New Belgium Beer Pairing Dinner

I'm not sure if you got the memo, but beer is the new wine. Beer dinners abound as the craft brewing industry continues to grow every year and people are coming around to the idea that the wide range of flavors in beer offer a whole new world for pairing with food. I attend no less than twenty beer festivals, drinking marathons, dinners and events each year and it initially wasn't because I liked beer. The truth of the matter is that I was determined to win the Awesome Girlfriend Award by showing infallible support for the Beer Geek. Lo and behold, I have learned some things about myself (and beer) as I welcomed beer into my life and onto my palate.

If you consider that your palate can be re-wired, you would be amazed that the flavors of food can be accentuated or even reinvented when you add in a swig of beer. The thing is, pairing beer with food is not so easy and intuitive if you aren't familiar with the various styles of beer and flavors that different hops, barley and yeast impart to those styles. Lucky for me, I live with a beer expert who was bribed offered consulting expertise in exchange for a batch of my furikake somen salad.

Unfortunately, most beer dinners (and all that I've attended) are not vegetarian (in fact, they are downright meat-centric). I decided that I would attempt a 3-course vegetarian meal with successful beer pairings. When my Fort Collins friends recently raved about attending a vegetarian New Belgium Brewing Company Beer Dinner at Tasty Harmony, I knew I had found the right brewery for my dinner.

Truth be told, my all-time favorite beer is a Wild Ale called Love 34, which was a singular batch made by New Belgium Brewing Company ("NBB"). I was blessed with the graces of Love 34 several years ago at a NBB tasting night at Toronado. The Love series of beers were Wild Ales only put into kegs for a superspecialsacred limited release (note Morgan's futile efforts to find any bottles to hoarde). Love made an appearance via some reincarnations a couple of months ago and I inhaled three Love beers that had been aged in various whiskey barrels with peach, blackberry or apple whiskey remnants in the barrels. My tormented and unrequited love affair with super rare beers continues. New Belgium is sneaky like that.

First Course:
Spelt Galette with Carmelized Onions and Blue Cheese
Paired with NBB Trippel


Ok, I am admittedly no pastry chef, but I know this to be a solid truth: well-chilled butter makes for a fine, flaky pastry crust that is nothing short of indulgence. The Trippel has a bold character that balanced the sweetness of the onions and the fruity yeast strain complemented the rich buttery crust. The notes of coriander in the beer played well with the funky character of the blue cheese.

RECIPE FOR SPELT GALETTE

* 45 grams whole wheat spelt flour
* 45 grams all-purpose flour
* 1/2 T. sugar
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 4 T. chilled butter (diced)
* 3 T. ice water
* 1 T. melted butter (for glazing crust)
* 1/4 tsp. black pepper (for glazing crust)
* 2 ounces of blue cheese (for filling)
* 2 medium onions (for filling)

The filling is comprised of carmelized onions and a small amount of crumbled blue cheese.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter (or two forks), smash the cold bits of butter into the flour mixture until it becomes crumbly. Don't be tempted to use your hands because the heat will melt the butter (note the secret about butter that is disclosed above). Add the water and mix well until you can shape the dough into ball. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and rest the dough in fridge for 1 hour or more. In the meantime you can whip up some carmnelized onions while you read a magazine or fold laundry.

When you're ready to bake the galette, heat your oven to 350 degrees. Roll out your dough into a rustic free-form circle. Scatter your carmelized onions onto the middle of the dough leaving about a one-inch margin around the edges. Fold the edges inward to overlap onto a tad bit of the onions and then keep folding small portions working your way around the circle. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Crumble some blue cheese onto the top and continue to bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the dough has cooked through.

Second Course:
Spring salad with fava beans, english peas, poached egg and brioche breadcrumbs
Paired with NBB Sunshine Wheat


The bright earthiness of the fava beans and peas were accented by the light, clean notes of the wheat beer. The orange peel flavor in the beer further brightened up the dish, while the slightly spicy yeast strain cut through the richness of the egg yolk. I thought this was the most successful beer pairing.

This spring salad is more of an assembly of farm fresh ingredients than a recipe. I blanched some shelled fava beans and english peas in salted boiling water (no more than a minute or two) that I had picked up from the farmers market. I piled them around a bed of fresh arugula and topped it with a poached egg. Then I toasted a slice of brioche bread and whizzed it up in the food processor to make bread crumbs and topped the egg with some brioche breadcrumbs and drizzled a nice olive oil over everything. Ta-da!

Third Course:
Vegan Coconut Panna Cotta with Grapefruit and Mint Sugar
Paired with NBB Ranger India Pale Ale (IPA)


Who knew that a hoppy beer and dessert could be such great bedfellows? The coconut milk base of the panna cotta provided a sweet foundation that offset the grapefruit and the slightly bitter, tropical fruit notes of the IPA. The mint sugar rounded out the dish, providing a sweet burst of freshness and crunchy texture that augmented the hoppy and citrus elements on the plate.

RECIPE FOR VEGAN PANNA COTTA:
(Adapted from a recipe courtesy of Neil Davidson of Mission Gastroclub)

* 1 can (400ml) Coconut Milk
* 1 can (400ml) Coconut Cream
*2 T. Brown sugar
* 1 tsp. Vanilla bean paste (or vanilla scraped from one pod)
* 1 tsp. Salt
* 2 tsp. Agar agar flakes
* 1 T. Grapefruit zest
* 1 grapefruit (cut into supremes)
* 8-10 mint leaves
* 1 T. white sugar

In a heavy-bottomed sauce pot, combine coconut milk, coconut cream, brown sugar, vanilla paste, salt, and agar agar flakes. Bring up to a boil, stirring occasionally, making sure the sugar and agar agar flakes dissolve. Stir in grapefruit zest and pour into desired serving dishes (or aluminum foil muffin cups). Chill for at least four hours, or overnight. Invert the panna cotta onto a serving plate and garnish with grapefruit segments and a mint sprig. Using a mortar & pestle, mash th emint leaves into the tablespoon of sugar until well combined and sprinkle mint sugar around or over panna cotta.

