Kitchen Trial and Error

milk based chai concentrate

2012-02-15T12:00:00.000-05:00

when i found out i was pregnant, i voluntarily gave up coffee to cut caffeine. and really didn't consider it a big deal. i could go without my three cups a day for a year, right? no problem.

but it wasn't so easy. the first month or so wasn't bad. sure, i craved coffee a couple mornings, but was able to make it through. and it wasn't the caffeine i missed, so much as the routine of making & drinking a steamy mug every morning. especially in the dead of winter. i also consider myself a coffee snob - life's too short for a bad cup of coffee - and couldn't find the caffeine content of the decaf version of my favorite. so i switched it up to chai. with decaffeinated black tea.

what's different about this chai concentrate from all the others out there, is that it's milk based rather than water based. for a week or two i made large batches of chai on the weekend, toting them to and from work in quart mason jars. but i needed two jars to make it through the week and was sick of carrying the jars back and forth. there's a steady supply of hot water in my office, so making the concentrate with milk was easy. and it just so happens that a quart jar of the stuff lasts me five days. perfect for work.

chai concentrate
30 minutes, makes 4 cups of concentrate (enough for 8 cups of chai)

4 1/4 cups milk
3/4 cups plain granulated sugar or vanilla sugar
3 teaspoons whole cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon whole cardamom pods, crushed
1 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
12 black tea bags or 5 tablespoons loose black tea

in a large saucepan, bring the milk, sugar, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom, and ginger just to a simmer. turn off the heat, cover, and let steep at least 20 minutes.
bring the milk back to a simmer and add the tea. let steep two to five minutes, depending on how strong you like your chai.
strain the mixture and store in the refrigerator.
combine chai concentrate and water in equal portions to serve.

chicken with 33 cloves of garlic

2012-02-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

since we love love love garlic around here, it's somewhat surprising it has taken me this long to make some version of julia child's classic chicken with 40 cloves of garlic. to be honest, as much as i love garlic, i couldn't quite get past the forty cloves. i know garlic mellows out a lot as it roasts, but how could forty cloves not be overwhelming?!

i should have made this years ago! this chicken is so unbelievably easy to make and since the sauce is blended until smooth, there's a great garlic flavor without biting into chunks of garlic. this one made our "make again asap" list.

chicken with 33 cloves of garlic
adapted from the svelte gourmet
1 hour, serves 4

it doesn't matter how many garlic cloves you have - just use two good size heads of garlic.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon butter
2 bulbs of garlic, cloves separated and peeled and the stems cut off
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves

preheat your oven to 375F.
heat a large, oven proof skillet on medium high heat on the stove. coat the bottom with olive oil.
season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook in the skillet about two minutes per side, or until brown. remove from the pan and set aside.
add the butter to the pan. once melted, add the garlic cloves. saute just until it begins to brown and becomes very fragrant.
add the chicken broth, sherry, thyme, and bay leaves to the pan and bring to a boil. add the chicken back into the pan. cover and roast in the oven for 45 minutes.
remove the chicken from the pan, take out the bay leaves, and blend the sauce with an immersion blender until smooth.
return the chicken to the pan and coat with the sauce. serve hot.

red velvet cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese buttercream

2012-02-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

at home, i am not a valentine's day person. but at work, i use it as an excuse to wear red (especially since it's one of my favorite colors) and bake up a treat. last year i baked up these cupcakes and they were snatched up in a flash. there is always a flurry of red velvet cakes this time of year, but what sets these apart is the buttercream. the touch of cinnamon is just the right amount of spice to go along with the hint of chocolate in the cake and tang of the cream cheese.

now i just have to decide what to make this year.

red velvet cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese buttercream
adapted from joy the baker
makes 12 cupcakes

get the cupcake & buttercream recipes at joy the baker. they are perfect as is!

check out more sweet treats at sweet tooth friday!

secret recipe club: chewy no bake granola bars & carrot cinnamon waffles

2012-02-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

i've been a loyal reader of allison's for at least a year now. it was sweet tooth friday that caught me. each friday allison posts a sweet treat - cookies, cupcakes, ice cream and everything in between - and hosts others to link up their sweets.

and since i've been following allison for a while, i was surprised to see her blog, alli 'n sons, was my selection for this month's secret recipe club entry! and that meant i had a hard time choosing a recipe from her blog, especially because i already had a bunch bookmarked in my google reader. i managed to narrow the list down to two: chewy no bake granola bars and carrot and cinnamon waffles.

granola bars & waffles not your thing? check out other crave worthy treats from allison: vanilla donuts
caramel snack mix
beer batter pizza dough (this has been on my to make list for a while) & easy pizza sauce
dark chocolate & sea salt caramel ice cream
chocolate pepsi cupcakes
spicy chocolate chip cookies

for more information on the secret recipe club, including the list of participating bloggers, featured recipes from members, and instructions on how to join, visit the secret recipe club website!

check out my previous secret recipe club posts below
cannoli
gingerbread muffins
double chocolate peanut butter chip oatmeal cookies
butterscotch peach cake
whole wheat honey pancakes minted pineapple lime agua fresca breakfast tacos
simple almond sandwich cookies
roasted banana rum cake

buttermilk carrot cinnamon waffles
adapted from alli 'n sons
10 minutes plus cooking time, makes 8 waffles and serves four

these waffles are mildly spiced with cinnamon. if you're looking for a kick, double it.

