The Chewy...Almost

Did You Know? In 1937, Ruth Wakefield (owner of the Toll House Inn) was making butter cookies, and thought she would make them all chocolate instead. She cut a bar of Nestle chocolate into tiny pieces and added them to the cookie dough. When the cookies came out of the oven, the chocolate hadn't melted at all! Instead, the "chocolate chips" had kept their form. Ruth decided to go to Nestle with her recipe for "Chocolate Crunch Cookies." Nestle liked the idea, and they got permission from Ruth to put her recipe on the back of their chocolate bars. In return, she got all the chocolate she wanted to keep on baking those cookies.

Two popular cookie recipes have been circulating the internet for quite some time, and ever since hearing of both of them, I've been wanting to taste what all the hype was about. Unfortunately, I had no bread flour left at my house, and no car to drive to the store to get some - which doesn't mean I didn't make cookies, but that my original taste teste would have to wait. I went with Alton Brown's recipe this time, substituting all-purpose flour for the bread flour, and throwing in some chopped pecans and walnuts.

Coincidentally, Caitlin also had cookies on the mind, and baked up her own batch of "Chewies" while my Mom and I made ours. But unlike my version, Cait had read the ingredient list beforehand, and made sure her kitchen was stocked. I was just pumped I would be able to try the real deal, bread flour and all.

The batch I made with all-purpose flour were really good, but in my opinion, no where near as tasty as Cait's. The all-purpose flour turned the supposedly "chewy" cookie into a much more cake like treat. Cait's bread flour creation was everything the name had implied: chewy, chocolately, and definitely the best cookie I have ever eaten. She even sprinkled the tops with sea salt, which always makes for the best dessert. There's nothing like sweet and salty when the craving strikes. So if you like a cakey cookie, swap out the bread flour for all-purpose. But if you're looking for a chewy one, go with Alton's word, just throw in some pecans for good measure. Thanks Cait!

Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
Adapted from Alton Brown's "The Chewy"

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (Original recipe calls for bread flour)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (Original recipe calls for 2 cups)
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped (I threw in some chopped walnuts, too)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract, and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans.

Chill the dough (I did for 30 minutes, but I hear 4 hours is called for), then scoop onto baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet (I did 12). Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

Sugar-Crusted Fennel & Pear Salad

Did You Know? Today, pears are available in grocery stores 10 months out of the year, but they weren’t always so easy to find. In the 1800s people were willing to pay over $20 for just one pear because they were so rare and delicious.

After a few dozen cupcakes and muffins, I think I'm due for some fresh fruits and vegetables here on Buff Chick. We had my Grandparents and Uncle over yesterday afternoon for a late lunch, and while my Mom simmered away the entree, I worked on a side salad for her. I love introducing new foods to my relatives, and salads are a great way to combine a ton of unique flavors into one satisfying dish. I'm always surprised at the flavor combinations that work in salads. You can basically throw in anything and know it's going to taste good. And no matter what kind of greens I go with, I always add in some type of fruit.

My sister first introduced me to this mix after watching Giada toss it together a few weeks ago. She's made it on many occasions, but each time, we had finished the bowl before I had the chance to photograph any of the remains. Giada used pancetta as the protein, but being vegetarians, we opted for toasted pecans and some feta cheese. And sticking with my 'always throw in fruit' rule, I added some diced anjou pear. This mix has quickly become my go-to salad these days, and even my standard iceberg-and-tomato grandfather went for seconds on this one.

Sugar-Crusted Fennel & Pear Salad
Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

1 bulb fennel, halved, cored, and sliced; Reserve about a tablespoon of chopped fronds for garnish, if desired
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup pecans, toasted
1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons feta
1 pear, cored and diced
10 ounces mixed salad greens
Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, toss together fennel, onion, garlic, brown sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the ingredients on the baking sheet in a single layer. Cook until the fennel is caramelized, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, place the salad greens, caramelized fennel and onion, pecans, pear, and 1/4 cup of feta. Toss the salad with the Red Wine Vinaigrette and garnish with the additional couple tablespoons of feta and the fennel fronds. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Red Wine Vinaigrette

2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Pecan-Praline French Toast

Did You Know? French toast was created by medieval European cooks who needed to use every bit of food they could find (including day-old bread) to feed their families. The term "french toast" first appeared in print in the Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink in 1871.

