Readers’ Absolute

Favorites from:

HOW TO COOK

LIKE YOUR GRANDMOTHER

Drew Kime

Put It In Ink Publishing

[ Π3 ]2010

First Edition: April 2010

Also from Drew:

How To Cook Like Your Grandmother

Starting From ScratchThe Owner’s Manual for Your Kitchen

© 2010 Andrew M. KimeAll recipes in this book – and all cookbooks – may be freely copied, modified, reprinted andreused with or without attribution. As a courtesy, a reference to this book as the sourcewould be appreciated. Unless you don’t like the finished product, in which case feel free tonot mention this book. (Yes, that was a joke. In a copyright notice.) Please do not copy thedirections, tips or commentary except as permitted under the Fair Use provisions of copyrightlaw. Nothing in this statement is intended to grant or deny any rights other than what isalready contained in copyright law, but merely to summarize key points of that law for peoplewho would like to make use of this book.Published by Put It In Ink Publishing [ Π3 ]Printed in the World

I’m at the age when food has taken the place of sex in my life. In fact I’ve justhad a mirror put over my kitchen table.

Rodney Dangerfield

Contents

Contents ii

Foreword iii

by Chef Jenni Field, the Online Pastry Chef

Introduction iv

1 Perfect Brownies 1

2 Banana Cake 5

3 French Onion Soup 11

4 Bruschetta Pizza 17

5 Egg Salad 23

6 Onion Rings 27

7 Peach Cobbler 31

8 Cheesesteak 37

9 Frozen Chocolate Truffle Pie 41

10 Emily’s Creamy Cheesecake 46

ii

Foreword

by Chef Jenni Field, the Online Pastry Chef

You know how when you need a recipe and so you go out onto the Internetto Find One, and it gets overwhelming because there are almost 100 Million

references to recipes on the Internet? So then you try to narrow it down to,say, “best brownie recipe,” and you still get half a million hits? Then you think,“Hey, brownies is too broad a category; I think I’ll try for banana cake,” andeven then there are over 60,000 hits? What’s a person to do who doesn’t havetime to pore over so many recipes?

Well, you find a Ten Best list from someone you trust. And that, my friends,is what you have here. The Wonderfully Trustworthy, Helpful and InstructiveDrew Kime has put together a list of his Top Ten tried, true and most-requestedrecipes, complete with step-by-step instructions and pictures. And the coolthing is that he didn’t pick them. I did. You did. We did. These are therecipes that are his Most Viewed, and they are the Most Viewed because theMost People searched for them and the Most People Searched for them becausethey are The Best. The recipes that folks really want.

If I were to put together a Top Ten List of my favorite posts, it wouldprobably not look anything like the top ten most read posts on my site. Andthat’s where Drew’s genius comes in. He doesn’t try to give you what he thinks

you want; he gives you what you really do want. And he knows what you wantbecause he pays attention to his readers. And because he pays attention, younow have access to almost universally enjoyed recipes all in one place.

And it really is a fantastic Top Ten. Five savory items; five sweet items. Awell-balanced meal, if you will.

From this Top Ten list, you can put together any number of wonderfulcombinations sure to please your friends and family. Even your grandmother.Philly Cheesesteak with Onion Rings and Brownies for dessert? Check. EggSalad sandwiches with Peach Cobbler? It’s here. Maybe you’re in the moodfor a United Nations-type meal. Cue French Onion Soup, Bruschetta Pizza andFrozen Chocolate Truffle Pie. Potluck at the Community Center? Bring onEmily’s Creamy Cheesecake or an impressive Banana Cake.

So, thank you, Drew (and Drew’s wife), for Paying Attention and giving uswhat we really want. And as Drew would say, “And that’s it.”

iii

Introduction

Ask people what’s their favorite recipe and you’ll get some predictable answers:barbecue ribs, lasagna, Beef Wellington. But statistics show a different story.When you see what people are actually looking for on the internet – at least onHow To Cook Like Your Grandmother – you see surprises like egg salad.

Really . . . egg salad is in the top 10 most-viewed recipes of all time, rightbetween bruschetta pizza – which isn’t even a “real” bruschetta – and onionrings. If you asked people what would come out on top, I’ll bet no one wouldcome up with egg salad, or onion rings for that matter.

