My Perfect Peanutbutter Chocolate Brownies! (Hyperbolic, I know, but so so good)

I have been experimenting with peanut butter chocolate brownie recipes for a few months now and about two weeks ago I finally pieced together a bunch until they tasted exactly how I wanted. What's here is a long "from scratch" version of the recipe, but right after I will post my shortcut version of the recipe which tastes almost as good.

Ingredients:

1 pound unsalted butter

1 pound semisweet chocolate chips

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate (if you can’t find baking chocolate, use those bitter German chocolate bars you can find in any grocery store or bodega– the fat purple squares, you know what I’m saying?)

6 extra-large eggs

2 tablespoons real vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups sugar

½ cup Nutella (yes, Nutella!)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ cup creamy natural/unsweetened peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour your brownie pan (13x9, or bigger, whatever you have – you can just make according to thickness of the pan)

Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly.

Stir together the eggs, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.

Put the Nutella in the microwave for about 10 seconds to loosen it up a little bit, then stir it into the mixture (don’t overstir, but get it mixed in).

Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.

Then, put your peanut butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds until it is melted and liquidy. Pour the peanut butter as evenly as you can in 3 or 4 rows (depending on wide the pan is) across the width of the pan. Take a butter knife and run it straight down from top to bottom. Then do this again a few inches apart from bottom to top. Repeat until you have one of those pretty swirled arrow designs up and down. If you’re not sure what I mean, then you can also just glop the peanut butter all over the brownies, Jackson Pollock style. It doesn’t matter. It will be amazing no matter what. (It should look something like this.)

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the knife comes out clean enough (though in my oven these are sometimes ready in about 20 minutes, so just check a few times) . I say clean enough because it's better if they are a little underdone; they will continue cooking outside of the oven and you really want thehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifm chewy and fudgey and delicious. No one wants a dry brownie. At least I don't think...


LAZY BONES RECIPE

Buy a box of Betty Crocker or Duncan Heins (whichever) fudgey brown mix. Make it as you always would, just replace apple sauce for the oil, add the Nutella into the batter before pouring it into the pan, and glop on/beautifully swirl the peanut butter as specified above. It's not AS good as the above recipe, but it takes a quarter of the time, saves you some money, and they taste really f-ing good.

I made a Daisy!

A few weeks ago I was browsing the food blogs, and a cocktail recipe jumped out at me from The Paupered Chef, mainly because it had whiskey and grenadine and sounded both tasty and doable. Nothing came of it until Z and I became the proud owners of a seltzer maker, headed over to the Coop for a pomegranate, and went to town. There are a few steps to the drink, but nothing too strenuous, and you get to juice a pomegranate (because grenadine is made of pomegranates and sugar, something I didn't know!). The drink was so tasty that it was the featured cocktail on New Year's Eve.


Here's the link to the recipe, which includes instructions on how to crack ice in your hand (satisfying but very cold -- the following time we just used cubes):

http://thepauperedchef.com/2009/12/my-perfect-daisy-with-homemade-grenadine.html

And here are the basics with my notes in bold:

• 1 pomegranate
• 1/4 cup of sugar

Press firmly down on the pomegranate with the palm of your hand and roll it around until it is soft. (This part is fun) Make a small slit with a knife along one side. Squeeze as much juice out as you can. (Be careful, the juice can spray) It will have about 2 ounces of juice. Pour the juice into a jar and add an equal amount sugar, which should be about 1/4 cup. Secure the lid on the jar and shake until the sugar dissolves.

• 2 ounces Rye Whiskey (We used Maker's Mark since that's what we have in the house)
  
• 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon homemade grenadine
• 1 1/2 teaspoons simple sryup
• club soda (or seltzer!)
  

Pour the whiskey, lemon juice, grenadine, and simply syrup into a shaker. (Sadly, we have no shaker, so we stirred it and it was fine). Add enough ice to come 3/4 of the way up the sides. Shake for 10 seconds. Strain into a glass filled with cracked ice. Top with a bit of club soda. Enjoy!

I made my go-to quiche

It almost feels silly to post a quiche recipe on this blog. All of you who contribute to this blog have probably made quiche at one point or another, because it is so easy to make and so tasty, and you probably have your own go-to recipes for it. Well, this is mine! But, I figured, since I took some photos of it, why not share it with you all. Maybe one day you will want to make a quiche and try this method out.

