Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

March 25, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

Each week I follow along with Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa) and attempt to recreate one of her dishes in my tiny New York City kitchen. The catch? This is my version of cooking school and I’m making these recipes for the first time. I’ll share both my successes and um, challenges, along the way and we’ll see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “The Magic Factor”

The Set-up: Ina is adding a secret ingredient to several recipes and conducting a blind taste-test to see if it’s the “magic factor.

The Menu: Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes, Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Easy Cheese Danish

0:29 – Lemons are the first “magic factor” ingredient in the Easy Cheese Danish recipe.

1:22 – I never knew what kind of cheese went into cheese Danish, here it’s cream cheese and ricotta thinned a bit with eggs.

2:15 – Ina’s taking a little short cut with store-bought puff pastry and I can never roll it out like she does – mine always ends up wonky and overly flat in spots.

3:41 – I thought danishes were typically round, but Ina is folding these like the beginning of a paper airplane which begs the question: how do you make the round ones?

4:17 – Version A. is complete with the cheese and vanilla only, now for Version B. incorporating lemon zest.

5:52 – Now a crash course overview on using lemon zest in cooking: apple pie filling, angel food and blueberry cakes, herbed crust on rack of lamb, and lemon garlic pasta.

6:30 – Ina’s assistant Barbara arrives to ferry the danishes over to the rest of the staff. She’s under strict instructions to have everyone try both and then phone Ina immediately with the results.

7:44 – Both Ina and the staff do their taste test and everyone agrees that Version B. containing the lemon zest is the clear winner. Frankly, I’m relieved - what if Ina’s staff liked the plain one better? Heads will roll!!!*

11:26 – Chicken Salad Sandwiches with tarragon as the “magic ingredient” are up next.

12:55 – She starts by roasting bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts and dicing some celery.

13:34 – Version A. is the basic chicken salad sandwich seasoned only with salt and pepper, but it still looks pretty delicious.

14:28 – Minced tarragon is added to Version B. and Ina makes sandwiches on simple, whole-grain bread adding a small heap of mesclun mix. Seriously, is it lunchtime yet?

15:13 – Barbara arrives right on cue to pick up the samples for the staff. Once again they all pick Version B. and live to eat another day.*

19:57 – Ina has promised the staff Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes and with this recipe the “magic factor” is instant coffee powder. Think: Folgers crystals, or in this case Maxwell House.

20:16 – Here’s something I’ve NEVER seen her use before: Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup. I’m not sure if it makes a difference, but she’s using the canned type, not the squeeze bottle.

21:40 – Ina says that this batter can be used to make any size cake, not just cupcakes. Something to file away for future reference…

22:08 – Upon re-watching I realize that I missed Ina’s recommendation about filling the muffin tins pretty full due to the lack of leavening agent. Note to self: pay better attention!

26:35 – Ina continues to surprise me with this recipe by using chocolate chips for the ganache. Not a chopped chocolate bar in sight!

27:13 – With this recipe Version A. contains the “magic factor” and Version B. is the plain one. Very tricky, let’s see if her staff catches the switch…

28:24 – Cupcakes are boxed and ready for Barbara to bring over to the office. Everyone tastes and deems Version A. the winner, pretty sharp bunch over there.

29:50 – Barbara asks the secret ingredient and instead of answering Ina does a full Sabrina the Teenage Witch disappearing dissolve. Oh no they didn’t!

Final Thoughts:
Someday, perhaps after years of practice I’ll be able to roll out dough evenly.

The cupcake recipe used so many pantry staple ingredients and I love the way Ina elevated them to something decadent.

*I’m pretty sure that Ina is a total sweetheart, so it makes me laugh to imagine her as a culinary tyrant with employees quaking before her wrath.

Lessons Learned:
I adore chocolate and yet, I’ve never made anything with ganache and rarely make cupcakes (usually too fussy for my taste, although they are the most adorable form of cake, so exceptions must be made.) I apologize for how lengthy these comments are, but when it comes to Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes it’s hard to shut up!

Cupcake Batter – This recipe omits both baking powder and soda from the batter and I honestly wondered if there was a misprint. I also couldn’t find canned Hershey’s syrup so I used the same amount of the squeeze bottle variety and crossed my fingers. I hoped that the large number of eggs and fairly thin batter would help the results and I’m happy to report that the cupcakes do rise, but not a ton. These are a deep, dark, and fairly dense cupcake; almost more brownie-ish in texture. Not a bad thing at all, but not the super bouncy, light cake you might be expecting.

Cupcake Portioning – With recipes containing a leavening agent I usually assume that each liner or muffin tin section will be filled to about 75% full to account for the increased volume after baking. These cupcakes don’t expand as much, so I’d recommend filling to about 90-95% full if you want them to rise above the edge of the liner. Seriously, in my first batch the cupcake tops just barely peeked out!

