Get ready for a coconut cheesecake pops

I have tried to make chocolate covered coconut cheesecake pops since I do not when. Well, here it is, at lest the pics of the last step of the process. Keep posted for the video, recipe and more pics and tips for having fun cooking and eating.

Caramel spice pumpkin mousse with white chocolate and almond cookies

Caramel spice pumpkin mousse with white chocolate and almond cookies. If you are in a hurry and with no time to spare and fancy this baby up, you can say it is a caramel spice pumpkin mousse and is going to be great. In the other hand, if you want to have even more fun, get ready to be a pastry chef all by your self with a little help of Hubert Keller and me. This dessert is supper yummy and inexpensive that can be showcase in a fancy fashion to get the best of its simplicity. I was getting ready to choose a recipe for my dessert on thanksgiving dinner so I decide for a easy pumpkin mousse recipe because I did not feel like bake a pumpkin pie after baking a lot of turkey and potatoes. The pumpkin mousse is supper easy to make and I like all the levels of fanciness and flavors you can put together. Now, this pumpkin mousse is not the classic french style mousse with the cook egg whites and everything but it comes out creamy and substantially flavorful.

whipping cream, spices, vanilla extract, vanilla bean, pumpkin pure 

Now, if you wanted the french 
style mousse, that is another 
story. I can post a classic french 
mousse recipe and tell you all 
about it but I am guessing is a 
lot  of work and it requires a 
certain amount of skills that I 
need to develop and you too. So, 
we stick with our easy and 
delicious creamy Diana style 
mousse. The key to a good and easy spice pumpkin mousse is in the flavor, creaminess and airiness of the dessert. The flavor and creaminess of the pumpkin mousse is achieved by heating the pumpkin pure with the heavy cream, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla and combining until is all together over a medium heat.

Pumpkin pure

Spices for pumpkin pure

The airiness of the pumpkin mousse isachieved by whipping the chilled heavy cream in a chilled bowl and then folding it with 

the spice pumpkin mixture. The folding process should be with care so that your are not getting all the air out that you just got into the heavy cream by whipping 

it. Folding is like combining with a spatula in a smooth,rhythmic and revolving circular motion.

Folding whipped cream with spiced pumpkin pure

Just like this dollop of creamy spiced pumpkin mousse  is what you are looking for. Do not over mix, just fold the whipped heavy cream with the spiced pumpkin mixture until there are just thin and long ribbons of white cream.

nice looking whipped cream ribbons

Those are nice looking white and orange ribbons of flavor.  Now here you can taste it with an almond cookie if it taste right.

Spiced pumpkin mousse dessert

Now, if you have time you can fancy your spiced pumpkin mousse with a good looking white chocolate or brown chocolate cup, toasted almonds, a splash of caramel and an almond cookie. Check the Hubert Keller video in PBS create program, that is where I took the idea of the chocolate cup.

Hubbert Keller white chocolate cup 

Almond cookie and spiced caramel pumpkin mousse dessert

Spiced caramel pumpkin mousse with almond cookie dessert

Easy, quick, fancy pumpkin mousse dessert

Sweet, tasty, delicious, one of the best holiday dessert ever

Well, here is the recipe.

1 can pumpkin puree (plain with no seasoning)
3 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons of store brought caramel or homemade.
For garnish: toasted sliced almonds, drizzles of caramel and a cookie almond

To make

In a medium size saucepan, combine the pumpkin,  1 cup of cream, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat until all the sugars are dissolved and the spices well incorporated. Remove from heat and pour into a large glass bowl. Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to cool or overnight.

While the pumpkin mixture cools, whip the two cups of heavy cream until medium peaks form, here you are going to add the vanilla extract.

When the pumpkin is room temperature, gently fold in the whipped cream in batches until light, fluffy, and combined. Pour into a serving dish  and let chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

When ready to serve, spoon into wine goblets or in a nice white chocolate or milk chocolate cup and drizzles of caramel. Add toasted almonds or an almond cookie for a decorative touch.

Sweet corn cheescake mini cups

These are sweet corn cheesecakes mini cups. I bet you have never tasted sweet corn in a cheesecake, well, it is delicious. I pair it with cinnamon and vanilla to get a cute little creamy cheesecake bite full of corn field's aroma.

  It sounds interesting and yummy isn't it? Sweet corn ice cream is a popular treat in the Mexican's states of the east's coast. Try it, you will love it. 

 I really recommend to be adventurous in your cooking. It is the most rewarding way to enjoy cooking and eating as well. Be fearless, the worst thing that can happen is that you do not like it and move on to another recipe.  This is a tested recipe, believe me, you will not be disappointed, in the contrary, it will be a delicious and yummy surprise. Have fun cooking.
Here is a video for help!!!!

