BRIGADEIROS: A Brazilian Party!

Posted in Brazilian cooking, Desserts, Sweets, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

It’s time for a virtual visit to Brazil. Brigadeiros are a mandatory sweet delicacy at children’s parties, especially birthday parties, but they’ll put a smile on folks of all ages, at any celebration. At a typical Brazilian birthday party hundreds of brigadeiros surround a beautiful cake in the center of a huge table. Tropical Miss Manners states that brigadeiros should be enjoyed AFTER the cake, and until then they’re part of the party decor, but by age 5 each Brazilian has already developed his or her unique style of discreetly stealing a few. My Dad – whom I’ve already praised for his expert kitchen thievery (in stealing pasteis ) – used to slowly circle the table while pulling his white handkerchief from his pants as if to anticipate a sneeze. With a quick but quite elegant move, two or three brigadeiros disappeared into the handkerchief, adeptly pocketed for his later enjoyment while he was away from the other guests.

Remembering these little gems, it’s not surprising that we all had a difficulty waiting for the candles to be blown.

BRIGADEIROS
(traditional Brazilian recipe)

1 can of condensed milk (for instance, Carnation brand)
1 + 1/2 T butter
1 + 1/2 T cocoa powder, sifted
pinch of cinnamon
chocolate sprinkles (enough for coating all brigadeiros)

Place all ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan (preferably enamel coated, but not absolutely necessary). Cook in medium heat until the butter melts, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring, until the mixture starts to pull out of the bottom of the pan. It should take between 10 and 17 minutes. If the mixture starts to boil too furiously, reduce the heat or remove the pan from the burner for a minute or so, always stirring.

Allow it to cool until you can handle it. It is OK to put it in the refrigerator to speed up the process.

Place the chocolate sprinkles in a shallow dish. Have a small dish with cold water to dip your fingers and moisten the palm of your hands. Using a teaspoon, grab portions of the cool chocolate mixture and roll into balls. Immediately roll them in chocolate sprinkles and place in a small paper cup.

Makes 24 brigadeiros. Scale up the recipe for large gatherings.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Rolling brigadeiros kicks off the party. Usually a bunch of women sit together at a table working in factory-like style. When I was a young child, I recall feeling jealous of my sisters, because being older than me, they were allowed to “enrolar brigadeiros,” whereas my job was to painfully open and prepare the little paper cups. It seemed so unfair! But, they were democratic as far as eating the misshapen ones: I always had my share when all was said and done… or should I say “when all were rolled and done?” ;-). As you may have already gleaned from the recipe, brigadeiros are not just about chocolate. The sweetness and smoothness of the condensed milk cooks down into a retro, fudgy texture that you won’t forget!

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ONE YEAR AGO: Lemony Asparagus

14Jul2010

ANCHO-CHILE MARINADE: PLEASED TO MEAT YOU!

Posted in Beef by sallybr

This marinade rocks…and roll, hootchie koo! And it has all sorts of cool moves on the dance floor… In a single week, I made it twice, once for butterflied leg of lamb, and again a few days later for flank steak. Published in the June issue of Bon Appetit, it was just what the author promised: “this smoky grilled meat will be a delicious addition to your barbecue repertoire”.

GRILLED FLANK STEAK WITH ANCHO-CHILE MARINADE
(adapted from Bon Appetit, June 2010)

1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
4 Tbs fresh oregano leaves
2 Tbs ancho chile powder
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 green onions
1 Tbs brown sugar
2 + 1/2 tsp salt
2 + 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 flank steak

Add the wine, oil, garlic, oregano, ancho chile powder, lemon juice, green onions, salt and pepper into a blender. Blend the mixture until smooth. Marvel at its color, and take a deep breath to indulge in the aroma…

Make very shallow diamond-shaped cuts on the surface of the flank steak. Transfer the marinade to a large dish that can hold the meat, place the meat inside and rub the marinade all over. Let it sit in the fridge from 2 to 12 hours.

Prepare a hot grill, cook the meat until medium-rare (5 minutes per side maximum). Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing it thinly.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Ancho chile powder might be my new found love in the kitchen. Smoky, funky and hot, but very pleasantly so. The brown sugar promotes a beautiful browning on the surface, and I’ve often been including it in my marinades these summer days. This ancho-chile version might go equally well on salmon, chicken, or even prawns. If you’re cooking a butterflied leg of lamb, allow the meat to marinade for a full 24 hours before grilling.

The flank steak? What a joy it is to eat! A succulent piece of tender, flavorful beef! We enjoyed ours with some simple zucchini sticks: this recipe without the yogurt sauce.

It was a tasty meal in less than 20 minutes, and my name isn’t even Ray! 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: The Handmade Loaf

11Jul2010

RUSSIAN TEA COOKIES: WHEN PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF

Posted in Cookies, Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

This recipe has tempted me ever since I first encountered it on Barbara’s blog. If you read her post you’ll understand my sentiments and want to bake a batch too. So, a couple of Mondays ago I awakened at 5:30 am and went to the kitchen, hoping to have these cookies still warm from the oven for our lab meeting. As you shall see momentarily, the road to hell is indeed paved with good intentions.

Because I was a little tired and sleepy I carefully followed the recipe, and even arranged the measured ingredients on the counter top (the mis-en-place, mark of a serious cook). Nevertheless, unimpressed by my organizational skills, the ingredients refused to shape into a dough. No matter what I did, I only found revolving sandy crumbs forming in the KitchenAid mixer bowl. My husband woke up, came to the kitchen with a good morning kiss, but quickly decided to fetch the newspaper and read it with his coffee, far away from the kitchen (smart man that he is).

