Blackberry Chocolate Tartlets

I bought mini tartlet tins a million years ago (or so it seems), and I had yet to use them. Then I happened upon this chocolate tartlet recipe on the Ghirardelli site, and they were just so darling. I just had to make them. Chocolate and more chocolate and fruit cannot be bad.

These tarts are gorgeous and very tasty, and I'm glad I used my mini tartlets instead of the larger ones - the shortbread-like chocolate crust and chocolate-y ganache make for a very filling dessert. Mini tartlets are just a few bites, perfect for this recipe. The original recipe called for raspberries, but blackberries were cheaper - not to mention fresher looking - at the grocery store. Plus, I just adore their rich midnight-blue color.
Chocolate Blackberry Tartlets

Ingredients:
14 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
6 Tbsp. Unsweetened Cocoa
12 Tbsp. unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
6 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 c. cake flour
1 c. heavy cream
3 c. fresh blackberries
1 pinch of salt

In a food processor, process butter, sugar and salt until creamy. Add cocoa; process until smooth. Add flour; pulse until crumbly. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces, flatten each piece into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Remove 1 piece of dough at a time from refrigerator; roll out into 6-inch circle between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. If dough gets too soft, refrigerate until firm before continuing. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap; invert dough circle over a 4 1/2-inch nonstick tartlet pan with removable bottom. Keeping plastic wrap on top side, press dough into bottom and sides of pan. Trim excess dough; carefully peel off plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining dough to make 6 tartlet shells. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Heat oven to 375ºF. Prick bottom of tartlet shells all over with fork. Bake about 15 minutes or until dough looks dry. Cool completely in pans.

In saucepan over medium heat, bring cream to simmer. Remove from heat; add chocolate. Let sit until chocolate melts; whisk gently to combine. Cool to room temperature; pour 1/3 cup chocolate mixture into each tartlet shell. Refrigerate tartlets at least 1 hour or until filling is firm. Carefully remove tartlets from pans. Arrange blackberries decoratively on top of filling.

Tips: (1) Recipe also makes 1 large tart; use an 8-inch nonstick tart pan with removable bottom. (2) To make smaller tartlets, press dough into muffin tin compartments lined with paper or foil muffin cups. Remove muffin cups after filling and chilling tartlets. (3) Instead of rolling, press dough into tartlet shells with fingertips; chill and bake as above.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

This is my favorite soup. For reals. It's not like that stuff from the can though, I swear. That canned soup is almost tasteless, with teeny bits of mushroom. And its weird clumpy texture is simply unnerving. That stuff should only be used in casseroles and the like, not for actual soup-like consumption.

Homemade cream of mushroom soup, though? That is a very different story altogether. Like macaroni and cheese, everyone should try to make this for themselves at least once. The mushroom flavor in the soup is to die for, and what I like about this particular recipe is that the turkey makes it a bit more filling. It's thick and chunky and the broth so creamy, just all-around wonderful. The perfect autumn comfort food.

I will warn you: I got this recipe as a hand-me-down from an old friend. The recipe included no measurements, just a list of ingredients and instructions for cooking. The intent was that you could make it however you preferred - add all the mushrooms you want, make it as thick or thin as you desire. Very organic. I've given measurements below, but feel free to experiment to your own liking. Have fun! Enjoy! And you must try this one, I mean it. One of the absolute favorites in my worn rusty recipe box.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. butter

1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb. ground turkey

1 c. flour

Lots of portabella mushrooms, cut into chunks*

Lots of button mushrooms, cut into chunks*

Lots of other mushrooms you love, cut into chunks*

* Okay, to be fair: you'll need about a pound or so of mushroom chunks total

About 4-6 c. milk, stock, or half-n-half (depending on the flavor/healthiness/thickness you want)

Salt and ground pepper

Add the butter to a large heavy pot on the stovetop over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to the melted butter, and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add ground turkey and brown. Add flour and make the mixture thick, get that flour mixed into the turkey really well (you'll have a thick, sticky, lumpy mass on your hands. That is fine, it's what you want).

