chocolate chocolate cookies

since being pregnant i developed this fantasy about me and my kid baking together. leeba, at 17 months, still does not really bake with me, but she does say "cake" every time i use the mixer and runs to see what is going on inside.
last weekend i made chocolate cookies. i used 70% dark chocolate instead of the semisweet that was recommended in the recipe. to be frank, this choice was not made because by some mighty culinary instinct,  it was the only chocolate i had at home. i will admit, i was not sure how it would come out, but figured what is the worse case scenario here? its chocolate. i was concern of the intensity of the dark chocolate, and perhaps that leeba wont like it, after all she is now my most important customer.
once i melted the chocolate i gave some to leeba, in order to see her reaction. boy, she loved it and kept chasing me for more. my joy quickly turned to guilt, "only a bad mother would give her kid so much sugar." so i only gave her one more lick and than hid it away.
the cookies came out delicious and quite complex. i think the photos speak for how leeba felt about them.

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces 70% dark chocolate, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package (12 ounces) 70% dark chocolate
---------------
PREPARATION
preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
heat chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring in between, until almost melted; do not overheat. 
in another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
in a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. reduce speed to low; beat in melted chocolate. mix in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate pack.
drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 to 3 inches apart onto baking sheets. 
bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are shiny and crackly yet soft in centers, 12 to 15 minutes. 
cool on sheets 10 minutes; with a thin metal spatula, transfer to racks to cool completely.

*recipe adopted from Marthastewart.com

*עוגיות שוקולד

granola bars

i always have granola bars thrown in my bag for any hunger emergencies. i started this habit when i was pregnant, but now this staple culinary gift is in my purse all the time. a little healthy life saver which gets me though those long morning, rush hour, subway rides when my energy drops. i know its easy to buy granola bars but honestly they are easy to make as well, you can control all the ingredients, and you can store them for 3 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge. i love this granola recipe as it contains, an ol' time favorite, rice krispie. i chose to use brown-rice which is easy to find anywhere these days.



INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds (4 1/2 oz)
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1/3 cup mild honey
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups crisp rice cereal (preferably brown-rice)
1 cup roasted salted cashews (1/4 lb), coarsely chopped
2 large egg whites



PREPARATION
preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
lightly oil a 9-inch square (i used round) baking pan, then line bottom and sides with parchment and lightly oil parchment.
toast almonds in a 4-sided sheet pan until pale golden, 6 to 9 minutes. stir in sesame seeds and bake until seeds are golden, 3 to 4 minutes more. transfer to a plate and cool completely.
reduce oven to 325°F.
gently heat honey, brown sugar, and oil in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring, until smooth.
stir together rice cereal, cashews, and almond-sesame mixture in a large bowl.
beat egg whites with a rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl with a fork until foamy, 1 to 2 minutes.
stir honey mixture into cereal mixture, then stir in whites.
spread mixture in baking pan, pressing gently, and bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. cool completely, then turn out onto a cutting board and cut into bars.



*serves 10
*recipe adopted from gourmet magazine
*גרנולה בר

zuccini bread

i love a slice of pound cake with my morning juice at the start the day, but it's a guilty pleasure. zucchini bread is an ideal solution for that, it is a perfect recipe for someone looking for some healthy baking. it tastes like cake, but is good for you.
the receipt is easy to make and you can always play around by adding fun ingredients, such as walnuts, chocolate chips, pecans and so on. personally i add almonds and i substitute the vegetable oil with olive oil.
the recipe makes two 8×4" loaf pans and you can freeze one for later use. to defrost it, just let it sit on your kitchen counter unwrapped.



INGREDIENTS
3 eggs
1 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 cup dried cranberries, raisins or chocolate chips or a combination thereof (optional)
---------------
PREPARATION
preheat oven to 350°F.
grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans, liberally.
in a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla.
combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts, chocolate chips and/or dried fruit, if using.
stir this into the egg mixture. divide the batter into prepared pans.
bake loaves for 60 minutes, plus or minus ten, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

*recipe adopted from smittenkitchen.com
*לחם קישואים

nigella's chocolate cloud cake

here's a shocking personal revelation to you, dear readers, i love chocolate cake. when i need to make a dessert my first instinct is chocolate cake and gotta convince myself not to make it every time. but now, 9 months pregnant, hungry for chocolate and with very little energy to cook i needed something delicious and easy, so i decided to go for it, no remorse.



this particular cake has always been on the back burner for me (excuse the pun). this flour less, dark, rich and rewarding cake is easy to make.



particular cake sinks damply on cooling. but fear not, you fill the center with whipped cream and top it off with some sprinkled cocoa powder. and by the way, it tastes divine.



