Food Wishes Video Recipes (2024)

I know, everybody says that, but I really mean it. Theseare, these have to be, the best chocolate chip cookies, ever. Crispy around theedges, chewy and chocolaty in the middle, and thin, oh so thin.

The only way someone doesn’t love these, is if they preferthick cookies instead, which, in that case, makes their opinion invalid, sincethey’re obviously crazy. Besides, you know you can just press two thin cookiestogether to get a thick one. Right?

And yes, of course you can add nuts to yours! I’m a walnutguy from way back, but decided to go sans nuts for this video. Speaking of nuts, you’re nuts if you don’ttry this very simple, and amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 32 Chocolate Chip Cookies (dependingon size):

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt (or 3/4 teaspoon of fine tablesalt)

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 sticks (1 cup) very soft unsalted *butter (be sure the butter is room temp, and very, very soft!)
*I used a high-quality European-style butter, and recommend you do the same. Cheaper butters will have more water content, which can affect the fat ratio, and thickness of your cookie.

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

1 large egg

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

- Bake at 375 F. for about 12 minutes

As promised, this is the puff pastry-like dough I used inthe apple roses video, and while not exactly “ quick and easy,” this was definitelyquicker and easier. Just don’t try and make strawberry shortcake with thisstuff.

I wanted to use this dough as the centerpiece of ourstrawberry shortcake video, but unfortunately the cold pastry was way too hardto cut with a spoon, and so I ended up using a much more traditional, anduser-friendly biscuit.

That aside, as a puff pastry substitute, I think this was ahuge success. Hopefully, you saw this in action in the apple roses video,which, by the way, was done with scraps. Besides fruit tarts, I’d love to trythis for things like ham and cheese turnovers, and chocolate croissants.

With that in mind, I hope any and all successful experimentswith this dough will be shared on social media; mostly so I can copy yourideas. By the way, there seems to a little controversy on YouTube as to theexact number of layers we got, so what say you? I hope you give this butter puffbiscuit dough a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cups self-rising flour (You can make you own by sifting together 2 cups of all-purpose flour with 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon fine salt)

3/4 cup cold water (add enough water to make a soft,but not sticky dough)

*7 tablespoons frozen unsalted butter (a stick is 8 tablespoons)

*I grated on about 4 tablespoons for the first application,and about 3 tablespoons for the second.

- I generally bake this stuff at 400 F. Time will depend on what it’s being used for.

I got a request for semifreddo recently, and since it is a massively underrated summer dessert, I decided to give it a go. I love the rich taste, and the fact that you get what’s basically an airy, custard-style ice cream, without having to use a machine. However, it all comes at a cost.

The classic procedure is a little bothersome, since you need to make three separate components – a zabaione, a meringue, and whipped cream – so, I decided to simply use the eggs whole, and make a “zabaringue.” I knew I wouldn’t get as much volume, but I didn’t care.

One of my issues with semifreddo is that they’re sometimes too airy, and the flavor gets spread too thin.That wasn’t a problem here, and yet this much simpler version retained a wonderfully light texture despite the shortcut. I decided on a mocha-flavored semifreddo, since coffee is a pretty manly ingredient, and this sure would make a nice Father’s Day dessert. I hope you give this a try soon.Enjoy!

Warning: Answering questions about how to use this technique to make other flavors is tough, since there are many variables. Theoretically, if you replace the coffee and liquor, with other “stuff,” then you should get a similar product. Good luck!



Ingredients for 2 portions:
- For the egg/coffee mixture:
2 large egg eggs
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp instant coffee
1 tablespoon Kahlua
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa
tiny pinch salt
- For the whipped cream:
1/4 cup ice cold heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp sugar
-Combine and freeze until firm. If using a loaf pan, line with plastic first!

I’ve always wanted to try making some kind of sweet/savorybacon-studded fritter using pâte à choux, also known as that stuff you makecream puffs with. It’s such beautifully rich, eggy dough, yet fries up to asurprisingly light, puffy texture.

