Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

This is what it looks like This recipe started calling me. I'm such a sucker for brown sugar-don't know what it is about brown sugar. The Sous Chef is a sucker for all things maple. So I made it and this is where I got the recipe from . Those of you that are astute will note that there isn't any maple syrup or maple sugar in there. Puzzling no? Yet it tastes mapley.  Now I know making a crust can be a big pain. Crusts are definitely not my favorite thing BUT I must say it is well worth the effort. I did a crisscross pattern with a fork on the edge. A few comments about this recipe: Mine was definitely not as dark as the picture from the recipe. I did use light brown sugar. My oven is usually a bit slow but the pie filling set up by the 45 minutes. I suggest checking it around 40 minutes. Next time I would use a deep-dish pie pan. I had leftover filling which did not go to waste... I used Knob Creek Smokey Maple Bourbon . I'm sure it did contribute some of ...

I've made Orecchiette with Brussels Sprouts before but this time I thought I'd do it without the Brussels Sprouts and use bacon - since the Sous Chef was smoking up a batch today. Orecchiette Carbonara (Adapted from Carols Cafe Pasta Sauces )* 2 T olive oil 2 T butter 1 head of garlic, slightly smashed 1 onion, sliced thinly 6oz prosciutto diced  (or in this case freshly made bacon) 4 eggs 1/2 c heavy cream 1 c Parmesan, grated ground nutmeg freshly ground pepper 1lb pasta reserved pasta water In a large skillet heat butter and olive oil. Cook garlic until lightly golden. Remove from pan and set aside. Meanwhile, boil water and cook pasta. Add onion to the skillet and cook until caramelized. Remove from pan and set aside. Add prosciutto and saute a little. Remove from heat. Add onions and garlic back to the skillet. Whisk together eggs, heavy cream, Parmesan, nutmeg, and pepper. (Add more pepper than you think).  Depending on your timing, you might need to...

OH BOY! What a stuck mess. I saw that 2017 is the year of the bundt . Hey, I had lemons, I had a bundt pan so I decided to go for it. Well as you can see mine looks nothing like a bundt. It's just a pile of cake. Yes, it is a delicious pile but nonetheless a pile. I greased the pan using spray and I think that was my downfall. I should have used butter? (or Crisco - I know it's pretty gross but it does usually get the job done). A Pile of Cake I've been here before as you might recall . I thought I had set aside my bundt issues. I had purchased a new pan and was ready to go. I did make a chocolate bundt in this new pan successfully before. So what went wrong?? I'm not sure? What happens when you are left with a pile of lemon cake? I guess you make "lemonade" and you eat it? Portion control is challenging, however. I will give this bundt pan another go but it might be the last bundt or I might just have to stick (pun intended) to my mini-bundt pans .

I was once again cruising around for a nice rib-sticking recipe for short ribs. A braise usually fits in well with rib-sticking so that's what I was looking for. I thought about Sous Vide but most of the recipes involved 24 hours. I might try that another time but I was looking for something for dinner that night. The recipe amounts for were not really specific for this recipe so I went with my own ideas. Braised Short Ribs (Adapted from BonAppetit ) 1T canola oil 3lbs English cut beef short ribs salt/pepper 4 carrots, cut in rounds 1 onion, cut in chunks 2 cloves garlic, minced 28oz can whole tomatoes 2 T tomato paste Red wine (about 2 cups) 1lb pasta - wide such as fetuccine or pappardelle Parmesan Cheese Heat a large dutch oven. Salt and pepper the ribs on both sides (be generous with the salt). Add oil to dutch oven until it shimmers. Brown all sides of ribs. Remove and set aside. Add carrots and onions and cook until brown. Add garlic saute for 1-2 minutes u...

I was browsing around looking for a chicken recipe. I wanted something that was pretty simple to make but sort of homey and rib-sticking. This worked well. Not the best picture in the world - basically it's chicken Caramel Chicken (Adapted from Epicurious ). 2 T oil salt/pepper 3lb whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces 8 garlic cloves, peeled 1/2 c water 1/3 c brown sugar 1/4 c rice vinegar 2 1/4"-thick slices peeled ginger 1 c chicken stock 1/4  soy sauce 2 scallions, thinly sliced white rice (for serving) Salt/pepper chicken. Heat oil in dutch oven and brown chicken in batches (each side about 6-8 minutes). Set chicken aside. Pour off some of the fat and heat garlic until lightly browned (about 2 minutes). Deglaze pan with water (scraping up the fond) over high heat. Add brown sugar and stir until thickened and dark (about 4 minutes). Add vinegar, ginger, chicken stock, and soy sauce. Add chicken back to pot. Bring to boil, lower and simmer 20-25 minutes until...

I made this for Christmas Eve.  Yeah I know I'm a bit behind in posting - what with the girls home and the cooties quarantine (what is it with flying and catching a cold?). I was going to make some little chocolate Christmas trees to top off the cake but got lazy. I thought I wasn't going to like the mini-chocolate chips mixed in with the mousse but it did really add to the cake. Chocolate Mousse Cake (Adapted from Cooking Pleasures) Crust: 2 c chocolate cookies crumbs 6T butter, melted 3/4 c mini chocolate chips* (semisweet) Filling: 2 t water 1t instant coffee granules 2 1/4 c heavy cream (divided) 1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips 3 oz bittersweet chocolate 1/4 c sugar 1 c confectioners sugar 1/2 c butter 1 t vanilla 1 c mini chocolate chips (semisweet) Topping: 1 1/2 c heavy cream 3T confectioners sugar 1 t vanilla 1 c mini chocolate chips (semisweet) Spray 9" springform pan with nonstick spray. Set aside. In a medium bowl stir cookie crumbs,...