Peanut Butter Brownies

These pictures are rather similar, but I couldn't choose between them.

This is a decadent recipe from Dorie Greenspan. The key is to let the brownies reach room temperature before you eat them- otherwise the ganache will be hard to bite through and the peanut butter frosting will pull away from the brownie.

They are ridiculously decadent.

Peanut Butter Brownies
reposted from epicurious.com

Brownies
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Frosting and ganache
1 cup chunky peanut butter (do not use natural or old-fashioned)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

For brownies:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving long overhang; butter foil.

Place 3/4 cup butter in heavy large saucepan. Add both chocolates; stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and salt, then eggs, 1 at a time. Fold in flour, then nuts. Spread in prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack; cool.

For frosting and ganache:
Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter and 1/4 cup butter in medium bowl to blend. Beat in powdered sugar, salt, and nutmeg, then milk and vanilla. Spread frosting over brownies.

Stir chocolate and 1/4 cup butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Drop ganache all over frosting; spread to cover. Chill until set, about 1 1/2 hours. Do ahead Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

Using foil as aid, transfer brownie cake to work surface; cut into squares. Bring to room temperature; serve.

Brownies and Mocha Slices

These days, most of my baking happens in the morning. I take morning photos on the windowsill because it's the only place that gets enough light.

I tried two chocolate recipes because the kitchen is well-stocked with several types of cocoa and chocolate. I went a little overboard in the Strip District last week...

I liked the brownies; they were fudgy without that undercooked, greasy texture that comes with too much butter fat. I ate my them plain, but you can do fancy things with them. The recipe is from A Passion for Ice Cream. Anita at Dessert First has tried some of the recipes- she takes great photos.

The mocha slices are an old favorite that I put in my Christmas cookie box a few years ago. The espresso powder, cocoa nibs and cinnamon give the cookies a dark, fruity flavor that pairs nicely with the cocoa. They're relatively soft and chewy. The original recipe coats the dough-logs with sparkling sugar, but I usually omit it. It also suggests storing the logs in a paper towel roll to hold their shape, which I never do.

I definitely ate my fair share of brownies, but now I'm tiring of chocolate. We'll see what I end up cooking next week.

Brownies
adapted from Emily Luchetti's A Passion for Ice Cream

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
5 ounces (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I used dutch-process, which worked well.)

To make the brownies: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper. Melt the chocolates and butter in a double boiler over hot water. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture. Sift together and then stir in the flour, salt, baking powder, and cocoa powder. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.

Bake until a skewer inserted in the center, comes out fudgy and not dry, about 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan. Place a cutting board on top of the pan. Invert the pan and board. Remove the pan and carefully peel off the parchment paper. Cut and serve.

Mocha Slices
adapted from Martha Stewart Magazine
Makes about 4 dozen

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup cocoa nibs
Coarse sanding sugar

Sift together flour, cocoa, salt, espresso powder, and cinnamon into a large bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle; mix on medium until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in cocoa nibs.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface; roll into a 2-inch-diameter log (I suggest dividing the dough and making 2 logs- much easier to manage.) Wrap in parchment; transfer to a paper towel tube to hold shape. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap log, and let soften slightly at room temperature, about 5 minutes. Brush with water, then roll in sanding sugar. Cut log into 1/4-inchthick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake until centers are set, about 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely. Store in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

Black Bottom Walnut Praline Bars

These bars were a big hit at work. They remind me of Abigail Johnson Dodge's Chocolate Chip Brownie Double Deckers from The Weekend Baker, but they're a little more sophisticated. The chocolate layer is richer, and the topping has a stronger butterscotch taste. I used toasted walnuts, but I think I would have preferred pecans.

This is the best brownie variation i've tried in a while. Cook's Illustrated's Triple Chocolate Espresso Brownies were a close second. I like Alice Medrich and Emily Luchetti's brownies well enough, but I still haven't found a recipe I can call my favorite. I can never get the exact texture and flavor i'm looking for.

You can use any half batch of Alice Medrich brownie batter for this recipe. I've included the half-recipe for her unsweetened chocolate, "new classic" brownies.

