Bon Appétit: Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars

When I saw these bars in my June issue of Bon Appétit, I knew I had to make them. Who could turn down Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars? Not me. Not anyone I know. Graham cracker crust, caramel cheesecake center, and gooey dulce de leche topping. These bars are going to be part of my regular rotation. My very regular rotation.

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars
From Bon Appétit magazine, June 2010

Crust:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2¼ cups finely ground graham crackers (from about 17 whole graham crackers)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
½ cup purchased dulce de leche
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Glaze:
⅔ cup purchased dulce de leche
3 tablespoons (or more) heavy whipping cream
Fleur de sel

Crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon in medium bowl. Add melted butter; stir until coated. Transfer crumb mixture to pan. Press evenly onto bottom of pan. Bake until crust is light golden, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on rack.

Filling:
Blend cream cheese and sugar in processor until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs one at a time, processing 3 to 5 seconds to blend between additions. Add dulce de leche and vanilla; process until blended, about 10 seconds. Spread batter evenly over cooled crust. Bake until just set in center and edges are puffed and slightly cracked, about 38 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely.

Glaze:
Heat dulce de leche and 3 tablespoons cream in microwave-safe bowl in 10-second intervals until melted. Stir to blend, adding more cream by teaspoonfuls if too thick to pour (amount of cream needed will depend on brand of dulce de leche). Pour glaze over cooled cheesecake; spread evenly. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour (glaze will not be firm). Cut cheesecake lengthwise into 4 strips, then crosswise into 6 strips, forming 24 bars. Sprinkle bars with fleur de sel.

Makes 24 servings

Ad Hoc at Home: Buttermilk Fried Chicken

I have an admission to make... And it might mean my southern cooking license will be taken from me... I have never made fried chicken. Ever. At least until today.

For my birthday I ordered myself a copy of Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home cookbook. My favorite, most drool-worthy picture in the entire book is his fried chicken. It was inspiring. So I made up the brine recipe, soaked the chicken pieces overnight, dipped them in the flour and buttermilk, and spent the next 40 minutes hovering over the oil like an overanxious mother. My conclusion? It's way too hard to keep the oil temperature steady.

Nevertheless, my chicken came out brown and crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. It's quite a bit darker than the picture in the cookbook, but I followed the directions to a "T", I promise! Ah, well. It took me five or six times to get my buttermilk biscuits the way I wanted them, so I have a feeling this is the beginning of a long fried chicken journey. At least it's a delicious one.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken
From Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller

For the brine:
1 gallon water
1 cup kosher salt
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
12 bay leaves
1 head of garlic, halved
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
About ½ ounce (1 large bunch) thyme sprigs
About 2 ounces (1 large bunch) flat-leaf Italian parsley sprigs
5 lemons, halved
Two-2½ pound chickens, each chicken cut up in 8 pieces
10 cups peanut oil

For the coating:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons cayenne
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 quart buttermilk
Kosher salt

For the brine: Combine all the ingredients in a large pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and cool completely before using.

Rinse the chickens and place the chickens in the cold brine and refrigerate overnight or for up to 12 hours. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat the chicken dry, removing any herbs or spices sticking to the skin.

Bring the peanut oil to 340°F. in a 6 quart sauté pan.

Mix the coating ingredients together in a bowl and place the buttermilk in a second container. Just before frying, dip each piece of chicken into the coating, patting off the excess, then into the buttermilk and back into the coating. Place the chicken on a parchment lined sheet tray.

When the oil has reached the proper temperature, carefully lower the pieces of dark meat into the oil. The temperature of the oil will decrease. Adjust the heat as necessary to bring the oil to proper temperature. Fry the dark meat for about 13 minutes, to a deep golden brown, cooked throughout and very crisp. Remove the chicken to a tray lined with paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

Carefully add the white meat to the oil and fry for 6 to 7 minutes until cooked.

Remove to the tray, sprinkle with salt and turn off the heat under the oil. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes to cool slightly. It is very hot when it comes out of the oil.

Cook's Note: Use a 6 quart sauté pan with splatter screen. Be careful. The oil can spurt as the chicken is added and fried, making this a perfect recipe to use a splatter screen. Place a thermometer in the oil to help monitor the proper cooking temperature. It is a good idea to make this brine a day ahead and refrigerate it. Do not add the chicken to warm brine and do not leave the chicken in the brine longer than the specified time or it may become too salty.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Vichyssoise (Cold Leek and Potato Soup)

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I have never had vichyssoise, even though I threw the name around a lot as a kid. I loved the way the name rolled off the tongue. It sounded so foreign, so high-society. But it also seemed much too fancy for my family to eat. Little did I know that it's just leeks and potatoes, and not really all that complicated.  Definitely follow Julia's advice on the salting - the soup needs a little extra to hold up when it's cold.

