Brownies for Julia (TWD)

I’ve been a fan of every one of Dorie’s brownie recipes, and this one was no exception.   At first, it looked like a regular brownie recipe, but when I read the directions, I saw that the mixing method was somewhat unusual.  I was excited to see how that would affect the outcome.  Usually, after melting the chocolate and butter, I would expect to then add the sugar, eggs, and remaining ingredients.  With this recipe, you melt the chocolate and butter as usual, but the sugar and eggs are beaten on high speed before adding them in.  This created a brownie that was neither cakey or fudgy, but light, fluffy, and moist.  The chocolate factor was right on.  Although I’m usually in the fudgy brownie camp, these were very delicious and are a brownie recipe sure to please everyone!

You can view the recipe on Tanya’s blog, and visit the TWD blog to see what everyone else thought.

German Chocolate Ice Cream

For Mother’s Day almost a year ago, my sister and I got our mom an ice cream maker along with The Ultimate Ice Cream Book. My mom was pretty excited and couldn’t wait to start making homemade ice cream.  A few weeks later, I asked her how the recipes were and she told me about this German Chocolate Ice Cream.  I think I’ve mentioned on this blog before that my family can’t get enough of anything German chocolate, whether it be in the form of a pie or a traditional cake.  But ice cream?  This I had to try!  I finally got a chance to make it recently, and it was every bit as good as I hoped.  It was very rich and chocolaty, and the caramel was a great addition that provided similar flavors of German chocolate cake.  I was surprised that it called for whole eggs instead of just the yolks, but it worked just fine.  I made my own caramel using my favorite recipe from Dorie Greenspan.  I did use more than the recipe called for because I think there is no such thing as too much caramel   I loved the coconut in this, and I think next time I’ll add some toasted pecans.  This is definitely on the top of my favorite ice creams list!

German Chocolate Ice Cream
Source: The Ultimate Ice Cream Book by Bruce Weinstein

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup cocoa powder

1 ½ cups milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon vanilla

½ cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

½ cup caramel, store-bought or homemade

Place eggs, sugar, and cocoa in food processor.  Blend until smooth.

Bring milk to a boil in a heavy saucepan.  With food processor running, slowly pour hot milk into the chocolate mixture through the feed tube.  Process until well blended.  Pour entire mixture back into pan and place over low heat.  Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until custard thickens slightly.  Be careful not to let mixture boil, or eggs will scramble.  Remove from heat and pour the hot chocolate custard through a strainer into a large clean bowl.  Allow to cool slightly, then stir in cream and vanilla.  Cover and refrigerate until cold (up to overnight).  Stir and then add ½ cup coconut to the machine.  Allow the machine to mix in the coconut.  Swirl ½ cup caramel sauce into finished ice cream.  Take care not to overmix or the caramel will melt into the ice cream (if using homemade caramel, make sure the caramel is completely cool before adding to the ice cream).  Streaks of caramel should be visible.

Homemade Caramel
Source: Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

2 cups sugar
½ cup water
1 ½ tablespoons light corn syrup
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Put the sugar, water and corn syrup in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan, stir just to combine the ingredients and then put the pan over medium-high heat. Heat, without stirring , until the caramel turns deep amber., 5-10 minutes. Lower the heat a bit and, standing back from the saucepan add the cream and butter. When the spatters are less vehement, stir to calm down the caramel and dissolve any lumps.  Stir in pecans, cool for 3 to 5 minutes, and pour over cheesecake.

Jalapeno-Baked Fish with Roasted Tomatoes and Potatoes

I have really been enjoying Mexican Everyday and have been trying to cook as many things from it as possible. There are so many delicious recipes and I want to try them all! I really like fish, but haven’t really tried it very many times with Mexican flavors, so I wanted to give this recipe a try. I thought the potatoes sounded really good as well. This is a simple dish, and one that I made on a Friday after a long week, making it a good possibility for weeknight dinners. To prepare the potatoes, you just steam them in the microwave (can it get any easier?), and while they are cooking, just blend the tomatoes, jalapenos, and the spices in the blender. You can make the mixture as smooth or chunky as you want. After the potatoes are done, just layer the fish on top, pour the tomato mixture over it, bake for 15-20 minutes, and dinner is ready! I also like that you can adjust the spiciness of the dish- if you don’t like spicy, just don’t add as much jalapeno, and if you like it spicy, just add more!

