recipes

This recipe from the Williams-Sonoma Dessert cookbook is the best brownie recipe I’ve yet tried. We make it often (too often, perhaps?), and they don’t last long. I love that it’s all ingredients I usually have on hand, that it only dirties one saucepan, and that my three-year-old can bake alongside me. A family favorite - these brownies most definitely work for us. Recipe below.

Photo by ciao-chow

BROWNIES

• 1/2 c butter
• 3 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
• 1 c sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature*
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I usually add 2 teaspoons)
• 3/4 c flour
• 3/4 c chocolate, peanut butter, or white chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish, preferably glass.

In a saucepan over low heat, combine the butter and chopped chocolate. Heat, stirring often, until melted, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and salt. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until blended. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir until just blended. Stir in the chips, if using (and I recommend using them! My favorite is Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips).

Pour the batter into the dish and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick comes out almost completely clean, about 30 minutes (don’t overbake). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

*If you forget to take two eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, simply set them in a bowl and pour very warm (but not hot) water over them. Let them sit in the water bath for a few minutes while you mix everything else, then when you’re ready for them, they should be almost at room temperature.

When I’m pressed for time, low on ingredients, and everyone’s sick of spaghetti, I go for carbonara. It’s cheap, easy, and really tasty. Our picky preschooler eats gobs of it every time I make it. Here’s the recipe, with a few mentions of our family’s tweaks.

Photo by Culinary Curiosity

• salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pound pasta, such as spaghetti or rigatoni
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 pound pancetta, chopped (We do 1/2 pound of ground beef because we can’t get pork products here. Crumbled bacon would also work, I imagine.)
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 5 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 large egg yolks
• freshly grated Romano cheese (we do mozzarella)
• handful of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (we do dried)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat (I use a wok). Add the olive oil and pancetta. Brown the pancetta for two minutes; add red pepper flakes and garlic, and cook 2-3 minutes more. Add the wine and stir up all the pan drippings.

In a separate bowl, beat the yolks, then add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta.

Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with the meat and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta, and toss rapidly to prevent the egg from cooking. Remove the pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper, and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up the egg mixture and thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Garnish with the parsley and extra grated cheese.

Yum! This super-easy recipe is a family favorite, and it definitely works for us.