Strawberry Shortcake – The Taste of Early Summer

One of the great things about the beginning of summer is all the wonderful berries. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, shnozberries … Okay, maybe not those. Still, berry season will soon be over so, it's time to do something extra special with them. I'm thinking strawberry shortcake.

Strawberry shortcake is a beautiful summer dessert. It's pretty simple: a tender biscuit, a sweet and chunky strawberry sauce, and whipped cream. Pretty sexy, if you ask me. There is a little work involved, but it's worth it. Good ingredients are important, though. Make sure you have ripe strawberries, but not overripe. No amount of manipulation can save bad fruit.

Equipment needed

cutting board

paring knife

measuring spoons and cups

mixing bowls

potato masher

whisk

rubber spatula

biscuit cutters (optional, you can just use a large glass or empty can)

parchment paper

rimmed baking sheet

brush

cooling rack

Ingredients

1 quarts strawberries

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)

1 large egg

1 large egg white

11 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided (1/2 cup, plus 3 tablespoons)

2 cups all purpose flour, plus a little extra for the counter

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup half-and-half

2 cups whipped cream

Directions

Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes, place on a small plate in the refrigerator until needed.

Remove the stem and white core from the strawberries with a paring knife. In a large bowl, crush 3 cups of the strawberries with a potato masher. Slice the remaining 5 cups of strawberries and stir into the crushed ones, along with 6 tablespoons of sugar. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes until the sugar dissolves and berries give off their juices.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 425 °F, with an oven rack in the middle position.

Now it's time to start on the biscuits. In another large bowl, whisk together 2 cups of flour, 3 tablespoons of sugar, the baking powder and salt. Scatter the butter on top of the flour mixture and mix together, using clean hands, until it looks like coarse corn meal.

Note: A food processor will make short work of this, but hands have been around for a lot longer and will do fine.

In a separate bowl, gently whisk together the egg (not the egg white) and half-and-half. Add to the flour mixture and gently stir together with a rubber spatula just until clumps start forming.

Lightly flour a clean counter top and turn out the mixture. Gently kneed the dough just until it comes together. Overworking the dough will result in tough biscuits. Using your fingertips, pat the dough into a 9-by-6-inch rectangle, about 1-inch thick. Cut six rounds out of the dough with a 3-inch biscuit cutter or glass. You'll have to gather the dough back up at least once, and you'll probably end up with an extra biscuit, maybe two. That's okay, though. This is cooking, not dental surgery.

Note: I don't use biscuit cutters. Instead, I cut the tops and bottoms off a couple of cans of water chestnuts. Why pay for something if you can recycle something else for free?

Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the dough round on the sheet, 1-inch apart. Gently beat the egg white with 1 teaspoons of water and brush the tops of the dough rounds. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Bake the shortcakes until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for ten minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

By now, the strawberries should be ready. Now would be a good time to whip the cream, before assembly.

Split each biscuit in half. Lay the bottoms on individual serving plates. Divide the strawberry mixture evenly over each bottom, and then top with a dollop of whipped cream. Cap with the biscuit tops, and enjoy.

Make 6 servings.

Strawberry Sour-Cream Jello® Bites

With summer in full swing, cool, tasty treats are in high demand. At least with my kids they are. Not me, though. No no. I'd never admit to make these Jello treats for myself. Well, maybe I'll admit it. They are pretty tasty. It's been some time since I did a Jello recipe, too. Gotta keep up the Mormon stereotypes, don't I? I can see it now, “Tales of the Jello Eaters,” a new book by Clive Barker.

Heh, heh. Okay, maybe not.

This is a recipe I modified from Kraft Foods. I actually use a different brand of flavored gelatin, but most people know it as Jello, no matter who makes it. This one combines strawberry gelatin, sour cream, and fresh strawberries. We're going to break with tradition and put the fruit on top, instead of mixing it in so it can sink to the bottom. If you've every been to an LDS ward social, you know of what I speak. This way, is tastier, and more elegant. Who said Jello can't have class?

Equipment Needed

Kettle (to boil the water)

Mixing bowls

Measuring cups

Whisk

Ice cube trays

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1/3 cup boiling water

1 package (3 oz) strawberry flavored gelatin.

1/2 cup sour cream

5 fresh strawberries, stemmed and quartered.

Directions

Spray the ice cube tray with cooking spray and set aside.

