Black-Eyed Susan Cookies

We enjoy having Black-Eyed Susan’s as part of our desserts for Christmas.  These cookies are very festive being a white shortbread with a chocolate kiss added on top.  My wife received this recipe in 1994 from a friend at a cookie exchange and we have occasionally made them at Christmas ever since.  We have not made them every year because we have not been happy with the results.

The problem that we encountered with these cookies is that the original directions we received specifies to mix the dough, make balls and place on a cookie sheet, press a chocolate kiss into the center and bake.  The resulting cookies were good, but the tips of the kisses burned and the rest of the chocolate bubbled and was not very appetizing.  We tried adding the kisses near the end of the baking process which helped a little.  My inspiration to fix this recipe came from making Peanut Butter Cup Cookies, where the peanut butter cup is added after the cookies finish baking and are removed from the oven.  This year I found this process also works great when baking Black-Eyed Susan’s.

The following recipe includes the modified directions:

Recipe:
1-cup sugar
1 ½ cups margarine or butter
1 egg (room temperature)
1-Teaspoon baking powder
½-Teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1-Teaspoon vanilla
3 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 Package Chocolate Kisses, Stars, or balls

1. In bowl of stand mixer, add the margarine and sugar and beat on medium speed for several minutes until creamed.
2. Add the egg, baking powder, almond extract, and vanilla to the margarine mixture and mix until well mixed.
3. Add the flour slowly while mixing on low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary.  Mix until all the flour is incorporated into the dough.
4. Place bowl with dough in the refrigerator to chill for 1 to 2 hours.
5. Form dough into one-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes
7. Remove from oven and press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie.
8. Move the cookies from the cookie sheet to a cooling rack and let sit until the chocolate is fully cool.

The cookies that I made this year are well formed and the chocolate kisses retained their shape and texture.  I was out of almond extract, so I left it out and the cookies still taste great.  These cookies are very light yet they retain their shape and don’t easily crumble, they also freeze very well.  I place the cooled cookies into a large Ziploc bag, and put it in the freezer.  Let the frozen cookies thaw for a few minutes, and they are ready to serve. 

The recipe made about four dozen cookies, just right for a bag of Hersey’s KISSES. 

Next I may have to try making the recipe with some of the other Hersey’s KISSES varieties like Special Dark or Mint Truffle, and see how they turn out.

Adventures In Food: Author: Kerry Howell

Panna Cotta with Balsamic Berries

While going through some magazines, my wife found a recipe, in House Beautiful that she thought looked good.  It is a recipe for Panna Cotta with Balsamic Berries by Ina Garten the Barefoot Contessa.  A few days after she gave me the recipe, we were having some friends over for to share a BBQ dinner, and my wife asked if I would make this recipe for dessert.

After a quick trip to the store for whipping cream, one vanilla bean and some fresh berries, I was ready to make the dessert.  I started the day before our BBQ and made the cream portion of the dessert.  I read the directions and quickly decided that while the dessert looks complicated, it is quite easy to make.

I started by cutting a slit the length of the vanilla bean and using the blade of a knife to scrape out the seeds.  I was expecting seeds I could see, but instead the seeds looked like black tar as I scraped out the bean.  Next, in a large mixing bowl I added 1 1/2–cups of the whipping cream, a pint of whole milk yogurt, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, the vanilla bean seeds and then used a whisk to mix all the ingredients.

Into a medium saucepan, I deposited another 1 ½-cups of the cream, and ¾-cup of sugar and stirred the sugar into the cream.  I set the saucepan over a burner on the range and set the heat to medium to bring the cream to a simmer.  While the cream heated, I added one package of unflavored gelatin powder into 1 ½ tablespoons of cold water and mixed.  The gelatin had to sit and soften for 10 minutes, which is about the time it took for the cream to simmer.  I didn’t want to mix the gelatin too early because I learned in another recipe that if it is left too long, it becomes a hard mess that is virtually unusable.

