Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made this cookie recipe for the first time about a month ago for my hairdresser’s birthday. Last year for his birthday I made him the traditional Neiman Marcus cookies, so this year I decided to kick it up a notch and bake the Neiman Marcus Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. This of course meant that Scott and I had to perform some “quality control” testing. I have several chocolate cookie recipes (Mississippi Mud and Chocolate Raspberry) that I love to bake, however Scott said these were his new favorite. Scott is a serious chocoholic so this revelation came as no surprise.

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Neiman Marcus Cookbook
2 dozen cookies

3 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

· Pre-heat oven to 300°F.
· Place 2 cups of the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave the chocolate chips in 30 second intervals, stirring chips after each interval until chips are melted, about 1.5 minutes.
· Place butter and brown sugar in a mixer bowl and using the paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar for about 30 seconds until combined. Then with the mixer running on low, slowly add the eggs and melted chocolate. Slowly add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt to the mixing bowl. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl and mix a little longer, and then add the remaining chocolate chips and mix a little longer until chips are incorporated.
· Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a 1 oz (2 Tbsp) cookie scoop; scoop dough onto cookie sheet. Scoop about 9 cookies per batch.
· Bake cookies for 20 minutes.
· Let cookies rest for 1 minute on cookie sheet and then transfer cookies with a spatula to a wire rack to cool.
· Repeat process for remaining cookies.

Spice Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Baby Carrots

Serves 2-3
Adapted from Bon Appétit, April 2009

This is a great dish to serve during the week for a simple dinner or to entertain guests since the oven does most of the work.

Carrots
1 pound baby carrots, peeled, trimmed, leaving 1/2 inch of green tops attached
1 tablespoons water
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter, diced
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1/2 small jalapeño (preferably red), seeded, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon coarse kosher salt


Pork
1- to 1-1/4-pound pork tenderloins
1 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

· Preheat oven to 400°F.
· Whisk together water, EVOO, butter, garlic, jalapeno, honey, chile powder, cumin, and salt in a med bowl.
· Arrange carrots in a 9 x 13 baking dish and coat with seasoning mixture.
· Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
· While carrots are baking, make pork seasoning mixture by mixing together oregano, cumin, chile powder, paprika, and salt in a small bowl. Rub pork tenderloin with seasoning.
· Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and add EVOO. Brown pork on all sides about 5 minutes.
· When carrots are ready, remove foil, and nestle pork tenderloin among the carrots. Bake for about 18 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in the pork registers 145°F.
· Let pork rest 5-10 minutes before cutting to serve.

Iron Chef: Bobby Flay vs. Neiman Marcus

Last night Scott and I cooked a fabulous dinner inspired by Bobby Flay and Neiman Marcus. With spring around the corner, this was the perfect menu to get excited about the end of winter and the time change.

I love cooking recipes from Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill cookbook, every dish I have made always surprises with me new elements of flavor. Last year I had the pleasure of eating lunch at Mesa Grill in Las Vegas and in my opinion it was the best meal I had that weekend.
The Neiman Marcus tea room is a great lunch spot. However, I always get the same thing Chicken Tortilla Soup and a Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie to go. The Chocolate Chip cookies are the reason why I purchased the Neiman Marcus cookbook (even though I do have an email forward with the infamous recipe). While planning my menu for the evening I needed an appetizer or salad that would pair well with my Bobby Flay choices and the Southern and Southwestern roots of Neiman Marcus were a perfect fit.

Scott and I went with a divide and conquer method so he prepared the NM shrimp cocktail while I worked on the BF rib-eyes and mashed potatoes.

Neiman Marcus Ten-Spice Barbeque Shrimp Cocktail

vs.

