Edible Dirt Recipes

DIRT CAKE

Steps:

• Combine the pudding mix and milk in a large bowl and whisk constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the cookies to a food processor and process until fine crumbs form. Remove 4 cups and set aside. Drizzle the butter into the remaining crumbs and pulse until mixture starts to hold together when pinched between your fingers. Pour into a 2 1/2-quart glass bowl and pack with the bottom of a measuring cup to form an even layer. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until no lumps remain, about 2 minutes. Beat the cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Fold the whipped cream into the cream-cheese mixture until well combined, then fold this mixture into the pudding until well combined.
• Pour half of the pudding mixture over the cookie crust and smooth with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with half of the reserved cookie crumbs, then top with the remaining pudding mixture and smooth with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with the remaining cookie crumbs, decorate with the gummy worms and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours and up to overnight. Serve cold.

EDIBLE DIRT

Steps:

• Finely chop 1 cup pitted kalamata olives in a food processor. Spread in a ring on a piece of cardboard lined with a double layer of paper towels. Microwave 5 minutes on high, then 7 more minutes at 50 percent power. Regrind in the food processor.
• Serve the "dirt" with any salad.

FOOTBALL CAKE

Steps:

• Bake two 9-inch round cakes according to package instructions. Let cool completely.
• Beat the butter, sugar and salt on low speed in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a handheld electric mixer) until mostly combined. Add the vanilla, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until smooth. Adjust the consistency of the frosting with milk as desired, adding 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove 3 cups of the frosting and transfer into a pastry bag or a resealable plastic bag. Add the cocoa powder to the remaining frosting in the bowl and beat on low until mostly incorporated. Then beat on medium-high until completely smooth. Set both frostings aside at room temperature until ready to use.
• Use a ruler to measure a 2-inch-wide strip across the entire center of one cake. Cut the strip out and remove (the cake will now be 2 half circles). Repeat with the other cake. Transfer the cutout strips to a medium bowl.
• Transfer the halves of one cake to a cake round or parchment-lined work surface. Push the two halves together snuggly to form a football shape. Trim and level the domed top and transfer the trimmings to the bowl along with the cake strips.
• Snip the tip off of the pastry bag and pipe three-quarters of the white frosting all over the bottom cake layer (the remaining frosting will be used for the laces and stripes). Top the frosting with the remaining two cake halves, domed-side up, pressing them together to create another football shape. Remove 1/4 cup of the chocolate frosting and set aside. Use the remaining chocolate frosting to frost the top and sides of the football. Chill the cake for a least 30 minutes.
• While cake is chilling, crumble all the cake trimmings into tiny crumbs. Add the reserved 1/4 cup chocolate frosting to crumbs and mix until completely combined. Add coconut to a resealable bag with a few drops of green food coloring. Shake and knead the bag until the coconut looks like grass (add more coloring as needed).
• Press the cake and frosting mixture directly onto a cake stand or serving platter into a 9-inch circle about 1/4-inch-thick (this is the "dirt"). Press the coconut grass into the chocolate dirt so that it adheres. Chill while you finish the cake.
• Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Use the remaining quarter white frosting to pipe laces and stripes onto the top and sides of the cake. Carefully remove the cake from the cake round or parchment transfer to the center of the coconut-covered stand or platter.

DIRT DESSERT

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and confectioners' sugar until smooth. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes; let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Gradually stir into cream cheese mixture. Fold in whipped topping. , Spread 1-1/3 cups crushed cookies into an ungreased 13x9-in. dish. Layer with half the pudding mixture and half the remaining cookies. Repeat layers. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve with shaved white chocolate if desired.

SPRING SALAD WITH MUSHROOM ''DIRT''

Steps:

• For the salad: Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Prepare an ice-water bath and set aside. Add fava beans to boiling water and cook until crisp-tender; drain and transfer to ice-water bath to cool. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Repeat process with fiddleheads and carrots. Repeat process with snap peas; when snap peas have cooled, trim ends and slice open. Transfer fiddleheads, carrots, and snap peas to bowl with fava beans. Add radishes and golden beets; set aside.
• Prepare an ice-water bath. Place morels in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover; stir and remove morels from water; repeat process, changing water, until water runs clean. Transfer morels to a medium nonreactive bowl. Place sherry-wine vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt, pickling spice, and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Strain vinegar mixture over morels and set bowl in ice-water bath to cool. Remove from ice-water bath and cover until ready to use.
• Prepare an ice-water bath. In a medium saucepan, toast coriander, bay leaves, and pepper over low heat. Add wine and cook until reduced by half. Add vegetable stock, olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, and asparagus; place a parchment paper round over asparagus to keep submerged. Bring to a simmer and cook until asparagus is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and place saucepan directly in ice-water bath; let asparagus cool in liquid. When asparagus has cooled, cut each into 4 equal pieces; return asparagus pieces to cooking liquid and set aside.
• Make the zucchini marmalade: Place squash, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over low heat; cook, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Make the elderflower vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, and elderflower cordial; season with salt and set aside.
• To serve: Place a spoonful of mushroom "dirt" down the center of each of 4 rectangular serving plates. Add morels and asparagus to bowl with vegetables; drizzle with elderflower vinaigrette and toss to combine. Divide vegetable mixture evenly among plates; garnish each with a fennel chip. Garnish each plate with a dollop of marmalade; add herbs, flowers, and lettuces and serve.

QUICK AND EASY DIRT CUPS

Steps:

• Beat milk and pudding mix together in a bowl until well blended and slightly thickened; let stand to thicken, about 5 minutes.
• Stir whipped topping and 1/2 of the crushed cookies into pudding. Spoon 1 tablespoon crushed cookies into each serving cup. Fill each cup 3/4-full with pudding mixture and top with remaining crushed cookies. Refrigerate for 1 hour.