Make-it Monday : Milkbar-Style

Chocolate-Chocolate Cookiesby Christina Tosi Makes 10 to 15 cookies

An ode to my favorite baked good of all time, the fudgy brownie, this cookie has a healthy salt content and, to me, is perfection.

INGREDIENTS 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 cup glucose 1 egg 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 ounces 55% chocolate, melted 1 1/4 cups flour 3/4 cup cocoa powder, preferably Valrhona 3 g baking powder 3/4 teaspoon 1.5 g baking soda 1/4 teaspoon 7 g kosher salt 1 3/4 teaspoons 1/2 recipe Chocolate Crumb (below) PREPARATION Combine the butter, sugar, and glucose in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg, vanilla, and melted chocolate, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. (Do not walk away from the machine during this step, or you will risk overmixing the dough.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

Still on low speed, add the chocolate crumbs and mix just until incorporated, about 30 seconds.

Using a 2 3/4-ounce ice cream scoop (or a 1/3-cup measure), portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. Do not bake your cookies from room temperature--they will not bake properly.

Heat the oven to 375°F.

Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pans. Bake for 18 minutes. The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. It's tough (kind of impossible) to gauge if a cookie that is this dark with chocolate is done. If after 18 minutes, the cookies still seem doughy in the center, give them another 1 minute in the oven, but not more.

Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or an airtight container for storage. At room temp, the cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.

Chocolate Crumb Makes about 2 1/2 cups

INGREDIENTS 2/3 cup flour 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1/2 cup sugar 2/ 3 cup cocoa powder, preferably Valrhona 1 teaspoon kosher salt 6 tablespoons butter, melted

PREPARATION Heat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and paddle on low speed until mixed.

Add the butter and paddle on low speed until the mixture starts to come together in small clusters.

Spread the clusters on a parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes, breaking them up occasionally. The crumbs should still be slightly moist to the touch at that point; they will dry and harden as they cool.

Let the crumbs cool completely before using in a recipe or eating. Stored in an airtight container, they will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature or 1 month in the fridge or freezer.

Recipe from bonappetit.com

Brown Butter Custard Pie with Cranberry Glaze

I wrote about this recipe years ago when it first came out in Food & Wine Magazine and have made it every Thanksgiving since!  It's the perfect non-traditional end to one of the most celebrated meals of the year and beautiful to boot!  I love the look of the cranberry glaze on top of the speckled creamy filling and the little golden orange dollops of deliciousness by the way of sweet potato and white chocolate on top! Brown Butter Custard Pie with Cranberry Glaze 2 teaspoons plain powdered gelatin Reserved browned butter solids from Cinnamon Toast Crumb Crust (below) 1 cup whole milk 1/3 cup light brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon Kosher salt 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream 1/4 cup sour cream Cinnamon Toast Crumb Crust (recipe below) 3 1/2 ounces white chocolate, chopped 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 cup mashed sweet potatoes 1 cup cranberry sauce, pureed and strained

Cinnamon Toast Crumb Crust 2 sticks unsalted butter 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 4 cups diced crusts and end pieces from 1 loaf of packaged white bread (10 ounces crusts)

Instructions for the crust:

• Preheat the oven to 325°. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the butter is golden brown, about 8 minutes; strain into a glass measuring cup. Reserve the browned butter solids for the Brown Butter Custard Pie.
• Pour half of the melted butter into a bowl. Add the sugar, salt, cinnamon and bread, and toss. Spread the bread on a baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden. Let cool.
• Rewarm the remaining butter; pour into a food processor. Add the croutons and pulse to fine crumbs; spoon the crumbs into a 10-inch pie plate. Refrigerate for 5 minutes. Press the crumbs over the bottom and sides of the pie plate; refrigerate the crust until chilled, 15 minutes.

Instructions for the pie:

• In a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 2 tablespoons of water and let stand until softened, 3 minutes. Microwave at high power for 10 seconds, until melted. In a microwave-safe measuring cup, microwave the reserved brown butter solids with the milk, sugar, 1/8 teaspoon of the cinnamon and a pinch of salt until warm. Whisk in the gelatin and refrigerate until set.
• In a bowl, whisk 3/4 cup of the heavy cream and sour cream to soft peaks. Whisk the custard to loosen it, then fold into the whipped cream. Pour the custard into the Cinnamon Toast Crumb Crust; refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate and butter. Add the mashed sweet potatoes, the remaining 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of salt; whisk until smooth. Transfer the sweet potato ganache to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip and refrigerate until chilled slightly, 15 minutes. Pipe 1-inch mounds around the edge of the pie. Refrigerate until the ganache is set, 10 minutes.
• Pour the cranberry puree over the pie and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon. Refrigerate until set, at least 30 minutes. Cut the pie into wedges and serve.

