Brownie Pudding, part deux

Remember this?  Well, I made some changes last night that I wanted to share.  I decided to whip it up to bring to a friend's place for dinner - it really is a great dessert because it's the kind where I always have all the ingredients.  I cut back on the sugar from 2 cups to 1 1/2 cup, and I really prefer it that way (especially if you are having it with ice cream).  I also decided to add coffee liquor (Kahlua) instead of raspberry liquor and this also made it less sweet, which I liked.  The last time I made this I had friends over and we were completely impatient and took it out of the oven after 50 minutes, instead of an hour.  This makes it really gooey, so if you want it that way, adjust the timing because last night I let it cook for the full hour and it was more brownie-like than pudding.  


Brownie Pudding (adapted from Barefoot Contessa)

2 sticks butter (unsalted)
4 large eggs (room temperature)
1 1/2 c sugar
3/4 c cocoa powder
1/2 c flour
seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean
1 t vanilla extract
1 T coffee liquor

Melt butter and set aside.  In a stand mixer (with paddle) beat the eggs and sugar for several minutes until thick and pale yellow.  Sift the cocoa and flour together and add this to the mixture as well as the vanilla and liquor and mix until combined.  Slowly pour in cooled butter and mix until combined.  Pour mixture into buttered 9x12 baking dish (oval preferred) and place this in a water bath.  Bake at 325 for one hour. The top will become crisp and the inside will have the consistency of a pudding. 

Paneer

Did you know how easy it is to make paneer?  Paneer is an Indian style cheese.  It's basically the Indian version of ricotta.  It may actually be the same thing as ricotta.  It doesn't have any flavor, it's really just a base to create something flavorful with.  You can season it and sautee it with vegetables, form it into little rounds and add it to curry, pan sear it and serve it over a salad, mix it with scrambled eggs, add it to a tortilla wrap, season with tandoori masala and broil it, is that enough ideas?  You can also make Indian desserts with it but I have no idea how.  Another nice way to eat it is to mix it with some honey and spread it on some toast.  


4 cups whole milk
1/4 c lemon juice


Let milk come to a rigorous boil in a small pot and stir in lemon (turn off heat).  Stir until milk curdles and separates from the whey.  Pour through cheese cloth (or linen dish towel) and squeeze out water.  You can let this sit with something heavy weighing on top to drain more water.  You can save the liquid and cook vegetables in it as it is packed full of nutrients and protein.  

Spinach Calzones

I said I would learn how to make pizza dough from scratch, and I will, but a little later.  This time I used Trader Joe's pizza dough.  I actually think TJ's dough works really well for calzones, and a little less so for pizza.  I love the Mediterranean vibe these have. I like my calzones on the dry side instead of dripping with marinara and with a blob of mozzarella plopping out.  These don't get soggy and are healthy.  I can be friends with that.  They make a great snack; after school, after work, before a work out, or really, just anytime.  My mother would always bake these for no reason and loved her for it.  I'd come home and they'd be fresh out of the oven and she'd say "Oh, I just thought I'd make some spinach calzones in case anyone wanted one".  Why is she so cute?  These keep for several days in the fridge (just toast them up in the oven when you want) and they also freeze well.  Fresh out of the oven, with a bowl of soup, and you've got a fantastic dinner. 

You don't need many ingredients at all:

Makes 8 (4 servings)

16 oz pizza dough

16 oz frozen, chopped spinach

1/2 white onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 c (or more) feta cheese

some Italian seasonings (plus some red chili flakes if you wish)

T grated parmesan cheese

Defrost spinach and drain excess water (squeeze with your hand or through a cloth), set aside.  In a medium pan heat some olive oil (have a heavy hand) and sautee onion, then add garlic.  Add Italian seasonings, salt and pepper.  Stir in spinach and then feta and then sprinkle in some parmesan cheese.  Flour a work surface and pinch off rounds of dough.  Flatten each one out (don't be afraid to make them thin, as there is nothing to ooze out of these), spoon out some spinach mixture and then pinch up the outer edge to close up the top (I made 8, about the size of a fist).  It can get a little too doughy on the top if your edge is thicker, so don't be afraid to really stuff these and pinch them thin.  The dough was pretty sticky today so they shut tight easily, but if any of yours open up in the oven it's no big deal.  Drizzle some olive oil on a baking sheet and place calzones on it, drizzle more olive oil and sprinkle with some kosher or sea salt.  Bake at 400 for about 25-30 minutes, depending on how crispy you like them.  

