Category: Recipes (Page 20 of 26)

A few years ago I made Mohr Im Hemd, a type of Austrian chocolate pudding, as part of my international cooking project. It didn’t work out well for me 🙁
Yesterday I received a message with some hints on how to correctly cook it. I’m copying the message here for the benefit of those who want to make it.
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I’ve been looking for a “Mohr im Hemd” recipe for a number of years and your recipe worked just fine for me. Perhaps I can make a couple of suggestions that will make it work better for you as well.
First is the chocolate measurement. “One cup” is a challenge because the measurement is much affected by the fineness of the grating. I made it twice, once with 80 grams (not enough) and a second time with 160 grams (seems perfect). I also grated the chocolate very finely using a rasp – it was like dust and blended in very well. The chocolate in your picture looks like largish lumps.
Secondly, it is important to get the egg whites and the chocolate well-folded together. The chocolate mixture is quite thick, so add about 1/3 of the egg whites and fold it in to lighten it up before folding in the rest of the egg whites.
The resulting cakes were dark chocolate and very dense (and definitely homogeneous), as they are supposed to be. We’ve had “mohr im hemd” in Vienna a few times, but it is increasingly difficult to find a house-made version, rather than factory-made.
The sauce recipe seems to make way too much so I cut that back considerably.
Hope you find the time to read this and make some changes to the online recipe. I notice that your recipe is the same as that of Jakob Schmidlechner, the innkeeper of the Mohrenwirt restaurant in Salzberg, Austria.
Cheers – Jan Reatherford, Ottawa, Canada

For Xmas I made a completely unsuccessful Madeira Peppercorn Reduction sauce which required the purchase of green peppercorns in brine (which I found at the Pasta Shop at the Rockridge Market Hall). I wanted to use the leftover peppercorns for other dishes, so I looked for suggestions in my favorite cooking site, epicurious.com – fortunately there were several recipes that included the peppercorns.
Saturday night I made Chicken in a Dijon Sherry Sauce, which was OK though a bit bland for my taste (despite the fact that I added extra mustard & sherry). Mike liked it, though. Still, I don’t think I’ll make it again.
Last night, I meant to make Beef and Guinness Pie, but I couldn’t find puff pastry at the supermarket (and I was not going to make it myself). So I followed the recipe to make a beef stew, which I served over mashed potatoes (the box kind 🙁 ). The stew was amazing, very deep and rich, without being too dark, and just plain tasty. I am, therefore, copying the recipe below, because I mean to make it again (perhaps for St. Patrick’s Day). I think it’d be even better with bread (sourdough would be my choice, but then again, it always is). One thing – though I loved the stew, I didn’t particularly like the peppercorns. Next time I’ll omit them altogether.

Guinness Beef Stew

• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• a sprinkle of black pepper
• 2 lbs beef chuck
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. water
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 cup Guinness
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 tsp. brined green peppercorns, drained & chopped (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Mix the flour with the salt and pepper in a medium-size bowl. Cut the beef into chunks and put in the bowl with the flour. Coat well.
Heat the olive oil in a medium to large oven-safe pot, over medium-high heat. Add the beef and stir until it browns on all sides. Remove the beef from the pot (you can put it in the same bowl it was before).
Add the onion, garlic and water to the bowl. Cook until the onions softened, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add tomato paste and stir for one minute. Add the broth, Guiness, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and green peppercorns (if using) and mix well. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat, cover and put in the oven. Cook until the beef is very soft, about 1 1/2 hours. Serve.

I have long been interested in Israeli couscous, but I had never really cooked it – for one, because it’s difficult to find. Trader Joe’s has started carrying it, though, and I have no doubt that it will become one of our starch staples. Though it’s probably not as healthy as whole-wheat regular couscous, it’s less messy (you can’t imagine the mess little kids can do with regular couscous), more attractive, and, most importantly, Mika really likes it.
Despite my inexperience with Israeli couscous, I felt it would be an ideal companion to the roasted rack of lamb I was serving. I wanted a side that would have a relatively soft flavor, so as to not compete with the lamb, that would be able to stand to the sauce I was serving with the lamb, and that would be good on its own. This recipe met all the requirements.
Indeed, I’m surprised at how it managed to be both quite simple and amazingly delicious. I ended up serving it as a 4th course, rather than a side, because my rack of lamb took forever to cook, and it actually worked pretty well on its own. I definitely ate a large plate of it. Those who waited say it also went very well with the lamb. My only concern with the recipe is how much butter it takes. When I make it again, I’ll try to reduce it to 3 Tbsp. and see if the results are noticeably inferior.
Toasted Israeli Couscous with Pine Nuts and Parsley

