Top Favorite: Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Brownies

Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Brownies (revisited) - made May 4, 2014 from Fearless Baking by Elinor Klivans

This is probably one of my favorite peanut butter and milk chocolate brownie combinations and I haven't made it in ages. Probably because I already know what it tastes like, I've already made the recipe and I've already blogged about it. But I needed something peanut butter and chocolate to take to my coworkers at our annual conference and I didn't want to risk a new recipe in case it didn't turn out. I had a lot of baked goods to bring and not much time to bake so I couldn't afford failures. Plus I blogged about these several years ago and wanted more close up pictures to post.

The recipe calls for 6 ounces of chocolate for the middle layer but I never measure. Instead I sprinkle with chocolate chips until the bottom layer is almost completely covered. Alternately, you can lay thin slabs of milk chocolate over the peanut butter to cover them completely then top with the remaining half of the peanut butter batter. These may not look "done" but they are. If you overbake them, they'll be cakey. Underbake slightly for a dense, moist texture.

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ pound (1 stick) soft unsalted butter
1 cup smooth peanut butter, room temperature
½ cup packed light brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces milk chocolate, such as Lindt or Dove Bar, broken into about ½” pieces

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 x 9 x 2” or 11 x 7 x 2” baking pan. 
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt onto a piece of wax paper or into a small bowl and set aside. 
3. Put the butter and peanut butter in a large bowl and stir with a large spoon until they are blended together. You may see a few specks of butter. Stir in the brown sugar and granulated sugar, mixing until they are incorporated and there is no loose sugar. Stirring vigorously, beat in the eggs and vanilla until the mixture looks smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir just until it is incorporated and there is no loose flour. Spread about two thirds of the batter into the pan, spreading it evenly with a thin metal spatula or a nonsharp table knife. Scatter the milk chocolate pieces evenly over the batter. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining batter over the milk chocolate, using a rubber spatula to scrape all of the batter from the bowl. Use a thin metal spatula or the table knife to spread the batter evenly over the chocolate. The chocolate will be covered, but may show through the batter. 
4. Bake for about 35 minutes until the top feels firm when gently touched and the edges are light brown. Inserting a toothpick as a test doesn’t work because the warm milk chocolate clings to the toothpick. Cool the brownies thoroughly in the pan for about 1 hour. Cut the brownies into pieces and use a thin metal spatula to remove them from the pan. Wrap individual brownies in plastic wrap and store at room temperature up to 3 days. Wrapped brownies are ready to pack in lunch boxes or picnic baskets. These brownies can be served with a scoop of chocolate or peanut butter fudge ice cream. 
5. Individual brownies can be wrapped in plastic wrap then heavy aluminum foil and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost the wrapped brownies as needed.

Restaurant Review: The White House, Anaheim, CA

Anaheim White House - dinner on May 5, 2014

I was at our annual conference in Southern California last week and got to have dinner with a few coworkers on the first night. I love trying new restaurants when I travel, especially at places we don't have at home and places that are just a little different, not to mention serves good food. The Anaheim White House fit that bill to a T.

First of all, when you walk in, your first thought is "uh, this looks like someone's house, not a restaurant." The rooms are partitioned like a house and there's no one main dining room. Instead, there are rooms and alcoves set up with tables. The wallpaper, paintings hung on the walls and chandeliers overhead contribute to that this-is-a-home atmosphere. The White House was, in fact, once someone's home (read all about it on their website).

Contributing to the elegance factor are the napkins at each place setting folded to look like a tuxedo, complete with a little bow tie. Cute, eh?

Lobster Ravioli

For appetizers, we started off with the lobster ravioli and the calamari. You already know I don't eat calamari but I really liked the lobster ravioli. We only wanted a taste to prime our appetites and I'd had a late lunch so I wasn't even hungry(!) but I'd definitely recommend this to anyone going there.

Calamari

The menu was pretty extensive and offered a variety of entrees from steaks to seafood to pastas. One WH special was their white chocolate mashed potatoes. One of my coworkers ordered it so I got to taste test a sample. I'm not a big fan of white chocolate so I wasn't crazy about it but I thought it was a little different and worth trying. My coworker liked it as a little sweet to go with the savory.

