At the end of October I discovered the brilliant Cooking with Caitlin and their wonderful Foodies Night In on Twitter.  Foodies Night In is a group of food bloggers who get together every Monday from 4-6 EST and talk about a specific food topic from wine, to entrees, to entertaining. 

Of course the one I happened upon was all about chocolate.  Questions were asked, tips were given, and new food blogging friends were made.  It was so much fun and the best thing about it was it was 2 hours devoted entirely to chocolate.  I was in heaven.   We talked about the best kinds of chocolate to cook with, our favorite chocolate desserts and what some of our favorite alcohol/hot chocolate combinations were. 

One of my favorites is Hot Chocolate with a shot of Baileys Irish Cream.  There’s nothing better after a day of skiing on the slopes.  So when I mentioned this on the #FNIChat (that’s the hashtag we use on Twitter), I was shocked by how many people had never thought of putting those two things together.  And since so many people had never tasted this wonderful mug of heaven, I decided I had to post the recipe. 

I need to thank Rachel over at La Fuji Mama for directing me to Paula at Bell’alimento and her recipe for what has to be the absolute best hot chocolate on earth.  It’s actually called Cioccolata Calda (that’s Italian for hot chocolate) and it’s amazing.  Not too sweet and so thick and rich, I almost wanted to eat it with a spoon.  I only made 1 small adjustment. That all important shot of Baileys.  But trust me, even without the alcohol, this hot beverage will make you stock up on all the Ghirardelli Midnight Reverie bars you can fit in your cupboard.

Hot Chocolate with Baileys Irish Cream

serves 2

• 100 g good quality bittersweet chocolate at least 70% or higher. (I used Ghirardelli’s Midnight Reverie)
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp corn starch
• 2 oz Baileys Irish Cream

In a saucepan over low heat add chocolate and 1/4 cup of milk.  Stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate’s melted.

Slowly add the rest of the milk until it’s well combined.  Add sugar and mix well.

Pour a small amount of the chocolate mixture into a cup and add the corn starch.  Mix until well blended.  Pour this mixture back into the pan and continue cooking over low heat until it becomes thick and creamy and coats the back of the spoon.

Pour 1 ounce each of Baileys Irish Cream into 2 mugs.  Pour the hot chocolate into the mugs and serve. 

If you’d like to indulge even more, add a dollop of whipped cream or marshmallow fluff on top.

Every year when the stone fruit comes out, my mother makes a peach flan.  I know the picture doesn’t look like a flan, it looks like a fruit tart, but my mother always referred to it as a flan, so the title stuck.  Anyway, whenever there was a party in the spring or summer, my mom pulled out this classic recipe and it was always a huge hit.  Then one fall, my mom thought, what if we used apples instead of peaches and a new classic was born.

Making the dough for the crust

I love apples. I especially love apple pie.  but I’ve never made an apple pie because pie crust scares the hell out of me.  I’ve tried numerous times to make it and it never turns out right.  It’s not flaky enough, it breaks apart while I try to line the pie plate… you name a fiasco associated with pie crust and it’s probably happened to me.  And that’s why this is my favorite apple recipe and why I make it as much as I can.  The crust has to be the easiest crust on earth to make because you don’t have knead it, roll it, or do anything else you would normally have to do with pie crust.  You just toss all the ingredients in the food processor, turn it on, and voila.  As a matter of fact the only thing hard about this recipe is the design you make with the apples.  But even that only takes about 5 minutes. 

Seriously, if you’re looking for an apple pie recipe to wow your family or friends with this Christmas or New Years… or for any party or gathering you might have, this is the recipe for you.

This is what the flan looks like just before it goes in the oven.

Apple Flan

Pie crust

• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1 egg yolk (save the white for later)

Filling

• 5 apples, peeled, cored and sliced – reserve half of 1 apple for center
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp flour

Glaze

• 1/4 cup of cherry or cranberry jam

For the crust

Place all the ingredients in the food processor and pulse until well mixed.  Place flour mixture in a zip-lock bag and chill for 20 minutes.

Press the chilled flour mixture into a tart pan.  Pour the egg white over the crust and spill off the excess.

Put the crust-filled pan in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

For the filling

Mix the flour and the brown sugar together.  Add the sliced apples to the mixture and toss, making sure the apples are coated.

Putting the flan together

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Pull the crust out of the refrigerator and place the apples on it on end in a circular design with the half apple in the center.

Once finished, dot the tart with butter.

Bake at 375°F for 45-50 minutes.

While the flan is cooking, place the jam in a small sauce pan and warm over a low heat, stirring constantly until melted.

Once the pie is done, pull it out of the oven and “paint” the melted jam over the apples. Let cool for 10 minutes, slice and serve.

I haven’t done a drink recipe on here, yet.  But it’s the holidays and this is the time of year that two of my favorite alcoholic concoctions are flowing pretty freely.  Since there are a few weeks left of holiday parties and get togethers or even if you’re just looking for something to make for the family on Christmas Eve, I thought now was as good a time as any to debut my first drink recipe.  So without further ado, eggnog.

