Last-Minute Patriotic Star Cupcakes

So, we're off to a picnic in a few hours for Memorial Day and I'm thinking . . . "help!  I didn't plan anything FUN!"  And then I remember I AM A DEMARLE AT HOME REP!  I can pull together ANYTHING!

So here's what me and the kids did:
Bake Cupcakes:
1 Yellow Cake Mix
3 eggs
1 can (approx. 7oz.) Mandarin Oranges (with juice)

Mix in Mixing Bowl with Whisk and pour into Flexipan of choice (make sure Flexipan is on the Perforated Baking Tray).  We used the Mini-Muffin Tray and the Star Tray. Bake at 350 for approx. 20 min. (depends on size of tray/mold - test with a toothpick)

Frosting:
8oz. cream cheese (let sit on counter until at room temperature before mixing)
1 tsp. lemon flavoring
2 cups Powdered Sugar (more or less to your taste).
1/8 cup milk (pour a little at a time to make sure it doesn't get too runny)

Mix in electric mixer in order above.  Use pastry bag and tips to swirl onto cooled cupcakes.  For the patriotic part, we used red sprinkles and blueberries in the middle.  So cute and delicious!

Cindy's Berry Cake and Keylime Cheesecake

This berry cake is so simple!  I made this for an Easter gathering last weekend.  Use the Medium Round Molds or any of the molds for a different look.  Make mini cakes using the Round Tray.  Bake your favorite cake or use the one in our catalog.

The filling/frosting is the kicker though!  

Whip in an electric mixer:

4 cups heavy whipping cream (1 quart)

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup of cream cheese (optional)

1 tsp. vanilla

Then decorate with your favorite berries and mint leaves.

I'm both delighted and a little sheepish at telling you that this is a mix from Costco.  It's a Keylime Cheesecake mix with a crushed chocolate cookie crumb shell.  The reason I'm sharing this with you is because this made the simplest, yet elegant dessert.  It called for a lined baking pan, but it was much easier to turn this "bar cookie" into a delicate, bit-sized treat using the Mini-Muffin Tray.  Use this tray with ANY of your no-bake, frozen, refrigerated desserts!

Ice Cream Birthday Cake

Ice cream cake was my favorite birthday treat growing up and now I know how to make it simply and best of all, cheaply!  (Have you seen how much those cakes cost in the store???)  The most important feature of this cake is the love that was poured into it by even the littlest of our home chefs!

Tools:  Medium Round Mold (having 2 makes it quicker) and Perforated Baking Sheet(s), Mixing Bowl, Set of 3 Spatulas, Heat Resistant Spatula, Pastry Bag and Tips.

Ingredients:

2 boxes of cake mix OR 2 boxes of brownie mixes

WARNING!  Using brownies AND frosting is a sugar overload!  Only make this combo if you are serious about your sweets!

1 gallon ice cream of choice

frosting of choice

Bake two cakes according to box instructions and cool completely.  Let ice cream soften while cakes are cooling.  Leave bottom layer in the Medium Round Mold to cool (on the Perforated Baking Sheet), then once cooled, add ice cream on top of it.  Put the other layer of cake on top of the ice cream, cover (Octagonal Silpat works great for covering) and put the cake in the freezer.  After a couple of hours or overnight, unmold cake on serving plate and decorate with frosting and sprinkles.  Light candles and sing your song!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Tart

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided

6 tablespoons melted butter

16 oz. cream cheese, room temp.

16 oz can solid pack pumpkin

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 pint sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup brown sugar

Mix crumbs with the 1 tablespoon sugar and melted butter until well blended.  Place Tart Mold or Large Round Mold on Perforated Baking Sheet.  Press crumbs into the bottom of the mold: chill.

Beat cream cheese and 1 cup of the sugar until blended.  Beat in pumpkin, spices, salt and eggs, one at a time.  Pour into mold and bake in 350 degree oven for 50 minutes.  Remove cake from oven and let cool.  Mix sour cream, brown sugar and the vanilla together: spread over cooled pumpkin layer.  Chill before removing from mold and keep chilled before serving.  (I like to put mine in the freezer before unmolding . . .)


For the sprinkles on the top, I used 1/2 Tbsp. of cinnamon and 1 Tbsp. of Brown Sugar - mix and sprinkle.

