For the most part, Keller takes a no-frills approach when naming his recipes. His brownie recipe from ad hoc at home is simply titled “brownies” — minus any capitalization and all the other things you can add to a title (i.e., “double chocolate brownies” or “best brownies in the whole freaking world”). Things many of us do to try and make our recipes stand out from the rest of the pack. He doesn’t need all that.

ad hoc at home, Keller’s latest installment, is by far my favorite.  It’s also the first Keller book that I’ve seriously cooked from, unless you count the time I made Bouchon’s onion soup. Though fantastic, it came at a steep price: Cooking the required 8 pounds of onions for 4 hours made my tiny apartment smell like I had a Funyun party the night before. With each passing day the intensity of the onion scent diminished, but the actual scent got worse. It went from smelling like sweet caramelized onions to the inside the mouth of a halitosis sufferer. But I’d spend another 4 hours of my life stirring a stock pot full of onions for that rich, buttery onion soup.

The wafting aroma of baking brownies is much easier to stomach than that of 8 pounds of slow-cooked onions. And in winter, a house smelling of chocolate and warmed by an oven is one of life’s pleasures. A simple pleasure, just like Keller’s brownies. (Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe.)

This recipe makes 12 brownies. At first, a mere dozen may not seem like enough — but believe me, their richness is more than enough. The recipe can be doubled, however, and baked in a 9×13 pan. This makes the brownies a bit taller, so you can cut them into thinner rectangles. Use good chocolate whenever you can.

BROWNIES
Adapted from ad hoc at home by Thomas Keller
Yield: 12 brownies

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 cup unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 3 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups 61-64 percent chocolate (I use chocolate chips for ease)
• Garnish: Powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×9 pan. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder and salt.
3. In a small saucepan (or in the microwaveable glass bowl), melt half of the butter. Put the remaining butter into a medium bowl and pour the melted butter over the non-melted butter. Stir until remaining butter melts, and mixture is creamy with small bits of butter floating around.
4. In a stand mixer, mix together eggs and sugar for 3 minutes, or until pale yellow in color and thick. Add vanilla. With the mixer on lowest speed setting, alternate adding 1/3 of the sifted dry mixture and 1/3 of the butter until just combined. Add in chocolate chips.
5. Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs sticking to it. Completely cool brownies in pan before cutting. Dust with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

– Cynthia Furey

(Note: Giveaway rules appear right under the recipe.)

Friends, the gods are totally smiling upon me today, for today is a double holiday. Not only is it Thanksgiving, but it’s also (Drumroll! Fanfare!) Furey & the Feast’s first birthday. Which means there’s turkey, pie AND birthday cake. I might add that it’s not just any birthday cake, but it’s a chocolate cake.

A microwave chocolate cake. (Are those crickets I hear?)

Normally I’m not too keen on using the nukebox as a cooking method, but this is a special case.

I was 9 or 10 years old when I bought my first cookbook, which I ordered from the pages of that Scholastic book club newsletter you get every month when you’re in elementary school. “Hershey’s Fabulous Desserts” had this beautiful chocolate cake on the cover, all done-up with chocolate curls and strawberry garnishes. What a cookbook was doing in an Scholastic newsletter I have no idea, but I remember thinking something along the lines of holy crap, I can make that?

Among the 140 recipes in this cookbook, there were only a handful of them that a child could make without parental know-how and knowledge. One of them was this cake. My mom had banned sweets from the house long ago, so this cake was, in my eyes, the greatest of mankind’s achievements. I could have cake every single weekday of  summer while my mom was at work, thanks to the ease of the microwave. She’d never know.

So in honor of these childhood and blog firsts, I wanted to “bake” this cake again. Back then, each forkful of cake laced with deviousness was especially delightful. Without that element, would it taste the same after all this time?

(Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe and giveaway)

It’s been at least 15 years since I’ve even looked at this recipe, with its outdated fonts and taboo methods. Do people really use margarine in buttercream frosting these days? And since when does baking a cake require that you line the pan with plastic wrap? I’m certain I wasn’t the only one baking from this cookbook in the late 1980s/early ’90s, so I’m glad to say that we’ve all come a loooong way since those days. As for its taste: well, it’s not quite as I remember it. It’s like the microwaveable brownie you get in those Tyson frozen meals. The cake may not be as sweet as the memory, but it’ll do in a pinch.

HERSHEY’S MICROWAVE CHOCOLATE CAKE
Adapted from “Hershey’s Fabulous Desserts”
Yield: 8 servings

• 1/4 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
• 2/3 cup hot water, divided
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Line an 8-inch by 1 1/20-inch microwave-safe dish or bowl with plastic wrap.
2. In a small glass bowl, combine cocoa and 1/3 cup hot water. Microwave on high power for 40 to 50 seconds, or until mixture is slightly thickened.
3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix in oil, remaining 1/3 cup water, egg and vanilla. Add in chocolate mixture and stir for 40 or 50 strokes, until batter is smooth and all ingredients are incorporated.
4. Pour batter into plastic wrap-lined bowl/pan. Nuke on high power for 5 to 6 minutes. Cake is done when it begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes to cool.
5. Invert cake onto serving plate and peel off plastic wrap. Cool cake completely before frosting (recipe follows).

EASY COCOA FROSTING
Adapted from “Hershey’s Fabulous Desserts”
Yield: 1 cup

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine (please, oh please don’t use the latter), softened
• 1/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa
• 1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine all ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer. Use paddle attachment to beat ingredients until frosting becomes spreadable. Spread over cake and garnish as desired.

After birthday cake, there’s usually presents. So in honor of F&F’s milestone, Artist Lisa Orgler of the Lunch Box Project and I are having ourselves a giveaway. Lisa creates these amazing whimsical paintings of food using playing cards as canvases – like this lovely one (at right) she painted of my Insalata Infilzata, which I bought, framed and hung in my dining room.

The grand prize winner of this contest receives one of Lisa’s paintings – your choice from her collection, or one from your own blog you would like her to paint. (Whether you win or not, you should also know that Lisa is having a buy one get one free special from Dec. 1-15. Go have a look!)

How to enter: In the comments section of this post, share your most flamboyant, embarrassing or epic kitchen disaster while cooking a holiday meal (mine involves twin flaming meatloafs, for example).

Fine print: The contest runs from today through Dec. 2. I’ll choose the top five best stories and pick a winner at random on Dec. 3. I’ll also pick three entries at random to each win an 8-ounce package of Cacao Rouge cocoa powder, made by Chuao Chocolatier, a Venezuelan chocolatier based out of my ‘hood of Southern California. (The only thing I ask in return is a promise never to use this awesome chocolate in a microwave chocolate cake!) One entry per person, please. Good luck, and I can’t wait to read your stories!

After cake and presents come the thank yous. Although these come last, they’re not at all of least importance. Super-enormous thank yous and virtual hugs go out to everyone who humors me in reading this blog. A writer is nothing without readers and I am truly, truly thankful for you. I hope you get something out of your time spent here. I hope you are entertained.

A special thank you also goes out to the writers behind The Chickenless Kitchen and Sweet Water – Lindsay and Jenn, respectively. The two lovely ladies awarded me with the Kreativ Blogger award (which is so awesome!!). Both are new bloggers, having started their blogs this year. Both are fantastic additions to the food blog world. Please visit them yourselves and welcome them to our community – I promise you won’t be disappointed.

A safe and happy Thanksgiving to all!

P.S.: FTC/BlogHer rules requires me to state where the giveaway goods come from. They are purchased by me.

Once upon a time, there was a young(ish) food writer who wanted nothing more than to go to a cooking club potluck. Sadly, each month on the day of the meetup, there was always something that got in the way. Usually, it was the same thing.

“I have to work.”

While she tackled her workload, visions of au gratin pans and Corningware platters danced through her mind, always in theme with the cooking club’s genre of the month. Once, it was Chinese food. Then Italian. As she wrote (and wrote and wrote), she thought wistfully of what she was missing out on.

