Peanut Butter Marbled Bars

January 20, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

I’m guessing I first had a Peanut Butter Marbled Bar in seventh grade or so. My dear friend Kate’s mom used to send them in her lunch from time to time and at some point I must have requested the recipe (even then I knew a good thing when I tasted it.) The original, wide ruled piece of notebook paper with Kate’s neat handwriting is still in the highly organized pile of recipes at my parent’s house; evidence of heavy use in its creased, crumpled and smudged state.

There’s a reason that recipe is so well worn; it’s absolutely delicious, requires no special equipment, no special ingredients, and, truthfully, not a lot of baking expertise. Peanut butter lovers take note this is a direct line to a dense peanut butter cookie swirled with melted chocolate – the perfect balance of salty and sweet – and it all gets baked in a 9x13 pan.

I made these for our holiday party a few weeks ago, and based on the lack of leftovers I can promise you that they will be popular for any Super Bowl gathering or bake sale on your horizon. Maybe pull out a few sheets of notebook paper for recipe requests and make thirteen-year old me proud.

Peanut Butter Marbled Bars (yield: 1 dozen 3 inch bars)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy, baker’s choice!)
2 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
12 ounces (1 bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Non-stick spray

Instructions:
Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, cream together the softened butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. The butter should be softened to room temperature - not melted, definitely not cold. A hand mixer will help, but isn’t necessary. Next mix in the peanut butter until well combined. Stir in the eggs and vanilla, don’t over mix.

In a separate small bowl, sift together the all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture until combined.

Spread the batter in a greased 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle the semi sweet chocolate chips evenly across the top of the batter. Place the pan in 350° oven for 3-5 minutes until the chocolate chips are softened and beginning to melt.

Remove the pan from oven and run a knife through the softened chocolate chips create a marble pattern of thick swirls. Less is more here - the point is not to mix the chocolate in, but to have ribbons through each bar.

Return to the pan to oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool thoroughly and cut into bars.

Adapted and rewritten from Nestle Toll House

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes! I used a glass 9x13 inch pan, 1 medium mixing bowl, 1 small bowl, dry measuring cups and spoons. I also used a wooden spoon, rubber spatula, and a butter knife.

The Verdict:
I have Mike’s permission to make Peanut Butter Marbled Bars anytime, no seriously anytime. When I put out the platter of these as a dessert option for our party they went like proverbial hotcakes. And why wouldn’t they? Peanut butter and chocolate is a classic combination for a reason.

Scouting: Levain Bakery

January 16, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Scouting

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie by Levain Bakery | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie by Levain Bakery** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

I’m taking a food photography class this weekend - more on that next week! – and the first assignment is to “shoot a well composed photograph of either a single piece of fruit or a vegetable, or shoot a cup of tea and cookie, muffin, or accompanying sweet.”

Well, a vegetable or a piece of fruit is great and all, but I immediately saw that the best course of action was a trip Levain Bakery in search of a suitable, ahem “companion” to the subject of this masterpiece of photography. Conveniently, the bakery is right in our neighborhood, so swinging by for a cookie or a loaf of their wonderful bread is easy. Excellent.

When I went into the cozy little shop on Wednesday afternoon it was surprisingly empty – most days there’s a line of at least half a dozen people up the steep staircase and along the railing – so I took advantage of the opportunity to linger. Visiting Levain is like stepping into a warm cocoon of vanilla, baked bread, and sugar.

It’s a little ironic to me that the name of the bakery refers to the French word for bread leavening when it’s the cookies that seem to get all the attention. The four options: Chocolate Chip Walnut, Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip. I was momentarily side-tracked by the Whole Grain Loaf and Chocolate Brioche before I re-focused on my true target; Levain’s bestselling cookie: Chocolate Chip Walnut.

These babies are substantial - New York Magazine calls them “scone-sized” - and with their rustic, irregular, domed exterior and dense chewy interior it’s a pretty apt description. Even with an appetite for cookies like mine I can never finish one in one sitting, not such a bad thing since it means enjoying it over a day or so.

The interior is just a little under-baked allowing the eater to enjoy the sweet stickiness of cookie dough stuffed full of semi-sweet chocolate chips and gently bitter acidic chopped walnuts.

As you can see the deliciousness of the cookie immediately upstaged the cup of coffee that was supposed to be the star, but that was probably to be expected. I present to you my four favorite shots, no filter, no retouching, no cropping. If this is learning food photography I may need more than one class….

