soft batch chocolate chip cookies

So - everyone says they have or know the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. And they very well may, but this one is also pretty damn good.

1 cup butter - room temp
1 1/4 packed brown sugar

1/4 white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream together butter and sugars.

Add in eggs one at a time and beat until blended.

Add vanilla and beat on high for 30 seconds.

Stop mixer and Add baking powder. Beat well for 1 minute.

Add flour 1/2 cup at a time until blended.

Mix in chips

Spoon onto baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes on 375.

The trick here is to not over bake and back them hot and fast. About 8 minutes in they will start to puff up.  When they are puffed up and domed, take them out. They should have slightly brown kissed ridges and a light brown bottom. They will deflate once you take them out and you will see the shapes of the chips and it will appear that they may be underdone, but I promise, they are done. Fully cool.

Five Meat, Four Bean Chili

It sounded like such a good idea at the time. My friend said she was going to make chili, and that was enough to get the wheels turning in my head. Two days later, chili had to be made, and this - my friends - is the result.

I would have preferred to add a ham hock, however I could not find one for my life.

So here we go...

Meats
Bacon 1/2 lb chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
Louisiana Sausage 3 links - cut in halves and chopped
Ground Pork 1 - 2 lbs
Ground Beef 1.5 lbs
Chunks of stew meat - I was able to use untrimmed tri-tip that I cut into cubes (it was on sale) 1 - 2 lbs

Beans - one can each
Kidney
Northern
Cannelini
Pinto

Other things - (I think they are called vegetables....)
One chopped onion
Cloves garlic 6 - chopped
Green bell peppers 1 - 2 chopped
Chopped tomatoes 6 - 8

Spices
Chili powder
Onion powder
BBQ sauce
Hot sauce
Cayenne pepper (ground)
Salt
Pepper


Get everything ready! Because it goes quick at the beginning and then you let it cook for two hours.

First - BACON!!!! Throw the bacon in a medium high pot and let it cook until kinda crispy.

Then add the onion, peppers, seasoning until the onions caramelise.

After which, push to the side and add in the ground meats - brown. Throw in the tri tip until brown as well. Toss in the tomatoes, sausage and garlic and let cook down for 15 minutes.

Add the beans and let simmer, with lid on, on medium low heat for an hour thirty.




Stir occasionally and adjust seasoning as needed.

Then you have tasty chili! Whoot!

Coconut Panna Cotta with a Pineapple Mango Compote

Panna Cotta is a simple recipe to follow and really can be made with anything (cream, coconut milk, soy milk, almond milk etc.). Just remember to "proof" the gelatin by adding it to a little cold water to dissolve.

Coconut Panna Cotta

1 can coconut milk, about 13 oz (do not use light, it will be too thin)

1/2 cup yogurt

1 cup heavy cream

1 vanilla bean cut in half lengthwise

A dash of salt

1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, honey, agave, coconut sugar etc (your choice of sweetener) 

1 tablespoon gelatin (dissolved in about 2 tablespoon of cold water)

Pineapple Mango Compote

1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped

1 cup fresh mango, chopped

1 tablespoon honey or agave

1 mandarin orange, zested and sectioned (you will use the sections for garnish)

Directions

For the panna cotta - Combine first six ingredients in medium sauce pan on medium high heat, stirring occasionally,  bring to a boil. Boil for about 2 - 3 minutes, remove from heat and add gelatin. Stir until combined and gelatin is completely dissolved.  Pour into your desired containers. Refrigerate until set, most likely it will take just under four hours. 

For compote - combine all ingredients except mandrin sections into a small sauce pan, warm slightly until honey is melted. Remove from heat and either mash or used a hand mixer to blend a bit, leaving some big chucks. 

Serving - Invert container onto serving dish, spoon a little compote onto the panna cotta and garnish with sections of mandrin. 

Spiced Pumpkin Brownies

Well it has been a while since the last post, but here we are again, and its fall! I have been working with this one for the last couple days and I think I finally got it right.

These brownies are extremely moist, rich and light.

Spiced Pumpkin Brownies

1 cup butter (softened)

1 ¾ cups brown sugar (packed) – you can use white sugar aswell

1 tbsp vanilla extract

½ tsp almond extract

5 eggs

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

½ tsp powdered ginger

½ tsp cardamom

¼ tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt
1 cup pumpkin puree

5 oz unsweetened chocolate (melted)

¼ cup cacao powder

1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 400, then reduce to 350.

Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add extractsand beat in eggs one at a time, making sure fully combined after each egg.Mixture should be light and fluffy. Add in spices and pumpkin, mix well. Add incacao powder, mix well. Add in melted chocolate slowly and then beat for aminute or two after all chocolate is in. Once completely blended, add flour andmix gently just until blended.

Pour into a buttered and floured 9 x 13 inch baking dish andbake for 20 – 25 minutes. 

Pie Day!

Made a couple of pie for a friends birthday. We have Key Lime with fresh Raspberries, Bananas Foster Cream Pie and Lemon Meringue.

Key Lime Pie

4 egg yolks

2 tbps agave

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lime juice

3 tps lime zest

Either a graham cracker pie crust of a standard pie crust (standard crust must be par cooked).

Whipped cream frosting

Raspberries

Beat egg and agave until egg is a light yellow colour and has increased in volume. Should almost look like beaten butter. 

Beat in condensed milk, 1/2 can at a time. Beat until thick and creamy. add 1/2 juice until combine and then add other half of juice and zest and beat until combine. 

Pour into crust and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. This is just long enough to make the eggs innocuous. 

Decorate with whipped cream ans raspberries if you like :).

Bananas Foster Cream Pie

1 recipe for vanilla bean custard

1 fully cooked pie shell

7-8 sliced bananas and divided equally

a "dry" bananas foster recipe

whipped cream

The only difference between this and other Banana Cream Pies is that instead of just lining the bottom of the crust with raw banana, you line it with Bananas Foster. Use a less liquid recipe so that the crust doesn't get soggy.

I let it sit overnight and then covered with fresh bananas and piped whipped cream.

A note on making a good stiff whipped cream for piping......

2 cups whipping cream (also called double cream)

1 tbsp agave syrup

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

The powdered sugar is the key. It keeps the cream buoyant and stiff even after piping. It will hold its form for several hours/days.  You want to whip the cream until it doesn't move, but if you whip to much, you are basically making butter, it gets very thick and your tongue can feel the fat stick to it. 

Guess who got a new toy....

This is true love :)

Toasted Pecan and Caramalized Apple Pie

Having never made a pecan pie before, I decided to add some apple to it as well because I figured it would make it more familiar. Who knew there was such a controversy over pecan pie! People are very particular about their pies and some were less than thrilled that I even attempted to mess with a classic, but of course I did anyway.

Basically find a good pecan pie recipe and follow the instructions. But also toast the pecans in a pan with brown sugar to candy.

Also chop up some apple, throw in a pan and do the same thing, but separately. Combine all and bake as normal.

Halfway through throw some uncooked apple and pecans onto the top.