Not exactly food...

July 29, 2005

...but I am totally addicted to the new Orbit flavor Citrus Mint. It is reminiscent of orange flavored Tic Tacs, but with just a hint of mint. I love it and have been chewing it all day, every day and passing it out to unsuspecting coworkers, friends and strangers on the street. That's right, I'm an Orbit Citrus Mint pusher!

Vote for John and Jones Soda

July 28, 2005

John Justin Laseman
Is That Your Final Answer?
2005
Digital

My friend John who is an amazing photographer (you can see more of his stuff here on Flickr) has submitted a photo to be considered for a Jones Soda Label. How cool would that be? You can vote for him here. Do it.

Quiz Time

July 23, 2005

What do you really think?

With the rise of the celebrity chef, this country has also experienced a parallel phenomenon: the rise of the vanity chef--professional cooks whose cookbooks are populated with more pictures of themselves than food. Examples include Jamie Oliver, Giada di Laurentis, Tyler Florence and many, many others. All of these people are attractive, good cooks and photogenic. But does that mean it should be them cover to cover? I will confess that when it comes to cookbooks, I feel the less photos the better. Amazing, professionial illustrations simply ready the reader for disappointed, because most are unable to recreate the color, arrangement and plating accomplished by food stylists. My preference is cookbooks containing prose and recipes. I want to know where the recipe came from, what inspired it and tips on how to prepare it. I'm not particulary interested in page after page of photographs of the author preparing the food.

Which brings us to Crave: The Feast of Five Senses. I came across this book searching on-line at the library and thought the title was intriguing. It's a large book, with a surley man on the cover offering everyone a bite of luscious fruit. I instantly wondered who the man was and if he was actually the author or simple a model hired to sell cookbooks. As I began to flip through the pages, it became evident that it was not only the author, Ludo Lefebvre (French, yet cooking in California where he indulges in his other passions: surfing and taking long walks on the beach with his girlfirend Krissy who's name is tattoed in the heart on his chest. Sorry ladies, this one is taken), but that he believes he is as physically interesting as he is gastronomically. And then I came across the photo at the top and realized that his true aspiration was not that of chef or surfer: he wants to be a centerfold. Obviously.

After perusing the book, I found the recipes and food inside to be rather flat. Not something I would ever cook from, it was a quick read that really wasn't that interesting, nor did it fulfill the tantalizing title of Crave: The Feast of Five Senses. There were however, twenty-nine photographs of the chef not including the ones on the cover and inside flap. I just have to say that if your photo is on the cover of your book, it isn't necessary to include a photo on the authors page on the inside back cover. Really. I hope this is the zenith of the vanity chef and we can all return to our unadorned copies of Joy of Cooking, Gourmet Cookbook and Fanny Farmer--honest texts without all of the ham. But, if you have enjoyed my little teaser and developed a crush on little Ludo, then by all means buy the book.

I bet you'll keep it on your nightstand instead of in the kitchen.

Crave: The Feast of Five Senses
Ludo Lefebvre
Regan Books, 2005
$32.96 at ecookbooks.com

Mangez?

7.28.05 Editors Note
I'm not the only one blogging about this phenomenon:
AN OPEN LETTER TO LUDO LEFEBVRE on la.foodblogging

One Million Chocolate Cakes

July 23, 2005

There are at least one million chocolate cake recipes out there in the big wide world, and I hope that in my life I get to sample all of them. My mother makes a mean Texas sheet cake that we call Mrs. Buchanan's (BUCK-anan's) Chocolate Cake after the woman who gave the recipe to my grandmother. I've made chocolate Bundt cakes, chocolate cheese cakes, and a variety of chocolate layer cakes. But this cake recipe, THIS CAKE, from Everyday Food is absolutely wonderful, not to mention versatile. I've baked it as a layer cake, cupcakes, a Bundt cake and today, mini-cupcakes. Each iteration as delicious as the last. Try it for yourself, it's moist and dense, yet light and delicious. You can top it with a chocolate glaze, cream cheese frosting, vanilla ice cream or simply lightly-sweetened whipped cream. This cake is the stuff that dreams are made of...

