Dutch Baby from NYTimes

3 eggs
½ cup flour
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of nutmeg
4 tablespoons butter
Syrup, preserves, confectioners’ sugar or cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine eggs, flour, milk, sugar and nutmeg in a blender jar and blend until smooth. Batter may also be mixed by hand.
Place butter in a heavy 10-inch skillet or baking dish and place in the oven. As soon as the butter has melted (watch it so it does not burn) add the batter to the pan, return pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and golden. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake five minutes longer.

Peach Upside-Down Cake from nytimes.com


¼ pound unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan
3 large, ripe peaches
1 ¼ cup sugar
1 cup flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 eggs
¾ cup crème fraîche

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch cake or pie pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper and butter that as well.
  2. Pit the peaches and cut into slices about 1/2-inch thick. Arrange the slices in a pattern on the bottom of the pie pan.
  3. Combine 1/2 cup/100 grams of the sugar with 1/4 cup of water in a saucepan or skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture turns amber, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat immediately and pour this caramel evenly over the peaches in the pie pan.
  4. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and nutmeg, and set aside.
  5. In another medium bowl, beat together the butter and remaining 3/4 cup/150 grams sugar until light. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Stir in the flour mixture. Spread the batter evenly over the peaches and caramel.
  6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until top is golden brown and cake is set. Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack. Run a knife around the sides, place a platter on top and invert the cake onto the platter. If any of the peach slices stick to the pan, lift them off carefully and replace them on top of the cake. Serve the cake warm or cooled to room temperature, with crème fraîche on the side.

Tip

  • Your caramel might harden by the time you spread the batter on top of the peaches. Don’t worry. It’ll melt by the time it comes out of the oven.

 

chocolate pudding pie from smittenkitchen.com

Pudding filling:
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole milk
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not more than 60% cacao), finely chopped
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chilled heavy cream

Bittersweet chocolate shavings for garnish (optional)

Prepare pie dough: Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into an 11-inch round, then fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang under and crimp edge decoratively. Prick bottom and side of shell all over with a fork, then chill shell 30 minutes. While shell chills, preheat oven to 375°F with a baking sheet on middle rack. Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights*.

Bake on baking sheet until pastry is set and edge is pale golden, about 25 minutes. Carefully remove weights and foil, then bake shell on baking sheet until pale golden all over, 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool shell.

Make pudding filling: Whisk together cornstarch, 1/3 cup sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, then boil, whisking, two minutes (mixture will thicken). Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate and vanilla until smooth.

Pour filling into cooled shell and chill, its surface covered with wax paper (if you want to prevent a skin from forming), until cold, at least two hours.

Just before serving, beat cream with remaining two tablespoons sugar until it just holds soft peaks. Spoon onto pie and garnish with bittersweet chocolate shavings, if you’re feeling fancy.

Do ahead: Pie dough can be made and chilled up to two days. Pie, without whipped cream, can be chilled up to one day before serving. Whipped cream is best added at the last minute, however, I did find that ours held up surprisingly well for a day (so far), if you feel like winging it.

carrot cake and frosting from hali taylor

Combine:
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped walnuts and/or 1 cup raisins

 In another bowl, combine:
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring well. Pour into greased 9 X 13 pan.

Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes

Frosting:

½ cup butter
8 oz. cream cheese
1 box XXX sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

butternut squash salad with farro and pepitas from smitten kitchen.com

1 medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds)
5 to 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup semi-pearled farro (see Note up top)
1/3 cup toasted pepitas (I used, and love, the salted ones)
3 ounces ricotta salata or another salty cheese, crumbled or coarsely grated (about 3/4 cup)(omit to make vegan)
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Peel squash, then halve lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Cut squash into approximately 3/4-inch chunks. Coat one large or two small baking sheets with 2 tablespoons oil total. Spread squash out in single layer on sheet. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast until pieces are tender, about 30 to 40 minutes, turning them over halfway through the cooking time. Set aside to cool slightly.

While squash is roasting, cook farro in a large pot of simmering salted water until the grains are tender but chewy, about 30 minutes. (Since there are so many varieties of farro, however, if your package suggests otherwise, it’s best to defer to its cooking suggestion.) Drain and cool slightly.

While squash is roasting and farro is simmering, in a small bowl, whisk together sherry vinegar, water, 1/2 teaspoon table salt and granulated sugar until sugar and salt dissolve. Stir in onion; it will barely be covered by vinegar mixture but don’t worry. Cover and set in fridge until needed; 30 minutes is ideal but less time will still make a lovely, lightly pickled onion.

In a large bowl, mix together butternut squash, farro, red onion and its vinegar brine, the crumbled cheese and pepitas. Toss with 3 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil, use the 4th one only if needed. Taste and adjust seasonings. Eat now or later. Salad keeps in the fridge for up to a week.

