Pear-Chocolate Yogurt Cake

I love yogurt cake, as my mom can attest to - when I was a teenager, she once came back from an evening event to find I'd eaten half of a yogurt cake she'd just baked!  Luckily, now I can make my own yogurt cakes to devour, and this one is certainly a tasty one.  The moist cake is studded with chunks of pear and milk or dark chocolate (I've made it both ways, and both are fantastic).  I think the pears go especially well with the slight tang of a yogurt cake, and the chocolate makes the cake feel a bit more decadent.  This is sweet enough for dessert, but since it has fruit it feels like an acceptable breakfast option as well!

Pear-Chocolate Yogurt Cake (adapted from food 52, original recipe here)
Makes one loaf cake (and possibly some extra batter, which you can bake up in ramekins)

1-1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup plain yogurt (low fat is okay)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large firm-ripe pear, peeled and diced
3.5 ounces good-quality milk chocolate (I used 44% cacao milk chocolate), chopped or 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a loaf pan.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Beat together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla with a rubber spatula.  Beat in the yogurt.  Beat in the flour mixture gradually, being careful not to overmix.
4. Add the oil and fold into the batter with the rubber spatula until combined.  Gently fold in the pears and chocolate.
5. Scrape the batter into the loaf pan.  Make sure to leave room for the batter to rise without overflowing the pan.  If you have too much batter, you can bake some of it in ramekins or another small baking pan.
6. Bake 55-60 minutes, checking any ramekins earlier as they will cook more quickly.  The cake is done when a tester comes out clean.

Spicy Pumpkin Wontons

I was attracted to this recipe because I find that many 'savory' recipes involving pumpkin are way too sweet for me - I don't want my ravioli or lasagna to be sprinkled with amaretti cookies, for example!  These pumpkin wontons go in a different flavor direction with creamy cheese, tarragon, and spicy red pepper flakes.  The end result is just slightly sweet from the pumpkin.

The original recipe calls these ravioli, but I wouldn't really top these with tomato sauce like I would most ravioli.  Something about using the wonton skins just doesn't feel like ravioli to me - but, these are still a really delicious lunch or dinner!  The wontons are boiled and then fried up in a little butter until crispy, which makes for great textural contrast between the creamy filling and crispy exterior.  I ate the wontons with just the butter for sauce and a salad on the side, but you could also add some sauteed veggies in the sauce - leeks or fennel would be delicious.  One word of warning - don't try to freeze these as the wonton skins are too thin - they simply fell apart when I tried to boil a few that I'd frozen and I lost about half the wontons.

Spicy Pumpkin Wontons (adapted from My Bizzy Kitchen, original recipe here)
Makes 20-25 wontons

For the filling:
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 T Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

To finish:
Wonton wrappers
Butter

1. Whisk together the filling ingredients and chill for at least 15 minutes.
2. Lay out wonton wrappers and place a small amount of filling in each (the amount will depend on the size of your wrappers - I used about 1-1/2 tsp per wonton).  Brush the edges with water and fold over into a triangle.  Try to seal the edges as tightly as possible and to squeeze out as much air as possible.  Lay out finished wontons in a single layers. At this point you can freeze some of the wontons if you like.
3. Boil a pot of water and salt it.  Boil the wontons in batches, about 2 minutes per batch, being careful not to, overcrowd your pot.  Once the wontons are boiled, lay them out in a single layer, being careful not to overlap them.
4. Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet until bubbling.  Arrange the wontons in a single layer (working in batches), browning until the wontons are as crispy as you like. 

Baguettes

Baguettes are delicious, but many recipes take upwards of 8 hours or even multiple days to complete.  While most of that time isn't active time, it does make it difficult if you decide you want baguettes with dinner!  This recipe certainly isn't instant, but you can decide on baguettes in the early afternoon and still have dinner at a reasonable hour.  Despite a shorter fermentation than many baguette recipes, this bread still delivers really wonderful flavor and a great chewy texture.  The ice cubes added to the oven while the bread is baking make for an extra crisp crust.  If you have leftovers, you can wrap them in foil and reheat the next day - the crust won't be quite as crisp, but the bread will still be amazing.

Although this bread involves more work than a regular yeasted sandwich bread, none of the steps are particularly difficult.  It's also really cool to see the transformation of the dough from a shaggy mess after it's just been mixed to a smooth bread dough after all the folding.  I'm sure you would get better results if you have a baguette pan, which would allow you to make longer and thinner baguettes than what I was able to achieve by hand-shaping the loaves on a cookie sheet, but my method worked out just fine and didn't involve going out and buying yet another pan.  We served this bread with soft cheese and pickled figs, plus some with chocolate hazelnut spread for dessert.  Two of us devoured an entire loaf along with our dinner, so this is super addictive, especially warm out of the oven!

