butter Archives - Page 2 of 2

Desserts

Heavenly HALO Olive Oil Cake

When I was asked to create a recipe for a new flavor of premium extra virgin olive oil, I jumped at the chance. I love baking with olive oil because it makes cakes so rich, moist. The folks over at Pompeian have created a premium line of mono-varietal (i.e. produced from a single grape) extra virgin olive oils called the Pompeian Varietals Collection. This new line is meant to celebrate the unique flavor profile that a single type of olive provides, while allowing the consumer a chance to learn about the unique journey behind each bottle.

The collection consists of three types of olives:

Arbequina – a mild-bodied extra virgin olive oil with a round taste of fruitiness and a delicate sweetness.
Picholine – a medium-bodied extra virgin olive oil with a fruitiness and hints of herbs that works well with meats or sauces.
Koroneiki – a full-bodied extra virgin olive oil with robust fruitiness and a peppery finish that is perfect for soups or salads.

One of the cool things about Pompeian Varietals is that you can track the story of the olives from harvest to your table. You can uncover the history behind each bottle — starting at the mill, country and harvest date and ending at your very own kitchen table.

The olive oil I selected for my recipe was Arbequina. Arbequina is native to the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Arbequina olives produce an extra virgin olive oil that is intensely aromatic and its flavor profile strikes a delightful balance between grassy and peppery notes, finishing with a buttery almond flavor.

I thought that this particular olive oil flavor profile was perfect for an almond-olive oil cake – so I created a recipe for what I am calling Heavenly HALO Olive Oil Cake with a Brown Butter, Citrus & Almond Glaze. HALO stands for:

Honey,
Almond,
Lemon and
Orange

In both the cake batter and in the glaze, the honey, almond, lemon and orange come together in harmony with the olive oil for a symphony of (almost) sinful flavor.

The recipe is simple and you don’t have to bring out the stand mixer. Everything combines easily by hand in just a few mixing bowls.

When you taste the cake, you can tell that it’s made with olive oil because it’s so moist. And you don’t have to smother the cake in glaze because there’s a delicate sweetness to the cake itself that comes from the buttery almond flavor of the Pompeian Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

I absolutely loved how this cake turned out and can’t wait to use the other Pompeian Varietals in my cooking. The other Pompeian Varietals are stronger, bolder in their flavor profiles and lend themselves more to savory dishes. But the Arbequina olive oil is so light and versatile that you could use it in almost any baking recipe.

What’s your favorite recipe for baking with olive oil? If you use the Arbequina extra virgin olive oil in your next baking recipe, be sure to share it here on Baked Chicago. I’d love to hear how it turned out for you. Now pardon me, but a slice of cake and a cup of coffee are calling my name….LOUDLY.

Heavenly HALO Olive Oil Cake with a Brown Butter, Citrus & Almond Glaze

Rating: 51

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 12 servings

Heavenly HALO Olive Oil Cake with a Brown Butter, Citrus & Almond Glaze

Ingredients

For Cake:

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

3 large eggs

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup Pompeian Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

grated zest of 1 medium lemon

1/2 cup orange juice

For Glaze:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup dry roasted almonds, chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Generously grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt to thoroughly combine. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs to break up yolks. Add brown sugar and whisk it thoroughly. Add the olive oil and whisk until mixture is lighter in color and thickened (about 1 minute). Whisk in vanilla and almond extracts, followed by lemon zest and orange juice.

Add dry ingredients to the mixture and whisk until thoroughly combined. Continue whisking until batter is smooth and emulsified.

Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. Cake is done when it pulls away from the sides of pan and springs back lightly when touched. A cake tester or toothpick inserted should come out clean.

Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes in pan, then remove it and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack.

While cake cools, make the glaze. Melt butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. When butter is melted, lower heat and watch carefully until it turns a light tan color. Swirl in pan while heating to distribute heat evenly. It should smell slightly nutty. Turn off the heat and let it cool. It will continue to darken.

In a medium bowl, whisk milk with the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Slowly whisk in butter and lemon juice. Stir in chopped almonds. Spread the glaze on top of the cake and let it set.

http://bakedchicago.com/heavenly-halo-olive-oil-cake/

In the [Skype] Kitchen With LongHorn Steakhouse Chef Josh Evans

LongHorn Steakhouse Blue Crab & Meyer Lemon Filet

Have you ever been reading a restaurant menu, jonesing over the delicious-sounding ingredients of a dish that you’ve never tried and wondered “how did they think of that flavor combination?” Well, I got the chance to ask that question recently during a special “in the kitchen” segment over Skype with Chef Josh Evans of LongHorn Steakhouse.

Chef Josh, along with Chef Michael Senich, have what I think of as a dream job. He leads development of the Peak Season menu which showcases classic seasonal flavors and adds a LongHorn twist. The Peak Season menu is rotated four times a year, along with the Chef’s Showcase menus, in all of LongHorn Steakhouse’s 445 restaurants across 38 states.

LongHorn Steakhouse Blackened Salmon with Cheddar Grits

Blackened Salmon & Cheddar Grits: Hand-cut Atlantic salmon, blackened with a 12-spice blend, served on top of creamy Cheddar grits.