Yogurt

I'll never be able to go vegan.  Sigh.  I just love yogurt too much. And cheese.  Oh, and ice cream.  Basically what I'm saying is I just can't imagine life without dairy.  I'm sorry, Alicia Silverstone.  You are so cute, and I love your new cookbook.  But I just. can't. go. vegan.  Did you know it is incredibly easy to make yogurt at home?  I did not, until my mother showed me just how easy it is.  I had not realized that if you added some yogurt to milk the whole thing turns into yogurt.  Those cultures really are alive!  Michael Pollan would be proud - this is the kind of yogurt your grandmother would recognize.  No fillers, just plain and simple, natural yogurt.   


2 cups whole milk (if you want to use 2% you should add 2 T powdered milk though it is optional)
4 T yogurt culture (use any plain yogurt)

Bring milk to a boil in a small pot (mixed with powdered milk if using), then turn off the heat.  Let it cool to 100-110 degrees (use a candy thermometer).  Then add 4 T yogurt culture and mix in thoroughly.  While the milk was cooling, preheat oven to its lowest setting and then turn off.  Transfer mixture from the pot into an oven safe dish, cover with a plate (no need to be airtight) and cover with a towel.  Leave in the oven for 4-5 hours.  Yeah, that long, should I have told you that sooner?  This is one of those Sunday afternoon tasks.  You can check in after 4 1/2 and see if it is set to your standards.  Place in fridge, uncovered, for about an hour, and then you can enjoy!  

Creamy Fajita Pasta

Ooohh, YUM.  This tastes like a fajita, only instead of a tortilla you get to eat this with pasta.  I like eating pasta.  If you tell me to toss something with pasta I will. I found inspiration from this recipe over at Pioneer Woman and made just a few small changes.  I recommend going on over to her site if you plan on making this because her instructions put mine to shame.  

2 chicken breasts, cubed

2 bell peppers (orange and red), sliced

1/2 onion (I used white), sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 c chicken broth

1 c heavy cream

1/2 lb pasta (I used thin linguini)

3 T seasoning (I used a combination of paprika, salt, black and white pepper, cayenne, garlic powder and a spoon of tandoori masala just for the heck of it).  

Marinate chicken in 2 T of seasoning for about 30 minutes.  Heat a little oil and butter in a cast iron skillet.  When it is very hot, throw down the chicken and let it sear, don't move it around (bring large pot of water to boil).  Flip over after a few minutes and let brown on the other side.  Remove chicken, add a bit more oil and butter to the skillet and throw on the peppers, onion and garlic and toss in a spoon of the seasoning.  Let this brown for a few minutes on high heat.  Remove from skillet.  Pour in chicken broth and let simmer, scraping off brown bits on the pan.  Let this reduce for a few minutes, then add the cream.  Let this cook for a few minutes and thicken (you can boil the pasta now).  Add some salt and pepper.  Now slide back in the chicken and peppers and onions and let this cook for a few minutes.  Toss in aldente pasta.  The pasta will develop a gorgeous sheen to it.  Sprinkle some chopped parsley or cilantro if you wish.    

Brownie Pudding

This is incredibly decadent.  Of course, you probably realize that and that's why I have your attention.  Fresh out of the oven it's an ooey, gooey chocolately mess and absolutely perfect.  Some patience is required as it teases you in the oven for an hour.  Extremely painful after watching the ingredients mix together and knowing, just knowing, it will be the highlight of your day.  Or week.  I'd imagine this would be fantastic a la mode, but I whipped up some cream to go along with it.  If you have a bowl of it before dinner (like I did) chances are you may be too full for dinner.  It is very sweet, and the next time I make it I may cut back a bit on the sugar.  Here is the original recipe.   


Brownie Pudding (courtesy Barefoot Contessa)


2 sticks butter (unsalted)
4 large eggs (room temperature)
2 c sugar
3/4 c cocoa powder
1/2 c flour
seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
1 T raspberry liquor (I used champord, I also think coffee liquor would be great)


Melt butter and set aside.  In a stand mixer (with paddle) beat the eggs and sugar for several minutes until thick and pale yellow.  Sift the cocoa and flour together and add this to the mixture as well as the vanilla and liquor and mix until combined.  Slowly pour in cooled butter and mix until combined.  Pour mixture into buttered 9x12 baking dish (oval preferred) and place this in a water bath.  Bake at 325 for one hour. The top will become crisp and the inside will have the consistency of a pudding.   

