Chocolate Chess Pie...

There are many pies that I would call my favorite; nevertheless, there is just not enough space in the bloggersphere to give my complete list here. But one pie that has gone the way of the old Southern culture, like RC Cola and a moon pie, is the Chess Pie. A particularly sugary pie characteristic of a filling composed of eggs, butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Somehow the chess pie has not really become a darling of our new nouveau foodies and made trendy.

That's all for the best, really. Chess pie isn't supposed to be trendy. It's supposed to remind us of grandmother's house, taking us back to a simpler world with a simple dessert. I know that every time I have a slice, a pure satisfaction comes over me as I slowly eat my way through the buttery custard and crust,while remembering wonderful childhood memories.

But we all know those times have changed. And even our palettes have changed. So, below I offer a makeover of this southern classic. This recipe has long been a family favorite. And with its rich, gooey filling, this pie is a choco-holic's dream!



Chocolate Chess Pie

Ingredients:
Butter Pie Crust (see below)
~ Or pastry for a single-crust pie
2 cups sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup milk
½ cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare Butter Pie Crust; set aside.

For filling, in a large bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, cornmeal, flour, and salt. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla. Stir egg mixture into sugar mixture until smooth. Stir in pecans.

Pour filling into pastry-lined pie plate. Bake about 1 hour or until filling is set and crust is golden. If crust begins to brown too fast, reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F and cover edge of crust with foil. Cool pie on a wire rack. (Filling will fall slightly during cooling.) Chill within 2 hours. If desired, serve with whipped cream.

Serves 8 to 10
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Butter Pie Crust

Ingredients:
½ cup salted butter
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
1 cup flour (unsifted)

Mix the butter and sugar together in a bowl with a spoon. Do not cream! Place the butter and sugar combination on a flat surface and add half a cup of the flour and lightly mix to combine the ingredients. Add the other half of the flour and knead just until a dough begins to form. Do not roll out the dough.

Press the dough into a glass pie dish (you can use metal, but glass performs so much better and cooks more evenly) using your knuckles, so the dough doesn't stick as much. Place in the refrigerator until ready to pour in your pie filling and bake.

Makes one single crust

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George’s notes:

• No one is really sure where the name comes from, but there are some neat theories about it. But here in "The History of Chess Pie" many ideas have been outlined.
• The pie seems to have no relation to the game of chess, which has led to much speculation as to the origin of this term. Some theorize that the name of the pie traces back to its ancestral England, where the dessert perhaps evolved from a similar cheese tart, in which the archaic "cheese" was used to describe pies of the same consistency even without that particular ingredient present in the recipe.
• There is also a theory that the word "chess" pie comes from the piece of furniture that was common in the early South called a pie chest or pie safe. Chess pie may have been called chest pie at first because it held up well in the pie chest.

I want to thank everyone for your thoughtful comments & prayers for my mother. Her surgery was very successful and she is doing extremely well. Mom is a fighter and a difficult individual to keep down, so she will be back on her feet in no time.

Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and know that she truly appreciates each & everyone of you for your kindness. I am still in Florida, but will post when I can. ~ George

Orange-Chocolate Muffins...

Now that we are all in the baking mode, here is a muffin I use to make at the Ridgefield Coffee Company, where I was chef for several years. It was always a success due to the lightness, its flavor and its combination of ingredients. I usually make this during the holidays to accompany my morning coffee. These delicious breakfast muffins are best eaten warm from the oven. The addition of yogurt makes these muffins wonderfully moist and soft – enjoy!



Orange-Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients:
2 whole oranges quartered & seeded
2 large eggs
14 tablespoons butter, melted& cooled
1 cup chocolate chips
4 cups plain yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¾ cup sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and grease two 12 muffin pans.

Blend the whole oranges in the food processor — skin and everything. Add the eggs and melted butter. Combine the mixture, but do not over-process. Place it in a large bowl with the chocolate chips. Mix the yogurt, lemon juice and sugar together in a bowl. Sift the dry ingredients into another bowl. Add the yogurt mixture and the dry ingredients to the orange mixture, alternating small amounts of each. Just blend with the lightest movement — do not over-mix. Place 2 tablespoons of batter in the prepared muffin pans.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the muffins comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes and then cool on a wire rack. The muffins will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container. These muffins also freeze very well.