2 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 teaspoons baking powder

beat the eggs until fluffy.
mix in the remaining ingredients until combined.
cook in your waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions.
serve with butter and warm maple syrup.

chewy no bake granola bars
adapted from alli 'n sons
10 minutes plus cooling time, makes 10 bars

the melted chocolate adhered to the granola bars in some places and didn't in others. so some granola bars the chocolate broke right off the top and others it stayed on. next time i'll sub whole chocolate chips and push them into the top while the mixture is still warm.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup oats
1/2 cup rice cereal
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chocolate, melted, to drizzle over the top or 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

line an 8 or 9 inch square pan with parchment paper and set aside.
in a medium saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, and honey. bring to a boil and simmer until the sugar dissolves, one to two minutes.
add the oats, rice cereal, cranberries, almonds, and white chocolate chips. mix to combine.
pour the mixture into the parchment lined pan and use a spatula to press evenly into the pan. drizzle with melted chocolate, if you like.
place the pan in the refrigerator until set, about 15 minutes. cut into squares or rectangles and store in an airtight container.

brown butter iced brownies

2012-02-03T12:00:00.000-05:00

"...why don't you make some brownies tonight? you haven't made those in a while... man, doesn't a brownie sound good?!"

this, smack dab in the middle of a meeting at work. i thought about it for a half a second, realized i had way too much to do at home already, and quickly moved my mind back to the work in front of us.

until i got home and sorted through the mail. and staring right back at me was cooking light's january/february issue with the claim "best light chocolate recipe ever" in giant red letters. so i did what any normal person would do and turned to page 143 to check out the finalists. i blew past double chocolate ice cream, chocolate frangelico fondue, and texas sheet cake to number one: classic fudge-walnut brownies.

no, these aren't those brownies. but, if you're a cooking light reader (or ripper of pages, like me), then you may remember cooking light did a whole series of brownies back in september of last year. why did i pick these brownies and not the winners? i'm not a fan of nuts in my brownies and one of my coworkers has a severe nut allergy. since these were made explicitly to take to work, nuts were out of the question.

when i compared this brownie recipe to the winner, they're only off by two ingredients: walnuts and bittersweet chocolate chips are added to the batter. that's it.

browned butter iced brownies
adapted from cooking light
45 minutes plus cooling time, makes 20 brownies

as you can see in the pictures, the icing has a hard, shell like consistency - the opposite of a smooth, soft buttercream. honestly, i wasn't all that crazy about it, and will be topping these with my mom's peanut butter buttercream, a light layer of perfect caramel sauce, or leaving them completely naked the next time i make them.

double the recipe for a 9x13 inch pan.

for the brownies:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the icing:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
dark or milk chocolate to drizzle over the top

preheat your oven to 350F and grease an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan and set aside.
make the brownies. combine flour, cocoa, and both sugars in a medium bowl. add the butter, eggs, and vanilla and mix to combine. scrape batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out almost clean. cool until a little warm.
to make the icing, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. add the brown sugar and milk and bring to a simmer. simmer for about 2 minutes. remove from heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla. spread over the cooled brownies. this icing is thick and sets up fast, so work quickly to spread it. not cooling the brownies completely also helps with this step.
if you want to add a chocolate drizzle, melt an ounce or two of chocolate in the microwave until smooth. use a spoon to drizzle over the iced brownies.
wait about 10 minutes for the icing to set before cutting and serving.

beef with gravy, cream, and noodles

2012-01-31T12:00:00.000-05:00

a three pound pot roast makes a lot of meat for two people. after eating leftovers for lunch a couple times, we were both getting bored with the same meal, and were struggling to think of good ways to use up the leftovers. until i thought about beef stroganoff and how good the leftover pot roast and gravy would be over egg noodles. add a healthy dash of cream and we had a great meal to use up the last of our roast and gravy. jason preferred this to the pot roast!

beef with gravy, cream, and noodles
20 minutes, serves 4 adults

12 ounce package egg noodles
about 2 cups leftover pot roast sauce
about 1 pound leftover pot roast
1/2 cup heavy cream

cook the egg noodles according to the package directions. drain, toss with a little butter or olive oil to keep the noodles from sticking together, cover to keep warm, and set aside.
while the noodles are cooking, place the pot roast sauce in a medium saute or sauce pan over medium low heat. if you prefer, use an immersion blender to smooth the sauce.
cut the beef into bite size pieces and add to the sauce.
turn the heat up to medium high heat and bring the sauce to a simmer. add one quarter to one half cup of heavy cream and bring to a simmer. taste and season with salt and pepper.
spoon the beef and sauce mixture over the egg noodles to serve.

ina's company pot roast

2012-01-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

in all the years i've daydreamed about being an adult, i never pictured myself making a pot roast. it seemed way too grown up for me. which is crazy. since there are few things better than beef that's been slow roasted in vegetables and wine for hours. this is what sunday meals should be made of.

my one and only piece of advice: make sure your dutch oven is big enough to contain everything. i cooked a three and a half pound chuck roast in a four quart pan, and it almost didn't make it. had my roast been a tad bit larger, i would have needed a larger pan.

ina's company pot roast
adapted from ina garten
45 minutes prep, 2 1/2 hours cook time, 15 minutes finishing

