Buttermilk Milkshake

Serves 4

Originally from John Lewis, made famous at the Yountville Diner. Sadly, served no more as The Diner closed a few years ago. The buttermilk makes the shake taste like cheese cake!

4 cups premium vanilla ice cream

2 cups buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whipped cream for garnish, optional

In a blender combine the ice cream, buttermilk and vanilla extract.

Lemon Buttermilk Milkshake: Use 2 cups of vanilla ice cream, and 2 cups of lemon sorbet.

Alice Medrich's Peanut Butter Cookies

Chilling the dough improves the flavor, but if you must mix and bake the cookies, immediately, use melted instead of softened butter to boost the flavor, and expect a slightly chewier cookie.

Make about 6 dozen 2 1/4-inch cookies

Ingredients:

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (16 Tablespoons or 2 cubes) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar, lump free

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups natural chunky peanut butter

Equipment:

2 cookie sheets, lined with parchment paper

1. Mix the flour and baking soda together thoroughly with a whisk or fork. Set aside.

2. Using the back of a large spoon in a large bowl or with an electric mixer, mix the butter, the brown and granulated sugars, and salt until smooth and creamy, not fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and peanut butter and mix until homogeneous. Add the flour mixture and stir just until incorporated. Wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, if not 12 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

4. Scoop (slightly more than 1 level Tablespoon) and form dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place the balls 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each ball to a thickness of 3/8 inch with a fork, pressing the back of the tines into the dough in two directions. Or, partially flatten the balls with the bottom of a glass and then press each cookie with a cookie stamp or other textured object.

5. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until colored on top and golden brown underneath. Rotate the sheets from front to back and top to bottom about halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Cool cookies completely before stacking or storing. May be stored, airtight, for at least 2 weeks.

From Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies

Chunky Applesauce in the Microwave

4 portions

2 McIntosh apples

2 Granny Smith or other tart apples

1 cup water

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Halve and core the apples: peel them if you like. Cut each one into 6 wedges or 1-inch chunks.

2. Combine the apples, water, and lemon juice in a deep microwave safe 2 1/2-quart casserole.

3. Toss the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and add to apple mixture.

4. Cook, uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir, pressing apples into liquid and return to microwave. Cook for another 5 minutes. Using a hand blender, mix apples into applesauce.

From The New Basics Cookbook by Rosso & Lukins.

Chocolate Pan Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

One 9 x 13-inch cake

Serve big squares of this cake with a glass of cold milk.

FOR THE CAKE

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut in rough chunks

4 tablespoons unsifted unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup water

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups unsifted cake flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon powdered Vitamin C

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

FOR THE CHOCOLATE FUDGE FROSTING

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in chunks

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup light cream, at room temperature

1 box (1-pound) (3 1/4 cups) confectioners sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1. Lightly butter and flour a 9 x 13 x 2-inch cake pan; set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. For the cake, place the butter, cocoa and water in a large saucepan, set over moderately high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Sift together the sugar, flour and salt into the large bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Pour the hot butter-cocoa-water mixture over the sifted dry mixture and beat on moderate speed until thoroughly blended. Add the whisked egg mixture and continue beating on a low speed until the batter is a uniform color, about 1 1/2 minutes. Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

3. Bake the cake on the lower-third-level rack of the preheated oven for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and dry and the cake shrinks away slightly from the edges of the pan.

4. About 10 minutes before the cake is done, make the fudge frosting. Place the butter, chocolate, cream in a large saucepan, set over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted down completely. Remove from the heat and beat in the sugar by cupfuls with the vanilla and salt.

5. As soon as the cake is done, remove it from the oven to a wire cooling rack. Immediately spread the frosting evenly over the top with a flexible palette knife. Let the cake cool in the pan.

6. For serving, cut the cake in squares directly from the cake pan.

The World's Greatest Brownies

Makes 16 Large (2-inch) or 32 Small (1-inch) Brownies

Brownie

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound plus 2 Tablespoons butter

4 ounces baking chocolate (be sure to use good-quality chocolate Ghirardelli.)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 large eggs, beaten until frothy

Frosting

1/2 cup boiling water (You may not need all of it.)

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 pound butter

4 ounces baking chocolate

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (300 degrees if using a convection oven). In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, except nuts.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan large enough to hold the chocolate. When the butter is melted, turn down the heat and immediately add the chocolate.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and stir until both the chocolate and the butter are completely incorporated. Add the vanilla and then the eggs. Whisk until mixed. Add the wet mixture to the dry and whisk until smooth and creamy. Stir in the nuts (if using). (Do not mix the nuts with the dry ingredients because the flour will get trapped in the nutmeats and make white spots in the batter.)

