Chicken, egg and rice from the Nintendo DS Personal Trainer Cooking

I am thrilled to say that today I have a very special guest chef, my ten-year-old grandson. For Christmas, from Pap and I, he received the Nintendo DS Personal Trainer Cooking. And his parents gave him a digital camera. Armed with his new equipment, the young man is now ready to enter the food blogging world. Heads up, Food Network, you need to hitch your wagon to this rising star. My first impression. This looks absolutely yummy. I especially love the fact that he added edanome as a visual garnish (it was not listed as an ingredient in the recipe). Bravo!!!

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked rice, hot
5 & 1/2 oz. boneless chicken breast
4 eggs
2 cups chicken stock
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp Sake

How to cook it:
You'll need a cutting board and a kitchen knife. Cut the chicken into slices about 1 & 1/4 inch wide. You'll need a small bowl. Break the eggs into the bowl and beat the until the yolks and whites are mixed. You'll need a saucepan. Pour 1 cup of chicken stock into the saucepan. Add 4 tbsp. of soy sauce and 4 tbsp. of Sake. Bring the stock ingredients to a boil. Add the chicken to the boiling stock and reduce to moderate heat. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Pour the beaten eggs into the pan and turn off the heat. Put warm cooked rice onto serving bowls. Once the egg is half set, gently place the chicken-and-egg mixture onto the rice. It's ready to eat.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Nutcracker Cake

Before I start chatting about cake number three for The Cake Slice Bakers using the Sky High Cookbook to make some very remarkable cakes, remember Freaky Friday begins on January 2, 2009. Come see the unusual recipes that I will be sharing with you every Friday during the month of January.

On with the cake. As soon as I saw the name, Chocolate-Hazelnut Nutcracker Cake, I knew I had to go with the Nutcracker Ballet Theme. Immediately, sweet memories of twirling ballerinas began dancing through my head as I recalled my daughter's many many years of ballet lessons. But the fondest of all was her performance in The Nutcracker. In fact, we made it a family event because Pap and I were hired to make all the props. YES, that included the amazing growing Christmas tree in Scene one. Let me tell you that there is nothing quite like the 'rush' you feel while working behind the scenes of a large production.

So it is with great honor to all the dedicated and hard working ballerinas in the world that I present my version of the Chocolate-Hazelnut Nutcracker Cake.

Ingredients:
1 cup skinned hazelnuts (about 4 ounces)
10 whole graham crackers (5 & 1/2 ounces), broken into pieces
1 & 1/4 cups sugar
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely grated
10 eggs, separated
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 & 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
Rum syrup (recipe below)
Creme Chantilly (recipe below)
Chocolate curls, for decoration

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper. Dust with flour; tap out any excess.

2. Spread the nuts out on a baking sheet and toast for 10 to 12 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned. Let cool completely. Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

3. In a food processor, grind the graham crackers to crumbs. Dump into a bowl and set aside. Without rinsing the processor, add the hazelnuts and 1/4 cup of the sugar to the work bowl and pulse until the nuts are finely ground; do not overprocess to a paste. Add the nuts and grated chocolate to the graham cracker crumbs. Toss together well.

4. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the sugar until well blended. Add the oil and vanilla and continue beating until a slowly dissolving ribbon forms when the beaters are lifted. Fold in the chocolate-nut-crumb mixture.

5. Put the egg whites in a large, clean mixer bowl. With and electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue beating on high speed until the whites form stiff peaks. Fold a third of the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Using a sieve or sifter, dust the flour, pumpkin pie spice, and baking powder over the batter and fold int. Gently fold in the remainder of the egg whites just until no streaks remain; do not overmix. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared cake pans.

6. Bake the cake layers for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean. Let the layers cool in their pans on wire racks for about 10 minutes; then turn out onto rack to cool completely at least 1 hour.

7. To assemble the cake, place a layer on a cake stand or serving plate, flat side up. Sprinkle with a third of the Rum Syrup and let it soak in for a minute or two. Spread 3/4 cup Creme Chantilly over the layer, smoothing it right to the edge. Repeat these steps with the second layer. Finally, add the third layer, sprinkle it with syrup, and let it soak in as before. Spread the remaining Creme Chantilly over the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with chocolate curls.

Ingredients for Rum Syrup:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup dark rum

Directions for Rum Syrup: Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the rum. Let cool before using.

Ingredients for Creme Chantilly:
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions for Creme Chantilly: Combine the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a chilled bowl and whip until the cream is stiff but not buttery.

Baker's Note:
To grate chocolate finely without causing it to soften and become messy, refrigerate or freeze the chocolate until thoroughly chilled before grating.

Decadent Chocolate Cherry Fruit Cake

The mention of fruit cake can strike fear into the heart of the masses. It can send women and children running and screaming into the street. While men will remain behind cowering in the corner like beaten scared dogs. But don't despair, this is not your Great Aunt Sophie's fruit cake. So let's all give a big sigh of relief for one less fruit cake in the world. Y'all will not find a speck of candied fruit in this ooey gooey version of Christmas cheer. Instead it is chock full of nuts, chocolate, and maraschino cherries. Best of all it mixes up in a snap. Enjoy!

