I recently spent an evening with her since we share a mutual friend, and she told me that the Pumpkin Ricotta Cheesecake in the book is one of her favorites, so I made it for my annual Halloween Dinner Party (more recipes to follow from that event). It was divine. The flavor of the cheesecake is subtle and sophisticated. It’s not too sweet, but it still retains the yummy flavors reminiscent of your favorite pumpkin desserts.
Marisa Churchill
The book is full of fabulous recipes and Marisa really takes the time to explain the techniques. She provides sugar-free alternatives for each dessert as well as all of the nutritional information you need to stay on track (calories, grams of fat, etc.) and stay healthy. Get this book in time for the holidays! There are lots of cookie recipes to satisfy all of your Christmas cookie-baking needs!
For the Crust
Nonstick pan spray
6 oz honey graham crackers (about 10 cookie sheets)
2 Tbsp 1% or 2% milk
For the Cheesecake
8 oz (1 cup) reduced-fat Kraft cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup nonfat sour cream, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 egg whites from large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp reduced-fat ricotta cheese
2 Tbsp large pecan pieces, toasted for garnish (I used hazelnuts)
2 Tbsp pomegranate seeds for garnish
Method
For the crust
1. Coat 9-inch springform pan with pan spray. Break up the graham crackers and process them in a food processor until they are reduced to very fine crumbs. Add the milk and process for 30 seconds, or until the crumbs hold together when you squeeze them in your fist.
2. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Press the crumbs firmly over the bottom and slightly up the sides of the pan, using your finger-tips to compress them.
For the cheesecake
1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F with a rack in the lower third of the oven.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until it is completely smooth and well blended. (If using a standing mixer, use the paddle attachment). Add the sour cream, eggs, egg whites, and vanilla; mix for 2 to 3 minutes longer to blend well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and cloves and mix for 1 minute longer. Add the ricotta and mix just until it is incorporated.
3. Pour the batter over the crust and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the cheesecake jiggles only slightly in the center when you gently shake the pan. (If the cheesecake browns too quickly or begins to crack, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the top, without touching the filling, for the remaining baking time).
4. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it cool for 1 hour. Then run a knife around the edge of the pan if needed to loosen the cheesecake, remove the outer pan ring, and transfer the cake, on its base, to a serving plate. Cover the cake loosely with plastic film and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
To serve: Cut the cheesecake into 12 wedges, and garnish them with the toasted pecans and pomegranate seeds.
Refrigerate any leftover cheesecake, tightly covered, for up to 3 days.
Nutritional Information:
Calories per serving: 221
Grams of fat: 9.5g
Watch Marisa whip up a Chocolate Mousse with Olive and Sea Salt:
Halloween = parties for me, so I’m always on the lookout for inspiring buffet food. I can’t remember where I first saw the idea of having guacamole come out of pumpkin as if the Jack O’Lantern is throwing up, but I thought it was hilarious. If you know the source, please tell me and I will attribute it. **Update: I first read it in the book, Extreme Halloween: The Ultimate Guide to Making Halloween Scary Again by, Tom Nardone. Check out his website, ExtremePumpkins.com. **
The recipe for guacamole here is a little different than what you might usually see. Here, it is prepared the Guatemalan way (our Guatemalan friend showed me how to do it). She leaves the avocado in big chunks and chops the tomatoes in large cubes. This approach seemed particularly appropriate for the presentation and turned out to lend great flavor. Now when I make guacamole at home, I always do it this way. Luckily, the pumpkin vomiting guacamole doesn’t inspire any real vomit.
With the avocado in big chunks, this guacamole really stands out and is perfect for the puking pumpkin rendition.
Author: StreamingGourmet/Amy
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Guatemalan
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
2 ripe but not mushy avocados, chopped in large cubes
1 medium tomato, chopped in fairly large chunks
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
1 fresh green chile, chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp salt
Juice of 1 lime
1 Bag of Multicolored Tortilla Chips
Instructions
In a large bowl, gently toss (so as not to mush the avocado), the avocado, tomato, red onion, green chile, cilantro, salt and lime juice. Leave the pit in until you are ready to transfer to the platter. Chill in the fridge until 15 minutes before guests arrive.
