Caramel-Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake

I've been wanting to make this one for awhile: a soft, cake-like brownie generously topped with a sticky, gooey, caramel pebbled with salty peanuts. When I learned that some friends would be coming over last night, I thought it would be a fine opportunity to make this treat. After all, it's not a good idea to make something like this when you are, apparently, on a diet and have nobody to share it with.

This dessert provides enough contrast to be interesting: the dark chocolate brownie-cake, which is light, soft, and moist, and a salty/sweet/crunchy topping. When you serve this, be generous with the topping--it's the best part.

You'll have lots of leftover caramel with this recipe. Save and use it as an ice cream topping or just eat straight out of the fridge with a spoon for that secret late-afternoon pick-me-up. (Not that I have ever done that...)

Recipe notes: This recipe is from Dorie Greenspan's Baking, a great all-around baking book.

* I added a couple of extra tablespoons of flour to the batter to compensate for the high altitude (I live at 5500 feet). 

*I used semisweet chips rather than bittersweet chocolate, and it turned out fine. However, I wouldn't use milk chocolate. You need a dark chocolate to offset the sweet topping.

*Don't despair when your brownie cake stays risen on the sides and falls in the middle. That's what the one in the picture looked like, and that's what mine looked like, too. 

*I also used an 8" square pan instead of a 8" round springform pan and it turned out fine. Rather than topping the entire cake, I served the cake in squares and topped them individually.

*When making the caramel topping, be sure to let the water/sugar/corn syrup mixture get to a deep amber. But be careful, because it seems like it takes forever to get there, and once it gets going, it darkens very fast.

Caramel-Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake

For the cake:

1 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3 lg. eggs

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. sugar

3 T. light corn syrup

1/2 t. vanilla

For the topping:

2 c. sugar

1/2 c. water

1 1/2 T. corn syrup

2/3 c. heavy cream

2 T. unsalted butter at room temp

1 c. salted peanuts

To make the cake:

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together. Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, put the butter and chocolate in the bowl and heat, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients are just melted -- you don't want them to get so hot that the butter separates. remove the bowl from the heat.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugars together until well blended. Whisk in the corn syrup, followed by the vanilla. Whisk in the melted butter and chocolate. Still working with the whisk, gently stir in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. you will have a thick, smooth, shiny batter. Pour the batter into the pan and jiggle the pan a bit to even out the batter. 

Bake the cake fro 40 to 45 minutes (mine was done earlier than that), or until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out almost clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cook the cake for 15 minutes, then run a blunt knife between the cake and the pan and remove the sides of the pan. During baking, the cake probably will have puffed to the top of the pan; don't be concerned if it sinks a little or if it develops a little crater in the center. Cool the cake to room temperature.

When the cake is completely cook, invert it, remove the base of the pan and peel off the paper. Wash and dry the pan and return the cake to right side up. Refasten the sides around the cake. (Or, ignore all of this silliness and just bake it in a square pan and serve the squares with the topping.)

To make the topping:

Put the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, stir just to combine the ingredients and then put the pan over medium-high heat. Heat, without stirring, until the caramel turns deep amber,  to 10 minutes, depending on the size of your saucepan and the intensity of the heat. As the sugar is caramelizing, wipe down any splatters on the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. to test the color of the caramel, drop a bit on a white plate. Don't be timid about the color -- if it's to pale, it won't have much taste.

Lower the heat a bit and, standing back from the pan, add the cream and butter. when the spatters are less vehement, stir to calm down the caramel and dissolve any lumps. Stir in the peanuts, and pour the caramel and peanuts into a 1 quart Pyrex measuring cup or heatproof bowl.

You've probably got more caramel than you need, but you want to get all the peanuts on the cake, so spoon the peanuts out of the caramel and onto the cake. After you've done that, pour or spoon on enough caramel to cover all the nuts. You'll have a layer about 1/4 inch high, give or take a bit. Allow the topping to set at room temp - about 20 minutes - before serving.

Thai Rice Noodles

Do you ever feel like there's not enough time to try new things, and that our days are filled with too much routine? Well, that's the way I feel about cooking and baking. I look at my collection of cookbooks and there are so many things I want to try, and yet I find myself still making the same old stuff. I even did the math once: if I live fifty more years and try one new recipe per week, I'll get through 2600 recipes. While that may sound like alot, it doesn't come close to all of the cookbooks I hope to get through.