4. Pour the batter into a greased 6x9-inch or 8x8-inch (or line a greased pan with waxed paper) and bake for 22 minutes: check. It may take as long as 30 minutes, depending on the oven. The brownie is done when the edges are firm but the very center jiggles slightly when shaken. If you wait until the center is firm the brownie will be more cakelike and fudgy.

5. Remove from the oven and allow the brownie to cool completely, in the pan. You can frost the brownie in the pan or remove it from the pan (if you used waxed paper) to frost. I prefer to invert the brownie and frost the bottom, which is nice and flat. This necessitates using the waxed-paper method.

6. To frost the brownie, have ready 1/2 cup of water, simmering. Sift the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. Melt the butter in a double boiler, turn off the heat, and add the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate and butter are both melted. Add the vanilla. Immediately whisk the chocolate mixture into the powdered sugar. With an electric mixer or a whisk, beat until blended. Slowly beat in boiling water until the mixture is creamy and shiny. When this occurs, do not add anymore water.

7. Spread the frosting on the cooled brownies in a thin coat, only enough to cover, and set aside to firm. After 1 hour, return and cut the brownies to the desired size; I recommend cutting them into 2-inch squares.

From Sacramental Magic in a Small-Town Cafe by Br. Peter Reinhart

Apple Crisp

Serves Six

8 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar, packed in

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 pound butter, in small pieces

1 pint heavy cream or vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 1 1/2 quart baking dish, spread the apples in it, and sprinkle the water on top. Combine the flour, sugar, cinnnamon, and salt in a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs. Spread evenly over the apples. Bake for about 30 minutes or until crust is browned. Serve hot with heavy cream or ice cream.

From the Fanny Farmer Cookbook

Peach Soup

Makes 6 Servings

3 pounds (12 - 15) unpeeled ripe peaches

2 Tablespoons mild flavor honey

3 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

2 cups plain yogurt

1 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Set aside 4 of the peaches. Remove the pits from the remaining peaches and puree in a blender or food processor along with the honey and lemon juice. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in the yogurt, orange juice, vanilla, and spices. Slice the remaining peaches and add to the soup. Chill until ready to serve. The soup will keep a few days in the refrigerator.

From Mediterranean Light by Martha Rose Shulman

Chocolate Decadence

1 pound dark sweet chocolate

5 ounces sweet butter

4 large eggs

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon flour

2 cups whipping cream

1 Tablespoon powdered sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

chocolate curls made from one-quarter pound dark sweet chocolate

3 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries

1. Turn oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Line bottom of a cake pan with parchment paper ( or butter flour a round of waxed paper)

3. In the top of a double boiler, melt together 1 pound of good quality chocolate and the butter. When chocolate and butter are melted and smooth, remove from heat.

4. Whisking all the while, place four eggs and one Tablespoon sugar in the top of a double boiler or bain marie (putting a large mixing bowl in a pan of gently bubbling water on top of the stove) until the sugar dissolves and the mixture darkens and becomes barely warm to the touch. Acting quickly, remove the eggs from the heat and beat at the highest speed of an electric mixer until the eggs reach their potential treble volume and are the consistency of lightly whipped cream (five to ten minutes).

5. Remove the mixer. Fold in one Tablespoon of flour. do this very, very gently...now mix one third of the egg mixture into the resting chocolate.

6. Once the egg and rested chocolate are carefully combined, gently fold the chocolate mixture into the remaining whipped eggs. When no longer marbled, pour uncooked Chocolate Decadence into its prepared pan. Tap the pan lightly on the table and place it into the preheated oven.

7. Remove the pan from the oven after 15 minutes. The Decadence will be soft in the center and crusty on the top. When it has cooled, place the cake, while still in its pan, into the freezer for at least a good nights rest. It can be frozen for up to a month.

8. On the chosen day, whip two cups of heavy cream with one Tablespoon powdered sugar and one teaspoon of vanilla.

9. Make chocolate curles from 1/4 pound of the same chocolate using a potato peeler. Have the chocolate slightly above room temperature.

10. Puree and strain eight ounces of fresh or frozen raspberries. Put in bowl.

11. Remove the Chocolate Decadence from th freezer and from its pan by momentarily spinning the pan over high heat. Turn the cake out onto a flat platter. Remove the parchment paper. Cover the Decadence with 2/3's of the whipped cream. Pile the chocolate curls high in the center. Refrigerate, removing from fridge 15 minutes before serving. Serve with bowl of raspberry puree.

From Chocolate Decadence by Veronica di Rosa and Janice Feuer