Kheer

An Indian rice pudding with cardamom.  Serve warm or cold (though if you cook it down too much it might be quite firm when cold).

4 C whole milk
1/4 C rice (basmati or jasmine)
scant teaspoon cardamom powder
6 T sugar
pinch of saffron
raisins to garnish
pistachios, chopped to garnish

Soak the rice for an hour in water, then drain off the liquid.  Add the milk and sugar to the rice and bring to a simmer, but pull off a couple of tablespoons of milk while just warm to bloom the saffron. Stir frequently while the mixture simmers.

When the rice mixture is starting to thicken up add the saffron and cardamom and cook for another couple of minutes.  Serve up in individual bowls, garnishing with raisins and pistachios.

Panna Cotta with Strawberries and Balsamic Reduction

Sweetened cream set with gelatin and served with strawberries and balsamic reduction.  This is a lighter super easy to make dessert that I usually make when it's warmer and fruit is in season.

Panna Cotta:
2 C cream
2 C whole milk
1/2 C + 2 T sugar
2 t vanilla
2 packets gelatin (~ 4 1/2t)
6 T cold water

Balsamic Reduction:
1 C balsamic vinegar
2 T sugar

Strawberries, cleaned and quartered or halved (other fruit could also work, but strawberries are the best match for cream and balsamic) 

Panna Cotta:
Combine the cream, milk, and sugar in a sauce pan.  Heat the mixture over medium low, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has fully dissolved.  While the mixture is heating, combine the gelatin and water and allow the gelatin to bloom.  When the sugar has dissolved remove the pan from the heat, and add in the vanilla and gelatin; stir to combine until the gelatin has melted.  Pour in to ramekins or other small containers and cool in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or over night.

Balsamic Reduction:
Combine the vinegar and sugar and cook over medium high until syrupy.

Serve the panna cotta with the berries and a drizzle of balsamic reduction.

Blueberry Syrup

A simple blueberry sauce good on everything from pancakes to ice cream.

1 can blueberries in light syrup
1/4 C lemon juice
zest of 1 orange
1 T sugar
1 T cornstarch
pinch salt

Mix the ingredients thoroughly, then bring to a boil.  Taste and adjust if necessary.

Flan

A lighter dessert custard with caramel sauce.  This can be made either in one larger pan or individual ramekins, though I think it tends to cook more quickly and evenly in individual ramekins.  This is an ideal dessert to make the day before.

Ingredients:
3 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
6 T sugar
2 1/2 C whole milk
zest of 1/2 orange
1 1/2 t vanilla

Caramel Sauce:
12 T sugar
2 T water

Heat the sugar and water mixture over medium or medium high stirring occasionally until  it reaches a rich caramel color.  Quickly pour out enough to cover the bottom of 6-8 ramekins (depending on size).  Allow to cool and harden.

Preheat the oven to 325.  Whisk together eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and orange zest until well combined.  Add the rest of the ingredients for the custard and whisk thoroughly before dividing among the ramekins.  Place the ramekins in a large dish and fill halfway up their sides with very hot water.  Place in the oven and bake until the custard is set, but the centers still jiggle slightly (this will probably take 40-55 minutes, depending on the temperature of the water, the size of the ramekins, and the oven).  Remove, cool, and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.

French Apple Cobbler

A classic apple cobbler with a golden slightly crispy topping.  This one is also a hit made in a dutch oven in a camp fire.

Ingredients:
Apple Filling:
5 C tart apples, peeled, sliced thinly (I use granny smith)
3/4 C sugar
2 T flour
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 C water
1 T butter, softened
Lemon juice

Topping:
1/2 C flour, sifted
1/2 C sugar
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
2 T butter, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten

Peel and slice the apples; I find this takes long enough that I end up tossing them with a little lemon juice to prevent browning.
In a medium bowl, combine filling ingredients. Dot apples with 1 tablespoon butter.
Combine topping ingredients, beating until the batter is smooth
Dot batter in small spoonfuls over the apples, spacing evenly.  It will spread and brown during baking.
baking. Bake 35 to 40 minutes at 375° F or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Baklava with 3 nuts

My recipe for baklava made with a mixture of walnuts, almonds, and pistachios.  This makes an 11"x7" pan, and this is rich enough that it'll feed a small army, or 8 hungry foodies.  This recipe more than most is approximate, just taste it as you go.