Recipe: Everyday Chocolate Cake
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Butter the baking dish of your choosing. (See below.)

In a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flower, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla and beat to combine. With mixer on low, add half of flour mixture, then sour cream, and finally rest of flour mixture. Spread batter in pan and tap to remove bubbles.

Bake all until toothpick comes out clean according to following times for pans:

For an 8-inch round pan: bake for 30-35 minutes and cool 10 minuts before removing.
For regular size cupcakes: divide between a twelve-cup muffin tin lined with paper liners, 20-25 minutes, cool for 10 minutes before removing.
For mini-muffin tins: fill mini tins with 3/4 full. bake 12-13 minutes. makes approximately 36.
For Bundt cake: double recipe and bake for 50-60 minutes.

Top with:

Chocolate glaze
4 oz. chopped semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream

Heat cream in sauce pan until steaming, pour over chocolate then whisk to combine. Pour over 8-inch round cake and smooth sides or drizzle onto Bundt cake.

Easy white icing:
1 1/2 sticks softened butter
1 lb. box confectioners' (powdered) sugar

Combine in bowl and beat until smooth and creamy. Add 1 to 2 tbsp. milk if too thick.

Mangez!

Green Chile Bites

July 14, 2005

Lorena threw a party for our friend Zuzana parents and aunt who were visiting from the Czech Republic. She decided to do 'build your own burritos' with margaritas and beer. I volunteered to bring a starter and was trying to find a recipe for arepas or sopes, but couldn't locate one that seemed logical to me. I was getting a little frustrated, but then a bulb went off and I created this variation on an appetizer I had made for our holiday party which uses polenta--basically coarse masa, right? It turned out pretty well and is very simple, other than stirring the polenta and trying to avoid getting burned by the bubbling, hot porridge.

Recipe: Chile-Cheese Bites
9 cups water
2 tsp. salt
3 cups polenta
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. butter
2 7 oz.-cans chopped green chiles
7 oz. crumbled feta cheese
Sliced black olive
Cherry tomatoes
Tabasco
Freshly ground black pepper

Line a 9x13 pan with foil and thinly coat with vegetable oil. Heat water until boiling, add salt and stir in polenta. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to stir frequently for 20-25 minutes, or until the polenta is thick. Remove from heat, stir in butter until melted, then add green chiles, freshly ground black pepper, a couple of dashes Tabasco and feta cheese, stirring to combine. Pour mixture into prepared pan and let cool completely. Once cool, you can store in the fridge overnight, but let the polenta come to room temperature before you serve.

Remove from pan and cut into cubes (large or small, or both). Thread toothpicks with olives and tomatoes before topping the cubes.

Mangez!

Philippine Grill

July 4, 2005

Last Friday night, we ventured to far west Wichita to visit the Philippine Grille--a restaurant that my friend Teresa, who works at the Ulrich Museum of Art at WSU, recommended. Located in a little strip mall, the space was decorated with a odd mix of tchotchkes and Philippine-inspired objet d'art--kitschy and fun! The woman working told us that the owners were busy with a family anniversary and that the on Saturday there was going to be a giant, fancy gathering of all of the Filipinos in Wichita.

She was very disappointed that Lorena hadn't come in the day before, because now it was just too late to get a ticket. That didn't stop her from asking Lorena one million and one questions, beginning with "Are you married?" As soon as Lorena said, "No," (I told her later the correct response would have been to put her hand on mine and say "We've been talking about it." But, she missed her chance.) you could begin to see the woman's mind work as she lined up the list of eligible Filipino bachelors needing a woman to iron his clothes, clean his house and fix his food. Not our girl! But our new friend was very chatty and set us up with a wonderful meal. We'd brought our own wine which flowed along with the conversation. Lorena ordered an appetizer of Filipino eggrolls--a meaty, tightly-rolled version that was sliced into little bites which looked very good.