For the presentation: Carve a small pumpkin to have a face that looks like it is puking. Haha. Place it on a large platter with a candle inside. Spoon the guacamole onto the platter in front of the jack o'lantern's face. Distribute multi-colored tortilla chips around the perimeter of the guacamole. Enjoy! Happy Halloween!
There’s nothing likely whipping up a little quick bread (muffin, cupcake, bread, whatever) to satisfy the baking need. Mix the wet ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients. Put them together without overmixing, bake and voila! A sweet, sumptuous little treat in no time.
October = pumpkin for me, in case you didn’t know. Psst. There are like 40 pumpkin recipes in this blog. I’ve done pumpkin-chocolate chip cookies before, but never pumpkin chocolate chip muffins (or cupcakes as the case may be). Some people love the combo, and I am one of them. These are equally good with or without the icing, I think. So if you can’t be bothered with the icing, don’t be!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
The Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Yummy pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes - perfect for a Halloween party.
Author: StreamingGourmet/Amy
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 18-20
Ingredients
4 eggs
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
2 cups canned pure pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
pinch ground cloves
1 tsp salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
For the frosting:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
¼ cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Prepare muffin tins by either spraying them with cooking spray or lining them with paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin, vanilla extract, and vegetable oil. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
In three batches, add the flour to the wet ingredients and stir to incorporate. Don't overmix, but incorporate thoroughly.
Fold in the chocolate chips. Fill muffin cups at least ¾ of the way full. I like to create a big muffin top, so I fill them almost all the way.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top and a knife inserted comes out clean. If you have to have two layers of tins in your oven, rotate them halfway through the cooking time for even baking.
To make the icing:
While the muffins are baking, you can make the icing. With an electric hand mixer, cream together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and confectioner's sugar until completely smooth, Allow to chill if need be.
To ice the cupcakes:
Once the cupcakes come out of the oven, they will need to cool before you can ice them. Once they are cooled, you can fill a pastry bag with your icing and pipe it out into large concentric circles.
Here’s what you don’t know about Emilio Estevez. In addition to a lifetime of acting in, writing, directing and producing great films, he can now add to his cv the titles of winemaker and master gardener. This is not arm’s length wine-making, where you watch intently while others do all the work. Emilio planted the vines himself right in his own back yard and tends to them avidly. He also planted a vegetable garden for his fiancée Sonja, and together they turn out enough produce to run a small farm stand. When at home (and not out on a Bus Tour promoting his latest film), Emilio can be found each morning out in the garden, weeding the beds, feeding the chickens, or harvesting his latest produce. It is for this reason I thought it fitting to pay tribute to his new film, The Way, by focusing a bit on the food within it.
Emilio's Harvest
The Way is a movie that follows four characters as they attempt to walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, a 500 mile trek which starts in the French Pyrenées and winds across the North of Spain to the town of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. It is believed that St. James is buried in the Cathedral there and this pilgrimage dates back a thousand years. Today, tens of thousands walk it, each for a different reason.
Original and Latest Movie Posters
In the film, Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez’s father in real life, plays Tom, an eye doctor from Ventura, whose estranged son Daniel, play by Estevez himself, has just died while hiking the camino alone. Tom must travel to Europe to collect Daniel’s remains, and while there, he decides to complete the pilgrimage for his son and sets out on a life-changing adventure. A highly personal film, Estevez was inspired to write it after his father had trekked a portion of the camino with Emilio’s son, Taylor Estevez. At a screening in San Rafael, CA on August 28, 2011, Estevez explained that his son, Taylor, fell in love with a Spanish girl he met on that trip and 5 years later, just before the start of filming, the two were married. Taylor still lives in Spain and assisted during the filming. Estevez said that he felt he had “lost his son to the camino too,” and felt great empathy for the character he was writing. But he laughed. Taylor accompanied Emilio and Martin on their latest bus tour across America promoting the film – 50 days, 50 cities – a camino of their own, no doubt.
