desserts | Good Dinner Mrs Mellen

Category: desserts
- Candied Apple Crumb Cake
  
  Posted at 7:51 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Sep 8th
  Fall at it’s best with fresh-picked apples baked in a rich pound cake with a crumb topping and caramel drizzled on top. Richly flavored with just a hint of orange juice, cinnamon, and crisp tart apples. I used Granny Smith Apples in this cake for their tart flavor along with a firm consistency after baking. As gorgeous as this cake looks it is quite easy to make. Delicious, dazzling, easy to duplicate, what could be better.
  
  Candied Apple Crumb Cake
  
  4 cups flour
  
  2 cups of sugar
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  4 teaspoons baking powder
  
  1 cup oil
  
  1 cup of orange juice
  
  3 large eggs (4 if small)
  
  1 teaspoon vanilla
  
  Apple Filling
  
  4 Granny Smith Apples peeled and sliced
  
  1/2 cup sugar
  
  2 teaspoon cinnamon
  
  Crumb Topping
  
  1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
  
  1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  
  1 cup flour
  
  1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  
  1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  
  Caramel Sauce
  
  1 cup granulated sugar
  
  ½ cup heavy cream
  
  2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
  1 teaspoon fleur de sel (or another sea salt)
  
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease tube cake pan and set aside. Sift together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Place in a large mixing bowl making a well.
  
  2. Combine oil, orange juice, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into the center of the well and beat for three minutes.
  
  3. Combine sugar and cinnamon in the small bowl and set aside.
  
  4. Pour a third of the batter into prepared pan, add half sliced apples and half cinnamon-sugar. Cover with half the remaining batter. Top with remaining apples then cinnamon-sugar. Add remaining batter on top.
  
  5. Combine ingredients for crumb topping blending until thoroughly combined. A pastry blender works best to make the crumb topping but you can cut the butter in with two knives.
  
  6. Sprinkle over cake. Bake 1 hour 30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
  
  7. Cool for 1 hour before removing from the tube pan.
  
  8. Make caramel sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat combine the sugar with 1/4 cup cold water and stir to combine. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar has turned a deep amber color about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the cream in a small saucepan. When the caramel is ready, slowly, whisk in the warm cream and continue simmering for another 2-3 minutes until the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat, then whisk in the butter,, and then salt. Slowly drizzle over cake.
  
  Serve with Vanilla ice cream or just plain.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Apples, Baking, desserts | Tagged Apple cake, caramel sauce, pound cake
- Watermelon and Feta Cheese Salad
  
  Posted at 10:22 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Sep 6th
  Watermelon is synonymous with hot summer days, infused with sun-kissed flavor. I remember growing up waiting – not patiently- for my mother to cut the biggest watermelon for us to enjoy when we returned home from a day spent at the pool baking in the sun. (we didn’t know about sun protection then) Instantly cooling and so refreshing!
  
  I still slice up watermelon to serve for family and friends on hot summer days. Perfect after a barbecue or here in New England, we’re fond of clam bakes. For parties or picnic, I love to splurge making a watermelon salad adding tomatoes, red onion and feta cheese with a sweet and salty dressing. Fresh mint and a pinch of Himalayan pink salt just the perfect finishing touch.
  
  1 small watermelon (about 3 – 5 lb.)
  
  1/2 c. fresh mint, finely chopped
  
  1/4 c. red onion, thinly sliced
  
  12 oz. cherry, halved
  
  2 tbsp. olive oil
  
  2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
  
  1 tsp. pure honey
  
  Kosher salt and black pepper
  
  1/4 cup Crumbled feta
  
  pinch of Pink Himalayan salt
  
  Remove the rind from watermelon and cut the flesh into 1/2 inch-thick cubes; arrange on a platter. Top with fresh mint, red onion, cherry tomatoes. Combine olive oil, fresh lime juice, pure honey, and kosher salt and black pepper in a bowl. Spoon over watermelon; top with crumbled feta. Sprinkle with a pinch of Pink Himalayan salt.
  
