ganache

Batter
Recipe:
Yields: 20 small butterflies/6 large (butterflies are just an example)
Preparation time batter 10 minutes, waiting time 30 minutes, baking time: 5-10 minutes per batch

65 grams / ¼ cup / 2.3 ounces softened butter (not melted but soft)
60 grams / ½ cup / 2.1 ounces sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar (7 grams or substitute with a dash of vanilla extract)
2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)
65 grams / 1/2 cup / 2.1/4 ounces sifted all purpose flour
1 table spoon cocoa powder/or food coloring of choice
Butter/spray to grease baking sheet

Oven: 180C / 350F

Choclate Chip Yogurt Cake

Cake
4 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
5 oz (1 1/4 cups) whole-wheat pastry flour
6.25 oz (1 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups nonfat yogurt or buttermilk (see Tip)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp Frangelico
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

Chocolate Drizzle
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
2 tablespoons low-fat milk


Preheat oven to 350. Spray a Bundt pan with nonstick spray.
Mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and 1 cup of the sugar together in a large bowl.
Mix yogurt, vanilla and Frangelico and oil together in a small bowl.
Beat egg whites in a medium bowl, gradually adding sugar and cream of tartar, until soft peaks form.
Add yogurt mixture to dry mixture, stirring together only a few strokes. Add a generous spoonful of the whipped whites, and stir a few more strokes. Add remaining egg whites and chocolate chips, and fold very gently until mixture is mostly combined--it's okay if there are a few streaks left, take care not to overmix here.
Pour into Bundt pan, spread batter evenly, and place in oven. Bake 40-50 minutes, until skewer inserted comes out clean. Place pan on a rack and let cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert onto rack and allow to cool completely.
For Drizzle: Melt chips and milk in a microwave at 30-second intervals until smooth and melted. Drizzle over cake. Chocolate will set in about 30-45 minutes.

Past desserts/sweets of any kind.

Past desserts/sweets of any kind.

These are not in any particular order. I was just getting everything on.


Strawberry moussed filled coconut bundt cake: This was Jefferson and Jackson's combined birthday cake. I still get requests.

Stuffed french toast and smoothies: I made this for Melody for breakfast when I surprise her in Utah.

Chocolate Lava cake: Don't be confused by what the dish says. It was a gooey on the inside type of cake.

Mixed fruit biscotti: I was trying to use up a bag of dried fruit from Costco so I wouldn't keep eating it. This was a great use for it.

Strawberry Lime crepes

Strawberry Lime crepes

So I was cleaing out my fridge and found many limes needing to be used right away. So I made lime curd which freezes very well if needed. But I decided to use it right away on these crepes we had for breakfast on New Years Day. I spread a thin about of lime curd over the whole crepe, put a little fresh whipped cream, and strawberries and folded them in fourths. A little lime zest always adds a nice elegance as well. Lime Curd is very easy to make and is one of the most decedent things. You should try it some time. Here's the goods:

La'Cademie de Cuisine's Lime Curd (this in only one rendition)
Zest and juice of 6-8 limes (about 1/2 cup juice)
8 oz. butter
4 eggs
12 oz. sugar
1. In a medium saucepan heat the butter and lime juice to a boil.2. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together.
3. When the lime juice come up to temperature, add a little to the eggs to temper them.Add a little at a time until all is mixed in.
4. Return to saucepan. Add zest and put over medium heat Whisking constantly.
5. When the mixture comes to a boil and becomes thick, strain, cover with plastic and chill until ready to use.

I like this as a fruit dip, with shortbread cookies, or as a tart filling. Soon there will be a picture, but it's in the freezer now and wouldn't look so appetizing.

I made a crepe cake by layering the same ingredients that I made the crepes out of and letting it chill before cutting to let it set up a little. It was delicious.

Date Raisin Walnut Rice Pudding

Date Raisin Walnut Rice Pudding

Melody were on the phone one morning as usual and somehow we got on the topic of rice pudding. It sounded like a good snack so I made some. My mom makes with with leftover rice, which I LOVE, but since my rice wasn't pre-cooked, I tried another way.

