Author - Allison

Chocolate Hazelnut Macaroon Torte

There was someone working in the grocery store yesterday giving out free cosmo shots. I’m not certain if it was the booze coursing through my veins but out of no where, dessert struck me! I quickly searched through the Smittenkitchen blog for inspiration. I’ve been following that blog for the past six years and it was in the gluten free section that I found… a Chocolate Hazelnut Macaroon Torte. All of those things in one luscious dessert? Yes. Please and thank you. The recipe took a good amount of time but it is very much worth it if you have a love of hazelnuts!

Chocolate Hazelnut Macaroon Torte
(Recipe credit to smittenkitchen)
Cooking oil spray
1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons sugar
6 large egg whites
2 1/2 cups hazelnuts (about 12 ounces or 340 grams), toasted, then skinned as much as possible*
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon espresso granules
1 1/2 cups chilled heavy or whipping cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon Frangelico
A semi- or bittersweet chocolate bar for shaving

1. Spread raw hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, tossing once throughout baking. Let cool and roll them around with a towel to remove as much of their skins as you can.

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2. Change heat to 325°F and position oven racks in the top and lower levels of oven. Draw eight-inch circles onto four pieces of parchment paper. Place them face down onto two baking sheets, ensuring pencil-side is down so that it doesn’t touch the macaroon mixture. Spray each of the circles with cooking oil and wipe down with a paper towel so that there is a thin layer of oil on each.
3. Place hazelnuts into the food processor with 1 cup of sugar and salt. Blend until very finely ground (I didn’t blend quite as much as I would prefer for next time. This is an important step!) Set aside.DSC_0125
4. Beat egg whites in an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Carefully drizzle in the vanilla extract and the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Beat until stiff peaks have formed, they will almost have a pearly sheen to them.

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5. Fold hazelnut mixture into egg whites in thirds. Spread a quarter of the macaroon batter evenly within each circle, filling completely. Bake macaroon layers until golden and dry to the touch — 20-25 minutes. Cool macaroons on their sheets on a cooling rack.

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6. While meringues cool, heat half of chocolate chips, water, and espresso in a small heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring until smooth. After all the chips have melted, remove from heat and stir in second half of chocolate until melted. Spread chocolate evenly over tops of meringue rounds, as long as they are cool enough. Cool until chocolate is set, this could take over an hour or you could place them in the refrigerator for a few minutes to help speed it along.

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7. While chocolate is setting, beat heavy cream with sugar and Frangelico in standing mixer until it holds stiff peaks.

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8. To assemble, peal macaroons off parchment paper and place first disc directly onto whatever serving plate you plan to use. Spread 1/3 cup of whipped cream onto each layer before placing the next. When you’ve reached the final layer, frost the top and side of torte with whipped cream. Using a vegetable peeler, scrape shavings off chocolate to top the cake.

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Spring Frittata

There are some mornings where I simply don’t get up early enough to make breakfast before heading to work. When I get there I end up housing a greek yogurt, which is fine, but I was hoping to switch it up a bit this week. I found this breakfast inspiration on the website of a wine club Jason and I joined recently. I made a few alterations to this Spring Frittata, but it was a great base to start with.

Spring Frittata
(Recipe inspiration from Acacia Vineyard)
1 large Yukon gold potato, halved and cut into slices 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large leek, white part halved and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
4-5 large asparagus
6 large eggs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sharp cheddar

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1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Crack eggs into large bowl and mix with salt and pepper to taste, put aside.
3. In a skillet on medium-high heat, cook potato slices in oil until golden brown.
4. In an oven proof skillet on medium heat cook leeks, asparagus, spinach, and garlic and cook until tender and spinach has wilted. Vegetables should be bright green. Transfer the potatoes to the pan and mix.
5. Pour eggs onto the vegetables and top with cheese.
6. Bake until set, about 17-20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on stove for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

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Sunday Night Dinner

I decided to make a nice Sunday night dinner with enough leftovers for a few meals. Jason was craving some pork loin so I decided to go for it! I made Herb Encrusted Pork Loin with Caramelized Onions, Spinach and Garlic Risotto, and Roasted Carrots and Broccolini. I wouldn’t change a thing with any of the recipes, everything came out perfectly. Paired with a nice red wine from Acacia Vineyards in Napa.

