Brownies

I've never made brownies from scratch, so I figured for my first attempt I should go big or go home.  This was also the first recipe I've made from my beloved Thomas Keller cookbook.  I've loved staring at it the past month and was pleased to finally open it out onto the counter and listen to what the master wanted me to follow. These are not the kind of brownies you can consume all yourself. They are incredibly rich and incredibly decadent so they require you share them with colleagues and neighbors.  What I love about these brownies are that they aren't sweet but what's highlighted is the rich chocolate flavors - one small piece is really satisfying.  I slightly adapted them by adding in some espresso powder and cutting back just slightly on the sugar.  I always prefer a dessert that isn't too sweet, especially if it has really high quality cocoa and chocolate.

Brownies (adapted from Ad Hoc at Home, by Thomas Keller)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder (or Dutch processed.  I found some at Williams and Sonoma)

1 tsp kosher salt

3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1 tbsp chunks

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar (recipe calls for 1 3/4)

1/2 tsp vanilla paste or extract

6 oz. 61-64% chocolate (I used Scharffen Berger)

1 1/2 t espresso powder (optional)

powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9″ square pan.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder and salt.

In a large bowl, place half the amount of cubed butter. In a saucepan, melt the remaining half of the butter over medium heat, stirring. Pour the melted butter over the cubed butter, and stir to combine. The butter should look creamy, with bits of unmelted butter still present.

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar on medium speed for three minutes, until light and doubled in volume. Add the vanilla. On low speed, alternate adding the flour and the butter in several additions. Stir in the chopped chcocolate.

Pour the batter into pan, and bake for 40 minutes.

Cool and dust with powdered sugar before serving.  Makes about 16.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a repost, of this recipe, from Cook's Illustrated.  I took a proper picture of them so I decide to post again and rave about what a fantastic recipe it is.  Dark chocolate, semi sweet, whatever chocolate chips you want, nuts or no nuts, mini cookies or big cookies, this recipe always comes out great and it's the only chocolate chip recipe I use and I make them all the time.  Ok, I mean, not all the time, but often.  Often enough.  Just make these cookies, they are worth every calorie.  

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 t baking soda
14 T unsalted butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 t table salt

2 t vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 egg yolk

1 1/4 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips or chunks (when I use semi sweet, I cut the granulated sugar back to just over 1/4 of a cup)

3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Whisk flour, baking soda together and set aside.  Heat 10 tablespoons of butter in skillet. Cook while swirling pan constantly until butter is dark brown and nutty. You'll see little brown specks throughout. Remove from heat and pour into a mixing bowl, Add remaining 4 T of butter and stir untill completely melted.  Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk untill fully incorporated. Add whole egg and 1 egg yolk. Whisk until mixture is smooth with no lumps remaining. Let mixture stand for 3 mins, then whisk for 30 secs. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times untill mixture is thick, smooth and shiney. Using spatula or wood spoon add flours mix until just combined, about 1 min. Add choco chips and nuts.  This recipe makes 16 large cookies or 3 dozen small cookies.  With ice cream scoop, scoop mounds of dough on to baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone pad.  Bake at 350 for 10-14 minutes.    

Blinis with Smoked Salmon

I'm always on the hunt for good appetizers.  Something that doesn't require a fork, and something that doesn't need to be served immediately.  I've been wanting to try Barefoot Contessa's recipe for blinis for a while, so I assigned that to myself for my most recent cooking club's appetizer theme.  I followed Ina's recipe precisely except for the dill (I'm not a big fan of dill or buying an herb just for garnish, though that photo is pretty much screaming for some). The recipe calls for clarified butter, which has a higher smoke point, but it still started smoking a bit toward my last batches.  I actually think grapeseed oil would work well, which I'm a new fan of for cooking.  These pancakes are great little bases for things....cavier, cheese, a cucumber slice, a sliced grape, so I will most likely be making them again.  I think the recipe made about 25 small pancakes.      

1/3 cup buckwheat flour

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

1 extra-large egg

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, clarified, divided

1/2 pound smoked salmon, thinly sliced

1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

Fresh dill sprig, for garnish (optional)

Combine both flours, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and 1 tablespoon of the clarified butter, then whisk into the flour mixture. Heat 1 tablespoon of the clarified butter in a medium saute pan and drop the batter into the hot skillet, 1 tablespoon at a time. Cook over medium-low heat until bubbles form on the top side of the blini, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 more minute, or until brown. Repeat with the remaining batter. (I clean the hot pan with a dry paper towel between batches.) Set aside.

To serve, top the blini with a piece of smoked salmon. Add a dollopof creme fraiche and a sprig of dill.

Goulash

It's been a galoshes and goulash kind of a week here in D.C. and I was craving the latter, though I've never actually had goulash.  I had come across this post ages ago from a lovely food blog, and it really appealed to me, so I finally got around to making it.  I read several recipes online, and couldn't really figure what a traditional goulash was all about, so I took a little from everything and created my own interpretation.  It looks a lot like hamburger helper, no?  Well, I assure you it tastes much more homemade.  I love that the pasta cooks with the meat sauce.  Truly a one pot dish.  Really comforting and perfect to welcome fall.   

2 cups macaroni 

1 lb ground beef

1 red, bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 12 oz can diced tomatoes

1 8 oz can tomato puree

1 cup red wine

2 T soy sauce

2 bay leaves

salt, pepper

seasonings to taste (cayenne pepper, thyme, Italian seasonings)

Heat some oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat and brown ground meat.  Salt.  Next, add onions and garlic and let cook.  Salt.  Add bell pepper and then wine and let the wine reduce.  Pour in soy sauce and then tomatoes along with puree.  Add seasonings and bay leaf, 1/2 cup water, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes on medium low.  Next, stir in uncooked pasta and let cook in sauce, covered, for about 10 minutes.  Turn off heat and let sit until ready to reheat and serve (let flavors get absorbed).