Tuesdays with Dorie: Peanut Butter Torte

I was one happy lady when I found out that Elizabeth of Ugg Smell Food chose the Peanut Butter torte for this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe. When it was my turn to choose the recipe, I kept going back and forth among this one and a few others, but eventually went with the Snickery Squares. I hoped that this would get chosen soon because I wanted an excuse to make it.

This torte reminds me of my dad. We both share a love of chocolate and peanut butter. My dad taught me that the best way to eat an Oreo was to twist it off, put some peanut butter in the middle, and make a sandwich again. This is the way I always ate Oreos when I was little, and I still think this is the best way to enjoy them. So when you combine an Oreo crust with a cream cheese and peanut butter filling, how could I possibly be disappointed? This torte was delicious. I loved the Oreo crust and the filling was divine. This is definitely a Dorie recipe everyone should try! Thanks to Elizabeth for giving me the excuse to make this. Be sure to check out our Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll to see how everyone else enjoyed the torts this week!

Peanut Butter Torte

1 ¼ c. finely chopped salted peanuts (for the filling, crunch and topping)

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (or finely ground instant coffee)

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

½ c. mini chocolate chips (or finely chopped semi sweet chocolate)

24 Oreo cookies, finely crumbed or ground in a food processor or blender

½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Small pinch of salt

2 ½ c. heavy cream

1 ¼ c confectioners’ sugar, sifted

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 ½ c salted peanut butter - crunchy or smooth (not natural; I use Skippy)

2 tablespoons whole milk

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

Getting ready: center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch Springform pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

Toss ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chops together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in another small bowl and stir with a fork just until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan (they should go up about 2 inches on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Crape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Wipe out (do not wash) the bowl, fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one, or continue with the hand mixer, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts and the milk.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gingerly fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Scrape the mouse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.

To Finish The Torte: put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan.

Bring the remaining ½ cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and , working with a a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and glossy.

Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing it with a metal icing spatula. Scatter the remaining ½ cup peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, about 20 minutes.

When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the Springform pan; it’s easiest to warm the pan with a hairdryer, and then remove the sides, but you can also wrap a kitchen towel damped with hot water around the pan and leave it there for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chicken Saltimbocca

I was searching the Cook’s Illustrated website for dinner ideas, and I came upon this. I remembered seeing it a while ago and thinking that it sounded good, so I decided to give it a try. I was sure glad I did! I liked the combination of the ham and prosciutto. The sauce was also very good. I really like basic white wine and butter sauces, so I was pretty sure I would like this. The sauce had a bit of a bite, so if you don’t want a strong wine taste, you might want to reduce the wine a bit. Otherwise, I wouldn’t change a thing!

Chicken Saltimbocca

½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Ground black pepper
8 thin-cut, boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets (about 2 pounds), trimmed of ragged
edges as necessary
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves, plus 8 large leaves (optional)
8 thin slices prosciutto, cut into 5- to 6-inch long pieces to match the chicken (about 3
ounces)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 ¼ cups dry vermouth or white wine
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and chilled
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
Table salt

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Combine flour and 1 teaspoon pepper in shallow dish.

Pat cutlets dry with paper towels. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off any excess. Lay cutlets flat and sprinkle evenly with minced sage. Place 1 prosciutto slice on top of each cutlet, pressing lightly to adhere; set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to shimmer. Add sage leaves (if using) and cook until leaves begin to change color and are fragrant, about 15 to 20 seconds. Using slotted spoon, remove sage to paper towel-lined plate; reserve. Add half of cutlets to pan, prosciutto-side down, and cook until light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook on other side until light golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to wire rack set on rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and cutlets, then transfer to oven to keep warm while preparing sauce.

Pour off excess fat from skillet. Stir in vermouth, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until reduced to about 1/3 cup, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Turn heat to low and whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Off heat, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Remove chicken from oven and place on platter. Spoon sauce over cutlets before serving.

Source: Cook’s Illustrated March 2008

Classic Brownies

No TWD for me this week, but I wanted to post on Tuesday anyway!  I’ve been experimenting with different brownie recipes lately. I’ve been trying a few of the fancier ones, but this time I just wanted a plain old classic brownie. I turned to Cook’s Illustrated for a good recipe because they have not let me down yet. I was not disappointed with these brownies. They were nice and chocolaty, perfectly fudgy, and rich but not too rich. One of the differences between this brownie recipe and others is that it uses cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. I think this made a huge difference in its texture. I brought these to our church group dinner and they were eaten up pretty quickly. If you want a basic brownie, this is a great recipe to make. It would also be good with some ice cream or some strawberries. I was very pleased with how these came out!

