Archive for January, 2009

a kind of celebration

01.23.09 // Comments:29

brownies-close

I’ve never met a brownie I didn’t like. They’re like rainy days, new shoes and old-time television in that way: No matter how many times you have one, it’s still just as enjoyable. So when I saw this random recipe Friday, torn out of a magazine, tucked under some other papers on the table, I wasn’t a hard sell. I’d be making them that night.

Nigella Lawson said somewhere that food should be a celebration. (That’s when I knew I liked her, incidentally.) And that’s really what these brownies are. When I mixed the batter together, its rich, dark color riddled with chips of chocolate and thick in consistency, I kept asking myself, What should we celebrate?

brownies from above

And I suppose I never did find an answer, although, in another way, I found several. Saturday night, driving home from the basketball game, we ate these brownies and some banana bread in the car, celebrating the Spurs and a good night. Sunday, after seeing my friend for lunch after church, I ate a brownie with my fingers, grabbing bits and taking them with me to the computer. I ate another at my desk yesterday morning, I wish I could say with my lunch, but really it was more of a breakfast, on a day when the sun didn’t set until around 5 PM (!) and the golden sky signaled hope that winter and its dark days would end.

When we say food is celebrating—well, I guess I can’t speak for Nigella—but I think, we’re saying we choose to see things to celebrate with it, be they Friday nights at home or Saturdays spent cleaning or Sundays eating grilled-chicken pitas over interesting conversation. When we celebrate, we are stopping to think about the good things and remember why they’re good.

brownies-from-above

With these chunky, dense, intensely chocolate brownies, you’ll find it easy to see what I mean. They’re rich—I couldn’t eat more than one in a sitting, and that was all alone in the kitchen—and they’re all the things a good brownie should be. If they were shoes, they’d be a killer pair of black heels, always in style and just a little bit fancy.

In fact, eating them, you might find they’re a reason to celebrate in themselves.

*Oh, before I forget: The lovely people behind Tim-Tam cookies sent me a sleeve of the treats earlier this week. Have you heard of Tim-Tam cookies? They’re lovely: chocolate around chocolate, with a wafers inside, and chocolate cream. Apparently, they’re the #1 cookie in Australia (!) and have just recently made it to this side of the ocean. Try them.

Brownie Bites
Adapted from King Arthur Flour, as seen in The Baker’s Catalogue

What’s unique about these brownies is their shape. You cut them into circles, making them look a little fancier, and you can garnish with whipped cream, shaved chocolate and espresso powder, if desired. Since I didn’t have a 1.5-inch round cutter, I got creative and used the bottom of a glass for a template. Then I tried a few other round items until I found a shape I liked. Whatever you do, remember the brownies will be rich; you’ll want to aim small in the sizing.

Ingredients:
1 cup (8 ounces, 2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups (15 3/4 ounces) sugar
1 1/4 cups (3 3/4 ounces) cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (6 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 cups (12 ounces) chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch pan (or a 10-by-15-inch jelly roll pan). For guaranteed easy removal of the brownies, line the greased pan with parchment, and grease the parchment.

Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or in a saucepan set over low heat.

Add the sugar, stirring to combine.

Stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder and vanilla.

Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth.

Add the flour and chips, stirring until smooth.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the brownies for 28 to 34 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and barely set in the center.

Remove the brownies from the oven, and cool for at least 1 hour before cutting.

Use a 1.5-inch round cutter to cut as many circles as possible out of the brownies. Wrap well; enjoy the leftover scraps.

Comments:29 Click here to comment! Categories: before the 2009 diet change

that’s really something

01.21.09 // Comments:14

Banana-bread-on-blue

My last semester of college, after I’d finished student teaching and before I walked off with a bachelor’s in education, I decided I didn’t want to teach at all. I wanted to write. Someone I knew knew Kelley, who worked as a reporter for a Wisconsin newspaper, and that very kind person gave Kelley my phone number, which led to our meeting on a Saturday afternoon. I didn’t know what networking was back then, but I guess that’s what we did—I, very badly, I should say. Kelley took me around the newsroom, let me sit in on a phone interview, gave me advice on breaking into the field and (here’s the worst part) took ME out for lunch.

(Let me offer this advice when you’re looking to network: Do not follow my bad example. If a very kind person in the industry you’re looking to enter does you a favor, don’t let her buy you lunch. You may, of course, be breaking bread with a wonderfully kind and gracious person like Kelley, and she may tell you it’s fine, but, really, someday you’ll realize how utterly classless that was, and you’ll regret it.)

That was the one and only time I ever saw Kelley in person, although, honestly, now that I’ve typed that, I realize how strange it sounds. We’ve been in touch all along. The first time I ever saw my name in print—I think it was an article about a book club, published in a tiny weekly paper that probably 15 people would read, I sent Kelley a copy, and she understood why it mattered.

Banana Bread from Kelley

When I had questions about dealing with editors, Kelley gave me feedback. When I felt the sting of rejection, she told me not to give up. And, you know, almost five years since our weekend lunch, she’s still giving to me, expecting nothing in return.

Around Thanksgiving, when she read here that I would be making the big meal by myself, she wanted to print out all her favorite holiday recipes and send them out to me. I mean, really. Doesn’t that make you want to name a parade after her or something? She sent me links and documents with recipes to try, one of which was her favorite banana bread. I printed it off immediately, stacking it with a group of other print-outs I wanted to create. But one week flowed into another, and here it is late January, and I’ve just now tried it.

