Chocolate Pave

Because I love my coworkers (most of them) and I love to bake, when their birthdays roll around, I find it hard not to bake them some kind of treat for their special day.  This Valentine's Day my coworker Jason had a birthday. :)

Last year, I had made him a white cake with strawberry frosting, and this year I decided to dig into my chocolate drawer again.  What follows is one of the easiest and richest flourless cakes I have made in a long time.  David calls it a chocolate pave cake.  In French, pave means paving stones, and the cake was named thus for it's 'cobbled' appearance after baking. 

The cake itself took about 20 minutes to put together, 35 minutes of baking time and 5 minutes to decorate.  Not only is it rich, luscious and totally into chocolate overdrive, but it looks pretty decorated with powdered sugar and melted chocolate, so it's simple from beginning to end, and really, really simple to eat.  :)

From Ready for Dessert:

Chocolate Pave

You will need:

Chocolate/cocoa powder for preparing your baking pan

1 cup salted or unsalted butter, cut into pieces

4 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate

4 ounces of semisweet baking chocolate

6 large eggs, separated

1/2 cup plus 1/2 cup of sugar

pinch of salt

Powdered sugar, for dusting (decorating)

melted chocolate for decorating

How to:

Preheat oven to 350.

Butter the bottom and sides of your baking pan well.  Dust with cocoa and shake off excess.  Line the bottom of your pan with wax/parchment paper.

In a large heatproof bowl, combine the butter and both chocolates.  Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until the mixture is melted and smooth.  Remove the bowl from the heat.  (Now, I just melted the chocolate and butter in a saucepan until it was smooth making sure it wouldn't burn.  It was easier this way for me.)

IN a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whisk together the egg yoks and 1/2 cup of sugar on high speed until it ribbons when you remove the whisk.  It took six minutes for me.

Fold in the melted chocolate mixture until fully combined.  Since the chocolate is hot, this will "curdle" the egg mixture, but just keep stirring.  It won't ever be silky smooth, but as long as it is completely mixed you are fine.

In a clean bowl, beat the whites with the pinch of salt until it forms wet peaks, about two minutes.  Then you add the 1/2 sugar gradually until the mixture is white and stiff, about 8 minutes or so.  

Fold the whites into the chocolate mixture.  It will seem like a lot of whites, but trust me, just keep incorporating until the whites are gone.  Do not overmix.  Just mix until you no longer see streaks of white.

Pour mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes.  The center will still be jiggly.  Don't panic if your cake cracks.  Mine had a crater size crack in it, but once I took it out of the oven, the crack closed in on itself as the cake fell.  It will look cracked, it's supposed to.  ;)

Let it cool for fifteen minutes and run a knife around the sides to loosen it.  Invert the cake onto a platter and remove the paper, and re-invert onto a new platter.  The first platter doesn't matter, but you should re-invert onto your serving platter so you don't have to worry about it breaking if you use your hand to transfer.  If you use two plates, you can sandwich the cake between them to avoid any breakage.

Melt chocolate for decorating and using a fork, wave it over the cake to drizzle it with the chocolate.  Then add the powdered sugar.  

And that's it!

Spiced Candied Pecans

Happy Steeler Sunday!

Today I spent the better part of my afternoon not watching the Steeler game.  Instead, I got it into my mind that I wanted to create a variation to the chocolate chip cookie recipe that I posted awhile back.  I happened to be flipping through Ready for Dessert (the best dessert book ever, by the way, and I'm not biased) and David suggests replacing the regular pecans or walnuts in his cookie recipe with a version of what he calls "candy" pecans.

This very short and very EASY (do you read that people, this is EASY) recipe was found in the candy section of the book.  I wondered why at first.  Now I know.  There's no eating just one of those babies.  You're supposed to use four cups of pecans to make this treat, but I only had two (thank God for that because I needed those two cups for the cookies).   So I just halved the recipe. 

Believe you me.  It takes four minutes to toss the stuff together and thirty minutes to bake.  Then you have to cool them.  If you are in any way a nut lover, trust me, you need to make these.

They are perfectly, sweet, spicy, crunchy and just a teeny bit hot.  The flavors come together amazingly well in this thick, caramel like sauce that you toss your pecans with.  I suppose you can use other types of nuts.  I prefer walnuts. 

As I'm writing this, I actually only have one cup left.  Shame on me.  I guess those cookies will have to wait!