Bobby Flay Grilled Rib-Eye Steaks w/ Chipotle-Honey Glaze and Whipped Potatoes with Cilantro Pesto

Ten-Spice Barbeque Shrimp Cocktail
adapted from Neiman Marcus Cookbook
serves 4

Ten-Spice Barbeque Mix and Shrimp
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
12 jumbo shrimp (about 1 lb), peeled and deveined
1/4 cup EVOO

Mix together paprika, cumin, chile powder, coriander, salt, garlic, onion, thyme, pepper, and cayenne in a small bowl. In a large bowl coat the shrimp with olive oil, and then sprinkle with 3 Tbsp of the spice mixture. Cover the shrimp bowl with plastic wrap and chill for a few hours. Cook on a grill, grill pan or skillet (with oil) 2-3 minutes per side.

*Save extra spice mixture to season chicken, pork, or steaks for another meal.

Roasted Corn-Jicama Salsa
yields: 3 1/2 cups

2 cups roasted corn kernels (from 3 large ears of corn)*
1 cup peeled and finely diced jicama
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/4 cup seeded and finely chopped red bell pepper
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tsp seeded and minced jalapeno
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
salt

Mix together the corn, jicama, red onion, bell pepper, cilantro, and jalapeno in a large mixing bowl. Then combine with lime juice and salt to taste.

*Roasting the corn is optional. If you are pressed for time,corn fresh off the cob will still be very tasty.

**Extra salsa can be saved as a snack later or garnish for other dishes.

Cilantro-Lime Dressing
yields: 2 cups

1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tsp honey
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cups EVOO


In a blender or food processor process the vinegar, lime juice, cilantro, honey, salt, and process while slowly adding olive oil.

*Dressing will last for several days in the refrigerator and can excess can be used for salads or season fish.

Assembly

Margarita or Martini glasses make a great presentation for this shrimp cocktail.

Finely shred 1 heart of romaine and add to a mixing bowl with corn-jicama salsa, and ½ cup of the dressing. Divide salsa mixture among 4 glasses and top each with 3 shrimp.

Grilled Rib-Eye Steaks with Chipotle-Honey Glaze
Adapted from Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Cookbook
Serves 4

1 can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
½ cup honey
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup canola oil
Kosher salt
4 (12 oz) rib-eye steaks
Black pepper
Roasted Pepper Relish*

Puree chipotle chiles in a blender or food processor. Place 1 Tbsp of chile puree in a medium bowl and reserve the remainder for another use. Add honey, mustard, canola oil, and 1 tsp salt to the bowl whisk together with the chipotle chile puree.

Preheat grill pan to medium-high heat.
Rub steaks with 2 Tbsp EVOO and season with salt and pepper. For medium rare grill steaks on one side for 4-5 minutes, then turn steaks over and brush with honey glaze and continue grilling for 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat and brush with more glaze. Let steaks rest 5-10 minutes before serving. Top each steak with the roasted pepper relish.

Note: I prefer to get my rib-eyes directly from the butcher so they can be cut thick about 2 inches. Prepackaged rib-eyes are usually cut very thin and will cook to fast.

*Roasted Pepper Relish

2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, cut into strips
2 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, cut into strips
3 cloves roasted garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp EVOO
2 Tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
Kosher salt and pepper

Combine ingredients in a bowl.

Whipped Potatoes with Cilantro Pesto
Adapted from Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Cookbook
Serves 4

3 lbs Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
Kosher salt
1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
½ cup packed fresh flat leaf parsley
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp pine nuts
½ cup EVOO
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Black pepper
1 stick butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup skim milk

Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring potatoes to a boil over high heat and cook 25-30 minutes or until tender.

While potatoes are cooking make cilantro pesto and warm the milk and butter mixture.

To make pesto using a blender or food processer, add cilantro, parsley, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and then slowly add olive oil while processing.

Combine butter, cream, and milk in a small sauce pan over low heat.

Drain potatoes and return to the pot. Slowly add hot milk mixture while mashing potatoes. Then gently fold in cilantro pesto.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Scott and I celebrated Valentine's Day part II with a delicious dinner at home with some bubbly, vino, and one of my all time favorites...lamb chops! I don't know what it is about lamb chops, but I love them. However, the downside is that most restaurants just don't make great lamb chops, the ones I make at home are much tastier. Exceptions to this are Ousie's Table and Da Marco which have the best lamb chops in town.

