Although it hasn’t been as rainy here in Portland as it normally is in the winter, it’s definitely still soup weather. I made this delicious ham and bean soup today and took it to a lunch gathering. I’m happy to say that there was hardly enough leftover for a photo. The recipe (from the fine folks at Cook’s Illustrated) was inspired by the famous soup that has been served at the U.S. Senate’s restaurant since the early 1900′s.

I used small white beans because the store I was at didn’t have dried navy beans (who knows, they might even be the same thing). I did the quick salt-soaking method for the beans and rinsed them well before adding them to the soup. When the soup was finished cooking, I mashed some beans with a potato masher to thicken the soup. I have to say, I’m already looking forward to making it again! 

U.S. Senate Navy Bean Soup
-recipe from Cook’s Illustrated Soups & Stews (2012)

This soup can easily turn overly salty because of the ham; be sure to use low-sodium broth and taste the soup carefully before seasoning with any salt. Serves 8.

Ingredients
 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound ham steak, patted dry and cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried
4 cups water
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound dried navy beans (2-1/2 cups), picked over, rinsed, salt-soaked, and rinsed again (see below)
1 smoked ham hock, rinsed
2 bay leaves 
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar, plus extra for seasoning

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Brown ham on all sides, about 5 minutes. Stir in onion and celery and cook until vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in garlic, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in water, broth, soaked beans, ham hock and bay leaves and bring to boil. Cover pot, transfer to oven, and cook until beans are almost tender, 45 to 60 minutes. 

Stir in carrots and 1 teaspoon vinegar and continue to cook, covered in oven until beans and vegetables are fully tender, 30 to 40 minutes longer.

Remove pot from oven and remove bay leaves. Transfer ham hock to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred meat discarding bone and skin.

Return ham hock meat to soup and heat over medium heat until soup is hot, about 2 minutes. Off heat, use back of spoon to press some beans against side of pot to thicken soup. Season with salt, pepper, and vinegar to taste, and serve. 

Overnight Salt-Soaking Method: Dissolve 3 tablespoons of salt in 16 cups of cold water in a large container or pot. Stir in 1 pound of beans and soak them at room temperature for at least eight hours or up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly before proceeding with the recipe.

Quick Salt-Soaking Method: Combine 16 cups of water, 3 tablespoons of salt, and 1 pound of beans in a large Dutch oven and bring them to a boil over high heat. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let stand for one hour. Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly before proceeding with the recipe.

Tags: Cook's Illustrated, ham and bean soup, ham hock, ham steak, navy beans, Senate Bean Soup, Senate restaurant, soup, US Senate Navy Bean Soup, white beans

I’ve seen recipes for chicken in a pot but had never tried it myself until last week. While this recipe won’t replace my favorite roast chicken recipe, it was flavorful and super easy to make…and didn’t make a mess of my oven (like roast chicken does sometimes). 

Please note that the chicken takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours to cook (depending on size of chicken). And don’t forget to put a piece of foil over the pot before you put the lid on. This helps ensure that the moisture in the dutch oven doesn’t evaporate. You need these juices to keep the chicken moist.

Once you take the chicken out of the oven, you make a quick jus (sauce) with the juices. Serve with steamed veggies and some crusty bread…this is simple comfort food, folk! Enjoy!

French Chicken in a Pot
-recipe from The Best of America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook 2009 (from Cook’s Illustrated)

Serves 4.  

Why this recipe works: Our challenge when working on our chicken-in-a-pot recipe was to prevent the humidity in the pot from washing the flavor from the meat as it cooked. By removing the vegetables—the liquid they released made the pot too steamy—and cooking the chicken by itself and by tightly sealing the pot with foil before adding the lid, we got the tender, succulent, flavorful chicken recipe we were looking for. After developing the basic technique, we revisited the possibility of including vegetables, finding that we could add a small amount of potently flavored, aromatic vegetables if they were lightly browned with the chicken to remove most of their moisture.

