Browned Butter Red Velvet Brownies

Browned Butter Red Velvet Brownies - made November 27, 2019 from Something Swanky

Tis the season for red velvet. I was sending my December care packages to deployed soldiers and wanted something holiday-ish to send. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm not a big fan of the typical flavors of the Christmas season. Eggnog? No. Gingerbread? Meh. Peppermint by itself is okay but not with chocolate. It's also inadvisable to send peppermint-flavored things that'll be in an enclosed box for long periods of time as that flavor will permeate everything else around it.

However, I can and do get behind red velvet anything but particularly either cakes or brownies. Brownies fare better and last longer in a care package than cake so I went with this red velvet brownie recipe from Something Swanky.

And it delivered. Sturdy, fudgy, moist. I kept them plain since I was mailing them but as always, if you want to fancy them up, dust with tops with powdered sugar. You can also frost or glaze with a cream cheese frosting or a vanilla glaze then garnish with red and green M&Ms. But I can attest they're also excellent plain. I've now made 2 batches of this brownie and sent them in multiple care packages. They've delivered each time.

1 1/4 cups butter
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
powdered sugar for dusting, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degress F. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat, stirring constantly until butter has reached a light brown color and browned bits are at the bottom.
3. Pour browned butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add sugar and cocoa powder and beat until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between each addition until almost creamy.
4. Add the salt, buttermilk, red food coloring and vanilla.
5. Add the flour and mix to combine. Batter will be thick.
6. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting.

Flourless Chocolate Torte

Flourless Chocolate Torte - made November 20, 2019 from Well Plated

With all the emphasis on things being gluten-free, I laugh whenever I see a flourless chocolate cake being touted as "gluten free". Well, yes, by definition, a flourless chocolate cake IS gluten free. It's the same laugh I got when a restaurant server asked if I wanted their "vegan coconut". Uh, there are non-vegan coconuts out there?

Anyway, the reason for the chuckle is gluten free typically signifies something healthier for you. If you can overlook the butter, sugar and chocolate (but no flour) in this recipe, sure, healthy it is (not).

But if you want an amazing, rich flourless chocolate torte, head to the kitchen. Flourless chocolate tortes (or cakes, however you want to call them) are actually pretty easy to make. Mixing them is no problem. Baking them isn't difficult either but you do have to make sure you take them out at the right time.

Because there's no flour in the batter, you can't rely on the typical cake structure where you can just poke a toothpick in the middle and if it comes out clean, it's done. Instead, with this, you have to check the "jiggle" in the center of the cake. Which means moving it slightly to see how set the middle is. If too much of the middle jiggles, it isn't done yet. If the middle doesn't jiggle at all, it's overbaked. If you overbake it, you won't get the fudgy dense texture of a good flourless chocolate torte. I bake until maybe a 2- to 3-inch diameter in the center still has a bit of jiggle.

The good news is, it's pretty hard to overbake this torte. Look for a drier crust around the edges while the middle still looks moist and has some jiggle. Do not bake until all of the center looks dry; that's when it'll be overbaked.

Once you do take it out, let it cool to room temperature or even chill it if you want to ensure a firm but creamy texture. A good flourless chocolate cake will be a cross between a lighter-textured fudge and a more dense textured mousse. But better.

And I will unabashedly sound like my usual broken record of "use the good chocolate!" I used Valrhona bittersweet which you can get at Trader Joe's for a reasonable price. If you use the cheap, chalky chocolate, it just won't taste the same.

I kept this plain as it was going into my December Angel Baker care packages to deployed service members and I didn't know how long it would be in the mail but if you're serving at a dinner or dessert party, feel free to dust with confectioners' sugar, drizzle with caramel and/or garnish with fresh raspberries or strawberries.

9 ounces good-quality dark chocolate, 65% or higher, finely chopped
9 ounces unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
7 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Kahlua, optional

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Grease again.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together in the top half of a double boiler over hot water. Whisk until smooth and combined. Stir in the sugar then let cool for a few minutes.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, fully combining between each addition. When all the eggs are added, continue to stir until the batter becomes thick and glossy. Stir in the vanilla extract and Kahlua, if using.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes, until the torte jiggles slightly in the middle but is not completely set. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then unmold. Dust with powdered sugar. Cut into wedges. Serve with whipped cream, berries, or caramel sauce as desired.