Makes 24 muffins

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George’s notes:

• The Ridgefield Coffee Company (CT) was a wonderful gourmet coffee shop, per Starbuck’s moving east. There we offered just breakfast and lunch ~ with amazing desserts, croissants, pains au chocolat, scones and a wide assortments of cakes and pies.
• If you are planning to travel with these muffins, pack them carefully because they do squash out of shape easily.

Red Velvet Cake...

Red Velvet Cake is a mellow chocolate cake with an intense red color. A white cream cheese icing is traditional, preferably applied with such care that when you cut it, the cake’s redness is a surprise.

A Southern specialty, the Red Velvet Cake owes its red color to history. Originally, its deep red color was thought to be due to a reaction between early varieties of cocoa and baking soda. But this reaction also gave the cake a soapy taste. Thereafter, cooks and bakers must have opted for food color or an edible red dye to get the effect. In the Southern states, where the Red Velvet Cake originated, it was made with cocoa and beet, hence the original red color effect. The contrasting white frosting completes the effect that has been related to the contrast between Good and Evil.

From the time I was old enough to speak my will, I would ask for a Red Velvet Cake for dessert. Why? Because it was the cake my mother always made at Christmas; thus I equated Red Velvet Cake with wrapped presents & toys ~ a little of the “evil wanting good”.

The recipe was first published in Mrs. Rorder's New Cook Book by Sarah Tyson Rorer, and found its way across magazines and cookbooks by 1913. The Waldorf Astoria Hotel has often been credited for developing this delicious dessert, but the venue hasn't provided enough proof to support its status as the world's first red velvet cake producer. Today, the hotel still serves a rich Red Velvet Cake that has many similarities to the original recipe. Here is a classic recipe used for at least four generation in my family. I hope you will give this recipe a try. Enjoy!

Classic Red Velvet Cake

Cake:
1½ cups sugar
½ cup shortening
2 eggs
2½ cups cake flour
1 cup butter milk
2 ounces red food coloring
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon soda
1 tablespoon vinegar

In a mixing bowl, cream sugar, shortening and eggs. Gradually stir in flour and buttermilk. Combine food coloring, cocoa, salt and vanilla. Stir into flour mixture. Dissolve soda in vinegar and stir into batter.
Pour batter into 3 greased layer pans. Bake at 350° F for 25 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Cream Cheese Icing:
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup butter
1¾ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

In a large bowl, beat cheese, vanilla, butter and sugar; until light and fluffy. Spread icing between layers, on top and side of cake. Serve at room temperature.

Serves 12


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George’s notes:

• “It’s the Dolly Parton of cakes: a little bit tacky, but you love her,” said Angie Mosier, a food writer in Atlanta about the Classic Red Velvet Cake.
• In the 1989 film Steel Magnolias the groom's cake (another southern tradition) is a red velvet cake made in the shape of an armadillo.
• It has been told, that if a young lady sleeps with a slice of groom's cake under her pillow, she will supposedly dream of the man she will marry.
• In Canada a Red Velvet Cake was a signature dessert in the restaurants and bakeries of the Eaton’s department store chain in the 1940s and 1950s. Promoted as an "exclusive" Eaton's recipe, with employees who knew the recipe sworn to silence, many mistakenly believed the cake to be the invention of the department store matriarch, Lady Eaton.

Cupcakes...

There is something truly different about a cupcake. They are small petite packaged desserts that make people feel like a kid again. Maybe it’s because they are small and individually wrapped and decorated. Maybe it’s because they just make you smile.

Here are two theories about the origin of Cupcakes…

The name cupcake comes from the amount of ingredients used to make them - a cupful of flour, a cupful of butter and cupful of sugar. This is very similar to how pound cake was named. In fact, the recipes for cup cakes and pound cakes include pretty much the same ingredients and would have produced similar results.

These cakes were originally baked in cups. Old cookbooks also sometimes mention baking cakes in small cups. These cups may very well have been earthenware tea cups or other small clay baking pans. These would easily accommodate baking level oven heat and produce individual-sized cakes. This is not the same thing as contemporary metal cupcake pans, enabling cooks to bake a dozen small cakes in one pan.

