Dessert Wars. The April Challenge. Vanilla!

When I saw Dessert Wars' April challenge for Vanilla Dreams, I was one happy camper. From the website: Dessert Wars is going Vanilla this month! For a very good reason... Brent from Beanilla will be our guest judge and is generously providing 3 vanilla beans to the first 15 people to comment! The twist is to use all three vanilla beans in your dessert. In three different ways. Didn't think you were getting off that easy did you? If you aren't lucky enough to get a free sample of vanilla beans then just use your own vanilla extract. And a big YAY! for Rosie. She was in the first 15 who commented. I got vanilla beans! From Beanilla. Thank you very much. I love vanilla and I immediately came up with my dessert.

I'm going with vanilla pots de creme, vanilla/chocolate-dipped vanilla biscotti, vanilla meringues, and a vanilla-butter sauce - a veritable Vanilla Harmony Quartet.

Ta daaaa! I'm giving the pictures and recipes here. Just the facts, Ma'am. If you want Rosie's detailed step by step instructions, please click on the links.

Let's start off with the Vanilla Biscotti. Don't you love the chocolate drips?

Vanilla Biscotti 6 TB butter 2/3 cup sugar 1/4 tsp salt 2 tsp vanilla extract seeds of 1 vanilla bean 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 2 large eggs 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter until light. Slowly beat in sugar. Keep beating until mixture is light-colored. Beat in salt, vanilla, and baking powder until mixture is smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs. At low speed of mixer, add the flour, stirring until smooth. Scrape out the sticky dough onto a lightly greased 13 x 18-inch baking sheet. Shape it into a log about 14" long and 2 1/2 inches wide. Smooth the surface with a wet spatula. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes. Spritz room-temperature water over top and sides of biscotti log. This softens the crust a bit, making for easier slicing. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Wait another 5 minutes, then use a serrated knife to cut the log in 1/2 - 3/4-inch slices. Set slices on edge on baking sheet. Return to oven for another 25-30 minutes, until they start to turn golden. You want them a tiny bit moist in the very center. If you press your finger in the center, it should give a bit. Cool on racks, then dip in the Vanilla/Chocolate Glaze. Vanilla/Chocolate Glaze 3 ounces dark chocolate seeds from 1 vanilla bean 1 tsp Crisco Melt and dip ends of biscotti in the mixture. Rosie Tip: I have made very unsuccessful (texture-wise) biscotti before. That was before I had a Biscotti Class at a neighbor's kitchen. She uses King Arthur Unbleached Flour and I'm convinced that's what makes the difference in these successful biscotti and my previous biscotti.

Next, Vanilla Pots De Creme.

Vanilla Pots De Creme 3 egg yolks 1 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup sugar seeds of 1 vanilla bean This recipe makes 3 6-ounce ramekins. You can easily double it. Beat yolks. Combine cream, sugar, and vanilla seeds and the scraped-out bean in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cut off heat, cover, and let steep for about 20 minutes. Remove the bean. Whisk about 1/4 of the mixture into the yolks, to temper, then pour that back into the sauce pan and thoroughly mix. Pour into 3 6-ounce ramekins set in a baking dish. Pour water halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes, then turn and bake an additional 10 minutes. You want them slightly jiggly in the center. Refrigerate. Rosie Tip: When serving, if you like, you could turn these into Creme Brulees. Simply sprinkle sugar over top and take a blow torch to it.

Vanilla Meringues.

Vanilla Meringues Rosie tip: Never attempt meringues in high humidity. It doesn't work. Wait for a dry day. 3 egg whites 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 tsp cream of tartar 1/4 tsp salt seeds of 1 vanilla bean 2 tsp vanilla extract Whip egg whites until light and foamy. Beat in cream of tartar, salt, and vanillas. Beat in sugar gradually until stiff peaks form. Place by tablespoonful onto parchment paper. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 25 minutes. Rosie Tip: If you want to fold a cup of chocolate chips and/or chopped pecans in the batter, you have my permission.

Lastly, a Vanilla Butter Sauce.

