Category: dessert

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Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

  • 2 cups hazelnuts
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup agave nectar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  1. roast hazelnuts for 15 minutes at 350°F, on a lined baking sheet
  2. let cool then add to Vitamix with half of the cocoa powder and agave nectar

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Nutella Palmiers

summer bulgur-heirloom tomato salad
When I decided to take French as my language in high school I had no idea how many class food parties would come out of it, but if I had known, it would’ve just made my decision that much easier. Last week my professor decided to take a break from writing essays and take two days of “food days”. Everyone brought dishes from different regions and did short presentations on how they made them, while the rest of us stuffed our faces. It was a great time and I think I ate more butter in those two days than I normally do in a month. One of the girls made palmiers, which are my favorite. They always seemed like they would be so complicated to make but she let me in on her puff pastry shortcut. Which made me think; thank God for puff pastry and why didn’t I think of that sooner. For my contribution to the food party, I made my own version of nutella with actual hazelnuts and chocolate, and sugar cookies (or “sand cookies” in french, because the dough is the consistency of sand). Anyways I ended up with some leftover nutella and a craving for more palmiers so I thought NUTELLA PALMIERS, why not? Adding “iers” to the end of basically anything in french specifies its’ tree form, so a “palmier” is a palm tree. It is also the world for elephant ear, because french likes to make things interesting and have words that mean 10 different things.
summer bulgur-heirloom tomato salad

  1. thaw puff pastry, pre-heat oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  2. spread your spread of choice over puff pastry, then roll tightly from either side
  3. put the roll in the freezer for 10 minutes, this will make it easier to slice
  4. remove from freezer and brush top with butter and sprinkle with sugar
  5. slice thinly and place on the lined baking sheet
  6. bake for 15 minutes or until puff pastry puffs and begins turning golden

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Giant Pumpkin Cookies with Spiced Ricotta Frosting

summer bulgur-heirloom tomato salad
Pumpkin everything.

cookies:

  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 1/4 cup raw sugar +a little extra for sprinkling
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 20 walnuts (optional)

spiced ricotta frosting:

  • 3 cups Ricotta
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp pumpkin puree
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 tsp cardamom
  1. pre-heat oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment
  2. beat together butter and sugar with a fork in a large mixing bowl
  3. add egg, vanilla and pumpkin puree stir until combined
  4. add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice and mix until combined
  5. spoon cookies onto baking sheet and cook for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown
  6. remove and let cool
  7. in a medium sized mixing bowl, beat together all ingredients for ricotta frosting until fluffy
  8. spread ricotta mixture over the cookies and sprinkle with remaining sugar, press a walnut on top
  9. great with chai tea. or red wine, as is everything

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Plum Compote

  • 10 plums (don’t worry if they’re unripe and tasteless, it’ll be better if they are tasty but it’s not absolutely necessary as evidenced by the swap meet fiasco)
  • juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  1. Slice plums and heat, covered, on medium-low heat with lemon juice.
  2. Let cook undisturbed for 10 minutes, then stir in honey and cinnamon
  3. Tilt lid up to let out some moisture and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until desired consistency is reached

This jam is great on toast, yogurt or cottage cheese as well. I think I am going to make baked brie w/ it tomorrow night. This tart was a wonderful and easy dinner/dessert. Puff pastry is a great pantry (er freezer) staple to have on hand because of its’ versatility and scrumptious-ness.

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Apple Turnovers

Nothing says fall like apple desserts. Except maybe pumpkin desserts. Which I will broach later this week/weekend. Here is an easy apple turnover recipe I threw together for an impromptu dessert tonight. To top off this seasonal dessert, already made with love, I used apples that we picked with my parents in the Cal Poly orchards last weekend.

serves 2 (heaping servings though)

  • 1 apple
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 sheet puff pastry
  • 2 tsp cardamom
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp raw brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 cup ricotta
  1. thaw a puff pastry sheet, dice apple and grind or slice walnuts
  2. heat 1 tbsp coconut oil in pan and add the apple, cardamom, cinnamon and a drizzle of honey
  3. cover and let simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes
  4. pre-heat oven to 350°F and cut the puff pastry in half then cut that half in triangles
  5. once apple start softening, take off heat and let cook a minute
  6. then fill one half of each triangle with just enough of the apple mixture, making sure you can still fold dough over and seal them and that there is some leftover for topping
  7. then fold dough in half and push sides down with a fork, sealing the triangles
  8. brush with remaining melted coconut oil and sprinkle with sugar
  9. place on lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and puffy
  10. while baking, whip ricotta and 1/4 cup honey in a food processor
  11. serve each turnover with a spoonful of whipped honey ricotta and the remaining apple/walnut mixture and a drizzle of the remaining honey

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Dark Chocolate Avocado Brownies

  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 tbsp cinnamon
  • 2 oz dark chocolate chunks
  1. pre-heat oven to 350° and line a pan with parchment paper or baking spray
  2. combine mashed avocado, sugar, egg and vanilla extract in a medium sized bowl
  3. in another bowl whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, 2 tbsp of cinnamon and baking soda
  4. mix together wet and dry ingredients until just combined and add chocolate chunks
  5. bake for 8-10 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean, sprinkle remaining tbsp cinnamon over top

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Pumpkin Parfait

      This time of year everything sounds better pumpkin flavored. Although I’m not a big fan of pumpkin lattes (too sweet and artificial), I am a fan of basically everything else pumpkin flavored, especially all Trader Joe’s products. The other day I went out to breakfast with friends and had the most amazing pumpkin waffles with cardamom mascarpone. It started me down the bad path of craving pumpkin treats at the breakfast hour when I’m usually my most health-conscious. This is what I came up with. This is also a great breakfast to pack for class or when you’re on the go.