Jalapeno-Baked Fish with Roasted Tomatoes and Potatoes
Source: Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

Serves 4

4 medium (1 pound total) red-skin boiling or Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced ¼-inch thick

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

Salt

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice

1 large garlic clove, peeled and cut in half

1/3 cup (loosely packed) coarsely chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish

About ¼ cup sliced canned pickled jalapenos

1 tablespoon jalapeno pickling juice

Four 4- to 5-ounce (1 to 1 ¼ pounds total) skinless fish fillets (I used tilapia), preferably ¾ to 1 inch thick

Turn on the oven to 400 degrees. Scoop the sliced potatoes into a microwaveable 8×8-inch baking dish. Drizzle on the oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Toss to coat, then spread the potatoes in an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap and poke a couple of holes in the top. Microwave on high until the potatoes are nearly tender, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine the tomatoes with their juice, garlic, cilantro, jalapenos, and pickling juice. Process to a puree, leaving just a little texture.

Lay the fish fillets in a single layer over the potatoes. Pour the tomato mixture evenly over the fish and potatoes.

Slide the baking dish into the oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the fish flakes when pressed firmly.

Scoop a portion of the fish-potato-sauce onto each dinner plate, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve right away.

Maple Walnut Ice Cream

Maple is such a great fall/winter flavor, and I love enjoying ice cream in winter flavors this time of year.  This maple ice cream has been on my list for a while, and I decided that it was time to try it!  I have never had maple flavored ice cream before, so I was excited to find out how it would taste.  This is a custard-based ice cream, so it is really creamy, and the maple flavor did come through really well.  These walnuts were suggested as an add-in, and I love the combination of maple and walnuts, so I just had to make them.  I loved the crunch the walnuts provided, and they went so well with the maple.  This ice cream is a great way to satisfy your craving, even in the winter!

Maple Walnut Ice Cream
Source: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

1 ½ cups whole milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ cups heavy cream

5 large egg yolks

¾ cup dark amber maple syrup

1/8 teaspoon coarse salt

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Wet Walnuts

Warm the milk and sugar in a medium saucepan.  Pour the cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.  Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula.  Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream to cool.  Add the maple syrup, salt, and vanilla, and stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  During the last few minutes of churning, add the Wet Walnuts

Wet Walnuts

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon dark amber maple syrup

1 ½ cups walnuts, toasted and very coarsely chopped

Big pinch of salt

Heat the maple syrup in a small skillet or saucepan until it just begins to come to a full boil.  Stir in the walnuts, then cook until the liquid comes to a full boil once again.  Stir the nuts for 10 seconds, then remove them from the heat and let cool completely.  The nuts will still be wet and sticky when cooled.  Chop coarsely and add to ice cream during last minute of churning.

Brown Sugar Fudge

I’ve always been a fan of brown sugar.  I love the full, sweet flavor it adds to baked goods.  I was always one to add  lots of brown sugar to my oatmeal as a kid.  So when I saw this recipe for brown sugar fudge, I wanted to find out how it would taste with brown sugar as the starring ingredient.  As I expected, it was delicious!  It’s your typical preparation for fudge where you heat the evaporated milk, butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt until it reaches the soft ball stage, but with this recipe, you transfer the mixture to your stand mixer and use it to beat in the confectioners sugar.  This ensures a thick, smooth fudge.  The fudge set up quickly and I couldn’t wait to cut into it.  To my delight, it had a full flavor, very much like molasses or caramel.  It was also gobbled up quickly when I served it to guests during the Christmas season.  I’ll definitely keep this on my baking list for the future!

Brown Sugar Fudge
Source: Gourmet July 2003 via Epicurious

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons evaporated milk
2 cups packed light brown sugar (14 ounces)
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Special equipment: a candy thermometer

Combine milk, brown sugar, butter, and salt in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and bring just to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture registers 238°F on thermometer and a teaspoon of mixture dropped into a small bowl of cold water holds a soft ball when pressed between your fingers (this will take about 30 minutes).

Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Beat in vanilla with an electric mixer at medium speed, then add confectioners’ sugar a little at a time, beating until fudge is thick and smooth, about 5 minutes.

Spread evenly in an ungreased 8-inch square baking pan. Refrigerate, uncovered, until firm enough to cut, about 30 minutes.

Cut fudge into 64 squares with a sharp paring knife.

