Magic chocolate flan cake

Have you ever seen a recipe in a cookbook, online, or in a magazine that made you wanted to drop everything and run to the grocery store to get the necessary ingredients? That is how I felt about this recipe when I saw it in December. I found it in my sister's copy of "Cooks Country" and although we had tons of Christmas cookies to enjoy, I was "this close" to making this too. (I used my Grandma's Christmas birthday as an excuse to make a cake, but the idea was vetoed by the saner members of my family given the landslide of sweets occupying every corner of the kitchen.) Oh, did I mention that I now have a subscription to "Cooks Country"? It has the best comfort food recipes ever!

Anyways, I finally got a chance to make this last week for the yearly work party. It turned out so beautifully that I wanted to put a sign next to it that said "Christy made this." Oh, and it tasted great too! I mean, how could custard, caramel, and chocolate be wrong? Now, it might look complicated, but I thought this was one of the simplier things I've made in the past few months. Easy button!

Oh, and if you're asking why this is called "magic", it's because you pour the chocolate layer in the bottom and the flan atop. The layers "magically" switch as the cake bakes. Science!

Serves 16

Ingredients - cake

½ cup caramel sauce
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients - flan

2 (14-ounce cans) sweetened condensed milk
2 ½ cups whole milk
6 ounces cream cheese
6 large eggs plus 4 large yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions (cake): Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan. (Measure if you are unsure. Mine was more like 10 cups and I had to sacrifice 2 cups of flan.) Microwave caramel until easily pourable, about 30 seconds. Pour into pan to coat bottom. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in bowl; set aside. Combine chocolate and butter in large bowl and microwave at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until melted, 2 to 4 minutes. Whisk buttermilk, sugar, eggs, and vanilla into chocolate mixture until incorporated. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Pour batter over caramel in prepared pan.

Directions (flan): Process all ingredients in blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Gently pour flan over cake batter in Bundt pan and place pan in large roasting pan. Place roasting pan on oven rack and pour warm water into roasting pan until it reaches halfway up side of Bundt pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean and flan resisters 180 degrees, 75 to 90 minutes (I did 75 minutes and next time would try a little less). Transfer Bundt pan to wire rack. Let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, then refrigerate until set, at least 8 hours. (Remove roasting pan from oven once water has cooled.) (I didn't realize I needed to cool this so long and needed it to be good to go 2 hours after it came out of the oven. I let it sit for 10 minutes and then plunged it into a bowl of ice, replacing the ice twice. Worked perfectly, whew!)

3. Place bottom third of Bundt pan in bowl of hot tap water for 1 minute. Invert completely flat cake plate, place platter over top of Bundt plan, and gently turn platter and pan upside down. Slowly remove pan, allowing caramel to drizzle over top of cake. Serve with extra caramel sauce drizzled over the top.

Banana mascarpone layer cake

When I first started cooking/baking I wasn't very good. Or, more appropriately, the food I made wasn't very good. I remember pudding I had to drain through a sieve and my suggestion that Jennifer should use cream of tarter to thicken her spaghetti sauce. Yuck! And although I moaned and groaned like any normal teenager would when my mom instituted the rule that Jennifer and I were each required to plan and prepare two meals a week, I am now thankful that I was required to learn to cook at an early age. (I'm sure Justin is grateful too, since I'm sure it has cut down on the number of kitchen disasters.)

Twenty-one years later (did I mention it was my birthday two days ago?), I now have a few thoughts on how to improve your culinary skills. The most important is to learn to identify the recipes you can faithfully recreate. If you're feeling adventurous/unsure, reserve that recipe for a time you're not hosting guests or feeling particularly broke. (Failed recipes can be quite expensive, as you not only have to buy ingredients that get dumped into the trash, but also the pizza afterwards!)

Anyways, how does this cake pertain to today's musings? I think it is a good stepping stone to improve your culinary skills if you've already baked a cake before, but want to try something a bit more advanced. Also, it is delicious and frosting can hide a lot of cooking uh-ohs!