3 to 5 pound boneless beef chuck roast
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups chopped carrotts (about 4 medium sized)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped (about 5 stalks)
2 cups leeks, chopped (about 2 medium sized)
5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 cups good red wine
28 ounce can whole plum tomatoes in puree
1 cup chicken stock
3 branches fresh thyme
3 branches fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
mashed potatoes for serving

preheat your oven to 325F.
tie up your beef so it stays in one piece and doesn't flop around. pat the entire roast dry with a paper towel and season well with salt and pepper. coat the entire roast in flour.
coat the bottom of a large dutch oven with olive oil and place over medium heat. sear each side and ends of the roast for about five minutes per side, until browned. once all sides are seared, remove roast from the pan and set aside.
coat the bottom of the dutch oven with olive oil. add the carrots, onions, celery, leeks, and garlic and season with salt and pepper. cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes until softened. add the wine and bring to a boil. add the tomatoes, chicken stock, and season with salt and pepper. tie the thyme and rosemary together with kitchen string and add to the pot. put the roast back in the pan, bring to a boil, and cover.
remove from heat and place in the oven for an hour. turn the heat down to 250F and cook about another 1 and a half hours, or until the meat falls apart and measures about 160F internally.
remove the roast and place on a cutting board. tent with foil.
remove the herb bundle from the sauce. using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until about half of the vegetables have been pureed. if you prefer a smooth sauce, blend all of the vegetables.
in a small bowl, mash the remaining 2 tablespoons flour with the 1 tablespoon butter until a paste forms. whisk this into the sauce and stir until thickened. taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper.
remove the strings from the roast and slice the meat. serve the meat over mashed potatoes and spoon the sauce on top.

gingerbread waffles of insane greatness

2012-01-25T10:38:00.000-05:00

most weekend mornings start with a bowl of cereal or some fruit and yogurt. occasionally we'll have breakfast tacos or a pancake or two, but our waffle iron only comes out once or twice a year. maybe i should change that.

gingerbread waffles of insane greatness
adapted from food network

50 minutes total, 20 minutes active; serves 2 adults (makes 4 waffles)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground clove

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon molasses

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

your favorite waffle accompaniment for serving

in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
add the milk, buttermilk, oil, molasses, egg, sugar, and vanilla and mix well.
cover with plastic wrap and let the mixture rest on your counter for 30 minutes.
when the batter has ten minutes left to rest, preheat your waffle iron.
when the batter is ready, spray your waffle iron with non stick spray. divide batter evenly amongst four waffles and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions.

slow cooker chili

2012-01-22T12:00:00.000-05:00

one of my unofficial new year's resolutions is to spend less time cooking. sound counter-intuitive? i'm all for spending hours in the kitchen, on occasion, to make great food, but during the week, i want good food, fast. a typical workday for us means we leave the house at 7:30 and get home by 6:30. and the days we stop at the gym after work, it's more like 7:30. the last thing i want to do is spend 45 minutes cooking on a monday night. which is why i'm on the lookout for shortcuts.

and a slow cooker is one of the best kept secrets (ok, maybe you already know how much of a time saver they are, and i'm finally jumping on the band wagon). i've heard it a million times from friends, family, and coworkers, but it's taken me a couple meals to really understand how great it is to spend 15 or less minutes preparing dinner. i love it. so much so, that i've added a slow cooker tag to my recipes so you can get to all of them even easier. even though there are only a few posted now, i hope to continue using mine about once a week.

have a great slow cooker recipe?? leave a link in the comments!

slow cooker chili
adapted from pass the sushi
20 minutes prep, 6-8 hours slow cook; serves 6

while you can certainly brown the beef the morning you plan to eat this, to make morning prep even faster, prepare all the ingredients the night before. cover and place your slow cooker insert (or all the ingredients in a large bowl if your insert isn't removable) in the refrigerator. the next morning, simply put the insert in the cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. placing your cold slow cooker insert directly into the cooker might cause it to crack. mix everything in a separate bowl the night before, cover and refrigerate. the next morning, pour everything into your slow cooker & cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
28 ounce can diced tomatoes
16 ounce can tomato sauce
3 ounce can tomato paste
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
16 ounce can or 2 cups kidney beans, drained and rinsed
your favorite toppings

brown the ground beef in a saute pan over medium heat. drain and put in the slow cooker.
while the meat is cooking, dice the onion and pepper and mince the garlic clove. add all remaining ingredients to the slow cooker.
cover and cook on low for six to eight hours. remove bay leaf and serve.

beer battered haddock

2012-01-19T12:00:00.000-05:00

since announcing to our friends, family and coworkers in december that i'm pregnant, there's three questions that everyone asks. do you know if it's a boy or girl - are you going to find out? how are you feeling? and have you had any weird cravings?

no, we don't know if it's a boy or girl and aren't sure if we will find out. i've been feeling a lot like myself - just in different clothes and working on gaining weight this time of year while everyone else is focused on losing it. and i haven't really had any weird cravings. unless sour cream and onion potato chips and fried fish sandwiches count.

friday fish fry is popular in upstate new york. and if you're a fan, you know who locally has good fish fry - a crisp, light beer batter - and who doesn't - dense, soggy, greasy beer batter. this is the perfect batter to make fish fry at home. i've made it a few times over the last year and each time it comes out nice and light and crispy.

beer battered haddock
adapted from the joy of cooking
2 1/2 hours, serves 4-6

this is an all purpose beer batter, so try it with shrimp and vegetables, like green beans.

