What's For Dessert Tonight?

[LauraTX]

Well, I saw this referenced in a thread as a link to help out a newbie, so I think it has been dormant long enough!

 

The last two weeks I made three notably wonderful things.  On valentines day I was given a recipe by a friend who is a chef for a homemade chocolate cream pie filling that you can just eat as a custard/pudding in itself.  You don't have to temper eggs so it is easy peasy, and if you dip strawberries and bananas in it it is SO GOOD!  

 

I used milk chocolate, you can use 7 oz of any kind of chocolate or just omit it and make vanilla custard.  I tasted it before I put the chocolate in and it was pretty good, too.  I did not strain it because I didn't have any egg lumps, if you whisk it the whole time it shouldn't lump at all.  For a more dippable, thinner cream, cook for just the minimum amount.  For pie and to have it set up well, cook a little longer.  Use a good quality chocolate and it will be divine!

 

From my chef friend: "This is a chocolate cream pie filling.  I typically make this cause its easy.  You don't' need a crust.  I'll serve it in a bowl with bananas or strawberries or whatever else. Oh one more thing.  Don't over cook the chocolate, or it will get too thick.  Once it comes together you will see it thicken from the corn starch.  But just keep in mind once its cool... it will thicken about 30% more.  You can use 7 oz of any chocolate."

 

Chocolate Pastry Cream

for Chocolate Cream Pie

 

For filling

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large egg yolks

3 cups whole milk

5 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), melted

2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted

-Note: you can use 7 oz of any chocolate and I prefer milk chocolate-

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

For topping

3/4 cup chilled heavy cream

1 tablespoon sugar

Make filling:

Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, and yolks in a 3-quart heavy saucepan until combined well, then add milk in a stream, whisking. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking, 1 minute (filling will be thick).

 

Force filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then whisk in chocolates, butter, and vanilla. Cover surface of filling with buttered parchment and plastic wrap and cool completely, about 2 hours.

 

Spoon filling into crust and chill pie, loosely covered, at least 6 hours.

 

Make topping:

Just before serving, beat cream with sugar in a bowl using an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks, then spoon on top of pie.

 

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The next thing here is a recipe I saw on TV and I do not recall what show it was from.  I wrote it down long ago and decided to try it this week as I am a huge fan of caramel and wanted to take some treats to the nurses at the place I get my infusion because they cater to my severe germaphobia and treat me so well.

 

Soft Caramels

 

1/2 pound butter 

2 cups light Karo Syrup 

2 cups sugar 

1/4 tsp salt 

1 can of Evaporated Milk- 12 oz. size

1 tsp vanilla

Optional- 1 cup of chopped nuts

 

Add butter, sugar, syrup and salt into a large pan(at least 4 qt.), bring to a boil  over medium to medium high heat until it's 250° - 320°

 

 Add 1 can of evaporated milk slowly- so mixture doesn’t stop boiling. 

Continue to boil to firm ball stage 245° - 250°  

(For every 500 feet over sea level, decrease temp by 1 degree. 

Use this rule for any kind of candy or fudge that you make. If you live at altitude and wondered why your candy wasn't turning out this is the key!!!! )

 

Remove from heat and carefully add 1 tsp of vanilla  and if you like nuts, add 1 cup of chipped nuts- optional.  

 

Place in well buttered pan and cool 

 

Once it's all cooled, cut into small squares and wrap in waxed paper.

 

Tips:  Use at least a 4 qt. pan, as it will boil voraciously.  If you are not used to making candy, when you boil the mixture you are waiting for all the water to boil out before the temperature will start to rise.  Use a candy thermometer unless you have mastered the old fashioned way of testing the ball stages of candy.  Add the milk in a very tiny stream as it will boil up when added.  Stir the mixture the whole time while cooking.  Do not line the pan with anything, just grease it well.  Cut with a pizza cutter and separate the pieces immediately.  

 

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And finally the last thing I made which was on a whim last night came from a post I saw on Facebook.  It was for homemade brownie mix.  It called for regular flour but in brownies any gluten-free flour blend will work as the dense texture is not hard to master like gluten-free bread is.

 

Homemade Brownies that taste like the box mix

 

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup gluten-free Flour (Any blend should do)

1/3 Cup Cocoa Powder

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil

 

Combine and bake in 8x8 pan at 350 F for 20-25 minutes.  

I made mine with King Arthur Flour gluten-free Baking Mix and omitted the salt and baking powder.  Omit these if your flour blend has leavening in it, add them if your flour blend does not have leavening in it.

If you like nuts you can add ½ cup chopped nuts.

 

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Enjoy, All, and please add some of your own!  Recipes, Ideas, products, anything. 

[love2travel]

Low carb (grain free) bittersweet mini chocolate cakes with peanuts/peanut butter filling, caramel sauce, whipped cream and toasted almonds.

