Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Triple Chocolate Brownie Stack

Brownies are a crowd favorite, dense and rich,  chocolaty and moist, just fantastic.  I figured why not stack them and create a dish worthy of a dessert centerpiece at any holiday or other occasion.
Frosted brownies are a real treat, especially when laced with a tangy cream cheese.
This version presents brownies in a whole new light, almost upscale compared to just squares on a plate.  For this recipe I used chocolate chips, cocoa powder and chocolate syrup, also a particular blend of both cake and AP flour for textural variance.  The brownie cake turned out wonderful so be sure to make it when it can be shared liberally, lest you may want to eat it all by yourself!
Recipe:
Dry ingredients:
2 c. AP flour, sifted
1 1/2 c. cake flour, sifted
1/2 c. good quality cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
Wet ingredients:
1 2/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. or 1 stick butter, softened
1/2 c. vegetable oil
5 eggs, 3 yolks 2 whole
1 c. unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp. good quality vanilla extract
1 c. genuine chocolate syrup

Preheat oven to 325*F.
Grease and flour three 8 inch cake pans.
Combine flours and other dry ingredients and stir well.
Using a stand mixer at medium speed, cream sugar, butter and oil.
Add eggs, ,one yolk at a time, until incorporated.
Blend in chocolate syrup and vanilla.
Alternate blending portions of flour and coconut milk , ending with flour.
Make sure to scrape the bowl sides down throughout to catch any pockets of flour or ingredients.
Distribute evenly among the three pans.
Bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 25 minutes.  Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile prepare the frosting:
1 1/2  lb. powdered sugar
8 oz. cream cheese, at room tempertature
6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips w/ 2 tbsp. coconut milk, softened in microwave or by double boiler.
1/2 tsp. good quality vanilla
pinch kosher salt
Combine ingredients under medium speed until desired consistency is reached.
Place in refrigerator for 10 minutes to stabilize frosting until ready to use.
Once brownies have cooled, cut each round in half crosswise, creating 6 layers.
On desired dish, add a bit of frosting to stabilize structure and begin to add each layer, frosting and layering etc.
Once 6 layers are in place, frost sides, then top.
Serves 16.







Monday, December 8, 2014

Festive Turkey Meatloaf Wreath with Parmesan

I found this recipe to be a delicious and fun one, especially with the implement of a silicon bundt cake pan.
I accomplished several things. First, distribution of the meatloaf is so that cooking time is reduced, even though  I used a three pound package of ground turkey. Next,  with this form, there is more surface area for the wonderful glaze to present itself with just about every bite.  Additionally, this makes for ease of slicing later and perfect for sandwich or serving portions.   Most importantly, my youngest daughter Bronwyn LOVED it! The super plus of this main course,  which I realized while cooling, is the space in the center is a suitable well for roasted or mashed potatoes, vegetables or fresh herbs for presentation.  You may also embellish the serving plate with roasted sides of a round, oblong or oval nature, creating a very colorful and festive meatloaf indeed!! Happy Holidays!
Recipe:
3 lb. ground turkey ( you may substitute another protein)
1 large green pepper, chopped about 1 cup
1 large onion, chopped, about 1 1/2 cup
4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 tbsp. hot pepper paste
2 soft chicken cubes, optional
1/2 c. good quality ketchup
1/2 c. restaurant style salsa
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. fish sauce, optional
1 1/2 c. whole wheat bread crumbs
2/3 c. good quality grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, slightly beaten
SPST
olive oil for drizzling
Preheat oven to 375*F.
 In a microwavable bowl, combine green pepper, onions , garlic, hot pepper paste and bouillon cubes.
Drizzle with olive oil and toss.
Microwave for 5 minutes or until veggies are softened and aromatic.
Set aside to cool, DO NOT drain.
When cooled enough to handle, combine with ground turkey and rest of ingredients.
SPST.
Fold until all is evenly distributed.  (A good indicator is when you see the veggies speckled evenly throughout, the flavors are too!!)
Spray or grease the bundt pan and spread meatloaf mixture evenly.
Place on baking sheet and bake until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about 30 minutes.
Midway through cooking, carefully pour off accumulated juices and fats.  This will be done a total of two times during the cooking process.
RESERVE some of the juices (skimmed of excess fat and strained) for the glaze.
Remove meatloaf from oven and carefully invert onto another flat baking surface.
Place back in oven and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, while you prepare the glaze.
Glaze: Optional
1/2  to 1 c. meatloaf juices
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. ketchup
1 tbsp. hot pepper paste
Bring items up to a boil in a small saucepan.
Continue rolling boil for several minutes until slightly thickened.
Remove from heat and paint onto meatloaf, baking several minutes more.
Turn on broiler and paint meatloaf again, letting go until meatloaf surface starts to caramelize.
Let stand before slicing.
Embellish as desired.*
*I used fresh parsley from my herb garden for sake of time constraints.  I can't wait to play around with filling it with side dishes!!