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Posts from the ‘Features, Articles and Recipes’ Category

Mar 22

20 Comments

Featured Recipe: Chocolate Stout Cake With Cream Cheese/Mascarpone Frosting

Chocolate Stout Cake with Cream Cheese/Mascarpone Frosting

An amazing cook, Liz aka mrslarkin on food52 posted this recipe a while ago.  I had made a mental note to try it, but forgot until the other day when I saw her tweet a picture of the cake she made for her daughters birthday. It looked so good I just had to make it, she added red gel color to make it a red velvet cake and frosted with cream cheese icing. I asked her if I could feature the cake here and she graciously gave me permission.  I think what really makes this cake special is the addition of Guinness Stout, strong coffee, sour cream and butter. It’s so moist,  tender and flavorful with a wonderful crumb and it’s not overwhelmingly sweet either, honestly, its one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever had. I’ve talked about the cake now let me tell you about Liz, she is a tremendously talented cook and baker, she is the Pound Ridge Scone Lady, you can find her selling her delicious scones and baked goods every week at the farmers market. She is a contest winner on Food52 whose recipe for Lemon Posset was published in the first Food52 cookbook. You will also find her recipe for Butternut Sage Scones which will be in the second Food52 cookbook due out this October. When you just have to have a cookie, why not make her addictive and delicious Chubby Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.  You can view all 134 of Liz’s recipes on Food52. Be prepared you will want to make all of them, and be sure to look her up if you are ever in Pound Ridge New York at the farmers market and sample her delicious baked goods.

Makes: A 9 inch layer cake or 24 cupcakes

The Cake:

1/2 cup  Guinness Stout

1/2 cup espresso, or strong black coffee

3/4 cups  cocoa powder

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar (press out any lumps)

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (press out any lumps)

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cups sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set oven rack to middle. Butter two 9 inch round baking pans, line with parchment, then butter again and dust with flour or unsweetened cocoa powder.

Warm the stout and coffee. I do this in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, then add butter and stir until melted. Add cocoa powder and vanilla, and stir till combined.

In large bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking soda and salt.

n mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together the eggs and sour cream. Pour in chocolate mixture and mix slowly. Gradually add flour mixture and gently mix until it is all combined. Pour batter into baking pans dividing evenly.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Check with a cake tester to be sure – it should come out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then remove cakes from pan(s) and set on cooling rack to cool completely.

Liz made a cream cheese frosting for the cake, I used the recipe I always use.

Cream Cheese,Mascarpone Frosting:

6 oz cream cheese at room temperature

6 oz mascarpone at room temperature

6 oz butter at room temperature

Enough confectioners sugar to make it spreadable you can make it to suit your taste. I find it usually takes about 4-5 cups

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

In electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment cream the cream cheese, mascarpone and butter until smooth, add the confectioners sugar a cup at a time until you reach the desired sweetness and consistency, add the vanilla and beat just to combine.

Frost the completely cooled cake and enjoy!

Mar 15

5 Comments

Featured Recipe-Roasted Asparagus Sandwich With Pickled Onion,Bacon and Hard Cooked Egg Dressing

This amazing recipe is from Jenny aka gingerroot her cooks name on food52, she is a very talented cook, art educator, foodscaper and Mom to two gorgeous children and she is lucky enough to live in Hawaii, her recipes are stunning, expertly seasoned, paired and prepared. This sandwich is so delicious, I made it for the first time on Sunday and each ingredient fits with the other like a glove. I used flat bread rather than a baguette, no matter what kind of bread you use the ingredients speak for themselves. I think this would be an excellent sandwich to pack for lunch. Jenny will have several recipes published in the food52 cookbook coming out in October of this year, you might want to try her Late Night Coffee Brined Chicken, or her Roasted Carrot Harissa And Creme Fraiche Crostini, there are so many great recipes,  and like me you will want to make them all, you can view her 112 recipes on Food52. Don’t overlook her fabulous drinks either, my new winter staple is her Dirty Chai Toddy and I plan on trying it on ice this summer, its just that good!