Classic Brownies

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (I used walnuts)
1 ½ cups plain cake flour
½ teaspoon table salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
12 tablespoons butter (1 ½ sticks), cut into six 1-inch pieces
2 ¼ cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut 18-inch length foil and fold lengthwise to 8-inch width. Fit foil into length of 13- by 9-inch baking dish, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhang pan edges. Cut 14-inch length foil and, if using extra-wide foil, fold lengthwise to 12-inch width; fit into width of baking pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet. Spray foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.

If using nuts, spread nuts evenly on rimmed baking sheet and toast in oven until fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Whisk to combine flour, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl; set aside.

Melt chocolate and butter in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan of almost–simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth. (Alternatively, in microwave, heat butter and chocolate in large microwave-safe bowl on high for 45 seconds, then stir and heat for 30 seconds more. Stir again, and, if necessary, repeat in 15-second increments; do not let chocolate burn.) When chocolate mixture is completely smooth, remove bowl from saucepan and gradually whisk in sugar. Add eggs one at time, whisking after each addition until thoroughly combined. Whisk in vanilla. Add flour mixture in three additions, folding with rubber spatula until batter is completely smooth and homogeneous.

Transfer batter to prepared pan; using spatula, spread batter into corners of pan and smooth surface. Sprinkle toasted nuts (if using) evenly over batter and bake until toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of brownies comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, then remove brownies from pan by lifting foil overhang. Cut brownies into 2-inch squares and serve. (Store leftovers in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)

Makes 24 2-inch square brownies

Source: Cook’s Illustrated March 2004

April Daring Bakers: Cheesecake Pops

This month’s Daring Bakers Challenge was hosted by Elle of Feeding My Enthusiasms and Deborah of Taste & Tell. Thank you Deborah and Elle for hosting! They chose the Cheesecake Pops from Jill O’Connor’s book Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey. I’ve seen many bloggers make recipes from this book, and I think that I might have to add it to my collection soon. I am not a huge cheesecake fan, but I know many people who are, so I’ve made a few cheesecakes before when they are requested, and I’m always happy to do it. My sister and her boyfriend are cheesecake fanatics, and they loved these, especially during exam week at Clemson University.

I did not find these to be difficult. The entire process went very smoothly. I just made half of the recipe and didn’t have any trouble. I think that my cheesecake set in about 30 minutes. I was very pleased with how it set. It didn’t crack and had the perfect consistency. I refrigerated it overnight and shaped the cheesecake balls and put them in the freeze the next morning. That night I dipped them in chocolate and covered them i sprinkles. If you want to get more creative, these would be great covered in mini M&Ms, mini chocolate chips, graham cracker crumbs, nuts, or swirled with white chocolate. These came together so well and I was very pleased. I would make them again. They would be great to serve at a party because you can still eat cheesecake, but get a bite sized version. Be sure to visit the Daring Bakers Blogroll to see the creative Cheesecake Pops the other Daring Bakers created!

Cheesecake Pops

Makes 30 - 40 Pops

5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature

2 cups sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

5 large eggs

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼ cup heavy cream

Boiling water as needed

Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks

1 pound chocolate, finely chopped - you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white (Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate - candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

(Note: White chocolate is harder to use this way, but not impossible)

Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 - 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.

Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.

Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

Lemon Bars

I had several motivations for making this recipe. I hadn’t made lemon bars in a long time and had been wanting to try them again. I am usually all for chocolate desserts, but ever since I made the Lemon Tart for Tuesdays With Dorie, I have found lemon a bit more endearing. I also wanted to make something yellow for the “LiveSTRONG With a Taste of Yellow” event, which is hosted by Winos and Foodies. I think this is an important blogging event because it raises awareness of such an important issue.

It seems as if cancer is everywhere. Almost everyone has been touched by cancer in some way. If you have not had it, then you know someone who is going through it or has gone through it. I have not had it, but it seems as if cancer has touched me through so many other people.