This week's new recipe is the Thai Rice Noodles from the Food Network Kitchens Favorite Recipes. I love pad thai and I was hoping that this would be a similar dish. 

Rice Noodle Nerves

I approach using rice noodles with some fear, as I have tried to use them in the past and they have turned out very chewy. Perhaps my soaking method was inadequate. Worried about repeating that mistake, I purchased the thin rice stick noodles rather than the medium-thick ones called for below. That may have been a mistake, but I saw some noodle recipes that call for them and I thought it would be an acceptable substitution. I covered the noodles in hot water and soaked them for about 45 minutes, but even these noodles seemed to have an odd texture (not the smooth texture I was expecting). Does anyone know what I did wrong? Still, they were edible so I continued with the dish.

Don't Fear the Fish Sauce

I had already purchased fish sauce for some Thai curries that I did over the summer, and it contributed a really nice flavor to them. However, the 3 tablespoons of fish sauce in these noodles may have been too much for me. I wasn't able to taste the garlic, jalapeno, and ginger I had also put in, and the noodles seemed to absorb much of that sauce. (Again, do I have a noodle problem?)  Next time, less fish sauce.

The verdict: I went with basil instead of mint, and added some shredded rotisserie chicken. Overall, I thought it was pretty good but was disappointed by the odd texture and unusual flavor and think that these may have been due to "user error". I'd give it 2.5 stars out of five.

Lessons for next time: Part of being a good cook is figuring out what makes a dish succeed or fail. I'm going to try this recipe again with different noodles, less fish sauce, and more vegetables. Trying this new recipe has been instructive and I hope to have more success next time.

Thai Rice Noodles

8 to 10 oz. medium-thick rice noodles (also called rice sticks or jantaboon)

3 T. fish sauce

3 T. sugar

3 T. soy sauce

2 T. peanut oil

4 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

1 jalapeno, stemmed and finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, smashed peeled, and roughly chopped

1 c. mung bean sprouts

2 handfuls fresh mint or basil leaves (about 1 cup)

1/2 c. cashews or peanuts

1 lime, cut into  wedges

Put rice noodles in bowl with hot w, add a cup or sof of quick -cater to cover. Soak until tender and pliable, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together the fish sauce, sugar, and soy sauce; set aside.

Drain the noodles and set aside. heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the oil and when hot, add the scallions, jalapeno, garlic, and bean sprouts. Cook, stirring until the vegetables begin to brown and the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sauce mixture; gently swirl around the pan. Ad the drained noodles and toss to coat them with the sauce. Remove the skillet from the heat and coarsely tear the mint into the skillet. Sprinkle in the nuts. Toss a few more times to incorporate the mint and nuts and mound into a large serving bowl. Garnish with lime wedges and serve.

To upgrade the dish, try the following: toss in 1 to 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, extra-firm tofu cubes, thinly sliced cooked pork tenderloin, or 1 lb. ready-to-eat shrimp. Or, add a cup or so of quick-cooking vegetables. You could also add some chopped ginger with the garlic, 1/4 c. canned coconut milk, or sprinkle on some chopped chiles before serving.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

What to do with the leftover pineapple? It was good enough to eat out-of-hand, but I couldn't resist making it into a cake. It is difficult to get through a long Sunday afternoon without baking something. 

I normally make this cake with a recipe from Baking in America that uses a buttermilk batter, but I didn't have any buttermilk. I found an alternative recipe in King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. The cake batter is a geniose-type batter, meaning you beat the eggs first until their thick then add the sugar and rest of the ingredients. This batter also doesn't have any added fat, if  you don't count the butter that's melted on the bottom of the pan. 

