Graveyard Dust Brownies

As I write this, they exist only as ghostly remembrances of what they were in life. I'm talking about brownies. Brownies that were devoured so ravenously at the revels last night that I failed to take a picture in time. 

I've made reference before to the joys of the 1946 Joy of Cooking cookbook. Several years ago, my boyfriend at the time used one of the recipes in the book as a template for a cake-like-yet-still-fudgey brownie. I can't remember which recipe he followed (sort of), but I remember that the results were fantastic. Yesterday, I concocted these "Graveyard Dust Brownies," borrowing heavily from the cookbook, S's innovations and my own inspirations.

Graveyard Dust Brownies

Preheat oven to 325. Yup, a little bit cooler than your usual baking temp. Line with wax paper or oiled parchment, 2 med. baking dishes (you could probably do a 9x13, but I feel that I get better results with smaller pans -- less burning around the edges).

Melt and then let cool:

* 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate squares

* 1 oz. black cocoa (an intensely dark cocoa powder that is great to use as an accent to regular chocolate. You'll need more for the graveyard dust)

* 1 stick or 1/2 c. unsalted butter

Beat until light:

* 4 eggs

1/4 tsp. salt

Add in gradually:

2 c. sugar

Continue to beat until light and creamy. Fold in the melted chocolate and:

* 1 tsp. vanilla

* 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour

Beat until smooth. Fold in (as desired):

* 1/4 c. walnuts

* 1/4 c. chunky peanut butter

* 1/4 c. shredded, unsweetened coconut

Pour mixture into prepared pans and bake until set, about 40-45 min. Remove from oven and dust with Graveyard Dust:

Graveyard Dust

Mix in a small bowl:

* scant 1/4 c. sifted powdered sugar

* 1/8 c. or a little more of black cocoa

Sift together until gray.

Book Review: Chocolat by Joanne Harris

I just finished my reread of this book in preparation for my food and lit. class next semester. I read it several years ago . . . and was disappointed by the movie despite its featuring Johnny Depp (how that went wrong, I'll never know). I feel that the book is more powerfully magical, more epicurean in its philosophy than the film attempts to be. The book takes aim not only at the priggishness that can dominate small town life, but also at the "cold comforts" of the church and the fundamentalism and/or classism that can distort one's view of natural desires. The book's alignment of epicureanism with an appreciation of a gypsy lifestyle (although somewhat tempered by Vianne's desire to stay put in one place and not get bandied about by the winds of change) advocates for enjoyment of all of life's pleasures -- culinary and carnal.

If this book does not make you yearn for chocolate, there is no hope for you. Get thee to a nunnery.

I Love Thanksgiving

This year, I didn't think I had much to be thankful for. I've been dreading the holidays, dreading spending them alone, or surrounded by well-meaning family and friends, fielding questions about what I'm doing right now and feeling awkward about the significant absence by my side.

But, he invited me to Thanksgiving, and it wasn't awkward at all. In fact, it was probably the best Thanksgiving I've had in a long time. We cooked together and chatted with his mother and siblings. Seth did a great job on the turkey:

Everyone was in a good mood, and the food was great -- nothing fancy, just well-seasoned and delicious. My pecan sticky buns came out PERFECTLY and were a big hit:

Check out this fantastic cheese platter that Alicia put together:

Alicia's boyfriend and his mother came over, and we chatted with amicable dismay about the strange allure of the deep-fried turkey. To most of us, that just seems like an abomination. Our friend Kavita came over too and entertained us with news about her upcoming Indian wedding taking place in a few weeks in Bombay (with a guest list of 800!!). It made me a little sad, of course, because I won't be going to India for the wedding, though Seth will be there for the entire month of December. Maybe the spirit of India will heal what ails him . . . .

After a romantic evening (which included cuddling and watching "Dead Like Me" -- who says dark comedies can't be romantic?), we made crepes sucrees this morning. I used Julia Child's recipe from her famous work, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. We filled the crepes with bananas, melted semi-sweet chocolate and meringue. I didn't have any orange liqueur, rum or brandy, so, since I was using chocolate anyway, I used Godiva chocolate liqueur. I was nervous, but the effect was brilliant. The crepe batter had a wonderful, indulgent scent, but the cooked crepes were not "chocolatey" tasting in a gross way. They were incredibly delicate and sweet. Unfortunately, I don't exactly have the best pan for crepes, and this was a very experimental, virginal fumbling, so the results, though decadent, filling and luscious, were not really photo-worthy.

