Bourbon peach crumble

Is anyone else wondering what to do with those glorious fragrant peaches that are in season right now? Well, now you know - THIS is what you should be doing with them; in fact, I'm willing to declare this most-delicious-smelling-fruit-filling ever. It's an amalgamation of several recipes I've been eyeing, but none seemed perfect for what I wanted, which mostly included not having to go back to the grocery store and not having to spend 6 hours waiting for pastry dough to be properly chilled and workable (damn you, humid Rhode Island!). This crumble was a smashing success: it showcased the peaches in a lovely way, with a ridiculously simple but amazingly great topping (which I consider to be The Best Part), and took very little time to come together. One thing I would have liked to have done but didn't (in keeping with my desire to not go back to the store) is add some sliced almonds to the topping. Peaches and almonds are such natural partners, and it would have really complimented the flavor of the almond extract in the filling, while giving the topping a satisfying crunch. You could also substitute cinnamon for the cardamom for a slightly different flavor.

Makes one 9 x 9" square baking dish.

Topping:

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. old-fashioned rolled oats

3/4 c. packed brown-sugar

3/4 c. unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces

Filling:

2 lbs. peaches (5-6 medium sized) peeled, pitted, and cut into 1" pieces

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1 Tbs. bourbon (I used Woodford Reserve - the good stuff makes a difference)

1/4 tsp. almond extract

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp. cardamom

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375F. If you're a real planner, cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil to place under your pan and save the bottom of your oven. Grease a 9" square baking dish.

For the topping: Mix together the flour, sugar, and oats. Add the butter, cutting it into the dry ingredients with two knives or a pastry cutter. Blend until the largest butter pieces are about the size of small peas. Blend lightly with your hands to mix. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill while preparing the filling.

For the filling: Peel, pit, and slice the peaches. In a bowl, cover them with the sugar, mix loosely with your hands, and let sit for 10-15 minutes (this will draw the liquid out of the peaches). Add the bourbon, almond extract, salt, cardamom, and flour, mixing with your hands until evenly coating the peaches.

Pour the filling into the greased pan. Evenly distribute the crumble over the top of the peaches. Bake until the top is golden brown, and the filling is bubbling up through the topping, 35-40 minutes. Go for maximum indulgence and pair it with some vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate stout cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting

I made these cupcakes to celebrate Jonah's first day at his new job, and they turned out smashingly. A very moist, even crumb to the cupcakes themselves, and the chocolate buttercream frosting was really delicious, and shockingly easy. I kept it in the fridge until we were ready for dessert, and just let the frosting come up to room temperature before spreading. You can really taste the stout in this particular cake, and the creamy sweetness of the buttercream balances out the earthy stout flavor nicely, I think.  

Cake from smittenkitchen.com; buttercream from Cook's Illustrated

makes 14-18 frosted cupcakes, depending how you fill/frost them

1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

10 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

A pinch of salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place paper liners in ~16 cupcake moulds. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Pour batter into prepared moulds. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Transfer cake to rack, and cool completely in the pan.

Buttercream:

While the cupcakes are baking, melt 4 oz. chocolate in a double boiler over gently simmering water. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally. With your trusty hand mixer, beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and salt, and beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened. Scrape down the bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined, about 30 seconds; scrape down the bowl, add vanilla and beat at medium speed until incorporated, then reduce speed to low and gradually beat in chocolate. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl once or twice.

I've been keeping my cupcakes unfrosted and my buttercream in the fridge, due to humidity. The buttercream quickly softens to room temperature and a spreadable consistency, and can be put back in the fridge when you're done. 

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

Strawberry-rhubarb is a classic American dessert combination. Both fruits are signs that spring is finally warming into summer, and they go so well together that the less common rhubarb is rarely found without it's flavor soul mate, strawberry. The tart, crunchy rhubarb is perfectly offset by the sweet, soft strawberries, and they bake up into a beautiful, rich red filling for tarts, pies, crumbles, crisps, or even on their own as a tasty sauce to serve over scones, cakes, or ice cream.

This recipe is an adaptation of several different versions, and represents my preferences for a baked fruit dessert: fairly cohesive filling, not too sweet, and a topping that is more crumbly than a uniform crust. You can play with the proportions to make it more to your taste - less cornstarch for a more liquid filling, melted instead of softened butter for a crust-like topping, exchanging some of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour or rolled oats. The filling also adapts to almost any fruit your little heart desires.

