Salted Caramel Brownies

So about those brownies I mentioned on Monday....  They were awesome.

Last August (like 2011!) I mentioned in a post that I had been attempting various homemade brownie recipes without success.  I was/am shocked by just how difficult making a pan of chocolately chewy and moist brownies can be!  Luckily this recipe makes it much much easier.

Apparently Ina Garten is putting out a new cookbook (yay!) and this is a recipe from it.  On the basis of these brownies alone, I'm thinking I need a new cookbook. :)  The book is called  Foolproof and it is out October 30.  (No one paid me to promote this...in fact if anyone wants to send me this book feel free!)

Brownies are just one of those irresistible type of desserts.  Dense moist chocolate.  Gooey when warm.  Yum.  These are all that plus caramel and sea salt, gah!  I love the combination of salt and sugar....so so good.

image source

Salted Caramel Brownies, from Ina Garten's Foolproof
1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter
14 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
3 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 extra-large eggs (or 4 large)
1 1/2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5-6 oz caramel sauce
2-3 teaspoons flaked sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Butter and flour a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

In a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt the butter, 8 oz of the chips and the unsweetened chocolate.  Once melted and combined, remove the glass bowl from the heat and allow it to cool for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl stir together the eggs, coffee, sugar and vanilla.  Once the chocolate has cooled 15 minutes, stir that in as well.  Let stand an additional 15 minutes to bring to room temperature.

Meanwhile in a small bowl mix together the 1/2 cup of flour, baking powder and kosher salt.  Mix this into the room temperature chocolate mixture.  Now put the remaining flour into the small bowl with the remaining chips and toss to coat.  Stir the chips into the batter.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Once the brownies are out of the oven, pour over the caramel sauce and sprinkle on the salt.  (If your sauce is hard to pour heat it in the microwave for a few seconds) Cool completely and Enjoy!

Homemade Truffles are so Easy!

Tis the season of cookies and sweets right?  No worrying about extra calories, that is for January.  Since we have family coming this weekend I've been trying to make sure we'll have plenty of sugary treats for our guests.  I was super excited to try my hand at some homemade truffles the other day and even MORE excited by how easy they were and how great they turned out.

These truffles have a great rich dark chocolate flavor due to the combo of bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolates. The Grand Marnier! and coffee lend a depth of flavor to them as well even though I swear you can't truly distinguish that they are in there if you don't know.  (I'm not a big fan of "flavored" chocolates).   On top of being easy to prepare, these last in the refrigerator for "weeks", so you can make them ahead of time...something that is much harder to do with cookies.  (But I'll have some thoughts on that in another post.)

Chocolate Truffles, adapted from Ina Garten
1/2 pound good bittersweet chocolate
1/2 pound good semisweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange flavored liqueur
1 tablespoon prepared coffee
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
various toppings (sprinkles, coconut, crushed nuts, cocoa powder, confectioners sugar, etc.)

First chop your chocolate into small pieces (if you didn't buy chips or pieces already), and heat the cream in a small pot until just boiling.

When the cream begins to boil, turn off the heat and let it set for about 20 seconds then pour it over the chocolate and whisk the two together until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

Whisk in the remaining ingredients (but not the toppings, duh.) and then set the bowl aside to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Once the chocolate is cooled and set, use a small ice cream scoop or a teaspoon to drop out rounded blobs of chocolate onto a parchment-paper-lined tray.  Don't worry about making them perfectly round because you are going to shape them further later.

Now put the tray into the refrigerator to cool for at least an hour. Rescue your child from a Lego box which is much to small for them to sit in, but only if necessary.

Once the chocolates are chilled all you need to do to finish them off is to roll them into a more round ball shape between your hands and then roll them around in your topping/s of choice.  I rolled some in sweetened coconut flakes, some in Christmas-y sprinkles and some in cocoa powder.   Store them in a tin lined with parchment paper or a glass bowl, covered, in the refrigerator.  Take them out just a few minutes before serving and enjoy!

Sausage and Apple Stuffing

Stuffing?  I know, I know...I'm a little late to the Thanksgiving party, huh?  Well, as I said, we didn't cook Thanksgiving this year since we were invited to a lovely get-together with friends instead.  Still, Mr. Pears was feeling a little deprived of cooking the annual turkey so we bought one and had a little Thanksgiving of our own here this past weekend.

We didn't do much, just cooked a 15 lb turkey for the two of us, two toddlers and a couple of fat Chihuahuas.  We also had the aforementioned stuffing and a celery gratin that will not be making the blog.  It wasn't horrible but it wasn't a huge hit either.