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 20 minutes
• Total time: 40 minutes
• Servings: 24

• 8oz ounce(s) of philadelphia cream cheese 1/3 less fat(one package)
• the kernels from corn cobs or frozen corn kernels, about 2 cups
• 1/3 cup(s) of organic low fat vanilla yogurt, drain the excess of water
• 1/4 cup(s) of sweet condense milk or 1/4 or white granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp. of flour
• 1 whole egg
• 1/4 tsp. of of cinnamon
• 1 tsp. of vanilla
• 12 ounce(s) of of almond crisps or your favorite pie crust recipe
• 1 tbsp. of melted butter

Steps

1. Pre-heat your oven at 325F, grab you sweet corn cobs and remove the kernels, place the kernels into the blender and make a pure, strain the sweet corn pure into a light soup, set it aside.
2. In a bowl mix the cream cheese, yogurt, sweet condense milk, flour after all is incorporated add the egg, cinnamon and vanilla.
3. Fold together the sweet corn soup and cream cheese mixture, set it aside.
4. Crumble the almond crisps or graham crackers and combine with the melted butter.
5. Get ready the mini muffin tin with some mini muffin cups, put a tsp. cookie crumble and butter mixture into the bottom of each mini muffin tin and press to get it compact.
6. Pour the sweet corn cheesecake mixture into each mini muffin cups, bake at 325F for 15 min.
7. Remove the mini sweet corn cheesecakes from the muffin tin an put them in the freezer for 15 min. Enjoy them cold.

Heirloom tomatoes, figs and balsamic vinaigrette salad

This is a recreation of a salad that I had at the Aria Buffet in Las Vegas. This salad is so decadent, fresh and awesome. This salad is what I would have in a picnic at a remote Florida beach in a hot and fun day. Well, I just have fun daydreaming of the fresh sea waves while I prepare and eat this great salad.

When I got this feta cheese, it was the first time that I've been in a  Trader Joe's. It was fun to be in this grocery store. They got a lot of interesting things from around the world. I got to say that it is kind of expensive. They have a lot of organic stuff and it was the place where I found my beloved figs. Love figs.

 I loooove figs, they are the best fruit ever. They are sweet but just right sweet. Their flavor is between raisins, cherries, plums and guava. 

 I go the heirloom tomatoes from whole foods. I cannot believe that I am loving tomatoes. When I was a teenager I hated tomatoes. Right there is the power of good cooking, now I am a believer of tomatoes and the power of good food.

Yes, this salad has red onion, which is the ingredient that gives the tangy and a little kick of heat.

 The dressing is just balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. The chef at the buffet told me that raspberry vinegar would work fine too.

There are several things that I learned. First, you want get a whole block of feta so that you can slice and cut the feta in good looking cubes of the size of the half tomato and the size of  quarters of the fig. When you are eating this salad you want to have a bite of the fig, a tomato, feta and red onion. If the feta is too crumbled you would not get the salty and fresh flavor of the feta and your are going to miss the greatness of the combination of flavors. 

Second, with all the crumbled feta the picture does not look so good. I bet it would look better if the feta was in whole cubes. 

Another tip would be to let the red onions marinate in the balsamic vinegar for some 2 o 3 minutes before combining all the ingredients. This way they would be milder in taste.

RECIPE

• 3 oz of crumbled feta cheese of a whole block of feta cut in cubes the size of the half of heirloom tomatoes.
• 10  figs (or as much as you like) They could be fresh or dry.
• 20 (or as much as you like) heirloom tomatoes
• 1/2 of a medium red onion depending to your like of onion
• 3 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar
• A bunch of chives, like 10 strings( The Aria salad had chives but I did not have them at the time, the salad still tasted great)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash all the fruits and veggies.
2. Cut the figs in quarters
3. Cut the heirloom tomatoes in half
4. Cut the red onion in thin slices
5. Cut in 1inch long the chives 
6. Marinate the red onions for 2 o 3 min  in the balsamic vinegar
7. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl 
8. Add seasoning with salt and pepper to taste
9. Enjoy!!!!!

Learning from a failing pistachio cookie experiment

 I tried to do the  trissalicious pistachio cookies recipe because I had the pistachios at hand and it seemed good. It was claiming it is the best pistachio cookie and it comes from all the way from Italy. I've been in Italy and it is delicious.

I am a very fearless baker and a cook, so substituting ingredients is not problem for me. I substituted  castor sugar with finely ground turbinado sugar and I also added almond extract. All was going great, It is a very quick and easy recipe.

The result was bad. The cookies were soft and a little burned  after being in the oven for just 7 min. I know I can not blame the recipe that I used because I did not followed it exactly. It was all my fault.

 Later I found out that turbinado sugar adds moisture and has more molasses that get burned quickly. These pistachio cookies tasted OK. Castor sugar is a specialty item that cannot be found easily. One can attempt to make castor sugar by grinding granulated sugar until it is super fine. Castor sugar cannot be substituted with powered sugar nor ground turbinado sugar, I know this from experience.

I would try the trissalicious pistachios cookie recipe again and see if I am successful.

desert

Fresh fruit with honey lemon dressing