Chefs sampling each other’s creations! Yum!

Chef Brian Mercury with his distinctively delicious Thin Mint & Rice Krispies Treat Torte!

Last year’s “Best Overall” winner, Chef Eunice Heller, owner and chef at Bread & Chocolate Bakery Café in Newton, continued to be a crowd-pleaser. Her “All for Her” Lemon Risotto won the “Crowd Favorite” award and using Lemonades cookies, you too can create this yummy, savory dish. 

Chef Eunice Heller with her “All for Her” Lemon Risotto. It was divine!

Below are some of these innovative recipes, straight from the chefs themselves. Have an adult help you create these tasty treats and share your cookie creations with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!

Cookie Creations Danvers is on February 5 at the Danversport Yacht Club, and we hope to see you there! Buy tickets here.
 

The guest judges with GSEM CEO Pat Parcellin (center) at Cookie Creations Boston on January 15, 2015.

Winner of the “Best Overall” Award:
Thin Mint Mousse from the Thin Mint & Rice Krispies Treat Torte
By Brian Mercury, Executive Pastry Chef at Harvest, Cambridge 
Cookie used: Thin Mints

Thin Mint & Rice Krispies Treat Torte

Ingredients

9 ounces white chocolate
4 ounces heavy cream
14 each Thin Mint cookies
1 ½ pounds heavy cream, whipped to soft peak
1 pinch salt
3 ½ ounces egg yolks
2 ounces sugar
4 gelatin sheets

Directions

1.    Loom gelatin in cold water
2.    Melt chocolate over a double boiler, bring first amount of heavy cream to a simmer, pour over chocolate and stir to combine
3.    Whip second amount of heavy cream to soft/medium peaks, set aside
4.    Warm yolks with sugar in a bowl over simmering water and whip on mixer to full volume
5.    Squeeze water out of gelatin and melt in a bowl over simmering water, add to chocolate mixture, add yolks
6.    Blend chocolate mixture with crushed cookies till smooth, pass through fine mesh strainer
7.    Fold in whipped heavy cream into chocolate/cookie mix
8.    Place in container and refrigerate until set 4-6 hours or overnight

Winner of the “Crowd Favorite” Award:
“All for Her” Lemon Risotto
By Eunice Feller, Owner and Chef of Bread & Chocolate Bakery Café, Newton 
Cookie used: Lemonades 

The “All for Her” Lemon Risotto

Ingredients

1 large shallot, fine dice
1 celery stalk, fine dice
1 garlic clove, fine dice
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) + 2 tbsp sweet butter
1 cup risotto rice
1 quart stock (chicken or vegetable)
2 Lemonade cookies, crushed
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (or any herb of your choice)
1/4 cup grated or shaved Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping to taste.
Salt and white pepper to taste   

Directions
 
1.    Melt 1/2 stick of butter in medium saucepan. Add in shallot, celery and garlic and cook over medium-low heat until vegetables are soft.
2.    Meanwhile, heat stock in separate pan and keep hot.  Add in risotto rice to vegetable mixture and stir.
3.    Add a cup of hot stock to rice and keep stirring over medium-low heat until most of the stock is absorbed.
4.    Repeat until rice is al dente—you may not use all the stock.
5.    Add in crushed cookies, rosemary and Parmesan cheese and stir.
6.    Add more stock or hot water if risotto is too stiff. Take off heat and add remaining butter and salt/pepper to taste.
7.    Top with more Parmesan or a good drizzle extra virgin olive oil before serving.

By: Katherine Hamilburg, Pastry Chef at 80 Thoreau, Boston
Cookie used: Peanut Butter Sandwiches

The chefs adding caramelized bananas to the tops of their panna cotta.