One reason that I like this particular recipe is because compared to many other quiche recipes I have seen, this is slightly healthier. No cream or cream cheese or other heavy foods. Just some milk and a bit of Parmesan (and in this case, goat cheese!) I also like using a combo of parm and swiss.

Quiche is a great thing to bring to a potluck or a brunch, but I actually made this quiche a few weeks ago for no reason at all. I just felt like cooking something easy and delicious. So I did!

Here you go:



This recipe is modified from one by Sara Moulten, via the Food Network website.

Ingredients
1 frozen prepared pie shell (or of course feel free to make your own! I have never done that, but I bet a lot of you have, so totally use your favorite recipe, if you'd like.)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 chopped shallots or 1 medium chopped onion (or a mixture of both!)
1 russet potato, peeled and sliced thinly
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed, excess liquid drained. (Draining out all the liquid is key! You don't want a watery quiche.)
1 pound cremini mushrooms, chopped (I think a pound is maybe about a dozen or so mushrooms?)
3 large eggs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup milk
2/3 cup (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Blind bake the crust: Line the pie shell with aluminum foil and weigh it with pie weights or beans (I actually never weigh it down, and it's fine. If the crust puffs up a bit, just poke a few holes in it with a fork and it will deflate).

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until light golden brown.

Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

In a large skillet, heat oil over moderate heat. Add onion or shallots and cook until softened. Turn up heat to moderately high. Add garlic, mushrooms, and potato and cook until the mushrooms begin to brown and release some of their moisture. Add spinach and continue cooking until it is heated through. Drain off any excess liquid.

Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the Parmesan, half the goat cheese and milk. Add the spinach mixture and pour into the pie shell. Sprinkle remaining goat cheese on top. Bake on a sheet pan in the middle of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until just set.

We Made Pumpkin Cashew Curry ON HALLOWEEN!

On Halloween this year, Alena, Martha and I (Sarah G.) had the idea to carve a jack-o-lantern AND make something with actual, real, not-from-a-can pumpkin. (Take a look at our aquatic jack-o-lantern, pictured above!) Originally, I had envisioned that a single pumpkin could serve both purposes, but DUH--the pumpkin meat is attached to the skin, so a second pumpkin was needed.

Cooking with pumpkin isn't that different from cooking with any other kind of winter squash. Peeling it is a pain in the ass, but once you're over that hurdle, it's pretty easy. Also, I think pumpkin is tougher than other kinds of winter squash, so you have make sure to cook it until it's soft enough.



When Hill, Martha, Annie and I were in Cambodia, we had some really great pumpkin dishes. I remember one had pan fried tofu with pumpkin, scallions and ginger. There were also some amazing pumpkin curries. I've thought about making similar dishes for the past couple years, so we searched the web and found this recipe on Epicurious.

Creamy Pumpkin and Cashew Curry
Bon Appetite October 2009

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 4 1/2 cups 3/4-inch cubes peeled seeded sugar pumpkin or butternut squash (from about one 1 3/4-pound whole pumpkin)
• 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds*
• 8 curry leaves** (Just used regular old curry powder.)
  
• 2 small red onions, cut into 1/3-inch wedges
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
• 3 dried chiles de árbol*** (Couldn't find this--just used a ton of cayenne.)
  
• 3/4 cup unsalted roasted cashews
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 11/2 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk****
• 1 cup coconut cream
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro plus additional for garnish (We also garnished with scallions and sliced almonds.)
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• Steamed basmati rice

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add pumpkin and cook until golden, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to same skillet. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves; cook until seeds pop and leaves sizzle, 30 seconds. Add onions, garlic, and ginger. Sauté until onions are golden, 4 minutes. Add chiles, cashews, turmeric, and cumin; stir-fry 1 minute. Add coconut milk and coconut cream. Increase heat to mediumhigh. Boil until thickened, 2 minutes. Return pumpkin to pan; reduce heat to medium. Simmer until pumpkin is tender, 4 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup cilantro and lime juice. Spoon over rice; garnish with additional cilantro.

