As we near Valentine’s Day it’s time to start getting those outfits together whether you plan on heading out for a fancy dinner, a girls night out, or just a cozy night in.
Lora LaPratt – CEO and head stylist of Shopping Girl XOXO joined us with some outfit ideas.
We kicked off our Galentine’s Day special with a sweet treat you can make with your girlfriends – a twist on the classic tres leches cake.
Cindy Kienzle, founder of Hungry Monkey Baking joined us to break down the recipe.
Galentine’s Day Tres Leches Cake with Hungry Monkey Brownies in Mason Jars
This is an amazing super-light traditional cake, soaked in a sweet milk mixture, topped with a vanilla bean whipped cream and cinnamon -cocoa dusting on top. For a special twist to the traditional Tres Leches, we place a brownie disk on bottom and also top it off with a Hungry Monkey Triple Chocolate Heart!
Prep Time:1hour hour Cook Time:25 – 35 minutes mins Total Time: 2 hours hrs.
Servings: 12 squares if kept in the 13” x 9” x 2” pan; or 10, 8 oz. Mason Jars
Equipment
9×13 metal baking dish
Mason jars (8 oz or 4 oz, depending on the size you wish to serve individually)
Stand or hand mixer
2” round cookie cutter
Small 1/4” or ½” heart cookie cutter
Rubber spatula
Whisk
Glass bowls
Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar (divided — ¾ cup & ¼ cup)
1/3 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
Milk Mixture
12-ounce can of evaporated milk
14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup whole milk
Whipped Topping
4 cups heavy whipping cream
6 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
Decoration
ground cinnamon & cocoa, mixed, then “dusted” on top with a strainer.
Red and white nonpareil sprinkles – to press into brownie heart on top (OPTIONAL)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Separate the eggs into two mixing bowls.
Add ¾ cup sugar to the bowl with the egg yolks and mix on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Add ⅓ cup milk and vanilla and stir to combine. Pour the egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir gently just until combined (don’t over-mix).
Use electric beaters to beat the egg whites on high speed. As the begin to whip into stiff peaks, gradually mix in the remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Fold the stiffly beaten egg whites into the batter gently, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, until combined.
Pour batter into an un-greased pan. This may seem counter-intuitive but do not grease the pan. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely. Using a fork poke holes in the circles so they can absorb the milk mixture. Once cooled, use a round cookie cutter in the diameter of the Mason jar, approximately 2” and cut out approximately 20 circles next to each other in the cake. (Save scraps to use for an extra Tres Leche with leftover whipped cream and milk mixture.)
While the cake is baking, combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk in a small bowl.
Next, whip the cold cream, adding the powdered sugar and vanilla bean paste. Fill a pastry bag with the whipping cream, or you can use a Ziplock bag and cut a corner, or simply spoon the whipped cream mixture to layer.
Take a Hungry Monkey slightly frozen brownie and slice down the middle, making two thinner brownies. Make 10 disks plus also small hearts for topping the Mason jars. Using the cookie cutter, cut out ten 2” circles out of the brownies (and also tiny hearts for the top at the end. Place the 2” brownie circle in each of the Mason jars. Pour enough of the milk mixture to just barely cover the top of the brownie. Pipe or spoon the whipped cream mixture on top. Place a cake circle on top of that. Pour a little more of the milk mixture over the cake, barely covering it (it will soak up the liquid overnight). Pipe or spoon whipped cream mixture. Repeat, ending with the whipped cream on top. Sift a little bit of cinnamon & cocoa mixture on top of the cake, then top with a mini brownie heart on top just before serving. Close the jar to set overnight, or at least for several hours. You may wish to wait to add the last whipped cream layer until just before serving. Then, dust with the cocoa-cinnamon on top, and the brownie heart (or you can slice a strawberry and it resembles a heart if sliced from top to bottom)!
If you wish to forgo making the individual Tres Leches, you can simply use the 9 x 13” pan and, once the cake has cooled, use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake, then pour the three-milk mixture on top, then layer with whipped cream, dust with cinnamon, then top with many hungry monkey brownie hearts on top for edible decoration!
Refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours or overnight, to allow it to soak up the milk.
You can also serve with fresh sliced strawberries! Fresh sliced strawberries will cut through the richness.
