Posted By Lindsay on March 11, 2009
A rare indulgence… Taylor decided he wanted to make French Onion Soup, with all it’s rich cheesy goodness. And yes, that cheesy goodness was indeed delicious.
Topped with crusty bread and broiled until the cheese is melted and bubbly, this soup is perfect when you really just want to sit back and savor something warm and satisfying.
I also have to comment on the adorable serving vessels… perfect mini-replicas of our beloved Le Creuset, and in the exact colors to match our rainbow kitchen appliances. A gift from Auntie Sal… we’ve been waiting for the perfect dish to use these, and I think we’ve found it!
French Onion Soup with Thyme and Gruyère Crostini
Ingredients:
1 pound yellow onions, halved and thinly cut lengthwise
3 to 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups beef stock
1 cup water
1 1/2-inch-thick slice of ciabatta bread cut in half
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups grated Swiss Gruyère cheese
Directions:
In a heavy 5-quart pot melt the butter over low heat. Add the onions, thyme, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste and cook until the onions are deep amber and exceedingly soft, stirring occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the wine, increase the heat, and let the wine bubble away for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beef stock and water, and let the soup simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the oven to broil. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven.
Place the ciabatta on the middle rack of the oven and toast until crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs from the soup and discard. Pour the soup into two ovenproof bowls, float the toasted ciabatta on top, and cover it with a thick layer of the Gruyère. Put the soup bowls under the broiler on the middle rack and cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and golden.
Posted By Lindsay on March 8, 2009
We’re no strangers to fritattas. However, there’s always an element of skill and patience required to make them – being able to cook a huge pan full of eggs all the way through, sometimes flipping the massive disk, is not easy.
Whoever the genius was that decided to move the fritatta into ramekins will be forever deserving of my thanks. And I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever make a regular full-pan size fritatta ever again. Seriously. Ramekin fritattas are just too perfect to make it any other way.
These little personal sized fritattas puff up in their ramekins almost like souffles. They are light and fluffy and the perfect size for dinner (or lunch or breakfast). While this recipe called for spinach and sundried tomatoes, you can basically use any veggies or greens that you may have left in your fridge. They are a great way to use up any produce that is on it’s way out – a true clean-the-fridge type of meal.
Spinach and Sundried Tomato Fritatta
Ingredients:
Vegetable oil cooking spray
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small shallot, chopped
1 cup packed fresh spinach, chopped
4 whole eggs
4 egg whites
8 sun-dried tomato halves, chopped
1/2 cup grated Asiago
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Heat oven to 425°F. Coat 4 small baking dishes with cooking spray. Set aside. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook shallot until soft but not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add spinach; cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Lightly whisk eggs and egg whites in a bowl. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, cheese, basil, spinach mixture, salt and pepper. Spoon into baking dishes; bake until firm in the center, 12 to 14 minutes.
Posted By Lindsay on March 5, 2009
Yes, you heard me. Cookie dough cupcakes.
Could there be anything more perfect?
It was my birthday yesterday, and in my mind, the world’s best birthday that consisted of these decadent cupcakes and a heart-racing new episode of Lost. Oh I love Wednesdays. Especially when it’s my birthday. (Also take note of the lovely new cake stand – thanks Grandma! It’s a perfect size for cupcakes!)
But back to the cupcakes – the best part might just be the frosting. I mean, you could eat this stuff with a spoon. It’s a standard American buttercream mixed with real chocolate chip cookie dough (eggless, of course). The result is a brown-sugary, vanilla scented, chocolate dotted, whipped to perfection dollop on top of an already delicious golden cupcake. And the cupcake itself, well, it has a few surprises of it’s own. See, I submerged a frozen ball of cookie dough in the batter before putting it in the oven. Frozen so it wouldn’t fully bake (or else they’d be just chocolate chip cookie cupcakes, not quite the same).