Salmon with White Chocolate Mashed Potatoes

Seabass in parchment

I myself got the prime rib - don't ask me why when I wasn't even hungry and even two bites of lobster ravioli filled me up. It was worth getting though just for the Roman Coliseum-like crispy cracker structure that came with it. I'm not aware of what significance this structure has or why it was dominating the plate but again, it was something a little different that was kind of fun.

Prime Rib

For dessert, The White House is known for its chocolate souffle which has to be preordered ahead of time because of the lead baking time. However, we had the misfortune to dine there on a day when their ovens weren't working. Ugh, what were the odds? According to our server, they had enough of the ovens working to do some of the desserts but not the souffle. Sniff.

Banana Chocolate Tart

Instead we went with the banana chocolate tart and a creme brulee. I thought the banana chocolate tart was good. The pastry was flaky and I always love the combination of caramelized bananas and chocolate filling. However, I'm deducting points for the spun sugar monstrosity that came perched on top. This one was a headscratcher for me. A) I don't like spun sugar. B) I didn't see the purpose of it being on top of the tart. It added no flavor nor was it aesthetically pleasing, at least not to me. If you're going to do sugar work on a dessert that you want people to eat, I'd suggest something more caramelized and a lot less top heavy.

Creme Brulee

Overall, I thought The White House was a good dining experience. Our server was very nice and attentive so service was good. The food was delicious, although I would probably have appreciated it more if I'd actually been hungry when I got there but that's my issue. I didn't pick up the tab so I can't quite comment on the prices but it's in the mid to high range, depending on what you order. I'm still disappointed on missing out on the chocolate souffle but I'll live. And make my own.

White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Blondies

White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Blondies - made May 3, 2014 from Chocolate American Style by Lora Brody

Every once in awhile, I pry myself off of the recipes on my pin board at pinterest and go back to my baking books. I've fallen out of the habit of using them, probably because it's been easier to make the pinned recipes since they come with pictures. Then the guilt at not using what I already have lining my bookshelves kicks in and I go hunting through them for a recipe to make.

My cousin Miriam (Yammy) was in town with her husband and kids and we were meeting up before they were due to fly back home. Yammy's favorite flavor combination is white chocolate and macadamias. I've made cookies for her before but this time I decided to try these blondies from Lora Brody. I've made multiple versions of white chocolate macadamia blondies and brownies before but I thought these would be a little different because of the espresso in them. I didn't necessarily want something espresso flavored but I was curious how that flavor combination would pan out.

It actually worked pretty well. I don't drink coffee or espresso but I don't mind baked goods flavored with them. The espresso in these was somewhat subtle. They weren't in-your-face flavor but rather served to provide a nice undertone and cut some of the sweetness from the brown sugar and white chocolate. If I didn't know it had espresso in it, I might not have been able to tell what it was right off the bat. The blondies don't look very baked in the pictures but that's what you want. If they come out looking "done" and cakey, they're overbaked. You don't want to underbake a non-chocolate blondie too much or it'll be too mushy but you don't want to overbake it either as blondies become dry more easily without the fudgy effect of chocolate in the batter. For additional flavor, toast (and cool) the macadamia nuts slightly before adding them to the batter.

Unsalted butter and flour for preparing the pan

8 ounces white chocolate, divided

1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ cup (6 ounces) light brown sugar, packed

2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or granules

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 extra-large eggs

1 cup (4 ounces) macadamia nuts, chopped

1.   Preheat the oven to 350˚F with the rack in the center position.  Line an 8-inch pan with aluminum foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2.   Coarsely chop 4 ounces of the chocolate.  Melt it in a medium metal bowl set over, but not touching, a pan of simmering water. Chop the remaining 4 ounces of chocolate in pieces, no larger than ½” square.  Set aside.
3.   Sift the flour and salt into a small bowl.  Set aside.  Place the butter, brown sugar, espresso powder, and vanilla in a large bowl.  Beat the mixture with an electric mixer on high speed until it is light and fluffy, about 1 minute.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and scrape in the melted chocolate; mix until well combined.  With the mixer still on low, mix in the flour mixture.  Use a rubber spatula to fold in the chopped chocolate and the nuts.  Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
4.   Bake for 35 minutes or until the top is lightly browned, the blondies have begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove the pan from the oven and let the blondies cool in the pan for 20 minutes.  Use the foil to help you lift the blondies from the pan to a cutting board.  Cut the blondies into 9 bars.  When they are completely cool, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Restaurant Review: Sumiya Yakitori

