Kristen's Recipes

1/2 C. warm water
4.5 tsp. active dry yeast (2 envelopes)
Pinch of granulated sugar
1/3 C. granulated sugar
1 C. warm milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1/3 C. canola oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2.5 C. whole wheat flour
2.5 C. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface and your hands
4 C. canola oil for frying
2 C. granulated sugar, tossed with 2 tsp. cinnamon (reserve in a shallow bowl)
Lemon

In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast and a pinch of sugar. Let stand until it is slightly foamy (about 5 minutes). Add the remaining 1/3 C. of sugar, milk, vanilla, eggs, oil and salt. Stir until smooth. Mix in about half of flour and continue stirring, with a wooden spoon, gradually adding the remaining flour until it all has been incorporated. Flour your hands and turn dough onto a floured surface. Knead for about 5 minutes. The dough will be very sticky, but resist the temptation to add more flour. Transfer dough to a greased bowl and cover with a clean dish towel. Let dough sit covered until it rises and doubles (about 45 minutes). Lightly deflate dough and pinch off a piece about the size of a golf ball. Gently form into a ball with your hand. On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the small ball of dough into an oval shape, about 2 x 4 inches. Put it onto a lightly floured baking sheet and and cover it with a tea towel while you continue to do the same with remaining dough. Heat about 4 inches of oil in a deep-fryer (375F/190C)) or Dutch oven. Before placing flattened dough into oil, gently stretch to enlarge the oval (I stretched mine to about 4 x 7 inches), to resemble a beaver tail. Carefully slip the dough ovals into oil (one or two at a time). Fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 30 seconds per side. Carefully remove from oil and let drain momentarily on paper towels. While still warm, toss lightly in cinnamon sugar. If desired, squeeze a bit of lemon over the pastry.

1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup cream cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup butter, melted
1 cup diced fresh strawberries
½ cup sugar
For the Drizzle:
3-5 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375/190C. Grease a brownie/bar pan and set aside. (If you do not have a brownie pan, a muffin pan can be used in its place). In a small heat-safe bowl, soften the butter and cream cheese together in the microwave until very soft, but not completely melted. In a food processor, mix all of the ingredients (except the strawberries) until combined. Clean the sides with a rubber scraper and mix a few seconds more to mix any remnants into the batter. Remove the blade from the food processor and fold in the strawberries. Using an ice cream scoop, fill the sections equally (with one scoop in each section). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean, and the tops are nicely browned. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. For the Drizzle: In a mixing bowl whisk together 2 tablespoons of the milk, the melted butter powdered sugar, and ½ tsp vanilla extract. Add in more milk as needed 1 teaspoon at a time until it is the desired consistency. Once the cakes have cooled ten minutes, drizzle with the glaze and serve.

Dreamy Red Velvet Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
2 eggs
1 1/2 white sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 ounces red food coloring
2 1/2 cups of white flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vinegar

Frosting ingredients
1/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1/4 soft cream cheese 1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon rum or bourbon (if desired)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (if desired)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a Bundt pan. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs well (use an electric mixer/stand mixer). In a small bowl, combine food coloring and cocoa. Add cocoa mixture to butter mixture and mix well. Separately add the buttermilk and flour to the butter mixture in small batches, mixing well after each addition. Gently fold in the baking soda and vinegar. Pour batter into greased Bundt pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cake cool for 20-30 minutes and then invert onto a cake platter. To prepare frosting: Mix butter, cream cheese and sugar well. Then add milk and remaining ingredients (except nuts if using). Pour frosting over Bundt cake and top with nuts if desired.

4 sheets phyllo dough
1 T. walnut or almond oil
3 Granny Smith apples
¼ tsp. cinnamon powder
2 T. honey
1 oz. walnut or almond oil
1 vanilla bean
1 T. vanilla extract
½ C. plain nonfat yogurt

Preheat: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Phyllo Squares: Spread out phyllo dough one sheet at a time. Keep remaining phyllo sheets under a moist towel to avoid drying out. Brush walnut oil very lightly on the phyllo sheet to coat evenly. Top sheet with second sheet and repeat procedure. Top with third and final sheet and again, repeat procedure. Cut phyllo into four-inch squares and place on parchment paper and on a baking sheet pan. Place in oven and bake approximately 4 to 6 minutes or until the top is golden and crispy. Turn phyllo squares over and bake for an additional two minutes. While dough is baking, prepare the vanilla oil. Vanilla Oil: Using a sharp knife, cut the vanilla bean in half the long way. Flatten husks with beans facing up. Using the back of the knife, scrape all of the beans out of the husk. Place beans in a small saucepan and add one oz. walnut oil and place on stove. Heat until hot, but not boiling. Remove pan from stove. Apples: Peel and cut apples into quarter-inch slices. Heat a large nonstick pan and add apples and cinnamon. Sauté over a high heat until caramelized, golden brown and soft. Add honey and mix well. Remove from heat and keep warm. Vanilla Yogurt: In a mixing bowl, add vanilla extract and yogurt. Using a whisk, whip until creamy and well-distributed. To Serve: Place a phyllo square in the center of the plate. Top with one oz. sautéed apples and one T. vanilla yogurt. Top with another phyllo sheet, apples and yogurt. And finally, layer a top layer of all ingredients. Drizzle infused vanilla bean oil over the top of the natural apple crisp. Enjoy.

