Molten-Chocolate-Centered Chocolate Cakes

This recipe comes from Bill Granger's cook book, Bills Open Kitchen. Being that he's Australian (let me give a shout out to all of my Aussie and Kiwi friends down under!), he calls it a "soft-centred chocolate pudding." Being that I am just an uncivilized-American, my idea of pudding is entirely different.

This is a simple recipe that's sure to win over the hearts of chocolate lovers on every continent!

Ingredients

7 oz good quality, dairy-free, dark chocolate
7 Tbs of non-dairy, non-hydrogenated, vegan butter
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbs all-purpose flour

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place chocolate and butter in a double boiler and stir until just melted. Or you can use a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure that the bowl does not touch the water. (Bill says, "The most important thing to remember when melting chocolate is not to overheat it. If the temperature is too high, your chocolate will end up with a grainy texture.")

In a bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, and flour. Gradually mix the egg mixture into the melted chocolate. Pour the mixture into four oven proof ramekins and place on a baking sheet. The recipe calls for 1-cup ramekins, but mine were closer to 1/2-cup size but the worked fine.

Bake until the edges are set, and the top is dry and cracked, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Side note: When I made the recipe, I used half 70-percent dark chocolate and half 85-percent dark chocolate. Wow, was it chocolaty, but not overly sweet.

Green Chile Jam

Like any good New Mexican, I can eat green chile on almost anything. Green chile is in my blood. I have frozen green chile in my freezer at all times, and when I run out it's time for a trip back to the Land of Enchantment. Although thanks to Chuy's Restaurant and Central Market, we now get Hatch green chile here in Texas too!

I've tried jalapeno jelly and chipotle jam. Why not green chile jam? So I picked up a packet of fruit pectin for making freezer jam.

I modified the recipe on the package a little, so as to not kill anyone with the spicy green chile. I think it's a delicious combination of sweet and spicy, and it certainly has a kick. I eat it on toast, crackers, biscuits, almost anything... and even sometimes by the spoon. However, most of my friends prefer to cut the spicy burn with something. For example, pour it over (non-dairy) cream cheese to use as a dip with crackers. Or use it as a relish on the side with meat.

Green Chile Jam
1 1/2 cups roasted, peeled and diced green chile (or you can use frozen), mild or hot depending on your preference
1 1/2 cups cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced (you can add more or less cucumber depending on how hot the green chile is)
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 package freezer jam fruit pectin (enough for four cups of fruit)

The directions on the package say to mix it all together and pour it into jars. I placed my jars in the refrigerator rather than the freezer and it set up ok.

So while most people would never think of green chile and dessert, to my green-chile-addicted-New-Mexican friends this one is for you!

Blueberry & Pineapple Pie

My dad has been hinting (not-so-subtly) that I should make a blueberry pie - his favorite! While my other pies have been good, nothing compares to a blueberry pie... etc, etc.

If you know my dad, then you know that he has this funny, endearing way of asking for things (repeatedly, if necessary) that makes you think that (fill in the blank) is the best thing in the whole world, so you have to make it for him, or let him have the last piece, or make a special trip to the store just for that item. How could you say no? When it's his favorite. And people fall for this routine all of the time. If he's reading this, he's saying, "Who me?!" Yes you, Dad!

Even though it's not blueberry season, my mom and I found fresh blueberries at the store and, like a good daughter, I had to do it. Yep, one spoiled Dad coming right up!

At the same store I found a deliciously-sweet smelling pineapple that I couldn't resist. Later that night while I was preparing the pie, the pineapple was sitting on the counter trying to get my attention. Then it fell over for no particular reason. I stopped what I was doing and picked it up. While holding the pineapple in my hand inspiration struck!

What if I added fresh pineapple to the blueberry pie? The worst case scenario is that the pie doesn't turn out and I'd have to make another blueberry pie for Dad. It's worth a try!

Make the pie crust dough and refrigerate.

Filling
2 1/2 Tbs cornstarch
1 cup sugar
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks, about the same size as the blueberries
1 Tbs of fresh pineapple juice or lime juice

Mix the cornstarch and the sugar. Add the berries and stir to coat. Stir in the pineapple and pineapple juice and let stand for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Roll out the pie dough and make the top and bottom crusts. Fill the pie. Add the top crust and brush with an egg white beaten with a little water.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes. The pie will be bubbly and golden brown.

Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm with your favorite (non-dairy) ice cream.

Dad's Verdict: he liked it as much, if not better, than the plain blueberry pie. Ahh, the sweet taste of success!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Grandma used to make the best strawberry-rhubarb pie! To this day it is still my favorite pie, but for some reason it never turns out quite the same when I make it. I assumed it was Grandma's home-grown rhubarb, or maybe her years and years of experience, or maybe just her love that made her pies taste better.

Then recently my friend loaned me her copy of the Complete Book of Pastry Sweet & Savory, by Bernard Clayton, Jr.  So far everything I've made out of the book has been delicious. Then I found the strawberry-rhubarb pie recipe and couldn't resist. As long as you make a dairy-free crust, the pie all good!

