Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

When I first saw this recipe in the NYTimes I knew I had to make it. It sounded so simple and I love when I make pasta al forno and the pasta gets all crusty. This sounded similar to that crusty-ness but a lot more of it. Pasta Tahdig (Adapted from the NYTimes ) 1lb spaghetti 2 c homemade tomato sauce 1 c parmesan cheese (grated) olive oil Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and add back to pot. Mix with 2T olive oil, tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. Heat a 10" skillet. Add 3T of olive oil. Add pasta. Press it down with a spatula. You want it to form a dense cake-like blob. Brown for 20 minutes. Be sure to move the spatula under to ensure it's not sticking every few minutes. Add more oil as necessary. The oil should be bubbling a bit up the sides. Carefully drain off the oil. Using a pizza pan (or other flat surface such as a pot lid), flip the pasta cake out of the skillet. Put the drained oil back into the pan and slide the pasta cake back into the skillet. Again...

Grilled octopus is so delicious. It seems so intimidating to make, but it isn't. Grilled Octopus 8qts water 1 c white wine 1 onion, quartered 1 carrot, cut in 3 1 rib celery, cut in 3 3 whole clove garlic salt 3lb octopus olive oil sugar Place water through salt ingredients into a large stock pot. Bring to a boil and boil for about 10 minutes.  While water is coming to a boil, clean the octopus. You might need to remove the innards from the head (more than likely they have been removed already). Cut the octopus head right below the eyes. From the lower part of the body find the firm piece and remove (sometimes called the beak). You might need to cut in with the tip of the knife to find it. Cut the eye section from the head. With a mallet tenderize the legs and body of the octopus (a few whacks should do it). Now you should be ready to cook the octopus. Lower the water to a simmer. Gently lower the octopus in body into the water. Keep in the water for 3-4 seconds. P...

I followed this recipe without any changes (I must be going soft). At first I wasn't going to do the salted caramel (it did say optional after all). Then I thought well it's not often I make pudding (which I don't know why I don't because pudding is really good stuff) so why not go full on. Well I do have to say the caramel does add that little something extra. The pinch of salt on top also adds. I do like the receipe process of adding the cornstarch to the egg yolks and egg. It ensures a smooth consistency. I've made another butterscotch pudding but I think I prefer this one. For the pudding when I added the heavy cream and milk, I did have to put it back on the heat to melt the caramel. With the sauce, I had a similar situation but not as bad.

I've previously posted about the overnight oats . What I didn't mention is that I use these for travel. I omit the maple syrup and use brown sugar instead. I also omit the vanilla. I pack them up in little sealed bags, bring a spoon, and a plastic container. As long as there is a refrigerator in the room, I'm all set for a good breakie. Instead of those awful hotel breakfasts.  Often the hotel has containers of milk for sale or if not, there's always somewhere selling milk close by.

How can you make quinoa unhealthy?? By adding chocolate and eating a lot of it you say?? Why yes that is how. I saw this receipe quite some time ago - almost a year in fact. I don't know why I waited so long! It is quite addictive. I used mixed quinoa and only used almonds (I didn't have any cashews). It is a bit gooey and I found it keeps better in the refrigerator. This might not be a bad thing because at least it is hidden from view. If it weren't, I would be eating even more of it!

This looked like a nice simple cake. Rather pound cakey (the Sous Chef's favorite!). I had some lemons; I had some heavy cream so why not?! Lemon-Spice Visiting Cake (Adapted from NY Times ) 1 1/2 c flour 1 1/4 t baking powder 1 t ground cardamom 1/2 t ground ginger 1/2 t sea salt 1 1/4 c sugar 1 lemon (with zest) 4 eggs 1/2 c heavy cream 2 t vanilla 5 T butter, melted Optional glaze: 1 c confectioners sugar mixed with about 2T fresh lemon juice & zest OR 1/3 c marmalade mixed with 1/2 t water (warmed to make easily spreadable) Grease & flour a loaf pan. Set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cardamom, ginger, and salt. Set aside. Add sugar to another bowl and zest the  lemon lemon over the bowl to capture all those oils. Rub zest into the sugar with your fingers.  Set lemon aside. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Add 3T of juice from the lemon.  Add vanilla and heavy cream. Whisk together. Whisk in dry ingredients into t...