2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup beer
1 cup all purpose flour
2 egg whites at room temperature
vegetable oil
2 to 3 large haddock steaks, cut into manageable sizes

to make the batter, mix the egg yolks, butter, and beer in a large bowl. whisk in the flour until smooth and season with salt and pepper. cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours or refrigerate for up to 12 hours. if refrigerating the batter, bring it up to room temperature before proceeding.
beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. fold the egg whites into the batter until no streaks are left.
pat the fish dry with paper towels. heat about three inches of vegetable or peanut oil to 375F in a large dutch oven or other heavy bottomed, high walled pot.
drop the fish into the batter and turn to coat.
cook the fish by dropping it into the hot oil carefully in batches and do not crowd the pan. cook the fish about four minutes per side, or until golden.
remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. sprinkle lightly with kosher salt while still hot and serve.

baked's sweet & salty cake [12in2012]

2012-01-16T08:37:00.001-05:00

rich, sour cream chocolate cake. salted caramel. and salted caramel + chocolate ganache. i've had this cake bookmarked to celebrate my 30th birthday since before i made the cake to celebrate my 29th.

this is one of my worst cakes and best cakes in a long time. the cake is now my favorite chocolate cake, the caramel one of my favorite caramels, and the ganache is to die for. the problem: structural issues. one of my cake layers stuck to the bottom of the pan and i foolishly decided that should be the bottom layer of my cake. the result: a fault line almost exactly down the middle of the cake, so one half looks absolutely picture perfect and the other is falling off the plate. not so pretty, but delicious none the same. and don't let my structural issues sway you from making this cake. it was my own silly mistake - and next time, the not quite perfect cake layer will be the top, not the bottom.

there's only one tricky part to this cake: caramel. if you've mastered it before, you're set. there's no cooked frosting to worry about. no egg whites to beat. and the only hard part of the caramel is not burning it. once it gets nice and lightly browned, take it off the heat. i highly recommend a light colored pan - skip the non stick - so you can easily see when the colors change. and once it starts to ever so lightly brown, it goes from light brown to perfectly golden amber in about a minute, so don't walk away from it.

and yes, this cake isn't so good for you. a pound of chocolate. almost a pound and a half of butter. but this kind of cake is a once a year occurrence for me, so i'll take it. and while most layer cakes serve 12 to 16 you can easily get 20 pieces out of this one because it's so darn rich.

next time i make this cake, i am going to make one layer only, a full batch of caramel (leftovers store well in the refrigerator and are amazing over ice cream), and a quarter of the ganache frosting. then i'll lose some of the rich, over-the-top goodness, but still have all the flavor.

for other celebration cakes, check out baked's german chocolate cake, one bowl chocolate cake, baked's aunt sassy cake [pistachio cake with vanilla honey buttercream], white layer cake with blackberry buttercream, and chocolate peanut butter marble cake.

sweet & salty cake
adapted from baked: new frontiers in baking
makes 1 three tier 8 or 9 inch cake, serves 20+

i can't stress it enough: line the bottoms of your pans with parchment paper. if you don't have parchment paper, grease them really well, and dust with flour. when you take the cakes out of the oven, let them cool completely in the pans before turning them out. otherwise you risk only half the cake making it out of the pan.

i topped my cake with both maldon sea salt and silver sugar crystals. if you're only using salt, use about half as much as you see in the picture.

like most three layer cakes, this cake is too tall for my cake dome.

for the cake:
3/4 cup dark cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups hot water
2/3 cup sour cream
2 2/3 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

for the caramel:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fleur de sel or maldon sea salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup sour cream

for the caramel ganache frosting:
1 pound dark chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 cups (or 4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

~3 teaspoons fleur de sel or maldon sea salt for assembling and topping the finished cake

make the cake. line the bottom of three 8 or 9 inch round cake pans with parchment paper. spray with non stick spray and dust with flour. set aside. preheat your oven to 325F.
in a medium bowl, whisk the cocoa, hot water, and sour cream until smooth. set aside.
in a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. set aside.
in another bowl, mix the butter and shortening together until smooth and light, about 5 minutes. add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. add the vanilla, scrap down the sides of the bowl, and mix until combined.
add about one third of the flour mixture to the butter and sugar and mix until combined. add half of the cocoa mixture and mix until combined. repeat alternating the flour and cocoa until it's all incorporated.
divide the batter evenly between the three pans. bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. rotate the pans halfway through cooking.
cool the cakes in the pan on a wire rack for about a half an hour. turn the cakes out of the pan and finish cooling on the wire rack. remove the parchment from the bottom of the cake before icing.
while the cakes bake, clean up the cake dishes and make the caramel. place the heavy cream and salt in a small saucepan and heat just to a simmer.
in a separate, light colored pan, add the granulated sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water. mix with a spoon, being careful not to get the mixture up the sides of the pan. place the pan over medium high heat and cook without stirring until it's dark amber, about 8 minutes. turn off the heat and set aside to cool for a minute or two.
slowly and carefully - the mixture will bubble up and release a lot of steam - pour the heavy cream into the sugar mixture. whisk until smooth. set aside until ready to assemble the cake.
while the cakes are cooling, make the ganache frosting. place the chocolate in a large, heat proof bowl, preferably one with a pour spout or the bowl of your stand mixer and set aside.
warm the heavy cream in a small pan on the stove.
in a separate, light colored pan, add the granulated sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water. mix with a spoon, being careful not to get the mixture up the sides of the pan. place the pan over medium high heat and cook without stirring until it's dark amber, about 8 minutes. turn off the heat and set aside to cool for a minute or two.slowly and carefully - the mixture will bubble up and release a lot of steam - pour the heavy cream into the sugar mixture. whisk until smooth.
pour the hot caramel over the chocolate. let the mixture sit for a minute or two and using a rubber spatula, stir until the chocolate is melted. continue stirring until the chocolate and caramel are combined.
let the chocolate caramel mixture cool until it's warm to the touch.
once cool, mix on low speed for a couple minutes until the bowl is cool to the touch. turn the mixture up to medium and add the butter, about a half tablespoon at a time, until it's all incorporated. once incorporated, turn the mixer up to high, and beat until light and fluffy. if the frosting is still too thin for your liking, place the bowl in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes to cool the frosting and whip it again until light and fluffy.
to assemble the cake, place one layer on a serving platter. spread about 1/3 of the caramel over the top of the cake. spread about 1 cup of the frosting over the caramel and sprinkle lightly with salt. repeat with the remaining two layers, omitting the salt from the top layer. lightly coat the sides of the cake with the frosting and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to set. frost the sides with the remainder of the frosting. sprinkle the top lightly with salt.
store the cake in the refrigerator and remove it about an hour before serving to come up to room temperature.

