Ham and Cheese Tart

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
6 tbsp butter, cold and in pieces
1 egg yolk
1/3 tsp salt
4 tbsp cold water

Filling:
200g cup natural yogurt
300g heavy cream
4 eggs
3 tbsp parmesan cheede, grated
200g ham, chopped
200g mozzarella cheese, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp oregano
1/4 cup olives, pitted

Directions:

Crust:
Preheat oven 350°F. Blend flour and salt in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the water and egg yolk. Process just until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Roll out the dough and cover the bottom and sides a greased 8,7 inch round pan.

Filling:
In a mixing bowl, using a hand-held mixer or a whisk, combine eggs, heavy cream, yogurt, salt and parmesan cheese together until mixed well. With a spoon, add the ham, mozzarella cheese, olives and oregano. Pour the filling over the crust. Bake for 45 minutes, or until is golden brown.

Pound Cake with Pineapple and Dulce de Leche Filling

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
5 egg yolks
5 egg white s
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Filling:

300g dulce de leche

Filling 1:

1/2 chopped pineapple
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp butter
150g heavy cream

Topping and Filling 3:

250gr heavy cream
2 tbsp sugar

Directions:

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Grease two 8 inch Separate the eggs while they are still cold, and cover the whites and yolks with plastic wrap to prevent a film from forming on the egg yolks and the whites from drying out. Let the yolks and whites reach room temperature before using (this will take about 30 minutes). Having the yolks and whites at room temperature will ensure that the eggs reach their full volume when beaten.

Into a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with the sugar until smooth. Add the egg yolks one by one and beat. Slowly add the flour, milk, vanilla and baking powder. In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar until foamy. Pour egg yolk mixture over whites, gently folding with a rubber spatula just until blended. Do not stir or beat. Divide the mixture evenly between two 8 inch greased round pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Loosen cakes from pans with an offset spatula, and unmold onto wire rack. Cool to room temperature.

Filling:
Bring pineapple, water and sugar to boil. Cook until gets clear and bright; remove from heat and cool. Sift the pineapple and reserve the syrup.

In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the condensed milk and butter. Beat with a whisk until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add the heavy cream. Let cool to room temperature.

Frosting:
In a large bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Beat in sugar until peaks form. Make sure not to over-beat, cream will then become lumpy and butter-like.

Assembling the cake:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a wire rack over it. Using a serrated knife, cut each cake in half horizontally. (If necessary, shave off any uneven pieces of cake with a serrated knife so that it is smooth and even on all sides.) Brush the tops of three layers each with some of the pineapple syrup. Place the bottom layer on a 9-inch round of cardboard and set it on the wire rack. Spread the dulce de leche filling evenly on top of the layer. Top with a second layer of cake. Spread the filling 1 evenly over it with some chopped pineapple. Top with the third layer and spread the filling 3(don’t use a lot because you’ll need some to cover the cake). Top with the fourth layer. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Spread the entire cake with the frosting. Led to the refrigerator until serving time.

Orange Cake with Coconut Filling

Ingredients:

Cake:
4 eggs (separeted)
2 cups sugar
1 cup orange juice
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder

Filling:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp corn starch
200ml coconut milk
100 g grated coconut
150g whipping cream

Topping:
300 ml heavy cream
2 tbsp sugar
Orange zest

Directions:

Cake:
Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a pan. Separate the eggs while they are still cold, and cover the whites and yolks with plastic wrap to prevent a film from forming on the egg yolks and the whites from drying out. Let the yolks and whites reach room temperature before using (this will take about 30 minutes). Having the yolks and whites at room temperature will ensure that the eggs reach their full volume when beaten.

Into a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and butter with the sugar until smooth. Slowly add the orange juice, the flour and baking powder. In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites until foamy. Pour egg yolk mixture over whites, gently folding with a rubber spatula just until blended. Do not stir or beat. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before taking it out to cool completely on wire rack.

Filling:
In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the condensed milk, butter, grated coconut and the corn starch dissolved into the coconut milk. Beat with a whisk until the mixture thickens. Let it cool.

Topping:
Beat the heavy cream with the sugar until it forms peaks.

To Assemble the Cake:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a wire rack over it. Using a serrated knife, cut the cake in half horizontally. (If necessary, shave off any uneven pieces of cake with a serrated knife so that it is smooth and even on all sides.) Place the bottom layer on a round of cardboard and set it on the wire rack. Spread the filling evenly on top of the layer.Top with a second layer of cake. Spread the the topping evenly over the entire cake. Led to the refrigerator until serving time. Decorate with orange zest.

Baked Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

400gr elbow macaroni (al dente)
900g heavy cream
8 tbsp shredded parmesan
300gr shredded mozzarella
100gr shredded cheddar
250 g fried bacon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
salt and black pepper
chopped parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
Mix all the ingredients. Season with salt, parsley and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix.
Bake for 30 minutes.