I’ve learned to get over it. The dishes I spend hours on and I’m reallyimpressed with myself, I might get one or two comments. But egg salad, whichtook me about 2 minutes to make – not counting boiling the eggs – as of April23rd 2010, has been viewed 102,546 times and gotten 117 comments.

And let’s not mention the fact that 4 of the top 10, including the #1 and#2 spots, were actually my wife’s recipes. Oops, I just mentioned it.

Well, the people have spoken. The recipes in this collection are far and awaythe most popular ones of the four hundred or so that I’ve posted. And nowthey’re all in one spot. Have fun with them.

iv

1 Perfect Brownies

I’ve tried lots of brownie recipes: Boxes, scratch, frosted, plain, nuts, chips,fudge . . . Each of them has something to like, but depending on my mood Imight want a change of pace.

Not any more. My wife found this recipe, and it’s perfect. I’m done looking.This is the brownie recipe that I’ll use from now on.

Ingredients

11/2 cups sugar3/4 cup flour3/4 cup cocoa powder (see note

below)3 eggs3/4 cup butter, melted3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate

chips (see note below)

Directions

A NOTE ON CHOCOLATE: You’ll notice the list of ingredients is veryshort. That means the quality of the chocolate makes a huge difference. Thechocolate flavor is front-and-center – not the sugar, not the richness, the choco-late. I use Ghirardelli cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

1

The assembly is about as easy as you can get. Combine the sugar, flour, cocoa,eggs and melted butter and mix.

Do this by hand, until the dryingredients are just incorporated intothe wet, and stop. You don’t needto beat it, and in fact want to avoidproducing gluten from the flour.(Kneading flour produces gluten, thespringy protein that makes breadchewy.)

2

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Line a 9×13 baking dish with parch-ment. I over-did it a little bit here,because I wanted to be absolutelysure it didn’t stick. As long as youcover the bottom you should be good,as it will pull away from the edgeswhile baking.

Pour the batter and spread it out.Don’t try to spread it like mayo onbread, or you’ll move the parchmentaround. Poke at it with the tip of arubber spatula.

Bake at 325° for 20-30 minutes. It’s done when a toothpick inserted in thetallest part comes out clean. Keep in mind you’ve got chips in there. If you hitone with the toothpick it will have melted chocolate on it. You might need topoke a couple of spots to make sure you aren’t hitting a chip.

Very carefully lift the parchment outof the baking dish. Get a spare set ofhands if you can.

3

Peel the edges and let cool for a fewminutes before slicing.

Pour yourself a glass of milk, and that’s it.

4

2 Banana Cake

I’ve had plenty of banana bread in my day. But it always seems like more of acold weather food. Go figure, a tropical fruit that makes a cold weather bread.Doesn’t make sense, but that’s how it is.

This cake, though, is lighter than any banana bread I’ve ever had. And withthe brown sugar buttercream frosting, it’s an amazing summertime treat.

Ingredients

2 cups sugar1/2 cup butter (1 stick)2 egg yolks3 cups all-purpose flour2 tsp baking powder1 tsp baking soda1/2 tsp salt1 cup milk3 crushed bananas1 tsp vanilla2 egg whites, beaten

5

Directions

Combine the sugar and butterand beat on low speed until com-pletely combined.

Add the egg yolks and beat on highspeed until the mixture is smooth andfluffy. This is the creaming method.(Follow that link so Jenni can tell youall about why the creaming methodworks for cakes.)

6

In a separate bowl, combine thedry ingredients — flour, bakingpowder, baking soda and salt — andwhisk thoroughly. You’ll want thebaking soda to be well distributedthroughout the flour before addingto the wet ingredients.

Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients (milk), beating each time until itis just incorporated. Start and end with dry. (If you really care why, Jenniexplains all.)

When you’re done, you should have a nice, soft, fluffy batter.

7

Now mash the bananas and add themto the batter.

Add the vanilla and beat until combined.

Whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, but not so much they dry out.

8

Carefully fold the egg whites into thebatter, trying not to deflate them toomuch.

Pour the batter into three greasedand floured round pans.

Bake at 350° for 35 minutes, untila toothpick inserted in the centercomes out dry.

Pop the cakes out of the pans andlet them cool to room temperature,then frost with the brown sugarbuttercream frosting.

