It's been a while, hasn't it? Unfortunately, I haven't made much that was exciting or shareable until now. Sad, eh?
Whatever. Hooray for Thanksgiving 2009!
So for part of dessert tonight, I've made chocolate wasabi ice cream.
Yeah. You read that right. Chocolate wasabi ice cream. I got the idea after eating at Wagamama in Cambridge last June. They had this fantastic chocolate wasabi cake, and I loved the subtle zing of the wasabi with the smooth richness of the chocolate. It was a total winner of a combo. I mean, I like more traditional spicy chocolate flavor combos, too, but those are always a hot spice. Wasabi hits the top notes of the spicy spectrum, so you don't get the heated burn that exists with pepper-based spiced chocolate. And wasabi goes beautifully with a good chocolate. Trust me.
Anyway, without further ado, here's the recipe.
Chocolate Wasabi Ice Cream
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 c sugar
1 3/4 c milk
2 c heavy whipping cream
12 oz. high-quality dark chocolate (62-70% is best), melted
1 tsp high-quality vanilla extract
3/4 to 1 tsp wasabi powder (I used Ninja Wasabi Powder; if you have a better source for wasabi, omg share!)
Directions:
1) Melt chocolate. Stir in sugar and wasabi powder. 3/4 tsp will be more subtle; 1 tsp will be stronger. If you use more than 1 tsp, though, your ice cream will taste weird, not interesting and delicious. And if you have a very sensitive palate, you could easily get away with 1/2 tsp of wasabi powder. After all, the zing shouldn't overpower the chocolate; it should complement it.
2) Add milk and eggs; mix thoroughly.
3) Add cream; stir.
4) Add vanilla. Stir some more.
5) Once mixture is completely cooled, pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to directions. Make certain to steal little spoonfuls as the ice cream begins to thicken and freeze. Feel free to make little happy noises as you taste-test.
6) Remove from ice cream maker and turn out into airtight containers. Finish freezing completely.
7) Serve. Enjoy. Serve some more. Enjoy some more. Makes one quart.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Holiday Chicken
Happy 4th, my fellow Americans!
I bring you a delicious and simple chicken recipe, which is what I made for the fam tonight. It's awesome.
I don't remember where I got the original recipe (sorry!), but I'm pretty sure it was from some magazine. Yeah, that really helps, doesn't it?
Anyway, enjoy!
Lemon and Pepper Chicken
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
5 medium-to-large lemons
1 Tbs olive oil or room temperature butter
kosher or sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400F. Pull the giblets out of your chicken (poor chicken!) and feed to the dog. Wash your naked, empty chicken inside and out with cold water, then let it drain, butt-side down, in a colander or similar thingie.
2. While you're waiting for your naked, empty chicken to finish draining and warm up to room temperature, juice three of your lemons.
3. Pour lemon juice all over your chicken, inside and out. Give it a lovely little lemon juice bath! It deserves some TLC before you pop it in the oven. Follow the lemon juice bath with a lovely moisturizing massage with the butter or olive oil (outside only; the chicken doesn't need any inside).
4. Salt and pepper all over the place, top and bottom. Fork your two remaining lemons (by which I mean stab your two remaining lemons with a fork), then stuff them inside the chicken's inside.
5. Put the lemon-stuffed birdie in a roasting pan (boob-side down), lower the oven's temp to 350F, and bake your bird--uncovered--for 15-20 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven, flip the chicken (use wooden spoons or tongs or something like that), and put it back in the oven for another 35-40 minutes, after which time you should check it for doneness. If it's still not ready (fussy chicken!), bake it until it is.
7. Let your poor, hardworking chicken rest for a few minutes (it's totally earned it by this point!) before carving it and serving it with some lovely veggies and potatoes. Nom nom nom, my friends! Nom nom nom.
I bring you a delicious and simple chicken recipe, which is what I made for the fam tonight. It's awesome.
I don't remember where I got the original recipe (sorry!), but I'm pretty sure it was from some magazine. Yeah, that really helps, doesn't it?
Anyway, enjoy!