Pound Cake with Peach Filing

Ingredients:

Pound Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
6 egg yolks
6 egg white s
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence

1 canned peach

Filling:

1 sweetened condensed milk can
1 tbsp margarine
1 can of heavy cream
1 egg yolk

Frosting:

500gr cold heavy cream
4 tbsp sugar

Directions:

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Separate the eggs while they are still cold, and cover the whites and yolks with plastic wrap to prevent a film from forming on the egg yolks and the whites from drying out. Let the yolks and whites reach room temperature before using (this will take about 30 minutes). Having the yolks and whites at room temperature will ensure that the eggs reach their full volume when beaten.

Into a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until smooth. Slowly add the flour, milk, vanilla and baking powder. In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites until foamy. Pour egg yolk mixture over whites, gently folding with a rubber spatula just until blended. Do not stir or beat. Divide the mixture evenly between two greased 12 inch round pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Loosen cakes from pans with an offset spatula, and unmold onto wire rack. Cool to room temperature.

Filling:
In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the condensed milk, margarine and egg yolk. Beat with a whisk until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add the heavy cream. Let cool to room temperature

Frosting:
In a large bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Beat in sugar until peaks form. Make sure not to over-beat, cream will then become lumpy and butter-like.

Assembling the cake:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a wire rack over it. Using a serrated knife, cut each cake in half horizontally. (If necessary, shave off any uneven pieces of cake with a serrated knife so that it is smooth and even on all sides.) Brush the tops of three layers each with some of the peach syrup. Place the bottom layer on a 9-inch round of cardboard and set it on the wire rack. Spread 5 tbsp of the frosting evenly on top of the layer(don’t use a lot because you’ll need some to cover the cake). Top with a second layer of cake. Spread 1/2 of the filling evenly over it with some chopped peaches(at your taste). Repeat the same process with the third layer. Top with the fourth layer. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Spread the entire cake with the frosting. Led to the refrigerator until serving time.

Chocolate Pudding Cake With Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

8 Eggs, separeted
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp Baking powder
1 Tbsp Baking soda
3/4 Cup Grand Marnier

For the Pudding:

4 Cup Heavy cream
1/2 Cup Cornstarch
1 Cup Sugar
5 Ounce Semisweet chocolate chips
2 Teaspoon Pure vanilla extract

For the Ganache:

2 Cup Heavy cream
1-1/2 Pound Semisweet chocolate squares; chopped

Directions:

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-by 2-inch round cake pans and coat each with flour.
In a large mixing bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until they form firm peaks. Continue mixing, and add the egg yolks one by one. Then gradually add the sugar while whisking and whisk for a couple of minutes. In a separate, large mixing bowl, sift together the cocoa, flour, baking soda and baking powder. With a spoon, fold cocoa mixture into the egg mixture to combine completely, until mixture is smooth. Divide cake batter evenly between 2 cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cake springs back when touched. Cool cakes for 15 minutes. Loosen cakes from pans with an offset spatula, and unmold onto wire rack. Cool to room temperature.

For the Pudding:

Combine 1/2 cup of the cream with the cornstarch in a small bowl and stir to make a paste. Combine paste with remaining 3 1/2 cups cream, sugar, chocolate chips, and vanilla in a large nonstick saucepan. Using a wire whisk, stir the mixture until it is well blended. Over low heat, whisk cream mixture until chocolate melts thoroughly. Cook the mixture, stirring frequently, until it becomes very thick, about 25 minutes. Pour pudding into a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, covering surface of pudding with the plastic to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool to room temperature.

To Assemble the Cake:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a wire rack over it. Using a serrated knife, cut each cake in half horizontally. (If necessary, shave off any uneven pieces of cake with a serrated knife so that it is smooth and even on all sides.) Brush the tops of three layers each with 1/4 cup of the Grand Marnier. Place the bottom layer on a 9-inch round of cardboard and set it on the wire rack. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the pudding evenly on top of the layer. Top with a second layer of cake. Spread 1 1/2 cups of pudding evenly over it. Repeat the same process with the third layer. Top with the fourth layer. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

For the Ganache:

In a medium-sized nonstick saucepan over medium heat, heat cream just under boiling point. Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate. With a whisk, stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth. Pour ganache over the top of chilled cake, allowing overflow to drip down the sides. Cool slightly. Carefully remove the cake from the wire rack. Chill for at least 6 hours.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Ingredients:

500 g spaghetti
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
200 g pancetta or slab bacon, cubed or sliced into small strips
300 ml heavy cream
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3 eggs
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian “al dente.”) Drain the pasta well, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.

Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken. Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls. Pass more cheese around the table.