My younger sister was diagnosed with leukemia when she was six months old. I was only two at the time, so I don’t remember much. I remember some of the hospital visits and going along with my parents to the doctors appointments. Thankfully, she survived. We were lucky that she was able to get treatment at the Medical College of Georgia, which is known for its pediatric oncology unit. She is 21 now and has had no problems since she was little. She will also be my Maid of Honor next month when I get married, and I am happy that she will be there with me.

My grandmother was diagnosed with colon cancer about five or six years ago. They caught it early, and she was able to survive. My grandfather has prostate cancer about seven or eight years ago. Although he died in 2004, it was not from cancer. My mom’s cousin died from a long battle with lung cancer in 2003. She was diagnosed 11 years after she quit smoking. I remember how much this devastated my family. David’s grandmother died of breast cancer before he was born. Although he never knew her, we both know that she was a special lady because of the way people talk about her.

Currently I am involved in a project that deals with cancer. There is a little girl at my church who was diagnosed with leukemia at three months old and she is five now and the cancer has come back. There is a group of women at the church who get together every few weeks to knit for “Miriam’s Project.” It is great to see how a horrible thing such as cancer can bring everyone together like that. The experienced knitters have been teaching the younger generation how to knit and we are working on making scarves and hats for the cancer patients in the children’s hospital at the hospital in Greenville, SC. At five, Miriam is very much aware of what is going on. She is such an insightful and sweet child. She says that the attention she gets makes her uneasy. She also said that she doesn’t want this to be all about her and that she wants to share our work with the other children. So we are making the scarves and hats for her to share with her fellow patients at the hospital. I hope that she will have a success story like my sister.

In honor of Livestrong day, please remember those who have died of cancer or those who are fighting it now. Do what you can to prevent cancer. Take care of yourself and make sure you get screened for cancer regularly and take whatever preventative measures you can. Hopefully one day there will be a cure!

Now for the lemon bars These were delightful. The crust was crisp enough that it didn’t fall apart. I really liked the lemon filling. It had a nice, crisp lemon flavor. You could really taste the lemon and it wasn’t overly sweet. I would definitely make these again. This is my entry for the “LiveSTRONG With a Taste of Yellow” event to support LiveSTRONG day.

Perfect Lemon Bars

For the crust

1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus extra to decorate finished bars

¼ cup cornstarch

¾ teaspoon table salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), at very cool room temperature, cut into

1-inch pieces, plus extra for greasing pan

Lemon filling

4 large eggs, beaten lightly

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest from 2 large lemons

2/3 cup lemon juice from 3 to 4 large lemons, strained

1/3 cup whole milk

1/8 teaspoon table salt

For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and line with one sheet parchment or wax paper. Dot paper with butter, then lay second sheet crosswise over it (see illustration 1, below).

Pulse flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and salt in food processor workbowl fitted with steel blade. Add butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, then pulse until mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three 1-second bursts. (To do this by hand, mix flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl. Freeze butter and grate it on large holes of box grater into flour mixture. Toss butter pieces to coat. Rub pieces between your fingers for a minute, until flour turns pale yellow and coarse.) Sprinkle mixture into lined pan and, following illustration 2, press firmly with fingers into even, 1/4-inch layer over entire pan bottom and about 1/2-inch up sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

For the filling: Meanwhile, whisk eggs, sugar, and flour in medium bowl, then stir in lemon zest, juice, milk, and salt to blend well.

To finish the bars: Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Stir filling mixture to reblend; pour into warm crust. Bake until filling feels firm when touched lightly, about 20 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack; cool to near room temperature, at least 30 minutes. Following illustrations 3 and 4, below, transfer to cutting board, fold paper down, and cut into serving-size bars, wiping knife or pizza cutter clean between cuts, as necessary. Sieve confectioners’ sugar over bars, if desired.

Source: Cook’s Illustrated May 1998

Tuesdays With Dorie: Big Bill’s Carrot Cake

Amanda from Slow Like Honey chose this week’s recipe, which was Big Bill’s Carrot Cake. I was interested to find out what this carrot cake version would be like. Carrot cake is David’s favorite cake and it is a favorite in my family as well. My mom’s carrot cake recipe gets requested for birthdays and holidays all the time, and for good reason. It is incredibly delicious, moist, and everything you look for in a carrot cake. So I wanted to see if this cake would measure up. Although Dorie’s version is good, I prefer my mom’s. I like pure and simple carrot cake without the coconut and raisins. My mom’s is also slightly more moist. So I will make that in the future, which I know will be many many more times! I decided to halve the recipe and make cupcakes instead of a layer cake. I’m taking these to a group dinner, and I don’t want to be stuck with a bunch of extra cake that I should not be eating! Be sure to visit our Tuesdays With Dorie blog to see the other carrot cakes!

