Peanut Butter and Jelly Squares

My friends and I recently had a small get-together to celebrate finally being finished with nursing school. As always, I decided to bake a yummy treat and bring it with me. I wanted to make peanut butter and jelly squares because I had baked them before and they were quite successful. Similar to my grandmother's berry crumb bars, these little squares feature a shortbread dough, topped with jam, and then more dough crumbled on top. The difference, of course, is that there is peanut butter in the dough and also chopped peanuts mixed with the topping.

The first time I made these squares I brought them with me to the hospital to share with other staff on the unit halfway through my final practicum. At the time I was in a rush and didn't have the chance to take any pictures, therefore I couldn't post the recipe. However they were eaten up instantly and I knew that I had to make them again. This time around I made sure to take pictures before I packed up the squares to bring to my friend's place.

My friends all enjoyed the peanut butter and jelly squares, as did my mother and brother who had a few pieces that I left behind for the family. I was flattered when my friend asked me for the recipe the next day and admitted that she and her husband ate the leftovers for breakfast that morning. Originally I told her that I would send her a link to the post on my blog but she wanted to bake them immediately. Lucky for her I have a good memory and I was able to rattle off the list of ingredients and recipe in a quick email to her.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Squares

• ½ cup butter, room temperature
• 1½ cups flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup peanut butter (I recommend using creamy)
• ½ cup chopped peanuts
• ¾ cup jam (any flavor)

1. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar together on medium speed until smooth. Beat in peanut butter and then the egg.
3. Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture until evenly incorporated.
4. Pat down ¾ of dough into greased 8" x 8" pan. Spread jam evenly over top.
5. Combine the remaining ¼ dough with the chopped nuts. Crumble the mixture over top of the jam layer.
6. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes until the top becomes golden brown. Allow the pan to cool completely before removing and slicing.
   

Thai Style Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

When I told my mom last weekend that I was desperate to make this dish because I had the recipe bookmarked since November she laughed at me. I believe her exact response was, "Let this be your biggest problem." I understood her mockery and laughed alongside her but nonetheless I was determined to test the recipe and informed her that I was going to prepare it during the week regardless of whatever other food we already had in the refrigerator.

Once I made the dish and fed it to my mom and brother I finally felt good being able to cross it off my list of "recipes to try". Unfortunately the baked potatoes did not receive as good of a review as I was hoping; my brother typically doesn't like potatoes so I wasn't expecting much from him but I thought my mom would enjoy the dish. After eating the baked potato she said that she liked the Thai flavor but it was too sweet. Personally I enjoyed the sweetness, not surprising given my love of yams and sweet potatoes, but I could see her point and agreed that it was a little overwhelming considering how big each potato was. Next time I think I will try using russet potatoes and see if it receives a better reaction.

Thai Style Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
Note: The sweet potatoes can be baked ahead of time and then the insides scooped out for the filling later.

• 3 large sweet potatoes, washed and scrubbed clean
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 medium-sized onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1.5" chunk fresh ginger, minced
• ⅓ cup coconut milk
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 3 tsp Thai red curry paste
• ¼-½ bunch cilantro, chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped 
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

1. Rub a little bit of olive oil onto the sweet potatoes and wrap each one tightly in aluminum foil.
2. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 60-90 minutes, depending on their size, or until they can be easily pierced with a fork. 
3. Remove from the oven and once cool enough to handle slice each in half and scoop out the flesh, leaving about ¼" around the sides. Set the flesh and skins aside.
4. In a large skillet, heat up the oil over medium heat and saute the chopped onions until translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for another 30 seconds-1 minute, or until it is fragrant.
6. Add the chopped bell peppers and continue to cook until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
7. Add the coconut milk, lime zest and juice, lemon juice, and red curry paste to the sweet potato flesh and mash until smooth and no lumps remain.
8. Stir in the sauteed pepper mixture and then the green onions and cilantro. Mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper.
9. Lay the sweet potato skins, skin side down, onto a lightly greased baking sheet (or covered in aluminum foil) and fill generously with the mixture. If you want, wet hands slightly and smooth out the tops to create little mounds.
10. Put the sweet potatoes in the oven with the broiler on and leave inside for 2-3 minutes, or until the filling is heated through and the top becomes slightly dark and charred. Be careful not to over broil!

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

I woke up on Saturday morning with a big craving to make pancakes, something I haven't done for a while. I had bookmarked a recipe for apple cinnamon pancakes a few months ago and decided that this weekend would be a good time to finally try it out. The recipe was pretty straightforward and I substituted using sour cream instead of Greek yogurt because that's what I had on hand.