We kicked off our evening with some Champagne since it was a special occasion. We like to drink while we are cooking, so of course that meant the Champagne wasn't going to make it through dinner, even though it was the recommended beverage for the menu. Our wine with the meal was a Cabernet. Both of these bottles are what we refer to as Ike wines, which means they survived the hurricane. Ike taught us a lesson about wine storage. We have a wine chiller, and since we were without power for a week, and our wines came up to temperature, the wines were affected...which meant they just weren't the same. If we had never put them in the chiller to begin with they would be just fine. Luckily these two tasted just fine.

The inspiration for our menu came from Williams-Sonoma Entertaining cookbook's Valentine's Dinner for Two. The Williams-Sonoma recipes are always delicious and I have yet to be disappointed.

Crab, Avocado, and Grapefruit Salad with Chive Vinaigrette
adapted from Williams-Sonoma Entertaining
serves 2

Chive Vinaigrette
1/4 cup EVOO
1/4 cup snipped fresh chives
1 Tbsp creme fraiche (or sour cream)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 Tbsp Champagne vinegar
1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

• Combine the EVOO and chives in a blender and process until smooth, then set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the cream fraiche/sour cream, mustard, vinegar, and lemon juice.
• While whisking slowly add in the chive oil.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.

Salad
1/2 lb Dungeness jumbo lump crab meat, picked for shell fragments (or regular crab meat)
1 Tbsp finely chopped celery
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and sliced
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 pink grapefruit, peeled, sectioned (no membrane) and excess juice reserved
salt and pepper
2 cups mixed torn frisee and radicchio leaves
1/4 cup fresh chive pieces

• In a bowl combine the crab meat, celery, and 3 Tbsp of the chive vinaigrette, and excess grapefruit juice.
• In another bowl toss the avocado with lemon juice to prevent browning.
• Then combine the crab mixture with the avocados, grapefruit sections, and 2 Tbsp of the chive vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Divide the salad greens onto each plate, and top with the crab, avocado, grapefruit mixture. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette.

The great thing about salads is that if you are missing a few ingredients or can't find them you can easily improvise. I couldn't find Dungeness crab (and I went to two grocery stores), and while I could have just purchased regular crab, I have to buy it by the pound and I only needed a half pound...so instead I omitted the crab from the recipe. Also I only found one sad looking piece of frisee in the produce dept at Central Market (very unlike them) so I substituted my greens for a mix of arugula and radicchio.

Pink Peppercorn Rack of Lamb
adapted from Williams-Sonoma Entertaining
serves 2

1 rack of lamb, frenched with 6-8 ribs
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp fine dried bread crumbs
1 Tbsp pink peppercorns, crushed
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup EVOO
1/3 cup dry white wine*

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Rub the fat side of the lamb with mustard and set aside.
• In a small bowl combine bread crumbs, peppercorns, rosemary, garlic, and salt.
• Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the mustard and lightly pat it, so it adheres to the lamb.
• Place a nonstick, ovenproof skillet over medium heat and add EVOO.
• Sear lamb on both sides for about 3 minutes per side or until lightly golden.
• Place skillet with lamb fat side up in the oven and roast until cooked to your liking. Medium Rare: 13-15 minutes.
• Remove lamb from oven and transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil. Let lamb rest for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile place the skillet back on stove top over medium heat (don't forget the oven mit, the handle will be hot from the oven).
• Add wine to skillet, scrapping up any brown bits from the bottom. Pour the pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl, and discard solids.
• Carve the chops and spoon the pan juices over the chops.

*Since we already had the bubbly open, we used Champagne instead of a dry white wine. If you were drinking red wine that could be used as well.

These lamb chops were so tender and flavorful, I even nibbled the remaining meat off the bone when I through eating. So yummy and so easy to make.