The pie can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Enjoy!

Image from foodandwine.com

Have a Berry Good Fourth!

Make-It Monday goes to the kitchen this week for a Fourth of July tart! It’s just perfect (go figure, it’s from Martha)!  Have a happy and safe holiday weekend!

For the crust: 5 cups all-purpose flour 6 tablespoons sugar 2 cup (4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces 4 large egg yolks 1/2 cup ice water

For the creme fraiche filling: 2 packages cream cheese (8 ounces each), room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 8 ounces creme fraiche 1 cup confectioner’s sugar

For the tart: 4 ounces semisweet chocolate 1/2 cup apricot jam, for glazing blueberries 1/2 cup raspberry jam, for glazing raspberries 2 tablespoons water 2 pints red raspberries Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting 1 pint blueberries, picked over

To make the dough:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and sugar. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, 10 to 20 seconds.

In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks; add ice water. With machine running, add the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator, and chill at least 1 hour.

To make the filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and vanilla until soft. In a separate bowl, whisk creme fraiche with a balloon whisk until it holds soft peaks.

Whisk 1/3 of the creme fraiche into cream-cheese mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining creme fraiche while gradually sifting the confectioners’ sugar over the top; fold just until combined.

To assemble the tart: On a lightly floured surface, roll out a disc of pate sucree 1/8 inch thick to fit a 3 3/4-by-13 1/4-inch fluted, rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom. Brush off excess flour with a dry pastry brush. Carefully transfer dough to tart pan, tuck dough into the edges, gently pressing along sides, and allow excess dough to overhang the edges. Trim the dough by running your rolling pin over the dough against the edges. Gently shape the edges by pressing the length of your forefinger against each flute along the sides. Prick all over the bottom with the tines of a fork. Repeat with remaining disc of dough. Transfer to the refrigerator, and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove chilled tart shells from refrigerator, and line each with a piece of parchment paper that overhangs the edges by at least 2 inches. Fill parchment with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until just starting to color, about 20 minutes. Remove parchment and weights from tart shells, and return tart shells to oven. Continue baking until tart bottom is golden, about 20 minutes more. Transfer tart shells to a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely. Carefully remove tart shells from pan.

In a small bowl in the microwave or set over a pan of simmering water, heat chocolate until it is just melted, about 1 1/2 minutes; stir until smooth. Using the back of a spoon, line each tart shell with chocolate. Refrigerate to set, at least 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat apricot and raspberry jams in two separate saucepans with about 1 tablespoon water in each; strain into separate small bowls.

Make top tart: Remove one lined tart shell from refrigerator and spread 1/3 of the creme fraiche filling over the bottom. Arrange 3 rows of unglazed raspberries 2/3 the length of the tart, leaving space between each row and at the top and bottom edges for 4 more rows. Dust with confectioners’ sugar until raspberries are completely coated. Toss blueberries in a bowl with strained apricot jam. Fill left third of tart shell with a layer of glazed blueberries arranged snugly in rows; top with another layer of blueberries. Toss half the remaining raspberries with the strained raspberry jam, and carefully fill empty rows with some of the glazed raspberries, rinsing your hands as needed.

Make bottom tart: Remove remaining tart shell from refrigerator, and spread a third of the creme fraiche filling over the bottom. Arrange 3 rows of remaining unglazed raspberries, starting at the top edge and leaving space between each and at the bottom edge for 4 more rows. Dust with confectioners’ sugar until raspberries are completely coated. Fill empty rows with remaining glazed raspberries.

Arrange tarts on a large board or tray to resemble the flag, and serve with remaining creme fraiche filling on the side. Finished tarts will hold at room temperature for several hours.

Strawberry Deliciousness

Oh strawberry pie, how have I never heard of you or thought that you might be the most delicious concoction I've ever tasted?  I just don't know, but I sincerely apologize for neglecting to make you until now! If you've never had strawberry pie (obviously, I hadn't - I know, I must be living in the hole), please run, don't walk, to the grocery store and/or market to get the supplies for this most scrumptious dessert!  I promise, you'll be wondering why you waited so long to make this!

Last week after returning from the National Stationery Show in NYC, we were driving by Mom's Apple Pie in Leesburg and there was a giant strawberry cutout sitting by the side of the road and a sign for Strawberry Pie in the window.  We meant to stop, but then forgot, but once I remembered, I couldn't get the thought of strawberries nestled inside a pie crust out of my head, so I had to find a recipe STAT.  Here's the recipe I put together using a strawberry pie filling recipe from Cook's Country and my Cornmeal Pie Crust.

