OLD FASHIONED CARAMEL FROSTING

This is one of those great old classic recipes that gets passed down from generation to generation because it is just SO delicious. It doesn't even need cake, I would be happy with a bowl of this frosting and a big spoon!! This frosting would be GREAT on ANY cake!!

A true caramel flavor, not that imitation caramel kind.

1/2 cup butter (no substitutions)
1 cup dark brown sugar (packed tight)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups powdered sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons milk

Melt the butter over medium low heat in a saucepan that has a heavy bottom (this helps the frosting not to scorch).

Add the dark brown sugar and stir well. Bring it up to full boil (stirring all the time)

Add the heavy cream (it will bubble up a little, so make sure your saucepan is big enough). Return to a boil (stirring) and boil for 30 seconds (keep stirring), then remove from the heat.

Pour this hot mixture into a stand mixer and add the sugar, vanilla, salt and 2 tablespoons milk (add sugar one cup at a time). Beat until well combined.

If the frosting seems a little thick, add the other 2 tablespoons of milk and beat well. (I always end up putting in all 4 tablespoons of milk for some reason).

This frosting is too creamy to use in a decorator bag, but it is perfect for sheet cakes, cupcakes, etc.

Keep in mind that this is a cooked frosting and it will "set up" after its completely cooled and be ALMOST fudgy in texture.

ENJOY !!!

Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Eggplants and Olives

Deliciously healthy vegetarian pasta salad with eggplants, capers and kalamata olives.

A spicy combination of Mediterranean flavors

I hope you enjoyed the long holiday weekend as much as I did. 

Here in Los Angeles we had an amazing weather, sunny and hot. Just perfect for the beach! And, as you probably know by now, I love the beach and warm weather. I could lay on the sand, reading my book, soaking up the sunshine and relaxing all day long. And I probably would never get tired of it. Especially if I go prepared and take along drinks and delicious food.

Yesterday, for our family picnic at the beach, I cooked this great pasta salad. Super healthy, spicy and tasty, made with eggplants, olives and capers. A great combination of Mediterranean flavors.

You can serve this pasta warm or at room temperature. For a casual dinner, or a family picnic. And make sure to cook some extra, so you can pack the leftovers in your kids' lunch. It will will save you a lot of time and energy. And the kids will love it!

Buon appetito!

Ingredients: serving 4

• 2 peperoncini (dry, hot peppers)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 medium eggplant
• 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 10 or so kalamata olives
• 1 tablespoon of capers
• 8 oz (225 gr) of fresh mozzarella
• 10 oz of penne pasta, or other short pasta (fusilli, farfalle...)
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 

In a large skillet saute' the garlic crushed or cut in slices with the peperoncini in a few tablespoons of olive oil.

2. Cut the eggplant in cubes and add to the skillet. Saute' over high-medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Lower the flame to medium and cook until tender. Add the chopped parsley.

3.When the water boils, cook the pasta following the directions on the box. Drain and run under cold water for 30 seconds to stop from overcooking, unless you plan to eat the pasta right away.

4. In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the eggplants, the capers and olives cut in pieces, and the mozzarella cut in cubes. Add some olive oil if necessary. 

This pasta is great warm or at room temperature. Store in the refrigerator any leftovers.

Heart Shaped Fruit Tart

You can celebrate this Valentine's Day with these elegant, fruity and creamy berry tarts with custard cream.

Happy Valentine's Day!!
For today, my last heart shaped dessert: made from scratch, berry tarts with custard cream.
I really outdid myself this Valentine's week with lots of sweetness. My kids especially have been super happy with a new delicious, homemade dessert almost everyday. I can't lie, I ate and really enjoy them too. But man, oh man, now I have to pick up my workout for the rest of the month. I started already yesterday morning. I went for an amazing 5 miles hike with a friend here in the Santa Monica mountains, AND I played tennis for an hour.  So much fun! I wish I had enough time every day for all this workout.
Going back to today's recipe: it's simple, elegant, colorful and oh-so yummy. And in a heart shape, of course! I took the idea on how to make the tart crust from a video I saw on facebook: you cut the dough with a cookie cutter, place it on an upside down muffin mold and bake. The theory is great, and I'm happy with the results. But in practice, you have to be really careful on how you place the dough or the cups might come out in a really weird shape. This is the first time I tried it, and with the exception of a couple, most of mine came out quite good.

Here is the rest of the recipe.

Ingredients: To make 12 tarts

• 6 tablespoons (85 gr) of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon of milk
• 1/3 cup (70 gr) of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• a pinch of salt
• 1 cup (150 gr) of all-purpose flour, plus a few tablespoons
• strawberries and blueberries for decoration

for the custard cream:

• 10 fl oz (300 ml) of milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/3 cups (65 gr) of sugar
• 2 tablespoons (20 gr) of corn starch
• 2 fl oz (60 ml) of heavy whipping cream (optional)

Preparation time: 45 minutes, plus one hour (or more) inactive

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In  a large bowl, place the butter at room temperature, egg yolk, milk, sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Blend all the ingredients until smooth and fluffy.

2. Add the flour and blend again. 

3. On a lightly floured counter, roll the dough and cut your 12 (or so) cookies. 

4. On a baking sheet, place your mold upside down and top with your cut out dough. Make sure it is centered. 

5. Bake for about 14 minutes, or until slightly golden on the edges.

6. Prepare a custard cream using 10 oz of milk, vanilla extract, egg yolks, sugar and corn starch. Follow this recipe. Let it cool down and refrigerate for at least an hour.

7. If you would like to make your cream a little more light and rich, whip 2 oz of whipping cream, and combine to the custard cream.

 Decorate the cups right before serving (so the fruit will look fresh) with the cream, strawberries cut in half and blueberries.

