pumpkin pull-apart bread with cinnamon sugar glaze

So, I have been one of the bazillion who have recently joined Pinterest, which has been described as website in which you feel like you're getting a new magazine each day! I have been inundated with new recipes to try, and this pumpkin pull-apart bread screamed fall comfort.

I haven't blogged since May, but am happy to say that my life has calmed down enough to the point where I'm baking again and actually having time for photography.

Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread (adapted from Willow Bird Baking)

Ingredients
Bread
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 envelope (2.25 tsp active dry yeast)
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 c white sugar
1 tsp salt
2.5 cups bread flour

1 c granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
2 tbsp unsalted butter

Buttered Rum Glaze
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/8 cup brown sugar
1.5 tbsp milk
1 tbsp rum - use 1 tsp vanilla if you don't have rum.

Directions

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but being careful not to allow it burn (turn black). Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add warmed milk (in the microwave), return to stove and heat through.Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook) and allow to cool so it is no longer hot but also not cool (about 100-110 degrees F). Once it has reached a warm but not hot temperature add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to proof (this can take up to 8 minutes, the top will look foamy and the liquid cloudy). Then add the the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.

Next, grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20x12 inch rectangle. Brown 

another 2 tablespoons of butter. Brush bread with butter. Mix the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and sprinkle generously all over the bread.  

Press cinnamon sugar mix into dough with palms of the hand. Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.

In the meantime preheat an oven to 350 degrees. After rising in the pan bake for 30-40 minutes or until top is a very deep golden brown.

To prepare the glaze, heat the butter, milk, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil then immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum and powdered sugar. Pour generously over the bread. Done!

chocolate chip espresso banana bread french toast

on a trip to San Diego last week, my friend Jo and I came across a restaurant that served banana bread french toast. i need to be friends with the geniuses who invent things like this! i knew that i wanted to share this recipe with everyone when i got back. but in true form, i had to spice things up with even more sugar...so naturally i added a heaping pile of chocolate chips into the mix and a little espresso powder for that extra morning jolt. the french toast takes prep time as you need to make the banana bread first. i'd recommend enjoying the bread for a few days, because it is amazing on its own. the french toast is probably a one and done type of meal...i could not eat this every morning! 

for the chocolate chip espresso banana bread (you could easily make this into muffins, as well)from Sweet Pea Kitchen

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 medium)
1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon instant espresso
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (6 ounces) semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium size bowl, mix well bananas, sugar, butter, milk and eggs till these are incorporated well.

In another bowl whisk together flour, instant espresso powder, baking soda and salt. Now mix together the dry and wet ingredients and stir until combined. Now add the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula.

Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let it cool for 10 minutes.

For the French Toast you will need:

2-3 eggs depending on how many people you are serving. I used 2 eggs for 2 people.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dash of cinnamon

Loaf of banana bread

3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk, or just regular milk and sugar if you don't have sweetened condensed milk

2 tbsp butter

Confectioners sugar and banana slices for garnish

In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. 

In a large skillet on medium heat, melt butter. Dip 1 inch slices of banana bread (or however thick you want) in egg mixture and place in hot skillet. Cook on each side until golden brown. Be careful not to burn the chocolate chips. Dust with confectioner's sugar and top with banana slices and syrup. 

soft pretzels with jalapeño cheese dip

Auntie Anne's is one of my all-time favorite mall indulgences. (Followed by the Great American Cookie Company.) A warm, chewy pretzel with the crunch of salt dipped in not so amazing cheese dip...yummm. I'm not sure if it's because I had a long run today, but I was craving a carb-loaded afternoon treat! I should have taken pictures along the way, but I failed, so I will put the link to the recipe I used (originally done by good ole Bobby Flay!), which contains step-by-step photos. I would recommend making thicker pretzels, as I found them to hold up better in the dipping-in-boiling-water step. Also, if you are worried they are going to fall apart on you, you could just opt to do pretzel sticks. I think this recipe would be great to experiment with other flavors, like a cinnamon-sugar blend or adding meat or cheese to the dough for a super savory snack. Enjoy!!

Here is the link with photos.

cinnamon rolls with almond cream cheese icing

growing up, my siblings and i loved the cinnamon rolls from The Blueberry Muffin, a mom 'n pop bakery and restaurant in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The best part of those rolls was the almond extract in the cream cheese frosting...yum! These rolls were surprisingly easy, and gone before I could say, "milk please!" They take about 2.5 hours from start to finish, including rising time for the dough. I have been on the hunt for the best cinnamon roll in Denver, and I think I found my favorite recipe right in my own oven! I will definitely be making these again! 