Growing up, cupcakes were some of my very favorite treats. They were made for special birthday parties, a great report card or just rainy Saturday afternoon entertainment. Cupcakes are easy to make, fun to eat and they are the perfect size serving. No two cupcakes are exactly alike, that is another great reason why people seem to adore them. Cupcakes are definitely making a comeback and we are all the benefactors for this fact! Here is one of my favorite cupcake recipes:



Chocolate Mint Cupcakes
If you would like to frost the cupcakes, I've included two recipes for a mint-flavored frosting. The butter cream version is quite sweet; the cream cheese version is a little less sweet and has a tang from the cream cheese.

Cupcake Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter
½ cup Dutch processed cocoa
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
¾ cup flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
1½ teaspoons mint extract
½ cup sour cream

Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:
8 tablespoons butter, room temperature (1 stick, 4 ounces)
1 tablespoon milk
¼ to ½ teaspoon mint extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature (½ stick, 2 ounces)
¼ to ½ teaspoon mint extract
1½ cups powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
Fresh mint for garnish
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Directions:

Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a muffin tin by lining it with cupcake liners. Use a double boiler or add an inch or two of water to a medium sized saucepan and place a metal bowl over it, bringing the water to a simmer. Add butter (cut into chunks), chocolate, and cocoa to the bowl. As the butter and chocolate melt, whisk until the ingredients are well combined and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool to touch.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.

In a large bowl (can use a mixer), beat the eggs. Add the salt, the sugar, the mint extract and beat until well combined. Slowly add in the chocolate butter mixture and beat until combined.

Add in half of the sifted flour mixture, mix to combine. Mix in the sour cream. Mix in the remaining flour mixture.

Spoon the batter evenly into the lined muffin cups. Place in oven in middle rack. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until tops spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool in muffin tin on a rack for 15 minutes. Then gently remove cupcakes from the tin and let cool completely before frosting.

Use frosting of choice, flavored with a little mint extract. Garnish with a little fresh mint. Recipes for simple butter cream or cream cheese frosting follow.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Frosting

In an electric mixer, beat the butter (if making buttercream) or butter and cream cheese (if making cream cheese frosting) at medium speed until creamy. Beat in milk (if making buttercream) and mint extract.

Slowly add in the powdered sugar on low speed, stopping every now and then to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until light and fluffy. Taste and add more mint extract if it isn't minty enough for you or powdered sugar if it isn't sweet enough for you.

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I believe you can tell a lot about a fellow's character by the way he or she eats a cupcake. So indulge yourself and bake a dozen today!

Tiramisu: a "Pick-Me-Up"...

Tiramisu is an Italian dessert typically made from sponge finger biscuits, espresso, cheese, eggs, cream, sugar, Marsala wine, cocoa, and rum. Its name literally means "pick-me-up" and is a reference to its two caffeine-containing ingredients, espresso and cocoa. Although tiramisu is one of the most popular desserts served in restaurants, there is some debate about its origin, as there is no documented mention of it before 1983. What are some theories regarding how it was first created?

Recipe
The cake or cookies are sprinkled with or briefly soaked in a mixture of coffee, rum, and sugar. They are layered with a mixture of mascarpone cheese and zabaglione, custard made from egg yolks, Marsala, and sugar. Cocoa powder is then sprinkled on top.

Tiramisu has become one of the most popular desserts served in restaurants of all types, not just Italian restaurants. The recipe has been adapted into cakes, puddings, and other varieties of dessert. Other flavors are often used now in place of coffee, including strawberry, lemon, or chocolate.

History
There is some debate regarding tiramisu's origin, as there is no documented mention of the dessert before 1983. In 1998, Fernando and Tina Raris similarly claimed that the dessert is a recent invention. They point out that while the recipes and histories of other layered desserts are very similar; the first documented mention of tiramisu in a published work appears in a Greek cookbook. Backing up this story, the authors recalled an article that tiramisu was created in 1971 in Treviso.