      • 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
      • 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
      • 1 tbsp honey
      • 1 tsp cinnamon
      • 2 tbsp slivered almonds
    1. stir pumpkin puree and yogurt together until creamy and combined
    2. drizzle honey over the top and sprinkle cinnamon and almonds

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Plum Goat Cheese Tart

A couple of weeks ago we went to the swap meet and thought it was a good idea to buy five pounds of plums before trying them. They were chalky and gross and never ripened. Luckily, I am quite the problem solver especially when it comes to all things food related. In one of the most magical transformations I’ve ever participated in, plum jam was created.

plum jam:

  • 10 plums (don’t worry if they’re unripe and tasteless, it’ll be better if they are tasty but it’s not absolutely necessary as evidenced by the swap meet fiasco)
  • juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  1. Slice plums and heat, covered, on medium-low heat with lemon juice.
  2. Let cook undisturbed for 10 minutes, then stir in honey and cinnamon
  3. tilt lid up to let out some moisture and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until desired consistency is reached

This jam is great on toast, yogurt or cottage cheese as well. I think I am going to make baked brie w/ it tomorrow night. This tart was a wonderful and easy dinner/dessert. Puff pastry is a great pantry (er freezer) staple to have on hand because of its’ versatility and scrumptious-ness.

plum jam, goat cheese tart:

  • 1 sheet puff pastry
  • 1 cup plum jam (link)
  • 1/2 cup goat cheese

  1. pre-heat oven to 400°F, thaw puff pastry and roll out on lined baking sheet
  2. poke middle with a fork, leaving a 1 inch border, sprinkle with 1/2 the goat cheese and bake at 400° F for 10 minutes or until it starts to turn gold
  3. remove and spread the jam in an even layer over the middle part then sprinkle the rest of the goat cheese on top, continue baking, about 1o minutes, or until cheese melts and crust turns golden

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Green Tea Ice Cream in Oatmeal-Nut Cookie Bowls

It was really hot for a few days and I made an executive decision that we would need a cool dessert.
summer bulgur-heirloom tomato salad

For Ice Cream:

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup whey/milk
  • 2 green tea bags
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp powdered cardamom
  • 1 tsp powdered ginger
  1. In a large bowl beat egg yolks and sugar
  2. scald the milk/or whey whatever you’re using, then remove from heat
  3. cut open tea bags and steep for four minutes
  4. strain through a find mesh sieve into a clean pot
  5. add heavy cream and bring to a simmer over medium high heat
  6. ladle 1/3 of the cream mix into the eggs and whisk well to combine
  7. add all of the egg mixture to the cream and cook over low heat, stirring until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon or somewhat close, about five minutes
  8. let cool in the fridge for about two hours
  9. put in ice cream maker and follow instructions

summer bulgur-heirloom tomato salad
For Oatmeal-Nut Cookie Bowls:

  • 1 1/2 cups oats
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 1/3 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 1/3 cup ground walnuts
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
  • 3/4 cup hazelnuts + 1/4 cup almonds and  a little water ground into paste OR 1 cup almond or hazelnut butter/spread
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup honey
  1. mix all dry ingredients (oats, raisins, nuts and seeds) in a large bowl
  2. then mix in all wet ingredients (nut butter, applesauce, vanilla, honey) until gooey
  3. mold into whatever form you wish. i did some into cookie bowls and the rest into a loaf pan for protein-energy bars for my dad’s surf trip

 

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Ricotta

I was shocked by how easy it was to make this delicious cheese at home in less that 24 hours. Ricotta is great because of its versatility; we used it for a great dinner on fresh pasta and also had it for dessert on top of cake. We got inspiration and the recipe from Bon Appétit.
summer bulgur-heirloom tomato salad

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice or distilled white vinegar
  1. Bring milk, cream, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice; stir gently until mixture starts to curdle. Let stand 5 minutes.
  2. Pour mixture into a fine-mesh sieve lined with 2 layers of cheesecloth set over a medium bowl. Chill until cheese is spreadable, at least 20 minutes and up to 12 hours (the longer it strains, the thicker it will be).

Original recipe: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/fresh-ricotta
summer bulgur-heirloom tomato salad

After making the cheese, you’ll have quite a bit of whey leftover but don’t toss it! There are lots of interesting and useful ways to utilize it. This article explains all you ever wanted to know about curds versus whey: http://www.farmcurious.com/cheesemaking-what-to-do-with-all-that-whey/

 

 

 

 

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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