• 1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm milk (I used skim)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups flour

for the filling:

• 1 cup packed brown sugar, light or dark
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

for the icing

1 cup powdered sugar

4 oz cream cheese, room temp

1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temp

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2-3/4 tsp almond extract

1. For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl.

2. Add sugar, margarine salt, eggs, and flour, mix well.

3. Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour. If you have a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment for mixing the first six ingredients and then use the bread hook to knead the dough. 

4.  Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size. I used my oven on warm.

5. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx 21 inches long by 16 inches wide in a rectangular shape. It should be approx 1/4 thick. 6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
7. To make filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

8. Spread the softened margarine/butter over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface.
9. Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge.
10. Cut the dough into 1 3/4 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan.11. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until light golden brown and your kitchen smells divine. 

12. While the rolls are baking combine the icing ingredients.
13. Beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy.
14. When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing. Let cool before icing if you want a thicker glaze. 

ginger coconut carrot cupcakes

introducing one of my top 5 favorite recipes...ginger coconut carrot cake. midwest living, 3 years ago, came out with this recipe, and i have been a die-hard fan ever since. i am a HUGE carrot cake fan, and this homemade recipe is still my absolute favorite. i have probably tried 50 different kinds, and this still wins. i don't like raisins and/or pineapple in my carrot cake, but you could probably add them if you wanted.  i am not sure what it is about this cake that is soooo delicious, but it is super spring-y and a friend's birthday was the perfect excuse to bake these little guys up! i have never made this cake in cupcake form before, so there were a few adaptations. i generally use three 9" round pans.

Ginger Coconut Carrot Cake (adapted from Midwest Living)
 1 3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pans
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
4 large eggs
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups grated or chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1.5 cup toasted sweetened coconut, plus more for garnishing

Cream Cheese Icing
8oz softened cream cheese
3/4 cup softened butter
1 lb powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment paper. Grease and sprinkle with granulated sugar; tap out excess. Stir together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Beat eggs and sugar until light. Add ginger and oil. Stir in flour mixture. Fold in grated carrots, pecans, and sweetened coconut.

Divide batter among pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cakes spring back when touched in the center.
Note: If making cupcakes, use ice cream scoop to fill cups 2/3 full. bake for 18-22 minutes at 350. 

Cool 15 minutes.Turn cakes out of pans and cool completely, top sides down.

For frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat just until combined and smooth.

Assemble cakes on platter, spreading the center of each cake with a generous layer of frosting. Garnish with fresh coconut shavings if desired.


If making cupcakes, use can use a pastry bag (or ziploc!) and cut a hole 3/4 inch wide at the corner to create the thick icing stroke. 

individual baked mac 'n cheese

Birthdays mean fun things I'd never buy for myself. For my recent bday, I received these adorable mini casserole dishes from Kabeer's mom and was dying to use them as soon as possible. I was trying to find an individual mac 'n cheese recipe that incorporated pepperjack due to our recent trip to Costco in which we came home with a 2 lb block of it. I was unsuccessful, so this recipe was definitely a test drive! I only made enough for 2, because this is not one of those things you want sitting in your fridge tempting you for days...or maybe it is. mmm chhheeeeeeseee....

you will need:
3/4 cup dry elbow macaroni or mini rotini
1/8 to 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated pepperjack cheese
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup half and half
1 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp butter, more for greasing dishes
panko or italian bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
pinch nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
optional: garlic salt to taste
2 10 oz dishes or one 20 oz dish.
*serves 2

If you don't want a spicy-ish dish, then use different cheeses such as gruyere, extra sharp white cheddar,   parmigiano-reggiano..this pasta has a bit of a kick to it! you could also add chicken, veggies...whatever you're up for.

1. Heat oven and boil pasta. Set oven to 375 degrees. Boil pasta until cooked on outside and undercooked in the inside, about 2-3 minutes under the manufacturer's suggestion. Transfer to coriander, rinse, cool.

2. Prepare baking dishes by greasing with butter.

3. Make cheese sauce. Melt butter, add onion and cook for 3-5 minutes until translucent. Whisk in flour and cook until it is bubbling but not browning. Add cream, half and half, sour cream. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 4 minutes. Add cheese, add more or less depending on your desired thickness. Stir until cheese is completely melted and smooth. Add nutmeg, red pepper, garlic salt, salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.

