Triple Chocolate Fudgy Brownies

The first bite...Triple Chocolate Fudgy Brownie

Erick has never been one for sweets until recently.  He rarely eats the desserts I prepare...unless it is a Brownie.  I have been noticing him sampling the brownies at recent outings and family affairs.  I made this batch yesterday and he said this was my best batch so far.  These are very chocolaty, fudgey, gooey and rich.  If they weren't already chocolaty enough, the addition of the espresso helps to bring out even more chocolaty flavor.  These are a triple threat, finger lickin good. 

Triple Chocolate Fudgey Brownies

Butter and chocolate

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 5 oz semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
• 1 tablespoon instant-espresso powder or instant-coffee granules
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Batter spread in 9x13 on buttered foil

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 9x13 pan with foil, allowing 2 inches of foil to hang over ends of pan, and grease foil well (except overhang) with 1 tablespoon butter.  This is an important step, don't skip it...I almost did and was glad I was able to peel the brownies off of the foil.
• Melt remaining 11 tablespoons butter with semi-sweet chocolate in a large metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth.
• Remove bowl from heat and whisk in sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, vanilla, and salt (mixture will be grainy), then add eggs 1 at a time, whisking after each addition until batter is smooth.
• Toss together flour and chocolate chips in another bowl and add to batter, stirring until just combined.
• Spread batter evenly in baking pan and bake in middle of oven until top is firm and edges just begin to pull away from sides of pan, about 32 minutes (do not overbake). Brownies will be very fudgy and soft.
• Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then carefully lift brownies from pan by grasping both ends of foil and transfer to rack to cool 10 minutes more.
• Cut into squares and lift brownies off foil with a spatula.

Cooling Triple Chocolate Fudgy Brownies

Supper Gooey Triple Chocolate Fudgy Brownies

Fruit Tart with French Custard

Fresh Fruit Tart with French Custard and Almond Crust

Who doesn't love a fresh fruit tart? It is my sister Amy's favorite dessert.  I made this in honor of my love of her in celebration of her birthday. This was my first attempt at a true fruit tart and it was delicious!  With the onset of summer and berry season this one will be sure to please.  You could use either pastry cream or french custard to fill your tart.  I am a sucker for french custard so that is what I used.  I also chose to top this one with Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries and Blackberries, but you can use any combination of fruit.

Fresh Fruit Tart with French Custard and Almond Crust 

Almond Crust

Almond Tart Crust

Ingredients for Almond Tart Crust:

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour; more for rolling the dough

• 3/4 Cup Flour
• 1/4 Cup Almond Flour (optional, you can use all purpose flour instead)
• 3 Tbs. granulated sugar
• Pinch of table salt
• 6 Tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/4 Cup cold water

Directions Almond Tart Crust:

• Combine flour, sugar, and salt in bowl and mix.
• Add the butter pieces and cut/mix with pastry cutter
•  Sprinkle 2 Tbs. ice-cold water over the flour mixture and cut with pastry cutter until the dough just begins to come together in small, marble-size clumps. Don't over mix; the dough should not form a ball.
• Turn the dough out onto a work surface and shape it into a thick 4-inch-diameter disk. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill until firm enough to roll, about 30 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 11-inch circle, lifting and rotating it often, while lightly dusting the work surface and the dough with flour as necessary. Transfer the dough to a 9-1/2-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. If it tears, don't fret, just patch it back together.  No one will ever know.  Roll the pin over the top of the pan to trim the excess dough. Lightly prick the bottom of the dough with a fork at 1/2-inch intervals. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to firm it up.
• Line the dough with aluminum foil and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Carefully lift the foil (and the weights) out of the tart pan and bake the crust until golden brown along the top edge and in some spots on the bottom, 13 to 17 minutes. Transfer the tart pan to a wire rack and cool completely.

French custard

As you already know, I love french custard.  I was so obsessed with this batch that I forgot to take a picture of the pale custardy buttery filling.  If you want to see a picture, you can see one from when I used it to top the sunshine cupcakes. 

Ingredients:

•  4 egg yolks, beaten
•  ¾ cup sifted powdered sugar
•  ¾ cup milk
•  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•  1 cup (2 sticks) butter

Directions:

• In top of double boiler, combine egg yolks, powdered sugar and milk
• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and coats back of spoon. This should take 4 to 5 minutes
• Remove from heat and cool to room temperature
• Add vanilla
• In medium bowl, cream butter thoroughly
• Slowly add cooled custard mixture to butter, beating well
• Spread custard on top of cooled tart shell

Fruit Topping for Tart:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sliced strawberries
• 1 pint blueberries
• 1 pint raspberries
• 1 pint blackberries
• 3/4 Cup Apricot jam

Directions:

• Layer fresh fruit on top of french custard
• Melt Apricot jam so it loosens and becomes syrupy
• Brush apricot jam lightly over the top of the fruit
• Store tart in refrigerator, but allow to come to room temperature before serving, about an hour or more.  If you don't allow it to come to room temperature the french custard filling will be hard and you want it to be soft and creamy so that it melts in your mouth. 