  If you are taking on a picnic or to a party assemble salad at your location.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in desserts, Farm Fresh Produce, Food, Healthy | Tagged Easy recipe, Feta Cheese, summer salad, watermelon salad
- Peach Schnapps Pie with Streusel Topping
  
  Posted at 8:37 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Aug 26th
  August is peach season with fresh picked peaches in all the markets. Peach pie is one of my favorites pies(I know I say that about every pie!). Sometimes you have to do something different, go a little rouge, shack it up! That’s what I did with this Peach Pie, I added Peach Schnapps to the filling, added a streusel topping all in a phyllo pie crust. I just let my creative cooking ideas flow for this show stopping pie!
  
  Streusel topping:
  
  1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
  
  1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
  
  1/3 cup cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced
  
  3/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
  
  Filling:
  
  3/4 cup sugar
  
  2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
  
  3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
  1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  
  1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  
  2 tablespoon Peach Schnapps
  
  3 3/4 to 4 pounds peaches, peeled with vegetable peeler, halved, pitted, cut into 1-inch wedges
  
  Phyllo Pie Crust:
  
  10 14×9-inch sheets fresh phyllo pastry or frozen, thawed
  
  5 tablespoons butter, melted
  
  2 tablespoons sugar
  
  1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  
  1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  
  1/4 teaspoon ginger
  
  Preparation:
  
  Streusel topping:
  
  Stir flour, oats, sugar, and salt in medium bowl. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until mixture holds together in moist clumps. Mix in pecans. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.
  
  filling:
  
  Stir sugar and next 4 ingredients in large bowl. Mix in Peach Schnapps, then peaches; toss. Let stand at least 20 minutes, tossing occasionally.
  
  Crust:
  
  Lightly butter 10-inch-diameter tart pan. Place rimmed baking sheet in oven to heat. Combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in small bowl.
  
  Set rack at lowest position in oven. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lay 1 phyllo sheet on clean work surface and brush lightly with butter (keep remaining phyllo sheets covered with plastic wrap and damp towel to prevent drying). Sprinkle 1scant teaspoonful cinnamon mixture over phyllo. Repeat 4 times with phyllo, butter, and cinnamon mixture. Arrange stacked phyllo in tart pan, gently pressing and allowing long sides to hang over edge of pan. Repeat layering process with 5 remaining phyllo sheets. Arrange stacked phyllo crosswise atop first sheets so that overhanging corners point in opposite directions. Roll overhang in to form edge of crust.
  
  Spoon filling into crust. Scatter topping over, breaking up large clumps.
  
  Bake pie 30 minutes. Reduce oven to 350°F; bake until juices bubble thickly and topping is golden, covering edges with foil if browning too quickly, about 30 hour. Cool on rack at least 1 1/2 hours. Serve warm or at room temperature.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Baking, Baking, Dessert, desserts, Food, peaches, Pie | Tagged Peach Pie
- Lemon and Lavender Scones with Lemon Curd
  
  Posted at 9:00 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  May 3rd
  I am the number one fan of Victoria Magazine! Years ago I stumbled upon the first issue in a doctor’s office waiting room and I have been enamored ever since. This beautiful magazine with gorgeous features and breathtaking styled photoshoots speaks to my soul. I anxiously await every issue knowing my favorite magazine will not disappoint, each issue is a visual delight, from the articles to the recipes.
  
  I’ve made many of the recipes featured in Victoria and I find their recipes simple to duplicate, achieving the same results as the magazine. This is not always the case when you attempt a recipe from a magazine. Many times I have been disappointed with my results and I am a good cook. Not with Victoria!
  
  I love Victoria’s tag line, “For lovers of charming homes and gardens, decorative touches, and world travel, Victoria nourishes the feminine soul and promises a return to loveliness.”
  
  Below is the recipe for Lemon and Lavender Scones from Victoria Magazine the May/June 2020 issue.
  