INGREDIENTS
9 ounces (250g) dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa solids)
1/2 cup unsalted softened butter
6 eggs, 2 whole, 4 separated
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 tbs cointreau (optional)
1 orange, zested (optional)
9 inch (23cm) springform cake tin

for the cream topping:
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbs cointreau (optional)
1/2 tsp cocoa powder for sprinkling
---------------
PREPARATION
preheat oven to 350 F (180C)
line the bottom of the cake pan with baking parchment.
melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or a microwave, add the butter and let melt in the warm chocolate.
beat the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with 1/3 cup of the sugar, then gently add the chocolate mixture, the orange-flavored liqueur and the orange zest.
in another bowl, whisk the 4 egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the remaining sugar and whisk until the whites hold their shape but are not too stiff. lighten the chocolate mixture with a dollop of egg whites, and then fold in the rest of the whites.
pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and the center is no long wobbly. cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack; the middle will sink as it cools.

when you are ready to eat, place the still pan-bound cake on a cake stand or plate for serving and carefully remove the sides of the pan from the cake. Don't worry about cracks or rough edges, it's the crater look we're going for here.

whip the cream until it's soft and then add the vanilla and orange-flavored liqueur and continue whisking until the cream is firm but not stiff. fill the crater of the cake with the whipped cream, easing it out gently towards the edges of the cake, and dust the top lightly with cocoa powder pushed through a tea-strainer.


*image taken from www.nigella.com

*נייג'לה לוסון עוגת ענן של שוקולד

thanksgiving meal

this thanksgiving i have decided to bend tradition and not make a turkey. we did not have big plans and only had few friends over for dinner. they were all israelis anyway, so the symbolism of the turkey would not have been missed. my husband, his brother and their father are fried chicken lovers and would drive 2 hours off course on any trip to try the local fried chicken offering. considering my husband and his brother would be present, i have decided that this would be a great opportunity to give it a go. after hearing how hard it was to make home fried chicken, i took comfort in the fact that my small group of friends will understand if the meal turned into a complete disaster.
call it a lack of proper english, call it haste, but off the bat i made a huge mistake. while preparing the chicken for marination, when the recipe called to "skin" only the wings, i did the opposite. I skinned the chicken and left the wings alone. just as i was about to drop the chicken into the frying pot, it hit me like a drum stick in the stomach, a vision of me sitting with my husband at blue ribbon restaurant eating fried chicken and enjoying the... SKIN! after a few quick breaths, and no other choice I decided to continue. i was worried that the chicken will either dry quickly or the batter will not hold. the good new is, the chicken came out moist, with wonderful crispy batter, delicious and cooked to perfection. i gave myself credit for making the first "healthy" fried chicken.
i had bought too much chicken and used only half of it for the thanksgiving meal. ignoring the accidental "success" of the skinless fried chicken, i have invited more friends for a second round meal the following day. this time i prepared the chicken accordingly. both chicken dishes came out divine, but the version with the skin was better. my husband and his brother were in a 48-hour fired chicken heaven.
i served the chicken with wonderful fluffy homemade biscuits, roasted fingerling potatoes with dried figs, amazing baked beans and a mixed green salad. for dessert i have made a bittersweet chocolate pecan pie.

fried chicken: (recipe taken from epicurious.com)

