the best brownies EVER – just in time for the 4th

Do you like chewy brownies?  If so, this recipe is for you.

I adapted this recipe from the Chocolate Box by Love Food…  There is one MAJOR key to my adjustments of the recipe as written - the chocolate.

A combination of Scharffen Berger 62% Cacao and 70% Cacao baking chocolates turns this recipe from good to the best ever.  I have tried this with plain old semi-sweet chips, dark chips, a combo of chips, higher-end bars, all 62%, and all 70%.  I also tried a variety of chip brands (Nestle, 365, Ghirardelli, and Guittard) and a variety of high-end bars (Michel Cluizel, Amano, and a few others).  Nothing comes close to the combo of Sharffen Berger 62% and 70%.  It is worth spending the extra money for this higher quality baking chocolate if you usually use chips, but it is not worth spending more money on better/higher-end chocolate bars.  Using half 62% and half 70% leaves you with a brownie that is balanced – not too bitter, not too sweet – and all sorts of chocolatey, fudgy, chewy goodness.

If you hate all things corn syrup, I completely understand, BUT  I promise that these brownies warrant an exception.

If I remember correctly, I believe Sportsglutton ate the entire batch in one day.  I dare you not to do the same.

Enjoy and Happy 4th of July!

 

Best Brownies Ever

• 6 tbsp butter
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 2.425 oz  62% cacao Scharffen Berger baking chocolate (1/4 of the bar)
• 2.425 oz  70% cacao Scharffen Berger baking chocolate (1/4 of the bar)
• 1 tbsp corn syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 c all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Pre-heat oven to 350F.  Grease an 8×8 baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper or a silicon mat.

Melt the butter, sugars, chocolate, and corn syrup together.  You can do this in a microwave by heating the bowl in short increments, stirring often until the mixture is smooth.  Alternatively, using a double boiler works best for gentle heating.  If you are lazy and without a microwave like me, place the ingredients directly into a small pot and heat over low heat stirring often – take care not to let the mixture burn.  The goal is to melt everything together into a smooth mixture.  It maybe a little like wet sand if all of your sugar doesn’t dissolve – this is ok.  Set aside the mixture and let it cool to at least body temperature.  Stirring will help it cool down quicker (or maybe that is just in my mind).  

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder.  Set aside. 

Beat the eggs and vanilla together, then add to the cooled chocolate mixture and whisk together.  When lazy, add eggs and vanilla directly to cooled chocolate without beating first, then whisk to combine well.

Combine the flour mixture and chocolate/egg mixture in which ever bowl is larger.  Stir to mix thoroughly, but not beyond.

Pour the batter into the baking pan.  Bake for about 25 minutes.  The edges should start pulling away from the sides of the pan and the top should be crisp.  The middle of the brownies will still be soft.

If you can stand it, let the brownies cool before slicing – it makes the task easier and your squares prettier.  If you don’t care about looks, dig in.

whats the story morning glory?

The story is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

When I was young, our summer home had a retaining wall that ran along the back of the house.  Above that wall was a steep grade which essentially was treated as a vacant lot by both my family and the house above it.  Things run wild in a vacant lot and I loved when Morning Glories would spring up and run along the wall.  I thought those blue/purple/pink flowers were so pretty.

Fast forward twenty years.

Now as a gardener, I hate them and their incredibly invasive vines.  They are the bane of my existence, as they weave their way through all of our backyard beds.  They are slowly expanding their reign by slipping under the fence and entering our side bed.  I pull them out everyday, and every next day vines have sprung up again.  They are like a ninja assassin, slipping in unnoticed and killing off an unsuspecting victim.  Their runners move quickly beneath the surface, choking out all the non-invasive plants in your garden.

We are just renting, so I tell myself over and over that I only have to deal with it for this summer.  I pray that when the day comes for us to actually buy a house that there is no such invasion there… I don’t think I could bear it .

Oh Morning Glory, you garden ninja, you wily Medusa, you temptress to the unknowing masses – I hate.  I’m sorry but I do.

adventures in bagel making

Since I am doing the  Bread Baker’s Apprentice challenge, the next bread recipe I had to make was the ever illusive water bagel.  Someone kindly posted the recipe on the Fresh Loaf, so check out the recipe and instructions here.