Dumplings

The first time I made dumplings, I didn't really know what I was doing. It was the day after I made aushak and I really just wanted to use up leftover ingredients. This time, I made them much more authentic.  I used raw meat and allowed them to steam in the pan.  I found inspiration from this recipe and this one.  They have a great tutorial on how to assemble the dumplings so I recommend referring to those links if you plan on making these.  I think I'll add Steamy Kitchen to my inspiration list, she pretty much rocks.  


.75 lb ground pork or chicken
stack of round dumpling wrappers (I think I made about 40)
shredded napa cabbage (the leafy part)
1 T miso paste
1 T grated ginger
3-4 garlic cloves, pressed
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 T soy sauce
1 t corn starch
1 t sesame oil
fresh green chili or hot sauce or chili powder or flakes (something for some heat)


Wash the cabbage and cut out the ribs, then finely chop.  Place in bowl, sprinkle with salt and let sit for 15 minutes.  Squeeze out water and combine this with the ground meat.  Add all other ingredients and combine.  Spoon out small amount of filling into center of wrapper. Trace outer edge with water and fold in half.  Pinch in middle and make pleats across to secure wrapper.  Heat oil in pan (that has a lid) and place one batch of dumplings in, searing the flat side of the dumpling.  After a few minutes, pour 1/2 cup water, quickly cover, lower heat and let steam for several minutes.  You can make a nice dipping sauce with some say sauce, sriracha and rice vinegar  

Miso Soup

If you like miso soup I highly suggest making it at home.  It could not get any easier.  No seasoning was required, you just really need the base which is dashi stock and miso paste.  I picked some up at our local international store which carries a lot of Asian products.  This comes together in about 10 minutes, and I made enough for about 4 servings.

5 c water

2 t dashi (this came in packets within a box, kind of like Lipton soup packets)

1 T miso paste (I used red but I believe you can use white as well)

2 green onions, finely chopped

1/2 c cubed firm tofu

1/4 c seaweed (I used fresh seaweed I found in the refrigerated section.  They carried dried as well but I decided fresh would make things easier)

Bring water to a boil with the dashi and the stock will form.  Scoop out a cup of the hot stock and dissolve miso paste in it.  Add this to your pot.  Stir in green onions, tofu and seaweed.    

Shrimp Quesadilla

I had never made shrimp quesadillas and I wish I knew why.  The flavors of the shrimp go so well with the freshness of the lime and cilantro.  Crispy, warm tortilla with cheesy shrimp and a big dollop of creamy guacamole.  This recipe is definitely going in my permanent repertoire.  My mother passed this inspiration along, by way of a friend of hers who had made them for a bridal shower.     

Make a bowl of your favorite guacamole (I mixed 4 avocados, crushed garlic, spoon of sour cream, chopped cilantro, jalapeno, onion, fresh lime juice, salt and pepper)

Quesadilla

1 lb raw shrimp
juice of 1/2 lemon
dash of hot sauce
3 cloves crushed garlic
dash of red chili flakes
salt, pepper

flour tortillas
mexican cheese blend

Marinate shrimp for about 1 hour.  Heat some oil in a pan and sautee shrimp for a few minutes until they are pink (and cooked).  Slide shrimp out onto a chopping board and chop up into small pieces.  Clean pan, heat a little butter, place a tortilla on the pan, spoon out some shrimp, sprinkle some cheese, lay and press another tortilla on top.  Flip over after a few minutes and let crisp on other side.  Slide off and cut into quarters.  Enjoy with fresh guacamole.

Salmon Cakes

I had made miso glazed salmon the other day - just mix up some red miso paste with some honey, brown sugar, ginger, soy sauce, spread over salmon fillets and bake or broil.  With the leftover salmon we decided to make some Asian inspired salmon cakes for lunch.  This doesn't exactly scream "Super Bowl Sunday" but hey, they were delicious.  If you have canned salmon and are using that, try adding some miso paste to it, if you can find it.  It's quite salty, so don't add additional salt.  You'll need to adjust according to how much salmon you are using - we probably had 2 cups of broken up salmon pieces (cooked) and to that added:


3 cloves crushed garlic
1 T soy sauce
1 T chopped fresh cilantro
2 finely chopped green onions
3/4 cup panko
1 egg, beaten


Form into patties and sear in a hot skillet with sesame oil or vegetable oil.