The loaf’s all gone now, so let me just say this: if you don’t already love Kelley, this recipe might do the trick.

It’s a sturdy cake-like bread, easy to slice off and hold in your hand. The sweetness is subtle, not overpowering. And the chocolate chips? Well, I was a slow convert to chocolate with banana, but it really grew on me, and now I’m all in. I could go for a piece right now, in fact.

That Kelley, she’s really something.

*Oh, and I can’t let this post go by—not today—without a shout-out to fellow LOST fans. Tonight! Can you believe it?! (BTW, this banana bread would go especially well with television. Just saying.)

Brusses’ Favorite Banana Bread
From my friend Kelley

For the sake of honesty, I’ll tell you I only used one cup of mashed banana because that’s what I had. It probably made the flavor a little less strong, but still good. Also, I was out of yogurt, so I remembered my friend Jennifer said Miracle Whip works well, and I used light mayonnaise. Here is the original recipe, however, as Kelley gave it to me.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
¼ cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 ½ cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
¼ cup plain or vanilla low-fat yogurt
3 Tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup mini chocolate chips
Cooking spray

Directions:

Combine flour, soda and salt; whisk together.

Beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed, until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time.

Add bananas, yogurt, milk and vanilla and beat until blended. Then add flour mixture to wet mixture and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour batter into loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 1 hour, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack, then remove loaf to rack to cool completely.

Comments:14 Click here to comment! Categories: before the 2009 diet change

something new to love

01.19.09 // Comments:9

chocolate-breakfast-granola

Saturday night, I saw the San Antonio Spurs beat the Chicago Bulls, at the first professional basketball game I’ve ever attended in my life. We were in the front row, and when the Spurs players came out to warm up, they stopped to greet fans right in front of us, turning to crowds of pen-holding kids waving their arms and papers, competing for a chance to get an autograph.

Early into the night, I told my friend the red-headed guy looks like Charlie Crews from Life, and then in the game, I saw him score a lot of points. But I think it was when some fellow Chicagoan started booing him that I knew I liked Bonner (for the record, I think you sound like you’re two years old when you boo someone for playing well). Sean Elliot, such a classy guy, took a picture with my friend, who is the biggest fan of the Spurs I know, maybe the biggest fan there is. Ime Udoka chatted with some kids who made a sign for him. And Tony Parker, after speaking French to some girls who said Ça va? to him, smiled right at me, inches away.

I’m not usually one to like things immediately, but, after a night like that, you wouldn’t blame me for becoming something of a Spurs fan myself, would you?

I think the one thing I’ve discovered about basketball fans is the same thing I know about any other kind of fans, even cooking ones. Finding something you really like—that you connect with—happens rarely enough that we like to latch onto it when it does. For people who love a sports team, maybe they love the city it comes from, maybe they love the individuals who play on it, maybe they want the camaraderie of spending a Saturday night with a bunch of people, cheering for the same cause. (I’m still pretty new to this crowd, so I’m just guessing here.)

granola-in-bowls

But these are all the same things that make people fans of other things, too. Like for long-time cooks: some of us love it for the pure physical pleasure of tasting, savoring, feeling satisfied. Some of us have been drawn to cooking by memories of those who cooked for us or with us. And then, of course, some of us like food for the community it creates, the enjoyment of eating with others and experiencing something together. Whatever the case, being a fan of something—be it a person, a team or an activity as basic as making food every day—reminds us that we’re a part of something bigger than just us.

Before going to the game Saturday, I enjoyed a homemade breakfast of chocolate granola, eaten with milk and a big spoon and slurped down to the bottom. It comes from Molly Wizenberg, the food blogger behind Orangette and a person I’d gladly claim to be a fan of any day, and it’s a pretty simple recipe—simple enough that even though I didn’t have quite enough honey (meaning the granola never quite came together in golden clumps like it should have) and just threw in bittersweet chocolate chips rather than chopping my own bits to throw inside, it still turned out quite well.

bowl-of-chocolate-granola

My result was a little more like a delicious oatmealy cereal, filled with crunchiness and flavor and the perfect texture when put in milk. So if you’re looking for granola, I’d recommend you follow the original instructions where the honey is concerned, but, truthfully, even if you don’t, this makes a great way to start a day, whether you’re finding a new something-to-love later that afternoon, or not.

Chocolate Granola Cereal
Adapted from Orangette

Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
½ cup chopped almonds
½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
6 Tablespoons mild honey (*This is the original instruction: follow it for granola results. For a more cereal consistency, just use between 2 and 3 Tablespoons.)
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup, or more, bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300°F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, sugar and salt. Stir well to blend.

In a small saucepan, warm the honey and oil over low heat, whisking occasionally, until the honey is loose. Pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to combine well.

Spread the mixture evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden. Set a timer to go off halfway through the baking time, so that you can give the granola a good stir; this helps it to cook evenly. When it’s ready, remove the pan from the oven, stir well – this will keep it from cooling into a hard, solid sheet – and cool completely.

When cool, transfer the granola to a large bowl, storage jar or zipper-lock plastic bag. Add the chocolate, and stir or shake to mix.

Store in an airtight container, and serve with milk.

Yield: about 5 cups

Comments:9 Click here to comment! Categories: before the 2009 diet change