CHOCOLATE

When it is cold, as it was over the last few weeks; and you have little else to occupy your thoughts; visions of chocolate have a way of sneaking in and taking hold. Tyler's Birthday came and went last week, and to celebrate I whipped up this easy intense flourless cake. The recipe was passed along to me by a friend who found it at Epicurious.com. It is a cinch to make and produces a cake that more closely resembles the consistency of fudge. Now, that's my kind of cake!

4 oz. good-quality bittersweet chocolate

(this is any chocolate with a cocoa solid over 65%)

1 stick unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted)

Preheat your oven to 375F. Find an 8 inch baking dish, butter the bottom and sides. Line the bottom with baking parchment, if you don't have any to hand I find you can cover the butter with a fine coating of sugar. It remains dry during the baking process and provides a little realease for the cake, but it doesn't work as well as parchment. Whatever the case, I typically only use the parchment for the bottom circle of the pan and use the butter/sugar trick for the sides.

Break the chocolate into pieces, about bite sized or a little bigger. Put it in a metal bowl and place the bowl on the stove over a pot of barely simmering water. Chocolate melts at around 85F (making big claims here....I'm not sure if my pastry memory serves me that well, but maybe I'll check my facts later). Anyway, it doesn't take much heat to melt chocolate, a good rule of thumb; melted chocolate should never feel much warmer than body temperature when you put your finger in it. And chocolate burns easily. It's not as tricky as I am making it all sound. Merely stir your chocolate occassionally being sure to scrape the edges of the bowl and if you see steam escaping the sides of your bowl/pot contraption, you probably have the heat too high.

On a separate burner in a small pot melt your butter on low heat. Once it is ready, and if your choclate is nearly all melted you can combine the two. If your choclate is not yet liquified continue to keep it over the simmering water. When done, take the pan off the heat and stir in the sugar. You may use a whisk or a rubber spatula, the trick is to use as few strokes as possible. The more air you introduce into chocolate the harder it becomes to handle. Again it's not as delicate as rocket science, it's simply something to be aware of while you work. Crack your eggs into a small bowl and beat them to break up the yolks. Touch your chocolate, if it is merely warm you may add your eggs; if it seems hot, let the mixture cool for a few minutes first.

With the addition of the eggs you are ready to add your cocoa powder. Please - sift your cocoa first. A pastry cook knows that cocoa clumps as it sits around in its container, secretly plotting to foil your favorite confections with dry lumps of bitter chocolate dust. Sifting it before use reduces those lumps and thwarts it's nasty plot. Please, please...sift. If you are fastidious you may even choose to sift it over your cake batter in three additions, gently folding the batter in between to incorporate the powder.

Pour the batter into the cake pan and take a moment to make it reasonably level. Voila! It's time to put your pan into the oven. I typically set the timer for half the recommended length and turn my cake when it buzzes. Keep an eye on this cake near the end of its cooking time. Overcooking it will strip it of much of its unctious moist goodness. It is done when a crust is beginning to form over the batter. Don't despair if you are lax in this respect, I have found the cake rising and cracking in the oven; after nervously puling it out, it cooled to a level appearance, and had retained enough moisture to be devilishly good.

Oh, it should take 25 minutes.

Chicken Parmesan

Tyler is the chicken parmesan Maestro at our house. This dish was his brainchild and it is by far the best chicken parm I have ever had. I think the secret is in pounding the breasts thin, it provides a better crumb to meat ratio making each bite much more flavorful. You will have to forgive us as there is no hard and fast recipe for this just some suggestions and a little guidance.

2 breasts of chicken, pounded 1/4 thick

3 pieces of FRESH bread

various herbs.

we like rosmary, sage, and thyme,

but made it last night with only rosemary and Italian flat leaf parsley.

Kosher salt (1/2 to 1 tsp)

fresh cracked pepper

2 eggs, beaten to break up the yolks

1/2 pound dried spaghetti

1 Tbs. butter + 1 Tbs. evoo

jar of tomato sauce

shredded mozz. (maybe 1/2 pound)

So here are the few heretical tricks that will improve your chicken parm. Use fresh breadcrumbs. No need to toast. The fresh crumbs coat the chicken better and make the whole dish more moist. Also be sure to coat your chicken in breadcrumbs first then dip it in the egg wash - not the other way around like your mamma did it. This creates a better and more consistent coating of breadcrumbs where most of the flavor in the dish comes from.

