Chocolate Caramel Slice of Yummy

So, I used to work in an office with co-workers who didn't have four legs and a tail.  They could also use their opposable thumbs for composing e-mail and online shopping.  Now, I work at home and hang out with my pets and loud neighbors all day and I don't have to participate in conference call meetings.

In my office days, I made it a tradition to bake something special for each colleague's birthday.  I'd listen to them describe their favorite dishes or I'd just out right ask them to tell me about their favorite flavor.  Then I'd try to create something that I thought they'd enjoy.

One of the birthday treats I count among my successes is the chocolate caramel slice bar cookie I made for Perrin's birthday.  Perrin said her favorite flavor was caramel.  My favorite flavor is chocolate.  What a match we make!  I got to see Perrin last night and it just so happens her birthday is this week.  I decided to surprise her with a reminder of our fun office days together and make another batch of bar cookies.

Chocolate Caramel Slice (modified from Bon Appetit)
Makes at least 24 bar cookies

Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled, unsalted butter, diced
1 Tbsp ice water
1 large egg yolk

Toppings:
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup light brown sugar
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) chilled, unsalted butter, diced
2 Tbsp golden syrup (Lyle's Golden Syrup) or dark corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 Tbsp whipping cream
Flaked sea salt (Maldon)

For crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 9 x 13 baking pan.  You can also use a jellyroll pan.

I used a food processor, but you could use a pastry cutter.  Blend flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt.  Add butter and pulse until coarse meal forms.

Add the tablespoon of water and the egg yolk.

Blend again until moist clumps form.

Turn out into prepared baking pan and press down dough to form crust along bottom of entire pan.  Pierce all over with a fork, this will help keep it flat.  Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.  If the crust bubbles up, you can pierce that section with a fork.  Cool completely.

For toppings:  Whisk condensed milk, brown sugar, butter, syrup, and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium  heat until sugar dissolves, butter melts, and mixture comes to a boil.

Attach a candy thermometer to side of pan.  Continue to boil gently until caramel is thick and temperature registers 225 degrees F, whisking constantly.  It will probably take around 5 minutes.

Pour caramel evenly over crust; allow to set and cool for about 15 minutes.

Melt chocolate and cream in microwave or double boiler, stirring ocassionally.  Take care not to scorch the chocolate by getting it to hot.  Spread chocolate over caramel; sprinkle with sea salt.

Refrigerate until chocolate is set, at least 1 hour, but likely longer.  Keep it covered in the refrigerator.  It can be made 2 to 3 days ahead.  Cut the dessert into bars or squares to serve.

You Deserve a Waffle

We all have those days.  You wake up in the morning and you just don't want to get out of bed.  You don't have a good reason or at least not one you can formulate before having a cup of coffee, but you just want to stay in bed.

Today was one of those days for us.  I can't tell you why, but my husband and I didn't want it to be morning yet.  Our dog, Charley didn't get that memo, however.  He woofed and grumbled and stomped his paws and even woke up our senior dog, Molly to join his efforts until we threw back the covers and got dressed for our walk.

After returning to the house, I decided that we deserved waffles that morning.  With strawberries, no less.  So, I whipped up a batch.  My husband enjoyed it so much that he ate his first one standing up in the kitchen with Charley drooling at his feet.  He sat down for the second one - my husband, not the dog.

If it is one of those days for you, go ahead make some waffles - you deserve it.  Here's how:

Bad Morning Waffles
Makes about 8 waffles
This is modified from the 13th edition of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook

2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup milk
3 Tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix the eggs, milk and oil in a large bowl.  Stir in the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and vanilla.  Mix until blended.

Heat the waffle iron, pour in enough batter just to fill.

Close it and bake until the steaming stops and the waffles are crisp, tender, and brown.

VARIATIONS: I served our waffles this morning with sliced strawberries.  Blueberries are also nice.  I've also added chopped pecans or almonds and/or chocolate chips to the batter once I've put it in the waffle iron.  Move quickly so your waffle still cooks evenly.  Chocolate chips are sure to improve your morning, right?
This recipe also halves easily if you are cooking for just one or two.  Or, if you make the whole batch, but don't eat all the waffles they can be easily frozen.  Just let them cool completely and then seal them in a freezer bag before placing them in the freezer.  Think homemade Eggos...just pop them in the toaster or put them on a baking sheet in the oven to reheat.

Book Review: Talking with My Mouth Full

 In Talking with My Mouth Full, Bonny Wolf, food commentator for NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday,  writes about regional and family food traditions.  She includes stories about birthday cakes and dinner parties, Jell-O and meatloaf, crabcakes and Bundt cakes. Each chapter has recipes used by the author and her family and friends.

