chocolate cake: one that's good for you and one that's very very bad.

I used to work at a women's magazine that purposely ran giant photos of multi-layered chocolate cakes adorned with chocolate-covered strawberries, whipped cream poufs, and cut-up twinkies (I kid you not). The more dripping with sugar the better, because calories didn't really count. My editor believed that simply gazing at chocolate cake would produce the same serotonin boost in the brain as actually eating a slice.

So take a good, hard look, readers. Nice, but I'd rather eat it--wouldn't you?

Chocolate's not the worst thing you can consume in moderation. I just tried a chocolate cake made with a surprisingly healthy secret ingredient. At a recent dinner party, my lovely friend Jennifer asked what she could bring. I didn't have a game plan for dinner yet, so I suggested a dessert. I'm not quite on the gluten-free bandwagon yet, so it's an easy thing for someone else to take off my hands. And that way everyone else can enjoy something other than ice cream or gluten-free fruit crisps, two things I can serve with confidence. She wrote back, "We’ll bring a gluten-free dessert on the 22nd–what time?" Imagining her spending hours in the supermarket squinting over labels, or concocting some flop of a cake with three different types of rice-based flour, I told her not to worry, that anything would be fine, gluten-free or not. Really, don't go to any trouble for little old me! Undeterred, she showed up with a decadent-looking gluten-free chocolate cake and hot fudge sauce. Wow. Lesson learned: never underestimate Jennifer.


Gluten-free chickpea chocolate cake
This is not a cake of the Duncan Hines variety. It's more like the whole wheat bread equivalent of chocolate cake: wholesome and dense with a thin, brownie-like crispness on top. When Jennifer told me it was made with chickpeas, I assumed she meant chickpea flour, but it's actually made with canned beans! Don't be scared. If she hadn't said anything, I don't think anyone would have thought this cake was gluten-free. Or made with chickpeas. The original recipe, which is highly ranked on AllRecipes, can be found here.

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 (19 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
4 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. Place the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds after the first minute, until chocolate is melted and smooth. If you have a powerful microwave, reduce the power to 50 percent. (You can also melt them in a small pan on low heat on the stove, or over a double boiler) Combine the beans and eggs in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the sugar and the baking powder, and pulse to blend. Pour in the melted chocolate and blend until smooth, scraping down the corners to make sure chocolate is completely mixed. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.


Hot fudge sauce
A cake like this calls for a nice, thick sauce. Jennifer wisely opted for homemade hot fudge from AllRecipes. Even more wisely, she left the jar in our fridge, and I have been slowly draining it ever since.

4 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate (Or cut the sugar down to 1/2 cup and use 1 oz. semisweet chocolate)
1 cup white sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and cook on high 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until mostly melted. Transfer to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat and stir in sugar, salt, and butter. Stir in cream, a little at a time until smooth. Heat through, without boiling, then remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Store in refrigerator.

And now for the very, very bad. For Thanksgiving, I wanted to make a dessert other than pumpkin pie. I considered pears baked in wine, and my trusty fruit crisp, and then I thought about doing a flourless chocolate cake. Even though everyone always goes for the pumpkin pie anyway, I thought what the heck. After finding the cake almost three-quarters gone, post-Thanksgiving dinner, I think I made the right choice.

Flourless chocolate cake with caramel sauce

There's nary a chickpea in sight in this recipe, another winner from BA. Just chocolate, butter, eggs, sugar, and more butter. Slice this cake thinly, it's like a fudgy, extra moist brownie.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cut into pieces
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
6 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch springform pan. Stir butter and chocolate in heavy large saucepan over low heat until melted. Mix sugar and cocoa in large bowl. Add eggs; whisk until well blended. Whisk in chocolate-butter mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan on rack. Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Release pan sides.

Caramel sauce
This buttery, slightly salty sauce pairs well with this cake. Or ice cream...

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsps. fresh lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp. (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

Stir sugar, water, and lemon juice in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Add in cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Return to low heat; stir until any bits of caramel dissolve. Add butter; whisk until smooth. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

dishes new and old

Oof. That's all I can say post-Thanksgiving. Too much food, too much wine, too many slices of leftover pumpkin pie for breakfast. Don't get me wrong, I love I looove pie for breakfast but it's all a bit much.