4. Assemble dishes. Pour pasta into sauce pan and combine. Transfer to dishes. Add reserve cheese and then breadcrumbs to top of dish. Bake for 25-35 minutes on a baking sheet until cheese is bubbling and golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before digging in!

white chocolate oatmeal cookies with cadbury mini eggs

yay spring! the parks are full of people, daylight savings is here, and warm weather is just around the corner. that means one thing... cadbury mini eggs are back! my apologies to the creme eggs, i'm just not a fan. that "yolk" thing has always creeped me out. these cookies are so delicious. i like a variation on the traditional chocolate chip cookie, so this recipe is perfect. i used high altitude variations, so if you're in the mountains add 1/2 cup of flour to the basic recipe. i added the cadbury mini eggs and the white chocolate chips to a basic oatmeal cookie recipe. super easy!

recipe adapted from cdkitchen

ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups oats
1 cup Cadbury mini eggs
1 cup white chocolate chips

heat oven to 350 degrees. in a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together. add eggs and vanilla, beat well. add combined flour, salt and baking soda. mix well. add oats, mini eggs, and chocolate.

drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. cool 1 minute on cookie sheets, then transfer to wire cooling racks. cool completely and store tightly covered.

[mini] oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies

considering we are getting a puppy today that resembles an oreo (see a photo here!!), i thought i'd do an oreo-inclusive recipe for the week. this is a popular recipe from picky palate, so you might have seen it before. oreo-stuffed chocolate chip cookies! who would have thought, a cookie within a cookie. sheer genius, these clever bakers... i used mini oreos because i feared that the double-stuf oreo would be overwhelming, but i am regretting it. go big or go home... you can taste the oreo, but i think that it would have been better in the giant cookie to have a giant oreo. anyway, it is your choice what kind of oreo to use...i wonder how the golden ones would be?! AND i just saw the spring oreos at target...yum! tip: i stuck the cookies in the freezer between batches to keep the cookies tall. this way, the cookie didn't fall and expose the hidden oreo gem. enjoy!

oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies (from picky palate)
2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
3.5 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
10 oz bag chocolate chips (i used 12 oz)
1 bag oreo cookies (i used the minis!)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a stand or electric mixer, cream butter and sugars until well combined. Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined. Using a cookie scoop (or ice cream scoop), take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of Oreo. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until the Oreo is enclosed in the dough. Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until cookies are baked to your liking. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Serve with tall glass of milk!

Makes 2 dozen very large cookies :)

massaman curry

This is a Kabeer post for the most part...he whipped up this delicious Massaman curry, one of our very favorites! We have a local Thai restaurant, The Dancing Noodle in Parker. While Nee makes the best Massaman Curry around, we wanted to try it out for ourselves!  If you are not really into curry, I think Massaman is nice because of its strong peanut flavor...and you can control that with how many peanuts you put in. We had some tamarind paste from Thailand, but you can substitute Worscestershire sauce if you can't find tamarind paste. Also, decreasing the fish sauce to 2.5 tbsp and using a Massaman Curry paste would likely make this dish taste best. We only had red curry paste at the time so we just used that. This curry has a definite kick,  so if you don't love spicy food, you can curb the spice with some plain yogurt or add less curry. Enjoy!

Massaman Curry (with chicken)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3tbsp curry paste - Massaman if you can find it!
1 tbsp minced ginger
1.25 lbs chicken, cubed
3 tbsp brown sugar
2.5 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp tamarind paste
1/3 cup peanut butter, smooth
3 cups Potato peeled, cubed (we used Yukon Gold)
13.5 coconut milk
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/3 white or yellow onion, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced

Rice (optional)

1. Heat oil on medium, stir curry paste and ginger together for 2 minutes
2. Add chicken, cook until white on the edges
3. Add sugar, fish sauce, tamarind paste, peanut butter, potatoes, and coconut milk. Add vegetables. If eating with rice (which you should!), start cooking it now!
4. Boil, reduce heat to med/low and simmer until potatoes are cooked...around 20 minutes.
5. Add limes 5 minutes before service, and add peanuts here as well.

mini nutella cheesecakes

I love all things mini, probably because it makes it an easy license to eat 7 of whatever the mini food is. mini goldfish, mini teddy grahams, mini oreos...mini tacos...the list goes on!

Here is my experiment for the week, mini nutella cheesecakes. Now, I feel like these could have turned out better, but hey, I tried. For one, my little guys fell as soon as i took them out of the oven. You have that moment where you're watching the cakes fall and you're like NOOOOO stopppp falllinngggg!! but alas, these babies turned into pancakes faster than I could talk them out of it. So, I am thinking about how I could fill in my "cheesecake cups" as I am now calling them to make them look a little better! ideas, anyone? Now, I still ate one, and it's still super good, especially chilled.  If I were to do these again, i think I'd bake them at a higher temperature to try to stiffen them up before I took them out of the oven, and maybe fill them up even more beforehand. I also completely forgot to mix my Nilla wafers with butter, so they were soggy even though they kept their flavor! Sad! Oh the trials and tribulations of baking...

recipe adapted from barbara bakes

Mini Nutella Cheesecakes

2 8-oz. packages cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
5 tablespoons Nutella 
12 Chocolate Hazelnut Pirouette cookies, crushed and mixed with 2-3 tablespoons melted butter
-or - 12 Nilla Wafers

Line muffin pans with cupcake papers. Put Nilla Wafers or Crushed cookie mixture into bottoms of cups. If using cookie mixture, press flat.