Add mushrooms and cook for awhile, until juices and flavor are released (about 15 minutes). Slowly add your liquid of choice (milk/broth/half-n-half). Cook until thickened as desired while on medium heat, stirring frequently. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This soup is perfect with ciabatta or a thick slice of crusty bread!

Spanish Rice

I'm back and armed with a quick recipe! Actually, it's the only one left in my archives (forgot to take pics of my hominy soup, sorry guys) so that's what you get. I am making some lovely things the rest of the week, read lots of newspaper Food sections and cooking mags while traveling, so I'm well armed with posts. You just wait.

So, Spanish rice. This is something I always used to just make from the Rice-A-Roni package in the past, loved it and it was easy and I figured too hard to make on my own. My parents would make it from scratch when I was young, but I remembered it as taking forever to make. No thanks. I used my beloved Rice-A-Roni for years. So color me surprised when, about a year ago, I was craving my Spanish rice (with no packages of Rice-A-Roni in the cabinet, gasp!) and realized that Fanny Farmer had a surprisingly easy recipe of their own. Go figure!

This tastes like the boxed stuff, but oh so much fresher. And you get to add all the chiles you want, plus no standing over the stove! I love it. Very versatile too: You can make it as a side, of course, but it also makes a lovely meal if you add some sausage or chicken chunks. Or use brown rice to make it a bit healthier. I like to add cilantro (yeah, big surprise) so you can see that in my pics...

Spanish Rice

Ingredients:

1/4 c. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 stalk celery, diced

3 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped (I will also use a 14-oz. can of diced tomatoes)

4 Tbsp. diced canned chiles

1 c. long-grain rice

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

2 c. chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly oil a 2-quart casserole dish. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the onion, green pepper, garlic, and celery.Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

Transfer to the casserole dish and add the tomatoes, chiles, rice, salt, and pepper. Pour in the broth, stir, and cover dish with foil. Bake 30 minutes.

Stir again, and bake for another 30 minutes. If you want to add meat, saute diced chicken or sausage and add to the casserole with the onion mixture.

See You Next Week

I'm off for awhile, thought about being a good girl and making one last post before I leave, but ack - long day, stressed, and I have a ton to do before flying out on a business trip. So no recipe post for today. Sorry.

Will not be back until Thursday. So here's a few pics of my best girl Mahni, future baker extraordinaire and sous chef, to tide you over until my return. Have a great week!

Putting the finishing touches on her birthday cake. What did I tell you! Totally following in Aunt Nemmie's footsteps!

And enjoying the end result:

Chicken Spezzatino

Basil. Yum. That is the greatest part of this recipe, I'm telling you. A half cup of that good stuff really flavors the dish well. What I also like about this recipe is that the broth really thickens up well, and all on its own. I've made this dozens of times (another goodie from Giada's Everyday Italian cookbook), and it always turns out perfectly. It is also a one-pot dish, and cooks up in about 30-40 minutes. Lovely! Perfect for the fall.

Tomorrow I have a Mexican soup for you, and then I promise I will ease up on all the autumn soups/stews. For a little while anyway.

Chicken Spezzatino (Chicken Stew)

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 celery stalks, cut into bite-size pieces

1 carrot, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces

1 small onion, chopped

1 tsp. salt, plus more to taste

1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper, plus more to taste

1 (14.5-oz.) can chopped tomatoes with their juices

1 (14-oz.) can reduced sodium chicken broth

1/2 c. fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

2 chicken breasts with ribs (about 1.5 pounds)

1 (15-oz.) can organic kidney beans, drained (I also like to use garbanzo beans)

In a heavy 5-quart saucepan, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the celery, carrot, and onion, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the chicken and press to submerge. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, uncovered, turning the breasts over and stirring occasionally, until the chicken is almost cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Add the beans and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the liquid has reduced to a stew consistency, about 10 minutes.Discard the bay leaf. Let the chicken cool about 5 minutes.

