Ode to a Mud Pie

There is a whole generation that eats dirt.  They have enjoyed eating dirt since they were little kids.  Apparently, it was a big birthday party activity.  This explains alot about the younger generation.

As I have eluded to in previous posts, I am one of the oldest in my office.   As we were talking about what topics we could talk about on social media for Spring, the idea of making Dirt Cups was thrown into the mix.  I thought the suggestion of making something that looked like dirt was a little odd but who am I to judge odd.  :)

So today, I made my first Dirt Cup!  I am not going to lie - they were pretty darn cute.  First, you make chocolate pudding (don't judge me but it was from a box), mix in some whipped cream, dish it into a cup (preferably clear), and then add crushed chocolate cookies on top to resemble dirt.  Voila!  Adorable!  But wait - there's more!  You "plant" gummy worms, mini gummy frogs, chocolate rocks, and gummy butterflies to create your garden of choice.  We bought bunny Peeps, chick Peeps, jelly beans, and speckled eggs for the Easter inspired gardeners.  For the healthier (ahem) people, we rounded out the pleathera of sugar with mint sprigs which were actually adorable. 

In preparation for our food gardening project I checked out Pintrest and WOW the Dirt Cup inspriation out there is amazing!  These little cups would be perfect for your Easter table or a Spring luncheon, or a kid's birthday party.  You can get as fancy as you want or make it as simple as spending some quality kitchen time with a little one.  The decorating options are limitless!  Show us your Dirt Cup Garden!

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Dr. Honey Bear's Magic Elixir

 

Dr. Honey Bear’s Magic Elixir

The world we live in is a Petrie Dish.  Winter (Spring, some of Fall) in Seattle goes from damp, to wet, to soggy, and back to wet.  We have days in the 30’s and days in the 50’s and that back and forth makes everybody on the verge of sick.  Our office is one big open room and we are separated by short cube walls about three feet high.   It is really nice that you can see everyone and conversation flows throughout without having to get up from your desk.  It also means that the germs travel between us like happy tourists on a sightseeing tour. 

Several of us have been taken down by “The BUG” in the last week or so.  It is curious that more of us are sick since the beginning of January, even though still slave to our resolutions of eating much healthier, cutting down on alcohol consumption, and exercising more.  As a team, we decided it was the lack of alcohol in our systems causing the rampant scourge.   Solution: A medicinal concoction one part herbal, two parts good Bourbon. 

With a little experimentation and a lot of taste testing: I give you Dr. Honey Bear’s Magic Elixir.

Ingredients:

2 cups Bourbon of choice – I prefer Bullit or Stagg for mixing

1 oz loose leaf Chamomile Tea (or a tea bag)

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

3 Tsp honey

3 Tsp fresh lemon juice

Tovolo Tea Infuser - the owl makes me happy

Mason Jar (because we're fancy)

Sphere Mold (optional)

Add Chamomile tea to the Bourbon in a glass jar and let steep for at least 4 hours. Then grate ginger, lemon juice, and  honey to the Bourbon in the mason jar.  Shake. Shake. Shake some more and then pour over your favorite Tovolo ice shape.  It is not guaranteed to make you better but it won't make you worse. :)

 

 

 

 

The Great Burger Debate

Burgers are Americana.  We all know that hamburgers didn't originate in the USA but we as a culture have perfected them.  Burgers (as they are now known) have become a source of pride and creativity.  As a nation, we have world class chefs using their vast culinary knowledge to create edible masterpieces between two pieces of bread, toast, rolls, buns, brioche, pretzels, etc.  There are restaurants dedicated to the art of burgers - Hubert Keller, Tom Colliccio. Careers are made on a signature burger ala Spike Mendleson.  Every American has an opinion on the subject and as a culture we are deeply divided.  Is a burger better grilled, fried, pan-seared?  Should it be rare, medium rare, or well done?  Don't even get me started on the ratio of fat to lean meat or what proportion of blended cuts make the very best burger.  If the burger is not beef, is it a burger? Personally, I love lamb or bison burgers but I tend to be on the gameier side of things.  There is a restaurant not far from me called Uneeda Burger - good name - that does a lamb burger with tempura lemons, arugula, and manchego cheese that makes me weak in the knees...great burger. 

To prove my point, I asked my office mates to shoot me an email of what makes a perfect burger and wow are we some passionate folks!  Everyone was VERY specific!  Some gave me childhood burger memories.  Some went the regional fast food route like Flamer's or The Habit in Northern California or the legendary butter burgers from Culver's in the Midwest.  There were burgers of lamb, wild boar, no sirloin, only sirloin, one made an argument for chicken but if it isn't ground and formed into a patty. I am not sure it counts.  There were a lot of opinions on bacon - from the number of appropriate slices to whether it should be in the burger or on top.  There was a great variety of cheeses expressed: blue, cheddar (sharp and mild), American, butterkase (sophisticated group), and manchego. There were more onion fans than I expected and fries were an essential component for many.   As a whole, we were split on vegetables.  My favorite part of reading the emails was the emphatic nature in which the descriptions were written.  I highly encourage to recreate this debate in your own office or book club or wherever your people gather - it is highly entertaining!

