TFF: Bourbon Peach Cobbler
See that steam? That’s one hot cobbler, baby.
Last weekend was the local Peach Festival around here. It’s a pretty big draw every year, there’s never any place to park and the line of cars waiting to get in usually stretches about three miles. All of us want the same thing… to sample peach cobblers, pies, ice cream, salsa, and even slushies. The boyfriend and I always leave completely peached out, but still take home a huge bag wondering what we’re going to do with them all.
I was craving more cobbler after a few days passed by and I’ve had Tyler’s Bourbon Peach Cobbler recipe bookmarked forever. It was the perfect time to test it out.
I’ve still been out of the baking loop (and down a little over ten pounds now to show for it) and I felt really rusty being in the kitchen again. I was somehow tripling certain ingredients instead of cutting them in half (?) and rummaging around the cabinets not remembering my organized chaos ingredient placements. However, this was a good recipe to sort of get me back in the swing of things. It’s fast, easy and I could make it in just a few pans and bowls using basic kitchen utensils and my hands.
This cobbler is full of fresh peaches, has a thick sauce with a background note of bourbon and just the right sweetness and spice. The biscuits on top are brushed with heavy cream and sugar before baking and are perfect – crunchy on top, moist underneath. I’m telling you, you won’t even need ice cream to go on top of this (although I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt!). I didn’t use any simply because I didn’t have any in the house. The biscuit layers aren’t that overly sweet though, so be aware if you like things a little more sugary that you might want to add a little extra sugar to the dough or make sure you do have ice cream.
The only change I made was to adding a little vanilla to the peach filling. It seemed strange to me not to have any vanilla in the recipe.
I made half a batch and it was gone within an hour between the two of us.
I need more peach cobbler. Now.
Tyler Florence’s Bourbon Peach Cobbler
Show: Food 911 Episode: Chili Roundup
Ingredients
8 peaches, peeled and sliced, about 6 to 8 cups
1/4 cup bourbon
3/4 cup sugar, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
3/4 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing
Click here for directions
I do love this Tyler Florence, there’s no doubt about it.
Bourbon Peach Cobbler marks my 20th post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday.
TFF: Chicken with Apple Cider Sauce and Rice Pilaf
Hi, remember me?
I think there’s been a time warp.
Somehow, the last five weeks or so have flown by in a blur.
We’ve been on puppy duty and fully immersed in ironing out all of our new routines. Here’s my big girl at 13 weeks old. She’s already getting so big, she’ll be a full size Great Dane in no time it seems. I swear she grows visibly every single day!
I’ve hardly been in the kitchen at all the last five weeks. Heating up cans of soup or grabbing cold pizza out of the fridge wouldn’t count I don’t think. I’ve only actually made something twice and both of those times I was cooking and baking out of… a box. *Gasp!* Anyway, I’ve really missed it. It was my “me” time and something I just naturally did without putting too much thought into it.
So this week I’m back with Tyler Florence Fridays after my little unplanned hiatus. Maybe only halfway because I’m actually kind of cheating, this recipe is one I’ve had saved in my drafts for a while. I made this back in January and never posted it because I felt I couldn’t take a decent picture of it to save my life. But this Apple Cider Chicken was so GOOD and I thought it should be shared since apple cider season is getting into full swing. I also had made Tyler’s Rice Pilaf as an afterthought, just kind of throwing it together using dried herbs I had on hand.
Some of the Food Network reviews complained about the Apple Cider Sauce and how it never got thick enough. I paid attention to this complaint and cooked the sauce on high heat for the recommended time. Doing it this way, I didn’t have any problems at all.
The chicken had a great flavor and was slightly sweet. I will make this again without a doubt, especially now that apple cider is starting to pop up everywhere again. I can’t look at apple cider anymore without thinking back to Tyler and this chicken recipe. Mmmm!
Tyler Florence’s Chicken with Apple Cider Sauce
Show: How To Boil Water Episode: Make It Tonight
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup apple cider
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Click here for directions
Tyler Florence’s Rice Pilaf
Show: How To Boil Water Episode: Make It Tonight
Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups basmati-style long grain rice
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Click here for directions
Chicken with Apple Cider and Rice Pilaf marks my 19th post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday.
It feels good to get back to the blog. Until next time…
TFF: Spring (Or Should I Say Summer) Panna Cotta with Fresh Strawberries and Balsamic Syrup
At our local orchard they have the most beautiful strawberries right now. I was originally going to use them in a savory dish of but came across this panna cotta and my plans immediately changed.
Vanilla flavored desserts are one of my favorite things in the whole wide world. Sure, I like interesting concoctions with fancy names and out of the norm ingredients – I’m all for that every now and then. But really, simple is how I like it. Give me a vanilla base with a fresh fruit topping and I’m happy. Could that be construed as boring? Perhaps. But what’s good is good.
