PISCO PERU CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Rico! )))Pisco Peruvian Dark Chocolate Cookies(((. These galletas (cookies) are rich chocolate delights. Peru is famous for it's Pisco, the oldest distillery in the America's is PORTON, my favorite is Italiano Pisco from this distillery, use your favorite. I saw a cracked chocolate cookie recipe on whiteonricecouple blog using bourbon, check out their recipe and their site, Thanks Todd and Diane. Pisco is famous for the "Pisco Sour", it is in the Brandy family, fermented grapes (wine) distilled. Pisco mixes well with any fruit and is great straight with a bar of chocolate.These cookies take it to a whole new level. If you are a chocolate lover, Pisco Peru Chocolate Cookies will blow you away. Of course I am prejudice about my Chocolate and  Pisco, it must be Peruvian. Put a little Pizazz in your chocolate cookies>>>PISCO!

Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp Himalayan salt or another sea salt
8 ounces dark chocolate, grated ( I prefer Montblanc 52% Peruvian Chocolate)
3 TBL unsalted butter
2-3 TBL Pisco (I prefer PORTON Mosto Verde Italiana)
2 large eggs, I always suggest room temperature, take out of fridge night before
1/3 cup sugar (plus more for coating)
confectioners sugar for coating

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

Combine the grated chocolate, butter and Pisco in a small bowl (I used a pyrex glass bowl) over a pot of simmering water. Melt ingredients slowly, stirring frequently, remove from heat.

Mix eggs and sugar on high for 4 - 5 minutes until good froth, put your mixer away. Now, using the temper process, slowly add the melted chocolate (by hand), mixing as you go. You do not want the hot chocolate to cook the eggs (temper).

By hand, stir in the flour mixture until combined. Cover and refrigerate until firm (2-3 hours)

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees, spray your pans or line with parchment paper

Pour the granulated sugar and confectioners sugar into two separate small bowls, not to much, you can always add more. Form the refrigerated dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll in the granulated sugar then in the confectioner sugar, coat well. Place on baking sheet about an inch apart.

Bake for 8 minutes then rotate and bake for another 8 minutes, Baking time will vary depending on oven. Do Not overbake. Cookies are ready when the edges are slightly firm.

Let your Pisco Peru Chocolate cookies cool on pan until firm, transfer to wire rack to completely cool.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>ENJOY<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

YEAST STAR BISCUITS

Yeast Star Biscuits, east star, star, yeast, angel biscuits.... I just wanted to get your attention! If you're a biscuit lover or if your a dinner roll person, these biscuits are for you. A perfectly balanced cross between biscuit and yeast roll, I'm talking gooood here. All this with very little hassle, no refrigerate dough, no rise and punch, just make biscuits adding a little yeast. The results are amazing! No, you don't have to cut them in the shape of a star but they are a star biscuit.

Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS

5 cups plain flour

1 tsp soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup water

1 cup shortening

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

1 package dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

1 1/2 cup buttermilk 

DIRECTIONS

Sift flour, soda and baking powder together in large bowl; cut in shortening, mix with hands, use your fingers (like snapping your fingers) to make shortening the size of small peas. Dissolve yeast in warm water, mix well, ( I use a 1 cup measuring cup), measure buttermilk in a four cup measuring cup (let sit until yeast begins to bubble). Pour yeast into the buttermilk; blend thoroughly, then add to dry ingredients, Stir well, knead, adding more flour if necessary. On a floured board, knead several times, roll to about 1/2 inch; cut with star cutter or your favorite biscuit cutter. Brush tops with melted butter if you like. Bake at 450 degrees until golden brown, about 10 t0 12 minutes, depending on oven. These biscuits freeze well, both uncooked and cooked. If you choose to freeze uncooked, freeze them on your baking pan then transfer to freezer bags.