Beef Teriyaki Noodles

Beef Teriyaki Noodles - made November 25, 2019, modified from Chef Savvy

I got the original recipe from Chef Savvy's blog but there's a note on the page that asks for the recipe not to be published. That's always a little surprising as I think recipes should be shared (and due credit given, of course). But I respect the request and she has every right to make it. So I made some changes. I could probably have just made her recipe as is but since I couldn't post it here, I thought I might as well change it up and do my own thing. So I'm not sure how her original recipe would've tasted but I've linked to it in the post title so feel free to check it out.

This is another easy dish to make. You just have to prep the individual elements then they come together in a simple dish very quickly. I didn't have green onions and I couldn't find the jar of sesame seeds I know I have somewhere so mine looks a little plain. But, fortunately, I have very plain taste buds so beef, udon noodles and a tasty sauce is all I need to be happy with my cooking efforts.

I rarely get the noodles to sauce ratio right so this ended up with a little more sauce than noodles but that's preferable to a dry dish of too many noodles and not enough sauce. This reminded me of beef with oyster sauce and, to be honest, in a blind taste test, I probably couldn't have distinguished between the two. But the sauce was creamy and had flavor plus I love udon noodles so it worked for me. This isn't spicy at all but if you want a little heat, feel free to sprinkle with some crushed red pepper flakes.

1 pound sirloin steak, cut into strips
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 pound udon noodles
2 tablespoons oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup mirin
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
green onions and sesame seeds for garnish

1. Toss together beef and cornstarch; let sit, covered, for 15 minutes.
2. Thaw udon noodles and soak in hot water for 10 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, combine soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, sesame oil and fish sauce; set aside.
4. Heat oil in large skillet. Stir in garlic and cook until lightly browned. Add beef and quick fry until browned on both sides, 2-3 minutes; do not overcook. Add ginger and stir to combine.
5. Add the soy sauce mixture and bring to a simmer, 2-3 minutes.
6. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Slowly add to the simmer mixture and whisk to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes until sauce has thickened. Add udon noodles and toss to combine. Cook, stirring, until udon noodles is desired consistency. Serve hot with green onions and sesame seeds.

Maida Heatter's Brownies

Brownies - made November 19, 2019, modified from Happiness is Baking by Maida Heatter

You'll probably see me posting more brownie recipes in the coming months. Now that I'm sending care packages to deployed service members and because I don't have a food sealer (yet) I'm falling back on brownies to put in the care packages since they ship well and have a longer shelf life.

I'm also (again) trying to use the baking books I have. This one from Maida Heatter isn't how I normally make brownies. Her recipe calls for beating the eggs and sugar for 15 minutes - eeek. I never beat the batter that long after the eggs are added as that's what forms the meringue-like crust on top of brownies. I don't like crusty brownies so it was strikingly hard to follow the recipe directions and have the mixer on for so long.

But I confess, I only held out for 10 minutes then I couldn't stand it any long and stopped it there. I cheated the mixing process by 5 minutes. Not sure what difference it made, if any. The brownies came out okay, if a bit thinner than I like my brownies. And that's even after I made them in a 9 x 13 pan instead of a jelly roll pan. For the add-ins, I chopped up the last of my Halloween candy which were Hershey's cookies ' creme bars. These were okay. Can't say I loved them. They make a good, standard brownie but I think I'd prefer some of my other recipes for thicker, richer, more fudgy brownies. Like Ultimate Fudge Brownies, Essence of Chocolate Squares or Forever Brownies.

5 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon instant espresso or coffee powder
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (I used vanilla extract)
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
10 ounces walnut halves or pieces, optional

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13" baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter in the top half of a double boiler set over hot water, whisking until smooth, melted and combined. Add instant coffee or espresso powder and whisk until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs and salt until slightly fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and beat at medium high speed for 15 minutes, until the mixture forms a ribbon when the beater is raised. Add the vanilla and almond extract to the melted chocolate mixture.
4. On low speed, add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture, beating only until just combined.
5. On low speed, add the flour and beat until just combined. Fold in the nuts, handling the mixture as little as possible.
6. Pour into prepared pan and spread smooth. Place in oven and immediately reduce heat to 400 degrees. Bake for 21 to 22 minutes. Test with a toothpick; it should come out with a few moist crumbs. Do not overbake.