This recipe called for crème fraîche, which is a thinner and creamier version of sour cream, and something that I couldn’t find anywhere. I made the decision to substitute regular sour cream, I figured it would be alright and it was. Of course, a week later I found crème fraîche at a gourmet market 30 minutes from my house. I seriously hope one day I find one store close by that carries all the stuff I’ll ever need. At this point, I’m going to have to start keeping a damn spreadsheet so I can remember all the places in my state where I find different things. If you have time to spare, you can always make your own crème fraîche using a recipe like this one from Joy of Baking.
I really loved this panna cotta. It was smooth, creamy, and a little tangy. The vanilla was very present and the touch of lemon was nice. The balsamic strawberries were the perfect topping. The texture of it would not set enough to be able to unmold onto a plate like other versions I’ve seen, but it was fine keeping it in the ramekin. Maybe the texture was due to using the sour cream or maybe adding some extra gelatin could have helped. I tasted both components separately and preferred them much more together. I thought the tastes really played off each other well when the panna cotta and strawberries were combined on the spoon.
Loved it. Would make it again without a doubt.
Tyler Florence’s Spring Panna Cotta with Fresh Strawberries and Balsamic Syrup
Show: Tyler’s Ultimate Episode: Ultimate Orecchiette
Cook Time: 15 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Ingredients
Nonstick spray, for greasing ramekins
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup superfine sugar (I put regular sugar in a food processor and pulsed a few times)
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (I used vanilla bean paste)
4 strips lemon peel
1 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 1/2 cups creme fraiche, room temperature (I substituted sour cream)
1 cup good-quality balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 large carton strawberries, trimmed and quartered
Directions!
Spring Panna Cotta with Fresh Strawberries and Balsamic Syrup marks my eighteenth post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday.
TFF: Summer Rolls with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
Megan’s Challenge is an optional monthly event over at Tyler Florence Fridays. Megan chooses a recipe for everyone to test out if they want and for June the selection was Tyler’s Summer Rolls with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce. Words like “Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce” really speak to me, I had to give these a shot.
The rolls are stuffed with cellophane noodles, peanuts, cilantro, and vegetables such as carrots, beets, bean sprouts and fresh chiles. A couple of mint leaves are tucked under the papers before the paper is completely rolled up. I stuck to the recipe on this one but I think you could easily switch up ingredients if you wanted to.
I’ve never made anything like this at home before and I didn’t have any problems. It’s moderate prep work, a little mixing for the sauce and filling, and then rolling up the filling inside wet rice papers.
These were the perfect summer dinner. The rolls are full of flavor from the vegetables and fresh herbs. The cellophane noodles are soft while the peanuts give some crunch. The sweet chili sauce gives a nice twist. I really hate cilantro, at first I was put off by it. I didn’t think I liked the rolls that much but I kept tasting just to make sure. These actually really grew on me, nasty cilantro and all.
The beets turn everything pink inside the rolls. As well as your hands, the counter, the cutting board… you name it. :)
This was such a fun recipe to make. I’m glad I attempted it. Thanks you Megan for choosing the perfect summer recipe!
Tyler Florence’s Summer Rolls with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
Show: Food 911 Episode: Thai One on
Yield: 20 rolls
Rated 5/5 stars on foodnetwork.com
Ingredients
Summer Rolls
3 ounces Vietnamese cellophane noodles, cooked according to package directions
2 cups bean sprouts
2 carrots, julienned
1 large beet, julienned
1 fresh red chile, cut in circles
2 handfuls fresh cilantro, hand-torn
3/4 cup chopped unsalted peanuts
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1 lime, juiced
Sea salt
20 (8-inch) round rice paper wrappers
40 mint leaves
Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 cup hot water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon red chili paste, such as sambal
Click here for directions
Tyler’s Summer Rolls with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce marks my seventeenth post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday.
Only a few fainting spells…
Something exciting happened at Something Sweet by Karen. My recent Tyler’s Ultimate Cheesecake post for Tyler Florence Fridays was selected to be featured this week on Tyler Florence’s blog. Yes, the man himself! Click here to see the entry.
I couldn’t be happier. I love Tyler, his recipes, his show and his books, and I love being a part of the Tyler Florence Fridays group. Every week, TFF members cook and bake an impressive line up of Tyler’s recipes. I urge you to check out what everyone has been up to.
Showcases of TFF members will now be a weekly feature over at Tyler’s site, and one of many new innovative and interactive ideas being launched. It’s all very exciting, I can’t wait to see what the future holds!
