WILD MUSHROOM & THYME PHYLLO TART

hope everyone had a great christmas!!!! i’m gonna keep this one short & sweet so i can get back to my holiday break. this is the perfect little bite sized appetizer for any party, like a new years party! whether you are hosting a new year’s eve bash, a new year’s brunch, or staying in & want to eat something fancy, try serving these little bite sized phyllo tarts. i have made these in both a mini muffin tin & a regular muffin tin. the mini muffin tin makes for a better one-bite hors d’oeuvre, but both will work! you can also make these ahead of time & re-heat right before serving to crisp up that phyllo again.

ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons butter + 1/2 cup melted butter, for brushing phyllo pastry
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups wild mushrooms, thinly sliced (i used a mixture of shiitake & baby white mushrooms)
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 package phyllo pastry sheets
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (or asiago)

directions

• in a sauce pan on low heat melt garlic, butter (two tablespoons) & olive oil. add the mushrooms, onions, thyme, salt & pepper. cook until the onions fully caramelize, about 30 minutes. set aside to cool.
• layer 8-10 sheets of phyllo pastry, brushing each sheet with butter. leave a damp cloth over the phyllo dough not in use so it doesn’t dry out. cut the layered phyllo into 2-inch squares & place into muffin tins.
• fill each muffin tin with a tablespoon of filling. sprinkle with parmesan cheese flakes & additional thyme.
• bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown.

SALTED CARAMEL CHEESECAKE

sweet [baby] jesus! i cannot believe this is my last christmas post of the year. i thought i would make it one hell of a post & do a cheesecake! but not just any cheesecake, a salted caramel cheesecake. i find not a lot of home bakers seem to make cheesecakes from scratch (even other bloggers!). is it because of the amount of cream cheese involved or is the thought of making a cheesecake kinda scary? the burning, the sinking, the cracking, the horror! i pretty much only make cheesecake once a year & that is for my family's christmas. each year i create a new flavour of cheesecake for the family. from candy cane chocolate, to pumpkin, to apple blossom, to a classic new york strawberry, to this years salted caramel (i wish i could have blogged every single one i just named). SO.. if you are looking for a last minute holiday dessert that people will go crazy for, look no further! lastly, below are some tips to making the perfect cheesecake. & if it cracks a bit at the top, which there is always a high chance it will.. don't worry! the salted caramel will cover that up perfectly. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

TIPS:

• have all the ingredients room temperature. especially the cream cheese. this will prevent clumps of cream cheese in the batter.
• start the oven on high & once the cheesecake has puffed, immediately turn it down to low. it is important to test how accurate the oven temperature is, because a lot of ovens lie.
• don't remove the cheesecake once it is finished in the oven. turn the oven off & let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 15 minutes, before removing.
• lastly, bake it in a water bath to prevent cracks. this step is not necessary, as i mentioned above you can easily cover the cracks with caramel.

ingredients

for the salted caramel

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

for the crust

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 pinch of salt

for the filling

• 4 packages of full fat plain cream cheese (8 oz each)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 4 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  directions

• for the caramel: in a saucepot add the sugar and water. bring the pan to a boil while wiping down the crystals that form on the sides of the pan using a pastry brush (do not stir, i repeat, do NOT stir). continue to boil until the mixture turns to a deep amber colour, approximately 5 minutes. be sure not to burn the caramel! it will go from a deep amber to burnt sugar VERY quickly. remove from heat and immediately whisk in the butter, cream & salt. cool to room temperature before serving.

• for the crust: in a mixing bowl add the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter & salt. stir until combined. using a 9 or 10 inch spring form pan, shape the crumb mixture into firm crust. be sure to go up at least two inches on the sides of the pan (makes removing the spring form pan easier).

• for the filling: preheat oven to 475 degrees. in a mixer with the paddle attachment beat sugar, cream cheese & flour. add the eggs/egg yolks one at a time. scrape the bowl after every addition to ensure no clumps! once mixture is silky smooth add the vanilla. pour into the crust lined spring form pan. bake at 475 degrees for 15 minutes, or until the top puffs. if the top begins to brown too quickly, lower the temperature. once the top has puffed, lower the temperature to 225 degrees & bake for an additional 45 minutes or until the cake appears firm. turn off the oven & let the cake sit for 15 minutes. remove from oven & let cool to room temperature before refrigerating over night. top with salted caramel sauce right before serving.

FROSTED GINGERBREAD COOKIES

CHRISTMAS IS THIS WEEK! i am super excited / sad it is going to be over in literally the blink of an eye. then boom! we have to pretend we are all about eating healthy & working out & living off salads.. pft! don't worry, i'm already working on a rich chocolate cake for the new year. now back to christmas! if there is one important person we can't forget about this year, that person is SANTA! so today i'm leaving you with the perfect frosted gingerbread cookie recipe to put out for old st. nick, complete with a tall, cold glass of milk! i have made several gingerbread cookie recipes in my baking days & found a lot of them to be too molasses tasting / too spicy. i know some people are into that, so i made two separate doughs here, one with a rich molasses flavour & one with a more subtle taste. while i prefer the lighter version, i will leave it up to you & santa to decide! xo

ingredients

for the light cookies

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all purpose flour

for the dark cookies

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all purpose flour

for the frosting

• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon whole milk, plus more

directions

• in the bowl of a standmixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter & sugar.
• add molasses & egg until light and fluffy.
• in a separate mixing bowl sift baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt & flour. add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. mix until the dough comes together.
• turn out onto a floured surface & shape into a disk. wrap in plastic wrap & refrigerate for a minimum of two hours.
• roll out dough to approximately a 1/4 inch thick. cut into desired shapes.
• bake at 350 degrees until the gingerbread begin to puff & the edges very slightly brown. let cool before frosting.
• while the gingerbread cool, make the frosting. add all ingredients into a bowl & mix until the desired consistency is formed. the final result should resemble melted white chocolate. if frosting looks runny, add more icing sugar, if frosting looks too thick, add more milk. pipe as desired using a ziplock bag or frosting tip!