Is this the Ultimate Brownie?

It’s no secret that brownies are a favorite treat in the Rachel ♥s Food household. I normally enjoy salty and crunchy snacks, but I will turn down a bag of chips for a fudgy brownie any day. I think Scott could eat a whole pan in one sitting if he thought I wasn’t watching. Brownies are also a part of our history; it started with our days of long distance dating, when I made them for Scott every time I visited him in Charlotte, to our wedding day when we gave out boxes of mini brownies as favors.

Let’s get one thing straight, though – I am not above using a boxed mix when we have a last minute brownie craving, but brownies from scratch will always win. I have read many brownies recipes in the search for the ultimate treat, one that I would describe as a fudgy brownie with a crisp outer crust and deep chocolate flavor (and of course, no nuts, chips, or chunks).

I have narrowed my search down to three recipes: this one from King Arthur flour, this one by Ina Garten, and this one posted by Annie of Annie’s Eats. My plan is to make all three recipes and decide which one is the ultimate brownie.

I started with the King Arthur Flour recipe (pictured above). This one fit the description, but after cutting them and storing in an airtight container, I have noticed the edges are getting stale rather quickly. This recipe also calls for a small amount of instant coffee powder (to enhance the chocolate, not to create a mocha flavor) but I could definitely taste and smell the coffee in the brownies. Of my taste-testers, though, only one asked if the recipe called for coffee so I guess it wasn’t too overwhelming.

I’ll be back with recipe #2 soon (but not too soon, we really don’t need full 9x13 pans of brownies in our house back-to-back)!

Finally, thanks to my taste testers (and new readers) Scott, Carol, Melissa, Lisa, Dawn, and Dawn’s daughter Zoe!

Light Brioche Sandwich Buns

I’ve mentioned it before, but before this summer I really didn’t have a lot of time to cook due to graduate school, when I was working full time and taking full time classes at night. I have truly enjoyed getting back to my love of cooking, not only being in the kitchen but thinking about the quality of what I am cooking and baking. Lately I have been on a kick to see what I can make at home rather than buying at the grocery store for convenience, saving both money and preventing a lot of processed foods and preservatives from entering my diet. Through these experiments I have come up with homemade bread, pizzas, jams, and cereal – and I am looking forward to making more items.

I found this recipe for Light Brioche Buns from The New York Times via the Smitten Kitchen and decided to try my hand at making sandwich buns. This was also my first attempt at making homemade bread in my small apartment kitchen. I have to say, it was quite easy and these are the best hamburger buns I have tried (and least expensive – I made a batch of 10 buns for approximately $1.25). They are light in texture and taste, but sturdy enough to stand up to juicy hamburgers with condiments and toppings. I like to lightly toast the cut side of the buns under the broiler after slicing and before adding toppings.

The recipe says it will make 8 buns, but I have actually started cutting the dough into 10 pieces instead and find that they are still slightly larger than most store-bought buns. The dough also freezes very well – after the first rise and shaping the buns, freeze in a single layer on parchment paper. Once they are frozen store in a freezer bag and take them out as needed. I just place them on parchment on a baking sheet and bake them off two hours later (one hour to thaw, one hour to rise).

Light brioche dough after shaping and 2nd rise:

With egg wash and a sprinkling of sesame seeds:

And finally, after baking 13-15 minutes at 400 degrees (rotating the pan halfway):

Light Brioche Buns
from The New York Times

Time: 1 hour, plus 2 to 4 hours’ rising *

• 3 tablespoons warm milk
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1. In a glass measuring cup, combine 1 cup warm water, the milk, yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat 1 egg.

2. In a large bowl, whisk flours with salt. Add butter and rub into flour between your fingers, making crumbs. Using a dough scraper, stir in yeast mixture and beaten egg until a dough forms. Scrape dough onto clean, unfloured counter and knead, scooping dough up, slapping it on counter and turning it, until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Shape dough into a ball and return it to bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using dough scraper, divide dough into 8 equal parts. Gently roll each into a ball and arrange 2 to 3 inches apart on baking sheet. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let buns rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours.

5. Set a large shallow pan of water on oven floor. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center. Beat remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush some on top of buns. Bake, turning sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Yield: 8 (or 10!) buns.

*If you are a novice bread baker, don’t let the amount of time listed scare you away. It only takes 20-30 minutes of actual work to make these buns (and most breads), and the remaining time is for rising. You can get a lot of other things accomplished during the rise time! Also, I let my trusty KitchenAid do all of the mixing and knead work, making the recipe that much easier.