INGREDIENTS
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons onion powder with green onion and parsley
5 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons dry mustard
4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 3- to 3 1/4-pound fryer chicken, backbone removed, chicken cut into 8 pieces, skinned (except wings)
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
5 cups (or more) peanut oil (for frying)
---------------
PREPARATION
in 1-gallon resealable plastic bag, mix buttermilk, dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon cayenne and 1 teaspoon black pepper. add chicken pieces. seal bag, eliminating air. turn bag to coat chicken evenly. refrigerate at least 1 day and up to 2 days, turning plastic bag occasionally.
whisk flour, baking powder, garlic powder, remaining 1 tablespoon onion powder, 4 teaspoons salt, 3 teaspoons dry mustard, 3 teaspoons cayenne and 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass dish. with marinade still clinging to chicken pieces (do not shake off excess), add chicken to flour mixture; turn to coat thickly. let chicken stand in flour mixture for 1 hour, turning chicken occasionally to recoat with flour mixture.
pour oil to depth of 1 1/4 inches into deep 10- to 11-inch-diameter pot. attach deep-fry thermometer. heat oil over medium-high heat to 350°F. add 4 pieces of chicken, skinned side down, to oil. reduce heat to medium-low and fry 5 minutes, adjusting heat to maintain oil temperature between 280°F and 300°F (oil should bubble constantly around chicken). using wooden spoons, turn chicken over. fry 7 minutes. turn chicken over again. fry until deep golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes longer. using same spoons, transfer chicken to large rack set on baking sheet.
reheat oil to 350°F. repeat frying with remaining 4 pieces of chicken. serve chicken warm or at room temperature within 2 hours, or chill up to 1 day and serve cold.
whisk flour, baking powder, garlic powder, remaining 1 tablespoon onion powder, 4 teaspoons salt, 3 teaspoons dry mustard, 3 teaspoons cayenne and 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass dish. with marinade still clinging to chicken pieces (do not shake off excess), add chicken to flour mixture; turn to coat thickly. Let chicken stand in flour mixture for 1 hour, turning chicken occasionally to recoat with flour mixture.
pour oil to depth of 1 1/4 inches into deep 10- to 11-inch-diameter pot. attach deep-fry thermometer. heat oil over medium-high heat to 350°F. add 4 pieces of chicken, skinned side down, to oil. reduce heat to medium-low and fry 5 minutes, adjusting heat to maintain oil temperature between 280°F and 300°F (oil should bubble constantly around chicken). using wooden spoons, turn chicken over. fry 7 minutes. turn chicken over again. fry until deep golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes longer. using same spoons, transfer chicken to large rack set on baking sheet.
reheat oil to 350°F. repeat frying with remaining 4 pieces of chicken. serve chicken warm or at room temperature within 2 hours, or chill up to 1 day and serve cold.



roasted fingerling potatoes with dried figs and thyme: (recipe taken from nytimes.com)

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound dried black mission figs or other dried figs
1 1/2 cups brewed black tea, more if necessary
2 pounds fingerling potatoes
1 head garlic
5 sprigs of thyme
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
---------------
PREPARATION
place figs in a bowl, cover with hot black tea and let cool. cover and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours or overnight, depending on initial softness of figs.
preheat oven to 400 degrees. wash potatoes well and trim any bad parts. separate garlic head into individual cloves but do not remove outer skin.
drain figs. in a bowl, combine garlic, thyme, figs, potatoes and olive oil; toss. place on roasting pan and bake until potatoes are tender enough to pierce with a fork, about 30 minutes. remove and season immediately with salt and pepper. serve.


proper salt pork

baked beans: (recipe taken from epicurious.com)

these beans boast two staples of montreal cuisine —sweet maple syrup and rich salt pork*.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb dried navy beans (2 1/4 cups)
1 (1/4-lb) piece salt pork (rind discarded)
4 1/2 cups water
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
2 chopped garlic cloves
1/2 cup Grade B maple syrup
1 tablespoon dry English mustard (preferably Colman's)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
---------------
PREPARATION
pick over and rinse 1 lb dried navy beans (2 1/4 cups). soak in cold water to cover by 2 inches at least 8 hours. drain.
put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. rinse and pat dry 1 (1/4-lb) piece salt pork (rind discarded), then cut into 3 pieces.
put beans and pork in an oven proof 3-quart heavy pot with a lid. add 4 1/2 cups water, 1 large onion (finely chopped; about 2 cups), 2 chopped garlic cloves, 1/2 cup grade B maple syrup, 1 tablespoon dry english mustard, and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and stir to combine. cover pot and bake until beans are just tender, at least 3 to 4 hours.
reduce oven temperature to 325°F. remove lid. bake beans, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is absorbed but beans are still saucy, 1 to 1 1/2 hours more. remove from oven. stir in 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste.

