Coffee and Cream Fudge Bites - a little bit of Irish

 Ever since I was in grade school, St. Patrick's' Day has been a day when I wish I was at least a little bit Irish. The teachers at my school instructed their Irish students to wear something green on St. Patrick's Day. The rest of us -- orange. So, while many of my friends came to school wrapped in green sweaters, donning fuzzy green shamrocks on their shirt, or wearing green socks, I would come with an orange headband in my hair. I would have preferred green.

As a young baker, though, I made sure our family had shamrock-shaped sugar cookies frosted in green on St. Patrick's Day. I never told my teachers.

To this day, I don't wear a bit of green on St. Patrick's Day -- my teachers taught me well. But, I don't wear orange, either. I just sneak a little bit of Irish into the foods I eat on that special day.

This year, I developed a pie with a fudge brownie crust, filled with Irish Cream pudding and topped with Irish Cream-spiked whipped cream.  I discovered the brownie crust batter can be dropped onto baking sheets to create chocolatey rich cookies.

One bite and you'll think you've discovered the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But, wait. There's more. Creamy frosting made with coffee, chcolate and Irish cream is swirled over the top of each cookie.

I topped each frosted cookie with one tiny Chocolate Crunchy Bit. I first experienced these cute candies a few months ago at Meritage, a restaurant located downtown St. Paul. After an exquisite meal, I studied their dessert menu. One of the desserts listed was described as being served with chocolate rice krispies. In my mind, I pictured chocolate-flavored crunchy rice cereal and I could not  imagine why on earth a restaurant serving such wonderful food would include dessert with cereal sprinkled over the top. I ordered it out of curiousity.

It turned out the chocolate rice krispies were not cereal. They were crunchy little chocolate balls. On that same trip to the Twin Cities, I found a bag of the cute chocolate rounds at Cooks of Crocus Hill. They're the perfect adornment for Coffee and Irish Cream Fudge Bites.

The fudgy cookies are just a little bit Irish in a non-traditional kind of way. But they will be all I need to sneak a streak of Irish into my house on St. Patrick's Day.

Oh, if you feel like a pie with a fudge brownie crust and a filling that's a bit Irish along with a topping of cream, just click here.

Coffee and (Irish) Cream Fudge Bites

• 4 tablespoons butter
  
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
  
• 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  
• 2 large eggs, beaten
  
• 2 tablespoons brewed coffee or Irish whiskey
  
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
  
• ½ teaspoon salt
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter, unsweetened chocolate and semisweet chocolate into a 4-cup glass measure. Microwave at 50% to 60% power. Stir after each minute until mixture is melted and smooth. This will take just a couple of minutes. Stir in sugar, cocoa powder, eggs, coffee or whiskey and vanilla extract and mix well. Add flour and salt and mix just until thoroughly blended. Refrigerate dough for at least 3 hours or overnight. At baking time, drop dough, about a heaping teaspoon per cookie, onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

When cookies are completely cool, frost with Irish Coffee Frosting.

• Irish Coffee Frosting
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons strong, hot coffee
• 1 tablespoon Bailey's Irish Cream
• 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• Chocolate Crunchy Bits, for garnish

In a medium bowl, combine cocoa with hot coffee and Irish Cream. Add butter, vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat with electric hand mixer until creamy and smooth. Use a rubber spatula to scoop frosting into a sandwich-size plastic bag. Twist the top of the bag, moving the frosting toward one corner of the bag. Use scissors to cut a small piece from one tip of the bag. Squeeze the bag to pipe frosting onto the top of each cookie. Garnish with chocolate crunchy bits, if desired.

Posted by: sdoeden on 3/07/2010 at 12:01 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: brownies, chocolate cookies, crunchy chocolate bits, food, irish cream, irish cream frosting, irish dessert

I'll bet you'll love this chocolate Bette

Mmmmmmmmmmm. Chocolate. And more chocolate. Rich, not too sweet and not one bit of flour. That's Bette LeMae. It's a traditional dessert that's been served at northern Minnesota's Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge for years. And, I had a taste of it at the Twin Cities Food and Wine Experience a couple of weeks ago.

Just one of the two-bite-sized cube of Bette LeMae flew me right back in time to my first experience with flourless chocolate cake. I was at a cooking class with about five other people in Andrea Halgrimson's kitchen. She was teaching us how to make a cake she described as so decadent, so breathtaking she just had to name it, "Chocolate O." You know what that "O" stands for, right? The chocolate dessert lived up to its name.

