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Chocolate Zucchini Brownies with Chocolate Frosting

Zucchini, zucchini and more zucchini. Yes, we have lots of zucchini. We have made a few loaves of zucchini bread, mixed zucchini in an amazing ratatouille and have grilled it as a side dish with dinner. I will be sharing these recipes with you in the upcoming weeks.

While I was looking for recipes for zucchini and summer squash, I came upon this recipe in Allrecipes.com. Hmm...dessert with zucchini, better yet, chocolate dessert with zucchini. I need to try this zucchini brownie recipe.

As I started to make the recipe I noticed there were no eggs, first sign that there is something wrong with the recipe. For me, it was perfect! I love taking recipes and adding new and exciting twists so I needed to figure out something with the liquid and consistency. I started byadding 2 eggs, using to different types of sugar and adding kahlua rather than vanilla. When I made the frosting, I added half and half instead of milk and got a fudgier frosting that was amazing.

The cake was moist and fudgy and the frosting was rich and delicious. It doesn't have the consistency of a brownie but the cake does have somewhat of a denseness. The chocolate zucchini brownies didn't last long at our house, but then again, do any? It's great as a snack cake and even better with ice cream...coffee ice cream for me!

Too much zucchini, looking for something tempting, this is the best of both worlds...eating your vegetables as dessert.

Ingredients:

Zucchini Brownies
1/2 cup of canola oil
1 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of Demerara sugar (washed raw cane sugar - light brown granular)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of Kahlua
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
2 cups of shredded zucchini
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Frosting
6 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup of butter
2 cups of confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup of half and half
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or kahlua...depending on the audience)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugars, eggs and kahlua until well blended.
Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. This mixture will be thick and a bit stiff. Add zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until brownies spring back when gently touched.

To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and butter; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, half and half and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

An Easy Berry Cobbler became Peach Raspberry Cobbler

 

Last week, our neighbors came over with a container full of fresh raspberries picked from their garden. We had a few peaches that were very soft and Jeff wanted to make a fruit cobbler but we didn't really have a great recipe. He pulled out a few of our Southern Living Annual Cookbooks and found this Easy Berry Cobbler in the 2010 edition. We took the recipe and doctored it a little with some delicious fresh rather than frozen fruit.

Jeff wasn't sure how it was going to come out because it had such an odd combination of ingredients...mix sugar, flour and 1 egg, then put butter over the mixture. He was convinced this was going to be a disaster, but to our surprise it came out AMAZING! The crust was sweet and crunchy and the fruit was slightly tart, a perfect combination. Put some fresh whipped cream on top and you will think you died and went to heaven...it was that good.

I'm going to have to say, this is definitely the BEST dessert this summer. We hoarded the majority of the ramekins (OK, 4 out of 6) because isn't the rule - whoever makes the dessert, eats the dessert! And at our house, if you don't save a little extra for yourself (in other words, hide what you have), you will not see it past 24 hours.

Before the fresh peaches and raspberries disappear this season, try this dessert. You will find, like us, it's worth hiding.

Ingredients:

Easy Berry Cobbler
4 cups of fresh peaches cut into 1 inch slices
1 cup of fresh raspberries
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of peach schnapps
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon 
1 large egg
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons of melted butter

Cinnamon Whipped Cream
2 cups of whipping cream
2 teaspoons of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375. Grease 6 (1 cup) ramekins and place on a cookie sheet covered with foil.
Divide peaches and raspberries evenly and place them in the 6 ramekins. Mix the lemon juice, peach schnapps and cinnamon together, sprinkle the peaches and raspberries with this mixture. 
Stir together egg, sugar and flour until is resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over fruit, drizzle butter evenly over the ramekins.

Place into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Let stand for 20 minutes. Enjoy with a dollop of cinnamon whipped cream.

Epicurious' Shaved Summer Squash Salad

 

Our garden is pushing out more yellow squash and zucchini than we know what to do. We have been shredding some for zucchini bread and others we have grilled or cooked on the stove with butter and fresh herbs. No matter how you slice it...fresh vegetables from the garden are delicious.

The other day, I found this recipe in Epicurious, it is called Shaved Summer Squash Salad. You serve it cold and it is easy to make and perfect on a hot summer night. Crunchy and tart. The lemon dressing with toasted almonds brings out the freshness of the squashes.

We served it as a side salad with steak and potatoes and it was perfect. Just the right balance for food off the grill.

If you have too many summer squash and zucchini and you don't know what to do with them, slice them up and serve them cold. A wonderful side dish for any meal.

