I am totally in love with this concept, which I saw in one of those reels online that entice you but not always work. This one had a happy ending, and for that I am grateful…
BAKED EGG TORTILLA BITES (slightly modified from food bites)
makes about 8
3 tortillas 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 eggs 3 tablespoons heavy cream 25 grams cheddar cheese, grated 1 teaspoon sea salt pepper, to taste
5 grape tomatoes, one per tortilla cup fresh chives, to garnish
Heat oven to 350F.
Cut out tortilla flowers with a cookie cutter. Brush the top and bottom of the tortilla flowers with olive oil, insert in a muffin tin. Bake until slightly golden, maximum 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly as you prepare the filling.
Mix the eggs, cream, shredded cheddar, salt, and pepper. Spoon the mixture on top of each tortilla flower till the bottom is covered. Bake again until the egg is cooked (about 8 minutes). Remove the egg tortilla bites and allow to cool.
Slice a grape tomato in the middle at a slant. Cut each half in half. Connect the two set of halves to make two hearts. Top the tomato hearts onto the egg tortillas. Arrange chopped chives as the stem. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Comments: This was so simple and absolutely delicious. I used a carb-balance type flour tortilla, but I bet it would be even better with regular ones. Do what suits you. I include a little video to show you how to cut the hearts, as it was not quite clear for me when I read her explanation or watched her reel on Facebook. I hope it helps you.
These would be perfect to serve as appetizer for a Valentine’s meal, but I just enjoyed as lunch on a Saturday. Love this type of food. Leftovers were good warmed in a toaster oven, just make sure to keep an eye on the edge of the tortilla cup, they tend to brown quickly. Protect with foil if that bothers you. Each little cup, two small bites, one big smile!
I don’t know how to put this more clearly to you: MAKE THESE COOKIES. Do not hesitate, do not postpone to next week, next month. My friend Dorothy from shockinglydelicious raved about them, and I am so glad I took action. They are incredibly easy to make and OMG-delicious! Addictive. Seriously so. The recipe is not yet in her blog, but I got it through her Facebook (check it out here if you are on FB).
13 graham cracker rectangles 2 cups pecan halves and pieces 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Heat oven to 350F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (or foil). Lay graham crackers to fit, breaking them if you need to. Fill the whole pan. Sprinkle all the pecans over top.
In a medium pot over medium heat, combine brown sugar, butter and salt. Bring to a boil and once boiling, let cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and quickly pour hot mixture over graham cracker and nuts in the pan, making sure all crackers are covered.
Bake 10 minutes; it will be bubbly. Remove from oven, allow to cool completely and break into pieces. This will be screaming hot, so don’t even try tasting it until it is entirely cool.
Comments: As you know, I donate 99% of the sweets I bake, or close to it… But every once in a while I get to taste one, particularly when it is a recipe I’ve never made before. So I did. The nickname “crack” seemed appropriate, not that I ever suffered from drug addiction. The image fit nicely. I had to exercise ALL my will power to put them away, so the poor homeless would have a chance. They are impossibly good. Trust me. As you are making them you will be sure there will be a disaster in the end. Things get furiously bubbly, it looks like chaos. But there will be a super bright and tasty light at the end of that tunnel!
New Year’s Eve, we cooked our meal together, and decided not to have dessert, since a mighty Mont Blanc had been at our table just a few days earlier (read about it here). But I developed this intense desire to surprise my beloved husband, so one day in which he had to work in a very long experiment I went to work and made all I needed to assemble a mini-cake. Small in size, great in impact. Coffee and chocolate. And a ton of love.
for the shells: 100 grams egg whites 100 grams granulated sugar 4 grams egg white powder 105 grams almond flour 105 grams powdered sugar 1 teaspoon espresso powder
for the espresso and mocha filling: 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened (56 grams) 2 tbsp butter, softened (28 grams) 1 + 1/2 cup powdered sugar (187 grams) 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp espresso powder 2 tbsp cocoa powder 1 tsp milk to adjust consistency (if needed)
Prepare a large piping bag, fitted with a large round tip, I use a 1/2” diameter tip. Set aside. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat. Place a template with large circles – 4 inches in diameter – underneath it. You will need 4 circles.
Process the powdered sugar and almond flour for 20 seconds, pass through a sieve. Set it aside. Whisk the sugar and the egg white powder (if using) in a bowl, and place it over a pan with barely simmering water. Add the egg whites to the sugar and whisk the mixture until frothy and the sugar is completely melted. Transfer the syrup to the bowl of a stand mixer.
With the whisk attachment, start whisking mixture on low for about 30 seconds, then gradually start increasing speed to medium. Whisk on medium for one to two minutes, until the mixture is white and starting to become fluffy. Raise the speed to high, or medium-high and whisk for a few minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Pour the powdered sugar and almond flour into the stiff meringue. Perform the macaronage until it is glossy and has a thick flowing consistency. Add the espresso powder when the batter is almost ready to pipe.
Transfer the batter to the prepared piping bag. Place the piping bag directly 90 degrees over the center of a circle template. Apply gentle pressure and carefully pipe while keeping the bag in that vertical position. I piped each macaron about 3.5”, because they spread out considerably after piping, and then they reached a 4.” diameter after I banged the tray against the counter. Once you’ve piped the circles, bang the tray against the counter a few times. This will release air bubbles that are in the batter and prevent your macaron shells from cracking.