Beer Dinner Success.

Note: This opportunity was made possible as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, which provided a stipend to cover the costs of food and beer. Thank you to NBB for the rewarding opportunity to explore the world of beer pairings!

Monkey Bread

I’m kind of fascinated by 1950’s cookbooks. My mom gave me a collection and I always look for more so I can browse through the delicate pages when in a thrift store or an antique shop with vintage housewares (which, incidentally, is also the best place to buy pre-seasoned and well-loved cast iron pans). I get a little queasy when I get to the jello mold section or the tuna casserole or chicken salad heaped onto a bed of lettuce. Or anything made with the canned cornstarch goop called creamed corn. Yikes! But still, there is just something about them that says home. I imagine that food in that time came to be closely associated with the comfort of home.

One day, my boyfriend’s father was pouring over some coveted recipes he had collected while in the military. If you’ve seen popular military recipes before, then you know that they involve obscene amounts of meat, salt, fat and carbs. And sometimes they have “dirty language” names. One of his recipes that caught my eye was for Monkey Bread—a seemingly harmless pull-apart bread made with bits of dough baked in butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. I had seen this dish in plenty of old cookbooks, but I had never actually had it and, these days, I think you could even call it a bit of a dying art. Sometimes Monkey Bread was made with a homemade sweet yeasted dough, but once refrigerated biscuit dough rolled out onto the scene, you couldn’t pay housewives to stop serving it. Apparently, even Nancy Reagan served Monkey Bread at the White House. Now, that’s a dish that says A-m-e-r-i-c-a.

There are a few naughty, naughty recipes that I feel completely guilty making, usually due to the high fat content or artificial/hydrogenated ingredients. Like buffalo chicken dip. Or anything else that calls for a whole block of cream cheese or butter. It’s like I have to close my eyes and hold my breath while making it just like I would do when trying to hold my breath and swim a lap or drive through a tunnel. I just wait to get to the end and then declare that the dish has been made and there is nothing I can do about it, except eat it or share it. That's when I a) whisk it away to a picnic or party before I eat it all, b) invite friends over impromtu, or c) leave it on a neighbor's doorstep, knock and then run away.
Monkey bread is one of those kind of recipes. I find it really satisfying to pick off the nub that calls out to me. You bite into a soft dense pillow-like biscuit enrobed in a sweet carmelized sugar glaze. Plus, you would not believe how easy it is to make in comparison to how delicious it tastes. You cut up some biscuit dough and toss it in a bag with some cinnamon and sugar. Then you melt a ballsy two sticks of butter and some brown sugar. Dump the coated dough bits into a bundt pan (shape is totally irrelevant). Pour over the butter-sugar glaze and bake. That's it. The ratio of work to pleasure is so disproportionate, it's shocking.

You should also take comfort in the fact that any (and possibly all) potential guilt about making this dish will be quickly soothed over by an overwhelming cascade of compliments and oh-my-god-I-need-that-recipe praise. And with good reason. It is down right addicting in some magical way that couldn’t possibly just be broken down into dough, cinnamon, sugar and butter. The sum of these parts transcend this dish to a whole other ethereal galaxy. Just make it. You’ll see what I’m talking about. And then people will ask you for the recipe. And you can share it. And so on and so forth. And, together, we can revive this dying culinary art from 1950’s called Monkey Bread.

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 cup white sugar
* 3 tsp. cinnamon
* 3 cans of refrigerated biscuit dough (buttermilk is good, but I don't recommend using the artificial butter flavor)
* 2 sticks of butter
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 cup pecans (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

* Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
* Cut the rounds of dough in half and then cut in half once more (so you have 4 pieces of the same size)
* In a resealable bag, mix the white sugar and cinnamon together and add the wedges of dough.
* Close the bag and gently toss the dough to coat all pieces.
* If you are going to use nuts, sprinkle them around the bottom of the pan--be sure to use a bundt pan or angel food cake tin (do not use a springform pan because the sugar syrup will leak out and create a big burnt mess in your oven!).
* Pour the dough pieces and any extra sugar mixture into the pan.
* Over medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the brown sugar.
* Continue stirring until the sugar melts into the butter to create a syrupy glaze.
* Pour the butter glaze over the biscuit pieces (try to evenly coat all of it).
* Bake for about 35-40 minutes until top is golden brown.
* Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes and then invert onto a serving platter.

Note: I try my best to avoid hydrogenated products, so I look for an all-natural version of biscuit dough (yes, it does exist). Or you can make your own dough.

S'mores Pie

On Monday morning, I had woken up early for work and went to email my Office Manager about something and she responded with “Morgan, today is a firm holiday—Columbus Day”. WHAT?! This was news to me. Where have I been? I squealed, I was so excited. So you’re telling me that not only can I go back to sleep, but I don’t have to go to work?? AND! I had already done the "responsible adult" weekend chores like grocery shopping and laundry. I had even washed all of the dishes and cleaned. I had a whole free day—unplanned and unexpected. This is the best feeling ever.

What to do with myself?! I packed up a picnic lunch and headed to Stinson Beach and then went for a little hike on the Hillside Trail in Muir Woods. The weather was perfect—just slightly cooler than body temperature and you can breathe in cool air and the smell of the redwood trees is down-right invigorating. We saw a mule deer grazing along the boardwalk fence. He was unimpressed with the crowd that was gathering to take his photo.

It was such a lovely afternoon. The kind that leaves you feeling relaxed. And inspired. I wanted to set up camp amidst the trees and make a fire and eat s’mores. Of course, you can’t have a campfire in Muir Woods. But, you know what you can do when you have newly discovered extra time on your hands? You can make S’mores Pie.