The cooking times in the recipe are for a 4 1/2- to 5-pound bird. A 3 1/2- to 4 1/2-pound chicken will take about an hour to cook, and a 5- to 6-pound bird will take close to 2 hours. We developed this recipe to work with a 5- to 8-quart Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. If using a 5-quart pot, do not cook a chicken larger than 5 pounds. Use the best chicken available, such as a Bell & Evans. If using a kosher chicken, reduce the kosher salt to 1 teaspoon (or 1/2 teaspoon table salt). If you choose not to serve the skin with the chicken, simply remove it before carving. The amount of jus will vary depending on the size of the chicken; season it with about 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice for every 1/4 cup.

Dry Cooking versus Braising: French Chicken in a Pot shares some similarities with braised chicken—both are cooked in covered pots in low-temperature ovens to yield tender, flavorful meat. Unlike braising, however, where lots of liquid is added to the pot, our chicken is placed in a dry pot and left to cook in nothing more than the essence of its own juices. DRY ENVIRONMENT: In a dry pot with no added liquid, juices that come out of the chicken go right back into it, undiluted by other flavors.

1 whole roasting chicken (4 1/2 to 5 pounds), giblets removed and discarded, wings tucked under back
2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped medium (about 1/2 cup)
1 small stalk celery, chopped medium (about 1/4 cup)
6 medium garlic cloves, peeled and trimmed
1 bay leaf
1 medium sprig fresh rosemary (optional)
1/2 – 1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Add chicken breast-side down; scatter onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and rosemary (if using) around chicken. Cook until breast is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon inserted into cavity of bird, flip chicken breast-side up and cook until chicken and vegetables are well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove Dutch oven from heat; place large sheet of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid. Transfer pot to oven and cook until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in thickest part of breast and 175 degrees in thickest part of thigh, 80 to 110 minutes.

Transfer chicken to carving board, tent with foil, and rest 20 minutes. Meanwhile, strain chicken juices from pot through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard solids (you should have about 3/4 cup juices). Allow liquid to settle 5 minutes, then pour into saucepan and set over low heat. Carve chicken, adding any accumulated juices to saucepan. Stir lemon juice into jus to taste. Serve chicken, passing jus at table.

Tags: braising, chicken dinner, chicken in a pot, dutch oven, french chicken in a pot, kosher chicken

I was hankering for comfort food the other day and decided to try my hand at chicken and dumplings. Having never made this dish before, I chose a recipe by Lisa Schroeder, owner of Mother’s Bistro. Mother’s Bistro is famous around Portland for it’s classic comfort food and let me tell you, this recipe did not disappoint: plump, parsley-spiked dumplings cooked to fluffy perfection in a creamy chicken gravy. Yum!

Although there’s a few steps involved in making the dish, it’s well worth the effort. For the gravy, use a good quality chicken broth or make your own. Need to save time? Use a rotisserie chicken if you like.  My sister-in-law who has southern roots ate a bowlful and gave it her approval.  Enjoy!

Chicken and Dumplings
-recipe from Mother’s Best: Comfort Food That Takes You Home Again by Lisa Schroeder, Danielle Centoni

This dish is one of the most popular at Mother’s Bistro, probably because so many people grew up eating their mother’s or grandmother’s version. Traditionally, this dish is like a thick, creamy chicken soup with a layer of doughy dumplings that steam right on top while the soup simmers. Some make the dumplings “slippery,” with just flour and water for a more dense, chewy texture. But ours are layered with butter and leavened with baking powder, making them more like biscuits. Back in the day, a lot of moms turned to biscuit mix to try and save time, so not many people remember dumplings as tender and delicious as these. Making the biscuits from scratch takes just a few more minutes than using a mix and the results are far superior. Makes 8 servings.

Chicken gravy:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
2 teaspoons salt
½ freshly ground black pepper
2 cups diced carrots (about 2 large)
2 cups diced celery (about 5 stalks)

Dumplings:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 scant teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2/3 cup whole milk

To serve:
5 cups cooked chicken (approximately 1 3-lb. chicken; remove the skin, and pick the meat off the bones, keeping the meat in large chunks)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, for garnish

Directions:
In a heavy-bottomed large (8- to 10-quart) saucepan or soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add flour and mix well with a wooden spoon to make a roux. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles fine, wet sand, about 3 minutes.