Mix the boiling water with the gelatin in a large bowl. Whisk until completely dissolved, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream. Gently mix until completely incorporated.

Divide the mixture evenly between the sections of the prepared ice cube tray. Refrigerate until very firm, at least 20 minutes.

In the meantime, remove the stems from the strawberries and quarter them.

When the gelatin mixture is firm, fill the sink about halfway with very warm water. Briefly dip the bottom of the ice cube tray into the water, and remove. This will loosen the gelatin and make it easier to unmold. Put a plate or small baking pan, upside down, on top of the ice cube tray. Invert them both, together, and give the bottom a quick tap on the counter to unmold the gelatin cubes. Place one quarter of a strawberry on top, and serve.

Most ice cube trays have about 14 sections, so you'll have two quarters of a strawberry left. Eat them before your kids do.

Jello is a registered trademark ® of Kraft Foods.

Making a Pinky Pie

Making food should be fun. Sometimes it’s not much fun, I’ll admit. Creating food that is fun to see, and eat, can be rewarding, though, even if making it presents a few problems.

One of our family’s traditions is that I make my kids a special birthday cake, decorated according to their interests and personality. For better or worse, my 20 year old son is a Brony. For those who don’t know, a Brony is an adult fan of the My Little Pony show. Yes, Virginia, my son watches a show  designed for little girls. He’s not alone. There are plenty of adults from all walks of life that love that show. With that in mind, I had to figure out how to make the Boy a My Little Pony themed birthday cake.

The Boy is not a huge cake fan. Neither is his younger sister. His favorite My Little Pony character is named Pinky Pie. In a state of punnific inspiration, I threw out the cake idea and make him a birthday pie, instead.

I didn’t have a lot of time with this one so, I did the only thing a sensible person would do. I turned to the baking shelves in the grocery store and bought a cheese cake mix, adding a bit of red food coloring to make it pink.

Next came the pattern. I’d found a Pinky Pie t-shirt for sale on the web, and downloaded a picture of it, copying the stylized portrait of that particular little pony onto a sheet of paper to make a pattern for the top of the cake.

Fortune smiled on me in the form of left-over fondant in the freezer. I mixed more red food coloring with some of it to fashion the mane, and left the rest white for the eyes. For the iris, I mixed up some blue food coloring with granulated sugar and sprinkled it on top. The rest was a combination of red and black decorating gel.

A word of warning about decorating gel. Don’t apply it until just before serving. It will separate and seep a colored sugar-water over the rest of your project if you let it sit very long. Blech.

I’m not going to kid you. It was fun, but it was a pain. I had trouble with the pattern. It stuck to the top of the cheesecake when I was trying to transfer the outline. The fondant kept getting way to warm to handle way too quickly and didn’t want to behave, especially for the mane. The blue sugar didn’t want to lay down where I wanted it to. (In retrospect, I should have made the irises from blue fondant). I had to make it a day prior to my son coming for a visit, due to scheduling problems, and so I was mopping up red and black seepage from the gel before showing it to him. ARRRRGGGG!

The work was worth it, though, at least in retrospect. It really was fun to present, and eat. My wife and daughters were impressed. My son was ecstatic. How could he not be? I’d make him a Pinky Pie for his birthday.

Peanut Butter Ravioli with Raspberry Sauce

My good friend and cookbook author, Mark Hansen , issued a challenge from his Dutch oven cooking blog some time ago to deconstruct/reconstruct a peanut butter sandwich. He made a killer desert in the Dutch oven, of course. Not being a Dutch oven guy, I took a little different route. My version takes it’s inspiration from the Italians: peanut butter ravioli with a raspberry jelly sauce.

For those who don’t know, deconstructing a dish is a way of learning more about how the ingredients work by tearing a dish down into its component parts. In this case: bread, peanuts, fruit and sugar. Bread can be further subdivided into wheat flour, eggs, water or milk, and oil. Reconstruction is taking those components and putting them back together in new ways to create a new and original dish. When I do deconstruction/reconstruction, my goals are to create a magic experience as people enjoy familiar flavors in new ways. Not all of my experiments work out. This one is a keeper.

I’m not going to kid you. This dish takes a bit of work, mostly because I make my own pasta dough. You could use commercially prepared pasta doughs such as fresh lasagna noodles, egg roll wrappers, or wonton wrappers. If you use my pasta dough recipe, you won’t need the whole thing. 1/4 to 1/2 will make plenty of raviolis.