In Marin (right by Muir Woods), S’mores Pie is a flagship dessert at the Buckeye Roadhouse. It has a thick graham cracker crust with a thin layer of rich chocolate sauce that pools at the bottom. Because this is s’mores for grown-ups, this particular chocolate sauce is spiked with just a little liquor for a subtle boozy flavor. You could use use brandy, grand marnier, Maker’s Mark, bourbon or rum. Then the whole thing is filled with a marshmallow crème that gets torched to a golden brown right at the end to really seal the deal. I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that this kind of gluttony is not for the weak.
Don’t be intimidated by the steps. You essentially press together a crust and melt some chocolate and liquor to make a sauce. The hardest part is making the marshmallow topping, but afterwards you will be so impressed with yourself for making marshmallow from scratch! Then you don’t even really bake this pie—you just lightly brown it in the oven for 5 minutes or so. Voila!


S’mores Pie
Adapted from Robert Price, executive chef of Buckeye Roadhouse.

Ingredients for chocolate sauce:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
3 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon dark rum (or rum liqueur, if you have it)
1 Tablespoon bourbon (or Grand Marnier, if you prefer)
2.5 Tablespoons corn syrup
2.5 Tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream

Ingredients for graham cracker crust:
1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 Tablespoons sugar
½ tsp. salt (kosher or sea salt)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
2 Tablespoons honey

Ingredients for the Marshmallow topping:
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 packets of Knox powdered gelatin
2.5 Tablespoons corn syrup
1.25 cups sugar
4 egg whites
1 pinch of cream of tartar
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

For the chocolate sauce: Put an inch or two of water in small saucepan over medium-high heat and fit a glass bowl over it. When the water comes to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer. In the glass bowl, combine chocolate, butter, liquor of choice (2 Tablespoons in total) and corn syrup. Stir frequently until the ingredients are melted. Remove bowl from heat and stir in whole milk or heavy cream and set aside.

For the graham cracker crust: In a large bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt, melted butter and honey until well combined. Press the mixture evenly into a 10-inch pie tin. Pour about a 1/2 cup of the chocolate sauce over the crust and set aside.

For the marshmallow topping: Combine 1/2 tablespoon of cold water with the vanilla extract in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the vanilla mixture and set aside. This will create a firm disc of weirdness—do not be alarmed. It will work itself out. Combine 1/2 cup of water, corn syrup and sugar in a heavy bottomed pot and bring to a boil. Place a candy thermometer in the sugar mixture and cook until the temperature reaches 240° degrees. While the sugar mixture is cooking, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar in an electric mixer until they form soft peaks. When the sugar reaches 240°, remove from the heat and carefully pour over whipped egg whites while the mixer is on low speed. Add the disc of gelatin mixture and mix on medium high speed until dissolved and well incorporated. It should be fairly firm enough to hold soft peaks.

Preheat oven to 450°.

Assemble the pie: Sprinkle the semisweet chocolate chips over the crust and chocolate sauce. Pour about 1/3 of the marshmallow over the chocolate chips. Drizzle remaining chocolate sauce across the marshmallow. Finish off with remaining marshmallow, mounding it toward the center to create a domed effect. If you lightly press a fork or spatula into the marshmallow and then quickly pull upwards, you will create nice little spikes that look pretty professional.

Bake in the over for 5-7 minutes until the marshmallow is golden brown. Remove and let cool. If you cannot wait, you can eat some warm, but it will be a warm spoonable gooey mess. If you somehow find inordinate amounts of patience to refrigerate the pie overnight to allow the marshmallow to set, you will be able to slice yourself a nice pie wedge. You can brown each slice in the oven (or with a kitchen torch) before serving. You could also brown it under a broiler, but be very careful because sugar burns quickly!

You will NOT regret this.

Croissant Bread Pudding with Strawberries & White Chocolate

Is it just me or did your heart skip a beat reading that title?! To be honest, bread pudding doesn’t usually excite me. Until you start talking about croissants, which changes the game entirely.


When I was in law school, I used to host a Holiday dinner or an Easter Brunch for friends who couldn’t be with their families during holidays. I liked hosting it because many generous friends had taken me in over various holidays during college (since I couldn’t afford to fly back to Hawaii) and I remember how good it felt to take part in another family for a holiday meal. On one such Easter Brunch, my friend, Claire, wowed the crowd with a chocolate croissant bread pudding.

Then, one night, I was lying in bed thinking about using up the contents of my fridge (this is kind of a menu planning ritual for me) when I remembered I had a couple of weary croissants moping about. I figured I might make a vanilla-based adaptation of that beloved chocolate croissant bread pudding.


Sometimes you just need a naughty treat. Or maybe you’re part of the sneaky folk who likes to bring the full-fat outrageously unhealthy crowd pleasers to potlucks so you can win best-in-show despite the fact that you may only have a bite or two. (I’ve been known to save up some of those recipes that I could never eat all by myself at home, so I wait for a willing group to try it out!)

INGREDIENTS:

* 3 croissants (preferably 1-2 days old), cut into 1-inch cubes
* 1 Tbsp. butter
* 1 cup fat-free half and half (or half & half if you prefer)
* 3 oz. white chocolate (chopped or chips)
* 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract OR seeds from 1 vanilla bean pod
* 1 egg
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 1 cup roughly chopped strawberries (fresh or frozen; other berries would be great too!)

DIRECTIONS:

* Heat oven to 350 degrees.
* Toast croissant cubes on an ungreased cookie sheet for 5-8 minutes or until lightly toasted. When cool, place cubes in an ungreased 8 x 8 pan or small casserole dish.
* In a saucepan on medium-high heat, bring the butter and half & half to a slow boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer and whisk in the white chocolate and vanilla.
* Once melted, remove pan from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
* In a small bowl, mix the sugar with the egg. Slowly whisk this mixture into the half & half mixture.
* Gently mix the strawberries in with the croissant cubes.
* Pour custard mixture over the croissant and strawberries and place in refrigerator for up to 1 hour (to soak up all the goodness).
* Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until top is lightly toasted and custard has set (no longer too wet or jiggly).