* make sure that you get a real salt pork. its should be completely white. its hard to find. i got mine at whole foods.



buttermilk biscuits: (recipe taken from epicurious.com)

INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
rounded 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 stick (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 tablespoon milk or cream for brushing biscuits
---------------
PREPARATION
put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.
sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda onto a sheet of wax paper, then sift again into a bowl. blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. add buttermilk and stir with a fork until a dough just forms (dough will be moist).
turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead gently 6 times. pat out dough on a floured surface with floured hands, reflouring surface if necessary, into an 8- by 5 1/2-inch rectangle. trim all 4 sides with a knife, dusting knife edge with flour before each cut. cut rectangle in half lengthwise, then into thirds crosswise to form 6 (2 1/2-inch) squares, flouring knife between cuts. transfer biscuits with a metal spatula to an ungreased baking sheet, arranging them 2 inches apart, and brush tops with milk or cream. Bbake until pale golden, 12 to 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool to room temperature.



bittersweet chocolate pecan pie: (recipe taken from gourmet magazine)

INGREDIENTS
1 (3 1/2- to 4-oz) fine-quality 60%- to 70%-cacao bittersweet chocolate bar, finely chopped
* pastry dough
2 cups pecan halves (7 oz), toasted and cooled
3 large eggs
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
---------------
PREPARATION
preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
melt chocolate in a metal bowl set over barely simmering water, stirring. remove from heat.
roll out dough into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. fit into a 9-inch pie plate. trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. fold overhang under and press against rim of pie plate, then crimp decoratively.
spread chocolate in bottom of pie shell with back of spoon and let it set, then cover with pecans.
whisk together eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl, then whisk in corn syrup and pour over pecans.
bake pie until filling is puffed and crust is golden, 50 to 60 minutes. (If pie is browning too fast after 30 minutes, loosely cover with foil.) cool pie on a rack to warm or room temperature. serve with whipped cream.

* click here for a video by gourmet magazine, explaining how to make the pastry dough

pastry dough: (recipe taken from gourmet magazine)

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 to 5 tablespoons ice water
---------------
PREPARATION
blend together flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.
squeeze a small handful of dough: if it doesn’t hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated. do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.
turn out dough onto a work surface. divide dough into 4 portions. with heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. gather all dough together with pastry scraper. press into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk.
wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

vanilla snap biscuits

so now that i have my perfect vanilla extract it was only natural that i will start using it. what could be a better way to roll out my extract than with simple, easy and delicious vanilla biscuits? perfect with tea or coffee.

INGREDIENTS
6 oz (185g) butter, chopped
1 cup sugar
vanilla sugar*
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 egg
---------------
PREPARATION
process the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a food processor until smooth.
add flour and egg and process till combine.
remove the mixture and wrap with plastic wrap.
refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes or until firm.
preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
arrange baking trays with with non-stick baking paper.
roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until 1/4 inch thick.
cut the dough using a cookie cutter.
place on baking trays.
sprinkle biscuits with vanilla sugar.
bake for 10-13 minutes or until the biscuits are golden on their bases.
cool on the trays.



vanilla sugar:

INGREDIENTS
1 vanilla bean
1 cup granulated sugar
---------------
PREPARATION
slice down side of bean with back of knife and scrape seeds into airtight container with the sugar. shake well till combined.
use as regular, granulated sugar.

*בסקוויט בטעם וניל

vanilla extract

i love making food from scratch, specifically foods that are not so commonly made at home, such as coffee ice cream or limoncello for example. vanilla extract is one of those specialty foods, so when i came across a recipe on travelers lunch box for it, i had to do it.