Today is National Doughnut Day, as you know if you’ve beenon Twitter in the last 48 hours, and so I decided to give it a go, and calledit a "doughnut" in a cheap attempt to garner extra National Doughnut Day web traffic. That's also why I keep mentioning National Doughnut Day.

Whether you’re going to surprise dad with a plate of thesefor Fathers Day, or you just want to tell your friends and co-workers you madebacon and egg doughnuts, I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 to 10 small Bacon and Egg Doughnuts:

(this is a half a recipe, so I would highly recommenddoubling everything)

6 strips bacon, sliced, browned, cooled, and chopped (savesome for the tops)

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp cold water

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1/8 tsp salt

1 tablespoon sugar

pinch of fresh nutmeg

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

vegetable oil for deep frying

maple syrup to garnish

- Fry at 350 F. for about 7 minutes, turning often, untilpuffed and well-browned

* If doing in batches, hold in a warm oven

I was visiting my mom last summer, and overheard her and myaunt talking about making strawberry shortcake using “dad’s” recipe. They wereobviously talking about my grandfather, which was surprising, since I had noidea he baked.

I remember he did a lot of cooking growing up, but it was thingslike frittata, meat sauce, or polenta. I never once saw him bake anything sweet.Nevertheless, he apparently gets credit for inventing our official familyrecipe for strawberry shortcake, which I’ve adapted here.

The only other major change is the original recipe calls forregular melted butter, but as you’ll see in the video, I like to toast minejust a little, to bring out those subtle, nutty flavors. I'm hoping Armand Cianfoniwould approve. I really hope you give “our” strawberry shortcake a try soon.Enjoy!

Makes 6 Large or 8 Normal Strawberry Shortcakes:

2 cups self rising flour ((You can make you own by siftingtogether 2 cups of all-purpose flour with 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1teaspoon fine salt)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

4 tbsp butter, melted, and lightly toasted to a golden-brown

4 pints fresh strawberries

1/2 cup white sugar

*add 1 tbsp water, if strawberries aren’t perfectly ripe

3/4 cup cold heavy cream, whipped with a tablespoon of sugarand a few drops of vanilla (watch demo here)

- Bake at 425F. for 15-18minutes or until browned.

Every once in a while, I post a video solely based onsomething I saw online, and these baked apple roses are the latest example. Isaw a photo of these somewhere on social media, and using that one image as myonly guide, I whipped up a batch, which was a tremendous disaster.

I assumed that I could figure these out just by looking atthe finished product, but that did not happen. I tried doing them free-form, andthey completely unraveled as they cooked. I wish I'd taken some photos, butthey basically look like they exploded.

For 2 Apple Roses:

1 large red apple

2 pieces rectangular puff pastry, rolled less than 1/8-inchthick, about 3” wide by 12 to 14” long

melted butter as needed

cinnamon sugar as needed (1/4 cup sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon)

I was brainstorming some ideas for using up a cup of nearlyperfect blueberries, and was waffling between muffins, donuts, and biscuits. Ifinally decided on a biscuit-like triangle, spiced subtly with essence ofold-fashioned donut.

I’m calling it a scone because I cut it into a triangle.There’s just something un-American about a triangular biscuit, so you Britswill just have to keep a stiff upper lip about this not being an actual scone.

I used my new favorite, sprouted spelt flour, but I’mguessing this will work with whatever you roll with. You’ll also want to keepan eye on them in the oven, as the baking times will vary depending on theexact shape and thickness. They’re done when they’re well browned, and you seeblueberry juices bubbling out through the top and sides.

These have that someone loves me look, especially if you dothe recommended sugar-crust top, which is why I’m thinking these would be nicefor Mother’s Day, or any other brunch/breakfast-in-bed type situations. I hopeyou give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 Whole-Grain Blueberry Scones:

2 cups spelt flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup cold buttermilk

- 425F.for about 20-25 minutes, or until well-browned and blueberry juices start bubbling out through the top and sides.