Yields 10 servings

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon salt

3 cups grated carrots (about 9 carrots, you can grate them in food processor fitted w/ a shredding a blade or use a box grater)

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

½ cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries

2 cups sugar

1 cup canola oil

4 large eggs

For the frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick ( 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 pound or 3 and ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

½ cup shredded coconut (optional)

Finely chopped toasted nuts and/or toasted shredded coconut (optional)

Getting ready:

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, flour the insides, and tap out the excess. Put the two pans on one baking sheet and one on another.

To make the cake:

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean. The cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

Ultimate Turtle Brownies

I love brownies, and I love experimenting with different types of brownies. One of my favorites is Dorie Greenspan’s Quintuple Chocolate Brownies, but this one just may be my new favorite. I’ve had my eye on these for a while since I first saw them in Cook’s Illustrated, and I decided that I should finally just go ahead and make them. The brownie base is intensely fudgy and delicious. And the caramel sauce…let’s just say it’s the most amazing caramel sauce I’ve ever tasted The caramel sauce is the perfect complement to the brownie. It was rich and creamy, and was very easy to work with. I will definitely be making these again!

Ultimate Turtle Brownies

Ingredients

Caramel:

¼ heavy cream plus 2 additional tablespoons
¼ teaspoon table salt
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Brownies:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 8 pieces
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, optional (I added this and will again next time)

Garnish:

25 pecan halves, toasted (I sprinkled chopped pecans on top instead)

TO MAKE THE CARAMEL: Combine cream and salt in small bowl; stir well to dissolve salt. Combine water and corn syrup in heavy-bottomed 2- to 3-quart saucepan; pour sugar into center of saucepan, taking care not to let sugar granules touch sides of pan. Gently stir with clean spatula to moisten sugar thoroughly. Cover and bring to boil over medium-high heat; cook, covered and without stirring, until sugar is completely dissolved and liquid is clear, 3 to 5 -minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, without stirring, until bubbles show faint golden color, 3 to 5 minutes more. Reduce heat to medium-low. Continue to cook (swirling occasionally) until caramel is light amber and registers about 360 degrees on candy or instant-read thermometer, 1 to 3 minutes longer. Remove saucepan from heat and carefully add cream to center of pan; stir with whisk or spatula (mixture will bubble and steam vigorously) until cream is fully incorporated and bubbling subsides. Stir in butter and vanilla until combined; transfer caramel to microwaveable measuring cup or bowl and set aside.

TO MAKE THE BROWNIES: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly spray 9-inch-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cut 14-inch length extra-wide heavy-duty foil; fold cut edges back to form 8 1/2-inch width. With folded sides face down, fit foil securely into bottom and up sides of baking pan, allowing excess to overhang pan sides. Spray foil with cooking spray.

Melt butter and bittersweet and unsweetened chocolates in medium heatproof bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth and combined; set aside to cool slightly. Meanwhile, whisk together flour and baking powder in small bowl; set aside. When chocolate has cooled slightly, whisk eggs in large bowl to combine; add sugar, salt, and vanilla and whisk until incorporated. Add melted chocolate mixture to egg mixture; whisk until homogenous. Add flour mixture; stir with rubber spatula until almost combined. Add chopped pecans and chocolate chips (if using); mix until incorporated and no flour streaks remain.

Following illustrations below, distribute half of brownie batter in prepared baking pan, spreading in even layer. Drizzle scant 1/4 cup caramel over batter. Drop remaining batter in large mounds over caramel layer; spread evenly and into corners of pan with rubber spatula. Drizzle additional scant 1/4 cup caramel over top. Using tip of butter knife, swirl caramel and batter. Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool brownies in pan on wire rack to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours.

Heat remaining caramel (you should have about 3/4 cup) in microwave until warm and pourable but still thick (do not boil), 45 to 60 seconds, stirring once or twice; pour caramel over brownies. Using spatula, spread caramel to cover surface. Refrigerate brownies, uncovered, at least 2 hours.