We finished it off with some leftover (Tollhouse recipe!) chocolate cookies and a glass of wine.  Delicious.  The turkey turned out great as usual (great job honey!) and we both really loved the stuffing.  I thought I'd share it since some of you may be serving stuffing with your Christmas ham/goose/prime rib. :)

Ina Garten calls this her Sausage and Herb Stuffing but you won't find any herbs on the ingredients list.  It does have Granny Smith apples, and though it is a very hearty stuffing with such large pieces of bread and veggies, it still has a great classic "stuffing" (or dressing!) taste.  StoveTop, step aside.

Sausange and Herb Apple Stuffing, adapted from Ina Garten 
10 cups 1 inch bread cubes (use whatever "good" bread you want!  I used some rye and some french bread)
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)
2 cups medium-diced yellow onion (1 large or two medium onions)
1 cup medium-diced celery (about 3 stalks)
2 Granny Smith apples. cored and cut into large pieces (no need to peel!)
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 lb sausage (without casings)
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup dried cranberries (I left these out because I didn't have any...)

** a note on the bread** If you make bread, or buy artisan breads at the store, don't throw away the ends!  Just toss them in a large freezer bag and freeze them.  When you want to make stuffing or croutons just defrost those leftovers overnight!

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Put the bread cubes on a baking tray and bake them for about 7 minutes and then transfer them to a large bowl.

While the bread is toasting in the oven, melt the butter in a large saute pan and add the onions, celery, and apples.  Saute them with the salt and pepper for about 10 minutes or until everything is nice and soft.  Pour the veggies over the breadcrumbs in the large bowl.

Cook the ground sausage in the saute pan until browned (about ten minutes) and then add that to the bowl as well.  Stir in the chicken stock and then pour the whole thing into a baking dish.  Bake it for 30 minutes at 300 degrees. Enjoy!

Your NEW favorite cake

The Black Walnut cake is a Brown Family tradition.  My grandmother made it for us all the time...and still does when I make it back east for a visit. It was the cake we always requested for birthdays, even the kids!  It was just that good.

Since I don't have Grandma's recipe (she is a dash of this, sprinkle of that kind of cook) I baked up my own version based on Ina Garten's honey vanilla pound cake.  Her cake is pretty darn awesome just the way it is, but the black walnut version?  It's definitely my new favorite.  (Don't tell Grandma)

This cake is so good!  You really need to try it.  Because, really?  Words don't do it justice.  Black Walnuts don't taste like the regular English walnuts most people are used to eating.  They are better.  And in this recipe you use Black Walnut extract and crush your actual black walnuts so you aren't chomping on large hunks of nuts.  This is a great cake for a simple dessert with ice cream and it is also a great breakfast type cake.  Sweet, but not too sweet.  Just delicious.

I think the cat wants some too

Black Walnut Cake, adapted from Ina Garten's honey vanilla pound cake
1/2 cup unsalted butter at cool room temperature (leave it out for about an hour)
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons black walnut extract
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup black walnuts, crushed
for the glaze:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 F.  Grease the bottom of a 9 inch loaf pan with butter and then coat it with flour.

In your mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until it is nice and fluffy.  That will take about 3-4 minutes on medium speed.  Next add the eggs one at a time, incorporating each one before adding the next.  Once they are all incorporated add the extract.  Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl before adding that to the mixer as well, a little at a time, on low speed.  When that is done remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the crushed walnuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake it for about 50-60 minutes.  A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.

Allow it to cool for 15 minutes before turning it out of the pan.  Let it cool completely on a wire rack.  Once cool mix together the lemon juice and powdered sugar and then pour it over the cake in a back and forth pattern across the top.  Serve and enjoy!

Pesto: Messy, Green and Delicious

I have a love/hate relationship with pesto.  The hate part stems from this:

You may not be able to tell but he's not wearing a shirt...and under that bib?  More green stuff.  It's on his arms and legs too.  His brother puts some in his hair for good measure.  BUT!  They love this stuff.  They shovel the little noodles into their mouths as fast as possible.  So I continue to feed it to them, but only on bath night (every other night at Four Pears).  They go straight from the highchair into the tub.  

Now for something I love about pesto?  I love that we have a seemingly endless supply of basil in the back yard. Say hello to the basil bush.  

Just like everything else in this houseshold, there are two of them.  This picture was taken AFTER I cut 3 cups of basil leaves off.  If I didn't trim the basil, I'm pretty sure it would take over the yard.  And its planted in rocks!  Who knew basil loved the hot desert sun so much?  Anyways...yeah, we make pesto almost every week.

