An Ode to the Chili

I absolutely LOVE chili - eating them, growing them, cooking with them, decorating with them, you name it!  Whether you're just adding a pinch or really giving some heat to your dish, chili kicks it up a notch!  There are so many different varieties of chilies and nearly every country thinks their chilies are the best in the world.

A few of my favorite dishes featuring this beautifully spicy fruit:

• Grilled Tuna and Mango Salad
• Spiced Pumpkin Soup
• Chimichurri
• Pork Skewers with Thai Dipping Sauce
• Thai-style Grilled Whole Snapper
• Roasted Squash with Chili Citrus Sauce
• Tom Yum Goong
• Grilled Pineapple Skewers
• Gingered Apple-Squash Soup

 Must stop... my mouth is watering...

Find these and many more chili recipes on http://www.therecipediva.com/!

Everything is better dipped in Chocolate!!!

I don't think I'll have many arguments there...  this is a super quick and easy treat to have on hand during the holiday season.  It couldn't be any easier.  From such a simple process, you have a delicious and attractive bite-sized treat to put out when friends and family stop by.

You can usually find all of these ingredients in your pantry, throw this together ahead of time, and store in the fridge until you are ready to serve.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Dried Fruit

Ingredients: Chocolate and fruit!  Seriously!  But here's a more detailed recipe.

Cinnamon Sugar Stars

These cookies are so easy to make but are still deliciously moist and flavorful.  Kids LOVE them!  I found the dough to be quite sticky so I decided to use a cookie press.  If you don't have a cookie press, you can try refrigerating the dough for a few hours before rolling it out.

Another benefit to the cookie press is that the cookies will all come out perfectly shaped and sized.  Check on the full recipe on The Recipe Diva website!  Happy baking!

The Proof is in the Pudding

Or as the true saying goes, "The proof of the pudding is in the eating."

While not wildly popular in the United States, I have come to LOVE Sticky Date Pudding, an Aussie favorite.  Pudding actually refers to something quite different in the US than most of the rest of the world.  In the UK and it's Commonwealth countries, pudding refers to a combination of flour and other ingredients, and may be sweet or savory.  The name is also used loosely for desserts in general.  In the United States, pudding typically referes to a a sweet milk-based dessert with a creamy consistency.  Very different.  I've come to find a lot of those things since living in Australia.

Anyhow, as of late, especially in these chilly months, Sticky Date Pudding is my dessert of choice.  I've ordered it, or some version of it, while we were out to eat a few times recently.  I knew this was one I had to learn how to make at home.  Maybe next I will try to conquer the Sticky Date Soufflé with crème anglaise that we tried the other night.  Phew, baby steps. 

I decided to consult Australia's latest obsession, Masterchef.  They had a great basic recipe for individual puddings served with almond praline and butterscotch sauce, yum.  I surfed around a bit and looked at a few more recipes.  Luckily, they all essentially used the same techniques - break down the dates, mix the wet ingredients, add the date mixture, fold in the flour, bake, and top with a caramel or butterscotch sauce.  Easy enough.  Using these basic steps, I came up with my own version.  I must say, the results were fantastic!  The cake was perfectly moist and relatively light.  As it absorbed the butterscotch sauce, it became very rich and sweet.  The quantity of Butterscotch Sauce is probably a bit too much for this recipe, but ensures that you have some leftover for drizzling over vanilla ice cream!  Do try this at home.

Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 lb dates, pitted and roughly chopped

1 1/2 cups water

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups self-raising flour, sifted

Butterscotch sauce:

1/3 cup butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 cups cream

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and line the base of a springform cake pan.

2. Bring dates and water to a boil in a saucepan.  Add baking soda and remove from heat.  Stir for a couple of minutes and set aside, stirring occasionally. 

3. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla together until pale and creamy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

4. Stir through the date mixture.  Fold in flour until well combined.

5. Spoon into cake pan.  Bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

6. For sauce, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat until butter is melted.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook for 5 minutes until slightly thickened and set aside.  Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.  

7. Serve drizzled with butterscotch sauce.   

Baked Pears with Spiced Mascarpone

I used to always get confused over what exactly mascarpone was - a cheese or a cream?  It is the color and texture of a thick cream and is often used in desserts, but it is actually a cheese.  It's a very rich, triple-cream, cow's milk cheese.  I really don't care what it is, it's delicious!

Mascarpone has many uses in both sweet and savory dishes.  It can be used as a filling, a thickener to help smooth out sauces and risottos, a spread, or in this case, a dessert topping.  I added a bit of liquid and some spices to thin it out and enhance the flavor.  It was the perfect topping for these caramelized baked pears. 