Black Bottom Pecan Praline Bars
adapted from Alice Medrich's Bittersweet

Brownie Layer
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1 cold large egg
1/4 cup all purpose flour

Place the chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl set in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the skillet. Stir in the sugar, vanilla, and salt with a wooden spoon. Add the egg. Stir in the flour and beat with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth, glossy, and beginning to come away from the sides of the bowl, 1-2 minutes. Proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Praline Layer
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp Baking soda
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 large egg yolk
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
9-inch square baking pan

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.
Spread the brownie batter in a thin even layer in the bottom of the lined pan. Set aside.
Mix the flour and baking soda together thoroughly and set aside.
Combine the melted butter, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the egg yolk and vanilla, then the flour mixture, and finally the nuts. Drop spoonfuls all over the top of the brownie batter (they will spread and cover the brownies entirely during baking).
Bake until the edges of the topping are well browned and cracked, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completey in pan on a rack.
Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 25 bars.

Fig Brownies with Brown Sugar Whipped Cream.

My love affair with Ficoco sent me on a google search for fig and chocolate recipes. My search yielded two noteworthy results.

1) God Hates Figs. (a spoof website ala godhatesshrimp.com)

2) A Double Chocolate Fig Slice Recipe.

Instead of soaking the figs in marsala, I soaked them overnight in dark rum (an -excellent- decision.) The resulting brownies were fudgy, adult, and richly studded with chunks of fig. I chopped the fruit pretty coarsely and used valrhona cocoa powder and 60% callebaut.

I used an 8" square pan, but I think a 9" might have been better as my brownies ended up too-underbaked in the very center. I'd love to eat them with some coffee ice cream next time!

The Week in Review

1) I went to the Strip District and bought some vegetables, including a squash that I roasted with garlic, olive oil, sage, salt, and pepper. I also bought a delicious sesame-semolina baguette from Mediterra.



2) I made the Espresso Swirl Brownies from Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies. Do not ignore the step that says to chill them for at least two hours. At room temperature they were a squishy, under-baked mess. Assuming they were ruined, I threw all but one into the garbage. The next morning, the chilled brownie was perfectly edible. That's what I get for trying to bake brownies when I have to rush out the door. They could've used 5-10 more minutes in the oven.

3) I booked tickets to Paris. My aunt and I are going October 26-November 2. Our itinerary is pretty flexible, but i'm pretty sure we'll be visiting the Salon du Chocolat.

I've been digging through books and websites trying to figure out all the places I want to visit/eat! Poilâne, Sadaharu Aoki, Pierre Herme, DOT (vintage kitchenware), Eric Kayser, Du Pain et des Idees, Grom, John-Charles Rochoux, Blé Sucré, pretty much anywhere mentioned on David Lebovitz and Dorie Greenspan's blogs.

In addition to planning, I will also be running and saving money like crazy...

Cocoa Nib and Hazelnut Florentines

It's been about a week since i've posted anything here. It's not that I haven't been baking- I made lemon bars, brownies, coconut chocolate chip cookies, mocha slices, and one or two other things. Unfortunately, most of these recipes turned out to be duds.

The brownie tart from Maxine Clark's Tarts: Sweet and Savory was too sweet and weakly flavored. 4 ounces of 72% chocolate was not enough to cut the 2 cups of sugar and 14 tbsp of butter. The brownies did have an interesting texture though.

The tangy lemon squares from The Weekend Baker tasted good, but they were extremely difficult to serve neatly. The smooth lemon curd topping tasted great, but it was messy and the shortbread crust got a little soggy. Since they were hard to handle, I ate them with a fork. I might try the recipe again with some modifications.

The chocolate chip coconut cookies from Pichet Ong's The Sweet Spot didn't spread much in the oven and had a weird texture. I probably over-measured the flour, but i'm wondering if other bakers have had problems following the weight measurements in this book. It's not the first time i've had weird results.

I think the bad baking and photography mojo is some combination of stress, personal error, and recipe troubles. After all of these frustrating attempts, I decided to make a recipe that always turns out well.

I've posted these florentines on the blog before, but I didn't include the recipe. They are thin, crunchy and elegant. They do spread a lot in the oven, so I suggest erring on the smaller side of 1 tsp while measuring the batter. Keep an eye on the baking time too, as these cookies quickly go from perfect to burnt.

Cocoa Nib Florentines
adapted from Emily Luchetti's A Passion for Ice Cream

2 oz (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
6 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp + 3/4 tsp all purpose flour
1/3 cup (1.5 oz) pistachios (or other nuts), toasted, skinned, and chopped
1/2 cup cocoa nibs

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cream, sugar, flour, the 1/3 cup nuts, and the cocoa nibs. Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and comes clean from the bottom of the pan as you stir, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

Drop teaspoonsuls of the batter 3.5 inches apart on the prepared pans. The cookies will spread as they bake. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool to room temperature on the pans and then remove them with a metal spatula.

