Je Mange la Ville » Chocolate

Weekend Browned Butter Brownies

mlb — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 04:34:32 +0000

What’s better than fudgey, chocolately, crinkley-topped, walnut-filled brownies? Brownies made with browned butter so they are even nuttier and tastier.

These are good for a weekend because you have two whole days to eat a lot of them before you decide you really should take them into work Monday, so you don’t eat them all.

Or something like that…

Browned Butter Brownies with Walnuts
From Bon Appétit Magazine
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
10 tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (spooned into cup to measure, then leveled)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, chilled
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup walnut pieces

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325 degrees F. Line 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving 2-inch overhang. Coat foil with nonstick spray.

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat.

Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons water, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt. Stir to blend. Let cool 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot) and transfer to either a stand mixer or a bowl you can use a hand-held mixer with.

Add eggs to hot mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended.

Beat vigorously 60 strokes. Stir in nuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 30-40 minutes (mine took 40 minutes). Make sure you start checking for doneness after 25 minutes and go from there if needed. Cool in pan on rack. Good luck with the waiting-to-cool thing.

Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Cut into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 4 brownies.

Oh, these are so good! You may start cutting little pieces off before they are even out of the pan. That’s okay. It’s the weekend…that’s the kind of thing you do on the weekends.

In other news, I think it’s finally Spring here! We have ~~blooms~~ the beginnings of blossoms on our apple tree and it was actually sunny all day today.

Looking out into the backyard. Little frog things for garden pots. Right now they are all just stacked up in a pot. I should probably plant something in there instead, maybe. Perhaps my container eggplant or some chard.

Not Really So Texas-Style Chili

mlb — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 21:05:08 +0000

I love this chili! I’ve made it twice in the past month. It’s really good…not mouth-burningly spicy (but it has a kick), very complex and if you are not from Texas, it’s perfectly appropriate to add beans, imho. Hooray! If you want your chili all meaty and Texas-like, just increase the meat to 3 pounds and loose the beans. How you prefer your chili is between you and your kitchen, that’s what I say. This is just how I like it.

The second time I made it, I actually grabbed a boneless rib eye steak from Trader Joe’s, cubed that up and used that for the meat. I think it was about $5 and I liked that better than the $12 worth of short ribs I used originally. Go figure.

Oh and this leftover chili makes EPIC NACHOS. Seriously. Just load some tortilla chips up on a baking sheet. Scatter some spoonfuls of (warmed up) chili on top, add cheese and diced red onions and stick in a 400 degree oven until the cheese melts and the chip get a little golden. Wow. Yeah. You’re welcome.

Portland-Style Chili with Beer, Coffee & Chocolate
Adapted from a recipe in Food & Wine Magazine
2 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
About 2 cups boiling water
1-2 canned chipotles in adobo, seeded
1 cup brewed coffee (Stumptown! or in this case, Sleepy Monk Coffee Roasters from Cannon Beach)
One 12-ounce bottle pale ale (Bridgeport Ebenezer Ale because it was festive!)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb boneless short ribs, cut into scant 1-inch cubes (or 1lb stew beef, or 1lb other kind of red meaty steak-like substance)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp dried oregano
6 cups chicken stock
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup masa harina or fine cornmeal
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Garnishes: hot sauce, Shredded cheddar cheese, chopped red onion, sour cream, cilantro, warm corn tortillas

Heat a large skillet. Add the dried chiles (I actually stemmed/seeded after toasting) and toast over moderately low heat, turning, until lightly charred, about 4 minutes. Transfer the chiles to a heatproof bowl. Cover with the boiling water and let stand until softened, about 20 minutes.

Drain the chiles and transfer to a blender or food processor. Add the chipotles and coffee and puree until smooth.

Heat the oil in a large pot. Season the meat with salt and pepper and add the pot. Cook over moderately high heat until browned all over, about 8 minutes. If you are using 3 pounds of meat, you’ll have to brown in batches.

Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook over moderately high heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin, cinnamon and cloves and cook until fragrant.

Deglaze the pan with the beer. Then, add the chile mixture and the chicken stock and bring to a simmer, stirring. Cover partially and simmer over low heat until the meat is very tender and the sauce is slightly reduced, about 2 hours.

Ladle 2 cups of the sauce into a heatproof bowl and whisk in the masa harina.

Whisk the mixture into the pot and then add the beans. Simmer until the sauce thickens, 15 minutes. Stir in the chocolate.

Season the chili with salt. Serve with the garnishes. Even better the next day!

Easy Mole Sauce (and what to do with it)

mlb — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 03:26:55 +0000

I once spent the better part of a day making a Rick Bayless Mole Sauce recipe. Hours and hours and the end result was…fine. Which I’m pretty sure had much more to do with my execution than the recipe, but there it is. I wasn’t in love with it and jwa actually didn’t like it. Then I make this recipe not expecting much and it is really good. I guess you just never know.

Of course I have absolutely no problem spending all day on a sauce, but I’m okay taking a short cut or two, which is no way should be interpreted as a “semi-homemade’ anything. Seriously. Don’t make me come over there.

Anyway, even though this is “easy” it still takes about an hour or so to prepare. I also found it very beneficial to make the sauce earlier in the day so it has 4+ hours to hang out and meld and stuff. When I tasted it right after making, the peanut butter taste was very strong but a couple of hours later, the spices were more dominant and it had evened out quite a bit. It was even delicious! So, allow about an hour to make and a few hours to tasty-up.

PS: It also freezes really well!

Easy Mole Sauce
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine
3 cups chopped onion
3 tbsp vegetables oil
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp aniseed
3 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp peanut butter
2 to 3 cups chicken broth
a 1-pound can tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 tbsp golden raisins
3 garlic cloves
3/4 tsp salt

In a large heavy skillet sauté the onion in the oil over moderately high heat, stirring, until it is golden brown.