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto: Creamy Parmesan risotto with roasted butternut squash and fresh sage butter.

Chef Josh explained how they select fresh ingredients that can be sourced locally for all the LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants. I enjoyed learning how they pair seasonal vegetables with fresh proteins to create familiar comfort foods that have an innovative twist in their execution. And I was supremely impressed when he showed me how easy it is to prep a butternut squash for their rich, Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto. Here’s a video with Chef Josh in action:

The Winter Peak Season Menu, available through March 24, also includes:

Garlic Mussels – Steamed in Sam Adams Beer with garlic, onion and butter
Winter Brie Salad – Winter field greens tossed in a blackberry vinaigrette with warm brie bites, dried cherries, red onion and mandarin oranges
Praline Pecan Butterscotch Pudding – Creamy butterscotch pudding, Maker’s Mark bourbon-caramel sauce, candied pecans with a dab of whipped cream

The Chef’s Showcase Menu gives chefs Josh and Michael a chance to share their inspirations and creativity. The current Chef’s Showcase Menu features Blue Crab & Meyer Lemon Filet and Blackened Salmon & Cheddar Grits.

I am not from the South (though I have distant relatives from Alabama), so I have never totally understood grits. I’ve had grits while traveling throughout the South and when I lived in Houston – but I wasn’t sure what made for great Southern-style grits. Well the light bulb went on after Chef Josh gave me a crash course in Grits 101. I felt so inspired with my new-found knowledge that I decided to use the stone-ground grits used in LongHorn’s Cheddar Grits to create my own Cheesy Grits (using mascarpone cheese) in the slow cooker. Topped with bacon, of course!

Have you ever made grits? What’s your secret technique or ingredient?

And don’t forget to enter the LongHorn Steakhouse giveaway below for a chance to win a $50 or $25 restaurant gift card. Enjoy!

Cheesy Slow Cooker Grits with bacon

Rating: 51

Cook Time: 3 hours

Yield: 8 servings

Cheesy Slow Cooker Grits with bacon

Ingredients

2 cups stone-ground grits

32 ounces vegetable stock

pinch of sea salt

2 cups whole milk

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

6 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled

Instructions

In a 4-quart slow cooker, stir together grits and a pinch of salt. Add vegetable stock and let stand 2 minutes, allowing grits to settle to the bottom.

Tilt the slow cooker carefully and skim off the solids using a fine mesh strainer. Add milk and stir to combine.

Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until grits are creamy and tender. Stir about every 45 minutes. The consistency will be similar to oatmeal.

About 5 minutes before you're ready to serve, stir in butter and mascarpone cheese. Serve garnished with crispy, crumbled bacon.

Notes

Cooked grits won't absorb salt, so be sure to salt your dry grits or water before you start cooking.

Whisking frequently makes for the creamiest grits, because whisking releases starch. Traditional stone-ground grits take about 45 minutes to cook, which can make whisking tiresome. That's why a slow cooker option is a better choice, when time is on your side. The slow cooker's steady moist heat will release the starch in stone-ground grits with minimal stirring. That creates a naturally rich, creamy texture.

Sometimes mascarpone cheese can be difficult to find in a local grocery store. You may substitute ricotta cheese for the mascarpone.

http://bakedchicago.com/longhorn-steakhouse/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was given samples of select ingredients featured in LongHorn Steakhouse’s winter Peak Season menu to review and to use for creating an original recipe. LongHorn Steakhouse also provided the prizes in this contest. I get no additional benefits for talking about this product or company. All opinions about this product are 100% my own.

Desserts

Peanut Butter Lava Mug Cake

Sometimes cooking isn’t pretty. But that’s okay as long as it’s delicious. And that’s exactly the case here with this recipe for Peanut Butter Lava Mug Cake. It looks like a disaster, but it tastes rich, gooey and delicious.

For all of the peanut butter lovers out there (raise your hands high!), happy National Peanut Butter Lovers Day. In the midst of this cold winter, we get a single day that is meant to satisfy us until we get to Peanut Butter Lovers Month in November. That’s a long time away, but if there’s any food stuff worthy of the wait it’s peanut butter!

Sometimes you want a quick sweet treat but you don’t want to make an entire cake. This mug cake is the best of everything:

Cooks in 2 minutes for the impatient among us
Rich, decadent and uses the same quality ingredients you’d use in a full-size version
Great portion control for anyone who can’t be trusted with more than a single-serving

The “lava” in this recipe is the rich peanut butter that you plop in the bottom of the mug, so when it’s inverted it ends up on top of the cake. Do you wanna go mega-Pompeii-style? Add some chocolate syrup for more choco-lava goodness. Now that’s a delicious disaster I can’t wait to taste!

Peanut Butter Lava Mug Cake

Rating: 51

Cook Time: 3 minutes

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Instructions

Spray the inside of a large microwave-safe coffee mug (at least 16 ounces) with non-stick cooking spray.

Place peanut butter in the bottom of the mug. Set aside.

In a small microwavable bowl, add the butter and brown sugar. Heat on HIGH for 45 seconds, then stir with a fork. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Stir in cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into coffee mug.

