The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook: Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

I really enjoy those Walkers shortbread cookies.  Maybe it's my heritage speaking, or maybe it's just the buttery goodness and soft crumb of the cookie that calls my name.  I never thought I would love a plain cookie so much ('Nilla Wafers? blech, animal crackers? blech).  So as part of my current chocolate kick, I figured I would mix up a batch of chocolate shortbread.  Big happy smile, itty bitty ingredient list.

Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
From The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
⅔ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon sea salt

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Add the cocoa, flour, and salt.  Mix on medium-low speed just until the dough comes together, about 1 minute.  Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough to a thickness of ¼-inch.  Cut into 2-inch rounds (scraps can be rerolled).  Place the cookies on the prepared cookie sheets at least ½-inch apart.  If the dough is very soft, refrigerate again for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Let cool on the cookie sheets, then remove with a metal spatula.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Makes 36 to 44 cookies

Chowhound: Three Cheese Mac and Cheese with Panko Bread Crumb Topping

So, as it continues to rain and be miserable, I started to have a craving for something warm and comforting. Something creamy and fantastic. Being raised on Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, I've never really been an avid mac & cheese person, but in this case, I decided it was time to try the adult version that doesn't involve powdered cheese.

I searched around on the internet for something good, and after locating the heart attack version and the truly bizarre but strangely tempting version (what is huckleberry seasoning???), I went with the recipe that won the Editor's Choice award on Chowhound. It's a three-cheese macaroni, but I changed it a little (seeing a trend?) because of my guilt at not having made anything for St. Patrick's Day. For the butter, I used creamy Irish butter. For the Cheddar, I used Kellygold Irish Cheddar. I increased the amount of flour to 8 tablespoons since the original amount didn't seem to make a good roux for me. I also added some melted butter to the panko so that it would crisp up and brown a little bit better. I think the cooking time needs to be increased since the casserole didn't seem to really get bubbly until about 18 minutes in the oven. The macaroni and cheese turns out pretty sharp tasting, but that's probably due to my selection of Cheddar cheese.

Three Cheese Mac and Cheese with Panko Bread Crumb Topping

From chowhound.com

1 pound large elbow macaroni
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream

1 pound white Cheddar, shredded
4 ounces Romano, shredded
4 ounces Asiago, shredded

1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups panko (Japanese) bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In large pot filled with water add 3 pinches of salt and the macaroni and place over high heat. Bring to a boil and let cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Sprinkle flour over butter and cook 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat, whisking until a roux or paste forms. Add cold milk and whisk vigorously until dissolved. Cook sauce on medium-low heat until thick and bubbly. Add heavy cream, all cheeses, salt, and pepper. Cook until cheeses are fully melted, stirring occasionally.

Add cooked macaroni to cheese mixture and mix thoroughly. Place macaroni mixture in a 13x9-inch baking dish and top with bread crumbs. Place in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly and top is starting to brown.

For extra crispy topping, place under broiler after baking until bread crumbs turn golden brown.

Cuisine at Home: Paella Mixta (Mixed Spanish Rice)

Since it's so cold and miserable during this time of year in New Jersey, I keep longing for bright, fun dishes. So I finally decided it was time to make the paella recipe that I had been hording for months. Now, I did not use a paella pan because: 1) I'm cheap, 2) I would never use it again, and 3) I'm not sure where I would even find one in my neighborhood. I think the dish turned out beautifully despite the lack of traditional cookware, so feel free to substitute something appropriate, like a really big frying pan.

Of course I had to make a few changes to the recipe.  First, since I hate peas, I left them out. If you like peas, I highly suggest you keep them in, because they add a nice flash of color to the otherwise rather yellow dish. I also skipped the green beans (since I'm a little suspicious of anything fresh offered in New Jersey in the winter), and went with a can of quartered artichoke hearts instead.