For the topping:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 

1 tsp. baking powder

3 Tbp. brown sugar

3 Tbs. raw sugar or evaporated cane juice

zest of one lemon

1 stick unsalted butter, softened but still slightly chilled

For the filling:

2 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1 inch cubes

1 quart + a few extra strawberries, hulled and quartered

1/2 - 2/3 cup sugar **depends on the relative ripeness of your rhubarb and strawberries

juice of one lemon

3 - 4 Tbs. cornstarch

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375F. Cover an edged baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil.

Combine the rhubarb and strawberry pieces in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the sugar over the surface of the fruit, and let stand for 15 minutes at room temperature.

Combine the dry ingredients for the topping in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into large chunks, and cut into the flour-sugar mixture with a pastry cutter or two knives until large and small pieces form; the largest butter pieces should be pea-sized. Put flour-butter mixture into fridge until you are ready to use it.

Add lemon juice, cornstarch and salt to the fruits, mix well, and pour into a glass baking dish (a 9-inch deep dish pie plate, 8x8-inch pan, or 7x10-inch pan will all work, each giving you slightly different ratios of topping to filling). Smooth fruits with the back of a spoon or your hands. Sprinkle the topping over the fruits, and smooth with the back of a spoon or your hands until it evenly and thickly coats the fruit.

Put the baking dish on the aluminum foil-covered baking sheet. Bake for 40 - 50 minutes, until the topping is golden and the fruit is bubbling up through the topping.

Poppyseed Angel Food Cake with Grapefruit Curd

I've been a super-procrastinator lately with the updates. There are a few reasons for this, but mostly it's due to laziness. Also, I've been borrowing heavily from smittenkitchen.com, and frankly, it seems a little silly to spend a bunch of time typing up recipes that anyone can get to with mere clicks. Some things I've made recently that have been stellar are the blondies (so easy), peanut butter chocolate rice krispie bars (so dangerous), goat cheese pasta with asparagus (so refreshing), and peanut butter cookies (so classic). Go nuts, kids.

This is another recipe from Regan Daley's In The Sweet Kitchen that is a stunning rendition of a classic cake. The angel food cake gets a little something different from the poppyseeds; I've made this both with and without, and it was very good both ways. I've also played with the grapefruit curd, swapping out the citrus juice and zest for an orange/grapefruit mix, and straight lemon. I thought all three were excellent, but I would probably rank them 1. lemon, 2. grapefruit, 3. orange-grapefruit as my preference. The angel food cake - curd mash-up is really spectacular, and convenient, because the curd uses as many egg yolks as the cake does whites. Most recently, I also made some raspberry sauce to go with the cake-curd combo, and that was a very good idea.  

NB: for this recipe, it is important that the tools you use to make the cake - pan, bowls, mixers, spatulas, etc - all be very clean and grease-free. Even a little bit of fat can keep the egg whites from achieving their full volume.

For the cake:

1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)

1 1/2 cups superfine sugar

1 1/2 cups egg whites, at room temperature (about 10 extra large, 12 large)

2 Tbs. warm water

1 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 Tbs. poppyseeds

For the curd:

12 large egg yolks

1 cup superfine sugar

2 tsp. finely grated pink or yellow grapefruit zest

3/4 cup freshly squeezed pink or yellow grapefruit juice

3 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

To make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place a clean, removable-bottom 10-inch tube pan off to the side. Working between two sheets of parchment or waxed paper, sift the flour and 1/2 cup of the sugar together 3 times, and set off to the side.

In a very large bowl, beat the egg whites with the warm water until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and the salt a whip the whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar, a little at a time, whipping constantly. When all the sugar has been added, the whites should be firm, glossy and hold stiff peaks. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Incorporate the flour-sugar mixture gently but quickly to avoid deflating the whites. Sprinkle about 1/4 of the flour mixture over the whites and using your clean hands, fold the batter over onto itself, making sure to reach down to the bottom of the bowl and all around the sides. When you don't see or feel lumps, and another 1/4 of the flour mixture. Repeat until the final 1/4 is almost incorporated, and add the poppyseeds. The batter should be very light and fluffy, but smooth. Scrape the batter into the pan without banging the spatula on the bowl or the bowl on the counter, as this will deflate the whites. Smooth the top of the batter, and run a clean knife through the pan to rupture any large air bubbles.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a wooden skewer comes out clean, and the top is cracked and golden. Invert the pan onto its legs, over the neck of a wine bottle, or into a colander, cake-side down to prevent sinking. Cool completely

To unmold, run a thin-bladed knife around the outside and center tube of the pan. Carefully pull the tube upwards, and run a knife around the bottom of the cake, then invert onto a cake platter. The best way to cut this cake is with 2 back-to-back forks, pulling the pieces apart from the rest of the cake. This will keep the cake from getting smashed by a knife. Well-covered leftovers can be stored for several days at room temp. 

