Monday, December 22, 2014

chocolate pillow cake

We used to call this the Mayonnaise Cake, but that sounded unappealing, so we switched the name to Chocolate Pillow Cake.

Mix:
1 c. mayo
1 c. cold water
1 c. sugar

Sift in:
2 tsp baking soda
2 c. flour
4 tbsp cocoa
dash of salt

Add 1 tsp vanilla

8x8 pan, bake at 350 for minimum 45 min. (more likely 50/55)

Monday, December 8, 2014

Salted Caramel Brownies

Ingredients:
- 2 sticks (1/2 lb) unsalted butter
- 8 ounces (~1 cup) and 6 ounces semisweet choc chips, separated
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 3 large eggs
- 1.5 tbsp instant coffee (like nescafe)
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
- .5 cup + 2 tbsp flour, separated
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- .5 tsp kosher salt
- 5 to 6 ounces good caramel sauce (ex Fran's)
- 2-3 tsp flaked sea salt

- Preheat oven to 350, butter 9x12 pan
- Melt butter, 1 c. choc chips, 3 ounces unsweetened choc in microwave on low, allow to cool 15 min
- in large bowl gently mix eggs, coffee, vanilla, sugar
- Stir cooled choc mixture into egg mixture, cool again to room temp
- Sift together 1/2 c flour, baking powder, kosher salt and add to chocolate mixture
- Mix chocolate chips with remaining 2 tbsp flour, add to mixture, spread in pan
- Bake for 35min until toothpick is clean
- Immediately warm caramel sauce until pourable, stir, drizzle over brownies and sprinkle sea salt

Sunday, June 22, 2014

New York Times chocolate chip cookies


My latest obsession is the chocolate chip cookie. I've come across 2 places (Crisp in Sonoma, Munchery in SF) that made astoundingly big, delicious sea salt chocolate chip cookies. Everyone has their personal preference, but mine is the hint of crunchiness on the outside, soft and thick in the middle. I haven't tried this recipe yet but I've done some borderline crazy internet research and it sounds like this one may be the winner.

Full recipe:
2 cups minus 2 tbsp cake flour
1 2/3 cups bread flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tbsp white sugar
2 large eggs - room temp
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 pounds chocolate chips or chunks
Sea salt for sprinkling on top

Combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt in bowl - whisk well
Using stand mixer with paddle, cream butter and sugars 3-5 minutes
Add eggs one at a time, scrape/mix after each, add vanilla, reduce speed to low
Add dry ingredients slowly
Add chocolate chips/chunks, mix momentarily
Wrap dough in plastic wrap, refrigerate at least 24 hours - ideally 48 (maximum 72)
Preheat oven to 350, allow dough to soften slightly, use parchment paper and scoop 1/3 cup size balls of dough onto sheet, sprinkle with sea salt, bake around 15-20 minutes
Cool on wire racks

Half recipe:
1 cup minus 1 tbsp cake flour
~ 1c (a little less) bread flour
2/3 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cups light brown sugar
.5 cup plus 1 tbsp white sugar
1 large egg - room temp
1 tsp vanilla
.75 pounds chocolate chips or chunks
Sea salt for sprinkling on top


Monday, May 19, 2014

Salted Caramel Buttercream Chocolate Cake


This cake is astoundingly good. I call it the holy grail of cakes because it is so hard to make a caramel flavored frosting without losing the lightness of the frosting. And a moist, perfect devil's food cake, coupled with homemade caramel . . . well, enough said. Even though this recipe has a bunch of components and some require lots of attention (a lot of constant whisking) it isn't difficult per se and all in all took me under 2 hours (baking time included) on the first attempt.

Devil's Food Cake
- 2 cups flour
- 1.5 tsp baking soda
- .75 tsp baking powder
- .75 tsp salt
- 12 tbsp (1.5 sticks) butter at room temp
- 2 c white sugar
- .75 c cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 eggs (room temp)
- 1.25 c water
- .25 c milk

- Preheat oven to 350, grease two 9-inch pans (use parchment circles on bottoms if possible)
- Combine and whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt
- Beat butter in stand mixer on medium until smooth (3 minutes?), (before each following addition scrape down sides of bowl if necessary) increase speed and slowly add sugar, leave mixer on at least 4 more minutes, then add cocoa and vanilla and beat 2 more minutes. Turn mixer to low, adding eggs one at a time.
- Heat water and milk in pot on stove until almost boiling, remove from heat.
- While that is cooling, add flour/soda/powder/salt mixture slowly to stand mixer mixture, and finally add the milk/water (this can easily splash so try to gently mix with a spatula first)
- Pour evenly into two greased pans, bake on middle rack in oven for about 35 minutes

Caramel Sauce
- 1 c brown sugar
- 4 tbsp butter
- .5c cream (or half-half)
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- pinch salt
- fleur de sel?