The only saffron I was able to find was Spanish saffron (fitting, huh?), but if you can find some from Iran (without getting arrested for violating trade embargoes), it's much nicer and more flavorful. This was also my first time experimenting with live mussels, so that was definitely an adventure. The only chorizo they sell in my grocery store was $17 for eight finger-size links, so I went with kielbasa. Try to use chorizo if you can find it and afford it. I also only used four chicken thighs, but only because that's all I could fit in the pot. For the lean pork, I just bought a boneless pork chop at the butcher section of the grocery store. Also, there is a serious lack of short-grain rice in my area, so I used the medium-grain I brought with me. It seemed fine to me, but don't use long-grain, like Uncle Ben's, or fast-cooking Minute Rice.

Otherwise, I just followed the directions. It was especially fun watching the mussels open as they cooked (although I did feel a twinge of guilt at being their murderer). The dish was flavorful and bright-tasting, especially after a lemon wedge was squeezed on top. It's a lot of work, but definitely worth it.

Paella Mixta (Mixed Spanish Rice)
Adapted from Cuisine at Home magazine, April 2004

Pinch saffron (20–30 threads)
3 cups chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
2 bay leaves
Shrimp shells from ½ pound large or jumbo shrimp
16 green-lipped mussels, cleaned
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on, seasoned with salt
½ pound kielbasa, sliced
½ pound large or jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined
1½ cups diced yellow onion
1 red bell pepper, cut in strips
1½ cups medium-grain rice
½ cup minced and seeded tomato
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Toast saffron in a large sauté pan over medium heat until slightly darkened.  Add broth, wine, bay leaves, and shrimp shells; boil 3 minutes.  Add mussels to boiling broth; cover and steam until mussels open, 5–8 minutes. Transfer mussels to a bowl, discarding those that do not open. Strain broth and keep warm over low heat.

Sauté chicken in olive oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook until brown on both sides, about 8 minutes (do not cook through); remove. Add kielbasa; sauté until brown, 3 minutes, then remove. Add shrimp and cook until just cooked through, 4 minutes; remove. Sauté onion and bell pepper, stirring occasionally, until they brown around the edges, about 8 minutes. Stir in rice to coat with oil. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2–3 minutes.

Add tomato and garlic; cook until garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir in warm strained broth, then add the browned chicken and sausage. Cook, uncovered, over medium to medium-low heat for 15 minutes; the liquid should be at a low boil. Don’t stir the rice anymore - it may turn starchy. Transfer pan to the oven and cook, uncovered, another 15 minutes, or until rice is tender but not mushy. Remove from the oven and check for the socarrat - if it hasn’t formed, place the pan over a low burner. Top paella with reserved seafood; sprinkle with the peas. Cover pan for 5 minutes with a lid or foil to warm seafood through.

Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Makes 8 servings

Food.com: Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes

I don't normally make random recipes, but these just seemed like fun.  It's the best of two worlds: chocolate cupcake and chocolate chip cheesecake.  Who wouldn't want to try?  They actually turned out really well, and I think the cream cheese center really works with the outer chocolate cake.  And you don't even need to make an icing!  Bonus.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes
From Food.com

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1⅓ cup granulated sugar, divided use
1 pinch salt
1 (6-ounce) package chocolate chips

1½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup water
½ cup canola oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, egg, ⅓ cup sugar, and salt.  Add chocolate chips and set aside.

Combine remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  Add wet ingredients and mix well.  Fill muffin tins, lined with paper cups a third to a half full with this mixture.  Drop a large spoonful of cheese mixture on top of each one.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cake is done and cheese filling is solid.

Makes 20 cupcakes

The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook: Mocha Pots de Crème

I think I'm on a chocolate kick.  It's all I seem to crave these days.  Chocolate topped with chocolate and a sauce of chocolate.  Maybe you can throw some whipped cream in there.  But it would be even better if it was chocolate whipped cream.  Okay, so that's probably taking it too far, even for me, but it's worth thinking about.  Especially when you have something this luscious to top it with.