Browned Butter Bourbon Banana Bread

The more you will bananas to ripen, the slower they will ripen.  It's a scientific fact.  No, really, I proved it.  These bananas must have wanted to be baked only when there was a blizzard outside and so be it.  I had wanted to make banana bread all week and finally my bananas were nice and ripe today.  There are so many recipes out there, I was getting a bit confused as to which one to follow.  Some seemed so simple, others I didn't have all the ingredients to.  If you have a fantastic recipe for banana bread, please send it to me!  I ended up following this one (it came out a bit more dense than I like), as I'm a total sucker for brown butter.  It's a bit high maintenance, but I had the time today.  I added pecans and chocolate chips because, well, oh you don't need a reason.  It's not too sweet as banana breads come, which can be a good thing, but if you like your bread sweeter, add some more sugar, or use sweeter chocolate.  I  used dark chocolate chunks because I've sort of had a crush on them lately, but any kind of chocolate would work.    


6 T butter
2 c flour
1 1/2 c mashed, ripe bananas
2 T bourbon (optional)
2/3 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t baking soda
1 t vanilla
pinch of salt
dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger (or garam masala)
1/2 c plain yogurt or sour cream (in banana bread? OK)


Melt the butter in a pan until it bubbles and develops brown specks.  Set aside to cool.  Mix eggs, vanilla, yogurt, bananas, bourbon and butter together in a small bowl.  Mix all dry ingredients together and slowly incorporate wet ingredients.  Stir in nuts and chocolate if you desire.  Pour into greased loaf pan and bake (350) for about 45 minutes - I had to cover with foil halfway through as the top got brown but the center wasn't done.

Paratas (Bangladeshi Flat Bread)

This recipe comes from my sister in-law and it's yet another example of how everything she makes is delicious and seems effortless.  I've been wanting to try making these at home and decided a snowed-in brunch was the perfect time.  They pair well with eggs, curry, wrapped around some chicken or even with sugar sprinkled on top (exactly how my niece likes them).  We had them with some bulgogi.  So random, I know.  I picked some up from Trader Joe's this week and was all set to make some kimchi to go with it and then realized being stuck inside with the smell of fermenting cabbage was probably not the best of ideas.  Paratas are actually quite easy to make and only require a few ingredients.     


1 1/2 c flour
1 T oil
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup water


Mix the flour with oil and salt with your hands.  Slowly add water and mix with your hands lightly.  When the mixture does not stick to your hands, it is ready.  Form 2 inch balls and roll out each into a snake on a floured surface.  Rub with oil and roll up the snakes into a circle (like a snail).  Roll these circles out thin and flat.  Heat oil in a pan and fry each side until golden brown.

Biryani

Finally, the recipe! Many of you may find this a bit convoluted, and I apologize.  It's a complicated dish to explain.  You kind of just have to be there.  This picture does not at all give a pot of biryani justice.  I took this the day after, when I had carted home a big container of it from my parents' and it had all gotten mixed up.  The initial presentation is stunning, and lays out onto a large platter in an incredibly photogenic way.  This recipe is for goat meat.  GOAT.  Love.  If you watched Oprah last week you know that goat is the #1 most consumed meat in the world.  I love goat.  LOVE it.  It's fantastic in biryani.  I won't go within a yard of chicken biryani, and yes, you can substitute lamb, but I don't know, there is just something magical about goat meat in biryani.  You can find goat at your local halal butcher.  Don't be scared, go.  This recipe was using a leg, a total of 4 lbs, the butcher cut it up and it was with the bone.  Ask for a leg on the small size - it will be more tender.  You want to wash the meat thoroughly, remove excess bones, and pat dry. You can cut this recipe in half as this probably feeds 10 people (you can even cut the recipe down more, it's not an exact science, but it does takes some experience to get things just right).  You'll want a portion of rice to meat that you are comfortable with.  My family loves rice, if you want more meat, adjust accordingly.  This recipe is actually pretty easy when it comes to biryani - the Shan masala provides a good shortcut, as do store-bought fried onions.  You'll need to get these things from an Indian grocery store. Here is what you will need.  

a very large pot (maybe 10 quarts, 7 if you are reducing the amount)

4 lb goat meat (leg)

Shan Bombay Biryani Masala (1/2 packet)

3 t ginger paste

3 t garlic paste

2 cups plain yogurt

2 cups fried onions

ground garam masala

whole garam masala (listed below)

4 cups rice

1 stick butter

1 cup milk

1 t saffron (soaked in warm water)

4 potatoes (optional)

