Recipe: Chocolate Espresso Bars

Chocolate Expresso Bars


From CBS: Instant espresso powder offers the most practical way to impart a rich coffee flavor to cookies, candies and cakes. Sold in well-stocked food markets and specialty coffee stores, the fine powder dissolves quickly in hot liquid, producing a bolder, more concentrated taste than regular instant coffee. This intense flavor comes with a solid dose of caffeine, however, so if you are sensitive to caffeine's effects, look for a brand of instant espresso powder labeled "decaffeinated."

Ingredients:


3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder

3 tbs. instant espresso powder

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

8 tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 eggs

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the glaze:

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. instant espresso powder

4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Pinch of salt

16 chocolate-covered espresso beans (optional)


Directions: Preheat an oven to 350°F. Generously grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder and salt into a bowl; set aside.

In a small, heavy saucepan over low heat, combine the butter and chocolate and heat, stirring occasionally, until melted, about two minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and brown sugar until blended. Gradually stir in the chocolate mixture until blended. Stir in the vanilla, then add the flour mixture and stir until blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the edges pull away from the sides of the pan and the center is springy to the touch, about 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool.

Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream and espresso powder and heat, stirring, just until the powder is dissolved and bubbles start to appear around the pan edges. Add the chocolate and salt, remove from the heat and stir just until the chocolate is melted. Let cool to room temperature.

Using a small offset spatula, spread the cooled glaze over the cookie in a thin layer. Refrigerate until the glaze is set, about 30 minutes. Cut into 1 1⁄2-by-2 1⁄2-inch bars or 2-inch squares. Top each bar with a chocolate-covered espresso bean. Makes 16 bars.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, "Cookies," by Marie Simmons (Simon & Schuster, 2002 ).

Recipes: Culinary Salute To Spring

From Denny: More comfort food on a $35 budget from a famous chef! Does life get any better? This is the first I've heard of a hanger steak as explained below in the food facts. It's no wonder most of us have never heard of it; turns out most butchers kept this intensely flavorful cut all to themselves. Now it's become quite popular in upscale restaurants. I guess butchers and chefs decided to "share" with the public finally - for a hefty price. :)

Rhubarb is a wonderful Spring tonic as it is a diuretic. Make sure you DO NOT cook or eat raw the leaves as they are toxic! The stalks are perfectly fine to eat and cook up nicely with a lot of brown sugar, some clarified butter, a little salt as a morning porridge or to slather on your toast. That's how we used to eat it at our house when we lived in Maine for a time. We grew our own rhubarb just outside the kitchen door like a little kitchen garden. As a kid I used to love to go pick the long stalks and the huge prehistoric leaves waved at me. It was like they knew they were going to be breakfast without regret. The mind of a child...

Featured here are the recipes of executive chef Kerry Heffernan of the South Gate Restaurant at New York's Essex House Hotel which overlooks Central Park.

Note: If for any reason this video does not display properly or CBS disables it you can click on the title link to take you to the page where the article and video are both located.




FOOD FACTS from CBS:

Gemelli: A type of pasta. The name derives from the Italian word for twins. Gemelli aren't twin tubes twisted around one another, as they may appear to be, but rather are a single, "S"-shaped strand twisted into a spiral. It's similar to fusilli.

Hanger Steak: Hanger steak is so-named because it's part of the diaphragm muscle that hangs between the loin and the ribs. Like skirt steak, hanger steak is a grainy, fatty cut that turns out beautifully if it's well-marinated before cooking. But it can be tough if it's prepared incorrectly. Hanger steak is nicknamed "butcher's tenderloin" because butchers traditionally kept this full-flavored, odd-shaped cut for themselves. It's become very popular now at both high-end and lower-priced restaurants. If you can't find hanger steak, you may use skirt steak or even flank steak.

Rhubarb: Rhubarb can be eaten raw with a little sugar sprinkled over it, but is generally cooked with other ingredients to produce a fruit dish of some type. Rhubarb can be used nicely to enhance the flavor of other fruits, such as pairing it with strawberries in baked sauces or beverages. Rhubarb stalks vary from red to pink and may also appear speckled or green. This color variation has little or no impact on the ripeness of the rhubarb. When selecting, choose stalks that are fresh looking, crisp and blemish-free.