“How I wish I could go,” she would say.

Then one day, she got her wish. Her absentminded fairy godmother had come back from a long vacation, tanned and ready to jump back in the game. It was time to go to the potluck.

This time, the theme was 1950s food.

“So, what are you going to make, muffin?” her Valiant Boyfriend asked.
“Hmm,” she pondered for a few moments. “Baked Alaska!” she declared, disregarding that the party location was a 45-minute drive on the freeway, and that the local news had declared it the Hottest Weekend of the Summer.

No, in this fairy-tale world, transporting a Baked Alaska in a steaming-hot car down the 405 on The Hottest Weekend of the Summer wouldn’t be a problem at all. So it began.

First, a batch of brownies came out of the oven and cooled on a rack. Then, chocolate mint, chocolate and vanilla ice cream was smooshed into a plastic wrap-lined bowl, layer upon layer until the bowl was full. Then, the platter of brownies was placed on a plate, the bowl inverted and the excess brownies trimmed. A cloud of egg whites and sugar haloed the ice cream, and a mini-torch containing the fires of hell singed the meringue with a brown crust.

The baked Alaska was finally ready for its entrance at the party. All three piled into the car to begin the trek, with Valiant Boyfriend at the wheel.

But oh, what a perilous journey it was! The Baked Alaska, tried as it might, seemed as if it was no match for the harsh, stagnant heat. It melted. A lot.

Knowing that the poor dessert was on its last leg, Valiant Boyfriend weaved in and out of lanes, dodging slow cars and crammed interchanges, while food writer scanned the horizon for signs of lurking police cars. It seemed as though the journey would never end, but at last, all three made it to the party. As for the Baked Alaska, its health was grave: A gaping hole and melting ice cream pooled at the bottom of its plate. Into the freezer it went for a recharge, and (much) later, it was as good as new. It was a showpiece dessert, and everyone lived happily ever after. (Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe.)

CHOCOLATE MINT BAKED ALASKA WITH BROWNIES
(Brownies adapted from Epicurious)

• For brownies:
• 1-1/4 sticks unsalted butter
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cold large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 quart vanilla ice cream
• 1 quart chocolate mint ice cream
• 1 quart chocolate ice cream

• For meringue:
• 6 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. Line an 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. To make brownies: In a heatproof bowl, combine butter, sugar, cocoa and salt over a pot of simmering water, stirring until butter is melted and mixture is smooth and hot. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. Using whisk or wooden spoon, stir in vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition. When batter is blended, add flour and stir until combined. Count 40 strokes with your spoon, and then spread mixture into prepared pan.
4. Place in bottom rack of oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center is slightly (but not completely) moist with batter. Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack.
5. For ice cream filling: Line a medium bowl with plastic wrap. Spoon vanilla ice cream into bowl and pack down to fill. Repeat with remaining ice cream in layers. Cover and freeze until firm.
6. To make meringue: In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites and sugar until soft peaks form. Add vanilla and cream of tartar and mix until stiff, glossy peaks form.
7. Remove molded ice cream from freezer and invert from bowl onto brownies. Cut away excess brownies (and by all means, eat them!) from edges of ice cream. Transfer ice cream/brownies to a serving plate.
8. Using a spatula, spread meringue onto ice cream and swirl to create peaks. Use a blowtorch to brown the sides of the meringue. Serve immediately, or freeze for later use.

– Cynthia Furey

Once, I made a chocolate mint cake for someone’s birthday. We’re talking a big-deal kinda birthday cake, tall and proud, with Valrhona, fresh mint leaves steeped in cream, chocolate curls and piped borders. When I was finished, it looked like every Baking 101 technique out there had assaulted the defenseless, 10×6 confection. It took days to complete. And it only took a split second to devastate.

The cake was transported from my kitchen to the birthday site, a mere 10-minute drive down a residential surface street. I sat in the passenger seat with the plated cake in my lap. Sometime during the drive, I remember blinking, and the next thing I knew my seatbelt had tightened forcefully, and the heavy weight on my lap was suddenly absent. While my friend cursed the car that had caused the sudden stop, I sat stunned, staring at an almond-crusted pile of shit at my feet. It may as well have been steaming.

