Smultboller (Sour Cream Doughnuts) and Eggnog

Season of sweets: donuts and nog.

The doughnut recipe came from my most favorite cookbook, EVER, called Prairie Cooks, which I found in a little shop in Medora, North Dakota. Smultboller is the Norwegian name for these quick, but magical doughnuts. The cardamom is key.

The eggnog is cooked, and I thin it quite a bit, as thin but flavorful nog is my personal preference.


Smultboller

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sour cream
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
Lightly flavored oil for frying (vegetable, canola, etc)
Cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar, for dipping

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cardamom. In separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla until mixture is thick and pale. Beat in the sour cream. Quickly add the dry ingredients mixture to the sour cream mixture, but only until just combined. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut 3 inch diameter circles, with 1 1/4 inch centers cut out. Cut as many rounds as possible, then gather the scraps together and re-roll the dough.

Heat oil over medium low heat (about a 4 on a scale of 10), to 375˚F. Fry about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown, adjusting heat as necessary. Remove doughnuts from oil with a slotted spoon and drop in sugar of choice to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Eggnog:

Wash 6 large eggs.
Beat eggs with 1/4 cup sugar.
Add 2 cups whole milk and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until 160˚F. Let the eggnog rest 5 minutes, then stir in:
3 cups 2% milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg Serve chilled.

Chocolate Cherry Cordial Torte

Ingredients:

About 50 chocolate covered cherries, preferably homemade

3 cups chocolate ganache:
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (do not exceed 61% cacao)
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Bring cream just to boil in heavy small saucepan. Place chocolate chips in medium bowl; pour hot cream over. Let stand 1 minute, then whisk until melted and smooth. Let stand at room temperature until cool and firm, about 2 hours. (Alternatively, chill ganache until cool and firm, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour.)

1 recipe Maraschino Cherry Cake:

3 c. cake flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter
2 tbsp oil
2 c. sugar
3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. maraschino juice
1/4 c. cherries, chopped
1 tsp. vanilla
4 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line 2 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper. Butter and flour the parchment.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In separate bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in milk and maraschino juice. Slowly add dry ingredients, and beat until just combined. In separate bowl, beat whites of eggs until peaks form. Fold egg whites and cherries into batter. Bake for 30 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Cool completely before filling.

To fill and frost:
Place one layer cake on serving plate. Cover with chocolate covered cherries, setting them as close as possible. Fill any gaps with chocolate ganache, until top is flat for the next layer to rest on. Top ganache with second cake layer. Frost with extra ganache.*

* Leaving the sides of the cake unfrosted creates an impressive presentation, but if the cake edges look messy, frosting the sides is advised.

Garnish with extra maraschino cherries, slivered almonds, and chocolate shavings.

Cookies and Cream Cake

This cake incorporates components from Oreos, chocolate chip cookies and milk.

...a killer cake. Literally.

Chocolate Oreo cake:

2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

1 cup crushed oreos

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans, or three 8-inch round baking pans.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixer bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer for 2 minutes. Mix in boiling water - the batter will be quite thin. Pour batter into prepared pans. Sprinkle each evenly with oreos.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack, then tap the cakes out of the pans. Cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate chip cookie dough filling:

2 C all-purpose flour

1/2 t salt

3/4 C unsalted butter, melted

1 C packed brown sugar

1/2 C white sugar

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1 T vanilla extract

6 T milk

1 cup chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients, thoroughly. When Oreo cake is cool, invert one cake, so the oreo side is facing down. Spread chocolate chip cookie dough filling evenly over top. Top with second layer cake, Oreo's facing up.

Frosting:

2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp gelatin
1 tbsp water

Combine gelatin and water, and let sit for several minutes. Microwave for 1 minute, or until clear liquid. Whip the cream right before frosting the cake (ideally right before serving). Add the sugar. When cream begins to form soft peaks, whip in gelatin at high speed. Frost cake.

Garnish with extra Oreo crumbles and/or chocolate chips. Serve thin wedges with milk.

Earl Grey Truffles (and Meyer Lemon Cardamom and Balsamic Satsuma)

OMG YUM.

I think I feel some Christmas gifts coming on...

Chocolate Earl Grey Truffles (Recipe courtesy of Hipcooks Portland)

2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened
2 teaspoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves, Loose tea leaves tend to be of higher quality than tea bags, giving the truffles a fresher, more distinct flavor.
6 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder for rolling, or tempered dark chocolate for dipping

Bring cream and butter to a boil in a small heavy saucepan and stir in tea leaves. Remove from heat and let steep 5 minutes. Don’t oversteep or it will become bitter.

Meanwhile, finely grind chocolate in a food processor and transfer to a bowl. Pour cream through a fine-mesh sieve onto chocolate, pressing on and discarding tea leaves, then whisk until smooth. Chill ganache, covered, until firm, about 2 hours. Mmmmm. Earl Grey.

Spoon level teaspoons of ganache onto a baking sheet. Put cocoa in a bowl and dust your palms lightlywith it. Roll each piece of ganache into a ball. Drop several balls at a time into bowl of cocoa and turn in cocoa to coat. Transfer as coated to an airtight container, separating layers with wax paper. If you prefer to dip in truffle into chopped nuts, then chop pecans or almonds and roll the truffle.


OTHER TRUFFLE IDEAS:

Balsamic Satsuma: Steep the peel of 1 satsuma in the milk (instead of the tea) and add 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar along with chocolate.

Meyer Lemon and Cardamom: Steep the peel of 1 Meyer lemon in the milk (instead of the tea) and add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon grated cardamom along with chocolate.