Chocolate Berry Cream Pie

In the last six months, I've made quite a collection of melty, gooey, rich chocolaty desserts. But explain to me how somehow, the one dessert that features fruit, not chocolate, gets a standing ovation from my cocoa-crazed husband.

Ok, so technically there is chocolate in this pie, but teddy grahams and a pinch of cocoa powder hardly settle my chocolate fix, nevertheless Luke's. But yet we both agreed that this dreamy dessert soared to the top with the first bite.

It's called a cream pie, but basically it's a creamy cheesecake with a chocolate crumb crust that's topped with triple berry curd – a.k.a. the most amazing thing to happen to fruit since....um, chocolate.
   

The crust is a snap, taking only minutes to prepare and putting all other complicated pastry crusts to shame. Just throw your teddy grahams/chocolate wafers in a Ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin until every last bear is pulverized into powder. Then toss it with brown sugar, melted butter and an egg white. (Oh and save that yoke...you'll need it for the filling.)

Now, what in the world kind of cheesecake can you possibly make with fat free cottage cheese and fat free cream cheese? Surprisingly, an absolute delicious one. A few rounds in the 'ol food processor with a little sugar, flour and the usual suspects and you'll have a fluffy, creamy filling that's worthy of the crust those bears silently gave their life to create. And in 35 minutes or less, you'll have gold.

The pie needs to chill for at least four hours or overnight, which gives you plenty of time to make the triple berry curd.

Now, time for a story problem. If you need a cup each of frozen blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, but all of the frozen bags are measured in ounces and pounds, and the fresh in pints, how long will it take a 26-year-old, inexperienced cook to figure out what to buy?

Longer than I should admit, that's for sure. After two phone calls to my mother and a few poor attempts at unit conversions, I decided to check out the serving size on the bag. And whatdaya know...a 16 ounce bag of mixed berries comes out to exactly three cups. And it was written there all along for idiots like me.

So, once you get your berries, and I hope you get them quicker than me, into the blender they go, then into a sieve to remove all the seeds. It takes a little time, but the result...a perfectly smooth, seed-free puree...is totally worth it. Nothing could be better.

Until you add in that sugar and butter, of course. Mix it with a little cornstarch, salt, lemon juice and eggs and you'll create a thick, creamy berry mixture that will have you rethinking chocolate altogether.

There will be plenty of leftover berry puree and berry curd, both of which won't stay leftovers very long. We ate up the puree for breakfast, and used the extra curd for a delicious topping on chocolate ice cream and then later as a sauce for stuffed French toast. Delish.

Once the curd cools, it has to chill for six hours or overnight in the fridge. This was a shocker to me, since I once again made the mistake of not reading both recipes before I started. So, waiting six hours meant we could eat the pie....at about half time during the Harlem Globetrotters game we had tickets to that night.

So when you make this, make the pie and the curd on the same day with plenty of time for both to chill. Then you'll never have to decide between dessert and basketball. (I would have chosen dessert, by the way, but you know how men are with their sports.)

Once your pie is finally chilled, you can slather on that sweet, creamy berry curd and slice 'er up. If you want to get all fancy shmancy, you can sprinkle on a little cocoa powder and top each piece with a few berries. As you can see, I chose this extra touch because I was serving this pie for a very special occasion. Dessert.

Luke and I ate our pie on the balcony, and for ten minutes straight, said nothing to one another accept for the occasional "Oh my goodness," a few "This is so amazing" and a couple "Are you tasting this?!" I have a feeling the neighbors out on their balconies were seriously judging us.

But when you're eating something that looks and tastes like this...who cares what other people think? They were probably just jealous because they weren't eating pie. And becase they don't have a husband that gives standing ovations at the dinner table. With a beard covered in berry curd.

Chocolate-Berry Cream Pie
Elizabeth Taliaferro, Cooking Light, MARCH 2006
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Cookbook Note: This can be prepared a day in advance, but wait to spread the topping until you're ready to serve. (p.s. the cake and the curd take several hours or overnight to chill!)

