Preheat oven to 400°F. Separate rolls horizontally in half to form 20 rolls. In center of a round stone, arrange 6 rolls in a circle and add 1 in center with edges touching, in another circle around ring of rolls.
Here's Bobby Flay's recipe for Sixteen Spice Chicken:
So back to my puff pastry. In the 2 classes (afternoon & evening) I hosted today, everyone made their own puff pastry creation, either sweet or savory. For the savory version, we made a caprese tart using fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil. For the sweet version, we made a strawberries & cream tart, with fresh strawberries and a vanilla cream cheese spread.Here are pictures of our final products, along with the recipes:
Tricia's Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
Preheat oven to 350° and grease and line with parchment paper a 9-inch springform pan. Pour the Guinness into a large saucepan and add the sliced butter. Heat until the butter is melted and remove from the heat. Whisk in the cocoa and sugar.
In a separate bowl, beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla. Add the sour cream mixture to the Guinness mixture in the saucepan. Finally, beat in the flour and baking soda. Pour the batter into the greased and lined springform pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour.
For cupcakes, pour into lines cupcake pan and bake for 15-20 minutes. (keep checking with a toothpick for doneness. Your oven may vary.) Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
For the frosting, beat the powdered sugar and cream cheese together until well combined and creamy. Add the cream and beat again until it's a spreadable consistency. I found slowly adding the cream and beating the icing very well gave excellent results. At first there seems like a lot of frosting for just the top of a 9-inch cake but don't skimp! The idea is to frost the top of the cake until it resembles the frothy head of a pint of Guinness.
Cream Cheese Brownies
from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
4 ounces German sweet chocolate or semisweet chocolate
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup plus 1 tbsp. all purpose flour
½ tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. baking powder
pinch salt
½ cup walnuts (optional)
½ tsp. almond extract
-- Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9 inch baking pan
-- Combine chocolate and 3 tbsp. butter in small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. When the chocolate is just about melted, remove from heat and continue to mix until smooth.
-- Cream the remaining butter with the cream cheese and ¼ cup of sugar. Beat in one of the eggs. Stir in 1 tbsp. of flour, ½ tsp. vanilla, and the lemon juice.
-- In a separate bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat the remaining eggs until thick; gradually add the remaining sugar and beat until quite thick (when you remove the mixer from the eggs, a ribbon of egg will fall from the beaters).
-- In a separate bowl, mix together the baking powder, salt, and remaining flour. Add the chocolate mixture, nuts if using, almond extract and remaining vanilla.
-- Spread half of the chocolate mixture on the bottom of the baking pan; top with the cream cheese mixture, then the remaining chocolate mixture. Swirl through all with a rubber spatula to create a marbled effect.
-- Bake 25-30 minutes or until just barely set in the middle. Cool on a baking rack before cutting. Store, covered and refrigerated, for no more than one day.
Thai Tea Brownies
adapted by Nestle
Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for fudgy brownies. Spread into prepared pan.
For Thai Tea mixture, beat cream cheese, granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons of instant Thai Tea mix in small mixer bowl until smooth.
Beat in egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Spread cream cheese mixture on top of brownie layer.
Using a knife, swirl brownie batter and Thai Tea cream cheese batter.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cream cheese mixture appears set and brownie portion is shiny.
Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
Apricot Cream Cheese:Blondie Base:
2/3 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1 c. toasted shredded coconut
Preheat oven to 350.
Cream Cheese mixture:
Butter 9 X 13 panIn a small bowl, beat together 1/4 c. softened butter and cream cheese until fluffy.
Add 1/2 c. sugar, 2 eggs, 2 T. flour and 2 t. vanilla; beat well.
Fold in diced apricots; set aside.
Blondie Base:
In a large saucepan, melt 2/3 c. butter.
Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar.
Beat in 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla.
Stir in 2 cups of flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; blend well.
Fold in coconut.
Preheat oven to 35- degrees.
Prepare muffin pan by spraying each well with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, blend together all remaining ingredients.
Fill each well with cake batter until 2/3 full.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until done.
Cool, then frost with cream cheese frosting.
Mini Cheesecake Bites
Preheat oven to 350 degrees,
Prepare muffin pan by spraying each well with cooking spray.
Cut pie crust into rounds and place a piece in each well.
With tart shaper, puck each round up sides of each well.
Bake pie crusts in pregeated oven until lightly browned.
Prepared cheesecake filling by combining remaining ingredients.
Place filling in a plastic or piping bag.
When crusts have cooled, fill with filling.
Top with strawberry halves.