I first made this cake four years ago and Justin has been requesting it ever since. It combines the best part of carrot cake (the frosting, but here improved with the addition of mascarpone) and banana bread (the moist, sweet taste.) It is quite dense, so should probably yield at least 16 slices if you're serving it for a birthday party, as I was. Speaking of birthday parties, I nominate Justin to bake next year's cake!

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
Scant 1 tsp salt
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (~3 large), plus 4 large bananas, thinly sliced
1/2 cup plus 4 tablespoons buttermilk
6 large egg whites
2 cups chilled mascarpone (16 oz)
2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

 Directions

1 -  Preheat the oven to 325 F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper; butter the parchment paper. Dust the pan all over with flour, tapping out any excess. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2 - In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the butter and sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla extract. Add the mashed bananas and beat the mixture until smooth. Add half of the dry ingredients and beat at low-speed until the batter is moistened. Beat in half of the buttermilk, then add the remaining dry ingredients and the remaining buttermilk.
3 - In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites at medium-high speed until firm peaks form. (The best way to do this is to have the beaters and the bowl cold. I put them in the freezer 20 or so minutes before beginning.) Beat one-fourth of the egg whites into the batter at low speed. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the rest of the whites until no streaks remain. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the top. Bake the cakes for ~ 40 minutes, until the top is golden and springy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean; the top will be slightly cracked. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a rack to cool completely. Peel off the parchment paper.
4 - In a medium sized bowl, beat the mascarpone with the confectioners' sugar at medium speed until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Using a large serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally into 2 layers. Place the top layer cut side up on a cake plate and spread with 1/4 of the mascarpone frosting. Arrange half of the bananas in a single layer on the frosting. Repeat with two more layers. Place the top of the second cake atop the three layers, cut side down and frost the top and sides. (I would have preferred to have a bit more frosting. Consider adding 4 additional ounces of mascarpone if you're not very comfortable with frosting cakes.) Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Chocolate chip cookies with sea salt

We're one month into the semester and I can detect the mood changing in class. Students are starting to become overwhelmed with the amount of coursework. The most shocking thing is that they don't come to class regularly. (Did I mention that class is at 8AM?) What can I do to help stem this tide of anxiety while maintaining high standards?

So, of course the answer is chocolate. Now, I'm not inviting any comparisons to Dementors, but I wanted to do something for the students to reiterate that I'm approachable and cookies seemed like a perfect overture. I also mentioned my blog in passing last week, so I feel like I should put my cooking skills on display. Plus, I could use another treat or two to spice up the desserts section on my blog. The students were so surprised (and happy) when I mentioned cookies that some broke out into applause. It really made my day!!!

Are you surprised that these cookies were really yummy? Justin said "they look weird, but taste great." You know why? I was too lazy to walk to the grocery store to get dark brown sugar. So, I substituted white sugar and molasses. They looked burnt (courtesy of the molasses), but tasted divine. The hint of salt was a nice addition too. 

Oh, last warning. This recipe made a massive amount of cookies, at least 60. I quickly packed the remained for Justin to bring to work. Calorie bomb crisis averted!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup butter

3/4 cups dark brown sugar

3/4 cups white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp sea salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1- Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a baking sheet.
2 - In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Add in the vanilla and eggs. Mix until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

3 - Roll dough into balls and drop on your greased baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly before moving to a wire rack.

Spring greens

It's halftime in America. And no, I'm not referencing last year's Super Bowl commercial with Clint Eastwood that brought a tear to my eye. (If you don't know where I'm from, this should give you a good hint!)

It's too bad that none of our friends had a Super Bowl party this year. Maybe it's because the Super Bowl is on Sunday, all of our friends have kids, and no one wants to be h.o. on a Monday. (Did I mention that Justin took Monday off of work? Good planning, hubby!)

Since we don't have anywhere to go, I decided to throw a little party at our house. Justin's bringing the beer. Sure, it is just the three of us (dog makes three), but I spent the entire day in the kitchen nonetheless. This dish was the best by far and took the least amount of time. Go figure. However, I did have a fun adventure last night at the local Indian grocery store, which I'd never visited until then. Um, spices are so cheap there!!! I will be back. (Did I tell you that my spice collection is probably worth more than all my jewelry?)