Lemon and Pepper Chicken
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
5 medium-to-large lemons
1 Tbs olive oil or room temperature butter
kosher or sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400F. Pull the giblets out of your chicken (poor chicken!) and feed to the dog. Wash your naked, empty chicken inside and out with cold water, then let it drain, butt-side down, in a colander or similar thingie.
2. While you're waiting for your naked, empty chicken to finish draining and warm up to room temperature, juice three of your lemons.
3. Pour lemon juice all over your chicken, inside and out. Give it a lovely little lemon juice bath! It deserves some TLC before you pop it in the oven. Follow the lemon juice bath with a lovely moisturizing massage with the butter or olive oil (outside only; the chicken doesn't need any inside).
4. Salt and pepper all over the place, top and bottom. Fork your two remaining lemons (by which I mean stab your two remaining lemons with a fork), then stuff them inside the chicken's inside.
5. Put the lemon-stuffed birdie in a roasting pan (boob-side down), lower the oven's temp to 350F, and bake your bird--uncovered--for 15-20 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven, flip the chicken (use wooden spoons or tongs or something like that), and put it back in the oven for another 35-40 minutes, after which time you should check it for doneness. If it's still not ready (fussy chicken!), bake it until it is.
7. Let your poor, hardworking chicken rest for a few minutes (it's totally earned it by this point!) before carving it and serving it with some lovely veggies and potatoes. Nom nom nom, my friends! Nom nom nom.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Ice Cream, Times Two
My parents are going to some sort of dinner party thing tomorrow night. This is big; my parents don't go over to other people's houses (or have people over) that often. They generally only feed family.
Anyway, since it's too warm for my mom to make truffles, I offered to make them dessert.
And darlings, it is good.
Behold! I give you the wonders of Chocolate Guinness Ice Cream and Lemon Ice Cream:
Chocolate Guinness Ice Cream
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 c sugar
1 3/4 c milk
2 c heavy whipping cream
12 oz. high-quality dark chocolate (62-70% is best), melted
2 Tbs Guinness (you can do up to 3 or 4, but more than that will totally overpower the chocolate and may thin the ice cream base too much)
Directions:
1) Melt chocolate. Stir in sugar.
2) Add milk and eggs; mix thoroughly.
3) Add cream; stir.
4) Add Guinness.
5) Once mixture is completely cooled, pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to directions. Make certain to steal little spoonfuls as the ice cream begins to thicken and freeze. If there's someone else in the room, taunt them as you do so.
6) Remove from ice cream maker and turn out into airtight containers. Finish freezing completely.
7) Serve. Enjoy. Serve some more. Makes one quart.
Lemon Ice Cream
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 c sugar
1 3/4 c milk
2 c heavy whipping cream
the zest of 3 large lemons
1/2 tsp high-quality vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Directions:
1) Whisk together eggs and sugar.
2) Add milk; mix thoroughly.
3) Add cream; stir.
4) Add lemon zest, vanilla, and lemon juice. Stir.
5) Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to directions. Don't forget to taste-test!
6) Remove from ice cream maker and turn out into airtight containers. Finish freezing completely.
7) Nom nom nom... Makes one quart.
Anyway, since it's too warm for my mom to make truffles, I offered to make them dessert.
And darlings, it is good.
Behold! I give you the wonders of Chocolate Guinness Ice Cream and Lemon Ice Cream:
Chocolate Guinness Ice Cream
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 c sugar
1 3/4 c milk
2 c heavy whipping cream
12 oz. high-quality dark chocolate (62-70% is best), melted
2 Tbs Guinness (you can do up to 3 or 4, but more than that will totally overpower the chocolate and may thin the ice cream base too much)
Directions:
1) Melt chocolate. Stir in sugar.
2) Add milk and eggs; mix thoroughly.
3) Add cream; stir.
4) Add Guinness.
5) Once mixture is completely cooled, pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to directions. Make certain to steal little spoonfuls as the ice cream begins to thicken and freeze. If there's someone else in the room, taunt them as you do so.
6) Remove from ice cream maker and turn out into airtight containers. Finish freezing completely.