TFF: Croissant French Toast with Soft Caramel Apples
I used to hate french toast.
Maybe it’s because I had never had croissant french toast with soft caramel apples.
I like french toast now.
Peeling apples is one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen. I always dread it because of the “arthritis” in my hands but once I get started, I find it therapeutic. It also makes me think of the scene in Sleepless in Seattle when Tom Hanks is telling his young son about his deceased mother and how “she could peel an apple in one… long… curly strip. The whole apple.” And us viewers know that Meg Ryan sits in her kitchen all the way across the country able to do the exact same thing. I love that movie.
I always try to peel the apple in one long, curly strip but it never works out. The below picture was the best I could do this time around. Have you ever done it?
Anyway…
Caramel and Apples. Mmmm. Now Tyler says “don’t freak out” if your caramel seizes on you. Mine did and I’ll admit I freaked out even though he said not to. I was stirring caramel the consistency of peanut brittle for a long time. But it all worked out ok in the end. I found the apples needed a longer cook time than the 10 minutes he suggested, I think they needed more like 15 or 20.
No, that fourth picture is not chicken that I slipped in this post by mistake. But it kind of looks like chicken.
I really liked this and I’d recommend it for your breakfast this weekend. It’s easy to make, doesn’t cost that much and most of the ingredients you’ll already have at home. It gets a five star rating on Foodnetwork.com as well.
My boyfriend thinks this post is taking too long for me to write since he wants to go to bed and my light is still on. He says “it’s apples, two slices of french toast croissant to make it a sandwich, topped with a little powdered sugar and cinnamon… it’s good. What else is there to say?”
He’s right.
So there you have it.
Tyler Florence’s Croissant French Toast with Soft Caramel Apples
Show: Food 911 Episode: B&B Breakfast
From the book Tyler Florence’s Real Kitchen
Cook Time: 35 min Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
Batter:
3 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch ground cinnamon
Caramel Apples:
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut in 1/2-inch-thick wedges
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large croissants, halved lengthwise
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Ground cinnamon, for dusting
Click here for directions!
Croissant French Toast with Soft Caramel Apples is my twelfth post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday.
TFF: Roasted Acorn Squash with Cheese Tortellini
Roasted Acorn Squash with Cheese Tortellini ranks as one of the best Tyler Florence recipes I’ve made so far.
Acorn squash is hollowed out, roasted in the oven and then used as a serving dish to hold cheese tortellini in a creamy, alfredo like sauce. A little garnish of parmesan and sage leaves is sprinkled on the top. The cheese tortellini ends up getting kind of crispy which makes for a great texture difference. Everything together has a smooth, creamy, and subtle richness that I absolutely loved.
I think the presentation factor makes this a perfect dish to serve at a dinner party. Plus, it’s meatless so it would be good for vegetarian guests.
My only recommendation would be to roast the squash a little bit longer than the recipe suggests. I’ve found this to be true with a few of Tyler’s roasting times. Maybe it’s just my oven or something with my own personal preferences, but just be aware.
I actually made this a few weeks ago but just hadn’t had the time to get it posted. So tonight I seriously felt bummed inside while looking at these pictures at the same time I had Sloppy Joe Hamburger Helper simmering away on the stove. It just didn’t seem right. :)
Tyler Florence’s Roasted Acorn Squash with Cheese Tortellini
Ingredients
2 medium acorn squash (about 1 pound each)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups heavy cream
1 garlic clove crushed
1 sprig thyme
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 pound cheese tortellini (store bought)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grated parmesan cheese for topping
Fresh sage leaves for garnish
AOL has the recipe here with directions
Roasted Acorn Squash with Cheese Tortellini is my eleventh post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday.
Strawberry-Lemon Puddings
Sometimes you want dessert with barely putting forth any effort. At least I do. I work late a lot and don’t want to be messing around with something that takes a long time, but I also want more than just eating a few chocolate chips out of a bag to satisfy my sweet tooth. These Strawberry-Lemon Puddings use a few store bought ingredients that really save time. Within a half hour you can have a delicious dessert.
This is basically a traditional Strawberry Shortcake but with lemon thrown in the mix. Lemon curd whipped cream, strawberries in lemon syrup and buttery pound cake are layered together and topped with toasted pound cake crumbs. Mmmm.
The steps to this recipe are easy as it’s mostly assembling the components and not really much cooking or baking. All that you really need to do is heat up the strawberries on the stove top for five minutes and whip some cream into soft peaks. That’s nothin’.
This turned out as I expected. Deeeelicious. I’ve come to expect that from Tyler Florence recipes, even simple ones like this. The lemon curd whipped cream was to die for and, to my surprise, actually pretty rich. I think I put too much whipped cream in my layers, next time I would knock it back a bit.