Place 1 1/2 c of rice in a large pot, along with 1 can of evaporated milk and about 3-4 c water. (I'm not completely sure on the water because I was adding it as I went along. I think the milk doesn't really absorb into the rice so you still need the full amount of water to cook the rice. You can add more water as you go if you find the rice is still a little crunchy.) I also whisked in about 1/2 t cinnamon, a pinch of salt, 2 eggs, and about 1 c sugar (or to your taste). Cook over medium heat stirring almost constantly. The bottom will burn if you are not careful. Cook until thick, bubbly, and the rice if fully cooked and soft. It will take about 15 minutes or something like that. I wans't timing, sorry. Add a little more cinnamon if desired and stir about 1 t vanilla and any dried fruits or nuts. I like to top mine with whipped cream if I have some on hand.

Chocolate cereal cups

Chocolate cereal cups

These were another babysitting project. We are all familiar with peanut butter cereal treats, but instead of spreading them into a pan and cutting them into bars, we pressed them into buttered muffins tins, and filled them with ganache. They are very rich, but very good. The youngster I was babysitting said "They make my teeth surprised". Ha ha!

Cereal part: (in case you haven't made them before)
3 c corn flakes
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c corn syrup
1/2 c peanut butter (I like crunchy, and we also used half almond butter and it was great.)
a little cinnamon and vanilla

In the microwave or over the stove, heat the sugar and corn syrup to boiling and boil about 10 seconds. Stir in the peanut butter, and then stir in to the cereal. Divide mixture between 12 muffins tin sections and press up the sides a little with your fingers, putting butter, oil , or water on your fingers periodically to keep them from sticking. Let them set up while you make ganache.

Ganache:
1/2 c heavy cream
3/4 c dark chocolate chips
pinch of salt
vanilla

Heat cream to simmering. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate, salt, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and shiny. Pour into cereal cup and let them set up in the fridge.

You'll probably have to pry the cups out with a knife or fork.

Orange Cranberry Scones

Orange Cranberry Scones

This scone recipe has become a favorite of mine. I have tried many and this seems to be what I always go back to. I made these for a play group/any girls that are home during the day. A great brunch item. I've also made them with raisins and pistachios. There are many varieties you could make. Here is the recipe straight from Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
• 1/2 cup raisins (or dried currants)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg

DIRECTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in raisins.
3. In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.
4. Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)
5. Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

Cranberry-Orange Scones
Follow the recipe for Simple Scones, adding a generous teaspoon of finely grated orange rind (zest) to the dry ingredients and substituting dried cranberries for the raisins.
Lemon-Blueberry Scones
Follow the recipe for Simple Scones, adding a generous teaspoon of finely grated lemon rind (zest) to the dry ingredients and substituting dried blueberries for the raisins.
Cherry-Almond Scones
Follow the recipe for Simple Scones, adding 1/2 tsp. almond extract to the sour cream mixture and substituting dried cherries for the raisins.

Chocolate Banana Bread

Chocolate Banana Bread

I doubled this recipe and made it into a pound cake. It weighted a TON, and was so moist, dense, and delicious. If I was feeling extravagant that night, I'd have put a white chocolate ganache glaze, and served it with ice cream and fresh whipped cream, but for a stake function, they just got a powdered sugar dusting.

Sweet Potato Pound Cake

Sweet Potato Pound Cake

I made this on a whim to use up some sweet potatoes I had been looking at for weeks. I found this recipe and it turned out pretty well. Expect I omitted the pecans and added dried cranberries and chopped dates. And I made it in two loaf pans instead of a bundt, for no particular reason.

A tip: instead of peeling, boiling, then mashing the potatoes, just prick them and put them in the microwave. Cook until very soft, cut in half and scoop out perfect mashed sweet potatoes.