Combine all ingredients in pot on stove, cook for about 10 minutes (or less) while whisking constantly. This sauce didn't seem thick enough even at 10 minutes, but it also thickens when it cools so it doesn't have to be perfect. To give it more of a salty caramel flavor, add fancy fleur de sel until desired saltiness.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream . . . the holy grail of frosting
*This is the most complicated part of the cake, but I feel pretty confident that even in my lazy approach to it, it seemed hard to mess up. And this frosting is worth the effort, that I can promise.
- 5 egg whites (do not use store-bought pasteurized whites! - need fresh)
- 1.25c sugar
- 3 sticks (yes, a terrifying 24 tbsp) of butter - let it soften up just a little bit (not quite room temp) outside the fridge. Cut them into small-ish cubes.
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt

*to make sure the egg whites whip up, make sure your equipment is clean from any grease/fats - helpful to wipe it down with lemon juice if you're not sure it's totally clean
- Put your stand mixer's bowl over a pot of simmering water on the stovetop. Put in your egg whites and sugar, and whisk them until they've reached a temperature of 160 degrees (you can use a candy thermometer, or just test with your finger to the point that they feel pretty warm/hot). If you're using pasteurized store-bought egg whites, you don't necessarily need to get them to 160 (that's what kills bacteria in fresh egg whites). If you're not worried, you only need to get the egg whites warm enough to dissolve the sugar well.
- Put the bowl back on the stand mixer and use the whisk attachment to whip them for about 10 minutes - at this point you'll be able to tell if all is well because they should whip up beautifully white and glossy.
- Get ready to add your butter - switch out the whisk attachment for the paddle.
- Once the bowl doesn't feel at all warm anymore (should be completely room temp) you can start adding the butter cubes a few at a time, while the paddle whips at low speed. The frosting should get fluffier and look delicious (if it starts to look curdled just keep whipping it for longer, or at worst refrigerate it for a bit and try again.) Increase speed to medium/high.
- Add vanilla and salt, and now you can start slowly mixing in the caramel sauce as well. The beautiful thing about this kind of buttercream is that it should really keep its texture and glossiness with all different kinds of flavor additions - even fruit juices.

Assemble:
I recommend not frosting the sides of the cake - giving it a top and middle layer of thick buttercream is awesome. Drizzle leftover caramel sauce on top if you want to sacrifice some beauty for deliciousness.


Sunday, March 16, 2014

Cheese Blintzes


To make about 12 blintzes:

Crepes
- 4 tbsp melted butter, cooled slightly
- 1c milk
- 4 eggs
- pinch salt
- 1c flour

Filling – enough for 20+ blintzes! Do not double!
- 2c ricotta
- 3/4 stick cream cheese (6 tbsp)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- lemon zest

Blend crepe batter ingredients in blender, put covered in fridge for 1 hour (up to 2 days)
Cook crepes in pans with butter on med-high heat until just golden
Gently mix filling ingredients together (with whisk or stand mixer), put a scoop of filling into the middle of each crepe, fold up
Heat butter in pans again, fry on med-high heat on both sides until golden brown
Top with jam and sour cream to serve

Monday, March 10, 2014

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken breasts
Sliced ham
Sliced swiss cheese
Flour
Egg
Breadcrumbs
Dried thyme
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 350
Set up 3 bowls - flour seasoned with salt and pepper, another with egg, another with seasoned breadcrumbs (salt pepper and thyme)
Pound chicken breasts very thin with mallet
Lay 1-2 slices of ham and swiss cheese on each, roll up lengthwise
Dip in bowl of flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs
Coat glass pan with a few tbsp of olive oil
Bake for probably 40-50 min until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees

Dijon Cream Sauce
1.5 tbsp butter
1.5 tbsp flour
1 cup+ milk
2-3 tbsp dijon mustard
3 tbsp grated parmesan
salt/pepper

- melt butter, add flour when melted, cook a few minutes
- slowly whisk in milk, stirring constantly
- add mustard and cheese as you continue whisking
- add salt and pepper