Monthly Archives: February 2012

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Chocolate Stout Waffle Adventure with Take A Megabite

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Sometimes I come across a recipe that I just have to share with my blogger pal, Megan of Take A Megabite. I just know she’ll be as weirdly excited as I get about food-stuffs. Sometimes this leads to us scheming up something delicious to make together. This happened before with fried pickles and Nutella-filled doughnuts.

Some things are just so good you have to share in the making with a friend. Last week I came across a recipe that used beer in pancake batter. As I know Megan is  big fan of beers AND breakfast, I shared the link with her via AIM (yeah sometimes–actually, all the time–we chat on AIM…throw-back!) and we quickly began a back and forth that led to the idea of Chocolate Stout Waffle S’mores. OMG.

This past Saturday I made my way over to the Detroit area for a ladies lunch and beer waffling adventure. The beer combined with plenty of leavening agents makes these waffles light and full of airy bubbles. These waffles aren’t exactly breakfast fare with the addition of cocoa, chocolate stout (we used Young’s Double Chocolate Stout), a marshmallow drizzle, and graham cracker + chocolate chip sprinkles…but more of a lunch/dinner dessert type of thing. Though anyone having these for breakfast or brunch would be a champ in my book.

See Megan’s take on this waffle deliciousness HERE. Also! Megan was nominated for a Homie on Th Kitchn for Best Recipe Blog… if you’re feeling inclined, vote for her HERE!

Chocolate Stout Waffles, S’mores Style

We suggest making the waffle batter first and allowing it to rest while you make the marshmallow sauce–as the marshmallow will set up. If you do make the marshmallow sauce ahead of time, simply reheat it in 10 second bursts in the microwave. We used store bought grahams to sprinkle on top, feel free to make your own if you’re feeling extra fancy. I like this recipe.

Adapted from Serious Eats

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons quality cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

2 Tablespoons sugar

5 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup milk

1 cup stout beer

2 large eggs

Marshmallow Sauce, graham crumbs, and chopped chocolate for topping

In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar. Set aside.

In a small dish whisk eggs to break up and set aside. In a small saucepan heat butter with milk until butter is melted. Measure out a cup of stout. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and whisk in the egg, warm milk and butter, and finally the stout to combine. Set batter aside and heat the waffle iron (cook waffles in iron according to manufacturers instructions) while you make the marshmallow sauce.

Marshmallow Sauce

From The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

1/2 cup, plus 1/4 cup water, divided

1 envelope (1/4 ounce) unflavored gelatin

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 large egg white

Big pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small dish sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup water, set aside to soften.

In a medium saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer heat remaining 1/4 cup water, sugar, and corn syrup. Put the egg white in the bowl of a mixer with the salt. Bring the syrup to a boil, once it reaches about 225F begin beating the egg white. Once the syrup reaches 240F and the egg white is stiff, carefully pour hot syrup into the mixer bowl in a steady stream with the beater on medium speed. Add the gelatin to the still hot saucepan, swirling to melt, and pour that into the mixing bowl as well–continuing to beat until the mixture is white, glossy, and room temperature. Beat in the vanilla. Use immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

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A Photo A Day: Week 8

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 2.19.2012: Liège Waffles. Recipe here.

 2.20.2012: Chocolate and Walnuts for these guys.

 2.21.2012: BEETS, about to get roasted! I love them.

 2.22.2012: A few of my favorite Essie polishes–Chinchilly, Splash of Grenadine, Lilacism

 2.23.2012: Whipped up egg whites and sugar for angel food cake.

 2.24.2012: Snowy days need boots.

 2.25.2012: Beer, chocolate, waffles, with this lady…recipe coming this week!

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Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

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These cookie bars are after my heart.

They are everything I crave and love about a chocolate chip cookie–all crisp edges, chewy middles, toffee-like butteryness, dark chocolate, and crunchy nuts–except, there’s none of that portioning/scooping business. This means that these go from oven to mouth in a little less time with a bit less hassle.

Cookie Heaven.

When I spied this recipe on Not Without Salt, I needed it in my life with a quickness. I made them the same day, with what I had on hand–sharing them with neighbors and Sean’s co-workers–then, made them again 2 days later with a few adaptations of my own.

It’s not often that I make the same recipe twice in a month, let alone in a week. This is a recipe for the recipe box. It deserves a handwritten card and coveted space among the favorites…the ones you go back to over and over again, endlessly adaptable, always familiar.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Adapted from Not Without Salt

I used black salt for sprinkling over the top. It was a purely aesthetic decision and I had some on hand in my salt hoard–a gift from my brother-in-law–you can use any sea salt you have or like. I think smoked salt would be a nice as well. Also, I would encourage switching up the mix-ins if you like…different or no nuts, peanut butter or butterscotch chips, toffee bits, etc. 

1 stick (4 ounces), plus 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, browned

4 ounces (1/2 bar) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup granualted sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon sea salt for sprinkling

12 ounces dark chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate

5 ounces nuts–I used walnuts–toasted and cooled

Grease a 9×13 pan, line with parchment and grease again. Preheat oven to 350F.

Toast nuts on a sheet pan for about 5-10 minutes, being careful not to burn. Remove from oven and cool.

Brown the butter in a skillet over medium low, until milk solids are brown and fragrant like toffee. Remove from heat and scrape into the bowl of a mixer, allow to cool slightly while you gather your ingredients.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a seperate bowl, toss together chocolate and nuts and set aside.