My brother was delighted to discover that I had made pancakes for breakfast and eagerly helped me out with his taste-testing skills. Although nice and fluffy, as all good pancakes should be, I have to admit the apple flavor was not as pronounced as I had hoped it would be. The chunks of grated apple were pleasant but I think I might add more in the future, in addition to some applesauce in order to really make the apple flavor come through.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
Note: Makes about 10 slightly larger than palm-sized pancakes. Also, this recipe features changes that should create more of an apple flavor, but have not actually been tested. For the original recipe click here.

• 1 large egg
• ½ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup applesauce
• 1 cup flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large apples, peeled and roughly grated

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and set aside.
2. In a separate bowl combine the egg, Greek yogurt or sour cream, milk, applesauce, and vanilla extract.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix until just barely incorporated.
4. Add the grated apples and mix to incorporate into the batter. Don't worry if the batter is lumpy but if it is too thick add a little bit of milk to thin it out.
5. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat. Once heated, reduce the temperature to medium low and pour ⅓ cup of batter onto the cooking surface. Allow the pancake to cook until bubbles start to form on the top surface, about 20-25 seconds, then use a large spatula to gently flip the pancake over. Cook the other side until it is light and golden and fully cooked through. Repeat with remaining batter.

Note: You may have to go through a couple of "test" pancakes before you achieve the right temperature on the griddle or skillet. Finished pancakes can be kept warm in the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit while the rest are cooking. 

Chocolate Dream Cheesecake

Recently my aunt told me about a cheesecake baking competition that is coming up at our synagogue. I looked through all of my cheesecake recipes and considered which one would be worthy of entering into a contest. Then I thought that maybe I should try a new cheesecake recipe during my birthday celebration with my family and see if it was worthy of a contest entry. 

The recipe that I found was from the Godiva website and it was entitled “Dream Cheesecake”. With three different cheesecake layers and a chocolate glaze it was, in fact, a dream to eat. The chocolate wafer crust was topped with a layer of chocolate cheesecake, followed by a slightly caramel-reminiscent pecan layer, then a classic vanilla layer and finished with the chocolate glaze on top.

Unfortunately, all of this layering made for a nightmare when it came time to slice and serve the cake. The crust came away from the cake and crumbled on the plate rather than staying together, probably a result of too little butter. Even though the cake tasted delicious it was too messy to serve neatly and eating it was a little difficult as well. 

Due to serving difficulties I took this cake out of the running as a potential contest entry. However I liked the idea of adding chopped nuts to the middle layer and using brown sugar instead of the usual white granulated sugar. I may have to go back to the drawing board and create a new cheesecake that features these flavors more prominently.

Chocolate Dream Cheesecake

Note: The original recipe was for a 9" cake. I altered the quantities so that I could make it in my 11" pan. The original recipe can be found here. I also used my own chocolate glaze recipe which can be found here. I recommend to work from the bottom up and make one layer at a time, as each needs time to set before the next one goes on.

For the crust:

• 2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted

Combine the Oreo crumbs and melted butter and transfer to an 11" springform pan, pressing down gently along the bottom and sides. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes then set aside to cool.

For the chocolate layer:

• 10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ cup sugar
• 105 grams dark chocolate, melted
• 1 large egg
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ½ cup sour cream

1. Beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed for about a minute, until smooth. 
2. Beat in the sugar and then the egg, scraping the bowl as necessary.
3. Beat in the vanilla and sour cream. Once incorporated, beat in the chocolate. 
4. Continue to mix until the chocolate is well incorporated and no streaks remain. Pour the filling into the cooled pan and put in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to slightly set.

For the pecan layer:

• 10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ cup brown sugar, tightly packed
• 1¼ tbsp flour
• 1 large egg
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ½ cup chopped pecans

1. Beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed for about a minute, until smooth. 
2. Beat in the brown sugar and flour, then the egg, scraping the bowl as necessary.
3. Beat in the vanilla. Once incorporated, use a spatula or wooden spoon to gently mix in the chopped pecans.
4. Pour the pecan layer over top of the chocolate layer and use a spatula to spread evenly across so that none of the chocolate layer is showing. Return the pan to the refrigerator again for 10 minutes.

For the vanilla layer:

• 6.25 oz (175 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp almond extract
• 1¼ cup sour cream

1. Beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed for about a minute, until smooth. 
2. Beat in the sugar and then the egg, scraping the bowl as necessary.
3. Beat in the vanilla, almond extract, and sour cream.
4. Spread the vanilla layer evenly over the pecan layer, making sure none of the previous layer is visible. 
5. Bake the cheesecake for 50 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit using a hot water bath or by placing a pan of hot water on the lowest rack beneath the cake.
6. Without opening the oven door, turn off the oven and leave the cake to cool for 1 1/2 hours inside the oven. Afterward, remove from the oven and cool to room temperature before refrigerating for at least 4 hours, though preferably overnight.