Cardamom: Cardamom is the ground seed of a tropical fruit in the ginger family known as Elettaria cardamomum. The seeds are found in ovalshaped fruit pods that are between 1/4 and one-inch long. Cardamom has an intense, pungent, sweet flavor. In India, Cardamom is traditionally used in curry blends, and in Scandinavian countries, it's commonly added to breads; however, most of the world's Cardamom crop is used in Arabic countries as a flavoring for coffee.


Gemelli Pasta with Spring Peas

INGREDIENTS:

12 ounces pasta (gemelli or fusilli)

1 pound fresh or 8 ounces frozen peas

1 bunch fresh tarragon, picked and coarsely chopped

1 half pint heavy cream

3 ounces grapeseed or canola oil if for salad

2 ounces dried mushrooms

1 shallot, minced

2 gloves garlic, minced


METHOD:

Bring 4 quarts water to the boil in a large pot.

Shuck, blanch and shock peas if fresh; allow peas to defrost if frozen.

In a broad 4 quart saucepan, bring cream to a boil, season with salt and pepper add dried mushrooms and allow to infuse for 7 minutes. Add Pasta to salted boiling water.

Bring cream back to a boil, and add peas, check seasoning, add ½ tarragon, shallots and garlic and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil remove from heat and reserve.

Check pasta and cook to desired stage. Drain Pasta and toss in cream mixture, serve with remaining chopped tarragon.

Grilled Hanger Steak with Fresh Asparagus and Sweet Onions

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound cleaned Hanger steak

1 pound pencil asparagus, trimmed 2 inches from bottom

1 pound spring onions, peeled and sliced horizontally into ½ inch rounds

1 bunch scallions trimmed of roots and washed

1 bunch parsley, stems removed

1 bunch Sage, stems removed

2 ounces canola oil

Zest of ¼ of an orange

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 teaspoon chili flakes


METHOD:

Heat grill to medium/high.

Make a quick herb puree, by blending first garlic, orange rind parsley and canola oil in blender (not food processor) with salt and pepper and blending at progressively higher speeds until bright green but still slightly rough. Taste, correct seasoning and add sage and blend further at high speed until well chopped and combined. Reserve.

Season onions, scallions and asparagus well with salt pepper and canola oil
Cook vegetables on grill, in this order, onions first then asparagus and scallions, until well marked and just about cooked (they will continue to cook off the grill). Reserve on an attractive platter.

Turn grill up to high, clean off any remaining bits of vegetables. Season steak very will on each side and grill steak to desired doneness, remove from grill and allow to "rest" at least 7 minutes so that the juices can recede back into the flesh.

Slice meat and arrange over and around vegetables and serve sauce on the side.


Vanilla Ice Cream with Homemade Rhubarb Syrup and Crumbled Butter Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound fresh rhubarb

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 pods green cardamom

1/2 cup Sugar

1/4 cup water

Pinch salt

1 pint ice cream

4 butter cookies (such as Pepperidge farms Bordeaux) roughly crumbled


METHOD:

Wash and trim rhubarb into 3 inch lengths in a sauce pan large enough to accommodate rhubarb in one layer. Bring sugar, water, salt, and cardamom pods to a boil, simmer one minute then add Rhubarb, and vanilla (if you prefer you can do it in 2 batches but it should not exceed one even layer on the bottom surface area).

Cook over medium heat until just before rhubarb is tender (it will go to mush very quickly!), remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Scoop Ice Cream into glasses and layer in poached rhubarb and some of its syrup and crumbled butter cookies over top.

So, how did Heffernan do with our $35 budget?