In a mortar with a pestle (or a spice grinder) crush the coriander seeds and the aniseed, stir them into the onion mixture with the chili powder, the sugar, the cinnamon, and the cloves, and cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring, for 1 minute.

Smash the garlic cloves into the salt until you for a paste.

Stir in the cocoa powder, the peanut butter, 2 cups of the broth, the tomatoes, the raisins, the garlic paste, and salt to taste and simmer the sauce, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.

In a blender or food processor purée the sauce in batches, adding the remaining broth as necessary to thin it to the desired consistency. Return to a pan and simmer for about 30 minutes.

What to do with your easy mole sauce?

Using this mole sauce, I made an Emeril recipe for Black Bean Cakes, Shrimp & Mole Sauce. It was pretty good, although the black bean cakes were very delicate, I can see how some reviewers had trouble keeping them together. I mixed about a tablespoon or two of my breadcrumbs into the black bean mixture. I think that helped them hold their shape a bit better.

Cook some shrimp, bell pepper and onions in the mole.

Then stack it all up with limes on the side and some cilantro! Mmmm! Okay, yeah, there was also some cheese involved.

You can also simmer chicken in the mole, pork, or just dip random things into it!

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Up next: What do the astronauts eat? And why is Rachael Ray everywhere?

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Also, it was too dark to take many pictures at Koi Fusion@1 last week, but the drinks and food were quite tasty! Their non-moveable location at 1300 NW Lovejoy is now open. You should go!

Sour Cream Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Streusel

mlb — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:24:48 +0000

This was an experiment that I took to work for a Halloween party last week. It was an extra fun cake to make, as I had just bought myself a new bundt cake pan in honor of National Bundt Cake Day coming up on November 15!

Where did I learn that bit of trivia? Why here: Food Librarian’s ‘I Like Big Bundts’ extravaganza! Now that is an awesome task right there. While I am not delightfully crazy enough to make a bundt a day, I did make one — this Sour Cream Pumpkin Bundt with a Streusel-y inside.

The recipe is from Libby’s (the makers of canned pumpkin), although I used a can of Trader Joe’s Organic canned pumpkin. The cake turned out so well! I added orange zest, pecans and a few more spices to the streusel and I also used a chocolate ganache as a glaze, rather than a traditional powdered sugar icing.

Sour Cream Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Streusel
recipe adapted from Libby’s
Streusel
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp orange zest
2 tsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped pecans
Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
Glaze
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz dark chocolate chips
1/2 tsp orange zest
Optional: 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan.

For streusel: Combine brown sugar, spices and zest in small bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly. Add pecans.

For batter: Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Beat granulated sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add pumpkin, sour cream and vanilla extract; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture.

To assemble: Spoon half of batter into prepared pan. Now, here after making this once, I think it would be easier if after you put half the batter in the pan, you take a spoon and make a little indentation around the middle of the batter for the streusel.

So, you can try that and then carefully sprinkle streusel over batter, not allowing streusel to touch sides of pan.

Top with remaining batter. Make sure batter layer touches edges of pan.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean. Mine baked for 60 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes in pan on wire rack. Invert onto wire rack to cool completely.

Make Glaze:
Place chips and zest in a bowl. Heat the cream in a pot until it just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and pour oven chocolate and orange zest. Let sit for about 30 seconds then stir until, all the chocolate is melted. Let cool for a few minutes.

Set cooled cake over a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Drizzle glaze over cake and sprinkle pecans over top. Let glaze cool and harden.

Eat.

Oh Yeah, It’s Peanut Butter Cups

mlb — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:38:26 +0000

If I am going to eat something bad, it’s most likely going to be a ~~(some)~~ (all the) peanut butter cup(s). And most likely the white chocolate ones. A couple of years ago I bought bags of those for Halloween candy to hand out and, uh, well, jwa and I ate most of them. I have not made that mistake again (note to self: buy candy you don’t like!)

Anyway, I don’t know why, but I love the white chocolate ones better than the regular chocolate ones. And normally, dark chocolate is my favorite. Weird.

I made these last weekend and oh my, are they good. I approximated cup measurements for the ounces. I also found eating them upside down helpful, as the chocolate hardens a bit more than the peanut butter. I mixed it up a little and melted a little dark chocolate too, probably a 1/4 cups worth of those and 1 cup of white chocolate.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Adapted from a recipe by Nigella Lawson
1/4 cup soft dark brown sugar
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cups smooth peanut butter
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips (dark chocolate, milk chocolate or white chocolate — use good quality white chocolate so it melts well!)
12 paper muffin tin liners

Place the brown sugar, powdered sugar, butter and peanut butter in the bowl of a food processor. Blend the mixture in a food processor.

Place 12 paper liners in your muffin pan(s) and fill with a little of the peanut butter mixture. I used a small (about a tablespoon size) ice cream scoop. You want to fill the cups up maybe 1/4 of the way. Press the mixture down into the cases as best you can to form a layer at the bottom of each paper case. It may help to spray your fingers with a little non-stick spray.

Place the chocolate in a bowl and melt in the microwave, melting using 30 second intervals. Stir after each microwave blast, until it’s almost all melted. Then, stir until it’s completely melted. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in a double broiler.

Spoon spoonfuls of the melted chocolate onto the top of each of the peanut butter base and spread to cover. Transfer muffin tin(s) to the fridge. Let them stay there and firm up at least an hour.

Since the filling doesn’t fill the whole cup, I found it looked nicer to unpeel the cups before serving. Spencer agrees!