Cakes don’t travel in my lap anymore. At the very least, they travel in wide boxes with slip-proof rubber mats underneath. Since then, I’ve had a few more rounds of travel mishaps — like a car floor covered in cream of mushroom soup and butterscotch pudding after yet another sudden stop — but for the most part, things have remained unscathed. A homemade three-tiered wedding cake survived a three-hour trip from Orange County, Calif., to Santa Barbara, and this strawberry cream cheese cake recently arrived at a San Diego housewarming party in near-perfect condition. Thank goodness for that. 

(Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe.)

Even if you assemble this cake in a slapdash sorta way (like when you’ve waited until the last minute and you’re late for a housewarming party, ha), it still looks like it took a lot of effort. The following recipe is rewritten to reflect my changes. For the original recipe from Cooks Illustrated, click here (you have to be a member to view). 

STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE CAKE

• Adapted from Cooks Illustrated, May 2006
• Yield: 8 servings

FOR CAKE:

• 1 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks (reserve whites)
• 2 eggs
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

FOR FILLING:

• 2 pounds fresh strawberries, cleaned and hulled
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons Kirsch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

FOR WHIPPED CREAM:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 2 cups heavy cream

PROCEDURE:
1. To make the cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Use cooking spray to grease a 9×4 or 10×4 cake pan. Place a parchment round in the bottom of the pan and grease with cooking spray. Lightly flour pan.
2. In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt, and all but 3 tablespoons of sugar. Whisk in eggs and yolks, melted butter, water, and vanilla, until batter is smooth.
3. Using a stand mixer with whisk, beat the three reserved egg whites at medium speed until it begins to turn light, about one to two minutes. Keep the mixer running while you add the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar. Increase speed to high and beat egg whites until soft peaks form (about a minute).
4. Take about a third of the egg whites and stir it into the cake batter. Fold the rest of the egg whites into batter until combined. Pour batter into pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and cool completely on a rack before assembly.
5. To make filling: Halve 24 equal-sized strawberries, to be used on the sides and top of the cake. Chop the remaining strawberries and toss with 6 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl. Let sit to macerate for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.
6. Strain the juices from berries and reserve (Cooks Illustrated says you should have about 1/2 cup of liquid). In a food processor, pulse berries into smaller pieces.
7. In small saucepan over medium-high heat, simmer reserved juices and Kirsch until reduced to a syrup (you should have about 3 to 5 tablespoons). Pour hot syrup over berries, add salt, and toss to combine. Set aside to cool before cake assembly.
7. To make cream: Using a stand mixer, whisk cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed until l fluffy. Scrape bowl.
8. Reduce speed to low and add heavy cream in slow stream. Increase speed to high and whisk until cream resembles a soft, spreadable frosting that holds stiff peals. This should take about 2 to 2-1/2 minutes. Scrape bowl as needed. (Assembling instructions after photo)

ASSEMBLY: 
1. Slice the cake into three rounds. Place one layer on a cake plate.
2. Arrange some strawberry halves on the outer ring of the cake, cut sides down and hulled sides facing outward.
3. Pour half of cooled strawberry mixture into the center of the cake, spreading evenly to the outer ring of strawberries. Top with a third of the whipped cream. Top with middle cake layer and repeat steps 2 and 3.
4. Top with last cake round and press down on the cake to better fuse layers. Spread the remaining whipped cream on the top of the cake and decorate with halved strawberries as desired. Serve immediately, or leave refrigerated for up to 4 hours. If storing in fridge, let come to room temperature before serving.

– Cynthia Furey

Being in a sour mood doesn’t always have to mean that you want to plant crossed arms in front of your chest or scrunch up your face and hold it there for as long as you can. Being in a sour mood can be a good thing.

Like when you’re in the mood for something sour, for example.