Apple Blue Cheese Bacon Cheesecake

Contributed by Peggy Trowbridge Filippone
Via Bonnie Lowry

Yield: 10-12 Servings
Cook Time: 8-9 Hours

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 pound bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled (reserve 2 tablespoons of fat)
1/2 onion, diced
1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
Demarle at Home in the Kitchen Sea Salt –Sel Gris (GTS00001), to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
16 ounces (2 large blocks) cream cheese, at room temperature
3 eggs
1/2 tablespoon Demarle at Home in the Kitchen Apple Pear Balsamic Vinegar (LOC00005)
1/8 cup whiskey
6 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon minced chives or Demarle at Home in the Kitchen Roasted Garlic and Chive Herb Blend (DHM00004)
Sliced fresh apples, toast wedges and/or assorted cocktail crackers

TOOLS:
Flexipan® Fluted Bundt Mold (FM000486)
Medium Perforated Baking Sheet (MA435310)
Demarle Difference Gourmet Fry Pan- 10” (DD902832)
Mixing Bowl (TA000120)
Demarle Difference Santoku Chef’s Knife (DD800001)
Heat Resistant Spatula (TA000108)
Magnetic Dazzling Trio (GRP00001)

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F and place oven rack in center position. Place the Bundt Mold on the Perforated Baking Sheet. Dust mold with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.**

In Fry Pan sauté onion in bacon fat until softened and translucent. Add apple and garlic and continue to sauté over medium heat an additional 2 to 3 minutes until apple begin to soften. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Let cool.

In Mixing Bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs, Balsamic Vinegar and whiskey, beating until smooth. Stir in apple mixture, bacon, blue cheese, remaining Parmesan cheese and chives or Chive Herb Blend by hand.

Pour batter into mold and bake overnight for 8-9 hours. It should be fairly firm and slightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on a rack at least one hour. Cover the top of the cooled cheesecake with plastic wrap.

Invert onto serving dish. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Reinvert and remove the plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour.
To serve as an appetizer, cut slices with a knife dipped in warm water and garnish with fresh apple slices, toast wedges, baguette and/or cocktail crackers of choice.

** Per Bonnie Lowry, to help Parmesan cheese stick to the sides of the Mold, coat with vegetable oil before dusting with Parmesan cheese.

Chocolate Popcorn

This makes a great gift and treat to bring to your next party!

Pop 1/3 cup dry kernels in Large Round Mold and Octagonal Silpat in microwave.

Chocolate Sauce:

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup syrup (corn or maple)

1/4 cup cocoa

dash of demarle difference sea salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 250 F.  Bring chocolate sauce ingredients (except vanilla) to a boil in the Large Flared Sauté Pan.  Boil for two minutes.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Mix in popcorn (and nuts if you wish and while I'm thinking about it, cranberries and coconut sound perfect too!).  Stir until well-coated.

Lay out popcorn mixture on Flexipat on Perforated Baking Sheet and bake for about 25 minutes.  Place on Floral Cooling Rack and let cool to room temp.  Break into small clumps and store in an airtight container.

*Note:  You could also use the Silpat  ~OR~  if you don't have the most wonderful products in the world yet, then go ahead and grease a pan of your choice, but just think of all the time and calories you're wasting!

Chocolates

Click HERE for Chocolate recipes from my Demarle Difference Newsletter: Sign up TODAY to receive it monthly (sign up form is on the left column of my blog).

Asparagus Tartlet

Check out this recipe by clicking Here! This is a great example of recipes that come out in my monthly newsletter! Sign up on the left column of my blog.

Don't miss all of the chocolate creations found in this month's edition! Email me for it!

Birthday Cake for "BaBa"

I've always been intimidated of decorating birthday cakes since my mom decorates the most gorgeous wedding cakes, but this time, I thought I'd do my best and let the kids do the rest! So this is how it started . . . ideally, I would have made it from scratch, but since this was a last-minute rush to finish a cake during MeiLan's nap time, I used ready ingredients. Next time, it will all be from scratch . . . right?

I used two chocolate cake mixes and baked each one in the Large Round Mold - this was overkill! Next time, I'll do one cake mix and split it between two Medium Round Molds.

Strawberry Cream Cheese filling - a blend of cream cheese and strawberry preserves - simple!!

With our molds, you do not need to crumb frost! Your cake comes out of the pan with a natural glaze where the sugars have caramelized - this makes life so simple!

Look for our new pastry bag and tips coming into our new catalog this summer!

Then, I let the kids go to town! What fun! And "BaBa" (Daddy), absolutely loved it! You could taste the love baked right in!

Crab Frittata

Thank you for sharing, Lavelle!