Now, I'm in the process of making turkey stock. I've boiled the carcass, strained in, and now I'm simmering the stock with onion, garlic, and herbs. The last time I made turkey stock, I used it in my pumpkin soup and it was the best soup I've ever made/ate. I highly recommend making your own stock.
****
So. What will be the result of all this good cheer and effort? Sometimes, you just don't know, and you wonder if all your effort is worth it. Will it pay off? I'm trying not to think that way. It seems that that just isn't very productive, to worry about being productive or having some kind of goal. I just want to enjoy the times I spend with my loved ones and hope that there will be many more.

The "I NEED CHOCOLATE NOW!" Cleanse-Friendly Treat

Yes, you can have chocolate on the cleanse. No, none of that Halloween candy is cleanse-friendly (believe me, if any of it was, I'd know).

But, YES, you can have raw cacao, agave nectar (in place of sugar) and coconut oil (in place of dairy). Here's what I do when I need a little decadence:

In a blender or food processor, put in some raw cacao powder or nibs (about a scant tablespoon), 1-2 tsp. agave nectar, 1 tsp. coconut oil, about 1/4 c. slivered almonds, and 4 or 5 dates, pitted and coarsely chopped. Whirl until blended but still chunky. You can form this mixture into maybe 2 or 3 balls, roll in some shredded, UNsweetened coconut and put in the refrigerator for an hour to set. . . or you can just eat it with a spoon, which is what I did today. ;)

New Home, Old Classics

The last few weeks have been crazy, busy and emotional as I dismantled my life with Seth and moved into my new house with new housemates. I've been so eager to resume my cooking; not only am I sick of subs, sandwiches and eating on the go, but also I've missed the sense of grounding I get cooking in my own kitchen.

But now, it's not just my kitchen; I'm sharing it with four other people. I've had to pare back, and sharing will be . . . interesting. I'm looking forward to learning some new techniques and recipes from the other ladies. One woman makes traditional Lebanese food (yum!) and another cooks vegan.

In the spirit of learning, I took a cooking class at the Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School in York, ME. With the release of the film Julie and Julia timed perfectly with both Julia Child's birthday (Aug. 15) and the anniversary of her passing (Aug. 13), the Kitchen has been running French cooking classes to honor her.

The name of the class was Venez Sil Vous Plait Pour Diner, which translates as "Please come to dinner." The class featured traditional French favorites as presented in Child's seminal work, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

The first dish was the one I was most looking forward to, Coquilles St. Jacques, and it did not disappoint. Scallops -- fresh, Maine sea scallops -- are one of my favorite foods. This is a great recipe for an intro to French cuisine because it features two classic French techniques (poaching and gratinee), a French sauce, (veloute), and a refined presentation (upon a large scallop shell). The veloute was so tasty, I wanted to lick the shell.

Things I learned about making this dish:

* The name "Coquilles St. Jacques" comes from a legend of St. Jacques whose emblem was the scallop shell and who saved a crusader knight from drowning. When the knight emerged from the water, he was covered in scallops.

* Use the poaching liquid from the scallops in the veloute for extra flavor.

* Some of these French sauces should not intimidate people as they do -- this creamy white sauce is very simple to make.

* Cheeses made in late summer and fall are particularly fine because the cows/sheep/goats have spent the whole summer grazing, and this rich health is inflected in the cheese. Yea cheese!

* Viking cookware is made of 7 layers of metal. I thought that was interesting. Seems a little . . . fussy, but interesting.

The salad was a Caesar's salad. Sullivan (the chef giving the demonstration) told us that Julia Child's recipe comes directly from the man who invented the caesar salad, Caesar Cardini. In the day, this salad was served on whole leaves of romanine so that people could eat it like finger food.

Things I learned about this dish:

* When making croutons, toast the bread before dressing with garlic oil. It prevents the croutons from getting too oily. (When I did this the other day, the croutons were too oily, but I think I had too much to start with).

