Banana Pudding Squares

This recipe is courtesy Summer Perrero

30 reduced fat Nilla Wafers, finely crushed
4 Tbsp margarine, melted
1 pkg low fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 8oz container fat free Cool Whip
3 medium ripe bananas
3 cups skim milk
2 pkg (4 serving size) Jello vanilla pudding
1/2 square baker's semi-sweet baking chocolate, grated

Mix wafers and margarine. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9X13 pan. Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar until well blended. Gently stir in 1 1/2 cups of the Cool Whip. Spoon evenly onto crust. Spread carefully. Cut banans in half crosswise and then cut each piece lengthwise. (I dipped them in orange juice just to keep them from going brown faster.) Arrange over the cream cheese mixture.
Pour milk into large bowl. Add pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes. Spoon over bananas. Spread with remaining Cool Whip. Sprinkle chocolate on top.

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

I was a little nervous to try this recipe because of the eggs. I wasn't exactly sure how it would turn, but it ended up being very good. I didn't buy the Pecorino Romano cheese I just added a cup of Parmesan instead. I also did not add all of the extra-virgin olive oil - I just put a little in the pan, since bacon is so greasy anyways. Brad also said he thinks that there should be chicken in it - so next time I will probably add chicken along with the bacon.


3 large eggs
3/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 slices bacon, chopped fine
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt
1 pound spaghetti
Pepper

Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position, place a large serving bowl on the rack, and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot for the spaghetti.
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, cheese, and garlic together and set aside.
Cook the bacon and olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until the bacon is crisp, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover.
When the water is boiling, stir in 1 Tbsp salt and the spaghetti. Cook, stirring often, until the spaghetti is almost tender but still a little firm to the bite.
Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water then drain the spaghetti, leaving it slightly wet. Remove the warm bowl from the oven and add the spaghetti. Immediately pour the egg and bacon mixtures over the spaghetti and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the reserved pasta cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce before serving.

Chicken Fajitas

This recipe, like many of my recent recipes that I've posted came from my new America's Test Kitchen cookbook - that I love!

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 red or green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin
1 red onion, halved and sliced thin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
2 to 4 Tbsp water
1 tsp Tabasco
10 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then slice it into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken and cook through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the lime juice.
Add the remaining 1 Tbsp oil to the skillet and return to medium-high heat until simmering. Add the peppers, onion, chili powder, cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, and 2 Tbsp of the water. Cook, scraping up any browned bits, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. (Add the remaining 2 Tbsp water as needed to prevent the pan from scorching.)
Return the chicken with any accumulated juice to the skillet. Stir in the Tabasco and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl.
Stack the tortillas, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high until hot, 40 to 60 seconds.
Serve with salsa, sour cream, avacado, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce and lime wedges.

Bacon and Cheddar Potato Skins

4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed
8 ounces bacon (8 slices), chopped fine
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Salt and pepper
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
1/2 cup minced fresh chives or scallions
1/2 cup sour cream

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Thoroughly prick the potatoes with a fork. Microwave the potatoes on high for 8 minutes, turning them over after 4 minutes. Carefully transfer the potatoes to the oven and cook until a skewer glides easily through the flesh, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a papertowel-lined plate.

Slice the hot potatoes in half lengthwise and cool for 5 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 475 degrees. Use a spoon to scoop out and discard the flesh, leaving a 1/4 inch later of potato on the inside of each skin.

Brush the potatoes inside and out with melted butter. Season the insides of the skins with salt and pepper. Arrange the potato skins, scooped side facing up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the potatoes are light golden brown and crisp, about 7 minutes.

Sprinkle the potato skins evenly with the crisp bacon and the cheddar and continue to bake until the cheese is bubbly, about 7 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the chives and add dollops of sour cream before serving.

Broccoli Cole Slaw

2 bags (3 ounce) Ramen Noodle Soup in Oriental
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 bags (12 ounce) broccoli cole slaw
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
Chopped green onions, for garnish

Dressing Mix:
3/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup brown or white sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 ramen noddle seasoning packet

Put the ramen noodles in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Melt a little butter in a large skillet over low/medium heat. Add the crushed noodles and slivered almonds to the skillet and saute, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Place the shredded broccoli into bowl and toss with the noodles, almonds, and sunflower seeds. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Garnish with chopped green onions.