Almond-less Biscotti and Coconut Sticks

Some of my favorite "biscotti" are just biscotti-shaped butter cookies. I suppose whether or not you like biscotti depends on how you define them. Are Almondinas biscotti? What about Mediterra's decadent chocolate-hazelnut cookies?

I usually associate the term with crunchy, twice-baked cookies that don't involve much butter. I'd say once you make something richer than the biscotti at Enrico's, you're making cookies.

When you read a biscotti recipe, consider the ingredients. Egg whites will make the dough stiffer and crunchier. Egg yolks and butter will contribute to a richer taste and crumbly texture.

I tried two different biscotti recipes last week: Cook's Illustrated's spiced biscotti, and Alice Medrich's almond biscotti (minus the whole almonds). Both recipes omitted butter. One called for 3 eggs, while one called for 2 eggs and 2 yolks. While both recipes insisted the final cookies would be crunchy but not tooth-breaking, I found them slightly too hard.

I much preferred Alice Medrich's coconut sticks, which are very similar to the almond sticks with cocoa nibs I make so frequently. They are once baked, biscotti-shaped cookies that are pleasantly crunchy and rich tasting. I really liked the coconut taste- they reminded me of these macaroons from my childhood, only fancier and more delicate.

I'll leave you with recipes for the almond biscotti and coconut sticks, which are pictured above. If you have a great recipe, let me know. I would love to be able to replicate Mediterra's biscotti...they're pretty amazing.

Almond Biscotti
from Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
3 large eggs
2 tbsp amaretto, or 2 tbsp rum with 1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp anise extract (optional)
1 cup whole almonds, toasted and chopped
Cookie sheet, lined with parchment or greased and floured

Preheat the oven to 300F. Position a rack in the middle of the oven.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and mix together thoroughly with a whisk or fork. Set aside.

Whisk the eggs, amaretto, vanilla, and anise extract, if using, in a large bowl until well blended. Stir in the flour mixture and then the almonds. The dough will be thick and sticky. Scrape the dough into a long log shape lengthwise on the cookie sheet. Flour your hands and shape the dough into a long flat loaf about 10 inches long and 5 inches wide.

Bake until firm and dry, about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Transfer the loaf carefully to a cutting board. Using a long serrated knife, cut the loaf on the diagonal into slices 1/2 inch wide. Lay the slices, cut side down, on the cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes; turn each cookie over and bake for 15-20 minutes longer, or until the cookies are golden brown. Place the cookie sheet on a rack to cool. Cool the cookies completely before stacking or storing. May be stored, airtight, for several weeks.

Coconut Sticks
from Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies

6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened dried coconut
1 cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp water
1 or 2 cookie sheets, lined with parchment or greased (I didn't bother greasing or lining them)

Using the back of a large spoon or with an electric mixer, in a medium bowl mix the butter with the sugar and salt until smooth and creamy, not at all fluffy. Mix in the vanilla. Mix in the coconut. Add the flour and mix with your fingers, pinching and gathering the mixture until it resembles damp crumbs. Drizzle in the water and continue to mix with your fingers, pinching and gathering the dough until the water seems well distributed. The dough will not form a smooth, cohesive mass; it will be crumbly, but it will stick together when you press it. Turn it out onto a large sheet of foil. Press the dough into a 6x9 inch rectangle a scant 1/2 inch thick. Fold the foil over the rectangle, and wrap the dough airtight. Slide a cookie sheet under the package and refrigerate it for 2 hours or overnight.

(*Or, you can do all of that in a food processor. Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter, chilled and cut into pieces, and pulse until the mixture looks well combined/sandy. Add the water and vanilla and pulse until the mixture begins to look damp. Add the coconut and pulse until the mixture starts to clump together. Turn out onto a piece of foil and continue with the recipe)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Position rack in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

Use a long sharp knife to trim 1 short edge of the dough rectangle. Then cut a slice a scant 3/8 inch wide. Use the knife to transfer the slice to the cookie sheet, placing it cut side up. Cut and transfer each slice, placing them at least 1 inch apart. If some break, just push them back together or bake them broken; they will look and taste great anyway.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the cookies just begin to turn golden at the edges. Rotate the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking.

Slide the parchment carefully onto a rack or set the pan itself on a rack to cool. Cool cookies completely before stacking or storing. Cookies are most delicious on the day they are baked (*I disagree). May be stored, airtight, for several days.