Ok - it's your turn now.  What's your perfect burger?

Burger guide ala Tovolo:
Elliot Bay Brewery
www.elliottbaybrewing.com
Stanich's
http://www.stanichs.com/
A'town Bistro
www.atownbistro.com/
Lola's
http://tomdouglas.com/index.php/restaurants/lola
Uneeda Burger
http://www.uneedaburger.com/menu.html
The Habit
http://www.habitburger.com/

Stout Cupcakes with Basil Buttercream

I like cake.  I really like cupcakes.

I like beer.  I really like dark beer.

I have been known to wash down cake with a beer, especially chocolate cake.  If you have not tried this before, grab a buddy (safety first), get the chocolatey- est cupcake you can find, choose your porter or stout brew of choice, and enjoy a life truth -   Beer + Cupcake = Bliss.

For my birthday last year a friend, who was in culinary school, made my birthday cake. She is a really good friend and I kind of knew that she would volunteer to make the cake.  Full disclosure - it was why I had the party. ;)  There were 10 of us and we all went out to dinner to a trendy Seattle restaurant.  She brought the cake to the restaurant for dessert - example of why we are friends.

The cake was a dark chocolate stout cake with ridiculously good ganache.  I have had ALOT of cake in my life and it was in the top three EVER!  I can still smell it.  The crumb of the cake was perfect, not too wet, not too dry.  It had just the right amount of sweetness,. You could taste the cocoa powder on your tougue and it had just a ting of a sour note. The ganache was smooth and shiny, rich and luscious! It was a hard cake to share.  I was concerned that after a big meal people would pass on a big slice of cake. We were full. As the best testament to its goodness everyone did a very respectable job on their cake slices and the only doggy bags that left the restaurant that night had dark chocolate stout cake in them.  It made the best breakfast I ever ate. 
Let me know what brew you washed your cupcake down with? 

Here is the recipe from epicurious. 
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chocolate-stout-layer-cake-with-chocolate-frosting-355249

I paired it with basil buttercream inspired from the Vanilla Bean Blog. 

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (three sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces (about 70 degrees – butter should be  soft enough to mix well, but firm enough to give some structure to the buttercream)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Combine milk, heavy cream, and basil in a heavy bottomed saucepan.  Heat gently,  until just simmering, and remove from the heat. Let cool, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Remove basil leaves from cream, squeezing any ‘basil juice’ from the leaves into the cream.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, whisk the sugar and flour together. Add the milk-cream-basil mixture and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until cool, 7-9 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter; mix until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about another 1-2 minutes.

Add the vanilla and continue mixing until combined. If the frosting is too soft, put the bowl in the refrigerator to chill slightly, then beat again until it is the proper consistency. If the frosting is too firm, set the bowl over a pot of simmering water and beat with a wooden spoon until it is the proper consistency.

 

 

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Theo Chocolate Brownies

 

I am about to change your life in two words - Theo Chocolate.  Already familiar?  Good for you!  Not familiar? Don't worry - all your dreams are about to come true.  I first discovered Theo Chocolate when I was living in Cincinnati and my local grocery store had a display of these beautifully wrapped chocolate bars with innovative flavor combinations.  I got hooked on the Coconut Curry Milk Chocolate bar and have never looked back. 

I met the founders Joe Whinney and Debra Music in 2007 when I was buying food for for a national retailer. I traveled to their lovely little factory in Seattle and fell head over heels in love with everything about them.  The way they think about chocolate comes from a deeply committed place to make life sweeter for all.  Theo was the first Bean to Bar, organic, fair trade chocolate company in North America.  They help the world by responsible agricultural practices and being on the ground ensuring that the farmers that they buy from are fairly compensated for the cacao they grow.  Oh and their chocolate is AMAZING!

Eat Theo Chocolate more and often - it is your duty to be a better citizen in world we live in. 

Consequently, one of the founders is one of my best friends.  Friendships grow stronger when there's a chocolate factory involved - trust me!

Anyway, go to Whole Foods and pick yourself up a few bars of this insanely good chocolate.  Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone - they are masterfully crafted bars and flavor combinations; there is no wrong answer.

This recipe is the factory's chocolate brownie recipe.  They are dark, and deep, and they will love you as much as you love them.   Brownies are very unconditional. 