Discard the skin and bones and cut the meat into bite size pieces. Return it to the stew and bring to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chocolate Cherry Cakes with Almond Buttercream (and a bonus recipe!)

I rarely get cravings, but lately I've been craving chocolate-covered cherries. Which is not a huge surprise, as cherry and chocolate are two of my very favorite things. My parents usually get me a big ole box of them for Christmas every year, those things are so rich I can eat maybe one a week. And yet, when those cravings come on, they come on strong.

I bought a new mini-cake pan this weekend, and so of course the first thing that comes to mind to break it in is something with lots of cherry and chocolate. I went trolling around the Internet, found a good recipe at allrecipes.com, and forged ahead with a few modifications. Then I took my basic buttercream recipe and flavored it with almond, which I'm sure you agree always goes so very well with both cherries and chocolate.

This cake is very moist (thanks to the cherry pie filling), and all the flavors come together quite nicely. The almond buttercream brings out the subtle almond flavor in the cake. Best of all, these little cakes certainly tamed those cravings!

Chocolate Cherry Cakes with Almond Buttercream

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. bakers sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 c. good unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 c. cake flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 (21-oz.) can cherry pie filling

For the buttercream:

1 1/4 c. confectioner’s sugar

1/3 stick unsalted butter at room temperature

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease and flour one 9x13 inch baking pan.

Cream the butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs and almond extract and beat well. Add the cocoa powder and mix until well combined.

By hand, stir the cake flour, baking soda and salt together. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in the cherry pie filling. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake at 350 F for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean. Cool.

For the buttercream: Add the butter, confectioner’s sugar, salt, and almond extract to the stand mixer and mix on low using the paddle attachment until combined. Turn the speed to med-high until the buttercream is fluffy. Spread or pipe onto the cooled cake.

And a bonus recipe...

Since we're on a chocolate-cherry kick, here's a lovely little drinkie that the Hubs made for me a few weeks ago: one-half Lindenman’s cherry lambic, and one-half Young's double-chocolate stout. Layer the stout over the lambic in a pint. Cherry chocolate goodness in a glass! A must try, believe me.

Pork Pies

My sis Beah gave me this recipe, it's from Cookie Magazine. I thought these pork pies were rather good, although I do recommend you double the sage recommended, and add a wee bit more salt. I was shocked because they really did pop right out of the muffin tin, without much coaxing. Yay!

The pie dough I had in the freezer was stale so I just made my own, not posting that portion though because I'm sure pre-made pie dough will work just fine. The magazine article recommended you serve these with applesauce, mustard, or roasted apples. Yum! Sounds like a great way to enjoy these savory pies; we went the oh-so-gourmet route and had ours with plain old ketchup.

Pork Pies

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. ground pork
1 medium onion, peeled and grated (I just chopped mine)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
1/2 c. bread crumbs
2 (9-in.) discs prerolled, refrigerated pie dough
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease two 6-cup muffin tins with butter.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients but the dough and 1 tablespoon of the eggs; refrigerate.

Unroll the dough and cut out twelve 4-inch circles with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a drinking glass. Reroll the scraps, then cut out 12 more 2-inch circles.

Line the bottoms and sides of the tins with the 4-inch rounds. Divide the filling evenly among the cups. Press the 2-inch rounds on top, pinching the edges together to seal. Poke a hole in the center of each pie.

Brush with the reserved egg and bake until the tops are browned and puffed slightly, 30 to 35 minutes.

Let cool for 15 minutes before removing the pies from the tins. Serve warm.

Cioppino

This is my first try with mussels at home (instead of enjoying them in the safety of my favorite little restaurant). Before I was always intimidated by them, but the lovely Sarah helped me get over my fear. Thanks much my dear! Also I used catfish instead of the other fish available at our local grocery. All they had was fish from China (save for the catfish), and all I can say to that is: I most certainly don't eat fish from China. Word to the wise, ladies and gents. Don't buy fish from China. Take it from the lady that works for an environmental toxicology journal. You don't want me to elaborate, trust me.

