Friday, July 10, 2009
Supernatural Brownies
From Chocolate: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers, by Nick Malgieri via The Splendid Table.
Makes about twenty-four 2-inch-square brownies
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (I used unsweetened chocolate)
4 large eggs (I used 3 eggs 'cause that's what I had on hand)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
One 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan, buttered and lined with buttered parchment or foil
1. Set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and turn off heat. Combine butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set over pan of water. Stir occasionally until melted.
3. Whisk eggs together in a large bowl, then whisk in salt, sugars, and vanilla. Stir in chocolate and butter mixture, then fold in flour.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for about 45 minutes, until top has formed a shiny crust and batter is moderately firm. Cool in pan on a rack. Wrap pan in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature or refrigerated until next day.
5. To cut brownies, unmold onto a cutting board, remove paper, and replace with another cutting board. Turn cake right side up and trim away edges. Cut brownies into 2-inch squares.
Serving: Serve the brownies on their own or with ice cream and hot fudge sauce.
Storage: The best way to store brownies is to wrap them individually and keep them at room temperature in a tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting cover. Or freeze them.
Note: If you have a 12 x 18-inch commercial half-sheet pan, you may double this recipe easily.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Slow Cooker Lasagna
From Real Simple Magazine
Ingredients
- 2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes, drained
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped
- kosher salt and pepper
- 16 ounces fresh ricotta
- 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 12 ounces dry lasagna noodles
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, tough stems removed and torn into large pieces (I used brocolli or spinach)
- 12 ounces mozzarella, grated
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In another medium bowl, combine the ricotta, parsley, Parmesan, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
2. Spoon 1/3 cup of the tomato mixture into the bowl of a slow cooker. Top with a single layer of noodles, breaking them to fit as necessary. Add half the Swiss chard. Dollop with a third of the ricotta mixture and a third of the remaining tomato mixture. Sprinkle with a third of the mozzarella.
3. Add another layer of noodles and repeat with the other ingredients. Finish with a layer of noodles and the remaining ricotta mixture, tomato mixture, and mozzarella.
4. Set the slow cooker to low and cook, covered, until the noodles are tender, 2 hours.
Note: If You Don't Have a Slow Cooker: Heat oven to 375° F. Follow the recipe above using no-boil lasagna noodles in place of the dried ones and layer the ingredients in a Dutch oven or large casserole. Cover and bake until the noodles are tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
I broke my slow cooker into a hundred little pieces a few months back and I cooked it in the oven per the instructions above and it turned out better than the slow cooker method since it looked like a traditional lasagna. To make things go faster, I also used Trader Joe's Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce which is a favorite in our household. I also added some sliced TJ's turkey meatballs for added protein.
This recipe is so easy to make.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
growth
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Hazelnut Espresso Cookies
From Everyday Food Magazine2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
16 T (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
3 T instant espresso powder
2 cups (10 oz) hazelnuts (skins removed), coarsely chopped*
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
3. With an electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in espresso powder.
4. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture until incorporated. With a rubber spatula, stir in hazelnuts.
5. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto three baking sheets, 1-1/2 inches apart. Bake, first two sheets together, until golden about 12 minutes. Rotating sheets halfway through. Repeat with remaining sheet. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes.
6. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.
*Preheat oven to 275 degrees, to remove skins, place raw, shelled hazelnut in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, bake until skins crack, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel and roll up. Let steam 5 minutes. Rub the nuts in the towel between your hands until most of the skins have come off.
This cookie had a stronger hazelnut taste rather than espresso. I'd like to try it again with chocolate chips instead of the nuts and maybe baking it for 10 minutes instead of 12 for a softer texture.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Pumpkin Pie Squares
submitted by reader Martha Zeleniak of Taylor, PA to American Profile Magazine
Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup old-fashioned oats
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened
Filling:
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1 (12-ounce) can low-fat evaporated milk
2 eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger, optional
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Topping:
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
Whipped cream, optional
Instructions
1. Preheat oven 350F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish.
2. To prepare crust, combine flour, oats, brown sugar and butter. Using a pastry blender or fork, stir until crumbly. Press into prepared pan and bake 15 minutes, or until partially set.
3. To prepare filling, combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, granulated sugar, salt and spices. Pour over crust and bake 30 minutes.
4. To prepare topping, combine pecans, brown sugar and butter. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle topping evenly over filling. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until filling is set. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares. Serve with whipped cream, if desired. Makes 30 squares.
Delicious, a good alternative to pumpkin pie. I substituted hazelnuts to the pecans just because I had them on hand. As American as the sign above, I found both on our recent trip to New England.