9

This frosting will stay soft and creamy at room temperature. If you want it tofirm up, you’ll need to put the cake in the refrigerator.

And that’s it.

10

3 French Onion Soup

I’ve tried French onion soup in a few restaurants but I never liked it. Probablybecause I tried it at chain places that used frozen or dehydrated. But fromwhat’s in it — beef broth and roasted onions — this is something I should justlove.

So I decided to make some for myself and see. And, surprise, when madewith real ingredients . . . this stuff is good.

But I still need a good copycat recipe for onion soup mix to use in recipes,like dip.

Ingredients

4-5 large onions, about 4pounds, red and/or sweet

2-4 sprigs fresh thyme3-5 bay leaves (oops, forgot

them in the photo)3-5 cloves garlic, minced

kosher saltfresh ground black pepperflour about 1/4 cup (seenote below)

1-2 cups wine8 ounces beef broth

11

Directions

I decided to make this because I had a container of beef broth in the freezer. Ihad kept the drippings from the Christmas rib roast, the pot roast, every timeI cooked beef for a month it went into the freezer. You can do it with cannedbeef broth, but try to find one with as few additives as possible.

Start by prepping the onions. Cut off both ends and cut them in half.

Peel the outer layer, then cut into thin strips.

Melt a few tablespoons of butter orfat (I’m using bacon fat) in a dutchoven over medium heat.

12

Add the onion, minced garlic, bay leaves and thyme; set heat to medium-low.

Cook until the onions start to turntranslucent without mixing them.

Oops, forgot to add salt and pepper.

13

Turn the onions a few times to make sure everything gets some time on thebottom to caramelize. Don’t worry too much about burning the onions. Allthat burned on goodness is going to be pure flavor.

That’s what the wine is for. Use it to scrape up everything off the bottom,then cook the onions for several minutes, stirring frequently, until most of thewine is cooked off.

Some people insist it has to be white. Some insist it has to be red. Since I’mnot a wine drinker, I don’t really have a preference. So I used the bottle thatwas open.

The thyme and bay leaves shouldhave given up all their flavor by now,so go ahead and fish them out.

Add a little flour to the onions andcook for about 5-10 minutes, untilthe dry flour taste is cooked out.

Start with just enough flour to just coat the onions lightly, only a couple oftablespoons. Hold the rest in reserve until you add the broth and see if it hasthickened enough, or if it needs more.

14

Now add the beef broth. Since mine was very concentrated, I did four ouncesof broth and four ounces of water.

Simmer for another 20 minutes to ahalf-hour to reduce the liquid andconcentrate the flavor. Ladle intooven safe bowls and add croutons tothe top.

The croutons are to keep the cheesefrom sinking. Lots of recipes call forgruyere, which is crazy expensive.I like a slice of swiss and a slice ofprovolone.

Put the baking sheet with the bowlson it under the broiler for a couple ofminutes* until the cheese is bubblingand starting to brown on the edges.

15

* NOTE: When I said “a couple of minutes” I forgot that not everyone has

used the broiler before. MissFoxxy left hers in a little too long and discovered

you can set cheese on fire. Don’t walk away from it, and check frequently.

Be careful, the cheese will hold the heat in really well, so it’s going to stay hotuntil you dig in.

Try not to eat all the cheese in the first four bites.

And that’s it.

16

4 Bruschetta Pizza

Look! Out on the buffet table . . . it’s bruschetta . . . it’s French bread pizza. . . it’s . . . bruschetta pizza! Okay, I couldn’t decide which one to call it, soit’s both.

Ingredients

1 large can (28 ounce) dicedtomatoes

1/2 loaf French bread2 tblsp basil pesto8 ounces shredded mozzarella

olive pomace oil

Directions

If you’ve got fresh pesto, fabulous. What I’ve got is the stuff I made lastsummer and froze. So I took it out early and let it thaw. Putting it in a metalbowl will make it thaw faster. If you care about the reason why, talk to yourlocal computer geek or car nut about radiators.1

1Fine, I’ll explain. The metal conducts heat and cold (the absence of heat, don’t nitpickmy physics) very effectively. And the thinness of the bowl presents a lot of surface area for itsweight, meaning it transfers the heat (and cold) into (and out of) the air also very effectively.Now please don’t make me explain any more science. It makes me want to create visual aids.