I for one am a big advocate for putting sour cream in quick breads like muffins, pancakes and coffee cake. Sour cream adds a moistness (fat! Yes!) and tang without even a mutter of its presence. If it’s added in the right quantity, you won’t even know it’s there. It’s ummph, and just because it’s pucker-worthy doesn’t mean it’s having a bad day.

(Click “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe)

I tweaked this Epicurious recipe for sour cream coffee cake just a bit to use some leftover toffee chips and chocolate chips. For the original recipe (which includes a glaze), click here. The batter will look flat and barely cover the pan, but it puffs up really nicely while baking.

SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE AND TOFFEE CHIPS

Yield: 10-inch round coffeecake
Adapted from Epicurious

• Streusel Topping:
• 1/2 cup granulated or brown sugar, or 1/4 cup each
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg or cloves (optional)
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
• 34 cup toffee chips
• Batter:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated or brown sugar or 1/2 cup each
• 4 large egg yolks, or 3 large eggs
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream or plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray one 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment or waxed paper, spray with cooking spray again, and dust with flour.

2. To make the streusel: Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg if using. Using a fork, cut in the butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Stir in toffee chips.

3. To make the batter: Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. In another large bowl, beat the butter until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Blend in the sour cream and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture, and fold in chocolate chips.

4. Layer your ingredients: Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of the streusel. Carefully cover with the remaining batter and sprinkle with the remaining streusel.

5. Bake until the cake is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 50 minutes. Cook in pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Wrap it in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

– Cynthia Furey

In my early years of college, I was editor-in-chief of our campus newspaper. The first decision I made under that title had nothing to do with breaking news or investigative stories, however. Instead of getting down to business, I planned a party.

It was kind of business-related. I thought it would be cool to have a summer bonfire at one of the local beaches as kind of a get-to-know informal event, so editors could befriend some of the incoming writers and vice versa. We’d have a united staff, I thought, bonded equally by our love of sniffing out the news and the strong friendships that would stem out of this gathering. It was gonna rock.

And initially, at least 30 staff members also thought it was gonna rock, all agreeing to come after we settled on a date in August that worked with everyone’s schedule. As it drew nearer, I started stocking up on goodies like booze and s’more ingredients.

On the day of the bonfire, people slowly trickled in — until the attendee flow just stopped completely. In all, seven people, including myself, showed up. I’ll never forget the moment we gathered around the fire, outnumbered by the boxes and grocery bags that lay before us. I sat there lost in my thoughts of failure in bringing our staff together. But then I heard a laugh, breaking my concentration. “Well, we can have a bottle each,” he said, pointing to the cooler full of vodka, rum and juice. Hmm. There was a bright side after all.

So there we were, all seven of us, with a gazillion boxes of graham crackers, a boatload of family-size Hershey bars and an estimated 3 pounds of marshmallows. And at least 10 bottles of top-shelf rum and vodka.

We drank like kings that night.

(Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe)

I also ate my fair share of s’mores that night too, which, in combination with all the rum, didn’t sit well with my stomach. Inexplicably to this day though, I can’t get enough of those simple sandwich treats. And I was ecstatic when I came across this recipe comes from Martha Stewart’s site for s’mores cupcakes. A bonus: The frosting is definitely a keeper, and you can use it on fruit. Swirl a strawberry or peach half in frosting, torch it, and you’ve got a new take on fruit ‘n cream.

CHOCOLATE GRAHAM CRACKER CUPCAKES WITH MARSHMALLOW FROSTING

Adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Yield: 2 dozen

• 2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 20 squares)
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

For marshmallow frosting:

