Caramel Pecan Lava Cake

Molten chocolate cakes, or lava cakes, have been quite popular in restaurants over the past years and for good reasons! That rich chocolate taste and gooey texture gets me every time! Here's a bit of a twist on the chocolatey classic.

Caramel Pecan Lava Cake

1 cup whole pecans

2 tablespoons butter

4 egg yolks

¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons coffee

2 tablespoons flour

8 ounces chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

4 egg whites

2 tablespoons sugar

Caramel sauce

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until double in volume then mix in the coffee.

Sift the flour over the surface of egg mixture and whisk it in.

Fold in the warm chocolate and set aside.

Beat the egg whites and 2 tablespoons sugar to stiff peaks.

Fold the whites into the egg and chocolate mixture.

Butter 6 - 6 ounce ramekins or other oven safe baking dishes and place a few pecans in each one. 

Fill them with half the chocolate mixture and place a big teaspoon of cold firm caramel sauce on top of that. Add the remaining chocolate batter.

Bake for about 15 minutes. Remove ramekins and slide a small sharp knife around the sides to loosen the cakes and remove, placing them on the caramel sauce.

Warm the caramel sauce just enough so that it pours and pour some onto dessert plates.

Top with a few more pecans, sprinkle with icing sugar and garnish with blueberries if you wish.

Serve immediately.

Serves: 6                     

Caramel Sauce

½ cup sugar

1 1/2 cups cream

2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

Zest and juice of ½ orange

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons butter

¾ teaspoon vanilla

Place sugar in a heavy bottomed pot and add enough water to dissolve the sugar. Cook over high heat until a warm golden colour is achieved. Do not stir the sugar, but rather swirl it gently. Brush down the sides as the sugar is caramelizing.

When the sugar turns the right colour, add the grand Marnier orange juice and zest and mix in. Be careful, this will boil up quickly when the liquid hits the hot sugar.

Add cream and baking soda, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

When the sauce thickens, add butter, mixing in while it melts, and the vanilla.

Beef en Croute

This is the classic Beef Wellington revisited. My boys don't like mushrooms so I had to think of something different to put in it. I decided on caramelized onions and roasted peppers. Some people include ham in a Beef Wellington and I was going to include some julienne capicola in mine but I forgot all about it! No worries, it turned out great just the same!

Beef En Croute

6 beef tenderloin steaks, about 1-inch thick

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 packages puff pastry (Tenderflake 397gr)

Salt and pepper to taste

6 ounces Brie cheese

12 tablespoons caramelized onions

6 teaspoons grainy mustard

6 tablespoons roasted peppers

Egg wash (one egg and a bit of milk)

Thaw puff pastry according to package directions.
Season the filets generously with salt and pepper.
Pre-heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and heat until almost smoking. Add the steaks to the pan and cook to sear the bottom, about 2 – 3 minutes. Turn them over and sear the other side. Turn them on edge and sear the outside all around the steak. Keep in mind that you are only searing the steaks, not cooking them
 through. Remove the steaks and let them rest on a rack. Cool in the
 fridge until they are ready to be wrapped.
Roll out the puff dough into 2 rectangles. Cut these rectangles in 2
pieces large enough to wrap the beef. Use a small side plate to cut
the pieces in circles so you have less dough on the bottom.
Place 2 tablespoons caramelized onions in the centre of each round. Place 1 ounce of brie on top of that. Place the cooled steaks on top of the brie, then spread the steak with the mustard and add the roasted peppers.
Brush the edge of the dough with egg wash. Bring two sides up so they meat and attach over the centre of the steak. Bring the rest of the puff dough up to enclose the steak, making sure the edges are sealed. Turn the package over, brush with egg wash, place on a pan and cool in the fridge. (you can actually make these the night before to save time at dinner service)
Heat the oven to 400F. Place the packages in the oven on the middle
rack and bake until the puff dough is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Serve with your favourite vegetables and a nice red wine sauce.

Extra Notes:

·         Try to sear the steaks on high heat quickly. If you cook too much, they will overcook in the oven.

·         Don’t grill the steaks. The char taste of the grill does not taste good when it cooks in the puff dough.

·         Keep the dough thin, about 1/8 “ or slightly thicker.

·         Cool the packages thoroughly before baking. The puff dough needs to be cold so that it puffs properly.

·         Try different cheeses and vegetables inside the package. Goat cheese might be good. Roasted garlic?

·       You can use chicken if you like but you must cook it about medium well before you wrap it so that is cooked through in the end.

The Chicken Version

French Toast Italian Style

 

I saw some Panettone in the grocery store and thought it would make a nice French Toast for Christmas. After a bit of fooling around, this is what I came up with.

Italian Christmas (or New Years) Toast

½ half loaf Panettone, cut in four thick slices

4 tbsp Nutella

 

    3 large eggs

    3 tbsp heavy cream

    ¼ tsp cinnamon

    1 tbsp brown sugar

    1 tbsp Amaretto

    1 tsp vanilla

    2 tbsp  butter

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 
2. Slice the Panettone in half from crown to base. Remove the paper and trim both ends. Slice it into 4 slices, slicing across the loaf to make half-moon slices. Slice into the curve of each slice to form a pocket.
3. Spoon the Nutella into the pocket, spreading it out evenly. (I used the back of the spoon to scoop and spread the Nutella)
4. Whisk together the eggs, cream, cinnamon, brown sugar, Amaretto and vanilla in a shallow dish. (a pie plate works well) Dip each stuffed Panetton into the egg mixture, coating each side evenly.
5. Heat the butter  in a large skillet until it is melted and foamy. (If you don’t have a large enough skillet go buy one)
6. Fry the little sandwiches until golden brown on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn them and place the whole pan in the oven Bake for about 10 minutes, until the filling is heated through.
7. Serve with maple syrup and fruit if you like. Or some bacon.
8. Merry Christmas!

Serves 4

I topped my 'Italian Toast' with a cranberry maple syrup. These are northern cranberries, which I think can only be appreciated by a true northerner. They are smaller than their southern counterparts but pack a big punch. I used about 1/4 cup of berries, warming them slightly in a pan then adding 1 cup maple syrup. The syrup turns Christmassy red after being brought to the boil! Bon Appetito and Happy New Year!

Festive Cake for the Festive Season

Here's a nice cake for the holiday season. Easy to make and the combination of fruit and nuts make it a tasty treat!

Pear Cranberry Upside Down Cake

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 pear, peeled, cored, and cut in 8 wedges

3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw if frozen)

1/2 cup pistachios, toasted and skinned

Rub the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with the 1 tablespoon butter.

Melt butter the butter in a small pot. Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved then pour it into the prepared cake pan.

Place the pear wedges in the pan nicely then sprinkle the pistachios and cranberries in the pan. Set this aside.

½ cup butter

½ cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon fresh nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

¼ cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. 

Cream the ½ cup of butter and 1/2 cup sugar with

 a mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and 

vanilla and beat until well combined.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in another bowl.

Add the flour mixture, milk and sour cream to the sugar butter mixture and mix just until it all comes together.   

Pour the batter over the fruit and spread it carefully to the sides. Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake; invert onto a rimmed platter.

Happy Holidays!!