Hi everyone,

We’ve been talking a lot about eggs in the stainless and I have to tell you, I have never used as good a stainless as our Demarle Difference. The other night I made a Crab Frittata in the lg Gourmet Frying pan.

Preheat your pan on medium with a small amount of olive or butter (butter burns quicker, so I use oil); when your pan is good and warm, a little sizzle to it, pour in your beaten eggs. Cook until 2/3 set, do NOT stir. Check the bottom to see if the eggs have a little color to them; remove from heat and add whatever toppings you like. I used crab, sundried tomatoes, scallions, Demarle’s Herbs d’ Provence and parmesan cheese. Place pan under broiler in oven and watch closely. The eggs will finish cooking and the cheese will melt.

You can see how easily they slide out of the pan in the photo.

Bon Appétit,

Lavelle

Lavelle & Jim Wallace, Bronze Chef

Demarle at Home

2009-2010 Roundtable Member

Ice Cube Recipe

By Holly Klees

1- 12 oz frozen 100% fruit juice concentrate--you pick flavor. Dilute with one filling of the 12 oz. container with water or other juice, mix.

Put berries in bottom of mini muffin 20 tray that is on a Baking Sheet.

Slowly pour juice mix into the mini muffin tray 3/4 full.

Top with Medium Silpat to keep from sloshing around while taking to freezer.

Can layer multiple trays with Silpat in between layers. Freeze till solid.

Pop out frozen muffin juice cubes into your favorite cold drink.

4TH OF JULY IDEA---freeze red juice with blueberries and blackberries and serve in white grape or Sprite in a see through cup for RED-WHITE & BLUE DRINKS!!

Delicious!!

Chocolate Painted Baskets

These adorable baskets were made by Shelley Hart, Silver Chef with Demarle At Home ~ they're perfect for Easter, Baby or Bridal Showers, or just for fun!

These baskets were made in the Brioche Tray and the Charlotte Tray.

Melt a bag of your favorite chocolate chips with 1 Tbsp. of shortening, then using the pastry brush, paint 2 layers of chocolate in each Brioche or Charlotte shape. Once chocolate losses it’s shine remove each bowl from the tray and fill with your choice of filling. If filling with pudding, zest chocolate bar to decorate top. If you're adding a handle to your basket, (bubble tape or thin licorice works well), press into the second layer of chocolate coating when still wet and let sit until set.

Baby Blue Bird Cupcake

These cupcakes can be made in nearly any of Demarle's Flexipan Trays. They're cute, seasonal and a great dessert to make as a family! Martha Stewart's full recipe for both cupcakes can be found on her website.

Makes 24 cupcakes
1½ C. shredded coconut, toasted
1 box cake mix (flavor of your choice)
Vanilla frostingYellow and blue food coloring
1 Tbls. melted chocolate

Toasted coconut:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place Silpat or Flexipat on Perforated Baking Sheet. Spread coconut on Silpat/Flexipat. Bake about 10 minutes or until just beginning to brown. Remove from oven, let cool.


Directions:Place any Muffin Tray on Perforated Baking Sheet. Bake cupcakes according to package, let cool. Frost cupcakes with 1 cup frosting, set aside. Tint 2 Tablespoons frosting with yellow food coloring. Tint remaining frosting light blue and place in pastry bag with small round tip. Pipe three bluebird heads, 3/4 inch in diameter, onto each cupcake. Using knife, create yellow beaks on birds. With a toothpick, add melted-chocolate eyes. Form each nest by spreading 2 tablespoons toasted coconut around birds.

Lion and Lamb Cupcakes

These cupcakes can be made in nearly any of Demarle's Flexipan Trays. They're cute, seasonal and a great dessert to make as a family! Martha Stewart's full recipe for both cupcakes can be found on her website.

Makes 24 cupcakes
1 box cake mix (flavor of your choice)
2 oz. mini marshmallows, halved crosswise
6 full-sized marshmallows, halved lengthwise, then cut diagonally to make lamb ears
24 brown mini candy-coated chocolates (M&Ms)
3 pieces pink bubblegum, cut into 12 small triangles
½ bag coconut, toasted (see below)
12 white gumdrops, halved
1 bag licorice laces, cut into 1- to 1/2-inch lengths
Red food coloring


Instructions: Place Muffin Tray on Perforated Baking Sheet. Bake cupcakes according to instructions on package and cool. Frost half of cupcakes with white frosting, half with chocolate frosting. Color 1 Tbls. white frosting with red food coloring to make pink.


