Ode to a Sweet Tooth

Fudgy Chocolate Brownies...thank you Martha Stewart.  My Dad's favorite brownie recipe (slightly tweaked) for his birthday.  Alors...

Fudgy Chocolate Birthday Brownies

adapted from http://www.marthastewart.com/314726/fudgy-chocolate-brownies

Ingredients

8 oz. chocolat (used Baker's bittersweet)

3 eggs (Martha uses 4)

3/4 of a stick of butter...but, feel free to use the whole stick

1 1/2 cup de sucre (sugar)

3/4 cup de la farine (flour)

1 tsp. de la vanille (vanilla)

1/2 tsp sel (salt)

I also added in some cinnamon and some coffee to bring out the chocolatey goodness, as well as a cup of chocolate chips because well...CHOCOLATE!

1.  Assemble ingredients.  Notice the oh so glamorous Ziploc.

2.  In a saucepan, heat some water to boiling (you are created a sort of double-boiler here to melt the chocolate).

3.  Melt and temper the chocolate.  Adding some of the little blocks with the butter.  Stir until smooth.  After butter and chocolate are melted and thoroughly mixed, set aside and let the mixture cool for 10-15 minutes.

3.  After the mixture has cooled, add in the sugar.  Mix it in.

4.  Then add each egg.  One by one as well as the vanilla.

5.  Add in the coffee, if you feel like adding some.

6.  Toss in the flower with the salt.  Mix until fully incorporated.

7.  My Dad did not want anything super snazzy in his brownies, just the simple chocolatey-ness and some added chocolate chips were all that he requested.

8.  After you have mixed everything all together, pour the batter into a prepared baking dish.  Make sure to butter the sides.

9.  Spread the batter so that it is even, unless you want to make some lopsided brownies.  No judgement here.  To each their own.  Varying thickness can always make for an interest experiment.

10.  Au four a 350 degrees (Bake/in the oven at 350 degrees) for 40-45 minutes.  You can lessen the time if you like your brownies slightly more gooey in the middle.  More molten chocolate lava cakey.

11.  Mr. Birthday Man (mon pere/Dad) got the honor of cutting and tasting first brownie.  

11.  Nothing like some chocolat pour un anniversaire and to welcome the autumnal snow that we will apparently be having.  Happy almost Halloween!

How to Feed and Nourish a Nerd

So, I should preface this brief post by saying that there are a TON of people at New York City Comic Con (Comic Book etc. convention...a dweebs unite, and I am pleased to say that I was an attendee).  So, when navigating through droves of art, fantastical cosplayers, game play and just random stuff, it is quite necessary to make sure one has the proper nourishment throughout the course of this 3 day event.  *Note:  NY pretzels, soda and other fast food items only suffice for so long, particularly while spending copious amounts of time waiting in line to see speakers such as Mark Hamill and Seth Green (to name a few).  

So, prior to embarking on this little weekend, I thought it necessary to feed my meat-eating friends, yet share a meal together and make sure it was hearty enough to satiate some weary travelers who trekked downstate.

Here you have it:

Nerdy Vegetable Quiche

1 Trader Joe's pate feuilleté (Yeah, not the biggest fan of making my own crust salé.  I justified it by telling myself that this sort of crust is the most difficult to make, and many French women tend to by this one store bought as well.)

1 Oignon (onion)

1 boite de champignons (box of mushrooms)

1 head of broccoli

Mix of bell peppers (frozen or fresh)

1/4 of a head of cauliflower

1 1/2 cups epinards (spinach)

Several tomatoes of your choosing (not too many if they are fairly large and get very watery)

1/2 bag of a cheese blend (I used Mexican)

3 eggs

Spices (garlic, salt, pepper, red hot chili flakes, dash of curry powder, herbes de provence)

*Note:  This is a take on an "everything must go quiche," so use whatever you have and be creative!  :  D

1.  Sautee the legumes (veggies).

2.  While you are letting all the vegetables simmer and marinate with all the spices, whisk the three eggs together.  You can add a dash of salt, pepper and red chili flakes.  Also, to make the mixture slightly thicker, you can add 1/4-1/2 cup of milk.

3.  Place your pre-made crust in an oven-proof fan.  I tried to stretch it out...I was clearly too lazy to cherche (look for) a rolling pin.

4.  Pour in your veggie mixture.

5.  I made the mistake of pouring in my egg mixture before my cheese.  I typically like to put the cheese beneath the eggs so it spreads into the quiche a little more evenly, but both work.