I tried the pie crust the book recommended for this pie, but the non-dairy version just didn't turn out well. (The lard and butter version was excellent, of course!)

Start by preparing the non-dairy, double-crust pie crust recipe of your choice.

Filling
1-1/2 pounds (4 cups) fresh rhubarb
1 pint (2 cups) fresh strawberries
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tsp grated orange peel or zest
2 Tbs quick-cooking tapioca
1/2 tsp salt

Cut the rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces and the strawberries in quarters (or halves depending on the size).

In a bowl combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, OJ, zest, tapioca, and salt. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Make the bottom crust for the pie. Then pour the filling into the pie shell, filling it higher in the middle than on the sides.

Roll out the remaining pie crust dough to make the top crust. You can make a lattice design, or just use a solid crust with slits. The pastry book had excellent instructions for making the lattice crust, and I was feeling brave so I gave it a try.

Wet the edges of the pie crusts to secure the top to the bottom. Then using your fingers, crimp or twist the edges to make it look pretty. It's ok if the crimped edges of the pie crust are thicker than the rest of the pie.

Before you bake the pie, the book says to sprinkle with 2 Tbs granulated sugar. I like to beat 1 egg white with a little water and brush over the top crust.

Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.
Then reduce temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking for 35-40 minutes. The crust will be golden and flakey, and the juices from the filling should be bubbling up through the top crust. If the edges of the pie brown before the rest of the pie is done, cover only the edges with aluminium foil.

Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. This is the hardest part for me, but the filling will remain runny until completely cooled. If you don't mind a runny pie, dig in!

It may not be quite as good as Grandma's, but now it's my second favorite pie!

Blueberry Buckle (or muffins)

Blueberry buckle is a New England treat. It's basically a cake, but it can easily be made into muffins as well. A friend made this recipe for me years ago and it immediately became a favorite. The non-dairy version is just as good as the original. The recipe she shared with me came from a cookbook she purchased at the Cape Cod National Sea Shore.

Blueberry Buckle
4 Tbs vegan butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup almond milk (soy milk or rice milk will work too)
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 cups fresh blueberries

Crumble Topping
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon (or nutmeg)
1/4 cup vegan butter

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and beat well. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix egg mixture, flour mixture, milk, and vanilla together and beat until smooth. Fold in blueberries.

In a separate bowl, mix together ingredients for crumble topping until crumbly. (If the butter is too soft it will become creamy, not crumbly. Also, I find that mixing it with my fingers or two butter knives works best.)

Spread batter in greased 9x9 baking dish for buckle, or pour into lined muffin pan. Sprinkle crumble topping over batter.

Bake at 375 degrees in 9x9 pan for 35-40 minutes, or for muffins for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Watch carefully for the last few minutes because it can dry out fast. We prefer to err on the side of slightly under-baked.

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

I found a dairy-free cake mix on sale at the supermarket a few weeks ago. While I prefer baking from scratch, I was excited to see my local chain store carrying more "alternative" foods and the price was right, so I bought the mix. The things we do in the name of research!

It was a Cherrybrook Kitchen Chocolate Cake Mix that is peanut free, dairy-free, egg free, and nut free.

I also had leftover candy canes from the holidays, and chocolate and peppermint go well together. (Really, what doesn't go well with chocolate?!?)Hummm, add a marshmallow frosting... voila, my idea for hot chocolate cupcakes was born!

I made the Cherrybrook Kitchen Chocolate Cake Mix according to the box, but baked them as cupcakes. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were mini chocolate pieces in the chocolate cake.

As they were cooling I attempted making a couple different marshmallow frosting recipes, but most of them were too hard once they cooled. I really wanted a bright white frosting to set off the candy canes. Then I remembered a recipe for a meringue frosting, which I found on the Dog Hill Kitchen blog, that would work with minor changes.

Meringue or Seven-Minute Frosting
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3 Tbs water
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Bring the water in a double boiler to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and then set on top of the simmering water. Using a handheld mixer, beat the mixture on high until frosting is thick, creamy white and fluffy. (Approx. 5 - 7 minutes) Remove from heat and beat until mostly cool. The frosting turns bright white and is the consistency of melted marshmallows (or that marshmallow fluff that you can buy in a jar).

Once the cupcakes are cool, spread warm frosting on top. Be warned, though, that this frosting makes a sweet, sticky mess. Then sprinkle with crushed candy cane pieces.

Tapioca Pudding with Coconut Milk

During one of these cold days of January, I've was craving a warm pudding. So I tinkered with the tapioca recipe on the box to see if I could make a dairy-free version. My partner likes it so much he asked me to make it again!

1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tbs Minute Tapioca
1 can coconut milk (approximately 1 3/4 cups, adjust the coconut and almond milk to equal 2 3/4 cups total)
1 cup almond milk (or soy milk)
1 egg beaten
1 tsp Mexican vanilla
cinnamon to sprinkle on top

Combine the brown sugar, tapioca, milks, and egg in a sauce pan and let rest for 5 minutes. Then heat on medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a full boil. The box notes: a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve warm with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

The pudding thickened as it cooled, so I added a little extra almond milk and rewarmed the left overs. Yum!