Mocha Pots de Crème
From The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, split
6 large egg yolks
6 ounces 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate baking bar, broken or chopped into 1-inch pieces
½ cup very strong brewed espresso coffee

Bring the cream, sugar, and vanilla to a boil in a saucepan.

Whisk the yolks in a bowl.  Whisk about a third of the boiling cream into the yolks.  Return the remaining cream to a boil and whisk in the yolk mixture.  Continue to cook, whisking constantly, for another 15 to 20 seconds, until slightly thickened.  Strain the cream into a bowl and add the chocolate.  Whisk until smooth.  Whisk in the coffee.  Pour into four 5-ounce to 6-ounce pot de crème cups or ramekins.  Refrigerate until cooled.

Makes 6 servings

The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook: Individual Soft Center Cakes

Sometimes you just need some chocolate.  Because sometimes you've moved to a new place, and it's nothing like you thought it would be.  And you have to learn a new job, learn a new neighborhood, and make new friends, all while coming home to the nasty apartment you rented, sight unseen.  It's tough.  But I think chocolate puts at least a little dent in all that.  A very little dent.  But hey, I'll take what I can get.

Individual Soft Center Cakes
From The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 ounces 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate baking bar, broken or chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
⅓ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cake flour

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Butter four 6-ounce ramekins and dust with sugar.

Melt the butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.

In a large bowl, whip the whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed for about 10 minutes. Fold in the melted chocolate mixture.  Fold in the flour just until combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared ramekins.

Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until the top and sides are set.  The center will be quite soft.  Remove from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes, then unmold each ramekin onto a dessert plate. Serve with a few raspberries and a dollop of whipped cream.

Makes 4 servings

Orangette: Bouchons au Thon (Tuna Corks)

Need something cute for your ladies brunch?  This is it.  I promise they're delicious.  And they take almost no time at all to prepare.  You can serve them with a beautiful green salad, although I must admit that they are perfect with a big squirt of ketchup on top.

Bouchons au Thon (Tuna Corks)
Adapted from Orangette

1 (6.4-ounce) pouch albacore tuna in water, drained
3 tablespoons tomato paste
5 tablespoons crème fraîche
3 large eggs
1 cup finely grated Gruyère cheese
½ teaspoon sea salt
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
4 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
¼ cup minced green onion

Preheat the oven to 325°F, and spray 8 wells of a muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, break up the tuna with a fork, smashing it to a rough paste. Add the tomato paste, crème fraîche, eggs, gruyère, salt,  cayenne pepper, garlic, parsley, basil, and onion, and mix well. The batter should be relatively smooth.

Spoon the batter evenly into 8 wells of the muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes, until set and golden around the edges.

Serves 4 as a light meal with side dishes

Taimeiken: Omuraisu (Japanese Rice Omelet)

The Japanese have some very interesting ideas about food.  Take this omelet for instance.  Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, but they put rice in the omelet.  And ketchup.  Ketchup is apparently the coolest thing ever.  And somehow it all just works.  Plus, you get to use up that leftover takeout white rice.

Omuraisu (Japanese Rice Omelet)
Adapted from Taimeiken restaurant in the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo

4 green onions, finely chopped
1 large white button mushroom cap, chopped
3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided use
2½ tablespoons ketchup
½ cup cooked and cooled short- or medium-grain white rice
2 teaspoons sake or white wine
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs

Melt 2 teaspoons of butter in a small frying pan.  Saute the onion for a few minutes, then add the mushroom, and then finally the bacon.  When the onions in the pan become semi-transparent, season with the ketchup.  Add the cooked rice, sake, and a dash of salt and pepper.  Saute until done, then turn off the heat and leave in the frying pan.