Ingredients:

Crust:
1  cup  chocolate wafer crumbs (about 20 cookies; such as Nabisco's Famous Chocolate Wafers)
(I used chocolate teddy grahams.)
2  tablespoons  brown sugar
1  tablespoon  butter, melted
1  egg white
Cooking spray
  
Filling:
1  cup  fat-free cottage cheese
1/2  cup  (4 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened
6  tablespoons  granulated sugar
2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
1/8  teaspoon  salt
2  large eggs
1  large egg yolk
3/4  cup  Triple Berry Curd (Recipe below)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare crust, combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a fork until moist. Press into bottom and 1 inch up sides of a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes; cool on a wire rack.

To prepare filling, combine cottage cheese and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a food processor; process for 1 minute or until smooth. Add eggs and egg yolk; process until smooth. Spoon filling into prepared crust. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.

To serve, spread Triple Berry Curd evenly over top.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 218 (26% from fat), Fat: 6.3g (sat 2.6g,mono 2.1g,poly 1g), Protein: 10.9g, Carbohydrate: 29.6g, Fiber: 0.8g, Cholesterol: 99mg, Iron: 1.2mg, Sodium: 249mg, Calcium: 56mg.

Triple Berry Curd
Elizabeth Taliaferro, Cooking Light, MARCH 2006
Yield: 2 1/2 cups (serving size: 1 tablespoon)

Ingredients:
1  cup  frozen blackberries, thawed
1  cup  frozen blueberries, thawed
1  cup  frozen raspberries, thawed
2/3  cup  sugar
1  tablespoon  cornstarch
1/8  teaspoon  salt
2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
3  large eggs
2  tablespoons  butter

Preparation:
Place all berries in a blender, and process until smooth. Press berry mixture through a sieve over a medium bowl using the back of a spoon, reserving 1 cup puree; discard seeds. Reserve any of remaining puree for another use; store in the refrigerator.

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium, heavy saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Stir in 1 cup puree, juice, and eggs. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add butter, stirring gently until butter melts. Cool.

Spoon mixture into a medium bowl; cover and chill for at least 6 hours or overnight (mixture will thicken as it cools).

Nutritional Information: Calories: 29 (31% from fat), Fat: 1g (sat 0.5g,mono 0.3g,poly 0.1g), Protein: 0.6g, Carbohydrate: 4.8g, Fiber: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Iron: 0.3mg, Sodium: 18mg, Calcium: 4mg

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Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

 

Most people would agree that a salad is only as good as its ingredients. But to me, it's the dressing that truly makes or breaks the dish. I don't care if a salad is brimming with bacon and cheese...if it's covered in some low fat, tasteless dressing, it's not worth opening my mouth for.

Luckily, this salad rocks in both areas. Majorly.

In fact, a salad this good far outshines the name "taco" salad. After all, there's no lunch lady ice cream scoop of ground beef. No deep friend shell. No crumbled Fritos or cheddar cheese. Oh no. While those ingredients usually make other taco salads palatable, they would do nothing but disgrace the mere existence of this salad.

Bite into this alfresco-worthy meal and you'll find all kinds of fresh summertime ingredients. Juicy chicken. Avocado. Cherry tomatoes. Sliced red onion, corn and black beans. All on crisp romaine and tossed with a spicy, creamy cilantro-lime-chipotle dressing that's good enough to be a dip. And I'm talking the kind you eat with a spoon.

Like most, this salad requires a bit of prep, since practically everything in it is fresh and chopped. I started by baking six chicken breasts (I tripled the recipe) with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. When they cooled, I chopped the chicken, avocado, tomato, onion and lettuce, and drained and rinsed the black beans and corn.

Next I prepared the finger-dipping good dressing by chopping cilantro in a food processor and mixing it with sour cream, fresh lime juice, cumin, chili powder, salt and the star of the show, minced chipotle chiles. These hot suckers come canned in adobo sauce, a thick, sweet bbq-like sauce that just begs you to sneak a taste. Just be warned. Unless you have a tongue of steal, I advice against this foolishness or you will surely scream like a little girl. Even if you are a grown man named Luke.

That being said, this dressing definitely has heat. We like a little spice around here, but you may want to taste as you go and add in just enough chipotle to suit your taste buds.

I won't lie and say I didn't "taste test" this creamy, dreamy dressing quite a bit myself while preparing it. And long after it was prepared. And while it was chilling in the fridge. And as I was adding it to the salad....

