a chocolate-y nightcap (with cookies)

I thought about writing about a Valentine's Day dinner you could make at home for the person you're-just-that-into. But truthfully, Dan and I are going out for dinner on Saturday. (I know, I know--eating out on Valentine's Day generally sucks. But it's just a little place in our neighborhood that we love and want to support.) And really, I think if you're cooking a meal for someone you like, you probably have a better idea of what they want to eat than I do. At least I'd hope so.

That said, I have a dessert idea that you really should try. It's the perfect excuse to skip dessert in a restaurant and go back to your place (if your date somehow needs convincing), or a nice way to end a meal if you're cooking at home. And it's not a fussy souffle or layer cake, or something you even need to turn the oven on for. It's the very best hot chocolate ever. And you can add booze to it. Sold?

Belgian hot chocolate
This recipe is adapted from The Great Book of Chocolate via the great David Lebovitz. He suggests replacing part of the milk with strong coffee, if you'd like to add something extra without using liquor. If you are spiking this, I recommend bourbon (I used Jack Daniel's) and David Lebovitz suggests cognac or Chartreuse.
(Serves about 6)

1 quart half-and-half or whole milk
8 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 oz. milk chocolate, finely chopped
tiny pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 shot bourbon whisky, per serving

Warm about one-third of the half-and-half or milk, with the chopped chocolates and salt, stirring until the chocolate is melted. Whisk in the remaining half-and-half or milk, heating until the mixture is warmed through. Add the cinnamon. Use a whisk and mix the hot chocolate until it's completely smooth. Pour into mugs. Add a shot of bourbon to each mug and stir. Serve very warm with whipped cream, marshmallows, or plain. Leftover mix can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days, and re-warmed in a saucepan or microwave oven. You can also make this ahead of time, store it in the refrigerator, and reheat it in a pan on the stove.

If your loved one is extra extra special, you might want to serve some cookies too. Perhaps the ambrosia macaroons I served at a recent dinner party with the hot chocolate? Just a suggestion.

Ambrosia macaroons
These cookies, originally from Bon Appetit, got their name because they are inspired by ambrosia, a Southern concoction of mandarin oranges, coconut, and marshmallow fluff. My great-grandmother used to make a version (we called it "Grandma salad") with canned fruit cocktail and colored mini marshmallows. As you'd imagine, it was sweet, sweet, sweeeeet. Like many childhood food passions, I couldn't get enough of it then but feel a little sick thinking about it now. While it may not appeal to me as an adult, ambrosia flavors translate really well into cookies. This is essentially a classic coconut macaroon livened up with orange zest and drizzled with dark chocolate. Highly delicious and very easy to make.
(Makes about 3 dozen)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tsp. finely grated orange peel
3 large eggs
24 oz. sweetened flaked coconut (about 6 cups firmly packed)
6 oz. semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325 degrees. Line 3 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar and salt; beat until blended. Beat in orange peel, then eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in coconut. Drop batter onto sheets by tablespoonfuls, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake macaroons, 1 sheet at a time, until golden on bottom and browned in spots, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely on sheets.

Using fork, drizzle chocolate over macaroons. Chill on sheets until chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes.

guest post: a valentine's day soundtrack

In honor of Valentine's Day, Dan has made a playlist with dinners for two in mind. Even if you don't believe in Valentine's Day, surely you have room in your cold, cold heart for Elvis, Prince, and David Byrne. -Lisa

Hi again,

Lisa has given me another guest post assignment, this time to come up with a playlist for a Valentine’s Day dinner. My first question was, does dinner for two really constitute a dinner party? [Ed: Yes.] That was also my last question. When your lovely wife asks you to select the mood music for a romantic evening, you just do it and hope you are the other invitee.

For the last playlist, I basically compiled all the Christmas music I knew. This one was both easier and more difficult. According to the latest estimates, 97.99 percent of all songs are love songs, so I had a lot to choose from. But how to choose? The mix tape as love letter is a well-covered subject, but creating a soundtrack for a dinner party and the, um, after-party is a different matter. I wanted this mix to be lively, but I decided not to worry too much about setting a unified mood.

Instead I just tried not to be too sappy or too predictable. When expressing how you feel about your sweetheart in words, I think it’s best to be as simple and direct as possible. Music is an opportunity to be more creative. The Beatles, Motown, Tin Pan Alley—they’re all great, but after years of service, they’re now the musical equivalent of a Hallmark card.

So I gravitated towards the unexpected while trying to steer clear of the absurd. I think most of these songs would work for both a significant other of long standing or that special someone with whom you’re trying to get to the next level. I’d probably advise against using this playlist on a first date. But if you’re having a first date on Valentine’s Day, what’s wrong with you anyway? Are you gunning for another restraining order?

I also tried to include a few gender-neutral selections, but according to my calculations, 99.75 percent of all love songs are by a man addressing a woman. As Brother James used to say, “This is a man’s world, but it wouldn’t be nothing (nothing!) without a woman or a girl.”

1. Luna—Malibu Love Nest, available on Rendezvous
“Honey bunny, come on/It’s time to put the diamonds on…” A suave start to a night on the town or a quiet rendezvous in your own love nest.

2. Os Mutantes—Baby, available on Everything Is Possible: The Best of Os Mutantes
“Look here/Read what I wrote on my shirt/Baby, baby/I love you…” Write on your shirt if you must, but in most cases the song will suffice.

3. XTC—Mayor of Simpleton, available on Oranges and Lemons
“When all logic grows cold and all thinking is done/You’ll be warm in the arms of the Mayor of Simpleton.” Love ain’t rocket science. In fact, it can make a rocket scientist feel like a dunce.

4. Graham Parker—My Love’s Strong, available on Human Soul
“When the world’s asleep/There’s no one in your arms/Raindrops hit the window/Like distant alarms/You don’t have to worry/Hey, girl, don’t you cry/My love beats adversity, baby/Eats it alive.” Not only one of the most underrated singer-songwriters around, Parker is also one of the only rockers who’s been married to the same woman for decades. He’s written plenty of songs for her over the years. This one has glossy ’80s production and a dodgy bridge with the word “bondage” in it, but you can’t keep a good man down. And if you’ve been looking for a subtle way to introduce the word “bondage” into your relationship, you’re welcome.

5. Richard Thompson—Cooksferry Queen, available on Mock Tudor
“Well, my name, it is Mulvaney/And I’m known quite famously/People speak my name in whispers/What higher praise can there be/But I’d trade my fine mohair/For tied-dyes and faded jeans/If she wanted me some other way/She’s my Cooksferry Queen.” A London gangster goes hippie for his true love. Would you?

6. Elvis Costello—Flutter and Wow, available on Momofuku
As in, “You make the motor in me/Flutter and wow.” I never thought Mr. Revenge and Guilt could write such a straightforward swooner. Enter Diana Krall. Yowsa.

7. Prince—Sexy M.F., available on That Love Symbol Album
Enough Anglo sophistication. I seriously considered the more recent “Mr. Goodnight,” which features the immortal lines, “I got a mind full of good intentions/And a mouthful of Raisinets,” but sometimes it pays to be more direct. No quotation necessary.

8. Cracker—Guarded By Monkeys, available on Forever
As in, “You are so beautiful/You should be guarded by monkeys.” What did I say about steering clear of the absurd? Trust me, this song is hot.

9. Lyle Lovett—Here I Am, available on Lyle Lovett and His Large Band
“If Ford is to Chevrolet/What Dodge is to Chrysler/What Corn Flakes are to Post Toasties/What the clear blue sky is to the deep blue sea/What Hank Williams is to Neil Armstrong/Can you doubt we were made for each other?” His logic, like his hair, is impeccable.

10. Nat King Cole—Orange-Colored Sky, available on Unforgettable and a kajillion other comps
“I was walking along, minding my business/When out of an orange-colored sky/Flash! Bam! Alakazam!/Wonderful you came by.” OK, one standard couldn’t hurt. Especially when it’s as loopy as this one.

11. Tom Petty—In the Dark of the Sun, available on Into the Great Wide Open
“Hey yeah yeah/In the dark of the sun/We will stand together/Yeah, we will stand as one.” You love Tom Petty. Your girl (or boy) loves Tom Petty. It’s just a big ol’ love fest. Hey yeah yeah.

12. Peter Gabriel—Sledgehammer, available on So
“I kicked the habit/Shed my skin/This is the new stuff/I go dancing in/Won’t you show for me/I will show for you…” We all remember the groove and the dancing chickens, but how about those awesome lyrics? Dig how “show for me” sounds like “chauffer me”—both things we ask from the ones we love on occasion.

13. Elvis Presley—Wear My Ring Around Your Neck, available on 2nd to None
“Won’t you wear my ring around your neck/To tell the world, I’m yours by heck.” The King at his most love-drunk.

14. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds—Babe, You Turn Me On, available on Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus
“Now the nightingale sings to you/And raises up the ante/I put one hand on your round ripe heart/And the other down your panties.” Sounds more romantic as crooned by St. Nick. And hey, it’s getting late. Just about time to make your move.

15. Talking Heads—This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody), available on Speaking in Tongues
“Home is where I want to be/But I guess I'm already there/I come home—she lifted up her wings/Guess that this must be the place.” This has long been my favorite love song, but I never really knew what it meant…until I met Lisa. [Ed: Aww!]

Bonus Track: Flight of the Conchords—Business Time, available on Flight of the Conchords
“You know when I’m down to my socks what time it is…”

be happy, buy flowers

After struggling with menu block--and possibly Seasonal Affect Disorder (isn't it a little too perfect that the acronym is S.A.D.?)--last week, I am pleased to report I got my act together and produced a meal for some friends (red wine risotto, more on that later).

Last Saturday I did a simple thing that really pulled me out of my doldrums. I bought a branch of cherry blossoms at the bodega around the corner. It was a massive, spindly, thorn-ridden thing and quite precarious to carry up three flights of stairs without poking my own or Dan's eyes out. But I got it in the apartment and balanced it in a vase of water and immediately felt better somehow. It looks like a pretty, sun-kissed tree is growing on our mantle. Seeing those soft, pink blooms popping out of the craggy branch reminded me that spring really is around the corner, even though everything else is still gray and frozen. And the flowers conveniently spruced up the apartment for company we were having that night. With no fussy arranging required.

I'm not saying that cherry blossoms are the cure for depression. Trust me when I say I've been there. Prozac does things that flowers simply cannot do. But there is something magical about bringing flowers indoors in the dead of winter. They really do make you feel a little hopeful.

Lately, I've been cutting back on my flower purchases to save money but spending that $10 was totally worth it. Something to consider when you're feeling a bit low.

chili dogs for the people

Last week, I wrote all about the saga of my soggy chocolate peanut butter bars, but I neglected to tell you about the rest of E's Super Bowl party. It was quite delightful, much like the man himself.

Like any meal spent huddled around the TV watching sports, this was a celebration of carbs and fat in all forms. Chili dogs! Tater tots! Chips! Beer! (Oof. Excuse me while I unbutton my jeans.) The chili had beans in it, which I guess could be considered healthy, but that's really not the point here. E gave the people what they wanted: hot dogs boiled to perfection and topped with spicy chili, a side of crispy tots, and cold beer. Oh, and warm chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Which was kind of a stroke of genius.


Also, extra points for serving the chili dogs in paper boats that a friend procured for him. Only certain types of people can pull that off without looking like Sandra Lee. Like, if I did that, everyone would laugh at me.

E's Super Bowl dinner
Chips of assorted varieties
Chili dogs
Tater tots
Chocolate peanut butter (soggy) bars
Chocolate chip cookies

E. Tyler Lindvall's Chili For the People
(Serves about 8 to 10 people)

2 to 3 yellow onions
4 to 5 jalapeno peppers
6 to 7 cloves of garlic
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1 14.5 oz can diced roasted tomatoes with chiles
1 15.5 oz can black beans
1 15.5 oz can kidney beans
1 12 oz can tomato paste
1/3 - 1/2 of a bottle of Sam Adams beer
salt and pepper
Frank's Red Hot Sauce
red pepper flakes
Tons of chili powder
Olive oil

Dice the onions, garlic, and jalapeno peppers. In a large pot (say 6 quarts) lightly coat the bottom in olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced veggies into the pot, adding salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and a lot of chili powder. Saute the veggies just until the onions start to soften and start turning translucent.

Add the meats. Pour in the Sam Adams beer (I suppose water could be substituted here, but I certainly don't recommend it), for a little moisture is needed here to prevent the veggies from burning. Add more chili powder--don't be scared to add more than you think is necessary, and then add a dash more--as well as more red pepper flakes. Drink some, but not all, of the beer as you continue to cook. [Ed note: Nice.] Once the meat is browned, strain out the grease and put everything back in the pot.

Lower the heat hear a bit and add the tomato paste, stirring it in very thoroughly with a splash more beer. Let this meld for exactly five minutes.

Add the two cans of beans and the can of roasted tomatoes with chilis and enough water to cover everything up. Stir in a liberal amount of Franks' Red Hot Sauce. Add more chili powder and red pepper flakes. Simmer for at least an hour, stirring often and adding more chili powder, red pepper flakes, and Frank's Red Hot Sauce to taste.

Garnish with diced red onion, scallions, and sour cream; serve over Hebrew National hot dogs.

link-o-rama

Happy Friday!

I've got friends coming over tomorrow night for dinner and still no menu. And somehow I'm more annoyed about this than inspired.

Should I make arroz con pollo? I've never tried making it before but always love ordering it in restaurants. Mmm...and plantains and yuca chips... [via Smitten Kitchen]

Or maybe chicken enchiladas? It would give me a good excuse to break out the guacamole... [via BA]

Or shrimp and grits? [via Serious Eats]

Or maybe a risotto? Jamie Oliver makes one with roasted garlic, thyme, toasted almonds and breadcrumbs [via Food Network]

Hmm...

You know what my cooking block actually is?

I AM OFFICIALLY OVER WINTER.

I want to shop at the farmer's market again. The thought of eating a good tomato makes me want to weep.


I want to drink something fruity on a sunny patio somewhere.


Or have a picnic in Prospect Park.


Or barbecue on the beach, wearing cutoffs and no shoes.


Or...OMG...flowers! Remember flowers? On bushes? Growing outside?

At least I have my Flickr to transport me to happier, warmer times. But, man, it's just not the same.

chocolate peanut butter soggy bars

What do you do when you make something and it just doesn't turn out right? Do you serve it anyway? Do you tell anyone?

I'm not talking about undercooked chicken or a pie that fell face-down on the floor when no one was looking. I'm talking about dishes that are still perfectly edible, just not exactly what you hoped for when you read the recipe or saw an inspiring photo of it online somewhere. Disappointing, but still totally safe for mass consumption. Like my chocolate peanut butter crispy--er, soggy--bars.

After seeing several drool-worthy posts about these bars, I printed out the recipe and saved it for my friend E's Super Bowl party. It would be just the perfect thing to follow up chili dogs and a number of other gut-busting foods. And who doesn't like chocolate and peanut butter? No one, that's who. I made the bars the day before and the recipe was easy enough: you make a crust of sugar- and butter-coated Rice Krispies, then top the crust with a layer of peanut butter melted with some milk chocolate, then top the peanut butter with a layer of dark chocolate. It sounded like the candy bar of my dreams.

And it was. Except for the layer of sticky, mushy cereal that formed at the bottom. I cut a square to sample--purely for taste-testing purposes, of course. It was great, like the best-ever Reeses Cup. Cereal mush doesn't add a lot of flavor or texture, especially when you scrape most of it off with your fingernail but, still, it bothered me. I was bringing the bars to a party, not just eating them by myself at home. Could I give them to people without a disclaimer? They would surely see the unappealing soggy crust and never read this blog again. Or would I have to just fess up right away, like my wonderful, kind mother-in-law who hands me a birthday present while simultaneously telling me the receipt is attached inside and that I might not like the gift anyway?

So I gave squares to Dan and our friend Julie to try. They agreed that the cereal wasn't a plus, but the chocolate-peanut butter combo more than made up for it. Then Julie suggested rolling the squares in a fresh layer of cereal, just to add more crunch. Brilliant.

So I chilled the bars overnight, then cut them into individual squares and scraped off the soggy bits. Each one got a quick dunk in plain cereal and then went into a paper muffin liner. They looked a little girly in their pastel wrappers, but whatever. My plan actually worked. I didn't say anything at the party, and neither did anyone else. The bars were snapped up by almost everyone. Except for a few people who expressed serious concerns about salmonella in the peanut butter. Which, of course, hadn't occurred to me at all. Sigh.


Chocolate peanut butter crispy bars

These bars are adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, a new cookbook by the owners of Baked, a very cute bakery in Red Hook, Brooklyn. I must go there soon to investigate the original source of these "crispy" bars to figure out where I went wrong. And also eat more bars.

For the crispy crust:
1 3/4 cups crisped rice cereal
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
5 oz. milk chocolate chips
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 oz. dark chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. light corn syrup
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) unsalted butter

Make the crust: Lightly spray a paper towel with nonstick cooking spray (or vegetable oil) and use it to rub the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan. Put the cereal in a large bowl and set aside.

Pour 1/4 cup water into a small saucepan. Gently add the sugar and corn syrup (do not let any sugar or syrup get on the sides of the pan) and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Put a candy thermometer in the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil; cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage, 235 degrees F.

Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, and pour the mixture over the cereal. [Note: I would do this gradually, as to not soak the cereal, like I did. Add a little; stir. Add a little more; stir. Do this until the cereal is coated but not saturated.] Working quickly, stir until the cereal is coated, then pour it into the prepared pan. Using your hands or a spoon, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan (do not press up the sides). Let the crust cool to room temperature while you make the next layer.

In a large nonreactive metal bowl, stir together the chocolate and the peanut butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for about 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust. Put the pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the top layer hardens.

Rinse out your metal bowl, then combine the dark chocolate, corn syrup, and butter.

Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the chilled milk chocolate peanut butter layer and spread into an even layer. Put the pan into the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the topping hardens. (*If transporting these bars, I do recommend using the muffin liners because the chocolate gets a little melty at room temperature.)

deconstructed blackberry crumble

I have to share the dessert Megan made when she had us over the other week. Weren't you curious when you read "deconstructed blackberry crumble"? Not wanting to sound pretentious, Megan explained that she's no Ferran Adrià, but that she didn't know what else to call it. Because the dessert is made of several separate, layered parts, she considered just saying it was a parfait, but that just makes me think of those granola-topped yogurts at Starbucks. This dessert was way more exciting: a thickened mixture of blackberries, topped with a tangy, lightly spiced marscapone cream and showered with a crunchy topping of sweet ground almonds and oats. The topping had a sand-like consistency that actually reminded me of Adrià's edible "soils," but Megan doesn't want to sound high-falutin' so I won't go on about that.

Most impressive, she created this dish herself. Like a lot of food bloggers cribbing recipes from this blog or that blog, I always get a little thrill when I actually invent something good. Or at least make something that's based on my own creativity and whims rather than something I've read. It's just as exciting to try something someone else created--even better, actually, because I don't have to do the dishes.

A special note to the gluten-averse, this recipe contains no flour of any kind. Megan's not only original, she's also very thoughtful, creating a special dessert that I could enjoy without any regrets.

Deconstructed blackberry crumble
This recipe is made of three parts: blackberry compote, almond-oat streusel, and a mascarpone-ricotta cream. If you don't like blackberries, I think blueberries or raspberries or any combination of berries would be equally delicious.

For the compote:

1 pint basket blackberries

1/4 cup blackberry jam

4 Tbsp. water

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

For the almond-oat streusel:

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup roasted almonds

1/4 cup light brown sugar

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

For the mascarpone cream:

8 oz. mascarpone

6 oz. whole-milk ricotta cheese

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. allspice

Lightly mash the blackberries or break them apart with your fingers. Pour the berries into a saucepan with the jam, water, and sugar. Simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes or until berries are slightly broken down and the liquid is slightly reduced. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Refrigerate for an hour and a half until gelled. Keeps for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

In a spice grinder or food processor, grind the oats until they resemble a course wheat flour. Do the same with the almonds. Combine oats, almonds, and sugar in a bowl and stir to mix. Add the melted butter and combine with a fork or with your fingers until the mixture separates into pea-sized bits. Sprinkle onto a baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes until lightly toasted. Can be stored in Tupperware for a week if necessary.

Combine mascarpone and ricotta in a medium bowl. You can whip the mixture with an egg beater on medium speed for a few minutes to make it fluffier, but Megan says she didn't bother and it was fine. Add the confectioner's sugar and spices and stir to mix thoroughly. Keeps for 3 days in refrigerator.

Assembly:

In bowl or parfait glass, scoop 1/4 cup streusel. Add 1/3 cup blackberry compote and then 1/3 cup mascarpone cream. Top with 2 Tbsp. streusel and serve. You can also play around with the order you want to layer them in.