17

So anyway . . . here’s the thawedpesto.

Open the tomatoes, but leave the lid attached a little bit. You don’t want allthe extra juice, as it will make the bread soggy, so pour it out.

Then set the can, with the lid stillon, upside-down in the sink to drainwhile you work on the bread.

18

Slice half the loaf about a half-inchthick. Don’t slice on an angle. Youwant each piece to be as small aspossible, and cutting on a anglemakes them bigger.

Appetizers are frequently made to take to someone else’s house. So here’s atip for traveling. Do the prep at home and final assembly at the event. So thebread needs to go back in its paper bag.

Quickest way is to stand the wholeloaf up on end, with the sliced end up.

Sometimes a loaf of bread is just a

loaf of bread.

Then carefully slide the bag down over it.

Hey! You there in the back row . . . stop giggling. What? No I don’t think itlooks like I’m . . . Oh, uhh, yeah, I guess it sort of does. Oops.

19

By now the excess juice should have drained from the tomatoes. Dump themout on a cutting board and, if they’re diced too coarsely, run a knife throughthem. What’s too coarse? Not as small as pickle relish, but not much bigger.

Add the drained, diced tomatoes to the thawed pesto and mix well.

Now that the tomato is ready, pack it up for the trip to the party. Skip thisstep if you’re making it to eat at home.

20

Put a few tablespoons of oil in a baking sheet and distribute it evenly.

Place the sliced bread in straightrows. No, not because it looks cool.(Though it does look cool.) You canusually pack the pan tighter thatway.

Top each piece of bread with some of the tomato/basil mixture.

You could stop here and call it bruschetta. But this time, we’re adding cheese.

21

Put the pan under the broiler for a minute or two – keep a close eye on it –until the cheese just starts turning brown. If you’re lucky, and your broiler isvery even, most of them will be finished at the same time.

Yep, that looks good. That looks really good.I’d like to tell you how good they tasted, but I didn’t get one. I plated them

up, turned around to wash the baking sheet, and they were gone. I didn’t evenget to take any pictures of them on the serving dish.

So . . . I guess that’s it.

22

5 Egg Salad

This has to be a joke, right? I mean egg salad for Pete’s sake! First of all, whoactually eats egg salad past about eight years old? And second, who needs astep-by-step recipe guide to make it?

As to the first question, I eat egg salad. It’s like deviled eggs, on bread.And I like me some deviled eggs.

So who needs directions for it? Anyone who’s never made it. No matterhow easy something is, until you’ve seen it for the first time you don’t know

that it’s easy.More important is that this is what this blog is about, and it’s why I wrote

the book. I’ve gotten so many comments from people saying, “I haven’t had thatfor years. I’m going to go make some.” It’s like we’re all trying so hard to makethe foods we should like, foods that look impressive and sound intimidating,that we sometimes forget that the simple things are good, too.

I spent several minutes in the grill accessories aisle yesterday looking atvarious racks to grill delicate foods in. I’ve already got a grill pan that worksgreat for vegetables, but I thought a removable rack would make it easier to dofish. And with the luck I have with seafood, I need all the help I can get.

Then I realized: I like steak and pork on the grill. No, I loooooove steakand pork on the grill. And I’m pretty good at it. There I was, standing therelooking at buying some more stuff, stuff that there’s no room for in my kitchenas it is, to try grilling some fish . . . which I don’t even like all that much.

Sure, I like shrimp and scallops, but grilled salmon? Grilled whitefish? Eh,they’re okay. But if you told me I’d never have them again I wouldn’t cry. So

23

why was I looking at those racks? Because I thought I should like grilled fish.Everyone else seems to. And it’s hard to get right, so people are impressedwhen you do it well. I like impressing people, don’t you?

People used to eat food they liked, not food that was impressive or that hap-pened to be fashionable. And an egg salad sandwich is about as unfashionableas you can get. That’s why I did it for my 100th post.

Ingredients

hard boiled eggs (2 per person)mayonnaisemustard

Directions

I’ve tried all the tips for peelinghard boiled eggs, but I always havesome that come out ugly. So whenI make deviled eggs, I boil a bunchof extras. Sometimes they don’t peelwell, sometimes the yolk is too closeto the edge, like this one.

They taste fine, but they’re not goingto look good. So, egg salad time.Start by dicing all the eggs.