Sumiya - dinner on May 2, 2014, 4-star rating on yelp from 620 reviews

I have to credit my coworker, Queen of Cheap Eats, for telling me about Sumiya. It's located in the same strip mall as Stan's Donuts (literally next door) and is known for its Japanese yakitori. I tried to go with a friend last year for lunch but we couldn't meet until noon and when I called Sumiya to reserve a table, I was told they only accepted reservations for seating between 11:30-12. Huh? If I could get there that early, I don't think I would need a reservation. The guy explained they're "too busy" to take reservations, meaning they didn't want to reserve a table, risk a no-show and have that table go unoccupied while they had a line out the door. Okay, I get it. As someone who always shows up for every reservation I make, I didn't think that was a super-friendly customer-service approach but..shrug. Their restaurant, their rules. So I gave up on Sumiya for lunch.

But recently, my friends and I decided to try it for dinner. Because of the no-reservation policy, I didn't bother calling them this time. Instead, we planned to meet right when they opened for dinner at 5:30, figuring we could beat the crowd and get a table. When I first arrived, the place was mostly empty. The person who greeted me at the door asked if I had a reservation. "Uh, I thought you guys didn't take reservations?" She said they did on Fridays but I had to call 2 days ahead. It was a Friday and I couldn't go back in time to Wednesday but she said she could seat us as long as we were gone by 7 pm (shades of Paul Martin's American Grill). Alrighty then.

Potato Mochi appetizer

Sumiya's full name is Sumiya Yakitori. "Yakitori", says wikipedia, is commonly a Japanese type of skewered chicken. But it can also be used to refer to any type of skewered food and that's what Sumiya serves. Similar to dim sum or sushi places, you're given a paper menu where you can check off which type of skewers you want, customize the sauce you want on it and write in the desired quantity. Each single order comes with 2 skewers. Think of it as Japanese tapas. The server whisks away your filled-in paper menu and the small plates start coming out shortly after.

Inside a potato mochi

You can also order from the formal menu which has a variety of appetizers, ramen, and other dishes. We picked the potato mochi appetizer based on reviews and pictures from yelp. Plus we asked the server about it and were told that's one of the things they're known for. The appetizer comes with 2 potato mochi for $6 but there were three of us so we ordered a third one for an additional $3. Potato mochi is melted cheese stuffed inside a deep-fried potato ball, covered in a glaze similar to a teriyaki sauce but not as sweet. On no kind of diet is it good for you but it was really tasty so I didn't care. Totally worth the extra miles on the treadmill later.

We ordered a variety of skewers as we had differing tastes and also wanted to sample a good selection of the offerings. The service was fairly quick and the tapas kept on coming.

Grilled Chicken with plum sauce

If you've ever had tapas, Japanese or otherwise, you know it's deceptively easy to get full. Because everything comes out in small plates and you share with your dining companions, you're getting a "sampler" taste and small bites of a bunch of different dishes. But those small bites add up and before you know it, you've consumed a full meal.

Chicken Wings

It's also easy to get full if you order one of the ramen noodle soups. I wanted to see how Sumiya stacks up against Orenchi when it comes to ramen so I got the cha-su ramen. The portion was smaller than at Orenchi and it tasted good but I have to admit, Orenchi's is better, especially their noodles and broth. In fairness, ramen is what Orenchi is known for so I don't think Sumiya meant to go head to head with them anyway. I'd put Sumiya's ramen more on par with Ramen Halu than Orenchi

Cha-Su Ramen

Miso Ramen

As for the yakitori skewers themselves, my taste preference for them varied. My friends got to keep the tomatoes and mushrooms all to themselves since I only provided eating competition on the carnivorous plates. Pardon the fuzziness of some of the pics. I was snapping them with my iphone and was trying to hurry because I know I'm a pain to my dinner companions when they can't eat until I've immortalized every morsel we're about to consume (yes, I'm one of those people).

Grilled Tomatoes

Mushrooms

The chicken skewers were okay. I thought they could've been a little more flavorful. I know that's what the sauces are for but they only had some dribbles of sauce. I don't even like sauce that much but even I say there could've been more to punch up the taste. Or they could've used some marinade before grilling. If you want chicken, go with the chicken wings instead - much tastier than the chicken breast skewers.

