cookingwithjoe86

[cookingwithjoe86]

Brownies

Brownies are great. The following recipe is for a basic gooey brownie as well as a few additions to take them to another level.

What you’ll need for the basic brownie: 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter 4oz. unsweetened chocolate (I prefer at least 72% cacao) 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon salt 2 large eggs ½ cup all-purpose flour 8x8 baking pan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, line the 8 x 8 baking pan with either foil or parchment paper (optional; for easier removal to cut), and set up a double boiler. A double boiler is a pot with a little water with a bowl on top of it (pictured). The steam from the boiling water creates an even heat and will melt everything in the bowl evenly.

Double boiler

Put the stick of butter and chocolate in the bowl and stir until everything is melted.

Started

Almost there

Melted

Next, add the sugar, salt, and vanilla extract until everything is mixed together. Then add an egg one at a time until well incorporated.

Add these items

Add the eggs one at a time

Until incorporated

Lastly, add the flour until it is all mixed.

Started

All mixed

Bake for 20-22 minute (one the edges pull away from the sides; the key to gooey brownies is to slightly undercook them) and let them cool for an hour before cutting. I use the extra liner to easily pick up the brownies to cut them (either a long chef’s knife or a pizza cutter) into 16 pieces. These little guys are really gooey, so that portion is perfect.

I add the liner because a) it's easier to move in and out of the pan and b) I'm not a fan of washing a pan if I can avoid it ;-)

Additions: One of my favorite additions to these brownies are instant coffee and chocolate chunks (Mocha chip brownies, pictured above). I add a package of Starbucks VIA Instant Coffee when mixing the sugar, salt, and vanilla and top the brownies with the extra chocolate pieces before baking. When I use chocolate chips, I prefer to use a darker chocolate to show the contrast. If I am using 72% cacao chocolate, I will use 86% or 90% cacao chocolate for the chips.

Another option is to make Mint brownies by adding 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract. For the holidays, I will make these and top them with crushed candy canes (peppermint bark melts too well and doesn’t highlight the peppermint theme).

Add these for MInt brownies

Topped with crushed candy canes

I’ve also made variations with s’mores (add graham cracker pieces and marshmallows ; use milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate and use 3/4 cup of sugar instead of a cup), chocolate chip (add chocolate chips to the brownies before baking), spicy (1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper when adding the sugar, salt, and vanilla extract), cheesecake swirl (I used “premade” cheesecake batter, pour and cook half the brownies in the pan for 10 minutes, add the cheesecake filling and remaining brownie batter, and cook for 10-12 minutes), and the “original recipe”: salted caramel brownies. The source link below has the recipe for these brownies.

First time I made the salted caramel brownies

Salted caramel brownie source: http://www.bakersroyale.com/brownies/salted-caramel-brownies-2/

[cookingwithjoe86]

Roasted Chicken

This recipe is one of my favorites because of its versatility and simplicity. You can use it to serve a group, for a date, or to prepare chicken for multiple meals. After you eat the meat, you can use the bones to make chicken stock (will be posted later). All you need is a chicken, an oven at 450°F, and an hour.

I found this recipe a couple years ago from Thomas Keller and have been using it ever since. I've modified it to add additional flavors to it but for this post I will use the straightforward approach.

  What you'll need:

2 to 3 pound chicken

Salt

Pepper

First take the chicken out of the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Next, pat  the chicken dry using paper towel (both on the outside and inside). Drying the chicken will create a very dry environment in the oven, which will produce crispy skin. Liberally salt and pepper the skin, then truss the legs.  Trussing holds the chicken together, allowing it to cook more evenly. You can use butcher's twine, a piece of "rope" aluminum foil, or you can use the chicken to hold its legs up (below). I cut a little slit in the extra skin around the cavity and put the legs through.

Transfer the chicken to a skillet or baking sheet and put it in the oven for an hour. When the hour is up, remove the chicken from the oven and let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving. That's it.