24

For eight eggs, like I did here, addabout three tablespoons of mayon-naise (home made if you can) andone tablespoon of mustard. I likespicy brown, but will take Dijon orplain yellow in a pinch.

Mix it all together, and check if it’stangy enough. If I’m making it forjust me, I’ll go about half-and-halfon the mustard and mayo.

The dainty way to serve this is to put a scoop of it on a lettuce leaf. Iceberg,of course.

25

Or my way, on some sourdough bread with the lettuce leaf. And a slice of whiteAmerican cheese, if you’ve got it.

And that’s it.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go throw a steak on the grill to celebratemy milestone.

PS: No, I didn’t buy the rack for the fish.

26

6 Onion Rings

This version has a very simple, very light tempura style batter. It’s aboutthe simplest batter possible, and I can guarantee that if you cook at all, you’vealready got everything you need in the cupboard.

Ingredients

1 large onion per 2 servings1 cup flour1 large egg1 cup ice water

salt & pepper

27

Directions

While preparing the onions and bat-ter, set your cooking fat on mediumheat to warm up. I prefer beeftallow, but would use lard or olivepomace oil in a pinch. Vegetable oil– corn, soybean, etc. – has too lowa smokepoint and turns rancid tooeasily. Plus it’s not reusable.

While that’s heating up, peel theonion (or onions) and slice into widerings.

Choose large diameter onions, wider than they are tall. This gives you morelarge rings than small ones.

When you get to the end with theroot, stick a paring knife in at anangle toward the center . . .

. . . and spin it around until you getthe whole root out.

28

Pop out the center pieces of eachslice that are either not round, or toosmall to make good onion rings.

Some onions hold on really strongbetween the layers. If you have oneof these, you need to break the layersloose before trying to separate therings or they’ll all break. Place thering between your palms, squeeze inenough to make it a little bit oval,and roll it back and forth a few times.

Once it’s loosened up, pop the ringsapart, starting from the inside.

Once it’s all separated, one onionmakes a surprisingly large pile ofrings. I completely underestimatedthe size of the bowl I’d need to holdit all.

29

Now mix up the batter – that’s theflour, egg and water – accordingto the directions in the floundertempura post, and salt and pepper.Set your onions and batter up nextto the hot fat.

Using metal or high-temperatureplastic tongs, dip the rings one at atime into the batter. Make sure eachring is covered all the way around.

This batter is very thin, so let thebatter drip off for a second beforeputting it in the fat.

Don’t crowd the pan. Work in batches or they’ll all stick together.

TIP: Use two sets of tongs for this, one to dip the rings and put them inthe fat, and the other to turn them over and take them out. You’ll keep thebatter cleaner and you won’t get raw batter back onto cooked rings.

Flip the rings over once when they start to show a golden color just abovethe level of the fat. The second side will be done a little quicker. Don’t set atimer and walk away, this is not an exact process. You need to check frequentlyso you don’t burn them.

Serve with the spicy dipping sauce and the buttermilk ranch dressing.And that’s it.

30

7 Peach Cobbler

Got cherries? Make cobbler. Got strawberries? Make cobbler. Got apples?Blueberries? Peaches? Cobbler, cobbler, cobbler.

I guess what I’m saying here is . . . man I like cobbler. It’s even fun to say.Cobbler cobbler cobbler cobbler. Whoa, I’m sounding like a turkey in my head.Okay, here’s the recipe. This works for whatever fruit you want.

Ingredients

6 peaches (see note below)3/4 cup sugar1/4 cup butter

Batter3/4 cup flour3/4 cup sugar3/4 cup milk2 tsp baking powderpinch salt

Directions

Whatever fruit you decide to use, you should have enough to fill a 9×13 bakingdish before you start peeling and slicing.

31

Prep

Some fruits will need to be peeled, some won’t. Peaches do. My wife wasmaking the cobbler, and she wanted to peel them with a knife. I wanted to trysomething I’d read about: If you put peaches or other fruit in boiling water forabout a minute then plunge it into cold water, the skin will just slide off.

We agreed she would start peeling by hand while I put the water on to boiland see who finished first.

She had five of them done before the water started to boil. So she was right,just grabbing a knife and doing it is faster. I kept the last one to try the boilingwater trick.

And did it work?

Wow, that’s easy.

