Smoked Salmon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting...Martha Stewart

Smoked Salmon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting...Martha Stewart I came across this recipe in a Martha Stewart Living Annual Recipes Cookbook.~2003. It was in the Easy Entertaining section....the cake looked so beautiful! Of course, it grabbed my attention not only because it was very pretty, but because it used smoked salmon. I just love smoked salmon, and I knew I wanted to try the recipe. I also wanted to share a recipe, for those of you who are entertaining guests this coming New Year's eve or New Year's day. I know some of you might not like smoked salmon, but I am sure you can substitute the salmon with some chopped ham,turkey,chicken,chopped shrimp, crab or even some tuna (tuna, would that work?...hmmm). I think this recipe can easily be adapted to include ingredients that you have in your house or ingredients that you like. You can definitely be creative...try using some foccacia bread(thinly sliced) and spread some basil pesto, sundried tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, olive tapenade with some prosciutto. Anyway, back to the recipe...I chose to use a German pumpernickel bread for my cake. This type of bread has whole rye grains in the bread(60%)...it is healthier, but can be sort of rough. I would prefer to make it with the softer pumpernickel bread slices(the regular kind) if I would serve it to guests....that is what the original recipe used. I just think it would be much nicer... I didn't make the exact recipe as in the book, but used my own measurements. You can't really go wrong with this recipe....it is very forgiving. Feel free to adjust amounts of the seasonings/ingredients....you might not want to use so much cream cheese. The cake, in the book, was a quite a bit bigger, and so I scaled mine down a bit. Martha Stewart decorated hers with cucumber slices,dill, lemon slices and topped it with some caviar. I tried making a salmon rose:) for my topping... but if you have better ideas, feel free to decorate as you like. I am not much of a cake decorator, but I had fun making this. This definitely will serve quite a few. It is best served in small pieces. Well, I hope you enjoy this....and, Happy New Year!

You will need:

4 slices of pumpernickel bread(4x6 inches or so)

12 oz cream cheese,softened~you could use whipped cream cheese, chive and onion flavored, etc, to make your life easier

1 TBS chopped red onion

2-3 tsp dill, chopped

1 TBS capers

squeeze of lemon juice

pinch of salt

pepper

smoked salmon,sliced

cucumber, thinly sliced

Directions:

Soften cream cheese or use whipped cream cheese. Divide in two or thereabouts. You might not need to use so much cream cheese. Reserve about 6 oz or so for the topping. With the other 6 oz or so of cream cheese, add a squeeze of lemon juice, chopped onion, dill a pinch of salt(I skipped the salt on mine) and pepper.

Mix together.

Spread a bit of cream cheese mixture on one slice of bread....if using the softer pumpernickel bread, trim crusts. Top with sliced salmon.

Add sliced cucumber, trying not to overlap them.

Repeat with the layering.

"Frost" the top and sides with some of the reserved softened cream cheese.

Decorate with the remaining cream cheese. Decorate with extra capers, dill smoked salmon, etc.

Enjoy! Sometimes, I wish it was made out of chocolate:)...

Romanian Cozonac Revisited...with a few tips.

Romanian Cozonac Revisited.... Well, this past Christmas, my husband requested that I make the Romanian cozonac....a tradition for most Romanians. So, I made it for him. I looked at my recipe, and realized that I needed to add a few more tips. It was almost a year ago that I had posted this recipe... felt it needed some revamping of some sort:).

So this time around, I paid a bit more attention to the details as I made the loaves. I figured I would add a few tips, just so that it could go smoother for those of you who have never made this before. In case you haven't seen my previous post, on the Romanian Cozonac(nut-filled), you can click HERE...it contains the recipe and additional photos.

For this post, I wanted to bring in additional photos and tips to make it easier to follow. I decided to show you another way of rolling the nut-filled dough...there are many other prettier ways out there to braid the dough. But this will do for now...

Tips for the nut filling....

