The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook: Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ah, the pinnacle of home cooking perfection: the warm chocolate chip cookie.  No, I'm serious.  When I was in the military the summer before college, I actually dreamed about chocolate chip cookies.  I'm not sure if that's interesting or just sad, but I really do think it shows that these are the essence of comfort food.  I'm normally a semi-sweet girl, but milk chocolate is fun to try once in a while.  And this recipe has a bit more sugar and vanilla, so they turn out a tad sweeter and richer.  Not that that's a bad thing.

Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies
From The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook

2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups Milk Chocolate Chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter with the granulated and brown sugars using an electric mixer at medium speed until the mixture is creamy and lightened in color, about 4 minutes.  Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated.

Gradually blend the flour mixture into the creamed mixture.  Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.  Drop by the tablespoonful onto ungreased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown.  Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Makes 48 cookies

The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse: Boulder Tangerine Tea Gingerbread

I recently returned from a trip to Boulder, CO, for some training for the company I work for. On the last day, I went with one coworker to a restaurant I had read about before leaving for Colorado. It's called The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, and the decorations were made by artists in Tajikistan, then imported and assembled. The teahouse itself was beautiful, with decorations in hues of blue and rose. The inside was nearly as lovely as the outside, with detailed tile ceilings, but since it was nice day, we opted to eat outside.

The tea list occupies its own separate menu, and I decided on a tea called Snow Mountain. It is a green tea with petals of chamomile, rose, jasmine, and lavender. It was delicious. For brunch I ordered the bangers and mash (grilled pheasant sausage with mashed potatoes and grilled escarole). The sausage was flavorful and slightly gamey, and the escarole had a nice grilled smokiness. For dessert we tried the famous gingerbread and the white chocolate pot de crème which comes with a layer of dark chocolate mousse and berries on top. Both desserts were luscious.

Boulder Tangerine Tea Gingerbread
Adapted from The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse as seen in Colorado Life magazine

2½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
½ cup honey
½ cup molasses
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup strongly brewed Boulder tangerine tea

Orange Syrup
2 cups orange juice
½ cup granulated sugar
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick

Five-spiced Whipped Cream
8 ounces heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons Chinese five-spice powder
5 tablespoons powdered sugar

Mix oil, eggs, honey, molasses and sugar. Beat on medium speed until creamy, scraping bowl often. Reduce speed to low, add tea, and mix well. Sift dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add sifted dry ingredients to wet mix. Mix until moistened. Pour batter into oiled and floured square pan. Bake 350 degrees until set, about 50 minutes.

Cut gingerbread into equal squares, then cut each square in half, into triangles. Drizzle medium plate with orange syrup. Place gingerbread pieces on plate. Finish with five-spiced whipped cream.

Orange syrup: Combine all ingredients in sauce pot. Boil on stove top at medium heat, stirring frequently, until reduced to syrup.

Five-spiced whipped cream: Combine all ingredients and whip.

The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook: Chocolate Mousse

When I get chocolate cravings, they hit HARD. I need chocolate right then. The darker the better. None of this wussy Hershey's milk chocolate. I need rich dark chocolate. So my favorite new cookbook for these times is the Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook. Each recipe is more delicious than the one before. And for someone that has never made chocolate mousse before, my little concoction turned out amazingly well. It managed to satisfy my chocolate cravings for the rest of the week. Highly recommended.

Chocolate Mousse
From The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ cup hot brewed coffee

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium-high speed, whip the cream to form light peaks.  Set aside in the refrigerator.

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

Meanwhile, whip the eggs with the sugar at medium-high speed for about 10 minutes, until very fluffy and thick.

Stir the coffee into the melted chocolate chips.  The mixture will start to thicken, so work quickly.  Quickly stir in the beaten eggs, and then fold in the whipped cream.  Pour or spoon the mixture into cups or bowls.

Chill until firm, about 2 hours.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Alton Brown: Shortcake

I love when the first local strawberries start making their appearances in the grocery stores.  I know they ship those winter berries in from Peru or something, but it's just not the same.  These local berries, popping up just when it's warming up and sunny...  There's just something perfect about the timing and the sweetness.  And really it's just a good excuse to make a big pile of evil called a strawberry shortcake.

Shortcake
From Alton Brown

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons shortening
¾ cup half-and-half
Melted butter to brush shortcakes
Strawberries
Ice cream or whipped cream

Heat oven 450°F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut in butter and shortening. Mix in half-and-half. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until brown. Cool and eat with berries, ice cream, and/or whipped cream.

Makes 8 servings

Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: Toad in the Hole

I have always wanted to try a dish with an amazing name, one that makes you wonder what the real ingredients of the dish are. Something crazy and British. Something like Bubble & Squeak. Or Spotted Dick. Or Toad in the Hole. Well, I decided on Toad in the Hole because I'm kind of a sucker for pork, and the "toad" is actually little pork sausages. It's actually really simple, the dough being a Yorkshire pudding, so I gave it a try. I expected something bland and tasteless (hey, isn't that the stereotype of British food?), but it was surprisingly delicious. The pudding was tender, and the sausages were crisp. Highly recommended.