Fruit Tart with French Custard and Almond Crust

Monkey Bread

Round Two!!! Yummmm

Monkey Bread (before the rise)

My Sister Renee makes the worlds best Monkey Bread, it is a tradition that I look forward too.  Recently some of my Sista's came over for brunch and I tried to replicate Renee's Monkey Bread.   I found a recipe in the old St. Michael's Catholic Church Cookbook.  I have made this a few times and one thing I have learned is it is easy to under bake this.  One way to make sure this doesn't happen is to use a oven thermometer and your best judgement.  If you do under bake it you will have monkey dough instead of monkey bread.  Monkey Bread is sweet, rich and oh such a guilty pleasure.  You will notice that I do not have any photo's of the finished product...yes, they disappear that quickly.  

Monkey Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 bag Rhodes Bread dough (dinner rolls), about 24 rolls
• 1 box butterscotch pudding (not instant)
• 1 cup chopped nuts, I use pecans
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon Maple syrup

Directions:

• Butter a bundt pan
• Put Pecans in bottom of bundt pan and layer with frozen rolls
• Melt bring butter, brown sugar and cinnamon to a boil
• Add Butterscotch pudding mix and 2 Tablespoon maple syrup, cook over low heat for 2 minutes
• Pour caramel mixture over frozen rolls
• Loosely cover with buttered plastic wrap, and then a dinner towel and allow to rise overnight
• Bake in 350 oven for 35-40 minutes, during the last 10-15 minutes of cooking, loosely cover with buttered Aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. I also put the bundt pan on a sheet pan to catch any caramel or nuts that overflow the sides of the pan. 
• Immediately invert bundt pan onto plate

Before being drizzled with Caramel

Cinnamon Caramel Sauce

Broccoli Benedict Omelet with Hollandaise

In the late 80's I used to study at the local 24 hour Byerly's restaurant with a friend.  I can't remember what I was studying, but I do remember that during those study sessions I discovered how wonderful Broccoli, Eggs and Hollandaise is.  I have never tried to make this at home until now.  My Sista Amy is celebrating her birthday and all of the Sisters Dena, Sara and Jodi have come to town to celebrate; let the games, fun and laughter begin. I made Broccoli Benedict with Hollandaise in honor of Amy, she is kind, generous, thoughtful, giving, caring, supportive, loving and very smart.  In the winter Amy even volunteers and shovels snow for a spry polish lady in Milwaukee.  Considering the lake affect snow we get here in Milwaukee, this is no small feat. Did I mention she is also very humble, so humble she may not appreciate me telling all of you how awesome she is.   Happy Birthday Amy!

Broccoli Benedict Omelet with Hollandaise

Ingredients:

• 12 Eggs
• 1/2 cup Cream
• 2 cups steamed Broccoli florets in bite size pieces
• 1 1/2 cups Swiss Cheese, grated
• 1/2  cup Canadian Bacon or  Ham, diced
• 1 Tablespoons Butter
• Hollandaise Sauce

Directions:

• Beat eggs and add cream, set aside
• Steam Broccoli, set aside
• Chop Ham, set aside
• Grate cheese, set aside
• Melt butter in pan
• Cook eggs low and slow, this keeps them tender
• Pour eggs into pan stirring occasionally and allow to set
• Sprinkle with Swiss cheese, allow to melt a bit
• Top with ham and broccoli and more Swiss cheese
• Put under broiler to melt cheese and heat broccoli through
• Allow to heat through and set through
• Serve with Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise Sauce in the blender is a no brainer, why?  Because it works better than any other method I have tried.  Hollandaise Sauce is temperamental and it is a real bummer to invest a bunch of butter and eggs into a sauce the curdles right before serving.  Hollandaise sauce is great with steamed vegetables, fish and of course, Eggs Benedict. 

Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 Egg Yolks, chilled
• 2 sticks Butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Lemon Juice
• Pinch Cayenne
• 1 tablespoon water, or more if necessary

Directions:

• Remove center cap in blender
• Place egg yolks, lemon juice, water, and cayenne in blender and process at high speed for 15 seconds and blend well
• Meanwhile, melt butter over low heat until bubbling.  Butter should be very hot, but should not brown. 
• Immediately pour butter into heated (heat with Hot water and dry) Pyrex measuring cup
• With blender running, slowing add hot melted butter in thin steady stream (through hole in blender) until incorporated, about 1 1/2 minute.  If sauce is too thick, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Serve immediately or keep warm for 30 minutes. 
• Keep warm by putting the hollandaise in Pyrex sitting in a warm water bath.