Some claim that it was first created in Northern Italy during the First World War. Women made these desserts for their men to take with them as they were being sent off to war. They might have believed the high caffeine and energy content of these desserts would give their men more energy to fight and help bring them home safely.

A less glamorous theory explains that the dessert was a way of salvaging old cake and coffee that had gone cold by using the leftover coffee and perhaps some liqueur to moisten the dry cake. The dish was greatly improved by layering it with cream or mascarpone cheese.


Here is my favorite recipe:

Individual Tiramisu

Ingredients:
½ pound mascarpone cheese
1½ tablespoons sugar
2 eggs, separated
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup very strong cold black coffee
2 tablespoons coffee liqueur
1 cup coarsely crumbled butter cookies or pound cake
2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted

In a large bowl, beat together the cheese, sugar and egg yolks until blended and creamy. In another bowl, beat together the egg whites, salt and lemon juice until stiff pecks are formed. Fold egg whites into the cheese mixture. In a small bowl, combine the coffee and liqueur.

Using 4 old-fashion glasses, divide half the cookie/pound cake into the bottom of each glass. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the liqueur mixture over cake; then top with half the cheese mixture. Layer remaining cake, liqueur mixture and cheese mixture in the same way.

Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours before serving.
Sprinkle each glass with sifted cocoa powder and serve.

Serves 4

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George's notes:

• My all time favorite! I usually make an extra to enjoy another day after my guests have gone.

Chocolate Cake...

Who doesn’t like chocolate cake? If you enjoy sweets you are sure to love this. Chances are some of you have either tried this recipe or make it on a regular basis. This is the legendary classic Hershey’s chocolate cake recipe. What I love about this cake is; that it has an amazing chocolate flavor, is easy to make and it’s always very moist. You can frost the cake with any of your favorite frostings; but here I have made a chocolate ganache to frost mine. Just to be aware, after I added the water I was a little worried because the batter seemed thin; but it baked up beautifully. This cake can either be made in two 9 -inch round cake pans or a 13×9 -inch pan. If you want to please your family and friends with an extremely delicious chocolate cake, give this recipe a try. Enjoy!



Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
For the cake
1¾ cups flour
2 cups sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ cup Hershey's baking cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup boiling water

For Ganache frosting
1 pound fine-quality semisweet
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
¼ cup unsalted butter

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F and grease two 9 -inch round baking pans. In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking power, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and oil. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water with a spatula or spoon. Evenly pour batter into both baking pans.

Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to fully cool.


Ganache frosting:
Finely chop chocolate.
In a 1 ½ - to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to chocolate mixture, whisking until smooth.

Transfer frosting to a bowl and let it cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on the type chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting until it reaches a spreadable consistency). Spread frosting between cake layers and over top and sides.

Cake keeps ~ covered and chilled for 3 days. I suggest bringing the cake to room temperature before serving.

Serves 12 to 14

Chocolate Bread Pudding, an old family classic...

With fall upon us and getting ready for a busy Holiday season, here is a comforting dessert to offer at any of your up coming dinners. An old family classic passed down to me by some very good and loving cooks. – Enjoy!

Chocolate Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce

Ingredients:
Chocolate Bread Pudding
4 to 6 day-old croissants cut into ½-inch pieces
4 cups milk, divided
6 tablespoons sugar
½ cups cocoa powder
5 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons vanilla

Whiskey Sauce
½ cup sugar
¼ cup cream
¼ cup butter
¼ cup bourbon or to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Prep a 1½ quart baking dish with Pam nonstick spray.

In a large bowl place croissant pieces and cover with 3 cups milk. Allow to soak for 10 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and cocoa powder. Beat in eggs until smooth and creamy. Add remaining milk, vanilla and pinch of salt. Stir to blend well. Combine cocoa mix and soaked croissants; toss well to completely blend. Pour into prepare baking dish and bake for 35 to 50 minutes. Test with a knife inserted at the center, it should come out clean.

To make sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat, cook sugar, cream and butter until melted and sugar dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in whiskey to taste. Sauce will be thin but flavorful.
Serve pudding warm with Whiskey Sauce on the side in a sauce bowl with ladle.
Servings: Eight (8)

Note: You can make individual puddings by dividing the mixture into eight 6-ounce ramekins, as illustrated in the picture above.

p.s. - day old hala bread can be used in place of croissants.