You're going to love this. Yep.

Sprinkles Cupcakes. and more cupcakes.

If you look at my datebook for December 14, all that is written for that date is "get a Sprinkles cupcake". On that day, the famous Sprinkles truck was going to drive up from Los Angeles and park itself a block away from my work. I vowed to eat one, so I put it in writing as a little contract of sorts. You see, these things are important to me. Who cares about my 3 pm meeting or a 10 am conference call?!

And have one, I did.
You might know that I am obsessed with red velvet cupcakes and am continuously on a search for the most delicious one. The red velvet cupcake from Sprinkles was better than That Takes the Cake. The cake was so dense and moist and flavorful and the icing was delightful. The cupcakes were so popular that by noon, the truck had sold out of its stock and had to send another truck up from its Palo Alto location to replenish the cupcakes and feed the anxious line squiggling around Justin Herman Plaza. Thankfully, Sprinkles will be opening up a location in SF later this year. Thank you for that--I can't wait!

My office recently ordered some cupcakes from Kingdom Cake, which has an astounding menu that includes creative flavors like White Russian, Vanilla Chai Tea, and Eggnog. You can even get Pancakes n' Bacon or a savory Butternut Squash cupcake with Sage frosting and a Pineapple Custard filling. Squeal! Unfortunately, we only ordered Mimosa and Basil Lemon Blueberry (which were absolutely amazing), so I need to go back and try the red velvet. Maybe I will order the $9 King Size one. Mission Minis just opened up in SF and they are next on my list. And, sadly, I still haven't tried the famous red velvets from Auntie Em's of Los Angeles, which I admit I never knew about until seeing it on Throwdown with Bobby Flay despite the bakery being really close to my old college campus in Eagle Rock. If you aren't in LA, the red velvet guru, Terry Wahl, has graciously shared her coveted recipe with the red velvet freaks like me.

Of course, as much as I love red velvets, I would gladly trade even the world's best red velvet cupcake for a plain old fashioned vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting from Magnolia's.Because nobody does cupcakes better than Magnolia's. Nobody. Good thing a Los Angeles location will be opening up shortly.

Cupcakes = Love.

Flourless Apple and Almond Tea Cake

It has been unusually cold and rainy. True to its moody style, SF rained and then rained some more before it opened up its blue sunny skies and within the hour grey skies swept back in and it poured again. Good thing the only plan for this rainy saturday was to rest, watch movies, make a flourless apple and almond tea cake and prepare for my friend, Ryan's, surprise party in celebration of his 30th birthday. We decided to give Ryan 30 ties for his 30th birthday.

The tea cake was essentially a gooey, sugary apple pie, but with a nicer densetexture from the almond meal.


And Ryan had a good birthday. And all was well.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Marshmallow Sour Cream Topping

I love Thankgiving. It could be that my birthday is always peeking around the corner (and even actually falls on Thankgiving every seven years). Or it could be that I love the fall seasonal flavors and markets overflowing with big fat sweet potatoes and juicy crisp apples (be sure to get your hands on some honeycrisp apples!). But, for me, it has very little to do with turkey.

Have you ever played Cranium?! It's a game that does a little bit of trivia mixed with some charades and a healthy dose of pictionary. Anyway, the game has a challenge where a word or phrase like "Superbowl" is said aloud and then you and your team mates each secretly write down the first three words that come to mind and hope that at least 2 of you has one word in common. No big deal, right?! Not so. I can't tell you how many times I have done this with a team and failed. Miserably. And then a shouting match follows with "How could you possibly think of [insert completely off-base word here]?!! Are you kidding me! Clearly, the first word to come to mind is [insert perfectly appropriate word here]!!" My point is that if the Cranium word/phrase was "Thanksgiving," I cannot say with certainty that everyone would write down turkey. I might have written pumpkin.

Because what I really L-O-V-E is pumpkin. Did anyone get to try the pumpkin-five spice ice cream from Humphrey Slocombe?! I've been hearing some raves about the Guiness Gingerbread, which, after many, many scoops of the Russian Imperial Stout ice cream from Notoberfest, I am a true believer of the beer infused ice creams.

In honor of pumpkin, I wanted to share with you the star of the Thanksgiving show:

Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Marshmallow Sour Cream topping and studded with glazed pecans.

The pumpkin cheesecake is rich and dense, but it buckles under a thin layer of sweet sticky marshmallow creme with the tang of sour cream to balance it all out. It's incredibly indulgent. And incredibly impressive.

This recipe is from Bon Appetit, November 2008 edition. I should mention that I left out the crystallized ginger and used reduced-fat cream cheese and was completely happy with the results.

Vegan Flourless Chocolate Cake

Right around my second year of law school, I developed a deep obsession with flourless chocolate cake. I would get a slice from Whole Foods, pop it in the fridge and have a fork standing by to just take a forkful (or three) every few hours or whenever the mood strikes. I think part of the obsession had more to do with my confidence in the food-as-positive-reinforcement-rewards-program I implemented while studying 12-15+ hours a day. Flourless chocolate cake is really quite sexy when you think about it—its dense in texture, and incredibly rich, silky, and chocolatey. I was pretty surprised when I found out that it only contained four simple ingredients: chocolate, butter, sugar and eggs.