[notme]

'cinnamon' rolls with no cinnamon - i used pecan filling and bourbon glaze    this is the best baking i have done gluten free!  i used the baking beauties recipe for the dough.  i really like their recipes.  i replace all their egg replacer with real egg, though lolz 

[cahill]

I am trialing peanut butter so I made these

 

 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

 

I replaced the honey with a very ripe banana and eliminated the chocolate chips. Mine baked for about 15 min not the 10 min the recipe states .

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups canned* chickpeas, well-rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (165 grams) natural peanut butter
1/4 cup (80 grams) honey
1 teaspoon baking powder**
a pinch of salt if your peanut butter doesn’t have salt in it
1/2 cup (90 grams) chocolate chips

* My can was a 400 gram can, 240 grams without the water, and I used all but a few tablespoons

** If you need grain-free baking powder, you can use 1 part cream of tartar + 1 part baking soda + 2 parts arrowroot.

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C.

Combine all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, in a food processor and process until very smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides and the top to get the little chunks of chickpeas and process again until they’re combined.

Put in the chocolate chips and stir it if you can, or pulse it once or twice. The mixture will be very thick and sticky.

With wet hands, form into 1 1/2″ balls. Place onto a piece of parchment paper. If you want them to look more like normal cookies, press down slightly on the balls. They don’t do much rising. Bake for about 10 minutes.

Yields about fourteen 1 1/2″ cookie dough balls.
*** Don't even try with regular peanut butter! They'll come out oily. You MUST use natural peanut butter

 

[cahill]

Tonights dessert is;

 

home made strawberry ice cream

[love2travel]

My birthday was Sunday so we have a smidgen of cake left.  I am doing low carb so I made an almond and coconut cake with a light drizzle of maple glaze.  It is actually quite good but would be better with some of that homemade strawberry ice cream! 

[Fritz-in-pa]

I am trialing peanut butter so I made these

 

 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

 

I replaced the honey with a very ripe banana and eliminated the chocolate chips. Mine baked for about 15 min not the 10 min the recipe states .

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups canned* chickpeas, well-rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (165 grams) natural peanut butter

1/4 cup (80 grams) honey

1 teaspoon baking powder**

a pinch of salt if your peanut butter doesn’t have salt in it

1/2 cup (90 grams) chocolate chips

* My can was a 400 gram can, 240 grams without the water, and I used all but a few tablespoons

** If you need grain-free baking powder, you can use 1 part cream of tartar + 1 part baking soda + 2 parts arrowroot.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C.

Combine all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, in a food processor and process until very smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides and the top to get the little chunks of chickpeas and process again until they’re combined.

Put in the chocolate chips and stir it if you can, or pulse it once or twice. The mixture will be very thick and sticky.

With wet hands, form into 1 1/2″ balls. Place onto a piece of parchment paper. If you want them to look more like normal cookies, press down slightly on the balls. They don’t do much rising. Bake for about 10 minutes.

Yields about fourteen 1 1/2″ cookie dough balls.

*** Don't even try with regular peanut butter! They'll come out oily. You MUST use natural peanut butter

 

 This sounds very interesting... before figuring it out that It was the gluten, I thought it was the peanuts that were getting me.  I have yet to eat peanuts but am going to try this one out soon.  Last week I did a similar type recipe making a pan of brownies using black beans and honey... I am sure the brownie recipe has been posted here before but it was new to me and I was surprised at the taste...  Thanks for the good ideas!!!

[moosemalibu]

I made "Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies" from gluten free on a shoestring: Open Original Shared Link

 

I was really impressed!! I used date sugar since that is what I had on hand... it was perfect. Just the right balance of sweet and a bit of salt. I will be making them again. I bought some Almond flour from Costco last weekend. I was shocked they had the Honeyville brand. Snatched a bag up since otherwise I would have to order it online.

 

Really hard to only eat 2 last night.

[LauraTX]

I made "Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies" from gluten free on a shoestring: Open Original Shared Link

 

I was really impressed!! I used date sugar since that is what I had on hand... it was perfect. Just the right balance of sweet and a bit of salt. I will be making them again. I bought some Almond flour from Costco last weekend. I was shocked they had the Honeyville brand. Snatched a bag up since otherwise I would have to order it online.

 

Really hard to only eat 2 last night.

 

Oooh those look really good!  If I subbed in regular sugar would it be more/less sweet and need the amount adjusted?

[moosemalibu]

Oooh those look really good!  If I subbed in regular sugar would it be more/less sweet and need the amount adjusted?

I think that you could substitute regular sugar in... it probably would be sweeter. But honestly, the original cookie with date sugar was not overly sweet so it could handle sweeter. I don't know how regular sugar weighs out in comparison to date/palm sugar but if you have a scale it may be worth just weighing it and using that amount versus a volume measurement.

[LauraTX]

Ahh good idea  I am definitely adding this to my recipes to try!