Chocolate Pistachio Almond Tart

 

I loved the warm chocolate tart I made before and decided to try something similar. I found this recipe for chocolate pistachio almond tart online and everything in the name appealed to me. It's more time-consuming to bake since there's an additional layer of pistachio almond filling. The end result however, was well worth it! 

Just a tip, read through the ENTIRE recipe before doing anything. I knew I would have to pre-bake the tart shells so I did the prep for that in the morning; however, I was not expecting to have to chill the filling before baking them in my pre-baked tarts. After all the prep and waiting, my finished chocolate pistachio almond tarts were very satisfying. 

These are by far, my favorite chocolate dessert. It had the rich chocolate flavor of the warm chocolate tart plus the crunchiness and sweetness of the nut filling. It was much easier to eat a larger serving (though I haven't decided whether this is a good thing or not). I highly recommend you try this recipe out. I have received positive raves from family and friends and was even asked if I would sell them. Although it was time-consuming, it is an easy recipe and simple enough for new bakers (such as myself) to do.

Click here for the recipe.

Bittersweet Brownies

Brownies were the first thing I learned how to bake. They're quick, simple and can satisfy my chocolate craving anytime. As I've gotten older and as the trend for chocolate has been towards the healthier dark chocolate, my taste in brownies have changed as well. I prefer a bittersweet chocolate so I found this recipe and decided to try it. It did not disappoint! My one regret was forgetting to grease my pan so I had to scrape brownie chunks off the bottom of my pan. The brownies were moist, fudgy and very rich. I cut them into 1x3 inch rectangles because any larger and I would have gotten a sore throat. Make sure you cool the chocolate before adding in the eggs so you don't cook the eggs while you're incorporating them. I baked only half-batch of the recipe but in the same-sized pan as in the recipe so I had 1/2 inch-thick brownies. I left them in the oven for 35 minutes and it was enough to get the crunchy top without over-baking the brownies. 

Click here for the recipe.

Bittersweet Chocolate and Cardamom Cupcakes

While searching for ideas for chocolate desserts, I came across quite a few recipes that used bittersweet chocolate and cardamom as the main flavor combination. I was curious to try a dessert that was flavored with a spice and chose this cupcake recipe. I couldn't find ground cardamom so I grounded my own with a mortar and pestle (I don't have a spice grinder). I had less than the 1 1/2 teaspoons called for in the recipe but I found that it was more than enough to be able to taste it in the cupcake. My palate is probably  not sophisticated enough to appreciate the cardamom in the cupcake because I did not enjoy the spice in my sweet cupcake. However, it was a good recipe, the cupcake was moist and the whipped ganache frosting was not too sweet.

Click here for the recipe.

Asian Pesto Chicken Salad

Remember the Asian Pesto I used on the sandwich two weeks ago? Well, I had a whole bunch of leftover pesto sauce, and decided to use it on one of Ming's recipes--Asian Pesto Chicken Salad.


It was relatively easy, the most time consuming part was deboning the chicken, but that was only because we didn't have any boneless chicken, so I had to make do. I didn't really tweak anything in terms of the recipe--to summarize without giving away the whole recipe, he just asks to mix together chicken that you've sauteed, orzo, tomatoes (chopped), and spinach with the pesto sauce.


I got mixed reviews from the family:
Mom - good, but too spicy
Sister - good, but can get old pretty fast
Cousin - alright, too sour


So overall, I think the recipe was not bad, I might do it again, but maybe use a little less jalapeno and not add as much lemon. Good try!

Tomato-Basil Bruschetta

My sister and I were invited to a dinner at a friend's house, and my basil plant was growing at an alarming rate, so I decided to make some bruschetta to bring. It was pretty easy to make--Again, I didn't really rely on just one recipe (looked up quite a few online), so no link, but here's roughly what I did: 


5 roma tomatoes (diced) - the recipes I found online asked for plum tomatoes, but we just had roma at home, so I made do with what I had
appox. 1/3 c onions (diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
approx. 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
approx. 1 c fresh basil (chopped)


I basically just mixed all the ingredients together and added salt and pepper to taste. I already had some toasted bread at home, but if you're interested in making some, the recipes I found just asked to slice a baguette, brush some olive oil on top and bake for a few minutes. Enjoy!

Apple Turnovers

Cinnamon and apples -one of my favorite flavor combinations. I'll try making anything with this combination -muffins, pancakes, pies, crumble. On a trip to Montreal, I had the best-tasting apple turnover at Olive+Gourmando. The filling was copious, puff pastry -crunchy, and the outer coating of cinnamon sugar -just right. I have yet to find a place in Manila that serves an apple turnover as satisfying; so, I did what anyone with a serious craving would have done -I made my own.

Unfortunately my apple turnovers did not turn out as well as I had hoped. I did not have enough turnovers to find the perfect time, somewhere between 18 (under-baked apples) and 25 (burnt puff pastry) minutes. I used 4 apples as the recipe called for but found that I had enough to generously fill 10 turnovers; I had trouble sealing my turnovers as can be seen in the picture above. I made cinnamon sugar with fine sugar and sprinkled it over my turnovers before baking. The sugar did not crystallize as I had hoped and I found that the apple filling was sweet so there was no need for the outer sugar coating. However if you really like cinnamon sugar, I suggest using coarse sugar.

Click here for the recipe.

Individual Hot Chocolate Cakes

Whenever I see an individual warm chocolate cake in the dessert menu of a restaurant, I have to try it no matter how full I am. There are times when it disappoints -the cake isn't warm, there is no molten center or it is simply over-baked so the sides are burnt. I found this recipe from David Lebovitz's blog and was pleased with the results. I stored my ramekins in the fridge and just popped a cake in the oven whenever I was ready for dessert. I tried different baking times and found that 12 minutes will bake the cake entirely while 10 minutes was just right to leave a molten center.

Click here for the recipe.