Whisk the broth into the roux a little at a time, allowing the roux to absorb the liquid before adding more. (This will help avoid lumps.) Add the salt, pepper, carrots and celery. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, then lower the heat and gently simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally and skim any scum that rises to the surface and stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.

While the gravy simmers, make the dumplings: whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and parsley together in a large bowl and cut in the butter using a pastry blender, two knives or a whisk until it’s in small pieces. (Alternatively, you can use a food processor: Place the flour, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times to combine. Add the parsley and pulse once or twice to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is in small pieces.)

Add the milk and pulse or stir to moisten the flour. (Do not overmix or you will develop the gluten in the flour and the dumplings will be chewy.) Gather the dough into a ball.

Using a large spoon or your hands, scoop out ¼ cup chunks of dough, lightly roll between your palms to round them out, then drop into the simmering gravy (it’s ok if they sink down), spacing them apart. Cover the pot and simmer until the dumplings are done (a knife inserted in the center of a dumpling should come out clean), about 20 minutes. (Avoid lifting the lid while the dumplings are cooking because it slows down the cooking process, and “if you’re lookin’ you’re not cookin’!”)

Gently stir the cooked chicken into the pot with the dumplings, return the liquid to a simmer, and cook 5 more minutes to heat the chicken through. Using a serving spoon or tongs, divide the chicken and dumplings among the soup bowls. Ladle the gravy over the dumplings and chicken, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Tags: chicken and dumplings, Comfort Food, Lisa Schroeder, Mother's Bistro

Beef stew is classic comfort food. It’s a simple dish yet satisfying to the core. This recipe for Balsamic Beef Stew filled the house with a wonderful aroma while it slowly simmered on the stove, and was the perfect meal for a cold Fall day. Husband was almost giddy when he found out what we were having for dinner.

I added 4 oz. of quartered mushrooms along with the potatoes and carrots. Also, I let the stew simmer for a total of about 3 hours to ensure that the meat was fork-tender. The small amount of balsamic vinegar gives the stew a slight tang…boy, was it good! Serve with crusty bread. Enjoy!

Balsamic Beef Stew
-Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Simple Suppers, by Melanie Barnard (Oxmoor House, 2007).

From the muscular shoulder section, beef chuck is a tougher cut of meat that is ideal for stewing. It becomes delectably tender with long, slow cooking.

3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
2 lb. boneless beef chuck, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3 Tbs. canola oil
1 large red onion, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 cup full-bodied red wine
2 cups beef broth
1 lb. red or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

In a resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, the 1/2 tsp. salt and the 1/2 tsp. pepper. Add the beef, seal the bag and shake to coat the beef with the seasoned flour.

In a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Working in batches if needed to avoid crowding, remove the beef from the bag, shake off the excess flour and add the meat to the pot in a single layer. Cook, turning as needed, until browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes total. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a plate.

Add the onion to the drippings in the pan and sauté over medium heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bay leaves, wine and broth.

Return the meat and any juices from the plate to the pot. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and braise until the meat is nearly fork-tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add the potatoes and carrots, re-cover and continue to braise until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more.

Season the stew with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Stir in the vinegar, divide among individual shallow bowls and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Tags: balsamic beef stew, balsamic vinegar, beef stew, boneless beef chuck, Comfort Food, slow cooking, soup, stew

Not only is this recipe for Provencal Chicken with Vegetables easy enough for a weeknight meal, but it’s also delicious enough to serve to company. The flavorful chicken is rubbed with Dijon mustard and Herbes de Provence then roasted in the same pan as the vegetables. Serve with roasted potatoes or crusty bread.

P.S. As much as I love green olives, I didn’t have any on hand so they didn’t make it into the recipe. The meal was still a success! Enjoy!

Provencal Chicken with Vegetables
-recipe from Martha Stewart Everyday Food Magazine

Roasted chicken gets a stylish French makeover with herbs, carrots, and olives. Yield: Serves 4

1 pound carrots, peeled, halved crosswise then lengthwise (and quartered lengthwise if thick)
2 large onions, quartered, layers separated
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried Herbes de Provence or thyme
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 475 degrees, with rack in top position. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss carrots and onions with oil. Push vegetables to sides of sheet, and place chicken in center. Using your fingers, carefully loosen skin. In a small bowl, combine Dijon and Herbes de Provence. Spread mixture under skin. Season chicken and vegetables with salt and pepper.

Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of chicken (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes, tossing vegetables once. Transfer chicken to a serving platter, and loosely tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Add olives to sheet with vegetables, and gently toss. Return to oven; roast until vegetables begin to brown and liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove sheet from oven; add parsley and lemon juice, and toss. Serve chicken alongside vegetables.

Tags: carrots, Chicken, chicken breasts, French, Herbes de Provence, Martha Stewart Everyday Food, onions, Provencal, roasted chicken, vegetables

 
In honor of the first day of Autumn, here’s a good comfort food recipe for Braised Chicken with Mushrooms. This simple yet flavorful dish will definitely be making it onto my dinner table throughout the comfort food months! The medly of mushrooms and a little Madeira (or dry sherry) make a delicious, earthy sauce for the chicken. Mmmm, comfort food!

For the chicken, I used four skin-on, bone-in half breasts since the recipe didn’t specify boneless breasts. I was unable to find Madeira, a fortified Portuegese wine, so I substituted dry sherry. I didn’t think 1/4 cup would be enough but once the mushrooms release all their moisture, you have plenty of liquid for braising the chicken. I finished the dish with chopped parsley instead of tarragon (chopped fresh thyme or rosemary would also be a good substitution). I served the dish with baked potatoes (next time I’ll make mashed) and steamed veggies. Crusty bread is a must, too. Enjoy!

Braised Chicken with Mushrooms
-recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast: Simple Suppers (Food Made Fast) by Melanie Barnard

To complete the menu, serve with egg noodles or mashed potatoes and a green salad. This dish can be prepared up to 1 day ahead to allow time for the flavors to blend. Reheat, covered, on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed throughout.

4 chicken breast halves, 1 1/2 lb. total
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 lb. wild and/or cultivated mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup Madeira or dry sherry
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs. chopped fresh tarragon

Brown the chicken:
Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, melt 2 Tbs. of the butter. Add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice, until golden brown on both sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Cook the vegetables:
Melt the remaining 1 Tbs. butter in the pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until barely softened, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté until their juices are released, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Madeira and Worcestershire sauce.

Braise the chicken:
Return the chicken and any juices from the plate to the pan and spoon the mushrooms over the chicken. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and braise the chicken until opaque throughout, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the tarragon and season with salt and pepper.

Divide the chicken among dinner plates, spoon the mushrooms over the chicken and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Tags: Autumn dinner, braised chicken, Chicken, Comfort Food, dry sherry, Madeira, mushrooms, wild mushrooms

This recipe for Mother’s Crunchy French Toast is, without a doubt, the best French toast I’ve ever made. Period. I’ve also ordered it at the source, Mother’s Bistro in downtown Portland, and this recipe produces a restaurant-worthy breakfast dish! It’s easy, extremely delicious and would make a great start to the day for mom (or anyone else for that matter!). Because of how rich this dish is, it’s definitely a special occasion meal and not something you would make every morning.

I used a loaf of brioche that I got at Trader Joe’s (I couldn’t find challah) and cut it into thick slices. Both challah and brioche are eggy breads that are perfect for this recipe. If you can’t find challah or brioche, Hawaiian bread would be a good substitute. I tried a few slices of regular sliced white bread and it didn’t work nearly as well as the thick-sliced brioche (the texture and flavor were lacking). Whatever bread you choose, use thick slices.

After a quick dip in the rich, vanilla-scented custard and crushed corn flakes, the pieces of bread are ready to brown in butter in the skillet. What you end up with is French toast that is crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and lightly spiced with cinnamon. OH MY GOODNESS…IT’S AMAZING! We were licking our plates.

I ended up with leftover custard so I made extra pieces of French toast. Serve the french toast with real maple syrup and fresh berries. Enjoy!

