Got Milk?

Milk isn't a staple in the Chinese diet. When I was little, milk only came unpasteurized in glass bottles. The only way we'd consume it was to boil it in the morning for breakfast. To this day, my parents will only drink warm milk. Even I, after all these years, haven't gotten quite used to cold milk. So to me, the unquestioned pairing of a glass of cold milk with cookies is only an American concept instilled through all those "Got Milk?" commercials.

With all that blabbering about milk, you'd think that's the subject of this post. Nah, I just wanted you to understand what an unbeliever I was. Then you will be able to grasp the strong impact I felt when I tell you that THIS super chocolaty cookie converted me! Something as rich as this, I wouldn't even start without a glass of that white liquid standing by. I've always been a hard core chocolate lover, but this cookie is so chocolaty that even I can't consume more than one at a seating without falling into a chocolate coma. (And my cookies are only half the size of what Bret Thompson recommended.) I almost felt guilty gifting such decadence. (Not really. =)

I happen to have some Pepperidge Farm soft baked dark chocolate brownies in the house. (Yes, you caught me. I'm still hoarding store bought junk food in the pantry. =P) After a side by side comparison, I have to say that the Pepperidge Farm one is sweeter, but not as chocolaty, and more artificial tasting. So if you are a die hard chocolate fan, don't miss out, make yourself a batch, quick!

Milk's Ooey-Gooey Double Chocolate Cookies

Makes 36

1/4 pound (4 ounces) unsweetened chocolate
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound bittersweet chocolate (chunks or chips)

In a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the unsweetened chocolate and butter. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

In the bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a fork, combine the eggs, vanilla and sugar. Mix just until incorporated and set aside.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.

Add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture and mix just until combined. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients and mix just until combined, then stir in the bittersweet chocolate.

Cover the batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to chill thoroughly. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Drop spoonfuls of the dough on a greased, parchment-lined sheet pan, leaving 2 inches between each.

Bake until the edges of the cookies are just set and the center is still soft, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Place the cookies, still on the parchment, on a rack and cool slightly.

Bruuuuuuuulée

Unless you are serving soufflé or flambé, most desserts can be prepared in advance. With that said, I can't explain why I chose to make crème brulée. It just came to me as soon as I started planning. Maybe deep down, I have a fascination with torches. =)

I'm sure there are many people who love the "food scientist" Alton Brown. I'm one of you. Alton's recipes are always so straightforward. Same with this one - it completely de-mystified crème brulée. It's so simple and delicious that you will never want to pay $9 at restaurants again. Hubby isn't a big fan of caramelized sugar, so sometimes we even have the crème without the brulée. That's good eats too. =)

I forgot to take a picture. But a crème brulée is a crème brulée. They really can't look very different. If you'd like to watch how they are made, you can watch Alton doing his magic.

Crème Brulée

1 quart heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 cup vanilla sugar, divided
6 large egg yolks
2 quarts hot water

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium sauce pan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top.

Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Pop Pop Pop Ooooover

Every year we go to the Ls' for Thanksgiving. This probably sounds silly but what I look for the most year after year are the popovers. Each time, I couldn't wait to get my hands on one. And if there were enough to go around, I might even have seconds - talk about blatant gluttony. =)

This December, I finally busted out my popover pan that's been sleeping at the bottom of the bakeware drawer. After looking through a few versions, including Neiman Marcus' and Peggy Knickerbocker's, I ended up going with the one from allrecipes.com. Not only because it's validated by thousands of cooks out there, but also because without hordes of eggs and mounds of butter it's the healthiest of them all, if there is ever such a thing as "healthy popovers". Another bonus of this recipe is that it's very forgiving. Whether you forgot to beat the eggs first, or the batter was a bit lumpy, the popovers would still come out perfect! You really can't mess it up.

Popovers
adapted from this recipe

Makes 6

2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp butter, cut into 6 pieces

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease the popover pan cups, add a piece of butter in each cup.

In a medium bowl beat eggs slightly, Beat in flour, milk and salt until just smooth; being careful not to overbeat. Fill custard cups 1/2 full.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes. Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for 17 minutes more. Immediately remove from cups and serve piping hot.

Cup of Soup

I used to make the tomato soup from What to Expect When You're Expecting which started with a roux, then mixed with evaporated milk, etc. Every time, hubby would exclaim that it was the best tomato soup he's had, and he normally doesn't like tomato soups. When D got diagnosed with diary allergy, I stopped making this soup, and sort of forgot about it.

When I was planning on the dinner menu, the idea of a cold soup struck. I thought it would be an elegant course served in coffee cups, and all the prep work could be done ahead of time. Bingo! This recipe comes from Appetizers, Finger Food, Buffets and Parties. I omitted the crouton and chive garnish, instead swirled a little bit of heavy cream on top. (I'm no barista. My swirls didn't start out perfectly, and got shaken out even more between the 5 feet from the kitchen to the dining table. Maybe this is just not something I should attempt. *sigh*) This makes a bit more than 4 servings, coffee cups OR soup bowls.

While this soup wasn't bad, I have to agree with hubby that it was no rival to the one from What to Expect. Now I just have to figure out a non-diary tomato soup that can measure up. A challenge, I love that!

Chilled Tomato and Sweet Bell Pepper Soup

Serves 4

2 red bell peppers, halved, cored and seeded
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 ½ pounds ripe well-flavored tomatoes
⅔ cup red wine
2 ½ cups chicken stock
salt and ground black pepper

Cut each red bell pepper half into quarters. Place skin side up on a broiler pan and cook until the skins are charred. Transfer to a bowl and cover with a plate or pop into a plastic bag and seal.

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook gently until soft. Meanwhile, remove the skin from the peppers and roughly chop the flesh. Cut the tomatoes into chunks.

Add the peppers and tomatoes to the pan, then cover and cook gently for 10 minutes. Add the wine and cook for another 5 minutes, then add the stock and salt and pepper and continue to simmer for 20 minutes.

Process the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour into a clean glass or ceramic bowl and let cool thoroughly before chilling in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. When the soup is cold, season to taste.