Remember that roasting vegetables gives them a sweetness that can’t be achieved in any other manner. These are tossed in a cider- bourbon  reduction prior to being placed in the oven and the sauce glazes the apples and onions with a hint of color and a taste that will absolutely knock your socks off. Finish it with a bit more thyme.

You can make the sauce a day ahead and then finish the dish an hour before serving. I  got the recipe from November Bon Appetit but I adjusted some of the components and added the bourbon. Give this a try, I think you will like it.

Let the pan that you have the reduction in cool off before you start licking it out. You could really burn your tongue. Not that I did that. I am just sayin’.

You can leave the bourbon out if you like, either add another couple of tablespoons of cider or balsamic vinegar.You end up with tender, sweet, crispy, tangy, earthy, spicy yumminess that just cannot be denied.

Roast Apples, Onion, and Thyme

• 4 cups organic spiced apple cider
• 4 tablespoons of bourbon
• 1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter cut in chunks
• Pinch of Kosher salt
• 1 tsp coarse black pepper
• 4 Vidalia or 1015 onions peeled and quartered
• 1/8 cup chopped fresh thyme
• 6 Honeycrisp or MacIntosh apples; peeled, cored and cut in wedges

1. Boil the cider until reduced to 2/3 cup. This will take about 15 minuts.
2. Whisk in the bourbon and either flame or boil for 1 minute longer.
3. Whisk in the butter one or two chunks at a time.
4. Add a pinch of salt for seasoning
5. Set aside
6. Preheat the oven to 425F
7. Toss the onions with half of the thyme and half of the reduction. Place in a buttered pan
8. Toss the apples with the other half of the thyme and the rest of the reduction and place in another buttered pan
9. Roast apples and onions, stirring once in awhile, for  30 minutes.
10. Increase heat to 475F and roast until caramelized and done, about  15 minutes more. Watch carefully to prevent scorching
11. Sprinkle with a little extra thyme and serve hot

Serves 8

images : marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

So I did. Results? It was really, really good. There are some things I will do differently next time, but all in all this is awesome. One thing I will do differently is to make homemade whiskey sour base instead of buying it. I know!  I bought the mixer because I was experimenting, if you have a good whiskey sour base recipe use that. The ratio is 1/3 cup Bourbon to 2/3 cup mixer. I tried it 1/4 cup to 3/4 cup and it was a little weak. There are also two ways to add the bourbon. You can add it raw if you aren’t worried that a few molecules of alcohol will get through the heat of the oven, or you can simmer it for a few minutes to evaporate the alcohol. If you simmer be sure to cool it before using.

Please note that there were only two eggs when I took this picture…the hens were lazy. Because the liquid used is not milk I added an extra measure of butter for the fat. This made the cake absolutely moist and tender. Be sure to cool it the recommended time because it will fall apart if it is too warm.

Once the cake was done I soaked it in a simmered whiskey sour syrup. This was really good, IF you like Whiskey Sours. It probably isn’t something you are going to want to take to the church picnic, or have on a weekly basis but if you are looking for unique you may have found it here.

Whiskey Sour Bundt Cake

• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup butter, room temp
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup whiskey sour (1/3 cup bourbon to 2/3 cup mixer)
• zest from one lemon
• 1 cup coarsely chopped maraschino cherries

1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray or butter and flour a nonstick bundt pan
2. sift dry ingredients into a bowl and set aside
3. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy
4. Add vanilla and then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each
5. Add flour and whiskey sour mix alternately, beating well after each addition
6. Add zest and cherries, fold in
7. Spoon into a bundt pan and bake for 50 – 60 minutes or until done
8. Allow to cool on counter for 10 minutes  and then remove from pan
9. Prick the hot cake with a fork and pour the syrup over the top
10. Dust with confectioners sugar

serves 12-16

Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup whiskey sour

Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat

images:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

When I discovered Numi Mate-Lemon Myrtle tea I was an instant fan. It has a sweet lemon flavor that is lemony but not pure lemon. There is a complexity from the lemon myrtle and mate combination that is awesome.

So, it really was only a matter of time until I created a blueberry muffin with it, wasn’t it? I mean it was just waiting for me.

These were so good. The tea added a nice underlying flavor, and the lemon was subtle rather than tangy. The crumb is moist and tender thanks to a bit of sour cream, but if you don’t do dairy you can leave that out.

The glaze is basic butter, confectioners, and tea with a squeeze of lemon. It added a nice finish to both the look and the flavor of the muffins.