I’ve always wanted to do a Baked Alaska, and withValentine’s Day coming up, I thought it would be the perfect time todemonstrate this show-stopping dessert. I just didn’t anticipate coming up with possibly the greatest browningmeringue hack in history.

As you’ll see in the video, I made two of these, so I couldshow you a couple different ways to decorate. After browning the first onewith a blowtorch, my preferred method, I started on the second, and for whateverreason the torch stopped working.

There are obviously unlimited combinations of cake and icecream flavors you can use for this, so I suggest consulting with yourValentine, and giving this easy Baked Alaska technique a try very soon. Enjoy!

For 2 Baked Alaska:

Note: You can make these ahead, including the piping, freeze, and then brown the meringue before serving.

1 1/2 cups raspberry ice cream

1/2 cup vanilla ice cream

2 round thick slices chocolate cake

For the Italian meringue:

2 large egg whites

1 tsp lemon juice

- beat to soft peak, and slowly add 240 F. sugar syrup (seebelow)

- continue beating until you have stiff peaks that will holda sharp line

For the sugar syrup:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup water

FLAMBE NOTE: First of all, be careful. Pour an ounce or soof any liqueur (I used brandy but cherry liqueur or Framboise would be evenbetter) into a pan and place on low heat. When it’s warm enough you can it ignitewith a lighter, and spoon the flaming liquid over your baked Alaska. Just besure to turn down the lights!

As promised, here’s the fresh raspberry sauce we served withour recently posted chocolate decadence cake. While originallyintended to be a companion video for that dessert, this stuff is so beautifuland delicious, you and your Valentine may not even need the cake.

Like I mentioned in the video, this will absolutely workeven if you use frozen raspberries, but nothing compares to the flavor of thesauce if you can somehow find and use fresh raspberries.

This was perfect with our chocolate decadence, butwould be equally as effective with pretty much any quality, store-bought dessert;in particular cheesecake, or vanilla ice cream. I’ve checked with the legalteam, and even if you put this on something from the market, you’re stillallowed to technically call your dessert "homemade."

By the way, if this gorgeous sauce doesn’t help you seducethe object of your desire this Valentine’s Day, don’t be too upset, as itprobably wasn’t meant to be. So good luck, and I hope you give this freshraspberry sauce a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 3 Cups Fresh Raspberry Sauce:

4 half-pint baskets of fresh raspberries (1.5 pounds),rinsed, drained

2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste

1/4 cup sugar, or more to taste

*0 to 4 tablespoons water, depending on desired thickness

*Depending what you’re going to serve the sauce with, youmay want to add some water before cooking the berries. If you want something alittle thicker, to serve over ice cream for example, then don’t add any water. Onthe other hand, if you want and lighter texture like I did, toss in a fewtablespoons of water before heading to the stove. Be careful; we’re notboiling and reducing the sauce, so we can’t cook out excess liquid.

This “flourless” chocolate cake was all the rage in the1980’s, and looking back, it all makes sense. As I vaguely remember, the decadecelebrated decadent overindulgence, and this dessert is that, and more. Bymodern standards, this cake is ridiculously rich. In fact, some of you may findit too intense, but most true chocolate fiends will be in heaven.

This was invented by chef Narsai David, in Berkeley,California, and while close to the original, I bumped up the ingredient amountsa bit, so we can use a standard 9-inch pan. Also, he doesn’t use cayenne. By the way, ifyou don’t use the same chocolate I did (milk, white, etc.), I can’t tellyou what will happen, because I don’t know.

Be careful not to overcook this. It goes for a relativelyshort time in a hot oven, so while mine took about 14 minutes, you should startchecking around 13. The top will be just barely set, with a jiggle below thesurface. If it’s really soupy, then leave it another minute and check again.

