Thick and Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies

If you happen to live in Seattle or Chicago you are lucky enough to have access to Starbucks latest new product, VIA. VIA is basically Starbucks version of instant coffee and it blows the competition out of the water. I am not just saying that because I work for Starbucks - in taste test after taste test, VIA wins hands down as a superior product. While I am not much of an instant coffee drinker, VIA can come in handy when you don't have access to a Starbucks (traveling, camping, etc.) and it is versatile enough that you can use it to make all sorts of interesting cocktails and work well in recipes.

I had a big day at work where I wanted to impress a few folks so I decided to try out this recipe by Cook's Illustrated for Double Chocolate Cookies. I replaced the instant espresso powder with two packets of VIA (next time I'll use three to dial up the coffee flavor even more). They turned out pretty good.

Thick and Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies

To melt the chocolate in a microwave, heat at 50 percent power for 2 minutes, stir, then continue heating at 50 percent power for 1 more minute. If not completely melted, heat an additional 30 to 45 seconds at 50 percent power. Semisweet chocolate chips may be added for a bigger chocolate punch; if used, they will slightly increase the yield on the cookies. We recommend using a spring-loaded ice cream scoop to scoop the dough. Resist the urge to bake the cookies longer than indicated; they may appear underbaked at first but will firm up as they cool.

INGREDIENTS

2	cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2	cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2	teaspoons baking powder
1	teaspoon table salt
16	ounces semisweet chocolate , chopped
4	large eggs
2	teaspoons vanilla extract
2	teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder
10	tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks), softened but still firm
1 1/2	cups light brown sugar
1/2	cup granulated sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl; set aside. Melt chocolate in medium heatproof bowl set over pan of almost-simmering water, stirring once or twice, until smooth; remove from heat. Beat eggs and vanilla lightly with fork, sprinkle coffee powder over to dissolve, and set aside.

2. 2. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or with hand mixer), beat butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds (15 seconds with hand mixer). Beat in sugars until combined, about 45 seconds (1 1/2 minutes with hand mixer); mixture will look granular. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds (1 1/2 minutes with hand mixer). Add chocolate in steady stream and beat until combined, about 40 seconds (1 minute with hand mixer). Scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With mixer at low speed, add flour mixture and mix until combined, about 40 seconds (1 minute with hand mixer). Do not overbeat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until consistency is scoopable and fudgelike, about 30 minutes.

3. 3. Meanwhile, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Leaving about 1 1/2-inches between each ball, scoop dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets with 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop.

4. 4. Bake cookies until edges have just begun to set but centers are still very soft, about 10 minutes, turning cookie sheets from front to back and switching from top to bottom racks halfway through baking.

5. 5. Cool cookies on sheets about 10 minutes, slide parchment with cookies onto wire rack and cool to room temperature; remove with wide metal spatula.
   

Pesto Pasta Salad

This Barefoot Contessa recipe for pesto pasta salad runs neck and neck with her orzo with roasted vegetable pasta salad as my favorite pasta salad recipes. I am a huge fan of pesto especially in the summer when basil is in season - for me, basil is the smell of summer.

While the quantity of olive oil in pesto makes it hard to say it's healthy (even with a good oil like olive oil, this is a lot), the addition of the spinach in this recipe helps make this salad a little less guilt ridden while helping it remain green even days after it is made. Even still, I cut back the olive oil in this pest recipe to 1/2 a cup and often cut the mayonnaise by 1/2 and use light mayo.

If you never have made pesto before, it's really easy and is much better fresh than anything prepared.

Lastly, don't skimp on the pine nuts (make sure they are toasted). They really add great flavor and texture. I also read the other day they are full of antioxidants...no wonder those Italians look so great.

Grilled Halibut with Lima Bean and Roasted Tomato Sauce

I gave this recipe for grilled halibut with lima bean and roasted tomato salsa a go recently as I happened to have some halibut I wanted to grill and was looking to add a little pizazz. I am afraid to say it didn't offer the umph I was looking for. While it was relatively easy to make and quite healthy, I didn't love it. I doubt I will make it again.

I used edamame instead of lima beans to beef up the protein.