Crust I used my Cornmeal Pie Crust recipe.

Filling 2 pounds frozen strawberries 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin 1 cup sugar pinch salt 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced thin

Topping 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 3 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup heavy cream

Bake pie crust shell and let cool.

Cook frozen berries in large saucepan over medium low heat until berries begin to release juice, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium high and cook, stirring frequently, until thick and jamlike, about 25 minutes. (Mixture should measure 2 cups. If you have more than 2 cups the pie will not set or slice properly.)

Combine lemon juice, water, and gelatin in small bowl. Let stand until gelatin is softened and mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir gelatin mixture, sugar, and salt into cooked berry mixture and return to a simmer, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Fold fresh berries into filling. Spread evenly in pie shell and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. (Filled pie can be refrigerated for 24 hours.)

With electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth, about 30 seconds. With mixer running, add cream and whip until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Serve pie with whipped cream topping.  I like to add chiffonaded basil or mint to the cream to give it an additional flavor profile.

Enjoy!

Have a Berry Good Fourth!

I love this tart for a Fourth of July picnic... It's just perfect (go figure, it's from Martha)! Have a happy and safe holiday weekend!

For the crust: 5 cups all-purpose flour 6 tablespoons sugar 2 cup (4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces 4 large egg yolks 1/2 cup ice water

For the creme fraiche filling: 2 packages cream cheese (8 ounces each), room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 8 ounces creme fraiche 1 cup confectioner's sugar

For the tart: 4 ounces semisweet chocolate 1/2 cup apricot jam, for glazing blueberries 1/2 cup raspberry jam, for glazing raspberries 2 tablespoons water 2 pints red raspberries Confectioners' sugar, for dusting 1 pint blueberries, picked over

To make the dough:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and sugar. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, 10 to 20 seconds.

In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks; add ice water. With machine running, add the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator, and chill at least 1 hour.

To make the filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and vanilla until soft. In a separate bowl, whisk creme fraiche with a balloon whisk until it holds soft peaks.

Whisk 1/3 of the creme fraiche into cream-cheese mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining creme fraiche while gradually sifting the confectioners' sugar over the top; fold just until combined.

To assemble the tart: On a lightly floured surface, roll out a disc of pate sucree 1/8 inch thick to fit a 3 3/4-by-13 1/4-inch fluted, rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom. Brush off excess flour with a dry pastry brush. Carefully transfer dough to tart pan, tuck dough into the edges, gently pressing along sides, and allow excess dough to overhang the edges. Trim the dough by running your rolling pin over the dough against the edges. Gently shape the edges by pressing the length of your forefinger against each flute along the sides. Prick all over the bottom with the tines of a fork. Repeat with remaining disc of dough. Transfer to the refrigerator, and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove chilled tart shells from refrigerator, and line each with a piece of parchment paper that overhangs the edges by at least 2 inches. Fill parchment with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until just starting to color, about 20 minutes. Remove parchment and weights from tart shells, and return tart shells to oven. Continue baking until tart bottom is golden, about 20 minutes more. Transfer tart shells to a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely. Carefully remove tart shells from pan.

In a small bowl in the microwave or set over a pan of simmering water, heat chocolate until it is just melted, about 1 1/2 minutes; stir until smooth. Using the back of a spoon, line each tart shell with chocolate. Refrigerate to set, at least 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat apricot and raspberry jams in two separate saucepans with about 1 tablespoon water in each; strain into separate small bowls.

Make top tart: Remove one lined tart shell from refrigerator and spread 1/3 of the creme fraiche filling over the bottom. Arrange 3 rows of unglazed raspberries 2/3 the length of the tart, leaving space between each row and at the top and bottom edges for 4 more rows. Dust with confectioners' sugar until raspberries are completely coated. Toss blueberries in a bowl with strained apricot jam. Fill left third of tart shell with a layer of glazed blueberries arranged snugly in rows; top with another layer of blueberries. Toss half the remaining raspberries with the strained raspberry jam, and carefully fill empty rows with some of the glazed raspberries, rinsing your hands as needed.

Make bottom tart: Remove remaining tart shell from refrigerator, and spread a third of the creme fraiche filling over the bottom. Arrange 3 rows of remaining unglazed raspberries, starting at the top edge and leaving space between each and at the bottom edge for 4 more rows. Dust with confectioners' sugar until raspberries are completely coated. Fill empty rows with remaining glazed raspberries.

Arrange tarts on a large board or tray to resemble the flag, and serve with remaining creme fraiche filling on the side. Finished tarts will hold at room temperature for several hours.