Fullness aside, what I love most about Thanksgiving is the potluck nature of dinner. In my family everyone contributes something (well, at least the women do). Some dishes, like my Nanny's cranberry sauce, are things I've been eating as long as I can remember. Others, like my roasted brussels sprouts, are newer additions to the table. And now that Dan and I have combined our families for the holiday, we've got even more food to be thankful for--like a perfectly roasted turkey with gluten-free stuffing courtesy of my mother-in-law.

While it seems a bit strange to share Thanksgiving recipes with you after the fact, these side dishes would be great for Christmas or any other dinner party.

Thanksgiving dinner '08
Roasted turkey and gravy
Cornbread stuffing with dried apples and sausage
Steamed green beans with citrus zest
Sauteed mushrooms
Mashed sweet potatoes
Roasted brussels sprouts with bacon and lemon
Nanny's cranberry sauce
Pumpkin pie
Apple pie
Flourless chocolate cake with caramel sauce

Roasted brussels sprouts with bacon and lemon
Oh, I hated brussels sprouts as a kid. Hated them. Had to sit at the dinner table long after everyone had finished because I wouldn't eat my vegetables. Even though I was being sort of a brat, my six-year-old palate wasn't too far off. When boiled, brussels sprouts turn into sour little stink bombs. But a few years ago, brussels sprouts started popping up on menus in restaurants I liked. So I tried to get over my childhood paranoia and roasted them with bacon and lemon as instructed from this recipe from BA. The effect was completely different: the sprouts were caramelized, slightly sweet, and deliciously smoky from a generous portion of bacon. In short, delicious. These will convert the most brussels sprouts scarred person.

1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 1/4 cups diced bacon (about 6 ounces)
zest and juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
(Serves 6 to 8 people)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook brussels sprouts in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain. Spread brussels sprouts on rimmed baking sheet in single layer. Sprinkle with bacon, lemon zest, juice, salt, and pepper; stir. Roast brussels sprouts until tender and beginning to brown, stirring every 10 minutes, about 30 minutes. Transfer to bowl and serve.

Nanny's cranberry sauce
This what I always ask for around the holidays. Yes, it's a Jell-O mold, but it's been one of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes since I was a kid. Call it comfort food. Unlike modern cranberry sauces with ingredients like orange zest and spicy peppers and triple sec, this version is very 1950's in its jiggly, walnut-studded, pineapple-filled glory. I usually eat it straight out of the Tupperware the next day.

(Serves 6 to 8 people)

2 cups hot water

1 can whole bean cranberry sauce
2 boxes cranberry-raspberry Jell-O
1/2 cup. chopped walnuts
1 small can crushed pineapple (about 1 cup)

In a medium-sized bowl, combine hot water and the can of cranberry sauce. Stir until the sauce is fairly broken down. Add the Jell-O powder and stir until combined. Stir in the pineapple and walnuts. Pour into a plastic mold (or serving bowl) and refrigerate overnight.

adios (and a few menu ideas)

Hi all,

Pardon my absence for a little while. Dan and I are heading down to Florida to spend some time with our family. On the agenda: catching up with the parents, reading the paper by the pool, eating oysters on my birthday, a day trip to South Beach, playing with the dogs, and consuming obscene amounts of my Nanny's cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving. (Recipe to come.)

Speaking of which, looking for dishes to supplement that turkey or ham? Here's a few ideas from the archives:

Appetizers
Curried deviled eggs
Sausage rolls
Spiced cashews
Sweet and spicy peanuts
Sweet potato pancakes

Drinks
Sparkling ginger cocktail
Big apple cocktail
Fall sangria

Sides
Braised red cabbage with apples and caraway seeds
Orzo with cinnamon brown butter and parsley
Roasted beets with horseradish and fried capers
Roasted acorn squash with maple syrup and nutmeg
Twice-baked potatoes

Desserts
Pear crisp with vanilla brown butter
Pumpkin custard

Happy Thanksgiving!
Lisa

snacks for thanksgiving (or any time)

Can you believe it's almost Thanksgiving? I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this, but I don't even know what I'm making yet.

I volunteered to contribute a vegetable (maybe roasted brussels sprouts? or butternut squash?), a dessert (possibly a flourless chocolate cake, or roasted pears, or maybe a ricotta cheesecake?) and an appetizer (um..??). Luckily my mother-in-law is in charge of the turkey and my mom is picking up the rest of the slack. Thanks, Mom(s).

Over the past few years, I've always made some sort of hors d'ouevres for Thanksgiving. Nothing fancy—deviled eggs, blue cheese dip with celery sticks, or even guacamole and chips (hey, my family lives in Florida). Most people just want something to nibble on before the main event, so you really only need to serve one thing. A bowl of nuts is lovely. Or a platter of cheeses. Or some olives. Really, anything bite-sized that hungry people can grab as they hover in the kitchen, sticking their fingers in all the pots. An even better idea: place the snacks in another room to keep everyone out your hair and the stuffing.

Here's a few snacks I've made for recent dinner parties that I may revisit on Thanksgiving. What are you all serving?

Bacon-wrapped dates with parmesan
This recipe (available from many places, including Gourmet) has gotten me through many a dinner party. Smoky, salty, and sweet, these dates (shown above) are kind of the best thing you'll ever put in your mouth. If you serve them, dinner will be a success, even if you burn everything else.
(Serves about 6 people)

18 (1- by 1/4-inch) sticks Parmigiano-Reggiano (from a 1/2-lb piece)
18 pitted dates
6 bacon slices, cut crosswise into thirds (I tried this with regular and turkey bacon, and both work, although I prefer the pork)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Stuff 1 piece of cheese into each date, then wrap 1 piece of bacon around each date, securing it with a pick, or placing the dates with the bacon fold side down. Arrange the dates 1 inch apart in a shallow baking pan. Bake 5 minutes, then turn dates over with tongs and bake until bacon is crisp, 5 to 6 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel. Serve immediately.

Lamb meatballs
I've had this recipe by Melissa Clark bookmarked for awhile and my quasi-Mediterranean dinner for Megan seemed like the perfect time to try it out. These are not your average meatballs: the cinnamon, parsley, and mint add brightness and an extra depth of flavor. One change: grate the onion instead of mincing it. Bits of raw onion do no one any favors.

As you'll see below, I made many tweaks to this recipe. In my ongoing quest to cut out gluten, I omitted the breadcrumbs and one egg. Although everyone liked the end result very much, if you can eat bread, I would recommend keeping the recipe as-is because it will make the meatballs more tender and juicy.
(Serves 4 to 6 people)
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. ground lamb
1/2 cup minced onion (I recommend grating it)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs (I omitted this)
2 eggs (I used one)
2 Tbsp. chopped mint
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped dill (I used parsley)
1 Tbsp. plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic
Salt

Preheat your broiler. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. In a large bowl, combine the lamb, onion, bread crumbs, eggs, mint, lemon juice, cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of the dill (or parsley), 2 tsp. of garlic and 1 tsp. of salt; knead until combined. Form the mixture into 1 1/4-inch meatballs. Arrange the meatballs on the oiled baking sheet and broil as close to the heat as possible for 6 minutes, turning the pan halfway through, until firm and lightly browned.

Herbed yogurt sauce
This sauce is also great with grilled meat. You can also add a chopped cucumber to turn it into a slightly more substantial side dish.
(Serves 4 to 6 people)

8 oz. container Greek yogurt or plain whole milk yogurt
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1 Tbsp. chopped mint
1 clove garlic, minced
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Sweet potato pancakes
I love potato pancakes and was inspired to make them with sweet potatoes from a recent article in Mark Bittman's blog. The recipe was sort of loose and seemed deceptively simple, having only one ingredient: sweet potatoes. After scraping burned bits of sweet potato out of my frying pan, I can conclude it's just deceptive. So I regrouped, added two eggs, and produced a light and slightly sweet potato pancake that held together.
(Serves about 6 to 8 people)
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, grated
2 eggs
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 Tbsp. salt, plus more
2 Tbsp. butter