Baked Pears with Spiced Mascarpone

Ingredients

Spiced mascarpone:
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups mascarpone cheese
1 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 orange, juiced and zested, extra zest to garnish
1 1/2 tbsp honey

Baked Pears:
4 pears, sliced in half lengthwise, core removed
1 large glass of white wine
1 orange, juiced
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp flaked almonds, toasted, to serve

Directions

1. For the spiced mascarpone, whisk all ingredients together and refrigerate for atleast an hour before use.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Put the pears cut side down into a tight fitting pan.  In small sauce pan, combine the brown sugar, wine, vanilla extract, and orange juice and bring to the boil.  Pour over the pears and put into oven. 

3. While the pears are cooking, baste every 5-10 minutes with the cooking syrup.  Cook for about 30 minutes until the pears are tender all the way through.  Remove from the oven to cool.

4. While pears are still warm, serve with chilled spiced mascarpone.  Garnish with orange zest and flaked almonds.

Happy Birthday!!!

Around this house, there is one kind of cake that is always requested come birthday time, a plain vanilla cake...  I had yet to deliver until now.  I always want to experiment with a new technique, ingredient or a recipe that is a bit more exciting.  And he wants plain old boring vanilla cake?  Against my own desires, I decided to surprise him with this ongoing request.  It pains me to say it, but it was definitely the right decision.  There will always be an appeal to this simple dessert.  It was perfectly moist but firm and relatively easy to frost.   

The recipe is very easy and I used a Rachel Ray recipe for vanilla frosting, but feel free to use your favorite (suggestions are welcome!).  Since I can never get the icing perfectly smooth and beautiful, I went for a swirly messy look and I think it turned out great!

Simple Vanilla Cake

Ingredients

4 eggs, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C).  Thorougly grease 2 round cake pans. 

2. Beat sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl for 1 minute until thickened.   Beat in flour, milk, oil, baking powder, and vanilla until thoroughy combined and creamy, but do not overbeat as this will cause a very 'heavy' cake.

3. Pour batter into greased cake pans and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden and cooked through.  Use the toothpick test, if it does not come out clean, put it back into the oven and check every 5 minutes. 

4. Cool for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Frost  the top of the first layer, top with the second layer, and frost completely. 

Happy Birthday!

Mamma's Banana Bread

My mom makes the best banana bread, hands down.  It's always perfectly moist with just the right amount of sweetness.  It's a simple recipe, there are no secret ingredients, but it just works.  Maybe my love for this rendition has something to do with the comfort of being home but I'd be surprised if any other critic found it short of amazing. 

Remember I said it's simple?  I know it's probably breaking some cardinal rule of baking but you just add all the ingredients at once and mix.  There's no mixing of dry and wet ingredients separately, gradual incorporation, etc.  Maybe one day I'll try it out using more traditional methods but it's hard to find a reason to when the outcome is this good.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 or 4 ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup melted butter
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).  Butter your loaf pan.
2. (If you've forgotten already) Mix it all together using wooden spoon. 
3. Pour into buttered pan and bake for 1 hour. Cool completely on wire rack.  Voila, so easy!

Pavlova Stack

As I was about to make dinner, my fiance had to go out and run a few errands.  I decided to surprise him with an after-dinner treat to quench his ever-growing sweet tooth.  I knew I didnt have much time so I needed to make something that I was comfortable with. 

As it's a favorite around here, I am obviously very comfortable with making pavlova at this point; however, it has a very long bake time...  I wasn't going to let that stop me!  Using my go-to recipe for Pavlova, I decided to make mini bases in order to decrease the required cook time to about 40 minutes.  They were too cute!

I simply layered the pavlova patties with whipped cream and topped off my pavlova mountain with passionfruit and strawberries. 

It was divine as always!  So light and delicious!  How was there life before pavlova?  The sweet strawberries and smooth cream contrasted by the tangy passionfruit and finished off with the satisfying crunch of the meringue... heaven!

It's so easy to come up with your adaption!  I think I'll experiment with adding some different flavors to the meringue!  Any available taste testers?

Minis!

As I've said before, I'm not a huge sweets person, so these two-bite treats are perfect!  Cupcakes are just so appealing!  AND so versatile!  They come in all different sizes, shapes, and flavors.  You can play around with the cake, the icing, and the toppings.  The possibilities are endless. 

