Showing posts with label Dessert Wars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dessert Wars. Show all posts

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Lemon Grass-Pistachio Semi Freddo with Mango Caramel Sauce

Dessert Wars has challenged us like never before!!
Check out these instructions:

Since St. Patty's day is in March we thought it would be fun if we celebrated the color green! And not just anything green but foods that are naturally green!

Traditional
Green Apples
Green Grapes
Limes
Pistachios
Honey Dew
Kiwi
Green Pears
Mint
Pandan
Green Chile Peppers

Non-Traditional
Avocado
Green Tea
Cucumber
Green Chilies
Wasabi
Basil or other green herbs
Soy Beans (you may use tofu)
Vegetables like Spinach, Peas
Lemon Grass
Green Cheese

The challenge is to make a dessert that involves two green ingredients. You must use at least one ingredient from each column. This challenge is meant to change the way you think about desserts and take you way out of your comfort zone.


Since we haven't worked a whole lot with most of the
ingredients from the list, we tried to pick ingredients that
wouldn't be too bizarre!
After throwing a few ideas around, the two ingredients we
decided on were lemon grass and pistachio.

Once the lemon grass hunt was over we got to work!
Lemon grass is sold in stalks... remove outer layer.
We only used the white part of the stalk and chop her up!


In a food processor or plastic bag, add lemon cookies and
pistachios. Pulse or smash until roughly chopped.


Start the molasses by dissolving sugar into lemon juice
over medium heat. Once dissolved, add lemon grass
and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, whip the cream and confectioners'
sugar until soft peaks form.

Once the molasses is done, strain to remove any chunks of lemon grass.

Add molasses to the cream mixture and stir by hand two times
to fold in gently.

Prepare your ramekins!

Layer the cookie and pistachio mixture on the bottom of the ramekin....

Add a layer of cream....

Add another layer of cookies and pistachios......

End with another layer of they creamy mixture!
Place in to the freezer for 45 minutes to an hour.

In our research for this recipe, we found that mangoes
were often paired with lemon grass.
Hence...Mango Caramel Sauce!

Finely chop 2 mangoes....

In a medium sauce pan, add sugar and water...

Add mangoes. Cook until sugar is dissolved and
caramel reaches a dark amber stage.
Add butter and salt and swirl to combine.
Remove from heat.

Remove freddo from the freezer and let sit for a couple of minutes.
Run a butter knife around the edge if necessary.

Invert ramekin onto plate.

Drizzle with Mango Caramel Sauce.
Enjoy!!


Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Dark Chocolate Orange Trifle

It is Dessert Wars time again!! This month we had to come up with a recipe using
dark chocolate and hearts in honor of Valentine's Day. We don't love
dark chocolate so this one was a bit of a challenge for us...
but turned out great, you get a bite of the chocolate cake, smooth chocolate glaze
and top it off with a creamy orange mousse!!

We started with a Dark Chocolate Pound Cake from epicurious.com.
The recipes will also be posted on the printable link! Very moist.... if you are a dark chocolate lover, this is a must try!Make the chocolate glaze as well (sorry, I didn't get a picture of that!)to drizzle in the layers of your trifle.

Make your white chocolate orange mousse... whisk together milk and white chocolate
pudding mix. Add cool whip and orange zest! So easy! Love the white chocolate and orange together! Yum!


Starting layering.... cake, broken into chunks, drizzle of chocolate glaze, orange mousse and repeat until you end with mousse.

Top with a chocolate dipped orange and Enjoy!!



Dessert Wars


The prizes from the sponsors for February are:


Friday, January 28, 2011

Nutella Silk Pie

There are people who love Nutella and there are people who've never tried Nutella- thats it there is no in between right?!?!
This pie is light and fluffy, smooth and silky and just downright delicious!
Perfect combination of Nutella and peanut butter-deliciously creamy and it came to be
all because of a little thing called Dessert Wars!
Dessert Wars is the brainchild of Reeni from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice and Christine from The Cupcake Bandit. This is a competition with a new ingredient each month, this months is Nutella, designed to push us out of our comfort zone and try something new-and there are prizes!!
Woowhoo!;)
The prizes will be posted at the end of this post.
After checking around I realized there are like a million and one Nutella recipes!!
I really wanted to come up with something different so once this pie "came to me;)"
I checked around the net and was pleased to find there wasn't already a recipe out there.
So I looked around for a basic silk pie recipe and went from there.
As always the full recipe is available through the printable link.
This is what I came up with:
Make a pie crust and bake it-no pictures for this step.
In a medium sauce pan cook sugar, chocolate, milk and corn syrup together stirring occasionally, to the soft ball stage-234 degrees.
Remove from heat and add Nutella.
Mmmm-yummy!
Beat lightly for a few minutes.

Pour into cooled pie crust.

Chill thoroughly before filling layer.

Mix together the filling ingredients-cream cheese, Nutella, peanut butter, powdered sugar, pudding mix and milk. Beat until smooth.

This part is super important-
MAKE YOUR OWN WHIPPED CREAM!!!
Just one of those things you just do;)

Then gently fold into filling mixture until well blended.

Pour over fudge layer.

Chill before serving...please..it's totally worth the wait!