Fallen Chocolate Cake

This is a Fallen Chocolate Cake.  It's not a fallen chocolate cake as in maybe it fell from grace, or oops! it fell off the table. It is fallen, as in the center of the cake freely gave itself to gravity after it came out of the oven. While it was cooling the center just sunk down and made this beautiful crater in which to house mounds of whipped cream and berries.  Truly, this cake is no fall from grace; it's going to be the saving grace for my Fourth of July cookout.  See, I'm not very good at grilled burgers, but since this will finish the meal who will even remember the meat? 

Fallen Chocolate Cake
Serves 8-12
from Bon Appetit

Cake
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, plus more for pan
1/4 cup plus 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided, plus more for pan
10 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt or scant 1/2 teaspoon table salt

Topping
Assorted fresh berries
Lightly sweetened whipped cream, 1 two 2 cups, optional

Equipment
A 9-inch-diameter springform pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly butter bottom and sides of springform pan and dust with sugar, tapping out excess.

Combine chocolate, oil, and 1/2 cup butter in a large heatproof bowl.  Set over a saucepan of barely simmering water and heat until melted, stirring often.  Remove bowl and set aside.

Separate 4 eggs, placing whites and yolks in separate bowls.  Make sure to not get any yolk into the whites.  To the bowl containing the 4 yolks, add remaining 2 eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, and 1/4 cup sugar.  Whisk briskly until smooth, especially if there are lumps in the cocoa powder, which there probably are. Gradually whisk yolk mixture into chocolate mixture, blending until incorporated and smooth.

Using an electric mixer with very clean beaters, beat egg whites until frothy.  With mixer running, gradually beat in 1/2 cup sugar; continue to beat until firm peaks form.

In 2 additions, gently fold egg whites into the chocolate mixture, folding just until incorporated and no streaks of white remain. Scrape batter into prepared springform pan; smooth and sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over top.

Bake until top is puffed and starting to crack and cake is just starting to pull away from edge of pan, about 30 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cake cool completely in pan.  Cake can be made 1 day head. Cover in pan and store airtight at room temperature. When ready to serve remove from pan and top with whipped cream and berries.  Serve immediately.

Black Pepper Chicken with Mango and Cashews

Can we have a little chat about cilantro?  The first time I tasted it I was sure someone had left a tablespoon of ivory soap in the salsa serving dish.  And maybe the second time I felt the same way. It's possible I went on hating cilantro for at least 10 years.  What a shame.  I don't even know when or how it happened because I usually try to avoid food I dislike, but somewhere in there I started liking it. And now I don't just like it - I can't live without it.  And neither can this recipe, so if you are a hater, well, keep tasting cilantro until you like it and then come back and make this delicious and easy dinner.

Black Pepper Chicken with Mango and Cashews

From The New York Times

1/2 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1/4 olive or vegetable oil
1/2 cup salted cashews
1 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts* or thighs, cut into 
     2-inch chunks
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro stems
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons dark rum, or 2 tablespoon water mixed with a 
     bit of rum extract
1 large or 2 small mangoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1.  In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and cayenne.  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add the spice mixture and the cashews to the hot oil and cook, stirring, just until the nuts are starting to brown a bit, about 2 minutes.  Pour the nuts back into the small bowl to cool.

2.  Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel and return to stove top.  Add remaining 3 tablespoons oil and bring to medium heat.  Season the chicken with remaining 1 teaspoon pepper and a bit of salt.  Add scallions and cilantro stems to hot oil; cook for about 1 minute, stirring the entire time. Add the chicken and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the surface is golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in the rum and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until the rum evaporates, about 1 minute.

3.  Remove pan from heat and add nuts, mango, vinegar and cilantro leaves.  Serve over rice if desired.

Yield:  4 servings.

Notes on the recipe:

-It probably seems weird to use cut up cilantro stems in the recipe but it turns out that they have more flavor than the leaves.  Cook's Illustrated did a taste test with parsley and cilantro and found that while parsley stems are bitter and stringy and should be avoided, cilantro stems have loads of flavor and easily wilt when cooked.  If a recipe calls for cilantro and crunchy texture isn't a problem, or if the cilantro is cooked, go ahead and use the stems and the leaves.

-The original recipe calls for chicken thighs and they are very very good but sometimes I get annoyed with all the extra stuff that comes with thighs - like fat and silver skin.  So instead of using thighs I like to *brine chicken breast tenders before I cook them.  If you have never brined before you are missing out! Leave a comment if you would like directions.

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Another chocolate cookie recipe? Why, yes, another chocolate cookie recipe, because chocolate cookie recipes are like shoes - you can't have too many and you need different ones for different occasions.  This particular cookie is especially well suited for a casual gathering of chocolate lovers.

