Holly's Butterscotch Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce

Holly's Butterscotch Pudding 

with Salted Caramel Sauce

3/4 C sugar

1/4 C water

1/4 C whipping cream

1/2 C packed golden brown sugar

1/3 C cornstarch

1 t salt

3 C whole milk

4 large egg yolks

1/4 C unsalted butter cut into small pieces (room temp)

1 t vanilla

Stir 3/4 C sugar and 1/4 C water in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber color, occasionally brushing down the sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan.  Remove from heat.  Add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously).  Stir until smooth.  Set caramel sauce aside.

Mix brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt in heavy medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk. Stir over medium low heat until mixture thickens and boils, about 8 mins.  Remove from heat.  Whisk in caramel sauce.  Whisk egg yolks in large bowl to blend.  Gradually whisk 1 cup warm caramel mixture into yolks.  Gradually whisk yolk mixture back into caramel mixture in saucepan.  Bring to simmer over over medium heat.  Gradually whisk in butter and vanilla.  

Pour into jars with a layer of oreo crumbs at the bottom. Add salted caramel sauce, whip cream and oreo crumbs.

Salted Caramel Sauce

3/4 C plus 2 T heavy cream

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1/2 C sugar

2 T light corn syrup

4 T (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 “ cubes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Place cream in a small pitcher.  Scrape seeds from vanilla bean: add bean.  Set aside.

Stir sugar, corn syrup, and 2 T water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat to medium-high; boil, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until deep amber color from, 5-6 mins.  Remove from heat; gradually add vanilla cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Whisk over medium heat until smooth and thick, about 2 mins.  Remove from heat; whisk in butter and salt.  Strain into a heatproof bowl.  Let cool slightly.

*Fruit is a must with this dessert.  It is so rich and sweet, you need a little fruit to break it up.  Peaches are our favorite, but strawberries and blueberries are great too!

**I love a crust with this pudding, but I'm not sure which.  I'm not a huge oreo crust fan, so I experimented with a few and haven't found the winner, so I just made it this time without a crust.

***I made a double batch of the salted caramel sauce and keep it in the fridge.  It's amazing on ANYTHING...ice cream, oatmeal, pancakes, hot chocolate....

PB & Chocolate Cake

 PB & Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake

1 3/4 C flour
2 C sugar
3/4 C good cocoa powder
2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t kosher salt
1 C buttermilk
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 extra large eggs, at room temp
1 t vanilla
1 C fresh made pero or postum

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 - 9 inch rounds (can use 8in rounds, just adjust cooking time and use 8 inch pans for all layers) with parchment paper, then butter and flour pans or use pam "baking" spray.  Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment. Mis on low speed until combined.  In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Add pero and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Let cool completely, if needed level cakes, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze flat on a cookie sheet.

Peanut Butter Cake

1 C flour
1 C sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 C butter
3 T peanut butter
2 T PB2 (powdered PB) - optional
6 T milk
1 large egg
1/3 C buttermilk
1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Line one 9 inch round with parchment and butter or use pam.  In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and soda.  In a saucepan, heat the butter, peanut butter and milk until the butter has melted and mixture is hot.  Stir the hot mixture into the flour mixture until blended.  Whisk together eggs, buttermilk and vanilla.  Slowly beat into the first mixture until smooth and well blended.  Pour into prepared baking pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.  Let cool completely, if needed, level cake, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze flat on a cookie sheet.

Peanut Butter Filling

4 C powdered sugar
1 1/3 C creamy peanut butter
5 T butter, melted
1/4 C heavy cream

Mix together the powdered sugar, peanut butter and melted butter in a stand mixer. Mixture will be crumbling.  Add cream 1 T at a time until the mixture becomes a consistent workable dough.  It should not be crumbly or stick to your fingers.  The mixture should hold together easily when a small amount is squeezed tight in the palm of your hand.  Divide dough into two even portions.  Line 2 9 inch spring form pans with plastic wrap.  Press peanut butter filling dough into the bottom of the pans evenly.  Place in freezer.

Chocolate Frosting

1 1/2 C butter, soft
1 C cocoa powder
4-5 C powdered sugar
1/2 C whipping cream
2 t vanilla

Add coca to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer, whisk through any lumps or sift.  Cream together butter and cocoa until well combined.  Add powdered sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 C of powdered sugar followed by a T of cream.  After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute.  Repeat until all sugar and cream have been added.  Add vanilla, combine well.