32

Slice the peaches all the way around, twist the two halves to separate themfrom the pit, and pop the pit out.

Slice everything into bite-sized pieces.(Be careful, peeled peaches are very

slippery.)

Add 3/4 cup of sugar and mix.

33

Batter

The batter couldn’t be simpler. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, saltand milk and stir it all together.

34

Assembly

Melt the butter in the baking dish.Put the butter in the dish and put itin the oven while you pre-heat it to350°. By the time you’re done prep-ping everything the butter should bemelted.

Add the fruit and distribute it evenly.

Pour the batter over the fruit but don’t stir it.

Baking

Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes,until the batter is golden brown anddeveloping cracks in the surface.

35

Serve with fresh whipped cream, or ice cream. If you serve it while it’s stillwarm, the whipped cream will melt into the fruit.

Mmm, peaches and cream.

And that’s it.

Sweet Birdat From Whence The Sweet Bird Sang did this with cherry and itlooks great. Go take a look.

36

8 Cheesesteak

I’ve got a a simple rule: It’s either a cheesesteak or it’s not. If they have to tellyou it’s “Philly style” they’re either lying or just wrong. No one from Phillywould ever call it that, so anyone who does say it doesn’t know what they’retalking about.

I don’t tell people they’re wrong “because I said so” very often. So give methis one, okay? I know cheesesteaks. And this one is closer to “right” than 99%of the ones I’ve tasted outside of Philly. And it gets closer every time.

Ingredients

11/2 lb shaved sirloin steak1 medium onion

kosher saltwhite American cheese(or Provolone)olive pomace oilcrusty Italian bread

Directions

A steak sandwich starts with steak. Not shredded, compressed, re-formed“beef sandwich steaks”. Definitely not – and yes, someone in California servedme this once – roast beef.

37

Ask the butcher to shave it for you. Extremely thin slices across the grainare the secret to tenderness. Also, the more surface area there is the more roomthere is for the Maillard reaction to work its magic.

When I told my butcher what I wanted, he told the younger guy to get mesome “flip steaks”.

I’ve never heard that term anywhere else, and I can only find a few referencesto the term online. It looks like a regional thing. But the good news is he keepsthese in stock, already sliced.

Before you start cooking, peel andslice the onion.

Salt the steak before putting it in a pan, then on the other side once it’s in thepan. (High heat, a little olive pomace oil before you put the steak in.) Cookenough for one sandwich at a time.

38

With the edge of a metal spatula,chop the steak into smaller pieces asit starts to cook.

When the steak is browned on the first side, flip it over and add the onions.Add a few tablespoons of water to release those lovely brown bits from the pan.

Keep chopping the steak with the spatula and flipping it to make sure it’s allwell browned, and the onion is browned and softened.

As soon as the onions are done – ifthe steak was sliced thin enough itshould be done before the onions –scoop everything into a pile abouttwice as wide as the roll you’re goingto put it on.

If there’s too much there for one sandwich push the extra to the side. Unlessyou’re working in a restaurant you don’t have to worry about the exact amountin one sandwich.

39

Turn the heat down low. Put two slices of cheese on top of the steak. Slice theroll in half, leaving a hinge on the back side. Place the open roll on top of thesteak and cheese.

Leave the roll on top for about 30 seconds to a minute. The steam will meltthe cheese and soften the roll. Then, with a long spatula, scoop as much of thesteak up as you can with a single lift. Fill the roll with the rest of the steak.

There are plenty of toppings you could add, from ketchup to sweet peppers topizza sauce. But if you’ve used good ingredients and prepared it well, it’s readyto go right now.

And that’s it.

40

9 Frozen Chocolate Truffle Pie

If you don’t like chocolate, stop reading right now. If you like “a little chocolatenow and then,” go away. This recipe is for serious chocolate fiends only.

Imagine the darkest, richest truffle you’ve ever had. Now imagine takingmore than a pound of the centers and pouring it into a pie shell. ’Cause that’sabout what this recipe is.

This fall when it’s cooler, I’ll do my chocolate truffles and you’ll see howclose the recipes are. Until then, trust me that this will be the most ridiculously

rich chocolate pie you’ve ever tasted.