Once the cream mixture began to simmer, I removed it from the heat and whisked the gelatin into the cream.  Next, I slowly added the hot cream mixture to the cold cream in the mixing bowl and combined the two cream mixtures using the whisk.  I set out eight ramekins, poured the cream mixture into the ramekins, filling seven of the eight.  I could have poured less of the mixture into each ramekin and prepared all eight, but seven was fine for our dinner and gave a larger portion of the cream to each guest.

I placed the ramekins on a cookie sheet and placed them in the refrigerator to cool.  Once the cream mixture was cool, I covered each ramekin with plastic wrap and I finished for the night.

On the morning of the BBQ, I did some more preparation of the dessert by slicing two pints of fresh strawberries into a large bowl.  Next, I added a pint of fresh raspberries and a pint of fresh blueberries.  I sprinkled three tablespoons of sugar over the berries and mixed the sugar into the berries.  The recipe calls for two tablespoons of sugar, but the raspberries were a little sour so I added more.  I covered the berries with plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator to stay cool.

Thirty minutes before it was time to serve the dessert, I added five tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and a touch of black pepper to the berries and stirred to mix.

Next came the trickiest part, the directions say to run a small knife around the sides of each dessert and then dip the bottoms in hot tap water to loosen the cream and then turn over on a plate and tap the bottom and the cream should fall out.  I did all this and the cream remained stuck in the ramekin.  I found that while having the ramekin inverted, I insert the knife blade along the side of the dessert to make a small opening to allow air to enter, and then the cream drops out of the ramekin onto the plate.

All that remained was to spoon some of the berries around the cream and then grate a little bit of fresh lemon peel onto the cream and serve.

Everyone enjoyed their panna cotta dessert.  The cream portion was very light and the little bit of lemon zest added just a little enhancement to the flavor.  I would never have thought to use balsamic vinegar with fresh berries, but the vinegar added just a little bite to the sweetness of the berries and was delicious.

This is a dessert that I will make again; the hardest part will be waiting until all three types of berries are again in season.  At first glance, the dessert looks very difficult to make, but in the end I found it very easy to make.  When I looked for the recipe on-line, I was initially surprised that some of the measurements of the ingredients were different, then I quickly realized that the on-line version is makes 4 servings instead of 8, so all the measurements are one half of the recipe from the magazine.

Find the recipe at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/panna-cotta-with-balsamic-strawberries-recipe/index.html

Adventures In Food: Author: Kerry Howell

Bunnymallow Treats

My wife recently mentioned to me that we had some marshmallows that needed to be used up.  On my next trip to the store, I picked up a box of Rice Krispies so that I would be ready to make marshmallow treats.  When I went to make the recipe and got out the bag of marshmallows, I found that my wife had purchased the bag around Easter, and the marshmallows were in the shape of bunnies.  I decided that no real bunnies would be injured in the cooking process of making the treats, and I decided to go ahead and make Bunnymallow Treats.

I followed the recipe printed on the box of Rick Krispies and melted the margarine in a saucepan and then added the marshmallows and stirred until all the bunnies were melted.  I was concerned at the color of the resulting mixture because the bunnies were several different pastel colors for Easter, but the resulting mixture was slightly pinkish-gray and didn’t detract from the final results.

Once all the bunnies melted, I added the Rice Krispies, mixed it all together, and spread it out in a prepared pan to cool.  Once the contents of the pan were cool, I cut the treats into two-inch squares and individually wrapped them in plastic wrap.

The bunnymallow treats are good, but had a taste that wasn’t quite right, they are almost too sweet.  I checked the package of the bunny shaped marshmallows, and they were vanilla flavored, that explains the off taste.

Making the bunnymallow treats was a great way to use up the extra marshmallows before they hardened.  I guess we could have made smores with them, but somehow using bunnies shaped marshmallows for smores just doesn’t seem right.  Next time I make marshmallow treats, I will stick to the standard white regular marshmallows without any color or flavoring.

