New Years': High Resolution

So I finally decided my resolution for this year. Sure, six days late, but compared to previous years' resolutions I'm about a month early. This year (or at least until I get a job, which is really resolution #1) I will complete a project every single day. I have no idea what the projects might be, and I can really only think of a few off the top of my head, but I will finish one thing every single day. And I won't even count showering and/or getting dressed! All I can really think of is that I should re-caulk the tub and maybe fix a cabinet door. I suppose I can count elaborately prepared meals?
So, maybe I got an early start on this resolution. On the 4th, I fixed our dishwasher
(Thank God, because the prospect of hand-washing dishes was daunting) and then on the 5th I replaced my wife's car battery. That took incredibly too long as I had to fight years worth of rust and a horribly designed workspace. Yay for GM!

Anyway, that means I'll have to post every day and, at first, two a day to make up for my backlog. Unless I count posting all my backlogged stuff as a project...

Project #1!






This is the first ornament on our tree this Christmas (like I said, I'm a bit backlogged).


Shannon took the picture. Great job, wife!









This is a montage of the making of our Christmas desserts, which were phantasmical. That's a real word, trust me.



Things to notice in the process of creation: the PacMan pot holder, courtesy of the Coughlins, the tiny little mortar and pestle which crushed all 1.2 million cookies for the various crusts, and the Mega-vintage cookie jar from my Grandma. It currently houses Oreos.

What you're looking at: a bowl of crushed Oreos and several ounces of chocolate being chopped, a bowl of melted white chocolate awaiting its addition to the extremely stiff egg whites, getting ready to make the gingersnap crust for the cheese cake, and the very-crumbly-yet-utterly-delicious Oreo crust of the tart. (What? A tart in a pie pan? Are you crazy? Yes. Crazy unemployed and willing to save the $20 in lieu of a slightly different-shaped tart. We lived through it.)

Pumpkin Ginger Cheesecake
adapted from meals.com

Crust:
1 1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Cheesecake:
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
16 ounces pumpkin puree
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Topping:
1 container (16 ounces) sour cream, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crumbled gingersnap cookies

Preheat oven to 350° F. Tightly wrap outside bottom and side of 9-inch springform pan with 2 pieces of foil to prevent leakage. Lightly grease inside of pan.

For the crust:
Combine cookie crumbs, granulated sugar and butter in medium bowl. Press HARD onto bottom and 1 inch up side of prepared pan, using your knuckles to press into the corner (it seems to stick less to knuckles than fingers). Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.

For the cheesecake:
Beat cream cheese, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs, pumpkin and evaporated milk. Add cornstarch, ginger and cloves; beat well. Pour into crust. Place pan in large roasting pan; fill roasting pan with hot water to 1-inch depth. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes or until edge is set but center still moves slightly.

For the topping:
Combine sour cream, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in small bowl; mix well. Remove cheesecake from water bath, leaving water bath in oven. Spread sour cream mixture over surface of warm cheesecake. Return to water bath; bake for 5 minutes longer. Remove cheesecake from water bath to wire rack and run knife around edge of cheesecake. Cool completely, then refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Top with crumbled gingersnaps.


One thing I did not expect was the water content I had left in the pumpkin puree I had prepared. Yeah, I know, what kind of Jerk buys a whole pumpkin and purees it instead of using canned? Probably the same kind of jerk that got one-too-many pumpkins for Halloween and never carved it. Waste not, want not. Anyway, the excessive water content made for a little bit of an over-the-top creamy cheesecake as you can see from the ill defined crust on that bad boy.

Sorry for the horrific lighting in this picture.
Sweet trick we learned: cut your cheesecake with dental floss!
(It's still in the background)

Double Chocolate Mint Tart
adapted from moderndomestic

For the crust:
2 cups + 1 Tbs Oreo cookie crumbs
5 tbs melted unsalted butter

For the chocolate ganache:
6 oz unsweetened baker's chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 cup + 1 tbs heavy cream
2 tbs butter, softened

For the mint white chocolate mousse:
6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups chilled whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tsp peppermint extract
2 large egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

For the chocolate drizzle:
1.5 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 tbs powdered sugar, sifted
1 tbs butter
3 tbs heavy cream

Crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine cookie crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl. Pat mixture into a tart (pie) pan, so that it evenly covers the bottom and sides of the pan. Bake crust in the oven until toasted – approximately 15 minutes. Let cool.

Ganache:
Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small sauce pan, heat cream over moderate heat to the boiling point. Whisk cream into chocolate until smooth. Continue to whisk as you add the sugar. Let cool completely, then stir in the butter. Transfer to the refrigerator to set (around 6 hours, or overnight).

Mousse:
Combine white chocolate and 1/4 cup whipping cream in large bowl. Heat mixture in the microwave until chocolate is melted and smooth. Let mixture cool until lukewarm, about 15 minutes.

Beat remaining 1 cup whipping cream, vanilla and peppermint extract in large bowl until peaks form. In another medium bowl, using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into chocolate mixture, then fold in whipped cream. Chill overnight.

Assemble tart:
Remove ganache and mousse from the refrigerator. Both will be slightly stiff, so stir each with a whisk or spatula a couple times, until they loosen slightly. Pour ganache over crust, smoothing with a spatula so that it covers the entire bottom. Pour mousse over ganache, smoothing the top with a spatula.

Prepare drizzle and decorate tart:
Place chocolate in a small bowl and melt in microwave. Place cream in another small bowl and heat until hot. Whisk cream into chocolate. Whisk in the butter, then let cool. Dip a fork into the mixture and flick over the tart in appealingly messy patterns.

Place assembled tart in the fridge for another hour or so, to firm up, before serving.


The chocolate ganache layer in this recipe was decidedly bitter, which I love, and contrasted the very sweet mousse. Unfortunately, the ganache layer hardened more than desired, so in the future I may add a bit more butter or cream. Still, though, delicious.

This is before the chocolate drizzle was added. The only picture of that was when this thing was half-eaten and not nearly as appealing (and in the same lighting as the cheesecake).


Friggin' Awesome Lasagna Al Forno
adapted from Tyler's Ultimate and Food of Italy

2 pound dried lasagna noodles
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground beef
2 pounds ground Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
3 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped oregano leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups red wine
2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 quarts ricotta cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
Grated Parmesan and mozzarella, for topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the lasagna noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until pliable and barely tender, about 10 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Drain the noodles thoroughly and coat with olive oil to keep them moist and easy to work with.

Coat a large skillet with olive oil, add beef and sausage and brown until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. In a food processor, combine the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, parsley, an oregano. Process until pureed, add to the pan with the ground meat and stir to combine. Stir in the flour. Add the wine and cook until it has reduced by half. Stir in the tomatoes and add the heavy cream, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta and the Parmesan. Stir in the eggs and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the lasagna: Coat the bottom of a deep 13 by 9-inch pan with olive oil. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer on the sauce. Then, line each end of the pan with a lasagna noodle. Spread 1/4 of the ricotta mixture over the pasta to the edges with a spatula. Sprinkle 1/4 of the mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Spread 1/4 of the meat mixture over the ricotta. Repeat three times with the next layers of noodles, ricotta, cheese, and meat sauce. Top last layer with noodles, Parmesan, and shredded mozzarella. Tap the pan to force out air bubbles. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let lasagna rest for 30 minutes so the noodles will settle and cut easily.


I made the unfortunate mistake of putting the Parmesan on top of the mozzarella, which effectively turned into a very tough--albeit delicious--golden crust on top.

That sucker is well over 3" thick. Booya.

Okay, I think that's all I had backlogged. Until next time!