To make the curd:

Fill a large pot with an inch or two of water and bring to a simmer. Place a fine mesh sieve over a medium-sized bowl, set aside. Put the egg yolks in a heat-proof bowl and whisk until frothy, then whisk in the sugar. Whisk in the grapefruit juice and zest, and the lemon juice.

Set the bowl over the simmering water and adjust the heat to keep the water just barely simmering. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickly coats the back of the spoon and a finger drawn over the back of the spoon leaves a clean trail, at least 10 minutes. Make sure the spoon sweeps the sides and bottom of the bowl. Once the curd has thickened, pour it through the strainer. **The curd must be kept moving or the yolks will cook unevenly, and you'll end up with a grapefruit flavored omelet, which is exactly as gross as it sounds. 

With a clean spoon or rubber spatula, stir the butter into the hot curd a few pieces at a time, blending well after each addition. Press a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the bowl to prevent a skin from forming, poke a few holes with a sharp knife, cool to lukewarm, and refrigerate until cold for 2-8 hours. May be stored, well-covered in the fridge, for 3 days.

S'more Pie

I brought this pie to a Memorial Day barbeque and it was a big hit. I was expecting it to be good - a quick glance at the ingredients will tell you why - but it was very, very good. It had a nice texture balance between the three layers, and was not nearly as sweet as I imagined, even with a milk chocolate filling. Plus, I got to make marshmallows from scratch, which was very exciting and not as messy as it could have been. I don't think I whipped the marshmallow long enough, either because I was getting bored or because my little hand-held beater doesn't have as much oompf as a stand mixer. I followed the time estimate (5-8 minutes) but if you're doing this by hand I would recommend going as much as 10 minutes. The top was totally suitable for a cake, but definitely too runny to work as a stand alone marshmallow. Also, when you're browning the top, keep a very close eye on it. The aluminum foil to protect the crust really focused the heat onto the center of the cake, and we were mere seconds away from unappetizingly burnt topping. Fortunately we got it out in time and it was only pleasingly burnt. You could also brown the top with a creme brulee torch if you were feeling up to the task.

from smittenkitchen.com

Note: Pie (before browning topping) can be chilled up to 1 day.

Crust
5 tablespoons salted or unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for greasing
1 1/2 cups cookie crumbs (10 graham crackers or 24 small gingersnaps; about 6 oz, pulsed in a food processor until finely ground)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt (omitted if you use salted butter)

Chocolate cream filling
7 oz fine-quality milk or semisweet chocolate (not more than 70% cacao; not unsweetened), finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 large egg, at room temperature for 30 minutes

Marshmallow topping
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (from a 1/4-oz package)
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Vegetable oil for greasing

Special equipment: a candy thermometer

Make graham cracker crust:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter pie 9- to 9 1/2-inch pie plate.

Stir together all ingredients in a bowl and press evenly on bottom and up side of pie plate. Bake until crisp, 12 to 15 minutes, then cool on a rack to room temperature, about 45 minutes.

Make chocolate cream filling:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put chocolate in a large bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, then pour hot cream over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute, then gently whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Gently whisk in egg and a pinch of salt until combined and pour into graham cracker crumb crust (crust will be about half full).

Cover edge of pie with a pie shield or foil and bake until filling is softly set and trembles slightly in center when gently shaken, about 25 minutes. Cool pie to room temperature on a rack (filling will firm as it cools), about 1 hour.

Make marshmallow topping:
Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water in a large deep heatproof bowl and let stand until softened, about 1 minute.

Stir together sugar, corn syrup, a pinch of salt, and remaining 1/4 cup water in cleaned 1- to 1 1/4-quart heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil until thermometer registers 260°F, about 6 minutes.

Begin beating water and gelatin mixture with an electric mixer at medium speed, then carefully pour in hot syrup in a slow stream, beating (avoid beaters and side of bowl). When all of syrup is added, increase speed to high and continue beating until mixture is tripled in volume and very thick, about 5-8 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until combined, then immediately spoon topping onto center of pie filling; it will slowly spread to cover top of pie. Chill, uncovered, 1 hour, then cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap (oiled side down) and chill 3 hours more.

Brown topping:
Preheat broiler.

Transfer pie to a baking sheet. Cover edge of pie with pie shield or foil and broil 3 to 4 inches from heat, rotating pie as necessary, until marshmallow topping is golden brown, no more than 3 minutes. Cool pie on a rack 10 minutes. Slice pie with a large heavy knife dipped in hot water and then dried with a towel before cutting each slice.