Mother’s Crunchy French Toast
-recipe from Mother’s Best: Comfort Food That Takes You Home Again by Lisa Schroeder, Danielle Centoni 

If I had to pick our one signature breakfast dish, this would be it. French toast goes by the name pain perdu in France, which translates as “lost bread.” It’s a recipe created to save stale bread from being “lost” to the garbage by soaking it in eggs and milk to get it moist and tender again and then frying it up. Although you can certainly use whatever stale bread slices you have lingering in the fridge (except something strong-flavored like rye), fresh challah provides a wonderful richness. A roll in cornflakes adds a wonderful, addictive crunch. Serves 4.
 
4 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbs. granulated sugar
Pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4 cups cornflakes
1 loaf egg (challah) bread, sliced into six 1-inch-thick slices
9 Tbs. (1 stick plus 1 Tbs.) unsalted butter (divided), preferably clarified
Confectioners’ sugar, for serving (optional)
Softened butter, for serving
Maple syrup, for serving

If your pan isn’t big enough to cook all the French toast at the same time, heat the oven to 200°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, half-and-half, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, and vanilla.

Place the cornflakes in another large bowl and crush with your hands until the pieces are small (but not like breadcrumbs) and somewhat uniform in size. Place a rimmed baking sheet nearby to hold the prepared bread.

Dip a slice of bread into the cream mixture, immersing both sides (saturate it, but do not let it fall apart).

Dip the slice into the cornflakes on both sides, pressing to adhere the flakes; set aside on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining slices.

Place a griddle or wide (preferably 14-inch) sauté pan over medium heat for several minutes. If using an electric griddle, set the heat to 350°F.

Sprinkle the griddle with a few drops of water; they should bounce around before evaporating. If they sizzle away quickly, the heat is too high. If they just sit there and slowly steam, the heat is too low. When the griddle is properly heated, add 1 Tbs. clarified butter for each piece of French toast and tilt to coat the pan.

Add the prepared bread in an even layer. Cook until golden on one side, about 4 minutes. Lift each piece with a spatula and put 1/2 Tbs. butter in its spot. Flip the toast onto the butter to cook the other side, about 4 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining slices of bread. Serve immediately or keep warm in the oven until all the French toast is cooked.

Cut each piece of bread in half diagonally to make triangles. Arrange 3 triangles like shingles on serving plates, sprinkle with confectioners’  sugar, if desired, and serve with softened butter and maple syrup.

Note: Challah (pronounced HALL-uh) is a slightly sweet, eggy Jewish bread that’s becoming increasingly common at gourmet grocery stores and bakeries. Many bakeries often carry it on Fridays, for the Jewish Sabbath. If you can’t find it, substitute any soft, sweet bread, such as brioche, Hawaiian bread, or thick slices of Texas toast.

Clarified butter is important for this recipe because it allows you to cook the French toast at a high enough heat to get a proper sizzle going, ensuring that the toasts stay crunchy. If the butter isn’t clarified, the milk solids will melt and impart moisture, which can impede crunchiness. And when the solids inevitably burn, they’ll give a burnt flavor to the food.

I’m linked to:
Tasty Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Tasty Tuesdays at 33 Shades of Green

Tags: Breakfast, breakfast for mom, brioche, brunch, challah, Comfort Food, cornflakes, Lisa Schroeder, Mother's Best Cookbook by Lisa Schroeder, Mother's Bistro and Bar, Mother's Crunchy French Toast, Mother's Day breakfast, Mother's Restaurant

This classic recipe for German Chocolate Cake is special in Husband’s family because his mom used to make it for the family when they were growing up.  I chose to make this extremely moist and delicious cake for Father-in-law’s birthday celebration this weekend because I knew it would bring back fond memories of his beloved wife. With a smile, he took his first bite then told me it tasted just like hers. What better compliment is there?

Sure, I’ve seen recipes for updated versions of this cake, but the original recipe—the one printed on boxes of Baker’s brand German’s Sweet Chocolate—is the one I make for my family. The cake has nothing to do with Germany but was named after the man, Samuel German, who developed a type of baking chocolate for Baker’s Chocolate Company.

