devil's food cake w/ chunky pb-cream cheese filling topped w/ ganache & salty peanuts

I'm not going to write out a post with these photo's....no one's going to read it.









devil's food cake w/ chunky pb-cream cheese filling topped w/ ganache
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I used the devil's food cake recipe from here--david lebovitz. Then I made the chunky pb filling (below). Then I used a ganache topping over the cake (below) and topped the cake with salty cocktails peanuts, chopped.

chunky peanut butter-cream cheese filling
8 oz cream cheese, very soft/room temp
½ stick salted butter, at room temp
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
A good pinch of sea salt
a dash of good quality vanilla extract
½ cup smooth peanut butter (not all natural)
handful of salty peanuts, rough chop

In a large bowl use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter together. The slowly add in the confectioners’ sugar—don’t forget to scrape the sides and bottom of bowl during mixing. Continue to beat till nice and fluffy, then add in the salt, vanilla extract, and peanut butter. I prefer to fold the peanut butter in by hand then added in the peanuts in.

ganache (so many ways to make this, here's my way)
12 ounces 70% cacao bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup heavy cream
2 TB unsalted butter

For the ganache, melt the chopped chocolate with the heavy cream in a double-boiler. Make sure to stir occasionally until fully melted. Once melted, take off the heat and add in the butter. Make sure to whisk this up good. The better you whisk the glossier and smoother the ganache. I waited about an hour and a half for it to cool to pour onto cake.
And just so you know, ganache keeps very well in the fridge overnight if covered very well. You must let it come to room temp before using and whisk it, A LOT.

assemble:
Bake the cake using the recipe link above. Let cakes cool in pans. Then once cooled use pb filling and spread on one layer of cake, be sure not to let the filling get too close to the edges. Once done filling, place the other cake on top. Pour on the ganache, then sprinkle with roughly chopped salty peanuts (optional but wonderful) or sprinkle whatever you wish on top.

**Note: I did a double layer of ganache; did one layer, let it cooled/harden then another layer to kick it up another notch.

sweet potato fries w/ caramelized onion-horsey dip

Are you tired of the sweet potato and carmelized onion themes? No? Cool. Seriously, ask any foodie out there, isn't it always all about the sauce, the dip, marinade, the drippings, etc..? Truth be told I am one of those people that when in a restaurant or in my own home I always want extra sauce; have no problem asking for extra sauce on the side. And you know it's nice to meet other foodies out there that share my same affinity for 'extra sauce'. Since I've started blogging, I've noticed and adore how many foodies out there that love extra sauce. In my last post, banana custard tarlettes, I talked about how as a young child I loved my extra sauce--I still do. A good sauce that has depth of flavor, as well as many flavors mingling inside, not just one or two, but many flavors in the beginning of the bite and at the end of the bite. This dip is one I created from my deep love for truly good caramelized onions. You know the kind of caramelized onions that take hours to caramelize and develop? I wanted to try and incorporate these caramelized onions into a spicy horsey creamy dip. I mean come on, caramelized onions and horsey sauce--Onwards I say! This also has fire/heat to it and it has that horsey heat to it as well (double the fun). Of course I need a vehicle to eat this dip, I mean you could use your fingers, but the sweetness of the sweet potato fries does add a really nice contrast to the two types of heat in the dip. I would imagine this dip would taste good with potato chips (might be kind of salty and hide the deep heat), but I prefer the sweetness of the sweet potato fries. Carrots or cukes would go very well with this.

Oh BACON, baaaaaconnn should be added to this! Quick write that down!

caramelized onion & horsey dip
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¼ cup mayo (Hellmans)
¼ cup sour cream
Couple pinches of cayenne pepper
Couple pinches of chili powder
3 TB or more of horsey sauce
3-4 dashes of hot sauce
2 TB of catsup
3 TB caramelized onions

Mix all together. You might want to puree the caramelized onions if you don't want chunks in the sauce--up to you. Please let this chill at least 3 hours before serving so all the flavors meld nicely together and get all nice and happy.
And add some real, crisp bacon chunks to this; I must try that next time.

hamburg-cheddar-onion pizza w/ fig jam

I seriously need to open my own pizza shop. :::ring ring::: "Hello Vanilla Sugar Pizza House may I take your order?" That doesn't have a pizza ring to it does it?


But seriously my constant craving for strange and unusual pizza is never ending.
I would love a big old kitchen with massive brick pizza ovens to test my funky recipes.
Would you all come? Would you even go so far to try the funkiest of funkiest that I create?
Give me your funkiest pizza that you would love to try?
What toppings? What sauce? What kind of dough?
You need to try that multi-grain pizza dough from Whole Foods. It's so chewy, bakes up nice and crisp on the edges, with a hint of chewy in the middle.
But the key is to have a scorching hot oven to bake.  The faster you bake the multi-grain dough the better it tastes and the better the texture too.

cheddar-hamburg-onion pizza w/ fig jam
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your favorite pizza dough recipe or use this
sharpcheddar cheese, shredded (don't know if mozza would work here)
3/4 cup +/- caramlized sweet Vidalia onions
cooked hamburg (1 lb. pre-cooked), optional but wonderful
fig jam (see below)
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450/500 degrees. If you have a pizza stone use it, they make all the difference in the world when making a thick hearty pizza like this one.
Top the pizza with a nice layer of the fig jam- get those edges! The jam makes a killer crust.. Not too thick nor too thin. Sprinkle on the shredded aged cheddar cheese, then the hamburg (if using), then the caramelized onions.
Bake till nice and crispy! About 12 +/- minutes. I know it's hard, but let this bad boy rest before cutting into it. Serve with a side of the fig jam for dipping.
Here is my fig jam recipe (below). It's funky, but good. The next time I make this I want to add in some mustard seed--I felt it was missing it.

