Chocolate Crème Brûlée

So, I promised a reader that I would post a dessert, and I totally forgot about it. Now, this recipe is from the February edition of Martha Stewart Living. It is delicious. Just don't forget to strain the mixure like I did. There was a lot of fat on the top after I baked it, which was kind of gross. ;)



2 cups heavy cream


1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar


3 ounces bitterweet chocolate chopped (1/2 cup)


5 large egg yolks


For assembling 4 teaspoons sugar


1. Preheat oven to 250.  Make the crème brûlée: Heat cream and 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves and the cream just begins to simmer.  Add chocolate, and whisk until melted and smooth.


2. Whisk remaining 3 tablespoons sugar with the egg yolks in a medium bowl.  Slowly pour cream mixture into yolk mixture, whisking constantly.  Strain custard through a fine sieve.


3. Pour custard into four 4-ounce ramekins.  Transfer ramekins to a roasting pan, and fill pan with enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of ramekins.  Bake until custards are just set, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.  Carefully remove from water and let custards cool.

4. Assemble the crème brûlées: Refrigerate for 1 hour.  Top each with 1 teaspoon of sugar.  Hold a small handheld kitchen torch at a 90-degree angle 3 to 4 inches from surface of custard.  Move flame back and forth until surface is caramelized.  Alternatively, broil custards on top rack until caramelized, 1 to 2 minutes.

Oh my goodness. This was heavenly. Just buy the small carton of cream though. For some reason, I bought the big carton and had tons of cream left over.  And sorry about the bad picture. It's the only one that turned out semi-decently.

Feel free to leave a comment and request a recipe.

And remember: if you mess up, eat it anyway. :) 

Pancakes!

Okay, so not to toot my own horn, but I made the best pancakes I've ever had the other day. I know the pancake in the picture may look a little overdone, but it was amazing delicious. The other day I was snowed in (okay, it snowed and I elected to stay home all day), so I decided to make pancakes.  It was the perfect kind of day to stay inside and eat a filling breakfast.

 

I looked up pancake recipes on Martha's website and found one by Neil Kleinberg, the man who owns Clinton Street Baking Company, which won best pancakes in NYC for both 2007 & 2008. I've never been to the Big Apple, but I've always wanted to go because it's known for killer food and shopping, two of my favorite things.

So here's Neil's recipe:

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon coarse salt

6 large eggs, separated

3 cups whole milk

3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 teaspoons unmelted for cooking

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups blueberries or sliced bananas and 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar or cinnamon sugar for dusting (optional)

Directions:

1. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a large bowl.
2. In medium bowl, whisk together yolks, milk, melted butter, and vanilla until combined. Whisk yolk mixture into flour mixture until just combined; batter will be slightly lumpy.
3. Place egg white in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or whisk by hand, until medium peaks form. Gently mix half the egg whites into batter with a rubber spatula. Gently fold in remaining whites. The egg whites should not be fully incorporated into the batter.
4. Heat a griddle until hot, about 350 to 375 degrees. Add remaining unmelted butter to hot griddle. Add 1/4 cup pancake batter and let set. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon blueberries or sliced bananas and 1 teaspoon chopped walnuts, if using, over pancakes. When bubbles begin to form, lift pancake; if golden brown, turn. Cook until golden brown on remaining side.
5. Transfer cooked pancake to a plate and keep warm. Repeat process with remaining batter, fruit, and nuts. Garnish with confectioners' sugar for blueberry pancakes and cinnamon sugar for banana-walnut. Serve warm with maple butter.



This looks so pretty!

 

 

 

Maple Butter

1 cup pure maple syrup, preferably grade-B organic

1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Directions:

Heat maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add cold butter to warm syrup, whisking until sauce is smooth and all of the butter is incorporated. Remove from heat and keep warm until ready to use. Maple Butter can also be kept refrigerated, in an airtight container, for up to two months. Reheat before using, but never bring to a boil.

 

Everything about these pancakes were perfect. The eggwhites made the pancakes fluffier than any pancakes I've ever had before, yet they were so filling. I couldn't finish my second one. The maple butter was excellent. I actually made it with artificial maple syrup, and it was still pretty good. Do not change a thing in this recipe. These pancakes cannot get any better. I hope to meet Neil Kleinberg one day and eat his delicious pancakes. Props to Martha for finding him.

Valentines

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. I know a lot of people hate V-Day because they do not have a significant other, but I never felt that way. I was probably the happiest single woman in the U.S. every V-Day because I knew that I wasn't a half waiting to be made whole. I was an awesome, chocolate-eating single girl who made sweet mixed CDs!

Anyway, here are some V-Day cards I made with supplies from Michael's.

 

Pretty sweet, huh? They were fun and easy to make. I also made this special note holder for my boyfriend. I actually saw this craft in Martha Stewart's magazine and thought it was something you could buy because I had my glasses off and couldn't see the fine print. The next day I thought, "I could make that myself." So I did. And this is what I created.

It is is bright and manly because that is what Jono likes. Jono hates pink and hearts, so I try to appease him as much as I can on Valentine's Day.

Anyway, later I read the magazine with my glasses on and saw that it was a craft with instructions. You can follow them here:

1. Fill the envelopes with handwritten notes, assorted mementos, and little presents such as gift cards or movie tickets. 