Brunch @ Dozen Bakeshop

I'm going to waive my usual two-photo limit to show you some lovely images from brunch at Dozen Bakeshop. This place is obviously a labor of love, and every time I see their ads on craigslist I wish I was still baking for a living. The bakeshop is brilliantly efficient; you order at the counter, refill your coffee, and bus your own tables, which really cuts back wait time.

I love that efficiency hasn't made the bakeshop any less friendly. Someone has an eye for detail- there are lovely decorative touches like vintage tins and milk containers, flowers, christmas lights, brightly colored napkins, exposed brick, and mismatched tables and chairs.

Brunch itself was delicious. We tried as much as we could stomach: beautifully presented, generous portions of quiche and baked french toast, cinnamon rolls, apple crumb cake, granola with fruit and yogurt...all the entrees came out at once, which was rather spectacular.

Best of all, everyone was hospitable. James walked around with a plate of brownies and offered every table a sample. This was also the first place i've recieved an enthusiastic response when I asked to take photos.

The pastries and entrees are familiar and well-executed. Some of the selections included cheesecakes, fruit crumbles, scones, cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls, muffins, coffee cakes, and apple pie. They had a good selection of vegan options as well.

Dozen Bakeshop has only been open for a week or two, so I hope they continue to do well once the newness wears off. I wish them lots of success!

Blondies (not boring!)

Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies continues to surprise me.

I usually hate blondies. My usual reaction is too much flour, too little flavor. These were great for a few reasons: they're simple (melt the butter and mix in everything else,) they're chewy, and they're full of flavor.

Alice Medrich suggests adding a tablespoon of dark rum. Don't omit this step! You can, but I thought the rum added a fantastic and surprising depth of flavor.

Try to use good chocolate chips if you can; I used 62% Nestle Chocolatier chips. They're not the best, but they're much better than the normal tollhouse. Chopped bittersweet chocolate would work nicely too.

Please, please don't overbake these!

Blondies
adapted from Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
8 tbsp butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar, lump free
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp dark rum or bourbon
2/3 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
8 inch square pan, lined with parchment paper or foil

Preheat the oven to 350. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and mix together thoroughly with a wisk or fork. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the brown sugar. Use a wooden spoon to beat in the egg, vanilla, and rum, if using. Stir in the flour mixture followed by half of the walnuts. Spread the batter in the pan. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts and the chocolate chips evenly over the top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the nuts look toasted, the top is golden brown, and the edges have pulled away from the sides of the pan. Cool in the pan on a rack. Lift the ends of the parchment or foil and transfer to a cutting board. Use a long, sharp knife to cut into 16 squares. May be stored, airtight, for 3-4 days.

More on Oh Yeah!

Here is a good, informative article on the new ice cream place:

http://www.popcitymedia.com/developmentnews/ohyeah0919.aspx

Also, Peter Berger posted this article and video regarding Oh Yeah! He seems to share my enjoyment of boozy ice cream.

More photos later in the week. I made another cheesecake, chocolate cherry cookies, and fig brownies.

Cornmeal Currant Biscotti

I don't make biscotti much. Mediterra makes fabulous hazelnut and chocolate biscotti that are more like sables/butter cookies than traditional biscotti. I need to try a few more recipes before I know how to get the texture i'm looking for. This Alice Medrich recipe was pretty simple. I'm not sure i'd use currants next time; I think a slightly sweeter fruit would have been better with the cornmeal.

The graduation party went well last night. All of the baked goods were devoured, excepting one poundcake which i'm taking home for my parents. I have plenty of photos to share later: more gingersnaps, blondies, glazed lemon cake, and more!

Cornmeal and Fruit Biscotti
adapted from Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 cup raisins or dried cherries, cranberries, or blueberries, or chopped dried apricots

Preheat oven to 350. Position a rack in the middle of the oven.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and mix together thoroughly with a whisk or fork. Set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until blended. Add the eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest, and beat until light and fluffy.

Add the flour mixture, stirring until all of the ingredients are moistened. Add the raisins, mixing with your hands if necessary. Shape the dough into a 12x2 inch log and place it on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until lightly browned and cracked on top. Cool for 5-10 minutes. Transfer the loaf carefully to a cutting board. Using a long serrated knife, cut the loaf on the diagonal into slices about 3/8 inch wide. Lay the slices, cut side down, on the cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are barely beginning to brown at the edges. Set the pan on a rack. Cool the cookies completely before stacking or storing. May be stored, airtight, for at least 2 weeks.