Life changed!

https://www.theochocolate.com/

Ingredients:
3 Theo 70% Dark Chocolate bars (3oz. each)
¾ C granulated sugar
¼ C packed brown sugar
1 stick butter (8T)
3 eggs
½ C + 2T all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. vanilla extract, optional
 
Butter an 8 inch baking pan and line with parchment, leaving a small overhang to ease removal of the finished brownies.
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Unwrap all three bars. 
Place this melting chocolate in a heatproof bowl along with the sugars and butter; set the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir occasionally until butter and chocolate are completely melted and the mixture is just hot to the touch. Cool slightly.
Meanwhile, take the remainder of the third bar and chop it up into small chunks. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk the salt and flour together very thoroughly to ensure there are no lumps. If your flour is lumpy, sift it after measuring. Set the flour and salt aside.
Remove the melted chocolate, sugar, and butter mixture from the heat and carefully dry the outside of the bowl with a towel. Crack the eggs and whisk them into the warm chocolate mixture one at a time until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the vanilla extract, if using. 
Pour immediately into the prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached but not wet with raw batter.
Cool completely before cutting, if you can wait that long!  

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Your best Eggs Benedict!

Sunday morning.  Still under the covers, chilly outside but the sun is up and shining.  There is a faint smell of toast and butter with just a light effervescent trace of lemon in the air.  Coffee is brewed. Orange juice is squeezed.  I have had this dream.  I have had this dream often.  It starts with someone (not mentioning any names - Benjamin Bratt, if you are reading this drop me a note :)) in my kitchen making perfect Eggs Benedict.  Bless you Benjamin, bless you! 

So what goes into the perfect Eggs Benedict?  Well Hollandaise for one.  It is actually THE thing that makes it Eggs Benedict.  Darcy, who works in our office - fabulous, 6'1', 25, and gorgeous, makes Hollandaise with her dad and swears his sauce is perfection itself. Toast. Toast is subjective and deeply personal.  Traditionally, it is an English Muffin but I won't be mad at a fluffy buttermilk biscuit as a vessel of Benedict love.  A poached egg.  I will come back to this because I was severely poach egg challenged and then I discovered a magic pouch*.  I like smoked salmon and capers on my Eggs Benedict but we are kind of at the best part now - it's your perfect Eggs Benedict, what do you want on yours?
*Back to poached egg magic - a few years ago we partnered with a lovely couple from England who had demystified poaching eggs.  The product is Perfect Poach.  Basically, you crack an egg in this little paper pouch, place it gently boiling water for 4-6 minutes, and Viola - poached egg perfection!  I am a newer poached egg devotee but a poached egg makes everthing I eat a little more sophisticated.  Please see our great video on this meal changer!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hruUkym1dM
 

Dwayne's perfect Hollandaise



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Today in National Peanut Butter Lover's Day.  I am sure you have had it on your calendar for months and are now busying yourself with decorations and traditional NPBLD fare but just in case it slipped your mind, I have you covered.

Peanuts are a strange looking legume.  Think about it, someone found this weird looking dimply thing in the ground and thought "Gee, I definitely want to eat that!"  Thank goodness the gatherers that came before us were hungry all the time or our food choices would be greatly reduced.  The real genius came from the Aztecs who ground roasted peanuts into a paste.  This is a new fact for me but this I know - those Aztecs had it going on; first chocolate and now peanut butter!  I am definitely descended from the Aztecs!  

I recently discovered these oatmeal sandwich cookies with creamy peanut butter filling from Joy the Baker.  I was looking for a soft sandwich cookie and stumbled across these scrumptious little morsels.  I like oatmeal cookies.  I LOVE these oatmeal cookies.  They are soft and cinnamony and then they have this fluffy, not-to-sweet, little bit salty, peanut butter loveliness in the middle - oh my, I am having a moment.

Happy National Peanut Butter Lover's Day to you and yours!

What's you favorite peanut butter recipe?

 

Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies with Creamy Peanut Butter Filling by Joy the Baker
makes about 2 dozen small sandwich cookies
Print this Recipe!
For the Cookies:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups uncooked old-fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped pecans
For the Filling:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons milk
Place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Beat the sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Beat until creamy, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add egg and beat on medium speed for about 1 minute.  Add the vanilla extract and beat until blended.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture slowly beating on low speed until just incorporated.  Stir in the pecans last.
The cookies will be small, so portion about 1 heaping teaspoon of cookie dough into your hand.  Roll into a ball and place on the prepared cookie sheet.  Keep cookies about 1 1/2-inch apart on the baking sheet.  If the cookie dough begins to stick to your hands as you’re making dough balls, rinse your hands and portion the dough with just slightly damp hands.
Bake for 10 to 13 minutes or until they’ve reached your desired doneness.  I like mine a little underdone and cook them for 10 minutes.  Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To prepare the filling, place butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat on medium speed, drizzling in vanilla extract.  Scrape down the bowl as necessary.  Add milk one tablespoon at a time until you’ve reached your desired consistency.  The filling should be easily spreadable.
When cookies are completely cool, flip over and spread half of the cookie bottoms with peanut butter filling.  Top with a similar size cookie.  Wrap individually and store in the refrigerator.  Cookies are best served slightly chilled.  Cookies last, wrapped in the fridge, for about 5 days.  

 

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