Vanilla Butter Sauce 1/4 cup heavy cream 1/2 stick butter 1/4 cup sugar pinch salt seeds from 1 vanilla bean Mix all in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Serve hot.

Here's Rosie's Vanilla Harmony Quartet:

Such vanilla goodness! Sweet Vanilla Dreams, indeed. Here's the prize list for this month:

Beanilla Sampler Pack of Vanilla Beans

Lenox Personalized Musical Cupcake

1,000 ideas for Decorating Cupcakes, Cookies & Cakes

Organic Valley $50 Gift Certificate

Organic Prairie $50 Gift Certificate

Theme Kitchen $50 Gift Certificate

BEKA Cookware Crepe Pan

Whisk and cupcake necklace from Moon & Star Designs

And a new prize this month: King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion Cookbook from King Arthur Flour

Vanilla Harmony Quartet. Be a warrior.

Dessert Wars. Part 4 of 4. Hot Vanilla Butter Sauce.

For my fourth use of vanilla in the Dessert Wars April Vanilla challenge, I'm going with a Vanilla Butter Sauce to drizzle over the whole concoction and bring it all together.

Ingredients for Rosie's Vanilla Butter Sauce: 1/4 cup heavy cream 1/2 stick butter 1/4 cup sugar pinch salt seeds of 1 vanilla bean 2 tsp vanilla extract In a small saucepan bring to boil the cream, butter, sugar, salt, and vanillas. Reduce to simmer for a few minutes. Serve warm.

Sugar going into cream and butter.

Add in seeds from one vanilla bean and pour in about 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

Bring the vanilla mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes.

This sauce is lovely and delicious and I'm loving it.

I've poured it over one of my little Vanilla Meringues. This is most excellent.

I'm going to have to come with more things with which to use this Vanilla Sauce. Oooh ... Bread Pudding comes to mind. Maybe with a splash of rum or bourbon. For Part 1 - Vanilla Biscotti. For Part 2 - Vanilla Pots de Creme. For Part 3 - Vanilla Meringues. Stay tuned for my Dessert Wars post tomorrow. It will wrap everything up in a nice neat little package. All four parts. Wrapped up with a bow.

Dessert Wars. Part 3 of 4. Vanilla Meringues.

The third part of my Dessert Wars April Entry is Vanilla Meringues.

Ingredients for Vanilla Meringues: 3 egg whites, room temperature 3/4 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp cream of tartar 1/4 tsp salt seeds of one vanilla bean Whip egg whites until light and foamy. With room temperature whites, you get more volume than with cold whites. Add in cream of tartar and salt. Slowly add in sugar, beating on high. Add in vanilla and seeds, beating until stiff peaks form Drop by tablespoons onto parchment-covered baking sheets. Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes. Rosie Tip: Never attempt meringues on a humid day. They won't work. Period.

Beat egg whites until foamy.

Salt in.

Cream of tartar in.

Gradually add in sugar with mixer on high.

Vanilla extract in.

Vanilla seeds in. Beat until stiff peaks form.

You can drop these by tablespoonfuls or pipe them out as I did.

Bake at 300 for about 25 minutes. Cool a few minutes then remove meringues and let cool on racks. Here's a Rosie Tip: Fold in about 1 cup of chocolate chips and maybe 1/2 cup crushed pecans into the beaten egg whites before baking and you have Meringue Kisses, one of the favorite goodies in my Christmas gift baskets. I wanted the vanilla to shine here, so I didn't add the chips or nuts.

Part 1 - Vanilla Biscotti Dipped In Vanilla Chocolate. Part 2 - Vanilla Pots de Creme

Stay tuned for Part 4 - an absolutely divine Vanilla Butter Sauce.

Dessert Wars. Part 2 Of 4. Rosie Makes Vanilla Pots De Creme.

For my next vanilla concoction

for the April Dessert Wars challenge,

I'm making Vanilla Pots De Creme.