Gemelli Pasta

pasta $1.19
peas $1.99
tarragon $1.49
heavy cream $1.19
grapeseed oil $3.99
mushrooms $1.99
garlic $.39
shallot $.16
total $12.39

Hanger Steak

hanger steak $4.29
asparagus $1.69
spring onions $1.49
scallions $.69
parsley $.99
sage $1.49
orange zest $.39
chilies $.16
total $11.19

Rhubarb Ice Cream

rhubarb $2.99
Cardamom $4.69
butter cookies $2.00
ice cream $.99
total $10.67

Total: $34.25

Top Three so far in our "How Low Can You Go" competition:

1. Scott Peacock $32.60
Watershed Restaurant

2. Patrick Connolly $33.32
Bobo Restaurant

3. Bill Poirier $33.35
Sonsie Restaurant

Recipe: Chocolate-Banana Croissant Panini

Chocolate-Banana Croissant Panini

From CBS: "Our simple sandwich is inspired by pain au chocolat, a much-loved after-school snack in France. It is, literally, a chocolate bar sandwiched between two slices of bread. This sweet treat is also enjoyed by schoolchildren in Spain."

Ingredients:

2 day-old croissants, cut in half horizontally

2 oz. bittersweet chocolate shavings

1 small banana, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch slices

Directions: Heat an electric panini maker to medium, according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Lay the bottom half of each croissant, cut side up, on a clean work surface. Sprinkle with about two-thirds of the chocolate, dividing equally. Arrange the banana slices on top, then sprinkle with the remaining chocolate. Place the top half of each croissant, cut side down, on top.

Place the sandwiches on the heated panini maker and close the lid. Cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until the chocolate is melted and the tops are golden, 5 to 7 minutes.

Transfer the sandwiches to a cutting board and cut in half. Serve immediately. Serves four.

Recipes: Spring Comfort Food on a Budget From Former Ballerina

Image via Wikipedia

From Denny: Louisiana has always been about two things - food at an affordable price and French cooking!

Patricia Williams is a former ballerina who retired at age 30. She followed her passion and became a chef, studying in France. She answered the CBS Morning Show's challenge of a meal for a family of four on $35 or less.

Seriously mouth-watering is this comfort food! She lines the meatloaf pan with smokey bacon and it adheres while it is baking in the pan. To serve, take it out of the pan, flip it over so the bacon is now on top: awesome!

Chef Williams shows you how easy it is to make your own fresh Green Goddess salad dressing and finally, a small bite version of Strawberry Shortcake. A lot of nutritional and taste value for reasonable money definitely qualifies as great comfort food in my book!



Recipes from CBS:

Arugula Salad

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound Arugula

16 asparagus green stalks, standard size

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Salt and pepper

METHOD:

Wash and dry the arugula. Cut the woody stems off the asparagus; peel the asparagus and save for the salad. Blanch the asparagus in salted water then shock in ice water.

To assemble the salad, place a large dollop of green goddess dressing on the plate. Place the arugula and the asparagus shavings in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper; add the olive oil and the lemon juice and toss. Place 4 asparagus on each plate (2 green and 2 white) and top with arugula.

Green Goddess Dressing

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

2 egg yolks

2 cups extra virgin olive oil

2.5 cups parsley leaves

2 cups arugula leaves

4 tablespoons tarragon

6 tablespoons minced chives

2 cloves garlic, chopped

4 white anchovies

Juice of 2 lemons

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 ripe avocado

METHOD:

Slice the herbs and arugula thinly and puree with anchovies, garlic, lemon juice, avocado with ½ cup extra virgin olive oil.

To make the mayonnaise, blend the egg yolks and white wine vinegar and slowly add 2 cups extra virgin olive oil; combine and season with salt and pepper.

Bacon and Beef Meatloaf

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon mustard

2 ounces breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 egg slightly beaten

2 pounds ground beef

1.5 ounces heavy cream

1 tablespoon tabasco sauce

2 teaspoon kosher slat

1 piece of diced bacon

1 pound fresh green beans, cleaned & blanched

METHOD:

Sauté the bacon and add the onions and the garlic; let cool. Mix the remaining ingredients and combine everything with the beef; do not over mix. Place in a 1-pound loaf pan and bake at 320°F for 30 minutes.

Drain the oil that has accumulated during cooking. Remove from the mold and serve with spicy ketchup sauce and green beans.

Spicy Ketchup Sauce

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 cups ketchup

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup red wine vinegar

2 sticks butter

Tabasco to taste

METHOD:

Combine all ingredients and puree in a blender; season to taste with Tabasco and serve with the meatloaf.