For dinner, I had the fresh lumpia, which is basically a very thin omelet (crepe like) wrapped around an array of vegetable and topped with a brown sauce and nuts. Lorena had described Filipino food as a cross between Chinese and Spanish, and this dish seemed to illustrate the fact beautifully. It was delicious and I was hesitant to share, but I did pass tastes to my tablemates so that I could try what Katie and Mitchell ordered: a tofu and vegetable dish and a noodle dish respectively. Both were excellent and there was lots of rice to go around. Lorena had a huge bowl of soup that she said was flavored with tamarind--it looked very good and I would have been tempted if it wasn't for the giant pieces of pork floating in it! The flavor sounded very interesting and I'd like to find a recipe (L. said there is a packaged one available) and try it at home.

For dessert...oh for dessert! We ordered flan, friend banana rolls with ice cream, and halo halo (which means mix mix in Tagalog). Everything was delicious, but the halo halo was new and exotic, a mixture of fruit and sweet beans, topped with condensed milk and shaved ice. I could see how it would be very refreshing in the hot and humid climes of the Philippines.

Fried Banana Eggrolls a la Phillipine Grill

The service was delightful, if not a little slow, but everyone was very accommodating and friendly. We were basically the only people there until the very end when the family of the owners began to show up for a pre-party event. We snuck out with a bill that was only $36 for four entrees and three desserts--very reasonable. I would recommend the Philippine Grille to anyone.

Philippine Grille, Restaurant & Catering
9125 W Central Avenue
Wichita, KS 67212-3807
Phone: (316) 773-4838
Fax: (316) 773-4836

Mangez!

Good Day, Sorbet

July 2, 2005

I was looking over some old posts and realized that I'd mentioned chocolate sorbet at least twice, yet failed to ever share the recipe with you. Everyone knows that I love making ice cream, but what I truly love are recipes that are simple (i.e. don't involve making a custard), but taste like a million bucks. The coconut ice cream recipe I wrote about fits that bill--just three ingredients--and this chocolate sorbet is almost as easy. The best thing about it is that it is fat free and still manages to be completely satisfying--so rich and delicious, you won't miss the heaving whipping cream--or even want a very large portion. While everyone will enjoy this, it's a great trick to have under your belt if you're ever entertaining vegans.

If you want to go all out, top the sorbet with toasted almond or pecans.

Recipe: Chocolate Sorbet
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups cocoa (Quality is important here, Hershey's cocoa will of course taste just fine, but a special cocoa will make your sorbet unforgettable. I like Penzey's natural process--it has an aroma and flavor that sets it apart from supermarket brands--but really isn't expensive.)
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I like you use 70% cocoa)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a heave saucepan, combine the water, sugar and cocoa powder. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring or whisking until the sugar is dissolved and the cocoa powder is combined. Continue to heat until it begins to steam. Remove from stove, add chocolate and stir until it melts. Add vanilla, then cool to room temperature before chilling overnight in the fridge. Process in an ice cream maker according the directions.

Mangez!

Puffy Quiches

June 20, 2005

I think one of the most challenging aspects of cooking is what to do with leftovers. We've all been faced with that giant mound of something from cooking the night before--a daunting task, to be sure. But, if you use your imagination and cooking skills, I think you'll begin to truly relish the idea of making something new and different out of yesterday's fare. Just about anything can be converted into a salad or soup, and lots of leftovers make perfect sandwiches. Sometimes, the leftovers are better in their reincarnated form than they were originally.

Last weekend I returned to the farmer's market and was thrilled to find all kinds of great veggies that hadn't been there the week before: broccoli, tiny new potatoes, baby zucchini and orange tomatoes. I made what was described as a "crustless quiche" (I believe that's called a frittata?) in a cooking magazine with the broccoli and it was so amazing: sweet, tender and delicious. Last night, I took a couple of leftover pieces and thought, "Hmmm. What should you be tonight?" I decided to add the crust back to the dish by wrapping it in puff pastry and baking it in the oven--served with a tomato salad it was a crispy, savory mid-week meal.