As I've mentioned before, most Sundays at my house begin with a family-style breakfast. My sister and I are usually home from school for the weekend, along with my brother and his girlfriend, Caitlin. It's one of my favorite parts about coming home from school. We laugh, we eat, and there's always way too many cooks in the kitchen.

Caitlin loves watching me cook and photograph for Buff Chickpea. She loves browsing through other food blogs, in hopes of recreating something that has sparked her interest. This particular recipe is her first (of many) contribution to Buff Chickpea. And although it took some coaxing to get her to make it completely on her own, the result could not have been better.

A warm, bread pudding-like base, and glazed in a sugary-pecan coating, this french toast took the ordinarly soggy breakfast to new heights. The bread itself was soft, but not overly so. The moisture level was spot on, and the crispy topping worked wonderfully against the custard base. Served with warmed maple syrup, and a dusting of powdered sugar, a second piece will be calling you shortly. Thanks Cait!

Pecan-Praline French Toast
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
1 loaf Italian bread, cut in 1" thick slices
3 cups whole milk
3 eggs
2 tablespoons white sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon, plus additional for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Praline Topping
Adapted from Paula Deen
1 stick butter, slightly softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons golden syrup (or light corn syrup)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

The Night Before
Liberally grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of white sugar.

Arrange bread in the pan in two tightly-packed layers. Make sure to fill in any spaces with torn pieces of bread, so that the custard does not leak to the bottom.

Whisk the milk, eggs, remaining sugars, cinnamon, salt and extracts, and pour over the bread. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon and sugar.

Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The bread will absorb all of the sugary custard while you catch up on your zzz's.

The Next Morning
Make the praline topping: Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Spread over french toast.

Bake at 425 for 30 minutes, or until puffed and golden.

Cut into generous squares and serve with maple syrup and powdered sugar.

THANK YOU

On a side note, I just wanted to send a HUGE thank you to Julia of Dozen Flours for generously sending a sweet 'n salty candy apple my way over the weekend. It was completely devoured within minutes of arrival, and held to high acclaims from everyone in my household. Declared as the best candy apple ever eaten, I'll have to try my hardest on my next dessert to win them back. Thanks Julia, for having such a giving spirit and kind heart.

Panko-Pecan Asparagus

Did You Know? Under ideal conditions, an asparagus spear can grow 10" in a 24-hour period, and will continue to produce spears for 15-20 years without being replanted.

We had some leftover breadcrumbs from a dinner my mom made the other day, so I thought I would put them to use in a quick side dish that would be a good addition to any meal. I used asparagus here, because if I kept it in the fridge any longer it would have gone bad, but I'm sure any vegetable would work. Broccoli is always nice with a little crunch, brussels sprouts (now that I've convinced you how tasty they are), potatoes (roasted or twice-baked), squash, any pasta dish (mac & cheese anyone?), you get the idea.

Usually I try to look for spears that are on the skinny side. I think they taste better and they crisp up a lot nicer, but they only had pretty thick ones at the grocery store, so that's what I ended up with. Anyways, this is a really simple dish, but the flavors are in no way lacking. I love the crunch that panko provides. They are a much needed upgrade from regular old crumbs. If you're not familiar with panko, they are a Japanese breadcrumb, with a much coarser texure than its Italian counterpart. The toasted pecan bits round everything out, giving this side a real roasted flavor. So if you're in need of something simple to finish off your next meal, I suggest you start here...

Panko-Pecan Asparagus
1 bunch asparagus spears (around 15 or so)
2 tablespoons walnut oil (feel free to use olive or grapeseed, I just took this whole dish down the nut route)
1/4 cup panko crumbs
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
1 teaspoons dried parsley
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse asparagus under water, pat dry, and snap off the tough ends.

Arrange spears on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper.

In a separate bowl, combine panko, pecans, parsley, and a little more salt and pepper.

