Chocolate Bread With Sergeant Terry Jeffords from Brooklyn Nine Nine!

I posted this 3 years ago but wanted to revive it because Terry Crews from Brooklyn Nine Nine bakes a yeasted chocolate coffee cake with Martha Stewart. The video is charming and the bread is delicious!

When I saw this yeasted chocolate coffee cake on the Martha Stewart website, I about fell out of my chair.  Yeasted bread?  Yum.  Chocolate?  Yum.  Cinnamon as well?  Woo hoo!  Another great plus about this recipe is that there is a video of Martha Stewart making the bread with former NFL linebacker Terry Crews.  He is the kind of person who appreciates a recipe that has lots of butter, sugar and chocolate.  Great guy.

Warning:  I cannot stop eating this bread.  I baked it yesterday and the loaf is almost finished!  

Warning Number Two:  Do not cut into this loaf until it is completely cool.  The whole thing will collapse if you do.  I may have discovered this on my own.  After all, you know that I really have no self-restraint.

Dough
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup plus a pinch of granulated sugar
3/4 cup warm milk, about 110° F (43° C)
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick salted butter, room temperature

In a large bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of granulated sugar over the warm milk. Let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining sugar, the whole egg, and the egg yolk. Stir into the yeast mixture. Add the flour and salt and mix until combined. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Add the salted butter and mix until the dough is soft and sticky, about 10 minutes.

Place the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth. Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Filling
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon heavy cream, for egg wash

Butter a 9- or 10-inch loaf pan and place some parchment paper inside (see photo).  

In a small bowl, mix together the chocolate, brown sugar, and a cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture is uniform. Reserve 1/2 cup for later use.

Punch down the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until it is an 18-inch square. Brush the egg wash around the edge of the dough to make a 1-inch border. Spread the chocolate mixture (except for the 1/2 cup that you put aside) evenly throughout the dough, leaving the 1-inch border intact. Starting at one end, roll the dough tightly like a jelly roll. Pinch the edges closed. Fold the dough in half into a U-shape.  Then, twist this U 2-3 times to make it look kind of like a braid (see photo). Place the dough into the loaf pan. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of filling over the top of the dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow the dough to double in size, 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the loaf for 55 minutes, or until the top is deeply golden.  Using the parchment paper to help you take out the loaf, transfer the loaf to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.  Do not cut until the loaf has cooled considerably!

When You Can't Ski, Make Chocolate Chip Cookies

Major Obvious was bummed this past weekend because we had to cancel our ski trip when Little Man came down with a cold.  Cookies to the rescue!  My brother accidentally bought me a million pistachios from Whole Foods, so I threw those in, too.  And by the way, David Lebovitz is a genius.

Chocolate Chip Cookies – David Lebovitz

Ingredients

·       2 1/2 cups (350 g) all-purpose flour

·       3/4 teaspoon baking soda

·       1/8 teaspoon salt

·       1 cup (8 ounces/225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

·       1 cup (215 g) packed light brown sugar

·       3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar

·       1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·       2 large eggs, at room temperature

·       2 cups (about 225 g) nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, almonds, or pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped

·       14 ounces (400 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/2- to 1-inch (1.5- to 3-cm) chunks or 3 cups (340 g) chocolate drops

Directions

1.     In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

2.     In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl by hand), beat together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla on medium speed just until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time until thoroughly incorporated, then stir in the flour mixture followed by the nuts and chocolate chunks.

3.     On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into quarters. Shape each quarter into a log about 9 inches (23 cm) long. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, preferably for 24 hours.

4.     Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

5.     Slice the logs into disks 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick and place the disks 3 inches (8 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets. If the nuts or chips crumble out, simply push them back in.

6.     Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until the cookies are very lightly browned in the centers, about 10 minutes. If you like soft chocolate chip cookies, as I do, err on the side of underbaking.

7.     Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack.  

8.     Storage: The dough logs can be refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month. The baked cookies will keep well in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

More Relocation and Chocolate - Whole Wheat Brownies

A fun aspect about moving is that one uncovers things that she didn't know she had.  I managed to find a few back issues of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food as I was organizing my cookbooks.  After thumbing through them, I came across this recipe for Whole Wheat Brownies.  "Hmmm...this looks like the perfect way to break into that enormous 500 gram chocolate bar I bought last week!"