Levain Bakery | UWS, Harlem, Hamptons | Hours Vary by Location

Chicken Piccata

January 14, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

Each week I follow along with Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa) and attempt to recreate one of her dishes in my tiny New York City kitchen. The catch? This is my version of cooking school and I’m making these recipes for the first time. I’ll share both my successes and um, challenges, along the way and we’ll see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “It’s Friday Night Again”

The Set-up: Ina is trying to jazz up the usual Friday night chicken with a new menu.

The Menu: Chicken Piccata, Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, Herb Roasted Onions, Apple and Pear Crisp

0:45 – It just occurred to me how similar this menu is to the episode I watched last week - I must have chicken, mashed potatoes and apple desserts on the brain!

1:10 – We’re starting off with the Apple and Pear Crisp as Ina extolls the virtues of Fuji apples and Bosc pears. (Firm, crisp, flavorful)

2:19 – A gentle scolding from Ina for the fruit pressers out there – stop leaving an imprint of your thumb in all the pears! (subtext)

3:32 – I’m glad to hear that Ina calls that sticky pie filling stuff “goo” – a woman after my own heart, because what other word really works?

4:26 – Crunchy oatmeal streusel topping time – mmmmm. Not to toot my own horn, but this one from my Apple Spice Coffee Cake is an all time favorite.

5:53 – Ina is using diced cold butter, but the resulting clumps of topping almost make it seem like it was partially softened. How does she get that texture? Maybe by using the mixer?

6:45 – Out in the garden to collect some blue muscari, bulbs and all, for decorating the table.

7:04 – Ina recommends following the design principle of grouping things in threes, so she has three vases of flowers.

10:17 – Maybe this is too retro, but I think Ina’s goal of making home, especially dinner, welcoming for Jeffrey after a long week on the road. If I were spending most of my time in airports I’d want something cozy waiting too.

11:38 – Onward to the Herb Roasted Onions. Once I “discovered” roasting a few years ago it quickly became my favorite way to transform vegetables from sort of “meh” when boiled to amazing.

12:26 – She’s upping the ante on these onions by tossing them in a mustard thyme vinaigrette before roasting. Brilliant.

13:02 – A quick glimpse of Mr. Garten zipping along on his drive home before we’re back to make Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes.

14:35 – Pro Tip#1: Heat the milk and butter before adding to the mashed potatoes, but DON’T heat the buttermilk, or it will curdle.

15:44 – Dinner is 75% there, last but not least: Chicken Piccata.

20:39 – I really dislike breading things, but I have a feeling these will be worth it.

21:23 – Watching Ina’s technique and I noticed she keeps a “clean hand” and a “dirty hand” to prevent contamination – filing that one away.

22:50 – I am determined to master crispy sautéing – so tricky to get the oil just right!

23:08 – Mr. Garten arrives as the chicken goes into the oven to finish cooking. Perfect timing!

26:22 – The cork on some white wine has been popped (hellooo weekend!) and Ina is making the lemon sauce for the Chicken Piccata.

27:01 – Chicken, lemon, white wine – oh my goodness this has my name all over it.

28:57 – Finishing touch time – a little leftover marinade on the onions, a spoonful of lemon sauce on the chicken, a spoonful of buttermilk mashed potatoes. So hungry just watching.

29:46 – Over the Apple and Pear Crisp that lured Jeffrey into the kitchen he says he wishes there was more than one Friday night in a week. Adorable!

Final Thoughts:
Tossing vegetables in a vinaigrette sounds like an awesome way to up the ante on roasting.

Just realized that Ina has some favorite combinations – chicken + mashed potatoes + apple dessert = happy husband.

Lord, I just love how sweet Ina and Jeffrey are after 40(?) years of marriage.

Lessons Learned:
Even though Chicken Piccata is a relatively simple dish there's still a ton to learn while making it.

Oil Temperature – I’ve been trying to master browning bread crumbs for some time now, but I always seem to either burn them immediately because the oil is too hot, or they stay pale and greasy because the oil is too cold. Heat the oil on medium for 2-3 minutes until it shimmers a little in the pan, just a slight ripple in the surface before adding the chicken and reduce to medium-low if it seems like it’s browning too quickly.

Breading – I admit, I misread the recipe and used Panko bread flakes instead of bread crumbs. Thankfully they work just fine! I also tried the technique of chilling the breaded chicken on a plastic wrap lined baking sheet before sautéing and found that my coating didn’t budge (even when left over night.) This step also makes it possible to do most of the prep ahead of time and cook the chicken just before serving. Booyah.