check out more sweet treats at sweet tooth friday & sweets for a saturday!

grilled turkey, onion, and garlic panini

2012-01-13T12:00:00.000-05:00

for the first year or so we were married, some version of this sandwich - sometimes with bacon, others without onions - made it onto our dinner plates about once a week. full of garlicky mayo, fresh basil, melty cheese, and sauteed onions, it's the definition of quick & easy weeknight dinner.

grilled turkey, onion, and garlic panini
30 minutes, makes 4 panini

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large sweet onion, sliced
4-6 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves, thin sliced or minced
2/3 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise
4 soft rolls
8 slices provolone cheese
about 1 pound sliced turkey

melt the butter in a sautepan over medium low heat. add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and saute until soft, about 15 minutes.
while the onions are grilling, mix the garlic, basil, and mayo together in a small bowl.
preheat a panini press, george foreman grill, or grill pan.
cut the rolls in half and spread each side with the garlic mayo. put one slice of cheese on each bread half. layer the turkey and sauteed onions to make the sandwiches.
brush the bottoms of the sandwiches with vegetable oil and place oiled side down in your grill or pan. brush the top with vegetable oil and close the grill. grill for about five minutes, until cheese is melted. if using a grill pan, grill a few minutes per side. serve hot.

2011 meat-free january recap

2012-01-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

last year i challenged myself and my mother to go one full month without eating any meat. i'm skipping the challenge this year, since now is not the time to be messing with my diet, but if you've decided to take on the challenge yourself, here's a summary of how last year's meat-free january went. looking for more meat free meals? check out 50+ meatless meals!

overall i ate some great vegetarian dinners, discovered some new foods, and learned some things -

i went into this thinking it was going to be really really easy. which it was. for about 2 weeks. then i hit a slump - the "what am i going to eat? i already ate everything there is that doesn't have meat!!" slump. the problem is that i was focused on "vegetarian" recipes. once i figured out how easy it is to make meals that normally contain meat meatless, then i was on to something. fajitas that still taste like fajitas (with mushrooms instead of beef/chicken/pork) and potato, corn, & cheddar chowder (minus the bacon) were perfect.

i was driving home from work one night, listening to my stomach grumble, and while driving past the strip of fast food restaurants, realized how difficult it would be to eat on the go and still eat vegetarian. the only real option seems to be salad. i don't know about you, but there's only so much salad this girl can eat.

the only time i went out for dinner was for my birthday. lucky for me, i had the special - shrimp and lobster stuffed shells with romesco sauce. while this may have been the best meatless meal i had all month, it was also the biggest disappointment. i love veal and the full menu page devoted to it didn't really help my cause.

and even though i have every intention to go back to eating meat, i do hope to eat less and less of it. if there's one thing this month reminded me, it's that you don't need meat to feel satisfied. and sometimes, the meal is so good, that you don't even realize it's missing.

greek yogurt with pear & maple syrup

2012-01-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

for the most part of the last five or so years, every monday through friday morning included a combination of fruit and yogurt for breakfast. for the first fourish years, it was light vanilla yogurt with frozen fruit and occasionally a handful of granola thrown in for kicks. until about a year ago, when tracy, the woman whose office is right next door to mine and usually eats the same breakfast, switched her light vanilla yogurt to vanilla greek yogurt. the rest of us soon followed suit.

it wasn't long after that one sunday, while picking up my tub of yogurt for the week, i noticed that plain greek yogurt has half the sugar (a few less calories and a couple grams more protein) than flavored yogurt. since i almost always eat my yogurt with naturally sweet fruit anyway, i made the switch to plain and never looked back.

this isn't so much a recipe, but an idea. plain yogurt needs a touch of sweetness or extra flavor on it's own, even when paired with fresh fruit. try topping your next bowl with a teaspoon of pure maple syrup. or mix a splash of vanilla extract, almond extract, or cinnamon into your yogurt. you won't miss the sugar.

light & quick for the new year

2012-01-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

i don't know about you, but after all the cookies, other sweets, and heavy dishes i've eaten over the last week (ok, month), i could use some lighter fare. here are some of my favorites from the archives. bonus that most are ready in under 30 minutes.

pierogis and mushroom goulash, bean burritos, apple cider glazed chicken

light linguini alfredo with pancetta & peas, shaker chicken noodle soup

pasta e fagioli [pasta & beans], risotto stuffed portobello mushrooms

portobello fajitas, prosciutto & arugula pizza, teriyaki mushroom, spinach, & chicken salad

tomato & meatball soup, light & quick white chicken chili

my favorite taco salad, giada's quick bolognese, portobello stirfry with udon

honey ginger chicken with peppers, soy glazed cod with zucchini

chicken vegetable stirfry with soba, black bean tacos, baked haddock & roasted potatoes

vegetable soup with tortellini, broiled tilapia with lemon buerre blanc

mushroom marsala fontina flatbread, black bean stuffed avocados, roasted brussels sprouts

my favorites of 2011

2012-01-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

yesterday i recapped the most popular posts of 2011. here are my favorites through the year.