Cauliflower Gratin
adapted from Williams-Sonoma Holiday Entertaining
serves 8

2 heads cauliflower, separated into florets
5 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup+ shredded Gruyere or white cheddar cheese

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
• Steam cauliflower in a steamer basket over boiling water for 10 minutes or until barely tender.
• Spray gratin dish with Pam and arrange the florets tightly in one layer.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 Tbsp butter, heat until the butter foams and then remove from heat and stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Return the pan to medium-high heat and while constantly whisking slowly drizzle in the milk. Reduce heat to low and simmer stirring occasionally until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and half the cheese, stirring until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.
• Pour sauce over cauliflower florets, top with remaining cheese, and dot with remaining butter.
• Bake 20-25 minutes or until top is browned and sauce is bubbling.
• Serve immediately.

We scaled this recipe down to 2 servings, but it was so tasty and a nice alternative to the standard potato. Roasted Yukon Gold potatoes were the suggested side for this menu, but I wanted to try something different and was very glad I did. I will have to member to add this dish to my Christmas 2009 menu.

I had also made some Rosemary Popovers from this cookbook for New Years Eve and had planned to make them for V-day because they were so good...but we got distracted and forgot.

Chocolate Raspberry Fondue
suggested by my friend Courtney on her blog
adapted from Betty Crocker

1 container chocolate frosting
1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves
brownies cup into 1 inch cubes
dried apricots
strawberries
bananas
marshmallows

• Combine frosting and preserves in a microwave safe bowl and zap it on high for 20-30 seconds.
• Stir to full incorporate ingredients and transfer to a fondue pot to serve.

This dessert is so quick, easy, and sinfully delicious. But if you have some fruit with it you can pretend its healthy.

Restaurant Review: Bedford

This past Saturday Scott and I celebrated Valentine's Day Part I at Bedford in the Heights. Yes we know Valentine's day isn't until this coming Saturday but we prefer to go out for a nice Valentine's dinner on a day other than February 14th. Restaurants are always so crowded and even with a reservation there is a sense of urgency for a quick table turnover to accommodate as many customers as possible on this Hallmark Holiday. And then there is a second issue...the prix fixe menu which drastically limits a diners choices for what they would like to order. So on the actual day we opt instead to cook a delicious gourmet dinner at home and enjoy some nice wine from our "collection" to go with it...stay tuned for the details on Part II next week.


We first heard about Bedford not from friends who had dined there, but from a show on the Food Network called the The Chef Jeff Project. The show is about helping at risk young adults live a better life learning skills used in the kitchen and cooking food. Robert Gadsby was a judge at the end of the show, and gave one of members of the project a job offer in his new restaurant Bedford. At the time the episode aired, Bedford hadn't opened yet. Scott and I immediately googled Bedford and found nothing, nada, zip. Well a few weeks later Bedford passed the google test, and several of our friends had dined at Bedford and all had glowing reviews. We knew we were in for a treat.


Bedford has an option to select an item from each of the 4 menu sections at a reduced portion for only $55 per person...we opted for the tandem selection so that we could try as many items as possible on the menu and not have to be rolled out of the restaurant. Scott and I prefer a mix-and-match approach when we go out to eat, and we both order something different so that we try some of each. Many of the items we ordered had a surprise Asian flare to them that we enjoyed as a little surprise in our mouths. Instead of ordering a bottle of wine, we went with wine by the glass options so that each item was paired with a wine that would compliment and enhance the flavors of the food.


Beginnings

Seared Scallops: Cauliflower Puree, Cucumber Red Pepper Relish, Lotus Crisps
wine: Pine Ridge Dijon Clones Chardonnay

Chinese Duck Ravioli: Mixed Shiitake Mushrooms, Stir-Fried Bean Sprouts
wine: house champagne

Fish & Crustaceans

Gulf Shrimp & Crab: Mixed Vegetables, Kaffir Lime Shellfish Sauce
wine: Pine Ridge Dijon Clones Chardonnay

Tellicherry Peppered Tuna: Celery–Apple Whipped Potatoes, Endive & Citrus BBQ Sauce
wine: Joel Gott Savignion Blanc