Toad in the Hole
From Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics

2 large eggs

½ cup milk

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

½ cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons vegetable oil or bacon fat

5 English-style fresh pork sausages, casings removed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Onion Gravy

Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, 1/2 cup water, and mustard; season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the flour. Let stand 20 minutes.  Coat a 13 x 9-inch or 3 1/2-quart baking dish with the oil; heat in the oven 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Pour the batter into the dish. Arrange the sausages on top; sprinkle with rosemary. Bake until puffed, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with gravy.

Onion Gravy

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

½ cup Madeira wine

1 cup homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions, stirring, until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Cover; cook over low heat until brown, about 25 minutes. Add the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in the wine, stock, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until thick, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Gourmet: Perfect Buttermilk Pancakes

Sometimes you just need something homey and warm. Something fluffy and soft and delicious. Something with a golden crunch on the outside. Something smothered in maple syrup. Something like the perfect pancake.

Perfect Buttermilk Pancakes
From Gourmet magazine, May 2004

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup buttermilk, well shaken

Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, egg, and buttermilk until smooth. Heat a griddle or a large heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot enough to make drops of water scatter over its surface, then brush with oil. Working in batches and using a ¼-cup measure filled halfway, pour batter onto griddle and cook, turning over once, until golden, about 2 minutes per batch.

The Ghirardelli Chocolate Book: Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

I was going to try and write something entertaining here, but all I can manage right now is to moan in some sort of half-dead I'm-Seeing-Heaven kind of way.  Take what you will from that.

Fudgy Chocolate Brownies
From The Ghirardelli Chocolate Book

8 ounces 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate baking bar, broken or chopped into 1-inch pieces
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
¾ cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs
⅔ cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line it with parchment paper, buttered on both sides.

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

Using a large spoon, beat the sugar and salt into the chocolate mixture. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour and mix until the batter pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 10 minutes.  Remove the brownies from the pan, and let cool completely before cutting into 2-inch squares.

Makes 16 brownies

Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook: Tuna-Noodle Casserole

Know what a hug from your mom tastes like?  Like THIS.  This warm and creamy and comforting-on-a-dark-and-stormy-and-cold-night dish of a security blanket is the culinary equivalent.  And yes, I know some of you out there are thinking, blech, tuna casserole?  Trust me.  This one is delicious.  I promise.

Tuna-Noodle Casserole
Adapted from the 1974 edition of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

6 ounces (3 cups) medium noodles
1 (5-ounce) can tuna, drained
½ cup mayonnaise
1 cup sliced celery
⅓ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped green pepper
¼ cup chopped canned pimento
½ teaspoon salt
1 (10¾-ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
½ cup milk
4 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
Ruffled potato chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Cook noodles using package directions; drain. Combine noodles, tuna, mayonnaise, celery, onion, green pepper, pimento, and salt. Blend cream of celery soup and milk together; heat through. Add Cheddar cheese to soup mixture; heat and stir until cheese melts. Add the soup mixture to the noodle mixture. Turn into a 2-quart casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. If desired, top with ruffled potato chips during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Makes 6 servings

Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook: Stuffed Peppers

Okay, so this isn't exactly an international recipe, but I decided it would fun to go back to my childhood and relive a yummy dinner courtesy of Better Homes and Garden's 1960-something checkered cookbook. My mom used to cook almost exclusively out of this particular book, so most of the comfort food from my youth makes an appearance between its covers. So tonight I made stuffed peppers, a tomatoey-cheesy dish that makes my mouth water.

Stuffed Peppers
Adapted from the 1974 edition of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

4 extra-large or 6 medium green peppers

1 pound ground beef

⅓ cup onion, chopped

½ teaspoon sea salt

Dash freshly ground black pepper

1 (14½-ounce) can diced tomatoes

½ cup water

½ cup long-grain rice

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

4 ounces Cheddar cheese, finely shredded

½ cup tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 350°F. Core peppers. Drop into a pot of boiling water, and simmer for five minutes. Drain and place standing up in a glass dish. Set aside.

Brown ground beef and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes (including liquid), water, rice, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until rice is tender. Add Cheddar cheese, and stir until melted.

Stuff peppers with beef and rice mixture. Top with tomato sauce. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook: Individual Chocolate Souffles

I'm on a chocolate kick lately it seems.  I tend to get on these obsessive recipe trains of thought, and I don't get off until I can't look at a particular ingredient again for a while.  Needless to say, that day is not today.  I figured if I was going to do something chocolate, why not do something difficult and chocolate?  Something you don't see everyday?  Something that has a very high risk of falling and deflating?  Something that I don't care deflates as long as it tastes good.  I have my priorities straight.

Individual Chocolate Souffles
From The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook

2 ounces 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, divided
2 tablespoons plus two teaspoons whole milk
1 large egg yolk
2 large egg whites

Heat oven to 350°F. Brush two 1½-cup or four ½-cup ovenproof ramekins with butter; dust bottom and sides with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.

In double boiler over hot water, melt chocolate with milk and 1 tablespoon sugar. Cool for 5 minutes. Whisk egg yolk into chocolate mixture. In large bowl with electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; add remaining 2 teaspoons granulated sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. With rubber spatula, fold one-fourth of egg whites into chocolate mixture, then fold in remaining egg whites. Divide between prepared ramekins. (Soufflés may be prepared ahead up to this point and refrigerated for up to 2 hours. Bake straight from refrigerator, adding 3 minutes to baking time.)

Bake 20 minutes for large ramekins and 15 minutes for small ramekins. Remove from oven; dust tops of soufflés with powdered sugar.