Spiced Candied Pecans

adapted just slightly from Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz

1 large egg white
1/2 cup of PACKED light brown sugar (do pack it)
2 Tbs ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cayenne or pure chile powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 300 F. 
Spray the baking sheet you will be using with nonstick cooking spray or oil it just slightly
In a large bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy, only 10 seconds or so
Toss in the rest of the ingredients, adding the nuts last
Coat the nuts well
Distribute nuts on your baking sheet and bake until the nuts are toasted, about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 to prevent sticking
Let cool, separating the pecans as they cool.

My notes:

I used walnuts, not pecans

In the deep recesses of what is the cave of spices in my kitchen, I found both chile and cayenne powders (thank God I have a use for the cayenne now!), so I tried both.  I prefer the cayenne world's over!  It gives the nuts a bigger punch, in my opinion.

Use real vanilla.  I tried both real and imitation and there was a huge difference.

Lastly, these are so easy, it's NUTS.  (Haha. I had to say it)

Brownies for Baby

I know.  It's been forever!  In my defense, I must say that this will (if successful) be the fourth time I have actually sat down to make a post.  Ce la vie.

The other day, my two best girlfriends visited me for a belated birthday celebration.  They made all manner of yummy foods which I normally do not eat, but was glad to (simply because it was them who made it).  It made me laugh, because the dreaded "cheese drawer" conversation started again, for probably at least the fiftieth time!  To clarify, each of the girls has a drawer in the bottom of their fridge, which is full of cheese.  All kinds of cheese.  Block cheese, sliced, shredded, I think even maybe spreadable cheese.  It's because they use cheese as a staple.  Every dish that they made me the day they visited had cheese in it.  I still have a bag of cheese that they left behind!

I make fun of them (jokingly) of course, because of their cheese drawers.

The sad reality was that today, I realized something.  That same bottom drawer in my fridge is filled with chocolate.  Not only do I have eight different kinds of chocolate chips, there are several large bars of solid brick chocolate, and three boxes of baking chocolate.  Semi sweet, bittersweet, and all precentage of cacao content.  I sat back, laughing.  I suppose we all have our thing.

Speaking of my thing...

My friend Tracy is having a baby next week.  For her going away on maternity leave, she requested brownies.  Since I have an epic chocolate drawer in my fridge, it was easy to come up with something.  With a little help from David of course.  :)

The following is a homemade recipe for brownies, using just butter, sugar, flour, eggs, vanilla, and of course, three different kinds of chocolate.  They're probably better than any brownie I've ever had - complete chocolate overload with very little sweetness.  Although I've never tried, I'm pretty sure I can house a pan of these by myself, plain jane.  For Tracy though, I might frost them.  Cheescake cinnamon frosting, with maybe just a few drops of red food coloring.  Pink icing for baby girl.  Enjoy!

Cheesecake Brownies

One 9-inch (23cm) or 8-inch (20cm) square pan

Adapted from David's website.

For those of you who like higher brownies, use an 8-inch pan.

Maggie's note:  I used this recipe, opting out of the cheesecake part.  I know, sounds crazy, but these are better plain!  By all means however, give the cheesecake part a whirl if you want, and decide for yourself.  The only thing better than one batch of brownies, is two!

6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces (115g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup (130g) sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup (70g) flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (80g) chocolate chips

For cheesecake:

8 ounces (200g) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
5 tablespoons (75g) sugar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Line a 9-inch (23cm) or 8-inch (20cm) square pan with foil, making sure it goes up all four sides. Use two sheets if necessary. Mist with non-stick spray or grease lightly.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180C).

3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and beat in the 2/3 cup (130g) sugar, then the eggs.

4. Mix in the flour, cocoa powder and salt, then the vanilla and chocolate chips. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

5. In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, the yolk, 5 tablespoons (75g) of sugar, and vanilla until smooth.

6. Distribute the cream cheese mixture in eight dollops across the top of the brownie mixture, then take a dull knife or spatula and swirl the cream cheese mixture with the chocolate batter.

My FAVORITE chocolate chip cookies

There are 130,000 recipes for chocolate chip cookies on the internet.  Trust me, I googled it.  :D

I'm not going to say I tried all of them (wow, would that make me a liar, or what?)  I do however, have my preferences.  I love my mom's (and she hardly ever makes them), and my friend Amy has this neighbor who gives her cookies all the time.  Good thing she gets a lot, because I eat half when I come visit!