This is best served very cold. It’s easier to cut, and Ienjoy the texture more than at room temp. As I mentioned, stay tuned for the raspberry sauce video, which I’ll post on Friday. That will give you plenty oftime to practice both for Valentine’s Day. I hope you give this a trysoon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one 9-inch cake pan (this is extremely richcake, so you can easily get 12 to 16 servings):

18 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (62% cacao)

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon flour

5 large eggs, room temp, or slightly warm for best results

tiny pinch of cayenne and salt

Welcome to our annual homemade edible gift episode, whereyou finally figure out what to get that “special” (aka super-picky and haseverything) foodie on your holiday list. By the way, if you’re a fan of candiedcitrus, you ‘ll want to make extra, since Buddha’s Hand is a unique and specialtreat.

To me this crazy looking fruit tastes/smells like a really fragrantMeyer lemon with hints of grapefruit, and if you can find it, I recommend yougive it a go. It’s not cheap, but what is? If you can’t find it, don’t despair;this technique works perfectly fine with strips of orange or lemon peel.

The batch I boiled in water first had virtually no bitternessleft, and still had a fairly strong citrus flavor. The batch that was candiedraw definitely had a more fragrant aroma and vibrant taste, but unfortunatelythere was a distinct bitter aftertaste.

Either way, I hope you can get your hands on some of thesehands, and give this fun, and easy to make holiday confection a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 2 cups of candied citron:

(warning, I didn’t measure very carefully, but that doesn’tmatter here. As long as you have enough simple syrup to cook your citrus in,you are fine)

3 cups cubed Buddha’s Hand citron, washed thoroughly, or other citrus peel,sliced into 1/4-inch strips (simmer in plain water for 20-30 minutes before candying step)

2 1/2 cups sugar (plus extra for tossing the candied fruit in)

2 cups water

- cook on medium heat, stirring, until the syrup reaches230F.

You would certainly be well within your rights to call thisricotta pie a “cheesecake,’ except then your guests would be expectingcheesecake, and that might cause some problems.

If you tell me I’m about to geta slice of cheesecake, I’m picturing something tall, dense, sweet, and veryrich. Those adjectives are why people order cheesecake in the first place.

That’s why this lighter, less sweet variation is beingcalled a ricotta pie. So much of cooking for people is managing expectations,and a recipe’s name is a big part in that. Moving past semantics, I reallyenjoyed this cannoli-inspired take on the rustic Italian classic.

Regarding the sweetness: Generally, ricotta pies are notvery sweet, and contain only about half the sugar of a traditional cheesecake. Forthis size pie (9-inch), you could use between a 1/4 and 1/2-cup of sugar, depending on yourtastes. I used a 1/3-cup, which is perfect for me, but I’m not you, so adjustaccordingly. Same goes for the grated citrus, and chocolate. I really hope you give this great ricotta piea try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 portions:

For the crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 cup cold butter, cut in chunks

1 large egg

2 tbsp marsala wine

2-3 tablespoons ice water, or enough to form dough

Prebake crust for 15 min at 400 F.

For the filling

3 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese

4 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, to taste

1 or 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon and/or orange zest

pinch of salt (not shown!)

2 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips, optional

2 tbsp diced candied orange zest, optional

Bake 45 minutes at 350 F., or until just set (160 internaltemp)

*I garnished with chopped pistachios, and some additional orange zest that I tossed withsome simple syrup (1/4 cup water and a 1/4 cup sugar brought to a simmer andallowed to cool.)

When you think show-stopping, special occasion desserts, youusually don’t think “simple and fast,” but that’s the case with Bananas Foster.This delicious New Orleans classic only has a few ingredients, and takes justminutes to make. Except for the folks that burn their houses down, everybodyloves this recipe.

Speaking of which, the best way to avoid that kind of thingis to make sure you have the flame turned off when you add the banana liqueurand the rum. Once in, you have a chance to stand back a little, and you shouldbe fine to flambé. By the way, if you’re using an electric stove, simply use along fireplace lighter to ignite.

