I'm breaking the rules here a bit and posting a CI recipe that I've made before, because I'm trying to get into the holiday spirit and y'all really really needed to read a chocolate chip cookie recipe. Also, I'm posting it because I find it easier to look up recipes on my blog than to track down where I put the paper copy.
Anyway, CI calls them "The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies". They don't usually use superlatives, but in this case is warranted, as is the extra work.
There is a secret ingredient, sort of - browned butter. There is also a somewhat unusual mixing technique - you whisk the melted butter/sugar/egg mix for about half a minute, then let it rest for a few minutes, then repeat the cycle several times. Then you mix in the flour and chocolate chips, and bake the cookies one tray at a time. The other secret technique is to be really careful not to overbake these, although they still taste fine if you do. They come out nice and chewy and have a delightful carmelized flavor. I don't make chocolate chip cookies very often, but these are what I make if I want the archetypical chocolate chip cookies.
Chocolate Chip Cookies, a la CI
Makes about 30 large but not gigantic cookies
14 tbs butter, divided
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 3/4 c flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 c chocolate chips
3/4 c nuts (optional)
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375F. Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper or foil.
Mix flour and baking soda and set aside.
Heat 10 tbs butter in a skillet until melted. Continue cooking over medium-high heat, stirring, until it is golden brown and has a nutty aroma (1-3 minutes). Watch it carefully because it can get burnt very quickly.
Transfer butter to bowl and add remaining 4 tbs butter. When all butter is melted, add sugars and salt and mix. Add egg and egg yolk and whisk until all ingredients are blended, about 30 seconds. Allow mix to rest for 3 minutes and then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process 2 more times. The mix should be smooth and glossy. Stir in flour mix and then add chocolate chips and nuts.
Using a tablespoon, scoop out dough onto cookie sheets. Bake 1 tray at a time for appx 10 minutes, rotating halfway through, until cookies are golden brown and puffy The edges should be set but the centers are still soft. Watch them carefully since there is about a minute between underdone and crispy. Cool cookies on wire rack.
You're welcome.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Department Holiday Party/Chocolate Truffles a la CI
Some of the grad students decided to form an official chemistry department grad student organization. The main goal seems to be "MOAR FUD + BOOZ PLZ" That is an oversimplification, of course. Their goal is to have more social events, with food and booze, and more food (preferably bagels + cream cheese) at seminars, and they have been pretty enterprising in working towards this goal, fundraising, and making their funds stretch as far as possible.
They convinced the department to let them take over the organization of the holiday party and upped the amount of food that was purchased by supplementing with funds from their beer-mug sales. They also only ordered main dishes. To further increase the amount of food, they added a potluck component to it, as well as a best dessert competition. Many chemists like to cook, so it's not hard to convince us to bring something. Perhaps due to the dessert competition, there were a lot of desserts, as well as plenty of side dishes. They tried to hit up some of the faculty for booze funds - I'm not sure how successful they were at that, but they did convince me to contribute booze for the eggnog. They manned the alcohol table and set up a donation jar to collect money from their compatriots. One of them stopped at Trader Joe's when she was home at Thanksgiving and picked up a lot of "Two Buck Chuck" of various varieties, and charged a nominal fee to do a wine tasting/drinking. They ended up making money on that for their future events. (Note - we don't have Trader Joe's around here so not everyone knew how cheap it was. It's hard to find wine here for less than $7/bottle, even bad wine.)
I won the dessert competition. The voting may've been a bit skewed since not that many people voted but there was an enthusiastic contingent from my group. Anyway, I made dark chocolate truffles using a recipe from the latest issue of CI. They weren't perfect, due to some liberties I took with the recipe, but they had very good flavor. Anyway, without further ado, here's the recipe.
CI's Chocolate Truffles
12 oz bittersweet chocolate
2 tbs corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tbs butter, divided into 8 pieces
Coating
1/4 c powdered sugar
3/4 c cocoa
Melt chocolate carefully in the microwave. Heat cream in microwave until it is warm but not hot. Add corn syrup and vanilla to cream and then stir it into the chocolate. Mix until blended and then add the butter one or two pieces at a time. Mix until blended.
Line a 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with vegetable oil spray. Spread chocolate in pan and let it sit at room temperature for a few hours. (The slow cool will prevent the truffles from being grainy.) Place pan in fridge for a few hours, then cut into 64 1"X1" pieces.
Mix cocoa and powdered sugar and then roll the squares into balls and roll in the cocoa/sugar mix.