Recipe: "Crustless" Broccoli Quiche

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion (yellow or white) thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. broccoli, cut into florets
12 eggs (or 6 eggs and Eggbeaters to equal 6 more--if you're being good)
2 cups low-fat milk
2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp. brown mustard
1 tsp. salt
Freshly ground pepper
3-4 tbsp. grated Parmesan

Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

Heat the oil in a skillet on medium-high and add the garlic. When it starts to sizzle, add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook until it is bright green and is crisp tender, another 5 minutes, then place the mixture in a 9x13 pan that has been lightly oiled.

Meanwhile, place the egg (and egg substitute if using) in a big yellow bowl and whisk until well blended. Add the milk and whisk again until combined. Add the Swiss cheese, parsley, brown mustard, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Pour over the broccoli mixture and top with the Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the quiche is puffed and begins to turn a light, golden brown. Let sit for 5 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.

Serves 10-12, depending on how big you cut the squares.

Recipe: Crustified Broccoli Quiche

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed at room temperature for 30-40 minutes
2 piece Crustless Broccoli Quiche
Parmesan cheese grated
1 egg

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Roll out puff pastry until it is 1/8-inch thick. Cut down the middle so that you have two long pieces of pastry. Sprinkle the middle of one with 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese and top with one piece of the quiche. Fold the pastry over and trip excess, using a fork to crimp the sides. Repeat with second piece of quiche and pastry. Beat egg with a fork and brush the top of the pastry.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Cool slightly, then enjoy.

Mangez!

Poll #1

June 19, 2005

Soup & Salad

June 16, 2005

Gazpacho & Salad w/Creamy Chipotle Dressing

Summer is here and you know what that means--TOMATOES! Visiting the farmers market a couple of weeks ago, I was thrilled that someone got a headstart with greenhouses or something and already had huge, beautiful tomatoes. I bought some for the Memorial Day party, but they were just diced and used on tacos. Last week, I purchased a few more, started cutting them up and realized they were far to delicious and that we had foolishly wasted them the previous week as garnish. I decided to do something spectacular, yet simple: gazpacho! I looked high and low, but couldn't find my favorite recipe anywhere, so I consulted a few other recipes and came up with something I'll call my own. There are two additions that give it a twist: a diced green tomato and capers--both adding the 'zing' factor that makes a great gazpacho in my book. (if you can't find green tomatoes, I suggest a substitution of three or four medium-sized tomatillos) Someone, who will go uncredited, said that gazpacho "is kind of just watered down salsa." While that is probably overstating the matter just a bit, it is a soup that requires fresh, delicious ingredients and a lot of chopping--much like salsa--but the results are very different.

Recipe: Brian's Gazpacho

In a big yellow bowl, combine the following:

6 large tomatoes-cored, seeded and pretty chopped up (I use the ol' Cuisinart)
1 large cucumber-peeled, seeded and finely diced (I use a long, English)
2-3 large roasted bell peppers (from a jar), chopped
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 green tomato, cored, seeded and chopped up
1/4 cup capers, rinsed and chopped a little

add:
4 cloves roasted garlic, minced
2 cloves raw garlic, minced
3-4 tbsp. vinegar (red wine, champagne, sherry--your choice)
2 tbsp. olive oil
juice of one lime
3 cups tomato juice
few dashes of Tabasco
salt and pepper to taste

Stir and combine, then put in the fridge and let chill for a couple of hours or over night. You can garnish with avocado or cilantro, if you desire.