Mulitgrain Bread Pudding

Mulitgrain Bread Pudding

This is another odds and ends type recipe since it was purely to use some things taking up space in my fridge. I had milk that was toward the end of it's drinkable life, and yolks left over from my meringue adventures, so this seemed like the thing to make. I also had a loaf of multi-grain French bread that always seems a little dry if it's not eaten a few days after purchasing. So here's the procedure:

Cut one loaf of bread into cubes and place into an greased 9x9 baking dish. Whisk together about 10 yolks, or 4-5 eggs (I just happened to have a container full of yolks, but whole eggs will work fine. The yolks will just make it especially rich.) in a bowl. Whisk in about 3 1/2 cups of milk (about 1/2 cup of this was evaporated milk that I also was sick of looking at in the fridge, but again, regular milk is fine.) Add about 1 1/4 c of brown sugar, about 1/2 t of cinnamon, 1/4 t nutmeg, and any dried fruit or nuts you want to add. This one had walnuts and dates. Pour over the bread and then preheat the oven to 350. While the over in heating let the milk soak into the bread, pressing down to make sure all is soaked. Bake for about on hour. Check after 45 minutes and if the top is getting too dark, but the custard is not cooked, cover with foil and continue cooking until it is completely cooked through. You can tell by inserting a knife and prying the bread apart checking to see if there is any liquid. If there is, it is not done. It must be completely solid throughout. It will be puffed up and golden. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or a nice vanilla sauce. It's good at any temperature, but I like it right out of the oven. I served ours with a maple glaze.

Berry Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie

Berry Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie

I was at the store wondering what to make for Mother's Day and all the components of this seemed to fit together so nicely. And I'm so glad it's the summer so I can make desserts like this. I love a new season so I can enjoy the familiar flavors and textures it brings with it.

a package crunchy oatmeal cookies
3 T butter, melted
2 qts vanilla ice cream
2-1 lb. bags frozen mixed berries
1/2 c cream cheese, softened
1/2 sour cream
1T vanilla
whipped cream

Take out the ice cream and one of the bags of berries from the freezer. While they are softening:

In a food processor, mix the cookies until very fine. Add the butter and pulse a few times to combine. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9" springform pan, and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, and vanilla together thoroughly. Add the berries and mix together. Carefully fold the soft ice cream into everything until it is distributed evenly. Spread into a cooled crust and freeze until ready to eat.

For the fruit sauce, take the other bag or frozen berries and place it in a sauce pan with sugar to taste. Cook until it is boiling, the sugar is dissolved, and it becomes slightly thicker. It will also thicken as it cools.

Garnish the pie with the fruit sauce-warm or cold-and whipped cream.

Mint Oreo Tart

Mint Oreo Tart

I know, I know. I've been a slacker. The busy summer has begun, so I hope that excuses my short absence. But I am back and hoping the summer brings some new dishes to my brain. I always love a new season to make things fresh again. I've been pretty busy and it's extremely hot so we've been having a lot of sandwich/salad types of meals. Sometimes I even talk myself out of baking knowing that the oven will make the house slightly warmer. But I'll still be here, just probably not as often. Hopefully I'll pick back up soon and things will move along like they did before.

Anyway...

I made this awhile ago and thought it was a good time to finally post it. It is basically a giant mint Oreo. There is a homemade Oreo recipe I love from one of my favorite cookbooks, Retro Desserts. My dad gave it to me years ago, and I've actually seen the chef as a guest on some Food Network shows making recipes from this book. The Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Vanilla-Cream Filling, as he calls them are a favorite of mine and usually others when they partake. Here's the recipe from the Food Networks Website. I just made a few changes by pressing the cookie dough into a tart shell, and then baking it. (Careful, it puffs up a lot. Try freezing it before you bake it and then put in on a baking sheet so it drips onto that if it overflows. It actually wasn't a very good idea since this dough isn't like tart dough, but it turned our in the end okay. I have a lot more trials to do it in this form before it's perfect and I don't see myself doing that soon, so this is what you get. This website is all about experimenting isn't it?) And then I added a little mint extract and a little green food coloring to the filling. When the shell is cool, spread the filling in it, and drizzle a little chocolate sauce, or ganache on top. I had Andes baking chips so I went ahead and put those around the edge for fun. I think we also ate it with mint chocolate chip ice cream. It was refreshing in a rich sort of way.

Orange Rolls

Orange Rolls

I was looking through the recipes that I was given by people at one of my wedding showers. I totally forgot that people had given them to me. This one sounded great, and It was sitting on my counter staring at me for a week before I tried it. I'm telling you, they are delicious.