2 1/2 oz. dried pasilla chiles (also called chile negro) or 2 1/2 oz. dried ancho chiles plus 1/4 tsp. cayenne (see notes)
1 lb. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 C. (6 oz.) butter, at room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
5 large eggs, separated
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 T. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. firmly packed dark brown sugar or finely crushed piloncillo sugar (see notes)
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
Powdered sugar
1 C. whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla or 1 T. coffee-flavored liqueur such as Kahlúa

Lay chiles in a single layer on a 12- by 15-inch baking sheet. Bake in a 400° oven just until pliable, about 2 minutes. Wearing rubber gloves, break off stems, shake out seeds, and break chiles into small pieces, dropping into a small bowl; discard stems and seeds. Cover chiles with warm water and let soak until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain chiles and put in a blender with 1/3 C. water; whirl until smooth, adding 1 more T. water as needed to make a thick paste. Push purée through a fine strainer; discard residue. You need 1/3 C. chile purée. If using ancho chiles, stir cayenne into the chile purée. Line bottom of a 9-inch cake pan (sides at least 1 1/2 in. tall) with baking parchment. In a large bowl nested over a pan of simmering water (water shouldn’t touch bottom of bowl), combine chocolate and butter. Stir occasionally just until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, about 8 minutes. Remove from over water and whisk in 1/3 C. chile purée, the egg yolks, vanilla, and flour until mixture is blended. Pour brown sugar into a small bowl and stir or whisk to break up lumps and loosen. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until very frothy and foamy. Gradually add brown sugar to whites, beating until stiff, moist peaks form. With a whisk, fold a third of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture until well incorporated. Then fold in remaining whites just until blended. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake cake in a 425° regular or 400° convection oven until it appears set and center barely jiggles when pan is gently shaken, about 15 minutes. Let cool in pan on a rack for about 15 minutes. Run a knife between cake and pan rim, then invert onto a serving platter. Lift off pan and peel off parchment. Let cake cool about 30 minutes, then chill until firm and cold, at least 4 hours; cover cake once completely chilled. For best texture, let cake come to room temperature before serving, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Sift powdered sugar lightly over cake (for a pattern, lay a stencil on cake before sifting the sugar, then carefully lift it off). In a bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Stir in vanilla. Cut cake into wedges and serve each with a dollop of whipped cream.

2 large eggs
1 C. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
2 T. all-purpose flour
2 C. buttermilk
1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/3 C. lemon juice
1/4 C. (1/8 lb.) butter
Lightly sweetened whipped cream (optional)

In a bowl, whisk eggs to blend. In a 2- to 3-quart pan, mix sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Stir in the buttermilk, then set the mixture over medium heat and stir often until simmering, 10 to 12 minutes. Continue simmering, stirring often, 2 minutes longer. Whisk half the buttermilk mixture into the eggs, then return both to pan, along with lemon peel, lemon juice, and butter. Whisk over medium-low heat until pudding reaches 160° on an instant-read thermometer and very thickly coats a spoon, 4 to 6 minutes; do not boil. Spoon pudding into bowls or heatproof glasses. Serve warm or cool, with whipped cream if desired.

If you have seasonal fruit and a few staples in your pantry, you can always make my favorite rustic dessert: a crisp. When I need a last-minute dessert, fruit crisp is always my go-to. It’s so easy and so delicious. You don’t really need a recipe to make a great fruit crisp. You just need great fruit, a little sweetener, some spice, and plenty of crumbly oatmeal cookie-type topping. I like to use cornstarch or arrowroot powder to slightly thicken up juicy fruits, but if you don’t have these starches on hand, all-purpose flour works fine too. Consider this a blueprint, with ideas for fruit crisps throughout the season, and combine fruits, play with spices, and experiment to find your own perfect crisp.

For the topping:
¾ C. rolled oats
1/2 C. lightly packed light brown sugar
1/2 C. chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds
1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at soft room temperature
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt

Filling ingredients (See graphic)
Lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla
ice cream, for serving (optional)

Move an oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch-square pan. In a small bowl, combine all the topping ingredients and mix together until it looks uniformly clumpy. Set aside. ^ Choose a filling combination. In a medium bowl, toss the fruit, sweetener, thickener, and extras together, then pour the fruit mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the crisp topping all over the filling, then bake until the fruit juices are thickened and bubbly and the topping is golden brown and crunchy, 40 minutes or up to 1 hour, depending on the fruit. Serve the crisp with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream, if desired. Note: If you use frozen fruit, increase the amount of thickener you use a bit.

1 C. granulated sugar
2 C. sliced rhubarb (1/2 in. thick)
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 C. plus 2 T. butter
1/3 C. firmly packed brown sugar
2 T. bourbon or orange juice
1/2 C. pecan halves
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1 carton (7 1/2 to 8 oz.) crème fraîche or sour cream
2 C. all-purpose flour

In a bowl, combine 1/4 C. granulated sugar, the rhubarb, lemon peel, and 1 T. lemon juice. In a 10-inch frying pan over medium heat, melt 2 T. butter; add brown sugar, bourbon, and remaining 1 T. lemon juice; stir often until caramel has thickened and is medium brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Spread in a buttered 9-inch round cake pan (with 2-in.-tall sides). Arrange pecans over caramel. Scatter rhubarb mixture on top. In a bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat remaining 1/2 C. butter and 3/4 C. granulated sugar until blended. Beat in eggs until smooth. Beat in baking powder, vanilla, and salt, half the crème fraîche, then half the flour; repeat with remaining crème fraîche and flour. Drop spoonfuls of batter over rhubarb; spread smooth. Bake in a 350° oven until cake is golden on top and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool on a rack 15 minutes. Run a knife between cake and pan sides. Invert onto a plate. Serve warm.