Beef Kalbi

The beef kalbi was the tastiest of the skewers. That had good flavor and the beef was tender and juicy. The duck was also good but this carnivore prefers the beef.

Duck

I thought Sumiya was a good place to try. I'm not sure I really loved it, except for the Potato Mochi. As with Orenchi, I'm not enough of a fan of Japanese yakitori that I go out of my way for a restaurant where I have to accommodate their hours, their seating times and how long I can stay to eat. I definitely wouldn't be willing to wait a long time to get a table. The place is small and, also like Orenchi, I'm sure they like the squeeze it gives them with a line out the door shrieking their popularity. Me? I like good food but I'm spoiled enough with so many other choices where I live that I'd have to really, really love a place to put up with the downsides. Sumiya doesn't occupy that status on my foodie list but I'm glad I tried it. And when one of my cousins drooled over the picture of the Potato Mochi, I promised I'd take her there just for those. So I will be back at some point.

Banana Cake #14 from Baking by Flavor

Banana Cake #14 - made May 2, 2014 from Baking by Flavor by Lisa Yockelson

The original name of this recipe in Baking by Flavor is Banana Layer Cake because Lisa Yockelson intended it to be a two-layer cake. I made it as a 9 x 13 cake for easier distribution and also numbered it as my 14th documented attempt to make a banana cake like Icing on the Cake's. Based on my findings with the Banana Dream Cake, I'm being more selective in which banana cake recipes to try. One of my theories was the cake texture I'm looking to replicate is more likely to be achieved with cake flour than all-purpose flour. A cursory search on pinterest didn't turn up any candidates so I went to my bookshelves overrun with baking books and plucked out this one since it's one of my go-to books for good recipes.

Fortunately, this recipe does use cake flour and it has specific beating times for the ingredients which could also contribute to a fluffy texture. Even more fortunately, it actually worked! I can't quite shriek "Eureka, I found it!" but oh my, this is so close. So. Close. It doesn't look as fluffy in the picture as the one from Icing on the Cake but the texture is a lot more soft and fluffy; it's also lighter than your standard banana cake recipe or the 13 iterations that came before it. It's still not quite an Icing on the Cake clone but I'm definitely on the right track. At least now I can narrow my recipe parameters for banana cake #15 and beyond to recipes that use cake flour, have chemical leavening (both baking powder and baking soda) and adequate beating instructions.

Oh, the taste wasn't super banana-y but I had the taste test piece the same day I made it and usually banana cakes develop more flavor the following day. Still, it's the texture I'm striving for and I loved the texture on this one.

2 1/3 cups plus 3 tablespoons unsifted bleached cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick or 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons shortening
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (I used 3 medium to large bananas)
1/2 cup buttermilk, whisked well

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and line bottoms with parchment rounds. Alternatively, line a 9 x 13 baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg onto a sheet of waxed paper.
3. Cream the butter and shortening in the large bowl of a freestanding electric mixer on moderate speed for 3 minutes. Add half of the granulated sugar and beat for 2 minutes; add the remaining granulated sugar and beat for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Blend in the eggs, one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each addition.  Blend in the vanilla extract and mashed bananas.
4. On low speed, add half of the sifted mixture, the buttermilk, then the rest of the sifted mixture. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl frequently with a rubber spatula.
5. Pour the batter evenly into the cake pan(s). Smooth the top(s).
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until set and a toothpick inserted near the center withdraws clean. Cool in pan(s) on wire racks for 5 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting for 9 x 13 cake (double or triple for 2-layer cake)
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 cups powdered sugar (to taste and consistency)

1. Cream butter and cream cheese together until creamy and well blended. Add vanilla extract and beat until blended. Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, until frosting is the desired taste and consistency. 

Bakery Review: Bouchon Bakery, Las Vegas, NV

Bouchon Bakery - visited April 28, 2014

As is my norm when I'm traveling, I look up bakeries wherever I go in case there are any I want to visit like I did with Carlo's Bakery. When I was in Vegas a couple of weeks ago, I was beyond thrilled to discover there were several Bouchon bakeries precisely where we were already going: the Venetian, Palazzo and Grand Canal Shoppes. Bouchon is Thomas Keller's bakery, he of French Laundry fame. I'd never been to one but there are a line of Bouchon mixes sold at Williams Sonoma. They're very high end (meaning expensive) and I've given them as gifts to fellow bakers but I've never tried the real thing.

