Julie's Amazing Tosca Bars (Toscabitar)

My good friend, Julie gave me this recipe over a year ago, but procrastinator-me waited this long to actually try it.  Oh what a mistake!  I saw the recipe and thought this was going to be a granola-type bar, but it is anything but granola.  It has a super light pastry crust, an amaretto scented cake center (although there's no Amaretto in the cake...it's the almond paste), and an almond toffee topping!  Amazingly good a definite must try, and a new regular on my dessert roster.  Thanks, Julie!

Speaking of amazing, Julie is also a talented designer of handbags, totes, and baby items.  Check out her etsy store =)

Julie's Tosca Bars (Toscabitar)

Crust: (Basic Pastry Dough)
1 stick butter
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg yolk
1 1/3 c. sifted all-purpose flour

Filling:
1 stick butter
1/4 c. sugar
1 can (8 oz) almond paste
3 eggs
1/3 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder

Topping:
1 stick butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. sliced almonds
2 Tbs. flour
2 Tbs. milk


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare the pastry dough.
Pastry Dough: Cream the butter and sugar. Stir in the egg yolk. Add the flour and work the dough with your hands until well blended and smooth. Press it out on the bottom of a buttered cake pan, 9 x 13 inches.

Prepare Filling. Beat together the butter, sugar and almond paste. When smooth and creamy, beat in the eggs, one at a time. Blend in the flour mixed w/ baking powder. Spread the filling on top of the pastry. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Prepare Topping
To make the topping, melt the butter in small saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer constantly stirring. DO NOT BOIL. Remove from heat.

When the cake is done, spread it with the warm topping. Switch from "bake" to "broil" and return the cake to the oven. Broil until golden brown. Let the cake cool in the pan. Cut in bars 1 1/2" x 2 1/2".

If you like, paint the bottom and the sides of each bar with melted chocolate.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple-Cream Cheese Frosting

It's that time of year again; when the flavors of pumpkin, ginger, and cinnamon reign.  I LOVE it and as soon as I see the jumbo pumpkin puree packs at Costco, I load up:)


Pumpkin Cupcakes


2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teasponn baking powder
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 cups pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup unsalted butter, melted, and cooled
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 large eggs lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350.  Line two standard cupcake tins with liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.
In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, melted butter, sugars, and eggs.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and slowly whisk in the pumkin mixture.  Whisk until smooth.
Divide evenly into the cupcake liners (I use an ice cream scoop.)
Bake between 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted it the center comes out clean.


Maple-Cream Cheese Frosting 


1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
1/2 cup of Superfine sugar
16 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup pure maple syrup


Blend butter and sugar until smooth in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Add cream cheese and maple syrup, blend until smooth and creamy.

dry ingredients

all mixed together

Plum Galette

I have a wonderful friend with whom I get together as often as possible.  We have been cooking together for well over a decade (almost two...GAH!) and I cherish our times together.  I packed up the kids on Friday night and we had a sleepover at her house and spent all of Saturday cooking our little hearts out.  Here's one of the many things we made.  Uh-ma-zing!

Plum Galette

Dough:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 sticks cold butter

ice water

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Whisk together in a food processor until it resembles sand.  Drizzle in approximately 1/2 cup of ice cold water or just enough so if you squeeze the dough in your hands, it will keep it's shape.  Form into a ball, flatten in into a disc, and cover with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for an hour. 

Filling:

1/4 cup toasted almonds

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon flour

In food processor, pulse all of the ingredients until it resembles sand.

Topping:

Approximately 5 firm but ripe plums, halved and sliced. 

Sugar

2 tablespoons heavy cream

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Roll out dough into a circle about 1/4 inch on a lightly floured surface (we rolled it out on parchment paper)

Sprinkle almond filling around the dough leaving about 2 inches around the edge.

Gently place plums around the dough and fan out into a pretty pattern, leaving 2 inches around the edge.

Gently fold in the edges. 

Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350

Brush the edges with cream and sprinkle sugar over the plums and the edges of the dough.  Bake for 70 minutes.

Serve while it is warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (this part is optional, but recommended).

Ginger-Cinnamon Tea (Sujungwa or Sujeongwa)

This is the Korean equivalent to Sweet Tea.  Not only is it refreshing and delicious, but it is quite healthy.  Ginger has many health benefits as does cinnamon and honey.  Many Koreans think of this drink as a health tonic.  I just remember drinking this when I was young and always loving this sweet, spicy and fragrant treat. 

This is quite sweet, but it should be served over lots of ice, which tends to dilute it.  You can always add less honey if you prefer. 

Ginger Cinnamon Tea with Dried Persimmons

1 cup peeled and thinly sliced ginger
10-12 cinnamon sticks
2 cups honey or honey powder
5 dried persimmons
4 quarts water (16 cups)
Toasted pine nuts

Peel a large knob of ginger (this is easily done with a spoon) and slice thinly.  You should have about 1 cup.
Bring ginger, cinnamon sticks and water to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.
Turn off heat and let it steep for about 10 minutes.
Add honey or honey powder.
Using a fine mesh strainer, strain into a large bowl or container.
Cool to room temperature
Clean persimmons and remove the hard stem
Put dried persimmons in the bottom of a glass pitcher or container and pour the tea over it. 
Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.  This will keep in the refrigerator for approximately 3 to 4 days.
To serve, pour over lots of ice and sprinkle toasted pine nuts over it.

Peel ginger with a spoon

Slice thin

Strain into a bowl

Dried persimmons can be found at Korean grocery stores

Sprinkle with pine nuts

Spam Musubi

A lunchbox favorite with my children, this easy dish is delicious, inexpensive to make, and quick to disappear.  A Spam musubi mold makes life easier, but it's not absolutely necessary.  I have seen this made with a Spam can that has been cut on both ends, and it can also be done with a simple sushi rolling mat.  The molds are inexpensive and can be ordered through Amazon. 

Spam Musubi:

2 cups of short-grain rice, cooked according to your rice cooker's instructions (brown rice can be used)
1 can of Spam (I use low sodium)
4 sheets of nori, cut in half lengthwise
Soy sauce
Sugar

Get your workstation ready by laying out a stack of nori, a bowl of cooked rice, a small bowl of water (to dip the top of the musubi mold into so the rice doesn't stick)
Slice Spam in approximate 1/4-inch slices, this should give you about 8 equal pieces
Brown in skillet
Sprinkle one side with a little sugar (approximately 1/4 teaspoon, but I just eyeball it)
Drizzle each piece with a little soy sauce
Place the pan of cooked Spam near your workstation
Lay out one piece of nori, place the tube portion of your musubi mold in the center
Put approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of rice into the mold
Wet the top of the mold and then press down on the rice, to make it flat and even inside the mold
Place a slice of Spam in the mold on top of the first rice layer
Put another 1 1/2 tablespoons of rice in mold, and flatten again with the top which has been dipped in water again.
With the top still pushing down on the top layer of rice, lift up the tube portion
Starting at the bottom of the nori, fold it up over the rice and Spam
Roll until it is completely covered and then seal the end by rubbing a cooked grain of rice along the edge to act as the "glue"
Repeat
When all of the Spam musubi have been assembled, slice into four even pieces

Sheets of nori

Cut in half (easiest to use a sharp pair of scissors)

Slice your Spam

Fry it up

Sprinkle with sugar

Drizzle with soy sauce

Get everything ready in your workstation

Assemble

Then you can fill up a cute little bento box and send it off, or better yet, just eat them right then and there:)