RASPBERRY CREAM CHEESE BROWNIES

There is something really satisfying about making baked goods from scratch—especially those that come from prepackaged mixes at the grocery store, like brownies. It reminds me of the scene in the movie “Castaway” where Tom Hanks’ character finally succeeds in building himself a fire, and he shouts out majestically, “LOOK WHAT I HAVE CREATED!!!”
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I had never made from-scratch brownies before. When I saw this recipe, with the cream cheese filling sandwiched in the middle of two layers of brownie, I was intrigued. And the fact that there are no added chemicals (with the exception of what might be in the store-bought jam) made me happy, too. Not even bleach, because the recipe calls for unbleached AP flour.
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I thought it was a good sign when the brownie batter tasted delicious. I am writing this blog post before I have even tasted the end product…the brownies are baking as I type. But they smell delicious. I suppose I’ll delete the post if they don’t turn out :)
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RASPBERRY CREAM CHEESE BROWNIES
from the Summer 2011 Cook’s Illustrated “Entertaining” magazine:
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Makes 25 (small) brownies
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FILLING:
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
¼ cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
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BROWNIES:
2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped (I used Ghiradelli baking squares)
½ cup raspberry jam, divided (I used Smucker’s Red Raspberry Preserves)
1 ¼ cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
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1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 8-inch square baking pan with foil, allowing excess to hang over edges. Grease foil.
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2. Process cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla in food processor until smooth. Note: I used a handmixer…didn’t feel like dirtying up the food processor.
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3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Microwave butter and chocolate in a large bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 1 minute. Whisk in ¼ cup jam and let cool slightly.
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4. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla to chocolate mixture, stirring until combined. Whisk in flour mixture until incorporated.
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5. Microwave remaining ¼ cup jam until warm—15 to 30 seconds.
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6. Scrape half of brownie batter into prepared pan. Spread into even layer. Dollop cream cheese filling over brownie batter and spread into even layer. Dollop jam over filling and using tip of knife, gently swirl jam through filling. Spread remaining brownie batter evenly over filling.
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7. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few dry crumbs attached, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan and cut into 1 ½ inch squares. Serve.

12 Treats of Christmas: #9 French Silk Pastry Puffs

In brainstorming an easy way to make the absolutely AMAZING French Silk Pie recipe that follows into an individual treat recipe, I simply needed to determine the best crust. There are several ways one could go here—and most of them can be found in the chilled or frozen sections of the supermarket. You could use the little individual tart shells (the same ones you would use if you were making individual quiches), or you cut up a refrigerated pie crust and shape the dough into individual pie shells in a mini-muffin tin. You could easily use the Tiny Holiday Tart crust recipe in Treat #8. You could use wonton wrappers pressed into muffin tins—they bake into a tasty, thin, crispy shell—or phyllo dough, which does the same thing.

None of my ideas seemed special enough, and this French silk is very special. Then, I thought of it: Puff Pastry. Do you know why puff pastry is so delightful? It has to do with layers and layers of paper-thin pastry dough separated by butter. And when baked, the steam let off by the butter and moisture in the dough cause it to puff into rich, buttery light-as-air goodness. Now, making puff-pastry shall be left to highly trained, highly paid pastry chefs. Luckily we can buy puff pastry in the freezer section! Even more exciting for this particular recipe is that Pepperidge Farm makes Puff Pastry Shells. Perfect!! I found the vessel which shall carry the silk!

My mom introduced me to this recipe. She included it in a cookbook she wrote for me as a Christmas gift “Recipes from Mom’s Kitchen and Stories from her Heart.” Don’t your eyes just tear up at reading the title? Anyway…she notes that “this recipe for French Silk Chocolate Pie first appeared in 1951, when it won $1000 in a bake-off contest.”

FRENCH SILK CHOCOLATE PUFFS

½ cup (one stick) butter, cut into 8 equal parts

¾ cup sugar

1 square (1 ounce) UNSWEETENED chocolate, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 large eggs

12 Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Shells (found in the frozen section)

Instructions:

First, prepare pastry shells as directed on package. Cool completely.

In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in chocolate and vanilla until well-blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating with an electric mixer at medium speed, for FIVE MINUTES after EACH addition. Chill.