Pommes Fondantes, or Skillet-Roasted Potatoes

There is an excellent restaurant here in Seattle called 611 Supreme. They make crepes, and some other Frenchy type dishes (and really good cocktails). Some of their crepes come with these amazing "breakfast potatoes", as they call them - silky, flavorful, meltingly soft. Jonah and I have long wondered how to recreate them at home, and never really got any further that. I found this recipe just this morning, nestled in one of my cookbooks, that while not a perfect recreation of the 611 potatoes, makes a damn fine potato nonetheless. 

This recipe has some fairly exacting instructions, despite being pretty straightforward. We followed them closely, and were pretty satisfied with the results. You will need to buy the right potatoes: they should be either baby Yukon Golds (my favorite) or baby Red Bliss (Jonah's favorite). They need to be less than 1 3/4 inches in diameter, and you must have a nonstick skillet. We used lil' red potatoes and my trusty cast iron skillet, and they turned out beautifully. 

from The Best American Recipes 2005-2006.

Serves 4 to 6.

1 - 1 1/2 lbs. baby red or gold potatoes

2 cups chicken broth, low-sodium

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 tsp. kosher salt (less if the broth is salty)

1-2 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh chives

Sea salt

Trim any eyes or damaged areas from the potatoes and wash well in cold water. Arrange as many potatoes as will fit in a single layer in a 10-inch non-stick skillet, with some extra room to spare. Add the broth, oil, butter, rosemary, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan but leave the lid ajar, and boil until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. The liquid should still halfway surround the potatoes; if it doesn't, add more broth or water until it does.

Remove the pan from the heat and press on each potato with a metal measuring cup (or anything with a rigid, uniformly flat base) just until it cracks open. Set the pan over medium-high heat and cook, uncovered, until all the liquid has evaporated and the potatoes have browned on one side, about 10 minutes. Gently turn the potatoes and brown the other side, 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the potatoes rest for 5 minutes before transferring them to a serving platter. Sprinkle with the chives and sea salt and serve immediately.

Notes:

- Make sure the potatoes have a little extra room in the pan. You need to be able to flatten them out and have them still fit.

- Be careful not to overcook the potatoes. If they are too soft, they will mash, not crack, when you press on them.

- When cracking open the potatoes, press gently but steadily. You want to crack open the skin, but the potatoes should hold together. Once the skin is broken they are much easier to crush, so be careful not to push too hard.

- The sea salt is not essential, but very tasty.

Banana Bread

Who doesn't like banana bread? Even people who aren't crazy about bananas as a fruit can usually be swayed by a good banana bread. This recipe is dead easy and - *drumroll please* - is actually better made at least a day ahead of time. How great is that?

While I prefer my banana bread pretty simple, this recipe takes nicely to additions. You can add 1/2 cup chopped nuts, dried fruit, crushed pineapple, or shredded coconut. I've also swapped out the bananas entirely in favor of strawberries as a good way to use up the leftovers of those super-sale 8 gazillion lb boxes of strawberries that I can never seem to eat and yet continue to buy.

From The Bread Bible, by Beth Hensperger.

Makes one 9 x 5" loaf or three 5.5 x 3" loaves.

1/2 cup flavorless vegetable oil, like canola

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 medium to large overripe bananas (12-14 oz.), slightly mashed

Zest of one small lemon (optional) *not necessary, but I think it makes the bread way better

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1. Preheat the oven to 350 deg. F. Grease and flour your pan(s). 

2. In a small bowl, mash up the bananas. Add the vanilla and lemon zest.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the oil, sugar and eggs. Beat hard with a whisk or electric mixer until light-colored and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the banana-vanilla-lemon mixture and beat again until well combined.

4. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and baking soda. Add to the banana-egg mixture and stir to combine. Beat well to make a batter that is evenly combined and creamy in consistency.

5. Spoon the batter into the pan(s). Place the pan on a rack in the center of the oven and bake for about 50 minutes for the large loaf and 40 minutes for the small loaves, or until the tops are firm to the touch, the loaves pull away from the sides of the pan, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the loaves to a cooling rack and cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 5 days before serving.