We use an Ina Garten recipe (who else?) but substitute pistachios for the pine nuts so we don't bankrupt ourselves.  This sauce is so fresh and delicious!  It freezes well too; just put a thin layer of olive oil over the top of the sauce before storing.  I plan to stock the freezer so we can enjoy some in the winter when the basil bush finally dies...  It will die right?  

Homemade Pesto, adapted from Ina Garten

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

3 tablespoons chopped garlic

5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups olive oil

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Put the pistachios and garlic into the food processor and process for about 30 seconds.  Next add the basil, salt and pepper to the machine.  Using a funnel, or a steady hand! slowly pour in the olive oil while the machine is running.  Continue to run the machine until everything is pureed and incorporated.   Lastly, add the parmesan cheese and process again for a minute or so.  Serve at room temperature or over hot pasta.  And feel free to eat it with your fingers! :)

For Mom

My Mom specially requested a post on this side dish so, even though it is another Ina recipe, here it is!  Confetti Corn!

To be honest I wasn't too excited about trying this recipe out, even though it is found in what could be my favorite cookbook ever.  I don't know...a corn side dish just seemed kind of boring I guess.  In the summer I really like corn grilled right on the cob.  Unfortunately, though, I live in the desert and the corn here can be less than stellar.  This year it seems really bad for some reason.  My corn needed some help this summer and Ina came to the rescue. We served this to my mom when she came to visit and it was a huge hit.  Even I was surprised by how tasty it was! This is a great side dish for just about anything.  Burgers? yes.  Grilled Chicken? yes.  I'm planning on having it again with some steak fajitas (and maybe a margarita) on Saturday.  This dish is light and buttery, and the orange bell pepper and fresh basil really make it a stand out.

Confetti Corn, by Ina Garten and found in Back to Basics
2 Tbsp good olive oil
1/2 c. chopped red onion
1 small orange bell pepper, 1/2 inch diced
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Kernels cut from about 5 ears of corn (4 cups)
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. julienned fresh basil, minced chive, or parsley (I used basil)

Over medium heat, heat the olive oil in a large pan.  Add the onions and saute them for about 5 minutes, then add the bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes more.  Next add the butter to your pan.  Once it has melted, add the corn, salt and pepper.  Cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in your basil or other herbs.  Remove to a large bowl for serving and enjoy!

Cool Summer Gazpacho

I have a confession.  Before making this, I had never eaten gazpacho.  I was missing out!  Lots of my favorite summer things: tomatoes, cucumbers, red bell peppers...and it's a soup!  I love soup.  In the winter Alex and I usually have a soup day once a week.  We make and freeze soups so we have an easy healthy dinner with some nice crusty bread.  But in this 100+ degree weather out here in the desert (and apparently across the country) soup hasn't been on the menu for quite some time.  What a great time to try some cold soup.  (with crusty bread too of course!)

Now, as I said, I'd never had gazpacho before so I turned to my number one most trusted celebrity chef for a recipe.  Ina Garten.  (Sorry Gordon!)  Ina's recipe recommends letting the soup chill and rest for a while before serving so Alex and I knocked this out during nap time.  He chopped the veggies and I (wo)manned the processor.  We were done in a flash.

Gazpacho, adapted from Ina Garten

1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled

2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded

4 plum tomatoes

1 small red onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 c. tomato juice (23 oz)

1/4 c. white wine vinegar

1/2 c. olive oil

1/2  Tbsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Chop all the vegetables into 1 inch pieces.  One type of vegetable at a time,  pulse them in the food processor until coarsely chopped and remove to a large bowl.  Once all the veggies are processed and in the large bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.  Put in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour but longer if possible. This is great the next day!!

We enjoyed the soup immensely with a few little crostini that Alex made from a baguette, some leftover pesto, and some mozzarella cheese.  A great, light, dinner to beat the heat.  (And the scale after scarfing down so much pulled pork and macaroni salad over the weekend!)

Fresh Lemon Mousse

My husband isn't a complainer.  He once broke his toe on the morning of our first day on a trip in New Orleans.  He did not say a single word to me about it and we walked all day around the city.  Not until evening when we got back to the hotel and he took off his shoes did I notice that his entire toe was black.  When I asked him why he hadn't said anything, he said there was nothing we could do about it and he'd be fine.  If this had happened to me you can bet I would have whined all day, hobbled along, and  likely spent most of my day sitting down, probably with a glass of wine to make me feel better ;).

So yeah, he isn't a complainer.  Unless I tried to make him a dish prepared with lemon.  Because he was apparently the only person in the world who loved food but didn't like lemon.  WAS.  Several dishes this past summer have cured him of this and Ina Garten's fresh lemon mousse is one of them.  

