read, write, and cook blog

I made Sticky Toffee Pudding for our dinner club this weekend. I was a little nervous because I am not a very good baker, but this was incredible easy! And it was phenomenal I used a recipe from  Bon Appetite, but made a few minor adjustment based on various reviews. Reminded me of my time in London…

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Ingredients

• 8 oz Medjool Dates – cut in half lengthwise, take out the pit
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temp
• 1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups self-rising flour
• 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Caramel Sauce (see below) & Vanilla Ice Cream

Directions

Preheat over to 350

1. Butter 8 individual souffle ramekins (line bottom with parchment paper and butter the paper as well)
2. Place dates in a bowl and cover with the boiling water. Let the water and date mixture cool. Place in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and blend until smooth but still a little lumpy.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until blended
4. Add 2 eggs, 1 at a time until incorporated. Add half of the flour, blend. Add the final two eggs, 1 at a time, then add the remaining flour. Beat until blended.
5. Mix the coffee granules and baking soda together in a small bowl. Add to the dates and mix together.
6. Add the date mixture to the batter and beat to blend.
7. Divide the batter evenly among the 8 ramekins and bake for 25 – 28 minutes until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and unmold while still a little warm. Poke holes in the puddings with a bamboo skewer. Top with caramel sauce and server with vanilla ice cream.

NOTE: Puddings can be made a day ahead. Cool completely and then rewarm for approximately 10-15 minutes in a 250 degree oven.

Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Bring cream, sugar, butter, molasses, and vanilla to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce until thickened slightly. (about 15 minutes) Serve warm with Sticky Toffee Puddings.

My sister came to visit last weekend. We had a wonderful time and splurged a little on dinner. We love to cook together so it was great fun to spend some quality time in the kitchen. Our menu:

Filet steaks with King Crab and Bernaise Sauce
Porcini mushroom and Gorgonzola risotto
Green beans

This was a phenomenal meal! One thing to note is that Giada’s recipe doesn’t call for enough chicken stock. My sister has made this risotto twice and had to double the amount of liquid both times.

We had some bubbles as well and I found these great new wine charms. They are little aliens that suction to the side of your glass!

After a fun-filled and busy weekend of eating out and at friends, I was in the mood to spend some time in the kitchen come Sunday. Not knowing what I felt like having, my husband asked for salmon. At the market, the Sockeye looked good, but so did the Dungeness crabs, so i got one of those as well. I knew I had a bag of spinach at home, but I picked up a few other veggies and this is what I came up with…

Baked Salmon w/ Crab and Spinach

1.5 lb salmon filet cut into 4-6 oz pieces
1 Dungeness crab – remove the meat from the shell, keep large pieces as intact as possible
1 lbs baby spinach (I used a full salad mix bag)
1 half a small shallot sliced thin
olive oil
Bread crumbs
Grated parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
Old bay seasoning
1 tsp worchestershire sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
Juice of one lemon
salt & pepper (S&P)

Preheat oven to 375
First mix the last 5 ingredients in a bowl and season to taste with S&P. Set aside.

Next put a 2 count drizzle of olive oil in a large sauté pan. On medium low heat, add the shallot. Saute the shallot until soft. Add all the spinach and toss to wilt for 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons of water and cover. Cook spinach for another minute until wilted, but still bright green. Set aside.

To assemble the individual dishes, use 4 medium size oven safe ramekins or soup crocks. Place 1/4 of the spinach mixture in the bottom of each dish. Place a salmon piece on top. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with S&P. Gently fold the crab meat with the sauce and place 1/4 on top of salmon filet. Continue with remaining 3 ramekins. Top each ramekin with 1 Tbsp bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.

Place all ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until salmon is medium rare or to desired doneness.

I served these with orzo with zuchinni, mushrooms, and pinenuts.