Portion Size – This is sometimes tricky, but if you can buy chicken breasts or cutlets that are on the smaller side, say 3-4 ounces each, or cut larger ones in half. Mainly because once they’re pounded flat they get quite a bit bigger and can mess with your cooking time. Learned that the hard way with Parmesan Chicken. With the smaller size at 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick I found that the cooking time (2 minutes per side, plus about 10 minutes in the oven) was perfect.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Fairly, assuming you have three or four large plates. I used a rolling pin to flatten the chicken), four dinner plates, a baking sheet, one medium sauté pan, a small cutting board, a chef’s knife, metal spatula, and both dry and liquid measuring cups and spoons. An instant read meat thermometer will also give you peace of mind.

The secret weapon of this recipe: clear plastic wrap. It turns your counter into another plate or prevents contaminating a clean plate with chicken. Second runner up: parchment paper. Such a help with clean up and it seems to encourage crisping during the baking stage.

The Verdict:
When Mike and I first sat down for dinner to Chicken Piccata neither of us were that hungry for some reason and I foolishly suggested that we just share one. But, after the first bite of these crispy, golden pieces of chicken we both found that we had bigger appetites than we originally thought – suddenly sharing seemed ridiculous! The breading was crispy, the chicken juicy, the lemon lovely and tart against the richness of the olive oil. Seriously good. Please make this!

Modern Meatloaf

January 12, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

I love trying new restaurants and experiencing new flavor combinations, but sometimes you just want something really simple and down-home. Tangent alert: where does that phrase ‘down-home’ come from? What’s more straightforward and Better Homes & Gardens-esque than meatloaf? There’s a reason that people (including me) love meatloaf and I think it goes back to family dinner and wanting to channel that un-fussy, deliciousness “just like Mom used to make.”

That said, I also like to cook in a way that still trends healthy and incorporates great flavor. So, when I first saw this recipe in Cooking Light I was really excited to try a version of meatloaf that includes vegetables and is made with lean ground beef.

I started with the original, but then as I’ve made these mini-meatloaves over and over again I’ve adapted them to our taste and worked out what I think is the perfect balance of flavor, fat, and binding agent. I’m confident that these truly bring an American classic up to date with delicious results.

Extra bonus: you can easily reduce the recipe by half if you have a smaller group, or make the mixture ahead of time, keep it in the refrigerator, and bake the meatloaf just before you’re ready to serve.

Modern Mini-Meatloaf (yield: 12 meatloaves; serves: 6)

Ingredients:
1 cup (1 medium) finely chopped onion
1/2 cup (1 medium) finely chopped carrot
1/4 cup (1 stalk) finely chopped celery
1 1/2 teaspoon (2 cloves) garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup ketchup, divided
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, divided
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (I like 90% or 93% lean)
2 large eggs
1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups unseasoned panko bread flakes
Non-stick spray

Instructions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mince the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic finely. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and 1 teaspoon kosher salt to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Rub the dried oregano between your hands and add to the pan. Sauté for about 4 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Next, add the minced garlic and cook for one more minute.

Turn off the heat and stir in 1/2 cup ketchup, the spicy brown mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper into the vegetables. Allow the mixture to cool. In a small bowl whisk the eggs and set aside.

Place the ground beef in a medium mixing bowl and add the sautéed vegetables and sauce to the bowl. Use a fork to mix the sauce into the ground beef until well mixed. Add the whisked eggs and continue to mix with the fork until well combined.

Finally, stir in the panko bread crumbs starting with 1 1/4 cups, if using 93% lean ground beef, and adding up to 1 1/2 cups if using 85% or 90% lean ground beef. In a separate small bowl stir together the remaining 1/2 cup ketchup with 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce.

Lightly coat two muffin tins with non-stick spray. Divide the ground beef mixture into 12 equal portions and roll into balls (about the size of a racquetball) - don’t over pack the mixture. Gently press each portion into the muffin tins and spread each mini-meatloaf with 1 teaspoon of the ketchup Worcestershire mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned, or until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 160 degrees. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Adapted and re-written from Cooking Light.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes. I used a medium non-stick sauté pan, two muffin tins, one medium mixing bowl, and one small bowl. I also used a medium cutting board, chef’s knife, measuring cups and spoons, a rubber spatula, and a fork.

The Verdict:
This is one of our favorite comfort food meals – perfect with a little mashed potato and roasted Brussels sprouts or green peas. The flavor of the meatloaf is deeply savory – hello Worcestershire sauce and onions. But he best part in Mike’s book is the extra surface area means that each portion gets its own helping of the tangy ketchup topping and gently browned edges.