Tyler Florence’s Strawberry-Lemon Puddings
From the book Dinner At My Place
Makes 4 Servings
Ingredients:
2 cups of strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 Meyer lemon, juice only (I used regular lemon juice)
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for the tops
1/2 cup lemon curd, store bought
1 pound cake, store bought
The recipe and directions can be found online at HSN’s website here.
Strawberry-Lemon Puddings are my tenth post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday.
TFF: Mozzarella Grilled Sandwich
For 69 cents at your grocery store you can get more parsley than I think any person could actually use in regular home cooking. If you opened my fridge right now you’d find this big green thing almost as big as one of the little bushes in my front yard. Every time I buy parsley I always pick it up and think “What the heck am I going to do with all this?”.
I had a lot of leftover basil from last week’s TFF as well as parsley from Barefoot Bloggers. I was determined to make a dent in both supplies by using them in other recipes instead of eventually throwing it all out. I did a search on foodnetwork.com for “Tyler and Pesto” and it came up with these Mozzarella Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. I recognized these from one of his books as well as from a few TFF members that recently made them. It was a go.
The sandwiches have a layer of pesto, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese between slices of sourdough bread. I used fresh bocconcini mozzarella packed in water which saved me about five dollars. I don’t have a cast iron skillet or panini press so I just broke out the trusty George Foreman that I’ve had FOREVER instead. It worked great, you can always count on the Foreman to get things done.
We really enjoyed these. We each ate two and I wanted to eat about ten more. I thought about them later that night, when I woke up in the middle of the night, when I got up in the morning and when I was eating something else for lunch later that day. I really hate when that happens, but these had some sort of hold over me. They reminded me of something you could get at Panera but for a fraction of the cost. At times though I thought maybe some bites lacked a little bit of a “punch” but I couldn’t pinpoint what I thought should be added flavor wise. The boyfriend said red onion. Maybe, but pesto AND red onion?? Colgate and Scope would have their work cut out for them! I would make these again though without a doubt. Thanks to Tyler for another great recipe to add to my list of regulars, and thanks to my Foreman grill for “knocking out the fat” with me since 1995.
The recipe online differs slightly from the book. I used the online version.
Tyler Florence’s Mozzarella Grilled Cheese
Show: Tyler’s Ultimate Episode: Ultimate Rainy Day
Yield: 2 sandwiches
Ingredients
4 slices thick-cut sourdough bread
1 ball (1 pound) fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 plum tomatoes, cut into thick slices
1 cup fresh basil pesto, recipe follows
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
Basil pesto:
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/2 cup Parmesan or Romano
2 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Mozzarella Grilled Cheese is my ninth post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday.
TFF: Truffle Tarts and Raspberries
My blog name has always driven a lot of traffic to my site from people searching for “something sweet to say”. I see variations of that search all the time in my stats, with a surge recently since Valentine’s Day is right upon us.
So sometimes I like to think about what I could offer up in terms of advice.
It’s hard to come up with stuff but I did come up with one thing sweet to say… how about “I made you something!”.
Like these Truffle Tarts with Raspberries.
That’s pretty sweet. You can’t go wrong with that in my opinion. 
An Oreo cookie crust houses a bittersweet chocolate filling with a raspberry hidden inside and more served on top for garnish. It’s small, it’s rich, it’s chocolate, it’s raspberry… it’s seriously good.
Whether or not you love or hate Valentine’s Day, I hope you have a good one. This year, the boyfriend and I have decided to forgo our usual expensive dinner out at our favorite local restaurant and stay home and cook for each other instead. We also decided no cards, candy, flowers or gifts. We’ve had a lot of unexpected expenses come up recently from a sick cat’s huge vet bill to car repairs to an HD Tivo deal we couldn’t pass up to my $500 trip to the dentist Tuesday. We decided not to add more to the debt pile trying to show “I love you”. Just saying it is sweet enough.
Happy Birthday Katie and Sharon! I love both of you Valentine’s babies so much!
Tyler Florence’s Truffle Tarts with Raspberries
Show: How To Boil Water Episode: How Sweet It Is
Rated 4 out of 5 stars from 33 Foodnetwork.com reviews
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fine chocolate wafer crumbs (from Oreo cookies or chocolate wafers)
6 tablespoons melted butter
1 recipe Dark Chocolate Truffles, recipe follows, whipped but not shaped into balls
6 fresh raspberries, plus extra for serving
Dark Chocolate Truffles:
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces good-quality (70 percent) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Click here for directions
Truffle Tarts with Raspberries are my fifth post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group with the freedom to make any recipe of Tyler’s that they choose and then share their experiences every Friday.
