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Dec 28 2009

How To Make Chocolate Curls

Posted by Ree | The Pioneer Woman in Kitchen Talk

Here’s how I make chocolate curls. I put them on pies, cakes, and ice cream sundaes.

They make me feel frilly and fancy.

Try them sometime!

Grab some Crisco and some semi-sweet baking chocolate. (Any brand will do, and you can even use semi-sweet chocolate chips if you’d like!)

Place three ounces (usually three squares) of chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl.

Now place one tablespoon of Crisco (vegetable shortening) into the bowl.

Now throw it in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds, or until the shortening is melted and hot.

With a fork…

Stir to combine thoroughly.

And there you have it—chocolate curls!

Just kidding. I just love doing that, though.

Now, grab a metal cookie sheet, turn it upside down, and pour the melted chocolate on.

Then, with a flat spatula (or heck, a knife), spread the chocolate in a thin layer…

Keep going until it’s very, very thin. Then…and this is the key…stick it in the freezer for a few minutes.

Now, this is after one minute in the freezer. I gave the chocolate the ol’ fingerprint test, and it failed miserably. It’s still way too soft to make the curls. So I put it back in for exactly two minutes.

Be sure to give it the ol’ fingerprint test. And when it’s ready, it should leave the slightest mark, but not an actual depression.

Next, get a somewhat sharp-edged spatula and begin to scrape the chocolate from the bottom of the pan. When the chocolate is just the right temperature, it’ll curl instead of break.

See, right now it’s still just a tad too cold/hard. So I waited one minute and tried again.

And guess what? It’s just right.

Now you have a couple of minutes before the chocolate gets too soft.

So just scrape along the bottom of the pan…

…And the chocolate will curl right up. If it’s too hard, give it a minute, then try again. If it gets too soft, stick it back in the freezer for a minute.

Pretty soon you’ll have a bunch of fun little chocolate curls. If you’re not trying to take photos with one hand while you’re doing this, the curls will turn out better. But you get the general idea!

And I have no idea how this one happened, but I think it’s kinda neat. And I totally meant to do it.

Important: as soon as possible, transfer the curls to a cold pan or plate, then stick them in the freezer to harden. Store in the freezer in a Ziploc bag until you need them. Use them to adorn pies, cakes, or platters of fruit. You’ll feel instantly fancy!

And frilly.

Then end.

*This Tasty Kitchen How-To was extracted from the Pioneer Woman recipe, “Delicious Chocolate Pie”. I recommend making it sometime before you croak.

Apr 30 2012

Skillet Asparagus Tart

Posted by Amber {Sprinkled With Flour} in Step-by-Step Recipes

I love asparagus. Serve it to me any way: grilled, roasted, pureed in a soup … thrown across the room while I catch it like a seal. Yes, I am slightly weird. Yes, I love it that much.

With spring in full bloom, it’s the perfect season to enjoy my favorite vegetable. So when I came across Claire’s recipe for Skillet Asparagus Tart (which she adapted from Good Housekeeping), my watering taste buds were begging me to make this dish. Not only does this tart feature the most amazing vegetable ever made, it’s filled with lemon zest, cream, and fresh Parmesan. When you top it with fresh basil or any other herb of your choice, the result is truly delicious.

You will need: all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, butter, ice water, asparagus, eggs, milk, cream, lemon juice and zest, Parmesan cheese and fresh basil (or any other fresh herb).

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Spray a nonstick 10-inch skillet with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder, salt and pepper. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut butter into the flour mixture until the mixture appears coarse. Add ice-water to the mixture until moist clumps form and dough can be held together when you form it into a ball.

On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll dough out to about 13 inches. Carefully move crust over the skillet and press it down to the bottom and up the sides. Remove any overhang. Bake crust for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Set aside.

In another 10-inch skillet, add about 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Add asparagus and cook for 5 minutes, or until just tender.

Remove asparagus from the skillet, rinse it off and let it cool slightly. Once cooled, cut into 5-inch long spears and set aside.

Prepare the filling by whisking the eggs, milk, cream, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt until fully mixed.

Place the asparagus on top of the crust so the leafy top is in the middle. Arrange it so you form a circle. Carefully pour the egg mixture over the asparagus to cover it. Sprinkled the top with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves, or herb of your choice. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tart is firm but a little jiggly in the middle. Let sit to firm up, then serve warm.

I’m so glad Claire shared this delicious tart recipe with us; I will definitely be making this again soon. You can find more of Claire’s wonderful looking dishes on her blog, A Realistic Nutritionist.

