Martha Stewart Cream Puffs Recipe Recipe For Banana Recipe For Zucchini

SWEET ZUCCHINI CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cups of a standard (12-cup) muffin tin with paper or foil liners. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix in nuts.
• In another bowl, combine zucchini, oil, eggs, and vanilla; add to flour mixture, and mix just until combined (do not overmix).
• Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
• Cool in tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes; turn cupcakes out, right side up, and cool completely. Meanwhile, make frosting. Using an offset spatula or butter knife, spread Cream Cheese Frosting on cupcakes. The frosted cupcakes are best eaten within 1 day.

CLASSIC CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine butter, sugar, salt and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and quickly stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Continue to stir until a film forms on the bottom of the pan.
• Remove from heat and transfer contents to a bowl to cool slightly, about 3 minutes. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously to entirely incorporate egg after each addition.
• For the egg wash, whisk together the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water. Set aside.
• Transfer the pate a choux to a large pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip. Pipe 1-1/2-inch rounds onto each prepared pan. Gently smooth the pointed peaks with a moistened finger, rounding tops to ensure even rising. Brush tops with reserved egg wash. Bake until puffs rise and are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Puffs can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.
• Transfer pastry cream to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/8-inch plain round tip. Insert the tip into the opening of each pastry, and pipe to fill with pastry cream. Serve immediately.

CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or with nonstick baking mats, such as Silpats. Dip a 2-inch round cookie cutter in flour, and mark circles 2 inches apart on prepared sheets. Transfer pate a choux to a pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip (such as an Ateco No. 808), and pipe puffs to fit in flour circles. Smooth peaks with a moistened finger, rounding tops to ensure even rising. Freeze pastry puffs on baking sheets until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, sprinkle a clean work surface with 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and place tart dough on top of sugar, patting it into a round. Sprinkle another 1/2 cup sugar over dough, and roll to a scant 1/8-inch thick, coating both sides of dough with the sugar to keep it from sticking. Using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out 36 rounds, and place a round on top of each frozen puff. Return to freezer until firm, at least 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds.
• Bake puffs until pale golden brown all over, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheets on wire racks. Puffs can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature overnight.
• Put heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Whisk the pastry cream to soften. Working in 2 batches, fold whipped cream into pastry cream. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as an Ateco No. 806). Insert tip into bottom of each puff, and fill. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cream puffs are best eaten within a few hours; refrigerate in an airtight container.

STRAWBERRY OR BANANA SUNDAE PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place puff pastry rounds, 2 inches apart, on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until golden and puffed, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
• Meanwhile, in a medium pot, combine corn syrup, cream, butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and pinch of salt; bring to a boil, whisking, over medium-high. Remove fudge sauce from heat and let cool slightly. (To store, refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 2 months.) Top each pastry with bananas, ice cream, sauce, and walnuts.

BANANA-ZUCCHINI BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, whisk eggs, bananas, sugar and oil. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in zucchini and pecans. Pour into 2 greased 9x5-in. loaf pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE-ZUCCHINI CAKES WITH WALNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together butter, sugar, salt, and egg until combined. Add vanilla, zucchini, and sour cream and stir until incorporated. Sift flour and cocoa powder into bowl and stir until combined. Stir in chocolate.
• Spray 2 mini muffin pans with cooking spray. Fill each cup with 2 tablespoons batter and top with a walnut. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, 15 to 17 minutes. Let muffins cool slightly in pans on wire racks before serving.