Ganache 101 – Ganache is a general term for the concoction that results from melting chocolate and hot cream together, and like a lot of things in baking, changing the proportion of these two ingredients makes a big difference. More cream and the resulting ganache is thinner, more chocolate and the consistency is thicker. This particular recipe is a 2:1 chocolate to cream proportion and uses chocolate chips which have stabilizers resulting in a sturdier but still pourable mixture when warm.

My Ganache – I wanted a pretty substantial layer – cupcakes are a frosting delivery system after all – so I backed off even a bit more on the cream to a 2 1/2:1 factor. Once my ganache cooled it was practically the stuff of chocolate truffle filling, scoopable and stiff, but while warm was like slightly thin buttercream frosting - almost able to hold its shape but not quite. After swirling the cupcakes in the warm ganache it “set-up” into a glossy coat within a few minutes. Perfect in my book.

Swirl Technique – I recommend holding one cupcake upside down, turning it a few times in the ganache to make sure it’s fully coated, and finishing with the kind of wrist motion you use when trying to finish pouring something like honey or molasses. A twirl and swoop back to right side up.

Extra Bonus: I had a little left over batter, since I didn’t fully grasp the portioning, and I’m here to tell you it lasts in the refrigerator for at least 5 days and still bakes up beautifully - no warming to room temp, no remixing, no fuss at all! Same deal with the ganache, just re-warm over hot water add a smidge more cream if it’s too thick and you’re good to go! Like the cupcake version of slice and bake!

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes, for sure. For the batter I used one large heat-safe mixing bowl, a handheld mixer, measuring cups & spoons, a muffin tin, rubber spatula and a cookie scoop to help portion. For the ganache I used the same large bowl, measuring cups, and rubber spatula (washed in between, of course) and a large pot as a double boiler. Muffin liners or papers will definitely help.

The Verdict:
Look, it’s chocolate so already the baseline is set pretty high, but I was surprised how good these Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes are. I think it’s that they do hint at being brownies or flourless torte, while still maintaining enough fluffiness to still be cake. The fudgy ganache glaze – like the best Hostess cake you’ve ever had - doesn’t hurt anything either. We had guests and I smartly (?) made exactly the right number, there were ZERO leftovers which made me all the more thankful for the little bit of extra batter that provided a treat for Mike and I later that week. Please make these, you won’t be sorry!

French Baked Eggs

March 20, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

Isn't it nice when last night's dinner offers a head start on next morning's breakfast? Here in New York, despite being the (alleged) First Day of Spring we are currently “enjoying” a little snow storm to welcome the season. Yay? Tangent alert: Days like this remind me of elementary school when we’d make “out like a lion, in like a lamb” paper plate crafts by curling construction paper manes around our novelty size pencils and gluing cotton balls for wool. Just me?

Anyway, I’m holding out hope that we will finish March with mild weather, but while the lionish weather is still holding firm I’m sticking with comfort food. This baked egg dish could not be easier or more hands off and it has the dual benefit of being what I think of as a “leftover-makeover.”

Case in point: remember the Company Pot Roast from the other week? It was awesome, but once the roast was gone I still had several cups of beautifully seasoned and deeply flavored sauce. I hate wasting food so there was no way I'd throw something so delicious away. Thankfully, I was reminded by an article in Bon Appétit that both Portugal and Italy have versions of a dish where an egg is poached in rich tomato sauce. The leftover bourgiugnon-style sauce seemed like a great way to make a French inspired take on a Mediterranean classic. Just an idea to file away the next time you have extra stores of tomato-based sauce….

French Baked Eggs (yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:
4 cups Company Pot Roast tomato sauce
4 large eggs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 slices multigrain bread, toasted

Instructions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Divide the tomato sauce equally between four medium ramekins (16 ounce) or other small oven safe dishes. Place the ramekins in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the sauce it hot and bubbling.

Use a spoon to create a well in the sauce and crack a whole egg into each depression. Return the ramekins to the oven and continue to bake for another 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, toast the slices of multigrain bread.

When the whites have turned opaque and firm, but the yolk is still soft remove from the oven. Divide the grated parmesan cheese, fresh thyme leaves, kosher salt, and pepper evenly and sprinkle over the top of each ramekin.

Eggs continue to cook once removed from the oven, so serve immediately while the yolks are still runny with slices of toasted multigrain bread for dipping.

Inspired by and partially adapted from Eggs in Purgatory by Nigella Lawson and Portuguese Baked Eggs by Bon Appétit

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes, indeed. I used four 16-ounce, oven-safe ramekins, a liquid measuring cup, measuring spoons, microplane grater, a large spoon, bread knife, and medium cutting board. That’s it!