Spaetzle

Have you ever been to a German restaurant or pub and had those tasty, pasta-like nuggets of goodness that often accompany schnitzels and the like? Spaetzle is a a traditional German food, made from a very basic dough, usually served with parsley and some kind of creamy sauce or grated cheese. Being a lover of all things dough-based, spaetzle is a staple in my kitchen. With some good quality bratwursts and a little salad, you've got yourself a dinner.
In Germany, or the hardcore German-style kitchen, spaetzle is made with a spaetzle press, a heavy metal contraption that resembles a potato ricer and presses the dough out in little rounds. Not wanting to buy a single-function piece of equipment to store in my 80 sq. foot kitchen, Jonah discovered that this can (sort of) easily be made by pushing the dough through the blunt side of a coarse cheese grater. I say sort of easy because while not difficult, this technique involves getting sticky dough all over your hand. However, delicious spaetzle is waiting on the other side of that messy grater. The heavy-duty hand washing it totally worth it.

Makes about 4 cups.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
A healthy pinch each of grated nutmeg and ground pepper (both optional)
Butter for browning
Parsley
Cheese, or whatever topping you like (I prefer grated Parmesan)

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

Stir together the flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Combine eggs and milk; stir into the flour mixture, beating until the dough is very sticky. By the generous handful, push the dough through the blunt side of a coarse grater. The extruded pieces of dough will fall into the boiling water, cooking for 2-3 minutes. Fish out the spaetzle with a slotted spoon and transfer to a saute pan with a little bit of butter. Cook on medium heat until just browned and slightly crisp on the outside. Toss is some fresh parsley and grated cheese, mix gently, and serve hot.

Use as you would pasta as a side dish to almost any kind of entree.

Peanut Butter Buckeyes

I consider chocolate + peanut butter to be one of the finest combinations offered in the history of food. These are quite sweet, but great for a quick sugar fix and dangerously addictive (for me, at least). They also disappear almost immediately from potlucks, file cabinets, and coffee tables, so I don't think I'm alone in my feeling that these, while not fancy or highbrow, are seriously tasty.

From The Best American Recipes, 2005 - 2006.

Makes about 30.

2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter (think Skippy, not that hippy-dippy healthy peanut butter)

4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted 

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

6 oz. chocolate chips (semisweet or milk chocolate, to your taste)

1/2 tsp. vegetable shortening

Line two baking sheets with wax paper.

Put the confectioner's sugar, peanut butter, butter (still warm), vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl and beat well with a wooden spoon. Roll the peanut butter mixture into 1-inch balls and transfer to a prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Freeze until firm, 15 to 20 minutes.

Melt the chocolate and shortening in the top of a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl) over barely simmering water, stirring often. Remove the pot and bowl together from the heat. 

Working with about 6 peanut butter balls and a time, insert a toothpick into the center of a ball and dip about three-quarters of the ball into the melted chocolate, leaving about a 3/4-inch circle of peanut butter visible at the top. Twirl the toothpick between your finger and thumb to swirl off excess chocolate, then transfer to the other baking sheet, chocolate side down. Slide out the toothpick and repeat the dipping process with the remaining peanut butter balls and chocolate, reheating the chocolate if necessary.

Freeze until the buckeyes are firm. Smooth out the toothpick holes left in the peanut butter. Buckeyes keep well sealed in a cool place for up to 1 week and up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Kitchen Sink Cookies

These cookies have a little bit of everything in them, hence the name. It makes a very large batch - you can halve the recipe, freeze extras, or eat a whole lotta cookies.

from The Best American Recipes, 2005 - 2006

makes 4 dozen

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, room temperature

2 cups light brown sugar, packed

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. salt

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (no instant oats!)

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened

1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugars in a really large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and salt and beat well.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Gradually mix into the butter mixture with a sturdy wooden spoon. Stir in the oats until the dough comes together. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts.

Scoop out the dough in generous spoonfuls and drop onto the prepared sheets, about 2 inches apart. Flatten the tops of the dough mounds slightly with the back of a spoon. Bake for 7 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the cookies are light golden with tiny cracks on the tops. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Garlic Spaghetti

You know that when someone describes a recipe as "the recipe I wish to have chipped on my tombstone as my greatest contribution to human happiness" that you're in for something good. There are lots of potentially scary things about this dish: the quantity of raw garlic, the raw egg, the butter, and then there's all that raw garlic. Don't wuss out, this is an amazing meal. 

**Obligatory Note of Caution: the egg in this dish does cook some when mixed with the hot pasta, but not completely. If you are preparing food for children, the elderly, or the immune compromised, always make sure your eggs are thoroughly cooked.** The public health degree holding part of me is now satisfied.

from Passionate Vegetarian, by Crescent Dragonwagon (and no, I don't think that's her real name, but she makes some darn tasty food)

The One, the Only, the Greatest Garlic Spaghetti

8 oz. spaghetti or fettuccine

1 large egg

4 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled

3 to 4 Tbs. butter, softened

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. dried basil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crushed red pepper (optional)

Bacon bits, veggie or real (optional)

1. Bring a large pot of water to vigorous boil, and drop in the pasta.

2. As the pasta cooks, gently warm either the serving bowl or individual plates.

3. Combine the egg, garlic, butter, Parmesan, basil, a little salt, and a lot of pepper in a food processor. Buzz, pausing to scrape down the sides, until a thick paste forms.