Add sugar and cream cheese to the browned butter in the mixing bowl and cream for 5-7 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl and add the eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping the bowl. Mix in vanilla.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix to just combine, allowing a few streaks of flour to remain, it will be incorporated when you fold in the mix-ins. Fold in the nuts and chocolate by hand so as not to overmix.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan–I used clean and oiled fingertips–and bake in the center of the oven for 30-40 minutes until the edges are deeply golden and the center is just set. Remove from oven and cool in the pan.

 

 

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A Photo A Day: Week 7

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 2.12.2012: Megan & Jake’s Valentine’s Brunch. Where the decor was the cutest, the food was the tastiest, and the champagne the flowiest.

 2.13.2012: Fridge-o-Love. That butterfly is my niece!

 2.14.2012: Valentine’s Day accesories. New lipgloss and blush from my BFF and old earrings from Urban.

 2.15.2012: Paint chip decisions…almost there!

 2.16.2012: Vanilla Malt pudding fixin’s.

 2.17.2012: Egg shell outtake.

 2.18.2012: Being a share-bear with the neighbors. Recipe from Not Without Salt.

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Recipe: Vanilla Malt Pudding

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I have to be real for a moment.

Sometimes, I get into a major baking/cooking slump. Lately, there have been a lot of recipe fails..which, inevitably, leads to frustration. I find that stepping back and letting other tasks distract me is just the thing that helps. I’ve been letting myself get lost in the task of making our rental house feel more like our own space. There have been paint samples, scheming up organizational solutions, and much online shopping.

My time spent in the kitchen has been limited to essential meals. Yesterday, however, I felt like getting back into it. Nothing fancy, serious, or time consuming. Enter pudding. There are few things so comforting and simple as pudding. Some milk, a few egg yolks, a little sugar and cornstarch, plus flavorings–in this case vanilla bean and malt. Add a bit of gentle heat, some attention to stirring, and done. Simple, comforting, non-failure…the perfect thing to climb out of that slump.

Vanilla Malt Pudding

adapted from Martha Stewart

3 cups whole milk

1 vanilla bean, split and seeded

3 egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

1/4  cup cornstarch

6 Tablespoons Malted Milk Powder (I used Carnation brand)

pinch of salt

3 Tablespoons butter, unsalted

In a medium sauce pan heat milk with vanilla seeds and pod until hot, but not boiling, remove from heat. Cover and allow to steep for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks to break up well. Set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together sugar, cornstarch, malt, and salt.

Remove vanilla pod from milk and discard. Whisk in a small amount of the milk into the sugar/cornstarch mixture and whisk that mixture back into the pot of milk to dissolve the cornstarch, making sure there are no lumps. Whisk in the eggs until incorporated well. Heat over medium-low, whisking constantly until mixture becomes thick and a bubble or two breaks the surface, continue to cook–whisking still–for another minute. Remove from heat and add butter, either whisking to combine or buzzing with an immersion blender. Divide pudding among cups, serve warm or cover and chill.

 

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Recipe: Chocolate Pecan Cookies with Sea Salt

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Sometimes you get attention when you really don’t want it. This happened to a friend of mine yesterday. Some dude, creeping her out in a coffee shop. So instead of feeling weird and awkward and creeped out…she did something weird and a little gross.

She picked her nose in an ultra-obvious way.

She texted me as she was doing this, knowing that this is the sort of thing that is right up my alley. I would totally do something like that. I’ve been known to do something weird to make a point. It not only turned the creeped-out table on that dude, but gave us both a good laugh.

So, if you don’t want that attention, be a weirdo. It works like a charm.

But…if you want some non-creepy attention, if you want someone to maybe even like you, cookies are always a good route. These cookies want your attention, even if they aren’t beauty queens. They have deep, chocolatey flavor, nutty-sweet pecans, rich bits of dark chocolate, and crunchy, sea salt sprinkles. They are dense, yet soft and yielding. Perfect with cold milk.

Chocolate Pecan Cookies with Sea Salt

Adapted from The Kitchn. Makes about 2 dozen. 

The original recipe suggests using the best dutch-process cocoa, fresh nuts, and quality chocolate or chips. I agree whole-heartedly, the flavor of the cookies will be totally worth the quality ingredients. I used Valrhona cocoa powder, ghiradelli chips, freshly-toasted pecans, and Maldon salt. You can use just all-purpose flour if you do not have/want the white whole wheat. 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup white whole wheat flour

2/3 cup unsweetened, dutch processed cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips/chopped chocolate pieces

1 cup pecans, toasted and broken into pieces

flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375F and line sheet pans with parchment or silicone baking mats.

In a medium bowl whisk together flours, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and espresso. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer on medium, beat the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Scrape down sides and add eggs one at a time until well-combined, scraping as needed. Mix in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in dry ingredients, just until combined. Fold in the chocolate and nuts.

Drop or scoop dough onto baking sheets, spaced 2 inches apart, sprinkle with sea salt, and bake for 10-15 minutes (mine took 11) until puffed and still slightly shiny in the middle. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Serve with cold glasses of milk.

 

 

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A Photo A Day: Week 5

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1.29.2012: Snow day outside of our office window.

1.30.2012: Nude & Dark Plum mani. I used Zoya colors Kennedy and Casey.

1.31.2012: Early morning sunrise from our front porch.

2.1.2012: Stepping out on a not-so-wintry day sans socks.

2.2.2012: Juicing! Grapefruit and Carrot.

2.3.2012: Favorite breakfast, corn tortilla/egg/cholula/avocado.

2.4.2012: Saturday morning coffee with the Mr.