pot roast - low & slow

Slow Cooker Pot Roast. I love Pot Roast, just tired of the same old >>> add onion soup dry mix, soy sauce....... What you see above is flavorful Chuck Roast served with Corn Pudding and Bodacious Biscuits. If you follow my blog you know you should have Corn Pudding and Bodacious Biscuits in the freezer, ready to heat and serve along with the meat and taters. If by chance you don't, click on the links above. I divided the meat in five servings, put one on my plate for dinner along with some potatoes, carrots and onions. I divided the vegetables and put the Chuck Roast, Potatoes, carrots, onions and juice in quart freezer bags, squeezed the air out, flattened and put them in the freezer. I did share a little with Picasso (me Perro), my dog. I live alone with Picasso, so, almost everything I cook freezes well. A little butter on my Bodacious Biscuits, Aji Sauce on my chuck roast and a little Mambo Sauce for dipping and the vegetables, these recipes are a click away. Ready to do a little sous chef work? After that you come back in 10 hours and eat.

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INGREDIENTS

2-3 pound roast, I'm using Chuck Roast. 

1 TBL olive oil

1 TBL salt

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp basil

2tsp black pepper

2 bay leaves

4-6 cloves garlic (chopped)

1 pound carrots

3-4 med size potatoes ( I used yellow potatoes)

2 small apples, I Used gala (cut into wedges)

2-3 small onions, I used red onions (cut in wedges)

32 ounces chicken or beef stock (I used chicken base and made my own, dissolve in 32 oz water)

2 TBL cornstarch

2 TBL soy sauce ( I know, just had to to add a little)

DIRECTIONS

Combine salt, thyme, basil, black pepper in a small bowl (spice blend). Rub roast with olive oil and coat with spice blend. Any spice blend and olive oil left over, add to slow cooker.

Heat skillet with a spot of oil to med high and brown all sides of the roast, transfer to slow cooker. Add vegetables and bay leaves to cooker. Mix stock with soy sauce, cornstarch and garlic, add to slow cooker.

Cook low and slow, use that 10 hour setting. I know sometimes you are in a hurry, go ahead use the 5 hour setting, either way, it's great!

  

rosquitas

My final bake of Rosquitas with a few Spritz cookies

Earth Chef, Open Border Experimental Fusion Cooking. Have you wondered what that means? Well, here's the experimental part. As I have stated in previous post, I have spent a little time in Peru. Rosquitas are sold in the grocery stores, open market, convenience stores, etc, etc. Spritz cookies (butter cookies) are made with a cookie press, post for a later date (Spritz cookies are not Peruvian). Rosquitas are slightly sweet, dense, crunchy and addictive, some have sesame seeds others do not, all have a hint of Anise. Normally I don't like Anise (licorice) flavor, however it makes the Rosquitas. I tried to get the recipe for these addictive treats from the Metro Grocery baker. In his broken English and my few words of Spanish he explained the simple ingredients, flour, sugar, shortening, anise. He told me regular azúcar (granulated sugar). Long story longer, I found a recipe on Morena Cuadra's blog, Peru Delights.com , as you will notice she uses powdered sugar (azúcar fina or azúcar polvo). I made a batch using her exact recipe, the dough was crumbly and came apart when rolling even after adding a little more water. Experiment time, I made a batch using granulated sugar, on one of those days my excitement was greater than my mental capacity. I used the same amount of granulated sugar as powdered sugar, oops, can you say sweet Rosquitas. But, from this mistake I found the dough to be more pliable and rolled easy. It's a good thing I like sweet. I also tried using butter, I even added lime juice and a little baking soda (using powdered sugar). I love butter but not in this cookie, better to make Spritz cookies (butter cookies). With all this said the following is my adaptation of Morena's Rosquina's recipe, Thank you Morena! Please check her site out, great Peruvian recipes. 