7) Serve. Enjoy. Serve some more. Makes one quart.
Lemon Ice Cream
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 c sugar
1 3/4 c milk
2 c heavy whipping cream
the zest of 3 large lemons
1/2 tsp high-quality vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Directions:
1) Whisk together eggs and sugar.
2) Add milk; mix thoroughly.
3) Add cream; stir.
4) Add lemon zest, vanilla, and lemon juice. Stir.
5) Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to directions. Don't forget to taste-test!
6) Remove from ice cream maker and turn out into airtight containers. Finish freezing completely.
7) Nom nom nom... Makes one quart.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Yes, I Like Booze and Chocolate. WHY DO YOU ASK?
I don't like beer.
For drinking, that is. I love it in food, particularly baked goods-type food. And yeah, I know; Guinness isn't beer. It's Guinness. But still! It's a malty beverage; it sort of counts.
I've made this cake several times over the last few weeks. I love it to bits, and it only gets better if you let it age for a day or two. I also like it best when it's unfrosted, though a simple chocolate ganache or coconut rum cream cheese frosting work beautifully, too.
Adapted from Nigella Lawson, I give you:
Chocolate Guinness Cake
Ingredients:
1 c Guinness stout
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 c cocoa powder (the darker and higher quality, the more delicious the cake)
2 c granulated sugar (Lawson calls for superfine; regular granulated works just as well)
3/4 c sour cream (or plain/Greek style yogurt works well, too)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla (Lawson calls for 1 Tbs; I don't use that much)
2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda (Lawson calls for 2 1/2 tsp; I think that's waaaaay too much)
1 c chocolate chips (optional - I like this option Very Much)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch cake pan. (Lawson says to use a springform with parchment paper, but meh. I use a regular cake pan and am generous with the butter; it works fine.)
2. Microwave butter and Guinness until butter is mostly melted; whisk until butter is completely melted and incorporated with Guinness. (Lawson calls for a saucepan, but again with the meh.) Whisk in cocoa powder and sugar.
3. Add in sour cream and vanilla; whisk until thoroughly mixed. Add in eggs. Mix like a mad mixy thing. Woot. (Lawson has you do the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla together in a separate bowl and then pour into the cocoa-stout mixture. Again, MEH.)
4. Whisk in flour and baking soda. And add the chocolate chips, should you decide to go that route.
5. Pour into pan. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour (check at the 45-minute mark). Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack.
6. When the cake is cold, get it out of the pan using your favorite method. (I like to run a plastic fork around the edges and then tip it upside down.)
7. If you want to frost it, frost it. Otherwise, slice and eat. Slice more. Aaaand maybe just a smidge more. Undo the top button of your jeans and beach yourself on the couch for a while so you can digest.
Enjoy!
For drinking, that is. I love it in food, particularly baked goods-type food. And yeah, I know; Guinness isn't beer. It's Guinness. But still! It's a malty beverage; it sort of counts.
I've made this cake several times over the last few weeks. I love it to bits, and it only gets better if you let it age for a day or two. I also like it best when it's unfrosted, though a simple chocolate ganache or coconut rum cream cheese frosting work beautifully, too.
Adapted from Nigella Lawson, I give you:
Chocolate Guinness Cake
Ingredients:
1 c Guinness stout
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 c cocoa powder (the darker and higher quality, the more delicious the cake)
2 c granulated sugar (Lawson calls for superfine; regular granulated works just as well)
3/4 c sour cream (or plain/Greek style yogurt works well, too)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla (Lawson calls for 1 Tbs; I don't use that much)
2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda (Lawson calls for 2 1/2 tsp; I think that's waaaaay too much)
1 c chocolate chips (optional - I like this option Very Much)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch cake pan. (Lawson says to use a springform with parchment paper, but meh. I use a regular cake pan and am generous with the butter; it works fine.)
2. Microwave butter and Guinness until butter is mostly melted; whisk until butter is completely melted and incorporated with Guinness. (Lawson calls for a saucepan, but again with the meh.) Whisk in cocoa powder and sugar.