  Lemon and Lavender Scones with Lemon Curd
  
  2 cups self-rising flour*
  
  ¼ cup of sugar
  
  ¼ cup cold salted butter
  
  2 teaspoons dried culinary lavender
  
  1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
  
  ½ cup cold heavy whipping cream
  
  1 large egg
  
  ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  Lemon curd
  
  Garnish: fresh culinary lavender flowers
  
  Preheat oven to 350°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  
  In a medium bowl, combine flour and sugar, whisking well. Using a pastry
  
  blender, cut butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  
  Add dried lavender and lemon zest, stirring well.
  
  In a small bowl, combine cream, egg, and vanilla extract, whisking well.
  
  Add cream mixture to flour mixture, stirring to combine. Continue to bring
  
  the dough together with hands. (If the mixture seems dry, add more cream, 1
  
  a tablespoon at a time, until uniformly moist.)
  
  Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 3 to 4 times.
  
  Roll dough into an 8 inch round and to a ½-inch thickness. Cut into 8
  
  rectangles.
  
  Bake until edges are golden brown and a wooden pick inserted
  
  in centers comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Remove scones to a wire
  
  rack, and let cool completely.
  
  Garnish with creamed honey lavender flowers, if desired.
  
  Lemon Crud
  
  3 egg yolks
  
  1/3 cup granulated sugar
  
  2 teaspoons lemon zest
  
  1/4 cup strained lemon juice
  
  1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubes
  
  In a small heavy saucepan whisk, together, lemon zest, and lemon juice
  
  until blended. Add butter; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until
  
  the mixture is very thick and the thermometer reads at least 175, about 10 minutes.
  
  Do not boil, Immediately remove from heat.
  
  Strain through a fine-mesh side into a small bowl. Press plastic wrap
  
  onto the surface, and let cool for 15 minutes. Refrigerate until serving, at
  
  least 1 hour.
  
  *If you have all-purpose flour add 3 teaspoons baking powder and 1
  
  teaspoon salt.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Baking, Baking, Dessert, desserts, Easy recipes, entertaining, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Tea Party | Tagged baking, Lemon Lavender scone, Tea Party, Victoria magazine
- Chocolate Covered Easter Eggs
  
  Posted at 8:20 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Apr 4th
  These easy to make chocolate covered Easter Eggs will delight all your family members young and old alike. I sometimes omit the coconut and just make cream eggs and peanut butter. You can serve them plain or decorated with purchased sugar appliqués. However, you choose to embellish these candy eggs will be a big success.
  
  CHOCOLATE COVERED EASTER EGGS
  
  EGGS
  
  8 tablespoon butter softened
  
  4 cups confectioners sugar
  
  1 teaspoon vanilla
  
  3/4 cups sweetened condensed milk
  
  7 ounces sweetened coconut
  
  2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
  
  CHOCOLATE COATING
  
  1 package(12 ounces) Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  
  6 tablespoon butter
  
  2 tablespoon heavy cream
  
  Sugar decorations
  
  Cream butter gradually with confectioners sugar. Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Mix until combined. Divide sugar mixture in half adding coconut to one half and peanut butter to the other. Shape cream mixtures into small eggs. Place on wax paper
  
  Place chocolate and butter in a large glass bowl. Then, microwave one minute on high. The chocolate will look shiny; stir to combine butter. Microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring after each, until totally smooth. Chocolate continues to melt once you take it out of the microwave. If you microwave the chocolate until it looks completely melted, you risk burning the chocolate.
  
  Add cream to chocolate mixture until combined.
  
  Roll eggs in chocolate and place on wax paper. Don’t coat the underside of eggs. Use a small spatula to smooth out the chocolate and cover the eggs of the filing. Decorate. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. The eggs can be made ahead and frozen. Makes 36 eggs.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Chocolate, Dessert, desserts, Easter Recipes, entertaining, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Holiday Celebrations | Tagged Chocolate easter eggs, Easy recipes, Ghirardelli Chocolate
- French Macarons a special Valentine’s Day treat for your Sweetheart!
  