On medium speed, blend cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs and mix well. Pour batter over crust, filling cups about 3/4 full. Stir Nutella into remaining cheesecake batter. Distribute Nutella batter evenly between cups and use a knife to marble mixture.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Remove, cool, and chill. Serves 12.

cinnamon toast crunch treats

It's Friday night and I've had a long week...obviously in need of a good dessert! I had all this frozen cream cheese that I thought I couldn't use, but I discovered that you can bring frozen cream cheese back from the dead if you let the package sit in water and then microwave it to make it smooth again. Otherwise, you have this weird grainy cream cheese...icky. I was at the store and jumbo boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch were on sale. Score! I have been wanting to try to make something with this cereal for a while, and I had heard of people substituting Cinnamon Toast Crunch for Rice Krispies. Genius. So, to make these bars even more of a sugar bomb, I whipped up a cinnamon cream cheese glaze to go with them. Anything to make them seem more like a cinnamon roll, one of my all-time favorites. These are really yummy and a nice change from the standard (but yes, awesome) rice krispie treat. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Treats Cereal 

6 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch

4 cups marshmallows

3 TB butter

---

For the cream cheese glaze

1 8oz package of cream cheese

1/4 cup butter

1 cup confectioners sugar

1 tsp of vanilla

a few dashes of cinnamon

In a large saucepan (or even the microwave), melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove from heat, add to cereal. Mix completely and divide mixture into a 13x9 pan. Let cool. 

For the cream cheese glaze, combine softened cream cheese and butter with either a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Add confectioners sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Beat until smooth. Transfer cream cheese to a ziploc baggie. Cut off corner of baggie (1/4 inch) and use to decorate bars with icing. You could just spread the icing too if you don't want to add a step!

Happy Friday!

Julia

homemade samoas

It's Girl Scout Cookie season! Because I live in the suburbs, I know zero Girl Scouts.  Alas, I am left to make my own! Still, I am going to get my hands on some Caramel DeLites, or Samoas as these Colorado people call them, before the season is over. I'm thinking some sort of Thin Mint ice cream dessert...this recipe for homemade Samoas is from noshandtell, another fun food blog I have been following for some time. Check them out! 

You can find the recipe for these delicious bars here. However, I did not use any of the "healthy swaps" they offer, so I can't comment on how that recipe would taste! 

coconut curry chicken soup

I love the magazine Cooking Light because it allows me to cut some caloric corners, but if I want to ramp things up, there's some wiggle room. This recipe is in the archives of Cooking Light, so if you want to find it you'll have to go to the website or come borrow my old issue of the magazine! Thai food is one of my favorites, so it's nice to be able to make a healthy dish at home. We added lots of crushed red pepper to this soup and a little extra salt. 

Recipe from Cooking Light

Yield:  7 servings (serving size: 2 cups soup and 1 lime wedge)
4 cups water
3 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
1 (5 3/4-ounce) package pad thai noodles (wide rice stick noodles)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (13.5-ounce) can light coconut milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 small hot red chiles, seeded and chopped, or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
7 lime wedges

1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add spinach and peas to pan; cook for 30 seconds. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl. Add noodles to pan; cook 3 minutes. Drain; add noodles to spinach mixture in bowl.

2. Heat canola oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and the next 5 ingredients (through garlic) to pan; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth to pan, and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk to pan; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken, onions, sugar, and fish sauce to pan; cook for 2 minutes. Pour chicken mixture over noodle mixture in bowl. Stir in cilantro and chiles. Serve with lime wedges.

chocolate cake with espresso buttercream

So, one of my favorite websites is mybakingaddiction.com. Love her.  One of the best chocolate cake recipes she has found is chocolate cake with espresso buttercream. For the most part, I followed this recipe to a tee except for a few changes. First, I increased the espresso powder to 3 tbsp instead of two. I found my espresso powder at Whole Foods but most grocery stores should carry a version of it. Instant coffee would also work well. 