What is the perfect accompaniment to cool and refreshing cold soup? In my humble opinion, its a spicy, creamy dressing on a variety of greens. I like to serve this on baby romaine and a little iceberg lettuce for some crunch--topped with a sprinkling of tamari roasted pumpkin seeds, but even sunflower seeds (pictured), pistachios or almonds would are good. This makes enough for a crowd or to keep in your refrigerator for a few days and enjoy. (Omit the water and you have a thicker version that is excellent as a dip with crudités.)

Recipe: Creamy Chipotle Salad Dressing

In a food processor, combine:
1 cup mayonnaisee (I use Helman's light)
1 cup sour cream (low fat or light is fine)
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 tablespoonss of water (depending in the thickness you would like)
1-2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (how hot do you like it?)

Process until chiles are chopped and everything is combined. The dressing will be a lovely, light pink.

Mangez!

Secret Restaurant

June 13, 2005

An article from the New York Times last month discusses the phenomenon of secret restaurants around the world. These are places operated under the radar of reviews, health departments and publicity. You basically have to know someone to get in.

Would you believe there is even a secret restaurant in Wichita? Friends at work have gone and I'm excited to try it myself--just have to make some arrangements.

Know of any secret restaurants in your areas?

A Single Scoop

June 5, 2005

Once it warms up, I love to make ice cream and sorbet with my Cuisinart Ice Cream maker. It is so very simple and delicious--not to mention fun to serve. Some of my favorites are chocolate sorbet, peanut butter ice cream with fudge ripple and cream cheese ice cream served with some sort of fruity sauce. By my absolute favorite? The one that is addictive beyond all others? Coconut ice cream....just typing it makes my mouth water.

When it comes to coconut, I am divided. In general, I don't care for it at all. My grandmother always made a coconut cake in the spring and I remember at least one birthday cake covered in the white flakey stuff. It isn't so much the taste I detest, as the texture I can't abide--those chewy nibs in cookies, frosting and other desserts. But I do like coconut milk in savory dishes like curries and other Asian concoctions. And in ice cream...

I think this recipe came from Martha Stewart Living, but I can't remember as it is so simple I don't even have to look at it any longer. It makes a perfect ending to an Asian or Latin-themed meal. I like to serve it with fortune cookies (for Asian meals) and Goya brand dulche de leche wafers, as seen here. (I can't tell you how good these cookies are, really. They have several other flavors, but these are truly IT. Find them, you'll eat the entire package. I get mine at Thai Bin, the Asian grocery. Go figure.)

Recipe: Coconut Ice Cream

16 oz. can coconut milk (light is alright, but just Asian style milk, not something like Coco Lopez which you might use for making a cocktail), I like to chill the can in the fridge
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup sugar

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to dissolve the sugar. Chill the mixture until very cold then process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Freeze until firm...

Share it with your friends (they will worship you) or eat the entire bowl yourself!

Mangez!

Cocktails+Hors D'ouevres+Warm Weather = SPRING FORMAL!

May 2, 2005

Barb-a-licious and I somehow got a harebrained scheme to throw a Spring Formal. Basically, the idea was that we would get our friends to dress up and dance by plying them with liquor and wonderful food. It was a bumpy road, filled with unexpected trips and family obligations, but it all worked out in the end.

Several weeks ago, we decided to create our signature cocktail. The first attempt, which was basically straight booze, would have knocked a eight-hundred pound gorilla straight back on its rear. But, we were dedicated and tried and tried until we got it right. Dubbed a Blue Velvet, the drink is wonderful this time of year. Its a little fruity with a slight citrus-y note (and some fizz), which makes it the perfect spring drink. Everyone loved it...and we were glad to have stuck out the mixing and tasting through three versions, knowing that our research and perseverance would pay off with the creation of a new classic.

Barb shakes up and serves the Velvet...