I haven't had a chance to film a video on how to carve a bird (for our purposes, a turkey is a big chicken), so I defer to the person that got me started cooking. Take it away Mr. Brown (starts at 0:45 second mark):

  Flavor combinations:

To add some additional flavor to the chicken, I've used the following items in the cavity (before trussing the legs) or under the skin when roasting the chicken. You can use whatever you want, just keep in mind that you'll want to use dry items to maintain the dry roasting environment.

Ginger

Lemon zest

Rosemary and garlic

Lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves

Cinnamon and cloves

Sage

[cookingwithjoe86]

Baked Chicken Wings

The Super Bowl is Sunday and a must have at any sports-related party is wings. I really like serving wings at any party (sports-related, holidays and/or weekend gettogethers) and this technique only requires a baking sheet and an oven (plus wings and sauce). These wings come out just as good (if not better) than fried wings.

Harissa wings on the left, Traditional Buffalo wings on the right, both baked in the oven

What you’ll need: Wings (either whole or cut into wingettes and drumettes) Baking sheet lined with parchment paper and/or aluminum foil (easy cleanup) Oven preheated for 450F degrees Seasoning (Salt and pepper minimum; I add some Cayenne pepper) Sauce (Note below)

Wing Preparation: Breaking down the wings: If you prefer your wings whole or bought wings already broken down (like I did), you can skip this step.

I "cheated" and bought the wings broken down in "Buffalo Cut" with the wingettes and drumettes already separated.

I prefer my wings broken down into the wingettes and drumettes. If you purchased a package of whole wings and would like to serve them broken down, you will need to do a little butchering. Cut the wing tip off (save for stock if you’d like) and open the joint between the wingette and drumette. Using shallow cuts, cut through the joint. Done.

Seasoning the wings and prepare for baking: Sprinkle salt, pepper and whatever other spices you choose onto the wings. I like to season the wings in the package, put that side down on the baking sheet (preferably the side with more skin) and season the other side on the baking sheet. Arrange the wings on the baking sheet on a single layer.

Bake for 45-60 minutes, depending on how many wings are on the baking sheet and desired level of crispiness. I like to flip the wings after 30 minutes to crisp both sides and I find putting the side with the most skin on the bottom first prevents sticking because of the fat in the skin that renders.

Sauce: While the wings are baking, I prepare the sauce. There are many different sauces to use on wings and these recipes can be found online. If you prefer to use pre-made/store bought sauce, skip this section and go to “Applying the Sauce” below. The two I will talk about are the traditional Buffalo-style wing sauce and a Harissa-based sauce.

Buffalo-style Sauce: The Buffalo-style wing sauce is melted butter (⅓ of a cup) mixed with hot sauce (Frank’s Red Hot; ½ cup) for 2 to 2.5 pounds of wings. I generally use this sauce when entertaining, as it’s “THE” wing sauce.

Harissa-based sauce:

The Harissa-based sauce is something a little different. Harissa is a North African spice mixture sold in either powder or paste. It's spicy, smokey and robust. For the sauce, I take store-bought Harissa paste and thin it with olive oil (about a quarter cup). I add two shakes of the cumin and cinnamon (yes, a "shake" is a unit of measurement) and one shake of the habanero power (because I like spicy) and a tablespoon of the hot sauce. Whisk until thin.

Applying the Sauce: I have tested many ways to put the sauce on the wings and the best way I found is to toss the warm wings in the sauce in a bowl.

Wings in the sauce

Wings after a quick toss

Dipping Sauce: Wings are usually served with a dairy-based dipping sauce to cool the burn of the spicy sauce. This can be done with salad dressing (ranch or bleu cheese) or you can make your own.

My bleu cheese dipping sauce is: 1 cup (per 6 wings, adjust accordingly) of Greek yogurt (you can substitute sour cream or regular yogurt) 3 ounces bleu cheese crumble Salt Pepper Milk (for desired consistency)

Take the yogurt and about half the bleu cheese and mix until combined. Let this mixture chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Right before serving the wings, add remaining bleu cheese and milk (if necessary). Stir until the mixture resembles dressing. Taste. Add salt and/or pepper, if necessary. Serve.

Enjoy the game and wings.