Ingredients:
phyllo dough
melted butter

Nut mixture:
Between 1 and 1 1/4 lb of nuts, evenly mixed between walnuts, almonds, and pistachios (I get unsalted unroasted nuts for the walnuts and almonds then roast them, and salted in shell pistachios)
1/4 C sugar
1 heavy t cinnamon
1/4 t ground clove
1/4 t ground cardamom
salt to taste, if using all unsalted nuts

Honey mixture:
1 1/4 C honey
1 1/4 C sugar
5/8 C water
2 cinnamon sticks
6-8 cloves
scant 1/2 t ground cardamom

Preheat the oven to 350.  Simmer the ingredients for the honey mixture together until syrupy, then kill the heat and allow to cool (remember, it will thicken as it cools).  When it's cool remove the cinnamon sticks and the cloves.

Food processor the nut mixture together, and you may have to work in batches as there's quite a bit of it.  You want small chunks but not powder.

Heavily butter each of eight layers of phyllo and put those in the bottom of the pan.  Add half the nut mixture, then add eight more buttered phyllo layers, then the rest of the nut mixture.  Add another eight layers of buttered phyllo on top.  Cut the top layer into diamonds a little over an inch on a side, and if you want to be fancy push a clove into the center of each diamond (this is removed before eating).  Bake until golden brown (approximately 20 minutes).  Remove and cool for 15 minutes before adding the honey mixture; cool another 3 hours before serving.

Black Forest Cherry Cake

Black forest cherry cake, something I should have added here a long time ago. This is a rich, moist, and chocolaty cake which can be quite a bit of work to make, but is well worth it for special occasions. Just make sure you make the cake at least a day ahead of time (two is better) and refrigerate it, or the amount of kirschwasser in the cake can make eating this like doing shots.

Cake:
1 3/4 C flour
1 C brewed high quality coffee
1 t vanilla
1 C buttermilk
1 t baking powder
2 t baking soda
2 C sugar
3/4 C cocoa powder (use good stuff like Hershey's special dark)
1 t salt
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 eggs

Butter cream filling:
5 egg yolks
2/3 C sugar
1/3 C water
1 C unsalted butter, softened
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted
3 T good quality Kirschwasser (a cherry brandy)

Whipped cream topping:
2 C heavy cream
1/3 C powdered sugar
2.5 T kirschwasser

Assembly:
Dark cherries, pitted, preferably fresh, but canned will work (drained if using canned).
4 T kirshwasser
1 oz semi-sweet chocolate


Cake:
Start by buttering and flouring two 9" cake pans. In a large bowl mix together the dry cake ingredients, then slowly add in all the wet ingredients other than the coffee and mix to combine. Add in the coffee slowly while mixing. Pour in to pans and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until done. Remove pans from the oven and allow to cool.

Butter cream filling:
Beat egg yolks, then separately bring water and sugar to a boil. Stir while heating until the soft ball stage is reached (238 F). Very slowly whisk the sugar in to the egg yolks, being careful not to cook the egg. Mix in the butter, chocolate, and kirschwasser. Refrigerate for at least an hour before assembly, you want it as thick as possible for assembly.

Whipped cream:
Whisk cream while slowly adding in sugar and kirschwasser. Whisk it until it forms stiff peaks (this will take a hell of a lot of work if you try to do it by hand); be careful not to over-mix and form butter.  I have it on good authority that kirsch butter is gross.