Enjoy!

Nutella and Hazelnut Rice Krispies Hearts

Perfectly gooey, chocolaty and nutty rice krispies hearts with Nutella and crushed hazelnuts.

Great snack idea for your kids' Valentine's day party!

As you can see, today I have one more heart shaped dessert for you.
After my two other recipes  this week, the pear and ricotta cheese mini cakes and the meringue cups, I can now say I made full use of my no-longer-new silicone molds. If you don't have heart shaped muffin cups, you can always use regular round ones. But, as you might know, food looks and tastes so much better in a heart shape.
These rice krispies treats are perfect for your Valentine's day party, especially for the kids. They come in a cute size, that can also be easily packed and made into great valentines for the children. And they are really easy and quick to prepare. With the addition of nutella and hazelnuts, this simple snack becomes a delicious homemade goodness: perfectly gooey, crispy, nutty and chocolaty.
Then, for all Nutella lovers out there (and I know there's a lot of us!), why not drizzle, spread or dip the rice krispies with more nutella?!?
It's for Valentine's day after all, and nothing says "love" as much as chocolate.


Ingredients: to make about 10 cups

• 3 cups (90 gr) of rice krispies cereal
• 1/2 cup (65 gr) of crushed, roasted hazelnuts
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup (115 gr) of Nutella, or other chocolate spread
• 3 cups (150 gr) of mini marshmallows

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Directions:
1. Crush the roasted hazelnuts and place the rice krispies cereal in a bowl, so these ingredients are ready. In a microwave safe large bowl, place the marshmallows, nutella and butter. The bowl needs to be large enough, because the marshmallows in the microwave will inflate, and you don't want them to spill all over.

2. Microwave for 60 seconds. Check and mix. You will probably need another 30 to 40 seconds in the microwave to melt completely the ingredients.

3. Add the rice krispies cereal and the crushed hazelnuts and mix quickly, until well coated.

4. Spoon the mixture evenly into heart shaped muffin cups, it should fill about 10 (mine are 2.5 x 2.5 in). As soon as the mixture cools down a bit, press it down to pack, and shape into a heart.

5. Let cool down for about 5 minutes, remove from the molds, and flip (the bottom should look better than the top!). If you'd like, you can serve by drizzling with melted chocolate, or melted nutella right before eating. Store in an air tight container.

Enjoy!

Meringue Cups Drizzled with Hot Chocolate Sauce

Make your Valentine's dinner special with this super easy, crazy delicious, melt-in-your-mouth

meringue cups drizzled with warm melted chocolate sauce

Today was the end of my giveaway. And the winner of a new set of silicone baking mats from Kitchen Executive Chef is ...

Tanya M.

Congratulations Tanya for your win. Please check your email to claim the prize.
Thank you all for participating. And a special thank you to Kitchen Executive Chef for providing the prize for my giveaway.

Now, let's talk about Valentine's day. It's less than a week away. Have you figure out your plans, and how you will impress your favorite person?
I'm a big believer that the thought is what counts when it comes to presents. Yes, no need for expensive gifts, especially on occasions like Valentine's day. My birthday ... well, that's a different story ;-)
The perfect present is a thoughtful gesture that makes your loved one feel special. So, how about sharing a cozy, homemade, candlelight dinner on Valentine's day? Cooking a delicious meal is a great (and inexpensive) way to show how much you care.
And this recipe is just perfect. These meringue cups are extremely easy and quick to prepare. You don't have to be a professional pastry chef to pull this off. But you have to prepare it ahead of time for the meringue cups to chill and set in the freezer. I used store bought meringues, which make this recipe a breeze. But if you would like to bake your own, here is the recipe for you.
You will be amazed by this dessert. It is to-die-for! And I'm not kidding. Every bite is filled with chilled and velvety cream, crispy and light meringue pieces, and hot, melted chocolate. It's hard to find words to describe how enticing these meringue cakes are. You will have to try!

Ingredients: to make 8 cups (2.5 x 2.5 in - heart shaped)

• 10 oz (300 ml) of milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup (65 gr) of sugar
• 2 tablespoons (20 gr) of corn starch
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 3.5 oz (100 gr) of meringues, about 10 (2 inches) meringues
• 4 fl oz (120 ml) of heavy whipping cream
• about three tablespoons of nutella (or chocolate chips) for decoration

Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 4 hours in the freezer
Directions:
1. Prepare the custard cream: in a small pan warm up the milk (or place in the microwave for about 45 seconds). In another pan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, corn starch and vanilla extract until smooth and fluffy.

2. Add a little bit of warm milk to the egg mixture and whisk well. Add the rest of the milk, and mix until smooth again.

3. Place the pan over medium flame and mix until it reaches a slow boil. Whisk continuously, making sure the cream doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook until it thickens, then pour the custard in a bowl and let it cool down. Refrigerate for about one hour.

4. Whip the whipping cream and add to the custard. Mix by folding with a spoon until combined.

5. Crush the meringues with your hands in small pieces. Add only half of the crushed meringues to the cream and mix.

6. Sprinkle the bottom of 8 heart (or round) shaped silicone mold with crushed meringues (using half of the meringues left - the rest will go on top).

7. Spoon the cream evenly in the 8 cups and top with the rest of the meringues.

8. Place the cups in the freezer for three hours or longer.
I suggest removing from the freezer 30 to 60 minutes before serving, based on how long the cups have been in the freezer, and how soft you like to eat them.
Warm up the nutella with two tablespoons of water in the microwave. 30 seconds should be enough. Mix well. You can also melt chocolate chips with a bit of water, if you prefer. Remove the meringue cups from the mold and drizzle with the hot chocolate. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!