I never liked chocolate chip cookies when I was a kid - I always opted for peanut butter or oatmeal.  Chocolate chip was too plain.  Now, I am older and wiser.  And I KNOW why I didn't like them!  Not enough chocolate chips!  I have learned throughout the years that my love of chocolate chip cookies grows in proportion to the amount of chocolate.  :)

It's Christmas time, everyone is busy, including me.  I'm not going to make this one a long one...the following is (with a few modifications) my favorite recipe by far.  Of course, feel free as I did, to change what you don't like, and add what you might like.  This is seriously the best recipe if you're one who loves a whole lot of chips in your cookie.  It's amazing at how many you can fit in such a small amount of dough!  Scary.  But delicious.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 20 cookies (if you use the suggested 2 Tsb) but I usually just make small balls and put them on the cookie sheet, and I can get more than two dozen that way


1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) (115 grams) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch (1cm) pieces
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (200 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (130 grams) walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped, or you can use oats, although cut the amount down and grind them up a bit

Adjust the oven rack to the top third of the oven and preheat to 300F (150C). Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat the sugars and butters together until smooth. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and baking soda.

Stir together the flour and salt, then mix them into the batter. Mix in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Scoop the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon (5cm) balls and place 8 balls, spaced 4 inches (10cm) apart, on each of the baking sheets.

Bake for 18 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Some notes that I've made along the way:

~I don't actually use wax paper.  The melted chocolate sticks to it, and when you try to lift off to a plate, you get cookies that are partial.  Of course, if you're patient, and can wait until the cookies are completely cool (and the chips solid) I suppose using wax paper might work.  I've never known though, if that works or not.  I want to eat as soon as they're cool enough to put in my mouth!

~I think the nuts are a good touch, though it depends on how much you like nuts.  I use walnuts, and most of the time, just grind them so they're in small chunks. This way, they're evident in the cookie itself.  That's how I like it.  But some people pulverize their nuts, so that all you have is a fine nutty powder.  I've tried both, and I think they're both delish, but I like a little chunk in my cookie. 

~When you toast them, use parchment paper, pour the correct amount onto the paper, and put that in the oven.  Be creative.  I always add a dash of cinnamon or some nutmeg on top just for a light hint of flavor.  Or you can do them plain.

~ When you cut up the cold butter and try to blend it with the sugars, I don't think it'll work!  I've done this many times, and always, it only starts coming together when I add the egg and the vanilla and soda.  Don't panic, it WILL come together eventually.

~ There is almost not enough dough for the amount of add-ins.  Don't worry - it's supposed to be that way.  :)

~ Lastly, chill the dough an hour before using it.  It makes it easier to work with.  You'll have to bake a bit more than you would normally.  Just keep peeking in the oven.

~Like I mentioned above, if you do use oats, cut the amount down a bit.  And use a food processor to grind them down.  If you don't, then you'll have an oatmeal cookie, and it's not what you wanted, is it? 