Ingredients:
 
3 tablespoons of whole almonds
1 pound of summer squash (a mix of green and yellow)
2 1/2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 minced clove of garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
 
Preparation:

Roast almonds until slightly golden and coarsely crush. Meanwhile, trim the ends off summer squash. Using a vegetable peeler, thinly slice the squash lengthwise into strips and transfer to a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, and kosher salt to taste. Pour dressing over squash. Let stand for a few minutes. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with the crushed almonds.

Maine Summers Chunky Chickpea Salsa

 

On Wednesday night, we were invited to a friend's birthday party. Our job was to bring an appetizer. Luckily, we purchased another cookbook. (This is almost becoming funny...we are running out of cookbook space.)

The Maine Summers Cookbook is a collection of recipes from a mother and daughter duo, named Linda and Martha Greenlaw, from the tiny Isle au Haut located off the coast of Maine. It has a really nice selection of recipes that use local fare from Maine as well as New England and then they add a slight spin. The cookbook was reviewed as "Haute cuisine from Isle au Haut". 

We love chickpeas so we gravitated to this recipe. It was easy to put together and we made it a day in advance. My daughter, Danielle, tested the chunky chickpea salsa first as she thought it was for our family. She has taken it for lunch with a sandwich and thought it was amazing. "You need to make this again!"

We brought it to the party and it was funny when we found out the birthday boy loves chickpeas. Scooping it up on a pita chip or tortilla chip added to the taste and texture of crunchy and fresh. Chickpeas, onions, peppers, and fresh cilantro...DELICIOUS. People were eating the salsa as a side dish as well as dip. All and all, it was new recipe success!

After making this salsa it has given me an idea for our next attempt at chickpea salsa. I think I will be adding a few more ingredients, maybe black beans, tomatoes and some jalapenos. But as chunky chickpea salsa, it is definitely a crowd pleaser.

And not to forget, Happy 50th Birthday Brian!

Ingredients:

1 - 15 ounce can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed drained and coarsely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon of grated lemon zest (not in the recipe but we added it)
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup of red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup of red onion, diced
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

pita chips or tortilla chips

Preparation:

Mix together the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice,lemon zest, olive oil green bell pepper, red bell pepper, red onion and cilantro in a medium bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until time to serve. Serve with a crunchy pita or tortilla chip. Serves 8.

 

Seared Scallops with Pineapple-Pepper Salsa

A few weeks ago, we entertained family for the weekend as Jeff's niece's wedding shower was being held at our house. When we entertain, we love to have a few appetizers or small plate snacks before serving dinner.

In April, I gave Jeff the Stonewall Kitchen Appetizers Cookbook for his birthday. Not that we needed another cookbook BUT this have a nice variety of different appetizers from hot to cold to chicken, pasta and seafood. They also have great uses for fresh herbs and vegetables that are found in your garden. This recipe seemed perfect on a warm summer night, Seared Scallops with refreshing Pineapple-Pepper Salsa.

The recipe called for a green pepper but I love red peppers because they are a bit sweeter and they complement the pineapple in taste and color. We made the salsa a few hours in advance and refrigerated them until the scallops were cooked. The combination was amazing. There is something wonderful when you add fruit to seafood, especially when there is that hot and cold combination; hot juicy scallops with cold refreshing pineapple.

Our guests were delighted. With a few extra scallops and salsa left after the first serving, people moved quickly to get a few spare seconds. Everyone enjoyed the quick bite before we served dinner.

We are fortunate because we love to entertain and our guests are always excited at see what we will serve. Not because it is incredible but more that it is different. Finding a new recipe, allows you to become a bit more creative as well as let your guests taste something deliciously different. 

The Pineapple-Pepper Salsa

Ingredients:

2 cups of chopped fresh pineapple
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
3 scallions, finely chopped (white and green parts)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large lime, juiced
1-1/2 tablespoons of  chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 to 1 small red chile pepper or japaleno pepper, chopped, with or without seeds
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:

In a medium bowl, mix together, pineapple, bell pepper, scallions, oil, lime, cilantro and chile. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper. The salsa can be made 1 to 2 hours ahead of time; cover and refrigerate.

The Scallops

1 pound of sea scallops (dry scallops)
1 cup of all-purpose flour
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Preparation:

Pat the scallops dry. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour salt and pepper to taste. Lightly dredge the scallops in the seasoned flour; be sure to brush off any excess flour.

In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot (add a touch of flour and make sure it sizzles), add half the scallops in one layer, being sure not to crowd the skillet. Cook 1-1/2 to 2 minutes per side, depending on the size of the scallop, or until golden brown and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining scallops.

Place about 2-3 tablespoons of salsa in the middle of a small plate. Top with two to three scallops. Garnish with a lime wedge and cilantro sprig.