Break the eggs into a bowl, beat lightly, then add a little salt and pepper.  Heat a 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat, and melt the remaining 2 teaspoons of butter.  Pour in the egg mixture.  Spread it around quickly with 3 broad strokes while moving the frying pan back and forth.  When the egg is half done, place the rice mixture on it, a little on the far side of center.  Take the frying pan off the heat, then tip the pan a little to make the half of the thin omelet near you flip over the rice mixture.  Raise one side of the frying pan a little, and tap the handle to roll the omelet, gradually wrapping the rice inside the omelet.  Keep tapping until the edges of the omelet come to the top, then change the position of your hands on the frying pan handle and tip the omelet onto a plate so that the edges are tucked underneath.  Decorate with a squiggle of ketchup.

Makes 1 omelet

Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Fricassée de Poulet à l’Ancienne (Old-Fashioned Chicken Fricassee with Wine-Flavored Cream Sauce, Onions, and Mushrooms)

Recently I find myself reading quite a bit about Julia Child, and I'm actually quite fascinated by the fact 1) she married late (maybe there's still hope!), and 2) that she basically didn't learn how to cook until she was in her 30's. Now, I like to think that I know how to cook, and I'm not quite 30 yet, but that also means I have plenty of time to become exceptional at what I do, and that's always encouraging.  The first thing I did was to rush to the local library and procure a copy of her masterpiece.  I sat in the library, reading the cookbook, much to the dismay of my fellow patrons, who I'm sure were giving me she's-actually-READING-a-cookbook looks.

While the recipe took over an hour to finish, and about a bizillion pots, by the time it was finished, I was wiping the drool off my chin. And you know what? Julia was right. It was the richest, chickeniest chicken I think I may ever have eaten. It was tender and concentrated and heavenly.  So now I'm in a quandry. If that recipe turned out so magnificently, wouldn't all the others? And shouldn't I try them??

Fricassée de Poulet à l’Ancienne (Old-Fashioned Chicken Fricassee with Wine-Flavored Cream Sauce, Onions, and Mushrooms)
From Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck

2½ to 3 pounds of cut-up frying chicken
1 thinly sliced onion, carrot, and celery stalk
4 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon white pepper
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups boiling white chicken stock, white stock, or canned chicken bouillon
1 cup dry white wine or ⅔ cup dry white vermouth
A small herb bouquet: 2 parsley sprigs, ⅓ bay leaf, and ⅛ teaspoon thyme tied in washed cheesecloth
16 to 20 Oignons Glacés à Blanc (White-Braised Onions)
Champignons à Blanc (Stewed Mushrooms)
2 egg yolks
½ cup whipping cream
Drops of lemon juice
Pinch of nutmeg
1 to 2 tablespoons softened butter
Sprigs of fresh parsley

Dry the chicken thoroughly in a towel.

Cook the onion, carrot, and celery slowly in the butter in a Dutch oven for about 5 minutes, or until they are almost tender but not browned.  Push them to one side.  Raise the heat slightly, and add the chicken.  Turn it every minute for 3 to 4 minutes until the meat has stiffened slightly, without coloring to more than a light golden yellow.  Lower the heat, cover, and cook very slowly for 10 minutes, turning the chicken once.  It should swell slightly, stiffen more, but not deepen in color.

Sprinkle salt, pepper, and flour on all sides of the chicken, turning and rolling each piece to coat the flour with the cooking butter.  Cover and continue cooking slowly for 4 minutes, turning it once.  Remove from heat and pour in the boiling liquid, shaking the pot to blend the liquid and flour.  Add the wine, the herb bouquet, and more stock, or water, so the liquid just covers the chicken.  Bring to the simmer.  Taste for seasoning, and salt lightly if necessary.  Cover and maintain at a slow simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.  The chicken is done when the drumsticks are tender if pinched and the chicken juices run clear yellow when the meat is pricked with a fork.  When done, remove the chicken to a side dish.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.  Add their cooking juices to the chicken cooking sauce in the next step.

Simmer the cooking liquid in the pot for 2 to 3 minutes, skimming off fat.  Then raise heat and boil rapidly, stirring frequently, until the sauce reduces and thickens enough to coat a spoon nicely.  Correct seasoning.  You should have 2 to 2½ cups.