The recipe offers many reasons to pause.  Whole wheat flour?  Applesauce?  Less than 1 stick of butter?  What kind of brownies are these going to be, anyway?  Well, it turns out that they're actually really yummy!  They're moist and fluffy.  Though they're not super fudgy in texture, the chocolate flavor really sings out.  I even skipped the chocolate chunks on top that the recipe includes because I do not particularly enjoy chocolate chips in brownies, and the delights were still chocolate-y enough!  Now I can serve them to my kids and enjoy the fact that there's some whole grain goodness in there.  Yes, that's right, I made them because of the kids.  Naturally I had to try them first to make sure that they passed muster...

Relocation...and Chocolate!

So Perficious Eats has relocated!  Yes, our tour in the United Kingdom was up, so now we're in San Diego.  Sorry I won't be able to provide you the scoop on as many European delights as before, but I am determined to uncover all of the delicious treats that San Diego has to offer.  As a Southern California native we naturally had to reacquaint ourselves with the usual spots like In N Out and Din Tai Fung, but surely there are other treasures to discover!

One such place is Chuao, a San Diego-based chocolate piece of heaven owned by Venezuelan-born brothers Michael and Richard Antonorsi.  This shop sells delicious chocolates (truffles, hot chocolate powders, potato chips, you name it) along with coffee and gelato.  You can even get affogato, that awesome combination of espresso and gelato together.  The coffee and gelato are both locally-sourced from San Diegan vendors.  The staff who work there are extremely friendly and eager to sell you their products.  Why do I have a feeling that I will be going there all the time?  They need to have some kind of Chocoholic Card for frequent shoppers like myself.

Springtime Treats - Macaroons!

 One of my favorite springtime treats is the macaroon.  These delights are not necessarily seasonal, but I have always found their pastel prettiness to coincide nicely with daffodils, chocolate bunnies and pink ribbons. 

    

    Now these are kind of tricky to make the first time out.  The good news is that even if they are a little deformed, few people will turn them down.  So a few tips to help you:  

1.  Do not use a tiny little oven where the heating element is only 2 inches away from the macaroons.  You may burn the darlings and cause your kitchen to fill with smoke.  And your smoke alarm might go off.  (I may have had some personal experience with this). 

2.  Try using an oven with a window so you can check your progress and hopefully avoid the debacle from #1. 

3.  You will probably have to break out the scale to measure the ingredients:

125g/4½oz confectioner's sugar 

125g/4½oz ground almonds (may have to hit up a gourmet store for this)

2 tbsp water

110g/4oz granulated sugar

your favorite ganache, buttercream, or whipped cream for filling

optional:  your favorite food coloring and decorations

 

1.    Preheat the oven to 170/C/325F/Gas 5 and line a large baking tray with baking paper.

2.    Put the icing sugar, ground almonds and 40g/1½oz egg whites together in a large bowl and mix to a paste.

3.    Put the water and caster sugar in a small pan and heat gently to melt the sugar, then turn up the heat and boil until the mixture starts to go syrupy and thickens - I don’t use a thermometer but if you prefer to use one, it should read 115C/239F at this stage.

4.    Whisk the remaining 50g/2oz egg whites in a small bowl until medium-stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl, then pour in the sugar syrup, whisking until the mixture becomes stiff and shiny. For coloured macaroons, add a few drops of food colouring. Tip this meringue mixture into the almond paste mixture and stir gently until the becomes stiff and shiny again.

5.    Spoon into the piping bag. Pipe a little mixture under each corner of the baking paper to stop it sliding around. With the bag held vertically, pipe 4cm/1½in flat circles onto the lined tray, about 2cm/¾in apart, twisting the bag after each one. The mixture should be quite loose to give a smooth finish. The piping will leave a small ‘tip’ on each circle so, when they’re all piped, give the tray 2–3 slams on a flat surface to flatten them. At this stage, sprinkle with desiccated coconut if you want.

6.   Leave to stand for 30 minutes to form a skin then bake in the oven for 12–15 minutes with the door slightly ajar until firm. Remove from the oven, lift the paper off the baking tray and leave the macaroons to cool on the paper. When cool, sandwich the macaroons together with filling.

recipe from Lorraine Pascal, BBC Good Food's Baking Made Easy 

A Thanksgiving in England

Celebrating Thanksgiving in the UK is actually really fun.  It's totally low pressure in that the average person in the village has no idea what's going on.  The local butcher vaguely realizes that I ordered a 12 pound turkey for some American holiday, but since there is only one other order for a turkey that week, he doesn't think much about it.  All supermarkets are open on The Big Day, so if I've forgotten something, I can quickly run to the store and grab it.