And of course this is from Regional Indian Cooking. Funny, my friend Seth visited us yesterday and I showed him this cookbook. He has a copy of it. You should have one too!

We're done noshing and I just realized I could have done a New Orleans themed spread. Alas, next year I'll remember to do something inspired by the host city.

Ingredients

1/2 cup mustard oil (Purchased at Indian Grocery. I don't cook with a lot of oil, so I used 1/4 cup and it was very tasty. It might be a bit too pungent for my tastes if more was used.)
3 dried red chilies
1/2 tsp chili powder (I used chipotle chili powder. Just make sure this isn't the kind for chili, i.e. with cumin)
1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, ground in spice grinder
1 1/2 lb assorted leafy greens and other spring vegetabls such as baby spinach, bok choy and scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
Salt

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. When it starts to smoke, reduce heat to medium.
2. Add chilies, chili powder, coriander, and any greens with firm stems. Stir and toss for two minutes. Add remaining greens and garlic and cook , tossing, until leaves wilt, 1-2 minutes.
3. Season to taste with salt. Remove and discard whole chilies. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot.

Beef assado

This is a story about early morning adventures and obsession. Um, obsession because I am obsessed with the recipes from Regional Indian Cooking, the cookbook of the week! And early morning risers because I was at the grocery store at 6:00 AM (!!!) buying ingredients for this recipe. Why so early you may ask? Well, this recipe required marinating and I couldn't leave work at 2:00 PM to get it started. Hence my early trip to the grocery store. Would it disgust you to learn that I arrived at the store in my pjs?

Where was hubby you might ask during all of this commotion? Hanging out in bed of course. I got him back with my liberal use of the food processor. Of course I had to turn up NPR extra-loud, so I'm sure he heard all about the morning's news. Haha.

I find it strange that one of my only beef recipes on this blog comes from an Indian cookbook. However, the recipe says that you can substitute lamb if you're so inclined. I know that I gush all about the recipes I publish. (Remember that this blog has the ultimate missing data problem; you only see the recipes that worked.) Don't worry, not everything I do is fabulous. However, this recipe is!

Ingredients, beef asado

4 fresh mild long green chilies (I used Anaheim peppers. I was worried at first that they would be too spicy, but they were quite mild.)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp ground tumeric
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
2 tsp white vinegar
2 lb boneless stewing beef, such as chuck steak, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
1 dried red chili
Plain yogurt, for garnish

Ingredients, carrot and roast peanut relish

10 oz carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 cup (4 oz) plain whole-milk yogurt, whisked until smooth
2 tbsp unsalted rosasted peanuts, finely chopped
1 fresh mild long green chili, finely chopped (again, I used Anaheim peppers)
1 tsp sugar
salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Pinch powdered asafetida (I substituded a pinch of garlic and onion powder.)
1 tsp cumin seeds
Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions - beef assado

1. In a food processor, combine fresh chilies, garlic, and ginger and process until chilies are finely chopped. Add tumeric, pepper, and vinegar and process until a paste forms. Transfer paste to a bowl, add meat, and toss well to coat mean evenly. Cover and set aside for 3 hours to marinate. (I left it for ~12 hours. The flavors were not overpowering.)
2. In a heavy-bottomed ovenproof saucepan, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add onions and salt and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until onions are softened, 10-15 minutes. Preheat oven to 300 F (150 C).
3. Raise heat to high, add half of beef and cook, stirring until well browned, 2-3 minutes. Remove beef and onions from pan. Repeat with remaining beef. Return all beef to pan and add dried chili.
4. Cover, place in oven , and cook until beef is very tender, about 1.5 hours.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt if necessary. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot over lentils or rice.

Directions - carrot and roast peanut relish

1. In a bowl, combine carrots, yogurt, peanuts, chili, and sugar and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt. Transfer to a serving bowl.
2. In a small frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add asfetida and cumin and cook until seeds start to pop, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and pour oil mixture atop carrot mixture.
3. Top with cilantro and serve.
Note: this relish tastes best when made just before serving.