For my first experience with cupcakes, yes - I said my first experience, I went with a very basic recipe.  There were tasty albeit a little buttery for me. 

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup self-raising flour, sifted
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup icing sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C).  Line 24-cup mini muffin pan with mini-cupcake papers. 

2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg.  Beat in flour, milk, and vanilla.

3. Divide mixture among cupcake papers and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden and firm.  Cool fully on wire rack.

4. For icing, beat butter and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Gradually add icing sugar until fully combined.  Spoon into a piping bag, and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. 

I can't wait to try some new and fun cupcakes recips but I'm still looking for that perfect vanilla cupcake recipe... any insider tips?

Upside-down Applesauce Cake

I am going to keep this one short today... Saw a recipe using applesauce in a cake.  Liked the idea. Made a few changes.  Made a lot of changes.  Turned it upside-down.  Came out pretty and pretty tasty.  Enjoy.

Upside-down Applesauce Cake

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 stick unsalted butter, softened, plus 1/4 cup, melted for topping
1 cup light brown sugar, packed plus 1/2 cup for topping
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups applesauce
3 granny smith apples

Note: This recipe makes 2 shallow cakes.  As I was playing around a bit, I came out with a lot of batter!

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180 C).  Prepare your baking dish by buttering sides throughly.  You will be adding melted butter to dish so you not need to butter bottom.

2. Whisk together dry ingredients through cloves.  Leave a small bit of cinnamon to sprinkle on your topping.  Set aside.

3. Beat stick of butter, 1 cup brown sugar, and vanilla until pale and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Then beat in applesauce. Mix in flour at a low speed until just combined.  Do not overmix.

4.  For your gooey apple topping, core, peel, and slice apples. Do not worry about them browning.

5. Add melted butter to your baking dish so that you have a thin layer. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Adjust the amounts if required.  Dust with leftover cinnamon and arrange apples in even layer.  Remember that this will be the top of your cake, so get creative!  Pour batter over topping.

6. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.  Use the toothpick test!

7. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes and invert onto platter.  Serve warm topped with scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I promise it tastes better than it looks!!

My Tiramisu might not be the most beautiful dessert you've ever laid your eyes on, but there's a reason why this popular Italian cake is seen on menus all over the world.  No one can deny the overwhelming sensation you get when you sink your teeth into this decadent treat.  It's sweet and rich while still light, cool and refreshing.  This heavenly dessert literally melts in your mouth! 

Basically, it is made of savoiardi bisuits (lady fingers) dipped in strong coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of mascarpone or custard, and topped with cocoa.  Follow these few basics steps and come up with your own rendition!  Make sure to allow enough time to chill (at least 4 hours).  This isn't a dessert that you can whip up right before dinner! 

Tiramisu

Ingredients

3 eggs, whites and yolks separated
1 cup caster sugar (superfine)
300 mL mascarpone cheese  (about 10 oz)
1 1/2 cups strong coffee
1/4 cup brandy
1 20-count package of savoiardi biscuits (lady fingers)
1 tbsp dark chocolate, grated
1 tbsp cocoa, sifted

Directions

1. Beat egg yolk and sugar together until pale.  Fold in mascarpone and set aside.

2. In separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Fold into mascarpone mixture.  By beating the egg whites separately, you will keep the mixture very light and fluffy.

3. Mix coffee and brandy in flat bottomed bowl.  Quickly dip each biscuit to absorb the mixture without become soggy.  Line the base of your dish with half of the biscuits.  Choose an appropriately sized dish for this task.

4. Cover biscuits with half of mascarpone mixture.  Combine grated chocolate and cocoa and sprinkle over lightly.  Repeat with another layer of soaked biscuits and remaining mascarpone mixture Chill in the refrigerator for atleast 4 hours.

5. Just before serving, sprinkle with remaining chocolate and cocoa.

For my next tiramisu, I'm going to try out making my own sponge instead of using saviordi biscuits!  I think I might use Grand Marnier instead of brandy and throw in some orange zest for a fresh and summery taste!

Grilled Pineapple Skewers

These are the perfect ending to a nice dinner on the grill.  A no-fuss dessert with a surprising kick.  As you take each bite, you get subtle hints of the marinade - the lemon, the ginger, the chili.  Feel free to play around with the marinade to suit your personal tastes!