Pains au Chocolat…

Translated literally as 'chocolate bread', it is made of the same puffed pastry as croissants. But these sweet delectable light, flaky French-style croissant roll are filled with delicious chocolate.

With this easy recipe you can be in Paris in a flash, all you need is some good quality all-butter frozen puff pastry, some excellent dark chocolate bars, and a few pantry items. So if you’ve had a bad day, or when your adult life feels more like your first day at school ~ lost and a little homesick, you can make them and be back "chez maman" (home with mom) in minutes.

Pains au Chocolat

Ingredients:
2 sheets frozen puff pastry (one 17.3-ounce package), thawed
~ each sheet cut into 12 squares
1 large egg beaten to blend with 1 water (for glaze)
8 bars 3.5-ounce bittersweet or milk chocolate
~ each cut into six 2x¾ -inch pieces
Sugar

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Brush top of each puff pastry square with egg glaze. Place 2 chocolate piece on edge of 1 pastry square. Roll up dough tightly, enclosing chocolate. Repeat with remaining pastry and chocolate. Place pastry rolls on baking sheet, seam side down. Cover pastries with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Cover and refrigerate remaining egg glaze.

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Brush tops of pastry rolls with remaining egg glaze. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake until pastries are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12



Note: Pains au Chocolat can be made 1 day ahead before baking. Just cover pastries with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Cover and refrigerate remaining egg glaze.

Dark Chocolate Crème Brûlée ~ quite simple to make...

My absolute favorite dessert is Crème Brûlée! You can find it in almost every fine dining restaurant, but did you know that it is actually quite simple to make. The smooth creamy custard contrasts very nicely with the crunch of the hardened sugar topping. And again, you get to play with fire (see my Oct 6th post for Banana’s Foster). This particular recipe uses dark chocolate but you can also substitute bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate.


Dark Chocolate Crème Brûlée

Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half and half
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 egg yolks
2 cups sugar

8 tablespoons sugar ~ before serving

In a large saucepan, bring cream and half and half to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar together until smooth. Gradually add hot chocolate mix, whisking until well blended.

Divide custard among eight ¾-cup custard cups. Place cups in large baking pan; add enough hot water to pan to come halfway up sides of cups. Bake in a preheated oven set at 300° F for 50 minutes, or until custards are set. Remove from water and chill for 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

You can crystallize the sugar two ways: (1) Preheat your broiler. Sprinkle each custard with 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Broil until sugar turns golden. Do not let sugar burn. About 3 minutes. (2) Use a kitchen blow torch, again being careful not to burn the sugar.

Place custards back in refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours, to set.

Serves 8

Moelleux au Chocolat... chocolate lava cake

Moelleux au Chocolat… This French classic chocolate lava cake recipe is without a doubt irresistible. Its perfect liquid center literally melts in your mouth. Easy to make in individual ramekins or small soufflé cups.


Hot Lava Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
½ stick butter to grease soufflé cups
¼ cup granular sugar, for coating soufflé cups

1¼ cups plus 1 tablespoon (2 sticks plus 5 tablespoons) unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks
5 large eggs
10.5 ounces high-quality bittersweet baking chocolate
1 tablespoon Godiva chocolate liqueur
2¾ cups confectioners' sugar, plus extra for dusting
1¼ cups all-purpose flour

Garnish: fresh berries and vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter and coat with sugar six individual 8-ounce soufflé cups. Place egg yolks and whole eggs in a mixing bowl. Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler, then add chocolate liqueur.

Beat eggs on low speed for approximately 2 minutes while pouring melted chocolate into mixture. Place confectioners' sugar and flour into a sieve, and sift into egg and chocolate mixture. Mix on high speed for 90 seconds. Use a rubber spatula to pour cake mixture into coated soufflé cups up to the crease on the rim.

Bake 20-25 minutes. The cake is ready when it doesn't stick to your finger when touched on top. Remove from oven and place serving plate on top of cup. When flipped, cake should slide out onto plate.

Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, add a few fresh berries, and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Moelleux au Chocolat translates softness in chocolate!