Chocolate Coconut Bars

September 20, 2012

There aren’t a lot of dessert options when you’re eating dairy-free. Desserts that don’t include any milk, butter, buttermilk, yogurt, cream, cream cheese, etc. are not only hard to come by, but usually not too enticing. I know dairy-free margarine and several other substitutes exist. (I’ve got some and I’ll try them out eventually.) They just don’t excite me. Thankfully, not all chocolate is made with milk (especially the dark varieties). And coconut oil makes an excellent replacement for butter in some recipes.

I just discovered coconut oil and I love it. And from what I hear/read- it happens to be good for you. I’ll eat it for breakfast spread on a toasted english muffin. Yum. Anyway, its health benefits are probably negated by the copious amounts of sugar used in this recipe. But this is after all, dessert. Feel free to use butter instead. I’m sure (in fact, I know) that would be good. But the oil adds even more coconut flavor without sacrificing richness or texture in this recipe.

Chocolate Coconut Bars

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and at room temperature (I used 1/2 cup coconut oil)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes + extra for sprinkling on top
1 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

2. Combine the flour and salt; whisk and set aside.

3. Stir together the melted butter (or coconut oil) and brown sugar until smooth and creamy; beat in egg and vanilla extract until well blended.

4. Slowly beat in the flour and salt mixture until just blended. Next, stir in the coconut and chocolate chips. Scrape the batter into the pan. Make sure the batter is spread evenly, smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle extra coconut on top of the bars.

5. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until set in the center but still soft. (Mine were almost overly done after 18 minutes- this may be due to my hot oven or replacing the butter with coconut oil.) Do not overbake the bars. Let cool slightly before cutting the bars into squares and serving.

Makes an 8×8 pan.

(Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker via Lahatchita Eats)

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Sweet Potato, Bacon, and Baked Egg Hash

September 18, 2012

I miss this. This hobby/art form/outlet of cooking and writing and photography. I realize I’ve been absent lately. And I have all sorts of excuses. First Clara joined our family. Then we moved and we’ve been adjusting to our new life in the city. Husband has a new job. I have a new home and a new very old kitchen. And as soon as I thought I was getting my groove back, baby girl started having reflux issues which led to the conclusion that I should eliminate diary from my diet (I’m breastfeeding). And along with the cheese and yogurt and ice cream, I said goodbye to piles of recipes I wanted to try and lost my culinary motivation again.

Six weeks later and I’m still dairy-free (and craving a slice of pizza like crazy), but I have learned one thing: you can survive, even eat well, without milk and all its derivatives. Baking gets tricky and dining out is barely worth the hassle. But I did discover some wonderful foods I was previously missing out on- like rice milk (which I actually prefer to the real thing) and coconut oil (to be featured in my next post).

This recipe is naturally dairy free. (Although a handful of cheddar or smoked gouda baked in would be a fabulous addition.) It’s also completely hearty and delicious. Sauteed in glimmering bacon grease, the sweet potato hash is topped with cracked eggs and baked until perfectly tender and crisp. Meant for breakfast, but great for dinner. And again reheated the next morning.

Sweet Potato, Bacon, and Baked Egg Hash

INGREDIENTS

6 slices bacon
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika (I used smoked paprika)
4 large eggs
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
green onion, sliced
cilantro, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. In a large oven-proof skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside on a paper towel to drain, reserving at least 1 Tbsp. of bacon grease in the pan. Crumble bacon once cooled.

3. Add the sweet potatoes to the reserved bacon grease and saute over medium-high heat until browned, about 12 minutes. Add onion and peppers and saute until softened, 6 to 8 minutes more. Stir in the cumin and paprika and crumbled bacon. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4. Make 4 little wells in the sweet potato mixture and crack an egg into each well. Season the eggs with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake until the sweet potatoes are tender and the eggs are set but the yolks are still soft, about 12 minutes. Garnish with green onion and cilantro and serve.

Serves 3-4.

(Adapted from Joy of Kosher)

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Triple Chocolate Trifle with Raspberries

August 3, 2012

My husband loves chocolate desserts. And I love anything with fruit. Add a little (or whole lot) of fresh whipped cream, even better. So when I stumbled upon this recipe I knew we had a winner. Decadent chocolate brownies layered with creamy chocolate custard, summer raspberries, lightly whipped cream, and bittersweet chocolate shavings. It was as awesome as it sounds. The original recipe called for cocoa in the whipped cream as well. For aesthetic reasons more than taste, I left it out. Technically its addition would make this a quadruple chocolate trifle and I think that might just be overdoing it. I also forgot to add the chocolate shavings between the layers, but didn’t miss them. I think a hearty sprinkling on top is just the right amount.