Her stories are not just about what people eat, but why they eat: for comfort and companionship; to nurture; to mark the seasons and to celebrate important events; and to connect with family and friends and with ancestors.

While she doesn’t really break any new ground, her light-hearted essays make her kitchen experiences come alive for the reader. You feel her enthusiasm for kugel, wild rice, popovers, and pickled antipasto. She is well-traveled, but isn’t a food snob and still appreciates simple, traditional, regional cuisine.  I particularly enjoyed her descriptions of Mid-Atlantic traditions and the public markets in Washington, DC and Baltimore, Maryland.  I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to experience them first-hand.  The only essay in which I felt a bit of defensiveness toward was the chapter on Texas cuisine, but it didn’t lessen my overall enjoyment of the book.

Wolf provides some helpful instructional pieces, as well, on how to recover from dinner parties gone astray and how to roast chicken.  It was easy to relate to these common issues, and she makes them seem very manageable.

I recommend you check out the book.  I think you will find both her writing and recipes refreshingly accessible.

Philosophy of Cornbread

People have different approaches toward making cornbread.  While some folks want their bread to taste sweet, my family would ridicule anyone who added sugar to their cornbread batter.  Others swear by bacon fat versus butter or think cornbread is perfect only with the inclusion of corn kernels.  Still others like it hot with the addition of jalapenos or another spicy ingredient.  My family made plain cornbread - no sugar, no mix-ins, baked in cast-iron in the oven.

I know Dad might disapprove, but I haven't really landed squarely in any one cornbread camp.  I've had lots of cornbread, and I have found different varieties appealing depending on the other foods with which it is paired.  I can't forswear sweetened cornbread because while I've certainly had some lousy sweet cornbread, I've also had some that was quite good.  And, while I always enjoyed the plainer cornbread I had at home, I've also tried different additives (including different fats) and have like them, too.  Upon reflection, I think I must fall somewhere in the middle.  I tend to make cornbread with butter and just a hint of sweetness (I prefer honey).  And, depending on what else I'm serving, I enjoy the texture and added flavor of shallots, corn kernels, bacon, or jalapenos in some of my batches.

This is one of my favorite cornbread recipes and I think it pairs nicely with other dishes.  I call it Cowgirl Cornbread, but it was inspired by a recipe in Food & Wine.  I'm not sure why I call it that - it just seems to fit it in my mind.  I made it this weekend to serve with the shrimp and sausage gumbo that our friends Dave and Wendy picked up for us at Cajun Kate's in Philadelphia.  Aren't we lucky to have such nice friends?

Cowgirl Cornbread
Makes one 10-inch round loaf

1 1/3 cups yellow cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp honey
2 large eggs, beaten
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp canola oil
6 - 8 (one bunch) scallions, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven to heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and pepper.  In another bowl, whisk the milk, honey, eggs, and 1/3 cup of oil.  Mix the liquid separately to ensure it all binds together.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until just combined.  Stir in the scallions.

Take the skillet out of the oven and pour in the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil, swirling to coat.

Pour the batter into the skillet and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden and a tester comes out clean.

After letting it cool slightly, you can turn it out onto a plate, or just serve hot out of the skillet, as I usually do.

Gin Sipping and Porch Sitting

My husband and I are trying to institute a regular cocktail hour in the evenings to transition out of the work day.  It helps us connect and unwind, and I find it especially important as I work from home.

Last night, we took advantage of the pleasant weather and had happy hour on our front porch.  We snacked on tortilla chips with guacamole and imbibed gin cocktails as we were entertained by our noisy neighbors.

One of my favorite warm weather drinks is gin lemonade.  I got this recipe in a supper club several years ago from a lovely woman named Maida. She prepared it with a picnic theme menu while we sat on pillows in her living room.   It was a fun evening that I remember fondly.

Gin Lemonade

Buy a can of Minute Maid frozen lemonade concentrate. Follow directions for preparation, except replace one can of water, with one can of gin. Mix well. Serve over ice. Delicious!

I make this mostly with gin (because I love it), but you could replace it with vodka or bourbon, if you prefer. Don't change the proportions, however. Just stick with replacing one can of water with one can of alcohol. My husband tried to use more and not only did it not taste as good, and he got drunk very quickly.

We drink this all season long. It is very refreshing and so easy. It is also handy to bring on picnics, even in public areas where alcohol is discouraged since it appears you are drinking just lemonade.