Vichyssoise (Cold Leek and Potato Soup)
From Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck

3 cups peeled, sliced potatoes
3 cups sliced white of leek
1½ quarts white stock, chicken stock, or canned chicken broth
Salt to taste
½ to 1 cup whipping cream
White pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons minced chives

Either simmer the vegetables, stock or broth, and salt together, partially covered, for 40 to 50 minutes until the vegetables are tender; or cook under 15 pounds pressure for 5 minutes, release pressure, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Puree the soup either in the electric blender, or through a food mill and then through a fine sieve.

Stir in the cream. Season to taste, oversalting very slightly as salt loses its savor in a cold dish. Chill.

Serve in chilled soup cups and decorate with minced chives.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Potage Crème d’Oseille (Cream of Sorrel Soup)

I finally located some sorrel to use in this soup! You would not believe how difficult it is to find sorrel in the modern supermarket. It makes me wonder if it was much more plentiful in Julia's day. As it is, I only managed to find it in the small herb clamshells for $3 an ounce. If I made the whole recipe, needing 3 cups of sorrel, I probably would have spent my entire paycheck.

The soup is very similar to the cream of spinach and cream of watercress soups that I made previously. It's a chicken broth base with added cream, egg yolk, and butter. The sorrel has a pleasant leafy herb smell, with a little spicy note. The finished soup has a slightly sour flavor from the leaves. It's definitely something different.

Potage Crème d’Oseille (Cream of Sorrel Soup)
From Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck

⅓ cup minced green onions, or yellow onions
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 to 4 packed cups fresh sorrel, washed and dried in a towel, cut into chiffonade
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5½ cups boiling white stock or canned chicken broth
2 large egg yolks
½ cup whipping cream
1 to 2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter

Cook the onions slowly in the butter in a covered saucepan for 5 to 10 minutes, until tender and translucent but not browned.  Stir in the sorrel and salt, cover, and cook slowly for about 5 minutes or until the leaves are tender and wilted. Sprinkle in the flour and stir over moderate heat for 3 minutes.  Off heat, beat in the boiling stock. Simmer for 5 minutes.  Correct seasoning.

Blend the yolks and cream in a mixing bowl. Beat a cupful of hot soup into them by driblets. Gradually beat in the rest of the soup in a thin stream. Return soup to saucepan and stir over moderate heat for a minute or two to poach the egg yolks, but do not bring the soup to a simmer. Off heat, stir in the enrichment butter a tablespoon at a time.

Makes 6 servings

Emeril Lagasse: Deep Dish Banana Pudding

For Easter I wanted something rich and creamy, but still a little Spring-y. Because here in Texas, it's Spring already. And in my mind, banana pudding is fresh, but still rich and creamy. And the richest, creamiest pudding I have found belongs to Emeril Legasse. It's a deep dish pudding with plenty of whipped cream and chocolate sauce on top. YUM! Plus I got to use my new trifle dish.

Deep Dish Banana Pudding
Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

1 (12-ounce) package vanilla wafers

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups whole milk

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¾ teaspoon banana extract

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

4 teaspoons dark rum

3 ripe bananas, sliced crosswise

Line the bottom and sides of a 9x9-inch square baking dish with the vanilla wafers. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and flour.  Add the milk, whisk, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, whisking constantly, until thick, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs.  Gradually whisk about ¾ cup of the hot milk into the egg. Return the egg mixture to the saucepan with the hot milk and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until smooth and thick, about 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and add the butter, vanilla, and banana extract.  Whisk until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth.  Transfer to a clean bowl and cool to room temperature.

In a bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks begin to form.  Add the powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks start to form.  Add the rum and whip to incorporate.  Set aside.

