Sasha's Kitchen: Chocolate Stout Brownies

Brownies are one of the best sweet comfort foods of all time.  As a member of ShopRite's blog panel, I had received a huge bag of delicious chocolate chips and other baking supplies that came in handy when making this delicious recipe that I found in the recent Bon Appetit magazine for chocolate stout brownies that I made for the Super Bowl party that we went to for the now Championship NY Giants (whoo-hoo).  The stout adds a nice, rich flavor to the brownies, similar to the way it did when I made my chocolate stout cupcakes awhile back. These are just pure chocolatey goodness!  I adapted the recipe from Bon Appetit a bit and eliminated the frosting, because quite frankly they don't need anything else.  These are fudgy, chewy, moist and amazing.

Chocolate Stout Brownies (adapted from this recipe)
1 cup chocolate stout (I used local Brooklyn Brewery Chocolate Stout, but you could also use Guinness)
16 oz Shoprite chocolate chips
2 sticks uf unsalted butter
1 1/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

First, boil the stout, and reduce one cup to half a cup of stout.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Line a 9 x 9 metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2 inch overhang.  Bring the stout to a boil in a medium sauce pan and cook until reduced to half a cup, about twelve minutes.  Allow to cool.

Stir 12 oz of the chocolate chips and two sticks of butter in a medium metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (like a double boiler).  until melted and smooth, stirring occasionally.

Whisk the sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl to blend, and then gradually whisk in the chocolate mixture.  Add about 1/4 plus 2 T of the stout from the pan, then fold in the flour and the salt.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the brownies until the surface begins to crack and a tester comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool for at least twenty minutes before slicing.  No glaze needed!

Sasha's Kitchen: Turkey Paillards with Cranberry Piccata Sauce

This dish reminded me of an offbeat Thanksgiving dinner, but its really perfect anytime of year.  I bought thinly sliced turkey paillards from FreshDirect, so I really did not need to pound them.  The flavors for this recipe combined quite nicely together and it was a perfect weekend meal.  It's another recipe from my Sam Talbot cookbook that I have previously written about and have enjoyed.  His shirataki noodle recipes are really my favorite and I plan on trying another one of his shirataki recipes next week.  Even my pug Dakota wanted a taste of this one.  Just a note - I left out the capers from this one.  Feel free to add them in if you prefer.  There's a few foods I won't touch with a ten foot pole and capers are one of them.

Turkey Paillards with Cranberry Piccata Sauce (from Sam Talbot)
Cranberry piccata sauce
1 medium bulb pennel cored and sliced with stalks discarded
3 T olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1/2 bunch of celery, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp pennel seeds
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup fresh cranberries (I used 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup hand-torn flat leaf parsley
1 to 2 T stevia extract or agave nectar
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pink peppercorns
2 T unsalted butter

Turkey paillards
1/2 cup soy milk (I used soy milk rather than whole milk as the recipe called for)
2 organic eggs
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
6 oz slices turkey breasts (I used about a pound and a half)

To make the sauce, preheat the oven to 450.  Spread the fennel on a baking sheet and drizzle with one tablespoon of the olive oil.  Bake about six minutes until browned on all sides.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the onions, celery and fennel seeds and cook until the onions and celery are translucent, about two minutes.  Add the white wine and cook for two minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. This deglazes the pan.  Add the toasted fennel, cranberries sweetener, (I used agave nectar) pink pepper and butter and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from pan and heat and set aside.

To cook the paillards, in a large bowl, whisk together the soy moil and eggs to make a wash.  In a second bowl, combine the almond flour, panko and cheese.  Dip the turkey in the egg mixture and then into the breading mixture.  In a large skillet, heat the canola oil over medium high heat.  Add the turkey and pan fry until golden brown about two to three minutes on each side.  Then place in the oven at 350 and cook for a bit longer to make sure the turkey is cooked through.

Serve the turkey paillards topped with the cranberry piccata sauce.

Sasha's Kitchen: Asian Style Sesame Chicken Wings

I found this recipe online and it made for a delicious batch of chicken wings.  I actually made it a second time over the weekend and used chicken drumsticks and breasts (bone in) and it was equally delicious.  It's a perfect combination of sweet, garlicky, sesame oil and chile for just a bit of smoky heat, for a yummy asian inspired chicken wings. This is also a quite easy meal to make with chicken as well - and perfect for game day!  Happy Valentines's Day to all my readers here on A Kitchen In Brooklyn

Asian Style Chicken Wings (from this recipe)
4 pounds chicken wings
1 T toasted sesame oil
2 T smoked paprika
1 tsp kosher salt
4-6 turns freshly ground black pepper
cilantro for garnish (optional)
2 T toasted sesame seeds
2 lime wedges for garnish (optional)
3 T peanut oil (I used canola oil instead)
4 fresh cloves garlic, diced
2 T sriracha hot sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

Preheat the oven to 400. Place the wings under cold water and pat dry.  Drizzle the wings with toasted sesame oil and toss so coated evenly.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and paprika and roast for 30 minutes until the skin is crisp and the meat is tender.

While the wings are cooking, place a small sauce pan over medium heat and add the canola oil and garlic.  Once the garlic starts to sizzle, add the sriracha sauce, honey and soy sauce.  Bring to a simmer an cook 2-3 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.  Turn off the heat.

Once the wings are done, place in a large mixing bowl and pour the glaze over them.  Toss to coat well.  Place on a large platter and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds as a garnish.  You can also garnish with lime and/or cilantro.