5/10/07: Chocolate Chip Irish Cream Pound Cake

Source: Cooking Light, April 2007

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate minichips
1 teaspoon cake flour
2 3/4 cups cake flour (about 11 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fat-free cream cheese, softened
10 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3/4 cup Irish cream liqueur
Baking spray with flour
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Combine chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon flour in a small bowl; toss.
3. Lightly spoon 2 3/4 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Place cream cheese and butter in a bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed to blend. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time; beat well after each addition. Beat on high speed 1 minute. With mixer on low, add flour mixture and liqueur alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat well after each addition. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into a 12-cup Bundt pan coated baking spray. Bake at 325F for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Sift powdered sugar over cake.

Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice).

5/7/07: Spaghetti Carbonara

Source: Joy of Cooking

8 first-course or 4 main-course servings

Cook in a large pot of boiling salted water:
1 pound spaghetti or linguine
Meanwhile, combine in a small skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crisp:
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 slices bacon, chopped
Add:
1/3 cup dry white wine
Simmer until the wine has evaporated. Beat together:
3 large egg
Salt and black pepper to taste
2/3 cup mixed grated Parmesan and Romano (3 ounces)
Drain the pasta and return it to the hot pot. Immediately add the cheese mixture and the hot bacon and fat, stirring to coat thoroughly; the heat of pasta will cook the eggs.

5/7/07: Grilled Veal Rolls Sicilian-Style (Involtini alla Siciliana)

Source: Molto Italiano by Mario Batali

Makes 4 servings

*I used pounded chicken breast instead of veal and pan fried them. Like Mario said "these involtini are prepared exactly the same way if you are going to braise them in a tomato sauce, fry them, or grill them." Remember not to overly salt the meat because the cheese imparts some saltiness already.

8 slices veal top round (about 4 ounces each)
1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/4 dried currants or small raisins, soaked in warm water for 1 hour and drained
salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 springs rosemary, about 5 inches long
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the grill.
2. Using a meat mallet, pound each slice of veal between two oiled pieces of foil to about 1/16-inch thick, being careful not to tear the meat. Lay each piece out on a work surface.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the pecorino, bread crumbs, parsley, pine nuts, and drained currants until well mixed. Season the veal slices with salt and pepper. Divide the pecorino mixture among the veal, spreading it out thinly. Roll each piece up tightly, starting from a short side, and secure with toothpicks.
4. Lay 2 veal rolls side by side, about 1/2 inch apart, and skewer them with 2 rosemary sprigs. Repeat to make 3 more sets of rolls. Season with salt and pepper and brush with the olive oil.
5. Grill, turn once, for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until nicely charred but still medium. Serve immediately, with a garnish of salad greens if you wish.
   

5/1/07: Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Red Currant Sauce

Source: Cooking Light Magazine, April 2007

Total time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and about 3 tablespoons sauce)

2 teaspoons olive oil
4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut loin pork chops, trimmed (about 1/2 inch thick)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided (1/2 + 1/4)
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1/4 teaspoon thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1/3 cup red currant jelly
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon water
Chopped fresh chives (optional)

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork chops with coriander and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add pork to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan. Add shallots, thyme, garlic, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to pan; sauté 1 minute. Stir in vinegar; cook 15 seconds or until liquid almost evaporates. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 2/3 cup (about 3 minutes). Add jelly and pepper; cook 2 minutes or until jelly melts.
2. Combine 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixture to the pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add pork chops back to the pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Garnish pork chops with chives, if desired.

4/30/07: Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

Source: King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

Yield: 50 cookies
Baking Temperature: 350F
Baking Time: 13 to 17 minutes (see Variations)

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks, 6 ounces) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (9 3/9 ounces) packed light or dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons (2 ounces) dark corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups (4 5/8 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) traditional whole wheat flour
2 cups (9 to 12 ounces) dried fruit: diced dried apples, chopped dates, dried cranberries, raisins, chopped dried apricots or the dried fruits of your choice
1 cup (3 3/4 ounces) chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

Cream the butter, sugar, corn syrup, baking powder, salt, spices, vinegar and vanilla. Beat in the egg. Add the oats, flour, dried fruit and nuts, and stir to combine. Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets.

Bake the cookies, reversing the pans midway through (top to bottom, bottom to top), until they're beginning to brown around the edges but are still soft in the center, 14 minutes. Remove them from the oven and transfer them to a rack to cool.

Variations: For a soft, puffy (rather than flat and chewy) cookie, grind 1/3 cup of the oats in a food processor before adding to the dough.

Baking time makes a difference: 14 minutes in the oven yields a cookie that's crisp at the edges and soft in the center. A minute or so less in the oven makes a cookie that's soft from edge to edge; 2 to 3 minutes more, a cookie that's more crisp than chewy.

To make 16 bake-sale-size (4-inch) jumbo cookies, drop the dough by 1/4-cupfuls onto the baking sheets. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 20 to 22 minutes.