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Herb Encrusted Pork Loin with Caramelized Onions
(Recipe inspiration from Lauren’s Latest)
1 3-4 lb. pork loin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed in your fingers
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, sliced

1. In a small bowl, combine the salt, garlic powder, pepper, rosemary and thyme. Sprinkle the mixture all over the pork.

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2. Heat a pan over medium-high heat, add the oil, and brown the pork on all sides. Place the pork in a slow cooker and pour remaining oil all over.

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3. Place the onions around the pork, cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours. The internal temperature of the pork should reach 160 degrees for medium.

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4. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and let rest 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

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Spinach and Garlic Risotto
(Recipe credit to Marta Stewart)
1 32-oz container of vegetable stock
1 1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
16 oz baby spinach
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan/asiago blend, plus more for serving (optional)

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1. In a small saucepan, combine broth 1 cup of wine and bring to a simmer, then keep warm.
2. In a large saucepan, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add rice and cook, stirring, until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup wine; cook, stirring, until absorbed, about 1 minute.

DSC_0933(What the risotto looks like when first adding the wine)

4. Add 2 ladles full of hot broth mixture; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 5 to 7 minutes. Continue adding broth mixture, 1 ladle at a time, waiting for liquid to be absorbed before adding more, stirring occasionally, until rice is just tender and creamy with a little liquid remaining in the pan, 20 to 25 minutes total (you may not need all the broth mixture).

DSC_0957(What the risotto looks like after adding all the broth)

5. In the meantime, while you’re adding more broth, add touch of oil and chopped garlic to a frying pan and cook until fragrant. Add spinach and toss until wilted. Set aside.

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6. When the rice has absorbed all the liquid, and has a creamy texture, stir in the spinach, garlic, and cheese. Serve immediately, with more Parmesan, if desired.

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Roasted Carrots and Broccolini 
1 lb long young carrots, rinsed and scrubbed with greens cut with one inch remaining, then sliced longways
1 lb broccolini, hard ends removed
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. In a baking dish, combine carrots, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

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3. Cover with foil and roast for 25 minutes, until par-cooked. Uncover, add broccolini and toss together. Roast for another 10-15 minutes until vegetables are tender.

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Last Day of Unemployment

I ended up having a relaxing day yesterday. My afternoon was spent driving around Santa Cruz, and it was perfect. The weather was beautiful and there was so much to see. I can’t wait to go back again!

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(Note the adorable seal-covered rock in the background.)

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Food Processor Experiments

When I started making breakfast the other day and paused to break out the food processor, I decided I wanted to see what else it could do. Turns out, it’s a lot! Here are two very different recipes, which were super easy when using the food processor.

Peach Frozen Yogurt
1 10-oz bag frozen peaches
3 Tablespoons honey (or agave nectar)
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Add ingredients to the food processor. Spin until creamy, about 5 minutes.

DSC_0751 (This is what it will look like after only two minutes. It’s not done yet!)

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2. Serve immediately or place in airtight freezer. 

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Homemade Herb Butter
2 cups heavy whipping cream
Ice water
Pinch of kosher salt
Herbs, finely chopped (I’m using fresh chives and parsley)

1. Pour heavy cream into food processor and put on high for two to four minutes.
2. The cream will start to separate into buttermilk and curds. Pour off the liquid that has separated.
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3. Add 1/8 cup of ice water, pulse four times. Pour off remaining liquid. Repeat this step again once more. The butter will start to form into a large ball.

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4. Place butter into strainer, gently pressing down to remove any excess liquid.

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5. Place any desired herbs or seasonings into the food processor and finely chop. Add your strained butter to combine.

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6. Serve the butter with anything and everything. Gluten free bread is shown here.

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