PREPARATION
buy good (not necessarily expensive) vanilla beans. i went on ebay and ordered from vanilla products USA 2 kinds of vanilla beans; madagascar bourbon planifolia and grand A gourmet tahitian vanilla beans. the organic vanilla bean company is also a good source. 1/4 pound bag contain plenty of vanilla’s to go around so i would not order more than that per bag.



buy a 4 oz. bottle of vanilla extract. buy something good. i got a nielsen-massey bottle. anything goes just make sure it is made from real vanilla extract. if you can not get your hands on a good quality vanilla extract, its ok, it will just take for your vanilla extract longer to be ready.

buy 2 bottles of booze. anything with around 40% alcohol is good; such as vodka, light rum and bourbon. buy the cheapest you can find. it is not about the taste of the alcohol it is about the alcohol itself. the vanilla’s flavor will eventually dominate.

get a 1 quart/liter glass container with a lid. you can use anything from a jar to an old liqueur bottle. just make sure its very clean and the lid is closed tightly.

pour one bottle of the store-bought extract and one bottle of the alcoholic liquid into the container. now start adding your vanilla beans. if you have used ones by all means throw them in. if not use new ones. start with 4-6 beans cut down the middle. put the lid on tightly, shake it and put the container in a cool, dark cupboard.

every few weeks add vanilla beans to the container. if you use them in your bakings throw them in after a nice rinse.



give your bottle a light shake every week. at first it will strongly smell like alcohol, but within time the vanilla flavors and scent will start to take over.

after 9-12 week it should be ready. decant into a clean bottle or small bottles if your going to give some away. do not discard the beans, add your second bottle of vodka and start all over :)

*תמצית וניל

profiteroles with coffee ice cream and chocolate sauce

image courtesy of gourmet magazine

it was liron’s birthday few weeks ago, and one of his favorite treats is ice cream, specially coffee ice cream. so i got to work and decided to make these profiteroles that i found in one of my gourmet magazines. they looked so adorable, special and yummy. so i had to give them a shot.
their recipe called for bought coffee ice cream, but i have decided to make mine from scratch. i found a great recipe on simply recipes. making the ice cream and the profiteroles were a bit of work, but if you divide the work, each component by itself its easy to make. for example, you can make the ice cream on one day and the profiteroles the next.





while making the profiteroles, their pointy peaks tends to burn, so tap them down with a finger dipped in water before baking.
as for the ice cream, i used decaffeinated coffee. i felt that we had enough sugar to keep us buzzing so there was no need to add caffeine.



do not forget to serve it all with a nice alcoholic beverage. i have served mine with a very rare and special bourbon (pappy van winkle’s family reserve 15 years old) we were all very happy!



coffee ice cream:

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups whole coffee beans
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon finely ground coffee (press grinds through a fine mesh sieve)
---------------
PREPARATION
heat the milk, sugar, whole coffee beans, salt, and 1/2 cup of the cream in a medium saucepan until it is quite warm and steamy, but not boiling. once the mixture is warm, cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.
pour the remaining 1 cup of cream into a medium size metal bowl, set on ice over a larger bowl. set a mesh strainer on top of the bowls. set aside.
reheat the milk and coffee mixture, on medium heat, until again hot and steamy.
in a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. slowly pour the heated milk and coffee mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so that the egg yolks are tempered by the warm milk, but not cooked by it. scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof, flat-bottomed spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula so that you can run your finger across the coating and have the coating not run. this can take about 10 minutes.
pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. press on the coffee beans in the strainer to extract as much of the coffee flavor as possible. discard the beans.
mix in the vanilla and finely ground coffee, and stir until cool.
chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

profiteroles:

INGREDIENTS
1 qt coffee ice cream
3/4 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
---------------
PREPARATION
chill a small metal baking pan in freezer. form 18 ice cream balls with scoop and freeze in chilled pan at least 1 hour (this will make serving faster).
preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle. butter a large baking sheet.
bring butter, water, and salt to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until butter is melted. reduce heat to medium, then add flour all at once and cook, beating with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from side of pan and forms a ball, about 30 seconds. transfer mixture to a bowl and cool slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.
add eggs 1 at a time, beating well with an electric mixer after each addition.
transfer warm mixture to pastry bag and pipe 18 mounds (about 1 1/4 inches wide and 1 inch high) 1 inch apart on baking sheet.
bake until puffed and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes total. prick each profiterole once with a skewer, then return to oven to dry, propping oven door slightly ajar, 3 minutes. cool on sheet on a rack.

chocolate sauce:

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
7 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked), finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Cognac or brandy (optional)
---------------
PREPARATION
heat sugar in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and cook, swirling pan occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is dark amber.
remove from heat, then add cream and a pinch of salt (mixture will bubble and steam). return to heat and cook, stirring, until caramel has dissolved.
remove from heat and add chocolate, whisking until melted, then whisk in vanilla and cognac (if using). keep warm, covered.

serve:

halve profiteroles horizontally, then fill each with a ball of ice cream and drizzle generously with warm chocolate sauce.

