Croissant and Apple Pudding

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The current Cookbook Challenge theme is European. There are so many great possibilities with this one, but I've been wanting to do more recipes from a cookbook called Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafes of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague by Rick Rodgers, published in 2002. You can tell from that title that this cookbook is pretty fantastic. I considered making sachertorte (the culinary symbol of Vienna) but I would have needed to buy a springform pan and I was already running late on this challenge so I wanted to make something a bit more simple that I didn't need to buy any equipment for. So croissant and apple pudding it was!

Who doesn't love croissants? Other than people that are crazy about eating healthy, low-calorie food, that is. The cookbook says this recipe is also called Kipferlkoch, which I'm assuming means Kipferl cake, Kipferl being an Austrian precursor to the croissant.

3 cups milk, heated

6 egg yolks

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar, divided

5 or 6 large croissants, torn into 1-inch pieces (10 to 12 ounces total)

2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

1/3 cup raisins

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

confectioners' sugar, for garnish

I used one of these nifty devices to peel, core, and slice the apples:

I highly recommend buying one of these if you often cook and bake with apples. They work so well.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350F. Lightly butter an 8-inch square glass baking dish.

Make a custard by whisking the milk, yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a medium bowl to dissolve the sugar. Since the milk had to be heated anyway, I just put it and the sugar in a medium saucepan and whisked it together until the milk was warm and the sugar was dissolve, then took it off the burner to whisk in the egg yolks.

Place the croissants in another medium bowl and toss with 2 cups of the custard.

 Let stand, giving the croissants a stir every few minutes, until they have absorbed most of the custard, about 15 minutes.

Spread half of the croissants in the baking dish. Top with apples and raisins and sprinkle with the remaining sugar and the cinnamon.

Spread with the remaining croissants. Pour the remaining custard over the croissants. Place the dish on a baking dish. I'm not sure what the point is of the double baking dishes if you're not doing a water bath, but I'm sure there is one so I did it anyway.

Bake until golden brown and the center feels set when pressed gently, about 1 hour, 10 minutes. 

 Cool for 5 minutes. Dust the top with confectioners' sugar and serve warm.

Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

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I figured that it was about time that I did a recipe using the slow cooker that I got back in April, especially since I've only used it a few times so far. This Cookbook Challenge theme is hearty, so black bean stuffed peppers from The New Creative Crock-Pot Cookbook by Robin Taylor Swatt sounded perfect. I just happened to find this cookbook in a thrift shop shortly after getting my slow cooker (which is not a Crock-Pot, in case you were wondering, and I'm sure you were).

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp chili powder

Two 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained

5 or 6 green and/or red bell peppers, seeded and cored

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated

1 cup tomato salsa

1/2 cup sour cream

In a medium skillet, saute the onion until golden. Season with the cayenne pepper, oregano, cumin and chili powder. In a medium mixing bowl, mash half of the black beans with the sauteed onions.

Mix in the remaining beans. Spoon the black bean mixture into the bell peppers, and place the bell peppers in the slow cooker.

 Sprinkle the cheese over the peppers. Pour the salsa over the cheese.

Cover; cook on Low 6 to 8 hours (or on High for 3 to 4 hours). Serve each pepper with a dollop of sour cream.

Things that went wrong for me: The original recipe called for 6 tall bell peppers, and I think the ones I got must have been too tall because I only had enough of the bean mixture to fill 5 of them. No big deal.

I cooked these for 3 1/2 hours on High, and I think that I should have cooked them for only 3 hours. I also think that I should have lifted the lid occasionally to let steam escape, because there was a big puddle of liquid in the dish when they were done. They turned out pretty delicate and messy. Here is a sad photo of them inside the slow cooker:

They completely fell apart when moved to a dish.

They were DELICIOUS though!

Brownie Pudding Cake

http://community.jeroxie.com/groups/cookbook-challenge/

I've been doing too many desserts and baked goods on here, but I couldn't help it this time because the Cookbook Challenge theme is Dessert. I'm a little late once again, but everyone else was too, so I don't feel too bad about it! I had this really great dessert planned, but I couldn't find a key ingredient at the supermarket, so at the last moment I had to change my idea for what to make. This brownie pudding cake was perfect because not only did it sound delicious (It's a brownie cake on top and pudding on the bottom! Of course it sounds delicious!), but every single ingredient was something that I already had on hand.

The recipe is from the 2007 edition of The Good Housekeeping Cookbook.

2 teaspoons instant-coffee powder (optional)

2 tablespoons plus 1 3/4 cups boiling water

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

4 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (optional)

I didn't use any instant-coffee powder when I made it, because I can't stand the taste of coffee. People sometimes say that if you add coffee/espresso powder to chocolatey recipes, it doesn't make them taste like coffee, it just gives them a more intense chocolate flavor. I don't know if this is true or not, and I don't care to find out. People that drink coffee are so desensitized to the harsh bitter flavor that they go around saying that their mochas don't taste anything like coffee and that I should try some because I'll like it. And when I try it, all I taste is coffee, and it is horrible.

Anyway, I don't know if the extra two tablespoons of water is necessary if you don't use the coffee powder, but I used it anyway and added it when it told me to just to be on the safe side.

Preheat oven to 350F.

In cup, dissolve coffee powder in 2 tablespoons boiling water, if using.

In large bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In 2-cup measuring cup, combine milk, melted butter, vanilla, and coffee mixture, if using. With wooden spoon, stir milk mixture into flour mixture until just blended.

 Pour into ungreased 8-inch square baking dish.

In small bowl, thoroughly combine brown sugar and remaining 1/4 cup cocoa; sprinkle evenly over batter. Carefully pour remaining 1 3/4 cups boiling water evenly over mixture in baking dish; do not stir. Be careful not to make my mistake and boil the water so long that some of it boils away. Just add some warm or hot water to the boiling water if you do.

Bake 30 minutes (batter will separate into cake and pudding layers). Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Serve hot with whipped cream, if you like. Makes 8 servings.

You must view this at full size to get the full effect. It looks so good.

 This turned out amazing, of course, and it was so quick and easy to make, too!