Scotch Truffles for a Scottish birthday!

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Not Crocker

Lindsay from Appetite had her birthday yesterday and I had wanted to make her something awesome. She is Scottish and after a little research into what constitutes a Scottish treat, I found that most of the treats sounded like something a grandma would make. They all sounded tasty, but nothing struck me as exciting birthday food. Then I racked my brain for another way to bring Scotland into a birthday treat. With haggis out of the question, only because Robert Burns Day had just passed, my mind went to one of my best friend’s favourite drinks, Scotch. Scotch! Of course!

I remember three years ago at my sister’s wedding my dad had set up a Scotch tasting for anyone willing to try. Jon’s brother and I were two of the few who stepped up to the plate. Brian went first, and trying his best to humour my dad’s enthusiasm tried them all, sputtered and admitted defeat. I was next, I maybe made it through two. And these were great Scotches, some of the best I’ve had since. This past year I got to know my wonderful friend Caelin who got me into Scotch. We did fancy tastings and learned how to appreciate the good stuff. While in the Yukon this fall, I proudly partook in the daily Scotch sipping sessions, again with some of the most delicious Scotches I’ve had. This fall we also learned that Scotch pairs well with Cheetos, who knew! (Though really, what doesn’t go well with Cheetos…)

One of the ways the Caelin eased me into Scotch was with this incredible flourless chocolate cake from Chewies in Kits. We’d sip a little Scotch, eat a bite of the rich dark chocolate cake, and float straight up to flavour heaven. It was this flavour combination that I wanted to recreate with these truffles. Had I been in the Yukon when creating these, I would’ve used one of my dad’s amazing and peat Scotches as the rich flavour is so beautiful with dark chocolate. Sadly, I am here and am looking for a job, so I had to use a much less fancy, but still tasty-enough blend that did the trick. If you do make these gorgeous treats, use a great Scotch. Also, I used a 72% Bittersweet chocolate, I would recommend using something slightly less dark, maybe 65%. These were delicious, but may not be really everyone’s cup of tea.

Scotch Truffles

INGREDIENTS

500g dark chocolate wafers, or roughly chopped
3/4 cup whipping cream
4-5 tbsp Scotch
cocoa powder or icing sugar for rolling

DIRECTIONS

Dump your chocolate into a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a small pot, heat your whipping cream over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, making sure not to scald it.
Pour the simmered cream over the chocolate, stir well until smooth. Add the scotch and stir into the ganache.
Allow the ganache to sit on the counter for 1-2 hours, until hardened enough to scoop.
Use a spoon to carve out quarter-sized balls, roll in your hands to smooth (or don’t… rustic!). Work quickly to avoid melting completely in your hands. Roll each ball in the cocoa powder and set on a plate.
Refrigerate the truffles overnight. These will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for 1 week or well wrapped in the freezer for a month. Best eaten at room temperature, so the texture is smooth and luscious.

All the ingredients for delicious truffles.

Simmered and pouring.

Work station at the ready.

Don’t feel bad if you make a mess. Navigating my other hand to work my camera was troublesome.

Aftermath.

I made some nicely rounded ones and some terribly “rustic” ones.

Eggnog Pumpkin Pie

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Not Crocker

Ahhh all my Christmas food posts are coming in after the holidays, but I firmly believe that holiday food is best eaten year-round. So, dig out your pie plates and whip up this miraculous dish! It was my sister who suggested that we add some of that delicious eggnog to the pumpkin pie, so I looked around to see if it was possible and went ahead with the baking. This pie is incredibly easy and very delicious. I found the eggnog taste present but subtle, Kel didn’t think she could taste it at all. In any case, this pie is pumpkiny goodness, worth a try. For the crust, I used my mom’s Klondike Pastry from the summer, it’s flaky and lightly sweet with a little bit of brown sugar. It browns beautifully with a little bit of milk brushed on (this time we used a little egg nog). Mom cut the holly berries and leaves out of excess pastry dough, wonderful work!

Eggnog Pumpkin Pie

INGREDIENTS

1/2 batch of Klondike pastry (use one whole egg still), fit into a pie crust, freeze extra dough for future pies

1 large can (15 oz) pure pumpkin
1 1/2 cup of eggnog (make it yourself! Totally worth it! And guzzle some while you bake!)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 375°F. Prepare your crust and lay into a a 9-inch pie plate, jazz up the edges if you so desire.
In large bowl, whisk together all the pie ingredients until smooth. Pour into prepared crust. Top with cut-out shapes if desired (brush with a little milk or eggnog).
Bake pie 60 to 65 minutes or until the centre is just set, and a knife goes in and comes up clean. Cool pie on wire rack and serve with whipped cream.

A one-bowl pie!

Ready to cook, nicely decorated.

Browned to perfection.

The perfect slice… or two.

Eggnog from scratch a totally-worth-it seasonal treat!