  Posted at 10:00 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Feb 9th
  via French Macarons a special Valentine’s Day treat for your Sweetheart!
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  Posted in Baking, Baking, cookies, desserts, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Valentine Day | Tagged baking, Cookies, French Macarons, Valentine's Day
- Oatmeal Cherry Thumbprints
  
  Posted at 12:45 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Dec 15th
  I do love to bake cookies, yes they do take time to make but so worth all your effort. My fondest memories of Christmas are helping my mother bake. One of my jobs was to use my grandmother’s cast iron single pizzelle mold. My mother would make the dough and then it was my job to hold the mold on the stove and cook on each side just until the cookie was done. The mold only made one cookie at a time. I retired mold but the wonderful remembrances live on and keep me baking copious cookies quantities during the Christmas season. A tradition I am passing along to my grandchildren.
  
  Oatmeal Cherry Rounds are easy to make, simply delicious, and add a festive look to any cookie collection. If you are a cookie virgin I would suggest these Oatmeal cookies as a great first cookie to bake. I used red cherries, you can use red and green cherries or pecan in the center it is also nice.
  
  1 cup butter
  
  1 cup brown sugar
  
  1 egg
  
  1/2 tsp vanilla
  
  2 cups flour
  
  1 tsp cinnamon
  
  1/2 tsp baking soda
  
  1/2 tsp salt
  
  1 1/2 cup oatmeal (quick cook)
  
  1/4 cup sugar
  
  1 package(4 oz) red cherries
  
  Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Cream butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. If you plan to be a baker invest in a stand mixer to make the task quick and easy. Beat in egg and vanilla until well mixed. Combine dry ingredients and add to cream mixture, stir in oats. Shape dough into small balls and roll in sugar, place on ungreased cookie sheet. Cut cherries in half and press half in center of ball pressing down to flatten cookie. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Baking, Christmas, Christmas Recipes, cookies, Dessert, desserts, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen | Tagged Christmas cookies, Easy recipe, oatmeal cherry rounds
- Perfect Chocolate Cake
  
  Posted at 9:46 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Nov 16th
  Perfect Chocolate Cake
  
  For birthday celebrations my mother made her chocolate cake with rich fudge frosting and a chocolate filling. I believe she found this recipe in McCalls Cooking School publications, a series of cooking magazines with detailed instructions. When I married she shared with me her prize recipe and I’ve made this moist flavorful cake for birthday’s ever since.
  
  1 cup unsifted unsweetened cocoa
  
  2 cups boiling water
  
  2 3⁄4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  
  2 teaspoons baking soda
  
  1⁄2 teaspoon salt
  
  1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
  
  1 cup butter, softened
  
  2 1⁄2 cups sugar
  
  4 eggs
  
  1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla
  
  6 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces
  
  1⁄2 cup half and half
  
  3/4 cup butter
  
  2 1⁄2 cups unsifted confectioners’ sugar
  
  1 cup heavy cream, chilled
  
  1⁄4 cup unsifted confectioners’ sugar
  
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  1 cup heavy cream
  
  8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
  
  1 teaspoon almond extract
  
  Preheat oven to 350°F.
  
  In a medium bowl, combine cocoa with boiling water, mixing with wire whisk until smooth. Cool completely. Sift flour with soda, salt, and baking powder. Grease well and lightly flour three 9 by 1 1/2 inch layer-cake pans. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, at high speed, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, scraping bowl occasionally until light-about 5 minutes.
  
  At low speed, beat in flour mixture (in fourths), alternately with the cocoa mixture (in thirds), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Do not over-beat.
  
  Divide evenly into pans; smooth top. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip.
  
  Cool in pans 10 minutes.
  
  Carefully loosen sides with a spatula; Remove from pans; cool on racks.
  
  Frosting: In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate pieces, cream, butter; stir over medium heat until smooth.
  
  Remove from heat. With a whisk, blend in 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar.
  
  In a bowl set over ice(I use ice cubes) beat until it holds shape.
  