Recipe: Blue Velvet
1/2 cup blueberries
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup raspberry liquor
1 cup vodka
generous wedge of lime
splash of soda

Combine the blueberries and sugar in a sauce pan with 1 tbsp. of water. Simmer until the berries pop and you have a nice syrup. Chill until cool, then puree until as smooth as possible. Add raspberry liquor and vodka, stir. Fill a couple of glasses with ice, add blueberry/liquor mixture until 3/4 full, top with club soda and lime. ENJOY! (Yes, they're more purple than blue, but why quibble?) This recipe makes 4-6 drinks, depending on your glasses, but can easily be doubled for a crowd.

The menu was a little more tricky, but almost as much fun. Barb and I poured over cookbook after cookbook, trying to find the right combination of appetizers for a fun party. We eventually settled on these nine, plus cheese sesame sticks and nuts to round off the fare.

Kabobs, onion soufle, cheese and garlic jelly

Food:
Hot Onion Souffle, which is served with crackers
Pesto Crudite Kabobs
Eggplant-Coriander mix on toast points
Caviart with sour cream on Buckwheat Pancakes
Apricot Thrones
Fried Potato Cutlets
Vegetarian Ceviche
Savory Rosemary-Parmesan Madeleines
Herbed Chevre Balls

Sweets were:
Dulche de Leche Fondue
Mocha Marscapone Cheese Spread
Assorted dippers

Mixed nuts and cheese flavored sesame sticks, of course.

The day before, Barb made the madelienes, which were good, but only made seven total. Whoops! The recipe called for MINI madelieine pans. While I do have an array of useless cookware and baking accessories, that is not one of them.

On Saturday, we had a major list of thing to accomplish in addition to trying to get everything made AND the place situated AND changed into our clothes AND the table set AND....well you get the picture. Everything was going pretty well, but time was of the essence and by mid-afternoon we were feeling a little panick-y. One of the last things to make were the potato cutlets. The recipe sounded good (basically seasoned mashed potatoes, dredged in breadcrumbs and fried. YUM!), but had numerous problems, the first one being that our potatoes ended up super pasty. Remember that Elmer's glue in the jar from when you were a kid? That's it. We tried to add some flour to pull them together and fried up a couple of samples, but blech, not good at all. "We can save them," we yelled to one another, "for we are cooking masters!!" I pitched the idea of lining a pie plate with the panko we were dredging them in and Barb suggested mixing in some cheese and a little eggs, both agreeing to bake for a bit and then slice into wedges. It seemed like a save, and we prematurely dubbed it Miracle potato Pie, but when we cut it and sampled it. Blech, double blech. The texture was horrible and the taste nothing to write home about. We served it anyway, but after a few of the Blue Velvets, I'm sure no one complained about our potatoes. Other than the potato fiasco, everything turned out quite good.

The ceviche was something I actually made once before, for Patricia's shower, but used a slightly different recipe. I kept reading about all of these wonderful ceviche recipes, especially in Calvin Trillin's latest book Feeding a Yen: Savoring Local Specialties from Kansas City to Cuzco, and I finally decided to try one of my own. Even before becoming a vegetarian I never cared for fish or seafood, but I thought that firm tofu would be a perfect stand-in for the fish that is conventionally used in ceviche. We served this on a long, black platter in little silver Chinese spoons--just one small spicy, juicy bite. (Also, thinly sliced kumquats are a nice addition if they are in season.)

Recipe: My Ceviche
1 lb. firm tofu, pressed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup ketchup
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4 tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 large garlic cloves, minced (two big scoops from the minced jar at my house)
1 small jalepeno chilled, cored and seeded, finely diced
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
large pinch of cumin
small pinch ground cinnamon
small pinch of ground cloves
dash of Tabasco
1 medium red onion in small, thin slices (or finely diced, your pleasure)
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
2 tbsp. virgin olive oil

Place the tofu in a large bowl, add onion, tomato and cilantro. In a smaller bowl, combine ketchup and through Tabasco. Whisk together, then pour over tofu mixture, folding gently until mixed well. Add salt to taste, then chill for several hours. Serve in little spoons, endive spears, or small glasses with a celery garnish.