january: portobello mushroom fajitas. a meatless meal with all the expected mexican flavors. you won't miss the meat!

february: risotto stuffed portobellos. two of my favorite things: stuff meaty portobellos with leftover risotto for an easy meal.

march: waffles of insane greatness. perfect waffles every time.

april: meyer lemon tart. i finally found meyer lemons. and boy was this tart worth it.

may: french silk chocolate pie. the single best chocolate dessert i've ever had. ever.

june: blackberry swirl ice cream. i have a soft spot for berry anything.

july: breakfast tacos. breakfast potatoes + eggs + beans + fresh salsa + cilantro. perfect.

august: oatmeal cream pies. whip these babies up in no time and feel like a kid again.

september: classic peach pie. as much as i love berries, peaches are my absolute favorite. and this one was my first pie in 10 years.

october: deconstructed lasagna. i love lasagna but it takes too long to put together. this pasta fixes that.

november: thomas keller's chocolate chip cookies. i brought a few to my parents' house and my mom can't get enough!

december: chewy white chocolate chip gingerbread cookies. these have earned a spot in my holiday cookie rotation.

most popular posts of 2011

2011-12-31T22:00:00.000-05:00

new to these parts? or afraid you may have missed something good?

check out the eleven most viewed posts in 2011 (and the top 10 of 2010):

creamy mints, brown sugar poundcakes with brown butter icing, the chewy [alton brown's chocolate chip cookies]

white layer cake with blackberry buttercream, baked's aunt sassy cake [pistachio cake with vanilla honey buttercream], hot chocolate cookies

baked's monkey bubble bread, holiday shortbread cookies

bread and butter refrigerator pickles, dr. pepper cake

soft pretzels

vanilla buttercream filled vanilla bean macarons

2011-12-31T19:08:00.000-05:00

i had my first macaron ever this past september at sugar factory in las vegas. they were surprisingly disappointing - the flavors weren't distinguishable and the bottom half of one was completely gone. the very next day, i picked up one, single, perfect pistachio macaron from bouchon bakery and was hooked.

my first attempt a couple weeks ago did not go so well. i didn't mix the batter enough and ended up without feet, cracked tops, and hallow cookies. no good. this time i tried a different recipe, a different method. and ended up with perfect cookies. sure, my piping skills aren't great and they didn't all come out perfectly round, but the texture and flavor are perfect.

and if the pink and blue filling hasn't given it away, baby winn is expected in june.

vanilla buttercream filled vanilla bean macarons
adapted from annie's eats
makes about 30 small sandwich cookies

for the cookies:
110 grams blanched or slivered almonds
200 grams powdered sugar
100 grams egg whites, aged at room temperature for 12-24 hours
the seeds of one vanilla bean or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
50 grams granulated sugar

for the filling:
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
about 1/4 cup milk

to make the cookies, pulse the almonds and powdered sugar in a food processor until the almonds are ground very fine.
in a separate bowl, beat the egg whites at low speed until foamy. add the vanilla and granulated sugar and beat on medium high until stiff shiny peaks form.
while the egg whites are beating, prepare a pasty bag with a small round tip. line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
when the egg whites are done, turn off the beater, and add the almond mixture. using a rubber spatula, mix the almonds in with the egg whites until a thin, pourable batter results. when you lift the spatula out of the mixture, the batter should run off smoothly, without any lumps. if it's lumpy, keep mixing. you want to mix out most of the air that was whipped into the egg whites.
transfer the dough to the piping bag and pipe small circles, about an inch and a half in diameter, about an inch apart on the baking sheet. let sit at room temperature for about an hour to develop a hard shell top.
preheat your oven to 300F. bake the cookies about 12 to 18 minutes, checking after 12 minutes. try lifting a cookie off the parchment/silicone mat with your fingers or an offset spatula. if it comes off in one piece - nothing stuck to the pan - then they're done baking.
cool the cookies completely on the sheet pan.
while cookies are cooling, make the filling. mix the sugar, butter, vanilla, and about two tablespoons (or half) of the milk. check the consistency and if it's too thick, add a bit more milk until it's at spreading consistency. add a couple drops of food coloring if you like. set aside.
when the cookies are cool, match them up by size and shape. add a small amount of buttercream to the flat side of one cookie and top it with it's match. store in an airtight container.

churros

2011-12-30T23:30:00.000-05:00

these churros are really a testament to trial and error. since churros have been on my to make list for a while now and since my churro expert susie happened to be hanging out after an impromptu dinner tonight, we set out to make these.

the recipe and the dough is surprisingly simple. three things tripped us up: the right size tip when piping them into the hot oil, deflating churros, and the fry time. the first few i made with a small star tip. they were way too small and scrawny, so i upgraded to a large star tip. they were a lot thicker and one side looked beautiful. as the first side was cooking, the other side facing up split right down the center. once we got over the fact that their looks aren't perfect, we noticed some of the larger ones would puff up all nice and golden while cooking and almost immediately after we took them out of the oil, deflated - the middles sunk right in. this time, we weren't cooking them long enough and the insides were still gummy. a few more seconds on each side gave us a nice medium brown we were looking for. and of course we nailed it, with the very last bit of dough.

churros
adapted from anne burrell
15 minute prep and frying time varies, serves 4