Just before you plan to serve the finished product, pipe equal amounts of filling into each pastry shell. While not necessary, you might garnish by drizzling with chocolate or a dollop of whipped cream.

NOTES:

• You may substitute 1 tablespoon oil mixed with 3 tablespoons baking cocoa if you don't have any unsweetened squares. We have done this many times and the outcome is equally delightful every time!
• If you want to make this into a pie, bake your favorite pie crust recipe (or store-bought) and fill it with the prepared filling.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Who said a cake has to have flour? Not me! I brought home this recipe for Flourless Chocolate Cake last September from a cooking class I attended in Grand Haven at the Artisan Cooking School. For obvious reasons I couldn't wait to take the class (titled "Chocolate"), and I would be glad to pay to go to the very same class again. On the menu for the evening were Chocolate Souffle, Warm Chocolate Volcano Cake, Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Creme Anglaise, and Chocolate Mousse. See? You're jealous you weren't there, and you should be. The cooking class participants received GENEROUS samples of each recipe featured during the class. I had to get a "to-go" box by the second or third sample. And then I had plenty of dessert for myself and my husband the next day. Wow.

Almost a year later I am finally getting around to making the recipes myself. This is the first recipe that I have tried from that class. It was incredibly easy and sinful to eat. The end product is a very smooth, dense cake. My husband thought it's texture was similar to a brownie. I can see where he's coming from, but the texture is much classier and more refined than a brownie. It's not chewy in any way. A brownie says, "Serve me up at a BBQ next to some fried chicken." This flourless chocolate cake, which is not nearly as sweet as a brownie, says, "Cover me with raspberry coulis (raspberry sauce) and make designs on the plate like you're a big time chef!"

In addition to being decadent, this recipe is super simple. It took maybe 15 minutes of prep time (which included a bit of a search for the cake pan), and then about 25 minutes of cook time. Yay!

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

Makes one 8-inch cake.

4 oz. fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder plus additional for sprinkling


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray bottom of 8-inch round baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Line bottom with a round of parchment paper. Spray paper again.
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Chop chocolate into small pieces. In a double boiler (or metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water), melt chocolate with butter, stirring until smooth. Remove bowl of chocolate from heat and whisk sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs and whisk well. Sift 1/2 cup cocoa powder over chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour batter into pan and bake in the middle of oven for 25 minutes or until top has formed a thin crust. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.
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Dust cake with additional cocoa powder and serve. Cake keeps, after being cooled completely, in an airtight container for 1 week.

Some notes:

• I used Ghiradelli bittersweet baking chocolate and Penzey's "dutch process" cocoa.


• If you have a microwave with a "soften/melt" setting, you're in luck. I programmed mine for melting chocolate, stirred a few times and POOF! no need for a double-boiler!


• I thought I was going to have to "temper" the eggs, so I wouldn't end up with a scrambled mess, but I was surprised that the chocolate melted, but still felt cool to the touch. If your chocolate/butter mixture feels more than lukewarm, be careful when adding the eggs, or wait a bit if you don't know the tempering process.


• I only own 9-inch cake pans, so I watched the cake closely and ended up removing it from the oven with about six minutes left on the timer (I had set it at 25 minutes).

Fruit Pizza

An easy and beautiful dessert to bring to any party that takes place during the berry season--4th of July, for example!

FRUIT PIZZA

Crust:

1 package sugar cookie mix -- prepare as directed, but shape dough into disc and roll out into one giant circular cookie about 1/4 inch thick. I use my pizza stone as a guide (here I have parchment paper under the cookie so that it is easy to serve) for size. Watch carefully during baking. When edges look golden brown and middle looks set, it's probably time to remove and cool completely.

Topping:

2 8 oz. packages cream cheese (I use the 1/3 less fat Neufchatel)

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream together and spread over the COMPLETELY cooled cookie. You may have some topping left over. Use it as fruit dip over the next few days.

Fruit: Any that you like!

The pizza above has strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. I slice the strawberries with an egg-slicer to get same-thickness pieces, then I try to choose the same-sized pieces to make the design. Left over slices can be used to top strawberry shortcake or ice cream over the next few days. Leave the raspberries and blueberries whole and experiment with your design!