This is the perfect summer dessert.  Light and fluffy, creamy and tart....yum!  Perfect for a few sweet bites after a dinner and definitely works for entertaining too.  Make sure to serve it with some homemade whipped cream!  The mild sweet flavor of the whipped cream compliments the tartness of the lemon perfectly.

Fresh Lemon Mousse, adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

3 extra-large whole eggs

3 extra-large eggs, seperated

1 c. plus 2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1/2 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice (4-5 lemons)

kosher salt
1 cup whipping cream

sweetened whipped cream

Whisk together the whole eggs, three egg yolks, 1 cup sugar and the lemon juice and zest in a large heat-proof bowl.  A glass bowl works nicely.  Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water to create a double boiler effect.  Stir egg mixture with a wooden spoon until it thickens to a consistency like pudding.  Ina says this takes her 10-12 minutes but it has always taken me more like 20.  Don't worry if it is taking you a while, you are slowly cooking the eggs and once they cook it will thicken up I promise!  Once it is thickened remove the bowl and set it aside to cool for about 15 minutes.  Then place some plastic wrap directly on the surface of the of the mixture and put the bowl into the refrigerator for at least an hour or until completely chilled.  

Then put half of your remaining egg whites and a pinch of salt into your mixer and beat on high with the whisk attachment.  Add the remaining sugar and beat on high until the egg whites are shiny and form stiff peaks when you lift up the whisk.  Fold the egg whites into the cold lemon mixture until well combined.  Add you cream to the mixer (no need to clean it!) and beat on high until the cream, too, forms stiff peaks.  Fold that into the lemon mixture too.  Pour the whole thing into a souffle dish around 7 inches in diameter and 3 inches deep. I use one a little bigger so I can put a lid on it and keep it in the refrigerator for us to enjoy for a few days. If you are going to serve this at a party, pipe on some whipped cream to decorate.  (Something I need some work on!)   Or if it's just you and your honey... make up the whipped cream in a separate bowl and just put a dollop on each portion.  This way you'll have some left over for tomorrow night....hopefully.

Southern Sunday Sides

Did you happen to notice the other items on the plate with the Smoke Box Ribs? Side dishes are the hidden gems of a meal and they need to be prepared with the same care as the main course. If you are going to spend time making a great meal why would you open a can of green beans to complete the meal? Not to mention canned vegetables have sort of been banned at my house. Two side dishes I have grown to love are grits and greens. My wife loves both, so we have them quite often. Just keeping in touch with her southern roots I guess. Let me start off with the grits.

Grits by themselves, are not my favorite thing to eat. Grits with cheese? Now THAT is something I like. Cheesy grits are not difficult to make, in fact they are really easy. We based these on a recipe by Ina Garten and they are pretty awesome.

Creamy Cheddar Grits, adapted from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten

4 Cups Water
2 tsp kosher salt
1 Cup of Quick Grits
2 Tbsp of Butter
¾ cup whole milk
¾ cup heavy cream
1 ½ cup sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 ear of corn, roasted on the grill
½ cup of green onions, chopped
pepper to taste

Bring the water to boil and add the salt, then slowly pour in the grits while stirring. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grits thicken, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, stir in the milk, butter and cream. Bring the pot back to a simmer then let the grits cook on low for about 30 to 45 minutes stirring occasionally. Once the grits are smooth and creamy remove from heat and add in cheese, corn, green onion and pepper. A note on the corn: we used roasted corn on the cob to give the grits a nice flavor and texture…the original recipe doesn’t include this step so if it is too much trouble for you feel free to skip it. We just threw the corn on the grill with the ribs! These are easily the creamiest grits I’ve ever had and with the crunch from the onions and corn? They are really good, try them.

Boozy Braised Collard Greens

Now "Greens" are a labor of love, they take a while to cook (1 ½ hours!) but once they are done they are just so good. And really, after you get everything in the pot, you are just leaving it to cook on its own. We have done quick greens recipes and the results just never measure up, they really are worth the extra time. Like cheesy grits, greens recipes are going to be similar with just a variation or two. We adapted the Boozy Braised Collard Green recipe from the Neely’s. Down Home with the Neely’s is a great show (on Food Network); they really do seem to get along well with each other and have a good time in the kitchen like my better half and I do. Has anybody ever been to their restaurant? Definitely a place I’d like to try. You can find their recipe here. We replaced the Bourbon with Jack Daniels and used a mixture of Collard and Mustard Greens. I know not everyone is familiar with Greens but they really are amazing cooked like this. I hope you try them!