4. When the pasta is al dente, drain it but do not rinse. Quickly transfer it to a bowl and dollop it with the garlic paste. Toss like mad, adding a little more pepper and a dash or two more salt. The garlic aroma should be driving you crazy by now, so...

5. Sit down and eat from the warmed plates, sprinkling with the optional red pepper flakes, bacon bits, or more grated Parmesan.

Easy, classic chocolate cake

In spite of all the fancy chocolate cake recipes out there, this is the cake that most people are wishing for when they think, "I would really like a piece of chocolate cake right now." It's dead simple, and brings back childhood memories of licking batter-laden spoons and sipping tall glasses of milk to wash down every last crumb of cake. This cake is a natural partner for ice cream, too. Even for people who think they can't bake, this is within the realm of possibility, and you'll be so pleased with yourself. And you'll have chocolate cake.

All-in-the-Pan Chewy Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Butter Icing

From Regan Daley's In the Sweet Kitchen, a favorite cookbook of mine with an awesome reference section. If you've been looking to get into baking but feel like you have too many questions to be comfortable in the kitchen, buy this book. I use the reference section almost as often as I use the recipes.

Makes an 8 x 8" (time given), 9 x 9" (subtract 5-7 minutes from the baking time), or about 1 1/2 dozen cupcakes (15-18 minutes baking time). The recipe can be doubled for a 9 x 13" pan, in which case the baking time is the same, but double the icing recipe as well.

Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

6 Tbs. vegetable oil, like canola

1 Tbs. white vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup cool water

Icing

1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

2-3 Tbs. milk or water

1 1/2 Tbs. natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. vanilla

**This recipe can easily be made vegan by substituting the butter in the icing with Earth Balance and using the water as liquid for the frosting. I consider this cake to be a pinnacle of vegan baking.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift the flour into an ungreased, unfloured pan (if you'll be making cupcakes, you'll need to do all the mixing steps in bowls and then pour into baking moulds at the end). In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add this mixture to the flour and stir well with a fork or a small whisk to blend the ingredients. Withe the back of a spoon, make three indentations or wells in the dry mixture: one large, medium and small. Into the large well pour the vegetable oil. Into the medium well, the vinegar. Vanilla goes in the smallest well. Pour the water over everything, and with a fork, stir the mixture until the ingredients are well blended, making sure you reach into the corners and sides to catch any dry pockets. Do not beat this batter, but mix just until most of the lumps are smoothed out, and there are not little patches of overly thick or runny batter. A few lumps won't hurt the batter, and it's important not to overbeat it.

Bake the cake for 30 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of cake comes out clean and the top feels springy when lightly touched. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool the cake completely before icing. This is a very moist cake and will tear if cut too soon. While you're waiting for the cake to cool, whip up the icing.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and 1 cup of the powdered sugar until the butter is well distributed. The mixture will be very dry and still powdery. Stir in 1 tablespoon of milk or water, then sift the cocoa powder over the mixture and cream to blend. Mix in the vanilla, then add the second cup of powdered sugar. Add as much of the remaining liquid as necessary to make a thick, creamy icing. Frost in the pan and dig in!

Leftovers can be stored in the pan at room temperature, covered with a piece of aluminum foil. The un-iced cake freezes well, wrapped in the pan.

Pan-Roasted Halibut

The first savory recipe on the bloggle is dyn-o-mite. I love fish of all kinds, but halibut is right up there as one of my favorites. Especially this time of year, when the fish rolls in wild and fresh from Alaska. This is a quick, easy way to serve thick halibut fillets or steaks that really shows off the flavor and texture of the fish. All it needs is a quick squirt of fresh lemon juice (don't use the stuff in the fridge, you'll be so sorry) and a dash of salt and pepper and you'll be the happiest camper.

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated.

Special equipment: an oven-safe pan (I use my 10" cast iron skillet for this, and pretty much everything else)

Olive oil

Halibut steaks or fillets, between 1 and 1 1/2" thick **cooking time will vary based on the thickness of the fish, about 30 seconds plus/minus per 1/4" of flesh. 