* Sold at specialty foods stores, Indian and Asian markets, and adrianascaravan.com. If unavailable, use brown mustard seeds.

** Also known as kari patta; available at Indian markets.

*** Thin, red, hot three-inch-long chiles; available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Latin markets.

**** Available at supermarkets and at Indian, Southeast Asian, and Latin markets.

It was the perfect Halloween meal. Rich, spicy, sweet, yummy, SPOOKY!!! Not really. But still.

I made a hearty vegan brunch!

I made a hearty vegan brunch (salivate at the above picture) consisting of scrambled tofu (recipe will follow), fake ham from some Asian brand of Buddhist products bought from Flushing, LightLife Gimme Lean ground-style "meat," and rustic bread with Smart Balance.

I got the recipe for the scrambled tofu from Ira Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan with a Vengance:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped into 1/2-inch chunks
2 cups thinly sliced cremini mushrooms
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound extra-firm tofu, drained
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 carrot, peeled (optional, grate it in at the end, mostly for color)
For spice blend
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried thyme, crushed wiht your fingers
1 tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onions for 3 minutes, until softened; add the mushrooms, saute for 5 minutes; add the garlic, saute for 2 minutes. Add teh spice blend and mix it up for 15 seconds or so. Add 1/4 cup of water to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom to get all the garlic and spices.
Crumble in the tofu and mix well. Don't crush the tofu, just kind of lift it and mix it around. You want it to remain chunky. Let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding splashes of water if necessary to keep it from sticking too much. Lower the heat a bit if you find that the tofu is sticking. Add the lemon juice. Add the nutritional yeast and mix it up. If the mixture is sticking to the pan, add splashes of water. The moistness really depends on how much water the tofu was retaining before you added it.
Grate the carrot into the tofu mixture and fold. Serve with guacamole and salsa and potatoes and toast and tempeh bacon.

For the "sausages," I took the LightLife Gimme Lean pack of "ground meat" (I find myself making the quote gestures whenever I talk about fake meats, by the way), and rolled it into shape with my hands. This product has great texture and great shape-ability for making un-meatballs, etc. but it is kinda sticky. Sauteed it in a pan with hot olive oil until browned. Did the same with the sliced fake ham. Serve everything with toast and Smart Balance.

I had a glass of Silk soy milk to complete my meal.

Perfect vegan hearty brunch!

I Made a Coconut Water Cocktail (from Canada) !

(Disclaimer: This recipe has been sitting in the drafts folder for months! I don't know why. Now it is fall and it seems silly to drink cold, fruity cocktails. I suppose that is OK. You can just crank up the heat and pretend it is summer if you make this.)

SO, here is what I wrote a while back:

Over the summer my parents spent a few weeks in Vancouver, BC. When they came back, my mom was telling me about this cocktail that she had at a really good Thai restaurant there, Maenam, that combined coconut water, vodka, ginger, and chile. It sounded good to me, so one night when I was hanging out at my parents house, I did some internet searching to see if the recipe could be found anywhere. I didn't find the exact recipe, but I found something close and decided to try my hand at being a mixologist.

Of course, it wasn't until after I made the cocktail that I had the idea to see if the recipe was posted on the restaurant's website.

It was! Here is how it is described on the Maenam menu:

Siam sun ray:
wyborowa vodka, lime,
chile and ginger infused toasted coconut juice, soda

"Toasted coconut juice" is a new thing to me. I did more research. I think it may be this. "Roasted" is sorta like "toasted".

(Another disclaimer: I actually found a can of this stuff in Woodside, Queens recently. It was definitely toasty and SO SWEET. Maybe too sweet on it's own, but I can see it being good mixed with Vodka. Seek it out if you want to!)




In any case, roasted/toasted aside, here is what I used to make the drink.

2 parts coconut water
1 part vodka
juice of approx. 1 lime (to taste)
agave nectar (or simple syrup, to taste) - Though if you use the "roasted coconut juice, it will definitely be sweet enough.
small piece of ginger
small piece of a mild chile pepper (Optional).
soda water (Optional).