I have several shots of different batches I have made, I will throw a few in. This recipe is like the original except I add fresh squeezed mexican lime juice and toasted sesame seeds. I really like the addition, just wish I had Peruvian Lemons (limes). I think the granulated sugar would be great and give a more workable dough, I need to calculate the correct amount. Anyone have the formula for powdered sugar to granulated? I did add more water to the dough and it made it easier to work and platt.

Print Recipe

325 degree oven

INGREDIENTS

3 cups flour
1 cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup shortening, melted
1 tsp anise extract
juice of one mexican lime (about 1 TBL)
2 TBL toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup water (plus more as needed)

DIRECTIONS

Sift flour, salt and sugar in a medium bowl, mix well and make a well in the center. Add the melted shortening, lime juice, anise extract, water. Knead until mixture forms a soft dough, adding a little water as needed, add sesame seeds and knead until distributed evenly. Important: Cover dough with a clean cloth and let rest for 30 minutes or so.                          

Spray two baking sheets (I used 13 1/2" X 16 1/2" pans, I got 20 smaller Rosquitas per pan) with no stick cooking spray and place the rosquitas close together. Pinch off a small portion of dough, a little smaller than the size of a golf ball, divide ball in half and roll with your hands to make two ropes, a little smaller than a pencil, six to nine inches long. Join the ends of two ropes and flatten them, platt, one piece over the other. Make in the shape of a circle and join the ends, place on sprayed pans. Repeat process. The larger you roll the ropes, the more dough you use, the bigger the Rosquitas and the bake time is longer. I prefer a smaller, bite size Rosquita cookie. Try to keep your Rosquitas the same size. Spray two baking sheets (I used 13 1/2" X 16 1/2" pans, I got 20 smaller Rosquitas per pan) with no stick cooking spray and place the rosquitas close together. Put in the fridge for two or more hours, better overnight. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, and bake the rosquitas until they are a light golden brown. Do not over bake, they brown more after you remove from oven. Place on cooling racks. Store in an airtight container, freezer bags work well and Roquitas freeze well. TIP: Just as they begin to brown around the edges, check the bottom of one. If it is nice and brown, the Rosquitas are ready to remove from oven.

I know this seems like a lot of trouble for a basic cookie but they are sooo worth it! I actually use the juice of two limes, however I really like lime in most all baked goods (and sauces, pot roast, most everything), it seems to explode the flavor without being in your face. Enjoy!

  

Lime and toasted sesame seeds not shown

corn pudding

I remember my grandmother making a rendition of this as a child, and low and behold one of my daughters, Jenna, as told to me by Jamie, another daughter, makes something like this. Anyway I was reading food blogs and I found a recipe for Sweet Corn Spoonbread on Chungah's blog, click here>>"Damn Delicious"  and she adapted it from Stacey's blog, click here>>"Southern Bite". Are you confused? So, here's my adaptation, thanks to Stacey, Chungah, my grandmother and two of my daughters. I hope you enjoy one of these recipes, adapt it and make it your own. My grandmother called it "Corn Pudding".

Print Recipe

375 degree oven

INGREDIENTS

1 package jiffy corn muffin mix (8.5 ounces)

1 can cream corn (14.75 ounces)
1 can whole kernel corn, drained (15 ounces)
1 stick butter melted
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs
1 jalapeno pepper, diced (fresh or pickled)
1 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, spray your casserole, pour mixture in and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and fully set.

lou's Chicken Breast with Peppercorn sauce

Deninne and I just had Chicken with Peppercorn Cream Sauce and it was excellent. 

I made it with "Drunken Corn" on the side (one of our regulars). 2 cups frozen Silver Queen corn, 1 Tbs butter, ½-¾ cup of dry Vermouth, ½-¾ cup water, salt & pepper to taste, and 1 teaspoon of dried dill. Heat to boiling then uncover and simmer for about 10 minutes to concentrate flavors and let excess liquid boil off. Yum.