 

Mom's Zucchini Bread with Walnuts

 

Zucchini is starting to appear in our garden in dribs and drabs. One yesterday, maybe one tomorrow, but I know that within a week or two, we'll have so much zucchini that we won't know what to do with it. This is a perfect time to shred a few zucchinis and make some zucchini bread. Over the past few years, we have been covering different types of zucchini bread whether chocolate, pineapple, traditional or olive oil.

This recipe was given to us by a friend, so I looked it up on-line to make sure I could give credit and I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com. It was called Mom's Zucchini Bread. This is a very simple recipe with wonderful results. As the zucchini bread bakes, it begins to form a bit of a sugary crust. I've made it a number of different ways with walnuts, raisins and craisins. Each one tasting better than the next. The bread is moist, sweet and nutty. What I also like about this recipe is that it makes two loaves. I make them in foil pans which allows me to freeze them, share them and bring them as gifts in their pans.

I love zucchini bread recipes that make more than one loaf so that I can freeze them. I enjoy these extras on fall mornings long after our garden zucchini is gone!

Ingredients:

3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup of vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups of white sugar
3 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 cups of grated zucchini
1 cup of chopped walnuts

Preparation:

Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans, we use foil pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

 

Beat the Heat with Pineapple Sangria

 
 

It's going to be HOT, HOT, HOT today so why not try something really cool. I'm posting this early so you can go out and get the ingredients you need and be ready for cocktails when it is 5 o'clock somewhere.

Last weekend, we started the evening with this pineapple sangria when our friends, Jim and Maria, came for dinner. I found this recipe on Epicurious and decided to tweak it a little bit because I couldn't find all the ingredients it called for. The original 1 cup of pear brandy was split into 1/2 cup of peach brandy and Patron Citronge (or Triple Sec/Grand Marnier). I added a bit of sweetness (2 tablespoons of sugar) and used soda water instead of pineapple soda. I'm not sure how the original should taste but this adaptation was incredible. It was very refreshing and light and the pineapple chunks were delicious as we sipped the sangria.

If you are looking for a refreshing cocktail for a few or even a gathering, this is worth serving all summer long.

Ingredients:

3 cups of pineapple juice
1 bottle dry white wine, such as Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc
1/2 cup of peach brandy
1/2 cup of Patron Citronge or any orange liquor (triple sec)
1 ripe pineapple, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 cup of pineapple-mango soda water (or use orange soda water)
1 bunch of fresh mint, roughly chopped
1 orange, sliced

Preparation:

In a pitcher, combine the juice, wine, brandy, citronge, pineapple, sugar and stir. I let it sit for a few hours in the refrigerator before we served it. Add the soda water right before you get ready to serve. Pour into large wine glasses, with ice, and garnish with the mint and orange slice.

Yes, 5 o'clock somewhere!

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Cake

Now that farm season is in full swing, atleast in New England, there are great opportunities for strawberries, zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, raspberries and soon blueberries. As you enter the supermarkets, there are plenty of blueberries to be had...locally we will be able to pick our own in about a month. So, now is the time to test some amazing blueberry recipes which you can enjoy for the remainder of the summer. 

The Boston Globe recently ran an article on 6 delicious blueberry cakes. After reading the ingredients of each, I decided to go with the Glazed Blueberry Cake. Why this recipe? First, it had a lemon glaze for the cake. I love when blueberries and lemons are showcased in a dessert. It gives a refreshing flavor to the dish. Second, I had a container of buttermilk which I wanted to use and the recipe called for milk. Perfect substitution.

The cake came together quickly and I was really intrigued by the separation of egg yolks and egg whites. I was wondering if it would make a difference in the lightness of the cake, especially if I was adding buttermilk which can be heavy.

Well, the results were delicious. The cake was very moist and even though there was a denseness to the cake, it was light. Jeff thought it was one of the best cakes he has ever eaten. The sweet and sourness of the glaze with the moist cake with flavors of buttermilk and fresh blueberries was melt in your mouth AMAZING! Because it is made in a 9 x 13 baking pan, it allowed for everyone to grab chunks of blueberry cake for breakfast all week long. This is definitely on my short list of recipes to make again. It is perfect for breakfast, snack time or dessert, but I enjoyed it best when it was still warm from the oven. Probably might taste good as a cupcake, too...just a suggestion.

Ingredients:

1 pint (2 cups) of fresh blueberries
3 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, at room temperature
2 cups of white sugar
1 cup of whole milk (we used buttermilk)

Preparation:

Set the oven at 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Dust it with flour, tapping out the excess.

In a bowl, toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of the flour.

In another bowl, whisk the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a third bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff.

In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the yolks, one at a time.

With the mixer set on its lowest speed, beat the flour mixture into the batter alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour.

