jende

I noticed from your notes that you thought these were still too cakey. I actually melt the 6 oz. of chocolate chips that the recipe calls for (and I use a high-quality dark chocolate), so I end up with a more fudgey texture. Maybe try this. I do think this brownie (really, probably, all brownies) has the best flavor and texture after it's fully cooled.

Thanks to this thread, I've made four batches of brownies in 24 hours and despite giving dozens away, I've still managed to eat at least one whole pan myself. I feel sick. I'm glad you enjoyed the On the Fence, though, Canadian. I agree it's a great recipe.

I just answered my own question. I pulled out my previous fall-back recipe, the On the Fence Brownie from the King Arthur Cookbook, and realized that it basically does combine the two recipes and had exactly the flavor and texture I was looking for. What's that old cliche about not appreciating what you've had all along?

Yum! Great idea on the grated chocolate, you can even see the gooey chocolate bits within. And I love the sprinkles. I used to think they were purely decorative, but they actually give a nice texture to a frosted cake.

You're killing me. Now I'm seriously craving pulled pork on cornbread, and I just ate half an hour ago! I've been meaning to try this well-rated pulled pork recipe - not to hijack the thread, but any other good ones you know? ← Even I'M getting hungry now, and I ate (serioulsy) a pan of brownies for lunch (the egullet brownie bake-off is killing me). I like the pulled pork recipe published in Esquire a couple months ago. It had a dry rub with paprika, brown sugar and a bunch of other spices I'm forgetting and apple juice in the roasting pan. All the sugar made it blacken like an SOB, but it was pork-licious.

Thanks for the ideas. First I'm going to try a recipe that is more like a yeast bread but with a high ratio of cornmeal. If that's not "cornbready" enough, I'll try the very thin cornbread method. I'd just have to buy a cast iron skillet first!

I made Fine Cooking's Chewy Brownie and the Double Fudge Frosted Brownies in recipe gullet (without the frosting). Both were delicious, but they did have very distinct textures and flavors. The Chewy Brownie had the best texture in my opinion, because it was indeed very chewy and firm. The flavor was good and cocoa-y, but didn't compare to the rich, intense chocolate flavor of the Double Fudge Brownie. The problem with that one was the texture, which was too mousse-y and fudge-like for my tastes. It's a fabulous recipe, but I don't think it hits my mark for the "perfect" brownie. My next thought is to combine the two recipes, hoping to come out with the texture of the Chewy and the flavor of the Double Fudge. DF has one more egg, half as much flour (both of which I assume contribute to its mousse-y texture?) and semi-sweet as well as unsweetened chocolate. So I'm thinking about taking the Chewy recipe, reducing the flour by 1/4 c. and adding a couple ounces of bittersweet chocolate. Does anyone else have suggestions?

Does anyone have a recipe for a cornbread-like bread with enough heft to slice and use for sandwiches? I'm dreaming of a pulled-pork sandwich on this kind of bread, but a typical cornbread recipe would be too crumbly.

Sorry, no photos, but I got a fantastic Tarte a l'Oignon recipe from an egulleter: Pâte Brisée: 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. salt 2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces 1/4 to 1/2 c. ice water 1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds. 2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. 3. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator, and chill at least 1 hour. Make and assemble tart: 1 recipe pâte brisée (enough for two tarts) 4 large yellow onions, peeled and very thinly sliced 8 oz. bacon, chopped into a medium dice 2 large eggs 1 cup heavy cream 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper pinch of nutmeg Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 1. Roll out the pâte brisée, and line two 9” removable-bottom tart shell with them. Chill it in the refrigerator while you make the filling. 2. Cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove from the pan and dispose of the extra fat (1 T should remain in the pan). Set the bacon aside. 3. Add the onions to the pan used to cook the bacon and sauté over medium heat until they are lightly golden and tender. Set aside to cool slightly. 4. In a bowl, beat the eggs and cream together. Stir in the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the onion and bacon to this mixture, stirring to combine. 5. Remove the tart shells from the refrigerator and fill each with half the egg mixture. Bake tarts for 25 minutes, or until the filling is golden brown and set. Serve warm.