~10 oz ground nuts as measured on a scale(not in a liquid measuring cup)

~I use more like 1 TBS orange peel along with orange extract

Tips for the Sweet Bread Dough Recipe...

I use bread flour...I noticed that I have 4-5 cups on previous posted recipe. I used more like 5 cups.

I find that salted butter is better...so that is what I use and skip the pinch of salt.

When kneading dough:

I mix the initial dough with the 2 cups of flour for 3 minutes on medium speed. I then switch from the paddle to the dough hook. I add 2 1/2 cups cups more of bread flour and knead for an additional 7 minutes on speed 7-8 (KitchenAid)....holding on to the mixer! The dough will make "strings".

I lower the speed to low then add the last 1/2 cup of flour and knead for an additional minute increasing the speed to medium . The dough can still be sticky at this point, but not overly.

Rising the dough:
I form it into a ball, leave it in the mixer bowl and cover it . I turn on the oven for a few seconds to warm up, I then turn it off . I place my dough in the oven and let it rise till almost double or about an 1 1/2 - 2 hrs or so. This always depends on how cold or warm your house.

Rolling the dough:

This time I formed the cozonac loaf in a different shape...I was playing around:). But, I liked the way it came out.

I rolled 1/2 of the dough in a big square/rectangle. I then cut it piece in two and proceeded to add the filling to both parts.

I rolled them jelly roll style and pinched the ends as well as along the rolled edge.

I and twisted the two together.

Second rise:
I place my formed loaves in the oven again to rise for the second time. It took my loaves an additional hour to double and come to the top of the pan.

Baking:

I baked it as usual in a 9x5 loaf pan that is lined with parchment paper.

Starbucks Outrageous Oatmeal Cookie....My Way!

(These cookies have the bottoms dipped in chocolate and drizzled with white and dark chocolate...my favorite!)
(with a drizzle of chocolate...)
(without any chocolate...)

Starbucks Outrageous Oatmeal Cookie....My Way! We have new neighbors, so I thought I would bake some cookies to welcome them....and since I haven't shared a Christmas cookie, yet:)....here is one of my new favorites. I just knew I wanted to make the Starbucks Outrageous Oatmeal Cookies ever since I came across them on the MGCC cooking blog... Have you ever had them at Starbucks?...well, I haven't. But,with a name like that, they had to be good. The original recipe can be found here ...direct from Starbucks! ...they no longer show it on their site. Now, I like that they are giving their recipe out for the home cook to try:)! So, I made them all right...Ok, I had to change the recipe just a little. I did not have dark raisins, neither did I have dark brown sugar...and I wasn't about to go out in the -10 degs to buy some. Of course, I substituted with what I had around the house...macadamia nuts and medium colored brown sugar. I kind of liked the idea of taking out one of the dried raisins and bringing in some sort of nut for crunch...I like the various textures, chewy and crunchy at the same time. The original recipe makes the cookies bigger...I opted to make mine smaller. But, I couldn't leave well enough alone and dipped/drizzled some with chocolate. You know, I think a good oatmeal cookie should have some sort of dried fruit, nuts and chocolate. To me, that is the ultimate oatmeal cookie! I wanted to bring the cookies up a notch, and instead of putting chocolate chunks in the batter, I dipped them in the chocolate and drizzled a bit more chocolate on top...making the cookies look a bit more elegant. I think these cookies are a keeper! I liked them. Very much. Do feel free to stick to the original ...enjoy.

You will need: adapted from Starbucks
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats (not the quick cooking ones)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dark raisins* (I used macadamia nuts instead)
1/4 cup golden raisins*
1/4 cup dried cranberries*
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract ( try adding some orange extract...)

* try varying the dried fruit

FOR TOPPINGS:
4 TBS cranberries*
4 TBS golden raisins*

4 TBS dark raisins (I used macadamia nuts instead*)

* (since I made my cookies smaller, I used a bit less)

ADDITIONAL:

dipping chocolate, melted

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1. Blend together the oats, flour, baking soda and powder, a pinch of salt. Add the dried fruit and/or nuts, if using. Set aside.