Toasted coconut:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place Silpat or Flexipat on Perforated Baking Sheet. Spread coconut on Silpat/Flexipat. Bake about 10 minutes or until just beginning to brown. Remove from oven, let cool.


Decorating: For the lamb (vanilla frosting) cupcakes: Arrange the halved mini marshmallows around the perimeter of each cupcake, in two concentric circles. Leave room for ears on the edges, and an empty circle in the center for the face. Place halved full-sized marshmallows in reserved spots for the ears. Place two mini chocolate candies in upper half of each empty circle to make the eyes, and a bubble gum triangle for the nose.


For the lion (chocolate frosting) cupcakes: Press coconut into the edge of the cupcakes to create a mane. On each cupcake, pipe a small dot of pink frosting in the center to form a nose, then arrange two gumdrop halves on either side of the nose for cheeks. Stick three licorice pieces into frosting on either side of cheeks for whiskers. Place two mini chocolate candies over gumdrops for eyes.

A Princess Tea Party! ~ Caramel/Banana Sauce Recipe

A Princess Tea Party! Cupcakes were made in my mini-muffin tray and piped frosting in the pastry bag w/tips.

Tartlets were made using our mini-tartlet tray.

I slightly thawed some strawberry ice-cream and then re-froze it in the Charlotte Tray. I piped whipping cream in our pastry bag w/tips and topped with a cherry. The cupcake was made in the Fluted Tray.

Recipe:

CARAMEL/BANANA SAUCE

Tools:

Medium Flared Saute Pan

Heat Resistant Spatula

Santoku Knife

Bamboo Cutting Board

Ingredients:

½ C. heavy whipping cream (must be heavy)

¼ C. butter (not margarine)
½ C. brown sugar
½ C. white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Pinch of salt

Bananas (diced)

Bring all ingredients (except bananas) to a boil in Demarle Difference pan, reduce heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes. When cooled slightly, add bananas and stir gently to coat with sauce.

Teddy Bear Pancakes

By: Shelley Hart

Prep Time: 5 min.

Cooking Time: 15-20 min.

Yield: 9 servings

TOOLS:

Mixing Bowl

Spoon and Spatula

Teddy Bear Tray OR Tray of Choice

Medium Perforated Baking Sheet

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all purpose flour

3 Tbsp. sugar

3 tsp. double-acting baking powder

1 1/8 tsp. salt

2 eggs

2 cups milk

(for thicker pancakes, use only 1 cup milk)

4 Tbsp. vegetable oil

butter or margarine for basting

top with maple syrup, honey, preserves, or apple butter, if desired.

Place Teddy Bear Tray on Perforated Baking Sheet. In Mixing Bowl, mix first 4 ingredients. In small bowl, beat eggs slightly; stir in milk and oil; add to flour mixture and stir just until flour is moistened. Pour batter (or spoon) into Teddy Bear tray. Place in oven, center rack position and bake on 350 degrees F for 15-20 min. or until firm. Baste with butter for last minute if golden brown is desired. Let cool slightly and unmold. Serve with preserves or warmed syrup.

Variation: Put a Tbs. of syrup into the center of each teddy bear pancake before baking . . .

"Dan Ta" - A Chinese Treat!

Dan Ta Recipe:

1 package Pillsbury Pie Crust or Puff Pastry

1/2 cup Hot Water

1/4 cup sugar

2 Eggs

1/2 tsp. (clear) vanilla

1/2 tsp. white vinegar

Dissolve sugar in hot water and let cool. Add remaining ingredients; whisk and then strain. Set aside. Roll out dough on Roul'Pat and cut Medium sized tartlets; use the shaper to put them into the Medium Tartlet Tray (make sure tray is on the Perforated Baking Sheet). Fill the tartlet half-full with egg mixture.

Bake at 375 F for about 15 minutes.

Heavenly Cheesecake - Mary Ann Bonder

From the kitchen of Mary Ann Bonder

Heavenly Cheesecake

Heat oven to 325 degrees

For Crust:
½ cup graham crackers crumbs
2 T sugar
2 T melted butter

Mix together and pat into bottom of flower mold. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes until set.

Filling:
4 (8 oz each) packages of cream cheese (soften at room temperature)
1 cup sugar
1 t vanilla
2 eggs
3 egg whites

Beat together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla at medium speed with electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs and egg whites one at a time, mixing at low speed after each addition, just until blended. Pour into flower mold.

Bake 45 – 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool completely before removing from mold. Unmold so that crust is on the bottom. (Flip twice.) Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight before serving. Garnish with fresh berries.