Adapted from Food and Wine

Makes about 3 dozen

16 ounces semisweet OR bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
One 12-ounce bag mini semisweet chocolate chips
Flaky sea salt, optional

In a large microwave safe bowl melt the chopped chocolate and the butter in 30 second intervals.  Stir the mixture frequently and take care to not scorch the melted chocolate on the bottom of the bowl.  Let cool for 5 or 10 minutes.

In a small bowl whisk the flour and baking powder together.  Set aside.

In another large bowl beat the eggs and sugar using an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer) for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is thick and pale yellow.  Don't be lazy and under-beat or your cookies will be flat and lifeless.  Beat in vanilla and salt.  Pour melted chocolate over the egg mixture and gently mix together with mixer set on low. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the flour mixture until no streaks remain.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and allow to set, either on the counter, or in the fridge or freezer until firm enough to scoop into balls. The dough will be too firm to scoop if you leave it in the freezer too long.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Working in batches, scoop dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons each and place on baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.  If desired, sprinkle a small amount of flaky sea salt over each ball. Bake each sheet for about 9 to 12 minutes or until dough is just starting to set and top is puffy and cracked. Cool on baking sheet just long enough for cookies to firm up, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to counter top to continue to cool. I dare you to let them cool completely before serving.

Notes on the recipe:
-Choose your chocolate based on your preference - any type of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate should work. We preferred E. Guittard or Ghiradelli semisweet.
-It might take a time or two to determine how long to bake them.  One or two minutes too long and the cookies become a bit too dry, although still delicious.  You will know you under baked them if they fall flat several minutes after they come out of the oven.  

Cinnamon Rolls

All pictures by Sarah Hill (THANK YOU!)

We have a neighbor who has graciously plowed our driveway for the past eighteen winters.  The arrangement used to go something like this: when the forecast predicted snow I would make sure I had all the ingredients for cinnamon rolls.  The snow would come, I would prepare the dough.  The storm would pass and the neighbor would plow the driveway while I baked the rolls.  With the driveway cleared, Scott would deliver the warm rolls.  It seemed like a fairly good arrangement.  Then one year Scott decided it would be a good idea to buy a used snowblower from some friends who were moving to California. When our friend with the plow found out about this disruption he said, "Wait - I thought you were intelligent people!  Every time it snows Scott gets his driveway plowed AND warm cinnamon rolls. And now he chooses to blow his own snow and neither of us gets cinnamon rolls?" 

Scott claims a belt or some other essential part broke on that snowblower after he used it once or twice. I'm not so sure....

Cinnamon Rolls

Rolls:

½ cup warm water (about 105 degrees)

5 teaspoons instant yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

3 ½ oz. pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix (don't judge me)

2 cups milk

½ cup butter, melted and cooled a bit

2 eggs

2 teaspoons salt

8-9 cups flour (36 to 40 ounces)

Filling:

1 cup butter, softened to room temperature

2 cups light brown sugar

½ cup flour

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Frosting:

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup heavy cream

In a medium bowl combine warm water, yeast, and sugar.  Whisk until dissolved and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, prepare pudding mix according to package directions (I warm the milk first to about 105 degrees).  Add melted butter, eggs and salt; mix briefly.  Add yeast mixture and mix until incorporated.  Switch to dough hook; gradually add enough flour to make a soft dough; knead about 5 minutes.  Place dough in a greased bowl,  cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.  Punch down and let rise again. I always let the dough rise the second time overnight in the fridge. It is much easier to roll out this way.

Prepare the filling by mixing the butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl until a paste forms.

Line three 10-inch cake pans with parchment paper (see photo).

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured counter top to a very large rectangle, about 34" x 21".  Using an offset spatula, spread filling over entire surface of dough.  Starting on a long side, roll dough into a cylinder. Using your sharpest serrated knife, cut dough into 18 rolls. 

Place 6 rolls in each pan.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise 10 to 15 minutes while oven preheats to 350 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and place pans in oven (I can only fit 2 pans in my oven at a time). Bake about 30 to 35 minutes or until rolls are light brown.   While rolls are baking prepare frosting by whisking vanilla, powdered sugar and heavy cream until smooth. Add more cream if necessary to achieve a drizzle. Let rolls rest for 5 to 10 minutes in pans then drizzle with frosting. Serve warm.

Sprinkle counter or table top with flour.

Roll dough into a large rectangle 34" x 21".

Occasionally lift dough and sprinkle more flour underneath.

Spread filling evenly over dough.

                         

Starting along long edge roll dough into a cylinder.

Cut dough into 18 even pieces.