Baguettes (adapted from Pass the Sushi, original recipe here)
Makes two smallish baguettes

383 grams bread flour
282 grams lukewarm water
1-1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp instant yeast
Ice cubes (about one tray)

1. Combine bread flour with the water in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitter with dough hook. Mix on low speed until blended. Stop the mixer and let sit 15 minutes.
2. Add the salt and yeast to the flour mixture.  Mix on low speed for five minutes.  The dough will be very wet at this point.  Scrape the dough into an oiled container, cover, and let rest 20 minutes.
3. Uncover, fold the dough over itself a few times, and let rest another 20 minutes.  Repeat this process one more time for a total of two times folding the dough and three 20-minute rest periods.  Fold the dough over one more time, and then cover and let rest for 2 hours.  At this point the dough should look very smooth and be sticky but much less 'wet' feeling than it was when first mixed.
4. Divide the dough into two pieces and shape each one into a log.  Set on your work surface and cover with plastic.  Let rest 15 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 470 degrees and place a metal sheet pan on the bottom rack.  Place the other oven rack in the middle of the oven.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
6. Shape each piece of dough into a long baguette shape, turning the dough under with your hands to create as smooth a surface as possible.  Place each baguette on the parchment-lined baking sheet (side by side).  Spray with oil and cover with plastic.  Let rise for 30 minutes.
7. Open the oven and quickly dump the ice cubes onto the hot baking sheet.  Place the baking sheet with the baguettes on the middle rack and quickly close the oven.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes, until the loaves are nicely browned but still have some give when gently squeezed.  Let cool slightly before cutting into the bread.

Orange-Chocolate Chip Macaroons

I've made these coconut macaroons for two church events lately, and both times they were a big hit.  The best part is that the cookies are so easy to make - mixing up the batter takes just a few minutes and you don't need to pull out a stand mixer or even more than one bowl!  The cookies are a bit crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside with fantastic coconut flavor, a lovely orange scent, and bits of chocolate.  They'll soften a bit if you keep them overnight, but I think this makes them even tastier (I haven't managed to hold onto any longer than overnight!).  Another bonus of this recipe is that it's naturally gluten free, so it's great to prepare for events where you're don't know everyone's dietary restrictions.  Although I've made this chocolate orange version both times I made the recipe, I think this recipe could be infinitely adaptable - you could use pretty much any citrus zest and change up the mix-ins if you like.  I think a lime zest-white chocolate or a lemon zest-slivered almond version would be amazing! 

Orange-Chocolate Chip Macaroons (adapted from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book)
Makes about 3 dozen

14 ounces sweetened coconut
Zest of one orange
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 egg whites

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.
2. Combine the coconut and orange zest in a large bowl and rub together with your fingers until the mixture is fluffy and uniform.  Add the sugar and chocolate chips and stir to combine.  Add the egg whites and mix with your hands until the mixture is uniform.
3. Scoop out the coconut mixture with a tablespoon, compacting the mixture into the scoop and then sliding each cookie onto the baking sheet, round side up.  Repeat with the remaining coconut mixture.  Bake 25-30 until the cookies are lightly browned.
4. Let cool completely before peeling the cookies off of the foil or parchment.
5. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days (the cookies will soften over time, which I think is a nice thing!), or freeze for up to three weeks wrapped in plastic and then foil.

Above, a photo of Tim, me, and Katy sipping wine at the wine and cheese fundraiser where I served a batch of these delicious macaroons.  Everyone brought a bottle, we covered up the labels, and then we all tried to guess which wine was which - Tim managed to guess all of the wines!  We also snacked on delicious cheeses from Cheeseboard - Delice d'Argental, Ewephoria, Swiss, Besace du Berger, Drunken Goat, Ossau-Iraty, and Cambozola.  We also devoured this gorgeous fruit tart from my friend Erin:

I'm sending this post off to the These Chicks Cooked Link Party!  I'm also sending these cookies off to the Cookie Party at the Secret Recipe Club.

Cardamom-Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Cardamom is one of my favorite spices, especially as fall rolls around, and this cake is full of it - in both the cake batter and in the streusel.  The flavor is pretty intense here, so if you're not such a big fan, you could probably reduce the amount (I thought it was perfect, though!).  The streusel includes a sprinkling of chocolate chips and walnuts - depending on your taste, I think you could probably double the amount of one or the other if you want more of either flavor.  Even with the smaller amounts, this was a delicious, festive coffee cake that definitely made breakfast feel extra special.