When I was little my mom always used to buy the eggnog that came in the carton at the grocery store.  But it was always soooo sweet. I love sweet things, but it was even too sweet for me.  Whenever I poured myself a glass it was usually half the store-bought eggnog and half plain ordinary milk to cut the sweetness.  But then, once I was older, my mother started having holiday parties and she started making old school eggnog. That’s right, the kind our grandparents used to drink. The kind you find in that classic cookbook on every cook’s shelf, The Joy of Cooking.  The kind with alcohol.  It was so much better than the store bought stuff and not just because it was alcoholic.  My mother didn’t use nearly as much sugar and the beaten egg whites gave it a frothiness that felt like winter in the mountains.

Beat the eggs and add the alcohol.

My mom doesn’t host many holiday parties any more, but there is one she still has every year and every year she makes her eggnog.  That’s Thanksgiving.  I know, I know.  Thanksgiving doesn’t really seem like an eggnog type of holiday, but we love the way it tastes and since we don’t celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving is the only winter holiday we’ve got to make it.  And now that she’s made it every year for the past five or six, I’ve come to expect it.  Afterall, it really isn’t Thanksgiving at my house until the punch bowl comes out and the eggs are beaten together with some bourbon and brandy.

Eggnog

(serves about 30)

• 12 large egg yolks
• 1 lb powdered sugar (1 box)
• 4 cups dark rum, brandy, bourbon, or whiskey or a combination
• 8 cups heavy cream
• 8-12 egg whites
• 2-3 tsp ground nutmeg

In a large bowl beat together the egg yolks until they’re light in color – about 3 minutes.

Gradually beat in the powdered sugar.

Gradually add 2 cups of alcohol, beating constantly.

Let stand for at least an hour to dispel the eggy taste.

After an hour beat in the last two cups of alcohol and 8 cups of heavy whipping cream.

Refrigerate covered for at least 3 hours. (This part can be made a day ahead.  Then beat and add the egg whites right before the guests show up.)

In another large bowl, beat the egg whites until the peaks are stiff.  Fold the egg whites gently into the egg yolk mixture. 

Pour the nog into a large punch bowl, sprinkle with nutmeg and serve.

As some of you may recall, I participated in the Eatmyblog 2.0 in June where we raised over $5400.  Since June’s bake sale was such a huge success, I told Cathy Dahn of Gastronomy Blog that I’d be more than happy to bake something new for Eatmyblog 3.0. 

Melt the chocolate.

For those of you who don’t know, Eatmyblog is a charity bake sale where are all the goodies are made by southern California food bloggers and all the money raised goes to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.  This month’s bake sale, held again at West Hollywood’s Tender Greens, raised over $3700.  And while I was unable to attend the actual bake sale this time, I was still able to participate. 

Since the bake sale was to take place in December, I wanted to make something that said the holidays to me.  And nothing says Christmas better than chocolate and mint.  So, I decided to make one of my favorite holiday treats, Chocolate Mint Cookies. 

Who could say no to this much chocolate?

I discovered this recipe I don’t know how many years ago in a Bon Appetit magazine.  It looked so good I just had to try it and I’ve been making them every year since.  They’re easy, take no time and are so yummy, it’s hard for me not to eat the whole batch as soon as they come out of the oven.  So, in case you were like me and couldn’t get out to West Hollywood last Saturday to sample these and many other scrumptious treats, here’s the recipe so you can whip up a batch yourself.

All packed up and ready for Eat My Blog

Chocolate Mint Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 6 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp dark corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line 2 baking sheets with tin foil; butter the foil.

Place 1 1/4 cups of chocolate chips in a glass bowl.  Microwave on medium-high until melted, stirring every 30 seconds.  Cool for 15 minutes.

Sift together flour and baking powder in a small bowl.

Beat together the sugar, eggs, corn syrup, and peppermint extract in a medium bowl until thick, about 3 minutes.  Gradually beat in the melted chocolate, then the dry ingredients.  Mix in the remaining chocolate chips.  Freeze cookie dough for 10 minutes.

Drop heaping spoonfuls of batter onto each prepared baking sheet, spacing the cookies apart (they’ll spread as they cook).  Bake until cookies are cracked on top and softly set, 12-15 minutes.

Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.  Using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to racks and cool completely.

Hi there.  No pics today because this is just a quick post letting you all know that a few things will be changing on Kitchy Cooking. 

I recently got a job.  I’m thrilled. What am I doing, you ask? Well, I’m a food columnist over at Sheknows.com. Yes, I’ve taken over their Tonight’s Dinner column since the woman who was doing it has moved on to their Chef Mom site. 

What this means for you is that I will no longer be posting entree recipes on Kitchy Cooking.  You see, they’ve asked that I don’t double post.  So if you’d like to see my entree recipes, just hop on over to She Knows and look for the Tonight’s Dinner column under the food tab.  There will be a new post there every day.

But don’t worry, while I’ll no longer be posting entree here, I’ll still be posting desserts, sides, appetizers and the occasional drink.  So please continue to visit and if you’re looking for a great supper idea, come see me at She Knows.