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Not Crocker

I only started making eggnog from scratch last year, when my mom suggested it. The glory of homemade eggnog is that you know what goes into it, you can adjust the sweetness and the thickness, and it is pretty darn simple. I really like eggnog, despite having a terrible (albeit not as bad as it could’ve been) experience in my first year of university: I was really sick in the last week of November/first week of December and had not left the house for a few days. Even though I wasn’t feeling 100% (I still couldn’t smell or really taste) I decided to leave the house with my roommate to pick up some groceries. I thought it would be nice to get a carton of eggnog as it was the season, so I picked up that, some milk and a few other things. It wasn’t until the next day, when my roommates were at a class they had together that I felt up for a glass of eggnog, I poured it out and mixed it half-and-half with skim milk (I find store-bought eggnog cloyingly sweet) and drank it up. I was sad as I still couldn’t taste anything. I left the unfinished glass on the coffee table and snoozed on the couch. When my roommates came home an hour later they were horrified by a rotten smell. Apparently the eggnog I had been drinking was completely rotten. I hadn’t noticed because I could neither smell nor taste, the texture didn’t seem weird (again though, I was really sick and a bit out of it). The smell was so bad that we stuck the carton outside to freeze. Thankfully I didn’t get sick and because I couldn’t taste or smell any of these events, was not traumatized out of my love of eggnog!
Anyway, this recipe is from Alton Brown (**cooking swoon). I have adapted it slightly to lighten it up, but have included his original recipe in square brackets. It is very delicious both ways, I just like to drink more of it without feeling over-riched. I also omit the alcohol in the initial batch, preferring to add it as it is served to those who want the booze, and as we all know The Kraken is a Not Crocker favourite for deliciously boozing up anything! Alton also offers tips on how to make a cooked version (for those afraid of raw eggs), I don’t think it’s necessary to cook it, but certainly do it if you are worried!

Last Christmas we drank a couple batches of this delicious stuff, this Christmas I was on constant eggnog duty, whipping up an impressive 13 batches (I made three triple batches and two double batches). This is also incredible served in coffee and as an ingredient in the eggnog pumpkin pie I baked up for dessert which will be posted later this week.

Enjoy!

Eggnog

Slightly adapted from Alton Brown’s delicious recipe, also check here for a cooked version.

Makes enough for 4 people, I recommend doubling or even tripling the batch if you have a container to keep it in (we cleaned out a milk jug which worked perfectly and allowed us to shake it well before stirring to redistribute the nutmeg and the frothiness).

INGREDIENTS

4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon kept separate
2 cups of partly skim milk, I’ve used both 1% and 2% [Alton calls for whole milk]
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp ground nutmeg [Alton calls for freshly grated, but I didn’t have this on hand and the nog was still excellent]
4 egg whites

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Add the milk, cream, and nutmeg and stir to combine.
In a very clean bowl (preferably of a mixer) beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Add the tablespoon of sugar and continue to beat to stiff peaks. (If you have accidentally gotten some whites, water, grease, etc. in your bowl, your whites may not stiffen enough, that’s okay, beat them the best you can and continue on, the nog will be less frothy but no less delicious. Live and learn!)
Whisk the egg whites into the milk and yolk mixture, chill and serve with a shot of spiced rum or brandy.

Lightened yolks. Scrape down the sides to fully dissolve the sugar.

Cream and yolk mixture set aside, awaiting the whipped whites. This bowl was handy for us to pour the mixture into a container.

Gorgeous cloud of whites ready to fluff up this holiday nog.

Black Forest Cupcakes for my beautiful mother’s birthday!

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Not Crocker

My mom’s birthday was on December 21st, and aside from wanting to spend some time with her family, she said that her favourite cake was black forest. Mom suggested making the black forest cake into kid-friendly cupcake portions, and this awesome dessert creation was born. These treats are perfectly portioned, not-too-sweet treats that have all of the black foresty goodness, without the black foresty effort! Happy Birthday to our wonderful mother whose love and support has gotten us through this difficult year and who, with our amazing father, made us into the women we are today.

Black Forest Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder (regular is fine too)
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 cup buttermilk (make your own with 1/2 cup milk and 1 tsp white vinegar, let sit for a few minutes before adding to recipe)
1 can of cherry pie filling

1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
1 1/2 tbsp icing sugar

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 375°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat until well combined.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.
Scoop 2 tablespoons of batter into the bottom of each paper cup, allow it to spread across the bottom. Dollop a heaping tablespoon of cherry pie filling on top of the batter (include 4 cherries in each scoop). Top with another 2 tablespoons of batter, or enough to fill the cups 3/4 of the way. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch. Allow to cool before topping with whipped cream.
When ready to top the cupcakes, whisk together the heavy whipping cream and icing sugar until stiff peaks form (this will allow the cream to hold its shape in the fridge). Dollop a generous bit of cream on to the cup cakes and top with a spoon of cherry pie filling. Serve immediately, or refrigerate (these keep well in the fridge for a couple days).

Cherry layer.

Topped with batter, ready for the oven.

Little pockets of cherry deliciousness.

Ah, so wonderfully decadent.