Serves 1

1 6 inch baguette

4 asparagus spears, washed woody ends broken off

2 slices thick bacon

3-4 sprigs Italian parsley

olive oil for drizzling

sea salt

For the hard cooked egg spread

1 hard cooked egg (see note about cooking egg)2

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp capers,drained, finely chopped

Squeeze of a small meyer lemon wedge (about 1 1/2 tsp)

freshly ground black pepper

For the pickled onions/leeks

1 cup negi onion or baby leeks, trimmed, thinly sliced

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 cup water

6 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon  kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon dill seed

1/2 teaspoon fennel seed

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 teaspoon whole white peppercorns

1 small hot dried chile, such as chile de Arbol, trimmed, seeds removed

PICKLE THE ONIONS AT LEAST 1 DAY AHEAD: Place thinly sliced negi or baby leeks in a heatproof container with a tight-fitting lid. Using a mortar and pestle, lightly crush seeds, peppercorns and chile. Combine vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Add crushed spice mixture. Bring to a boil, cook for two minutes. Pour hot mixture over onions. Cover and refrigerate at least one day, up to two days. Note: This makes enough onions for at least two sandwiches.

WHEN READY TO ASSEMBLE SANDWICH: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with foil. Place asparagus on foil; drizzle with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt. Roast for 10 minutes, shaking pan once halfway. Asparagus are finished when they are fragrant, slightly wrinkled, but still juicy. Set pan aside to cool.

Meanwhile, toast baguette in a dry pan over medium low heat or in a toaster


Make hard-cooked dressing by slicing egg in half and removing yolk. Grate yolk into a small bowl. Finely chop cooked white and add to bowl. Add olive oil, chopped capers, lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Mixture should have an egg salad consistency. Add freshly ground pepper to taste.Place bacon in a cool, dry skillet and cook over medium heat until golden crisp and fat is rendered. Remove from pan and allow pieces to drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Lay toasted baguette halves on a plate. Spread hard cooked egg dressing on one half. Top with parsley sprigs, breaking to fit bread if necessary. On the other piece of baguette, break bacon slices to fit bread. Add a generous quarter cup of drained pickled onions. Top with roasted asparagus. Carefully put sandwich together, pressing down slightly. Cut in half and enjoy immediately.

Mar 8

14 Comments

Food52-One Year Anniversary Today

One year ago today I discovered Food52, for any of you who have never heard of it (hard to believe) it is in my opinion the best food website ever. I joined immediately, my cooks name is sdebrango, but lurked for a while trying to get the lay of the land so to speak. I saw that there were recipe contests, found that intriguing and I also saw a vibrant community of cooks that created recipes and cheered each other on, commenting on recipes, encouraging and offering critique’s and praise. I will never forget the first contest I entered, The recipe you want to be remembered for, my submission was for my Thanksgiving dressing. I had never written a recipe before and like so many cooks didn’t measure because it was like second nature and I didn’t have to measure. I was a little disappointed that my first submission received no comments but I chalked it up to the fact that I was new on the site, no one knew me and honestly my recipe was not very well written. I persevered, volunteering to test recipes for Editors picks, commenting on recipes and eventually I began conversations with other cooks and I felt like I was home. I was having fun, my love of cooking was reinvigorated, my creative juices were flowing and I loved every minute of it. I will never forget the first time a recipe of mine was actually picked and tested by the editors, I felt like I won the lottery, and when I won the contest for “Best Flank Steak Recipe” with my Flank Steak on Texas Toast and Chimichurri” I could barely contain my excitement and knowing my recipe will be published in the second food52 cookbook is an honor.  Food52 is the brilliant vision of Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, how wonderful to start a website that embraces the home cook and creates a welcoming, environment where we can learn and be creative.  I have learned so much, technique, terms, recipe writing, food photography(still a work in progress), thanks to the food52 community. I won’t bore you by blathering on and on but I was compelled to post this today because for me finding food52 was the beginning of a new journey. Without food52 and the encouragement of my friends I never would have started a food blog, So on this, my one year anniversary of joining food52 I just wanted to express my thanks to Amanda and Merrill and my dear friends and fellow cooks for your guidance and encouragement. I wanted to thank everyone by name but the list is way too long, Thank you to everyone!

