S'more Cupcakes

The end-of-summer days should be filled with savouring summer's best.  That might be a final trip to the neighborhood pool or beach, caprese salad with fresh, locally grown tomatoes, dinner on the deck during sunset...  And definitely something s'more related.  S'mores instantly take me back to summer camp, sing around the campfire with those fast-but-new best friends after a day spent sailing or canoeing on the lake.

For a summer bbq I wanted to take something that was summery but that I could make quickly and with ingredients that I had on hand... So s'more styled cupcakes ended up as the winner.  And they couldn't be easier while still making a nice presentation. 

For this, it really is just about the decoration and styling so you can use your favorite recipes to bring it together.  Here was my process...

1st - Make your favorite chocolate cupcakes, using a cute liner (maybe gingham or stripes like these).  My favorite chocolate cake is this one but it makes a lot of cupcakes so...

2nd - Make marshmallow frosting - this one on MS is perfect and very easy.

3rd - Frost your cupcakes, making a cute little swirl from a spoon or use a pastry tip - whichever you prefer (I just used a spoon as this frosting goes on easy and smooth).

4th - Prepare the decorating components - break up graham crackers so you have small squares, crumble a few graham crackers for dusting and cut up a high quality chocolate bar (I used a Valrhona dark chocolate bar that in Chicago you can get at Trader Joes).

5th - Use a kitchen torch to 'toast' your marshmallow frosting.

6th - Immediately sprinkle on the crushed graham cracker and add in the graham cracker and chocolate squares next to each other - I like them at a slight angle.

Voilà!

Chocolate Custard Tart

There are some things that we just don't make very often, seeing as there are only two of us.  Tarts and pies would be one of those things.  They are the type of thing that is absolutely lovely to enjoy a slice... but when you see 3/4+ of such a delicious little treat just sitting there it is way to tempting to overindulge. 

Every now and then I kick the everything in moderation diet to the curb and bake up such a treat.  Something rich, oh-so-yummy and way to big for only two people at the dinner table.

I have been eyeing this Chocolate Tart every time I thumb through the Craft of Baking.  So I decided it had to be made.  And I am so glad that I made this!  We ate every last crumb (over a couple days) and it was so worth the calories.

Since I don't make pies or tarts often, I am lacking a tart pan and pie weights.  So I used a 9" cake pan and then put a slightly smaller one inside for the weight (didn't have beans on hand either) for the flash baking.  As my pan was a wee bit smaller than called for there was less room for the delicious custard filling; so I just poured that into little ramkins to bake separately...yummy! 

This isn't necessarily an overly difficult dessert to make but there are enough steps that require cooling/chilling/etc that it requires planning ahead. 

This is a perfect winter dessert indulgence.  I will definitely be making this again... maybe next time to share a few slices with guests...

Chocolate Custard Tart

From The Craft of Baking

Makes one 9 1/2 inch tart

• Flour for rolling
• 1/2 of Chocolate Sable Dough
• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70%), roughly chopped
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate (62%), roughly chopped
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 11 inches round.  Lightly roll it onto the rolling pin and gently fit it into the pan, pressing the dough into the edges.  Trim the excess dough to the edge of the pan.  Prick the bottom all over with a fork and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lined the tart shell with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans.  Set the pan on a baking sheet and back for 15 minutes.  Remove the foil and pie weights, rotate the pan and bake until the crust is fragrant and feel dry to the touch, about 15-20 minutes.  Place on a wire rack and let cool completely.

Preheat or reduce the oven to 275 degrees.

Combine the bittersweet and semisweet chocolates in a mixing bowl.  In a small saucepan combine the cream, milk, and sugar and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Pour about 1/3 of the hot cream mixture over the chocolate and very gently whisk until the chocolate is melted. (whisking slowly and gently during these steps helps keep your custard silky and creamy) Add the remaining cream mixture and gently whisk to combine.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl until well combined. Pour about one third of the chocolate mixture over the eggs and gently whisk just to combine. Return the egg mixture to the chocolate mixture, add the salt. and very gently whisk until smooth.

Fill the cooled crust with the chocolate custard.  Carefully transfer the tart, ion the baking sheet, to the oven and bake, rotating the sheet halfway through, until the edges of the custard are set and the center is slightly loose, about 30 minutes. Transfer the tart to a wire rack and let it cool completely. 

Remove the outer ring of the tart pan, and serve at room temperature.  Unsweetened whipped cream or creme fraiche complements the richness of the tart.  Best the day is baked but can be stored at room temperature for a couple of days.

Chocolate Sable Crust

• 2 1/4 cups unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 10 ounces chilled unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbs sugar
• 1 large egg

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a bowl.

Using a mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on low speed until there are no visible pieces of butter, about 3 minutes.  Add the egg and mix just until incorporated.  Add the flour mixture in three addition, mixing each in completely before adding the next.

Turn the dough onto a clean lightly floured surface.  Divide it in half, shape into flattened disk, and wrap each one in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. 

The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month, thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

~ Tara

Daring Bakers: Graham Wafers & Nanaimo Bars

The January daring bakers challenge was such delicious one.  Nanaimo Bars, a Canadian classic, are seriously good eats and worth the calorie splurge. 

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.

They are perfect for sharing.  I decided to make these when they could coincided with a "guys night" so Dan could take a large portion of them; after reading through the recipe there was no way I wanted to keep the whole batch for just the two of us, willpower is not my middle name!  They were apparently a hit, weeks later I was still receiving comments on how good these bars are.

But I do have one question- how are these different from Napolean Creams?  As I assembled the layers I started to notice the similarities and then after my first bite I realized that they taste exactly like a long-time Christmas treat for my family, Napolean Creams.  I did massive internet searching with little progress towards answering that question. 

I was excited to see that making graham crackers was part of the challenge; this was something on my list of things to try.  It is surprisingly very easy and that works well to my initiative to minimize the amounts of processed foods that we eat.  I am anxiously awaiting our July camping trip so that I can make homemade smores!  Hmmmmm...

So, in summary- Nanaimo Bars are awesome and everyone should make these.  My tip on making sure this challenge is a success - leave yourself plenty of time.  While the steps themselves are not too difficult, all the steps add up to surprising amount of time.  So to get the recipe head over to daring bakers.  And enjoy!