Wings sauced with store-bought sauce

[cookingwithjoe86]

Fruit Galette

The fruit galette is one of my favorite desserts to make. I can make it in about 30 minutes from start to finish (a little longer if you make your own pie dough, more on that below) and it looks like it took a lot longer. It is basically a sheet of pie dough (or half a batch, if you’re making your own) and 2-3 pieces of fruit.

Peach galettes

I prefer to make my galettes using pre-made store bought pie dough as it saves close to 2 hours versus making fresh pie dough. These packages contain two sheets of pie dough and are a great shortcut for this dessert. I’ve only made galettes with either peaches or apples, and I’m sure you can make them with other types of fruit. The amount of fruit you use depends on the intended design. Whenever I’m making these for others, I use the “fan” design like the peach ones above. If I am making it for myself, I put the fruit on the dough in a single layer.

Apple galette (with cinnamon, nutmeg and clove) for myself

These galettes require either 2 or 3 pieces of fruit (depending on size of the fruit and preferred design), cored and cut into wedges that are between 1/16 and 1/32 of the fruit (if you’re worried about the math, cut the fruit into quarters then each quarter between 4 and 8). I prefer the wedges to be a little on the thick side to give the flavor of the fruit. When putting the fruit on the dough, keep between an inch and two inches from the fruit and the edge of the dough. This dough will be folded on top of the fruit prior to baking. I also add 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of butter cubed and spices (optional) before putting the galette in the oven.

Recipe

Using store bought pie dough

1 roll of pre-made store bought pie dough

Fruit

2 tablespoons sugar (3 if using egg wash)

1 tablespoon, cubed butter

Spices (optional)

Egg wash (1 egg, 3 tablespoons water; optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 F and make sure there is a rack in the middle of the oven

Cut the fruit

Unroll pie dough on a parchment paper (or silicone mat) lined baking sheet

Arrange fruit on the pie dough, leaving between an inch and two inches of space from the edge of the dough

Fold over the pie dough onto the fruit, crimping at each bend

Sprinkle the sugar and spices over the fruit and add the butter to the fruit

Apply an egg wash to the crust

Sprinkle remaining sugar over crust

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is golden

Allow to cool for 15 minutes

Serve

Finished apple galette with whipped cream

I use either a really sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the galette, so I do not pull the fruit. I also serve with either whipped cream or ice cream.

Enjoy.

[cookingwithjoe86]

Ice Cream Cake

For my first recipe post, I decide to go straight to dessert and make an ice cream cake. This recipe uses homemade ice cream (very simple, no ice cream maker needed) and store-bought cake mix. I will make a video in the future on how to make the ice cream. Now, on with the cake.

The cake I'm using as am example is peanut butter ice cream and chocolate cake. I made this cake for my college roommate and his wife a few days after their wedding. During their vows they mention how they both love peanut butter, so I knew I needed to use this information for when they came over for dinner a few days later. This cake was by far the highlight of the meal. You can use any combination of cake and ice cream, and since this is homemade ice cream, the sky's the limit. 

Ice Cream:

I found the original recipe for the ice cream here. The link has some great recipes. I just used the "base" (heavy cream and condensed milk) and added my own flavor.

2 cups heavy cream 

1 can (14oz) of condensed milk

1 bag of peanut butter chips

First heat the condensed milk on low and melted 3/4 of the bag of peanut butter chips

Once melted, allow mixture to cool until it feels slightly warm

Whip the heavy cream into whipped cream

Mix peanut butter mixture into whipped cream

Stir in remaining peanut butter chips

Freeze in tray for 4-6 hours (see below)

"Finished" product

The ice cream should be frozen in a pan that is very close in shape to the pan you will be baking the cake in. For this cake, I used 3 9-inch aluminum pans, 2 for the cake and 1 for the ice cream.

While the ice cream solidified, bake the cake per the instructions on the box. Let the cake cool completely before assembly.

Assembly

For the "example" cake, I took one 9-inch cakes and put it upside-down on a plate. Then I removed the ice cream "disk" from the pan and put it on top. Lastly, I put the remaining cake right-side up on top of the ice cream. The cake needs to freeze/set-up for at least 1 hour before serving.

I may have made a little too much ice cream...like that is a bad thing