Adventures In Food: Author: Kerry Howell

Chocolate Moose

After my success with the Charlotte Russe with Raspberries dessert, I decided to try making a more traditional chocolate mousse.  I looked in several of my cookbooks until I found a very easy recipe in my Mark Bittman cookbook: How to Cook Everything.

And no, I didn’t make a mistake in the spelling of the title.  When I think of chocolate mousse, I think of one of my favorite shows from the late 1970’s: The Muppet Show, and my favorite character the Swedish Chef who makes chocolate moose.



As it is very difficult to find a moose in our local stores, I decided to go with the mousse.  This recipe uses six simple ingredients including four ounces of your favorite chocolate chips.

I made a double boiler with a large saucepan containing about an inch of water with a metal bowl on top and put the chocolate chips and the butter in the bowl to melt.  While the chocolate warmed, I got out two small mixing bowls and split the 1 /4 cup of sugar between the bowls.  I separated three eggs, put the whites in one of the mixing bowl, and reserved the yolks to mix with the melted chocolate.  Into the second mixing bowl, I added the 1 /2 cup of whipping cream and the vanilla extract.

The chocolate and butter melted, so I removed it from the stove, dried the bottom of the bowl, added the three egg yolks, and whisked until the mixture was smooth.  I covered the metal bowl and placed it in the refrigerator to cool while I whipped the other ingredients.

In the first bowl with the sugar and egg whites, I used our hand wand with the whisk adapter to whip the eggs until they formed firm peaks.  (I am getting better with practice to figure out what the difference between firm and soft peaks.)  I whipped the bowl with the whipping cream until it formed soft peaks.

Removing the bowl of chocolate from the refrigerator, I added a spatula full of the egg mixture and folded the two together to lighten the chocolate.  One the first spatula was integrated; I added the remainder of the egg white mixture and folded it into the chocolate.

The next step was to add the whipped cream and fold that into the chocolate.  I transferred the mousse into a bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and put it in the refrigerator to chill.

I tried a few spoonfuls of the chilled mousse and it had a very velvety and creamy texture.  It has a nice milk chocolate taste and I would like to sit and eat the entire bowl.  Though I think the next time I make it, I will find some pasteurized eggs, as this recipe does contain raw eggs.

This was very easy to make, and it is the kind of dessert that could easily be made on very short notice for guests.  Now if you will excuse me, I am going to go back to the internet and find some more Swedish Chef video clips.

Adventures In Food: Author: Kerry Howell

Chocolate Lava Muffins

While our kitchen was undergoing the remodel, I would read myself to sleep at night with the Alton Brown cookbook: Good Eats. Before falling asleep, I would use post-it notes to mark recipes that I wanted to make once the kitchen was operational. One of those recipes was Chocolate Lava Muffins.

Since the kitchen became functional, I have made this dessert several times, usually when we had guests over for dinner. This dessert is very easy to make, the hardest parts are: 1-Getting the muffin out of the pan intact (more on that later), 2-Not eating them all in one sitting.

To make the muffin mix, I make a double boiler with the bowl from our KitchenAid stand mixer (without a handle) placed over a large saucepan with about of inch of water inside. I set the heat to medium and put the eight ounces of bittersweet chocolate (usually two bars) inside to melt with the four ounces of butter. While that is melting, I use my postage scale to measure the flour and sugar into another bowl and add the cocoa powder and salt. I just mix all the dry ingredients together with a large spoon.

Once the chocolate and butter melt, I added the vanilla extract (a homemade gift from our son and his wife), and stir the vanilla into the chocolate. Removing the mixing bowl from the saucepan, I dry the bottom and place it on the stand mixer and using the whisk attachment start mixing on medium speed.

The next step is adding the four eggs, one at a time into the chocolate. Once one egg is fully integrated, then adding the next egg. Once all the eggs are added to the mixture, the speed is set to low to add the dry ingredients. Alton recommends using a paper plate to add the dry ingredients, I just spoon the flour mixture into the mixer bowl with a tablespoon at little at a time until all the dry stuff is added.