Ingredients

12 oz bittersweet or semi-sweetchocolate

11/2 sticks butter6 large egg whites4 large egg yolks3 tbsp cocoa1/3 cup sugar1 pinch of salt1 pinch cream of tartar

pre-baked pie crust

41

Directions

Make a double boiler by bring-ing a half pan of water to a boil,turning the heat to low, and settinga large stainless bowl over it.

Even if you already have a double boiler, do it this way. You’ll be able to mixeverything in this one bowl and save on clean-up.

Put the butter in the bowl, and once it’s melted add the chocolate, cocoa,sugar and salt.

Ingredient notes: I used half bittersweet and half semi-sweetchips, both Ghirardelli. You can find them in the baking sectionat some grocery stores. They’re the best domestic chocolate I’vetried. (And I’m not saying that just because I’m a chocolate snob.Try them for yourself.)

And for the sugar, I decided to use raw instead of white. Justbecause I saw it in the cupboard and decided to give it a shot.More on this below.

While the chocolate melts, separatethe eggs (see here for tips). If you’rethinking ahead, you’ll set aside thetwo extra yolks to make mayonnaiseonce you’re done with this. If you’redistracted, or just don’t feel like it,don’t feel bad about dumping them.Eggs are cheap. They’ll make more.

42

Start mixing the chocolate and buttertogether as soon as you see the chipsstart to melt.

If you’ve never melted chocolatebefore, you might want to separatethe eggs first so you aren’t distracted.When the chocolate is completelymelted, and the sugar and cocoa areincorporated, remove it from the heatand mix the yolks in one at a time.

Set the chocolate mixture aside and let it cool to room temperature. While it’scooling, add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and beat until it forms stiffpeaks.

43

For the first minute the egg whites will just foam up a little. Then all at oncethey’ll turn pure white and look like a whole different food.

Congratulations, you just made meringue. Add about a third of the meringueto the chocolate and mix it in. Then add the rest and fold it in gently.

Try not to deflate the eggs while folding. Once the meringue is completelyincorporated, pour the mixture into a pre-baked pie crust.

44

Spread the chocolate evenly. If you’re fussy about this stuff (like I am), makesure the top looks nice.

Remember when I mentioned the raw sugar? You can see alittle bit of a speckled texture on the surface. Because raw sugarisn’t ground as fine as refined white, it didn’t completely dissolve inthe melted chocolate.

Once it’s frozen, you’ll barely notice the difference. As it thawsyou’ll notice a slight crispy granularity. Personally, I liked it, butif you’re expecting silky-smoothness you’d be better off using pow-dered sugar. I’ve heard from people who tried it that even refinedwhite sugar still left a bit of graininess.

Freeze for at least two hours, four would be better. Cut with a very sharp knife,not a pie spatula. Serve with fresh whipped cream.

And that’s it.

45

10 Emily’s Creamy Cheesecake

Cheesecake is delicious, but can be really heavy. It’s not the kind of thingyou’re going to want after a meal like pot roast with mashed potatoes andgravy. This version gives you the same taste with a much lighter texture. Andit’s a no-bake, so it won’t heat your kitchen up in the summer, either.

Ingredients

graham cracker crust16 oz cream cheese (2 packs)1 lb powdered sugar1 tbsp vanilla2 cups heavy cream

46

Directions

Combine the cream cheese and thepowdered sugar and beat until thor-oughly combined. I know I’ve saidthis before, but if you’re trying to dothis by hand . . . good luck.

In a separate bowl, beat the cream with a hand mixer until it turns into whippedcream. It can take a while without seeing any change, then all at once it willturn fluffy. Put the bowl in the freezer for a bit before starting to speed up theprocess.

You can see a video of the process online. That time I sweetened the cream,you don’t need to for this recipe.

47

Add the vanilla and the whippedcream to the cheese and beat gentlyuntil just combined. You don’t wantto deflate the cream.

Spread the mixture into your graham cracker crust.

Put the finished pie in the freezer foran hour, or the fridge for two or morehours. Slice, top with fresh fruit, andthat’s it.

48

What now?

I didn’t set out to write a book that was half dessert recipes. But once I decidedthat your favorites were more important than my favorites, that’s just how itcame out.

How long will it take you to make all of them?

Oh, and while I’ve got your attention . . . you should check out my other books:

How To Cook Like Your Grandmother

Starting From ScratchThe Owner’s Manual for Your Kitchen

49