Food52 potluck party at my house

The spread

Mar 7

6 Comments

Featured Recipe:Toasted Orzo with Citrus and Olives

Toasted Orzo with Citrus and Olives

I love this recipe for so many reasons, its really delicious, the simplicity, has ingredients you probably already have in your pantry and refrigerator, and how quick and easy it is to prepare and I can’t forget what a revelation it was to toast the orzo, it gives this little pasta an incredible depth of flavor.  I first saw this recipe on food52 when Emily entered it in the citrus contest and have been wanting to try it ever since. First let me talk about Emily (EmilyC is her cooks name on food52), she is a busy Mother of an adorable toddler, has won two contests on Food52 and will be published in the second food52 cookbook coming out in October of this year. Her recipes are full of flavor using readily available ingredients and are so easy to prepare. Try her contest winning shrimp burgers with roasted garlic-orange aioli or her crispy cream braised potato and fennel.  I chose to feature this recipe thinking how great it would be with grilled fish, the toasted orzo with bright citrus, fresh herbs and earthy olives is the perfect accompaniment for my wild chilean sea bass. You can view Emily’s other recipes on food52 http://food52.com/cooks/13503_emilyc#recipes-added-tab.

Serves: 4

1 ¼ cups orzo

2 cups water or low-sodium broth (or combination of both)

2 tablespoons olive oil (plus additional to taste)

finely grated zest from 1 large lemon or orange (reserving juice)

Kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper

¼ to ½ cup of your favorite olives

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped chives, flat-leaf parsley, or herb of choice

  1. In large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add orzo; stir to evenly coat all of the orzo with olive oil; cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add water and zest, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until orzo is al dente and liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. If orzo is cooked but liquid remains, drain the orzo, return to pan, and cook about 30 seconds longer over low heat to dry the orzo.
  2. Stir in olives and chopped herbs, and add kosher salt, pepper, citrus juice and olive oil to taste. Enjoy!

I prepared the fish using Eric Riperts recipe  that was featured on food52  and made a parsley, lemon, caper gremolata.

Mediterranean Inspired Flavors

Feb 26

7 Comments

One Week of Italian Food

Starting tomorrow I am getting touch with my Italian roots and posting an Italian recipe a day for the whole week. I am so excited to be doing this, I really love the food of Italy and my Mom has been a great help by sending me some her recipes that I ate throughout my childhood, I will do my best to do these great recipes justice. I dusted off the pasta machine, got my ingredients together and I am ready to cook. First up, Pasta Fagioli with home made pasta.

Feb 24

10 Comments

Featured Recipe – Mediterranean Poppers

Photo by Lapadia

I wanted to feature another delicious, quick and easy salad for the featured recipe this week. This has Mediterranean flavors and comes in its own little edible cup. Crisp cucumber, olives, tomatoes, feta and herbs dressed simply with olive oil and placed in crisped wonton wrappers is the perfect little salad bite. This recipe comes from Linda of Lapadia’s Kitchen. She is a fantastic multi talented cook. Visit her website and you will find recipes for bread (her pita is to die for), sweets (her pie crust is amazing) and some Italian favorites like Bracciole you can also find her recipes on Food52.  Linda’s recipe for Himalayan Blackberry Pie will be featured in the second food 52 cookbook coming out October 2012. Give these poppers a try, perfect party fare, I can guarantee you won’t be able to eat just one! I like mine with a little fresh lemon squeezed on top!