The Verdict:
I was initially suspicious when I first heard of this dish. The combination of tomato sauce and eggs just seemed bizarre, and when I decided to re-use the sauce from the Company Pot Roast I was afraid we’d try it and immediately have to call for pizza. I want to be modest, but it was delicious and both Mike and I dove right in cleaning our proverbial plates. I advise leaving the yolks uncooked and mixing them around with the tomato, it’s awesome. Don’t skimp on the toast – you’ll need it!

Spicy Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti

March 18, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

Episode: “Baby’s First Bash”

The Set-up: Ina’s close friends, the Libermans, are celebrating their first grandchild!

The Menu: Spicy Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti, Truffled Popcorn, Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp, S’mores

0:40 – Ina’s theme for the party is “nursery food” which I guess translates to things that adults and children will like. Interested to see how she makes that work.

1:23 – First up Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp. Ina says that rhubarb has a very short season and I believe it since I think I’ve only tasted it once in my life.

2:15 – Pro Tip #1: Dissolve a little cornstarch in the orange juice before adding it to the fruit filling. The cornstarch will help thicken the fruit “goo” and mixing it ahead will prevent lumps.

3:41 – The party is taking place outside, so Ina has called up the troops – namely her friend Greg Yale, a professional lighting designer – to transform her already magnificent garden into a wonderland. This is one lucky seven week-old baby.

4:08 – We’re back with Ina to make the crumble topping, which she admits is basically the same from recipe to recipe with the usual suspects (butter, flour, brown sugar, oatmeal…)

5:36 – This particular crumble combination - strawberry rhubarb - is in honor of a recipe Ina once made up on the fly for the grandmother of honor. Even the Barefoot Contessa has to wing it from time to time.

9:43 – Time to make the main course: Spicy Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti. Ina emphasizes the need to add moisture, in this case fresh bread crumbs soaked in milk, since they’re made from turkey.

10:35 – We check in with Greg, who is literally up a tree hanging café lights. This is a man who is dedicated to making things “magical.”

11:21 – Ina’s recipe calls for mincing up prosciutto to add flavor to the ground turkey, but to me prosciutto is just sort of salty and not all that flavorful.

12:39 – These meatballs are supposed to be spicy, so in go the red pepper flakes. I wonder if using hot Italian sausage instead of sweet would be too much?

13:14 – Instead of frying/sautéing the meatballs they’re going into the oven to roast, which sounds like a fantastic way to get out of standing over a pot of hot oil. Eww.

14:20 – Meatballs go in the oven as Greg and his team tether huge, helium inflated and presumably illuminated, balloons around the garden. These are going to look awesome.

19:06 – The meatballs are done and beautifully browned, now for a little shortcut: store bought tomato sauce. Glad to see that even Ina sometimes turns to a jar once in a while.

20:25 – Outside with Greg for the big lighting reveal and while I do think it’s a little over the top for six people it also looks really cool.

21:40 – Back inside to pop the bag of popcorn and melt truffle butter for the Truffled Popcorn. Newman’s Own in case you’re wondering. I think it’s the Natural Tender White which I can assure you is really good – not too salty, no strangely yellow butter.

22:33 – Full disclosure: I cannot STAND truffles. Seriously, even a whiff of one in a dish and I’m done. I do like the idea of doing a flavored butter or oil with popcorn though – something to explore perhaps…

23:08 – The Liberman family arrives as Jeffrey pops the cork on some champagne the lights twinkle in the trees. #jealous

26:44 – The spaghetti is done cooking and now it’s time to serve the most enormous bowl covered in sauce and meatballs. Yum!

27:37 – Ina’s whole philosophy of cooking could probably be summed up as “nursery food for adults.” She’s so great at taking comfort food classics and dialing up the sophistication without losing the familiarity. Obviously I’m a fan.

28:11 – Outside with the giant bowl of “meatballs and sketti” and everyone dives in over a beautifully candle-lit table. Next comes the Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with vanilla ice cream.

29:55 – Finally, the moment we’ve actually been waiting for: making use of the fire pit to light marshmallows on fire for S’mores. Ahh, summer.

Final Thoughts:
Note to self: cook something with rhubarb this summer when it’s in season.

I want to try cooking popcorn in infused oil, maybe rosemary? This bears further trial.

Also, investigate giant inflatable balloon lights and a fire pit…

Lessons Learned:
I’ve cooked meatballs before, actually about a month ago, so trying Spicy Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti was more about trying a different flavor combination and cooking technique.