Place 6 rolls into each pan

Trim excess paper from pans

Bake, drizzle with frosting and eat warm.

World Peace Cookies

Dorie Greenspan, cookbook author, cookie maven and proprietor of the newly famous NYC cookie boutique Buerre & Sel popularized this recipe from the French pastry chef Pierre Herme.  Previously known as Karova cookies, Dorrie renamed them World Peace Cookies after her neighbor declared that a daily dose of this little gem is all that is needed to "ensure planetary peace and happiness." Such lofty aspirations for an ugly little cookie, don't you think? But there might be something to them.  Dorie claims there is a group in California known as "Grandmothers for Peace" who bake these cookies every Friday and hand them out on a street corner to passersby who agree to bake their own cookies and pass them on to others. 

These aren't the cookies you give the kids.  Don't expect the same goo and chew as a classic chocolate chip cookie.  These are French sable cookies, meant to be sandy and a bit crumbly but made a tad bit chewy by the addition of some brown sugar. And chocolate.  No, not chocolate.  CHOCOLATE.  Perfectly dark, not-too-sweet, don't-you-dare-use-Baker's-chocolate, #CHOCOLATE.  

Sigh.  I feel so utterly peaceful just describing these cookies. 

World Peace Cookies
by Dorie Greenspan via Smitten Kitchen

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (160 grams)
1/3 cup dutch process cocoa powder (30 grams)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11 tablespoons unsalted butter (156 grams) softened to room temperature
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar (180 grams)
1/4 cup sugar (50 grams)
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel (small flake kosher will work) or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces of bitter or semi-sweet chocolate (150 grams) chopped into small chunks (3/4 cup mini chips will work)
fleur de sel for sprinkling on cookies

Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda together and set aside.

Cream the butter until soft and creamy, either with a hand mixer or a large stand mixer. Add both sugars, salt and vanilla and continue to beat until mixture is light and fully, about two minutes more, stopping to scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl as needed.

Add the flour mixture and slowly mix to incorporate.  Stop just as soon as the mixture is homogeneous.  The mixture might look crumbly but it will be okay.  Add the chopped chocolate and mix again.

Turn the dough out onto work surface and divide into two equal pieces.  Shape each half into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  If the dough is too crumbly to form a cohesive log compress it with your warm hands.  Wrap each log with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze for several hours. When you are ready to promote world peace, preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using your sharpest knife, cut dough into 1/2 inch thick slices and place about an inch apart on lined sheet. Sprinkle each cookie with a tiny bit of fleur de sel.  Bake for 12 minutes.  The cookies will not be firm and will look underdone.  Let rest on cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to cooling rack. 

Best served at room temperature but also amazing when the chocolate chunks are still warm and gooey.

Notes on the recipe:
-Please use really good chocolate and cocoa powder.  World peace is not achieved with cheap chocolate. If you can find E. Guittard Cocoa Rouge Cocoa Powder you will not be disappointed. According to Ms. Greenspan, some people reported to her that natural cocoa powder (vs. dutch process) produced a more crumbly dough.

-The dough is difficult to slice, especially if it is frozen.  Don't worry if some pieces crumble off - just smash them back where they belong.  This isn't a beauty pageant cookie, it's a world peace cookie.  Please forgive its imperfections.

Peppermint Bark Bundt Cake

Mr. and Mrs. Christmas Confection 

are pleased to announce the marriage of their daughter

Peppermint Bark 

To

Chocolate Breakfast Bundt Cake

son of Mr. and Mrs. Let Them Eat Cake Anytime

You are cordially invited to the December wedding 

of a match made in heaven

 

Is there anything not to love about peppermint bark?  Is there anything not to love about chocolate breakfast bundt cake?  It's so nice to see such good flavors join together. 

Cake:

2 cups (9 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

½ cup high quality Dutch process cocoa powder


¾ cup water


2 cups sugar


1 cup sour cream


1 tablespoon vanilla extract


2 large eggs

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/2 cup roughly chopped *Hershey's mint chocolate chips




Glaze:


½ cup powdered sugar


1 to 2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

Frosting: 

1/2 cup *Hershey's mint chocolate chips

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons light corn syrup 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup crushed candy canes



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Combine flour, soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until incorporated and set aside.

Gently melt butter in a large saucepan. Add cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Add water and remove from heat. Whisk in the following ingredients, in order listed: sugar, sour cream, vanilla, eggs and peppermint extract. Whisk until smooth.