Combine all ingredients except the butter in a large mixing bowl. Stir until combined. Heat a medium-sized frying pan to medium-high heat and add the butter. When it melts and starts to bubble, spoon 1/3 cup sized portions of the shredded potato mixture into the pan. Let the pancakes cook for about 3 minutes, then flatten with a spatula and flip, cooking about 3 more minutes on the other side, or until browned. When done, drain the pancakes on a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately with 1/2 cup sour cream mixed with the juice and zest of one lime.

pay-offs

Sometimes, this dinner party thing...it's not so easy. Like when you've got three pots on the stove and it's an hour before six people arrive, and the lights in the living room keep flickering on and off and on and off. Until they go dead. You think about lighting 50 tea lights, but a dark, candlelit room might seem a bit creepy to everyone, especially those guests you don't really know all that well yet. So you drag out the stepstool and try to reach the overhead light, and curse all 5 foot 1 inches of yourself. Luckily, your helpful, slightly taller husband comes and switches out the dead light bulbs, just in time for you to rush back to the stove and rescue the potatoes from burning. That light fixture--it looks a little loose to you too, right? You start to imagine it crashing down on someone's head and the eventual lawsuit and the fact that you'd have to repay the injured party in meals. Lots of meals.

Deep breath.

And then your friends arrive, coming in from the cold, shrugging off their winter coats. Thoughtful people that they are, they're bearing wine, and homemade pumpkin ice cream, and (gluten-free!) chocolate cake, and a wedge of Humbolt Fog, your favorite cheese ever. And wine glasses are filled and passed around and thoughts of that damn wobbly light fixture start to fade. And dinner is fine. There's juicy chicken legs with crispy skin and no one cares that the potatoes are slightly burned. Everyone drinks a lot and has fun. Which is always good. So much so that they even offer to wash the dishes before they leave. Which is incredibly generous (thank you, Mark), but also a no-no. I mean...right? Absolutely not. So everyone heads home except for the last friend standing, and you linger until after midnight finishing up the wine and talking sleepily about the virtues of Mariah Carey until it is bedtime. And even though there is a scary amount of dirty dishes staring you down, you wash them smiling.

Sometimes it can seem like a marathon when you have people over, but there is always a pay-off in the end. The immediate pay-off of friendship rekindled or solidified, but sometimes thank-you notes the next day, and a copy of the New Yorker food issue waiting for you on your doorstop. Which motivates you to plan your next dinner party.


Hearty fall dinner for six
Bacon-wrapped dates
Sweet potato pancakes
Roasted chicken with potatoes and tomatoes
Braised red cabbage with apples and caraway seeds
Pumpkin ice cream
Chocolate cake with chocolate sauce


Braised red cabbage with apples and caraway seeds
I amped up the vinegar and honey in this recipe (from the Joy of Cooking) to make the cabbage even more tangy, but if you're timid about vinegar, start with 3 tablespoons and taste as you go.


4 slices bacon, sliced into 1/2 inch strips.
3 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 medium head red cabbage, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
1 large Granny Smith apple, sliced into matchsticks
6 Tbsp. apple cider or red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. caraway seeds

Heat a large, nonreactive skillet or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the bacon and cook until it releases its fat and starts to brown. Add the onions and cook until translucent and slightly golden. Add cabbage, apple, vinegar, honey, salt, and caraway seeds; then cover pan and cook over medium-low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is very soft but not falling apart, about an hour.


Roasted chicken legs with tomatoes and potatoes
This recipe, from Jamie's Dinners, could not be simpler. Like a lot of Jamie Oliver's dishes, you just chuck everything into a pan and roast until done. It's the combination of ingredients that's brilliant: the chicken gets crispy, the tomatoes form a delicious jammy sauce, the potatoes soak in the savory chicken juices, and the garlic roasts in its own skin, creating a delectable, spreadable paste.