 

6.  Cheese sprinkling time!!!

7.  Au four (In the oven) at about 350-375 for 30-40 minutes depending.

 

8.  And there you have it.  "Meaty" enough for those who are scared of their greens, but won't complain when they finally sit down to warm spicy veggie goodness.  A nerdy vegetable quiche!

Taste of a Season

What does Autumn smell like?  Or more specifically, what does it taste like? 

Pumpkin Pie Muffins

[With cinnamon swirl or streusel topping]

1 canned pumpkin (or you can roast your own in the oven; the can just saves time)

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4-1 cup brown sugar

1/4 granulated sugar

2 tsps baking powder

1/2 cup oats

1 tsp salt

1-2 tsp vanille (vanilla)

1 tsp cannelle (cinnamon...of course, you can always add more)

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp gingembre (ginger)

1 oeuf (egg)

1 stick of butter, cut in half and refrigerated until needed

Honey yogurt (used Trader Joe's thick European style here, but feel free to experiment)

1.  Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl i.e. flour, baking powder, oats, salt and spices.  I ground the allspice which adds a stronger flavor.

2.  Combine the wet ingredients in a large bowl.  First mix the sugars and egg.  Add in the pumpkin.  Mix after adding each ingredient.  Then add in half a stick of melted butter with the vanilla.  Add in the yogurt.

3.  Melange (Mix) the dry ingredients with the wet.  Once it is well mixed, add to muffin tins.  Fill it up all the way.

 4.  TOPPINGS TIME:  

Cinnamon swirl topping --->  Mix 1/2 cup of brown sugar with 2 tsps of cinnamon and 1/2 stick of melted butter.  Place it in a plastic bag to cool.  Then, pipe it and swirl it into the tops of muffins.

Cinnamon streusel topping  --->  Mix 1/2 cup of brown sugar with 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 a cup of oats.  Add in 1/2 a stick of cold butter broken up into pieces and sprinkle on the tops of muffins.

 5.  Bake muffins at 375-400 F for 25-40  minutes depending on which temperature you choose and how moist you like your muffins.

So, what does Autumn taste like to you?

To Fall

Fall.  Autumn.  The lovely bittersweet smelling season is upon us.  The desire for warm, comforting food often follows.  


So, what better way to start this season than with some vegetable minestrone as a nod to what is left of summer vegetables and those that are in season now.  


Why vegetable minestrone?  Well, allow me to provide une petite histoire.  I noticed on the kitchen counter that my Dad (he is a school teacher) had gotten some groceries to make lunch packing easier.  One item happened to be a can of veggie minestrone.  I was aghast at the sodium content.  So, I convinced him to allow me to make something better with a lot less chemicals and salt.


Soups are wonderful and versatile, i.e.  Do what you want with them.  Have fun, be creative.  


I told my Dad that he needn't worry as I would put everything he like in it.  He is a picky eater.


So, here it is:


Picky Eater's Vegetable Minestrone
1 medium Idaho potato, chopped
1 large oignon (onion), chopped
2 gousses d'ail (2 garlic cloves), minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 courgettes (zucchini), chopped
Baby carrots (as many or as little as you like; you can substitute regular carrots too), chopped
1 large can of tomatoes in sauce
2-3 cups vegetable broth
2 cups d'eau (water)
Des épices (Spices) [feel free to substitute/omit spices]
-sel/poivre (salt/pepper)
-basil
-garlic powder
-herbes de provence
-red hot pepper flakes


1.  Heat olive oil in a dutch oven.  When it begins to boil, ajoute (add) the minced garlic and spices.

 2.  After the spices become fragrant (2 min.), saute the onion until it softens and becomes slightly translucent.  

 3.  Mix in the pomme de terre (potato) and carrots.

 4.  Bit by bit add the rest of the vegetables along with some of the stock and water.  Bring it to a boil and then simmer, covered for 10 minutes.  
5.  Add in the canned tomatoes.  Feel free to add in some fresh if you have some lingering from the cusp of summer too.  Bring to a boil.  Then let simmer, covered for 20-30 minutes.

 6.  Soup is done when the potato and carrots are tender.  You can let it simmer on low heat for an hour or two to really let the flavors blend.

 6.  Enjoy!  *Note:  Feel free to add some fresh basil or spinach tossed in.  You can also sprinkle some cheese or add some hot sauce to give it a spicy kick.