*פחזניות עם גלידת קפה ורוטב שוקולד

fudgy coffee brownies

in my hope to be soon ex apartment, i have not had much success as far as baking is concerned. my oven could never get the job done, or so i thought. frustrated, i almost gave up on baking altogether. until, as a last resort, i bought an oven safe thermometer. quickly i learned that my oven was more than a 100 degrees off. with the help of the thermometer i felt i got back in control.
i love baked goods that have coffee in them, even though i am not a coffee drinker myself. so when i came across these fudgy coffee brownies, in one of my gourmet magazines, i had to give them a try. they were really easy to make and came out wonderful, the mixture of the chocolate and the coffee was just right. a great way to start the day with your coffee or, in my case, tea.



INGREDIENTS
2 sticks 8 oz. (227g) unsalted butter
5 oz (140g)unsweetened chocolate
2 tbs instant-espresso powder
2 cups sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
5 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbs cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
---------------
PREPARATION
preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. butter and flour a 13- by 9-inch baking pan.
melt butter and chocolate with espresso powder in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over low heat, whisking until smooth. remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. whisk in sugar and vanilla. whisk in eggs 1 at a time until mixture is glossy and smooth.
whisk together flour, cinnamon, and salt, then whisk into chocolate mixture.
spread batter in pan and bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with crumbs adhering, 25 to 30 minutes. cool completely before cutting.

*בראוניז קפה

pita bread

like most baked goods, freshly baked breads are no comparison to store bought breads(or god forbid, deli breads), which have a large amount of preservatives in them to keep the bread fresh. pita is no different. Pita, is a delicacy when eaten fresh and hot out of the oven. pita goes great with almost anything for example hummus, toasted with cheese panini style, or just nutella (yummy).

It's hard to find good pita bread in new york, unless you go to a restaurant that has fresh pita breads made daily. growing up in a household where pita breads are an essential part of everyday meal, i have decided to take the plunge and make them at home. browsing online, i came across many recipes which were surprisingly easy to follow.

it took several attempts to get the pita just right; first they came out too thin to my taste and then they were missing some flavor. after more research, i have noticed that salt and sugar were a big variable from recipe to recipe. on my next attempt i have decided to add sugar and more salt. i also rolled my dough thicker, to about 1/4" (if you like your pita bread on the thinner side, roll them out to 1/8" thick). they came out perfect! so i made plenty more and froze them for future use.



tips:
1. good pita bread should be soft and pliable not brittle or dry so do not over bake them. they are ready as soon as they puff out not a second after.
2. as soon as you remove the baked pita from the oven, place in a container and cover with a dump towel.
3. do not leave pita breads uncovered they will dry quickly.
4. for storage, keep the pita breads in plastic bag as soon as they come out from the oven and then put in the freezer.
5. to defrost microwave for about 10 seconds and let it defrost, or leave it covered with kitchen towel at room temperature for about fifteen minutes.