French Fraisier Cake

Already a year has flown by and once again I found myself celebrating my birthday with my friends and family. This year the celebrations were postponed by a week because I was working at the hospital, though on the day of my birthday I was able to go out to a nice Italian restaurant with my immediate family. We enjoyed a lovely dinner and I was reminded how special each and every person in my family is to me and how much I cherish the warm wishes and speeches they gave.

When it came to celebrating with my friends I invited everyone over for a pizza making party. I set out pre-made crusts and sauce, as well as a variety of toppings, and everyone made their own pizza. The evening actually provided a great opportunity for everyone to catch up as we are all in our last practicum at different hospitals and no longer see each other in school. Also, with graduation only months away we have fewer occasions during which we can all get together.

Just as in the past, I made my own birthday cake and looked forward to showing it off to all my friends. At first I had a hard time deciding on what to make...I wanted it to be different than what I have made before and learn something new. I also wanted something fruity because spring time always makes me crave fruits. When I saw this recipe for a French fraisier cake, which translates to French strawberry cake, I knew I hit the jackpot. I loved how elegant the cake looked with the strawberries all along the side. It also involved a new technique in order to create the visual effect.

This cake truly stood up to its name as I used two pounds of strawberries in total, from the outside

decoration to the filling. Despite its beautiful appearance it was not easy to slice but luckily my friend was able to help me and made sure I got a good picture. Another friend whose father owns a bakery gave me a helpful hint and suggested that next time I freeze the cake for a little bit prior to serving so that it is easier to cut. As I make more layered cakes I have noticed I have this problem quite often so I think I will try out her suggestion next time.

Even with all the slicing difficulties I am still quite happy with the end result. The cake looked beautiful and it tasted great too. I was actually surprised at how pronounced the lemon flavor of the cake itself was considering how many strawberries were in the cake. However the lemon and strawberry played wonderfully against each other and the vanilla pastry cream added extra sweetness. My friends were impressed and I was happy to have met their expectations.

French Fraisier Cake
Note: I used vanilla pastry cream for the filling (recipe found here) and topped the cake with a light layer of whipped cream

For the Meyer lemon genoise cake:

• 1 cup flour
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• ½ cup + 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 Meyer lemons, zested

1. In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar over a saucepan of lightly simmering water. Whisk constantly and continue to heat until the mixture is lukewarm to the touch, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Remove mixture from the heat and beat on high speed until it has cooled and tripled in volume, about 3-5 minutes. It should look like softly whipped cream and form ribbons and fall back upon itself when lifting the beaters.
3. Fold a quarter of the egg mixture into the melted butter to lighten it. 
4. Add the lemon zest to the egg/butter mixture then fold back into the rest of the egg mixture.
5. Sift a third of the flour onto the egg mixture, then gently but quickly fold together.  Repeat in thirds until the flour has been incorporated.  
6. Gently pour the batter into a well greased 9" cake pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the cake pan and let cool completely. 

For the simple syrup:

• Juice of two Meyer lemons
• ⅓ cup sugar
• ⅓ cup water 

Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and cool completely before using.

To assemble:
Note: I lined the sides of the pan with plastic wrap before assembling so that nothing would stick and it made for a very clean presentation.

• Meyer lemon cake from above
  
  
• Meyer lemon simple syrup from above
• Vanilla pastry cream
• Whipped cream
• 2 lbs strawberries

1. Slice the genoise cake in half. Place the bottom half in the bottom of a 9" springform pan.
2. Using a pastry brush, soak the cake with half of the simple syrup, making sure it is moist.
3. Pick out about 12-15 strawberries of the same height and slice in half. Use them to line the perimeter of the cake, with the sliced side facing out. Make sure they are close together and can stand up on their own.
4. Use half of the pastry cream to pipe a ring on top of the cake and then in between each strawberry, making sure to fill in any gaps of air. Use a spatula to spread the cream evenly across and between the strawberries.
5. Cut the remaining strawberries into bit sized pieces and place on top of the pastry cream. Pipe the remaining pastry cream on top and spread over the strawberries.
6. Place the second half of the cake on top and press firmly down. Brush the cake with the remaining simple syrup.
7. Top the cake with the whipped cream and some strawberries as a garnish. Although not necessary, I recommend refrigerating or semi-freezing the cake so that the layers have time to set.
8. Once ready to serve, remove the outside of the pan and peel away the plastic wrap.