The recipe calls for baking the batter in three 9″ round cake pans but I made it in a 10″x15″ glass pan. It took longer to bake (approximately 50 minutes…give or take). For the frosting, make sure you buy evaporated milk not sweetened condensed milk (they are very different products).  The recipe calls for a 7-ounce bag of coconut but I’ve only seen the 14-ounce size…just measure out the needed 2-2/3 cups and you’re good to go. Enjoy!

Original BAKER’S GERMAN’S Sweet Chocolate Cake
-recipe from Baker’s Chocolate Company

1 pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER’S GERMAN’S Sweet Chocolate
1/2 cup  water
4 eggs, separated
2 cups  flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp.  salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups  sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup  buttermilk
Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting (recipe below)

HEAT oven to 350°F.

COVER bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round pans with waxed paper; spray sides with cooking spray. Microwave chocolate and water in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

BEAT egg whites in small bowl with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; set aside. Mix flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.

ADD egg whites; stir gently until well blended. Pour into prepared pans.

BAKE 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Immediately run small spatula around cakes in pans. Cool cakes in pans 15 min.; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Spread Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting between cake layers and onto top of cake.

Substitute: If you don’t have buttermilk, just add 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk; let stand 10 min.
Note: This delicate cake will have a flat slightly sugary top crust which tends to crack. The frosting will cover up these cracks.

Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting   
4 egg yolks
1 can  (12 oz.) evaporated milk
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups  sugar
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
1 pkg.  (7 oz.) BAKER’S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut (about 2-2/3 cups)
1-1/2 cups PLANTERS Chopped Pecans

BEAT egg yolks, milk and vanilla in large saucepan with wire whisk until well blended. Add sugar and butter; cook on medium heat 12 min. or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

ADD coconut and pecans; mix well. Cool to room temperature and of desired spreading consistency.

USE to frost your favorite cake or cupcake recipe.

Note: Makes enough to frost top and sides of 3 (8- or 9-inch) cake layers, tops of 2 (13×9-inch) cakes or 36 cupcakes.

Tags: Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate, Baking, cake, chocolate, Dessert, German Chocolate Cake, German's Sweet Chocolate Cake

Beef stew of any kind is always a winner in my house! So with St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, I thought I’d give Guinness Beef Stew a try. Even if you’re not a fan of the famous dark Irish beer, you’ll still love this stew! The Guinness Draught beer makes the stew rich and chocolatey without giving it an overly beer-y(is that a word?) taste. It’s really delicious! The recipe calls for 2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate to round out the flavor…it sounds a little weird but you can’t even tell it’s there.

Instead of using the slow cooker, I cooked the stew in the oven. First, I browned the beef in two batches in my dutch oven, set the browned beef aside in a separate bowl, then browned the onions in the dutch oven. I then added the broth, Guinness and the rest of the ingredients to the dutch oven, covered it with the lid, and baked the stew in a preheated 350° oven for 3 hours. When the stew was finished cooking, I removed it from the oven and placed it on a burner set at medium-high heat. I then added the flour/beer mixture and stirred it into the simmering stew, letting it continue to simmer for about 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley and enjoy!

Guinness Beef Stew
-recipe from Cook’s Country Magazine

Test Kitchen Discoveries
-When we enhanced the beer’s complex coffee/chocolate flavors by adding bittersweet chocolate to the slow cooker, our testers raved about the beefy, stout flavor.
-We added the Guinness in two stages to get the best of its flavor—at the beginning for a base flavor and at the end for a fresh kick.
-SHOP CAREFULLY: When cooking, choose the mellower Guinness Draught rather than Guinness Extra Stout. Straight from the bottle, both beers have their merits. But after nine hours in the slow cooker, Guinness Draught was the clear winner. Tasters noticed the “clean, toasted taste” of the stew made with Guinness Draught, while the stew made with Guinness Extra Stout, although still acceptable, was noted for having a slightly “tannic, bitter” aftertaste.
-Make sure to buy large chunks of stew meat. Trim meat of excess fat, as necessary, and cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces. Be gentle when stirring in the flour in step 3—the fork-tender beef will fall apart if stirred too aggressively.

Serves 6 to 8.