~ I use Ghiradelli's for my chocolate.  The bittersweet nibs are the best, but most of the time, I blend a few different kinds into my cookies.  These will be hugely chocolate, so be warned (or not).

~~~

Adapted from David Lebovitz's The Great Book of Chocolate

Decorating for Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving week!  I'm sure everyone's busy - I've been so, and I was sick for a good few days which slowed down my preparations.

This year, I'm hosting my first Thanksgiving in the new house!  I've been thinking about this awhile (I'm sure I haven't made mention of it to my family and friends lest they think I'm crazy to be thinking about it for so long).  When I finally got down to the details, I realized there's so much to do! My mother has been great with all of it - she's bringing most of the food (minus the appetizers, a few of the dishes and the cake).

I had on my to do list only a few things.  To come up with some before dinner snacks.  To host it at my house (meaning the place had to be relatively clean and this is a task which I have trouble undertaking as I can be the most disorganized person on the planet) to bake my father a birthday cake (more on that another time) and to set the Thanksgiving table.

This blog is about the last item on that list (and surprisingly the most challenging!)  I had no clue how to go about making a centerpiece and providing visually pleasing table settings for all my guests.  I knew I couldn't go too expensive, and I also knew I didn't want something plain. 

So for those who are trying to save some money and still come up with something pretty, keep on reading.  I'm proud of myself!  I think (and perhaps I'm biased) I came up with a few good ideas.  Let's start with the place settings.

This was probably where I spent most of my money, but only because I didn't own linens and a tablecloth.  If you already do, then this is really super cheap to make.  Here's a list of things you'll need, most can be found at an arts and crafts store.  I went to Michael's.

linen napkins
ribbon
fabric leaves
fabric pen or marker
fake fruit
candles
candleholders

I buffed my silverware and then folded each linen napkin in half, and rolled the silverware in it.  I cut the ribbon long enough for two wrap arounds and a bow.  What I mean is this:

So you cross over once on the front, once on the back, and tie the bow on the front, creating two "ballet slipper" folds.  :)  Since my dining room is a deep maroon color, I have a gold tablecloth and gold napkins so I bought maroon ribbon.  Of course, you may use any color you wish.

Once the sliverware was wrapped and ribboned, I chose several nice fabric fall leaves (one for each guest) and wrote a Thanksgiving quote on each of them (well, I wrote "Give Thanks" but I think it would be neater if you had the time and the patience to write out longer quotes..)  Then I let the leaves dry, and tucked one into each set of silverware, at the bottom fold.

For my centerpiece, I used the rest of the leaves, and then I bought a bunch of red grapes (also at Michael's).  If you have a small serving dish, you can use that as your base for the centerpiece, but you could probably do this right on the tabletop too.  Using whatever candleholder you have sitting around (mine was a three votive holder, but a one or two would work too, though I think the more candles the prettier this is). 

I covered the serving plate with a few of the fabric leaves, and then set the candleholder on top.  Then I added the grapes, and I surrounded the whole thing with the remainder of the leaves.  And that's it! 

Cute, huh?  And very cheap.  Plus, it looks nice.  Happy table setting!

Banana Cranberry Bread

This week is a busy one - full of baking and regular life, too!  I'm blessed to have a close knit group of friends (who also apparently like to have parties all in the same span of time!)  I was asked to bring dessert for one, and "whatever I wanted" (dessert) to the second one.  :)

In typical Maggie fashion, I forgot that the two soirees were only one day apart, and having only two days this week that are free to bake, I needed to come up with something that was quick, easy, sweet and freezable.  Hence, this recipe found on Chocolate and Zucchini.  When I first read it, I had reservations because I didn't know if bananas and cranberries were a good combo (and Chris still maintains they are NOT), and secondly - and we talked about this - I do not like bananas much.

Oh, and I'm not a huge fan of bread.

Anyway, I know of a lot of people who like banana bread, and it's really a staple at holidays (it's on all the food trays, I notice).  And I thought in the end, the zing of cranberry might cut into the cloying sweetness of the bananas (which is why I don't like banana bread in the first place).  So I gave it a go.

The recipe calls for a food processor.  Trust me on this one, you'll need SOMETHING to chop up those darn cranberries.  I tried to use the beaters but they didn't work.  :(  I ended up transferring the partial batter to a blender, blending down the cranberries and pulsing the banana slices a few times.  It called for chunky pieces, but unfortunately mine was a nice pinky, seed-y sweet, buttery smoothie.  When I tried it, I changed my mind about cranberries and bananas - they do in fact make a nice couple. :)

The original recipe makes one loaf (I used a nine inch loaf pan), but I doubled it (for obvious reasons).  And I will make another double batch later this week. This bread is easy and the best part is the presentation.  It's a lovely crusty on the outside and pink inside.  It smells divine while baking (cranberries and cinnamon is going to be an official new favorite) and the taste is lightly sweet with hints of banana and cinnamon and a slightly tangy kick.  Plus, it might make an excellent Christmas gift!  :)

Doubled recipe from Chocolate and Zucchini:


Cranberry Banana Bread

- 1/4 C (55 g) butter, softened
- 1 C (200 g) sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 small bananas, sliced
- 1 C (110 g) cranberries
- 1/4 C water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 C (200 g) flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