Assembly:
Split the cakes so you end up with four layers, and level off the top of one of them. Place the first layer and sprinkle with a 1 T kirschwasser, then spread butter cream filling. Be generous with the filling, and let it soak in for a couple of minutes. Top the layer with 15-20 halved cherries, put the second layer on and repeat. After the first three layers are on, put the fourth layer on (this should be the unleveled cake top), sprinkle with 1 T kirschwasser, and coat the top and sides with whipped cream topping. Decorate the top with halved cherries and shaved semi-sweet chocolate. Refrigerate overnight, uncovered, to allow the cake to set and the kirsch to evaporate.

Cheesecake with Mango Glaze

Crust:
2 C AP flour
1/2 C sugar
2 t fresh lemon zest, finely grated
1/2 t fresh orange zest, finely grated
1 t vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
1/2 C softened butter
little water to moisten dough if needed

Filling:
5 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 C sugar
3 T flour
2 t frest lemon zest, finely grated
1 T fresh orange zest, finely grated
1/4 t vanilla extract
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 C + 1 t heavy cream

Glaze:
juice of half a lemon
juice of half an orange
juice of two mangos*
pinch ginger powder
1/4 t turmeric
1 t sugar
2 t cornstarch

*for the mango juice, seed and peel the mangos, then either pass through a juicer (preferred), or food processor and strain through a double layer of cheese cloth.

Crust:
Mix flour, sugar, then blend in the vanilla, lemon and orange zest. Blend in butter and egg yolks; you may have to add a little water if the dough crumbles too easily. Grease a 9 inch spring form pan, and roll out a portion of the dough on to the bottom of the spring form pan. Bake the bottom only in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 6-8 minutes. When done, remove and allow to cool. Place the sides on the pan, and start applying the dough to the sides (this is probably most easily done with your fingers). You want a uniform layer, making sure to seal to the bottom of the pan and come up to the top. This recipe makes more dough than you'll need just to make sure you don't have to stretch it. Pre-heat the oven to 450.

Filling:
In a large mixing bowl beat all the ingredients together, adding the eggs last and one at a time. Mix this until smooth, scraping the bowl down with a spatula periodically.

Assembly:
Pour the filling in to the spring form pan with the crust and bake at 450 for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 250 and bake for an hour more. The center should still have some movement if shaken when you remove the cake (and the end product will be very creamy, further cooking can make this more cake like, but that's not how I like it). Cool the cake at room temperature for at least two hours, then refrigerate over night.

Glaze:
Bring the mango juice and the sugar to a simmer, meanwhile, mix the lemon juice, orange juice, ginger, turmeric, and corn starch. Mix this in to the mango juice and simmer until reduced by about half, or until it reaches desired thickness. Refrigerate this over night as well, then apply before serving.

Mocha Creme Brulee

A silky custard with notes of coffee and chocolate topped with a crisp sugar crust.

10 g espresso roast coffee beans, lightly cracked but not ground
2 oz semi-sweet chocolate
2 2/3 C cream
5 egg yolks
5 T sugar
2-3 t vanilla extract
light brown sugar to top

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees. Heat the creme, chocolate, and coffee beans in the top of a double boiler while mixing with a whisk to combine. Continue to heat the double boiler (without boiling the cream) until the coffee flavor has been introduced; meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light. Slowly pour the cream in to the egg yolks, whisking continuously to prevent cooking the yolks. Whisk in the vanilla. Strain the mixture to remove the coffee grounds before pouring in to ramekins. Place the ramekins in to a pan and pour hot water around the ramekins to about half way up their sides. Bake these until a knife inserted in the center of the custard comes out almost clean (there should be some custard on it, but metal should be visible). This takes ~40 minutes, depending on oven and ramekin size. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before refrigerating for at least 3 hours.
To serve, apply a thin layer of brown sugar to the top and caramelize with a cooking torch; this can be done under a broiler, but the results will be inferior. Alternatively judicious application of a workshop propane torch could also work.