I sometimes worry when I make these types of cakes as they are a departure from the familiar creaming method, but this one turned out nicely. Remember that your eggs must be room temp or slightly warm for best results. Also, I used fresh rather than the canned pineapple called for in the recipe. The cake was light and spongy with the butter/brown sugar/pineapple mixture adding just enough moisture and richness to balance it out. All it was missing was a little whipped cream. It's not a tall cake, so don't freak when you turn it out onto a plate.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

5 T. butter

1/2 c. dark brown sugar

1 can (16 oz) pineapple rings (I used fresh pineapple)

12-16 maraschino cherries (I didn't use these)

16-20 pecan or walnut halves (I would have used these, but the kids were eating this cake)

1 c. reg. or cake flour (I used cake flour)

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/3 c. reserved pineapple juice (I extracted some from the fresh pineapple and added water)

1 1/2 t. vanilla

2 eggs

2/3 c. sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the butter and place the pineapple on top. Arrange the cherries and nuts on top, if using.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside. Combine juice and vanilla and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until they're thick and lemon-colored and the whisk leaves tracks as it travels through them. With the mixer still running, gradually sprinkle in te sugar. Add the juice, then slow down the mixer. Add sifted dry ingredients all at once and beat on medium speed for one minute.

Pour the batter over the prepared fruit in the pan. Bake the cake for 45 minutes until its center springs back when touched lightly and it is barely pulling away from the edges of the pan. (Note: my cake was done at 40 minutes.) Invert onto a serving plate and leave the pan on top for 5 minutes while the hot toppings drip down over the cake.

For Laura:

Caesar Dip with Crudités

Makes about 12 appetizer servings

Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon anchovy paste
1 garlic clove, crushed through a press
Assorted fresh vegetables, such as romaine hearts separated into leaves, carrot, celery, and cucumber sticks, mushroom caps, cherry tomatoes, and Garlic Crostini (page 12), for dipping

To make the dip, mix together all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

To serve, transfer the dip to a serving bowl and serve with the vegetables.

Pineapple Express

I'm not the best at meal planning, often buying what looks good at the store and spending half an afternoon what to do with I brought home. So I grabbed a pineapple for a great deal and picked up a rotisserie chicken from Costco. (Side note: never, ever go to Costco on a Saturday afternoon. It will make you grouchy and poor. I went in for cheese and came out with dish detergent, toiletpaper, cheese, an area rug, and lounge pants. Yes, lounge pants. I'm so ashamed.)

So what to make with with pineapple and rotisserie chicken? Some sort of Hawaiian chicken salad? Nah. Haystacks? Too involved. What about some "pulled chicken" sandwiches with seared pineapple and bbq sauce? Alrighty!

Ed's version.
The kids' toned-down version.

What made these good: a quick sear of the pineapple on a hot non-stick pan gave the pineapple a nice color and flavor; the red onion and lettuce lended color and texture.

What would have made them better with more time or resources: bacon (of course), topping them with a chile/garlic mayonnaise or a tangy coleslaw (a la pulled pork sandwich), homemade bbq sauce, toasting the buns, and maybe seasoning the pineapple with a little cayenne or chile powder before searing.

A Clean Plate

In the spirit of the new year, I'd like to dump the few remaining food pictures that have been waiting patiently to be blogged. I'm going to save myself 4 hours and not include recipes, but let me know if you want me to post one. Ready, set, go!

Blackberry Hand Pies from Gourmet. For the filling: heat 2 cups blackberries, 1 grated golden delicious apple, sugar to taste (1/4 to 1/2 c.), pinch of salt, cinnamon if you want, and 2 T semolina (or other) flour. Use your favorite crust. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or so.
My mom's amazingly retro Christmas cookie cutters. Something about them gives me major warm fuzzies. No, the one on the lower left is not a uterus.
Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie Dough

Coconut Brownies and Lemon Bars

Dinner at Britton's. Yum.

Caprese Salad


Carrot Cake
Clean out the fridge chef salad

Chicken Parmesan


Cranberry Galette

Penne with Mini Garlic Meatballs

German Oven Pancake. I love breakfast-dinners.

Grilled Potatoes with Fresh Herbs

Guacamole - on my list of "desert island" foods.

Nothing says I love you like a jam tart made from pastry scraps.

Oatmeal raisin scones with sugar/cinnamon topping. These are like big, soft, cakey oatmeal cookies. Great with a glass of cold milk, and I don't really like milk.

Making my mom's Sunday pot roast.

Adding the vegetabls. Coat them in dry onion soup mix or au jus powder.

Roast Chicken with aromatics

Roast Potatoes

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

Sour Cream Apple Pie

Banana Custard Tart