I agree. Retro is fine for many things, but not so much in food photography. A magazine cover should make you drool in anticipation and motivate you to MAKE THAT RECIPE RIGHT NOW! It's disappointing to see one of the country's most respected food publications putting out photography that's less inspiring than some of the home photos posted by egulleters every day!

Gorgeous! Is the recipe from Cooking Light? Looks just like the April cover.

Just got the March issue (why so late?) which made me think of this thread. The cover is so ungodly booorring. I'd have to look inside to see exactly which recipe this is (and I'm not even motivated enough to do that), but it looks like a lump of bland diner hash browns.

Could you freeze it at that point (after punching down and dividing) if you don't plan to use it within a few days? And, just curious, what does rising for that long do for it? My recipe calls for a one-hour rise.

Haagen-Dazs is the latest food manufacturer to slap a "reserve" label on their product, even taking it a step further by providing "flavor notes," "food pairings," (is the suggestion to "serve a scoop [of Toasted Coconut Sesame Brittle] atop a banana leaf for the perfect ending to a Thai dinner" even a food pairing???) and, god no, "wine pairings." As a side note, I bet it's delicious. click

The husband's birthday was Tuesday and I presented him with his gift, which he very much enjoyed! This is the list I ended up using: Spring: key lime pie raspberry cream pie chocolate cream custard pie lemon meringue pie chocolate or berry angel pie Summer: wild blueberry pie late summer cherry pie fresh strawberry pie mixed berry pie nectarine raspberry pie Fall: pear cranberry pie with gingerbread crumb topping peach custard pie apple and pear streusel pie chocolate ricotta pie maple buttermilk pie pear, walnut and maple syrup pie Winter: double chocolate peanut butter pie frozen chocolate chestnut pie chocolate pecan pie sweet potato pie malt ice cream pie I wasn't surprised that the pies that most seemed to pique his interest were the fruit ones, but there were a couple he liked that did surprise me, like the chocolate pecan pie and key lime (I know that lime is a fruit but not in the same way as an apple). The adventure starts this weekend and wouldn't you know it, he picked the pear cranberry pie with gingerbread crumb topping! Now in my seasonal-obsessive mind, I TOTALLY had this pie pegged for November/December (wouldn't it look lovely on my holiday table?!) but he's the birthday boy and if he wants pear-cranberry-gingerbread pie in March, that's what he'll get. Thanks again for everyone's suggestions.

I'd like to whip up some pizza dough today (Friday) but I won't be able to bake it until Sunday. Any advice for how to keep it in the fridge until then? I think the recipe I use calls for one proofing, so should I pop it in the fridge after proofing or before? Do I need to let it proof again when I take it out to roll and bake? Thanks.

I have some vegetarian friends (they grew on me before I knew about it) and I usually don't go out of my way to make anything special for them; they're pretty content to enjoy the side dishes. If I'm feeling particularly hospitable, I'll whip something up just for them but given the limitations of Passover, I can't think of anything off the top of my head.

I, too, roll and cut all of mine before cooking. You should report back on your results if you switch to this method. I bet you'll come out with a cooked pasta with a firmer texture from the little bit of drying time.

I usually make some sort of honey mustard (b/c I can't for the life of me remember what they actually use), varying the vinegar between cider and sherry and the oil between olive and hazelnut, depending on my mood. The croutons are just cornbread (I've bought frozen, made from a mix, and made from scratch--depending on how long I think I can defer my craving) that is cubed at about 1" or so and baked w/a little olive oil and salt. Usually I pour a healthy dollop of olive oil on a sheet pan, lay the cubes of cornbread into it, and turn them gently (one-by-one--cornbread croutons don't "toss" well) to coat all sides. By that time, they've soaked up most of the oil and I bake them, turning them at least once to get brown, crusty sides... Mmmmm... That sizzling sound you hear is me drooling into my keyboard... I might have to make some tonight. Enjoy! ← It might be on my menu tonight too. The flavor combinations sound delicious. My husband hates mustard, but I can usually sneak some into a dressing without him knowing it.