My lovely niece Brooklynn demanded that sprinkles be added! She did a wonderful job of decorating for Grandma.

Cookie Swap Official Recipe! Hot Chocolate Sandwiches filled with Pink Peppercorn & Cardamom Marshmallows

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Not Crocker

I wanted to do something fancy for my contribution to the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. I mean really, it’s hosted by the wonderful Love and Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen. The blogs that participate are all filled with beautiful food, designs, and ideas. I have been craving hot chocolate lately and have begun to master the art of marshmallows, so it seemed like a cookie combo made in heaven. Also, I love cardamom and happen to have a bunch of different peppers on hand, so there we go!

Not to wax on about the cookies or the event, or any of that jazz… but I am SOOOOOooooo excited to be part of this. I know that part of building a great blog and following is networking with the community but I’ve been so busy the last 8 months that I haven’t really had a chance to develop those relationships. This is my first step of getting in there with the big, fancy blogs and wave my little Not Crocker flag, saying “Hello, I like to cook and bake too!” I hope that Bailey of Sugar Haven, Aimee of Aimee’s Oven, and Heather of New House New Home New Life liked them! I learned a lot, particularly that I was one sandwich short, so I baked up three icebox cookies to create the one ugly, franken-cookie in each batch… there has to be one… right? Merry Christmas Cookie Swap!

Something that I’d love to know, what is YOUR favourite Christmas treat?

Quick note before baking, you will have to make the marshmallow in two batches so that it doesn’t totally firm up before you fill all the cookies.

Hot Chocolate Cookies

INGREDIENTS

3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3 oz dark chocolate, melted
2 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
Cut the butter into the flour mixture until you have a sandy texture with few lumps.
Whisk together the melted chocolate, heavy cream, and vanilla until a sort of ganache forms. Drizzle the ganache into the dough and mix well to combine.
Divide the dough in half. Knead the first half on a cutting board until it stick well together. Roll the dough into a log about 1 1/2 inches thick and wrap in wax paper. Do the same with the other log. Freeze the logs for 1 hour until very firm.
Heat the oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Using a very sharp knife, slice the log into 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick slices, keeping consistant. Place 1-inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes, turning halfway through.
Cool the cookies on racks, they will crisp up as they cool down. You can definitely eat them all now, they are pretty tasty, but definitely hold off, make marshmallows, and make sandwiches!

Pink Peppercorn and Cardamom Marshmallows (make two batches to fill cookies)

Adapted from Pots and Pins recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1 envelope of Knox unflavoured gelatin
1/2 cup cold water

1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pink peppercorns, ground
1/2 tsp cardamom, ground
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS

In your large mixer bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water, set aside.
Combine the remaining 1/4 cup water, sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
Bring mixture to a boil, allow to boil gently for 1 minute.
Remove the syrup mixture from heat and stir in the vanilla, ground peppercorns, and cardamom.
Briefly whisk the gelatin mixture on high speed. Gradually pour hot sugar syrup into the gelatin, beating on low.
Once all of the syrup has been incorporated, increase the mixer speed to high and beat until the mixture is thick and shiny, 8-10 minutes.
Move quickly and dollop 1 tablespoon of filling onto one cookie and top with another, pressing down enough to move the marshmallow to the edges. The marshmallow sets quickly, so don’t slow down. If it starts to set as you are filling, it will still work, it just wont look perfect.
If you have extra marshmallow, pour it into a flat dish and cut up later for hot chocolates and coffees and snacking.

Massive Step-by-step

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
Cut the butter into the flour mixture until you have a sandy texture with few lumps.
Whisk together the melted chocolate, heavy cream, and vanilla until a sort of ganache forms. Drizzle the ganache into the dough and mix well to combine.
Divide the dough in half. Knead the first half on a cutting board until it stick well together. Roll the dough into a log about 1 1/2 inches thick and wrap in wax paper. Do the same with the other log. Freeze the logs for 1 hour until very firm.
Heat the oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Using a very sharp knife, slice the log into 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick slices, keeping consistant. Place 1-inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes, turning halfway through.
Cool the cookies on racks, they will crisp up as they cool down. You can definitely eat them all now, they are pretty tasty, but definitely hold off, make marshmallows, and make sandwiches!
Stacks of cooled cookies.
In your large mixer bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water, set aside.
Combine the remaining 1/4 cup water, sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
Bring mixture to a boil, allow to boil gently for 1 minute.
Remove the syrup mixture from heat and stir in the vanilla, ground peppercorns, and cardamom.
Well that doesn’t look like marshmallow!
Briefly whisk the gelatin mixture on high speed. Gradually pour hot sugar syrup into the gelatin, beating on low.
Once all of the syrup has been incorporated, increase the mixer speed to high and beat until the mixture is thick and shiny, 8-10 minutes.
Oh, there it is!
Move quickly and dollop 1 tablespoon of filling onto one cookie and top with another, pressing down enough to move the marshmallow to the edges. The marshmallow sets quickly, so don’t slow down. If it starts to set as you are filling, it will still work, it just wont look perfect.