Cardamom-Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake (adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours and The New Moosewood Cookbook)
Makes 1 loaf cake

For the cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup vegetable oil

For the streusel:
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 T (packed) brown sugar
1 tsp cardamom

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.
2. Make the cake.  Whisk together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and cardamom.  Whisk in the yogurt, eggs, and vanilla.  Add the flour mixture and fold in with a rubber spatula until just combined.  Fold in the vegetable oil.  Some lumps are okay., but the oil should be completely incorporated.
4. Make the streusel.  Stir all the ingredients together until well combined.
5. Pour half the cake batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle over half of the streusel.  Pour the remaining cake batter over, and top with the remaining streusel.
6. Bake 50-55 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.

Fresh Ginger Custard Pumpkin Pie

This was one of the pies I made for Thanksgiving, and it was delicious despite a fairly ugly crust!  It has a traditional pumpkin pie flavor, perfect topped with a little (or a lot of) whipped cream.  Although this pie uses fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks, and fresh cream instead of sweetened condensed milk, I would have to be honest and say that I couldn't really tell the difference from a normal pumpkin pie (although I didn't taste them side by side).  So, this is one case where I'd have to say maybe it's easier to just use the traditional shortcuts rather than going all out.  In any case, this was a really delicious pie and definitely hit the pumpkin pie spot! :)

Fresh Ginger Custard Pumpkin Pie (adapted from Serious Eats, original recipe here)
Makes one 9-1/2 or 10 inch pie

1 pre-baked 9-1/2 or 10 inch pie shell (such as this one)
One 6x1-inch piece fresh ginger, unpeeled, coarsely chopped
2 cinnamon sticks, crushed
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups pumpkin puree

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place the pie shell on a larger baking sheet to catch any overflows.  If you're using a 9-1/2 inch pie plate, you'll probably have a little extra filling, so you can set out a ramekin to bake it in - cook's treat!
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the fresh ginger, crushed cinnamon sticks, heavy cream, and milk and heat until scalding. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for about 10 minutes. Return the saucepan to medium heat and bring back to scalding.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugar, and salt in a separate bowl and have ready.
4. Gradually whisk the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.  Strain into a clean container (preferably something with a spout).
5. Briefly whisk the pumpkin puree in another bowl until loosened.  Whisk the custard mixture into the pumpkin puree.  Pour into the prepared pie shell.
6. Bake for 60-70 minutes, until the center no longer jiggles.  If you've baked some of the filling separately in a ramekin, be sure to pull it out early so it doesn't overbake.  Cool the pie on a wire rack.
7. Store tightly wrapped - overnight at room temperature, or in the fridge if storing for a few days.

Cranberry-Lemon Quick Bread with Pecans

For this month's installment of the Secret Recipe Club, my secret blog partner was Vanderbilt Wife.  I was instantly tempted by her recipe for Blueberry-Lemon Ricotta Muffins - they looked perfect for a tasty snack.  Of course, it's not blueberry season anymore, so I substituted in tart dried cranberries and some chopped pecans instead, making this a perfect fall recipe.  (Also, I was feeling lazy so I cooked the recipe up in a loaf pan instead of a muffin tin, which worked well although the cook time was quite a bit longer.)

Unlike many of the coffee cakes and 'breakfast' breads I've baked, this one is actually healthy enough that you can feel good about eating it for breakfast.  The only added fat comes from the part-skim ricotta cheese and a couple of egg yolks - no oil or butter!  You could make it even healthier by using white whole wheat instead of all purpose flour.  Despite being low in fat, the bread is nice and moist from the ricotta and tastes really delicious.  I love the bright bursts of flavor from the cranberries and the crunch from the pecans.  Perhaps because the cranberries are so intense, I thought the lemon flavor could have been stronger, so I would probably add some zest in addition to the lemon juice next time.  Definitely a real winner - thanks Jessie a/k/a Vanderbilt Wife!

Cranberry-Lemon Quick Bread with Pecans (adapted from Vanderbilt Wife, original recipe here)
Makes one loaf

1 cup part-skim milk ricotta cheese (don't use fat free)
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup skim milk
2 T lemon juice
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour (plus 1 T for tossing with the fruit and nuts)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and oil a loaf pan.
2. Whisk together the ricotta, sugar, eggs, milk, and lemon juice.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
3. Toss together the cranberries, pecans, and about 1 T flour (enough to lightly coat).  Fold the fruit and nuts into the batter and scrape into loaf pan.
4. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.