Daring Baker's Challenge #2 - Eclairs

I don't know quite where to begin with this challenge. I was very excited to make eclairs. I think the only other time I have made eclairs was in my 8th grade Home Ec class and they didn't seem too hard. It ended up taking me 3 tries at this recipe and I only ended up with 3 edible eclairs. The first time instead of using wax or parchment paper I used my silpat - not thinking anything of it. They all deflated. The 2nd time I used the silpat again, but ran out of room, so I put 3 of them on the wax paper - and those three worked, the others deflated. So I decided to try it one more time thinking that it had to be the silpat that made them not work. My husband had put the initial wax paper down for me, so when I went to get more I realized that was the last of what we had. So I decided it probably couldn't hurt to just reuse the was paper. I was wrong - those eclairs also deflated. The eclair and a half that I ate was pretty tasty, although probably not worth all of the work!!


1 of the 3 survivors - sorry the picture isn't so beautiful, I had had it at this point!


They came out of the oven looking great!


My many rejects


Pierre Hermé’s Chocolate Éclairs
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 20-24 Éclairs)

• Cream Puff Dough (see below for recipe), fresh and still warm

1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Divide the oven into thirds by
positioning the racks in the upper and lower half of the oven. Line two baking sheets with
waxed or parchment paper.

2) Fill a large pastry bag fitted with a 2/3 (2cm) plain tip nozzle with the warm cream puff dough.
Pipe the dough onto the baking sheets in long, 4 to 41/2 inches (about 11 cm) chubby fingers.
Leave about 2 inches (5 cm) space in between each dough strip to allow them room to puff.
The dough should give you enough to pipe 20-24 éclairs.

3) Slide both the baking sheets into the oven and bake for 7 minutes. After the 7 minutes, slip the
handle of a wooden spoon into the door to keep in ajar. When the éclairs have been in the
oven for a total of 12 minutes, rotate the sheets top to bottom and front to back. Continue
baking for a further 8 minutes or until the éclairs are puffed, golden and firm. The total baking
time should be approximately 20 minutes.

Notes:
1) The éclairs can be kept in a cool, dry place for several hours before filling.

Assembling the éclairs:

• Chocolate glaze (see below for recipe)
• Chocolate pastry cream (see below for recipe)

1) Slice the éclairs horizontally, using a serrated knife and a gently sawing motion. Set aside the
bottoms and place the tops on a rack over a piece of parchment paper.

2) The glaze should be barely warm to the touch (between 95 – 104 degrees F or 35 – 40
degrees C, as measured on an instant read thermometer). Spread the glaze over the tops of
the éclairs using a metal icing spatula. Allow the tops to set and in the meantime fill the
bottoms with the pastry cream.

3) Pipe or spoon the pastry cream into the bottoms of the éclairs. Make sure you fill the bottoms
with enough cream to mound above the pastry. Place the glazed tops onto the pastry cream
and wriggle gently to settle them.

Notes:
1) If you have chilled your chocolate glaze, reheat by placing it in a bowl over simmering water,
stirring it gently with a wooden spoon. Do not stir too vigorously as you do not want to create
bubbles.

2) The éclairs should be served as soon as they have been filled.

Pierre Hermé’s Cream Puff Dough
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 20-24 Éclairs)

• ½ cup (125g) whole milk
• ½ cup (125g) water
• 1 stick (4 ounces; 115g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature

1) In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to the
boil.

2) Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium
and start to stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together very
quickly. Do not worry if a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan, it’s supposed to. You
need to carry on stirring for a further 2-3 minutes to dry the dough. After this time the dough
will be very soft and smooth.

3) Transfer the dough into a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using your
handmixer or if you still have the energy, continue by hand. Add the eggs one at a time,
beating after each egg has been added to incorporate it into the dough.
You will notice that after you have added the first egg, the dough will separate, once again do
not worry. As you keep working the dough, it will come back all together again by the time you
have added the third egg. In the end the dough should be thick and shiny and when lifted it
should fall back into the bowl in a ribbon.

4) The dough should be still warm. It is now ready to be used for the éclairs as directed above.

Notes:
1) Once the dough is made you need to shape it immediately.