Meatball Assembly – This mixture was a bit stickier than the original combination and I suspect that’s due to the lack of dry breadcrumbs. I assume they aren’t needed because turkey is so lean and the fresh ones absorb enough of the juices from the sausage. Fluff the mixture together with a fork, or gently fold together with clean hands to keep them from packing too tightly. Portioning to exactly the same size takes a little guess-timation – I find that if I divide the mixture into 4 parts and then try to roll 6 meatballs (for a total of 24) from each quarter it comes out about right. Full disclosure: I ended up with 23 this time, so close enough.

Meatball Cooking – These meatballs are cooked on sheet trays (don’t forget the parchment paper!) in the oven, which is a far simpler technique than cooking them in olive oil on the stove. I put both sheets in at the same time and probably should have switched them halfway through – the bottom ones were a little browner. So, lesson learned!

Final Simmer – I am officially a huge fan of doing this in the oven. It takes the same amount of time and there’s no stress about having to stir or watch the sauce. I just cover and stick the pot in a 350 degree oven where it can pretty much hang out as long as you need it to and then like magic it’s ready whenever the pasta finishes cooking. I’ll also point out that it opens up a burner on the stovetop and the fewer items I have bubbling away there the more in control I feel.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Fairly, it felt more so than the first meatball recipe, but upon reflection it actually requires the same amount of items. Once again, I used my trusty 5.5 qt French oven for sauce and meatball simmering, in addition to a second large pot for the pasta, a colander, medium mixing bowl, two baking sheet (assuming you’re making the full recipe) and medium cutting board. For utensils, a dinner fork, a wooden spatula, a liquid measuring cup & measuring spoons, a microplane grater, and an instant read meat thermometer. I also needed a small food processor to prep the fresh bread crumbs.

The Verdict:
I made Spicy Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti when we were having a group of visiting college students for dinner, and while making meatballs from scratch does take effort I also think it’s kind of the perfect home-cooking meal. I hadn’t fully considered what a treat it might be after months of dining hall food. Based on how many meatballs disappeared it was a popular choice. In this version I used sweet Italian sausage and a classic tomato basil sauce, but even with my relatively low tolerance for heat I’d up the spice-factor and use hot Italian sausage and/or an arrabiata sauce in future iterations.

Mushroom Farro Risotto

March 16, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

Have you ever noticed an ingredient for the first time and then all of a sudden it’s everywhere? First it was quinoa and kale now it seems to be farro. I was first introduced to farro by an episode of Nigellissima, hosted by the lovely Nigella Lawson where I learned that it’s an ancient grain that was a staple of the Roman diet. I'm just nerdy enough to find that fun fact intriguing, but didn’t actually buy any until my visit to Kalustyan’s last fall when I happened across a package of their house brand.

For reference sake, it’s important to note that farro is sold in three different forms: whole grain, semi-pearled, and pearled. The form depends on how much of the outer hull has been polished away and the cooking time will vary dramatically. Whole grain takes at least 40 minutes of simmering, while pearled takes about half that long – so read your package carefully so you know which one you have and can adjust the expected cooking time. I think of it being something like oatmeal – old-fashioned oats vs. quick oats vs. instant.

Since my first brush with farro it seems like it’s popping up on menus – I recently tried versions at Maman and Hunter’s, both excellent – and in magazine recipe features. I admit, I’m not sorry to see all these new sources of inspiration since I’m fully on the farro bandwagon. I hope you’ll try it too and let me know what you think!

Mushroom Farro Risotto (yield: 2-4 servings)

8 ounces (3 cups) cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup ( 1 medium) yellow onion, diced
1 cup whole grain farro
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large, deep sauté pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sliced mushrooms (caps and stems) and sauté until the onions turn golden and translucent, and the mushrooms are browned, approximately 10-12 minutes.

Sprinkle the whole grain farro into the sauté pan and gently stir to coat with the mushroom, onion and olive oil, about 2-3 minutes. Add the kosher salt, black pepper, and thyme to the pan and pour in the chicken stock.

Stir to combine the ingredients and bring the mixture up to a simmer, then cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Continue to simmer with the pan covered for 40 minutes until the chicken stock is absorbed and the farro is tender, but al dente.

Serve warm or room temperature with a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese.

Inspired and guided by Nigella Lawson’s Farro Risotto and Ina Garten’s Baked Farro and Butternut Squash.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Oh, yes! I used a large cutting board, chef’s knife, a 3 quart covered sauté pan, measuring cups and spoons, and a wooden spatula.

The Verdict:
Mike and I are both pretty much obsessed with this recipe and with farro in general. The farro itself has a texture somewhere between wild rice, barley, and brown rice with a beautifully nutty flavor perfectly complemented by the earthiness of the mushrooms. We’ve been eating it both as a side dish, say with roasted chicken for example, and as a main course salad. My all time favorite is warm farro and roasted butternut squash over cold arugula dressed with a little vinaigrette. Delicious.