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

While the oven is heating up, rub both sides of the halibut generously with olive oil, about a tablespoon of oil per serving of fish. Start your oven-safe pan heating on the stovetop on medium-high heat. You can put a little oil in the pan to test the temperature: when it just starts to smoke, the pan is hot enough. Carefully place the halibut in the pan, skin side up (if it has skin). Allow it to cook undisturbed until spotty brown, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and carefully flip the fish with a thin metal spatula. 

Place the pan in the center rack of the oven. If you have a thermometer, it should read 140 degrees F when the fish is done. If you're eyeballing it (my preferred method), it should be opaque, just starting to separate, and flake easily with a fork. This should take about 9 minutes. Pull the pan from the oven, remove fish from the pan with a thin metal spatula, and serve immediately.

Seriously, seriously rich brownies

These are the Outrageous Brownies from the first Barefoot Contessa cookbook. Ina Garten doesn't skimp on ingredients, and these are no exception. You will be the happy recipient of the undying affection of anyone lucky enough to eat one of these decadent treats, so consider cutting the pieces small for maximum luv. This particular recipe is really more like a cross between fudge and brownies, so if you're a cakey-crumbly brownie person, these will probably not be to your taste.

Makes one 9 x 13" pan.

1/2 lb. unsalted butter

8 oz. + 6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate

3 extra-large eggs

1 1/2 Tbs. instant coffee

1 Tbs. vanilla

1 1/8 cups sugar

5/8 cups flour

1/2 Tbs. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (if you're a nut person - I prefer pure chocolate)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour a 9 x 13" pan, including the sides.

Melt together the butter, 8 oz. of chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature. **It is very important to allow the batter to cool completely before adding the dry ingredients, or the chocolate chips will melt and ruin the brownies.

In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the 6 oz. of chocolate chips (and walnuts, if using) with 1/8 cup of flour in a medium bow, then add them to the chocolate batter. **Flouring the chips and walnuts prevents then from sinking to the bottom of the batter. Pour into the pan.

Bake for 20 minutes, the rap the pan firmly against the oven shelf to force the air out from between the pan and the dough. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake! Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate, and cut into squares.

This recipe can be made up to a week in advance, wrapped well in plastic, and refrigerated. I've never seen them last that long, but I've heard it can be done.

Double Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Filling

Double Chocolate Layer Cake
smittenkitchen.com

The recipe below is for 2 10-inch layers filled and coated in chocolate ganache. This is a true death-by-chocolate cake. I made it with the raspberry filling to balance the intensity of all that chocolate, and was really pleased with the results. This is an incredibly moist, delicious chocolate cake. You'll be glad you made this, and, if you can bring yourself to share, your friends and neighbors will be too.

For cake layers
3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli)
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee (I used instant espresso powder)
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

For ganache frosting and filling
**If you want to just use it for frosting, halve the recipe.
1 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate (also Ghiradelli)
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

For raspberry filling
1 lb bag frozen raspberries, thawed
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Special equipment: two 10- by 2-inch round cake pans

Make cake layers:
Preheat oven to 300°F and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add flour-sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well.

Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature. **Be very careful handling the cake layers, they are fragile and will fall apart easily if not well supported at all times.

Make raspberry filling:
Puree the raspberries in a food processor, blender or immersion blender. Press the puree through a fine-mesh strainer with the back of a spoon, removing the seeds (this will be unpleasant, but so worth it - this puree really benefits from a seedless state). Heat the puree in a small pot with the sugar and cornstarch until mixture boils, stirring constantly. As it boils, it should quickly thicken.

Let it cool completely before spreading. A thin filling will make the cake easier to frost, but I applied a pretty generous layer of raspberries and didn't have much of a problem. You can dollop extra filling on top of the cake slices.

Make frosting:
Finely chop chocolate. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.

Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency). I found that stirring this over a bowl of ice water did a great job of cooling it off quickly and evenly.

Spread raspberries or frosting between the cake layers and carefully set the second round on top of the first. Frost the top and sides, being careful not to tear the cake too much. Cake keeps, covered and chilled, for 3 days. Bring cake to room temperature before serving.

Challah French Toast

From Cook's Illustrated, May 1997.

Though thick-sliced challah is best for French toast, you can substitute high-quality, presliced sandwich bread. Flipping challah is easiest with tongs, but a spatula works best with sandwich bread. To speed the cooking of large quantities, heat two or more skillets to brown a few batches at once. To vary the flavor of the batter, add three-quarters of a teaspoon of ground cinnamon or one-half teaspoon of ground nutmeg with the dry ingredients, or substitute almond extract for the vanilla.