The Way - the bus tour
“The Way” is a tender, contemplative film and Martin Sheen’s performance is so vivid and moving. In fact, I was so moved by his emotion during the film, that I asked him afterward, “As an actor, what was it like to contemplate the death of your son, and take yourself there emotionally, all while your son is across the room, behind the camera?” He explained that an actor, “has a toolbox of emotional moments to draw on when they need to go to that place,” and that “you just have to trust that you can walk up to that cliff, and let yourself go and that the performance will be there.” He quickly added, “But my son is an amazing director and he helped draw that performance out of me.” [SPOILER ALERT] “For example, he surprised me. When they pulled back the zipper on the body bag, do you know who it was in there? It was a surprise to me during the scene, but it was his son Taylor in there. So the shock you see on my face is real.”
Shooting a café scene
Despite the tragic premise, this film is not all doom and gloom. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, and many of them take place around a table. The first companion Tom meets is “Joost from Amsterdam”, played by Yorick van Wageningen. Joost has set out on the camino to lose weight, but his first stop? A cheese-maker along the path – and then a café where he must try the local lamb and then the wine. Needless to say, he doesn’t lose any weight on the trip, but through his eyes, we learn some interesting culinary facts. For example, Joost sits down at a cafe during the Navarra leg of the trip and tells Martin Sheen’s character that he is excited to try the “pinchos” here. “Oh no, no!” Tom insists, “In Spain, they are called Tapas.” Joost holds up his guidebook. “It says that in this part of Spain, they are called, “pinchos.” “No way,” retorts Tom. “They are “tapas.” When the waiter approaches, Tom announces with true American bravado, “We are here to try the Tapas.” The waiter explains, entirely in Spanish, says “We do not serve, Tapas. Tapas are found farther south. Here in the North of Spain, we serve “pinchos.”
So, what is the difference?A pincho is similar to a tapa, but is distinguished by the fact that it has a pincho (Spanish for spike), usually a toothpick or skewer, stuck through it, often attaching it to a piece of bread, like in this photo.
In the movie, The Way, we also learn that Leg of Lamb is also renowned in the region close to Logroño. The lamb is actually brought to market very young, much younger than in the states. A baby lamb of just 25-30 days is most commonly used in this part of the world. And this brings us to today’s recipe: Cordero is Spanish for lamb. Asado is Spanish for roasted.
Cordero Asado. Photo by Javier Lastras
Here’s how to make it.
Cordero Lechal Asado (Roasted Baby Lamb)
Adapted from a recipe at the blog El Aderezo
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
2 quarters of a suckling lamb (or in the US, 1 leg of lamb)
Lard or olive oil for coating the meat
Water
Salt
3 Garlic cloves crushed with a pinch of coarse salt and a little vinegar
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
2. Smear the skin of the lamb with lard, or butter or olive oil. This will help the skin crisp at the end of the roasting time. Place the leg of lamb in an oval casserole or roasting pan. Add a large glass of water to the pan. Place in the oven and roast for about an hour and half.
3. Halfway through roasting, prepare a garlic paste in a mortar with the garlic cloves, a pinch of salt and a jet (not great) of vinegar. Remove the pan from the oven, and turn over the lamb. Spread the garlic paste over the meat and add a little more water to the roasting pan, if necessary. Return the casserole to the oven and let it finish doing. Eventually the meat will be roasted and crispy on the outside, and very juicy on the inside with sauce on the bottom of the pot or source.
4. In the US, we like to serve this with roasted root vegetables, or potatoes. In Spain, it is recommended that you serve this dish with a simple salad lettuce, tomato, and onion, to allow the lamb to take center stage.
The Way, the movie is now available on DVD. Emilio Estevez and his father Martin Sheen have also collaborated on a Memoir, just released this month. Get them all today on Amazon:
It’s 6pm on a Saturday night in July, and I am in the middle of nowhere. “How can nowhere exist so close to San Francisco?” I wonder. Just 30 minute’s ride and here I am, rounding a curve on a dusty two-lane road, fields stretching out to the horizon. I speed past the small sign I’ve been looking for: “Frog Hollow Farm.” As I prepare to complete a U-turn at the traffic light ahead, I think, “That’s a small sign for such an influential farm.”
Frog Hollow Farm, and its owner, Farmer Al Courchesne have been at the forefront of the organic movement for 25 years, supplying the likes of Berkeley’s famous Chez Panisse and even Whole Foods Markets, with sustainably and organically farmed stone fruit and other crops. And yet, this small sign is all that denotes this significant landmark.