The salad sounds really good. What kind of dressing is on it? And can you describe the croutons a little more? I'm thinking about ripping off your rip-off!

I went to Fiddleheads this weekend looking forward to seeing what if anything has changed under the direction of new executive chef, Tim Voss. I had dinner there about two months ago, very soon after Voss took the position, and the menu was virtually unchanged except that there were no specials being offered at the time due to the transition, according to our waiter. Some of my favorite dishes have been on their specials list, so I was somewhat bummed but not really surprised. I WAS surprised, though, that there were no specials this time either. I didn't really press the waiter, so I don't know if this is a fluke or if they're doing away with them. The current menu is much the same with a few tweaks. The potato gnocchi with asparagus, porcini and parmesan was incredibly delicious. The homemade gnocchi did a great job soaking up the fresh vegetable flavors and absolutely melted in your mouth. The seared scallops with purple yam puree, Chinese sausage and citrus sauce were as good as ever. The rich potatoes and tart sauce were a perfect accompaniment to the perfectly cooked scallops, as were the slivers of sausage which had a sweet, gingery flavor. We were stuffed at the end but my curiosity was piqued by the dessert menu which contained the usual suspects that had also been tweaked. So we ordered the moon pie which I previously found to be an unremarkable chocolate cake layered with a grainy vanilla filling that tasted mostly of Crisco. The new one was advertised as having a butterscotch mousse filling and chocolate chunk ice cream. The cake was much improved in taste and texture and the filling was very tasty, creamier than a mousse and with a subtle butterscotch flavor (very white in color, though, which seemed unusual given its caramelly flavor). The chocolate chunk ice cream was standard Guernsey but the chocolate chunks added nice texture. Service was very good as always. My only complaint is that the wine list is still fairly uninspired. They always have a couple of decent wines by the glass, but not enough variety and they don't change frequently. Edited to add this funny side story: my husband and I raved to the waiter about the warm whole grain bread brought to our table and (semi) jokingly asked to take home the leftovers. He told us that it came from a "great little bakery in New York City," which served to make us even more enamored with it, and that we could purchase half-baked loaves for $5. We told him to add one to our bill and upon receiving it with the check we read the packaging which clearly stated that it was made in New Jersey. Oh well. The bread was still delicious.

Should be interestng to see what he picks, please share the selections with us! Somehow I was thinking initially that he would be surprised with a new pie each month but it is pretty cool idea that he'll get to pick a pie that he hasn't had in a long time, one he's always dreamed of tasting or else one that he's never even thought of before. Another place to seek inspiration is from "Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie" by Ken Haedrich (2004). I took this book out of the library and though I would bookmark a few recipes to copy. I ended up bookmarking too pages many to copy! I haven't bought it yet but I've thought about it. Just the chapter on apple pies has amazing variety. Pie by Haedrich ← I'll definitely keep you posted on his picks. The control freak in me would've loved to have picked the pies, but we tend to have fairly different tastes (note my wistfulness above regarding the coconut, banana, chocolate cream pie!) so in the spirit of sincerity I think I'll have to let him pick! I'll check out that book, thanks for the suggestion.

I'm dying to hear how the World Peace Brownies came out.

That tri-fecta of creamy deliciousness sounds great. But husband hates bananas (although he loves banana bread, go figure) so I'll have to skip that one. Maybe I'll make it on MY birthday! I got the idea from a friend who gave her husband a risotto a month. Any excuse to eat more carbs!

Looks darn pretty to me! I just got Biba's "Italy al Dente" book which has a ton of polenta recipes. I hope to enjoy some that look as good as this over the weekend.