Coconut Milk Rice Pudding +-

From: FoodWishes

• 2 t milk
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 3/4 c milk
• 1 c coconut milk
• 1 T butter
• 1/3 c Arborio rice
• 1/4 c white sugar
• salt to tast
• 1/8 t vanilla extract
• 1/4 c finely diced mango
• 1 pinch Chinese five-spice powder

Beat 2 tablespoons milk with egg yolk in a small bowl. Set aside.

Combine 2 3/4 cups milk and coconut milk in a saucepan over medium heat. When mixture just begins to steam, reduce heat to low.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in rice and cook for 1 minute. Pour in 1/2 cup coconut milk mixture; stir constantly until liquid is completely absorbed and rice is creamy. Repeat this process until the milk mixture is completely incorporated and the rice has a tender, yet slightly firm consistency, 20 to 30 minutes.

Stir sugar and salt into the rice mixture. Remove from heat. Slowly whisk in egg yolk mixture until completely incorporated and the mixture is custard color, about 1 minute. Whisk in vanilla.

Cool pudding to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well-chilled, at least 3 hours. Garnish with mango and Chinese five-spice powder.

Tarte Tatin +

From: FoodWishes

• 3T butter

• 3/4c white sugar

• 3 large Granny Smith apples, cored and quartered

• 1T all-purpose flour

• 1 9 inch unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Coat a 10-inch oven-proof skillet with butter. Sprinkle sugar evenly over the top of the butter.

Place apple quarters, rounded sides down, on top of the butter and sugar in a circular pattern.

Place skillet over medium-high heat and cook until butter melts and sugar dissolves and begins to caramelize. Continue to cook until apples soften and caramel begins to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat.

Sprinkle work surface with flour and roll pie dough into an 11-inch circle. Pinch edge to create a ruffle around crust.

Place crust on top of apples and tuck in edges around apples.

Bake in the preheated oven until crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate over the top of the pan and carefully invert to release tarte from the pan. Scrape any remaining apples stuck to the pan back on top of crust.

German Chocolate Cake +

From: David Labovitz

Cake:

• 2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chopped

• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

• 6 tablespoons water

• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1 ¼ cup + ¼ cup sugar

• 4 large eggs, separated

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1 cup sugar

• 3 large egg yolks

• 3 ounces butter, cut into small pieces

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped

• 1 1/3 cups unsweetened coconut, toasted

Syrup:

• 1 cup water

• ¾ cup sugar

• 2 tablespoons dark rum (substitute molasses thinned with pineapple juice and 2 drops of almond extract)

Icing:

• 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup

• 1 ½ ounces unsalted butter

• 1 cup heavy cream

To make the cake:

Butter two 9-inch cake pans, then line the bottoms with rounds of parchment or wax paper. Preheat the oven to 350°.

Melt both chocolates together with the 6 tablespoons of water. Use either a double-boiler or a microwave. Stir until smooth, then set aside until room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, or by hand, beat the butter and 1 ¼ cup of the sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the melted chocolate, then the egg yolks, one at a time.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Mix in half of the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture, then the buttermilk and the vanilla extract, then the rest of the dry ingredients.

In a separate metal or glass bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold soft, droopy peaks. Beat in the ¼ cup of sugar until stiff.

Fold about one-third of the egg whites into the cake batter to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites just until there’s no trace of egg white visible.

Divide the batter into the 2 prepared cake pans, smooth the tops, and bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool cake layers completely.

To make the filling:

Mix the cream, sugar, and egg yolks in a medium saucepan. Put the 3 ounces butter, salt, toasted coconut, and pecan pieces in a large bowl.

Heat the cream mixture and cook, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the spoon (an instant-read thermometer will read 170°.)

Pour the hot custard immediately into the pecan-coconut mixture and stir until the butter is melted. Cool completely to room temperature. (It will thicken.)

To make the syrup:

In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and water until the sugar has melted. Remove from heat and stir in the dark rum.