...but I paused long enough to give the salad a quick toss in the dressing, then headed for our balcony with lime wedges, corn chips and a couple ice cold Coronas. But I must say, the real complement to the meal was the fresh air, sunshine and chirping birds. There's just nothing quite like eating outside. Especially when you're eating something as delicious and fresh as this.

The hubby and I scarfed this salad down so fast, you would have thought it was chock full of something fried. All that sweet onion and tomato...the creamy, spicy dressing...the avocado and juicy chicken. Oh man. To the people below our balcony, we must have looked like nothing but four blurry arms as we shoveled it in at a frightening pace. But then again, you shouldn't keep a good thing waiting.

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad
David Bonom, Cooking Light, AUGUST 2006
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 1/2 cups)

Ingredients:
Dressing:
1/3  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
2/3  cup  light sour cream
1  tablespoon  minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
1  teaspoon  ground cumin
1  teaspoon  chili powder
4  teaspoons  fresh lime juice
1/4  teaspoon  salt
   
Salad:
4  cups  shredded romaine lettuce
2  cups  chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
1  cup  cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2  cup  diced peeled avocado
1/3  cup  thinly vertically sliced red onion
1  (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1  (8 3/4-ounce) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained

Preparation:
To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients, stirring well.

To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Tip: Add a spoonful of adobo sauce for a spicier salad. Kidney or pinto beans also taste great in this dish.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 249 (30% from fat)
Fat: 8.2g (sat 2.8g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.7g), Protein: 23.3g, Carbohydrate: 25.1g, Fiber: 7g, Cholesterol: 50mg, Iron: 2.2mg, Sodium: 650mg, Calcium: 106mg.

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Six Months Behind the Apron

Have you ever been so busy that you forgot something like an anniversary? Your own birthday? A daily shower? Well, that's me lately. But what I forgot, thankfully, is somewhat more forgivable. And that occasion, was my blogoversary.

So, without further ado, ladies and...ladies, I am pee-my-pants excited to announce that I am just over halfway through my one-year project!

On April 7, I reached the six-month mark of weekly making and baking. So far, I've conquered a whopping 56 Cooking Light recipes, from pierogies to pork chops, fudge cakes to French toast. And even though I'm making all this lightened up, reduced guilt stuff, I have to admit, I've never eaten better in my life.

It hasn't been easy finding time to make delicious food in-between a job that gives overtime new meaning and a bazillion other side projects I've thrown myself into. Believe me. I've decorated a cake at three in the morning. Realized I'm lacking pivotal ingredients halfway through a recipe. Threw tantrums that would make a two-year-old blush. Cried. Screamed. Pouted. And I almost lost my life to a few plastic wrap battles.

But, I've also begun to learn the basics of cooking and baking, which have produced delicious results. So now my tears come after I eat the food. Definitely worth it if you ask me. Especially to my husband, who now feels he should be my eternal slave to show his gratitude for so many amazing meals.

Every recipe I've made to date is pictured over on the left column. (Cobbler through blondies...which is everything...because I've also been too busy to post recipes that came after my blogoversary!)

And I'd also like to highlight some of the BEST recipes I've made so far. This is the cream of the crop, folks. The recipes that I can't wait to make again and again. The ones that are already a part of our regular rotation. The ones that are so delicious, light and simple, I would be inhumanely evil and greedy if I didn't try to push them into your recipe boxes.

So, here's the best of six months, in no particular order. Accept that dessert is first, as it should be.

BEST DESSERTS:

Hot Chocolate Fudge Cakes 
One-Bowl Chocolate Mocha Cream Cake 
Better than Sex Cake 
Ooey-Gooey Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies 
Chocolate Mint Bars
Maple-Walnut Spice Cookies 
Hello Dolly Bars
Raspberry Strippers
Pumpkin Dip

BEST APPETIZER:

Spinach-and-Artichoke Dip 

BEST BREAKFASTS:
Grilled Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Fig, Basil & Honey
Banana Coffee Cake w/ Macadamia Nuts & Coconut
Breakfast Coffee Cake
Orange-Pecan French Toast Casserole