  Filling:
  
  Heat the cream in a saucepan or in the microwave, until the mixture begins to steam.
  Pour over the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir — at first slowly, then more vigorously — until the chocolate is completely melted. If necessary, reheat very briefly to soften any remaining hard bits of chocolate. Add almond extract. Refrigerate ganache until thick.
  
  To assemble the cake:
  
  On plate place a layer, top side down; spread with half of the ganache. Place the second layer, top side down; spread with rest of ganache.
  
  Place the third layer, top side up.
  
  To frost: With a spatula, frost sides first, covering ganache; use rest of frosting on top, swirling decoratively.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Baking, Baking, Cake, Dessert, desserts, Easy recipes, Food | Tagged chocolate cake, easy
- Blueberry Pumpkin Loaf Bread
  
  Posted at 8:49 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Oct 12th
  Autumn holds a special place in my heart; I was born in Autumn and I feel a pull – a strong kinship to this time of the year. I love the sights and smell of the season – burnished crimson leaves, crisp red apples, cinnamon spice pumpkin lattes, hayrides, pumpkin patches, mums exploding with color, and the majestic vistas filled with nature’s glory in New England. Autumn is my favorite baking season with a bountiful array of ingredients to create flavorful treats.
  
  Pumpkin tea bread is so easy to make and although I have so many different variations, I still find new recipes to create. I love blueberries so I thought why not combine blueberries, from the summer, with a pumpkin flavor from the fall. Add a crumb topping for extra texture for an amazing tea bread to accompany a rich Chai Tea.
  
  “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” F. Scott Fitgerald.
  
  Nonstick cooking spray
  2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  ½ teaspoon salt
  ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  
  2 ½ tsp. pumpkin spice
  ⅔ cup buttermilk
  ½ cup canned pumpkin
  1 teaspoon vanilla
  ½ cup butter softened
  ½ cup granulated sugar
  ¼ cup packed brown sugar
  2 eggs
  ½ cup fresh blueberries
  
  1 recipe Almond-Oat Streusel Topping
  
  Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
  
  In a medium bowl stir together the next five ingredients. In a small bowl combine buttermilk, pumpkin, and vanilla.
  
  In a large bowl beat butter and both sugars with a mixer on medium until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately, beating on low after each addition just until combined (batter will be stiff). Fold in blueberries.
  
  Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan. Top with Almond-Oat Streusel Topping. Bake 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool loaf pan on a wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pan.
  
  Almond-Oat Streusel Topping
  
  In a small bowl stir together 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 2 Tbsp. each rolled oats and sliced almonds, 4 tsp. all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp. the ground cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Stir in 3 Tbsp. melted butter.
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  Posted in Baking, breads, Breakfast, Dessert, desserts, Easy recipes, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen | Tagged Autumn baking, Pumpkin bread, Tea Bread
- Fall Apple Desserts
  
  Posted at 8:25 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Sep 11th
  Autumn, crisp mornings when dew glistens on burnished crimson leaves and you can taste the ripe apples in the orchards, just waiting to be picked. Apples, caramels, walnuts, and cinnamon flavors my favorite ingredients baked into fabulous desserts!
  
  Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  In New England we are love to celebrate the fall season. Cool morning with warm sunny days, jewel tone leaves, farm roadside stands bursting with the last of summer’s bounty all signal the change in the seasons. Nature’s premier show on display for all to enjoy. Fall baking is one of my favorite past times and I especially love to make apple desserts. Going through all my post I realized I’m kind of obsessed with apples, cakes, pies, cupcakes and more. When I’m creating a new cake or pie the fall just inspires me like nature to give it my all and go wild! Here are a few of my fall favorites that I have posted over the years.
  
  Candied Apple Fudge Bundt Cake
  
  Candied Apple Fudge Bundt Cake
  
  FANTASTIC APPLE PIE
  
  Fantastic Fall Apple Pie
  
  CANDIED APPLE CRUMB CAKE
  
  Candied Apple Crumb Cake
  
  FALL APPLE PIE
  
  FALL APPLE PIE
  
  View original post 3 more words
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  Posted in Apples, Cake, desserts, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen | Tagged Apple cake, Apple Pie
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