2. To make, glue the inside of the flap of each envelope to the front of the envelope above it.

Eat Your Vegetables

Happy Superbowl day to everyone! While I watch the Packers cream the Steelers, I thought I would update my blog. When I made the Eggplant Parmigiana, I also made this delicious Caesar Salad from the January issue of Martha Stewart Living. It turned out really well. A little of this dressing goes a long way, so add a little dressing at a time when you are tossing your salad.

First, we made our own croutons. Jono was in charge of this part.
Ingredients:
12 slices baguette (1/4 inch thick)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using the 2 whole garlic cloves, rub both sides of each baguette slice. Brush with 1 tablespoon oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until godlen, about 12 minutes. Let cool. Break each crouton in half. (Jono broke them in fourths instead.)

Caesar Salad Dressing:
Ingredients:
1 chopped garlic clove
1/4 cup olive oil chilled
1 oil-packed anchovy fillet chopped
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus shavings
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 dash Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:
1. Puree chopped garlic, anchovy, yolk, grated cheese, juice, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Pulse in 1/4 cup oil.
2. Toss 6 heads baby romaine lettuce halved (leave core intact) or 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce with 1/4 cup dressing and croutons. Season with pepper. Garnish with cheese shavings.

After I made the salad dressing, I realized it just tasted like flavored olive oil. So I added another dash of Worcestershire and Jono added a half tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Season to taste. We also cheated and used a mix of baby lettuces because I like variety.

Ooo. The Steelers are catching up. :) Go, Packers!

*Special thanks to Mr. Dave for the pics again!

The Beginning

Hello! It is a new year and time for a new start! Okay, it is February and I am always behind everyone else. No worries. I am Asian and will start my new start with the lunar new year (which is the Chinese New year for those of you who don't know).

Look! It's like I'm on a cooking show!

Anyway, I am here with a new blog that I will update to record my progress into being a housekeeping and hostessing genius. By learning the ways of Martha Stewart, I too will become a hostess with the mostest. My sweet boyfriend gave me a subscription to Martha Stewart Living for Christmas, and I knew what I had to do. I had to beat her because I am competitive (and because it is the only way to motivate myself to learn how to do housekeeping crap).

Me and my super cute sous chef!

Of course, everyone who knows me knows that I am a very mediocre cook, so I must work on that. You may think that Martha has a lot more to offer... like insider trading tips. However, I have one thing that Martha does not: Korean sparkle! Have you ever seen "The Martha Stewart Show?" Oh my goodness, it is boring. Making stuff on TV takes too long. That is why you should read my blog instead of watching her.

Okay, here is the first recipe I tried:

Eggplant Parmigiana:

Marinara Sauce:
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or as Rachel Ray says, "EVOO")
1 Medium Onion chopped
4 Garlic Cloves thinly sliced
2 Cans Peeled Whole Tomatoes (28 oz) pureed
1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 teaspoon Coarse Salt
1/4 cup Fresh Basil leaves torn
1 Tablespoon Fresh Oregano chopped
Freshly Ground Pepper

Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 8min. Add tomatoes, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon half and some pepper. Simmer, covered, until thick 25 min. Stir in herbs.

Problems: Martha's recipe does not give enough sauce. Also, if you do not like a lot of heat, then do not put as much red pepper flakes as the recipe says because it was hot!


Eggplant Parmigiana:
2 cups breadcrumbs
1/2 cup (1 oz) finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese
1 cup flour
4 large eggs beaten
2 large eggplants sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1/4 cups vegetable oil plus more if needed
Marinara sauce
3 cups (12 oz) coarsely grated Mozzarella Cheese
3/4 cup (1.5 oz) finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese




1. Bread and fry the eggplant: Combine breadcrumbs, Pecorino Romano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and some pepper. Put flour, eggs, and breadcrumb mixture in 3 separate dishes. (Molly's note: Make sure dishes are wide enough to move your eggplant around. It makes it easier.) Dredge eggplant in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg, letting excess drip off. Dredge in breadcrumbs to coat. Let stand 30 min. (No way was I gonna sit around for 30 min. I let it stand for maybe 15 min. while I did other things. I put it in the fridge hoping that would help.)

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Working in batches, fry eggplant until golden. (The recipe says 2 min. each side. I put my oil on a tad hotter than the recipe says and they were golden in no time. Also, I needed more oil than 1/4 cup after frying over half of the eggplant.) Transfer to paper-towel-lined baking sheet.

3. Assemble the dish: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread 1/2 cups marinara sauce in bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of eggplant on top, overlapping slightly. Top with 1 cup sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano. Repeat twice to form layers. Cover with foil. Bake until bubbling, about 30 min. Uncover, and bake until cheese melts, about 5 min. more.


Now that I have typed out the directions, I can see that I forgot to use foil which would've made my parmigiana cook better. Don't forget that like me! I also accidentally only bought 2 cups of mozzarella instead of 3. I added lots of Pecorino Romano instead and Jono worried that the eggplant would be overwhelmed, but I think our venture was successful. At least, his parents said so, although I am sure that they are too nice to ever tell me if something I made was not a success. Oh, and Mr. Dave took all of these great pictures for me. This recipe was delicious but very time consuming. (Jono and I spent well over 2 hours cooking!) Fortunately, the eggplant parmigiana tastes even better the next day when it has soaked in the flavors of the sauces and is reheated on the stove.

Next post I will write about Martha's homemade Caesar Salad Dressing and crafting Valentines.

Until then, remember: it's the effort that counts. At least, that's what I tell myself when I burn stuff.