Pom Wonderful

Yay..my computer is all better. Life without the net is just kinda odd.

I was contacted by the folks at Pom Wonderful. They sent me some of their pomegranate juice to try. Sadly I had never tried pomegranate anything. Where have I been? lol It really is good stuff...if you haven't tried it go do it now. No wait. Fishish reading my blog first.

First I made a pomegranate vinaigrette.

Pomegranate vinaigrette:

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

6 tbsp Pom Wonderful

11 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp honey

salt and pepper

Mix together balsamic, juice, honey, salt and pepper. Slowly mix in olive oil.

This is good on any salad but I made a salad of bib lettuce, strawberries, toasted almonds and grilled chicken.

oh no.

havin computer problems. should be back up and running by next week.

No Bake Cookies

Ok I really really love these things.

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2/3 peanut butter

3 cups oatmeal

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

Bring sugar, butter, salt, and cocoa to a rolling boil. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Mix well. Add oats. Spoon onto parchment paper and refrigerate until set.

Poppyseed Angel Food Cake With Honeyed Strawberries

Poppyseed Angel Food Cake:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
12 egg whites, room temp.
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup poppy seeds

Sift together flour and 3/4 cup sugar. Whip egg whites, salt, and vanilla on high while slowly add remaining sugar. Whip to stiff peaks. Fold in flour mixture and poppy seeds. Bake 325 F until tops are golden brown.

For the honeyed strawberries just take some sliced strawberries add a bit of honey and a pinch of fresh ground black pepper. Fresh local grown strawberries and a high quality honey make a big difference here.

Key Lime Pies

Who doesn't like key lime pie? I served those with blackberry compote.

Key Lime Pie
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
3 yolks
1/2 cup key lime juice

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into graham cracker crust and bake 15 Mins on 350 f.

Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
Melted butter
1/2 cup sugar

Mix sugar and crumbs. Slowly butter until you have a mix that looks like wet sand and stays in a clump when you squeeze it together. Pat into pie pan.

Old Fashion Sugar Cookies

Sugar Cookies:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter, room tem
1 cup vanilla sugar
2 egg yolks
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder together.
Cream butter and sugar. Beat in yolks one at a time. Add Vanilla extract. Mix in flour with mixer on low speed.
Form into balls. Roll in vanilla sugar. Place and cookie sheet and flatten with bottom of a glass. Bake at 350 F until edges start to lightly brown.

I'm in love...with my vanilla beans.

Those aren't just any ol vanilla beans nope they are tahitian vanilla beans. Aren't they just wonderful. I can make sauces with em and cakes with em and ice creams with em and pies and cookies and custards and and and I can even make my very own vanilla extract with em. Don't be jealous.

There are three main types of vanilla beans:

Tahitian vanilla has a light and fruity taste. The pods are short, fat, and have fewer seeds. They are more expensive than other types.

Bourbon beans have long slender pods with lots of seeds. To me they have a slightly alcoholic vanilla taste (not in a bad way).

Mexican beans are the same as the bourbon with a slightly spicyness added.

I personally like all three types. I can only buy one type for the restaurant so i picked the tahitian.

Molten Chocolate Cakes Revisited

Molten chocolate cakes with peanut butter mousse.
The cake recipe can be found here.

Peanut butter mousse:

1 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup heavy cream

Mix peanut butter, vanilla, and sugar. Whip in heavey cream.

WOW

Its been a LONG time. I have a new job as pastry chef at The House On Main.

Thats my pastry kitchen. Isn't it great

Thats the main kitchen. If you don't have one you should.
My fav. ring molds.