Ruttger's Bette LeMae is just like that. They were so kind to share their recipe as they offered samples of the sublime cubes of chocolate dipped in chocolate.

As you read through the recipe, you'll notice that the mixture of boiling water, chocolate, eggs, sugar and butter must be strained before baking. This removes any little bits of cooked egg, creating a perfectly smooth flourless cake. Use a fine mesh strainer or a colander lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth.

The batter is poured into a round pan and baked in a hot water bath, or Bain Marie (bane mah-ree). This method cooks the cake gently, creating a smooth, custard-like texture. As it cools after baking, this cake becomes something like fudge -- only much better. Smothered in a rich blend of chocolate and heavy cream, this dessert becomes simply dreamy.

You can go directly to a printable version of Ruttger's Bette LeMae recipe by clicking right here. They've got a recipe archive that's worth checking out, too. Click here.

I just registered for my first bike ride of the season. This year, the Tour of Lakes starts at the high school in Crosby, Minnesota. Deerwood is right next door. And, that's where Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge is located. Tour of Lakes has a reputation for for the quality, variety and quantity of the food at the rest stops. Maybe I'll find Bette LeMae at one of the stops? A hungry (chocoholic) biker can only hope.

In the meantime, (I can't wait for June 5th) I'll make my own Bette LeMae. Mmmmmmmm. Chocolate. And more chocolate.

Thanks for sharing the recipe, Ruttgers!

Bette LeMae -- A Signature Recipe from Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge

• 2/3 cup boiling water
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup butter
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 6 whole eggs

In saucepan, mix water and sugar and boil for 2 minutes. Add butter, bittersweet chocolate and chocolate chips. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 more minutes.

While mixture is boiling, beat 6 eggs in mixing bowl. Slowly add boiled mixture to eggs, beating at low speed. Let mixture beat for 2 - 3 minutes. Strain mixture into stainless steel bowl and pour into prepared wax paper-lined and floured 9-inch round pan. Place pan in hot water bath and bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees. When done, remove from water bath and place on towel. Scrape around side of pan and allow to set for 10 minutes.

Turn Bette LeMae over onto plate. Let cool for 1 hour before frosting.

Bette LeMae Frosting Glaze

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Scald whipping cream and remove from heat. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Let stand until cooled. Frost Bette LeMae. Store in the refrigerator.

Posted by: sdoeden on 3/04/2010 at 8:00 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

Tags: andrea halmgrimson, bette lemae, chocolate, flourless chocolate cake, food, ruttgers bay lake lodge, tour of lakes, twin cities food and wine experience

Orzo: a good pasta pick

Orzo, the pasta, sounds a lot like ouzo, an anise-flavored liqueur that is often called the National drink of Greece. So, when I think orzo, I think Greek. Usually.

Orzo, a flat pasta that looks similar to very large grains of rice, is an Italian word that means "barley." And, oftentimes, it is used just like barley in soups, stews and side dishes.

It is commonly used in Greek and Mediterranean dishes, often tossed with feta, spinach, pine nuts and tomatoes.

I like orzo for its quick-cooking characteristic, and it's broad adaptability to many ingredients and dishes.

In the Orzo Pilaf I concocted to go along with Zippy Garlic Shrimp, the orzo pasta offered something a little more interesting and unique than a pasta bowl filled with long thin threads of angel hair.

I love packing Orzo Pilaf into custard cups and unmolding them onto plates. Or, as you see it in these photos, I placed a round cookie cutter onto the plate, packed the Orzo Pilaf snugly into the cookie cutter, then gently lifted the cookie cutter up from the pilaf. It holds its shape beautifully.

Try this recipe and you'll soon be developing your own special blend of ingredients to create Orzo Pilaf.

Orzo Pilaf

• 1 1/3 cups uncooked orzo
• 2 quarts water
• 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 chubby cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup minced sundried tomatoes in oil
• 5 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves, rinsed, drained
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Stir in orzo. Add 1 teaspoon salt, if desired. Cook orzo for 8 to 10 minutes, until pasta is tender and a bit chewy, or al dente. Drain. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add garlic and sundried tomato. Cook 1 minute. Add spinach and cooked orzo. Stir constantly until spinach is wilted and orzo is heated through. Stir in cheese, wine, pepper and salt. Cook until cheese is melted. Stir in pine nuts and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Posted by: sdoeden on 2/28/2010 at 12:01 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

Tags: food, orzo, pasta, pilaf, quick side dish

Sweet Potato Pie Has Deep Roots

My friend, Rose McGee, has a passion for life, a passion for people, and a passion for food, especially sweet potato pie.