Pour chocolate mixture over flour and whisk until well blended and no lumps remain. Spray a 10-cup Bundt pan with “Pam with Flour." Pour mixture into prepared Bundt pan. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate over the surface of the batter and gently swirl with a knife to barely incorporate the chocolate.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cake is just firm to the touch and is starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. While cake is cooling prepare the glaze by whisking the powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon cocoa powder with enough milk to make a thin glaze. Carefully invert the warm cake onto a large plate or cake stand. Using a pastry brush liberally brush surface of cake with glaze. Cool completely. 

To make frosting, gently melt mint chocolate chips, butter, light corn syrup and vanilla extract in the microwave. Stir until smooth and shiny. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the cold cake. Sprinkle crushed candy canes over top and allow to sit until glaze becomes slightly firm.

Notes on the recipe:

-The crushed candy canes will start to soften and get sticky after a day or two.  It might be best to add the frosting and crushed candy canes on the day you will serve the cake.

-I made a side by side comparison of this cake using Hershey's special dark cocoa powder and E. Guittard cocoa rouge cocoa powder. The E. Guittard was unbelievably better but it can be hard to find.  Here in Connecticut you can buy it at Bishops's market in Guillford or the Williams Sonoma outlet (!!!! love that store) at the Westbrook outlets.

-*If you can't find Hershey's mint chocolate chips substitute semisweet chocolate chips plus 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract.

-There is some weird science going on with this cake batter.  If you mix the ingredients in the order listed: sugar, sour cream, vanilla, and eggs then the batter will be fairly thick. If you add the sugar last the batter will be very thin and the chopped chocolate will sink, stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.

-I always spray my Bundt pan with “Pam with Flour” and my cakes always release perfectly. I used to grease and flour but that never worked very well – little pieces of the cake would stick and tear away when I inverted the cake. Also, the flour would inevitably leave a white haze over portions of the cake.

Hurricane Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

See how it swirls around, with an eye in the center? 

 Resembles a certain storm that came my way this week. 

Paradise Ave, about a mile down the road.

 Hurricanes are scary! 

Temple Street, New Haven

Photo courtesy of yalebowls.com

Making hurricane bread - not so scary.  

Hurricane Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

Makes 2 loaves, 1 for you and 1 for your neighbors who don't have a generator.
Total time from start to finish is about 3 hours.

Dough adapted from Cook's Illustrated Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Dough

8 tablespoons cold butter

3 3/4 cups (20 2/3 ounces) bread flour, plus more for rolling out

3/4 cup (2 3/4 ounces) nonfat dry milk powder

1/3 cup (2 1/3 ounces) granulated sugar

1 tablespoon instant yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Filling

2 cups granulated sugar, divided

4 teaspoons cinnamon, divided

1/2 cup melted butter, divided

Dough:

Cut the butter into 32 pieces and toss with 1 tablespoon of the measured bread flour; set aside. Whisk the rest of the flour, dry milk powder and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook; set aside. Whisk together warm water and yeast and add to flour mixture along with lightly beaten egg. Mix together on medium-low speed until a cohesive ball of dough forms, about two minutes, scraping the bowl as needed (it will still be a bit shaggy at this point).  Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 20 minutes.

Add salt to dough and mix again on medium-low speed until the dough becomes very smooth and elastic and clears the sides of the mixing bowl, about 7-10 minutes.  The dough will look sticky; resist the temptation to add more flour. With the mixer running, add the butter a few squares at a time and continue to knead until all of the butter is fully incorporated and the dough clears the sides of the mixer bowl, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a greased mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour or until the dough is nearly doubled in size. Punch dough down and divide evenly into two balls.

.

In a small bowl mix together the cinnamon and sugar; divide in half and set aside.  Spray 2 Bundt pans with nonstick cooking spray.

Lightly sprinkle counter top and rolling pin with a bit of flour.  Roll one ball of dough into a 12 x 20 inch rectangle. Slather half of the melted butter on the top of the rectangle.  Sprinkle half of cinnamon and sugar mixture over the butter.  It might seem like too much sugar but it's not.  

Cut the dough vertically into six long strips. 

Stack the strips on top of each other.  Don't worry if the strips are not identical in size and the sugar mixture spills out. 

Cut this stack of strips into six portions again.  You should now have six piles of dough that contain six squares each for a total of 36 squares.  

Working with one stack at a time, place squares in bundt pan so the  sugar and butter sides are touching each other. Scoop up the spilled sugar and sprinkle it over the top of the dough.

Repeat with second ball of dough.

Cover the bundt pans with plastic wrap and let rise for about 30 to 40 minutes until dough is nice and puffy.  While dough is rising preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove plastic wrap, place pans in oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before unmolding loaf onto serving plate.  Dig in.

Notes on the recipe:

The dough can be made the night before and refrigerated.  Bring to room temperature and proceed with recipe.

I assume you can cut it in half and make one loaf; I've just never tried it.