• 8 large egg whites
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

PROCEDURE

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 standard muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
2. In a stand-mixer mixing bowl, sift 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using the paddle attachment, mix ingredients together on low speed.
3. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and continue mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add boiling water and stir to combine Set batter aside to cool a bit.
4. Place graham cracker crumbs, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl; stir until well combined.
5. With a tablespoon, place scoop of the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each prepared muffin cup. Use the bottom of a small glass to pack crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liner (my glasses are too large, so I use the bottom of my kitchen blowtorch). Reserve remaining graham cracker mixture for topping.
6. Transfer muffin tins to oven and bake until the edges of the graham cracker mixture is golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and place 2 teaspoons chocolate in each muffin cup. Fill each muffin cup three-quarters full with cake batter. Sprinkle each with remaining chocolate and graham cracker mixture. Return to oven and bake, rotating pans halfway through baking if needed, until tops are firm and a cake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer muffin tins to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely.
7. To make frosting: Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a stainless-steel mixing bowl. Set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes.
8. Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix until combined. Use immediately.
9. Transfer frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a large plain round or French tip (Martha Stewart recommends Ateco #867 or Ateco #809). Pipe frosting in a spiral motion on each cupcake. Transfer cupcakes to a baking sheet. Using a kitchen torch, lightly brown the frosting, taking care not to burn the cupcake liners. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, up to 2 days.

– Cynthia Furey

My former ballet mistress once told me that the barre is a dancer’s home. No matter how much time was spent on a stage or center floor, rehearsals and classes began and often ended there, with dancers performing the steps and stretches that were learned from the very moment we stepped into the studio for the first time.

I loved that no matter how great or awful I had performed that day, the barre was always there for me, waiting in the wings whenever I wanted it, offering nothing but comfort and familiarity. On the floor, I’d frantically go over the new combinations – a flurry of microscopic steps, pirouettes and grand jetes – trying desperately to match mind and body to an accompanist, who played perfect, staccato notes with his piano.

Dancing at the barre was a different story. Muscle memory and music would take over, while my mind took a backseat. It was all like sliding into a buttery leather recliner that you’ve spent years coaxing to hug your body perfectly. The pianist played in tune with my every perfect tendu. One flick of his wrist for a high note matched my frappe. A bellowing series of notes, low and slow, matched my plie developpe. Nothing else existed. It really was home.

Over the years, the dance studio would be replaced by the kitchen, with the stove taking the place of the barre.

This is my home now.

This becomes especially true when the task at hand is baking, performed in the wee hours, when it seems you’re the only person in the world not tucked into a warm bed and dreaming of good things. Whatever tasks performed during the day become distant memories, whatever responsibilities lie ahead don’t exist. Muscle memory takes over, and with its help I execute the choreography that I’ve performed so many times before: A scoop of flour added to a sifter. Heavy cream poured with both hands into a measuring cup. My thumb and forefinger, poised to clap imaginary castanets, instead pinch salt into a mixing bowl full of dry ingredients.

The musical accompaniment is rhythmic. A scraping sound from the stainless steel spoon against the Nutella jar. The soft, crunch crunch, crunching as my chef’s knife rocks against a board littered with toasted hazelnuts. The muted pops and subtle hissing from the oven while baking the pan of Gianduia brownies. It all falls into place, like music notes sprinkled over a crisp, white page, with my immediate world as the orchestra. It’s a different dance, but it produces the same warm feeling I used to have while at the ballet barre. It feels like home. (Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe)

GIANDUIA BROWNIES
Adapted from Gourmet magazine (found on Epicurious)

• 1 1/4 cups hazelnuts (about 6 1/4 ounces)
• 4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
• 3 ounces fine-quality milk chocolate
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs

PROCEDURE:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter and flour a 9-inch square baking pan, knocking out excess flour.

2. Toast and skin hazelnuts, and pulse them in a food processor until they are coarsely ground (bits should be about 1/8 inch).

3. Chop chocolates into small pieces and in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, melt chocolates with butter and Nutella, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove top heat.

4. While chocolates are melting, sift together flour, baking powder, and a pinch salt in a large bowl. Whisk sugar into chocolate mixture until thoroughly combined. Add eggs, whisking until mixture is glossy and smooth. Stir in flour mixture and hazelnuts until just combined.

5. Pour batter into baking pan and bake in middle of oven 35 to 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out with few, moist crumbs adhering to it (you don’t want it to be completely dry!). Cool brownies in pan on a rack and cut into squares. To store: Layer brownies between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container. Will keep for 5 days.