Printable Recipe

Skillet Asparagus Tart

by claireg12 on March 30, 2012 in Desserts, Special Occasion

See post on claireg12’s site!

4.00 Mitt(s) 3 Rating(s) 3 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5

Description

A perfect savory tart that will make a great addition to your Easter brunch menu!

Ingredients

FOR THE BISCUIT CRUST:
1 cup All-purpose Flour
¾ cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 dash Each Of Salt And Pepper
6 Tablespoons Cold Butter, Cut Into Cubes
8 Tablespoons Ice Cold Water
FOR THE FILLING:
1 pound Asparagus, Ends Trimmed
3 whole Eggs
1 cup Skim Milk
⅓ cups Light Cream
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
1 dash Salt
⅔ cups Parmesan Cheese
Basil Leaves, For Sprinkling On Top

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 F. Spray a non-stick 10-inch skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder and salt and pepper. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into the flour mixture until the mixture appears coarse and sandy. Add ice-water to the mixture until moist clumps form and dough can be held together when you form it into a ball. On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll dough out to about 13 inches. Carefully move crust over the skillet and press it down to the bottom and up the sides. Remove any overhang.

Bake crust for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Set aside.

In another 10 inch skillet, add about 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Add asparagus and cook for 5 minutes, or until just tender. Remove asparagus from the skillet, rinse it off and let it cool slightly. Once cooled, cut into 5 inch long spears and set aside.

Prepare the filling by whisking the eggs, milk, cream, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt until fully mixed.

Place the asparagus on top of the crust so the leafy top is in the middle. Arrange it so you form a circle (kind of like bicycle wheel spokes). Carefully pour egg mixture over the asparagus to cover it. Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese and basil leaves.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tart is firm but a little jiggly in the middle. Let sit to firm up and serve!

Recipe adapted from Good Housekeeping.

_______________________________________

Amber is a stay at home mom who lives in the heart of the Missouri Ozarks. It’s a long way from where she grew up, in Wales (yes, way over in the U.K.). The recipes in her blog Sprinkled with Flour include her original creations as well as her family recipes. Go check them out!

Mar 10 2014

Ramen Noodle Soup

Posted by Erica Lea in Step-by-Step Recipes

When we were kids, we loved packaged ramen. Mom would try to make it herself, but we weren’t fooled: Nothing could live up to the MSG-laden packets.

Fast forward a few years and my taste in food has changed a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy an occasional pre-packaged ramen for a guilty snack. But it hurts me to know how many icky ingredients I’m consuming.

Then one day my sisters made traditional ramen from scratch. It opened my eyes to the idea that perhaps the humble ramen could be a delicious meal.

To my surprise, I was able to make a soup that was as good (or better!) than the little processed version I remembered from my childhood. If you put in a little extra effort, you’ll be surprised at the complexity of the flavors of this Ramen Noodle Soup from Tasty Kitchen member Justine. With the eggs and sausage for protein it’s definitely a filling, satisfying supper.

Here’s everything you’ll need to make the ramen: olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper, beef broth (I made mine from scratch), Sriracha (or any hot sauce you prefer), soy sauce, eggs, Italian sausage links (I made my own), ramen (or another Asian-style noodle), eggs, and green onions.

Begin by chopping up your onions, celery and carrots.

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven (or a big soup pot) over medium heat.

Once the oil is hot, add your veggies.

Give it a good stir.

Add the salt …

And pepper. Cook, stirring every once in a while, until everything is nice and tender.

Meanwhile, cook your sausages until no longer pink.

Chop up the parsley and garlic.

Once the veggies in the pot are soft, add the parsley …

And the garlic. Cook for a couple more minutes.

Add the beef broth, water (I just used more broth in place of the water) …

And soy sauce. Stir and bring to a boil. Lower the heat so the soup is just simmering and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the Sriracha …

Cooked sausages …

And noodles. Boil until the noodles are cooked to your preferred softness. Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Boil up some eggs to your preferred doneness (I like mine soft boiled, or about 7 minutes).

Serve up a big bowl with lots of sausage and an egg and green onions for garnish. Chopsticks optional (don’t make fun of my chopstick skills, or lack thereof).

Note: My sister and I thought this was the bomb-diggity, but our husbands thought it was too spicy. If you don’t like your ramen with any heat, you may want to scale back on or leave out the hot sauce.

Thank you so much to Justine for sharing this awesome soup with us. Make sure to stop by her blog Cooking & Beer for more recipes. Her Asian Wings look particularly yummy.

Printable Recipe