Tag dessert

Daylight Savings Breakfast of Champions: “Coffee and Donuts”

"Coffee and Donuts"With daylight savings time coming to a close this Sunday, November 3rd, you’ll get one extra hour of precious time for sleep waking up with a hot cup of joe. Make your mornings and breakfasts those of champions with luxuriously delicious homemade “donuts”. Brunch Beignets with Mocha Crème Anglaise are sure to impress friends and family (admit it, even the name is impressive!). These fun party poppers provide the perfect mix of cinnamon and sugar, not to mention the devilishly good dipping sauce – did anyone say cocoa, espresso and Kahlùa?! You’ll never want to opt for store bought coffee and donuts again!

Coffee And Donuts: Cinnamon Beignets with Mocha Crème Anglaise
This recipe and others can be found in our Dessert Recipe Library

DonutsIngredients
Mocha Crème Anglaise:
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 ½ Tablespoon cocoa powder
3 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoons Kahlùa
Ice for ice bath

Beignets:
2 ¼ cups milk
2 eggs
½ cup butter, melted
4 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
6 cups vegetable oil for frying

Cinnamon Sugar:
½ cup sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Methods/Steps
Heat at least 2 inches of oil to 350° F in a large, deep pot.

Make Crème Anglaise: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk milk, cream, espresso and cocoa powder until combined. Bring mixture to a slight simmer. In a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar. Beat the egg yolk mixture using an electric mixer until pale, light yellow and thick, about 3-5 minutes. Slowly, add half of the mocha milk mixture to the yolk mixture and whisk until blended. Add the second half of the milk mixture. Transfer the mixture back to a saucepan and cook over low heat until it reaches 160ºF or when mixture coats the back of a spoon. Quickly remove from heat (It will turn to scrambled eggs if it goes over this temperature) and strain immediately into a bowl placed on an ice bath. Whisk in the Kahlùa and stir until the mixture reaches room temperature.

Prepare Beignet Mixture: In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and melted butter. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon. Add the milk mixture and stir just until smooth. Be careful not to over mix or dough will be tough.

Make Cinnamon Sugar: In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Fry Beignets: When the oil is heated, using a 1 inch ice cream scoop, drop dough into the hot oil. Fry 5 or 6 beignets at a time, making sure there is plenty of room for them to expand. Fry the beignets for 1-2 minutes on each side until deep golden and cooked through. Use a slotted spoon or spider to remove them from the oil and drain on a cooling rack over a sheet pan. When the oil has drained off the beignets and they are still hot, toss them into the bowl of cinnamon sugar and stir until they are well coated. Remove them to a platter and continue this process until all the beignets have been fried. Make sure to maintain the oil temperature at 350° F and to skim off any bits of fried burnt batter from the pot.

Serve: Place beignets on a serving platter and place the crème anglaise in a small bowl on the side.

Serves/Makes
Makes 32 Beignets

Tis the Season for a Holiday Pumpkin Recipe: Cheesecake Trifle with Salted Caramel Sauce and Nut Crumble

I’d like to take a moment to introduce you to agruably the best holiday dessert imaginable. Scrap the pumpkin pie, ditch the spiced pears, drop that caramel apple and back away from that nutty candy bar. This Pumpkin and Pear Cheesecake Trifle with Salted Caramel and Nut Crumble is all you’ll need this holiday season! Friends, family, coworkers, and that weird neighbor of yours will all marvel at the delicate complexities of this fine dessert. Layers of flavor (no, not gum) and perfectly balanced textures all come together to create a bittersweet symphony.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin and Pear Cheesecake Trifle with Salted Caramel Sauce and Nut Crumble
Similar sweet treats can also be found in our Dessert Recipe Library

Pumpkin and Pear Cheesecake TrifleIngredients
Salted Caramel (makes about 1 ½ cups):
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
Pinch of cream of tartar
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup heavy cream
Ice bath if necessary

Sautéed Pears:
4 Bartlett pears, peeled and diced
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup salted caramel sauce

Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling (makes 3 cups):
1 pound cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
Hand/stand mixer
Piping bags if desired
Short stemmed glass of choice or mini cups and spoons for mini desserts

Nut Crumble:
1 cup whole almonds
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 Tablespoons butter, melted

Methods/Steps
Make Salted Caramel: Combine sugar, water, cream of tartar, cinnamon and star anise into a saucepan. DO NOT STIR. Bring to a boil and cook until the caramel browns. When the caramel is dark amber brown, remove from heat and carefully add cream and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl and with tongs remove cinnamon stick and star anise. Chill in refrigerator or set bowl over an ice bath to chill. Stir frequently to expedite chilling.

Sauté Pears: Using a vegetable peeler, peel and dice the pears into medium size dice. Heat butter in a sauté pan set over medium high heat. When the butter is melted and starting to foam up and turn brown, add the pears. Sauté for a couple minutes or until soft but not mushy. Stir in the salted caramel sauce and remove from heat. Set aside until ready to assemble trifle.

Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling: Place the cream cheese and brown sugar into a medium bowl or into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with mixer until smooth and airy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the pumpkin and continue to `beat until smooth. Chill mixture or place over an ice bath until ready to assemble or at least 15 minutes.

Make Nut Crumble: Pulse almonds, sugars, and salt in a food processor until coarsely chopped. With the food processor running, add melted butter and pulse until incorporated. The mixture should resemble rocky wet sand.

ASSEMBLY FOR MINI TRIFLES: Lay out the mini cups. Pour 1 tablespoon of the caramel sauce into each cup. Next, pipe or spoon about 3 tablespoons of the pumpkin filling onto the caramel. Follow with a heaping tablespoon of the sautéed pears then top with a tablespoon of the nut crumble. Serve immediately on a platter with mini spoons.

ASSEMBLY FOR ENTRÉE SIZE TRIFLES: Follow the technique for the mini trifles above but repeat the pattern to have 2 layers of all the ingredients. Place glasses onto a napkin lined plate and serve immediately.

Recipe created by Parties That Cook® | www.PartiesThatCook.com

Serves/Makes
Makes 8 entrée size trifles and 16 mini trifles