So melting potatoes are a thing?? Apparently so. These were so delicious. They were a little crusty on the outside but soft on the inside. Two things that make potatoes taste great. I followed the recipe exactly - well OK not exactly. I used regular old russets. I also used a selection of dried herbs (actually I got them as a sample from Penzey's *) *You don't know about Penzey's ??!! This is a great company that has all sorts of spices, cocoa, and vanilla too. They often throw in some free samples with your orders. I choose to support them because, there's been a bit of a boycott (on the right) because of some of their polictal beliefs. This makes me want to buy even more things from them! Hey quality products and the same political views as me - win/win.

Very unassuming looking - but don't be fooled. They are complex tasting I had recently seen caneles being made on a TV show. So when I saw this article in the NY Times magazine, I was intrigued.  I may have interests in trying new things and new equipment, but I know I will never be lining canele molds with beeswax in order to make caneles. I thought this recipe might be the closest I will ever get. Brown-Butter Mochi (Adapted from NY Times ) 1/2 c butter, additional for greasing 13.6 oz coconut milk (don't use lowfat) 12 oz evaporated milk 2 cups dark brown sugar (I had light brown and they came out fine) 4 eggs 3 t vanilla 3 3/4 c rice flour* 1 T baking powder 1t sea salt Preheat over to 350. Grease two cupcake tins with melted butter. Set aside. Use a decent sized saucepan to heat butter. Swirl butter until the foam stops and the butter turns a nice brown. It will smell nutty. This takes about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add coconut milk, evaporated milk...

Beautiful looking - not so much; wonderful tasting though When I first saw this recipe, I loved the simplicity of it.  It is so adaptable and the chicken comes out so tender it just falls apart. It remains so moist. Simple Slow Cooker Chicken (Adapted from Wholefully ) 1 onion 4 cloves garlic, whole 3-4 lb whole chicken salt/pepper 1 lemon 1 sprig Rosemary 5 sprigs thyme 1 c white wine, approx In a slow cooker, place onion and garlic. Sprinkle salt/pepper inside and outside of chicken. Place lemon wedges arount chieken. Add Rosemary and thyme. Pour white wine to the side of the chicken until. It should be about 1/4 inch up the side of the chicken. Cook on low 6-8 hours until chicken is tender and falling off the bone. You have some options for serving. If you would like to brown the skin - put chicken on baking sheet and broil OR remove chicken from slow cooker. Strain liquid. Make a roux in a small saucepan (or if you can use your slow cooker crock on top of the...

So I was going to make fusilli but then got frustrated because it's pretty difficult to get a long rope of pasta even (or at least it is for me). I decided to make this other tubular pasta instead. I used the same recipe as I did for the Capunti - a standard semolina pasta. And then went rogue.  I saw in the book  (same book from Capunti post) that they made a tubular pasta using a skewer then I added a texture design using a standard gnocchi board. First roll pasta into a 1/2" rope (not so important that it's exactly even - which works for me!). Then cut into 2" pieces  Press the skewer into the 2" piece but don't press too hard. Roll away from you. Do not press too hard or the dough will stick. If it does stick, be sure to get all pasta off the skewer. You might also want to dip the skewer in flour. Roll pasta over gnocchi board for grooves.  See you end up with a tube and grooves. The grooves are great to catch the pasta sauce. Now if...

Why is Banana Bread called bread? It really is a cake, but I'll go along with the let's pretend that it's bread so that we think it's healthier idea. Add some additional fruit and some oats and we can kid ourselves some more... Banana Oatmeal Blueberry Bread (very loosely Adapted from Cooking Light) 3/4 c buttermilk 1/2 c rolled oats 1 3/4 c flour 1 t baking powder 1/4 t baking soda 1/2 t salt 3/4 c brown sugar 3 T canola oil 1 1/2 t vanilla 1 1/3 c mashed ripe bananas (about 3) 2 eggs 1 1/2 c frozen blueberries In a bowl mix buttermilk and oats and let soak about 10-15 minutes. In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. To the oat mixture add brown sugar, oil and vanilla. Stir together. Add the bananas. Mix in eggs. Fold in the flour mixture. Gently fold in the blueberries. Pour batter into a 9x5 greased pan and bake at 350 until wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes on wire rack...