3. Add in sour cream and vanilla; whisk until thoroughly mixed. Add in eggs. Mix like a mad mixy thing. Woot. (Lawson has you do the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla together in a separate bowl and then pour into the cocoa-stout mixture. Again, MEH.)
4. Whisk in flour and baking soda. And add the chocolate chips, should you decide to go that route.
5. Pour into pan. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour (check at the 45-minute mark). Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack.
6. When the cake is cold, get it out of the pan using your favorite method. (I like to run a plastic fork around the edges and then tip it upside down.)
7. If you want to frost it, frost it. Otherwise, slice and eat. Slice more. Aaaand maybe just a smidge more. Undo the top button of your jeans and beach yourself on the couch for a while so you can digest.
Enjoy!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
More Pancakey Goodness
I made these this morning. I'm a huge fan of honey and cinnamon in chocolate, but I don't actually like the taste of either honey or cinnamon alone. Together, though, they're a lovely combination. Anyway, it's raining like the dickens, and warm, slightly sweet pancakes are exactly what the grayness of the outdoors called for.
So, without further ado:
Honey Cinnamon Pancakes
Ingredients:
Your favorite base pancake recipe (mix or from scratch) plus the wet stuff it calls for (For our purposes here, I'm using a recipe that calls for about 2 cups of dry ingredients)
1/4 c honey
1/2 to 3/4 tsp cinnamon (you can go up to 1 tsp cinnamon if you loooove it, but remember that you don’t want to overpower the honey. We're interested in sweet harmony here, not bashing tastebuds over the head and dumping them in a back alley somewhere)
1/4 c plain lowfat or nonfat yogurt
Directions:
1. Heat the milk for the pancakes over the stove or in the microwave. You don’t want it to boil, but you want it hotter than lukewarm (to help the honey dissolve properly; otherwise, you’re going to be whisking for a goodly while and still end up with pockets of honey in your batter. You don’t want that. They’ll burn on your griddle. Not that something like that has ever, uh, happened to me or anything…).
2. Add in the honey; whisk.
3. Add in the rest of the ingredients (flour, etc. or pancake mix; eggs, yogurt, cinnamon). Whisk.
4. Pour batter onto the griddle! The pancakes will likely be a bit thinner than regular, but that’s okay. Slightly crepe-like pancakes aren’t a bad thing. You can stack more of them on your plate, for one, and they double as desserty goodness at a later time, for another.
5. Serve with butter, syrup, and sliced bananas. Or with a cream spread, syrup, and sliced bananas. If you have leftovers, they make a great base for a tower of fruit and whipped cream for dessert!
So, without further ado:
Honey Cinnamon Pancakes
Ingredients:
Your favorite base pancake recipe (mix or from scratch) plus the wet stuff it calls for (For our purposes here, I'm using a recipe that calls for about 2 cups of dry ingredients)
1/4 c honey
1/2 to 3/4 tsp cinnamon (you can go up to 1 tsp cinnamon if you loooove it, but remember that you don’t want to overpower the honey. We're interested in sweet harmony here, not bashing tastebuds over the head and dumping them in a back alley somewhere)
1/4 c plain lowfat or nonfat yogurt
Directions:
1. Heat the milk for the pancakes over the stove or in the microwave. You don’t want it to boil, but you want it hotter than lukewarm (to help the honey dissolve properly; otherwise, you’re going to be whisking for a goodly while and still end up with pockets of honey in your batter. You don’t want that. They’ll burn on your griddle. Not that something like that has ever, uh, happened to me or anything…).
2. Add in the honey; whisk.
3. Add in the rest of the ingredients (flour, etc. or pancake mix; eggs, yogurt, cinnamon). Whisk.
4. Pour batter onto the griddle! The pancakes will likely be a bit thinner than regular, but that’s okay. Slightly crepe-like pancakes aren’t a bad thing. You can stack more of them on your plate, for one, and they double as desserty goodness at a later time, for another.
5. Serve with butter, syrup, and sliced bananas. Or with a cream spread, syrup, and sliced bananas. If you have leftovers, they make a great base for a tower of fruit and whipped cream for dessert!