As a native New Yorker, I basically refuse to eat bagels or pizza anywhere else in this country.  Call me a snob, I don’t care, this is one badge I wear with pride.  Only trouble is… I haven’t lived in NY since 2000.  I was sated for many years when I lived in Northern Virginia – even this girl admits that Brooklyn Bagels in Courthouse, VA had the bagel baking down cold.  It is the only (and I really mean the only) place outside of New York that makes, what I consider to be, an acceptable bagel.  Now in Utah, I feel there is no hope – I never found anything decent in Cali either.  For the past three years I have resorted to smuggling a dozen bagels in my carry-on and freezing them immediately when I arrived home.  As an aside – I apologize if you were ever on a flight in which I carried fresh everything bagels (or Italian cheese and cold cuts) that stunk up the entire plane, but it had to be done.

I used bread flour since I could not find the higher gluten/strong flour, and though I’m sure the strong flour would have made a difference, the bagels really turned out quite well.  The key to the chewy crust is really in the boiling rather than the flour.

I started with a sponge starter (flour, water, yeast) that had to sit for 2 hours.

After mixing in the rest of the ingredients (yeast, flour, salt, and barley malt), it turned into the stiffest bread dough I have ever used.  It actually overheated the engine on my Cuisinart stand mixer – that has never happened before.  I then kneaded it by hand since my machine was on strike.  It was a WORKOUT (especially when the kitchen was a balmy 83 degrees).  I did not get out every dry bit of flour like the recipe specified.  Sweat was pouring off my forehead and I just didn’t care after 10 minutes of kneading.  I formed the dough into 2.7oz balls (about half the size that was specified in the recipe for a smaller bagel – 20 total) and let them rest for 20 minutes.

After I drank a gallon of water (I was trying to hold out as long as possible before turning on our AC – to keep energy usage down), I formed the bagels by poking a hole in the middle and stretching it out to form a semi-perfect bagel shape.  The bagels were placed on parchment lined baking sheets, spritzed with oil, covered with plastic, and set aside to rest for another 20 minutes.

Next came the “float test.” Toss a bagel in a bowl of water.  If it floats, it is ready for the fridge.  If it doesn’t float, it needs to relax and rise some more.

The bagels were placed in the fridge overnight.

The next morning I assembled the toppings, started the water to boil, and preheated the oven.  And then the process began.  I boiled some bagels for 1 minute on each side and some for 2 minutes (supposed to make a chewier bagel).  I think I prefer the 2 minute boil.

The results were good.  The crust was chewy, the inside tender, and overall WAY better than anything in these parts.  I would make them again, but probably only for a special occasion or in the winter when the house is cooler.  They are a fair bit of work, but the flavor and crust is there.    It satisfies a New Yorker away from home like nothing else can in many parts of this country.

 

We schmeared our bagels with olive cream cheese.  It is my second favorite flavor of cream cheese – tofu veggie cream cheese is my numero uno (Sportsglutton feels differently).  The olive cream cheese is a little salty and tangy – perfectly delicious on a chewy bagel.

Olive Cream Cheese

• Olives – black and pimento stuffed green
• 1 block of softened cream cheese (regular, light, tofu, or neufchatel)

Chop the olives (the quantity of olives is up to you and your taste – I used about a handful of each for chockfull of olive cream cheese).

Put the olives and softened cream cheese in a bowl and stir to combine.

Schmear on your favorite bagel.

salad dressing in a snap

Sportsglutton and I had a fun chicken salad for dinner last night.  Shredded left-over chicken, avocado, grilled corn, grilled mushrooms, and grilled peppers (bell and jalapeno) were all tossed together, but what dressing to use?  How about a tomato dressing? The result was surprisingly good – light, tomatoey, and ready in about 1.5 minutes.  You have got to give this a try because it is sooooooo simple and quick.  It is a little sweet,  a little tangy, and perfectly savory -  perfect for a southwestern style salad or any regular tossed salad too.