Only problem with that scenario was the “butter, sugar, and eggs” part if I wanted to keep eating it as frequently as I honestly did want to keep eating it without such a grave catastrophy to my health. Since beans have become quite trendy in desserts (think black bean brownies), I figured I would set out to make a vegan flourless chocolate cake. With black-eyed peas. Yes! It can be done! First, you must accept—in your heart of hearts—that you do, in fact, LOVE the texture and flavor of beans. Because if you do not, there is no amount of flavor or ingredient masking that could save you from the cold hard truth that there are beans mixed with your chocolate. I understand-I feel strange about it, too.
At first, I thought there was no way this cake would rise even a millimeter—it was so thick and heavy. But ah, the power of baking powder and soda. (Speaking of baking soda, I hope you aren’t reaching for that 7-month—or even 1-year-old (gasp!) stale box of baking soda you have sitting in the back of your fridge to “absorb odors” thinking you can do double duty by absorbing nasty refrigerator odors and for use in baking…because, guess what, that baking soda will be lifeless and yes, full of your refrigerator odors which cannot be a good flavor for your baked goods! I have to admit that I was guilty of doing this until the light-bulb went on making my mistake was painfully obvious). In the oven, the cake lifted itself up just like a souffle, and then, when slightly cooled, it gave way to gorgeous cracks around its edges with rugged valleys and ridges.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups dried black eyed peas (soaked overnight, rinsed then boiled till soft)
1 12-oz. package silken tofu (I like Mori-Nu brand)
1 cup cane sugar (all natural)
1.5 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup cocoa powder (natural, unsweetened)
2 tsp. instant espresso powder (or 3 if you really like a little coffee flavor)
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup soymilk (chocolate soymilk, if you have it)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a blender or food processor, blend together the black-eyed peas with the tofu until smooth. You may have to do this in batches, but it is critical that you get it as smooth as possible. If you need to, you can use some of the soymilk to help loosen it up and blend better.
Add the sugar and blend again.
Over a double boiler (or pot with a small amount of water and a glass bowl sitting in it), melt down the chocolate chips until smooth.
Add the melted chocolate to the bean mixture and blend again.
Add in the cocoa, espresso, baking powder and soda and blend again until smooth.
Add in the soymilk to loosen up the batter. You can use a little bit less if you want to—Ideally, the batter should be smooth and slightly runny when pouring but this depends on the quality of your blender or food processor. My beans stayed a little chunky so I had to resort to a hand mixer to really smooth it out--the soymilk really helps this process.
Lightly spray a 9-inch spring form pan (or larger if you like a thinner cake) with cooking/baking spray.
Bake in oven for 70-80 minutes (or a little less if your cake is thinner) or until done. You can check it with a toothpick or knife to see if the center is still runny. Even when cooked and a toothpick comes out clean, it might still wiggle a little bit because the warm cake needs to settle into itself once cooled.

Serving Suggestion: Lightly dust with confectioners sugar.

Note: If you make this cake and, like me, find yourself oddly enamoured by the beguiling duo of beans and cake, you could also try my vegan friend Lindsay's White Bean Strawberry Blondie's.

Salted Oatmeal Cookies

As a relatively newcomer to the office world, leaving my expensive academic life behind to get a job to pay for said academic life, I am not accustomed to the ways of The Office. For one, I don't think I have enough fancy clothes. Right around Wednesday or Thursday morning is when I find it difficult to come up with some stylish, work-appropriate ensemble. I also scramble to put together a lunch box so I can avoid spending $7 to $10 at any one of the endless lunch choices in the Financial District. That gets expensive if you add it all up! Usually, I just try to take any dinner leftovers, assuming of course that I planned ahead to make a little extra.

What I really struggle with is the fact that my office has a constant supply of junk food. Is this true of all offices?! My office has weekly Costco deliveries of soda, salted nuts, soda, cheddar goldfish, soda, cookies, and every type of individual sized chips. A big, and I mean BIG, mountain of Doritos-Cheetos-Fritos-Lays. Even a big jar filled with M&M's. Now, I don't purchase any of these items for my home, but now the wall of junk food is staring me in the face daily. Oh, I forgot to mention that my office is directly adjacent to said Chip Mountain. One of my co-workers claimed he binged on so many bags of chips when he first started working there so now he has no problem avoiding them. I just try to pretend that its wallpaper and walk right by it.

In addition to this endless supply, people always bring in a box of chocolates or a package of miniature candy to sit on the secretary's counter so you can conveniently grab one each time you walk by, which could literally be around 15 times a day on a busy day where hunting down a Partner involves covertly spying on him to find "a good moment" to knock on his door to ask a question. Or someone goes on a trip to Canada and brings back a bag of Coffee Crisp bars or Smarties. Or it's Girl Scout Cookie Time. Oh, and don't forget Bagel Fridays (which also happens to be Casual Jean Fridays). This is where I fail. I have no problem avoiding the chip buffet, but it's the random goodie that always gets me. Especially if I am feeling stressed out.

Oftentimes when I am feeling stressed out, I bake cookies. And, on one such occasion, in walked the Salted Oatmeal Cookie and announced it was here to stay. The magic happens somewhere in between the sweet and slightly sour dried cranberries mellowed out by creamy white chocolate chips. My friends tell me they are incredibly addictive. I have to agree.


INGREDIENTS:

* 1 stick butter (1/2 cup), room temperature
* 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice (or sugar)
* 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
* 1 egg
* 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
* 1 cup flour
* 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
* 1/2 tsp. baking powder
* 1/2 tsp. baking soda
* 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp. ground ginger (optional)
* 1 cup oats
* 1/2 cup dried cranberries
* 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

* Heat oven to 350 degrees.
* In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and 2 sugars.
* Add in the egg and vanilla and blend together.
* In another bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, and ginger.
* Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture.
* Gently fold in the oats, cranberries and white chocolate chips and combine (do not overmix!).
* Use an ice cream scoop or scant 1/4 cup to scoop out the dough onto an ungreased baking sheet. If you have a magical Silpat, use it! If you don't some parchment paper will work as well. Bake for 10-12 minutes--it will still be semi-raw when you pull it out of the oven. Take the cookie sheets out of the oven and let them sit on the countertop to continue cooking for another 6-8 minutes or so--the cookies will settle into themselves and create a soft chewy middle...