Special thanks to my “sous chefs,” a.k.a. my children: Art Girl and the Boy.

Equipment needed
Measuring cups and spoons
Mixing bowls
Large spoons
Pasta roller (optional)
Pastry brush
Spray bottle with clean water (optional)
Kitchen knife
Pastry/bench cutter (optional)
Large pot or Dutch oven
Small strainer or sifter

Ingredients
1/2 batch of fresh egg pasta dough
1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup confectioners sugar, plus extra for dusting
1/2 cup raspberry jam
2 tablespoons water

Directions
Working with about 1/4 of the dough at a time, roll it out into long rectangular strips using a pasta roller. Work your way down to the next to the last setting. You want these to be thin and flexible, but not too thin. Lay the dough out onto slightly damp towels to keep them moist until you need them. This post about rolling and cutting pasta dough will help you.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the peanut butter and confectioners sugar to create a kind of soft dough. It’s okay if it’s a little sticky, but not too much. You may need to adjust the amount of sugar to compensate for the varying oil content in different peanut butters. Refrigerate for 5 minutes.

To assemble the raviolis, roll the peanut butter mixture into small balls, about 1-inch in diameter. If the peanut butter mixture becomes too soft to work with, put it back in the refrigerator for a few minutes to firm up.

Lightly flour your work surface and lay out one sheet of pasta. Position the peanut butter balls on the pasta sheet in two rows, about 1 1/2-inch apart. Using a pastry brush, moisten the spaces between the peanut butter with a bit of water. Drape another pasta sheet over the top and gently press down between the peanut butter to seal. If the dough is too dry and starts to crack as you lay it out, or doesn’t stretch well over the filling, spritz it with a bit of water from the spray bottle to loosen it.

Using a sharp knife or pastry cutter, cut the raviolis apart and trim the ends. Knead the trimmed dough back into the rest so you don’t waste it. Using a pastry knife or thin spatula, transfer the raviolis to plates and refrigerate about 5 minutes, or until ready to cook.

Now it’s time to make the jam sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix the jam and water. Remove from heat and allow to cool while you cook the raviolis. You may need to adjust the mount of water to create the desired consistency. You want to be able to pour it well, but not be too thin.

Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Reduce to a simmer. Remove the raviolis from the refrigerator and gently add them to the water. Simmer for about 3 minutes, until the ravioli is all floating on top and the pasta is cooked. Remove from the pot and drain on clean kitchen towels. (Don’t use paper towels. The pasta will stick to them and them you’ll have bits of paper on your pasta.) Work in batches so you don’t crowd the pot. Let them cool to room temperature.

Now it’s time to assemble the plates. Place 5 or 6 raviolis on each plate. Using a small strainer or sifter, dust the top of the raviolis and the plate with confectioners sugar. Drizzle the jam sauce over the raviolis and serve. Stand back and watch the magic as your family and friends devour them.

Makes 8 – 10 servings.

You can drizzle honey over the ravioli if you’d like, but it isn’t nearly as good. The acidity of the raspberry jam provides a balance for the sweetness of the rest of the dish. In fact, I’ve been thinking that adding a teaspoon of lemon juice to the jam sauce might be even better. Other fruit jams would be tasty as well.

Emergency (Wartime) Chocolate Cake

In 1918, the Royal Baking Powder Company of New York created a book of recipes, called Real War Recipes, designed to save on eggs, butter, milk and wheat flour.  The book was written in response to a call by the Conservation Division of the United States Food Administration, who was shipping such ingredients to Europe in support of our allies in the war effort and feeding a starving populace. While this modern recipe for Emergency Chocolate Cake didn’t appear in their book, it is inspired by typical recipes of the time.

Many people are under the impression that the name, Emergency Chocolate Cake, is in reference to the fact that it can be cooked to quickly, and with little effort, to quickly appease their chocolate cravings. While I can sympathize with that sentiment, it’s simply not the case. It refers to to the wartime situation and takes into account rationing during wartime efforts. Because of that, it's also a great cake for using food storage staples.

This cake is very easy to make. It’s moist and super rich, jam packed with chocolate flavor. It’s so rich, in fact, that you may want to make sure you’ve got a glass of milk on hand. It can be served straight from the pan or turned out and dusted with powdered sugar or a bit of whipped cream.

