A chronicle of my life in recipes. I love to cook, but more importantly I love to eat. The food you cook and eat tells a story of where you were raised and the path you have traveled. This is my story . . .

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Super Rich Brownies


These brownies could quite possibly be the most decadent, chocolaty morsel you will ever put into your mouth. Please don't skimp, use a high quality chocolate. The method used in cooling these brownies gives them an almost truffle like texture.

INGREDIENTS:
4 oz. Butter, unsalted
4 oz. Unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 C Granulated sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 Large eggs
1/2 C All purpose flour
Foil
8 inch metal pan
Ice bath that will fit the 8 inch pan

PREP:
Line pan with foil, working in to corners and allowing a little to hang over the edges of the pan. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place oven rack in lower third of your oven.
Melt butter and chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, stir to combine. Once melted, remove bowl from heat and stir in sugar, vanilla and salt, using a wooden spoon. Stir in eggs one at a time incorporating each completely. Stir in the flour and beat with the spoon about 1 minute, the batter should be smooth and glossy and come away from the sides of the bowl. Scrape batter into the prepared pan and bake 20 minutes. Rotate half way through cooking, I always do even if the recipe doesn't say so. The brownies should just begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and the top will look dry, but a toothpick WILL come out gooey.
While the brownies are baking prepare your ice bath. Immediately place baked brownie pan into the ice bath and allow them to cool completely in the bath. Take care not to splash any water on your brownies. When they have cooled, remove pan from ice bath and place on a dish towel to keep your work surface free of water. Lift brownies out of the pan using the foil overhang and invert onto cutting board. Peel away foil, invert again and cut into 16 squares. You can also make them go a little further for a party by cutting the squares in half into triangles as pictured. Trust me they are so rich even a small bite will satisfy your guests.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Fresh Pasta


So, my mothers day present from Beep was pasta attachments for my KitchenAid. Camille had gone shopping with Beep prior to mothers day and purchased some Tory Burch sandals, which I have yet to return, her heart was in the right place. The pasta attachments have already gone to good use. I am not sure what that says about my style, but I know I will get more out of making fresh pasta for the family than wearing those shoes. I sort of over did it on the first batch, I made one and a half times the recipe listed in the KitchenAid booklet and it has lasted all weekend. I am including the recipe from the book as well as a Duck Egg version that Carole an I have been making. My friend Carole gets duck eggs at our local farmers market, I haven't noticed a dramatic difference in taste, but the color of the duck egg pasta is a vibrant yellow. Fresh pasta is terrific, tender and light. I remember as a child my great grandmother coming over on Saturdays to make fresh noodles, she was German, we called them noodles, not pasta. It is a tradition we have slowly retreated from in this day of instant gratification. The older my children become, the more I realize the importance of putting a little more time and a little bit more of myself into the everyday things I do for my family. Creating something with your hands and heart that gives the people you love so much happiness is a feeling with which nothing can compare. I highly recommend it! There are so many variations, types of flour, look up your own recipe, try an old family favorite, just do it, find your favorite, make it a tradition for your family.
INGREDIENTS:
4 Large eggs
1 T Water
3 1/2 C Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt

Prep:
Place eggs, water, flour, and salt in mixing bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater, trun to speed 2 and mix 30 seconds. Change to dough hook and turn to speed 2 and knead 2 minutes. Remove dough from bowl and hand knead for 1-2 minutes. Let the dough rest covered by a bowl for 20 minutes. Divide dough into 4 pieces before processing with Pasta sheet roller. Cook pasta in boiling salted water until desired doneness. I mixed the pasta by hand in a bowl, making a well with the dry ingredients and pulling the wet ingredients in with a fork. When recreating the recipe one and a half times I did need to add an extra egg and a little bit more water to reach the desired consistency. Allowing the dough to rest under a bowl makes all the difference, don't skimp on time.