To prepare:
In a glass (or cocktail shaker if you have one), muddle the ginger (and chile, if using) into the coconut water. Add lime juice, agave or simple syrup (if using) and vodka. If using a cocktail shaker, add ice, cover and shake. Strain into a chilled glass. (If no cocktail shaker, simply remove the ginger and strain into a chilled glass). Add more lime juice/sweetener if needed, or a splash of soda water for some fizz.


We ate this with some fruit! I also put a piece of pineapple in my drink, because it tasted good.


That is my mom holding the drink. She said it was different than the one she had at the restaurant, but still good. I will definitely make this again. And if I ever go to Vancouver, I can try the real thing.

We Made Mushroom Bourguignon

Hello everyone. Have we got a fall/winter dish for you. Last weekend Hillary, Sarah, Laura and I collaborated on the creation of a delicious Portobello Mushroom Bourguignon. The dish is actually pretty easy to make. Just a bit of chopping, throwing this and that into a big pot, and then all you have to do is let it all simmer on the oven while you snack on bread and butter. Even if you are not a vegetarian the dish is easier and cheaper to make than beef bourguignon and just as rich and satisfying. Hill also made an amazing chocolate mousse for dessert which will probably be posted soon!


Mushroom Bourguignon (From Smitten Kitchen)

Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 pounds portobello mushrooms, in 1/4-inch slices (save the stems for another use) (you can use cremini instead, as well)
1/2 carrot, finely diced
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup full-bodied red wine
2 cups beef or vegetable broth (beef broth is traditional but vegetable to make it vegetarian; it works with either)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup pearl onions, peeled (thawed if frozen)
Egg noodles, for serving
Sour cream and chopped chives or parsley, for garnish (optional) - You can also use greek yogurt like us.

Heat the one tablespoon of the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a medium Dutch oven or heavy sauce pan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms until they begin to darken, but not yet release any liquid — about three or four minutes. Remove them from pan.

Lower the flame to medium and add the second tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the carrots, onions, thyme, a few good pinches of salt and a several grinds of black pepper into the pan and cook for 10, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for just one more minute.

Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce it by half. Stir in the tomato paste and the broth. Add back the mushrooms with any juices that have collected and once the liquid has boiled, reduce the temperature so it simmers for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are very tender. Add the pearl onions and simmer for five minutes more.


Combine remaining butter and the flour with a fork until combined; stir it into the stew. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency. Season to taste.

To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of egg noodles, dollop with sour cream or greek yogurt (optional) and sprinkle with chives or parsley.

I made beer braised pork loin

So yesterday I got it into my head that I wanted to make some kind of slow-roasted meat. I looked around online today and settled on this recipe: http://www.porkroastrecipe.net/PorkRoast/BeerBraisedPorkRoast.htm

It was the simplest recipe of all the ones I looked at, and involved cooking with beer, which I've never done before. So I bought a 2.5 lb pork loin at the grocery store, which was the largest they had (and more than enough for 2 people. I have leftovers for 2 days).

This is how I did it:
1 (2-3 pound) Pork Loin Roast
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
2 medium Onions, diced
Salt
Pepper
2 (15 ounce) cans or bottles Guinness Stout or Dark Beer

I seasoned the pork with salt and pepper, then browned it on the stove in the vegetable oil. Once that was browned on all four sides (took about 15 minutes) I set it aside on a plate. Then I threw two small diced onions into the pot and sauteed them til they were soft, about 10 minutes. Then I put the loin back in the pot with the onions, poured two 15 ounce cans of Guinness around it, covered it, and brought it to a boil. Once it began to boil I turned it down to low and simmered it for about an hour. In the end I overcooked the pork slightly. By the time I checked the temperature it was 160 degrees. I read in my "Cooking Meat" cookbook that I should have taken it out of the pot at about 145-147 degrees as the meat will raise to about 155 once its resting. It was a tad on the dry side, but still very good.

I also made mashed potatoes and oven roasted carrots and turnips. After I took the loin out of the pot, I put it on a cutting board and tented it with aluminum foil. As I cooked the vegetables I brought the beer and onion broth up to a boil and let it slowly cook down. I didn't have the patience to make an actual reduction sauce or gravy at this point (I'd been in the kitchen for about 2 hours), but the broth and onions was still tasty spooned over the potatoes and meat.