– Cynthia Furey

I’m one of those people who can spend whole days trying to finalize a dinner-party menu. The same rings true when I’m finalizing a dish for a potluck or party, especially when meeting strangers who know me only as “the food writer.” To me, it means that whatever dish I hold in my hands while standing on the doorstep of said potluck has to be flawless, or my reputation as a food writer is nil. There’s no room for error. (Cue anxiety.)

Luckily, I have a few back-pocket recipes I whip out in my moments of extreme social anxiety, like the below recipe for pumpkin cheesecake. Found it on Epicurious – along with a few other recipes to throw in the mix to make it sing: caramel sauce, candied pecans and a caramel whipped topping. Why is this two-day bake-monster one of my go-to staples? For one, it’s a showstopper. With toppings, it stands rather tall, and I’ve always felt that taller cakes and cheesecakes are more worthy of bakery-windows and food-porn admiration than shorter, wider cakes. The toppings also act as distractions layered on top, so you can mask virtually any imperfections (i.e., cracks, bubbles, etc.).

For the sake of this post, I’ve combined and reworded the Epicurious recipes to omit the things I didn’t do and include the things I did. (Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe)

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE WITH CANDIED PECANS AND CARAMEL SAUCE

• Adapted from Epicurious recipes
• Yield: 10 to 12 servings
• For crust:
  1 1/2 cups ground gingersnap cookies
  1 1/2 cups toasted pecans (about 6 ounces)
  1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Procedure:
1. Grind ground cookies, pecans and sugar in a food processor until crumbly. Add melted butter and blend until combined.
2. Press crust mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Set aside until ready to bake with filling.

• For cheesecake:
  4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
  1 2/3 cups sugar
  1 1/2 cups canned solid pack pumpkin
  4 tablespoons whipping cream
  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  1 teaspoon ground allspice
  4 large eggs

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until light. Add pumpkin, 4 tablespoons whipping cream, ground cinnamon and ground allspice to mixture in large bowl and beat until well combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until they are incorporated.

2. Pour filling into crust (filling will almost fill pan). Bake until cheesecake puffs, top browns and center moves only slightly when pan is shaken, about 1 hour 15 minutes.

3. Transfer cheesecake to rack and cool 10 minutes. Run small sharp knife around cake pan sides to loosen cheesecake. Cool. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

• For caramel sauce:
  1 1/2 cups sugar
  1/2 cup water
  3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  1 cup whipping cream

Procedure:
1. While cheesecake is baking, stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy large saucepan (I recommend a Le Creuset pot) over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.

2. Increase heat; boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with pastry brush dipped into water and swirling pan, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter.

3. Gradually add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir over low heat until smooth. Cool to lukewarm before serving. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill. Rewarm over low heat, stirring occasionally.)

• For whipped cream:
  2 cups heavy whipping cream
  Caramel sauce (recipe above)

1. In a medium-sized bowl, whip heavy cream until barely stiff. Drizzle in caramel sauce one tablespoon at a time, until whipped cream reaches desired taste. Reserve leftover caramel sauce for topping.

• For candied pecans:
  1 large egg white
  1/2 cup sugar
  1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  2 cups pecan halves (8 to 9 ounces)

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Brush large rimmed baking sheet with butter.

2. Whisk egg white in bowl until foamy. Add sugar, spices, and salt. Whisk until mixture is thick and opaque. Add pecans; stir until coated. Using forks, transfer nuts to sheet, spacing apart; discard remaining coating.

3. Bake nuts until deep golden brown, about 35 minutes. Cool completely on sheet. Transfer to container; cover and store at room temperature. (Can be made 4 days ahead.)

Cheesecake assembly:
1. Release cheesecake from springform pan and place on cake plate or other serving dish. Using a pastry bag or spatula, place caramel whipped cream on top of cheesecake. Drizzle leftover caramel sauce over whipped cream. Top with candied pecans and serve. Phew!

Side note: March Madness is a month-long challenge in which I will post Monday through Friday for the entire month. I hope you will humor me in reading!

– Cynthia Furey