1 cup milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup all purpose flour
4 eggs
peanut or vegetable oil for frying
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

heat the milk and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts. add a pinch of kosher salt and whisk in the flour. using a wooden spoon, mix until a stiff dough forms. it should pull away from the sides and bottom of the pan in one big ball of dough. continue cooking the dough another two to three minutes, or until the surface looks shiny.
transfer the dough into a mixing bowl and let cool for a few minutes. if you have a kitchen aid style mixer, use the flat beater blade and mix on very low to cool the dough down faster.
while the dough is cooling, heat about two inches of oil to 325F in a large dutch oven or cast iron skillet. prepare your piping bag and medium size star tip and set aside. mix the sugar and cinnamon together and place in a large plate or paper bag and set aside.
when the dough is cool, beat the eggs in one at a time, making sure to incorporate each egg completely before adding the next.
transfer the dough into your piping bag. when the oil reaches 325F, pipe the dough into sticks or whatever shape you want. use scissors to trim the dough between forming individual churros. let cook until a nice golden brown, about 60 seconds per side.
using metal tongs or a wire mesh strainer, remove the hot churros from the oil and blot on paper towels. toss the churros with the cinnamon sugar while they're still hot. serve warm.

mocha gelato

2011-12-29T15:37:00.000-05:00

gelato is another food that brings me to a distinct place and time.

a mere ten years ago, although it seems like yesterday, my parents, sister, and i set out on one of our best vacations ever: italy. we saw it all - the colosseum and vatican in rome. what remains of pompeii with mt vesuvius in the background. the amalfi coast. the cinque terre. st francis of assisi's church. more churches and relics than i can count. the ponte vecchio and status of david in florence. the towers of san gimignano. my mother trying to pronouce moltepulciano the first ten times. the bridge of sighs and kicking our feet in the water when st mark's floods in venice at night. and gelato every single day, sometimes more than once.

so it's no surprise that any time i eat - or even think - of gelato, it brings me back to that trip. it's always a different memory, but always a great one.

mocha gelato
adapted from ready for dessert
makes 3 cups

a half cup of coffee beans gives the perfect balance of chocolate and coffee. if you aren't a big coffee fan, reduce it to a quarter of a cup of beans or skip it all together for plain chocolate gelato.

1/2 cup whole, unflavored coffee beans (decaf or regular)
2 cups whole milk, divided
5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks

in a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup of milk to just barely a simmer. add the coffee beans, turn off the heat, cover, and steep for at least thirty minutes. strain the coffee beans & discard them and place the milk back in the saucepan.
put the chocolate in a large bowl, preferably one with a spout, and set aside.
add the cocoa and salt to the coffee flavored milk. bring to a boil and pour over the chocolate. stir until the chocolate is melted. place a mesh strainer over the bowl and set aside.
place the remaining 1 cup milk in the now empty saucepan. heat on low and add the sugar until dissolved.
in a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. gradually add some of the warm milk to the egg yolks, whisking constantly as you add the warm milk. pour the warmed yolks into the saucepan. whisk continuously over low heat until the custard thickens. when thick, it will coat the back of a spatula and will leave a line when you run your finger through it.
pour the custard through the strainer into the chocolate mixture and mix well until blended.
chill the mixture for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. freeze according to your ice cream maker's directions, typically about 25 minutes.

grandma's fudge

2011-12-23T17:30:00.000-05:00

every christmas my grandma had a small glass covered dish of homemade fudge sitting on the bookshelf in her living room. each of us kids after dinner & all the hub of christmas was winding down - while watching a christmas story or some other christmas special - would sneak pieces of fudge until it was gone. the rest of us mad at the one who dared to take the last piece. that's how i remember it.

i had almost forgotten about that fudge until last week.

when my grandmother died nearly five years ago, my dad snatched up her cookbook before it went to the garage sale pile. it isn't fancy - a simple five section notebook, the majority of the recipes hand written, some named after people i don't know, others clipped from newspapers and magazines or printed from an email in the late 1990s - but one section was gold. i flipped to the "cookies" section and read through my christmas favorites covered in oil splatters and dried pieces of cookie dough. it wasn't until a couple nights later when i hit the "candy" section and realized i had forgotten about the fudge.

i haven't been able to bring myself to make one of her cookies. not yet. and it seems unfair to do it on my own, without the rest of the kids. but the fudge? fudge, i could tackle.

grandma's fudge
adapted from my grandmother's hand written recipe
10 minutes + cooling time, makes about 1 pound

this fudge comes out pretty thin - about a quarter of an inch. i suggest doubling it if you're feeding a small crowd or like a thicker piece. quadruple the recipe and pour into a 9" by 9" or 8" by 8" square pan to cool.

1 package cook & serve pudding, any flavor - i made batches of chocolate & butterscotch
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt

line a 4" by 8" pan with parchment paper. set aside.
melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. add the milk and the pudding and whisk until smooth. turn up the heat slightly, continue whisking constantly, and bring the mixture to a very low boil. boil, whisking constantly for one minute. the mixture will be very thick and if you stop whisking it, will burn. make sure you cook it a full minute, otherwise your fudge will be a bit runny, like hot fudge, and you won't be able to cut it.
take the pan off the heat and whisk in the sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth. if you mixture looks lumpy from adding the sugar, beat it hard with a whisk or electric mixer to get the lumps out. it may take a couple minutes, but it works.
pour into the prepared pan and chill for a few hours until set. cut into pieces and serve.