* Anchovies were not in the original dish. But put them in if you like them. Their flavor is distinctive.

Ratatouille. This is not my favorite dish, though it was very well-done by Sullivan. What I usually don't like about this dish is the way the peppers dominate the flavorscape. However, I learned to layer the vegetables in order to enhance the distinctiveness of each. I enjoyed the soft texture and smokiness of the eggplant, but I still feel that the taste of bell pepper was too strong.

Things I learned about this dish:

* Use regular olive oil (not extra virgin) for sauteeing.The delicate flavor of EVOO gets wasted when cooking with it, and it's senseless to pay extra if the quality of the oil that you pay extra for is going to be cooked away. Use extra-virgin olive oil to garnish or in dressings.

* Like lasagna, ratatouille is better the second day.

For dessert, we had poached peaches in chocolate cups with dulce de leche. Beautiful presentation and a phenomenal dessert. Use excellent chocolate; Sullivan used Callebaut, which is the best there is. Poaching is used here again. This time the peaches are poached in a red wine and cinnamon stick reduction.

Things I learned about this dish:

* the difference between freestone peaches and clingpit peaches.

Mexican Chocolate Fondue (Dairy-free and Sugar-free)

I wanted to try making a raw fondue for our Solstice Party, but I couldn't get my hands on any raw cacao in time (you can also put nibs in a grinder and get a good result). I resorted to using Ghiradelli unsweetened 100% cacao bar, melted it with 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil and sweetened it with enough agave until it tasted sweet enough to me (a couple tablespoons?). Flavor the fondue with a dash of ginger, cinammon and cayenne pepper.

Sooo good.

Recipe Review: De Laurentiis's Hazelnut and Chocolate Pie

I don't have the Food Network. I have the most basic of basic cable packages, and most of the time, I don't complain.

I don't think I really miss anything by not having the Food Network, anyway. What am I going to miss? Rachel Ray? Paula Dean? Pu-lease.

However, I do enjoy a few of the programs, and one of the first cooking programs that I really took to was Everyday Italian with Giada De Laurentiis. I've made a few of her dishes over the years, mostly seafood, but I did make a spinach-ricotta ravioli one time made from eggroll wrappers. The wrappers are a great substitute if you don't have a pasta maker.

But now that I don't have the Food Network, I only catch De Laurentiis's show (or any others) if I am at the gym, of all places, where I finish up my workout with a spin on the elliptical machines -- and I always make sure I get one with a TV so that I can watch a food program. 

I am thoroughly disappointed if it's Ray or Dean. I groan audibly.

A couple days ago, I lucked out and saw the making of this chocolate pie. 

(Okay, so it doesn't look like much here, but I'm not really a photographer. Deal. Imagine the moist, chewy chocolate and the nutty hazelnut flavor. Imagine the unusual texture: somewhat dense, like a brownie, but a little more cake-like around the edge. And yet it's called a "pie." Don't talk; eat.)

See De Laurentiis's recipe here.

Ever since I did that macrobiotic cleanse this spring (lost weight, felt awesome), I've been trying to eat more of the foods I ate while cleansing and avoid those that I cut out. I've done a pretty good job (I'll have to publish more about macrobiotics and cleansing later) and have only gained back about a pound.

One of the things I really try to avoid eating is refined sugar. Refined flours, too. So, I decided I would not use sugar or white flour in the recipe above. I used agave nectar and whole wheat flour instead and it still came out great. 

Since agave is sweeter than regular sugar, I used less than 2/3 c. agave. Since it's also a liquid, I cut out the boiling water and melted the second batch of chocolate in the microwave instead. The quantities in this recipe are pretty easy to adjust.

The chocolate chips were made with evaporated cane juice -- which I believe is really just a fancy way to say "sugar" . . . but until they start making chips with agave or brown rice syrup, I just have to suck it up.

I am very pleased with the result . . . a little too pleased . . . I'm in danger of eating this entire thing myself! Refined sugar or no, eating an entire chocolate pie by oneself is not going to be good for the waistline. ;) So, into the freezer this pie is going to go! 

I think I'll bring it to my parents' house on Saturday to share with my sister, her husband and my niece and nephew and then "forget" to bring it home. That should take care of that . . . 

Here's a good link to a page about cooking with agave.