Anyhoo, let's get back to the stew, shall we? I got this recipe from epicurious.com. Cioppino is a fish soup/stew of sorts, of Italian origin and from what I read, a great favorite in the US Northwest. I thought this recipe came together beautifully, incredibly fast, and I loved the flavors: fennel gave a wonderful licorice-like background that spiced up this tomato-based dish.

Cioppino

Ingredients:

1 fennel bulb, stalks discarded and bulb cut lengthwise into 6 wedges

1 medium onion, quartered

3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California

1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/8 tsp. dried hot red-pepper flakes

1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes in juice

1 1/2 c. water

1 c. full-bodied red wine such as Zinfandel or Syrah

1 (8-oz.) bottle clam juice

1 lb. skinless fillets of thick white-fleshed fish such as halibut, hake, or pollack, cut into 2-inch chunks (I used catfish and it worked just fine)

1 lb. cultivated mussels

Pulse fennel, onion, and garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped.

Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then stir in chopped vegetables, bay leaves, thyme, red-pepper flakes, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. black pepper.

Cook, covered, over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes.

Add tomatoes with their juice, water, wine, and clam juice and boil, covered, 20 minutes. Stir in seafood and cook, uncovered, until fish is just cooked through and mussels open wide, 4 to 6 minutes (discard any that remain unopened after 6 minutes). Discard bay leaves.

Gingerbread Pumpkin Bars

I would love to say that I came up with this recipe myself, but in actuality I swiped this one from Peabody. She has such wonderful recipes and great pictures, it puts me to shame. These bars are no exception from her usual recipes: very good, very fun to make, and lovely to behold. Thanks Peabody!

Gingerbread Pumpkin Bars

Ingredients:

For the bars:

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

16 tsp. unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/4 c. molasses

1/3 c. rolled quick oats

For the filling:

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 3/4 c. mashed pumpkin

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

2 large eggs

For the drizzle:

1 c. confectioners’ sugar

1 Tbsp. butter, softened

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1 to 2 Tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350 F.

To make the bars:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar and molasses until creamy. Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Reserve 3/4 cup of this mixture and place in a small bowl. Scoop the remaining mixture into a 10″ x 15″ baking pan lightly coated with nonstick spray.

Add the oats to the reserved mixture and mix until combined - set aside.

To make the filling:
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves - mix until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing just until combined. Scoop the mixture over the uncooked base and use an off-set spatula to evenly spread the mixture over the top. Crumble reserved oat mixture over filling.

Bake until the topping is a golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the drizzle:
In a small bowl, mix together confectioners’ sugar, butter and vanilla. Mix in just enough milk until the mixture will easily flow from a spoon - drizzle over cooled bars.

Herb-Roasted Root Vegetables

This is a great basic recipe for this time of year: it's good for you, tasty, and oh so easy to make. Unfortunately, Hubs hates brussels sprouts (and I adore them, especially roasted, so boo). So instead of brussels sprouts this time we bought patty pan squash to roast along with the other veggies, just added them for the last 10 minutes of roasting.

This recipe is very versatile: I change it up regularly depending on what looks good at the market or what I'm hungry for, using baking potatoes or fennel or butternut squash or beets. Possibilities are almost endless!

Herb-Roasted Root Vegetables

Ingredients:

4 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

8 oz. brussels sprouts, whole or halved if they are large

1/3 c. olive oil

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

1 Tbsp. dried basil

1 Tbsp. dried thyme

1 Tbsp. dried rosemary

Salt and ground black pepper

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 F.

In a large bowl, toss the parsnips, carrots, sweet potato, brussels sprouts, oil, and herbs with 2 tsp. each salt and ground black pepper to coat. Arrange the vegetables evenly on a large, heavy baking sheet.