Enjoy!

Mexican Chocolate Pudding

Oh, Mondaaaaaay. I can't think of a single redeeming quality for you, Monday. I've got nothin. Is Monday's anybody's favorite day? Anyone? Bueller? Monday leaves me with a muted and sleepy outlook and I just look forward to coming home, taking a hot shower to wash away the Monday and watch a little Heroes (which, I have to admit, has also been a bit disappointing lately). I thought pudding might improve said Monday...

I am sincerely intrigued by pudding. By the concept of pudding. Wiggly. Thick. Creamy. Smooth. Yummy. Pudding. Except for the fact that scary little plastic containers with the ominous "Jello" labels are full of preservatives and high fructose corn syrups. So, I thought I might make some real pudding where you know exactly what the ingredients are going to be. Now, generally chocolate is my favorite pudding flavor, but my dear friends, Matt & Emily, gave me some Ibarra Mexican Chocolate and I thought it might be the perfect flavor to try. And Mexican Chocolate has a simple clean little list of ingredients: Sugar, Cacao Nibs, Soy Lecithin and Cinnamon flavor. Now that is more like it!

Once again, this is going to seem like skeptical recipe, but I have tested it out myself (since everything on here is straight from my kitchen) and I promise you, it is delicious. It is down right shocking how easy it is to make too!

INGREDIENTS FOR MEXICAN CHOCOLATE PUDDING:

* 2 wedges of Ibarra chocolate
* 1 12-oz. box of Mori-Nu soft silken tofu
* 1 tsp. pure vanilla
* 1 tsp. cocoa powder (optional)
* 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp. chili powder (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

* Melt the 2 wedges of chocolate over a double-boiler on the stove over medium heat. If you don't have a double-boiler (I don't), you can create one using a heat safe pyrex or glass bowl over a pot that is filled with a couple of inches of water. This just creates hot steam to gently melt the chocolate without exposing it directly to heat. The chocolate will melt down to a gritty sand-like paste.
* Combine melted chocolate, tofu, vanilla, cocoa powder, cinnamon and chili powder (if you like a little kick) in a blender and puree until smooth.

Ta-da! Spoon pudding into ramekins or little cups and refrigerate for at least one hour. You can also top it with a little whipped cream and shaved chocolate if you want to be fancy about it...I topped these beauties you see pictured with some chopped chocolate covered almonds.

Blackberry Frozen Yogurt

A good thrift store can really make you feel rich. Like all the good things are within reach and you can have it all. It's not like regular window shopping where you can try on the cashmere sweater to feel its luxurious texture against your skin for a brief second before you remember that you don't have that much money in your wallet. Or your bank account even. I have never been turned off by second hand items (although I can completely understand how it might be scary wearing clothes that were once on some stranger). I guess it is because I come from a big family--my mom has five other siblings and my dad has four other siblings--so there are plenty of cousins. And plenty of cousins means plenty of "hand-me-downs" to go around. Sometimes I stop at thrift stores when I'm visiting new cities because it's a whole new treasure of goodies that I otherwise wouldn't have access to. When I visited Seattle, my friend, Alex, made sure I stopped by the Lifelong Aids Alliance Thrift Store where I found an amazing bead necklace for $2. Seriously, I couldn't be the only one who delights in grandma's old sweaters because there are lots of great blogs out there completely dedicated to thrift store adventures like this one and this one.

There are a few sections that I am quite keen on. Jewelry. Bags/Purses. Jackets. and Hats. Oh, and sometimes I check the dishware section, too, just in case there is an amazing casserole dish or a set of awesome serving platters. I almost never stop by the electronics aisle because that stuff is almost guaranteed to be missing a crucial part or broken. But, about a month ago, I was in the San Francisco Flagship Goodwill Store and I was just whizzing past the electronics shelf when I stumbled upon what may be The-Best-Thriftstore-Find-Ever. I found a Cuisinart Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker. Still in the box. Brand new. With a delightful sticker on it announcing that I could have this amazing machine for only $6.49. YES! Six dollars and forty-nine cents! I was shocked because I had recently seen this same item at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $49.99, which put a fast end to my desire to purchase one every time I read a recipe for basil ice cream or espresso ice cream or yuzu sorbet. I squeezed the box to my chest and practically ran up to the counter to pay for it before anyone else could notice what a bargain I was getting and try to stop me.

And, you wouldn't believe how easy it is--you essentially mix together your ingredients in a blender or food processor, stir in any goodies you like and pour it into the machine and press a button and about twenty minutes later it will have turned into a thick creamy ice cream similar in texture to that of soft serve. And then you can eat it on the spot or scoop it out into a container and freeze until solid. The typical ingredients are usually some combination of heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, but I have found through experimentation that fat-free half-and-half is a great replacement for whole milk or heavy cream when you want to cut out the fat and you can also use soymilk, fat-free milk, yogurt or even silken tofu! Oh, and trick is to always keep the actual tub part in the freezer so you can make ice cream on a moment's notice (because, let's face it--sometimes you need ice cream on a moment's notice).

I was really pleased with this Blackberry frozen yogurt. It is smooth and creamy with a nice berry flavor...now, if only I can figure out how to make it sour like Pinkberry...I suppose I might try this recipe. The hardest part of the whole thing was straining out the blackberry seeds to achieve that smooth texture, but you could purchase 100% fruit purées to save yourself the trouble if you want. I just happened to have a large container of fresh ones so I figured I would try it out. To make the fruit puree from fresh berries, you put them in a blender with a tablespoon of water or lemon juice and blend until smooth. Then, pour the mixture into a fine-mesh sieve or strainer and strain out the seeds by using the back of a spoon. You can also scoop out the remaining seeds and pulp and stir in a little sugar, simple syrup or honey for a really yummy jam for biscuits, toast or pancakes!