4 pounds boneless beef chuck stew meat  
2 tablespoons vegetable oil  
2 onions, chopped 
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth  
1 1/2 cups Guinness Draught  (not Guinness Extra Stout)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar  
1 teaspoon dried thyme  
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate , chopped 
2 bay leaves  
5 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks 
1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks 
1 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes, scrubbed 
1/4 cup all-purpose flour  
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves  

1. Pat beef dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook half of beef until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker insert and repeat with additional 2 teaspoons oil and remaining beef.

2. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, onions, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to skillet and cook until onions are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add broth, 1 1/4 cups stout, sugar, thyme, chocolate, and bay leaves and bring to boil, using wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits. Transfer to slow cooker insert.

3. Add carrots, parsnips, and potatoes to slow cooker insert. Cover and cook on low until meat is tender, 9 to 10 hours (or cook on high for 6 to 7 hours). Set slow cooker to high. Whisk flour and remaining 1/4 cup beer until smooth, then stir mixture into slow cooker. Cook, covered, until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper, and discard bay leaf. Serve.

Make Ahead: You can prepare the recipe through step 2 the night before the ingredients go into the slow cooker. Refrigerate the browned beef and the onion mixture in separate containers. In the morning, transfer the beef and the onion mixture to the slow cooker and proceed with step 3.

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Tags: beef stew, boneless beef chuck stew meat, Comfort Food, Guinness beef stew, Guinness Draught, Irish beef stew, St. Patrick's Day dinner

Recently, I was looking for carrot recipes and ran across this one for Caramelized Carrot Risotto. Since roasted carrots are one of my favorite winter side dishes and risotto is my favorite rice dish, I knew I had to make this recipe. While not a quick dish to make, it is definitely comfort food. The flavors are simple, mild and perfect for springtime. Husband called it Creamy Goodness…I totally agree!

Caramelized Carrot Risotto
-recipe from Sunset Magazine

It’s made the traditional way, but this risotto hits some extraordinary flavor notes, mainly because of two not-so-common risotto ingredients. One is creamy sweet mascarpone cheese. The other is carrots, slow cooked in a butter-oil bath until their sugars caramelize.

Note: To make this risotto even prettier, you can cut the carrots into 1/4-in. dice (it’s time-consuming, but makes the carrots look like little jewels). Mascarpone — a rich Italian-style cream cheese available at specialty, gourmet, and Whole Foods stores — can be replaced with an equal amount of heavy cream.

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings as a side dish or first course

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
6 medium carrots, peeled and chopped as finely and evenly as possible (about 3 cups; see Notes)
About 1/2 tsp. salt
1 teaspoon sugar
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup minced onion
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese (I used heavy cream)
1/4 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese, plus 1/2 cup for garnish
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus 1 tbsp. for garnish
1 teaspoon roughly chopped fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Heat 1 tbsp. oil and 1 tbsp. butter over medium heat in a medium heavy-bottomed pot; add carrots and stir with a wooden spoon until well coated. Add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tsp. salt, and the sugar; cover and cook 5 minutes, or until tender. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until water evaporates and carrots are just starting to brown, a few minutes more. Reserve half of the carrots. In a blender, purée other half with 3/4 cup hot water.

Bring chicken broth to a simmer and keep at a simmer, covered, over low heat.

Heat remaining oil and butter over medium heat in same (unwashed) pot used for carrots. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add rice, stirring with a wooden spoon to coat rice with oil, 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring, until wine evaporates. Add carrot purée and cook, stirring, until mixture no longer looks soupy.

Add 1/2 cup hot broth, stirring often, until rice absorbs most of the liquid. Repeat process, adding 1/2 cup broth at a time and stirring often till each addition is absorbed before adding the next, until rice is al dente (about 20 minutes; at least 1 cup broth will remain).

Fold in reserved carrots (save 2 tbsp. for garnish), mascarpone, 1/4 cup parmesan, 1 tbsp. parsley, and the thyme. Add up to 1 cup broth (1/4 cup at a time) to loosen the risotto. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.

Sprinkle each bowl of risotto with some of remaining 1/2 cup parmesan, remaining 1 tbsp. parsley, and reserved carrots. Serve immediately.

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Tags: Arborio rice, caramelized carrots, Italian, rice, risotto, vegetarian