Finger Lickin' Recipes

Lemon Curd Meringue Cake

For the cake:
2 3/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter, soften
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup home-made lemon curd

For the meringue frosting:
2 cups sugar
6 large egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 3 9-inch cake pans and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl, whisk sour cream, lemon zest, juice and vanilla.

Beat butter and sugar together on medium speed in a bowl of a standing mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until blended.

Reduce the speed to low and beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by half of the sour cream mixture. Repeat with another 1/3 of the flour mixture and the remaining sour cream mixture. Beat in the remaining flour mixture until just incorporated.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pans and spread evenly.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack for about 10 minutes before inverting on rack. Let cool completely.

To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a greased baking sheet. Spread with 1/4 cup lemon curd. Place another cake layer on top, and gently press down a little bit. Spread with the remaining lemon curd. Place the last layer of cake on top. Refrigerate until you are ready to frost and serve, preferably on the same day.

To prepare frosting, in a large heatproof bowl, combine sugar and egg whites. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat on high speed until foamy for 1 minute. Set bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Beat on high speed until frosting form stiff peaks, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and water, and beat for another 2 minutes until frosting thickens.

Preheat oven to 400F. Smear the meringue frosting thickly on the top and sides of the cake. Using a small metal spatula to create swoops and peaks.

Place cake in oven. Bake, watching carefully, until meringue is brown around edges and beginning to brown elsewhere. Remove from oven and transfer to a serving plate.

Leave it at room temperature and serve the cake in the same day, as over time the frosting will become grainy.

(via wehavethemunchies)

Chicken Enchilada Pockets (makes 8 pockets)

1 package reduced fat crescent rolls
1/2 (8oz) package fat free cream cheese
1/2 cup reduced fat mexican blend grated cheese (or mozzarella/2% cheddar)
1 cup chicken, cooked and diced (or pulled)
1/2 cup enchilada sauce (or taco sauce/salsa)
1 tbs enchilada seasoning, (or taco/any mexican seasoning)
Optional: for a bit of spice try adding 1/4 cup canned green chiles to the mix!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil, (for easy clean up) and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Cut cream cheese in half, (save the rest for later) and place in a medium sized bowl.

Pour grated cheese in the bowl with the cream cheese. Microwave for 45-60 seconds to soften cheeses, making them easier to combine.

Stir to combine cheese.

Pour sauce into bowl with cheese, and stir to combine.

Add spice mix and stir. (I also added a tsp of stevia here because I personally like a bit of sweet to balance out the saltiness in almost every dish!)

Add chopped chicken, and stir until everything is well mixed.

Unroll and separate crescent rolls on prepared baking sheet in preparation to make the pockets.

Scoop about 1/8th cup (or a heaping Tbsp.) of chicken mixture into the center of the largest part of the crescent roll.

Pull outer corners of the crescent over the chicken mixture.

Pull the ‘long’ segment of the crescent roll dough over the ‘tucked’ corners to make a pocket that fully encloses the chicken filling. (Note: There is no real art to this, in fact I did each one a little differently, and they all turned out great! The only real key is to make sure the chicken filling is fully enclosed by the dough so it won’t spill out when baking!)

To make the top look like a little pocket, I twisted the dough to a point on top. I sprinkled some additional cheese on top of each one just before baking, but this is certainly optional!

Bake at 375 for 15 Minutes, or until top of crescent rolls are golden brown.

Serve warm, and Enjoy! Store leftovers in the refrigerator, or freeze within 5 days, (if they last that long!)

Candied Bacon Butter

1 stick butter
3 slices bacon
1/4 c. brown sugar

Lay bacon out on a baking sheet and cover each slice with some brown sugar totaling approximately 1/4 cup of brown sugar (a little over a tablespoon on each slice).

Bake in preheated oven at 350 until crispy and slightly brown on the edges. Be careful because the sugar will burn quickly!

Chop bacon as small as you can and mix with softened butter until uniformly mixed.

Shape butter into a stick using plastic wrap and store in the fridge until hardened.

Serve on toast, bagels, baked potato, steak, burgers, or corn on the cob. Fry an egg in it, saute some onions with it, use it in a brownie recipe.

Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms (serves 4)

1 pound mushrooms such as cremini or white, halved lengthwise if large
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle. Toss mushrooms with capers, garlic, oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper in a 1 1/2- to 2-qt shallow baking dish. Top with butter and roast, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and golden and bubbly garlic sauce forms below, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve immediately, with crusty bread on the side for swiping up the juices.

Millionaire’s Shortbread (makes 24 bars)

For the shortbread:
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/4 c (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, divided
1 large egg yolk, slightly beaten

For the caramel filling:
28 oz. sweetened condensed milk (two 14-oz. cans)
kosher salt

For the chocolate glaze:
6 oz. dark chocolate (60% cacao), coarsely chopped
1 tsp. light corn syrup
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes 

To make the shortbread base, preheat the oven to 350℉. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. Place another piece of parchment paper in the same manner, perpendicular to the first sheet. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar and butter together, about 2 minutes.

Add 2 cups of the flour and beat until well combined. Add the egg yolk and beat until just combined, about 30 seconds.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough and your hands with a little flour. Use your hands to gently work the dough into a 6-by-6-inch square. You will have to turn the dough and sprinkle the top with flour as you go. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup flour on the surface of the dough. Fold the dough over and knead until incorporated, then flatten the dough into rectangle. Transfer the rectangle to the prepared pan and press it into the pan.