Pour half of the pudding over the vanilla wafers, top with the bananas.  Add the remaining pudding, smoothing it over the sliced bananas.  Top with the whipped cream, and smooth with the back of a spoon.  Cover tightly and chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Makes 10 servings

Ina Garten: Beatty's Chocolate Cake

This is the best chocolate cake I have ever made.  Or ever eaten.  And I'm not even exaggerating.  I threw out every other chocolate cake recipe I own.  You can't beat perfection, so why bother to try?  The cake is tender, the chocolate is rich, and the coffee just sits in the background, minding it's own business, and yet making everything else even more fabulous.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake
Adapted from Ina Garten

Butter, for greasing the pans
1¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups granulated sugar
¾ cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
½ cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1¼ cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the powdered sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Soupe de Poisson (Strained Fish Soup)

Tonight I made something a little bit different: a fish soup. This one has been in the planning stages for a couple of weeks now, since I've been trying to locate such fabulous ingredients as 3 pounds of fish heads. I finally realized, after the tenth weird look from someone behind a fish counter, that I was not going to find fish heads at any self-respecting American grocery store.

Anyway, the soup was very...interesting. I'm still undecided. The rouille made it more interesting (and spicy!), but my overall impression is less of fish and more of garlic. And I kept feeling like the soup should have something in it, besides bread and cheese. Maybe a fish head?

Soupe de Poisson (Strained Fish Soup)
From Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck

1 cup minced onions
¾ cup minced leek, or ½ cup more onions
½ cup olive oil
4 cloves mashed garlic
1 pound ripe, red tomatoes roughly chopped, or 1½ cups drained canned tomatoes, or ¼ cup tomato paste
2½ quarts water
6 parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon dried thyme or basil
⅛ teaspoon dried fennel
2 big pinches saffron
A 2-inch piece or ½ teaspoon dried orange peel
⅛ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon salt (none if clam juice is used)
3 to 4 pounds lean fish, fish heads, bones, and trimmings, shellfish remains or frozen fish (cod, sea bass, flounder, grouper, haddock, etc); or 1 quart clam juice, 1½ quarts of water, and no salt
½ cup to ⅔ cup spaghetti or vermicelli broken into 2-inch pieces
Rounds of hard-toasted French bread
1 to 2 cups grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese and rouille

In a large pot, cook the onions and leeks slowly in olive oil for 5 minutes or until almost tender but not browned.  Stir in the garlic and tomatoes.  Raise heat to moderate and cook 5 minutes more.

Add the water, herbs, seasonings, and fish to the pot and cook uncovered at a moderate boil for 30 to 40 minutes.  Strain the soup into a 3-quart saucepan, pressing juices out of ingredients.  Correct seasoning, adding a bit more saffron if you feel it necessary.  Stir in the pasta and boil for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender.  Correct seasoning again.

Pour the soup into a tureen or soup plates over the bread rounds, and pass the cheese and rouille separately.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Rouille (Garlic, Pimiento, and Chili Pepper Sauce)
¼ cup chopped red bell pepper simmered for several minutes in salted water and drained, or canned pimiento
A small chili pepper boiled until tender, or drops of Tabasco sauce
1 medium potato cooked in the soup
4 cloves mashed garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil, thyme, or savory
4 to 6 tablespoons fruity olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons hot soup

Pound first five ingredients in a bowl or mortar for several minutes to form a very smooth, sticky paste.  Drop by drop, pound or beat in the olive oil as for making a mayonnaise.  Season to taste.  Just before serving, beat in the hot soup by driblets.  Pour into a sauceboat.

Makes 1 cup

Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Aïgo Bouïdo (Garlic Soup)

I wasn't sure what to think when I saw this soup in the book. I like garlic, but I didn't think a soup made strictly for that particular flavor would be particularly appetizing. I put my faith in Julia, though, and cooked it up.  The garlic in the soup actually mellows out really nicely, leaving behind this sort of sweet roasted flavor. I absolutely loved the little toasts on the top, and I highly recommend using the Swiss cheese. It really goes with the flavor of the soup.

Aïgo Bouïdo (Garlic Soup)

From Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck

1 separated head or about 16 cloves whole, unpeeled garlic
2 quarts water
2 teaspoons salt
Pinch of pepper
2 cloves
¼ teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
½ bay leaf
4 parsley sprigs
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 egg yolks
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
Rounds of hard-toasted French bread
1 cup grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese

Drop the garlic cloves in boiling water and boil 30 seconds. Drain, run cold water over them, and peel.

Place the garlic and the rest of the ingredients in a 3-quart saucepan and boil slowly for 30 minutes. Correct seasoning.

Beat the egg yolks in a soup tureen for a minute until they are thick and sticky.  Drop by drop, beat in 3 tablespoons olive oil as for making a mayonnaise.

Just before serving, beat a ladleful of hot soup into the egg mixture by droplets.  Gradually strain in the rest, beating, and pressing the juice out of the garlic.  Serve immediately, accompanied by the bread and cheese.

Makes 6 to 8 servings