Banana Bread/Cake ala David Lebovitz.

I made this recipe from David Lebovitz's blog. It's a little different than other banana bread recipes i've made: less butter, and some fromage blanc. It's a good snack cake.

I'm a little amused by the photo; it wasn't staged. I bought roses earlier in the day (only 5 bucks from the lady outside PNC) and the music was from cello practice. I don't have a music stand at the moment, so I invariably prop the music on tables, chairs, desks, random piles of junk.

I'm making almond/cherry bars and peanut butter brownies tonight so stay tuned. It's going to be a crazy week and I think i've been baking overtime to avoid thinking about it.

Meme.

Aran from Cannelle et Vanille tagged me for a meme. I tried using Wikipedia to figure out what "meme" means. I found that entry rather indecipherable (and slightly hilarious).

Apparently i'm supposed to reveal some facts about myself. I prefer to focus on recipes, but I'll jump on this meme train and indulge you with some personal tidbits.

1) This is my favorite book. I almost bought it solely for the cover art. Another customer saw me pick it up and said "That book is amazing. You have to buy it." I think it's really beautiful.

2) I'm pretty frugal and try not to acquire more possessions than I can move myself. That said- there are certain items I'm willing to splurge on if I save a little: high quality bedding, japanese ceramics (or other fine china/earthenware), and nice stationery. Design Sponge gives me a lot of inspiration. I really treasure and use almost everything I own.

3) This is the first cookbook I ever used. I made a lot of chocolate chip cookies and brownies. Occasionally toad-in-the-hole (bread with an egg cooked in the middle).

4) I love going to sleep and waking up early. I really value my sleep; it's one of the highest things on my list of priorities. Sleep, exercise, and eating habits really affect my mood, so I try to keep them stable and maintain a certain amount of routine.

5) I really love costume dramas, especially if they make me cry. I've seen the new Pride and Prejudice five or six times. I love the costumes, the cinematography, the accents, the angst, the romance...Some of my current favorites include I Capture the Castle, Nicholas Nickelby, Daniel Deronda, Legends of the Fall, Jane Eyre, Mansfield Park, The Piano, Bleak House, Shakespeare in Love, Moll Flanders, The Remains of the Day, and many others.

6) I'm very punctual. I hate that many music and social events have an implied period of lateness. Ugh.

7) I'm smitten with Pittsburgh. Every time I exit the Fort Pitt tunnel and see the gorgeous view of the city, my heart catches in my throat. I have no desire to leave anytime soon (possibly ever).

Chewy Almond and Cherry Bars.

Some days, I feel like lazy baking: baking that requires no butter creaming, egg white whipping, gelatin blooming, double boiling or dough proofing.

I've also been a little uninspired lately when it comes to cooking, writing, and music making. I thought it might help to go back to basics. I've been working on etudes and keeping my blog entries rather short. Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies is an old classic and I decided to try a simple recipe i'd normally be tempted to skip over.

These Almond and Cherry Bars taste like something someone's mother would give you. They're very plain but satisfying with a chewy texture similar to blondies or peanut butter bars. The almond extract lends a delicate, aromatic touch.

I'm not sure how my writing is going to progress. My sixteen year old brother wrote a short autobiography that was incredibly fresh and hillarious. It made me wonder if my literary voice has been killed by years of trying to do well in english class.

Anyway, i'm going to keep trying simplicity for a while and see where things go.

Chewy Almond and Cherry Bars
3/4 cup whole almonds, with or without skins
1 cup all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
8 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1 large egg
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup dried tart cherries, or dried cranberries, or apricots
8 inch square pan lined with parchment or foil

Preheat the oven to 350. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.

Process the almonds with the flour in a food processor fitted with a steel blade until the almonds are finely ground. Add the salt and baking powder and pulse to mix. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Using a wooden spoon, beat in the egg and almond extract. Stir in the flour mixture, followed by the dried fruit. Spread the batter evenly in the pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and have pulled away from the sides of the pan and the top is golden brown. Cool in the pan on a rack. Run a knife along the unlined sides of the pan. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 16 squares. May be stored airtight for at least 1 week.

Maple Cornmeal Drop Biscuits

These buttery, crispy-edged biscuits were pleasant on a rainy Friday morning. They're not the most exciting treats in Baking From my Home to Yours, but they're ridiculously easy to make. I think they'd be nice with bacon and eggs.

