Crispy Mochi Treat

I know that this recipe will not be for everyone. I know that some people will think, hey, you tried to convince me of these flavors years ago (long live my sesame ball cookie that only three people tasted). I know that some people will hate the consistency of mochi and not be able to fathom the thought of eating sweetened bean paste. But I dare you to show up to your next party with these on a tray as opposed to those brownies that you always make (don't get me wrong, those brownies are delicious but don't you want to be the coolest one there?).

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Crispy Mochi Treat

Sesame Rice Krispie Treats
6 cups rice krispies
6 tbsp unsalted butter
10 oz mini marshmallows
2/3 cup combination of tan and black sesame seeds
1 tsp sesame oil

Matcha Mochi Cake
1 lb glutinous rice flour
2 tbsp matcha powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups milk
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, beaten

Red Bean Paste
Sweetened red bean paste can be found at an asian grocery store (or on amazon)

Make the rice krispie bars : Prepare a 9x13 square pan with parchment paper. Melt the marshmallows and butter over medium heat in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Once the marshmallows are 90% melted, remove from heat and gradually mix in the rice krispies, seeds, and sesame oil. Once fully mixed, press evenly into the prepared pan.

Make the matcha mochi: Prepare a second 9x13 pan with parchment paper and heat the oven to 350 ° F . Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well combined (either by hand or with a mixer). Add to prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the mochi cool completely before removing from pan.

Assembly: Slice mochi and rice krispie treat to desired thicknesses (they should be similar based on dimensions of baking pans). Use red bean paste as the middle layer -

Note: You will likely need to go an asian grocer to find the glutinous rice flour and red bean paste (I have made the paste by hand in the past but the canned version is really tasty and way more efficient).

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Chocolate Cream Caramel Bars

I am not vegan.  I do not follow a raw diet.  In fact, I love cooking food.  I love eating meat and cheese.  I love butter, sugar, and eggs. You could say that I follow the eat-tasty-food diet. The main pillar of this diet is that good ingredients make good food. Yes, good ingredients include butter, sugar, and eggs but almonds, cashews, dates, and chocolate are also on that list. So try it and if you don't like it you can always wash it down with something a little less vegan...like a deadly cookie.

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Chocolate Cream Caramel Bars
from This Rawsome Vegan Life

Make the crust: Process the almonds into flour in your food processor. Add the dates and process until it begins to stick together. Press into the bottom of a lined baking pan (I used an 8x8 pan) and refrigerate.

Make both the caramel and chocolate layers: Blend the ingredients in each list until smooth. Feel free to add other flavors like vanilla, chili , ginger, etc. Spread the caramel onto your crust, followed by the chocolate cream. Refrigerate until completely set; this will take a few hours.

Crust
1 cup almonds
1 cup dates
Pinch of salt

Caramel
½ cup cashew butter
½ cup coconut oil
1 cup dates

Chocolate Cream
1/3 cup coconut oil
2-3 tbsp cacao powder
¼ cup preferred liquid sweetener (honey, brown rice syrup, etc)

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Mini Eclairs

There are few desserts that I dislike.  This list includes pecan pie, coconut macaroons, cannolis, cheesecake...and it used to include eclairs.  I never understood why people enjoyed a semi-cold puff of dough filled with a less than semi-tasty pastry cream. But then I made pastry cream at home and that all changed.  Here's the thing: semi-cold, semi-tasty chocolate chip cookies are still pretty good but fresh homemade pastry cream is nothing like the stuff in a chilled glass case.

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Eclairs 

Make the pate a choux: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

Sift the pastry flour and reserve in a bowl.  Bring the milk, water, salt, sugar and butter to a boil in a small pot over medium heat. Remove from the heat, add the flour, and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon to combine. Return the mixture to the heat and cook the paste for 1 minute or until it clears the side of the pot, stirring occasionally.

Transfer the cooked dough to a stand mixer and with the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until the steam is gone (a few minutes). While the dough is mixing on low, temper the eggs by pouring 3/4 of the eggs into the dough and mix until combined. Add the remainder of the eggs and mix until just combined (dough will have a sheen to it).

Transfer the dough to a piping bag and pipe into the desired shape onto prepared pan and brush lightly with egg wash (optional). I piped mini eclairs about 2.5 inches long but they can be much larger.

Bake at 350°F in a convection oven for 10 minutes and then decrease the temperature to 325°F with the door slightly open for 15-20 minutes or until they are slightly brown on the exterior and "dry" in the center.

Make the pastry cream: Place the milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Keeping an eye on the milk, whisk the cornstarch, sugar, and salt together in a bowl. Gradually add eggs to this mixture and mix until smooth.

Slowly add about one-third of the hot milk to the egg mixture while whisking rapidly (tempering the egg mixture so the eggs do not cook). Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the remaining milk. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. You know that it is ready when it is thick enough to stick to the back of a wooden spoon without sliding off quickly. Stir in the vanilla extract, then the butter until fully incorporated.

Pour the pastry cream into a bowl and cover with a piece of parchment paper until cool. When fully cooled, store in the refrigerator with plastic wrap. If stored properly, pastry cream will keep fresh for up to three days (but definitely best on day one).

To serve: To assemble the eclairs, fill a piping bag with a small tip and some pastry cream and lightly poke a hold in the end, or bottom of the cooked shells and gently add the cream until you feel it puff up. You can also slice the shells in half, lengthwise, and spoon the pastry cream onto the bottom layer and then sandwich the two layers back together.

If you so desire (and why wouldn't you?), you can add some melted chocolate to the top.

Pate a Choux
6 oz Whole Milk
6 oz Water
1 tsp Salt
1½ tsp Sugar
5 oz (9 tbsp) Unsalted Butter
6 1/4 oz (1½ cups) Pastry or Cake Flour
9 oz Eggs (~5 eggs), gently mixed

Pastry Cream
2 cups Whole Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract (or, better yet, vanilla paste)
1 oz Corn Starch
4 oz Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Whole Egg + 1 Yolk
1.5 oz Unsalted Butter

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