With different dried fruit.

2. In a different bowl, combine together the dried fruits and/or macadamia nuts....reserved for the topping. Set aside.

3. Beat the butter and sugars together until they are light and fluffy 4-5 minutes. Add in the egg, cinnamon, and the vanilla. Beat until well blended.

4. Gradually add the oat mixture. Beat together until well blended.

5. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls(...I made mine smaller and made them about 1 TBS), two inches apart from each other, onto a baking sheet. Use parchment paper for best results.

6. Place a teaspoon of the raisins and nuts for topping onto each cookie....that is, if you are making the bigger cookies. Because I made mine smaller, I just added a few and didn't measure it....just make sure they are slightly pushed in the dough, otherwise the raisins/nuts will fall of as they bake. You can flatten the cookies a bit if you want.

7. Bake until the cookies are golden brown, but still nice and soft, between 12 - 16 minutes. Now mine took about 9-10 minutes... I did make mine smaller about 1 TBS.

Check them... you want them to be soft... ensuring that they will be moist and chewy. Every oven is different, that is why I always check before the listed time.

8. Cool for five minutes and then place them on a wire rack to cool.

IF YOU WANT TO DIP AND GLAZE THE COOKIES IN CHOCOLATE...

1. Take some melted chocolate and dip the bottom of the cookie to cover completely. OR, you can do what I do, and use a spoon to spread the melted chocolate on the cookie.

2. Place on the bottom of a cookie sheet pan, that has been covered smoothly with cling film(wrap). I like to cover it with the plastic wrap because the chocolate always takes on a shiny sheen.

3. Drizzle the top with melted chocolate ...I like to dip my spoon in the fluid-like melted chocolate and just drizzle it all over. Do the same with the white... You could, however place the melted chocolate in a plastic bag and cut a small hole to drizzle. Let the chocolate harden completely on the cookie, before removing them from the plastic lined sheet pan.

Duchess Potatoes...an Elegant Side Dish

Duchess Potatoes...an Elegant Side Dish A fancy name for some easy-to-do potatoes. They really aren't hard to make, but they sure add an elegance to your dinner menu.

Duchess potatoes are just a seasoned purée of mashed potato and egg. It is piped from a piping bag onto a baking sheet, in a mold or even as a topping on a dish. It usually takes a variety of shapes and forms. Its nice to pipe them on a lightly greased baking sheet...the potatoes sort of form a nice crust. You can then lift them off the baking sheet and serve them with your favorite dish. Check how neat these are. This time around, I opted to pipe my potatoes in a ramekin. That's only because I saw how cute they were here. They were beautiful! You can season your potatoes with a bit of milk, half and half, or even cream...but be aware that the liquid can make the potatoes not keep its shape. You can likewise omit the cheese, if you like.If you were looking to make something different this Christmas, try making these. These potatoes are a bit drier than regular mashed potatoes(if you don't use any milk)...kind of like a baked potato. The outside of the potatoes sort of form a crust. Hope you have fun with the various shapes you can create...Next time, I think I would love to add some chives...

You will need: You can easily double, triple recipe

1 ex-large russet potato (the big kind~ from Costco)

1 egg

1/3 cup pepper jack, monterey jack or your favorite cheese

1-2 TBS butter

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp water

salt and pepper to taste

some milk, half and half, or cream*(optional...i didn't use)

sprinkle of parsley

nutmeg, optional

Directions:

Peel potatoes and add to pot with some salt. Bring to a boil. Cook until for tender.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mash potatoes while hot, making sure it it nice and smooth. Add butter and cheese to potatoes while it is still hot. Mix thoroughly and taste for seasoning. Mix in beaten egg.

Snip one bottom-end of the plastic zip bag about ¾-inch across. Add the potato mixture to the bag and squeeze the top in order to force the mixture through the hole in the bag. Pipe the potatoes into the ramekins going in a circular motion. Pipe until the ramekin is filled about 1 inch above the rim. Repeat until all the bowls are filled.