I can be impatient in the kitchen, so using a jelly roll pan and slicing the cake in equal thirds before stacking it did not seem like something i could do without the assistance of a small army. So, i simply divided the batter into two 9” round pans. I kept the cooking time the same, but because I am in the mountains I raised the oven to 390 and took the cakes out at 18 minutes. I used a buttercream frosting recipe that I found here. Actually, last time I made this cake, I had a lot of leftover buttercream, so I froze it. That was about 5 months ago and it still was delicious! So, if you have leftovers, freezing it is no problem. 

You may want a tall glass of milk with this one...it’s a rich cake!

beef wellington and madeira sauce

Growing up with a mother who is an amazing cook, I have had exposure to some tasty treats! One of my favorites that she actually cooked for our senior prom was beef wellington. Think of a flaky, buttery pasty crust with a juicy steak and yummy pate inside...BAM. So good. Last year, Kabeer and I decided to take on the challenge of making beef wellington on our own. Let’s just say, a bottle and a half of wine later, our wellingtons were “delicious” in our minds but I’m not quite sure if they turned out the way they were intended. So this year, we decided to try again! I am so proud of us, they turned out beautiful. What’s great about this dish is that it feels so sophisticated but it is actually manageable if you do prep work beforehand. If making for a crowd, you can basically get everything done before people arrive and then all you have to do is pop those babies in the oven! Here is my mom’s recipe, with several added notes!

Tip: Ask your butcher for a perfectly round cut, 6-7 oz Angus tenderloin. If you have a nice round steak the assembly will be easier and your product will be prettier! 

for the Beef Wellington: (makes 6 servings)

6 6-oz black Angus tenderloins, round cut 

Butter

for the Pate:

4 ounces ham (not flavored)                                    

8 oz fresh mushrooms, cleaned

1 small onion, chopped

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh parsley

salt, pepper, flour

Puff pastry sheets (I used Pepperidge Farm ones, in the freezer section)

1 beaten egg

Brown steaks in butter for about 2 minutes on each side in hot frying pan. Cool completely. In a food processor, add ham, mushrooms, onions and garlic. Melt 1/2 - tbsp butter in skillet and saute ham and mushroom mixture for about 5 minutes. Thicken with a little flour (start with 1/2 tbsp) and season to your liking with salt and pepper. 

Here is an instructional video on how to assemble the wellingtons from finecooking.com. We actually used a full puff pastry sheet for each wellington because I didn’t want to roll it out and deal with testy dough. It was definitely a bigger end product, but I thought the ratio of pastry to meat was excellent. Your choice! 

To assemble the wellingtons (adapted from Cuisine magazine): 

Roll out pastry (your choice), cut into squares

On each square, place one seared filet mignon, blotted dry. Spread each filet with the pate, we used about 2 tbsp. Add one tbsp of water to beaten egg mixture. Brush corners of pastry with egg and water mixture, then fold a corner up to the center of the filet. Fold the opposite corner up to the center, meeting the first corner. Press lightly to adhere. Think of wrapping a gift! Fold the other corners to the center the same way, but this time, tuck in the sides as if wrapping a gift. Press corners to adhere. Gently stretch pastry over any open areas to enclose the meat. Place Wellington on an ungreased, parchment-lined baking sheet. Decorate Wellingtons with puff pastry cut-outs, if you want. As you can see in the photo, we used hearts for Valentine’s Day, and I think last year we did the letters and K and J. It gives the Wellingtons a clean look. 

Cover Wellingtons with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour or up to 24. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Brush Wellingtons with egg wash to help with that nice brown look to the surface and bake 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden. Do not bake longer than that or your meat will be overdone! Serve Wellingtons with Madeira Sauce, recipe below. 

For the Madeira Sauce:

2 tbsp chopped ham

2 tbsp butter

1 small carrot, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 tbsp flour

2 cups brown stock (we used canned beef broth)

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 small bay leaf

3 peppercorns

1 sprig parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

1 C Madeira

salt and pepper

(additional beef base if needed)

Cook the chopped ham in the butter for a few minutes. Add the carrots, onions and celery and cook briskly, stirring constantly until the vegetables are golden brown. Stir in flour and brown it - don’t let it burn! Add the brown stock and the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring until the sauce thickens. Cook slowly for 20 minutes, partially covered. This is important, I cooked it too fast and we did not end up with enough reduction so we had to add chicken broth...not as good! Remove any fat that has risen to the surface during cooking. The sauce should be as thick as cream. Finish the sauce with the Madeira and heat it without boiling. Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and beef soup base if necessary. 

This recipe is a lot of work but if done correctly, it is worth it! We ate it with green beans and potatoes. 

Stay tuned for a recipe for dessert...Chocolate Cake with Espresso Buttercream