I met Rose several years ago when I first joined Women Who Really Cook, a Twin-Cities-based networking organization for women who work in a food-related career. Rose is also a member, and at the time I first met her, she was getting her new business, Deep Roots Desserts, off the ground.

I asked Rose if she'd help us celebrate Black History Month by sharing a recipe for Sweet Potato Pie that she developed along with some of her thoughts. You'll feel Rose's warmth and passion as you read what she has to say in response to some questions I asked.

On Saturday, February 27th, at 1:00, you can meet Rose during a celebration of Black History Month at Macy's downtown Minneapolis store. You'll get the sweet-and-lowdown from Rose, owner of Deep Roots Desserts, on baking sweet potato pie. Rose will show you why her famous pie received the prestigious honor to be chosen for a 2009 Presidential Inauguration party in Washington, D.C. Writer, producer and director of  “Kumbayah…The Juneteenth Story,” the multi-talented Rose is currently completing her next book, Can’t Nobody Make a Sweet Potato Pie Like My Mama, a book that joyfully captures the history of the sacred dessert of African Americans -- the sweet potato pie, of course.

I hope you'll make Rose's pie. It may not taste exactly like Rose's own homemade pie, or her Mama's, or her grandmother's, but for sure it will be delicious!

Thanks for sharing, Rose!

1. What is the history of sweet potato pie -- yours especially?

A form of this dessert traces back to the Renaissance Era in terms of mixing spices with sweet potatoes. However, what we know as a "sweet potato pie" today goes back to slavery in this country. Later Dr. George Washington Carver did a great deal of research not only with the peanut, but with the sweet potato as well. His is one of the first recorded recipes. BUT not the first. You'll have to read my book for that little tidbit.

Over time the dessert became what I consider to be the "sacred dessert" of black culture. However, the inspiration for my making the pies began over 30 years ago by accident. I was young, wanted to impress some guests and decided to try making one,. Total flop. Called my grandmother for some guidance. Over time, I began adding a bit of this and a bit of that and came up with my interpretation of her pie and my aunt's pie and my friend's grandmother's pie...you get the picture. One thing about the whole process of trying to get everyone's recipe whose pie I respected - NO ONE had their recipe written down. It was all recorded in their heads and moreso their hearts. Thus the reason it's so important to publish this book, "Can't Nobody Make A Sweet Potato Pie Like My Mama," a book that joyfully captures the history of the sacred dessert of African Americans – the sweet potato pie of course.

Sweet Potato Pie

A Recipe Created by Rose McGee, Owner Deep Roots Gourmet Desserts

Ingredients (makes two 9” Pies):

• 4 sweet potatoes, cooked
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1-stick of butter, melted
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 tablespoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk (whole, evaporated or condensed)
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 2 unbaked pie shells

Directions: (use a hand-mixer or KitchenAid™ type mixer)

In a large mixing bowl, mash cooked sweet potatoes.

Blend in sugar. Blend in eggs. Blend in melted butter.

One at a time, add next 6 ingredients; mix well.

Pour into pie shells.

Preheat oven at 400 degrees; then reduce heat to 350 degrees.

Bake 60 minutes or until well set. Remove from oven.

Allow to set for at least 30 minutes. Eat warm or allow

to cool longer before eating. Sweet potato pie can be left at room

temperature up to two days without refrigeration. Can be refrigerated

up to one week and remain fresh. Can also be frozen.

More about Rose:

Rose McGee was born in Jackson, Tennessee and grew up around women who cooked. Her grandmother, great-grandmothers, great aunts and home economics teacher all stressed the importance of knowing how to manage a home and especially the kitchen.  Today, she is one of 400 Minnesota ladies who make up the organization, Women Who Really Cook. Her business, Deep Roots Gourmet Desserts™ features her own delicious and exotic creations - Sweet Potato Pie and Mango Cobbler.  Over the past four years, these products have gained tremendous popularity at the Midtown Global Market, the Minneapolis Farmers Market, Twin Cities Food and Wine Show and received accolades from Sue Zellickson in Minnesota Monthly Magazine and WCCO Radio.  Appreciative customers always say, “It’s the best!”

Rose McGee has been featured in Food Network News, Edible Twin Cities Magazine, KARE 11 and Fox Channel 9.  She recently demonstrated how to make organic Sweet Potato Pie at the Minnesota State Fair while her original Chocolate Sweet Potato Pie has been a delight at the Twin Cities Chocolate Extravaganza. The Calhoun Coffee Festival honored Deep Roots Gourmet Desserts with “The Best Taste Award”. 