Triple Chocolate Trifle with Raspberries

INGREDIENTS

Brownies:
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped (I used 3 oz. milk chocolate and reduced the sugar)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups sugar (I used 2 cups, see above)
3 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Chocolate Custard:
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
pinch salt
1 3/4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
10 oz. (2 cups) bittersweet chocolate (I used 60% dark), finely chopped
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Whipped Cream:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. cocoa powder (optional- I omitted)

1-2 pints fresh raspberries
bittersweet chocolate (I used 60% dark), shaved or roughly chopped for layers and/or topping

DIRECTIONS

1. To make brownies, preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

2. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Remove pan from heat and stir in chopped chocolate until fully melted. Stir in cocoa and sugar until combined. Slowly add eggs, whisking chocolate mixture constantly, then whisk in vanilla. Fold in flour and salt.

3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until just firm, about 20-25 minutes (do not overbake). Transfer pan to a rack to cool.

4. In a large bowl, mix together granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in 3/4 cup milk. In a large saucepan, bring remaining 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup cream to a boil over medium heat. Whisk hot milk mixture slowly into cocoa mixture. Return to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking gently, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. (A simmering bubble or two is O.K., but do not let it boil.)

5. In a medium heat-resistant bowl, whisk yolks. Whisking them constantly, very slowly dribble about half the cocoa-milk mixture into yolks until fully combined. Pour yolk mixture into saucepan with remaining cocoa-milk mixture, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking occasionally, over medium-low heat, until thickened, about 5 minutes. (Do not let mixture come to a simmer. If pan begins to steam thickly, remove from heat for a few moments and stir well before continuing.) Let cool slightly.

6. Melt 5 ounces chopped chocolate with butter. Stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Cool 5 minutes, then fold into thickened egg mixture. Place plastic wrap directly against pudding (to prevent a skin from forming), and chill until set, about 3 hours. (Pudding and brownies can be made up to 5 days ahead, and refrigerated.)

7. Just before assembling, in an electric mixer, beat remaining 2 cups cream with remaining 5 tablespoons cocoa powder and 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar until it forms soft peaks. Scrape down sides and fold in any excess cocoa or sugar.

8. Cut brownies into 1-inch squares. Fit a layer of brownie squares in bottom of a 4-quart trifle, glass, or other bowl. Top with half the pudding, a third of the whipped cream, a third of the remaining chopped chocolate and a third of the raspberries. Repeat layering until all ingredients have been used. Serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and chill for up to 24 hours before serving.

Serves 8-10.

(Adapted from The New York Times)

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Mashed Potatoes with Gouda and Bacon

June 13, 2012

This will probably be the last recipe to come from my Richmond kitchen. We’re finally packing and we load up and pull out for good Saturday morning. I have mixed emotions about this move. Usually I’m all about new places and new people. But I’ve loved it here. It has only been four years but this is home. We’ve spent the majority of our married lives here, started a family here. I hope Chicago will be so good to us.

I plan on cooking and blogging again. As soon as things get settled and our life regains some sort of routine. Motherhood has been a big change, but it definitely won’t keep me out of the kitchen and away from you! So until then- I leave you with this creamy cheesy not-so-waistline friendly mashed potato casserole. Bacon, gouda, sour cream… I probably don’t need to tell you that it’s heavenly.

Mashed Potatoes with Gouda and Bacon

INGREDIENTS

8 slices bacon
5 large green onions, finely chopped
3 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter
1/3-1/2 cup milk (to desired consistency)
2 cups (about 8 oz.) smoked gouda, grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Butter a 9×13 baking dish. Cook bacon until browned and crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Chop bacon. Place in a medium bowl and add green onions; toss to combine.

2. Place potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover. Sprinkle with salt. Cover and boil with lid slightly ajar until tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain.

3. Add the sour cream, butter, and milk to the pot. Using a potato masher, mash until almost smooth. Add more milk to thin if necessary. Stir in 1 1/2 cups smoked gouda and 1 cup of the bacon-onion mixture. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spread in the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining cheese.

4. Preheat oven to 375 F and bake for about 30 minutes until the edges are bubbling and the top is golden. Top with the remaining bacon-onion mixture and serve.

Serves 6-8.

(Adapted from Bon Appetit)

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Distracted

May 2, 2012

Please excuse me if things get a little neglected around here, we’re slightly distracted by this tiny face.

Clara Jade arrived just yesterday and now we’re a family of three! 

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