DUCK EGG PASTA
This recipe from Bravo TV, Top Chef Masters, Season 1
2 cups all purpose flour
4 duck egg yolks
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup cold water
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Knead everything together till smooth and elastic. Allow to rest 1/2 hour, make fettuccine in the usual fashion. Cook pasta till al dente. Then while still hot toss with sauce and plate.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Sweet & Spicy Pecans


These sweet and spicy nuts were originally an ingredient to top a salad, but I loved them so much I make them as a snack. They are still an amazing addition to a simple salad, simply chopped and sprinkle away. I always make at least a double batch, the quantities are listed below, but you can easily cut in half or double again when cooking for a crowd. The pecans also make a great gift when bagged. Try to make them when the weather is dry, the humidity will cause them to become extremely sticky.
INGREDIENTS:
Non-stick cooking spray
6 T. Light corn syrup
3 T. Granulated sugar
3 C. Pecans
1 tsp. Ground pepper
1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp. Salt

Prep:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Mix all ingredients except pecans. Add pecans to syrup mixture and stir gently to coat. Pour the pecans onto the baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Stir pecans and continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes until bubbly. During baking spread a large piece of foil to put pecans on after baking. Pour hot pecans onto the foil and separate as much a possible with a fork. Allow pecans to cool completely and break apart individual pecans. Store in an airtight container up to three days.

Chile Cheese Crackers


These light and buttery crackers are the grown up version of cheez-its! Spicy, Flaky, and oh so delicious. I love this dough from Shannon Swindle, it comes together so easily and the crackers bake up perfectly every time. I always make a double batch, the cheese usually comes in blocks of 8 ounces anyway and it is easy to roll all the dough, cut and freeze some for later. It is nice to have a baggy full in the freezer so you can bake and eat at a moments notice. Half of a double batch fits perfectly in my food processor and I just add both halves to my kitchenaid and mix.
INGREDIENTS:
8 oz. Unsalted butter, cold and cubed
4 oz. Sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 oz. Pepper jack cheese, grated
8 oz. Flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Black pepper
1 tsp. Chile powder
1/2 tsp. Ground cumin
1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper

PREP:
Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. In small batches, I can do one batch with the amounts listed above in my processor. Get an equal amount of the ingredients if doing it in batches. Pulse, until the cheeses and butter is cut into the dry ingredients. When this is done, place mixture into an electric mixer fitted with the paddle and mix on low until the dough comes together. It won't seem like it, but suddenly it will form a ball and hold together. Pull a good size length of plastic wrap on the counter. Form half of the mixture into a ball and flatten out on the plastic wrap to about an inch thickness, this will make it easier to roll later. Wrap tightly in the plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours. To roll out dough, allow to sit a few minutes at room temperature then roll on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Cut with a 1 inch pastry cutter, square, round or any shape you might have. In this picture I used a fluted square. Place crackers on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until puffed and browned. (I also put the pan with the crackers back in the refrigerator for a few minutes to re-chill the dough prior to baking.) I bake them for 6 minutes rotate and then bake an additional 6 minutes. Cool crackers on a wire rack to cool. Cool completely and store airtight 2-3 days. The crackers are very delicate so handle with care.
To freeze, cut into crackers and freeze on a parchment lined sheet in a single layer. Once frozen store in a freezer baggy labeled with the date. Dough can be frozen up to one month.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Focaccia


Another recipe that is well worth the time. There is nothing that can compare to freshly baked homemade bread. Plan ahead, it is one of those things that you fool with a little everyday and the more you do it the easier it gets. The Poolish can be made up to three days in advance, the longer you let it ferment prior to baking the more intense the flavor in the final product. I prefer to give it at least one day.

INGREDIENTS:
Poolish
2 1/2 C Unbleached bread flour
1 1/2 C Water, room temp.
1/4 tsp Instant yeast

Prep:
Stir together the flour, water and yeast in a mixing bowl until all of the flour is hydrated. The dough should be soft and sticky. Cove the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment at room temperature for at least 3-4 hours. The sponge will become bubbly and foamy. Immediately refrigerate the dough, it will keep up to 3 days.

Focaccia:
3 C Poolish
2 2/3 C Bread flour
2 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Instant yeast
6 T Olive oil
3/4 C Water, lukewarm
Non-stick cooking spray
1/4-1/2 C Herb Olive oil or Plain Olive oil
Topping: Kosher salt, 1 1/2 T Rosemary or other Herb of choice, 1 C Caramelized onions, Cheese, use your imagination!