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

Oh the joys of fresh summer fruit. Even better if you hand-pick it yourself. So I was particularly fascinated to fall upon this recipe in the Food Network Magazine. My mom and I are always searching for the perfect "shortcake" to accompany summer strawberries, and this is the first chocolate shortcake recipe I have come across.

Before I tried the recipe, I wanted to purchase the cocoa from Penzey's (my favorite spice store). I also used their vanilla extract, which I already had on hand. I chose Ghiradelli's Luxe chocolate bar for the 3 oz. of chopped milk chocolate--it handily came packaged in a 3 oz. size.

In the initial trial of the recipe, I skipped #3 and #4, and opted to simply slice up some fresh strawberries and whip the remainder of the heavy cream into homemade whipping cream (added a little vanilla and powdered sugar to taste). However, I think those steps sound delightful and will try them when I make the shortcakes again. Having just picked fresh raspberries, I was thinking that these shortcakes might also be delicious substituting the raspberries for the strawberries. For dark chocolate lovers, why not substitute dark chocolate for the milk chocolate? Then I searched the internet for chocolate whipped cream and found easy recipes for that as well as liquer-flavored whipped cream (like Chambord--oh how exquisite!).

The shortcakes tasted very chocolately--but not too sweet. They were in a word: perfect. I loved the biscuity-cakey texture. I would make them just to eat plain--or maybe topped with vanilla ice cream or a raspberry sorbet, should fresh fruit not be available (like in the winter). BUT, if you have the time, try them out while there is still fresh fruit!

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes
June/July 2009 Food Network Magazine

Shortcakes:
1 cup AP flour, plus more for dusting
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 T. dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
4 T. cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 oz. milk chocolate, roughly chopped
2 large eggs
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 t. vanilla extract
Raw sugar for sprinkling

Toppings:
1 quart strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Make the shortcakes: whisk the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour mixture until sandy. Add the chocolate. Whisk 1 egg, the cream and vanilla in a glass measuring cup; stir into the flour mixture with a fork to make a shaggy dough (there will be some dry bits). Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; pat flat until 1 1/2 inches thick. cut into 6 rounds with a knife or cookie cutter, using the scraps for the last cake.

2. Place the rounds on the baking sheet; freeze for 20 minutes. Beat the remaining egg; brush onto cakes and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake until firm, about 20 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool.

3. Meanwhile, make the toppings: Toss half of the strawberries with half of the sugar in a bowl; set aside. Place the other half of each in a saucepan; cook over medium-low heat, mashing with a fork to make a thick puree, about 10 minutes. Cool completely. Whip the cream with a mixer until medium peaks form; swirl in the strawberry puree.

4. Split the shortcakes in half. Layer some of the strawberry cream and reserved fruit on the bottoms; cover with the shortcake tops. Finish with more berries and cream.

Green Cake Just In Time

I know there are a few avid cake-bakers out there. Pastry chefs in-the-making. I thought I should post this family recipe in time for the cake-bakers to get to the store before St. Patrick's Day. No, this is not an Irish cake recipe, rather a green cake. It would be appropriate to bake it in a shamrock-shaped pan, though.

Creme de Menthe Cake

1 package white cake mix (also egg whites & oil as cake mix instructions indicate)
1/3 c. green Creme de Menthe (for cake mix)
1 jar hot fudge ice cream topping (NOT chocolate syrup)
***Mrs. Richardson's brand is the best
***Hershey's and Smuckers are also thick enough
1 8 oz. container Cool Whip
3 Tbsp. Creme de Menthe (for Cool Whip)

Mix the cake according to the directions on the box, EXCEPT substitute 1/3 cup of Creme de Menthe for 1/3 cup of the water (usually recipe calls for something like 1 1/4 cups of liquid, so you will have the SAME amount of liquid, but 1/3 cup of it will be the Creme de Menthe, and the rest will be water). Pour into 9x13 pan (or that shamrock pan that you found and can only use once a year). Bake according to instructions on the box.

As soon as cake is removed from oven, spread the entire jar of hot fudge topping. Topping & cake need to be warm to make for easy spreading. Cool completely. When cake is cooled (maybe even chilled a little in the fridge), mix 2 - 3 Tbsp. of Creme de Menthe into the container of Cool Whip. You may want to add a few drops of green food coloring into Cool Whip for an even greener topping. Spread onto cake. Refrigerate until served. Enjoy!