Rocky Road Ice Cream

Rocky Road has always been one of my very favorite ice cream flavors, and I can’t believe I haven’t made a homemade version before!  I found myself thinking about making some chocolate ice cream, and rocky road immediately popped in my head.  You can use any chocolate ice cream as a base, but I chose David Lebovitz’s Philadelphia Style Ice Cream.  It isn’t custard-based, so the focus is more on the chocolate rather than the creaminess, and it was easier and some days I am all about instant gratification   Rocky Road usually has plain peanuts, but I thought it would be even better to add chocolate covered peanuts.  Someday (it’s on my list to make soon) I would love to try homemade marshmallows, but it didn’t happen this time.  It was still good and was even better than the store-bought rocky road ice cream!  If you really like add-ins like I do, you might want to increase the amount of peanuts and marshmallows.

Rocky Road Ice Cream
Source: adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

2 ¼ cups heavy cream

6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together the cream, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan.  Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it comes to a full, rolling boil (it will start to foam up).  Remove from the heat and whisk un the chocolate until it’s completely melted, then whisk in the milk and vanilla.  Pour the mixture into a blender and blend for 30 seconds, until very smooth.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Add chocolate covered peanuts and 1 ½ cup marshmallows during the last minute of churning.

Chocolate-Covered Peanuts

4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts

Put the pieces of chocolate in an absolutely dry heat proof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water to melt the chocolate, stirring until smooth. In the meantime, stretch a piece of plastic wrap over a dinner plate.

Once the chocolate is melted, remove it from the heat and stir in the peanuts, coating them with the chocolate. Spread the mixture on the plastic-lined plate and chill.  Coarsely chop into pieces.

Spice-Rubbed Pork with Apple Pear Chutney

We recently had my sister and her fiance over for dinner, and I wanted to make something special.  I had just gotten two new Pastry Queen cookbooks. and I first looked there for inspiration.  I came across this recipe for rubbed pork and had a feeling it would be a winner.  I love cooking pork, and this was a spice combination I had never tried before.  The combination of the chili powder and the honey was delicious and had a perfect spicy-but-sweet flavor.  Searing the pork beforehand also gave it lots of flavor on the outside and made sure it was nicely browned. The pork does need to be marinated the day before, but the day of is quite simple, and while the pork is baking, you can prepare the rest of the meal.

This was my first time making a chutney to go with the meat, and I’m totally sold on this recipe.  I liked the combination of apples and pears, and it was a good recipe to use seasonal flavors and ingredients.  For the chutney, I skipped the dried cherries and used dried cranberries instead.  I’ll definitely use this recipe again.  It was a great mix of savory and sweet flavors.  I served this meat along with black-eyed peas and mashed potatoes, and it was a definite hit!

Spice-Rubbed Pork with Apple Pear Chutney
Source: Pastry Queen Christmas by Rebecca Rather

1 boneless pork loin roast (5 to 6 pounds)

One 12-ounce can or bottle bock beer (I skipped this, but I’m sure it would make this even better!)

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil for searing

Apple Pear Chutney, recipe follows

Resist the urge to trim any visible fat from the pork loin.  The fat will help keep the pork moist as it roasts.  In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the beer, olive oil, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, and honey.  Gently submerge the pork in the marinade, seal the bag, and place in a large bowl or baking pan.  Refrigerate overnight or for up to 24 hours.  Remove the pork from the marinade and pour the marinade into a large measuring cup.  Combine the chili powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.  Rub it evenly over the pork.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over high heat.  Place the roast in the sauté pan and sear until the meat is evenly browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side.  Transfer the pork to a large roasting pan, and pour half the reserved marinade around the roast (Do not pour it over the roast, or it may wash away some of the chili rub).

Bake for about 45 minutes, then add the rest of the marinade to the bottom of the pan.  Bake another 45 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the roast registers 140 to 145 degrees, for a total time of about 1 ½ hours (your thermometer will be a more accurate measure of when it’s done than the time!).  Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Apple Pear Chutney

½ cup whole pecans

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

2 pounds unpeeled pears, cored and coarsely chopped

1 unpeeled Granny Smith apple, cored and coarsely chopped

Juice of 1 lime

1 cup good-quality white wine vinegar

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup dried cherries

2 tablespoons dried cranberries (optional)

1 tablespoon brandy

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Arrange the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and toast in the oven for 7 to 9 minutes , until darker in color and aromatic.  Remove from the oven, let cool, and chop coarsely.