(Serves 6.)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F). Grease a 9 by 5 inch (22 by 12 cm) loaf pan.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a food processor. Add in the eggs one by one, mixing well between each addition. Add in the banana slices, the cranberries, the water and the vanilla extract. Mix again until blended, but not too much : it's nice if the banana and cranberries are not completely mushed.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients into the batter, and mix until just combined -- do not overmix.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for approximately 55 min or until the top of the cake is nicely brown and a cake tester comes out clean.

Let rest for ten minutes, then run a knife around to loosen the sides, and turn out on a rack to cool completely.

Original recipe : Wilson's Farm, Lexington, MA.

Banana Chocolate chip Upside-Down Cake

I was at the market today randomly looking for inspiration for Thanksgiving (I want to do something semi-interesting and something my family hasn't ever had).  Although nothing came to mind on this particular trip out, I did find a nice bunch of ripe bananas on sale for less than a dollar fifty.  The green ones were only 50 cents a bunch, but I opted for the ripe ones which were a bit more (I assume for those people who love bananas and can't wait to eat one as soon as they get home?)

Anyway, I'm one of those people who isn't sure about the banana. Sometimes I love one.  With my cereal in the morning or if I'm hankering for something to dip into peanut butter.  Sometimes, I hate them.  I hate banana cream pie (hence the creation of the bananas foster pie which I thank the Lord for).  But I always have good memories of trips to the beach with my family and eating dark chocolate covered frozen bananas on a stick.  Those were the days.  There are even pictures of Michelle covered in chocolate.  :)

When I came across this recipe, I wasn't really looking for anything to make involving a banana.  I usually don't, but when I read it, I thought of the frozen chocolate covered banana and thought maybe it would be good.  It's also pretty straightforward, and a one pan, two bowl recipe, which bakes up in about 40 minutes (a little more if your oven is 90 years old like mine is. ;) ).

And you can't go wrong with chocolate, now can you?  I didn't think so.  I followed it pretty much as written, although:

1. I didn't need four bananas to cover my pan.  I used a round 9inch pan as opposed to the square one.

2. I used light brown sugar instead of dark.

3. I substituted another egg for 1 Tsb of sour cream. 

Everything else was as written and it was amazing!  The best part by far was how it smelled while baking.  I think if someone bottled that up and sold it as a candle they'd make a mint. 

The result?  A beautiful looking cake, golden and hot, light and fluffy with just a bit of banana and cinnamon flavor, covered with buttery brown sugar glazed bananas and oozing with melted dark chocolate.  It's a total win.  Total.

Next time I'm going to use MORE butter for the topping and maybe try the dark brown sugar and see what happens.  But this cake really doesn't need any change.  It's simply delicious.  :) 

From david lebovitz's recipe, with slight modifications:

Banana Chocolate Chip Upside-Down Cake

One 8-inch (20 cm) square cake

When I originally developed this recipe, as mentioned, I was writing for a magazine that requested low-fat recipes, hence the single egg white. But if you’re not all that concerned, simply add an additional egg, yolk and all, and reduce the sour cream by one tablespoon.

If you live somewhere where sour cream isn’t available, you can use buttermilk, plain whole milk yogurt, or fromage blanc. You’ll notice that you can use either butter or water in the topping. If you’re skeptical, I can honestly say that the non-butter version is really good. But for non-believers, go ahead and add a few tablespoons of butter instead.

For the topping:

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons (60 g) packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons water or butter; cubed, at room temperature
3-4 ripe medium bananas
a few drops of lemon juice
For the cake:
1 1/2 cups (210 g) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (30 g) melted butter, salted or unsalted
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 cup (250 g) banana puree (about 2 bananas) (note from Maggie:  I just cut up two bananas tossed them in my trusty ziploc sandwich bag and took to it with my stone rolling with with a vengeance)
1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, regular or low-fat
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (80 g) chocolate chips or chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

1. To make the topping, place the brown sugar and water or butter in an 8-inch (20 cm) square cake pan. Warm the pan directly on the stovetop over low heat, stirring until the sugar is thoroughly moistened.
If using water, simmer the mixture for about 45 seconds. If using butter, stir just until the sugar is moist and bubbling, then remove from heat. (It won’t melt completely smooth, and there may be a few bare spots, which is normal.) Let cool to room temperature.

2. Peel and slice the bananas in 1/4-inch (1 cm) slices. Arrange them in slightly overlapping rows over the melted brown sugar. Sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice.

3. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
4. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl, making sure there are no lumps. Mix in the granulated sugar.
5. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, egg, egg white, banana puree, sour cream, and vanilla.
6. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until almost combined. Do not overmix. Gently fold in the chocolate pieces.
7. Scrape the batter into the pan over the bananas, then use a spatula to carefully spread the batter over the sliced fruit.

8. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the cake feels just set in the center when you touch it.
9. Cool the cake for about 20 minutes, then run a knife along the edges of the cake to help it release from the pan. Invert the cake onto a serving platter.

Serving: The cake is best served warm with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or by itself as a snack. If made an hour or so in advance, it can be inverted on the serving platter, and left with the cake pan over it, to keep it warm. Otherwise is can be rewarmed in a low over, covered with foil. Or enjoyed at room temperature.