Equipment Needed
Measuring cups and spoons
8-inch square baking pan
Whisk
Mixing bowls
Rubber spatula
Cooling rack

Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup cocoa powder (Dutch-processed is best)
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Confectioners sugar (optional)

Directions
Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and baking soda.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and water together until smooth. Add the mayonnaise and vanilla. Whisk until well blended and smooth. Add the mayonnaise mixture to the flour mixture and mix until well combined into a smooth batter.

Using a rubber spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with only a few crumbs, about 40 minutes. Remove the cake  and place the pan on a wire cooling rack. Let cool in the pan 1 to 2 hours.

Cut into squares and serve straight from the pan or turn the cake out onto a serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar if desired, or serve with whipped cream.

Makes 9 servings.

Creamy Lemon Bars Recipe

A lemon walks into a bar and the bartender asks, “Why the sour face?”

Unlike that tasteless joke, these lemon bars  are full of flavor. Creamy, refreshing, and not too tart, they’re a perfect summer dessert. They were a hit with my kids and I think yours will enjoy them, too.

I use bottled lemon juice for these bars out of convenience, but you can certainly use fresh lemon juice. Tossing some lemon zest in with the lemon juice will only improve the flavor. You’ll need 4 fresh lemons and 1/4 cup grated lemon zest.

Equipment needed
Measuring cups and spoons
9” x 9” baking pan
Aluminum foil
Whisk
Mixing bowls
Instant-read thermometer
Fine-mesh strainer
Rubber spatula
Cooling racks
Saucepan
Chef’s knife

Ingredients

Crust
8 Tbl butter
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Cooking spray

Filling
2/3 cup lemon juice
7 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1 cup plus 2 Tbl granulated sugar
Salt
4 Tbl butter
3 Tbl heavy cream

Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions
Cut all of the butter into small pieces and place on a small plate or bowl to soften, about 30 to 60 minutes. Keep the butter for the crust separate from the butter for the filling to make it easier later on.

Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 °F.

Line the baking pan with two long sheets of aluminum foil, perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over the side to make a foil “sling.” This will make it easier to remove, later. Make sure the foil is pushed into the corners and smooth against the sides and bottom of the pan. Coat the sides and bottom with cooking spray.

Making the Crust
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp salt. Add 8 Tbl of the softened butter and mix with clean hands until the butter is incorporated and the mixture looks like course cornmeal. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly across the bottom with your fingers. Put in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until it just starts to brown.

Making the Filling
While the crust bakes, whisk together the egg yolks and whole eggs in a medium saucepan. Whisk in 1 cup plus 2 Tbl granulated sugar until well combined. Whisk in the lemon juice and lemon zest, if using, along with a pinch of salt. Add the rest of the butter and cook over medium low heat until slightly thickened and registering 170 °F on a thermometer, about 5 minutes.

Immediately pour the mixture through a strainer into a mixing bowl, pushing the liquid through with a rubber spatula. Stir in 3 Tbl heavy cream.

Remove the crust from the oven and pour the hot lemon filling over it. It’s important that both the crust and the filling be hot to prevent the crust from getting soggy and the lemon curd cooked properly.

Bake until the filling is shiny and jiggles only slightly when shaken, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool in the pan about 2 hours. Remove the lemon bars from the pan using the foil sling to gently lift them out onto a cutting board. Cut into 9 squares. Dust with additional powdered sugar before serving.

Makes 9 servings.

Big, Chewy, Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

My friend and fellow food blogger Mark Hansen once told me he likes chewy cookies, not crunchy ones. Have I got a chocolate cookie for you, my friend. These cookies are big and totally tasty. Using melted butter, along with extra egg yolks, keeps these cookies rich and chewy. We use dark chocolate chips in this recipe, but you can use semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate, or even butterscotch chips if you’d like to.

Equipment needed
Small saucepan
Measuring cups and spoons
Mixing bowls
Whisk
Rimmed baking sheet
Parchment paper (optional)
Rubber spatula
Hand mixer or standing mixer (recommended)
Ice cream scoop
Cooking rack

Ingredients
2 sticks butter (16 Tbl)
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 additional egg yolks
1 Tbl vanilla extract
1 (12-ounce) bag dark chocolate chips (about 2 cups)

Directions

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally as it melts. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 325 °F with two racks set to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions.

Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. You can use cooking spray, instead, but I find the bottoms of the cookies aren’t as likely to overcook with parchment paper and clean up is easier.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes until well blended. You can use either a hand mixer or a standing mixer. You can also a wooden spoon or stiff whisk, but it will take longer.

Beat in the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla until just combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beaters with a rubber spatula as needed.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture a little at a time until all is combined, about 30 to 40 seconds. Do not over mix. Mix in the chocolate chips until evenly incorporated.

Using a medium ice cream scoop (about 1/3 cup), scoop rounded balls of dough onto the two parchment lined baking sheets, 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are golden and the centers are soft and puffy, about 20 minutes. Rotate and switch the baking sheets, from one rack to the other, halfway through, to ensure even baking.

Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes. The cookies may not look done to you. Take them out, anyway. They’ll continue cooking and firm up on the baking sheet as they cool.

Serve warm or transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely.

Makes 16 to 20 large cookies.

Fourth Birthday - Red Velvet Cupcakes

Today is Confessions of a Mormon Foodie's fourth birthday! It's hared to believe it's been four years since I started this blog. It's been a fun ride, and I hope to bring you more food and fun as the years go on. This year I've decided to celebrate with a Red Velvet Cupcake recipe from Dan and Sharon Yim. Dan is the community director at Kitchen Monki. If you'd rather have a full blown Red Velvet layer cake instead, I made one for my daughter's birthday a couple of years ago.



Balloon photo by Sue Byford

Bread and Buttery Pudding, from Gary Rhodes

In this video, celebrity chef Gary Rhodes shows us how to make “Bread and Buttery Pudding,” warm winter dessert. It looks tasty. It also looks like a great way to use up stale bread, while sneaking in some dried fruit into your kid's diet.

Basically, bread and butter pudding is bread and raisins cooked in a vanilla custard. It just screams for variations, different kinds of fruit, different flavors of custard, and so on.

I think I'm going to try my own variation, soon. I'll post it when I do. Maybe you'd like to share your variations in the comments, here.

How to Make Red Berry Coulis

Normally you'll find berry coulis, a light, cooked berry dessert, served in the late summer or early fall. The last of the seasons berries aren't as fresh. Not wanting to throw them out, though, whoever came up with this dish did us all a favor. Even though it's out of season, the bright berry flavors shine through and is a perfect break from heavier, winter fare. This recipe uses frozen berries, anyway, so it can be made all year.

Equipment needed
Mixing bowls
Medium saucepan
Serving bowls

Ingredients
2 tablespoons Cornstarch
2 tablespoons Water
1 1/4 cups Water
5 tablespoons Sugar
1 1/2 cups Frozen Strawberries
1 1/2 cups Frozen Raspberries
1 1/2 cups Frozen Blueberries
Yogurt, if desired

Directions
Put the cornstarch in a small bowl. Add the water and stir until dissolved. Set aside.

Heat the water in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and bring the water to a boil. Gradually stir in the cornstarch mixture to thicken the sugar water and make a syrup.

Carefully add the frozen berries (don't thaw them) to the hot syrup. Stir and bring to a brief boil.

Transfer the berries and syrup from the saucepan to a mixing bowl. Fill a larger mixing bowl with ice water. Place the bowl with the berries in the bowl with the ice water to chill, while stirring.

Once the berries and syrup are chilled, transfer them to individual servings bowls. Top with yogurt or serve over ice cream. Yum!

Makes 4 servings.

Ribbon Jell-O (Finally)

I realized the other day that it's been a long time since I talked about Jell-O. Many of you are, no doubt, wondering why. I mean, I'm a Utah Mormon. How can I not be sucking down tons of Jello? Or is it Jell-O? I think only Kraft Foods cares.

I found this Ribbon Jell-O recipe in a great old recipe book, “The Mormon Family Cookbook.” I borrowed it from a friend of mine and I've held onto it for some time. About two years, I think. I should probably give it back to him.

It's a recipe that promises to make a stunning Jell-O dessert, and it certainly does. It's also a pain in the butt and takes a long time to make. It's fun to see how people react to it, though, so you should try it at least once. It's pretty tasty, too, with all the different fruity flavors in there. Honestly, though? As tasty as it is, I'm too lazy to make this again any time soon.

Equipment Needed
Measuring cups and spoons
Whisk or hand mixer
Tea Kettle or some other way to boil water
Mixing bowls
Bundt pan, or other large decorative pan as a gelatin mold.