Ingredients

2 oz. granulated sugar
2 oz. light brown sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6 Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies
3 sheets gelatin, bloomed in ice water

Girl Scout Lemon Cranberry Tartlet
By Amy Beeman, Pastry Chef at South End Buttery, Boston
Cookie used: Cranberry Citrus Crisps

Chef Amy is all smiles with her her Lemon Cranberry Tartlet

Ingredients

Tartlets:
1 box Cranberry Citrus Crisp cookies
4 tablespoons melted butter

Lemon Curd:
4 lemons (juice and zest)
1 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces butter, cold and cubed

Cranberry Compote:
1 cup cranberries (frozen or fresh)
1 tablespoon sugar

Directions

Tartlets:
1.    Pulse the cookies in a food processor into fine crumbs.
2.    Add butter and pulse until mixture feels like wet sand.
3.    Fill mini cupcake pans (sprayed with vegetable cooking spray) with about 2 tablespoons of the mixture and press into the bottom and sides, forming a little cup.
4.    Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
5.    If tart cups puff up, just push down with the end of a wooden spoon.
6.    Set aside to cool.

Lemon curd:
1.    Using a microplane, remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith.
2.    Whisk eggs, sugar, lemon juice and zest in a 2 quart saucepan and cook over medium – low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. The lemon curd will thicken at about 170 degrees F, or just below simmer.
3.    Remove from the heat and add the butter one chunk at a time whisking until it is completely combined.  Cover with plastic wrap directly on top of the curd and refrigerate until completely cool.

Cranberry Compote:
1.    Stir the sugar and cranberries in a saucepan – bringing it to a boil. The mixture is ready when the cranberries have burst and the mixture is thickened.  Refrigerate until cool.
2.    Fill cookie cups with lemon curd and top with cranberry compote and, if you like, a little whipped cream. Enjoy!


PB & CB  (Peanut Butter and Chocolate with Bacon)
By Natasha Misanko, Pastry Chef at the Scarlet Oak Tavern, Hingham     
Cookie used: Peanut Butter Sandwiches

Ingredients

Crust:
1-½ sleeves of Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies 
½ stick butter, melted
½ cup flour
½ cup sugar
2 strips cooked bacon, very crispy 

Filling:
12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped or chocolate chips of choice
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
5 eggs
1/3 cup peanut butter

Bark:
12 ounces chocolate, chopped or chocolate chips
4 strips cooked bacon, crispy
½ sleeve of Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies

Directions

Crust:
1.    Put cookies in a food processor and pulse until crumbs are fine.
2.    Put bacon in food processor, and pulse until it’s a very fine powder.
3.    Pour into a bowl and mix with sugar and flour
4.    Add melted butter and mix together.
5.    Press into a greased 13×9 pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until firm.
6.    Set aside.

Filling:
1.    While crust is baking prepare filling.
2.    Crack eggs and put in a large bowl, and set aside.
3.    Pour chocolate and scoop peanut butter into a medium glass or metal bowl.
4.    Bring heavy cream, salt, and sugar just to a boil, into a medium saucepan.
5.    Pour cream mixture over chocolate mixture in bowl, and whisk just to combine.
6.    Cover bowl for 5 minutes.  Then uncover, and whisk until thoroughly combined.
7.    Slowly pour chocolate mixture over eggs, whisking constantly to make sure eggs don’t scramble.  Mix very well.
8.    Pour mixture over crust and bake at 250 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until center is just set.
9.    Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
10.    Slice into desired serving sizes, and keep covered tightly in refrigerator.

Bark:
1.    Pulse cookies in food processor, until chunks are size of a pea, set aside.
2.    Roughly chop bacon into ¼ inch size pieces.
3.    Melt chocolate over double boiler, or in microwave, stirring to make sure it’s heated just until chocolate is melted all the way.
4.    Pull chocolate off of heat and add in bacon.
5.    Spread on baking sheet lined with silpat, or wax paper.
6.    Immediately sprinkle with crushed cookies and gently press to ensure they will stick in chocolate.
7.    Put in refrigerator until firm.
8.    Break into desired size pieces.
9.    Before serving, pull chocolate bar from refrigerator, and let sit out for 20 minutes, until close to room temperature.
10.    Place a piece of bark on top of chocolate bar and serve with whipped cream or ice cream flavor of choice.

Learn more about the Cookie Creations events here, as well as more recipes.

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