simple food

Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe (with pictures)

02.02.11

If you’re new here, welcome! I’m AmberLee, and Giverslog is my place to share recipes, gift ideas, pretty wrapping ideas, and more. I also own an online chocolate shop, The Ticket Kitchen. Stop by if you get a moment.

I remember the first time I discovered there was such a thing as flourless chocolate cake. The words alone. A chocolate cake that doesn’t even bother with flour? Brilliant.

Truly, this recipe is an all-time favorite of mine. For that matter, it’s one of my favorite ways to eat chocolate, period. It’s that good. I’ve been wanting to share it forever.

I also wanted to share because this recipe is perfect practice for anyone who would like to try making a chocolate souffle, but isn’t feeling brave enough just yet. You can practice all the souffle tricks, like whipping eggs and folding the batter, and even if you don’t get it just right, you end up with a guest-worthy dessert. Way less pressure. Also, you make it in advance, so you don’t have a whole table full of guests waiting, with bated breath, to see if you’re going to serve them a glorious pouffy souffle or more of a sad dilapidated attempt at one (can you tell I’m speaking from experience?).

And when you really get good at whipping and folding, make some macarons.

Let’s get started.

A quick note on chocolate. If you’re making this for a crowd of milk chocolate lovers, you can replace up to half the chocolate with milk chocolate. If everyone’s a dark chocolate lover, go with semisweet, or even darker, bittersweet. I adore it with 70% chocolate. But my fall back for the average dinner crowd is the chocolate combo I listed in the recipe.

Flourless Chocolate Cake
lightly adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Equipment:
Spring form pan (8-inch or 10-inch will work)
Parchment paper
Mixer with whip attachment

Ingredients:
10 oz. chocolate, finely chopped (I usually go with 8 oz of a semisweet bar, Valhrona if I can afford it, and 2 oz of a milk chocolate bar, usually Guittard or Callebaut)
8 Tbs. unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into cubes for easy melting
4 cold eggs, separated
1 tsp. instant coffee dissolved in 2 tsp. water (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1⁄4 tsp. cream of tartar
1⁄4 cup granulated sugar

Method:
1. Position the rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 375°F.

2. Grease your springform pan, then cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom. Lay that down and grease over it too. Then sprinkle in a little flour and tap out the excess.

3. Melt your chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave (see more details than you will ever need about melting chocolate right here). I always melt in the microwave for simple baking. Dump chocolate into a microwavable bowl, preferably not glass because that conducts too much heat. Cook one minute on half power. Remove and stir. Continue cooking for 30 seconds at a time on half power until chocolate is mostly melted. Stir until melted. Add butter and stir until fully combined.

4. Set chocolate aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

5. Whisk the yolks and dissolved coffee (optional) and vanilla extract in a separate small bowl. Pour the yolk mixture over the cooled chocolate and whisk until no streaks of egg are visible.

6. Here comes the whipping and folding. Are you ready? Make sure you have a perfectly clean, dry mixing bowl. Even a particle of grease will ruin any chance of your eggs whipping up. Combine egg whites and cream of tartar. Whip on medium until they are foamy and the cream of tartar dissolves, about 1 minute. Increase the mixer to medium-high and continue beating until the whites form soft peaks, 2 to 3 minutes.

7. Add the granulated sugar half at a time, beating for a few seconds after each addition. Beat until whites are shiny and form stiff peaks, about one minute more.

8. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold about one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Spoon the remaining whites on top and fold until mostly combined. Don’t over fold. It’s okay to leave a few streaks.

9. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake 19 to 23 minutes. You’ll know the cake is done when the top looks firm and the middle jiggles only slightly when you give the pan a gentle shake. Transfer your cake to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 30 minutes.

10. The cake will sink slightly in the middle, that means you’ve done it right. I’ve had to convince more than one dinner guest that this is on purpose. But think about it, moist dense chocolate cake? Of course that’s not a mistake. Run a butter knife along the inside edge of the pan to loosen it, then release the sides and lift them off. Let the cake cool completely, about 1 hour more. Serve sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar or with a dollop of whipped cream or creme fraiche.