Assembly:
 
Easiest if all layers are frozen.  Place one layer of chocolate cake on cake stand and top with about a 1/4 C of chocolate frosting. (Pretty thin layer)  Follow with a layer of the peanut butter filling and add another thin layer of frosting.  Add the peanut butter cake, thin layer of frosting, peanut butter filling layer, thin layer of frosting and the last chocolate cake layer.  Once all the layers are stacked, frost the cake with a very thin crumb coat, it usually sets quickly because of the frozen layers.  Then use remaining frosting to frost the out side of the cake then top with a mountain of Reese's!


**This is an absolute labor of love!  But quite simple if divided into two days.  Baking one day, frosting the second.
**Original recipe from the butterlustblog.com

Churro Donuts

Churro Donuts
makes 12

1/2 C butter
1 1/4 C flour
3/4 C sugar
3/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1 lg egg
1/2 C plus 2 T buttermilk
1 t vanilla ext

Cinnamon Sugar Coating
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1 T cinnamon
Left over browned butter

Preheat oven to 350. Spray donut pan with baking pam and set aside.

Melt the 1/2 C of butter in a small pan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.  Butter will crackle and foam a but as it browns.  Once butter is light brown and smells nutty, take off heat and transfer to small bowl.  Be careful, it goes from brown to black fast.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a small bowl combine egg, buttermilk and vanilla, plus 2 T of the browned butter.  Reserve the left over brown butter for the cinnamon sugar coating.

Add wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Do not over mix.

Place batter into a large ziploc bag and cut about 1/2 " piece off one corner to create a disposable pastry bag.  Fill each well in the donut pan approximately 3/4 full.

Bake for 9-12 minutes, checking with a toothpick at 9 to prevent being dry.  Remove pan from oven and let sit a couple minutes, then invert pan onto wire rack to cool completely.  Once cooled, trim with a knife or scissors any edges to create a round donut.  (Don't worry if it looks ugly, the cinnamon sugar topping covers all flaws. And yes, all my donuts have a very flat bottom.)

Combine sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl breaking up any lumps.

Using left over brown butter (melt in microwave for 5-10 seconds if it has become too solid) and working quickly one at a time, lightly brush donut with brown butter, and roll around in sugar mixture until will coated. I had best results spooning it all around.

If not eating immediately, cover with plastic wrap or freeze.

*Recipe adapted from sharedappetite.com.
*I've made these several times and I still think the batter is too runny.  The original recipe had only 1 C flour and I added a little more.  I think next time I will try omitting the extra 2 T buttermilk and see if that helps.
*Made them for Easter Brunch and the 2nd Dessert of the Month Club

Mixed Berry Pavlova

Mixed Berry Pavlova (mini's and large)

4 extra large egg whites, at room temp (I feel organic egg whites work best)
pinch kosher salt
1 C sugar
2 t cornstarch
1 t white wine vinegar
1/2 t pure vanilla ext (or vanilla bean paste...leaves the fun vanilla bean specks)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. (My oven only has a dial with small marks, so I erred on the side of hot, closer to 200 than 175).

Place a sheet of parchment paper on a sheet pan.  Draw a 9 inch circle on the paper for a large and draw 5 smaller circles spaced as best you can (4 1/2 inch, but I think I'll go smaller next time and maybe get 6 out of it).  Turn the paper over so you don't get pencil on the meringue.

Place egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.  Beat the egg whites on high speed until firm, about 1 minute. With mixer still on high, slowly add the sugar and beat until it makes firm shiny peaks, about 2 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the mixer, sift the cornstarch onto the beaten egg whites, add the vinegar and vanilla, and fold in lightly with a rubber spatula.  Pile the meringue into the middle of the circle on the parchment paper and smooth it with in the circle, making a rough disk.  For the smaller meringues, I divided it a spoonful at a time, trying to make it as even as possible between the 5 circles. Smooth out to create a flat top for the whipped cream and the fruit.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours for the large meringue and 45 minutes for the smaller ones.  Turn off the oven and let large meringue sit for another hour as the oven cools, and 30 minutes for the smaller ones. Bring out of oven and let cool completely.

Once it is cool, transfer to a serving platter, top with sweetened whipped cream and any fruit you like.  The mixed berry combo is divine.

Sweetened Whipped Cream

1 C heavy whipping cream
2-4 T powdered sugar
1 t pure vanilla ext

Place cream in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on high until cream starts to thicken.  Add vanilla and sugar to taste.  Continue to beat until really thick.


*Recipe for meringue is from Ina Garten via foodnetwork.com
*The meringue is so fragile, when putting cream on one, the whole thing collapsed from the weight of the cream.  Still tasted divine!
*Also, one of my ovens does NOT work for these. It's a wall oven and I wonder if it doesn't vent the moisture properly. I don't know, but the ones I cooked in it came out gooey and inedible until I put them back into the other oven and cooked them to death.  My free standing oven works best.
*Month 1 of Dessert of the Month Club, only posting the successes.