• 5 Tbsp. butter
• 2/3 cup pine nuts
• 2 large shallots, chopped
• 16 oz Israeli couscous
• 1 large cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
• black pepper

Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a small pan over medium-low heat. Add the pine nuts and cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Meanwhile, melt 4 Tbsp. of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until brown, about 10 minutes. Add the couscous, cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Cook until the couscous browns slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir often.
Add the chicken broth and the salt and mix well. Bring the couscous to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the couscous is done and all the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Mix in the pine nuts and parsley. Add black pepper to taste.
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My husband wanted foie gras for Xmas Eve dinner – but I just couldn’t justify the expense on this economy. I thought first about making scallops, but as I’m not a great fan, I settled on mushrooms instead. I looked and looked and looked for a great mushroom ragout recipe, to no avail. So I decided to use this one for wild mushroom crostini as it got good reviews and could be made the day ahead. It wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, but I thought it was quite tasty. Still, I served it on store-bought garlic parmesan panettini (only because a friend got me a package for Xmas, and I figured that using it would mean having one less thing to do), and the flavor of the toasts sort of overwhelmed the mushrooms. If you make them, use regular toast (see original recipe for instructions).
I also had to alter the types of mushrooms I used because one package of oyster mushrooms I bought was bad (damn Safeway) and I couldn’t find crimini mushrooms at the supermarket.
The recipe below is what I made.
Mushroom ragout on toast

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 large shallots, chopped
• 3.5 oz oyster mushrooms, chopped
• 7 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
• 1 lb white mushrooms, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary
• 1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup grated Fontina cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 36 small toast slices

Preheat broiler.
Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and saute for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they start to brown – about 6 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
Add cream, rosemary and lemon peel and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool down. Add the two cheeses and mix well.
Place toasts on a baking sheet. Spoon mushroom mixture onto the toasts. Bake until the mixture starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Serve warm.

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My sister Kathy asked me to make artichoke & spinach dip for our Xmas Eve dinner. Though I neither like artichokes or spinach, and I had a very heavy menu, I decided to honor her request. She is pretty appreciative of my food, and it’s always nice to cook for someone who is going to appreciate it.
There were many recipes to chose from, but I settled on this one, by Tiffany Brennan in allrecipes.com. My version is very close to hers, though I had to change a couple of ingredients to suit what I had at home. I also sort of halved it – as I didn’t expect that many people to eat it. The proportions below will serve 4 served with toasted bread.
I made the dip the day before, covered it and let it come to room temperature before baking it.
My guests absolutely loved it – I’ll definitely make it again for Kathy. As for me, I couldn’t bring myself to taste it.
Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip

• 4 oz cream cheese
• 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp. grated Romano cheese
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. herbs de provence
• a dash of celery salt
• 6 oz canned artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 2 Tbsp. mozarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350F
Mix together the cream cheese, mayo, parmesan & romano cheeses, garlic, herbs de provence and celery salt. Add artichoke hearts and spinach and mix.
Transfer dip to a baking dish and sprinkle with mozarella cheese. Bake in a preheated oven until the top is bubbly and lightly browned – about 15 minutes.
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I wanted to use some of the very expensive balsamic vinegar Mike got me last year, so I looked for a vinaigrette recipe to use on a simple mixed green salad. This one was super easy and delicious. The only change I would make next time is adding some crunch to the salad – roasted pecans or walnuts would work well. The recipe, as most of my non-ethnic recipes – comes from epicurious.com.
Salad with balsamic vinaigrette

• 1 lb mixed greens
• 3 Tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Wash and dry the greens.
In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and garlic. Whisk in the olive oil, a little bit at the time. Mix with greens and serve.

Picture by my amazing photographer friend Dan
I made this recipe yesterday for my Hanukkah dinner. It’s from epicurious, but I’m posting it rather than just linking to it, because I made a couple of changes. It was quite good, and I may make it again for another Hanukkah.
I will note that I didn’t have a pot large enough to accommodate the brisket, so I browned it by parts in a wide pan, and then placed it in a lasagna pan – which I covered with aluminum foil.
Note that brisket can be hard to find, even around Hanukkah. I was able to find it at the Safeway in Alameda, but only by asking at the meat counter (they didn’t have it out). Of course, you can always order it from a butcher.
Wine-Braised Brisket of Beef with Caramelized Pearl Onions and Dried Apricots

• 5 lbs brisket
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• 1 bottle red wine (I use 2buck chuck)
• flour
• vegetable oil
• 6 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 medium carrots, cut into 1″ pieces
• 2 celery stalks, cut into 1″ pieces
• 1 leek, white part only, cut into 1″ pieces
• 1 cup dried apricots
• 6 springs flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tsp. herbs de provence
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 quart plus 1/4 cup beef stock (I use better than bouillon)
• 1 pckg frozen pearl onions, defrosted