I tried to snap a good picture for you of soft peaks. These are actually just a little stiffer than I like them.
Nice shiny stiff peaks.
My favorite way to fold is to gently plunge my spatula into the middle of the mixture, then come up scraping the side of the bowl and lifting the batter. Then I give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until I’m satisfied. Remember, a few streaks are a okay. It’s better not to overfold.

Wipe your knife with a very damp cloth as you go to make cutting and serving easier.

mmm. chocolate.

{ 15 comments }

Hot Chocolate Bar How-To and Printables

01.27.11

When we decided to get serious about opening up shop and making hot chocolate on a stick, we had a few reasons we were especially excited. And one of them was this,

parties.

nuf said.

I love all kinds of parties, but my favorite are the kind with simple prep and a big bang. So we decided to dedicate an entire page to those kinds of parties on The Ticket Kitchen site. And of course, we wanted our hot chocolate Ticket Sticks to be able to get all dressed up for our parties too, so we created a set of free printables to offer on our party page.

Click here to see our free printables page.

One of the simplest parties we’ve tried has been a potluck hot chocolate bar, which is best thrown on a complete whim. We’ve had great fun seeing toppings and mixins that friends and family come up with. I always insist on homemade marshmallows, of course (I make a bazillion at one time and then keep them in the freezer, they last forever). And here are a few other fun toppings we’ve thought were good, or at least, good for conversation.

crystallized ginger
cinnamon bears or red hots
real maple syrup
bacon crumbles
cinnamon sticks
vanilla beans
toffee
fresh mint
anise
raspberry puree
almond butter
lemon rind

{ 9 comments }

Two-Minute Weekday Steel Cut Oatmeal

11.12.10

My husband used to tell me about this amazing oatmeal he’d had once as a houseguest. He’d go on and on about how creamy it was, how he wished he could have it just once more, just one more chance to enjoy this incredible oatmeal.

Okay, maybe not that dramatic, but it was definitely oatmeal to remember, which says something. And as the woman who feeds him (I did not marry a cook) I was beginning to get a complex about my oatmeal.

Then last year, I learned a new secret that revolutionized my breakfasts, my mornings, and my marriage, forever. And now, as soon as the weather turns cold, I have the most amazing, most crazy cheap, crazy simple and super healthy breakfast ever. And I have a satisfied husband. It’s almost more happiness than I can bear.

It is the breakfast of champions, I’m telling you. And it is totally houseguest worthy. It starts with one cup of steel cut oats.
Do you know your oats? The oats on the top have been rolled flat, the oats on the bottom have been chopped, or cut. There’s no MAJOR difference between the two, but I like steel cut oats because they taste a little nuttier, they’ve been slightly less processed, and because my houseguests are always more impressed when I say I made them steel-cut oatmeal.

So here’s the big secret. Once a week, on Mondays, I break out my dutch oven, I dump in one cup of oats for every four cups of water and milk, plus a dash of salt. Then I leave it in the oven for an hour.

That is it.

Then, on every weekday morning, I pull the oatmeal out of the fridge, I use my ice cream scoop to carve out enough for a bowlful. I warm it, I top it, and then I huddle over my simple, wonderful, warm cozy breakfast.

I always top with soy milk (it is so creamy with the oatmeal) and a little brown sugar. Then I like to mix it up with other toppings.

My latest favorite is homemade applesauce. It is like having an apple pie for breakfast. Only no guilt instead of tons of guilt.

It has won Brent’s admiration. It feels good to satisfy your man.

Here is the official recipe.

Two-Minute Weekday Steel Cut Oatmeal
1 cup steel-cut oats
3 cups water
1 cup milk
1 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 300.

Dump oats, water, and milk into a large, oven-safe pan with extra depth for oatmeal to expand. Add salt. All of this will take you a grand total of two minutes, hence the recipe name. Cover if you want. Or don’t. I’ve done both.

Bake for an hour or two. Seriously, can you believe how easy this is? If you bake a little longer, the oatmeal will be more custardy when you refrigerate. Bake a little shorter if you like your oatmeal saucy.

Store in the fridge. Oatmeal will keep for five days or so. When you’re ready to enjoy, scoop out a bowlful and warm in the microwave. Once it is warmed, drizzle with soy milk (my favorite) or cream. Add something sweet and enjoy.

{ 55 comments }

Chili and Cornbread in a Jar

10.27.10

If you’re new here, welcome! I’m AmberLee, and Giverslog is my place to share recipes, gift ideas, pretty wrapping ideas, and whatever else is on my mind. I also own an online chocolate shop, The Ticket Kitchen. Stop by if you get a moment!

Remember barbecue in a jar? Last night we tried a variation. We had chili and cornbread in a jar. Yumm.

Cornbread makes me happy.

The whole thing was super simple. I made my homemade chili in advance and scooped it into the jars. Then when dinner time came around I mixed up cornbread batter and spooned it on top.

The only thing left to do was bake the whole shebang until a toothpick came out of the cornbread clean. This would be so simple for entertaining a crowd.

Actually, there was one more, other thing to do. I had to add a little butter and drizzle on some honey. Mmm.

I’m glad it worked because if it hadn’t we would have been having Rasin Bran for dinner.

Would you like to see what the rest of my family was up to while I was taking pictures of our dinner?

My older two were turning all the dials in Brent’s truck.

And my baby was hanging around a little closer. He wanted some of that cornbread sooo bad.

I’ve never seen a 14-month-old with his will power. Instead of digging in, he stood inches away and tried to look hungry until we finally took one of those forks and had at it. By the way, I think it’s time for his first haircut, what do you think?

And in case you wanted to know, my favorite chili recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated. I also love this white chicken chili recipe. And as for cornbread, I always make the version my friend Dawn made for me when I had baby #2. It’s just basic but I love it.

Dawn’s Cornbread
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted

Mix until combined and bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes.

{ 119 comments }

How to Make an Amazing Caramel Apple

10.26.10

I have spent years perfecting a homemade caramel recipe. I finally, fin-al-ly have the caramel worked out. I can make a pretty heavenly batch.

But I always wanted to make the perfect caramel apple. I wanted one just as delicious as I find at our favorite pumpkin patch bakery this time of year. I usually dip my apples, but have been unsatisfied when some of the caramel slides down the slick apple skin.

Last night, I was making caramel, and
bingo,
I discovered a trick.

Are you ready for it?

I made a batch of caramel, using this recipe.

I tucked some parchment paper in a bowl, and when the caramel hit 234 F (this was THE magic number for me, it’s the lowest softball stage) I drizzled a little puddle of caramel into the bowl. I did not dip the apple.

Then, I waited for the caramel to cool. And I wrapped the apple.

The caramel is super soft and chewy good, and it is fully intact around the apple. Oh yes. And it is now ready to be drizzled with chocolate and rolled in something delicious.

Or, if you want pure, unadulterated caramel on your apple, and this caramel is good enough to deserve it, you can smooth your caramel a little more. Put the entire caramel apple in a 250 F oven for a couple minute, then smooth it by rolling it on parchment paper or rubbing it with the back of a spoon.

And I am so glad I figured this out, because I still am hopeless at making a good apple pie. I don’t know if I’ll ever learn to make the perfect pastry crust. But in the meantime, I’ll have something great to do with my apples this time of year.

{ 10 comments }

Poor Man's Panini

09.10.10

Good manners is all about reciprocation. Right? So I thought that after sharing the recipe I used to make for friends and boys, including the boy I eventually married, I should really tell you about the recipe Brent used to make for me.

Most of the time when Brent and I were dating, his apartments were not pretty places to be, especially not the kitchens. In fact, they were often a threat to our health. How bad could they have been, you ask? Let me tell you. In one of them, somebody left their birthday cake sitting soggily at the bottom of the sink for three weeks. And that was the first month in the semester. I’m sure it got worse but we didn’t hang around enough to find out.

There were also redeeming moments in Brent’s apartment kitchens. Brent was lucky and smart enough to room with his best friend, who taught us Indian cooking. (Men can TOTALLY have signature recipes). And then there were Brent’s two dinners he would make to impress me. Dinner one: Awesome quesadillas with queso fresco and Tapatio hot sauce. Dinner two: grilled cheese. (Hmm, lots of cheese, it’s no wonder I fell for this guy.)

He made every sandwich in his one beloved kitchen appliance, his Snack Master.

(This is me in one of my rad apartment kitchens. If you look closely on the very right, you can see the revered Snack Master on the counter.)

Yes, Brent was all about the Snack Master. And you know, we got pretty good at experimenting with ingredients that we found in the fridge and still had confidence in as edible entities.

Here are a few sandwiches that have become favorites over the years. This entire menu wasn’t full fledged in college, but I thought I’d give you the benefit of a few extra years of making and eating.

Simple Grilled Cheese Favorites
1. Brie, caramelized red onions, and fresh spinach, tossed in vinaigrette and thrown in after grilling (my favorite)
2. Chicken, provolone, and broccoli rabe
3. Ham and gouda
4. Jack, cheddar, and spinach
5. Gruyere and grilled red onions
6. The Reuban (sauerkraut, pastrami or corned beef, and swiss)
7. Tuna and provolone (add artichoke on really special occasions)
8. Chicken, pesto, and provolone

Awesome panini photo from here.

p.s. Brent is also a big mustard fan. Pairing mustards with grilled cheese is a delicate and worthy art. That just might have to be a post all its own some time.

{ 2 comments }

Give That Man a Hand: Good Food in Jars

09.03.10

This is an all-time favorite story of mine.

I adore Destri and her blog, The Mother Huddle. A few months back, I heard from Destri about her grandfather. He is not only a warm and wonderful grandpa, but he is also devoted to canning the most magnificent food I have heard of, and then sharing it with all his family and friends. I thought you might like to hear a little more about how he works his magic. And so Destri and her grandfather were good enough to tell the story here for you today. I am in awe after reading this and know you will be too. Help me welcome and give a hand to one amazing grandpa. I’ll let Destri take it from here.

When I first wrote this article, it was a story of my 83 year old Grandpa and his generosity. A story of how the preserves he makes year-round find their way into the pantries of everyone he knows. How every time we visit my mom’s house I leave with a box full of jars, filled with all of his hard work. After taking the time to talk to him on the matter I realized there was a lot more to his generosity than a few afternoons spent in the kitchen. There is a story behind every recipe he bottles up.

Take his chokecherry for instance. Of all his preserves, it has long been a favorite of mine. It seems it’s existence is riding on the relationship between him and the guy at the wrecking yard, his main source for the berries. “He’s stubborn, wants me to go to church with him” He chuckled, “but I guess I need to go make up with him if I want more berries!” It made me wonder if the ladies behind the desk at his doctor’s office realize what has to happen for him to bring them a jar when he visits. So I decided it needs a new label:

His elderberry jam has always been liquid gold, only a few of these jars make into my pantry every year. I never thought to ask why, always thinking it was just hard to make. Evidently every year about this time he goes searching the mountains for elderberries and it has been three years since he has found any. He only has 2 jars of the juice left from three years ago, and crossing his fingers this labor day will bring him some luck. I hate to even go to the store to buy jam, let alone climb mountains to make it. So I decided it too needed its own label:

I had no idea that the 14 day pickles brought out at Thanksgiving and Christmas actually took 14 days to make. For some reason I thought that was how long they should sit in the jar before you ate them. Turns out, each day there is a step taken for fourteen days until the pickles are ready to bottle. I went to pick my kids up late one night at my mom’s a couple weeks ago, and there stands my Grandpa standing at the kitchen sink scrubbing little cucumbers. He was leaving in two weeks and needed to have them bottled before he left. Next time I pop one of them in my mouth, I will be sure to savor it a little more. And just in case anyone he gives them to anyone in the future who doesn’t know, I made a label for them:

So after all, the story ended up being about a lot more than my Grandfather and his generous gift giving. I found it to be a story of a man who found something to do, turned it into a passion, then found the joy in sharing it. To me that is one of the truest forms of gift giving. Sharing our talents, passions, and hard work with those around us.

I asked him if there was a recipe of his that he would like to share with you, and with a little quicker step than normal, he scurried in the house and returned to the porch with a manila folder.

In it are all his recipes for bottling, and he pulled out this one especially for us. His recipe for mustard pickles that has been fine-tuned over the years. I made a couple labels for you (with no fine print), one small and one big in case you have a chance to make them, and hopefully share them. Enjoy!

Grandpa Ferre’s Mustard Pickles

1 qt. green tomatoes

6 sweet red peppers

¾ qt. dark cider vinegar

¾ qt. water

1 Tb. curry powder

1 qt. pickling onions

1 head cauliflower

3 C sugar

6 level Tb. mustard

¾ C flour

1 qt. cucumbers

2 bunches celery

½ cup salt

1 Tb. tumeric

Cube vegetables into ¾ inch pieces.

Combine vinegar, 1 cup sugar, salt and water. Steam with all vegetables except celery until tender. Sift flour, tumeric, mustard and remaining 2 cups sugar. Mix with some vinegar dipped off vegetables. Pour mixture back into vegetables. Add celery and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour into sterilized jars and seal. Makes 10 pints.

To print labels just click on the image and save to your computer then print. You can also duplicate the images on word or similar application to make more labels to a page.

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Here’s to one incredible giving man and grandpa, from all of us.

If you have a story of a man who gives good gifts, I’d love for you to share. Stop by some time and submit.

Also, thanks to Destri and her Grandfather for sharing today. Be sure to make a stop by The Mother Huddle right away. You will adore the lovely Destri and all the wonderful things she makes and shares. Also, some very fun lists. I heart lists. Don’t miss it.

{ 17 comments }

Message Macarons

08.30.10

We have been making macarons more often around here lately. I’ve gotten so I can make pretty quick work of it. Though in order to speed things up, I finally had to admit to myself that it was not worth making my own almond flour every time. It took me a while to concede, but now I just stop by Whole Foods and pick up a bag that is ready to go. I also like to keep things simple by sandwiching something inside that is premade, already in my fridge. Two of my favorites are a simple, good berry jam and, because I love all things lemon, a scoop of lemon curd. Yum.

I’ve also taken to spelling out messages with them.

Have you ever had an inkling to try a batch? You can see the recipe I use with a few of my favorite tricks right here. I’ve been pleased to get notes from several of you who found the tricks helpful and were pleased with your first batch. You know I love hearing about your adventures in the kitchen. So if you’re up for it, get my notes here. And stop by and let me know how it goes.

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p.s. I like to send macarons by mail every now and then, and have found this container to be the best, most protective, shipping solution. Careful when you stack them, if you squish them at all their fragile shells can crack. So just leave a little cushion room and you’ll be set.

{ 10 comments }

Glow Cones, part II

07.29.10

Photos from our second night of glow cones, as promised.

The kids and I picked up a few colors of Kool-Aid and made a rainbow of syrups.

We tried adding a secret ingredient to one of the syrups, but I think we’ll need to add a few more to really pack a punch.
(p.s. did you know you can buy sour spray to add to any flavor of snow cone?)

We used a different brand of glow sticks tonight, and they worked okay, but didn’t seem quite as bright. Next time, I might try something LED, like these.

Everyone picked out their glow stick color,
loaded up on ice,

and artfully drizzled on their pick of syrup colors. Brent brought out the guitar and it made for a pretty good summer night.

{ 13 comments }

Glow Cones

07.28.10

I can’t believe my baby is about to turn one. We’ve been planning a big bash to celebrate, and have been trying to think of something fun to do. Preferably something that involves being outside on a summer night—do you agree with me that there’s nothing better than summer twilight?—and probably involving a movie under the stars with lots of cousins running around. Yesterday, while we were taking in the free indoor summer movie at the local theater, my son pulled out a glow ring, and we had an idea.

We pulled out the snow cone machine.

We gathered cups, one clear plastic cup to fit inside each paper cup.

We waited until dusk.

And then it was time! (Brent did not make it home from work until late, so all photos you see are taken with a baby in one arm and a camera in the other. I’ll see if I can snap some better pictures for you tonight.)

We put a glow stick inside each paper cup and nested a plastic cup inside,

scooped in shaved ice, and had our first ever glow cones.
(I finally told the kids to watch out for coyotes and ran inside get the tripod, baby in toe, since he’s the only one small enough to be a coyote snack.)

The perfect excuse for being outside on a summer night. Testing the different colored syrups with the different colored glow sticks was spectacular. If you get the chance, you must try. I think we’ll make more again tonight when I have a baby holder around and see if we can get some better shots.
I also think these would be the perfect snack to go with a night-time shadow puppet show.

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p.s. I know I promised you one more photo game idea for our photography shoot along, but we didn’t quite finish the project due to staying up late gorging on glowing snow cones. I have the project in the works though and promise to share soon. I also have many other fun photo ideas I plan to crank out, and Carrie has a new photography tutorial underway. Stay tuned. And if you have any burning photography questions, it’s not too late to add them.

{ 42 comments }

Make This Sandwich

07.21.10

Two things.

First, thanks to all of you for jumping in on the shoot-along. I loved reading all your burning photography questions. We are going to have so much fun exploring some of these things. Goody goody. I can’t wait.

Second. If you can get your hands on a home grown tomato, you must make this sandwich. It is the essence of simple summer bliss. Oh such bliss. Once my tomatoes come in, I live off of this sandwich and summertime fruit. Don’t you love simple summertime food? What do you live off of in the summertime?

{ 2 comments }

Tres Leches Pancakes

06.18.10

Have you ever had tres leches cake? For anyone who hasn’t, it’s heaven. You take a yellow cake and drench it in three kinds of cream. Pretty good idea, right?

I’ve been craving all things latino even more since my aunt visited. I miss her!

So I had this thought last week that I’d like to try tres leches pancakes, I thought it was worth pursuing. I took a stack of hot pancakes, layered them with fruit, and poured on a bled of three creams until they were bien mojado—nice and wet. They turned out to be pretty good (pancakes and cream? what a surprise).

But I found I liked it best having one pancake on a plate at a time. Because it’s rich, for one, and because that way the pancake can really soak up all that wet goodness.

Tres Leches Pancakes
Cook up a stack of your favorite pancakes. You’ll probably want a lighter pancake, whole wheat may be too heavy. While you’re cooking and flipping, mix the following ingredients:

1 12-oz. evaporated milk
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk

Once the pancakes are done, poke a few holes in them with a fork. Pour the cream mixture over them, making sure you don’t stop until they’re nice and wet. Serve with fruit, and dig in.

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I’m wishing you a happy Father’s Day weekend. I will get to hang out with my dad, for the first time in many father’s days, so it should be a great weekend for me and the family. Be sure to stop by next week, I have a pretty incredible sponsor to introduce you to, you’ll get to hear from Crystal, and I have my biggest. giveaway. ever. See you then.

{ 14 comments }

BBQ in a Jar

06.07.10

We are fans of good, messy barbecue around here. My husband spent a couple years living in Kansas, and his fondest memories include going on drives with the windows down in early summer, admiring the big sky, and eating good barbecue. Yup. Kansas is the place where he first fell in love with Arthur. I try not to be too jealous. So when we saw this idea, we knew we had to try. (Recipe for the pulled pork below.)

Begin with a pair of wide-mouth jars

then start off right with some baked beans

a little slaw

and some smokey pulled pork.

We decided to finish it off with a little honey lemonade.

Heaven.

It is a good idea to have some plates on hand, you know, just in case.

We’re pretty hooked on this idea and have a couple other versions we want to try. If I can take some shots, I will share.

Here is the recipe I used for the pulled pork, adapted from Cook’s Illustrated.

Pulled Pork

1 cup plus 2 teaspoons table salt
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 boneless pork butt (5 pounds will do you), cut in half horizontally so it’s only half as thick
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you’re man enough)

You’re favorite BBQ sauce.

Method

1. Seven hours before: brine the pork. Pull out your biggest pitcher or a large bowl. Fill it with water and dissolve 1 cup salt and 1/2 cup sugar, put the pork in, cover, and let it mellow for 2 hours.

2. Meanwhile, combine black pepper, paprika, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and cayenne and set aside. Adjust your oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat to 325.

3. Five hours before: Roast the pork. Remove pork from brine and dry it with paper towels. Rub those spices all over the surface with the back of a spoon. Put the pork on a wire rack set inside foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Cover it with a tent of aluminum foil, sealing the edges to prevent moisture from escaping. Roast for 3 hours.

4. Remove the foil and roast for another hour to hour and a half, until the internal temperature registers 200 degrees on instant-read thermometer. Remove it from the oven, shred it with two forks, and douse it with your favorite BBQ sauce.

{ 33 comments }

Amazing Homemade Pesto, Recipe + Printable

05.24.10

I have to tell you that I am pretty excited that picnic season is here. As you may have noticed, I really really like picnics. Which is why I’m so excited to share with you the most amazing pesto you will ever taste.

A friend of ours makes this pesto from her own basil and gives it away every Christmas. Every year we devour it and rave about how good it is. I finally decided life is too short to have amazing pesto only in December. So this year I asked, and this friend of ours was good enough to pass on her recipe. (Thanks, Jaime!) We’ve been making it nonstop since. Several dinners have revolved around this pesto. And I expect several summer picnics yet to come will revolve around it too.

The recipe is so impossibly easy. I wish I’d started making it years ago. There’s no special process. There is, however, one secret ingredient: butter. Basil and butter? How can you go wrong?

I included a free printable label for you. I thought pesto might be a good addition to my list of DIY wedding favors. Plus this will make a great hostess gift. Just sneak it in the fridge with a little thank you note while no one is looking. When your hostess discovers it she will love you, and when she tastes it she will love you even more. I’ve included a blank label too. Just in case you’d like to use it for some other treat.

Download from DropBox by clicking here: Printable Pesto Label, Printable Label Blank

Or download here: Pesto Label, printable (2911)
Leafy Label, blank (3393)

(Printing tip: You can open these files as they are, or, if you’d like to change their size, insert them into a Word document as a picture. Then you can resize as you like.)

Jamie’s Amazing Homemade Pesto

Ingredients
4 cups packed basil leaves
5 cloves garlic
½ cup butter
2 cups parmesan cheese
olive oil
a handful of pine nuts or walnuts

Put first four ingredients into bowl of food processor in order given: mash as many basil leaves in as you can, just as long as you leave a few inches of space at the top of the bowl, then add garlic (the Trader Joe’s pre-peeled stuff is great), slice up the butter on top, and dump the cheese on top of that. Pulse and gradually add olive oil until mixture is the consistency of thick paste. (Taste at this point and see if it needs more of anything.) Add nuts and continue to blend. Once done, spoon into jars and keep in fridge until ready to enjoy. Yields about two cups.

I’m sorry to tell you that my basil is store-bought. But I am tending to my herb garden dutifully, and I’m hopeful that I’ll get to use my own basil very soon.

Did you know you can use walnuts in pesto? Pine nuts are great too, but I like that with walnuts you can occasionally bite into a big chunk of nut. Yum. In fact, I threw in most of my walnuts and processed the pesto for a while, then threw in a few extra and gave everything just a few whirls so I’d be guaranteed a few big chunks.