Chocolate, Cranberry and Almond Biscotti

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Directions
1. adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. line a baking sheet with parchment paper. whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
2. in a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. beat in eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla until combined.
3. reduce mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined. mix in the chocolate chips, almonds, and cranberries until just incorporated.
4. press dough into two 13 by 2-inch loaves on the baking sheet, spaced about 3 inches apart. bake loaves until golden and just beginning to crack on top, about 35 minutes. 
5. let loaves cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.
6.transfer loaves to a cutting board and slice each on the diagonal into 1/2 inch-thick slices with a serrated knife. lay the slices about 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet and bake until crisp and golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes, flipping the slices over halfway through baking. transfer the biscotti to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving, about 1 hour.

Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 1/2 Granny Smith apples (or other tart baking apples), peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) + 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons + 6 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In an 8″ or 10″ cast iron skillet over medium heat, melt 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter. Cook until the foam begins to subside.
3. Turn the heat to low, and then add the brown sugar and give it a little stir.
4. Keeping the heat on low, let the brown sugar and butter sit without stirring for 3 minutes.
5. Lay the apples in the pan in a circular pattern.
6. Continue cooking on low for 2 more minutes, then remove from heat.
7. In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk, and the vanilla.
8. In a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
9. Add 6 tablespoons butter (softened or room temp) and 6 tablespoons of the buttermilk.
10. Beat on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, then switch to medium speed (high speed if using a hand mixer) and beat for 1 1/2 minutes.
11. Add 1/3 of the egg mixture, and beat for 20 seconds. Scrape the bowl down, and add another 1/3 of the egg mixture, beating for another 20 seconds. Scrape, add the last of the egg, and beat for 20 seconds.
12. Pour the batter over the apples in the pan, and spread gently to cover the apples evenly.
13. Bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
14. Let cool for 5 minutes, then gently use a butter knife to go around the sides of the cake. You’re about to flip it over, and you want to help it along as much as possible!
15. Okay, here’s the flip. Place your cake plate upside down over the cake in the skillet, then smoothly and quickly turn the cake over. Gently lift up the skillet – the cake should come out fairly easily. 
16. Slice cake into wedges

Rosemary and Garlic Black Angus Roast

3lb Beef Sirloin or Black Angus Beef Roast
2 TBSP olive oil
Salt and pepper
Two onions finely sliced
Two or three carrots chopped into chunks
2 sprigs fresh rosemary 
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 bay leaves
Stock, enough to come half way up the beef in the roasting pan
Marsala 
Corn  starch to thicken the gravy if desired.

Heat the oil in a shallow frying pan or cast iron pan, season beef with salt and pepper, and brown the roast all over. Transfer roast to roasting pan and add onions, carrots, rosemary, garlic, bay leaves stock and Marsala.
Season well with more salt and black pepper
Cover with foil or a lid and put into a very slow oven 325 degrees for 2-3 hours, turning every hour.
When ready remove the meat and wrap in foil and cover with a tea towel to rest and keep warm.
It will stay warm for half an hour to an hour wrapped this way so there is no need to panic. Plenty of time to do the yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes. 

Add the stock and Marsala to come half way up the roast

***Strain out juice from vegetables from the drippings in the bottom of the roasting pan into a small saucepan.  Add 2 TBSP cornstarch to a small glass and add enough COLD water to make a semi pasty slurry.  Heat juices in pot to boil, whisk in the cornstarch slurry and when the gravy starts to thicken, remove from heat.  Re-season , if necessary and serve over top the sliced beef.

Quick and Super Easy Soft Dinner Rolls

Ingredients:

1. Luke warm water- 1 and 1/2 cups
2. Instant yeast-1 tbsp
3. Granulated sugar-2 tbsp
4. Unsalted butter,softened-2 tbsp
5. All purpose flour-4 cups
6. Salt-to taste

For topping

1. Butter,melted- 2 to 3 tbsp
2. Salt- to taste

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl,combine together warm water,yeast and sugar.Keep aside for 5 minutes or until frothy.

Add butter, salt and 2 cups flour, mix until combined.

Add remaining flour and mix well. Knead to form a soft dough for about 10 minutes.(you can use a stand mixer ,if desired)

Cover the dough using a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a  warm place until doubled in volume ,for about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough and turn it on to a lightly floured surface.

Using a serrated knife cut the dough into two equal parts. Divide each half into 12 equal portions( I halved the recipe and divided the entire dough into 12 equal portions).With lightly floured hands,roll each portion into balls and place it in a greased baking tin. I used a round aluminum cake pan.