Ingredients

1 pineapple, skin removed and cut into 1/8's, lengthwise

3/4 cup water (about 175 mL)

1/2 cups sugar (about 100g)

1 in piece of ginger sliced (about 2 1/2 centimeters)

1 lemon, zest and juice

1 hot chili, sliced

Directions

1. Bring all ingredients to a boil then simmer until it is almost the consistency of a syrup, remove from heat and cool.

2. Strain and cover pineapple stick.  Marinate in refrigerator overnight.

3. Before grilling, soak wooden skewers for 20 minutes. 

4. Skewer pineapples lengthwise and cook on grill over medium-high heat until they caramelize on the outside.  Cool and serve.

CAUTION: Dessert Addiction Alert

I introduce to you... Pavlova

I can understand why both Australia and New Zealand have been staking claims to this dessert for decades, it's simple but incredible.  Since my first time whipping this together, it has been a staple in the household.  Actually, scratch that.  After 2 failed attempts due to texture issues (1st - my eggs were not whipped enough, and 2nd - the TINIEST bit of yolk got in and foiled the whole recipe), it has been a staple since my third go at it.

Basically, it is meringue topped with whipped cream and fruit.  Nowadays, there are hundreds of variations but my favorites are the more classic and when available I love to top it with strawberries and passionfruit pulp.  I often do a double-decker with alternating layers of meringue and cream. 

Although the issue regarding origin will probably never be resolved, there is agreement that the dessert was named after Anna Pavlova, a Russian ballet dancer from the '20's, who's dancing was described as 'light and airy'.  Thank you Anna for inspiring the creation of one of my favorite indulgences.  Here's my 'go-to' recipe:

Ingredients

4 eggwhites
pinch of salt
1 cup caster sugar *
2 tsp cornstarch (cornflour)
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (vanilla essence)
Whipped cream, to serve (homemade is a must!)
Fruit, to serve

* Although more difficult to find in the States, this is non-negotiable, you MUST use caster sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 C).  Line a baking tray with baking paper.  Draw a circle if you are looking for a precise size or shape.

2. In a clean, dry bowl with a pinch of salt, whip egg white until light and fluffy and soft peaks form.

3. Gradually add sugar, whipping between additions until firm and glossy.

 4. Fold in cornstarch, vinegar, and vanilla extract.

5. Mound onto baking sheet and shape into a circle with a spatula. 

(I have 2 mounds as I wanted 2 layers)

6. Bake for 1 - 1½ hours until just crisp on the outside. Allow to cool completely and top with whipped cream and fruit.

As a mentioned before, it's not a difficult recipe but quite particular.  Do not move to the next step until you are reached the desired consistency.  You can make the base a few days ahead and store in an airtight container until you are ready to serve.

It's a fun dessert to play around with, different toppings, sizes, minis, etc. Try it once and you'll be hooked!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was in a rare baking mood yesterday and had a special request for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies.  Random I thought... but went for it!  I had some help from an old Betty Crocker recipe with a slight modification. 

I like my cookies very plump (not flat).  I noticed the recipe had quite a bit butter, so I decided to take it down a notch as sometime cookies with high butter content will tend to flatten.  Other than that, I followed this recipe.

I find baking so much more enjoyable when everything is prepped before you even start the recipe!

They turned out quite tasty and

were the exact texture I was looking for!

On the 11th Day of Christmas, the Recipe Diva made for me...

Gingerbread Men!

What is more festive than these cute little gingerbread men?!

Knowing that the pantry is pretty empty here and most cooking supplies last forever, I decided to stock up on all the basics.  I knew that I wanted to make a classic recipe like gingerbread men so I used Allrecipes's convenient Ingredient Search to find a recipe based on the ingredients that I did and did not have and found this highly rated recipe for Gingerbread Men.  

They were perfect, soft and flavorful!  I did not even have my usual urge to leave them in the oven too long!  Maybe I've rid myself of the bad habit!  I followed the recipe exactly and here are some tips that I think may be helpful!!

My sister gave me some prep bowls as an early christmas gift and they are GREAT!  You can get all of your ingredients measured out beforehand and whip your recipes up in no time!  None of that mid-step measuring, cleaning, etc.

Make sure to scrape the bowl with a spatula throughout preparation to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.

Flatten dough into a disk, wrap with saran wrap, and store in fridge atleast 4 hours so dough will lose stickiness making it easier to work with when cutting out your gingerbread men.

I purchased a nonstick mat but still found the dough easier to work with when I added a little bit of flour to the mat.  Make sure to flour the rolling pin as well. 

These nonstick cookie sheets are AWESOME!  The cookies just slide right off. 

If you are adding icing, make sure to wait until gingerbread have men have cooled so it doesn't melt and run.

Share with friends and family!

Merry Christmas!