Orange Rolls
(From Aunt Ruth Earnest)

Dough:
3 pk. yeast dissolved in 1/2 c warm water
1 can evaporated milk plus enough water to make 2 cups
1/2 c sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp
salt
6 cups flour

Filling:
1/2 c softened butter or margarine
1/2 c sugar
grated orange zest
1 t OJ concentrate

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
about 2 T OJ concentrate (enough to make it pourable)

Mix in order-cover, let rise about 2 hours. Dough should be sticky. Roll 1/2 of the dough in a WELL floured surface into a rectangle. Spread half the filling on the dough. Fold into thirds, like a letter, cut into strips with a pizza cutter, and twist each strip a couple times. Place on a foil lined, greased baking sheet a couple inches apart. Let rise about 20 minutes (or overnight in the fridge. I did that with the other half since I didn't need them that night), and bake for about 20-25 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Glaze immediately.
Not all of this is exactly what the recipe said, but I gave the directions how I made them. With the other half of the dough, I just did them cinnamon roll style, rolling the dough/filling up, and slicing it. You will love the results. You can also, of course make these into cinnamon rolls too.

Warm White Chocolate Ganache with Frozen Berries

Warm White Chocolate Ganache with Frozen Berries

So simple, yet so divine. This was the desert course of Father's Day. I saw Ina Garten make this on Barefoot Contessa a long time ago and it just popped into my head. I wanted something summery and easy for me to prepare. I made a simple white chocolate ganache using 1 c half and half (cream will also do, this is just what I had) and a 12 oz. bag of white chocolate chips. Next time I'll probably only use 1/2 c of liquid making it thicker, but it worked fine. Place both ingredients over a double boiler whisking until it becomes smooth. Make sure the water is only at a simmer, not a rolling boil. White Chocolate is very sensitive. Once all the chocolate is melted, take off the heat and add a little vanilla if you'd like, though it doesn't need it. (This is also a good time to add a little of any good good liqueurs you have on hand- Grand Marnier, Rum, Triple Sec... sounds good to me.) Place frozen berries of your choice in your serving bowls. We used raspberries and blueberries. Drizzle the warm ganache over the berries and serve immediately. I wanted a little crunch so I sprinkled a little granola on top.

Banana Split Cake

Banana Split Cake

I made this for my brother-in-law, Jake's birthday and it really hit the spot. I was acutally pleasantly surprised. I mean, I thought it would taste pretty good, but I acutally like it better than I thought. Here's how to do it.First you have to bake one of my favorite chocolate cake recipes in an oven safe bowl. It's the recipe on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa. I first saw it made on Martha Stewart many years ago, and it's been a family favorite ever since. (Straight from the website.)

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" chocolate cake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water
• "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

Chocolate Mousse Parfaits

Chocolate Mousse Parfaits

This was inspired by leftover chocolate mousse I had in the freezer. It was quite simple, and make a very decadent dessert for our guests. In fact, too rich. I could hardly eat half of mine. Next time I'll make them in smaller glasses.

You'll need:
Chocolate mousse (you can use a mix, or your favorite recipe)
freshly whipped cream (heavy cream beawt to medium stiff peaks with a little powdered sugar and vanilla.)
frozen berries
sugar
cinnamon
vanilla
nuts, toasted (You can toast your own by placing them on a baking sheet and baking at 350 degree for 10 minutes or so.)

Make a berry compote by placing frozen berries, and a sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon (to taste) in a sauce pan. Bring to simmer and let cook until slightly thickened and sugar is dissolved maybe about 10 minutes. Add vanilla and let cool completely. Let chill in the fridge. You can use this compote for so many things-pancakes, toast, scones, with cheesecake, etc. Layer fresh whipped cream, toasted nuts, chocolate mousse, and berries. It you want to make it pretty and clean, use a pastry bag filled with each component to layer them. Then they go right where you want them to, instead of getting all over the sides of the glasses. I also have these yummy caramel sprinkles from Pampered Chef that I added at the end. They added a nice touch.