Cherry Chocolate Chip Muffins

 Cherry Chocolate Chip muffins

Cherry Chocolate Chip Muffins     Bake 350 for approximately 20 minutes

This recipe will make 18 muffins.

2 cups flour

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup veggie or canola oil

2 tsp almond extract (or vanilla)

1 cup fresh cherries cut in half 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Oprah’s Favorite Brownies from Baked Bakery NYC

Oprah’s Favorite Brownies from

Baked Bakery NYC

 

Recipe from: Baker By Nature

 

11/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons Hershey’s Unsweetened cocoa

11 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 teaspoon espresso powder (I omit this)

11/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

5 eggs. at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 9 x 13″ baking pan with butter or cooking spray, then line parchment paper and butter or spray that as well.

 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and cocoa powder, set aside.

 

In a heat proof bowl put the chopped chocolate, the butter and the espresso powder, place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until the butter and chocolate are melted and well combined and smooth.

 

Turn the heat off and leave the bowl over the water, add both sugars and whisk until combined. Then remove the bowl from the water and let cool to room temperature.

 

Once chocolate mixture is room temperature, 3 room temperature eggs and whisk until combined. Add the last 2 eggs, whisk until combined, then whisk in the vanilla extract.

 

DO not over-beat the batter or the brownies will be cake like and not fudgy.

 

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture, with a rubber spatula fold the flour mixture into the chocolate, until just a bit of the flour is visible.

 

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, ROTATE the pan after 15 minutes, then bake for another 15 minutes.

 

Bake only until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs attached. Let cool on a wire rack.

 

Then remove from pan, cut into squares and enjoy!

My friend, Candice Wendt is trying to cook less meat and more plant based food, though who is to say meat is not plant-based, now that I think of it. 

Still, I, too love the recipes that are based on vegetables.  

Here are 29 Best Vegetarian Recipes to scroll through, from COOKIE+Kate: Celebrating Whole Foods.

Arta

Velvet Torte

 

David Camps had a chocolate attack and said that he knew if I had been there, I would have been able to help him get through it.

Here is a recipe that will take care of all chocolate attacks in the world.  

What  you will need to have in your home first is the callebaut chocolate which you can buy at Superstore in the bulk bins.  Just do it.  Have some at home and then make sure you have the other ingredients.  This is what  you do the day before.  Then the day of, follow this recipe, David Camps and you will think that I was there

VELVET TORTE

4 C chocolate cookie crumbs (Oreo-type)
5 T unsalted butter,
10 oz (280 g) semi-sweet chocolate, preferably Callebaut, finely chopped
1 ¼ C (300ml) whipping cream
1 large egg
1 egg yolk

Combine crumbs with the melted butter and press into a tart pan with a removable bottom. Cover sides and bottom of the pan. Bake at 350 for 5 min. Let cool. Makes one 11 in. tart shell.

Place chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Heat cream in a pot until almost boiling (look for bubbles on the edge of the pot). Immediately pour cream over the chocolate and let sit two minutes, then whisk gently to mix and to ensure that all the chocolate has melted. Lightly beat the egg and egg yolk then stir into the chocolate. Add to cooled tart shell. Bake at 350 for 15 min. Remove from oven – at this point the tart will not appear set or firm. It will set as it cools. Refrigerate to store, serve at room temperature.

NB: a 400 g box or Oreo cookie crumbs = 3 ½ C – this is enough for the shell. Still use 5 T of butter.

A tart pan with a removable bottom (NOT a spring form pan) is needed for this. But BEWARE how you handle the pan – the bottom is not secure. I use a small wooden board to transfer the pan to and from the oven. 

To serve the tart push the bottom of the pan up and place the tart still on the bottom on a nice plate. I usually beat the leftover whipping cream with a little vanilla and wee bit of sugar to dab on the top. Superstore sells the Callebaut chocolate in nice small nuggets in the bulk section. This tart will serve 10 – 12 people. It is very rich- serve very small wedges!

Miso Chicken

 Photo Credit: ANN STRATTON

Glen told me that he had a recipe for Miso Chicken and that it was delicious, worth making many times.  Perhaps he will put that recipe up here.

Epicuious has an excellent recipe for that at this spot: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/miso-chicken-238345

We used a different recipe, I think from the NYTimes but I can no longer access it-- too many tries this month.  At any rate, I think any recipe will do.  I thought about trying it because we have large amount of Miso in our kitchen. 

Arta

Moong Dal Recipe

I wanted to use a a picture of the our dal
as irt showed up in the pot, or as 
we were cooking it.
I was too late. 
All I could get this show from the fridge.

Rebecca and I were out looking for an internet recipe to use up a large package of moong lentils.  Below is the recipe we used.  

Always there are some abbreviations.  We had no dried red chili's and indeed no fresh green ones.  And Rebecca added a few handfuls of chopped spinach at the end, for she like that.

We are putting the recipe here, for we may want to go out and use it again and add the heat that the recipe asked for.

But we have no complaints with how it tasted as is.

Moong dal Recipe (Stove top and Hot Pot) from Swasthi's Recipes.

Arta