Let the trays sit for a while so the shells will dry out. Bake at 315F for about 20 minutes, until they don’t move around as you try to rotate the shells.
Make the filling: Cream the softened cream cheese and butter together in the bowl of an electric mixer, for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. With the mixer off, add the powdered sugar to the bowl. Turn mixer on low to incorporate the powdered sugar with the cream cheese and butter. Cream the mixture on medium high for one minute. Add vanilla extract and the espresso powder and mix to combine.
If the frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar. And if the frosting is too stiff, add a teaspoon of water or milk to thin it out. Divide the frosting between two different bowls. Cover one bowl so that the frosting doesn’t dry out, that will be the Espresso Frosting.
To make the Mocha Frosting, add cocoa powder to the other half of the frosting you divided between the bowls. Cream until combined.
Lay out a piece of plastic wrap. Spread a stripe of the Mocha Frosting in the middle of the plastic wrap, across the narrow side. On top of the Mocha (brown) Frosting, spread some Espresso (white) Frosting. Roll the plastic wrap over itself to form a log. Line a piping bag with the piping tip of your preference. Insert the frosting log in the piping bag (watch the video on this page). Press evenly on all sides so both color frostings come out with the same intensity.
Place one macaron shell on top of a cake stand or plate. Pipe some frosting on top. Top with another shell. Pipe more frosting on top. Repeat until you reach the last shell. If desired, pipe some frosting on top of the macaron cake, and then decorate with chocolate covered espresso beans.
Let the macarons mature for 24 hour in the fridge before serving.
Comments: Did you know that Camila, the baker behind Pies and Tacos is originally from Brazil? She is an expert macaron baker, I’ve been following her site for years, and also have her cookbooks. I normally use the French meringue method, but this was my first time piping large shells and I decided to follow her exact method. Worked like a dream!
This was so incredibly delicious, but the best part was Phil’s face when I brought the dessert from the basement (we have a fridge in the basement which is perfect for hiding sweet surprises).
If you have a special celebration coming up, consider making a mini-macaron cake, you will thank me later. It is messy to eat, but totally worth it. Very important to let that rest for one or two days in the fridge, the layers meld together nicely. A dreamy dessert, no doubt!
Inspiration for this salad came from Bon Appetit, back in 2018. I changed a few details, but two things make this preparation special: fresh tarragon leaves and orange flower water .
ORANGE AND AVOCADO SALAD WITH PISTACHIOS (slightly modified from Bon Appetit)
2 Navel oranges 2 Blood oranges 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoons orange-flower water Large pinch of kosher salt 2 avocados, cut into large pieces 3 tablespoons roasted pistachios fresh tarragon leaves to taste Extra-virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
Using a paring knife, remove peel and white pith from oranges. Slice into rounds, then cut into 1-inch pieces. Transfer to a medium bowl and add lemon juice, orange-flower water, and salt. Toss and let sit 5 minutes so citrus can release some of their juices.
Transfer citrus, leaving juice behind, to a large plate. Tuck avocado in between and around citrus. Spoon citrus juice over salad, scatter pistachios and tarragon over, and drizzle with oil.
Comments: I advise you to exercise restraint with the orange-flower water, because you don’t want to go the perfume route… It will give it a background of flavor that is hard to define, until you ask your dining companion: “Do you taste the orange-flower water?” Once you know it is there, your tastebuds recognize it and it’s very special. I rarely use fresh tarragon, and was lucky to find some at our grocery store. It beautifully complements the salad. I confess to going back and picking some extra pieces of orange after dinner was over. Almost as if it was the dessert course. I doubt anyone would criticize me…
I adapted this recipe from a salad version published a few years ago by Jessica, from howsweeteats. Absolutely delicious, it will be part of our rotation for sure from now on. I urge you to give it a try.
FARRO AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH CRANBERRY-CINNAMON DRESSING (slightly modified from Jessica’s howsweeteats)
for the grain and squash component: 2 cups cooked farro 3 cups cubed butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 tablespoon olive oil kosher salt and pepper 1 cup whole pecans 1 tablespoon maple syrup 1 cup dried cranberries feta cheese to taste, crumbled chopped fresh parsley, to taste
for the dressing: 3 tablespoons cranberry juice 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon honey 2 teaspoona Dijon mustard 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/3 cup olive oil
Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the squash on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, or until slightly caramelized and fork tender. While the squash is roasting, cook the farro, or you can cook that hours in advance and warm up before assembling the dish.
Toast the pecans on a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Drizzle in the maple syrup. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, as the maple syrup sizzles. Spread the pecans on a sheet of parchment paper until ready to use.
Make the dressing: Whisk together the vinegar, juice, honey, mustard, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Reserve.
Place the farro in a large bowl. Toss in the roasted butternut squash cubes, the dried cranberries, feta cheese and pecans. Drizzle on a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette and mix it all well. Taste the farro and adjust seasoning, if needed. Drizzle in more of the vinaigrette, top with the fresh parsley.
Comments: I fell in love with this recipe from the first bite and felt quite sad when I had the last one. Which, by the way, happened next day, when I polished what was left for my lunch, with a tasty fried egg on top.
Everything works, all flavors mingle together in harmony, the chew of the farro, the crunch of the pecans, the absolutely delicious dressing. Speaking of it, the dressing will be awesome on many types of salads also. This recipe is a total winner!
Bewitching Kitchen 