2) You can pipe the dough and the freeze it. Simply pipe the dough onto parchment-lined baking
sheets and slide the sheets into the freezer. Once the dough is completely frozen, transfer the
piped shapes into freezer bags. They can be kept in the freezer for up to a month.

Chocolate Pastry Cream
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by PierreHermé

• 2 cups (500g) whole milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 6 tbsp (75g) sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
• 7 oz (200g) bittersweet chocolate, preferably Velrhona Guanaja, melted
• 2½ tbsp (1¼ oz: 40g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1) In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. In the meantime, combine the yolks, sugar and cornstarch together and whisk in a heavy‐bottomed saucepan.

2) Once the milk has reached a boil, temper the yolks by whisking a couple spoonfuls of the hot milk into the yolk mixture.Continue whisking and slowly pour the rest of the milk into the tempered yolk mixture.

3) Strain the mixture back into the saucepan to remove any egg that may have scrambled. Place the pan over medium heat and whisk vigorously (without stop) until the mixture returns to a boil. Keep whisking vigorously for 1 to 2 more minutes (still over medium heat).Stir in the melted chocolate and then remove the pan from the heat.

4) Scrape the pastry cream into a small bowl and set it in an ice‐water bath to stop the cooking process. Make sure to continue stirring the mixture at this point so that it remains smooth.

5) Once the cream has reached a temperature of 140 F remove from the ice‐water bath and stir in the butter in three or four installments. Return the cream to the ice‐water bath to continue cooling, stirring occasionally, until it has completely cooled. The cream is now ready to use or store in the fridge.

[bNotes:[/b]
1) The pastry cream can be made 2‐3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

2) In order to avoid a skin forming on the pastry cream, cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the cream.

3) Tempering the eggs raises the temperature of the eggs slowly so that they do not scramble.

Chocolate Glaze
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 1 cup or 300g)

• 1/3 cup (80g) heavy cream
• 3½ oz (100g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 4 tsp (20 g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
• 7 tbsp (110 g) Chocolate Sauce (recipe below), warm or at room temperature

1)In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and slowly begin to add the chocolate, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula.

2) Stirring gently, stir in the butter, piece by piece followed by the chocolate sauce.

Notes:
1) If the chocolate glaze is too cool (i.e. not liquid enough) you may heat it briefly
 in the microwave or over a double boiler. A double boiler is basically a bowl sitting over (not touching) simmering water.

2) It is best to glaze the eclairs after the glaze is made, but if you are pressed for time, you can make the glaze a couple days ahead of time, store it in the fridge and bring it up to the proper temperature (95 to 104 F) when ready to glaze.

Chocolate Sauce
Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 1½ cups or 525 g)


• 4½ oz (130 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup (250 g) water
• ½ cup (125 g) crème fraîche, or heavy cream
• 1/3 cup (70 g) sugar

1) Place all the ingredients into a heavy‐bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure to stir constantly. Then reduce the heat to low and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens.

2) It may take 10‐15 minutes for the sauce to thicken, but you will know when it is done when it coats the back of your spoon.

Notes:
1) You can make this sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for two weeks. Reheat the sauce in a microwave oven or a double boiler before using.
2) This sauce is also great for cakes, ice-cream and tarts.

**For the inside of my eclairs I just mixed vanilla pudding and whip cream. I also just made an easy chocolate frosting. I wasn't going to go to all of the work above for 3 eclairs.

Chicken Pizzaiola

from America's Test Kitchen

3 cups tomato sauce (see recipe below) or you can use a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)
4 ounces mozzarella, shredded (1 cup)
2 ounces pepperoni, sliced thin or any of your favorite pizza toppings

Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Spread the tomato sauce in a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Spread the Parmesan in a shallow dish, then coat the chicken with the Parmesan. lay the chicken on top of the tomato sauce. Bake for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle the mozzarella and pepperoni over the chicken. Increase the oven temperature to 475 degrees and continue to bake until the cheese melts and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes longer.

Quick Tomato Sauce:

3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp minced fresh basil
1/4 tsp sugar
Salt

Cook the oil and garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the crushed and diced tomatoes with their juice. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.

Stir in the basil and sugar. Season with salt to taste.