To make the icing:

Place the 8 ounces of chopped chocolate in a bowl with the corn syrup and 1 ½ ounces of butter.

Heat the cream until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Let stand one minute, then stir until smooth. Let sit until room temperature.

To assemble the cake:

Remove the cake layers from the pans and cut both cake layers in half horizontally, using a serrated bread knife.

Set the first cake layer on a cake plate. Brush well with syrup. Spread ¾ cup of the coconut filling over the cake layer, making sure to reach to the edges. Set another cake layer on top.

Repeat, using the syrup to brush each cake layer, then spreading ¾ cup of the coconut filling over each layer, including the top.

Ice the sides with the chocolate icing, then pipe a decorative border of chocolate icing around the top, encircling the coconut topping.

Strawberry Sparkle Cake +

From: Pioneer Woman

Angel Food Cake

• Angle Food Cake
• 15 whole Egg Whites, At Room Temperature
• 1 teaspoon Cream Of Tartar
• 1-1/2 cup Plus 2 Tablespoons Sugar, Sifted Three Times
• 1 cup Cake Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla

Filling

• 1 package (3 Oz.) Strawberry Jello
• 2-1/2 cups Boiling Water
• 1 package (1 Pound) Frozen Sliced Strawberries

Icing

• 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Combine cake flour and salt and sift together five times. Set aside.

Beat egg whites until frothy (lots of bubbles but still liquidy and loose.) Add cream of tartar and beat on high until stiff.

With mixer on medium-low, slowly sprinkle in sifted sugar as it mixes in.

Remove bowl from mixer and fold in sifted flour gently until it's all combine. Sprinkle vanilla into the bowl and fold gently.

Spoon batter into tube pan---make sure there's no grease or butter in there! Smooth the top and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a wooden skewer stuck all the way to the bottom comes out clean. (Don't open the oven while it's baking!)

Carefully remove the cake from the oven and immediately invert it on a bottle. Let it cool completely while hanging upside down. Once totally cool, remove it from the pan.

To make the filling, sprinkle the jello powder into a bowl and pour in 2 1/2 cups of boiling water. Stir to dissolve, then add the bag of frozen sliced strawberries. Stir to cool the mixture and set it aside.

Turn the cake upside down so that the end that was stuck to the bottom of the pan is now facing up. With a serrated knife, carefully cut the top 1-inch of cake from the top. Remove it and lay it beside the cake. Next, with a small paring knife, make two concentric cuts in the cake: one cut is 1 inch from the outside rim, the other cut is 1 inch from the inside rim. (Be careful not to cut all the way through to the bottom of the cake! Leave about an inch from the bottom.)

Tear out a trench in between the two cuts and save the torn cake pieces for another use.

By now, the strawberry mixture should be cool and somewhat gelatinous. IMPORTANT: If mixture is not thick, stick it in the freezer for 15 minutes or until it thickens and sets. Carefully spoon the mixture into the trench in the cake, filling it all the way to the top and ever-so-slightly above to allow for a little settling. Place the top of the cake back on top, lining it up just right.

Refrigerate cake for a couple of hours (or you can stick it in the freezer for an hour or so if you're in a hurry!)

To serve, whip together the cream and sugar until stiff. Spread all over the cake. Cut into slices and serve!, festive, fresh, fabulous cake!

Optional: Garnish with fresh strawberries. 

Baked Eggy Custard ✔+

From: Betty Crocker

• 3 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/3 C sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• dash of salt
• 2 1/2 cups very warm milk (120° F to 130° F)
• Ground Nutmeg

Heat oven to 350°F.

In medium bowl, beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt with wire whisk or fork. Gradually stir in milk. Pour into six 6-ounce custard cups. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Place cups in 13x9-inch pan on oven rack. Pour very hot water into pan to within 1/2 inch of tops of cups 

Bake about 45 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Remove cups from water. 

Eat it warm, or chilled