Curried Couscous Salad

This curried couscous salad by the Barefoot Contessa is quick, tasty and healthy. It works on its own or as a side. I love the color combination of the yellow of the curry, the green from parsley and onion, the orange of the carrot and the red from cranberries (I am not a huge raisin or currant fan, so I use dried cranberries).

Tabbouleh

I am a huge fan of middle eastern food - it's full of flavor and pretty healthy too. So last weekend I decided to take advantage of the season and my thriving herb garden with this delicious tabbouleh recipe from the Barefoot Contessa. I paired it with my sister's recipe for hummus, some grilled lamb chops that I had in the freezer from Easter and Greek pita. Grilled chicken and taziki would work well with this menu too.

Tip - When buying pita, don't bother with that dried out pocket bread style pita - it is not worth the carbs. Many grocery stores have authentic Greek style pita (no pocket) that is delicious. It's especially good if you brush on a little olive oil on each side and put it on the grill for 1-2 minutes per side.

Lime Curd Tart

We were having our friend's Samie and Robert over and Greg was making his famous steak and oven fries. I was in charge of dessert and realized I had left over tart crust and lime curd so decided to give this Lime Curd Tart a try.

I am rarely this clever with 'leftovers' and was pretty proud of myself for coming up with this. Usually I would find both the lime curd and the dough a month and half later in the back of the fridge - no matter how hard I try, I still feel like we end up throwing out way too much food.

I've always read that if you over work pasty dough it can get tough, but I've never really experienced it until now. My crust was embarrassingly tough...it was reworked twice for it's first life (goat cheese and tomato tart) and then once again for this dessert. Anyway, it was a good learning for me.

Overall, it's hard to say as the crust was so disappointing. I'll try it again some day.

Watermelon Bombe

I love this dessert for summer get togethers. Everyone likes ice cream cake and this Watermelon Bombe by Martha Stewart puts a fun yet sophisticated twist on a childhood classic. I've made it a few times for various get togethers and most recently for a BBQ with friends. I couldn't find any watermelon sorbet so I used raspberry instead - it was tasty.

It's easy enough but can take a bit of time to let all the layers freeze independently. Martha would probably be appalled. but I was in a rush so I just bought pre-made angel food cake from the store instead of making sponge cake. This time I used gelatto for one of the layers which I would NOT recommend - it was a bit too soft. Lastly, sit this one out if you don't have a heavy duty hand mixer...you'll end up with a huge mess on your hands.

Persian Love Cake

I saw the recipe for Persian Love Cake in Bon Appetit years ago and hadn't found an excuse to make it until the un-shower for Amy.  I thought it was beautifully feminine and the rose water, cardamom and saffron flavors would be sophisticated.

It didn't let me down.  It's a very light cake and the combination of the flavors above are delicious.  It's not hard to make - even the candied rose petals are manageable - and the frosting is basically whipped cream so it's pretty forgiving.  I think this would make a unique and fantastic wedding cake.

A few tips:  I couldn't find organic roses, but the florist recommended Fair Trade roses and that I wash them a couple of extra times.  Knowing what I know about FT, that didn't make any sense but I did it anyway.  I would recommend only buying one rose, not two as the recipe suggests, as I had more roses than I knew what to do with.  Saffron is expensive but you'll get several cake's worth out of a jar. People really don't make cakes very often anymore and usually only for special occasions, so just splurge - you and your guests are worth it!

A Un-Shower for Amy

A few of us girls decided to use the excuse of our friend Amy's second pregnancy to throw her a party to celebrate her kindness and generosity over the years. She is the type of person who is incredibly giving and is always there for her friends and family regardless of the request or occasion with a genuine smile on her face. We wanted to make sure she knows how much we appreciate her so we threw her a surprise party on a glorious sunny day.

The menu:

Herbed Goat Cheese sandwiches
Turkey Tea Sandwiches
Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart
Strawberries with Lime Curd
Mrs. Smith's Lemon Bars
Persian Love Cake
Assortment of Imported Dutch Candy
Champagne, white wine and sparkling water

A special thanks to my sister Nicole for all her help in menu planning and cooking - I couldn't have done it without her!