Deniz's Birthday Desert: Brownies and Caramel Ice Cream

Once again, I won't be here for my good friend Deniz's birthday later this month. But I'm also seeing her today and knowing that she loves caramel and she always orders brownies when we go out I thought I would make her a brownie with lots of walnuts, and a caramel ice cream.

The brownies are rich and dark, rather sweet and nutty. They need a tall glass of milk to balance them out... or some ice cream! And it's hot... so ice cream is always better then milk when it's summer!

The ice cream recipe (amazingly good - great texture - dense and rich) is from Tartelettes blog http://tartelette.blogspot.com/2009/07/recipe-chocolate-torte-caramel-ice.html and the brownie recipe is from Dorie Greenspan's "Baking: From My Home To Yours" and it's the 'classic brownie'.

Macaroons: Choc Chip with Salted Caramel

I've been rather desperate lately to find the best recipe for macaroons - the french ones. You know the ones, all leggy on the bottom, slightly chewy yet crunchy. Yeah those, well I've had some issues with flavor and shape, and texture.

Usually they are too sweet. I can only handle a small one, and even then it may be too much for me. I've have also made flat pancake like macaroons that are bendable and bizarre looking.

These were little gems. They were nice in texture (chewy, yet a little crunchy), they were nice and small and I think the best thing about these guys was that they had a caramel filling.... I mean really how can you beat that?

I think the trickiest bit for me is the piping. I'm a little off, so I spent a while attempting to pair the macaroon halves with similar sized macaroon halves... This recipe is from 'Desserts Magazine' a great mag that is free online. It is from magazine issue #5. You can check out the recipe at: http://www.dessertsmag.com/desserts-magazine/issue5/. The recipe is by Gemmi Rizzzi and let me tell ya- this recipe works.

Bread Pudding

A simple bread pudding using ready made ingredients: challah bread, dolce de lechi syrup some bitter sweet chocolate and eggs. It was alright, I'd been wanting to try this recipe for a while and when I finally got around to having an occasion to make it (thank you games night!) it was pretty easy to assemble. Not the greatest pudding, but pretty good in a pinch!
Thank you Josh for the photo!

Monkey Bread

This was seriously tasty. Buttery balls, covered in cinnamon, fused together by caramel. Seriously good. I also added some pecan caramel to the top (I messed up with my caramel which was meant to be a firm caramel candy rather than a goopy mess). This was totally amazing warm. Seriously.

Caramel Pear (should have been poached figs...) Tart

I have a confession to make, the one fruit I've had serious issues with is figs. I adore dried figs, I grew up with a friend having a fig tree and remember standing around her backyard with watching her dog go a little loopy due to the fermented figs it was consuming. But I never really tried figs, and so it is one of the rare fruits that I don't know how to choose. 

I worked for years in a fruit and veggie shop in Australia, helping customers go through the produce and decide what is ripe, and what is tasty. So usually I feel pretty confident choosing good produce. Bar figs. We never really had them at the shop and so I feel that I have this void in my fig knowledge. I know they come from tree's with funny shaped leaves, they come in various colors and sizes, that their season is nowish (though it seems that now is a little late). But I'm not sure which ones to eat and how I go about cooking them, because poaching them makes them taste and smell like the one room at an airport people can smoke. Any advice would be appreciated. 

Anyway back to the tart, this is from my current favorite book 'Mes Tartes'. I love caramel, and I have a friend who loves caramel AND figs so I thought this was a winning combo until I smelled the stinky figs....as an alternative I used beautifully ripe Williams Pears, peeled, cored and sliced to around 4mm thick. They worked pretty well with the caramel. The base of the tart was as always a pate sucre, with an almond cream with creme fraiche incorporated, then it was baked until firm, caramel (with a amazingly subtle hint of vanilla bean in it) poured on top, then a layer of pears and then some more caramel. That's it, a really good tart. However, I think I'd like to use the caramel again with a more simplified (read cheaper base: almonds = expensive and creme fraiche = crazy expensive) because you can't really taste these with the caramel being so dominant. So I'll have to research and alternative. 

Honestly though, you can't really go wrong with caramel. 

Chocolate, Caramel and Honey Roasted Peanut Tart

This is a tart I've been wanting to make for quite some time. A layer of caramel pitted with honey roasted peanuts and then coated by a bittersweet chocolate ganache means decadent salty, caramelly, sort of sweet tasty.

Ingredients: Tart Base

1.25 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter

Ingredients: Caramel

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar, sifted

1 Tbs. light corn syrup

2 Tbs. salted butter, at room temp.

Ingredients: Ganache

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup + 2 Tbs heavy cream

4 Tbs. unsalted Butter cut into 4 pieces and at room temp.

Ingredients: Extras

3/4 cup honey roasted peanuts (or other nuts - this would work well with hazelnuts for a more nutella feel)

Method: Tart Base

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, and butter, and process until large moist crumbs form.