They convinced the department to let them take over the organization of the holiday party and upped the amount of food that was purchased by supplementing with funds from their beer-mug sales. They also only ordered main dishes. To further increase the amount of food, they added a potluck component to it, as well as a best dessert competition. Many chemists like to cook, so it's not hard to convince us to bring something. Perhaps due to the dessert competition, there were a lot of desserts, as well as plenty of side dishes. They tried to hit up some of the faculty for booze funds - I'm not sure how successful they were at that, but they did convince me to contribute booze for the eggnog. They manned the alcohol table and set up a donation jar to collect money from their compatriots. One of them stopped at Trader Joe's when she was home at Thanksgiving and picked up a lot of "Two Buck Chuck" of various varieties, and charged a nominal fee to do a wine tasting/drinking. They ended up making money on that for their future events. (Note - we don't have Trader Joe's around here so not everyone knew how cheap it was. It's hard to find wine here for less than $7/bottle, even bad wine.)
I won the dessert competition. The voting may've been a bit skewed since not that many people voted but there was an enthusiastic contingent from my group. Anyway, I made dark chocolate truffles using a recipe from the latest issue of CI. They weren't perfect, due to some liberties I took with the recipe, but they had very good flavor. Anyway, without further ado, here's the recipe.
CI's Chocolate Truffles
12 oz bittersweet chocolate
2 tbs corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tbs butter, divided into 8 pieces
Coating
1/4 c powdered sugar
3/4 c cocoa
Melt chocolate carefully in the microwave. Heat cream in microwave until it is warm but not hot. Add corn syrup and vanilla to cream and then stir it into the chocolate. Mix until blended and then add the butter one or two pieces at a time. Mix until blended.
Line a 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with vegetable oil spray. Spread chocolate in pan and let it sit at room temperature for a few hours. (The slow cool will prevent the truffles from being grainy.) Place pan in fridge for a few hours, then cut into 64 1"X1" pieces.
Mix cocoa and powdered sugar and then roll the squares into balls and roll in the cocoa/sugar mix.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Sugared and Spiced Nuts
My neighbors Rick and Kate had a party and I needed to bring an appetizer. Rick and Kate could be Martha Stewart's long lost twins. Their parties are pretty impressive, so I wanted to bring something tasty. Besides, I have a certain reputation to uphold amoung my neighbors. (That would be the reputation as a good cook, not the reputation as someone who gets drunk off her ass, which has also happened at a few parties. And let's not even mention the crazy cat lady reputation...)
I love to eat appetizers, but I don't have a go-to recipe. Asparagus wrapped in proscuitto works pretty well, but I brought that last time they had a party. I decided to play on my strengths and bring something sort of desserty that I didn't have to assemble immediately beforehand. I opted to make candied nuts. The added advantage is that I wouldn't have to buy anything since I always have nuts in my freezer. A quick internet search led me to Smitten Kitchen, as usual.
This recipe uses a mix of sugar, salt, cinnamon, and smoked paprika. You could use cayenne pepper instead of the paprika, or add a little of both, which is what I did, or add your own favorite blend of spices. An egg white is beaten with water, then mixed with the nuts. The sugar and spice mix is then mixed in and the nuts are baked. I added a little bit of vodka to give a little more liquid to give an even coating. I figured it would evaporate faster than if I'd used more water or egg white.
It was very easy and I got a nice, fairly even coating. After half an hour in the oven, the coating was nice and dried out and the nuts didn't stick together too badly. I let them cool and then stored them in a Ziplock bag. Once they had cooled, they were very tasty and addictive. I recommend you don't leave them lying around unless you have a fast metabolism or have a lot of people living in your house.
If I were making them again, I'd use less of the sugar coating (maybe 1/2 - 2/3) and decrease the amount of cinnamon and increase the amount of savory spice. I took most of them to the party, where they were all eaten. I saved a few for myself,and they are tempting me more than they should. Anyway, they're a winner and I will probably add them to my Christmas cookie and treat repertoire this year.
I love to eat appetizers, but I don't have a go-to recipe. Asparagus wrapped in proscuitto works pretty well, but I brought that last time they had a party. I decided to play on my strengths and bring something sort of desserty that I didn't have to assemble immediately beforehand. I opted to make candied nuts. The added advantage is that I wouldn't have to buy anything since I always have nuts in my freezer. A quick internet search led me to Smitten Kitchen, as usual.
This recipe uses a mix of sugar, salt, cinnamon, and smoked paprika. You could use cayenne pepper instead of the paprika, or add a little of both, which is what I did, or add your own favorite blend of spices. An egg white is beaten with water, then mixed with the nuts. The sugar and spice mix is then mixed in and the nuts are baked. I added a little bit of vodka to give a little more liquid to give an even coating. I figured it would evaporate faster than if I'd used more water or egg white.
It was very easy and I got a nice, fairly even coating. After half an hour in the oven, the coating was nice and dried out and the nuts didn't stick together too badly. I let them cool and then stored them in a Ziplock bag. Once they had cooled, they were very tasty and addictive. I recommend you don't leave them lying around unless you have a fast metabolism or have a lot of people living in your house.