FILLING: ingredients make 12 to 15 poppers

  • 2 Persian cucumbers or pickling size, sliced – 1 cup (give or take)
  • 12 Cherry tomatoes
  • 12 Kalamata olives
  • 12 Feta cheese cubes – a little smaller than the olive
  • Olive oil – a good extra virgin
  • Herbes De Provence (I prefer it to oregano)
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • Mini tart pan
  • 15 Wonton Wrappers
  1. Combine 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon Herbes de Provence and fresh ground pepper. Let the ingredients sit and infuse, give it a stir now and then.
  2. Spray the wonton wrappers with a buttery spray (such as Pam) on both sides; line the mini tart pan with them pressing lightly into the middle to form a cup.
  3. Bake at 350° until the edges are crispy and brown, about 10-12 minutes.
  4. Let cool – for a make ahead see the note below.
  5. Cut the filling ingredients into at least – thirds; toss with drizzles of the olive oil mixture and let sit in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.
  6. About an hour before serving add filling to each wonton cup.
  7. Serve.

NOTE: make it ahead

  • Prepare to the end of step 4 (up to 2 days ahead), store in an airtight container.
  • Next day, continue with step 5 up to three hours ahead.

Feb 21

16 Comments

Getting back to my roots- Italian Food

I love Italian food, was brought up on it, I come from a large Italian family and food was the center of every celebration or holiday. My earliest memories are of my Grandfather, who spoke no English and his vineyard. It was small but adequate to produce several barrels of wine every year. The cellar of his home was where he made and stored the wine. Even though memories are somewhat vague I recall family gatherings, meals around a big dining room table with my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins, this was every Sunday. We started with a soup usually chicken with homemade noodles and escarole, then came the meat, pasta, salad and sometimes dessert, always in that order. I would watch my Mother and Aunts in the kitchen making the pasta, it was a a real labor of love by these three great cooks. My Mother is not Italian, she became an Italian by marriage and mastered the food in no time at all. Growing up we had Italian food of some sort at least 3 or 4 times a week. My Father had a vegetable garden and every year my Mother canned tomatoes and vegetables from the garden. She made home made pasta, and made her own sausage. I guess that is where I developed my love of everything home made, sometimes it’s just easier to buy prepared foods and with a busy schedule I always have pantry items for a quick meal but there is nothing like taking the time (if you can) to prepare your food from scratch. I travelled and lived in Italy for a few years and learned much about the culture and food of this beautiful country. My family is from Caserta and came to the United States via Ellis Island and settled in New York.

Next week I am going to feature a different Italian recipe every day, some will be mine but I am going to include recipes from my Mother and Aunt Dee. There will be recipes for home made pasta, my Aunt Dee’s Pasti Ciotti and several other Italian favorites. Stay tuned!!

Birthday Party at Granpa's Home My Mom is holding me.

My Aunt Dee and Great Aunt and Cousins

Feb 16

10 Comments

Featured Recipe- Kale and Apple Salad

For this weeks Featured Recipe I wanted a fresh and delicious salad. We all need our fresh vegetables and fruits every day and I am always searching for a tasty recipe. I love salads and my new best friend is Kale, it’s packed full of vital nutrients and whether you eat it cooked or raw your body will thank you for it. This salad is a meal in itself, think about it, kale, apples, cabbage,fennel, wild rice a delicious citrusy dressing, your taste buds will do the dance of joy. I love this salad on it’s own, but it can accompany a protein also, there are so many different things you can add to this if you want, some grilled chicken or tofu would be fantastic. I am making this salad again with some Himalayan Red Rice instead of wild rice, quinoa would also be a wonderful addition. Try it in pita bread and take it to work or school.  The possibilities are endless. Check out Hannah’s beautiful blog Blue Kale Road, its packed full of healthful delicious recipes that are family friendly and in my opinion are a celebration of fresh, natural foods.