Blend the egg yolks and cream in a mixing bowl with a wire whisk.  Continue beating, and add the hot sauce by small tablespoonfuls until about a cupful has gone in.  Beat in the rest of the sauce in a thin stream.  Pour the sauce back into the pot, or into an enameled or stainless steel saucepan (do not use aluminum).  Set over moderately high heat and, stirring constantly, reach all over the bottom and sides of the pot, until the sauce comes to a boil.  Boil for 1 minute, stirring.  Correct seasoning, adding drops of lemon juice to taste, and a pinch of nutmeg.  Strain the sauce through a fine sieve.

Arrange the chicken, and the onion and mushroom garniture, in the pot.  Pour the sauce over it.  Set the pot over moderate heat and bring to the simmer.  Cover and simmer very slowly for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is hot through, basting it frequently with the sauce.

Off heat and just before serving, tilt pot, add enrichment butter, and baste the chicken with the sauce until the butter has absorbed into it.  Serve the chicken from the pot; or arrange it with the onions and mushrooms on a hot platter, surrounded with rice or noodles, and covered with the sauce.  Decorate with sprigs of fresh parsley.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Oignons Glacés à Blanc (White-Braised Onions)
18 to 24 peeled white onions about 1 inch in diameter
½ cup white stock, canned chicken broth, dry white wine, or water
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste
A small herb bouquet: 2 parsley sprigs, ⅛ teaspoon thyme, and ⅓ bay leaf tied in cheesecloth

Place the onions in a heavy skillet with the liquid, butter, seasonings, and herb bouquet.  Cover and simmer very slowly, rolling the onions in the saucepan from time to time, for 40 to 50 minutes.  The onions should not color, and should be perfectly tender yet retain their shape.  If all the liquid evaporates during the cooking, add more by spoonfuls as necessary.  Remove herb bouquet.

Champignons à Blanc (Stewed Mushrooms)
½ pound fresh mushrooms
⅔ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter

Trim and wash the mushrooms.  Bring the water, salt, lemon juice, and butter to the boil in a 6-cup saucepan.  Add the mushrooms and toss to cover them with the liquid.  Cover and boil moderately fast, tossing frequently, for 5 minutes.  Set aside until ready to use.

Cooking Light: Peppermint Ice Cream Cake

Christmas never really seems like Christmas unless there's some peppermint in something. And since I live in Texas, Christmas also means ice cream cake. Yes, while the rest of the country, except perhaps Florida, is wrapped in a blanket of snow, my family happily eats ice cream cake at the end of December.

Peppermint Ice Cream Cake
From Cooking Light magazine, December 2005

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
¾ cup boiling water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups low-fat peppermint ice cream, softened
3 cups frozen whipped topping, such as Cool Whip
⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract
8 peppermint candies, crushed (such as Starlite mints)
Preheat oven to 350°F.  Coat two (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray.  Line bottom of each pan with wax paper.

Combine cocoa, water, and butter, stirring with a whisk until blended.  Cool.

Combine sugars in a large bowl, stirring well until blended.  Add eggs; beat 2 minutes or until light and creamy.  Add cocoa mixture, and beat for 1 minute.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Gradually add flour mixture to bowl; beat for 1 minute or until blended.  Stir in vanilla.  Pour batter into prepared pans.  Bake for 28 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack.  Remove from pans.  Wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze for 2 hours or until slightly frozen.

Spread ice cream in an 8-inch round cake pan lined with plastic wrap.  Cover and freeze for 4 hours or until firm.

To assemble cake, place one cake layer, bottom side up, on a cake pedestal.  Remove ice cream layer from freezer; remove plastic wrap.  Place ice cream layer, bottom side up, on top of cake layer.  Top with remaining cake layer.

Combine whipped topping and peppermint extract, and stir until blended.  Spread frosting over top and sides of cake.  Sprinkle with crushed peppermints.  Freeze until ready to serve.  Let cake stand at room temperature 10 minutes before slicing.