chewy white chocolate chip gingerbread cookies

2011-12-22T17:30:00.000-05:00

i've said it before and i'll say it again: i love gingerbread. not only does the smell instantly bring me back to my honeymoon in germany, and loudly announces - in all it's spicy glory - that christmas is here. each year i tell myself i'm going to roll, cut out, and decorate gingerbread men, and for last five or so, i've completely skipped it. partially because i've inherited my mother's cookie decorating skills, but mostly because i know my mom made a batch that my dad decorated. each year is different. there's been gingerbread at the beach. gingerbread boys and girls. gingerbread santa. all meticulously decorated by my father. the year we were engaged, my sister beat him to it and decorated a bride and groom for us.

this year i skipped the cut outs again and opted for chewy drop cookies studded with white chocolate. and next year, i'll probably do the same.

chewy white chocolate chip gingerbread cookies
get the recipe from two peas and their pod
10 minutes to make the dough, 10 minutes to bake

i made two minor modifications to the recipe:
i skipped rolling the dough in sugar & scooped it directly onto my baking sheet
i used a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie dough scoop (OXO medium) and got 3 1/2 dozen cookies

oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

2011-12-21T17:27:00.000-05:00

each and every time i email a request for a budget, modification, or some other financial request to one of our finance guys at work, the response always starts with "cookies!" followed by whatever information i'm asking for. sometimes - depending on how short i am on time when i put in the request or how involved the request is - i give in and ask him what kind. and it's always the same: oatmeal chocolate chip.

last week we were working on a particularly fussy and annoying budget, so i caved to the request. but who's the real winner?! i got my budget on time and got to eat cookies!

oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
adapted from baking illustrated
1 hour, makes 45 cookies

if you like chewy cookies, be sure not to overbake them and store in an airtight container. i stored mine in a container i thought was airtight, wasn't, and ended up with dried out cookies. a quick trip in the microwave softened them up a bit (and melted the chocolate!).

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

preheat your oven to 350F. line a sheet pan (or two) with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray. set aside.
beat the butter until fluffy. add the sugars and beat until fluffy. add the eggs one at a time, incorporating each egg before adding the next.
slowly add the flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt to the batter. mix until incorporated.
using a large spatula or wooden spoon, mix in the oats and chocolate chips by hand.
using two tablespoons of dough at a time, roll dough into balls and place about two inches apart on the baking sheet. they don't spread much during baking, so they can be pretty close together.
bake about 20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly brown and the center still looks slightly wet.
cool on a cooling rack and store in an airtight container.

raspberry almond linzer cookies

2011-12-20T17:30:00.000-05:00

almond and raspberry is one of my all time favorite flavor combinations. let's be honest - anything i've ever had paired with almond is a winner in my book. these cookies have been on my to bake list for the past few christmases, putting them off because cutting out all those windows seemed like a lot of work. these cookies are a complete labor of love. and if you find that cutting out the middle leaves your kitchen in a flurry of broken tops, skip it, and make simple sandwiches. they taste just as good and no one will miss the fancy window.

raspberry almond linzer cookies
adapted from martha stewart
about 2 dozen sandwich cookies

3/4 cup almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
raspberry jam

using a food processor, pulse the almonds, confectioner's sugar, salt, and cinnamon until finely ground. transfer to a bowl.
add butter and sugar to the bowl and mix until fluffy. add the vanilla and eggs and mix until incorporated. on low speed, slowly add the flour and baking powder and mix until combined.
halve the dough and shape each half into a disk. wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate at least two hours.
preheat your oven to 375F. line a sheet pan with parchment paper. roll out one disk of dough to an eighth of an inch thick. cut out shapes about two inches in size. if you want a window of jam, cut out the middle of half of the cookies with a smaller cutter. space two inches apart on the baking sheet. bake until pale brown, about ten minutes.
transfer cookies to cooling racks to cool. when completely cool, sandwich cookies with a generous dollop of raspberry jam. store in an airtight container.

white hot chocolate

2011-12-19T23:30:00.000-05:00

from as far back as i can remember, my grandpa worked in a nestle plant. their candy drawer was always full of boxes of gobstoppers and nerds and bags of funsize butterfingers, o henry, and baby ruth. the fridge was loaded with juicy juice. grandma would tease us with stories of her trips to the company store - all that candy! and cheap! it was a kid's dream. and every year for christmas each of us grandkids got a milk chocolate santa. except me. i got a white chocolate snowman. i can still remember ripping open the box, sliding the plastic mold out, and biting the head off on christmas morning. i don't know exactly what year chocolate santas stopped coming - probably around the same time grandpa retired from the chocolate works, as he called it - but not a christmas day goes by that i don't have a split second vision of that snowman.

as an adult i tend to get most of my white chocolate in the form of hot chocolate. which surprisingly i have never thought to make myself until this year. besides, i needed something to wash down all these cookies.

white hot chocolate
adapted from martha stewart
10 minutes, fills two large mugs

this hot chocolate is incredibly rich. if you want to lighten it up a bit, omit the cream and use 3 cups of whole or even 2% milk. sure, you'll lose a bit of creaminess, but i think the lack of calories makes up for it. you decide.

since white chocolate is the star of the show, you want to pull out the good stuff for this one. you'll definitely notice a difference if you use lower quality chocolate.

6 ounces good white chocolate
2 1/4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream or half & half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

place white chocolate in a medium heat proof bowl, preferably one with a spout (my 6 cup pyrex measuring cup worked perfectly), and set aside.
place the milk and cream in a saucepan and heat over medium low heat until bubbles start to form around the edges.
pour the hot milk over the chocolate, add the vanilla, and whisk until smooth. continue whisking until a light foam forms on the top.
serve hot and store leftovers in the refrigerator.