Using foil extensions, lift brownies from baking pan, loosening sides with paring knife, if needed. Peel away and discard foil. Using chef’s knife, cut brownies into 25 evenly sized squares. Press a pecan half onto surface of each brownie. Serve chilled or at room temperature.  (I like to put them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and eat them warm- the caramel gets nice and gooey and it’s so good!).

Source: Cook’s Illustrated May 2006

Peanut Butter Brownies

I was craving something peanut butter last week. I thought about making peanut butter cookies, but I remembered this recipe for peanut butter brownies that I saw on Smitten Kitchen. I thought it would be perfect. I love peanut butter and chocolate, so this was the perfect combination. They turned out great! I loved these. These brownies were more cookie-like and reminded me somewhat of blondies. I really liked the chocolate ganache on top. It really added a lot of depth to the overall flavor. Even David, who does not usually like things topped with chocolate, said that the chocolate addition was a good thing. I would definitely make these again! I halved the recipe and made them in an 8×8-inch pan.

Peanut Butter Brownies

For brownies
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (9 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon salt

For ganache
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (9 ounces)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Make brownies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in middle. Butter a 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking pan, then line bottom of pan with parchment paper and butter parchment.

Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until mixture is light and fluffy, then add peanut butter and beat until incorporated. Beat in whole eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Reduce mixer sped to low, then mix in flour and salt until just combined.

Mix in chocolate chips (1 1/2 cups) then spread batter in baking pan, smoothing top. (It will be thick, almost like cookie batter.)

Bake until brownies are deep golden, puffed on top and a wooden pick inserted in center come out with some crumbs adhering, 40 to 45 minutes.

Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 1 1/2 hours.

Make ganache: Put chocolate chips (1 1/2 cups) in a heatproof bowl.

Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour over chocolate chips and let mixture stand for one minute.

Gently whisk in butter until it is incorporated, chocolate is melted, and a smooth mixture forms.

Spread ganache on cooled brownies and let stand until set, about 15 minutes.

Brownies keep in one layer in an airtight container three days, and we hope much longer if hidden in the back of the freezer.

Source: Butterwood Desserts, West Falls New York via Goumet, October 2007, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

Tuesdays With Dorie: Marshmallows

This week’s recipe was Marshmallows, chosen by Judy of Judy’s Gross Eats. The name of her blog makes me laugh because I have never seen anything gross on it! She makes a lot of really delicious things, so be sure to check her blog out! I was looking forward to this recipe because I really like marshmallows, but things just didn’t go well for me this week. My marshmallows were just flat and not nice and fluffy like Dorie’s. I’m not sure what went wrong. They also absorbed too much of the cornstarch on the bottom and had a funny texture. I will try these again soon to see if my next attempt will come out better, but unfortunately my first time with marshmallows did not go as well as I hoped. I made the plain version hoping to use them in Rice Krispy Treats, but that just didn’t work out. Be sure to check out our Tuesdays With Dorie blog to see all of the beautiful marshmallows! And I will be posting later on Tuesday or Wednesday with some peanut butter brownies so be sure to check that out so you can see something yummy on my blog this week!

Marshmallows

Makes about 1 pound marshmallows
About 1 cup potato starch (found in the kosher foods section of supermarkets) or cornstarch
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 1/4-ounce packets unflavored gelatin
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar

GETTING READY: Line a rimmed baking sheet — choose one with a rim that is 1 inch high — with parchment paper and dust the paper generously with potato starch or cornstarch. Have a candy thermometer at hand.

Put 1/3 cup of the water, 1 1/4 cups of the sugar and the corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar is dissolved, continue to cook the syrup — without stirring — until it reaches 265 degrees F on the candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.

While the syrup is cooking, work on the gelatin and egg whites. In a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining cold water (a scant 7 tablespoons) and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it is spongy, then heat the gelatin in a microwave oven for 20 to 30 seconds to liquefy it. (Alternatively, you can dissolve the gelatin in a saucepan over low heat.)

Working in the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in another large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until firm but still glossy — don’t overbeat them and have them go dull.

As soon as the syrup reaches 265 degrees F, remove the pan from the heat and, with the mixer on medium speed, add the syrup, pouring it between the spinning beater(s) and the sides of the bowl. Add the gelatin and continue to beat for another 3 minutes, so that the syrup and the gelatin are fully incorporated. Beat in the vanilla.

