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Showing posts from 2019

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

I wouldn't have believed how good these cookies are. They're more trouble than brownies, but I am not in love with brownies. I am in love with these. From Cook's Country. Chocolate Brownie Cookies Makes 20 Step 1 5 ounces flour 3/4 ounce Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon table salt Preheat oven to 300°. Whisk all together, set aside. Step 2 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped, divided 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons whole milk Microwave 6 ounces chocolate, oil and butter in medium bowl at 50 percent, stirring halfway through, until melted. About 3 minutes. Whisk milk into chocolate until combined. Step 3 7 ounces sugar 2 large eggs Whip in stand mixer on medium-high until very thick and pale, about 4 minutes. Whisk in chocolate mixture by hand until uniform. Fold in flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Fold in remaining 4 ounces chocolate. Step 4

Coquito

We recently discovered this delicious Latin American drink which seems like a good equivalent to eggnog. If eggnog were a coconut delight. This is from Cook's Country. Coquito Serves 8-10 Step 1 1 15-ounce can Coco Lopez cream of coconut 1 14-ounce can coconut milk 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk 1-1/4 cups gold rum 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg Whisk all ingredients together in large pitcher until combined. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days. Step 2 Just before serving, working in batches, transfer cream of coconut mixture to blender and process until slightly frothy, about 1 minute per batch. Serve over ice, garnished with extra nutmeg.

Second Verse, Same as the First: Thanksgiving Cooking

Thanksgiving means much loved favorites that only get trotted out once a year. And I'm ok with that. So no weird variations to try to make these much loved favorites "new" or "fresh." Just good, honest Thanksgiving cooking. These dishes, for us, represent the perfect versions of their oeuvre. Our day-after-Thanksgiving meal also is mandated by tradition. Chef salad featuring turkey (of course), blue cheese dressing and crumbled bacon (the real thing please!) on top. Mmmmmm, crumbled bacon ... except that since we do meatless Fridays, this feast actually comes on a Saturday. Here are a few links to recipes I've posted before. Herbed Thanksgiving Stuffing This is the best stuffing ever and cooks in a slow cooker. I have made this five times now and never been disappointed. It really frees up the oven for other things and, if you happen to have a problem with sticking your hand up a turkey (no problemo here) then you're set free from that as well.

Whole-Grain Banana Bread

Mom insisted this was a great Banana Bread so we tried it. I wouldn't have believed you could get such a good quick bread that also is whole-grain but King Arthur's Flour (and Mom!) proved me wrong. Whole-Grain Banana Bread Step 1 2 cups (454g) thoroughly mashed banana, about 4 or 5 medium bananas 2/3 cup melted butter or 1/2 cup (99g) vegetable oil 1 cup (213g) brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in the center. Lightly grease a 9” x 5” loaf pan; if your pan is glass or stoneware, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Stir together the mashed banana, oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Step 2 1 cup (120g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 1 cup (113g) King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour or Premium Whole Wheat Flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 cup (57g) chopped walnuts, toasted if desired; optional Combine all ingredients. Then mix

Curried Peanut Sauce / Dip

Mom gave me a hand-written note with this sauce on it. I was surprised when I saw it was from Bon Appetit which had it down only as a dip. We took our cue from the sauce and, thinned with some chicken broth, it made a super-duper tasty sauce for simmering your choice of meat and vegetables to serve over rice. So easy! Curried Peanut Sauce / Dip Step 1 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 3 tablespoons red curry paste (original recipe calls for 1/4 cup) Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium. Add curry paste and cook, stirring frequently, until paste begins to stick to bottom of saucepan and is very fragrant, 2–3 minutes. Step 2 1 14.5-oz. can coconut milk Whisk in coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook, whisking occasionally, until mixture turns darker in color and is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Step 3 1/2  cup creamy peanut butter 3 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 tablespoon honey Salt Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in pe

Ginger-Turmeric Potatoes and Green Beans (Aloo Faliyan)

This is easy and absolutely delicious either at room temperature or hot. It does take a bit of chopping, but is totally worth it. From Milk Street: Tuesday Nights by Christopher Kimball. GINGER-TURMERIC POTATOES AND GREEN BEANS Serves 6 Start to Finish: 45 minutes 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 large shallot, finely chopped 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger 2 teaspoons yellow or brown mustard seeds 1-1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 12 ounces small Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (don't use russet or starchy potatoes - they'll break down) 12 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces 1-1/2 teaspoons salt 3/4 cup water 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes 1/3 cup cashews, toasted and roughly chopped 1/2 cup chopped cilantro 1/2 to 1 serrano, minced (optional) In a large skillet over medium, heat oil until shimmering. Add shallot, ginger, mustard and

Black Forest Cake

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Rose has been interested in this recipe for a while and it turns out that the best time to make it was for her birthday! So it was an experiment and a celebration at the same time. It is from A Baker’s Life by Paul Hollywood. You can find the original recipe here . Making this cake it struck me that, much like Tiramisu, the cake acts as a conductor to all the cream, cherries, and kirsch. Though the chocolate, of course, is a definite presence. The cake part of this didn't work well for us. Looking around, I saw that Mary Berry's Black Forest Gateau didn't have any butter and, therefore, might not have been quite as hard as the Paul Hollywood version. Or I just didn't do a good job with his chocolate sponge. That's a definite possibility. Be that as it may, we liked the rest of the recipe very well. So we'll be making it next time using our own Easy Chocolate Buttermilk Cake . It's easy, it's foolproof and our son-in-law who loves Black Forest

Bollywood Kitchen

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Bollywood Kitchen Home-Cooked Indian Meals Paired with Unforgettable Bollywood Films You’re invited to a party where the food and entertainment are both in Technicolor. It’s “dinner and a movie” in this vibrant, beautifully photographed tour of Indian food and films. Indian cuisine and Indian cinema share much in common – bold colors and flavors with plenty of drama. But to the uninitiated, they can seem dizzying. Let Sri Rao be your guide. As one of the only Americans working in Bollywood, Sri is an expert on Indian musical films, and as an avid cook, he’s taken his mom’s authentic, home-cooked recipes and adapted them for the modern, American kitchen. Sri has paired each meal with one of his favorite Bollywood movies. Sri will introduce each film to you, explaining why you’ll love it, and letting you in on some juicy morsels from behind the scenes. This is a quick read and I'm happy to say it is absolutely solid on the movies. I've seen a lot of the author's

Shepherd's Pie

This is from Cooking for Friends by Gordon Ramsay. Rose is a Gordon Ramsay fan and after sampling the many recipes she's made for us, I can see why. This Shepherd's Pie is a great example. It is still a simple dish but has been elevated beyond the regular Shepherd's Pies I've tried in the past, which, to be fair, never seemed that great. This one is great and will make you and your family very happy. Shepherd's Pie 1 pound ground lamb or beef 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 large carrot, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tablespoons flour 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 cup red wine 1.5 cups chicken stock 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce 2 pounds baking potatoes 4 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons hot milk 4 tablespoons Parmesan 2 egg yolks 1. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Season the ground meat with salt and pepper and fry in a thin layer of oil until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl using a sl