The evening begins with a tour of the farm led by Farmer Al. A small group of us have registered for the privilege. Farmer Al drives a golf cart while we trail after him, hanging on every word. He describes the techniques they use to avoid conventional farming practices like spraying chemicals. The technique he says revolutionized organic orchards fifteen years ago, is an approach that completely short-circuits the fruit fly breeding cycle. On every other tree in the orchard is a little white, plastic packet, which is exhaling female pheromones. When the males show up looking for mates, they are confused. There are so many decoys they can’t find the real thing. Since the female eggs never get fertilized, the cycle gets cut off at the start.
He reveals his failures as well as successes. A few years ago, he bought a batch of seedlings with a newly developed rootstock. They remain stunted and weak today. In fact, he pulls one tree right out of the ground in front of us. It turns out that the new rootstock is particularly appealing to the resident moles and these trees never had a chance.
But he assures us that this is all part of the process. He continues to experiment and sometimes those risks pay off. Chef Blais dropping pearls of horseradish cream into liquid nitrogen
Our group is now ready to join the rest of the partygoers who have assembled around the makeshift kitchen Richard Blais has created for the event right at the edge of the orchard. Next to this kitchen is a stage where the Band, Trio Garufa will play. Long tables with white tablecloths and rows and rows of sparkling wine glasses (reminiscent of the rows and rows of peach trees) surround the stage. I am attending this event alone, so I flip into strategy mode as I contemplate navigating the rest of this evening solo. The one drawback of being on the VIP tour is that I have missed all of the hors-d’oeuvres. This seems like a bit of an oversight to me, but I try to let it go. I approach the bar and order a glass of wine, then spot a familiar face. Ryan from Foodbuzz.com (now she’s at GlamMedia), is here. I reintroduce myself and we reminisce about the good ol’ days at Foodbuzz when things were just getting started in 2008. It is a lifetime ago in www years.
Most seats at the long table are already tipped forward with handbags poised neatly on top the place setting, including the seats that surround Ryan. I wander farther down the table looking for an empty seat. Then I am relieved to notice there is a VIP section. There will be a seat for me there.
Peaches & Tango Table
I sit down in between two groups of strangers. The faces in both groups are familiar because we were all on the tour together. The group to my right are parents and their grown children, spouses and partners, celebrating the Mom’s birthday. The people on my left comprise a team from Chez Panisse and the Edible Schoolyard Foundation. Also nearby is tonight’s MC for the event, food writer and blogger Carolyn Jung. Introductions ensue as we all settle in for tonight’s main event: the meal.
Carolyn Jung introduces Farmer Al
I enjoy a glass of Bloomfield Vineyards 2010 Viogner, which makes me think, “Yes. I have finally found “my wine.” I like sweeter white wines generally, and particularly on a warm summer evening when peaches lurk nearby, but I always thought that Sauvignon Blanc was my favorite. Now I know. Viogner’s the thing. And this one is to-die-for.
Carolyn introduces Farmer Al to crowd, who thanks everyone for coming to this event and supporting such a great organization as Edible Schoolyard. Then Carolyn introduces Chef Blais, who comes bounding on stage, excited to be here. He even admits that he’s a little nervous cooking for such a discerning group as Bay Area folks passionate about food.
Chef Blais
The first course arrives: Chilled Hiramasa with fried chicken, smoked aioli, and pickled radishes. It is paired with Bison Organic IPA from Bison brewery. We are told that the chicken has been cooked sous vide and that a thermal immersion circulator has been brought to the farm from San Francisco’s Spice Kit just for the occasion. Soul Food Farms have grown the chickens. They are well known for raising chickens humanely and with dignity. A big deal is made about the chicken.
Chilled Hiramasa & Fried Chicken
I’ve read that sous vide cooking means that the texture of the food is not altered during the cooking process so I convince myself that the pink stuff in the middle of my plate is the chicken. With the family to my right, we talk and laugh about what goes into sous vide cooking and agree that the texture is interesting, the chicken seems almost raw, but has a delicate flavor. The fried bits on the plate are tasty too. They are like the coating on fried chicken, but without the chicken. It turns out that these pieces are in fact, the chicken. The bit we’ve all been puzzling over is actually, the Hiramasa – it’s raw fish, darn it, not sous vide cooked chicken. I blush with humiliation. I have to completely recalibrate my experience of this dish. I secretly hope the family doesn’t remember my gaffe. Marguerite, the mother whose birthday it is, says, “Oh my. I don’t eat raw fish.” She’s runs a clinical microbiology lab at UCSF. She should know.