The Venetian boasts several locations for Bouchon and after much walking around, we finally found one of them, tucked away by the Venetian Theater. This one was more like a kiosk than an enclosed bakery but it still had a decent selection.

Thomas Keller is known for breads but my sweet tooth is known for more dessert-type, well, desserts. He's also known for aesthetically pleasing offerings of the finest ingredients and a high price tag. Having just come from Carlo's Bakery, I was incapable of sticker shock and, in comparison, Bouchon's prices were almost cheap.

I went with the "Oh Oh", a clever play on a Hoho: a cream-filled chocolate cake roll covered in ganache. I know I don't like cream-filled desserts but it was cute and I succumbed out of childhood nostalgia. Not that I was particularly crazy about hohos when I was a kid. I just remembered my parents never bought that stuff when I was little but I really, really wanted them to.

I also had to get the Bouchon since it was the namesake of the bakery. A bouchon is a small brownie baked in the shape of a small, compact cylinder. A friend had given me Thomas Keller's Bouchon baking book and I've been meaning to make that recipe. Now seemed like the perfect chance to try the real thing firsthand so when I do make the recipe myself, I know what to compare it to. Bonus that it was the cheapest thing there at $1.95, a steal I thought at the time.

The Bouchon

I didn't eat it until we go back to my sister's. Okay, I have to confess, I wasn't impressed. It was just a chewy, bite-size brownie. I'm not sure what I expected but it wasn't "hey, I can make this" and "what's the fuss all about?" Again, for a non-baker wanting to spend a couple of dollars, the bouchon is a viable choice. For me, with my jaded taste buds and brownie snobbery, it wasn't anything special. Sorry.

The Bouchon

I might've been better off trying more of the breads and pastry products. I bought my mom the raisin snail and she had it for breakfast the next morning. Both she and my sister thought it was good. I tried a small bite and it was nice and flaky. I'm not sure I would've been able to tell it apart from any other flaky pastry sold without Thomas Keller's name attached to it. I guess my expectations were just too high.

Raisin Snail

On the bright side, the Oh Oh was rather nice. Turns out I didn't care much for the chocolate covering but the cake roll inside was soft and moist and I didn't even mind the cream filling. You can tell Bouchon uses the good chocolate.

I'm glad I tried Bouchon Bakery but once again, I think either my expectations were too high or it was overrated or some combination of both. There's also the possibility that I've confirmed (again) that I really am a dessert snob.

Sugar Cookies from Little Yellow Barn

Sugar Cookies - made April 20, 2014 from Little Yellow Barn

This is going to be a short post as I've been really busy lately. I know I keep saying that but it's still true, even more so because I've been gone all week on a business trip. I didn't have much time last weekend to work on my blog although I did bake a few things to bring to my coworkers this week. But weekends are usually when I not only bake but also do the write ups to publish later in the week. But the last couple of weekends have been booked so I haven't been able to get ahead as much as I would have liked. Hence the post and run nature of this one.

Although the original name is "Frosted" Sugar Cookies, your discerning eye will note there is no frosting on any of these cookies. Didn't have time to make it and I'm not a frosting person so I just made the cookie dough, froze in into thick discs and baked it off the night before I brought it into work. No time or inclination for frosting. But you can click on the blog title above to go to the original recipe from Little Yellow Barn if you want to make the frosting for these.

I liked these cookies. They spread a little more than I could've wished but they were still a respectable thickness. The dough was a little soft hence why I think they spread more even though I did freeze the dough first. I confess to baking longer than 8 minutes because in my oven, at 8 minutes, the cookies still looked raw. I think I went as long as 10-12 minutes but you'll need to experiment with your oven and see what works best. You definitely don't want to overbake these or they'll be cakey. Bake until the edges are light golden brown and the middle doesn't look so doughy anymore. These were exactly how I like my sugar cookies, not too sweet but nicely chewy.

1 cup butter
1 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. Cream butter and shortening together until combined. Add both sugars and mix until blended. Add eggs and vanilla extract.
2. Whisk dry ingredients together and gradually add the butter mixture until combined. Do not overmix. Portion dough into golf-ball-sized dough balls and flatten slightly into thick discs. Freeze overnight.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely.