Decadent Brownie Pie

Preparation Time: About 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes 8-10 Servings
Difficulty Level: 2/5

For the Brownie:
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 baking cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans
For the Ganache:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
Optional Toppings:
mint Andes candies
raspberries and fresh mint
caramel sauce and whipped cream

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add corn syrup; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after addition.
2. Combine the flour, cocoa, and salt in a separate bowl.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with milk. Fold in nuts.
4. Spread into a greased 10-inch springform pan. Bake at 325 F for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted 1 inch from the side of the pan comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
5. For ganache: in a saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate until melted. Cool completely.
6. Remove sides of springform pan. Place a wire rack over waxed paper; set brownie on rack.
7. Pour ganache over brownie; spread over top and let drip down sides. Let stand until set.
8. Cut into wedges. Garnish with desired toppings. Store in the refrigerator.

Remarks from Experience
I used this brownie pie as a birthday treat for a friend who absolutely adores chocolate – and she ended up eating two slices! This recipe is extremely easy and sure to be a hit to whomever you serve it. One important tip: make sure you know how your springform pan works before you put a scalding-hot brownie inside it!

Source
Taste of Home Celebrations Cookbook. Ed Jean Stiener. Reader’s Digest & Reiman Media Group Inc, 2005.

Coq au Vin

Preparation Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Makes 4 Servings
Difficulty Level: 2/5

2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp sunflower or corn oil
3 lb (1.5 kg) chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
4 thick slices of bacon, cut into strips
8 shallots
1/2 lb (250 g) mushrooms
1/4 cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) chicken stock
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) red wine
1 bay leaf
1 thyme sprig
1 parsley sprig
1 large garlic clove, crushed
salt and black pepper
4 slices of white bread, crusts removed, to serve
2 tbsp chopped parsley to garnish

1. Melt the butter with the oil in a large flameproof casserole. When the butter is foaming, add the chicken pieces and cook for 10-12 minutes, until browned all over. Lift out and drain on paper towels.
2. Spoon off any excess fat, then add the bacon, shallots, and mushrooms to the casserole. Cook over high heat, stirring, until golden brown. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain thoroughly on paper towels.
3. Add the flour and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly until lightly browned. Gradually pour in the stock, then the wine, stirring until smooth.
4. Return the chicken, bacon, shallots, and mushrooms to the casserole and add the bay leaf, thyme, parsley, garlic, and then season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook in a 350 F (180 C) oven for 45-60 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
5. Toward the end of the cooking time, toast the bread slices on both sides under the broiler. Cut into 4-inch triangles.
6. Garnish the chicken with the chopped parsley and serve immediately with the toasted bread triangles.

Remarks from Experience
I recommend serving this with a fresh French bread rather than a sliced sandwich bread, as the recipe suggests. But you’re welcome to try whatever you like. I also recommend that you have your paper towels set up ahead of time, as you’ll be spending most of your time between steps stirring whatever is on the stove. Finally, make sure you remember to cover the casserole before you put it in the oven; otherwise the chicken comes out very dry.

Source
Mary Berry & Marlena Spieler. Classic Home Cooking. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.

West African Peanut Soup

Preparation Time: About 1 hour
Makes 10 Servings
Difficulty Level: 1/5

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, very finely diced
2 large bell peppers, (any color) finely chopped
6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce) can chopped tomatoes with juice
8 cups vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 (18 ounce) jar creamy peanut butter
chopped roasted peanuts (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Cook onion, bell pepper, and garlic until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, vegetable broth, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
2. Add rice to soup and stir. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 25 minutes, or until rice is tender.
3. When rice is cooked, whisk in peanut butter and return to a simmer, and serve. Garnish with chopped roasted peanuts, if desired.

Remarks from Experience
This is probably my favorite soup ever. You wouldn’t expect the combination of tomatoes and peanut butter to be utterly amazing, but it totally is. A great aspect of this recipe is that it’s totally vegan, so you can serve it to nearly everyone. It also freezes well, making it ideal for smaller families who wouldn’t finish a whole pot of soup in one sitting.

Source
My husband first encountered West African peanut soup, ironically enough, when he was staying with a white family in Massachusetts. Wanting to make it for me, he found the recipe here, at allrecipes.com.

Billie’s Best Waffles

Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes
Makes 4 Servings
Difficulty Level: 2/5

cooking spray
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

1. Preheat waffle iron. When hot, spray both top and bottom with one spray of cooking spray before the first waffle (you won’t need anymore after that).
2. Separate the eggs. Beat the whites stiff until small peaks form.
3. Measure the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a mixing bowl. Blend.
4. Combine the egg yolks and milk in a separate bowl. Stir in oil.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the and dry mixture. Blend thoroughly.
6. Carefully fold in egg whites. Be careful to not over-mix.
7. Pour approximately 2/3 cup of the batter onto the waffle iron. Close, bake, and serve immediately.
8. Repeat step 7 until all of the batter is used.

Remarks from Experience
These waffles are particularly light and fluffy. The hardest part (before I rewrote the recipe to make it much easier) was just remembering to separate the eggs. Also, you need to be careful in handling the egg whites: make sure you blend them thoroughly into the batter, but don’t over-mix all of the air out of the batter as you do so.

Source
This recipe comes from a friend of my husband’s family named Billie Learned.

Leek Bundles of Provencal Vegetables

Preparation Time: 30-60 minutes
Makes 4 Servings
Difficulty Level: 3/5

For the Bundles:
1 large leek, green part only, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
1 small eggplant, cut into 8 slices
1 zucchini, sliced
olive oil for brushing
1/2 tsp herbes de Provence
salt and black pepper
1 red pepper, cored, seeded, roast, and peeled
8 oz (200 g) canned tomatoes, drained
3 tbsp store-bought pesto
2 garlic cloves, chopped
For the Dressing:
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp store-bought pesto

1. Blanch the leek for 1 minute. Drain and rinse. Separate the layers to get 13 strips.
2. Brush the eggplant and zucchini slices with the oil, sprinkle with the herbs, salt, and pepper. Cook under the broiler, 4 inches (10 centimeters) from the heat, for 5 minutes.
3. Cut the red pepper and tomatoes into chunks. Brush the slices of eggplant with pesto.
4. Cut one of the strips of leek into 4 long strands and set aside.
5. Take 3 strips of leek and place them on top of one another in a star formation so that they intersect at the middle of each strip. Stack the vegetables where the strips cross (for instance: 1 piece of eggplant, 1 piece of red pepper, 1-2 slices of zucchini, a little chopped garlic, 1 piece of tomato, and another piece of eggplant). Fold the ends of the leek strips up over the vegetables so that they meet in the middle and enclose the vegetable filling. Tie the bundle with one of the long strands of leek.
6. Repeat step 5 using the remaining vegetables and leek strips to make 3 more bundles.
7. Put the bundles on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 F (180 C) oven for 10 minutes.
8. Make the pesto dressing: whisk the oil, vinegar, and pesto.
9. Spoon the dressing onto 4 serving plates, place a bundle on each, and serve immediately.

Remarks from Experience
This is a great appetizer to make for people you want to impress. Everyone is always wowed by the careful craftsmanship that goes into each serving. Also, this recipe is completely vegan, so you can serve it to almost everyone. One important piece of advice: you should allocate extra time if this is your first try making this dish. Assembling the bundles can be difficult if you haven’t had practice doing it before. Make sure you read the directions thoroughly before you begin.

Source
Mary Berry & Marlena Spieler. Classic Home Cooking. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.