Now the step by step.

We cut off the top crust of our bread because it was decorated with oatey bits we didn't want in our meal. The bread then went into the Cuisinart along with the needles of 2 maybe 3 sprigs of rosemary and a handful of Italian parsley. Rosemary is a fairly forward tasting herb so start small and add more if the crumbs need it. To this add the 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp (approx) of fresh cracked black pepper and blast the whole mess in the Cuisinart until the mix is pulverized. Warm your butter and oil in a skillet large enough to accomodate all your chicken, and preheat your oven to 350F. Crack your eggs in a bowl that will accomodate a piece of chicken and transfer your breadcrumbs to a plate. When the butter in the pan is producing small bubbles you are hot enough to begin. Coat both sides of your chicken in the crumbs then dip it in the egg mix and put it in the skillet. Repeat for the second fillet. You will only be cooking the chicken long enough to brown the crumbs and set the egg. Flip the breasts once taking care not to pull away the yummy breadcrumb coating. You may want to cut your fillets in half before coating them to make the whole prospect of flipping easier. We find we can only eat half a breast of chicken anyway. Meanwhile add a little tomato sauce to the bottom of a baking dish, just enough to cover. When the chicken is browned transfer it to the baking dish, cover with more sauce, and a generous portion of cheese. Cooking time in the oven will vary, but we find that 20-25 minutes is usually enough. There is nothing wrong with cutting into a piece of chicken to check it - unless you are trying to impress someone with presentation. And then, you are probably trying too hard. If you are checking, remember to always check the thickest part of the fillet.

The rest of the dish is fairly straightforward for anyone who has ever made spaghetti with red sauce. Boil your water, cook your pasta, drain, and toss with a little oil to prevent it from sticking together while it waits to be served up. It's all in the timing. But starting you water when the chicken goes into the oven should be good timing for everything.

Squash and radicchio risotto

We're ending the blog hiatus with a cooking entry. It is freezing in Boston, well it could be worse; but I should get some slack for coming here from Phoenix. The weather has made stodgy filling comforting dishes in high demand at our household. We're all trying to put on winter "coats" or rather fill out to keep warm. Living way up here in the wilds of New England where there is snow on the ground and positively nothing growing I am acutely aware of the produce in the grocery store. Where on earth are these tomatoes coming from?...And while truly ameliorating this worry would mean eating only roots and tubers, I am happy enough to stick to foods that tolerate a colder growing season. Seems reasonable, right? So here is to starchy wintery food!

6 cups stock

1 cup cooked squash (I used Butternut)

1 head radicchio, cut into wedges 1 to 2 inches wide

evoo

salt and pepper

balsamic vinegar

3 Tbs. butter

1 onion, diced

1 1/2 cup arborio rice

1 cup parmesan

Before I begin I should give credit to Deborah Madison for this wonderful recipe.

Whenever you have the time and the oven is on perhaps for something else, halve the squash, scoop out the seeds, spread oil on the cut side and place it, cutside down on a baking sheet in the oven. The best temps for roasting are anywhere between 325 and 375, with 350 being ideal. It is finished when it is tender to the touch - about 45 min. Scoop out the cooked flesh and mash it with a fork. You only need 1 cup for this recipe so if you have extra put it in a plastic bag and freeze it for the next batch of wonderful risotto. Before beginning the remaining recipe be sure your stock is steaming but not simmering on a neighboring burner. In a warmed skillet, medium heat, with 1 Tbs. of oil sautee the radicchio until it is wilted and just browning. Take it off the heat and splash it with balsamic vinegar, between 2 and 3 Tbs, if you need a measurement. Chop your onion while you melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion to the skillet and cook it until it is translucent and wilty. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat it in the fat.

Here Ms. Madison departs from what I know as conventional risotto making technique. I'm sure both methods would be acceptable. She advises turning the heat on the skillet to high and adding 2 cups of stock. Cook the rice at a boil, stirring occassionally. I turned the heat down at this point and continued at the normal simmer of risotto.

When you are 2/3 the way through your stock it is time to add your mashed squash to the risotto. Simply stir until it is well combined. When the rice has reached the right consistency add your radicchio, turn off the heat, stir in the cheese, and taste then season with pepper and salt (if needed).

You are done, and if you are eating it somewhere cold like I am you will probably enjoy it wrapped in blankets in front of the TV. (Or is that just my terrible habit?)