INGREDIENTS
3 cups bread flour or all purpose flour
½ tsp instant yeast (or 1 tsp active dry yeast combined with a tbs sugar and ¼ cup warm water till foamy)
1 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar (if using instant yeast and you not active dry yeast)
1 cup warm water (reduce the water by ¼ cup if using active dry yeast)
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PREPARATION
sift the flour and salt onto a clean work surface and make a well in the middle.
add yeast (or pour yeast/water mixture) and remaining water into the well.
using a fork, bring the flour in gradually from the sides and swirl it into the liquid. keep mixing, drawing larger amounts of flour in, and when it all starts to come together, work the rest of the flour in with your clean, flour-dusted hands. knead until you have a smooth, springy dough. about 10 minutes.
place the ball of dough in a large flour-dusted bowl and flour the top of it.
cover the bowl with a damp cloth and place in a warm spot for about 1 hour until the dough has doubled in size.
remove the dough to a flour-dusted surface and knead it around a bit to push the air out with your hands - this is called punching down the dough.
divide into 5 balls and keep them in the bowl and cover with a damp cloth.
take each ball at the time and roll it into a 6 inch circle and 1/4 inch thickness.
prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
place the circles on the baking sheets. cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm spot for another 30 min.
preheat your oven to 500F (270C). if you have a baking stone, place it in the oven to pre-heat thoroughly.
place the baking sheet straight on the baking stones and bake till the the pita bread puff up (about 3-5 minutes).
leave them in the oven no more than one minute after they puff up even though they might not have much color to them.
place the baked pita bread in a container and cover with a dump towel.

*פיתות

magic bars

i think i discovered the easiest cookie to make. all you have to do is combine six ingredients; melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, sweetened coconut, chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, and a can of sweetened condensed milk (in that order) in a pan and then bake for 30 minutes. no need for mixing or hard labor to bake this magnificent cookie. the condensed milk is what binds all the dry ingredients together in this recipe. condensed milk is cow's milk from which 60% of the water has been removed and sugar has been added. it is a very thick, sticky (like honey) and sweet. the magic bars receive a caramel flavor and color to them when baked.

i could not find anything online about the origin of the "magic bar," so here is my theory: easy to make, simple "dumb" ingredients and taste like pure sweet magic, which immediately awakens one's childhood memories....

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked or shredded coconut
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 - 14 ounce (396 grams) can of sweetened condensed milk
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PREPARATION
preheat oven to 350 degrees (177 degrees c) and place the rack in the center of the oven. have ready a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) square baking pan. Set aside. i covered the pan with a preachment paper, so it will be easier to remove once they are ready.
melt the butter and pour it into the bottom of your pan. sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs evenly over the butter. sprinkle the coconut over the crumbs. sprinkle the chocolate chips over the coconut. sprinkle the nuts over the chocolate chips. finally, drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over all the ingredients. do not mix the ingredients together, just layer them.
bake in the preheated oven for about 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the squares comes out clean. remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. cut into squares. Store in the refrigerator. these bars can be frozen.

lemon cream tart - passover dessert II

as i posted in my previous post i baked two cakes that can be served on passover night. my second cake is lemon cream tart. i found the recipe for the lemon cream from dorie greenspan’s blog and the tart is a regular tart recipe but i substitute the flour with matzo meal. few tips; matzo meal is not finely grounded, and so i had to put mine in the food processor for few minutes in order to grind it more. another thing, when you bake the tart, bake it till it gets a light golden color, because if you bake it for too long the tart will get too hard and a bit burnt.
for the lemon cream i have used mayer lemons as they are in season now and sweater than regular lemons. according to the recipe, while cooking the cream, you will need to whisk it until it reaches 180 degrees. for some reason i only managed to reaches 165 degrees, but according to dorie reaching 165-170 degrees is fine, and it surly was. the tart came out wonderful, refreshing and citrusy, a thing that i am sure will be appreciated after the heavy passover meal.

happy passover.

INGREDIENTS
For the tart:
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups matzo meal finely grounded
1/8 tsp kosher salt

lemon cream:
1 cup sugar
finely grated zest of 3 lemons
4 large eggs
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 4 to 5 lemons)
2 sticks plus 5 tablespoons (21 tablespoons; 10 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into tablespoon-sized pieces

9” springform pan
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PREPARATION
tart:
preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease 9” springform pan.
cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
combine the matzo flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into the greased baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. chill for 20 minutes.
bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned.

