Restaurant Wars 2014 - Red Mango

Happy Halloween everyone!  Have you picked out your costume, bought bite sized candy bars for the trick-or-treaters and spookified your house?  Personally, I haven't done any of those things...  Living in an apartment really takes me out of the whole - dress up and have a wild and crazy Halloween - thing.  But I have been making lots of treats because I really do love this holiday.  It's the beginning of all the holiday fun!

Today we are going to celebrate Halloween and continue with Restaurant Wars 2013!  I meant to complete this challenge in the summer, because that's when you eat frozen yogurt, but I got side-tracked with unemployment!  Instead of making you a summer frozen yogurt, I decided to mimic the Red Mango fall favorite - Pumpkin spice!

The first time I had Red Mango frozen yogurt, it was probably two years ago.  The Boyfriend and I went in and each got a big bowl and topped it with chocolate sauce.  We each took a bite and were shocked with the flavor.  It was not what we were expecting!  The yogurty flavor screams out from the vanilla Red Mango and it was such a surprise.  We both wondered what was wrong with the ice cream!

I've come to love the unique flavor of their frozen yogurt, but the BF insists on going to the place just down the street that has a more neutral flavor base.  Last week I headed to Red Mango, twice, just to be sure I got the flavors right. Personally, my favorite flavor combination is the classic frozen yogurt topped with raspberries and chocolate sauce.  I also had their pumpkin spice topped with caramel.

So before you put your ice cream maker away for the winter, whip up a batch of pumpkin spice frozen yogurt.  You'll be so happy that you did!

One Year Ago: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Two Years Ago: Pumpkin Raisin Muffins
Three Years Ago: Pear Cake with Pine Nuts

Pumpkin Spice Frozen Yogurt

A Wilde Original

32 ounces plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup agave syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix all ingredients together.

For a smooth frozen yogurt, freeze in an ice cream maker for about 10-15 minutes.  Eat right away for a soft serve feel.  Freeze for 1 hour for a harder frozen yogurt.

For a more icy frozen yogurt, place mixture in an air-tight container and place in the freezer.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween week is upon us and I'm so excited!  Halloween was always my favorite holiday of the year.  Getting dressed up, trick or treating, eating all those tiny candy bars.  So much fun.  I'm pretty sure I went trick or treating all the way into high school.  Well, I went until I shot up six inches and couldn't pull off "cute" anymore. Nobody wants to give a five foot nine girl candy.

I decided to make one final Halloween treat for all of us.  After Christine shared with me what good candy corn is supposed to taste like (vanilla and sugar), I decided to make my own version of candy corn.  

Candy corn mallomars!

Using my favorite almond sugar cookie and simple vanilla marshmallow recipes, these mallomars came together quickly.  I also was sure to use high quality sanding sugars (because cheap-o ones taste a little bitter) to give a little sparkle and shine to these treats.

Now I think I'll go and hand these out to the people that work around my apartment building.  We don't get trick-or-treaters, so I'll just have to make my own fun!  

One Year Ago: Hurricane Sandy! & Butternut Squash Cake
Two Years Ago: Pumpkin Raisin Muffins
Three Years Ago: Butternut Squash Soup

Candy Corn Mallomars

A Wilde Original

For the Cookies

1 stick butter, room temperature

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup almond flour

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Yellow food coloring

In a large bowl, beat together butter, powdered sugar and salt until smooth.  Add almond flour and vanilla and beat until combined.  Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the edges.  Add egg and combine.  Finally, add flour slowly until completely mixed.  Add enough yellow food coloring to give a bright yellow dough, mix until evenly colored.

Scrape batter out of the bowl and onto a large piece of plastic wrap.  Place dough on a large piece of plastic wrap and fold over.  Gently press dough flat with your hands.  Using a rolling pin, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness.  Place dough on a baking sheet and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Lightly dust work surface with flour and unwrap chilled dough.  Stamp out dough with a 2-inch round cookie cutter and place cut dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Place this baking sheet in the fridge for 30 minutes.  Collect dough scraps and roll into a ball and re-chill and cut until you use all of the dough.

Preheat oven to 350 F while the cookie dough shapes are chilling.  Take cut dough straight from the fridge and place in the oven.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to turn golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool, on the baking sheet, on a wire rack for 1 minute.  Remove cookies from the sheet and let cool completely before decorating.

For the Marshmallow

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cold water

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons powdered gelatin

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Pinch kosher salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

Orange food coloring

Orange sanding sugar or sprinkles

White sanding sugar

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water and vanilla.  Add powdered gelatin and whisk until no more lumps are present.  Set near the stove.

In a 2-quart pan, combine 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, corn syrup, salt and sugar.  Clip on a candy thermometer and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Allow the sugar to dissolve undisturbed and let the temperature rise until it reaches 250 ºF.  Remove sugar syrup from the heat and whisk in bloomed gelatin.

Pour syrup into the bowl of your stand mixer with whisk attachment.  Turn it up to high speed and whip for 8- 10 minutes.  Once the mixture is white, glossy and fluffy, transfer about 1 1/2 cups into a piping bag.  Add orange food coloring to remaining marshmallow in the bowl and beat until the color is even and bright.  Transfer orange marshmallow to a second piping bag.

Pipe rounds of orange marshmallow on top of the cookies.  Top with a dollop of white marshmallow.  Let marshmallow set for 30 minutes.  Dip white marshmallow tops in white sanding sugar.  Sprinkle orange marshmallow with orange sanding sugar.  Pretty!