Now I have some completely unrelated things to mention:

1) I've had some really good food in Pittsburgh lately.
This could be somewhat subjective, but i've enjoyed big slices of pizza from Pizza Sola, shish kebab dinners at Istanbul Grille, cinnamon twists and almond mele next door to La Prima, honeycrisp apples from the farmer's market, and interesting baked goods from Dozen Bakeshop. Dozen had some especially good pumpkin muffins last week.

2) I'm planning a trip to Paris for the end of October.
I'm in the initial stages of planning, but I am pretty sure this will happen. I am ridiculously excited. I've been gathering all my notes/bookmarks on pastry places i'd like to see, and i'm trying to figure out who I know in the city who'd be willing to hang out for an afternoon.

I'm feeling settled into the new apartment too, although I think I need an oven thermometer. I've already over-baked three batches of brownies. I'm going to ease up on the baking this week- I waiting for the library to fill some of my cookbook requests. I'm curious to try Nick Malgieri's new book. It has an intriguing recipe for cheater puff pastry.

Maple Cornmeal Drop Biscuits
adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From my Home to Yours

1 c all-purpose flour
1 c cornmeal
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
6 T cold unsalted butter
1/2 c milk
1/4 pure maple syrup

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
2. Rub butter into the flour mixture with fingers or pastry blender, until butter is in various sizes from pea- to oatmeal flake-size pieces.
3. Add the milk and maple syrup and mix just until dry ingredients are wet. Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees.

Fruit and Nut Bars

Fruit and Nut Bars from Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies.

I have two roommates. One of them loved these bars and the other said, "I think they look a little too healthy for me."

I think the apple anadama coffee cake also falls into the slightly too healthy category. Personally, I love baked goods with a high percentage of "stuff" in them, whether that's nuts, grains, fruits, etc. Unfortunately, these things don't move very quickly when you try to ditch them at work or class.

Maybe it's the slightly brown, healthy color or the large chunks of fruit that throws people off. I keep thinking "if they tried it, they'd like it! It tastes good!"

The office can be a strange place. Women will devour chocolate cupcakes with three inch thick frosting if someone says it's made with splenda, but they'll ignore a perfectly nice fruit bar. Hmph.

This recipe is available here.

Rocky Road Bars.

I thought I wasn't going to bake today, but I got bored and made three kinds of cookies.

These were probably my favorite of the three. I love the buttery, toasted graham cracker crust and the overall flavor/texture. Best of all, these bars are very easy to make. They might not be extremely sophisticated, but they're simple, satisfying, and different from standard bar fare.

I ran out of daylight, so i'll post the other cookies tomorrow.

Rocky Road Bars
adapted from Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies

6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups fine graham cracker crumbs (from 11 double graham crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup walnut pieces
2 cups miniature or quartered regular marshmallows
1 cup milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips
8 inch square baking pan, lined with foil

Preheat the oven to 350. Position the oven rack in the lower third of the oven.

Using a fork, mix the butter with the graham cracker cumbs and sugar until all of the crumbs are evenly moistened. Turn the mixture into the pan and spread it evenly, pressing very firmly all over the bottom to form a crust. Scatter the nut pieces evenly over the crust.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the crust begins to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and scatter marshmallows and chocolate chips evenly over the walnuts. Return the pan to the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the marshmallows are soft, barely golden, and merged with one another. Set on a rack to cool completely. Run a knife along the unlined sides of the pan. Lift the ends of the foil liner and transfer the bars to a cutting board. Cut into bars. May be stored, airtight, for 4-5 days.

Searching and Content.

Some of you have asked for a recipe index or an easier way to search this blog. I've added a google toolbar on the left. While it is similar to the search bar at the top of the page, I find it displays the content in a friendlier format (ie you don't have to dig through every post.)

This same result can be achieved by doing any search in google, then adding the text site:http://pghtasted.blogspot.com.

Part of the problem is words like "cookies" "brownies" and "cake" are often included in posts that don't have a recipe attached. With that in mind, I will try and compile a recipe index (for my own use as much as yours.)

I created this blog without much purpose. Now, over a year and a half later, I've been reflecting on what this blog is for and what content i'd like to include. I think it's best for photos, comments on cookbooks, and recipes. I don't want to do restaurant reviews, and I don't want to adapt the enviable literary style of blogs like Orangette.

With most food blogs, I look for interesting photos with recipes to try. Sometimes I look for comments on cookbooks I haven't tried or purchased. I spend much more time reading cookbooks than writing about food, so I think I may try and stick to a recipe-focused approach. We'll see. It's all speculative.