Rub the brisket on both sides with kosher salt and sprinkle with black pepper and let rest, refrigerated, for at least 2 hours.
In a small pan, reduce the red wine by half and set aside.
Preheat oven to 250F
Heat oil in a wide pan. Dredge the meat in flour and brown it on both sides. Place the meat in a dutch oven or pan large enough to accommodate it and set aside.
Pour out the oil from the pan, and add a little bit more. Add the shallots, carrots, celery and leek and sautee until light brown. Add 1/2 cup of apricots and the parsley, herbs de provence, bay leaves and tomato paste. Stir and cook for one minute.
Pour the vegetables on top of the brisket, along with the wine and 1 qt. beef broth. Cover and cook for 4 1/2 hours.
Soon before the brisket is ready, sautee the pearl onions on some oil until golden brown. Cut 1/2 cup of apricots into thin strips and add them to the onions. Stir and add 1/4 cup beef broth, deglazing the pan. Set aside, keeping it warm.
Remove the brisket from the oven, and carefully remove it from the pan. Cover it to keep it warm. Boil the liquid until it reduces by half. Strain it, discarding the vegetables & fruits.
Mix the onions with the liquid, and serve with the brisket.
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This year I decided to bake for my friend Desiree rather than get her a present. I figured a present from the heart was much nicer – plus I had no idea what to buy her anyway 🙂 At our age, we have accumulated so much stuff, that often times the least you want for Xmas is something that will occupy space in your house.
I decided at first to make her a chocolate tort. I used this recipe for a chocolate hazelnut torte. Alas, it was a total failure. I don’t know if the problem was that I over-whipped the egg whites, that I didn’t butter the pan properly, or that I overbaked it (which I definitely did, though I baked it for less time and at a lower temperature than the recipe called for), but the cake stuck to the sides of the pan, and self-destructed when I took it out. It also wasn’t that good. I liked the chocolate-hazelnut flavor, but it was dry and by itself quite boring (of course, given the failed cake, I didn’t make the glace). So, needless to say, I had to throw it away.
I decided that tortes where not for me, so I chose to make Desiree a chocolate tart, instead. I used this recipe, also from epicurious, and the tart is phenomenal (Desiree is leaving on vacation today, so she didn’t want the whole thing – so I got to keep half of it :-). I modified it a little bit, to the ingredients I had/could find. The only problem was that the crust stuck to the pan – next time I’ll butter it. Here is the recipe:
Chocolate Glazed Chocolate Tart
Ingredients

For crust:
• 1 cup finely ground Milano chocolate cookies (I used raspberry flavored ones)
• 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar
  For filling:

• 1 1/4 cups cream
• 9 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt
  For glaze:

• 2 Tbsp. cream
• 1 3/4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. warm water

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter the bottom of a tart pan.
Make the crust by mixing together all the ingredients. Press them onto the bottom and sides of the tart pan. Bake until firm, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
Make filling. Place the chocolate in a small bowl. Bring the cream to a boil, and pour ove the chocolate. Mix well as the chocolate melts. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract and salt. Stir into the chocolate cream.
Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Bake until the filling is set, about 20-25 minutes. Cool completely in the pan.
Make the glace by putting the chocolate in a small bowl. Bring the cream to a boil (I placed it into a metal measuring cup to boil it) and pour over the chocolate. Stir until melted and smooth. Stir in the honey and then the water.
Pour glaze onto the tart, spreading evenly. Let stand until glaze sets, about 1 hour (I put it in the fridge to cool).

Last night I made chicken adobo. I think it was the second time I’d ever cooked the dish, the first one being over 15 years ago. But I’ve been eating it at Zen’s in San Leandro, and really enjoying it. I chose a very simple recipe from epicurious.com, and the results were quite good. It didn’t have the depth of flavor that Zen’s adobo has, but the chicken was moist and tasty, and most importantly, then kids (my kids!) loved it.
I will say that we ended up eating the chicken without the sauce, and not browning it after removing it from the sauce. We just couldn’t wait 🙂 The following is my adaptation of the original recipe:
Chicken Adobo

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 5 lbs chicken parts
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
• 2-4 bay leaves (depending on size)
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp sugar

Put a large pot over medium-high heat and brown the chicken parts on the oil. Add the garlic cloves and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the vinegar, the peppercorns and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce temperature and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the soy sauce and sugar, mix well and then simmer for 20 more minutes.
Remove chicken from pot, keep warm and reduce the sauce until it’s about 1 cup. Remove fat and serve over chicken.
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