Crazy carrot cake


1 1/2 Cups flour + 3 Tablespoons
1 Cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 Cup finely grated peeled carrots
1/2 Cup chopped walnuts
1/2 Cup golden raisins
1 teaspoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 Tablespoons Canola oil
1 Cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and grease an 8″ baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the first 8 dry ingredients and blend well. Next, add carrots, walnuts and golden raisins – blend well. Last, add the wet ingredients – vinegar, vanilla and oil, then pour the water over top – mix well. Pour in greased baking dish.

Bake on middle rack of oven for *35 to 45 minutes. Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean, remove when ready. Allow to cool and top with your favorite vanilla or cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!

Links to Frosting Recipes
Basic Cream Cheese Frosting recipe from AllRecipes.com
Head here for a VEGAN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING from the Minimalist Baker

Note: *Oven baking times may vary, be sure to check your cake to make sure you do not over bake.

Lemon-Spice Visiting Cake from Dorie Greenspan

  • Butter and flour for the pan
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 ¼ cups sugar
  • 1 large (or 2 small) lemons
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • ½ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 5 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • cup marmalade (for optional glaze)
  • ½ teaspoon water (for optional glaze)
  1. Center a rack in the oven, and preheat it to 350. Butter an 8 1/2-inch loaf pan (Pyrex works well), dust with flour and tap out the excess. (For this cake, bakers’ spray isn’t as good as butter and flour.) Place on a baking sheet.
  2. Whisk the 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, cardamom, ginger and salt together.
  3. Put the sugar in a large bowl, and grate the zest of the lemon(s) over the sugar. Squeeze the lemon(s) to produce 3 tablespoons juice, and set this aside. Using your fingers, rub the sugar and zest together until the mixture is moist and aromatic. One at a time, add the eggs, whisking well after each. Whisk in the juice, followed by the heavy cream. Still using the whisk, gently stir the dry ingredients into the batter in two additions. Stir the vanilla into the melted butter, and then gradually blend the butter into the batter. The batter will be thick and have a beautiful sheen. Scrape it into the loaf pan.
  4. Bake for 70 to 75 minutes (if the cake looks as if it’s getting too dark too quickly, tent it loosely with foil) or until a tester inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer to a rack, let rest for 5 minutes and then carefully run a blunt knife between the sides of the cake and the pan. Invert onto the rack, and turn over. Glaze now, or cool to room temperature.
  5. For the glaze: Bring the marmalade and water to a boil. Brush the glaze over the top of the warm cake, and allow to it to set for 2 hours. The glaze will remain slightly tacky.
  6. When the cake is completely cool, wrap in plastic to store. If it’s glazed, wrap loosely on top.

Cinnamon Raisin Rice Pudding from thisolegal.com


1 cup Arborio Rice
1 1/2 Fresh Water
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
2 1/2 cups Low-Fat or Whole Milk
1-2 Cinnamon Stick
2 Eggs
1/2 c sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1/2 cup Raisins
Cinnamon for garnish

In your Pressure Cooker cooking pot, combine water, rice, cinnamon stick and salt.

Lock the lid and close Pressure Valve.  Cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes.

When Beep sounds, allow a 10 minute Natural Pressure Release and then do a Quick Release to remove any remaining pressure.

Open lid and add 2 cups of the milk and the sugar to pressure cooking pot and stir to combine.

Add the eggs and vanilla into the measuring cup with the remaining milk and whisk well to combine.

Slowly pour into Pressure Cooker cooking pot, stirring as you go.

Select the Sauté or Browning function and allow pudding to come to a slow boil, stirring constantly. Continue to whisk for one minute only.

Remove cooking pot from Pressure Cooker, add raisins and mix together.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg, if desired.

Recipe Notes

Rice Pudding will thicken as it cools.
Eat warm or put in refrigerator to chill.
If you prefer a firmer texture, cook for just 3 minutes.

Baby Bok Choy With Oyster Sauce from cooking.nytimes.com

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 3 ½ tablespoons oyster sauce
  • Pinch of sugar
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (do not use seasoned rice vinegar)
  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
    1/2 tsp garlic/ginger paste
  • 4 to 6 bunches of baby bok choy, approximately 1 1/2 pounds, cleaned, with ends trimmed and cut in half
  1. Combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and rice vinegar in a bowl and set aside.
  2. Heat oil in a skillet or wok set over high heat. When it shimmers, add garlic and garlic/ginger paste, then bok choy, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add reserved sauce over the greens to the skillet or wok, then cover it and allow to cook for 3 to6 minutes more, until bok choy has softened nicely at its base.

indian moong dal instant pot from twosleevers.com

1 c. yellow mung dal
4 c water
1onion diced
1 tomato diced
2 tbsp garlic/ginger paste
1 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp corriander
1/2 tsp sugar
lemon juice and parsley or cilantro to finish

place all ingredients in instant pot.
cook for 20 min at high pressure then release naturally
mix in lemon juice and stir well
garnish with cilantro or parsley