Microwave on 50% power for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, or until set. Don't overcook. If additional cooking time is needed, do so in 20- or 30-second intervals. Invert mug onto a plate. Serve immediately.

http://bakedchicago.com/peanut-butter-lava-mug-cake/

Snacks & Candies

My @FallonTonight Snack of Choice: Pecorino Romano Peppered Popcorn

pecorino romano peppered popcorn with butter balsamic and bacon

No amount of thunder snow, polar plunge or sub-zero arctic blasts will stop me from enjoying the premier of The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon tonight. Yes, TONIGHT!

I’ve been a fan of Jimmy Fallon from his early days on Saturday Night Live. And he just keeps getting better and funnier. Witness this hilarious spoof of the “Evolution of Mom Dancing” with (Chicago’s very own) First Lady Michelle Obama. Just brilliant!

So I’m whipping up a batch of my Pecorino Romano Peppered Popcorn, with Butter, Balsamic and Bacon. How’s that for alliteration! There’s enough to share with the family, if you so choose!

The butter and raspberry balsamic blend beautifully to add some subtle notes to the strength of the Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper.

And what can I say about the bacon? The hickory-smoked bacon is perfect with the balsamic. So good that I have to admit that I doubled up the amount of bacon, cause you can’t ever have too much bacon, right!

Pecorino Romano Peppered Popcorn, with Butter, Balsamic & Bacon

Rating: 51

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

8 cups popcorn, popped

4 slices thick-cut hickory-smoked bacon, crispy and crumbled (or cut in 1/4-inch strips)

4 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons raspberry balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Cook bacon in the microwave on a microwave safe plate. I put the bacon strips on 5 sheets of paper towels on a large plate, then top it with 3 sheets of paper towels. Cook on high until crispy (about 6 to 8 minutes for thick-cut bacon). Let cool before crumbling or cutting into 1/4-inch strips.

In a small bowl, stir together Pecorino Romano grated cheese and ground black pepper for even seasoning. Set aside.

Pop a standard-sized bag of microwave popcorn according to package directions, yielding about 8 cups. Pour the popped corn in a large mixing bowl; set aside.

In a microwave safe medium-sized bowl, melt butter and balsamic together (2 to 3 minutes). Cover bowl to avoid making a mess in your microwave as the butter starts to get hot.

Drizzle about half the butter mixture over the popped corn, followed by about half the cheese/pepper mixture. Toss gently to combine and coat. Drizzle the remaining butter and cheese/pepper mixtures over the popcorn. Toss to coat evenly and serve immediately.

Notes

By drizzling only half the butter and a time, followed by sprinkling half the cheese mixture, will allow the popcorn to slowly absorb the butter. If you put too much on at once, the popcorn will become overly clumpy and the cheese mixture won't blend well.

http://bakedchicago.com/pecorino-romano-peppered-popcorn-butter-balsamic-bacon/

Soups, Salads & Sides

Authentic Parisian Parsley Potatoes

One of the basic philosophies I subscribe to when it comes to the kitchen is that there’s no such thing as a bad potato recipe. All things aside, if I could only eat one food item for the rest of my life it would probably be potatoes. They are so versatile, so delicious and often very easy to prepare. What’s not to like about that?

This recipe is an adaptation of a traditional Parisian Herbed Potatoes dish. I like this Parisian Parsley Potatoes dish because it’s got only 5 ingredients, it takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and its flavor is simply decadent.

You could use any small (or new) potato but I recommend the traditional red new potatoes. They have such a great color and the skins are quite tasty.

You melt the butter in a heavy pan. Then add the potatoes, salt, and pepper – and stir to coat. Cover the pan and let it cook on medium-low for about 30 minutes, shaking every 5 minutes so that the potatoes on the bottom of the pot don’t burn. When the potatoes are done, toss with parsley and serve.

Don’t these potatoes look delicious. Did you notice which of the 5 ingredients is missing? The parsley! Even when you only have 5 ingredients, you must pay attention to the recipe. I had plated the potatoes and after shooting a photo realized I had totally forgotten the parsley. What’s Parisian Parsley Potatoes without the parsley? Potatoes that are buttered, salted and peppered. Still good ,but missing a star ingredient.

Even if you make an error with this recipe, it’s easy to fix. I simply put the potatoes back in the sauce pan and tossed with the parsley. Situation under control!

Authentic Parisian Parsley Potatoes

Rating: 51

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

8 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 pounds red new potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled, cut in half

2 teaspoons sea salts

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 tablespoons parsley

Instructions

Melt the butter in a large heavy sauce pan. Add the potatoes, then salt and pepper. Toss well until potatoes are coated.

Cover the pan and cook over medium-low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when tested with a small knife or fork. Occasionally shake the pot without removing the lid to prevent the bottom potatoes from burning.

Turn off heat and let potatoes continue to cook (with lid on the pan) for another 5 minutes. Toss with parsley and serve hot.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten's Herbed New Potatoes in "Barefoot in Paris" cookbook.

http://bakedchicago.com/authentic-parisian-parsley-potatoes/

Newer Posts