The carrots and turnips I coated in oil and salt and pepper and baked on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. For the mashed potatoes I used 6 while potatoes, a healthy amount of butter, and hot milk. There's nothing worse than luke warm mashed potatoes.

I made Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho!

Alison was having a dinner party last Saturday and I was trying to figure out what to bring. Something tasty, easy to transport, and seasonal, I thought to myself. Then I realized that I had been excited to make gazpacho all summer long but had never found the time. Well, the time has come, I thought to myself again.

I decided to go with a traditional gazpacho and followed this recipe exactly. It was so easy!!

Classic Andalusian Gazpacho
Adapted from El Faro, Cádiz, Spain

1 (2-inch-long) piece baguette, crust discarded
2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar (preferably "reserva"), or to taste - (I did not use "Reserva" vinegar, wouldn't sweat it.)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional) - I say go for it.
2 1/2 lb ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered (As you can see I used 4 large heirloom tomatoes and one smaller guy.)
1/2 cup mild extra-virgin olive oil (preferably Andalusian hojiblanca) - Again, just used my standard olive oil. Why not?

Garnish: Finely chopped red and green bell pepper (I also used Persian cucumber and a bit of jalapeno. I think some very finely chopped red onion could be good too.)

Preparation:

Soak bread in 1/2 cup water 1 minute, then squeeze dry, discarding soaking water.



Mash garlic to a paste with salt using a mortar and pestle (or mince and mash with a large knife).


My attempt at making the paste with a knife. Five minutes after I finished, I found a mortar and pestle in my cabinet that I had no idea existed. Ah well. Next time I guess. It would definitely be easier that way.



Blend garlic paste, bread, 2 tablespoons vinegar, sugar, cumin, and half of tomatoes in a food processor (I used the trusty HAND BLENDER!) until tomatoes are very finely chopped.


The first batch, waiting to be blended.


Add remaining tomatoes with motor running and, when very finely chopped, gradually add oil in a slow stream, blending until as smooth as possible, about 1 minute. Throwing that yellow tomato into the mix made the soup a crazy orange color!





Force soup through a sieve into a bowl, pressing firmly on solids. Discard solids.




Look at all the seeds and peels I strained out!


Strained soup, ready to chill.

Transfer to a glass container and chill, covered, until cold, about 3 hours. Season with salt and vinegar before serving.


Gazpacho to go!



I don't have any photos of the final product, but we served the soup in little ceramic mugs with some of the garnish on top, and it looked pretty cute. I was really proud of this soup. The tomatoes were so flavorful, and the soup tasted fresh and bright. Straining it makes the texture so smooth and creamy and it actually feels a little bit fancy, even though it is really simple. I want to make it over and over while there are still delicious tomatoes to be found. You should too.

I made Blueberry Boy Bait!

This is a dessert I made last week when I got together with Hillary, Alena, and Monique for Burrito Friday. It's a funny name for a cake, and no, I haven't caught any boys with it. Yet. If something WERE to lure boys in however, it might be this cake. It's VERY tasty, and surprisingly light given the two sticks of butter in it. I found the recipe, unsurprisingly, on Smitten Kitchen, and she got it from Cook's Country. The original recipe was actually created by a 15 year old girl in 1954 for the Pillsbury Bake Off. All in all, an excellent dessert and also good as breakfast the next day. My notes are in bold below.

Serves 12, generously

2 cups plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour (I swapped out 1/2 cup of the regular flour for whole wheat -- makes it healthy!)
1 tablespoon baking powder (I thought this seemed like a lot, but it worked out fine)
1 teaspoon table salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk (though buttermilk, which was all I had on hand, worked just great) I used buttermilk as well!
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, do not defrost first as it tends to muddle in the batter)

Topping
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not defrost)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (nutmeg might also be a nice addition)

The Bait! Cut and ready for friends to enjoy.

For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

Whisk two cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about two minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down bowl. Reduce speed to medium and beat in one-third of flour mixture until incorporated; beat in half of milk. Beat in half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Toss blueberries with remaining one teaspoon flour. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries. Spread batter into prepared pan.

For the topping:
Scatter blueberries over top of batter. Stir sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and sprinkle over batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out and place on serving platter (topping side up). Serve warm or at room temperature. (Cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)