Lucky for me I have a go-to recipe for an eggless cookie dough. You know those times when you think you are craving chocolate chip cookies, but after a spoonful or two of dough realize maybe it was just that you were craving, and don’t really feel like baking the rest of it? Yea. That’s when this recipe comes in handy. It’s not meant to be baked (in fact, I make no claims whatsoever that it won’t turn into a bubbling pile of melted goo in the oven – I’ve never baked it and can make no guarantees should you try). Perfect for eating by the spoonful. Or even better, rolling and coating in chocolate. Mmmmm.
The only thing was the cupcakes with the dough in them sunk ever so slightly (I know, as I had one extra cupcake without a dough ball, and it puffed and browned much more than the others). This recipe would also be delicious with a chocolate cupcake batter. Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough? Seriously?
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes
Ingredients:
Cookie Dough:
1 1/8 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
3/8 cup granulated sugar
3/8 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons soy milk or milk
3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Cupcakes:
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Frosting:
3/4 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons soy milk
3/4 cup eggless cookie dough, room temperature
Directions:
Make the cookie dough:
Beat the butter, sugars, and vanilla with electric mixer until creamy. Add the soy milk and beat well. Add in the salt, baking soda, and flour and slowly mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
Form teaspoon-sized balls (approx. 1" across). Roll and place on a foil-covered baking sheet. Make approximately 14 dough balls, reserving at least 3/4 cup of the dough for frosting (extras? eat it!). Freeze dough balls for at least 2 hours until solid.
Make the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Whisk together soy milk, coconut milk, sugars, oil, and vanilla. Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix until no large lumps remain.
Fill cupcake liners one-half of the way full (approximately 3 tablespoons of batter each). Do not overfill. Drop one frozen cookie dough ball into the center of each cup. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until tops are puffed and golden. Transfer to a cooling rack, and let cool completely before frosting.
Make the Frosting:
Cream butter with electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until well-incorporated. Add soymilk and mix until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add cookie dough, approximately 3/4 cup of it, and mix until combined. Taste, and add more cookie dough if you like. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes, and sprinkle with more mini chocolate chips.
Posted By Lindsay on February 28, 2009
What defines a cupcake? Is it the shape? The texture? The frosting? Because while these might look like mini-cupcakes, I don’t think I’d consider them cupcakes. They are brownies, through and through. With that in mind, it must be a combination of hand-held shape and cake-like texture that truly makes something a cupcake.
But these, cupcake or not, are delicious.
Based off of the delicious and oh-so-decadent Crunchy Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies, but instead of one big pan of brownies, I went the bite sized route and made them in mini muffin tins. Maybe not the best choice, as frosting one large pan of something is much more efficient than frosting 3 dozen tiny little somethings, but once you eat one, you won’t care one way or the other.
This is the halved version of the recipe, and it made 3 dozen. Unless you really want 70 of these suckers, I’d stick with that.
Have leftover peanut butter mixture and chocolate? Make peanut butter cups! Simply spread a thin layer of chocolate inside of a foil mini cupcake wrapper, fill with peanut butter, and spread another layer of chocolate over top. Chill until set. Delicious, and no wasted ingredients!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Bites
Ingredients:
Brownies
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
3.5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1.5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3/4 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Frosting and Ganache
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter (do not use natural or old-fashioned)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3/8 cup powdered sugar
pinch salt
pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 tablespoon whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3.5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
Directions:
For brownies:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line mini muffin tin with papers or grease tin.
Place butter in heavy large saucepan. Add both chocolates; stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and salt, then eggs, 1 at a time. Fold in flour, then nuts. Distribute into mini muffin tin, about 1 tablespoon per bite. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 20-25 minutes. Place pan on rack; cool.
For frosting and ganache:
Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter and butter in medium bowl to blend. Beat in powdered sugar, salt, and nutmeg, then milk and vanilla. Spread frosting over brownies.
Stir chocolate and remaining butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Drop ganache all over frosting; spread to cover. Chill until set, about 1 1/2 hours. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.
save
print