This dish is a bit on the spicy side due to the cracked pepper, but fabulous!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breast 
• 1 Tbs butter
• pepper and salt
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 cup chopped shallot
• 1 Tbs peppercorn blend (black, white, green, red, whatever you can "nd)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth (you can use chicken bullion cube in 1/2 cup water)
• 1/3 cup of heavy cream

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Two boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each cut into 4 pieces. Hammer chicken breasts to about 1/2” thick, lightly season both sides with salt and flour. Cook chicken breast until done, approximately 160°F - 170°F inside. Transfer to plate, cover and keep warm, or place in a 150°F oven to rest and stay warm.
2. While chicken breast are cooking, use mortar and pestle to crack peppercorns. If you don’t have one,
you can place the peppercorns in a plastic ziplock bag and pound them with a mallet or
bottom of a frying pan. You don’t want them too small, just cracked. It’s okay if some of the
peppercorns remain whole.
3. In the same pan that you cooked the chicken, add 1 tsp olive oil and mushrooms. Cook for 2-3
minutes. Add shallots and cook 1 minute more. Add chicken broth and peppercorns and bring to
a boil. Reduce heat, and slowly whisk in heavy cream. Allow to simmer for about 3 minutes or
until thickened. If you use chicken bouillon cubes for your broth, you won’t need added
salt. If you use a low salt broth or stock, you may wish to add a little extra salt to taste.
4. Transfer chicken breast to a serving platter. Pour peppercorn/shallot/mushroom sauce over the top.
Serve immediately.
Serve with warm bread to soak up sauce, salad and/or side vegetable. Delicious.

Here are some pictures of tonight's cook off. 

The main ingredients - chicken, mushrooms, shallots, butter, cream and chicken stock (from bullion cube).

Two boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each cut into 4 pieces.

Chicken breasts hammered flat, about ½" thick. Light coating of salt and flour (using a shaker full of flour).

Sliced mushrooms, chopped shallots, cracked pepper (in this case, black, white and green peppercorns) and cream, ready to to cook.

Chicken breasts sautéed in butter and about ready to be put on a platter in a warm oven to continue resting 

and cooking slowly. Oven set to warm (150-180°F)

                           Mushrooms, sauteed about 3-4 minutes in a little bit of oil in the same pan.

                  After adding shallots (sautée an extra minute) then adding chicken stock and cracked peppercorns.

         After bringing to a boil, ⅓ cup heavy cream added and cooked until it begins to thicken, about 2-3 minutes.

         Sauce is ready!

Chicken with finished sauce on top. Corn on the side. Time to eat. Oink, oink good.

I think this was almost as good with chicken as it was with filet mignon. 

Lou

Ooie Gooey

Ooie Gooey this is it, you found it, The Doodle Show, Welcome. Seriously, this little dessert is World Famous, or at least Alabama Famous. I have made endless batches, daily at the old "Doodles Cajun Cuisine Restaurant". Doodle's is now an empty lot, the building was blown away in 2011 by a big, bad tornado. Folks came from near and far to partake. Heated with ice cream on top (A la Mode), what ya talking 'bout! This is for you Jamie Horsley and the hoards of others that want this recipe. Now, this recipe in many forms and spellings has been around for longer than I made it but..... Make some, you will see. You too will become Famous, at least to all who taste!

Printable Recipe

350 degree oven

INGREDIENTS

1 box cake mix
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
3 eggs
8 ounces cream cheese
16 ounces powdered sugar
Get your eggs and butter out of the refrigerator before you start, better at room temperature. I like to lightly toast my nuts. I used pecans in this recipe. I used yellow cake mix but you can use  any flavor, red velvet is great, chocolate is divine....  

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cake mix, butter and one egg, mix with a fork and press into 9X12 pan or close to that size, cover with nuts and press into batter. Cream, powdered sugar, cream cheese and two eggs with stand mixer or hand mixer, mix well. Pour over first mixture and bake for 25 minutes, golden brown. Ovens will vary!