Cover using a kitchen towel and let them rise in a warm place until doubled,for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 f

Lightly brush the rolls with melted butter.Bake for about 13 to 15 minutes or until it turns golden.

Immediately after removing the rolls from the oven ,brush them with remaining butter.

Notes: I halved the recipe.

Chocolate Cake with Balsamic Strawberry & Cream Filling

Cake
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups hot water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in the center. Line the bottom of 1 9″ spring form tin.{If you can't, use two 9×2 inch round cake pans}
Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. {Do not use a mixer}.
Combine water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla in a large measuring cup. Add to the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined, a few lumps are OK. Turn batter into prepared tin {or divide batter between pans if using 2}, then bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes for 1 or 35-40 minutes for 2.
Cool cake on a rack for 15 minutes, then invert them onto the rack.. Leave cake upside down (this flattens domed cakes) to cool completely.
Slice into 4 layers, and sandwich with filling {recipe follows}. Allow to rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes, and then frost with the chocolate ganache and decorations {recipe follows}.
Filling
Ingredients
300 ml whipping cream
200 g strawberries, chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preparation
First prepare filling: Place strawberries, sugar,  and balsamic vinegar in a saucepan, and simmer till it becomes thick and jam-like and add vanilla. Cool completely.
Beat cream and powdered sugar to medium stiff peaks, and gently fold in cooled strawberry mixture, taking care not to release the volume of the cream.
Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
200gms dark chocolate, room temperature
150ml whipping cream, room temperature
Preparation
Place the chocolate and 100 ml of cream in a heatproof bowl and microwave for 30-40 seconds {if the weather is warm as it is here, else try for minute}. You can also simmer it in pan until the chocolate melts. Stir well to combine both into a smooth ganache.
Give the cake one basic thin coating with this ganache, and reserve some for piping decorations. Add the remaining 50 ml cream and mix until smooth.

Fabulous Beef Wellington

2 -3 lbs filet of beef
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chestnut mushrooms, include some wild ones if you like
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 large sprigs fresh thyme
3 1/2 ounces dry white wine
12 slices prosciutto
1 lb puff pastry, thawed
1 handful flour, to dust
2 egg yolks beaten with 1 tsp water

1. Heat oven to 392°F Place the beef on a roasting tray, brush with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with pepper, then roast for 15 mins for medium-rare or 20 mins for medium. When the beef is cooked to your liking, remove from the oven to cool, then chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

2. While the beef is cooling, chop the mushrooms as finely as possible so they have the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. You can use a food processor to do this, but make sure you pulse-chop the mushrooms so they don't turn into mush.

3. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil and all the butter in a large pan and fry the mushrooms on a medium heat, with the thyme sprig, for about 10 mins stirring often, until you have a softened mixture. Season the mushroom mixture, pour over the wine and cook for about 10 mins until all the wine has been absorbed. The mixture should hold its shape when stirred. Remove the mushroom mixture from the pan to cool and discard the thyme.

4. Overlap two pieces of plastic wrap over a large chopping board. Lay the prosciutto on the plastic wrap, slightly overlapping, in a double row. Spread half the mushroom mixture over the prosciutto, then sit the fillet on it and spread the remaining mushroom mixture over it. Use the plastic wrap edges to draw the prosciutto around the fillet, then roll it into a sausage shape, twisting the ends of plastic wrap to tighten it as you go. Chill the fillet while you roll out the pastry.

5. Roll out a third of the pastry to a 7 x 12 inch strip and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Roll out the remaining pastry to about 11 x 14 inch. Unravel the fillet from the plastic wrap and place it in the center of the smaller strip of pastry and brush the pastry's edges, and the top and sides of the wrapped fillet, with beaten egg yolk. Using a rolling pin, carefully lift and drape the larger piece of pastry over the fillet, pressing well into the sides. Trim the edges to about a 1.5 inch rim. Seal the rim with the edge of a fork or spoon handle. Glaze all over with more egg yolk and, using the back of a knife, mark the beef Wellington with long diagonal lines taking care not to cut into the pastry. Chill for at least 30 mins and up to 24 hours.

6. Heat oven to 375°F Brush the Wellington with a little more egg yolk and cook until golden and crisp - 20-25 mins for medium-rare beef, 30 mins for medium. Allow to stand for 10 mins before serving in thick slices.

*Note: Internal temperature should ideally be between 110 degrees and 120 degrees med rare or med