Day: June 3, 2013

[recipe] Chicken corn chowder

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chowder

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
  • 1 red pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, finely chopped, seeds and membrane removed
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced or cooked chopped ham
  • 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 3 ears of fresh corn kernels or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
  • 2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
  • 4 oz. softened cream cheese
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

  1. Place olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute celery, pepper, onion and jalapeno until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ham; cook for another 3 minutes. Whisk the broth with the flour in a liquid measuring cup or bowl and then stir into the soup. Stir in the corn and chicken. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat.
  2. Whisk together the cream cheese and milk in a large bowl until smooth (I had a difficult time getting my cream cheese to completely whisk into the milk so my soup had some minor small lumps but next time, I’ll soften the cream cheese until almost melted in the microwave).
  3. Whisk the cream cheese/milk mixture into the soup along with the salt, pepper and cheddar cheese. Simmer on low until ready to serve.
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[recipe] Apple pie

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applepie

Ingredients

FOR THE FILLING

1kg Bramley apples
140g golden caster sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp flour

FOR THE PASTRY

225g butter, room temperature
50g golden caster sugar , plus extra
2 eggs
350g plain flour

Directions

  1. Put a layer of paper towels on a large baking sheet. Quarter, core, peel and slice the apples about 5mm thick and lay evenly on the baking sheet. Put paper towels on top and set aside while you make and chill the pastry.
  2. For the pastry, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until just mixed. Break in a whole egg and a yolk (keep the white for glazing later). Beat together for just under 1 min – it will look a bit like scrambled egg. Now work in the flour with a wooden spoon, a third at a time, until it’s beginning to clump up, then finish gathering it together with your hands. Gently work the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film, and chill for 45 mins.
  3. Mix the 140g/5oz sugar, the cinnamon and flour for the filling in a bowl that is large enough to take the apples later.
  4. After the pastry has chilled, heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Lightly beat the egg white with a fork. Cut off a third of the pastry and keep it wrapped while you roll out the rest, and use this to line a pie tin – 20-22cm round and 4cm deep – leaving a slight overhang. Roll the remaining third to a circle about 28cm in diameter. Pat the apples dry with kitchen paper, and tip them into the bowl with the cinnamon-sugar mix. Give a quick mix with your hands and immediately pile high into the pastry-lined tin.
  5. Brush a little water around the pastry rim and lay the pastry lid over the apples pressing the edges together to seal. Trim the edge with a sharp knife and make 5 little slashes on top of the lid for the steam to escape. (Can be frozen at this stage.)
  6. Brush it all with the egg white and sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake for 40-45 mins, until golden, then remove and let it sit for 5-10 mins.
  7. Sprinkle with more sugar and serve while still warm from the oven with softly whipped cream.
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[recipe] Chocolate ganache cheesecake

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choc-cheesecake-slice

Ingredients

Crust:

9-ounce package of chocolate cookies (such as chocolate wafers, graham crackers or teddy grahams)
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

10 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (use the best quality you can afford)
4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 large eggs

Topping:

3/4 cup whipping cream
6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
Chocolate curls for garnish

Directions

For crust:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F/175C.
  2. Butter a 9-inch springform pan with 3-inch-high sides (or use a 10-inch springform pan with 2-inch sides).
  3. Process the chocolate cookies in a food processor (or the old-fashioned way with a bag and a rolling pin) until they are finely ground. Transfer them to a small bowl and mix in the sugar.
  4. Add the melted butter and mix until well combined.
  5. Press the crumbs evenly onto the bottom only of the prepared pan.
  6. Bake just until set, about 5 minutes. Cool while preparing filling.
  7. Keep the oven heated at 350F/175C.

For filling:

  1. Melt the 10 ounces of chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler until melted and smooth. Cool the chocolate until lukewarm but ensure that it is still warm enough to be pourable.
  2. In a large bowl (or with a stand mixer), blend cream cheese, sugar, and cocoa powder until smooth.
  3. Blend in eggs one at a time.
  4. Mix in lukewarm chocolate.
  5. Pour the cheesecake filling over the crust; smooth the top.
  6. Bake until the center is just set and just appears dry, about 1 hour.
  7. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
  8. Run knife around sides of cake to loosen. Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

For topping:

  1. One hour before serving (or up to 3 days ahead of time), stir cream, 6 ounces chocolate, and sugar in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until smooth. Cool slightly.
  2. Pour over the center of the cheesecake, spreading to within 1/2 inch of edge and filling any cracks.
  3. Chill until the topping is set, about 1 hour.

When ready to serve, release the springform pan sides. Transfer the cheesecake to a platter. Top with chocolate curls. It is preferable to let the cheesecake stand at room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving.

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[recipe] Chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake

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cookie-dough-cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (I like to use chocolate Teddy Grahams but you could use any chocolate wafer cookie or even Oreos)

Filling:
4 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream (I used light and it worked just fine)

Cookie Dough:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoon water or milk
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips
An additional 1 cup mini chocolate chips to fold into the batter with the cookie dough balls

Garnish:
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks (add 1 tablespoon powdered sugar while whipping if you like a bit of extra sweetness)
Mini chocolate chips, for sprinkling

Directions

For the cookie dough:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the butter and sugars for the cookie dough.
  2. Add the water (or milk), vanilla and blend.
  3. Mix in the flour, salt and the chocolate chips. The dough will be fairly soft.
  4. Gently roll the dough into small balls (about a teaspoon size, maybe a bit larger) and place them on a wax paper lined plate or baking sheet.
  5. Place them in the freezer to harden while making the rest of the cheesecake.

For the crust:

  1. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the butter with the chocolate cookie crumbs (you could easily use a food processor to crush the cookies and incorporate the butter).
  3. Press onto the bottom and about halfway up the sides of the prepared pan.

For the cheesecake:

  1. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and flour until smooth. Add the vanilla and sour cream and mix just until blended. Be careful not to overmix – incorporating too much air into the batter can contribute to a cheesecake cracking on top during baking.
  2. Pour half the batter into the prepared crust.
  3. Gently stir in the cookie dough balls and the additional 1 cup mini chocolate chips into the remaining batter. Pour into the pan, spreading the batter to the sides of the pan and evening it out across the top (it is ok to see bumps of cookie dough here and there, smooth it the best you can).
  4. Bake the cheesecake at 325F/160C for one hour. Turn off the oven and prop the door open several inches. Let the cake sit in the oven for an additional 30 minutes.
  5. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate until chilled (ideally, overnight).

To serve, cut into slices and top with whipped cream and mini chocolate chips. this cheesecake, like any good, baked cheesecake, tastes best after being refrigerated overnight.

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