Notes
Store Tres Leches Cake in the refrigerator, covered, for 1 – 3 days in an airtight container. Make-Ahead Instructions: You can make Tres leches cake 1-2 days in advance. I love to make this cake the night before so that the cake has a lot of time to soak up the milk mixture.
There are so many ways you can celebrate Galentine’s Day whether it’s going out for a spa day or giving a friend a nice gift.
The Beauty Girl – Nicole Pearl stopped by to share a few ways you can celebrate.
It is time to get into the true spirit of Galentine’s Day with a girlfriend getaway. Whether it’s a local retreat here in the city or a cowgirl escape in the heart of Fort Worth, Texas we’ve got you covered.
Travel expert Catie Keogh shared some girlfriend getaway ideas.
What better way to end a girls night out than with some holiday-themed cocktail specials at Kindling.
Bartender Christian Bevars joined us in studio with the details and a preview.
202 S. Franklin St
Milk Punch
Prep time- 1-2hrs
Tools needed
-Coffee filter
-Funnel
-Jigger/ measuring device
Ingredients:
3oz-Orange Juice
3oz-Simple Syrup
3oz gin
2oz dry curacao
2oz Gran Classico
1oz Cocchi Americano
Instructions:
Stir to combine above ingredients
Slowly pour the combined cocktail into 4oz of whole milk (preferably).
Allow 15-20 min for mixture to curdle
Once curdling has occurred, slowly strain through a coffee filter and funnel.
If the first couple of ounces are not as clear as desired, re-filter through the same coffee filter.
Beet Foam-
prep time- 15-20 min
Instructions:
Juice 2-4 beets
Dilute to desired consistency
Combine liquid with succro ester at a ratio of 2% by weight
Bring up to 160 degrees in a small pot
Once temp is reached, remove from heat and store in the fridge.
To make foam, pour mixture into a tall vessel, and use a frothing wand to whip air into mixture.
Lost in the Cosmos
Ingredients:
1 oz Grey Goose Vodka
1 oz Pineapple Amaro
.5 oz Cranberry Juice
.5 oz Lemon Juice
.5 oz Something & Nothing Yuzu Soda
Garnish: Pineapple Wedge
Method: Shake
Ice: N/A
Glassware: Coupe
Davanti enoteca’s new Lincolnwood location transports you straight to the Italian countryside featuring a rotating menu and lively wine bar. Executive Chef Jonathan Court joins us now with a taste of the menu and how the restaurant is celebrating valentine’s day.
4436 w. Touhy
Ricotta Gnocchi + Passata di Pomodoro + Basil + Parmigiano
serves four
Ricotta Gnocchi
Ricotta Cheese 2.5lbs
Whole Eggs 2 each
00 Pasta flour 1 ¼ cups
Kosher Salt 2 tsp.
In a large mixing bowl combine ricotta, egg, 00 flour and salt. Mix well with a spatula.
Portion gnocchi into 2oz. pieces and roll into balls between the palms of your hand.
Drop each ball into a mixing bowl of 00 flour, making sure to roll the balls in the flour coating them generously with flour.
Sift excess flour from gnocchi and place on a parchment paper lined tray and store in the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.
To cook gnocchi, bring a pot of water to a boil and season the water with salt. Drop the gnocchi in the boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes, the gnocchi will float to the surface of the water and become firm to the touch when ready.
Pomodoro Sauce
Whole Peeled Tomato 1 large can
Carrot 1 large Peeled and grated on box grater
Spanish Onion 1 large Diced small
Fresh Garlic 3 large cloves Peeled and chopped fine
Canola Oil 3 tbsp
In a saucepot over low heat, cook carrot, onion, and garlic in canola oil until very soft and translucent. It is very important to take time cooking the vegetables at a low temperature, giving the vegetables time to release moisture. This step is what builds the flavor of your sauce.
Add tomatoes and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until tomatoes are easily broken up with the back of a wooden spoon.
For the recipe above, blend the sauce with an immersion blender until smooth. For other uses I like to keep the sauce rustic and chunky.
Season with salt and pepper to desired taste.
To Serve: Ladle 4oz. of sauce onto the center of plate, place cooked gnocchi on top of the sauce. Garnish gnocchi with fresh basil, parmigiano, fresh cracked black pepper and extra virgin olive oil.