If you are using frozen blueberries you can just add them straight from the freezer. You don’t want to thaw first because they will be so juicy that it will throw your liquid measurement off and your muffins will be soggy.

Mate-Lemon Myrtle Muffins with Blueberries

• 2 packets of Numi Mate Lemon tea
• 3/4 cup simmering water
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• Zest from one lemon
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
• 2 tbs sour cream
• 1 cup blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Steep both tea bags in the water for 3 minutes. Remove teabags and allow tea to cool.
3. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl
4. Whisk remaining ingredients except blueberries together in another bowl.
5. Fold in the wet mixture to the dry
6. Stir in blueberries
7. Scoop into muffin cups and bake for 25 minutes, or until tops are golden and muffins test done.

Makes 12 muffins

Glaze:

• 1 cup confectioners
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons Numi Mate Lemon tea
• Juice of half a lemon

1. Mix together until smooth
2. Spread over hot muffins

Post from: Baking Delights

O.k..with that said.. I only check the Daring Kitchen about once a month.  Sometimes I get there twice but not too often.  So when the date got changed from the 29 to the 27 I didn’t know.  You can bet I totally freaked on Friday when I saw daring lasagnes popping up all over the internet.

I was reassured that for this month the 29th was acceptable but that in the future the post date will be the 27th.  Whew. I have made homemade lasagne before numerous times..In fact I have made homemade lasagne from homemade pasta to homemade ricotta to homemade sauce…so this challenge seemed to me as if I would be cheating by doing a regular lasagne.  I thought about chicken and artichoke Parmesan lasagne…I thought about prosciutto, pear, and bleu cheese lasagne…I thought and I thought..How could I be different and challenge myself?

Dessert lasagne..only rule I gave myself was..No chipotle.  This is what I came up with:

Cannoli Dessert Lasagne with Ganache

Yeah.  Cardamom pasta cooked in orange juice, star anise, and sugar, wrapped around a sweet cannoli filling, drizzled with bittersweet chocolate ganache, topped with whipped cream and garnished with pistachios.

So…here’s how I did it.  Ready?

Cannoli Filling

1 pound of whole milk ricotta, drained in a cheesecloth for 30 minutes

4 oz cream cheese

4 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped

1/2 cup chopped pistachios

3/4 cup sugar

pinch of cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla

Whip the cream cheese and the ricotta together until well blended.  Add the sugar, cinnamon and vanilla, and beat well.  Stir in the pistachios and chocolate and set in the refrigerator to thicken.  This is best made one day ahead if possible.

Cardamom Pasta

2 tablespoons very fresh cardamom

2 cups flour

2 Eggs

2 tablespoons walnut oil (not toasted walnut oil..just plain walnut oil)

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

couple of tablespoons of orange juice if needed to acheive the proper consistency

Mix dry ingredients.  Beat eggs and stir in to flour mixture with walnut oil.  Form into a ball.  Knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is very supple and elastic.  Cover and set aside until ready to roll or at least 1 hour.

Unless the dough is sufficiently relaxed you will not be able to roll it thin enough.  The main cause of pasta dishes that are just bland or mediocre is the pasta being too thick.  A thin pasta is delicate and adds a whisper of texture and flavor.

On a counter dusted with flour roll the dough as thinly as possible.  You will want to be able to almost read a newspaper through it.  Cut it in long strips about 2 1/2 inches wide.

Mix 2 quarts of orange juice, 1/2 cup of sugar, four whole star anise, a pinch of salt, and about 4 cracked cardamom pods (or a few teaspoons of cardamom) in a pan.  Add enough water to make it deep enough to cook the lasagne noodles.

Bring to a boil and then carefully add the noodles while stirring.  Cook until done.  You do not want these to be al dente..you want them to be cooked well but not mushy.

Drain well and pat dry.

Ganache

8 ozs of chopped bittersweet chocolate

1 cup heavy cream

Bring cream just to a boil.  Remove from heat and add chocolate, stirring until smooth and melted.  Keep warm.

Assemble

Take a noodle and lay it flat on the counter.  Spread it with a thin layer of the cannoli filling.  Carefully and gently roll it up.  Drizzle some of the ganache on a serving plate, carefully lay the lasagne on the plate at an angle.  Drizzle with more ganache.  Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of pistachios.

Makes 8

Once again, thanks to the Daring Bakers for helping me to push myself to be a little more creative than I would normally be

images (c)Marye Audet 2009, all rights reserved

Post from: Baking Delights