3. Transfer the dough to a round tart pan (9inch in diameter).

4. With floured fingers press the dough into the pan.

5. Freeze until firm (around 30min).

6. Take out the freezer, and prick all over with a fork.

7. Bake until golden (20-25min).

8. Let cool to room temp.

Method: Caramel

1. Bring the cream to boil.

2. Meanwhile, in a non-stick fry pan over medium heat sprinkle in around 3 Tbs of sugar.

3. Wait for it to melt, stir it with a wooden spoon. Then add another 3 Tbs of sugar.

4. When this set of sugar has melted add the rest of the sugar, wait for it to melt.

5. Stir with a wooden spoon.

6. Add the corn syrup and stir again. Boil until a deep caramel colour has been achieved.

7. Stand back from the fry pan and add the butter.

8. When the butter has melted, add the cream.

9. Lower the temp. a smidge and let the caramel boil for 2 min.

10. Pour the caramel into a heatproof bowl (also make sure the bowls microwave safe) and set aside.

Method: Ganache

1. Put the chocolate bits into a heatproof bowl.

2. Bring the cream to a boil and pour half on top of the chocolate.

3. Wait 30 seconds, and then with a whisk very gently stir the chocolate and cream together (begin with small circles in the center and then slowly make larger circles).

4. Pour in the rest of the cream, and stir using the same circular motions.

5. When it is smooth and shiny stir in the butter (one piece at a times). Don't stir the ganache any more then you have to - the less you work it the better the texture will be.

6. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap - pressing the plastic against it as to seal it.

7. Set aside at room temp.

Method: Assembly

1. Using a small rubber spatula stir the peanuts into the caramel. If the caramel has cooled to an unusable concrete consistency put it in the microwave and zap it for 3 seconds and see how it is. Keep zapping it until it becomes useful again.

2. Spread the caramel over the base of the tart shell.

3. Put the tart base with the caramel in the fridge for 15 min to let the caramel set.

4. Next is the ganache - check and see if it is a pourable consistency. If not, do as you did the caramel to make it useful again (zap zap zap).

5. Rap the bowl on your bench and then pour it on top of the caramel and peanuts. Jiggle the pan to even it out.

6. Refrigerate for 30 min. And then let it be at room temp for serving.

Taken from the ever wonderful: Dorie Greenspan "Baking from My home to Yours" pp. 355-7.

Blondies (full of good bits)

These blondies (the other brownie..) were really easy to make. They have a rich buttery flavor, with loads additions (two types of chocolate, butterscotch chips, walnuts and coconut). A very easy and rewarding thing to bake!

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temp.
1.5 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate
3 oz. semisweet chocolate
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Butter a 13 x 9 inch baking pan and place it on a baking sheet.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

3. Using a stand mixer with a paddle mix the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy.

4. Add the two sugars and beat for 3 min (or until well combined).

5. Add one egg at a time and beat for 1 min after the addition.

6. Beat in the vanilla extract.

7. Adjust the speed of the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

8. With a rubber spatula mix in the chocolate, butterscotch, walnuts and coconut.

9. Scrape into the baking pan, Spread out with the rubber spatula.

10. Bake for around 40 min (check after 30 min - you want a knife to come out clean when inserted in the center).

11. Put the baking pan on a wire rack, and let it cool for 15 min. Then turn the blondies out onto the wire rack. Invert the rack and cool the blondies the right side up.

12. Cut into pieces. These will keep for 3 days at room temp. when they are wrapped tightly. You can also freeze them for 2 months.

Taken from the amazing "Baking from my home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan pp 108-9.

Caramel Cheesecake

This is a really nice cheesecake. It is smooth, creamy, slightly sweet and rich. The addition of the caramel layer adds a warm almost smoky depth to the cake which can be further enhanced by drizzling some caramel on the cake when it is being served. Very tasty indeed.

Ingredients: Base
1.75 cups of graham cracker crumbs
3 Tbs sugar
½ stick unsalted butter, melted

Ingredients: Cheesecake
2 pounds (4 8oz. boxes) cream cheese at room temp.
1.33 cups sugar
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. scotch
4 large eggs, at room temp
1.33 cups heavy cream
4 oz caramel (see recipe below)

Method: Crust
1.Grease a spring-form pan (9 inch, with sides that are at least 2 inches high). Wrap the bottom of the pan with two layers of foil.
2. Combine the graham crumbs, sugar and salt in a bowl, and then add the butter.
3. Mix the ingredients together with your fingertips, until all the crumbs have been covered with the butter.
3. Place the crumb mixture into the prepared tin, and press into the base and sides of the pan. Do not worry too much about covering up all the sides (the cake becomes stable as it gets colder).
4. Center a rack in the oven and heat the oven to 350F.
5. Bake the base for 10 min.
6. Place on a wire rack and let it cool.