Roast the vegetables until tender and golden, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. The veggies can be made up to 4 hours ahead; rewarm in the oven before serving.

Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata gets made quite a bit at our place, it's easy and quick and pretty darn healthy. We'll have it with a side of veggies and maybe some brown rice. This recipe is from Giada DeLaurentiis' cookbook Everyday Italian, and it's a good one. If you don't want to pound out the chicken breasts, the tenderloins they sell at the grocery store work well and also cook up in a jiffy.

Enjoy!

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients:

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half

Salt and ground black pepper

All-purpose flour, for dredging

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 c. fresh lemon juice

1/2 c. chicken stock

1/4 c. brined capers, rinsed

1/3 c. fresh parsley, chopped

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess. In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3-4 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate.

Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning.

Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

Chocolate Gingerbread (with a Kick)

I've been surfing the blogosphere for some time now, trolling for new and exciting recipes to give a go. One thing that I've noticed is that quite a few British and Australian folks have recipes that call for "treacle". Treacle, it turns out, is a bit like our molasses in The States, only it is much darker, with a more bitter and almost smoky taste to it. So imagine how excited I was to find both treacle and golden syrup at a lovely little place here in town.

To break in both the black treacle and golden syrup, I decided on a cake from Nigella Lawson, a gorgeous looking dense chocolate gingerbread cake. But I decided to give it a try with a bit of chili powder in it, as I've seen in a few other recipes online (plus I think Vosges was a bit of an inspiration, as they have a chocolate/cinnamon/chile bar that is quite tasty). When I made the cake I also added a bit more ginger, because the chocolate seemed soooo strong and frankly, I was craving gingerbread more than chocolate when I made this.

And the outcome? Chocolate + chili + gingerbread = the best cake, literally, that I've ever eaten. Ever. The cake is rich and soft and spicy, and oh so smoky. Nigella wasn't kidding when she called this a "chocolate cake for adults". So many things going on, and I doubt the kiddies would appreciate the heat and treacle/ginger going on. The one thing I might (just might) change would be the icing. It's almost overkill, and doesn't set up too well (instead it just seems to soak into the cake). A plain old dripply white icing would be perfect, I think.

This is the kind of cake that keeps well - the slice I ate today (after sitting for a day) was just to-die for. Equally chocolatey and sweet while spicy and aromatic from the gingerbread, with a warming heat that hits you at the back of the throat after you devour your slice. Wow. You've gotta try this.

Spicy Chocolate Gingerbread

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

1 c. plus 2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar

2 Tbsp. white sugar

3/4 c. golden syrup (or light corn syrup)

3/4 c. black treacle (or molasses)

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. ground ginger (I added an extra 1/2 tsp.)

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder (this is totally optional!)

1 1/4 tsp. baking soda

2 Tbsp. warm water

2 eggs

1 c. milk

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa

6 oz. package or 1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:
2 c. confectioners' sugar

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa

1/4 c. ginger ale

Preheat the oven to 325F and tear off a big piece of parchment paper to line the bottom and sides of a roasting pan of approximately 12 x 8 x 2 inches deep.

In a decent-sized saucepan, melt the butter along with the sugars, golden syrup, treacle or molasses, cloves, cinnamon and ground ginger. In a cup dissolve the baking soda in the water. Take the saucepan off the heat and beat in the eggs, milk and soda in its water. Stir in the flour and cocoa and beat with a wooden spoon to mix.

Fold in the chocolate chips, pour into the lined pan and bake for about 45 minutes until risen and firm. It will be slightly damp underneath the set top and that's the way you want it.Remove to a wire rack and let cool in the pan. Once cool, get on with the frosting.

Sift the confectioners' sugar. In a heavy-based saucepan heat the butter, cocoa and ginger ale. Once the butter's melted, whisk in the confectioners' sugar. Lift the chocolate gingerbread out of the pan and unwrap the paper. Pour over the frosting just to cover the top and cut into fat slabs when set.

Makes about 12 slabs.