Poultry & Meat

Boneless Beef Short Ribs: Button Mushrooms, Fingerling Potatoes, Root Vegetables
wine: Kaiken Malbec

Pepper Glazed Texas Quail: Torn Pasta, Petite Vegetables, Minted Cilantro Pesto
wine: Rex Hill Pinot Noir

Desserts & Finales

Assorted Chocolate Truffles

Assorted Sorbet

Thai Pesto Shrimp with Coconut Rice

This recipe is inspired by Southern Living, they actually have a "Healthy Living" section in their February 2009 issue. Not only is this recipe a tasty, quick to fix weeknight meal, but its good for you too. And my favorite part...you can freeze the extra rice and pesto and save yourself the prep time next time you make it. I like freezing extra portions because its great to have on hand for quick meals, especially if I need my husband to cook dinner without my assistance.

Thai Pesto Shrimp (Southern Living, February 2009)

yield: 6 servings*

1 1/2 pounds unpeeled, large raw shrimp (16/20 count)
1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon kosher or 3/4 tsp. regular salt
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided

• While the rice is cooking you can make the pesto and cook the shrimp.
• Thaw shrimp, peel, and devein.
• In a food processor or blender process the cilantro, lime juice, peanuts, ginger, garlic, salt, honey, red pepper, and 3 Tbsp of the olive oil until smooth.
• Taste pesto and make adjustments as needed, if its too tangy add more honey, if you want more a kick add more red pepper flakes.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, heat remaining Tbsp of olive oil, then saute shrimp for 2 minutes per side or just until the shrimp turn pink (you don't want to over cook the shrimp or they will become rubbery).
• Stir in the cilantro pesto and serve over rice.

300 calories, 13.9 g fat

*Since this recipe makes 6 servings, I scaled part of it down to two servings. I bought frozen shrimp and only used 1/2 lb of the shrimp. However I did make the full Thai pesto recipe so I could freeze the extra for future use. The extra small Ziploc containers are 1/2 cup and are the perfect size for freezing small portions of pesto or chicken broth.

Coconut Rice**

yield: 2 servings

3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp light coconut milk
¾ cup water
½ tsp kosher salt
¾ cup basmati rice
½ tsp lime zest
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp thinly sliced green onion (both white and green parts)

• In a small saucepan over high heat bring 3/4 cup coconut milk, water, and salt to a boil.
• Add rice, reduce heat to low, and cover saucepan.
• Simmer for about 15 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed.
• Keep pan covered, but remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Spoon in additional 2 Tbsp of coconut milk, lime zest, lime juice, and green onions.

**I have another recipe that I prefer over the Southern Living recipe, so I'm going to share it instead. The Southern Living version is 104 Calories, 2g fat per serving, so we are going to guesstimate this one is close to the same.

Pomegranate-Glazed Shish Kebabs

I recently acquired a Weight Watchers cookbook so we can try some easy and healthy recipes for weeknight dinners. These kebabs were very quick and easy to make and also very tasty and filling. Its a great way to incorporate a variety of veggies.

WW Pomegranate-Glazed Shish Kebabs


1/4 cup low sodium low fat chicken broth
2 Tbsp pomegranate molasses (this part takes a long time to make and needs to be done in advance)
1 tsp salt
1 lb boneless sirloin, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
4 mushrooms halved or 1 portobello mushroom cut into 8 pieces
1 green or red bell pepper, cut into 8 pieces
1 red onion, cut into 8 pieces
1 zucchini, cut into 8 pieces

• Make pomegranate molasses if it cannot be purchased at the store (click link for recipe)


• Spray a broiler rack with Pam and preheat the broiler.


• Combine broth, molasses, and salt in a small bowl.


• Thread 4 skewers with veggies, mushrooms, and meat.


• Place skewers on the broiler pan and brush with half the broth mixture.


• Place broiler pan under broiler and broil for 4 minutes.


• Then turn and brush with remaining broth mixture and broil for an additional 5-6 minutes.

4 servings (1 skewer = 1 serving)
189 cal, 6 g fat prep 10 min, cook 10 min