Using a large rubber spatula, scrape the meringue mixture onto the baking sheet, laying it down close to a short end of the sheet. Then spread it into the corners and continue to spread it out, taking care to keep the height of the batter at 1 inch; you won’t fill the pan. Lift the excess parchment paper up to meet the edge of the batter, then rest something against the paper so that it stays in place (I use custard cups).

Dust the top of the marshmallows with potato starch or cornstarch and let the marshmallows set in a cool, dry place. They’ll need about 3 hours, but they can rest for 12 hours or more.

Once they are cool and set, cut the marshmallows with a pair of scissors or a long thin knife. Whatever you use, you’ll have to rinse and dry it frequently. Have a big bowl with the remaining potato starch or cornstarch at hand and cut the marshmallows as you’d like — into squares, rectangles or even strips (as they’re cut in France). As each piece is cut, drop it into the bowl. When you’ve got 4 or 5 marshmallows in the bowl, reach in with your fingers and turn the marshmallows to coat them with starch, then, one by one, toss the marshmallows from one hand to the other to shake off the excess starch; transfer them to a serving bowl. Cut and coat the rest of the batch.

SERVING: Put the marshmallows out and let everyone nibble as they wish. Sometimes I fill a tall glass vase with the marshmallows and put it in the center of the table — it never fails to make friends smile. You can also top hot chocolate or cold sundaes with the marshmallows.

STORING: Keep the marshmallows in a cool, dry place; don’t cover them closely. Stored in this way, they will keep for about 1 week — they might develop a little crust on the outside or they might get a little firmer on the inside, but they’ll still be very good.

Playing Around

RASPBERRY MARSHMALLOWS: Fruit purees are excellent for flavoring these candies.

For raspberry marshmallows, you’ll need a generous 1/3 cup of puree; reduce the vanilla extract to 1/4 teaspoon. After the batter is mixed, gently fold in the puree with a rubber spatula. You can use the same measurements and technique for other purees, such as strawberry, mango and passion fruit.

CAPPUCCINO MARSHMALLOWS: Sift 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon together into a small bowl. Stir in 1/3 cup boiling water and mix until smooth. Reduce the vanilla extract to 1/2 teaspoon, and add it to the espresso mix. After you add the sugar syrup and gelatin to the meringue, beat in the espresso mixture and continue.

LIGHT CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOWS: Melt 3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate and stir in 2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Reduce the vanilla extract to 1/4 teaspoon, and after the marshmallow batter is mixed, fold in the chocolate mixture with a large rubber spatula.

PUMPKIN SPICE MARSHMALLOWS: Whisk together 1/2 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg and a pinch of ground allspice. After the marshmallow batter is mixed, fold in the spiced pumpkin with a large rubber spatula.

Penne a la Betsy

This recipe has been popular on the cooking board I frequent lately, although I remember seeing it for the first time on Annie’s Eats. This recipe is from the popular blog The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I really like this blog because she takes pictures of the meals as she is cooking it. I loved reading her story about cooking with her younger sister Betsy- obviously this is where the dish gets its name!

David and I both loved this. I really like tomato-cream sauces, and I found that this one had a pretty good proportion of tomato and cream. It wasn’t too heavy like some cream sauces tend to be. And as always, I loved the shrimp. I can never get enough shrimp Another great thing about this recipe is that is takes very little time to make. It’s a great recipe for those times when you want a great homemade dinner but don’t have a lot of time. I will definitely be making this again.

Penne a la Betsy

Ingredients:
¾ pound penne pasta
3 tablespoons butter, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound large shrimp
1 small white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup white wine
1 (8-ounce) can plain tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
basil leaves, to taste

Directions:
Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, while water heats and pasta cooks, make the sauce. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a few minutes, until opaque. Remove to a plate to let cool. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally. While the onion and garlic are cooking, chop the shrimp into small, bite-sized pieces. Add the wine (or chicken broth) to the pan and allow to reduce for a few minutes. Chiffonade the basil leaves and set aside. Stir in tomato sauce. Add the heavy cream and stir well to combine. Add shrimp back to the skillet and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the parsley and basil and mix well.

Drain pasta and return to pot. Add the sauce to the pot and stir well to combine. Serve.

Source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks