Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts

Another Bon Appetit recipe. The description in the magazine says "These are some of the best brownies we've ever had- fudgy in the middle and chewy on the outside with a shiny, crackly top.The browned butter adds a rich, nutty flavor." I believe that is all the introduction these brownies need. The are FANTASTIC.

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray

10 tbs (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (spooned into cup to measure, then leveled)

1 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs, chilled

1/3 cup flour

1 cup walnut pieces (Chase suggests using glazed walnuts, they add a wonderful extra level of flavor)

Directions:

• Position oven rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325F
• Line 8x8 metal pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan, leaving 2 inch overhang. Coat foil with nonstick cooking spray
• Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form on bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes
• Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir to blend
• Let cool 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot)
• Add eggs to hot mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition
• When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended.
• Beat vigorously 60 strokes. Stir in nuts
• Transfer batter to pan
• Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out ALMOST clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 25 minutes
• Cool pan on rack. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan, cut and enjoy with a glass of cold milk :-)

Picture from the Bon Appetit website, they disappear too fast for us to get any pictures of them ;-)

Homemade Beef Jerky

Chase made this jerky this weekend and it's amazing. He could have cut it a little thinner, so it could have dried a little more in the center, but it is fantastic how it is. We are a family who LOVES beef jerky. Making it isn't necessarily cheaper, but man does it taste better. We used a dehydrator, but this recipe will tell you how to make it using a box fan and paper air conditioner filters.You'll notice that this taes quite a long time, but trust me, it's worth the wait.

Homemade Beef Jerky

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 lbs flank steak

2/3 cups Worcestershire sauce

2/3 cups soy sauce

1 tbs honey

2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp liquid smoke

1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, chopped

Special equipment: 1 box fan, 4 paper air-conditioner filters, and 2 bungee cords

Directions:

• Trim flank steak of any excess fat, place into a large freezer bag, and place in freezer for 1-2 hours in order to firm up
• Remove steak from freezer and thinly slice WITH the grain, into strips
• Place the meat and the rest on the ingredients back into the freezer bag and move around to evenly distribute the ingredients, refrigerate for 3-6 hours
• Remove meat from marinade and pat dry
• Evenly distribute strips of meat onto 3 of the AC filters, laying them in the groves and stacking the filters on top of one another. Top with empty filter
• Lay box fan flat and lay filters on top of it. Strap the filters to the fan with2 bungee cords.
• Stand fan upright and set it t medium. Allow meat to dry 8-12 hours
• If using a dehydrator, follow manufacturer's directions
• Once dry, store in a cool dry place, in an airtight container for 2-3 months

Strawberry and White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes

These cheesecakes are AMAZING. They're no bake, so you don't have to worry about the tops cracking, and they're mini so you don't feel bad about eating one. They are also probably the best cheesecake we've ever tasted. We found this recipe in the April issue of Bon Appetit, and I don't think we'd change anything about it. This recipe calls for a food processor, but the same results can be obtained with a blender.

Strawberry and White Chocolate

Mini Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

3 1/2 oz gingersnap cookies(about 13)

2 1/2 tbs unsalted butter, melted

3 1/2 oz high quality white chocolate (such a Lindt), chopped

1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin

1 8-oz package cream cheese

1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt or sour cream

3/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup sugar

1 8-oz container fresh strawberries, hulled, halved or quartered if large, divided

1 tbs powdered sugar

Directions:

• Place half of strawberries in a food processor or blender, add powdered sugar and process until smooth. Transfer to small pitcher (this can be done up to a day ahead), cover and chill
• Brush 8 standard (1/3cup) muffin cups lightly with vegetable oil, line with plastic wrap
• Finely grind cookies in processor or blender, add melted butter; process to blend
• Press crust mixture into bottom of prepared muffin cups, dividing equally (approx 1 tbs each)
• Stir white chocolate in medium metal or glass bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow water to touch the bottom of the bowl or to boil, doing so will scorch the chocolate) until melted and smooth; set aside
• Reserve saucepan, adjusting water level to reach depth of 3/4 to 1 inch
• Place 2 tbs water in small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over; let stand until softened, about 5 minutes
• Bring water in saucepan to a simmer, place small bowl with gelatin in saucepan and stir until gelatin dissolves
• Remove small bowl with gelatin from water
• Puree cream cheese, yogurt/sour cream, vanilla, and sugar in processor blender until smooth
• Add melted chocolate and gelatin; process until smooth
• Divide mixture among prepared cups, pouring over crusts. Cover and chill overnight
• Using plastic wrap as aid, lift cheesecakes from cups
• Remove plastic wrap and transfer to plates. Arrange remaining cut strawberries atop cheesecakes, top with strawberry puree, and serve.

This picture is actually from the Bon Appetit website, but ours look just as good.

Mmmmmm, just looking at the picture makes me want more...

Dutch Oven Shepard's Pie

This is a Gordon Ramsey recipe that we've tweaked a little bit. While this is technically called Cottage Pie, Shepard's Pie is traditionally made with lamb and Cottage pie is made with beef, the name Shepard's Pie has become widely used for both. Shepard's Pie originated from either north England or Scotland by people looking for a cheap way to use leftover meat around the time when potatoes were becoming popular in the area. This recipe calls for a Dutch Oven but in can also be done in a frying pan and transferred to a baking dish.

Dutch Oven Shepard's Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 large onion, grated

1 large carrot, grated

4 cloves garlic, minced (more or less to personal preference)

2 tsp Worcestershire

1 tbs tomato paste

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 cup red wine (or you can use chicken stock if you prefer)

1-2 bay leaves

1 1/4 cup chicken stock

1 tsp corn starch or flour

2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

3-4 garlic cloves, smashed

2 tbs butter

2 egg yolks

milk

Parmesan cheese for grating

garlic salt

pepper

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Add ground beef to a preheated Dutch Over and season with salt and pepper, brown over high heat for 3-5 minutes (if using a frying pan do this over medium high)
• Add onion, carrot, and garlic; continue cooking until beef is fully browned
• Add Worcestershire, tomato paste, thyme and rosemary; cook 1-2 minutes stirring constantly
• Pour in red wine and reduce until almost evaporated (if not using wine skip this step)
• Add bay leaves
• Add chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer; simmer until sauce is reduced slightly and thickened.
• Meanwhile boil potatoes with smashed garlic cloves in salted water until tender
• Drain, then return to the hot pan over low heat to dry out briefly; remove from heat
• Mash potatoes with butter then beat in egg yolks
• Add milk to keep the potatoes from getting too thick
• Season with garlic salt and pepper to taste; add approx. 2 tbs Parmesan cheese
• At this point if your sauce has reached a gravy consistency combine a tsp of corn starch or flour with a small amount of water. Add to beef mixture, return to a boil and allow to cook for about a minute stirring constantly.This would also be the point to transfer your beef mixture to a baking dish if you are not using a dutch over.
• Spoon potatoes oven beef mixture starting from the outside working in
• Grate extra Parmesan cheese over the top and season with salt and pepper
• Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and browned

These picture aren't great but our camera was dead so we had to take it with Chase's phone...

ENJOY!