Prep:
One hour prior to making the dough, remove poolish from the refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature.
In a mixing bowl, mix together, flour, salt and yeast with an electric mixer. Add the oil, poolish and the water, mix with the paddle attachment until it forms a large sticky ball. Switch to the dough hook attachment and mix on medium for 5-7 minutes, or as long as it takes to form a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl. You may need to add some additional flour to reach this stage.
Sprinkle a 6 inch square area of flour on work surface and transfer dough to the flour. Dust dough with additional flour and pat into a rectangle. Allow dough to rest 5 minutes and relax.
Coat your hands with flour and stretch the dough from each end to twice its size and fold it letter style and return to rectangular shape. Mist the top of the dough with non-stick spray and dust with flour again, cover with plastic wrap.
Allow dough to rest 30 minutes, then stretch and fold again, mist, dust with flour and cover. Rest 30 minutes then repeat this step again.
During the final rest, line a rimmed baking sheet (half sheet pan) with parchment. Drizzle 1/4 C of the Olive oil over the paper and spread to cover the bottom of the pan with your hands or a brush. Oil your hands and using a metal dough scraper, lift dough into the prepared pan retaining the rectangular shape. Pour the remaining oil over the top of the dough and using your finger tips only, dimple the dough spreading it to fill the pan as much as possible. You should reach a thickness of 1/2 inch. DO NOT use the heal of your hand to press the dough. Dimpling the dough to spread with your finger tips will allow gas to remain in the non dimpled sections. You do not need to reach the edge of the pan, the dough will rest an additional 15-30 minutes and will grow as it proofs.
Heat oven to 500 degrees, with the oven rack in the middle of your oven. You can sprinkle with salt at this time, other toppings will need to wait until later in the baking process. Place the pan in oven and lower the temperature to 450 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue baking for 5-10 minutes until the dough begins to turn a light golden brown. At this point, add toppings, sprinkle over bread and bake an additional 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately transfer focaccia out of the pan and onto a cooling rack. Peel parchment away if it is stuck to the bottom of the bread. Allow to cool for 20 minutes prior to cutting.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Thomas Keller's Pineapple Upside Down Cake


Don't allow the steps and number of ingredients listed in this recipe deter you, it is simple and well worth the 20 minutes or so of preparation. As a young girl, I remember my mom always making pineapple upside down cake, with those perfect canned rings and bright red cherry placed deliberately in the middle. I haven't really given the cake much thought since those days, but seeing Thomas Keller's version in Wine Spectator sparked my interest once again. I was visiting my best bud Becky in Nashville and thanks to the flood, had an extra day to spend there and do some baking. Not even Thomas escaped a few small changes, I have noted them in the ingredient list and instructions. I have made the cake twice now and although my husband commented that, "it is a little boozy," I plan on making it again! More recipes from Nashville to come, it was three solid days of rain and cooking.

INGREDIENTS:
Schmear:
8 T Butter, softened
1 1/2 T Honey, I used a very light honey
1/2 tsp. Dark Rum
1 C Brown sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla, he suggests paste, I used liquid
Kosher salt

PREPARATION:
Mix all ingredients except salt until smooth. Spread 1/3 C in the bottom of a 9 inch silicone cake pan. Sprinkle with salt. Mr. Keller didn't say what to do with the remaining Schmear, so I used all but 2 T of it in the bottom of a spring form pan. Only use the spring form if you have a very tight seal. You can check it by filling the sealed pan with some water. The second time I used it I was with another friend and the pan leaked, you don't want that mess in your oven. I also greased and dusted the sides of the pan only, the cake pulls away beautifully.

Cake:
1 Pineapple
1 1/3 C Cake flour
2 tsp. Baking powder
8 T Butter, softened
1/2 C plus 2 T Granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
2 Large eggs
1 T plus 1 tsp. Milk
I also added 1/2 tsp. of the rum to the cake and a pinch of salt
PREPARATION:
Beat butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes. In another bowl mix flour, baking powder and salt. Cut top and bottom ends off of the pineapple, cut away all the outer peel. Cut pineapple from end to end into quarters and trim away the core on each quarter. Slice wedges into 1/8-1/4 inch slices and arrange slices in a circle beginning at the outside of the cake pan and slightly overlapping the slices until you reach the center and the schmear is completely covered.
Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with butter mixture and add vanilla and the eggs one at a time, scraping again as needed. Add milk and beat in flour in 3 batches, just until combined.
Spread the batter over the pineapple and bake at 350 degrees, 15 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees in the oven and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes. Test with a toothpick. Cool in the pan 20-30 minutes, if you can wait that long, we couldn't and it came out of the pan just fine. Run a knife around the pan to loosen the edges and invert onto a serving platter. The cake will store at room temperature for 2 days.