If I were making them again, I'd use less of the sugar coating (maybe 1/2 - 2/3) and decrease the amount of cinnamon and increase the amount of savory spice. I took most of them to the party, where they were all eaten. I saved a few for myself,and they are tempting me more than they should. Anyway, they're a winner and I will probably add them to my Christmas cookie and treat repertoire this year.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
What I got for my birthday...
a partial and somewhat strange list, in no particular order
shrimp and grits and coconut chocolate banana cream pie - thanks Chris!
snow on the ground - thanks Mother Nature!
one freshly killed dead cardinal and world class playing with dead prey exhibition - uh, thanks, Lucy?!?!
a happy birthday song on my voicemail from a classroom of 4th graders - thanks Missy and co!
flowers - thanks T, a nice surprise but WTF?!?
a home depot gift card - thanks, Dad!
an owl T-shirt and the best card ever - thanks Missy and Kadin!
no card, phone call or email - thanks for nothing, and WTF, cowdude?!?
shrimp and grits and coconut chocolate banana cream pie - thanks Chris!
snow on the ground - thanks Mother Nature!
one freshly killed dead cardinal and world class playing with dead prey exhibition - uh, thanks, Lucy?!?!
a happy birthday song on my voicemail from a classroom of 4th graders - thanks Missy and co!
flowers - thanks T, a nice surprise but WTF?!?
a home depot gift card - thanks, Dad!
an owl T-shirt and the best card ever - thanks Missy and Kadin!
no card, phone call or email - thanks for nothing, and WTF, cowdude?!?
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
WTFlowers?!?
I got a call from a florist today saying that they had some flowers for me but didn't want to leave them outside since it near freezing. I almost told them they had the wrong number since I have never ever received flowers from a florist.
Anyway, a few possibilities about the identity of the sender crossed my mind, none correct. The flowers were from none other than T (who, for the new readers, is my ex, who never did this when we were dating.)
Um, WTF?
Anyway, a few possibilities about the identity of the sender crossed my mind, none correct. The flowers were from none other than T (who, for the new readers, is my ex, who never did this when we were dating.)
Um, WTF?
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Approaching 43
All I want for my birthday is a snow day, or at least a few inches of snow.* The latter may happen, although the former seems unlikely given the mild fall we've had this year.
As was the case with Thanksgiving, this is the first one in a few years that I can relax, work-wise. It's a good feeling. Last year I was coming off the NSF proposal/equipment installation and was still completely fried. The year before there was the looming layoff AND an interview on my birthday. Two years ago we had a first set of layoffs at my former company.
*I lied. For my birthday, I'd also like to know WTF is up with cowdude. This should not have to be something that needs to be a birthday wish, however. Two weeks ago he stopped answering my emails and calls. In a text message on Thanksgiving, he'd said he'd had a really rough two weeks. That is all I know. I hadn't done anything out of the ordinary. I know that there were some ugly politics going on at his work, and when things get stressful I know he needs lots of space and doesn't like to talk about it, so I've been keeping my distance. I'd assumed that if things weren't working and he wanted out, he'd let me know, but I think I may have been wrong. I'm not as in touch with my inner honey badger as I should be, so I'm biding my time and stewing and assuming that we have broken up, rather than being proactive on it.
As was the case with Thanksgiving, this is the first one in a few years that I can relax, work-wise. It's a good feeling. Last year I was coming off the NSF proposal/equipment installation and was still completely fried. The year before there was the looming layoff AND an interview on my birthday. Two years ago we had a first set of layoffs at my former company.
*I lied. For my birthday, I'd also like to know WTF is up with cowdude. This should not have to be something that needs to be a birthday wish, however. Two weeks ago he stopped answering my emails and calls. In a text message on Thanksgiving, he'd said he'd had a really rough two weeks. That is all I know. I hadn't done anything out of the ordinary. I know that there were some ugly politics going on at his work, and when things get stressful I know he needs lots of space and doesn't like to talk about it, so I've been keeping my distance. I'd assumed that if things weren't working and he wanted out, he'd let me know, but I think I may have been wrong. I'm not as in touch with my inner honey badger as I should be, so I'm biding my time and stewing and assuming that we have broken up, rather than being proactive on it.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Black beans and rice
So easy, and so good. It's basically the recipe on the back of the can of Goya black beans, without the MSG. If I had known it would taste so good I would've tried it sooner.
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans black beans (don't drain)
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp vinegar
1 cup rice, 2 cups water
Start cooking rice.
While rice is cooking, saute onion and bell pepper in olive oil until somewhat softened. Add garlic and saute until aromatic (30 seconds). Dump in beans, water, oregano, and vinegar. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with rice. (I like to mix them together so that the rice has a change to absorb the bean liquid) You can also use it in burritos.
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans black beans (don't drain)
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp vinegar
1 cup rice, 2 cups water
Start cooking rice.
While rice is cooking, saute onion and bell pepper in olive oil until somewhat softened. Add garlic and saute until aromatic (30 seconds). Dump in beans, water, oregano, and vinegar. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with rice. (I like to mix them together so that the rice has a change to absorb the bean liquid) You can also use it in burritos.
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