Not a real looker Let's face it this one is not a real looker, but it does taste great. I know potato and parsnips are both root vegetables but they are not something that I would normally think to pair together. They do work quite well. We ate this as a main meal with a salad. I could also see it as a side dish. It comes together pretty quickly if you have a madoline. Potato, Parsnip & Porcini Gratin (Adapted from Nigella Lawson) 1/3 c dried porcini 2/3 c boiling water 4T butter 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 c milk 2 c heavy cream 3 star anise salt/pepper 2lbs potato, sliced 1/8" (skins on) 2lbs parsnips, sliced 1/8" Sort of crush up the porcini with your hands. Soak porcini for 30 minutes in water . In a cast iron skillet (or other oven proof skillet) heat butter and garlic. Cook until fragrant. Add mushrooms (and liquid), milk, and cream to the skillet. Add salt/pepper to taste (more than you think). Add star anise. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and ad...

What is it with a bundt? I like them but sometimes I just struggle with them,  just a bit, OK more than a bit . I must be a glutton for punishment because I keep coming back to them. This time around it was not a stickage issue, it was a runny glaze issue (which let's be honest I've had drizzle issues as well). I followed David Lebovitz's recipe pretty much to the letter. I decided to use milk chocolate instead of bittersweet/semisweet for the glaze. Maybe that was the error of my ways? It didn't really matter because let's face it chocolate cake with chocolate glaze, runny or not, is still pretty darn good. What's up with the weird photo angle too? - just not a good day!

If you don't want to go to all the trouble (believe me it is very simple) of making the capunti , you can use cavatelli for this recipe: Capunti w/ Cream and Peas 4 clove garlic, chopped 1 T butter salt/pepper 10 oz English Peas 1 c heavy cream Parmesan for serving. Add garlic and butter to a skillet over low heat. Add a good pinch of salt. Saute until garlic is fragrant. Add peas and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add cream and heat through still on low heat. Add pasta to skillet and toss to coat. Add pepper. Serve with Parmesan cheese. This recipe is a little similar to this one , but without the pancetta.

Capunti I was so excited to get this new book. It has some really interesting shaped pastas it. Most are really simple to make. The recipe are just beautiful. When I first saw Capunti, they reminded me of pea pods. So when I saw the recipe using them included an ingredient that I didn't have (mushrooms), I decided that the English peas I had would go rather nicely with them (will post that recipe tomorrow). Capunti: 1 c flour 1 c semolina flour 1T salt 2/3 c warm water Mix flours and salt in a bowl. Create a well in the center and add warm water. Gradually gather the flours into the water until a dough ball forms. Turn dough onto counter and knead until smooth. Cover and let rest for at least 30 minutes (If not using right away, place in refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator and let come to room temperature before).  So up to this point it is just a standard semolina pasta recipe. The intersting part comes with forming the capunti. Break off a piece of dough ...

I know I've been delinquent again. We went for a quick trip to the Land Rover/Jaguar Ice Academy in Arjeplog Sweden. It was AWESOME! We drove and drifted on a frozen lake (hence, the name Ice Academy). We drove: Land Rover Velar, Range Rover, Jaguar F-Pace, Jaguar F-Type, Jaguar F-Type V8 550 (which was like a rocket!). We thought we went pretty fast, but then we went on a hot lap with a professional driver. We were Grandma driving to church on a Sunday compared to them! A really fun car to drive! Now it's back to reality... I already posted a t ahini brownie recipe from Milk Street and they were quite good (still don't get the peanut butter thing).  I have a friend who is gluten/dairy free, and when I saw this recipe from BonAppetit , I wanted to try it. I made the recipe straight up. No changes, no additions, substitutions. They came out well, but I felt the coconut oil and the tahini were battling it out a little. They were fudgey and moist as promised. Some...