In the small bowl, add the paprika and water to make into a paste. Using the pastry brush, lightly brush the edges of the potatoes.

Alternately, you can use a piping bag with a star tip. I sprinkled a bit of the paprika into potatoes before I piped the potatoes using the star tip. Sprinkle the top with chopped parsley. Bake in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until the edges are lightly brown...keep an eye on them. They are best served hot.

Cheese Burek (or Placinta de Branza)...Cheese Filled Phyllo Pie.

Cheese Burek (Placinta de Branza)...Cheese Filled Phyllo Pie. This recipe is so easy and so delicious...seriously! I guess the cheese burek(borek) recipe originated from Turkey. Although many other countries have made variations to it, they all use the thin flaky dough or phyllo as their base. Some variations include a meat filling, others include a vegetable filling, while still others are just cheese filled. The Greeks have the traditional spanakopita, filled with spinach. In Bosnia, the cheese filled one is called a sirnica.

This has got to be my dad's favorite, though. He often requests my mom to make it for him. My dad often remembers eating this type of cheese pie( placinta de branza ) in Romania, at bakery shops, called 'Placintarii '. He would stop by a bakery shop and buy a piece...it was very fresh and very good. You could get a piece, however big you wanted...they would cut it, place it on the scale, and weigh it for you. People would buy a piece and have it with a cold glass of beer or buttermilk/kefir. And because my dad liked the cheese pie so much, my mom started making it at home.

She came up with this recipe on her own one day. She made it using lots of feta cheese, some buttermilk, eggs and such. But one day, because she didn't have enough feta cheese, she added some cottage cheese. The result was perfect and we all liked it that way. Since then, my mom has perfected the recipe over the years. She would always make this when we had unexpected guests...it came together quickly and everyone loved it!

After I got married, my husband had the chance to try the placinta cu branza for himself. He just loved it! He used to have the placinta cu branza only when we would go visit my parents....warm, right out of the oven... and made by my mom. Recently, I decided to make it at home by myself. My husband's first reaction was, "It's just like Mom's!" I knew it was a winner... so, thank you mom! The cheese burek(or placinta de branza) is great as an appetizer...just cut them in smaller pieces. You could also serve it as a light meal with a simple salad. I am hoping you will give this recipe a try...it's so good, that you will feel like eating the whole pan:). Hope you enjoy...

Note: You can skip the buttermilk and flour if you like... also make sure the cheese pie is cooked until it puffs up and nicely golden  all around... if you under bake, there's a chance for the pie to be too "wet".

You will need:

Cheese Filling:

24 oz cottage cheese (I used low fat)

4 ex-large eggs, beaten

1 cup feta cheese, crumbled*

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 heaping TBS flour

* if you like yours a bit saltier , increase the amount of feta cheese

Extra ingredients:

1/2 package phyllo dough

1/4 cup butter, melted ( you might need a bit more)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. In a large bowl mix all the cheese filling ingredients.

2. Butter the bottom of a 13x9 glass baking pan.

3. Lightly butter  a phyllo sheet and place in pan. Repeat until you have  5 phyllo sheets buttered and layered.

4. Take about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture and spread it all over the phyllo dough.

5. Lightly butter and layer 5 more phyllo sheets and place them on top of the cheese mixture. Pour another cup and a half of the cheese mixture. Repeat layering of phyllo and cheese mixture ending with phyllo dough on top....sort of like layering a lasagna dish. You will use about 20 sheets or 1/2 of the phyllo dough package.

6. Butter the top of the phyllo dough. 

*I have added another step which includes cutting/scoring through the layers (cut as many square pieces as you like to get out of the whole batch)... this extra step ensure the top phyllo layers will stay in place when baked. 

Place in pre-heated oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until nicely puffed and golden brown.

7.Let cool slightly, cut and serve warm.

The pie will deflate somewhat....that is normal. Enjoy with a nice cold glass of buttermilk, with a salad or as an appetizer.