 Quick Tomato Dressing

Makes enough for 1 large salad (4+ side servings) or 2 medium salads

• 1/4 c olive oil
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp El Pato Tomato Sauce/Salsa (it is in the little yellow can – check the Mexican isle)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a jar or bowl and shake or whisk vigorously.  Toss with salad and serve.

Makes enough for many salads

• 3/4 c olive oil (approximately – you could use less or more to taste)
• 1 can El Pato Sauce (yellow can)
• juice of 3-4 limes
•  Salt and Pepper to taste

I made this in a pint-sized  jar and adjusted the amount of oil to make a full jar.  If you are making it in a similarly sized jar, add the salsa and lime juice, then top with oil until you reach the top of the jar.  Season with salt and pepper.  Shake vigorously.  If you are not making it in a jar (or are using a larger jar), place all of the ingredients in the bowl and whisk vigorously to combine.

kohlrabi remoulade

If you’re not familiar with kohlrabi, it is a member of the cabbage family and both its leaves and bulbus stem are edible.  In German, kohl means cabbage and rübe means turnip - and from that we get kohlrabi, there ya go.  The leaves taste similar to collard/turnip greens/chard (depending on the age of your plant and other gardening concerns like soil, climate, season) and can be prepared using similar recipes.  The bulb needs to be peeled, as the outside can be woody (older/larger bulbs can be more woody than smaller younger bulbs).  With a mild cabbage or turnip flavor, they can be eaten raw in salads and slaws, or on a crudité platter.  They are also often sautéed, battered and fried, and baked in a gratin (I’m sure among countless other ways to prepare them). 

Kohlrabi

I planted some in my yard this spring (both the green and purple varieties) and they are finally ready to pick.  I am picking them on the small side since they are very tender at this size, but you can let them grow much larger.  So far we have enjoyed the bulb part in a salad and the leaves sautéed with olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes (I did add some water to the pan so they would steam and soften). 

Tonight they are on the menu again… Kohlrabi Remoulade Salad.  This salad has a bunch of fun textures – the soft crunch of the kohlrabi bulb, the crisp crunch of the peppers and lettuce, the tender meatyness of the leaves, and the creamy dressing.  I purposely made the dressing a little thinner than the typical remoulade in order for it to act somewhat like a dressing for the rest of the greens.  This cool salad is really nice when paired up with a spicy main dish or a fish dish.

Kohlrabi Remoulade Salad

Serves: 2

• 1 medium or 2 small kohlrabi (leaves and bulbus stem)
• 2 c of lettuce (any type)
• 1/4 c julienned/thinly sliced bell pepper
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp grainy mustard (if you have a sweet variety, use that – if not add a little honey to the mix)
• 2 tsp sour cream
• juice of 1/4-1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp fresh herbs of your preference

Pull the leaves off of the bulb part of the kohlrabi.    

Since the bulb part can be fibrous, you will need to peel off the outside layer.  Then slice the bulb into thin, julienne-style, strips.

Cut the peppers into similar sized pieces.  Place the peppers, julienned kohlrabi bulb, and herbs in a bowl and set aside.  I used Savory in my version (it is growing like wildfire in my garden), but tarragon, thyme, dill, parsley, or any other herb you favor will really do the trick.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt. 

While the water is coming up to a boil, strip the kohlrabi leaves from their stems and roughly chop.

Blanch the kohlrabi greens in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes (or longer depending on how tough the leaves are).  You want them to be tender, but still bright/dark green, not mushy or fadded, grey green.  Immediately plunge the blanched leaves into a bowl of ice water, or run under the cold tap.  Drain and wring out on a towel.

Mix the mustards, mayo, sour cream, lemon juice (add to taste – it will depend on how tart your lemon is), and honey if needed (if your grainy mustard isn’t sweet).  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the mustard mixture to the bowl or peppers and kohlrabi.  Stir to combine.

In a serving bowl, layer the lettuce on the bottom, then add the blanched and drained kohlrabi leaves, and finally top with the pepper/kohlrabi mixture.  There should be some extra dressing – make sure it all gets added to the serving bowl, as this is needed to dress the lettuce and kohlrabi leaves below.  Chill until ready to serve.