Ingredients
6 (3 ounce) packages flavored gelatin in 6 or 7 different flavors and colors
7 cups boiling water (Don't try and prep this before hand, okay?)
1 pint sour cream
whipped topping
cooking spray

Directions
Thoroughly spray the bundt pan or whatever other mold you're using, with non-stick cooking spray. That's mold as in gelatin mold, not the green fuzzy stuff that makes penicillin. Try not to get them confused.

Boil some water in the tea kettle. Take one cup of the boiling water, add it to one package of gelatine in a small bowl and stir to dissolve. Pour half into the bundt pan. Place in the refrigerator on a level shelf to chill.

Fill a large mixing bowl with ice and a bit of water. Pour the other half of the gelatine mixture into a small mixing bowl, preferably a stainless steel one. Put the small bowl into a larger bowl of ice. Wait for the gelatin in the refrigerator to set up, the gelatin in the pan will be syrupy. It actually doesn't take too many minutes, as the quantities are pretty small, but the time will vary from batch to batch so keep an eye on it. Add a heaping tablespoon of sour cream to the gelatin in the small mixing bowl and beat with a whisk or hand blender until well blended and smooth. Pour this mixture into the bunt pan (a.k.a. Jell-O mold), Smoothing it all out. Return the mold to the the refrigerator and let it set. Repeat the process with a contrasting color.

After the last layer sets up (overnight is preferable), un-mold the gelatin onto a serving plate. If it won't easily come out, dip the pan into a bit of very arm water for a few seconds. This will melt a bit of the gelatin and allow it to slide out of the mold.

Mix the remaining sour cream with the whipped topping and spoon into the hole in the center of the bundt pan, or spread over the top like frosting. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to cut into slices and serve.

Makes lots.

NOTE: Don't let each layer set up until it is completely hard. Is just needs to be solid enough to hold the next layer. If the bottom layer is completely hard, it won't stick to the next layer. Try and let the hot gelatin cool a bit before you pour it onto the previous layer in the bundt pan. The hot gelatin can easily melt the previous layer.

How to Make Meringues

Meringue - a fancy name for dried egg whites and sugar. This basic mixture is used in countless ways and in all kinds of desserts. Instead of drying, it can be poached to make oeufs à la neige (snow eggs). Mix it with nuts and you get dacquoise (also the name of a dessert cake using meringue as a base).

Here I'm sharing the simple technique of whipping them up, and drying them into little, lady finger like cookies. I'll share more elaborate techniques, later.

Equipment needed
Large mixing bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
Hand mixer
Rubber spatula
Metal spatula
Baking sheet

Ingredients
6 egg whites
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar*
pinch cream of tartar**
butter and flour to coat baking sheet***

Directions
Separate the eggs, saving the yolks for some other dish. Put the egg whites into a large mixing bowl. Add the cream of tartar. Using a hand mixer on medium-high speed, whip the egg whites until they start to hold their shape.

When egg whites are beaten, some of the hydrogen bonds in the egg protein break. This causes the protein molecule to unfold itself and get stiff. The cream of tartar acts as a binder for these broken protein chains.

Gradually add 1 cup of the sugar and continue to beat the eggs for one minute. They should be very stiff and shiny. Don't over-beat them! They will loosen up and become liquid.

Using a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Folding in the sugar at the end makes for a more tender meringue.

Coat a cookie sheet with butter and flour. Fill a large plastic storage bag or pastry bag with the egg white mixture. Pipe out plane or fluted meringues, about the size and shape of lady fingers (about an inch wide and 3 inches long). Lift the bag at the end in sharp, upward motion to avoid creating a long tail. Dipping your fingers in cold water, push the tails down, or leave them if you don't mind the look of them.

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the meringues for 1 hour 45 minutes, to 2 hours or so. The meringues should be very well dried. If you have an oven that will go as low as 135 degrees, you can dry them for 24 hours, like restaurants do. Carefully remove the dried meringues with a metal spatula. Store in a dry, covered container. Stored this way, meringues will keep for several weeks. Don't refrigerate them or they'll get soggy.

Meringues can be served on top of ice cream, with fruit, whipped cream, or plain. You can even make little meringue sandwiches by putting a little whipped cream in between two of them. I like dusting them with cocoa powder, as you can see in the picture, above.

*You can use regular granulated sugar for meringues, as well, it just needs to have very fine crystals.