That may not seem like much, but by the time the sauce comestogether, they’ll be perfect. Another great tip, especially for larger groups,is to scoop the ice cream ahead of time, and keep your bowls in the freezer. Youwant to spoon over bananas Foster piping hot, and don’t want it cooling downwhile you’re scooping ice cream for six people.

Of course, in New Orleans they prepare this tableside, whichcan be a challenge at home, so you’ll have to settle for turning down thelights, and gathering all your guests around the stove to watch the show. Ihope you give this great American desert to try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for two portions:

2 bananas, peeled, cut in four pieces each

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 ounce Banana liqueur (mine was 17% alcohol)

2 ounces rum

2 pinches cinnamon

2 scoops vanilla ice cream

I had my first "Dutch Baby" in Chicago a few years ago, andhave wanted to do a video on them ever since. I’ve always been fascinated byhow many different breakfast foods you can create using just milk, eggs, andflour; and this is one of the more interesting examples. Especially consideringthe unusual, and borderline disturbing name.

Sometimes called “German pancakes,” these have very littleto do with Germany, and nothing to do with the Dutch. Apparently they wereinvented by German immigrants who were referred to as “Dutch;” a corruptionof the word “deutsch.” So, save your emails saying they don’t have thesein Germany or the Netherlands. We know.

Ingredients for 4 small or 2 large portions:

3 large room temperature eggs

2/3 cup room temperature milk

packed 1/2 cup flour (really pack the measuring cup firmlywith flour)

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp clarified butter

- Bake at 425 F. 20-25 min
* garnish with melted butter, fresh lemon juice (Meyer if you can find it), and powdered sugar.

This pumpkin seed brittle recipe was alot easier to make than film. The procedure for nut brittle, or in this case, seedbrittle, is very simple, but there are points in the recipe when you have tomove fast, which is unfortunate when you have to move a camera and set upshots.

Even with these challenges, it came out just fine, and I’m onlycomplaining as a way to build confidence. Once your sugar mixture has turned anice caramel color, you have to immediately turn off the heat, add your bakingsoda (be careful), then your nuts or seeds (be careful), and hastily mix untilcombined. As the concoction cools it hardens quickly, so transfer into your panand press as soon as you can (be careful).

Regarding the salt: you can add itright into the mix like I did, or sprinkle it over the top surface before thebrittle is completely cool. That does look kind of cool, but either way, it’scritical, and should not be omitted.

I can’t help you with the tricks, butat least you have one more idea for a treat now. I hope you give this pumpkinseed brittle recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes enough Pumpkin Seed Brittle for12 witches or 8 zombies:

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

2 tablespoons water
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups raw pumpkin seeds(pepitas)

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt (3/4 to 1 tsp if using fine salt)

We are right in the middle of peach season, and what betterway to show them off, than in this classic, lattice-top pie? And by classic, Imean the peek-a-boo crust design, not the filling, which has a few ingredientsthat are definitely not classic.

By the way, if you’re peaches are too ripe to peel, then youcan remove the skin by cutting an “X” on the bottom and dipping in boilingwater. Of course, if they’re really ripe and juicy, you probably shouldn’t bemaking pie with them anyway. Those are the kind of peaches where you take offyour shirt and just eat them over the sink.

Ingredients for One 10-inch Pie:

about 3 pounds fresh peaches, peeled and sliced (about 2 lbs12 oz once trimmed)

1 cup white sugar, divided

tiny pinch of salt

1/4 cup flour

1 tbsp cornstarch

pinch of cayenne

1 tsp lemon juice

pinch of cinnamon

- Bake at 350 F. until browned and bubbling. Mine took about1 hour 15 minutes, but I peek a lot)

I just heard on CNN that today is National S'mores Day. I've never done an actual s'mores video, but we did do this delicious ice cream pie inspired by them. I'm not around a lot of campfires these days, but when do I get a craving, this frozen version does the trick. Follow this link if you want to check out the original post, and get ingredients. Enjoy!