Sprinkle the panko-pecan mixture over the spears, and transfer the baking sheet to the oven. My asparagus was on the thick side, so I roasted mine for about 20 minutes. If yours are more slender, I would only do about 15 minutes or so.

German Chocolate Cake

Did You Know? German Chocolate Cake was not brought to America by German immigrants. The cake took its name from an American with the last name of "German."

I mentioned in a recent post that I had spent a delicious Friday night baking with my mom, so I thought I would share what expactly we baked up. Trust me, this post is not for the faint of heart...

One of my favorite people to cook for is my Dad, and when he called home from work the other day to request some sort of dessert from my mom, I took over the bakers role. I'd been wanting to test out this recipe for some time (knowing it was one of my Dad's favorites) so I thought this was as good a time as any. The recipe at hand...German Chocolate Cake. A decadently rich, layer cake that is not to be taken lightly. This particular recipe incorporated moist cake layers sandwiched between a caramel-like pecan and coconut spread, all of which was drowned in an intense chocolate ganache frosting

What set this cake apart from other chocolate cakes I had baked in the past, was the addition of melted chocolate to the cake batter, instead of the usual cocoa powder. This definately intensified the flavor, but the addition of whipped egg whites took away any doubts I had that this cake would be to dense. After giving the bowl a good lick, I watched as my cakes rose to perfection in the heat of the oven. The daunting task awaiting in the future: cutting each cake into two layers. It didn't turn out all that bad, but they were by no means cut straight across. The coconut-pecan filling did a beautiful job at masking my imperfections. Not being a huge chocolate cake fan myself, I ended up putting a nice dent into this one. Trust me, it's really good, but really filling. I found myself hunched over on the couch after eating just a small slice.

A quick note about the frosting...mine did not set up like I thought it would, so I ended up just pouring the entire bowl over the top and letting it drip down the sides. The directions say to pipe it on, but the consistency I ended up with was in no shape for piping - much too liquidy. In the end, I loved how it turned out. It may seem like a lot of ganache to be pouring on a cake, but you won't be sorry when all is said and done.

I would have posted the recipe here, but I think David's step by step instructions are perfect as is...so check it out here and see for yourself! I'll leave you with an in-your-face slice of heaven...

Happy Baking...Hayley

Toasted Pecan Pie

Did You Know? There are over 1,000 varieties of pecans. Many are named for Native American Indian tribes, including Cheyenne, Mohawk, Sioux, Choctaw and Shawnee.

I promise I don't just sit around all day eating pie! I just loved how my Thanksgiving pies turned out, so I wanted to share. After this one, I swear I won't post another pie for a while. If you're like me, then you love cooking and baking for others...so just because you make all these sweets, doesn't mean you have to eat them all yourself! Share the love, your neighbors will be so grateful. Now, on to the pie...

If you asked my family for the one thing they didn't get enough of on Thanksgiving, it would be the pecan pie. My mom was the first to cut in, when I gave in and let her have a slice before the big day. It was all downhill from there. That pie didn't last 20 minutes once the desserts were set out after dinner. I blame myself for not cutting in earlier. I fell asleep after dinner, and when I woke up for dessert, there was a tiny sliver left for me to taste. Looks like I'll be making two of these next year, and thanks Pioneer Woman for the quickly consumed recipe...

Don't forget to toast the pecans lightly. It's a step I added, but it really makes all the difference between a chewy and crunchy topping.

Pecan Pie
1 unbaked pie crust (I used Pate Brisee-I cut the dough round for the top into strips, and braided them together. Stick it to the dough in the pie plate with an egg wash)
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup melted butter (regular, salted)
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 heaping cup chopped pecans, toasted for about 5 minutes

Roll out your bottom dough round on a lightly floured surface, and place into a 9-inch pie plate, freeze until firm, about 30 minutes (I added the braid to the top before I froze it).

Mix sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl. Pour chopped pecans in the bottom of the pie shell. Pour syrup mixture over the top. Bake pie at 350 degrees for 1 hour, being careful not to burn pecans and crust.

The pie will be jiggly when you remove it, don't worry, it will set as it cools. Best to eat this one the next day.