** If you don't have cream of tartar, you can substitute a few drops of lemon juice or even a pinch of salt as a binding agent.

***You can use “cooking spray for bakers,” which has flour in it, if you like.

Photos by Mormon Foodie!

How to Cook Crepes

Crepes are amazingly versatile, very thin, pancakes. Although the word “crepe” comes from France, many cultures throughout the world have their own variations.

Not only cultures have their own variations, but different people, as well. Some people pronounce it “krape,” as in “grape.” Others pronounce it “krep,” as step. I suspect the former is the English pronunciation and the latter, the French. Most English chef's I watch on TV pronounce it “krape,” and dictionary.com reports it that way, too.

Different people have different batter variations, and even different levels of browning allowed. Some say it should be brown on one side, some say it should be brown on both sides, some more brown on one side than the other, and some say there should be no browning at all. My personal preference is brown on one side and, if it gets a little color on the other side, so be it. I'm not a purist when it comes to these things, but I do like a bit of caramelization when I can get it.

Speaking of not being a purist, crepes can be filled, folded, rolled or otherwise mangled, an infinite number of ways. I've filled them with cream cheese, fruit, sauteed vegetables, meat, eggs, and even peanut butter. They make a great dessert just sprinkled with powdered sugar.

The first time I ever tried crepes was when I was a young boy. My older brother had come back from a mission to Arizona/New Mexico, and made us an alcohol-free version of crepe Suzette. I still don't know how he lit the sugar cubes on fire. I don't remember seeing any liquor anywhere, bur I could be wrong.

I didn't have crepes again until I was an adult, and started making them myself. I'm no expert, and I don't make them very often. Recently, though, I made dinner crepes, filled with leftover ham and vegetables, for my oldest daughter's birthday. She's studying French in school and I like encouraging her, even it's with food.

This recipe is just one of dozens of batter variations I've found and tried. Most people think of two kinds of crepes, savory and dessert. Honestly, a basic crepe recipe can be used for either one. The only difference, here, is that I don't always add the sugar unless I'm making a dessert crepe.

Equipment needed
Measuring cups and spoons
Sieve
Mixing bowls
Whisk
Frying pan or specialized Crepe pan.
Ladle
Plastic wrap

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter

Directions
Put the flour in the sieve and sift it into a mixing bowl. Add a pinch of salt, and the sugar to the bowl, and whisk together.

Break the eggs into another bowl and beat until scrambled. Add the milk and whisk together. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.

In a small pan, melt the butter over medium heat until it quits foaming and starts to turn light brown. Be careful! The difference between lightly browned butter and burned butter can be as little as a few seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and quickly mix the melted butter into the batter.

Cover the batter with plastic wrap and let it stand on the counter for one hour. If you want to wait longer, put it in the refrigerator, and then let it come to room temperature before cooking.

I'm not exactly sure why crepe batter needs to rest, but I suspect it has something to do with limiting gluten formation. Maybe one of you gentle readers can tell us.

As for the rest, I leave you the following video. It shows how to cook the crepe in a crepe pan. There are all kinds of specialized pans available if you really want to check them out. I just use my skillet. It works just fine.

I've recently started using a technique I learned from Jacques Pépin's Complete Techniques. It requires one extra step, and seemed a bit odd to me at first, but it ensures that you're get a very thin crepe, regardless of the size of your pan. I'll have to share it with you, someday.






Photo by Wong Mei Teng

Easy Chocolate Mousse

If you want to “gild the lilly” for your Valentine this year, but don't want to do a lot of work, this chocolate mousse recipe may be just right for you. There's no real cooking involved (except to heat the milk) and the only special tool you may want to use is your blender. In spite of the ease of preparation, this makes a rich and elegant dessert. It can be made a day ahead to save more time for smooching.

This recipe makes 4 to 6 small servings. As rich as this is, small servings are enough.

Ingredients

8 ounces of chocolate chips
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
Whipped cream for topping

Put the chocolate chips, sugar, egg, salt and vanilla in a large blender or food processor. Heat the milk in a sauce pan just until boiling. Add the hot milk to the blender and blend for 1 minute, or until all is smooth. (Be careful when blending hot liquids. Always use a towel to hold the blender lid on so it doesn't pop off, spraying hot liquid on you.)

Pour into individual ramekins or or other serving glasses and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours (or overnight). Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Photo by Sanja Gjenero

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