I returned to Barbara’s blog … had I forgotten something? – nope, everything was in order. So I gathered up portions of the sandy mess, formed them into “balls” and baked them, into what turned out to be unstable, unappetizing blobs. Frustrated, I rolled one into powdered sugar and tried it….Not fit for human consumption. Almost in tears, I began cleaning the kitchen, and while putting the almond flour away I noticed something printed on the bag: “brown rice flour“.

Some days a woman should not leave the comfort of her bed until way past 7 am, possibly around noon. But, I made them again, and… persistence paid off. Would you believe that the correct flour made them just as tasty as Barbara described?

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES
(adapted from Barbara’s blog, originally published in A Blithe Palate)

1 + 3/4 cups (6 oz) almond flour
2 cups all purpose flour
6 T sugar, divided (4 T + 2 T)
8 oz unsalted butter, softened
1 t vanilla
extract zest of 1/2 large lemon
1 t salt

Powdered sugar for dusting the cookies.

Heat the oven to 325 F.

Cream the butter and 4 T sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla until combined, then reduce speed and add the two kinds of flour, salt, lemon zest, and the remaining 2T of sugar. Scoop a spoonful of dough and roll it into a 1 inch ball. You should obtain about 36 cookies.

Place them on a lined baking sheet. Bake them until light brown, approximately 20 minutes. Do not overcook. Half way through baking time, switch the cookie sheets, rotating them to promote even baking. Remove from the oven and dust them liberally with powdered sugar. Cool on a rack. Eat 3 or 4 four cookies while no one is looking.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

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Comments: What a difference a flour makes! 😉 My only change to the recipe was to add a bit of lemon zest, because it’s a natural match for almonds. The dough is easy to shape and has a delightful aroma even in its raw form. At the first bite of the cookie I wondered, “do I like it”? But within seconds it melted in my mouth, with a lovely almond flavor, simultaneously sweet and nutty, with a slight splash of citrus as an extra kick. Eat one, and you will reach for a second in no time.

ONE YEAR AGO: CINNAMON-RAISIN WALNUT LOAF

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8Jul2010

A STICKY SITUATION

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

That is, sticky as in yummy! Here’s yet another recipe from Fine Cooking that regularly returns to the Bewitching Kitchen. Thighs are not the favorite piece of chicken for most Americans, but they rank high in my book because they’re always flavorful and tender. Plus, any recipe by Joanne Weir gets my attention, and this one is a winner: simple to prepare and packed with sticky, gooey goodness. Steam some white rice to go with it, and you’re all set!

SWEET AND SPICY STICKY CHICKEN
(from Joanne Weir, published in Fine Cooking, Nov 2001)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup water
3 Tbs. rice-wine vinegar
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbs. peanut or vegetable oil
3 scallions thinly sliced
8 chicken thighs, fat and skin removed (bone in or boneless)
Cilantro sprigs for garnish

In a bowl, whisk the brown sugar, fish sauce, water, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook until soft, about 3 min. Add the thighs and the brown sugar mixture. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. As soon as it does, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, turning the thighs occasionally, for 30 to 35 minutes.

Remove the thighs from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm. Increase the heat to high and reduce the sauce until it slightly thickens and resembles a bubbling caramel sauce. Pour the sauce over the chicken on a serving platter, add cilantro sprigs to decorate, and serve with white rice.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Our grocery store always has organic, boneless chicken thighs for sale at great prices because not many people buy them, so I usually pick up a package once a week. When I’m in a huge hurry for dinner (say, on Tuesday evenings…) I opt for grilling (expect my favorite recipe soon!). But if dinner is proceeding at a more relaxed pace, then this recipe is just what the doctor ordered.

If you’re new to fish sauce, that powerfully smelling liquid sold in large bottles, don’t be afraid to bring some home – just don’t break the bottle in your car (it didn’t happen to me, but I read a sad tale about it years ago, and still live in fear of it). Just like Worcestershire sauce in Caesar dressing, fish sauce gives complexity to many marinades and sauces. Some say it makes the best hamburger in the world, but unfortunately my beloved husband doesn’t agree … 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: THE GARDEN

5Jul2010

MELLOW BAKERS: BEER BREAD WITH ROASTED BARLEY

Posted in Breads by sallybr

Taking the Mellow Bakers Challenge in the mellowest possible way, I made the last bread of June in the first week of July… 😉 This was a slightly more complicated recipe, as it required roasted barley – not just the grain, mind you – but “malted barley“, not very easy to find, unless you have access to a beer brewery. Following the footsteps of other bakers, I decided to make my own, and it was a fun (and successful) project! I highly recommend that you read Susan’s article about malt and its uses in bread, she did a great job explaining it all.

For Hamelman’s Beer Bread, you need a poolish (made the day before), roasted barley, beer, flour and commercial yeast. The malted barley gives the bread a beautiful reddish tone, and the beer a flavor that is surprisingly delicate for such a hearty-looking bread. To allow me to bake it early in the morning, I retarded the dough overnight after the final proofing.

Comments: Making malted barley seems intimidating at first, but once again I asked the help of an expert, and brought Dan Lepard to the rescue. His book, The Handmade Loaf, has clear instructions on how to do it. Here is a quick summary of it…

THe process starts by soaking the grains in water, for 2 to 3 days, keeping them in a cool place..

Then, the grains are rinsed, spread over a damp paper, covered, and kept for 4 days in a cool place, until the sprouted portion is twice the size of the grain. Aren’t they cute? 😉
(click to enlarge)

Finally, the sprouted barley is thoroughly dried (for 12 hours or so), and either roasted for a few minutes and ground (to make this bread), or dried at 50 C for several hours and ground into a powder (to make malt powder, and use in any bread that benefits from it).