Oven Baked Korean Fried Chicken

Oven Baked Korean Fried Chicken - made November 14, 2019 from Girl in the Little Red Kitchen

I was so enamoured of my first attempt at Korean Fried Chicken that I had to make it again. Only this time I wanted to avoid the mess of deep frying and try out this oven-baked version.

This one didn't turn out quite as well but I think that was more user error than anything to do with the actual recipe. Ideally, this recipe would work best with chicken wings. Except when I was at Costco, the chicken wings seemed way more expensive than they should've been. The chicken drumsticks were cheaper so my thrifty little soul went with that.

I dutifully went through all the breading instructions: coat in flour, dip in egg, roll in bread crumbs, dip in flour then egg again, dredge in panko crumbs. It was a bit messy but not the same mess if I had been deep frying.

And once you put them in the oven, you can forget about them until they're done. Which makes oven-"fried" an appealing alternative. Except the breading was heavier than the deep fried version and I have to admit, it wasn't as light and crunchy as the first KFC I made. So there are trade offs.

Because the drumsticks were so much bigger than chicken wings and drummettes and because I didn't make any alterations to the sauce recipe, I ended up with too much chicken and not enough sauce.

What sauce there was though was pretty good. Probably would've been a bit better with deep fried chicken but that would've defeated the purpose of oven-fried. So if you don't want the mess of deep frying, this is a good option. Not sure I would bill them as that much healthier than deep fried though, given all the breading. I'm going to have to try an air fryer version and see which works best.

2 lbs chicken wings and drummettes (I used drumsticks)
3 cups flour
3 cups plain bread crumbs
4 cups panko crumbs
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
5 tablespoons vegetable oil

Sauce
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup gochujang (Korean chili paste)
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
sesame seeds for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top.
2. Place flour, eggs, bread crumbs and panko in separate shallow bowls. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Whisk eggs with 4 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 tablespoons water. Mix the panko with the oil.
3. Thoroughly dry the chicken with paper towels. Coat each piece with flour then dip in egg wash then bread crumbs. Dip the chicken back in flour, again in egg wash then in panko. Transfer the coated chicken to the wire rack.
4. Once all the chicken is fully breaded, bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. The chicken should be golden brown at this point. Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and continue to cook for another 20-30 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Remove from oven.
5. Meanwhile, make the sauce: in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine ginger, garlic, gochujang, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and pour over the chicken. Toss to coat completely. Garnish with sesame seeds if desired.

Chocolate Whoppers

Chocolate Whoppers - made dough November 19, 2019 from Happiness is Baking by Maida Heatter

Whenever I make chocolate cookies, I wish I was a better food photographer. No matter what I do, I can't make the pictures of the cookies come out as well as they taste. I've even had someone insult how a past chocolate cookie looked in a picture I posted a few years ago. Sigh.

This cookie is very rich. And you know I have a high tolerance for chocolate richness so if *I* say they're rich, trust me, they're rich. But that's not a bad thing when it comes to chocolate anything, particularly chocolate cookies. But I do advise making these a little small. Or be like me and take an hour to eat a cookie, pausing for sips of water in between. Chocoholics, rejoice, this is your cookie.

The only baking caution is to time these and take them out at 15-17 minutes, no more. No, they won't look "done" and the middles will look raw. Never mind. Take them out anyway and let them cool completely. The chocolate will set and you'll get that fudgy middle. They're just fragile though so I wouldn't suggest mailing these in a care package.

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 ounces semisweet chocolate
3 ounces (3/4 stick or 6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/4 cup sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons instant espresso or coffee powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ounces (1 cup) semisweet chocolate morsels
4 ounces (generous 1 cup) walnuts, chopped or broken into large pieces (I left them out)
4 ounces (generous 1 cup) toasted pecans, chopped or broken into large pieces (I left them out)

1. Place the unsweetened chocolate, semisweet chocolate and butter in the top half of a double boiler set over hot water on moderate heat. Cook, covered, for a few minutes. Then stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove the top of the double boiler and set aside, uncovered, to cool slightly.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, coffee or espresso and vanilla at high speed for 1-2 minutes.
4. Beat in the melted chocolate and butter on low speed just to mix. Add the sifted dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just combined. Stir in the chocolate morsels, walnuts and pecans.
5. Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, portion out the dough into mounds. Cover, chill or freeze for several hours or overnight.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Evenly space chilled or frozen dough balls on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 15-17 minutes, no longer. Let set on baking sheets for several minutes before removing to wire cooling racks to cool completely.