1 package Pillsbury Nut Quick Bread mix (Publix carries this)
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained, cut in half
3/4 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup kirsch (cherry flavored liqueur) or 2 teaspoon almond extract plus 1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
1 egg

Grease and flour bottom of 8 x 4 or 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. In large bowl, combine all fruit bed ingredients. Stir by hand until mix is moistened. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 65 to 80 minutes for 8 x 4 inch pan, 60 to 70 minutes for 9 x 5 inch pan or until tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes and remove from pan. Cool completely. Drizzle on glaze. Allow glaze to ser in refrigerator.

Glaze:
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons oil

In small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips and oil, stirring until smooth.

Mega Blackberry Coffeehouse Muffins

My local grocery story had packages of blackberries buy-one-get-one-free. Let me tell you that I'm kind of a crazy person when I hear the free word. Pap was standing right beside me in the produce aisle saying, "You have to buy one to get the free." I looked at him with a stupid look on my face. I knew he was talking because I could see his lips moving. But the blogging demon in me had taken over. There was a recipe that was just perfect for those berries that needed to be spread to the blogging world. And it was my duty to make it happen.

My world was now moving in slow motion as I turned my attention back to the juicy succulent blackberries calling to me from the shelf. Curses! Those damn advertising devils have worked their mojo on me once again as I snatched two cartons and placed them in my cart.

Recipe adapted from A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman

Ingredients for Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or shredded coconut
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Ingredients for Muffin Batter:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely minced orange zest
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 & 1/2 to 2 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 scant cups semi-frozen blackberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange oven rack to middle position. Line 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and place it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Prepare streusel topping by rubbing or crumbling ingredients together with fingers; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, both sugars, orange zest, and egg. Do not overbeat. Mixture should be pasty. Add buttermilk and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gently fold into batter. Once partially blended, fold in fruit. The use of semi-frozen fruit will help "firmup" the batter. If batter seems too loose, add a few tablespoons of flour (no more than 4 tablespoons) to make batter a bit stiffer.

Distribute batter evenly between the twelve cups, sprinkle streusel topping evenly over each muffin.

Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake another 12 to 15 minutes. Muffins should spring back when gently pressed. Allow 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Coming the Month of January, Freaky Fridays

Lets face it, January is a dull cold month. There's absolutely nothing much to look forward to unless you happen to be a perv and get excited about preparing your taxes. So to beat the hum drums, I've decided to post an unusual recipe every Friday during the month of January. Little be known to you, for weeks, I've searched high and low for five recipes that will perhaps inspire you to be a little wacky. The fun begins January 2, 2009.

Freaky Friday

Chocolate Raspberry Bavarian Cake

To put it simply, this cake is pure seduction. Recipe adapted from Chocolate: From Simple Cookies To Extravagant Showstoppers ... Nick Malgieri

Ingredients for Raspberry Syrup:
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup raspberry liqueur

Chocolate Filling:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

Raspberry Bavarian:
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen raspberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup raspberry liqueur
1 & 1/2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 (9-inch) round Chocolate Genoise, baked and cooled, see recipe below

Finishing:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Chocolate shavings, using vegetable peeler
1 (1/2-pint) raspberries
confectioners' sugar

1. For the syrup, combine the sugar and water, bring to a boil and cool. Stir in the liqueur.

2. For the chocolate filling, bring the cream to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate, and allow to stand 2 minutes. Whisk in the butter until smooth and cool

3. To make the Bavarian, combine the raspberries and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Use a food mill or a fine sieve to puree and strain away seeds. Cool. Combine the liqueur and gelatin in a small, heatproof bowl and soak 5 minutes. Place bowl over simmering water to make liquid again, then whisk into cooled puree. Whip cream and fold it in.

4. Slice Genoise into two layers and place one in the bottom of 10-inch springform pan. Moisten with half the syrup. Whip cooled chocolate filling to lighten and spread half of it over cake layer; pour on half the Bavarian. Repeat with remaining cake layer, syrup, chocolate filling, and Bavarian. Chill to set.

5. To unmold, run a small knife between dessert and mold and lift off side of pan. Whip the cream and spread over sides of dessert. Press some of the chocolate shavings into cream. Arrange raspberries on top in two concentric circles around the top rim, then sprinkle center with shavings and confectioners' sugar.

Chocolate Genoise:
1/3 cup cake flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup alkalized (Dutch process) cocoa powder
3 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt

1 (9-inch) round layer pan, or a 9-inch springform pan, buttered and the bottom lined with a disk of parchment paper

1. Set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

2. Sift together the cake flour, cornstarch, and cocoa through a fine-meshed strainer over a piece of wax paper to break up any small lumps in the cocoa. Set sifted ingredients aside with the strainer.

3. Whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and continue whisking gently until the mixture is lukewarm, about 100 degrees. This should take only a minute or two.

4. Whip with the electric mixer on high speed until the mixture is cooled and increased in volume, about 3 to 4 minutes.

5. Remove bowl from mixer and sift in dry ingredients, in three additions, gently folding each third in with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and the top even with a spatula.

6. Bake the layer about 30 minutes, until it is well risen and the center is firm to the touch.

7. If necessary, loosen the layer from the side of the pan with a small knife or spatula and invert the cake onto a rack. Place another rack on the cake and invert again. Remove the top rack, so that layer cools right side up, still on the paper.

Papa Noel's Delight

Chocolate mousse and cranberry compote merge to create an elegant yet simple treat that can be enjoyed even on a busy workday. This is another divine dessert adapted from the cookbook Chocolate: deliciously indulgent recipes for chocolate lovers by Maxine Clark.

Ingredients for cranberry compote:

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

6 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons Cointreau

Ingredients for chocolate mousse:

6 & 1/2 ounces premium dark chocolate (60-70% cocoa solids)

3 tablespoons strong espresso

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

1 & 1/2 tablespoons chocolate liqueur

3 large eggs, separated

Directions:

To make the cranberry compote, put the cranberries in a small pan with a splash of water and the sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes until all the cranberries have burst and the compote is thick. Stir in the Cointreau, then spoon into the glasses. Let cool.

To make the chocolate mousse, melt the chocolate with the espresso and butter, over low heat. Stir in the liqueur. Stir in the egg yolks while the chocolate mixture is still hot-this will cook them slightly. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until they form firm peaks. Using a metal spoon, stir a large spoonful of egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen it, then gently and evenly fold in the rest. Spoon the mousse on top of the cranberry compote. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Pretty In Pink Speckled Cake

This cake reminds me of all things girly: adorable little baby dresses, tutus worn by pirouetting ballerinas, layers of petticoats worn back in the 50s, pink champagne ... well the list goes on and on. But it makes me wonder, what is it about the color pink that brings these feminine impressions to the surface? Most likely it is simply the fact that we are programed from birth, blue is for boys and pink is for girls. Whatever the reason, maybe we should just enjoy this cake for all its lusciousness.

Adapted from Gorgeous Cakes by Annie Bell

Cake batter:
5 ounces (about 1 medium) raw beets, grated
7 fluid ounces peanut oil
1 & 1/4 cups raw (or regular) sugar
3 medium eggs, separated
3 tablespoons milk
1 cup hazelnuts, roasted and chopped
1 & 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon each ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg

Frosting:
3/4 cup (1 & 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 & 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 cups low-fat cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter two 8-inch springform pans with 3-inch sides. Line the bottom with baking paper and butter this also. Place about 1 teaspoon of the grated beets in a small bowl, cover it with 2 teaspoons boiling water, and set aside (this is to the color the frosting later on).

Above picture, a big ugly beet.
Below picture, beet peeled and grated, revealing all its glowing glory.

Beat the oil and sugar in a large bowl, then beat in the egg yolks and milk, and fold in the remaining beets and nuts. Sift the flour and baking powder together and stir this into the batter, and then the spices. Using clean beater, beat the egg whites in another bowl until they are stiff, and fold them in three stages into the batter. Divide this between the pans, smoothing the surface, and bake for 30-35 minutes or until shrinking from the sides of and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Run knife around the edge of the cakes, unhinge the sides, and let them cool.

To make the frosting, cream the butter and confectioners' sugar in a food processor. Remove the frosting to a bowl, blend with the cream cheese until smooth, and work in the vanilla extract and a couple teaspoons of the beets liquor to tint it a pale pink.

Turn the cakes onto a board and remove the baking paper. Spread about a quarter of the frosting over the top of one of the cakes, sandwich with the other, and use the remaining frosting to coat the top and sides. Decorate the top and sides with sugar flowers and place in the fridge to set for about 1 hour. If not serving right away, then cover with plastic wrap and chill, and remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving.

Yogurt Poppy Seed Cake with Whipped White Chocolate Ganache

This recipe adapted from Chocolate: From Simple Cookies To Extravagant Showstoppers ... Nick Malgieri

Ingredients for cake:
3 large eggs
1 & 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup poppy seeds
1 & 1/3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) container plain low fat yogurt

Ingredients for White Chocolate Ganache:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoon (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
6 ounces white chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Finishing:
White Chocolate shavings, use melon baller to create round shavings

1. Prepare 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan, buttered and the bottom lined with parchment paper. Set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until liquid, then whisk in the sugar. Continue whisking for a minute or two until the mixture lightesn slightly.

3. Whisk the oil until it is combined.

4. In another bowl mix the poppy seeds, coconut, flour, baking powder, and salt and stir half into the egg mixture. Stir in the yogurt, then stir in the remaining poppy seed mixture.

5. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake the cake for about 30 minutes, until it is well risen, deep golden, and a knife or toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean.

6. Cool the cake on a rack for 5 minutes, then unmold it onto a rack to cool. Peel off the paper an dinvert the cake on another rack so it cools righ side up.

7. To make the frosting, bring the cream and butter to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat and add the white chocolate. Let stand 3 minutes, then whisk smooth. Pour the ganache into a bowl and refrigerte until it thickens to spreading consistency.

8. When the ganache is ready, place the cake on a cardboard or platter and spread the ganach evenly over the top of the cake, swirling it into points and peaks. Sprinkle the chocolate shavings over the ganache.