Prick the dough all over with a fork and bake in the center of the oven for 20-22 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the caramel filling, place  the sweetened condensed milk in an oven-proof dish and sprinkle with some kosher salt. Tightly cover with foil.

Place the covered dish in a larger roasting or casserole pan and fill it up with water until it reaches three-quarters of the way up the covered dish to create a water bath. Bake at 425 degrees F for 60-90 minutes stirring every 30 minutes and checking on the water level, adding more as needed, until it is brown and caramel-like. Remove from the oven and whisk until smooth.

Pour the caramel filling over the cooled shortbread and place the pan in the refrigerator until cool, about two hours.

To make the chocolate glaze, in a large bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir with a rubber spatula until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the chilled caramel layer and use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.

Put in the refrigerator for one hour, or until the glaze hardens.

Remove the pan from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving so as not to crack the chocolate glaze. Cut into squares and serve.

 Pizza Swirl Bread (makes one loaf)

4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup milk 
1/4 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 large egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 ounces provolone cheese, freshly grated
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
20-30 slices pepperoni, or however much you would like
1/3 cup tomato sauce, or more if desired
1 tablespoons Italian seasoning

In a small saucepan, combine milk and 2 tablespoons butter over low heat. Heat until bubbles appear on the sides then turn off heat and set aside.

Measure out 1/4 cup of warm water and combine it with yeast and sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, until foamy. Optional: while yeast is is dissolving, stick pepperoni in the microwave on a paper towel lined plate for 30-40 seconds to remove a bit of grease. Lightly butter an 81/2 x 4 x 2 loaf pan.

Gently whisk the egg with the milk/butter mixture. In the bowl of an electric mixer (using dough hook attachment), combined flour and salt and lightly mix to combine. With the mixer on low speed, add in milk/butter mixture, then yeast mixture. Mix on medium speed until dough comes together, about 5-6 minutes. Remove dough from bowl and lightly flour your workspace, then knead by hand for a minute or two. Add a few more teaspoons of flour if dough is sticky until it becomes smooth.

Melt the two tablespoons of butter. Brush one tablespoon all over a bowl, then place dough in bowl and coat with butter. Cover the bowl and set in a warm place to double in size for about one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

After dough has risen, punch out the air bubbles, flour your workspace again, and roll into an 8 x 12 inch rectangle. Spread tomato sauce on first, then minced garlic, then provolone, then pepperoni, then parmesan, then italian seasoning. Starting at one of the short ends, tightly roll dough into a loaf. Place in loaf pan and brush with remaining melted butter, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Let cool for 30 minutes, then remove from pan.

 Chocolate Dipped Clementines

6 clementines, peeled and segmented (I also pulled off most pith)
1 3.5-ounce chocolate bar (I used Lindt 70% cocoa)
coarse sea salt

Lay clementine slices on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Melt chocolate in either the microwave or a double boiler (I used a double boiler). Dip half the clementine in the chocolate then sprinkle with sea salt. Continue with remaining slices.

Refrigerate for 10 minutes before serving.

 Cashew Chicken (serves 2-3)

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup mushrooms
1/2 red pepper, sliced thin
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup shelled edamame
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup unsalted cashews
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

Heat a skillet on medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add mushrooms and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then sprinkle cornstarch on chicken pieces and make sure each piece is somewhat coated. (You can add a little more if needed.) Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet and add chicken. Brown on both sides until cooked, about 5 minutes per side. Add garlic, red pepper, edamame, half of the green onions and cashews and stir for 30 seconds. Turn heat to medium low.

In a small bowl, mix soy sauce and honey. Pour into skillet, coating chicken and vegetables. Serve with jasmine rice.

 Blueberry Breakfast Cakes (serves 2)

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup fresh blueberries, tossed in flour

Blueberry Glaze

1/2 cup of powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix until well combined. Add in vanilla and yogurt and stir. Mix dry ingredients together and add to batter, only mixing until just combined. Fold in blueberries.

Spray 2 ramekins with non-stick spray and pour batter into them equally. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

For the glaze, add sugar to bowl and stir in heavy cream and vanilla until mixture resembles a thick batter. Add milk (one tablespoon at a time in case you need more), stirring until smooth – about 3-5 full minutes. Mixture may look lumpy at first but just continue to stir and it will come together. Continue to add liquid if needed to get desired consistency. Mash in a handful of blueberries.

Greek Pizza

1 batch of your favorite pizza dough
1/2 batch of crazy feta
1 head of garlic, cloves removed and peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup fresh dill
3/4 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
1 15-ounce can of artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1/2 red onion, sliced
3-4 Campari tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 roasted red pepper, cut into slices

Prepare your pizza dough as instructed. While dough is rising, prepare the crazy feta (or do this before hand – your preference). As I roasted the garlic for the crazy feta, I also tossed the loose garlic cloves listed above in the ingredients list in a tiny bit of olive oil and “pre-roasted” them for 15 minutes. I also took this time to squeeze out the moisture in the artichokes with a dish towel.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Once your dough is ready, roll into your desired shape and brush with olive oil. Top with a bit of fresh dish, then layer on mozzarella cheese, artichokes, olives, red onion, red peppers, tomatoes and crazy feta. Scatter the semi-roasted garlic cloves over top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until cheese is golden and crust is crispy. Top with a handful of fresh dill before serving. Serve with hummus for dipping if desired.