Ingredients for Vanilla Pots De Creme: 3 yolks 1 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup sugar seeds from one vanilla bean Combine sugar, cream, vanilla seeds, and vanilla bean in small sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Cut off heat and let vanilla steep for about 20 minutes. Remove vanilla bean. Pour in about 1/3 of the mixture into beaten yolks to temper, whisking. Then pour yolk mixture back into pan, whisking all together. Pour into 3 6-ounce ramekins Place ramekins in a baking dish and pour water halfway up ramekins. This is known as a bain-Marie. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, then turn and bake an additional 20 minutes. You want it just ever so slightly jiggly in the center.

Cream into sugar in a small sauce pan.

Add in scraped out seeds and the beans which will impart more vanilla flavor.

Bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let steep for about 20 minutes.

Strain out beans.

Whup egg yolks ...

... until light-colored.

Pour about 1/3 of the vanilla mixture into the eggs, beating.

Then return egg mixture back to sauce pan, stirring to combine thoroughly.

Pour mixture into ramekins.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes, turning once, about halfway through. Cool, then refrigerate. FYI, pot de creme is one of the best things I've ever put in my mouth. The silky smooth creamy texture is ethereal. The vanilla flavor is divine.

Now, if you wanted to take this to the next level and make Creme Brulees, just sprinkle some sugar over top and take a blow torch to it.

I never will forget Mr. Hawthorne's comment when he took the first bite out of this - "This is so good I'm trying to figure out a way how to have sex with it." Why, thank you, Mr. Hawthorne. I take that as a compliment - the culinary equivalent of a standing ovation.

Here's Dessert Wars Part 1 - Vanilla Biscotti. Stay tuned for Part 3 - Vanilla Meringues.

Dessert Wars. Part 1 Of 4. Rosie Makes Vanilla Biscotti.

Rosie is making Vanilla Biscotti as part of her April entry into an ongoing dessert competition - Dessert Wars. The theme this month is Vanilla Dreams.

This is the first of four posts - four different vanilla dreams - which I will be entering tomorrow in the Dessert Wars contest. I don't like to do four posts in one evening, but I need to link to these recipes in my official Dessert Wars entry tomorrow.

Ingredients for Vanilla Biscotti: 6 TB butter 2/3 cup sugar 1/4 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla extract the seeds from 1 vanilla bean 2 eggs 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose Flour egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 TB of water) Beat butter, sugar, salt, vanillas, and baking powder until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. At low speed of mixer, add in flour, stirring until smooth. Shape dough on a greased pan into a log about 14 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide. Smooth top and sides with a wet spatula. Brush with egg wash. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes. Spritz the top and sides of the log with room-temperature water. This will soften the crust and make slicing a bit easier. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Wait five minutes, then cut the log crosswise into 1/2 - 3/4-inch slices. Set the biscotti on edge in the baking sheet. Return to oven and bake for about 25 minutes. You want them slightly moist in the center. If you press with a finger, the center should "give" a bit. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.

I whupped my softened butter first then beat in the sugar ...

... the salt ...

... the vanilla seeds ...

... and vanilla extract for good measure ...

... baking powder ...

... and the eggs.

At this point, the batter will look slightly curdled.

At low speed, gradually add in flour.

And yes, you will have a sticky dough.

I plopped the dough on a buttered pan ...

... and carefully shaped it into a log.

I made an egg wash - 1 egg and a tablespoon of water - and brushed the top and sides of the log.

Here it is after the first 25 minutes of baking.

Here, I'm spritzing with a spray bottle.

Wait a few minutes for the crust to soften before slicing.

These went back into a 325 degree oven for another 25 minutes ...

... or until nicely golden. You want them slightly soft in the center.

Cool on racks.

Next, I'm making a Vanilla Chocolate Dip for the Vanilla Biscotti. Ingredients for Vanilla Chocolate Dip: 3 oz. dark chocolate 1 tsp Crisco seeds of one vanilla bean

Scrape out the seeds from one bean.

Combine chocolate, vanilla seeds, and Crisco.

Nuke and whisk until smooth.

Dip ends of biscotti in the vanilla/chocolate mixture.

Such vanilla goodness!

Stay tuned for Dessert Wars Part 2 - Vanilla Pots de Creme. Coming soon.