Strawberry Shortcake

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

Topping:

1 pint strawberries - washed, hulled and sliced

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

METHOD:

Topping: Whip the heavy cream and add the powdered sugar. Set aside until ready to serve.

INGREDIENTS:

Shortcake:

2 cups flour

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

3.2 ounces butter

4.8 ounces heavy cream

2 eggs

3 tablespoons flour for the surface

1 tablespoon cream for tops

1 tablespoon sugar for the tops

METHOD:

Shortcake: Cut the butter in small pieces. Place the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in the bowl of the mixer. With the paddle, beat the butter into the flour mixture; do not over mix.

Beat the eggs and combine with the heavy cream and add to the flour mixture.

Lightly flour the surface and roll the dough into 1 inch height and cut with a 3-inch cookie ring.

Brush with heavy cream and top with sugar. Bake in a preheated 300°F. oven for 20 minutes or until lightly golden.


So, how did Williams do with our $35 budget?

Arugula Salad:

arugula $4.50
asparagus $1.75
parsley $.69
tarragon $1.49
chives $1.69
garlic $.39
anchovies $.99
lemons $.98
avocado $2.00

total $14.48

Meatloaf:

onion $.52
ketchup $.99
mustard $.89
breadcrumbs $.99
ground beef $4.58
heavy cream $1.19
bacon $1.00
green beans $1.99
soy sauce $1.39
butter $1.79
tobasco $1.39

total $16.72

Strawberry Shortcake

strawberries $2.49
heavy cream $1.19

total $3.68

Grand total: $34.88

Leader chefs so far this year in "How Low Can You Go?":

1. Scott Peacock $32.60
Watershed Restaurant

2. Joey Campanaro $33.27
The Little Owl

3. Patrick Connolly $33.32
Bobo Restaurant

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Recipe: Chocolate-Amaretti Heartbreakers

Chocolate-Amaretti Heartbreakers

From CBS:

"These are really waffled cakes? moist, cocoa-rich and flecked with ground amaretti (Italian macaroons) and bittersweet chocolate. They're delicious as is, with just a sprinkling of confectioners' sugar, luscious with lightly sweetened, softly whipped cream, and downright indulgent with ice cream and hot fudge."


Ingredients:


3 large double amaretti (or 6 amaretti from 3 paper-wrapped packets)
2 oz. high-quality bittersweet chocolate

5 tbs. unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. double-acting baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

pinch of salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup cocoa, preferably Dutch process

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

2 eggs

Confectioners' sugar, sweetened whipped cream, ice cream and/or hot fudge sauce for serving (optional)


Directions: Place the amaretti and bittersweet chocolate in the work bowl of a food processor or in a blender and process until pulverized; set aside.

Preheat a waffle iron. If you'd like to serve the waffles warm, preheat an oven to 350°F.

Melt the butter; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar and cocoa. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla, almond extract and eggs until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir with the whisk to combine. Fold in the amaretti-chocolate mixture and the melted butter.

Lightly butter or spray the grids of the waffle iron, if needed. Brush or spray the grids again only if subsequent waffles stick.

Spoon out 1/3 cup of batter (or the amount recommended by the manufacturer's instructions) onto the hot iron. Use a metal spatula or wooden spoon to spread the batter evenly over the grids. Close the lid and bake until just set. Bake these slightly less than you do other waffles because chocolate has a tendency to burn easily. There's no need to worry, but you do want to keep an eye on these. Transfer the finished waffles to a cooling rack while you make the rest. If desired, just before serving, warm the waffles briefly, about 2 minutes, in the oven. They're good at room temperature, too.

To serve: You can present a full five-of-hearts to each person, shaking a dusting of confectioners' sugar over the entire waffle and then scooping some whipped cream or ice cream onto the center. Hot fudge sauce is both luscious and luxurious over these. Broken into individual hearts and filled with ice cream, these make fabulous sandwiches. Makes about 10 full five-of-hearts or about six 6 1/2-inch round waffles.

Adapted from "Waffles from Morning to Midnight," by Dorie Greenspan (Weldon Owen, 2001).