INGREDIENTS:

* 2 cups plain low-fat yogurt (or fat-free if you want it to be fat-free froyo)
* 1 cup of blackberry fruit purée
* 1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half
* 1/4 cup evaporated cane juice (a good quality sugar)

DIRECTIONS:

* Blend all ingredients and pour into ice cream machine and process according to your manufacturer's instructions.

Incredible Edible Tofu Chocolate Chip Cookies

Is the phrase "healthy cookie" an oxymoron?!

What if I told you that you could have low fat, soft, moist, chewy oatmeal cookies that contain NO oil, NO butter and NO eggs! Really, it is possible, but I bet you are wondering how. I will tell you. But I have to say upfront that even though you might be a little skeptical of the ingredients, you will not believe how amazing these cookies are unless you just trust me and make some! You trust me, don't you?!
Sometimes...sometimes you just need a cookie. Go ahead, you can have two.

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 and 1/4 cups oat bran
* 2 Tbsp. wheat germ
* 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed
* 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
* 1/4 cup chocolate protein powder
* 3 ounces of extra firm tofu, pressed and drained
* 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
* 1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt (or vanilla)
* 2.5 Tbsp. vanilla soy milk
* 3/4 cup all natural peanut butter
* 1 cup sugar
* 2 Tbsp. molasses (secret weapon ingredient!)
* 2 tsp. vanilla
* 1 cup chocolate chips (I used a mix of semi-sweet and white chocolate chips)
* 1/2 cup raisins or chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
* In a large mixing bowl, combine the first seven ingredients (oat bran, flax, wheat germ, flour, salt, cinnamon, and protein powder). Use a whisk to stir out any lumps. Note: 1) if you do not have wheat germ or flax, just bump up the oat bran to 1.5 cups or 1.25 cups if you are using oatmeal; and 2) if you wanted to make cocoa cookies, substitute the protein powder for unsweetened cocoa powder.
* In a food processor or blender, puree the tofu briefly and then add the applesauce, yogurt and soy milk and blend on high until smooth.
* In another mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter and sugar.
* Then gently stir in the tofu mixture into the peanut butter and sugar mixture and mix until combined.
* Stir in the molasses and vanilla.
* Slowly add the flour mixture in small batches and gently mix until the dough is formed and no flour mixture remains.
* Fold in the chocolate chips (and raisins or walnuts if you want).
* Use a 1/4 cup or ice cream scoop to measure out fairly large scoops of the batter--these cookies hold together better when larger and they will not spread out much at all.
* Bake for 18-20 minutes and then allow the cookies to cool on a wire rack (the cookies will still feel "under-cooked" and soft to the touch when they come out of the oven, but they are meant to be soft baked cookies!)


These hearty cookies stay moist and chewy, but they do not have a long shelf life so either eat them within a day or two, share them with friends or refrigerate them...

Makes about 15-16 large cookies.

Sugar Cookie Cream Cheese Bars with Fruit

My cousin's wife, Tara, makes outrageously gorgeous cakes as a hobby of hers and oh my does she know how to make a cake! I keep telling her she should make it into a business, but now she is a full time mommy with two little boys that keep her very busy. Her son, Kyan, had his first birthday and she made this amazing caterpillar cake for the birthday party. That's Kyan reaching for a delicious fistful of cake in hopes to ruin it before we have finished singing Happy Birthday...and that's Tara's hand trying to prevent him from doing so...And here are some other photo's of her exceptional handiwork:

I am so incredibly impressed with her cakes--aren't you?! Tara, you are amazing!

For our family's Fourth of July party this year, Tara made a very simple fruit tart--think soft, chewy sugar cookie with a cream cheese filling with fruit on top! It was such a big hit at the party that I thought I would share the recipe because it is so simple, you just won't even believe it!


INGREDIENTS:

* 1 roll of slice-n-bake sugar cookie dough (I highly recommend seeking out an all natural brand like Cookie Love to avoid partially hydrogenated oils)
* 1 package of all natural cream cheese
* 1/3 cup sugar (preferably evaporated cane sugar)
* 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (no imitation!)
* fruit for topping (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi, and/or mango)

DIRECTIONS:

* Flatten out the dough in a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees according to directions on package--it should turn just slightly golden brown but still be a little undercooked. Set aside to cool completely.
* In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until creamy and smooth.
* Use a rubber spatula to smooth the cream cheese mixture out on top of the cookie layer.
* Arrange fruit as desired and refrigerate for at least one hour.

You will be shocked by this simple, yummy dessert!

Another yummy variation is to add 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon and 3 Tbsp. maple syrup to the cream cheese mixture and, instead of fruit for the topping, sprinkle 1/2 cup of toasted and chopped pecans...

The Most Impressive Tiramisu

The theme for this vegetarian Supper Club was Italian food. *YUM* Dinner was exceptional--oh, I wish you could have been there...

THE MENU:
* Caprese salad with imported mozzarella di buffala
* Antipasto salad
* Bruschetta on Crostini
* and.......a gorgeous plate of ravioli hand-stuffed and pressed with butternut squash and topped with shaved truffle cheese, toasted and crushed hazelnuts, parsley and a fried sage leaf:

The ravioli was so delicious, but what really made me swoon was the salty fried sage leaves which brought the flavor of the dish to new heights....My friend, Lindsay, doesn't know it yet, but I plan on shamelessly begging her for the recipe for a Guest Spotlight. You want the recipe, don't you?!