Oatmeal Spice Muffins

Oatmeal Spice Muffins - made November 18, 2019 from Five Heart Home

I baked these muffins due to a conversation I had with my sister.
Her: I'm going to bake muffins for my office mates because they helped me move.
Me (pause, remembering she burned slice and bake cookies when we were kids): Do you know how?
Her: No.
Me: Do you want me to bake them?
Her: Oh, would you?

Okay, even she admitted that was a little passive aggressive. Not to mention predictably easy to get me to bake. Not just because I like to bake but because my sister can cook but she can't bake. She just can't. So, you're welcome, helpful office mates.

I usually don't make muffins but she wanted something "healthy" and we all know muffins pretend to be a healthy alternative to cupcakes. Pretense gets kicked up a notch when you make oatmeal muffins.

These actually turned out pretty well. I wouldn't consider them super healthy but they did have a nice crumb and texture. And they weren't too sweet. You can kick up the sweetness a notch by sprinkling coarse sugar generously over the tops before baking but otherwise, this makes a good breakfast muffin. I only made a half recipe and used paper liners larger than the standard cupcake size so I only got 8 muffins out of the half recipe.

2 cups rolled oats, not quick-cooking oats
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a large bowl, stir together oats and buttermilk. Let sit at room temperature for 30 - 60 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. 
3. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together; set aside.
4. Once oats have finished soaking, stir in brown sugar and eggs into mixture. Mix in melted butter and vanilla. Blend in flour mixture.
5. Evenly divide batter between prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops of muffins are golden brown and toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool muffins in pans for a few minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Pancit Lug-Lug aka Pancit Palabok

Pancit Lug-Lug - made November 12, 2019 from Kawaling Pinoy

I ended up making this dish twice, not because I particularly loved it and had to make it again but because I didn't feel I made it right the first time. I didn't have atchuete powder the first time so I used anatto seeds. I thought they would melt in hot water but they didn't. They dissolved only very slightly, just enough to impart the slight color that represents the trademark color of pancit lug-lug or palabok.

Then I made a couple of other mistakes as well: I thought the sauce was too soupy so instead of using flour as a thickener, I went with cornstarch, making a slurry of a generous amount of cornstarch (probably at least 1/3 cup) and the existing sauce. But that eventually made it too thick. To compound my comedy of errors, I used the whole package of noodles and it turns out that was too much for the sauce that this recipe made.

Undeterred, I tried again. This time, my mom gave me a packet of atchuete powder to use plus I went easy on the cornstarch this time. Initially I thought I went the other way round in that I didn't have enough noodles and the sauce was still too soupy. But actually, once I took the pot off the burner and combined all the leftover noodles I had and let the sauce "set", it thickened up satisfactorily.

Flavor-wise, I thought this was a little bland. Which I don't mind but not sure how authentic a palabok this was. I'd probably increase the fish sauce slightly and would add a more generous amount of shrimp. But this did have ease of preparation going for it so there's that. Just do a better job than I did on getting that noodles to sauce ratio correct.

4 1/2 cups water
1/4 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 lb ground pork
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon atchuete powder
1 cube shrimp or pork bouillon
1/4 cup flour
salt to taste
16 ounces thick cornstarch noodles
1 cup crushed pork rinds
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
toasted garlic bits
green onions, chopped
calamansi, cut into wedges

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Using a fine-mesh sieve, plunge shrimp into the hot water and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Slice lengthwise in halves. Reserve liquid.
2. In a pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened.
3. Add ground pork. Cook, breaking apart with the back of a wooden spoon, until lightly browned. Drain excess fat except for about 1 tablespoon.
4. Add fish sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add atchuete powder and stir until ground pork is evenly colored.
5. Add reserved liquid and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 6-10 minutes or until meat is tender and cooked through. Add bouillon and stir until dissolved.
6. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup water and flour. Stir until well blended and smooth with no lumps.
7. Add to the pot, whisking vigorously to prevent lumps. Continue to cook for 3-5 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Season with salt to taste.
8. Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium heat, bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions until tender but firm. Drain.
9. In a large bowl, combine cooked noodles, sauce and 1/2 cup of the crushed pork rings. Gently toss to evenly distribute. Garnish with green onions and sliced hard boiled eggs. Serve with calamansi.