I was feeling a little retro-y when I came across this recipe. It is so 1970s. Pineapple Upside Down Cake (adapted from Nigella Express ) 2T sugar butter for pan 6 pineapple slices 12 marashino cherries 1/2 c butter 1/2 c sugar 2 eggs 1t vanilla 2/3 c flour 1t baking powder 1/4 t baking soda 1/4 t salt 3T liquid from pinepples Grease a 9" pan with butter and sprinkle sugar to coat the pan. Tap out excess. Blot pineapples with paper towels. Arrange in pan with one in the center and the remaining surrounding. Place a cherry in the center of each and one inbetween each (did I count an extra - well that is for the chef to eat).  In a bowl cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and then vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add 3T of pineapple liquid. Carefully spread the batter over the pineapples. It will just about cover them. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cake gather itself for about ...

I got my hands on some really nice fresh, shelled English peas and wanted to make some pasta with them. I was looking for something somewhat healthy to make but I ended up with something decidedly not that healthy but decidedly delicious. Orecchiette with Peas (Adapted from Epicurious ) 1 lb Orecchiette 2 oz pancetta (or bacon) 1 shallot, minced 1 c  fresh English peas, shelled 2T white wine 1 c heavy cream 1/c grated Parmesean salt/pepper While water for pasta is cooking, place pancetta in a skillet. Cook until browned. Add shallot and cook until softened.  Add peas to skillet and white wine. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Add heavy cream and bring to low simmer. Cook for 5 minutes. Add Parmesan and salt/pepper. Drain pasta (reserve some pasta water) and add to skillet. Stir until mixed through. You might want to add some of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up. This was so quick and so good. I usually use a spider to drain the pasta and then dump it by spiderful...

I know there are a lot of Mac N Cheese recipes out there. I was watching this recipe on TV and knew I had to make this one immediately. It was so simple and yet it looked so delicious. It is not often that I see a recipe and make it immediately. I mean the show went off and I literally got up and went into the kitchen to make it. Mac N Cheese Stovetop (Adatped from ATK ) 1 1/2 c water 1 c milk 8oz macaroni 4 oz fontina 4 oz  extra sharp cheddar (I used a truffle gouda*) 1/2 t Dijon mustard 1/3 c panko 1T olive oil 2T Parmesan Salt/pepper Heat water and milk in a saucepan until boiling. Add macaroni and lower to medium-low, stirring frequently. Cook for about 8 minutes (a little softer than al dente). Add fontina and dijon. And heat until melted. Remove from heat and add cheddar (or truffle gouda). Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile in a small frying pan add panko and olive oil. Toast panko until browned, watching carefully. Remove from heat and add Parmesa...

I've made Yorkshire Pudding before but couldn't find the recipe so I found this one on epicurious. The recipe I had made it in individual muffin tins, which I think would work with this recipe as well. I just hate filling those so the one dish concept was appealing to me. Yorkshire Pudding (Adapted from Epicurious ) 2 eggs 1 c milk 1 c sifted flour 1/2 t salt 1 oz dried mushrooms about 1/2 c meat drippings or canola oil In a blender place eggs, milk, flour, salt, and mushrooms. Buzz it up until it is smooth. Let rest for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. In a cast iron skillet or baking pan, heat oil in a 450 oven. It is key to get the pan ripping hot. Pour batter into the skillet/pan and bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven to 350 and cook another 10-15 minutes until browned. Cut into pieces and serve immediately. Once again I have deviated from tradition (horrors!) and added some weirdo ingredient to a traditional recipe. The mushrooms add some nice additio...

Notice the strategic camera angle? It was yet again time to feed Bertha (who will be turning 4 this year - my how time flies), and I got to thinking I really do not use her to her full potential. So I pulled out this recipe. The crust was lovely (other than that it blew out the cuts I made in the top - I think they were too deep). The sunflower seeds added some good flavor and the oats added good texture. Sourdough Boule (Adapted from King Arthur ) 1 c sourdough starter, fed (and set out for an hour or two) 1 c lukewarm water 1 1/2 t yeast 3 1/2 flour 1 c old-fashioned rolled oats (and 1-2T for the topping) 1/2 c sunflower seeds  2t salt Cornmeal for pan In a large bowl mix fed starter, water, and yeast until smooth. Add remaining ingredients. Knead until smooth (adding additional flour or water as needed*). Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise 1- 1 1/2 hours until almost doubled. Turn out dough and deflate.  Sprinkle the bottom of a Dutch oven or bak...

Steamed cake you say? Well that sounds um well not really that good huh? Well guess what it was pretty darn moist and pretty darn good. Now I wouldn't go saying WOW this is a great cake to make in the summer. I don't have to put my oven on because you are generating steam on the top of the stove to cook it.  It is pretty easy to make and it is pretty amazing that you can steam a cake. Steamed Chocolate Cake (Adapted from Milk Street ) 1c flour 1/3 c cocoa 1 t baking soda 1/2 t salt 1 c light brown sugar 2 eggs 1/2 c water 1t instant espresso powder 1/2 c sour cream 6 T butter, melted 1 1/2 t vanilla Cut a length of foil (about 18") and gently scrunch it together. Form it into a circle and place it in the bottom of a Dutch oven. Add enough water to reach about 3/4 of the way up the foil. Grease a 9" round pan and line the bottom of the with a round of parchment. Make sure it fits in your Dutch oven.  Also make sure that the lid will fit tightly when...

It was time for a rib-sticking meal again. So I dug out this recipe again . I added 1 tsp thyme and perhaps a little more garlic powder this time around and the meatballs seemed more flavorful. I also left out the Parmesean cheese which is always adds a lot of flavor.  The ground turkey was thigh meat so that could have also been where the extra flavor came from?

I had some extra mascarpone and thought about making some tiramasu but really wanted a quick and easy recipe. I ended up halving this one and it worked out well (a perfect 2 servings 😋). I had the perfect size dish. The Baileys added a nice different flavor. Tiramisu (Adapted from Nigella Express) 9t instant espresso 1 1/2 c water 1 c Baileys Irish Cream 14 oz Lady Finger cookies 2 eggs, separated 1/4 c sugar 2 c mascarpone 2 1/2 t cocoa Dissolve espresso in water in a flat dish. Add 3/4 c Baileys. Dip cookies in until moistened but not soggy. Layer into 8x8 pan for 1 layer. In a separate bowl whisk yolks and sugar until pale yellow. Whisk in mascarpone and then remaining 1/4 c of Baileys. In a separate bowl, whisk egg white (discard other one) until stiff peaks. Gently fold egg whites into mascarpone mixture. Spread half over lady fingers. Soak lady fingers for second layer. Spread remainder of mascarpone over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill ideally overnig...

I had found a great short rib recipe from BA so I thought I would go to them for another one. They did not let me down. Funny that it was last January that I posted the recipe and here we are again in January and I'm looking for another rib-sticking meal. Now I know that this might not be a recipe for everyone - not everyone likes balsamic vinegar (shocking I know!) Balsamic Short Ribs (Adapted from BonAppetit ) 3 1/2 - 4 lbs short ribs, English style salt/pepper 1T canola oil 2 medium onions, cut into wedges 6 cloves garlic, peeled 1t dried oregano 1 1/2 c balsamic vinegar 14 oz canned chopped tomatoes 3 c beef stock Salt and pepper short ribs. Heat Dutch oven and add oil. Brown ribs on all sides (you might need to do in batches). Set ribs aside. Pour out most of the fat. Toss in onions (add a little salt) and cook until starting to soften and brown slightly (about 10 minutes). Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add ribs back to the pan. Add oregano, vinegar, to...