Posted by: sdoeden on 2/25/2010 at 9:08 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

Tags: deep roots dessert, food, mid-town global market, national black history month, rose mcgee, sweet potato pie, women who really cook

Make extra bechamel now, eat baked penne later

I was a lucky little girl. My neighborhood friends were envious when my mom invited me to be in the kitchen with her. It was during our kitchen sessions together that she taught me the tricks of the home-cook's trade.
By the time I was 12 years old, I knew how to make macaroni and cheese from scratch. I realized later in life that not only was I creating one of my favorite meals, I was practicing the art of French cooking.
The base of the creamy cheese sauce loaded with cooked elbow macaroni was béchamel sauce. Béchamel (bay-shah-mell), one of the mother sauces of French cooking and probably the easiest to make, starts with melted butter and flour and ends with milk and cheese.
The other day I made croque monsieur, French-style ham and cheese sandwiches topped with thick, cheesy bechamel. I made more of the gruyere and parmesan-spiked sauce than I would need for the sandwiches just so I could make baked penne.
When I make béchamel sauce, I like to add a bit of flavor with an onion, a bay leaf, a few whole cloves. A bit of flour is added to the butter all at once and then stirred and cooked for a couple of minutes before adding milk. I don’t add cold milk, though. I heat the milk in another saucepan. Onion, bay leaf, cloves and a pinch of thyme infuse mild savory flavor to the milk. Once the milk has heated, I pour it into the butter/flour mixture and stir as it thickens.
Any of your favorite cheeses can be added to the sauce, as long as it is a cheese that melts relatively easily.

I use the same flavor infusion technique when I make tomato sauce for pasta. By putting a whole onion into the sauce as it simmers, it permeates the red sauce with wonderful flavor. When the sauce is done cooking and the onion is removed, onion-squeamish friends and family members who eat your sauce will wonder how you created such delcious pasta sauce. They will never know much of the wonderful flavor has been added from the juices of a whole onion.

Whenever I have more bechamel than I need, I scrape it into a container that seals tightly and I store it in the refrigerator for a day or two, just until I decide on how I want to use it up. When I'm ready to put it to good use, I put the chilled sauce into a saucepan and whisk in some milk as it heats.
Bechamel creates a wonderful pasta sauce. Layered into a baking dish with penne and homemade tomato sauce or your favorite sauce from a jar, along with some mozzarella, the pasta dish becomes a jazzed up version of the macaroni and cheese I used to make as a young girl.

Béchamel can also be tossed with pasta along with some cooked chicken, maybe some pine nuts and whatever else you like to throw into a pasta dish. The results will not disappoint.
 

Baked Penne with Two Sauces

* 8 ounces penne, cooked to al dente
* 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce for pasta
* 1 cup bechamel sauce
* 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Brush 4 individual shallow baking dishes or one 9-inch square baking dish with olive oil.

If the bechamel sauce is coming out of the refrigerator for this recipe, add some milk to the sauce to thin it enough so that it can easily be ladled over the pasta. I do this as I heat it slightly in a saucepan on the stove.

Use half of cooked penne to make a layer of pasta in each dish. Top with half of the tomato sauce, then half of the bechamel sauce. Repeat layers one more time, ending with bechamel on the top. If using individual baking dishes, place them on a foil-lined baking sheet before sliding into oven. This will prevent bubbling tomato sauce from landing in the bottom of your oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the baked penne. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until cheese is melted. Makes 4 servings.

Bechamel Sauce

* ¼ cup butter
* ¼ cup all-purpose flour
* 2 cups milk
* 1 small onion, peeled, studded with 3 whole cloves
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 sprig fresh thyme or a pinch of dried thyme leaves
* ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* ¼ teaspoon salt
* ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a heavy saucepan, melt butter over low heat. When butter begins to foam, add flour all at once, mixing well with a wire whisk. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

In another saucepan, heat milk with clove-studded onion, bay leaf and thyme. Just before milk comes to boiling point, slowly pour the milk into the butter-flour mixture, whisking constantly. The onion and thyme can be removed at this time. Place the pot back on a burner turned to low heat. Continue to cook and whisk the mixture until it thickens. Remove from heat and add grated Parmesan.
 

Posted by: sdoeden on 2/22/2010 at 9:20 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Tags: baked penne, bechamel sauce, food