In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium to medium-low heat.  Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent.  (Do not let it brown).  Stir in the pears, apple, lime juice, vinegar, sugars, salt, cherries, cranberries, and brandy.  Bring to a boil,, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour, until the chutney is thickened, most of the vinegar has been absorbed, and the juice has a syrupy consistency.  Remove from the heat and let cool, then stir in the toasted pecans.  To store, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Butterscotch Pecan Ice Cream

I’ve always been a fan of butterscotch, and I’ve always loved pecans, so this ice cream sounded perfect to me.  I had all the ingredients on hand one afternoon when I wanted to make some ice cream, so it was meant to be!  It’s a typical custard-based ice cream, which made it very creamy, and the buttered pecans made it even better.  I’ve made so many custard-based ice creams that the whole process goes very quickly now.  While I was waiting for the custard to chill, I made the pecans, which were quite easy.  All that you have to do is melt butter and then stir in the  toasted pecans and a little bit of salt.  I love the way toasting the pecans brings out their flavor.  I love lots of  mix-ins in my ice cream, so I doubled the amount of pecans, so that’s why there are so many of them in the picture.  This ice cream had just the right amount of butterscotch flavor and the crunchy pecans added so much to it.  This would be great on top of a blondie, just like David Lebovitz suggests in the book.

Buttered Pecan Ice Cream
Source: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

5 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted

¾ cup packed dark brown sugar

½ teaspoon coarse salt

2 cups heavy cream

¾ cup whole milk

6 large egg yolks

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon scotch whiskey

Buttered Pecans, recipe follows

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then stir in the brown sugar and salt until well moistened.  Whisk in 1 cup of the cream and the milk.

Warm the brown sugar and cream mixture.  Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.  Slowly pour the warm brown sugar mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula.  Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream.  Add the vanilla and scotch, then stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  During the last minutes of churning, add the Buttered Pecans.

Buttered Pecans

1 ½ tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted

1 ½ cups pecan halves

¼ teaspoon coarse salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Melt the butter in a skillet.  Remove from the heat and toss the pecans with the melted butter until well coated, then sprinkle with the salt.  Spread evenly on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring once during baking.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Chocolate Oatmeal Almost Candy Bars

With a name like this, how could you not want to make it?  I’ve been hoping these would get picked for a while now, and I finally got my chance to make them!  These bar cookies start with a crust for a base layer, and are then topped with a fudge layers consisting of chocolate, butter, sweetened condensed milk, and peanuts.  You then top the bars with some of the reserved base layer.  The result is a delicious sweet and salty combination.  I skipped the raisins because, although I love raisins, they seemed out of place in this recipe.  I used honey roasted peanuts and they added a nice crunchy texture.  These were great bars and did not disappoint.  I kept a few for myself and then set the rest with David for his Christmas potluck that they had back in December and they ate every bit of them   You can view this recipe on Lillian’s blog, and see how everyone liked the recipe by visiting the TWD blog.

Maple Cream Fudge

I love the taste of maple.  It’s such a perfect fall and winter treat, and I knew it had to be good in the form of this fudge!  I hadn’t really made a dessert where maple was the central flavor.  This fudge was easy to make, and was part of my holiday baking.  After heating up the mixture and bringing it to the soft ball stage, you let the fudge sit and thicken.  After that, you just pour the mixture into the pan, refrigerate it, and wait for it to set.  It turned out to be a little bit on the softer side as far as fudge goes, but it was super creamy and the maple flavor really stood out.  I’m going to make some to use in some maple ice cream pretty soon!

Maple Cream Fudge
Source: Thibealut’s Table

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup cream
1/3 cup of butter
1/4 cup of maple syrup
pinch of salt
vanilla

Add the two sugars, butter and cream, maple syrup and salt into a sauce pan. Place over medium heat. Stir while bringing to a boil. Lower the heat and continue to stir slowly while the mixture cooks. After about 7 minutes, test by pouring a small amount into some cold water. You want it to form a soft ball. You might need to cook it for another minute or two. Remove from the heat, add a couple of teaspoons of vanilla and start stirring. It takes about 14 or 15 minutes for the fudge to cool and thicken. Pour into buttered dish. If you let the fudge sit for 10 minutes after removing from the heat and allow it to cool slightly this will reduce the stirring time.