I do wonder though, “What happened to the actual chicken?” There was all that humanely raised, organic chicken at some point during the cooking process, but on the plate, al that remains are fried panko crumbs. Weird. Oh well. On to the next course.
Cutlet of Petrale Sole with Cherry Tomato
Cutlet of petrale with cherry tomato and anchovy raisin butter. This dish is paired with the Viognier I’ve been enjoying. I wonder if the tomato is raw fish too, but it’s just a tomato. It’s delicious, but I do wonder. “Where are the peaches?”
Much laughter and hilarity ensue while I continue to get to know the family next to me. We discover many intersections in our lives. Greg, one of the grown sons, worked at the same Bay Area company as my husband, though they didn’t overlap. Georgia, his sister is a landscape architect. Some of my best friends are landscape architects. All of the grown children went to boarding school on the East Coast. Me too. Me too. It was fun to hear their stories and learn the rough outlines of their lives. Greg and his husband Victor are expecting a baby in late summer. Everyone is excited, but there is some anxiety too. One never knows until it is final.
I feel myself hopeful for them. Wanting the best for Greg and Victor. Even wanting to hear the news when the baby comes. But, that’s ridiculous, of course. I only just met them. And yet.
Grilled Pork Belly with Cauliflower and Peaches
Next comes the Grilled Pork Belly with cauliflower and peaches. It is paired with the Bloomfield Vinyards 2008 Pinot Noir. It is dark outside now and we can’t see our food. My knife has long since been removed by a server, but who needs a knife when the pork belly literally melts in your mouth? It’s delicious, but I still can’t taste the peaches.
Carolyn Jung stands to announce the winners of the silent auction. Marguerite, the Mom of the family next to me, has placed a bid on having Farmer Al come to your home to do a tree pruning consultation. Her daughter, Georgia has recently planted several fruit-bearing trees, and her mother hopes to win this prize for her. Greg has bid on a private dinner for 6 with Chef Andrea.
We wait with baited breath while Carolyn reads the descriptions of the items that are at stake. Then she announces the first winner. Marguerite has won the tree-pruning prize. Applause erupts from our end of the table. In the end, Greg wins the dinner for 6 and his husband sponsors a row of trees at the orchard. His name will appear on a plaque.
Georgia with Ice Cream Cone
The Tango in Peaches and Tango
Winners, one and all, it’s time for dancing and dessert. Professional tango dancers take to the stage and Georgia and I wander over to get our ice cream cones. The ice cream is Santa Rosa Plum ice cream and somehow there is liquid nitrogen involved. This is chef Blais after all. The nice little surprise at the bottom of the cone? Dark chocolate. The cones were provided by Berkeley’s Ici Ice Cream.
In the end, it isn’t the fruit, or the liquid nitrogen, or the amazing wine pairings that make the night memorable. It isn’t the sustainably and humanely raised local chicken, or the plum ice cream, or the sun setting across the orchard. As is almost always the case with a great meal, what makes it truly special are the people I have met. Marguerite, Wes, Greg, Victor, Georgia, Nuria, and Glenn, may we enjoy another meal together someday.
Wes, Georgia, Marguerite, Nuria, Greg, Glenn, Victor
My friend Raquel is the master of the wild rice salad. She tosses it up in huge quantities for party buffets at her house and there’s never any left over. I’ve been meaning to do a version of my own and today was the day. The only difference between my version and hers, is that I’ve added an orange juice-based vinaigrette – just a wee-tiny bit, because this salad can even stand on its own without any vinaigrette, but I love orange and cranberry flavors together, so I thought it would only make this great salad greater.
Hey, it’s vegan and gluten-free. Can’t beat that.
Wild Rice, Cranberry and Toasted Almond Salad with a hint of Orange Serves 4 as a side
Ingredients
2 cups cooked wild rice (still warm)
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup toasted almonds slivers
1. Cook rice according to package directions (it takes about 45 minutes). Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a frying pan with no oil over medium high heat for about 5 minutes or until just starting to brown.