These rolls might be a little parsnickity to make but they do come out quite nice and the seeds really add a lot of flavor. They are well worth the work. Pumpkin Seed Rolls (Adapted from Milk Street ) Sponge: 1/2 c rye flour 1/2 c warm water 1 T honey 2t yeast Dough: 1 c pepitas 1/2 c sesame seeds 4 T butter, cut into 4 pieces 2 1/2 c bread flour 1 c warm water 2 1/2 t salt (Kosher) 1 egg Salt for topping Mix the sponge ingredients in a bowl. Cover and let sit for about 1 hour (or until doubled). Meanwhile toast the pepitas and sesame seeds in a skillet (some of the pepitas might pop). Let cool. Reserve 1/2 cup of seeds aside. Place remainder in a food processor. Buzz until finely ground. Add butter and mix together and smooth. When the sponge is ready to go add the flour, seed/butter mixture, and water and mix until smooth. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add salt and mix again. The dough will be sticky but should not be too wet or too dry. Cover and let rise 1 hour...

Now some might say that fallen chocolate cake sounds like a souffle gone terribly wrong, but they would be terribly wrong. Fallen chocolate cake is a nice fudgey cake gone terribly right. Fallen Chocolate Cake (Adapted from BonAppetit) 1/2 c butter, cut into 1" pieces 3/4 sugar, divided (plus 2T for topping and additional for pan) 10 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 2T oil 6 large eggs (4 of which are separated) 2T cocoa 1 t vanilla 1t salt Topping 1 c heavy cream 1/2 c mascarpone 3T confectioner's sugar Pomegranate seeds (optional) Lightly butter a springform pan and dust with sugar.  Tap out excess and set aside. Combine chocolate, oil, and butter in a heatproof bowl. Blast in 15 second increments in microwave until melted (or heat slowly over double-boiler). Set aside. Separate 4 of the eggs. In a bowl take the 4 yolks, cocoa, vanilla, salt, 1/4 c sugar, and the 2 remaining eggs and whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in the cho...

There is no shame in using frozen blueberries (or raspberry for that matter). In the winter, it is difficult to rationalize paying so much for berries. The original recipe was for raspberries but I had some frozen blueberries and I think overall I prefer blueberries anyway so off I went... Blueberry Ricotta Cake (Adapted from BonAppetit ) 1 1/2 c flour 1 c sugar 2 t baking powder 1t salt 3 eggs 1 1/2 c ricotta 1 t vanilla 1/2 c butter, melted 1 c frozen blueberries (or fresh) Line a 9" pan with parchment paper and grease pan. In a bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, ricotta, and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Fold in melted butter. Fold in 3/4 c of the blueberries. Pour into pan. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 c blueberries. Bak at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pan and then turn out. This cake comes together super fast and even better can be kept at room tem...

So I started out to make these Seedy Oat Crackers,  and apparently, it's very important that you follow the directions and measure correctly. Instead of using 4t, I put 4T of oil. The devil is always in the details isn't it? In an effort to make lemonade from lemons and save myself from a seed-tasrophe, I used it as a topping on a salad and guess what? It was delicious. In the spirit of Julia Child* - I meant to do that. *Julia Child always said to never apologize for mistakes in the kitchen.

I forgot about this recipe until I found the picture on my camera. I had to go and dig it out. It was so easy and so good. They recommended serving it with Bucatini, but I don't know why you would want to limit yourself when there are so many other great shapes of pasta out there. Butter-Roasted Tomato Sauce (Adapted from Epicurious ) 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes 8 cloves garlic, minced 2 anchovy fillets, minced 1/4 butter, cut into small pieces 1/2 t red pepper flakes Salt/Pepper Crush tomatoes with hands and place in 13x9 pan. Add garlic, anchioves, butter and pepper flakes. Roast in 425 oven for about 35-40 minutes - turning and tossing halfway through. It should look jammy. Mash with a potato masher or fork. Add pasta to pan and toss. You might want to thin the sauce a little with some pasta water depending how you like your sauce. Serve with Parmesan cheese. This is another quick recipe. The nice thing about it is the sauce quickly cooks while your making the...