Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a mental list of cooking requirements for myself, and a perfect chocolate chip cookie is definitely a top item. And though the Toll House cookie is a good one, I wanted something a little different. I think my search is over! I found this recipe a couple months ago and got the chance to make them last week. They were gooey, which is a must, and the size of a child's face, which is a great bonus!


Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you have a kitchen scale, I highly recommend using it here. This recipe is written in both volume and weight, but I chose to use the latter, so that I wouldn’t have to mess with measuring cups. It was unbelievably quick: just put a bowl on top of the scale, tare it to zero, and go.

2 cups minus 2 Tbsp. (8 ½ oz.) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 ½ oz.) bread flour
-or- 17oz all purpose flour - that's what I used
1 ¼ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. coarse salt, such as kosher
2 ½ sticks (1 ¼ cups; 10 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups (10 oz.) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. (8 oz.) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ¼ pounds chocolate chips or chunks (The original recipe called for bittersweet chocolate, but I chose to use semi-sweet instead)
Sea salt, such as Maldon, optional

Combine flour(s), baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk well; then set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until very light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low; then add dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. (Unless you have a plastic guard that sits around the rim of the bowl, this will make a big mess at first, with flour flying everywhere. I found that carefully holding a dish towel around the top of the bowl helped a lot.) Add the chocolate chips, and mix briefly to incorporate. Press plastic wrap against the dough, and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. The dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the bowl of dough from the refrigerator, and allow it to soften slightly. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

Using a standard-size ice cream scoop – one that holds about 3 fluid ounces, or about 1/3 cup – scoop six mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, making sure to space them evenly. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt (I skipped the additional salt for Greg's sake), and bake until golden brown but still soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the entire baking sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies onto the rack to cool a bit more. (Because there is so much brown sugar in the cookies, if you try to take them off the cookie sheet before the sugar can cool you will end up with a mess!)

Repeat with remaining dough.

Yield: About 24 (5-inch) cookies.

Pomodoro E Basilico

I have a bunch of pictures that I need to put up here, but time is alluding me right now. So, instead, here's a recipe that I made last night. It's from the mom of a high school friend of mine and she taught me how to make it years ago. Faced with a bumper crop of Roma tomatoes and basil, I remembered having it tucked away yesterday. It really is super simple and fantastic with fresh tomatoes, though canned ones will work as well. Enjoy!

Pomodoro E Basilico (Tomato and Basil)

1/4 C. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. thinly sliced garlic
2 lbs fresh ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced lengthwise or 3 cups canned whole, peeled tomatoes, with their juice, coarsely chopped.
Salt
1/4 C. fresh basil leaves, torn by hand in 1/2 in pieces
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 lb. pasta of your choice, cooked to package directions (for best results, time the pasta to finish cooking AFTER the sauce is finished)

• Put all but 1 Tbs. of the olive oil and all the garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook until the garlic begins to sizzle.
• Add the tomatoes as soon as the garlic begins to change color. If using fresh tomatoes, you'll notice they give off a fair amount of liquid. When the liquid begins to reduce, season with salt. If using canned tomatoes, season with salt at the beginning. Continue cooking over a medium-high heat until the tomatoes have reduced and separated from the oil, about 10-20 minutes depending on the size of the skillet.
• When the sauce has reduced, add the torn basil leaves and the optional pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside.
• Add the pasta and remaining olive oil and toss to coat. Taste for salt and serve at once.
  

Sesame Chicken

I'm getting back in the swing of cooking a more well-rounded menu than just frozen ravioli and grapes and now that I don't become nauseous just looking at recipes, I've been having fun going through magazines and cookbooks again! Here's a new Ross Favorite:

Lighter Sesame Chicken

(from MarthaStewart.com)

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 cup brown rice, uncooked
  
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed with a garlic press
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 2-inch chunks
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into large florets, stems peeled and thinly sliced

Directions

1. Place a steamer basket in a large saucepan, and fill with 1 inch water; set aside for broccoli. Cook rice according to package instructions.
2. Meanwhile, make sauce: In a small bowl, combine honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and garlic; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites and cornstarch. Add chicken; season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add half the chicken; cook, turning occasionally, until golden and opaque throughout, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and chicken. Return all the chicken to skillet; add reserved sauce and scallions, and toss to coat.
4. Meanwhile, place saucepan with steamer basket over high heat; bring water to a boil. Add broccoli, and cook until crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Serve sesame chicken with broccoli and rice.

This was actually the first time I had cooked brown rice and it was a crash and burn experience. It was crunchy to the texture of cereal . . . yea . . . but we actually do prefer brown rice (when it's cooked properly) so I'm determined to figure out what I did wrong. I have a feeling that I wasn't paying full attention when I measured the water and I didn't put enough in. Any thoughts or suggestions from you brown rice cooking masters??

Double-decker Tacos

Well, we've come to realize that our little baby is quite the picky eater . . . I've pretty much been living off of grapes recently =) And ice cold water, it has to be ice cold. But, that diet probably wouldn't last too long for Greg, so I did actually make him dinner the other night, double-decker tacos, and found that the baby likes a little Mexican food every now and then.

Double-decker Tacos

1 pound ground beef or chicken
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 box of taco shells
1 can of refried beans
1 pkg soft tacos
various taco toppings (tomatoes, cheddar cheese, lettuce and salsa are the necessities at the Ross table)

Cook your meat according to pkg directions (if using chicken, boil it for about 30 minutes and pull apart to make shredded strips, then cook exactly as you would browned ground beef). Bake hard taco shells according to pkg directions. Meanwhile, heat your beans to bubbling on the stove then turn down to low to keep warm. Stuff the hard taco shells with taco meat. Spread a layer of beans on the soft tacos (warmed in the microwave) and wrap one around each hard shell. Serve and top as you desire.

We love tacos this way because the hard tacos are bound to break right down the center with your first bite and then all the fun stuff falls out. This cleans it up a little bit plus you still get the great crunch from the hard shell.

And because you can't mention double-decker tacos without a shout out to taco town . . . :

Cheesecake lovers?

Here's a fun link that Kristie sent to me . . . if you come up with a good recipe, let me know!