Method: Cake
1.Reduce the heat in the oven to 325F.
2.Put a full kettle on to boil.
3. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment beat the cream cheese for around 4 min at medium speed, periodically scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula.
4. Beat in the scotch.
5. Add each egg separately making sure to beat the mixture for at least a min between each addition.
6. Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and mix in the cream.
7. Place the baking pan, into a roasting tray that is large enough to accommodate the baking pan, and have space around the edges.
8. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and once again mix the batter.
9. remove 2/3 of the batter, and place it in a separate bowl. To the 1/3 left in the mixing bowl add the caramel and beat for a couple of min until it has been combine (make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl).
10. Put 1/3 of the plain batter on top of the crumb base and smooth the top down with a rubber spatula.
11. Add a layer of the caramel batter, and finis with a layer of plain batter, making sure to smooth the top.
12. Place the roasting pan in the oven and add the boiling water to it – making sure that the water comes ½ way up the sides of the pan.
13. Cook the cake for 1 hour and 30 min. The top of the cake may be brown, and the cake may have risen (mine did).
14. Turn off the oven and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. Leave the cake in the oven for another hour.
15. Carefully remove the cake from the oven and let the cheesecake cool to room temp on a wire rack.
16. Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours.
17. When ready to serve, get a hair dryer and heat the sides of the pan, gently slip a butter knife between the pan and the cake and remove the cake from the tin.
18. Serve with a drizzle of caramel.

Mostly taken from the amazing “Baking: From my Home to Yours” by Dorie Greenspan pp. 235-7.

Chocolate-Caramel Pecan Brownies

These were a little tricky to make, and admittedly, although I did use caramel in the recipe, it was quite hard to detect it in the finished product. Still, these were moist, rich brownies.


Ingredients
1.5 cups pecans
2 sticks unsalted butter
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1.5 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1.25 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup of caramel (see caramel post)
1 cup semisweet chocolate


Method
1. Preheat oven to 350F and roast the pecans for around 8min. Coarsely chop them.

2. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil, making sure that where the handles are for the pan that you go several inches beyond that length. Grease the foil.

3. In a saucepan over medium low heat combine the butter and chocolate, stirring until both are melted the it is of a smooth consistency. Transfer to a large bowl.

4. To the chocolate mixture add the sugar and vanilla mixture and with a whisk, mix until the sugar has been coated by the chocolate.

5. Add the eggs, and whisk for 1-2 min. until thick and glossy.

6. whisk in the flour and salt.

7. Transfer 1/2 the mixture to you pan lined with foil, bake for 20 min.

8. Let cool for 20 min.

9. Stir 1/2 the pecans into the caramel (if the caramel is cold, microwave it in 15 second increments until it is pliable) and spread over the cooled brownie bottom.

10. Pour the remaining brownie batter over the top (once again, if it has become hard, microwave in 15 second increments until it returns to its former consistency).

11. Sprinkle the remaining pecans bits, and the semi-sweet chocolate chips.

12. Bake at 350F for 20 or so min (mine required around 35 min - although I would check at 20min).

13. Cool the brownies completely in the pan, and remove from the pan by grabbing the excess foil from the handle edges.

14. These will keep for around 1 week at room temp.

Taken from :The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes From the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery & Cafe" by Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman pp. 134-6.

Caramel Cake

This was an easy cake to bake - as long as you subtract the time it took to make the caramel. It is nice and easy, and although a little dry for my taste, the icing was really tasty.

Ingredients: Cake
2.5 cups all-purpose flour
2.5 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1.33 (1 and 1/3) cups sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup caramel (see previous recipe) combined with 1/2 cup water

Ingredients: Icing
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup cream
6 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened 2.5 cups sifted confectioners sugar

Method: Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease two 9-inch round baking pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment cream the sugar and butter for around 3 min (on medium speed).
4. Add each of the eggs , and beat between each addition.
5. Divide the dry ingredients into 3. Add one third, and then add 1/3 of the caramel mixture. Continue doing this until both the dry ingredients and the caramel have been used.
6. Divide the batter in two, and place in the two pans. Bake for 25-35 min (check at 25min). It is baked when a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.
7. Place on a wire rack and cool for 10 min. Then remove from baking tins and let it cool to room temp.

