Cannoli Cookies
1 c butter, softened
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp orange zest
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c finely chopped pistachios (optional...I don't put nuts in anything.)
Beat butter at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add sugar and brown sugar, beating well. Add egg and vanilla, beat till combined.
Combine flour, baking powder, zest, and cinnamon. Add to butter mixture. Beat at medium speed. Stir in pistachios.
Shape dough into 2 - 6 inch logs. Wrap with wax paper and freeze until firm. Slice frozen dough into 1/8 inch thick rounds. Place rounds on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned at edges. Cool 1 minute on pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
Fill with cannoli filling. Assemble sandwiches and drizzle with melted chocolate. Cool in refrigerator until chocolate has hardened.
Cannoli Filling
3/4 c whole milk ricotta
8 oz. mascarpone cheese
1/3 c powdered sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla
Mix ingredients together. Fill a pastry bag or ziplock bag with filling. Chill until ready to use. To fill sandwiches, pipe filling on the underside of one cookie. Top cookie with another.
Melted Chocolate
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1 tsp shortening
Melt chocolate and shortening together. Drizzle over assembled cookies.
Bacon Jam
(The inspiration for this came from Farm Burger, an amazing local resturant. I searched the internet for a good bacon jam recipe, and came to this. Wow...)
3 pounds bacon
4 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
8 cloves garlic, smashed with the flat side of a knife or a pan and peeled
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 1/2 cups very strong brewed black coffee
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cut the bacon slices into one inch strips. Add the bacon to a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon, stirring frequently, until the bacon is browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings into a heat-proof jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Place the Dutch oven back over the medium-high heat and add the onions and garlic. Stir well and reduce heat to medium. Continue to cook for about 8 minutes, or until the onions are mostly translucent. Add the remaining ingredients, stir well, and drop heat again, this time to low.
Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and boil hard for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, stir the browned bacon into the onions and liquid.
Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally to make sure things aren’t sticking, adding 1/4 cup of water if it seems to be drying out. When the onions are meltingly soft and the liquid is thick and syrupy, remove the dutch oven from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
Transfer the contents of the Dutch oven to the work bowl of a food processor that has been fitted with a blade. Fit the lid in place and pulse several times or until the Bacon Jam is a spreadable consistency. Scrape into a jar (or jars) or a container with a tight fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to one month.
Can be served cold, room temperature or warmed.
Note: The bacon jam could take up to 3 hours to reduce to a syrupy consistency. Just stick with it!
Strawberry Chocolate Pie
(Made June 26, 2011. Best birthday present for a roommate. Ever.)
Chocolate Silk Filling
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped, semi-sweet chocolate, (5 ounces)
1 package miniature marshmallows
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
(Whipping cream as required - I didn't put any on it.)
Fresh Strawberry Filling
2 cups strawberries, slightly crushed
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon strawberry or raspberry extract, optional
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 cups strawberries, diced if large, or halved if small
Garnish
2 cups whipping cream; whipped with 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
Diced Strawberries
Bake and cool the prepared pie crust. Set aside. In a small saucepan over lowest heat, slowly melt the chocolate and butter together over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in the marshmallows to melt and then the cream and vanilla. Refrigerate while making strawberry filling.
For the Strawberry Filling, crush or mash the first amount of strawberries. Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk. In a medium saucepan, heat the crushed berries with sugar until they start to get a little liquidy. Cook and then add the cornstarch mixture until lightly bubbling and thickening. Remove from heat and stir in extract and vinegar. Cool 15 minutes and then fold in fresh strawberries.
Refrigerate 2 hours.
To assemble pie, spoon chocolate filling into pie shell. If the filling is too thick and cold, put it in a food processor and whiz with some whipping cream drizzled in, until it is soft enough to use as filling (but not gloppy). Top with the strawberry filling and then offer with dollops of sweetened whipped cream. Dust top with chocolate crumbs and diced strawberries. Serve at once or chill up to two days.