Photo by Blue Kale Road

Kale and Apple Salad
Inspired by PCC’s Emerald City Salad
Serves 4-6

1/4 – 1/2 cup lemon juice (depending upon taste and amount of kale)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 large crisp apple, diced (my favorite variety is honeycrisp)
3/4 cup fennel, thinly sliced and chopped
1 cup red cabbage, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 bunch organic kale (lacinato or curly green – I like to use a combination of both), ribs removed and finely chopped
1 cup cooked wild rice

Whisk 1/2 cup lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and salt in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl and toss (use your hands – it’s fun and will distribute the dressing more evenly). Taste for additional lemon juice, salt or pepper and add as desired.

The salad can be made a couple of hours ahead and chilled.

Feb 10

7 Comments

Featured Recipe-A Sage and Honey Walnut Milkshake (With a Vegan Option)

Almost every day I have a shake or smoothie for breakfast. It usually has the standard list of ingredients, fruit, soy milk, yogurt, and a whole grain whizzed in the blender. It’s good but get’s boring after a while and I want something different. I volunteered to test this recipe for a Community Pick on food52, it was submitted by Annalyse, her cooks name on food52 is Sagegreen. I was intrigued by the use of avocado, walnuts and sage, I had it for breakfast and am hooked. I enjoy this shake at least once or twice a week now. It’s packed full of healthful oils from the avocado and walnuts, its only slightly sweet and I get my daily dose of fiber also from the walnuts. This shake is thick and creamy and so delicious, believe me it’s addictive. Annalyse is an accomplished cook and a University Professor and you can view her more than 300 recipes, (yes 0ver 300!!) on food52, and I have to mention that she is one talented mixologist, her drinks are creative, beautiful and so delicious. Please check them out: http://www.food52.com/cooks/12307_sagegreen

Beautiful and Delicious Shake, photo by Sagegreen

Serves 1-2

1 oz. shelled organic walnuts

3-4 one inch long fresh organic sage leaves

1/2 ripe organic avocado

1 cup lowfat, but real cultured buttermilk (or almond milk with a splash of cider vinegar for vegan option)

1 1/2 tablespoons chestnut honey (or grade B maple syrup), to taste

optionally, a few crushed ice cubes

  1. In a heavy heated pan like a cast iron skillet, toast the walnut pieces for about 2 minutes, just short of smoking. Pan fry the sage leaves for about 1 minute. With the bottom of a smaller pan, or other heavy instrument, crush the walnuts. Shred the sage leaves. Add these to a blender.
  2. Add the avocado, buttermilk, and chestnut honey. If you like a chilled drink include a few crushed ice cubes. Process until smooth. Pour into one or two glasses. This could be part of a New Year’s resolution you could keep.

Feb 7

6 Comments

The Liebster Award

I am so honored and touched to have been awarded a Liebster Award. Suzanne from the wonderful blog “The Wimpy Vegetarian” is spreading the love and I will do the same. We bloggers are passionate about our chosen subjects in my case food and pugs.  I want to thank Suzanne  for noticing my blog and I want to pay it forward by awarding the Liebster to some blogs that I visit and I feel deserve to be noticed. Visit The Wimpy Vegetarian for some fantastic, mostly vegetarian recipes and really interesting articles.

Here are the blogs that I picked for Liebster Award, please visit them, you will love them as I do I am sure, and each one is most deserving of this award. Support our bloggers and spread the love! I chose 6 blogs I couldn’t pick just 5, I think each one is amazing and deserves recognition.

In Pats Kitchen

Lapadia’s Kitchen

DabblingsandWhimsey

The Roaming Kitchen

The Solitary Cook

Eatpretty

Copy and paste the award on your blog. Link back to the blogger who gave you the award in a post where you award the leibster to your favorites.There are a few rules around this award:

  • Pick your five favorite blogs with less than 200 followers who deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award.
  • Hope that the five blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to five more blogs.
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