Marinate meat in ginger and garlic (1 hour) then add Shan masala.  Heat 1/3 cup oil in large pot.  Add (whole garam masala) bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, peppercorn.  Let pop, then add meat, sear and stir.  Then add fried onions and stir (you want the onions to get nice and dark, a dark masala makes a richer color biryani).  Add yogurt, turn to low, cover and simmer.  Let this cook for several hours (checking in on it along the way).  Goat is a lean meat and takes a long time to cook, slowly.  Potatoes - shortly fry large chunks of potatoes (pricked) and set aside.  When the meat is 2/3 way cook, add potatoes (mm, maybe 2 hours?).  Add hot water if you think the meat needs moisture (it needs to be wet).  Scrape the bottom along the way.  Rice - bring large pot of water to boil and add a few cups of washed and soaked basmati rice (4 cups).  Infuse the water with whole garam masala if you like.  Do not bring the water to a rigorous boil, when the rice still has a bite to it, drain it.  Check in on the meat, the gravy should be thick, not watery.  Remove from heat and set up a little assembly line: layer 1/4 of the rice, sprinkle of fried onions, drizzle of saffron water, drizzle milk.  You can add powdered garam masala if you want.  After the last layer of rice add 1 stick of butter, cubed.  Seal tightly with foil (if you are using a large dutch oven, place foil on and then lid.  You really want a tight seal.  In Bombay, they line the seal with dough so it will bake and create an airtight seal.  For real.  Place in oven (325 degrees) for 45 minutes.    

Bánh mì

Thank you, Bon Appetit, for this recipe.  It's a gem!  My husband and I are total banh mi (a French/Vietnamese sandwich) junkies but I had no idea I could make it at home.  I drooled over every meatball recipe in January's issue and couldn't wait to dive into this one.  It tasted far more authentic than I had expected.  The meatballs themselves aren't all that spicy, but the mayo can be.  You may not need added heat from the jalapenos (like myself) but my husband happily threw them on.  I found everything I needed (fish sauce and daikon) at our local international grocery store, Grand Mart.  Here is a link to the original recipe.  This recipe serves four, and everything can be made ahead of time.  I assembled everything in the morning, and then cooked the meatballs in the evening, which only takes a few minutes.  I'd allow about 30 minutes to put this together.    


Hot Chili Mayo
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 T sriracha
(reduce these measurements for 2 servings)

Meatballs
1 lb ground pork or chicken
1/4 c chopped basil
6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 T fish sauce
1 T sriracha
1 T sugar
2 t corn starch
1 t ground pepper
1 t kosher salt

2 cups grated carrots
2 cups grated daikon
1/4 c rice vinegar
1/4 sugar
1 t kosher salt
(reduce by 1/2 for 2)

fresh cilantro sprigs
thinly sliced jalapenos
baguettes

sesame oil

Stir ingredients for mayo and set aside.  Toss carrots and daikon with salt, vinegar and sugar and set aside to pickle.  Gently mix all ingredients for meatballs and form into small rounds.  Heat sesame oil in a large skillet and sear meatballs in two batches, about 15 minutes each.  Prepare sandwiches by spreading mayo, adding some carrots and daikon, meatballs, jalapenos and cilantro.    

Quinoa and Green Bean Salad

This month's cooking club theme was vegetarian, and I picked a dish that was also vegan.  I've been wanting to try out quinoa so I choose this recipe.  It is incredibly easy to make and comes together quite fast.  It reminds me a bit of bulgar that wants to be cous cous.  I found quinoa at Whole Foods and it was in the same aisle as their beans and grains.  The quinoa itself lacked flavor.  It had none, zero, nada.  So, you really need to flavor it up and then it becomes a lovely, healthy, hearty base for a dish or a meal.  This salad is, in fact, quite lovely - I love the silkiness of the quinoa, the crunch of the beans and pecans and the flavor of the mint and lemon.  Of course, part of me thinks it would go great with some meat, buuut, it's vegan by itself!  It was also kind of screaming for some feta to be tossed in, but I'll stay quiet on that one.       

1 1/2 cups green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
2 cups cooked quinoa (just follow the instructions on the box)

1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh mint, choppd
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and black pepper, to taste (it needs a good amount of salt)

Cook the green beans in boiling, salted water for 2 minutes, until tender but still crunchy. Rinse under cold water, drain and pat dry. Combine with the quinoa, pecans, parsley, scallions, and mint in a large bowl.
Whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour over the salad and toss to blend. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.