Friday, January 2, 2009
Gooey, Chocolatey Goodness
So my Christmas desserts were a whole lot of FAIL with some NOT A SUCCESS sprinkled on top, right? (I used a new recipe for the most delicious-looking torte, and it turned out to be absolutely disgusting. I mean, seriously - it was awful.) And I have a reputation to think about, so New Year's was my chance to redeem myself. And boy, did I.
I used the recipe below. I've added in a few of my notes and observations, mostly because I think I'd like to do things a bit differently the next time I make these. They were good, but I think they can be even better, you know?
Hot Fudge Chocolate Cakes
From the December 2008 issue of Cooking Light
Ingredients:
3/4 c flour
2/3 c unsweetened cocoa
5 tsp instant espresso powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c unsalted butter, softened
2/3 c granulated sugar
2/3 c brown sugar, packed
1 c egg substitute (or 4 eggs, if you prefer)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2.6 oz of dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa), finely chopped (note: I'd actually use coarsely chopped chocolate next time; it'd make the pockets of dark, gooey, melty YUM even better)
2 Tbs powdered sugar
Directions:
1. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into measuring cups; level with a knife. Sift together flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt. Or, you know, just throw them all in a bowl together. GENTLY. Which is what I did. Because I don't hold with that sifting crap unless it's for a really good reason. These aren't a fancy cake or anything, so sifting can go suck it.
2. Place the butter in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed 1 minute. (As we all know, I don't use a mixer most of the time. This was no exception. Mixing by hand was fine; it just took a couple minutes longer.) Add sugars, beating until well blended (about 5 mins). Add egg substitute and vanilla, beating until well blended. Fold flour mixture into egg mixture; fold in chocolate. Divide batter evenky among 10 4-ounce ramekins; arrange on a jelly-roll pan. (I used 8 ramekins, and everything turned out juuuust fine.) Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or up to 4 days.
3. Preheat oven to 350*F.
4. Let ramekins stand at room temp. for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake at 350* for 21 minutes or until cakes are puffy and slightly crusty in top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar; serve immediately. Makes 10 servings. Note: You can bake these for 3 minutes less for even more deliciously gooey cakes - and then serve them with ice cream or whipped cream on top.
I used the recipe below. I've added in a few of my notes and observations, mostly because I think I'd like to do things a bit differently the next time I make these. They were good, but I think they can be even better, you know?
Hot Fudge Chocolate Cakes
From the December 2008 issue of Cooking Light
Ingredients:
3/4 c flour
2/3 c unsweetened cocoa
5 tsp instant espresso powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c unsalted butter, softened
2/3 c granulated sugar
2/3 c brown sugar, packed
1 c egg substitute (or 4 eggs, if you prefer)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2.6 oz of dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa), finely chopped (note: I'd actually use coarsely chopped chocolate next time; it'd make the pockets of dark, gooey, melty YUM even better)
2 Tbs powdered sugar
Directions:
1. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into measuring cups; level with a knife. Sift together flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt. Or, you know, just throw them all in a bowl together. GENTLY. Which is what I did. Because I don't hold with that sifting crap unless it's for a really good reason. These aren't a fancy cake or anything, so sifting can go suck it.
2. Place the butter in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed 1 minute. (As we all know, I don't use a mixer most of the time. This was no exception. Mixing by hand was fine; it just took a couple minutes longer.) Add sugars, beating until well blended (about 5 mins). Add egg substitute and vanilla, beating until well blended. Fold flour mixture into egg mixture; fold in chocolate. Divide batter evenky among 10 4-ounce ramekins; arrange on a jelly-roll pan. (I used 8 ramekins, and everything turned out juuuust fine.) Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or up to 4 days.
3. Preheat oven to 350*F.
4. Let ramekins stand at room temp. for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake at 350* for 21 minutes or until cakes are puffy and slightly crusty in top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar; serve immediately. Makes 10 servings. Note: You can bake these for 3 minutes less for even more deliciously gooey cakes - and then serve them with ice cream or whipped cream on top.
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