Now comes the fun, set the mixer speed on high and let it mix for five or six minutes until the mixture lightens in color. This time it took the full six minute, but I could see quite a difference in the color. Once this was finished, I covered the bowl with plastic and put the mixture in the refrigerator until I was ready to bake the muffins.

Setting the oven to 350 degrees on convention mode (375 degrees conventional), I used a paper towel dipped in margarine to give the inside of each hole in a muffin pan a very even margarine coating. Then I spooned about 1 /4 teaspoon of cocoa powder into each buttered hole and took it outside to rotate the pan so that the inside of each hole is completely covered with cocoa. Getting a good coating is essential to releasing the finished muffins.

I spoon enough of the muffin mixture to fill each hole about half way, and then place it in the oven for eleven minutes to bake. Once the muffins are baked (though they don’t look baked as the centers are still runny) I remove them from the oven and let them rest for about two minutes before removing. I use a plastic knife and go around the side of each muffin to make sure the muffins are not sticking to the sides of the muffin pan.

Getting the muffins out intact is the biggest problem, I have tried directly lifting them out, but you have to wait until they cool quite a bit, I have turned them over on a plate which does work, but the tops may stick to the plate. Don’t turn them over onto a paper towel like I did this time, a little bit of the top of each muffin stuck to the towel. The best luck I have had is using two plastic knifes and prying on one side while lifting on the other. Let me know what works for you.

Alton recommends making a sauce of vanilla ice cream and espresso powder. We just serve them with vanilla ice cream on the side and everyone loves them. This is a very easy recipe to make, but guests are always surprised when we serve them.

Find the recipe at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chocolate-lava-muffins-recipe2/index.html

Adventures In Food: Author: Kerry Howell

Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

On Friday, I had some friends over at lunchtime to listen to music played on vinyl records.  Every so often, we have these parties at my house, they bring the pizza, and I provide the beverages and the music.

My dad was a radio personality (disk jockey) from the 1950’s through the 70’s and he would bring home records that were old or not the format that the station played.  My sister and I reaped great rewards when our dad worked at a country music station in the 70’s, because he would bring home all the rock music for us.

When our dad passed away, my sister and I went through boxes containing thousands of records and kept ones that sounded interesting or that we had played in our youth and we sold the rest.  For curiosity sake, I saved some records sung by interesting artists like: John Wayne, Marylyn Monroe, and Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen.  There are also some interesting titles like the Al Smith Hit: I Picked a Booger when I Picked You (it must be a country song).

My wife and I also have about fifty old LP (Long Play vinyl record albums for readers under 30 years of age) that we collected in our youth.  Our group’s lunch parties consist of eating pizza, listening to music and chatting.

I decided for last Friday’s gathering to make a dessert to share.  About two years ago, I made a Paula Deen dessert: Not Yo’ Mama’s Banana Pudding, after seeing it demonstrated on the FoodNetwork on TV.  I hunted through my saved recipes and could not find the recipe printout, so I found the recipe on the FoodNetwork.com site.  I have included the direct link to the recipe at the bottom of this post so you don’t have to watch the video to get the recipe.

I knew that I would be making this dessert one day, so I already had the two packages of Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies in our pantry.  On a recent trip to the store, I purchased the cream cheese, pudding mix and a very large container of Cool Whip.

Friday morning I got out our 9x13 inch glass-baking pan and lined the bottom with the Chessmen cookies.  The cookies just covered the bottom of the pan without having to cut any to fit.  Next, I sliced seven bananas into the pan covering the cookies on the bottom.  I didn’t worry about getting an even banana/cookie covering, but just loosely spread out the bananas over the cookies.

I used the paddle attachment of our Kitchen Aid stand mixer to combine the package of cream cheese and can of condensed milk until creamy.  In a medium sized metal bowl I mixed added the pudding mix and two cups of milk.  The directions say to use a hand mixer on the pudding mix, so I got out our mixing wand with a whisk attachment and started mixing.  I quickly discovered that because the sides of the bowl were too short, I was throwing pudding mix all over the kitchen.  I switched to an old fashion hand whisk and had the pudding mixed in about two minutes.