2. While the rice is still warm, toss it with the dried cranberries and the almonds. This will allow the cranberries to swell and their flavor to meld.
3. While the rice mixture is cooling, whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette until an emulsion is formed. Once rice mixture has cooled to room temperature toss the vinaigrette with the rice and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate and serve chilled.
Blueberries are in season and therefore, they’re on sale at Trader Joe’s for just $6.99 for a 2 lb basket. Time for cobbler when that happens.
I wanted to see if I could toss a bunch of fresh blueberries into pie plate with as few other ingredients as possible and come out with a tasty cobbler half an hour later. The answer is yes. Yes I can.
I use less sugar and butter in this recipe than most recipes out there, because I know that these berries can stand on their own. And I don’t stew them first, because I want them to maintain their structure. You can see in the photograph that the berries are still berries. That’s just how I like it.
See if you like it too. Subtract some berries and add peaches if you’ve got those lying around too.
Blueberry Cobbler: Fast, Fresh and Easy Serves up to 9
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix
2/3 cup reduced fat milk
4ish cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup of sugar
2 Tbsp butter, cut into little pieces
Method
1. Preheat oven to 400˚F.
2. Put 3.5 – 4 cups of blueberries in a pie plate. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar (or a little more to taste) over the berries. Sprinkle the slices of butter around, evenly, on top of the berries.
3. If the oven is ready, put the pie plate with just the blueberry mixture into the over for 10 minutes to get the mixture heated through.
4. While berries are heating, mix together the Bisquick and the milk and stir until dough forms. Let sit for remaining time. (No kneading, no rolling – these will be like drop biscuits on top).
5. Remove berries from the oven at the end of 10 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 425˚F. Drop the biscuit dough on top of the blueberries, trying to drop 8 dollups in a circle plus one in the middle. Bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.
Serve immediately, if possible. Also sits well in the oven at low temperature. Cobbler is great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream too!
You know, chocolate is a funny thing. It comes in so many flavors and textures and each person knows just how they like it. Me? I like rich, dark chocolate. Sharffen Berger gets my kind of chocolate just right. So I was lucky when the company just happened to sponsor a Food Blogging conference I attended and the goodie bag we got was filled with lots of Sharffen Berger baking chocolate. Like the 70% cacao bittersweet chocolate, which is the basis for these fudgy brownies. This recipe comes directly from the source. Sharffen Berger publishes this and lots of other recipes on their site. These are definitely the fudgiest, most decadent brownies I’ve ever had. Enjoy!
Sharffen Berger 70% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate
Sharffen Berger Fudgy Brownies Makes 9 two-inch square brownies Ingredients
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus more for the pan
8 ounces SCHARFFEN BERGER 70% bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Method
1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Cut an 8 by 16-inch piece of parchment paper. Lightly butter an 8 by 8 by 2-inch pan and line it with the parchment, allowing it to extend evenly over the opposite sides. Butter the parchment including the paper on the sides of the pan.
2. Place the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water and stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat.
3. With a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon, beat the sugar and salt into the chocolate mixture. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour and mix vigorously until the batter is very glossy and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap the pan bottom on the countertop to level the batter. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a skewer in the center comes out moist but clean.
Let cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove the brownies from the pan using the parchment “handles,” and cool completely on the rack before cutting into 2-inch squares.
Buy a bag of lentils at Safeway for $1.49, or spend $8 for a fancy box of French Le Puy Lentils at Whole Foods. Either way, you can create a myriad of healthy salads that will keep in the fridge for about a week and work as main dishes, sides or snacks. Put the lentil salad on top of a bed of lettuce or the add arugula for bite. Roll the lentils up in a whole wheat tortilla for a healthy bean wrap. Serve warm with fish, like Salmon or Mahi Mahi. The possibilities are endless.
To prepare the lentils, follow the directions on the side of the package. Do not pre-soak lentils. They cook pretty quickly. Typically, for a 16 oz bag of lentils, bring 8-10 cups of water to boil in a large pot. Add the lentils and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes. For salads, you want the lentils to maintain a little bite so that they don’t get too mushy. Start checking them at 25 minutes to get the texture just right. A 16-oz bag of lentils will yield about six cups of cooked lentils.