Ingredients
1 large egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted, plus extra for frying
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt
4 - 5 slices day-old challah bread (3/4-inch-thick) or 6 to 8 slices day-old sandwich bread

Instructions
1. Heat 10- to 12-inch skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium heat for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat egg lightly in shallow pan or pie plate; whisk in butter, then milk and vanilla, and finally sugar, flour, and salt, continuing to whisk until smooth. Soak bread without oversaturating, about 40 seconds per side for challah or 30 seconds per side for sandwich bread. Pick up bread and allow excess batter to drip off; repeat with remaining slices.
2. Swirl 1 tablespoon butter in hot skillet. Transfer prepared bread to skillet; cook until golden brown, about 1 minute 45 seconds on first side and 1 minute on the second. Serve immediately. Continue, adding 1 tablespoon butter to skillet for each new batch.
3. Adorn your french toast with syrups, jams, butters, fruits, etc. Eat and swoon.

Vanilla Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Another tasty recipe from The Bread Bible, this is a quintessential coffee cake and freezes quite well.

Vanilla Sour Cream Coffee Cake

This makes one 10-inch round cake, or one 12-cup Bundt cake, or two 9-by-5-inch loaves.

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups sour cream

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup (3 oz.) pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts, finely chopped

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/3 cup powdered sugar (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 deg. F. Grease the pan(s). In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each. Beat in the vanilla and sour cream until just smooth. Gradually add the dry ingredients and beat well until fluffy and light colored. There should be no lumps or dry spots.

3. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, nuts, and cinnamon. Spoon about one third of the batter into the pan. Sprinkle with one third of the nut mixture. Repeat for three layers of batter and end with a layer of nut mixture.

4. Place the pan on the center rack of the oven and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top of the cake is no longer shiny. Let the cake stand in the pan about 15 minutes. Remove from the pan to cool completely on a rack, right side up. Serve dusted with powdered sugar, if desired. 

Muffin mania

All the info in this post in taken from The Bread Bible, by Beth Hensperger, which I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a good collection of bready recipes.

Things to know about muffins:

- Don't worry about lumps in the batter; the less a muffin is beaten, the better.

- For thick batters, fill cups level with the top; for thin batters, fill 3/4 full to avoid spilage.

- Bake muffins in the center of a pre-heated oven.

- Muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months.

- Miniature muffin cups cook for 10-15 minutes; standard sizes cook for 20-25 min, and oversized cook for 25-30 min.

Banana Pecan Muffins

Use an overripe banana with black, mottled skin and soft, very sweet flesh - these are best for baking.

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 medium bananas)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup (3 oz.) pecans, finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 375 deg. F. Grease or line 10 standard muffin cups. Fill the other 2 halfway with water.

2. In a large bowl, using a whisk or an electric mixer, combine the sugar, oil, and eggs until light colored and foamy. Add mashed bananas and beat well. The banana will incorporate, but still be chunky.

3. In a large bowl, using a whisk, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add the pecans and the banana mixture and stir with a large spatula until just moistened, about 10 strokes.

4. Spoon into cups until level with the tops. Place the pan on a rack in the center of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the tops feel dry and springy. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Spiced Applesauce Muffins

An American classic.

1 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 Tbs vegetable oil

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp powdered instant espresso

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

3/4 cup raisins or chopped nuts (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 deg. F. Grease or line 9 standard muffin cups, and fill the other 3 halfway with water. 

2. In a large bowl, using a whisk, combine the applesauce, brown sugar, eggs, and oil.

3. In a large bowl, using a whisk, combine the flour, baking soda, espresso, and spices. Add to the wet mixture and stir with a large spatula until just moistened, about 10 strokes. Add the raisins or nuts, if using.

4. Spoon the batter into the cups until level with the tops. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the tops feel springy. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Raspberry Cornmeal Muffins

If your raspberries are tart, sprinkle them with some of the sugar and macerate for 15 minutes to sweeten them up.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Grated zest of 1 lemon, just the yellow part

1 cup milk

2 large eggs

1/3 cup corn oil

1 1/2 cups fresh red or golden raspberries

1. Preheat the oven to 400 deg. F. Grease or line 9 standard muffin cups.

2. In a large bowl, using a whisk, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and zest.

3. In a large bowl, using a whisk or an electric mixer, combine the milk, eggs, and corn oil and beat for 1 minute. Pour into the flour mixture and stir with a large spatula just until evenly moistened, not more than 15 or 20 strokes. Gently fold in the raspberries, taking care not to break them up (the batter will be lumpy).

4. Spoon the batter into each muffin cup until just below the tops. Place the pan on a rack in the center of the oven and bake 20-25 minutes, or until browned, the tops feel dry and springy, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.