BASIC CREAM PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees with a rack in the center. Line two unrimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.
• Make Pastry Cream, and refrigerate. Make Pate a Choux batter. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a coupler or 1/2-inch (Ateco #806) tip, and pipe 1-inch rounds onto baking sheets at 2-inch intervals. Using fingers, rub egg wash over entire top, and flatten tips, being careful not to let it drip onto the surrounding baking sheet (it will inhibit rising). Sprinkle with crystal sanding sugar or chopped nuts, if desired.
• Cover one sheet with lightly oiled plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator. Transfer the other to the oven. Bake 10 minutes; reduce oven heat to 350 degrees. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until puffs are golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool slightly. Raise heat back to 425 degrees, and repeat process for remaining batch.
• Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks in a small bowl. Stir pastry cream to soften. Add whipped cream to pastry cream in two batches; stir to combine after each. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a coupler and filling tip (Ateco #230). Insert tip into the underside of each cream puff, and fill. Cool completely before dusting with confectioners' sugar or applying icing.
• To make icing, combine sugar, butter, and water in a medium bowl. Stir until smooth. Add the food coloring a little at a time until desired color is reached. Dip the top of cooled cream puffs into icing; let excess drip off before turning over. Let set a few minutes; decorate with a dragee. Serve, or store up to 2 hours in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

BANANA CREAM PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour, and roll out pate brisee to a 1/8-inch thickness. Fit into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Trim pastry using scissors or a sharp paring knife. Crimp or decorate edges of pastry if desired. Chill for 30 minutes.
• Carefully line pastry with parchment paper, pressing it into corners and edges, and weight with beans, rice, or aluminum or ceramic weights. Bake until pastry begins to color around edges, about 15 minutes. Remove paper and weights, and continue to bake just until pastry dries out and turns golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more.
• Cool completely on a wire rack. The baked shell can be stored in airtight containers or well wrapped in plastic in the freezer for up to 1 month.
• Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Make the custard: In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. In a medium saucepan, bring milk just to a boil. Remove from heat, and whisk about 1/2 cup of hot milk into yolk mixture. Whisk yolk mixture into saucepan of hot milk. Place over medium-high heat, and bring to a gentle boil, whisking constantly. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, and whisk in butter, one piece at a time, until melted. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, and whisk until smooth. Immediately strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Place bowl of custard in ice bath to cool, stirring occasionally.
• Peel bananas, and slice 1/4 inch thick. Add lemon juice, and toss gently to coat. Arrange in an even layer in bottom of baked piecrust. Scrape cooled custard over bananas, and smooth top with a spatula. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat cream on medium-low speed for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high, and add confectioners' sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until soft peaks form. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip (Ateco No. 32). Pipe cream over custard in large rosettes, covering it completely. Serve immediately.

ZUCCHINI-PARMESAN BREAD WITH POPPY SEEDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush a standard 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with butter and dust with flour, tapping out excess.
• Place zucchini in the center of a clean kitchen towel or a few layers of cheesecloth. Gather into a tight bundle and squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, pepper, baking powder, baking soda, and poppy seeds, 30 seconds. Add 1 cup cheese; toss to evenly coat in flour mixture. In another bowl, whisk together butter, eggs, sour cream, and zucchini until smooth. Make a well in flour mixture and pour zucchini mixture into it. Stir together just until combined and no dryflour remains (do not overmix). Transfer to prepared pan. Top evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
• Bake until a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour, 10 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then transfer loaf to a wire rack and let cool completely. Bread can be stored at room temperature, wrapped in parchment-lined foil, up to 3 days.

MARTHA'S BANANA CREAM PIE

Steps:

• Combine 2 cups cream, the milk, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla bean and seeds in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil, whisking to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat.
• Combine egg yolks, eggs, cornstarch, and 1 cup sugar in a medium bowl; whisk until pale yellow in color. Set aside.
• Whisk 1 cup hot cream mixture into egg yolk mixture. Gradually add egg mixture to hot cream mixture, whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly with a large wooden spoon to cook out cornstarch and thicken mixture, about 5 minutes. (The mixture may separate slightly; if it does, remove from heat and beat with an electric mixer until thick and smooth.) Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down against surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in refrigerator about 4 hours.
• To assemble, spread 1/2 cup custard over bottom of prepared crust, smoothing with the back of a large spoon or rubber spatula. Arrange enough banana slices (not quite one-third of them) in a tight, tiled pattern over custard, pressing down with hands to pack them firmly. Repeat to build a second layer, using 3/4 cup custard and enough bananas to cover, smoothing down layer evenly. For third layer, spread 3/4 cup custard over bananas and top with remaining bananas, starting 1 inch from outer edge and working toward center. Spread 1 cup custard evenly over bananas to prevent discoloration. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Whip remaining 2 cups heavy cream in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Add remaining 2 teaspoons sugar and vanilla extract and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
• Remove pie from refrigerator. Fill a pastry bag with whipped cream and pipe onto pie. (Alternately, spread whipped cream evenly over pie.) With a sharp knife dipped in hot water, cut pie into 10 equal slices. Transfer slices to dessert plates. Serve.

CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI BREAD

Steps:

• Bread: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-by-5-inch loaf pan. Line with parchment, leaving an overhang on two long sides, then butter and flour paper.
• Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In another bowl, stir together butter, eggs, vanilla, and zucchini. Stir into dry mixture, then fold in chocolate. Pour into pan, smoothing top with a spatula. Bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes on a wire rack, then remove from pan and cool completely.
• Glaze: In a small bowl, combine sugar and milk. Whisk until smooth. Pour glaze over bread, then sprinkle with poppy seeds. Let stand until set, about 20 minutes, then cut into slices to serve. Bread will keep, unglazed, at room temperature for up to 3 days.

CHOCOLATE-ZUCCHINI SHEET CAKE WITH CREAM-CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-by-15-inch jelly-roll pan. Line bottom with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides; butter parchment.
• Whisk together flour, cocoa, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, butter, and vanilla. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture until batter loosens, about 1 minute. Stir in zucchini and chocolate (batter will be quite thick). Spread evenly into prepared pan; smooth top with a spatula. Bake until a tester inserted into cake comes out clean, 28 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Remove from pan.
• Frosting: Beat butter on medium-high speed until smooth, 2 minutes. Add cream cheese; beat to combine. Reduce speed to medium-low and add confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating until thickened. Beat in vanilla. Spread frosting over cake, scatter with zucchini blossoms, and serve. Cake can be refrigerated (without blossoms) up to 8 hours.

THE BEST BANANA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat to incorporate.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla; mix to combine. Stir in nuts and pour into prepared pan.
• Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.

BANANA CREAM PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 12-inch round, a bit less than 1/4 inch thick. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, trim crust so there's a 1/2-inch overhang all around. Fold under overhang so it extends slightly beyond edge of pie plate. Crimp edge as desired. Prick dough all over with a fork. Brush rim of dough with beaten egg. Chill pie shell until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Line chilled pie shell with a round of parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges of crust just turn golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove pie weights and parchment. Return crust to oven, and continue baking until golden all over, 20 to 25 minutes more. Place pie shell on a wire rack to cool completely.
• Prepare an ice bath; set aside. In a bowl, lightly whisk egg yolks; set aside. In a saucepan, whisk together milk, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Bring to a simmer (do not boil), and cook, whisking constantly, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Whisk a quarter of hot-milk mixture into egg yolks; whisk in remaining milk mixture. Strain into a clean saucepan, and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until custard is thick and bubbles appear in center, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface to prevent a skin from forming. Set in ice bath until completely chilled, 30 to 35 minutes. (Filling can be kept in refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, up to 1 day.)
• Cut 3 or 4 bananas into 1/4-inch slices, slightly on the bias. Beginning at the edge of the piecrust, arrange the slices in slightly overlapping rows. Cover with custard, using an offset spatula to smooth it into an even layer. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine cream and confectioners' sugar; beat until soft peaks form. Using a small offset spatula, spread the whipped cream on top of the custard. Refrigerate pie, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
• Just before serving, cut 3 or 4 bananas into 1/4-inch slices, slightly on the bias. Beginning at the edge of the piecrust, arrange the slices in slightly overlapping rows on top of the whipped cream.