This year, my family and I did something very strange, indeed.  We stayed by ourselves.  I may have served Thanksgiving dinner in my pajamas, I'm not sure.  My kids were dressed in clothes, as they went to school just like it was any normal day.  Major Obvious had the day off and was also dressed since he took the kids to school.  After that one task, he promptly came home, kicked off his shoes, and headed straight for the couch.  He was consumed with the Play Station Portable (PSP) for most of the day.

So while it was odd getting a turkey ready without the Dallas Cowboys or the Detroit Lions gutting it out in the background, I may prefer this low-key experience.  I enjoy getting together with friends and family over the holidays, but it was such a treat to have 2 whole days to ourselves.  No work, no birthday parties, no swim lessons.  Just 12 pounds of juicy, delicious goodness, and some fantastic sides. And NFL football or NHL hockey at midnight.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cake

This is the time of year when everyone starts cooking and baking with pumpkin in order to celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving and the general fun of autumn.  I was so excited to find this recipe when I was looking for a dessert to make and bring to a dinner party.  Because the rest of the menu was Middle Eastern, I had reservations about making it and thought about baking sesame cookies instead.  When I consulted Major Obvious, he firmly stated, "Your choices are sesame cookies vs. Pumpkin Chocolate Cake by Jacques Torres?  That is a no-brainer.  Who cares if it doesn't match the rest of the meal?"  So, I made the cake and we brought it over.  When our friends heard the story, they excitedly asked, "Did you really make it?  And that's what we're having for dessert?"  When we sat down to eat it, they exclaimed, "That was a good call!  Pumpkin and chocolate is such a fantastic combination."  Amen. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Cake

from Jacques Torres' "A Year of Chocolate"

1/2 cup (1 stick)
plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup canned pumpkin purée

1-1/4 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 ounces (1/2 cup) chopped 60% bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup dried cranberries, optional

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, optional

1 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder, optional

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter and flour a 6-inch bundt pan. Set aside.

Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed to just soften. Add the brown sugar and beat for about 4 minutes, or until very light and creamy. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the pumpkin and beat to blend.

Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt and, with the motor off, sift the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture. Turn the speed to low and beat to incorporate the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture. When well-blended, remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate, cranberries, and nuts.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted near the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and invert onto a wire rack. Remove the pan and allow the cake to cool at room temperature.

The cake will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Chocolate Celebration Cake

Last week, my brother (Pan Pan) and his wife (Miss Amy) visited from San Francisco.  Pan and I are very similar...we both enjoy cooking, talk in movie quotes, and laugh really loudly.  Interestingly enough, Miss Amy is very much like my husband, Major Obvious.  They both look forward to dessert, get along wonderfully with children, and love dogs.

When we are lucky enough to have someone come and visit us on their birthday, I love to bake them a cake for his or her special day.  For this reason (and the aforementioned penchant for sweets), I made Chocolate Celebration Cake for Miss Amy.  This recipe makes a very large molded concoction that can easily stand up to any frosting you slather on it, cream cheese, buttercream, or just a huge dollop of freshly whipped cream.  We ate this bad boy with Madagascar vanilla ice cream and enjoyed many subsequent evenings of leftovers with fresh raspberries while watching X Factor or How I Met Your Mother.

Chocolate Celebration Cake

Largely from “Cooking with Mr. Latte” by Amanda Hesser

1 1/2 cups sugar


5 ounces  bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate


¼  pound unsalted butter (1 stick), plus more for greasing the pan


2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda


1 teaspoon baking powder


1 teaspoon salt


1 cup milk


1 teaspoon cider vinegar


2 eggs


1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ - 1 Tablespoon instant espresso

cocoa powder for dusting the pan

Directions


1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put the sugar, unsweetened chocolate, butter, and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally until all of the ingredients are melted and blended.  Remove from the heat and stir in espresso.  Let cool slightly, 15 to 20 minutes. 



2. Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and vinegar. Grease and cocoa powder a decorative cake pan, a bundt pan or a tube pan.

3. When the chocolate in the pan has cooled a bit, whisk in the milk mixture and eggs. In several additions and without overmixing, whisk in the dry ingredients. When the mixture is smooth, add the vanilla and whisk once or twice, to blend.  Put the batter into the pan and bake on the middle rack until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a rack.

4. You can also use this batter to make chocolate cupcakes or a layer cake, just adjust the baking times.