Remove the bowl from the mixer stand. Fold in the whites, then fold in the blueberries.

Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes or until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and the top springs back when pressed with a fingertip.

GLAZE

1/2 cup of confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

In a bowl, sift the confectioners’ sugar. Stir in the lemon juice and rind. Add enough additional lemon juice to make a mixture that pours easily.

Drizzle the glaze over the cake.

Visitandine with Strawberries - Better than Strawberry Shortcake

 

This weekend is probably one of the last times you can pick your own strawberries in the New England area. Last weekend we went to C.N. Smith Farms (again) to get more strawberries because we were entertaining family all weekend and knew we wanted to serve a "strawberry" dessert.

Jeff had found a visitandine recipe in Dorie Greenspan's - Around my French Table. Dorie explains that "visitandine is a very simple white cake with an elegant small grain crumb and a lovely springy sponge, and a pure butter and sugar flavor."  It's perfect plain or paired with glazes, frosting, jams or fruits.  Having made strawberry shortcake quite a few times, we thought this would be a nice change.

As we read through the recipe, there was a suggestion that you could use a browned butter instead of the melted butter, giving the visitandine slight flavors of carmel and hazelnuts. We thought that using the browned butter might be different since we love changing up recipes, even if it meaning using browned butter VS melted butter. After we browned the butter, it tasted very nutty...it is amazing how browning butter can change the taste of your product. Outside of having to whip together 4 egg whites - and use the yolks to make thumbprint cookies - the cake was very easy to make and cooked up in about 30 minutes.

We served the shortcake in small dessert bowls. We found a cookie cutter that was the perfect match to the dessert bowls so we cut out rounds and put them in the base and put the strawberries and whipped cream on top. You can cut the cake in wedges or squares depending on the number of people you have to serve. The strawberry shortcake with the visitandine was delicious. Because of the spongy-ness of the cake, it absorbed the strawberry juices making the dessert incredibly smooth and delicious. The caramel, nutty taste of the cake gave the shortcake a flavor that truly complemented the rest of the ingredients. After the first round of servings and then a few seconds, everyone agreed that it was definitely different from true shortcake and thought it tasted better.

There is nothing better than a homemade cake, freshly picked strawberries and fresh whipped cream when it comes to making strawberry shortcake. Celebrate the 4th with this easy white cake recipe, your strawberries and whipped cream will thank you!

Ingredients for Strawberry Shortcake:

Ingredients for visitandine:

4 large egg whites, preferably at room temperature
3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
2/3 cup of white sugar
a pinch of salt
7 tablespoons of butter, melted and slightly cooled (we used brown butter - see below)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Ingredients for strawberries:
1 pint of strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 tablespoons of sugar

Ingredients for whipped cream:
2 cups of whipping cream
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Preparation:

Brown Butter:
Place butter in a small sauce pan. Turn up the heat once the butter is melted so that it begins to boil, gently. Watching carefully, continue to simmer the butter until it turns a golden brown. As soon as you get the color needed, take the butter off the heat and place in a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking process. Allow butter to cool.

Visitandine:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Choose a pan of your liking (we used a 10 inch round cake pan). Note that cooking time is based on a 10 inch pan, longer cook time for smaller pans, shorter cook time for larger pans.

Butter the pan and line it with a circle of parchment paper; butter the parchment.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, whip the egg whites until they hold firm peaks but are still glossy.

In a another bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Pour in the melted butter, followed by the vanilla, and, using the whisk, stir until the ingredients are fully blended. The mixture will clump and look "slightly hopeless" but continue stirring gently to mix.

With the whisk, slide half of the egg whites onto the batter, whisk to stir them in gently. Fold in the remaining egg whites and again whisk gently. Scrape the batter into the pan and jiggle the pan to even the top.

Bake the cake for 33 to 38 minutes, or until it's beautifully browned and starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. Once out of the oven, run a blunt knife around the edge of the cake. Still in the pan, place on a cooling rack for 3 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack, remove the parchment, and allow the cake to cool to room temperature.

Strawberries:
Place cut strawberries in a bowl with the 2 tablespoons of sugar. This allows the juices to be released from the strawberries. You can do this prior to baking the cake and they can be refrigerated until ready to serve.

Whipping cream:
Place whipping cream, vanilla and sugar in a bowl and using a stand or hand mixer, whip the cream until slightly stiff peaks form. Whip cream just prior to serving the visitandine.

The visitandine can be cut into wedges and served or you can do as we did and using a cookie cutter, cut circles and place them into the bottom of a round serving bowl. Place strawberries on top, followed by whipped cream. Repeat as many times as you would like to enjoy them incredibly delicious dish! This serves up to 8 people.