Heirloom Tomato-Basil Lentil Salad
Heirloom Tomato-Basil Lentil Salad
Serves 4 as a side
Ingredients
2 cups cooked lentils
1 large or 2 small heirloom tomatoes, diced into small cubes.
2 Tbsp minced shallots or scallions
1/4 cup minced fresh basil and additional leaves for garnish
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
6 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tbsp of Crumbled Feta (optional) – I left it out because I like to try to be vegan when I can
Method
1. For the vinaigrette, whisk together the olive oil and vinegar into an emulsion. Toss lentils, tomatoes, shallots, minced basil, and oil vinegar to combine. Season with pepper and garnish with basil leaf and feta if using. Serve chilled.
Tarragon-Mustard Vinaigrette Lentil Salad
Tarragon-Mustard Vinaigrette Lentil Salad
Serves 4 as a side
Ingredients
2 cups cooked lentils
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp red-wine vinegar
1 Tbsp minced shallot or scallions
Salt and pepper to taste
6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp minced tarragon
Method
1. Whisk together the vinegar, shallots, salt, pepper, olive oil, mustard and tarragon. Toss with red bell pepper and lentils to combine. Garnish with tarragon leaves. Serve chilled.
Lemon Dill Lentil Salad
Fresh Lemon-Dill Lentil Salad
Serves 4 as a side
Ingredients
2 cups cooked lentils
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup fresh dill, minced
2 Tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp minced shallot or scallions
Salt and pepper to taste
6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
1. Whisk together lemon juice, shallots, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Toss with lentils, red bell pepper and fresh dill to combine. Garnish with sprigs of dill.
Rip Esselstyn developed the “Engine 2 Diet” plan for a team of Texas firefighters, who were overweight and suffered from high cholesterol and high blood pressure. He found that eliminating meat and dairy (including chicken and fish, milk and cheese) from his diet, helped him and his team lose weight, lower their cholesterol numbers and turn the tide on high blood pressure.
I used to be a die-hard 3 meals a day with meat kind of gal. Well, maybe not breakfast with meat everyday, but still. I would make up for it later in the day. Heck, the post before this one is a burger with cheese. But I bring you this recipe because it is as satisfying as any meal I’ve had with meat, including meat lasagne, and packs more veggies per serving than any dish I’ve ever prepared. Talk about sneaking in veggies in your kids’ meals. This recipe does that in spades.
Dr. Oz endorsed this eating plan on his show in February 2010, just about the time my husband and I started exploring the benefits of a vegan diet. The timing was perfect. This is a great meal to transition effortlessly to a diet that treads more lightly on the earth and on your body.
In the photograph above, I have not yet sprinkled the top with the ground cashews, because that step occurs after you’ve baked it for 45 minutes. It’s amazing how the cashews successfully take the place of mozzarella cheese.
1 small head of garlic, all cloves chopped or pressed
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 head broccoli, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 can corn, rinsed and drained
1 package firm tofu
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
2 jars pasta sauce
2 boxes whole grain lasagna noodles
16 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
6 Roma tomatoes, sliced thin
1 cup raw cashews, ground
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 ° F.
Saute the onion and garlic on high heat for 3 minutes in a wok or nonstick pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until the onions are limp and the mushrooms give up their liquid. Remove them to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve the mushroom liquid in the pan.
Saute the broccoli and carrots for 5 minutes and add to the mushroom bowl. Saute the peppers and corn until just beginning to soften. Add them to them to the vegetable bowl.
Drain the tofu by wrapping in paper towels. Break it up directly in the towel and mix into the vegetable bowl. Add spices to the vegetable bowl and combine.
Cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole with a layer of sauce. Add a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with sauce. This way the noodles cook in the oven, saving time and energy.
Spread the vegetable mixture over the sauced noodles. Cover with a layer of noodles and another dressing of sauce.
Add the spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Cover the spinach with the mashed sweet potatoes. Add another layer of sauce, the final layer of noodles, and a last topping of sauce.
Cover the lasagna with thinly sliced Roma tomatoes. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
Remove the foil, sprinkle with the cashews, and return to the over for 15 minutes.
by, Tom Nardone. Check out his website, 