CEiMB: Carrot Cupcakes with Lemony Cream Cheese Frosting

This week’s CEiMB recipe, Carrot Cupcakes with Lemony Cream Cheese Frosting, was chosen by Enjoying My Favorite Things. I have to admit, this one had me at the words “Cream Cheese Frosting.” It doesn’t really matter what stands as a base for cream cheese frosting, whether it is red velvet cake, cupcakes, or brownies - I will probably enjoy it just because I love cream cheese! The fact that this base is a healthy carrot cupcake just makes it that much better.

There were several reviews on the Food Network site for this recipe that claimed these cupcakes are more like muffins, and I can see why. These cupcakes are dense from the whole wheat flour, but still wonderfully moist from the applesauce and freshly grated carrots. Even though there is some debate on the cupcake/muffin issue, this recipe still has a five star average and I will admit they are quite delicious.

I did make a few substitutions based on what was readily available in my kitchen, but nothing drastic:

• white whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour
• regular pastry flour instead of all purpose
• allspice instead of nutmeg
• cinnamon applesauce instead of regular
• no nuts (the husband doesn’t like them)

I also really enjoyed the frosting with its addition of lemon zest. At first I wondered if the lemon flavor would take away from the carrot cake, but in the end I think the flavors complimented each other well. I also think the little yellow flecks are very attractive!

My husband and I both enjoyed these cupcakes, and I am looking forward to sharing with my parents who are going to visit this weekend. I don’t know if I would make this recipe again on a regular basis since it is just my husband and I in the house, since we certainly don’t need a dozen cupcakes sitting around for our convenience. However, I will add this recipe to my special occasion collection and make it for future family gatherings.

CEiMB: Cobb Salad

So I decided to join Craving Ellie in My Belly, as I mentioned in an earlier post, but immediately got behind. I did make last week’s recipe, Cobb Salad, at the right time. However, life got in the way and I didn’t get the opportunity to post until today. Sorry to the other CEiMB members, I promise the next one will be on time!

This Cobb Salad recipe was chosen by The Feast Within, and I was very excited to try it. I love Cobb salad but rarely order it in a restaurant to avoid the heavy toppings and typically creamy dressings, and I have never make one at home before. I was also a little concerned that my husband wouldn’t play along, but he actually enjoyed it. Note to self: serving salad as a main entree will go over well as long as there is plenty of protein as a topping!

I was also determined to make this recipe exactly as written since it was my first post for CEiMB, but I was not able to find watercress at either of the two grocery stores where I shop and substituted arugula instead. I also made a half recipe since it was just me and my husband and we found that it made three servings total instead of two.

Some other notes on the recipe:

• I really enjoyed the dressing and will make it again for other salads. It is a little tangy, however, so I would include something with fat to cut the tartness rather than serve it over plain greens.
• I also enjoyed subbing Black Forest ham for bacon, but found the amount called for in the recipe to be way too much. I would cut the amount in half for the future.
• While the salad was beautiful with the ingredients all lined up, it seemed almost to be a waste of time since they all mixed together upon serving. In the future, I will probably spread all of the toppings evenly over the salad greens.

Here is the recipe:

Cobb Salad

source: Food Network, Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

• Cooking spray
• 1/4 pound sliced Black Forest or other smoked ham
• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• 6 cups romaine lettuce (about 6 ounces) coarsely chopped
• 2 cups watercress, thick stems removed
• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 avocado, diced (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 cup cooked diced chicken breast 1 (6-ounce) breast
• 1/2 cup crumbled Roquefort or Blue cheese (about 2 ounces)

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients and set aside.

Slice the ham into 1/2-inch strips. Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and preheat over a medium-high heat. Add the ham to the skillet and cook over stirring frequently, until the ham is warmed through and crisped, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Remove and discard the yolk from 1 of the hard boiled eggs. Chop the remaining egg white and whole egg and set aside.

In a large bowl toss the romaine and watercress with 2/3 of the dressing. Put the dressed greens onto a large serving dish. Place the tomatoes on top forming a row down the middle. In strips on either side of the tomatoes place the avocado, chicken, cheese, diced egg, and the crisped ham on top of the greens. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve.

Per Serving:

Calories 360; Total Fat 24 g; (Sat Fat 7 g, Mono Fat 13 g, Poly Fat 3 g) ; Protein 28 g; Carb 11 g; Fiber 4 g; Cholesterol 115 mg; Sodium 770 mg