Method: Icing
1. In a saucepan place the brown sugar, cream and butter. Stir constantly over medium heat and bring it to a boil.
2. Boil for 5 min without stirring.
3. Remove from heat and cool for 20min (if you leave it too long then the icing becomes dry).
4. Add the confectioners sugar and with an electric mixer mix until smooth. If need be add cream to thin.
5. Ice the cake - first between the layers and then on the top and sides.
Taken from "The Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook" by J. Appel, p. 26.

Caramel Challenge

Earlier this week I decided that I would make a recipe, without the knowledge that I would have vast quantities of caramel left over, and so this week (or two...) will be my caramel challenge week where I will attempt to use the copious amounts of delicious caramel I made!

Ingredients
1 cup cold water

3 cups sugar
2 cups heavy cream

Method

1. In a medium saucepan add the sugar and water, stir.

2. Turn the stove onto medium low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.

3. Increase the heat to high, and boil without stirring for 15 min. You can dip a pastry brush in cold water and periodically clean the sugar crystals off the sides of the pan. Make sure to occasionally swirl the pan to ensure an even browning.

4. Once the syrup turns amber in colour, remove from the heat.

5. Add the cream (it bubbles furiously so beware) and whisk well until the cream is mixed in.

6. Return to medium low heat and stir until smooth (around 1 min).

7. Remove from the heat and let the caramel come to room temperature before refrigerating. This can be stored for 1 month in the fridge.

* Taken from Jennifer Appel's book "The Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook" p 108.

Chocolate Caramel Slice

A moist, extremely sweet slice, with a soft filling and a firm chocolate layer on top. Very nice.

Ingredients: Base

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dessicated coconut

1/2 brown sugar

4oz butter, melted

Ingredients: Filling

1/3 cup golden syrup (found at specialty stores here - I found it at cost plus world market)

4oz. butter, melted

2 x 400g cans sweetened condensed milk

Ingredients: Chocolate Topping

6 oz. dark chocolate

3 tsp. vegetable oil

Method: Base

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Place the flour, coconut, sugar, and mutter in a bowl and mix.

3. Press the mixture into a square container that has been lined with parchment paper.

4. Bake for around 15-18 min (until browned).

Method: Caramel Filling

1. Place the golden syrup, butter and condensed milk in a saucepan over low heat and stir for 7 min, or until it has thickened slightly.

2. Pour over the cooked base.

3. Bake for 20min (check after 15), or until the caramel is golden.

4. Refrigerate until the slice is cold.

Method: Topping

1. Place the chocolate and oil in a saucepan over low heat and stir until melted.

2. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

3. Spread over the slice.

4. Refrigerate until firm.

5. Cut with a heated knife.

Taken from Donna Hay "Modern Classics book 2: Cookies, Biscuits + Slices, Small Cakes, Desserts, Hot Puddings, Pies + Tarts" pp. 16-17.

Caramel-Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake

I messed up on this one because I overcooked the caramel. But I think this would have been a wonderful cake if I could have gotten the caramel right. So I'm going to post it anyway - because I'd make it again.

Ingredients: Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick of butter (cut into 8 pieces)
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate
3 large eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs. light corn syrup
1.2 tsp. vanilla extract

Ingredients: Topping
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1.5 Tbs. light corn syrup
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tbs. unsalted butter. at room temp.
1 cup salted, roasted peanuts

Method: Cake
1. Center a rack in the oven, and preheat to 350F.
2. Grease a springform tin (I used a 9-inch), dust the inside with flour, and line the base with parchment paper.
3. Place the pan on a baking sheet.
4. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.
5. Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, put the butter and chocolate in a bowl and heat, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients are just melted.
6. Remove the bowl from the heat.
7. In a large bowl whisk the eggs and sugars together until well blended.
8. Whisk in the corn syrup, followed by the vanilla.
9. Whisk in the melted butter and chocolate.
10. Still using a whisk, add the flour mix. Combine until just incorporated.
11. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Jiggle the pan to get an even batter.
12. Bake the cake for 35-40 min, or until a thin knife inserted into the center almost comes out clean.
13. Let the cake cool for 15min on a rack.
14. Run a knife along the edges, and remove the sides of the pan. Once the cake is completely cool you can remove the base.

Method: Topping
1. Put the sugar, water and corn syrup in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan., stir to just combine the ingredients.
2. Heat, without stirring, until the caramel turns a deep amber. 5-10min, depending on the size of the saucepan and the intensity of the heat.
3. Lower the heat a bit and standing back from the saucepan, add the cream and butter.
4. Stir to combine.
5. Stir in the peanuts, and place in a pouring jug.

Method: Assembly
1. Spoon the peanuts out of the hot syrup and put them on the cake.
2. Spoon over enough hot syrup to cover the nuts,
3. Allow topping to set at room temperature (20 or so min).

From Dorrie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home To Yours, pp. 264-5.