BEST POULTRY:
Gruyère, Arugula, and Prosciutto-Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Thyme & Feta Chicken w/ Peppers & Onions
Turkey & Basil Calzones
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Turkey Sausage & Spinach Soup

BEST SEAFOOD:
Sesame-Crusted Tuna with Wasabi Ponzu Sauce 
Tilapia w/ Cilantro-Curry Sauce & Toasted Coconut
Gnocchi w/ Shrimp, Asparagus and Pesto 
Shrimp & Avocado Sushi

BEST PORK:
Fig & Blue Cheese-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin 
One Pan Whiskey-Flavored Pork Chops
Tomato-Basil Lasagna with Prosciutto

BEST BEEF:
Sirloin Steak with Tarragon-Garlic Sour Cream  

BEST MEATLESS:
Three-Cheese Pizza w/ Mushrooms & Basil 
Spinach & blue Cheese Calzones

BEST SIDES:
Sweet Potatoes w/ Brown Sugar Pecan Butter
Herbed Mashed Potatoes 
Chive Green Beans
Sautéed Carrots

So, what's my plan for the next six months? Why, keep cooking of course! And bump it up a notch! I'm going to learn new techniques. Try new ingredients. And continue to search for those highly rated, widely adored lightened recipes that are budget friendly, easy, and above all, nothing short of amazing.

Thank you everyone for reading, commenting and supporting me. I can't believe I have almost 100 followers! That makes me happier than you'll ever know. Tear. Here's to six more months! *clinking of mimosas*

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Butterscotch Blondies

This here is a dessert so rich and sweet, I almost couldn’t eat it.

I said almost.

For years, I’ve had a full-blown crush on Applebee’s maple-walnut blondie, which always came sizzling on a skillet with vanilla ice cream, maple sauce and chopped walnuts. And I'm not talkin' about one of those play-hard-to-get crushes, either.  I worked at Applebee's. And even though none of my guests ever offered me a bite of their dessert (oh, the nerve), I had my fair share of after hour blondies back in the kitchen.

But alas, I've turned in my server's apron and now actually have to dish out cash if I want a taste of their infamous dessert. So, I thought I’d attempt to make my own blondies at home, following Cooking Light’s lightened up, butterscotch-topped recipe.

They were ridiculously easy to make. Just mix, sprinkle and bake. Something even a real blondie could do. Or heck, maybe even a man.

In less than a half an hour, I had a pan of delicious brownie-like bars with a crunchy crust and a sweet, chewy center. They were pretty tasty, but the butterscotch was almost a little too sweet for me. I know... I can't believe I'm even saying that, but it's true.

Of course, I've never been a huge fan of butterscotch to begin with, so I wasn't expecting to drool over these little treats quite like I would if they were slathered in chocolate or peanut butter. The hubby sure seemed to be enjoying them, especially with that mega sweet tooth of his, but I couldn't help but crave the maple-walnut flavors I had years ago.

But. Then.

I had the genius idea to follow Applebee's lead and warm a bar in the microwave for a few seconds, then top with cool vanilla ice cream.

And. Then.

I devoured it like it was slathered in chocolate and peanut butter. And caramel. It was that good. We ate every last blondie this way and I almost shed a tear with the last warm-gooey-creamy-cold bite.

So listen. If you make these, you MUST eat them warmed with ice cream. It is the only way. Because when something's just a little too sweet, the only reasonable thing to do is top it with something else just as sweet. At least in my book.

Butterscotch Blondies
Cooking Light’s “Butterscotch Bars”, January 2000
Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 bar)

Ingredients:
1/2  cup  granulated sugar
1/2  cup  packed brown sugar
1/4  cup  butter or stick margarine, softened
2  large egg whites
1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
1 1/4  cups  all-purpose flour
1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
1/4  teaspoon  salt
Cooking spray
1/2  cup  butterscotch morsels

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Beat sugars and butter at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add egg whites and vanilla; beat well. Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed just until blended.

Spread batter evenly into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with morsels. Bake at 350° for 28 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Nutritional Information: Calories:142 (27% from fat), Fat: 4.3g (sat 2.6g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.2g), Protein:1.6g, Carbohydrate: 24g, Fiber: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 8mg
Iron: 0.6mg, Sodium: 95mg, Calcium: 24mg.

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