Fig Jam

1 cup of pureed figs (sweet mission figs-the insides only, not the skins, only puree for a couple pulses)
¾ cup of good balsamic vinegar
1 heaping TB of dark brown sugar
3 TB orange juice
Salt & pepper
1 TB pure vanilla extract
Couple dashes of curry powder
¼ cup caramelized onions

Combine the pureed figs, dark brown sugar, 3 TB of orange juice, and vinegar in a saucepan and simmer over low heat, not boiling, but a tiny bit of bubbling. Simmer until mixture reduces down about halfway of its original mixture--maybe 40 minutes? Keep an eye on this, you don’t want this to burn. At the last 5 minutes of simmering add in the curry, salt & pepper (to taste), caramelized onions, and the pure vanilla extract.
Once it’s reduced down let it cool. When cooled, place in blender and puree. Pour through a sieve/chinois to get out the little funky bits and seeds.

sweet potato hash

I truly don't have anything to write as I just made this literally a mere few hours ago and wanted to get it posted ASAP. You must make this. If you are a fan of the 'hash family' not hashish, although that might be kinda good..no don't go there! Let's stick with the fact that this is one very tasty hash. It truly melds perfectly with fresh hollandaise sauce; wow do they go together! So many flavors in this hash all melding together nice and cozy. Have you ever seen sweet potato hash? I've never seen this before, but had it in the back of my mind for a while and finally put it to the hot, greasy skillet this morning.

sweet potato hash
by vanillasugarblog.com
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2-3 sweet potatoes, chopped into 1-inch cubes
extra virgin olive oil
a few TB of butter
salt & pepper
caramelized onions
few dashes of worcestershire sauce
couple dashes of Tabasco sauce, optional but wonderful

Caramelize some onions (about 1 giant sweet yellow onion) after it's done caramelizing add a few drops of the Worcestershire sauce, set aside. Heat up skillet with some EVOO and fry up the sweet potatoes until nice & crispy, season with salt and pepper. Towards the end of cooking add a few tablespoons of butter to the skillet to melt into the hash. Then add in a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, mix until combined.

I served the hash with a fried egg and a touch of fresh hollandaise sauce (as seen in the background of the pic). Love my sauces; sauces are my friend. I'm a true sauce-junkie. Raise your hand if you are a sauce-junkie!

tomato & spicy corn relish on puff pastry with horsey sauce

An easy post today as I had my butt kicked at the gym today, so I am exhausted, but it's a good kind of exhausted; a kind of exhausted that will make you sleep like a baby. I had a workout session that was easy in the beginning, harder in the middle because I wanted to give up and say that's enough for now, but no I pushed harder and made it to the end thus feeling like a million bucks. Don't you love that after workout feeling? Good stuff. But most times when I workout like crazy I get like 'prison hungry' afterwards. Ever get that? I try not to overeat and look like a pig eating four meals at once because I get the strangest looks from friends and family. Speaking of the gym, you know what's the worst? Those meatheads who make all those grunting noises. What's up with that? Why all the noises? I know it's hard lifting weights, but why all the excessive grunting and then "slam!" of the weights after each set? And a constant stare at me in between sets? Are you trying to get me to notice you? You're scaring me away...

Tomato, cheddar & spicy corn relish on puff pastry
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2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced, left to dry out a bit on paper towels
1/4 to 1/2 cup of spicy corn relish (see below)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (your choice)
Puff pastry
Horsey sauce (see below)

I don't know about you but I do love working with puff pastry. Some times when I'm not in the mood to make my own puff pastry I use my go-to pre-made puff pastry Dufour's. Which I find at Whole Foods in the frozen section. Always keep your puff pastry frozen till ready to use, then defrost according to directions on package. Puff pastry does not keep in the fridge long after it's been thawed. Here's is the recipe I use for spicy corn relish. Or I use this pre-made relish, which is just as good, it's from Stonewall Kitchen who make wonderful products.

So all I did was slice the tomatoes thin and let them drain a bit on paper towels. Rolled out the puff pastry onto a greased cookie sheet, layer the puff pastry with a thin layer of cheese of your choice (I used cheddar) then a thin layer of the spicy corn relish, then the tomatoes.

Sprinkle with a bit of salt & pepper and bake in preheated oven (375 degrees) for about 15-20 minutes, making sure to turn pan at midpoint. Let cool and slice. You can top with the horsey sauce. Puff pastry, once cooked, does not keep well after a day, really should be eaten straight away--which is no problem in my house.

Horsey Sauce

1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup horseradish
1 ts of white wine or vinegar

In a small bowl stir together the sour cream, heavy cream, wine, and horseradish.
Makes about 1 ½ cups sauce; you can halve this or even quarter this recipe.