I used the whisk to fold the cream cheese/condensed milk mixture into the pudding (not the same order as the recipe), then I added about 2 /3 of the container of whipped topping because I had purchased a 16 ounce container and the recipe calls for 12 ounces.  I folded all the ingredients together being careful not to over mix the filling.

I spread the filling over the bananas in the pan and then covered the top with more Chessmen cookies.  Because the pan has sloping sides, I had to break some of the cookies in half for one end to cover the filling.  I covered the pudding with plastic wrap and placed it in the refrigerator until I was ready to serve it.

Our group enjoyed our time of eating and chatting.  Once we had consumed the pizza, I brought out the banana pudding.  One person asked me if my wife made the dessert for us.  “No, I made it!”  I replied.  I found that to keep the pieces served from being mangled, you need to cut around each cookie for a serving.  This is because the cookies on the top and bottom don’t directly line up.  We all enjoyed a nice cool piece of banana pudding.

This cool and creamy dessert would be great on a warm summer afternoon.  Even though the filling is made with vanilla pudding, the overall taste when eating the dessert is of banana.  My wife and I enjoyed a piece of this dessert after our dinner that night and I took several squares to some of our neighbors to enjoy – like one of my 45 records by John Ono Lennon: Instant Karma.

Find the recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/not-yo-mamas-banana-pudding-recipe/index.html

Adventures In Food: Author: Kerry Howell

Piroshky Piroshky, Seattle, Washington

For mothers day weekend, we took a trip to Seattle and had some great experiences.  We rode to the top of the Space Needle, visited the Ballard ship locks, and spent some time in the Pike Place Market.

Earlier this year we visited the Pike Place Market, where we discovered a little sidewalk shop (about 20 feet wide) containing a Russian Bakery: Piroshky Piroshky.  That first visit was on a Friday and we just waited inside the shop for two people ahead of us to order and then we shared a great apple cinnamon roll between the three of us.

For this trip, we were going to make it our lunch and have one of their Piroshky pies and a dessert.  We were very surprised to find a line of about 30 people ahead of us in a line that snaked from the front of the bakery around the sidewalk and back into the bowels of the building.  Fortunately, the line moved quickly.

Once inside we had trouble deciding what to order.  We really wanted to try some of each item on the menu.  I ordered a Smoked Mozzarella Broccoli and Mushroom Piroshky, and my wife had a Potato Onion and Mushroom Piroshky.  I almost ordered a Smoked Salmon Piroshky but I saw that it was salmon pate, while I’m sure it is authentic, but it was not what I was looking for.

We stepped out into the sunshine of the market and enjoyed our Piroshky’s.  I really enjoyed the smoked mozzarella, but it could have used a little more mozzarella and a little less broccoli for my taste.  I still enjoyed it thought.  My wife commented that she was a little disappointed in her selection as it was like eating mashed potatoes in a piecrust, she would have liked it to have a little more body and a few more mushrooms.

We had also ordered dessert: a Cinnamon Cardamon Braid and an Apple Cinnamon Roll.  I really enjoyed the Cinnamon Cardamon Braid.  In addition to cinnamon and cardamon, it also contained raisins, orange peel, and hazelnuts.  It had a light texture and was not overly spiced by any one ingredient so all the flavors were discernable.  The Apple Cinnamon Roll made with Granny Smith apples had a nice tartness to balance the sweetness of the roll.  This will always be one of our favorites.

It is interesting for me to go back and study my photos, I can see that in the case there were several types of meat Piroshky’s that we didn’t see because their little signs were pushed over and facing the floor by the trays of pies.  I think that I probably would have had a Bavarian Sausage Piroshky if I had seen that there were more types for sale in the case.  I guess that leaves something for me to try on my next adventure.

Adventures In Food: Author: Kerry Howell