6 chicken legs, thighs and drumsticks
2 large handfuls of new potatoes, sliced in half, length-wise
2 pints cherry tomatoes
10 cloves garlic, skins on
1 Tbsp. chili flakes
1 handful basil leaves
Olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Season your chicken with salt and pepper and place the legs in two roasting pans. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, and garlic cloves dividing them equally between the two pans. Drizzle liberally with olive oil. Bake for about one hour, pull out the pans and stir the potatoes and tomatoes to keep them from sticking. Scatter the basil leaves on top and continue baking for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken skin is golden brown and crispy. Insert a knife into the thigh to check if the chicken juices run clear (a sign of doneness). Serve hot, on a large platter. Tell guests to squeeze the roasted garlic out of the husks and mix it with the potatoes. Amazingly delicious.

dinner party on design*sponge

Hi everyone,

I'm on Design*Sponge today! Grace was nice enough to let me contribute some fall cocktail recipes (like the fall sangria above) for her Friday "In the Kitchen With" feature. I couldn't be more excited to be part of a site I've read and loved for years. It's really an honor.

Hope you enjoy these drinks this weekend!
Lisa

PS: Hello to any new readers—have a look around and say hi in the comments!

dinner on the cheap: brunch

Yeah, I know. Brunch isn't dinner. When I was a kid, sometimes my mom would make eggs and bacon for dinner, which always seemed exciting for some reason, but that's not what I'm talking about here.

I'm talking about having people over for brunch instead of dinner. It's a great alternative for lots of reasons, especially cost-wise. A dozen eggs can cheaply feed a lot of people—at least six or more, depending on whether you're making them sunny side up or in a quiche. Don't like eggs? Brunch-y baked goods like pancakes and waffles are equally affordable when made from scratch, although they can be a bit more time-consuming. That's why I'm in the egg and bacon camp.

Still not sold?

Pros:
--Brunch is inherently more casual. Which can be extra nice for people with kids or people who aren't into cocktail parties.
--Bacon
--There are less courses, meaning less money and clean-up.
--Usually, brunch isn't as much of a time commitment as dinner. A few hours, tops.
--Bacon
--Brunch is a good alternative for a non-drinking crowd, but if your guests are into drinking, you can serve mimosas, bloody marys, or seabreezes.

Cons:
--You (and your guests) have to wake up early.
--You need to serve coffee. Or tea. Or anything with caffeine. Otherwise you might have a group nap on your hands.
--Brunch doesn't have as much of a dress-up, special occasion feel.

Mainly, though, it's a nice kick-off to the weekend. A homemade morning meal puts everyone in a good mood and then leaves you the rest of your day to do whatever you want.

A few weekends ago, my friend Amanda came over for brunch. We ate eggs, caught up on each other's lives, and then went on our merry, separate ways to the gym. There's something really satisfying about making time for friends without it being a big production. Sure, we could have gone to a restaurant, but it was nicer to linger in the living room rather than being stared down by a hungry line of brunch-goers waiting for a table.

Brunch for Amanda
Mushroom and parmesan frittata
Spicy roasted potatoes
Fruit salad with yogurt and almonds

Mushroom and parmesan frittata
If you don't like mushrooms, you can substitute any type of sauteed greens, tomatoes, or cubed, roasted potatoes. You can also use any other type of cheese.
(Serves 4 to 6 people)

3 tablespoons butter
4 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced (I used criminis, or baby bella mushrooms)
1 Tbsp. thyme
6 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup, plus 2 Tbsp. grated parmesan
pinch of salt and pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and thyme and sautee until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, cheese, salt, and pepper until combined. Drain any liquid from the mushrooms, patting them dry with a paper towel, if needed. Add the mushrooms to the egg mixture. Pour the mushroom-egg mixture back into the skillet (make sure it is oven-proof) or into a 9-inch ovenproof casserole dish. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the frittata is puffed and golden around the edges and slightly soft in the center. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan on top. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Spicy roasted potatoes
This recipe came together sort of spontaneously--I had potatoes, tomatoes, and an onion in the fridge, all of which went into a roasting pan, creating a spicy, savory version of hash browns.
(serves 4 people)

1 lb. fingerling potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, whole
1 onion, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
pinch salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place the vegetables in a roasting pan, and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat. Sprinkle on the red pepper flakes, paprika, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Bake for 15 minutes, then toss the potatoes, and bake for 10-15 minutes more, or until they are browned and soft inside. Add a sprinkle of coarse salt and serve hot.