lemon cream:
getting ready: have a thermometer, preferably an instant-read, a strainer and a blender (first choice) or food processor at the ready. bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan.
put the sugar and zest in a large metal bowl that can be fitted into the pan of simmering water. off heat, work the sugar and zest together between your fingers until the sugar is moist, grainy and very aromatic. whisk in the eggs followed by the lemon juice.
fit the bowl into the pan (make certain the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl) and cook, stirring with the whisk as soon as the mixture feels tepid to the touch. you want to cook the cream until it reaches 180°f. as you whisk the cream over heat—and you must whisk constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling—you’ll see that the cream will start out light and foamy, then the bubbles will get bigger, and then, as the cream is getting closer to 180°f, it will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks. heads up at this point—the tracks mean the cream is almost ready. don’t stop whisking and don’t stop checking the temperature. and have patience—depending on how much heat you’re giving the cream, getting to temp can take as long as 10 minutes.
as soon as you reach 180°f, pull the cream from the heat and strain it into the container of a blender (or food processor); discard the zest. let the cream rest at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until it cools to 140°f, about 10 minutes.
turn the blender to high and, with the machine going, add about 5 pieces of butter at a time. scrape down the sides of the container as needed while you’re incorporating the butter. once the butter is in, keep the machine going—to get the perfect light, airy texture of lemon-cream dreams, you must continue to beat the cream for another 3 minutes. If your machine protests and gets a bit too hot, work in 1-minute intervals, giving the machine a little rest between beats.
pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to create an airtight seal and chill the cream for at least 4 hours or overnight. when you are ready to construct the tart, just whisk the cream to loosen it and spoon it into the tart shell.

serving:
The tart should be served cold, because it is a particular pleasure to have the cold cream melt in your mouth.

storing:
while you can make the lemon cream ahead (it will keep in the fridge for 4 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months), once the tart is constructed, it’s best to eat it the day it is made.

chocolate mousse cake - passover dessert I

passover is right around the corner and this year we are going to celebrate it with family in washington dc, 18 of us. i volunteered to make the desserts. wheat flour is not allowed during passover week. the biblical explanation is that when the israelites left egypt in such haste, they could not wait for their bread dough to rise and the resulting in the matzo.
that is a challenge for any pastry flour desert. matzo meal is basically ground up matzo and so with that, i needed to find a way to make delicious desserts that will not fall due to the lack of flour. i wanted to find desserts that either do not use flour or if they do they can be used with matzo meal, basically a dessert that does not have to rise.
this pass week i have been experimenting with few different desserts and managed to find 2 wonderful cakes to bake. the first one that i am going to explain about is the flour-less chocolate mousse cake. it is fairly easy to make. the process is divided into two; first you make the lower level that contains the chocolate cake and than the mousse that will go over the cake. do not be discouraged if your cake will “fall” and “shrink” once it is outside the oven. the taste wont change and your mousse will cover it all. i changed the original recipe a bit, and added cointreau instead of the almond liquor. that was the only liqueur i had in my cupboard, and it came out mighty fine. you can never go wrong when orange is combined with chocolate.

INGREDIENTS
8.5 ounce at least 42% cacao dark chocolate
4 ounce butter
1 tbs + 1 tsp cacao powder
5 egg yolks

5 egg whites
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt

for mousse:
7 ounce at least 42% cacao dark chocolate
4 eggs
1 1/4 tsb cointreau
1 1/4 tsp rum
1/2 cup + 1/3 cup heavy cream

9” springform pan
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PREPARATION
cake:
cover the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and lock it into the springform. lightly oil the sides.
heat oven to 300 degrees. put an ovenproof dish with water at bottom of the oven in order to form steam during baking.
melt the chocolate in a double boiler and remove from heat. you can also melt the chocolate and the butter in the microwave by zapping it one minute at a time.
add cacao powder and beat thoroughly.
add yolks beat thoroughly.
Whisk egg whites with sugar and pinch of salt until stiff peaks form and fold into the chocolate.
pour mixture into the pan and put in oven and bake for 35-40 minutes till you can insert a toothpick in the middle of the cake and it will come out dry.
remove from oven and chill.

mousse:
melt chocolate in double pot or microwave, as explained above. remove from heat.
add eggs one after the other while beating with a hand mixer.
continue beating and add cointreau and rum.
in a separate bowl whip the cream till it holds a soft peak.
fold the cream into the chocolate.
pour the mousse over the cake and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

*you can use different kinds of liqueurs or omit the alcohol all together.

*recipe courtesy of orna and ella cookbook.