We even made a little backdrop in front of Barb's garage, with a baby blue piece of fabric and silver stars. (The stars are still there, denoting Barb's space.)

Barb snapping James and Julie.

Molly and Jamie say cheese.

And dancing, there was lots and lots of dancing. Mitchell made a series of great mix cds.

DJ Jazzy Hurricane

Dancing (note the disco ball borrowed from Anna)

Zuzana and the gang wiggle it.

The hosts shake it...

Next time we throw a party, you'll know better than to even think about missing it.

Mangez!

Super-Chocolate Stars and Milk

March 27, 2005

Super-Chocolate Stars and Milk
Originally uploaded by kitchenknife.

You deserve it: Super-Chocolate Stars

March 27, 2005

Every year at work, sometime during the week after Easter, we have a Chocolate Festival. My friend Alyson and I started it several years ago when we were working together and had both given up chocolate for Lent. The festival was a compelling reward and has become a tradition at the Museum. (Except for one year when a grumpy employee complained that we were creating a religious event at work. It's about CHOCOLATE! Who could complain about that?) How does it work? Everyone brings something chocolate. At an appointed time, we get together and pig out. Simple.

This year, I gave up all sweets for Lent--in an effort to prove unbearably intense willpower, I suppose. I'll admit that it was hard, but we've had a fun time creating non-sweet endings to meals with fruit and cheese. Today though, I was very happy to have some chocolate (Actually, last night at 12:01 a.m., I was very happy to have some chocolate and started with some bittersweet Lindt that my friend Susan had sent me, chocolate covered graham crackers and chocolate covered hazelnut wafers.) and wanted to make something special for the festival. After consider several options, I created this recipe for Super-Chocolate Stars.

I started with crisp, chocolatey roll-out cookies. I then made sandwiches with a chocolate-hazlenut filling. As if that wasn't enough, I dipped the sandwiches in bittersweet chocolate. Over the top? Of course. Although not difficult, it does have multiple steps, but I'm sure you're find the effort worth your while. One taster described the cookies as "the bomb."

Recipe: Super-Chocolate Stars

Chocolate Cut-out Cookies:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 tbsp. corn starch
1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp) unsalted butter
1 1/4 sifted powdered sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and cornstarch. Stir with a whisk to mix and aerate.

2. In another bowl, beat together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix to combine.

3. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in small batches until combined. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic and chill for an hour.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

5. On wax paper, roll out both portions of dough to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness. (Mom got me this great rolling pin for X-mas, which makes rolling out dough evenly a total snap.) Place the sheets of dough in the freezer for 15 minutes. (This is the secret to crisp-edge cookies that are easy to get onto the cookie sheet.)

6. Remove one sheet from the freezer and cut into small shapes. I used stars, but any shape about one inch in diameter would work. Bake about 8 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough and scraps until all is used.

Chocolate Hazlenut Filling:
1/2 cup chocolate-hazlenut spread (like Nutella)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
4-6 tbsp. milk

In a large bowl, with a handmixer on low, combine the chocolate-hazlenut spread with vanilla and sugar. Add about four tablespoons of milk and continue to mix, adding milk until you reach a spreadable consistancy. Resist the urge to eat the mixture directly from the bowl until after the cookies are assembled.

Males about 1 1/2 cups of filling. Easily doubled. Or tripled.

To assemble:
Place the filling in a pastry bag and cut the tip to a small size. Fill one cookie and top with a second cookie. Repeat until all cookies are filled. Place the cookies on a plate and chill in the refrigerator until they are set, about one hour.

Melt 1 lb. of bittersweet chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler. I have a thrift-store fine from the 70s, an electric fondue pot, which is perfect for melting chocolate, so that's what I use. Drop one cookie in the chocolate, turn with a fork to make sure it is completely coated, lift out with the fork and the let extra chocolate drip off. Place on a wax paper on a cookie sheet. After all are dipped, place in the refrigerator to chill. Share with your friends, or eat them all yourself.

Mangez!