Shift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In another bowl cream together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture. Separate dough in half. Dye first half green and shape into a square. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Shape second half into a square, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate. After an hour, unwrap green and white sections and place on top of each other on a lightly floured surface. Roll out until the two doughs are 1/4 inch tick. Rolling green/white dough up jelly roll fashion. Refrigerate for one hour. Slice, roll edges in yellow sprinkles and bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.
A Mini-King Cake. Typically the baby is hidden in the cake and whoever receives it bakes next year's King Cake.
A King Cake for Mardi Gras!
Fat Tuesday is today and I always make a King Cake to celebrate. This year I decided to change it up a bit and make Mini King Cakes. The mixing process for Mini Kings versus traditional King Cakes is the same until it comes time to shape the dough.
Dough
2-1/2 teaspoons of dry yeast
1/4-cup water (warmed to 110 degrees)
¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup sour cream
1/3-cup sugar
1 egg plus one yoke
2-1/2 cups flour (plus 1 cup to add if dough is too sticky)
1 teaspoon of salt
In a mixing bowl, combine dry yeast and warm water. (I add a pinch of sugar to this mixture to help yeast proof). In another bowl mix melted butter, sour cream, sugar and egg and egg yoke. Gently combine sugar mixture with yeast mixture. In a separate bowl mix together flour and salt. Gradually, add dry mixture to wet. SLOWLY knead in additional flour until the mixture is smooth and not sticky. As soon as the dough doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl (or your work surface) you’ve added enough flour. Continue kneading dough for ten minutes. Place kneaded dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until its doubled in size.
Once the dough has risen, punch down, and on a lightly floured surface, roll out into a rectangular shape.
Filling
¼-cup softened butter
¾-cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix butter, sugar and cinnamon into a paste and then spread on the dough. Roll the dough up jellyroll fashion and then shape into a large circle. If you are making mini-King cakes, slice the “jelly roll” dough into one-inch portions, twist into a circle and place in a lined cupcake pan. Let the dough rise again until its once again doubled.
Bake the King Cake for 18-20 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Ice.
Icing
¼ cup softened cream cheese
¼ cup of softened butter
1-1/2 cups of confectioner’s sugar
Milk as needed (about a 1/2 cup)
1 T brandy
Whisk cream cheese and butter together and then add confectioner’s sugar and brandy. I mix in just enough milk to make the icing easy to pour but not runny.
As part of my New Year’s resolution to “be a little more vegetarian” I’ve been playing with some new recipes. I’m a huge fan of Mexican food and love black beans. Did you know (I didn’t until I looked it up) a cup of black beans is packed with only 220 calories and 15 grams of protein? And did you know a one-pound bag of dried beans makes six cups? I’ve tried both canned and the dried variety and I have to say I like the dried better. Yes, dried beans require more time because you have to soak the beans overnight and boil them the next day, but just a little bit of planning will give you a product with reduced sodium and a fuller flavor .
Black Beans and Rice
1 onion
8 oz of mushrooms
1-2 T olive oil
2 large tomatoes (you can also use a 16 oz can of diced tomatoes)
1-2 cloves of garlic
1-2 teaspoons cumin
1-2 teaspoons of sea salt
1 pinch of red pepper
16 ounces of black beans (hydrated dry or canned will do)
For the rice: Before you begin make your beans, make a pot of white rice according to package directions. I buy my rice in bulk so I always cook according to a 1 to 1.5 ratio: 1 cup of white rice to 1.5 cups of water or chicken stock. For brown rice it’s a 1 to 2 ratio: 1 cup of brown rice to 2 cups of liquid. Place rice in a pan with a little olive oil and let it heat in the pan for a minute. Add water or stock. When it reaches a boil, reduce heat and put a lid on the pan. Don’t open the lid for twenty minutes (50 for brown rice) and then you’ll have perfect rice.
For the beans: Mince the onion, mushrooms and garlic and sauté in olive oil. Add diced tomatoes and black beans. When tender, add the cumin, sea salt and red pepper. By the time the beans have cooked down, the white rice will be done. Some of my favorite toppings include cheese, sour cream, salsa, and sliced avocado.
Favorite toppings include sour cream, cheese, avocado and salsa.
Detective Malcolm Kier, the hero of my February book MERCILESS, has been one of my favorite characters since he first appeared in I’M WATCHING YOU. He is not only smart, savvy and a little dangerous, but he can cook. Raised by parents who own an Italian restaurant, he grew up in the restaurant kitchens chopping, dicing and stirring. He would never eat a frozen pizza and runs from any sauce that comes from a jar. His specialty is a killer marinara sauce on fresh pasta. In case you want to try Malcolm’s marinara sauce (okay, it’s really mine) I’m passing on the recipe.
The Sauce
2 T Olive Oil
1 Large Onion, diced
2 Carrots, diced
2 Cans of Tomatoes
1 Cup of Red Wine
1-2 Cups of Chicken Stock
Salt
Sugar to taste
Fresh Oregano
Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan and toss in diced onion and carrot. Cook the carrot and onion until soft. Add tomatoes, red wine and chicken stock. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Puree sauce with a hand blender. Caution you can do this in a blender but just puree a little at a time. Too much hot sauce in a blender can lead to hot marinara exploding all over you and your kitchen cabinets. (Heed my warning…I learned this lesson the hard way.) Once pureed add salt, and sugar to taste. Mix in freshly chopped oregano. Serve over fresh pasta.
This is a great sauce that works on pasta, pizza dough and breaded chicken cutlets.
This time of year I always have a pot of soup simmering on the stove. I never use a recipe and most times just make do with what I have on hand. Heat up a little olive oil in a pan, toss in onions, celery, carrots and garlic and then let your own tastes and creativity take over. There is no better comfort food than soup!
Some of my favorite or go-to ingredients:
Olive Oil
Onions
Garlic
Carrots
Celery
Canned tomatoes
Chicken or Beef Stock or Water
Black Beans
Garbanzo beans
Broccoli
Peas
Cauliflower
Chicken
The seasonings and toppings really depend on my mood.
Cumin and red pepper combined with crush tortillas give my soup a Mexican flare.
Italian herbs and sea salt with a handful of pasta give the soup a Minestrone feel.
Ginger, garlic and soy topped with rice add an Asian Twist.
So if you’re wondering ‘What’s for dinner?’ try a soup. It takes less than ten minutes for me to get my soup bubbling and after twenty minutes of simmering I’ve got a hearty meal.
Start with the basics: onions, carrots and celery.
Sautee veggies until soft.
A hot bowl of veggie and bean soup topped with rice.
I made an awesome cake yesterday. It’s Paula Deen’s Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/basic-1-2-3-4-cake-recipe/index.html.) I substituted coconut milk for regular milk, made a simple cream cheese frosting with coconut extract and coated it with lots of fresh coconut. So, so good!