And since I can always count on my supper club friends to go the extra mile when its their time to cook for supper club, I wanted to make something really special for dessert. In addition to bringing a 2003 Chianti Reserva and a white wine called Venetian Moon, I made tiramisu (from scratch) for the first time. It really is an easy dessert to make despite a prevalent misconception that it is a complicated dessert.
THE MOST IMPRESSIVE TIRAMISU:
Adapted from Food Network's Barefoot Contessa

INGREDIENTS:

* 6 egg yolks (room temperature; save the egg whites to make yourself a yummy protein-filled omelette)
* 1/4 cup organic evaporated cane juice (or sugar)
* 1/2 cup dark rum (I used Myers)
* 1.5 cups cups brewed espresso (if you use a drip coffee pot, use enough water for 4 cups of coffee and 1/2 cup espresso)
* 16 ounces mascarpone cheese
* your favorite dark chocolate bar (to make shavings for garnish)
* 4 Tbsp. powdered sugar (half for whipped cream and half for garnish)
* 1 cup heavy whipping cream
* 2 tsp. vanilla extract (imitation will never live up to the real thing)
* 1 package of 24 Italian Ladyfingers (Savoiardi)

DIRECTIONS FOR ESPRESSO CREAM:

* Whisk egg yolks and sugar for a few minutes until thick and creamy.
* Add 1/4 cup of the rum, 1/4 cup of the espresso and all of the mascarpone.
* Whisk until smooth and put espresso cream in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.


DIRECTIONS FOR WHIPPED CREAM:

* Put the heavy cream, 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar and 1 tsp. of vanilla in a bowl.
* Use an electric mixer (or a whisk and some serious elbow grease!) to whip until the cream is stiff enough to form stiff peaks. refrigerate until needed for the top layer.

DIRECTIONS FOR LADYFINGERS:

* Put the remaining 1/4 cup of rum, 1.25 cups of espresso and 1 tsp. of vanilla in a shallow bowl.
* Break ladyfingers in half.
* Dip one side of each ladyfinger in the rum/espresso/vanilla mixture (you do not want to oversoak them!)

Note: If you don't want to discard the remaining liquid (i.e. throwing away perfectly good rum makes you frown), freeze it in ice cube trays and then put them in a glass with some Coke for a roasty, yummy twist on a Rum and Coke!

DIRECTIONS FOR ASSEMBLY:

* If you are using a glass or wine goblet, you will want to put a layer of lady fingers on the bottom and then cover it with espresso cream and then use lady fingers to go around the inside of the glass--gently press it up against the glass so it sticks.
* Repeat layers until you reach about 2 or 3 inches from the mouth of the glass.
* Fill in the rest of the space with whipped cream until it is almost overflowing.
* Use the straight edge of a butter knife to scrape across the top of the glass to make a very flat surface.
* Place glass on a flat surface and use a sifter to cover the top with a fine layer of cocoa powder.
* Use the powdered sugar to make another optional design and/or add chocolate shavings.
* Freeze for 15-20 minutes to let it set together.
* Refrigerate for up to 4 hours before serving.
* If you want to use a small glass pan, start with the dipped ladyfingers on the bottom and layer in the same order as above.

Note: Tiramisu will also freeze well if you want to make little individual servings and freeze them for up to 4 or 5 days.

Buon Appetito!

Nota Bene: Whole Foods has an excellent recipe for Vegan Tiramisu.

Sexual Chocolate

Goji berries, the himalayan superfood, have been said to increase your libido...Hmmmm...Goji, anyone?! Turns out they are so incredibly healthy for lots of reasons--they are full of potassium, vitamin C, beta-carotene, zinc and lots of other antioxidants...

...and I have already confessed to you my love for the raw vegan treat called Goji Bliss....just pure coconut and goji berries all blended up into a crumbly delicious spread...

These chewy, chocolatey treats were a gift from my friend James who loves the Goji (and who also happens to be in his second year of medical school at UCSD so he should know...). They are incredibly easy to make, yummy and a half, and have a unique unexpected twist of flavor...

Thanks, James!

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 16-oz. bar of dark chocolate (I used TJ's brand, which is 72% cacao)
* 2 cups of goji berries
* 1 Tbsp. szechuan peppercorns

DIRECTIONS:

* Boil peppercorns till they become fairly soft (about 3-5 minutes). Then drain.
* Melt chocolate over medium heat (or use a double boiler!).
* Add goji berries and peppercorns. Mix.
* Spread out on wax paper and let cool.
* Cut into bars when cooled.

About a second after you bite into it, you should get a spike of spicy flavor, which quickly dissolves into sweet, chewy, chocolatey yumminess...

Brandied Pear Tarte Tatin

Puff pastry dough is a kitchen miracle. You could wrap just about anything up in puff pastry and it will undoubtedly be delicious...and impressive!

Note: this dish requires an oven-proof frying pan.

INGREDIENTS:

* 3 or 4 ripe pears, peeled
* 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter (i like to use sweet cream butter)
* 1/4 cup sugar ( white or brown sugar)
* 1/4 tsp cinnamon
* 1 Tbsp. brandy (optional)
* 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, defrosted
* 1 egg, beaten

DIRECTIONS:

* Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
* Place the rim of your metal pan over the puff pastry and cut the dough to fit its circular shape.
* Halve the pears lengthwise, remove seeds and slice into wedge shapes.
* Melt butter in frying pan on medium-high heat.
* Stir in the brandy, sugar and cinnamon.
* Arrange pear slices on the bottom (try not to overlap them too much).
* Cook the pears for about 10-15 minutes, or until the pears have carmelized and the sugar becomes dark and syrupy.
* Take pan off the heat and place the puff pastry sheet over the pears, tucking the edges down the sides.
* Make a few small holes in the center using a fork or a knife.
* Brush the surface with the beaten egg.
* Then place the whole pan in oven for about 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden brown.
* Allow the pan to cool on a flat surface.
* When cool, put a plate over the pan and then flip the pan upside down so that the pastry is on the bottom.

I like to serve this dish with a good, quality Vanilla Bean ice cream...