Oh yes, this is for real.
The brownie batter (the baked recipe, nothing less) is topped with a generous dose of cheesecake batter and swirled for the happy marbled effect, and then finally scattered with a good handful of semisweet chocolate chips. With a little time in the oven, this soon transforms into a dense, intensely chocolatey brownie that has subtle flavours of cheesecakiness (yes, this is a word in the Purple Foodie household) in some places, and tangy, thick layers in other places.
You know what inspired me to make these? The photos of the
cheesecake brownies on Deb’s blog. I kept going back to the post again, and again, and again, until I finally baked them over the weekend.
Although I was predominantly filled with a lot of excitement, there was a wee bit of trepidation; for as most
Baked recipes go, the brownie recipe calls for a lot of bittersweet chocolate (12 oz. at that!). And if you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you know that real chocolate is a precious commodity here and in its absence, I’m reduced to using chocolate compound. I. Hate. Compound. So I’m going to say goodbye to chocolate rich desserts for now. But these brownies? You have got to try them. Like they say, they’re the shiz!
Cheesecake Swirled Brownies
Yield: 24 bars
1 portion
brownie batter (Super Rich, Fudgy, Gooey, Intensely Chocolatey
Baked Brownies, no less)
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Butter a 9×9 light coloured baking pan or line it with baking parchment.
- Pour the brownie batter into the tin.
- Dollop the cheesecake batter over the brownie batter, leaving spaces for the brownie batter to be visible.
- With a butter knife, swirl the cheesecake batter into the brownie batter and fold the brownie batter over the cheesecake batter for a very visible marbled effect. This works way better than using a skewer.
- Scatter the chocolate chips and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean. I usually switch off the oven when the wooden skewer comes out *almost* clean and let them sit in the oven because they will continue to cook.
- Let the brownies cool before cutting them into squares. If you want very clean cuts, refrigerate the brownies for a few hours before slicing.
- They are wonderfully gooey when warm and fudgy when cold. Have the way you prefer.
Like this post? Subscribe or Share it!
A few months ago when a friend requested I make mushrooms for an office potluck, I was instantly reminded of a recipe I had from my rounds at the city’s chic restaurants where the chefs demonstrate recipes, let you sample some and give you copies of the recipe. I loved going for these and making local foodie friends. Most places gave a bag of goodies and even spread out a buffet of the food demonstrated (much to my glee). At one such restaurant, I had the most delicious stuffed mushrooms topped with Danish mozzarella. Full of flavour and distinctly garlicky – YUM!
So as soon as mushrooms were requested, I went looking for my recipe file. I looked around the house and ended up finding it months later(today!) in the loft where mum had tucked away a gazillion recipe cut-outs, food books and magazines of mine. I was ecstatic!to finally find my recipe file! Oh, but wait a minute, the entire set from that restaurant was missing – back to the drawing cutting board.
With some button mushrooms at hand today, I craved for those plump stuffed garlicky mushrooms topped with mozzarella cheese and grilled under the broiler until just done. I had to recreate it.
I wiped the mushrooms clean, twisted the stems, chopped them up and brushed the mushrooms with some olive oil. Next, I minced 4-5 cloves of garlic with a few sprigs of thyme (excellent fragrance; getting there!), mixed it with the chopped stems and stuffed the mushrooms back with it. How do I make them plump and moist, instead of making them look dry after coming out of the broiler? I cut up some cold butter into tiny cubes and topped the stuffing with it, so as it heats, the butter seeps in and keeps the inside moistened. Next, I sliced some smoked mozzarella and topped the stuffed mushrooms with it. Finally, seasoned it with salt and pepper and pushed it under the broiler. In a little over 5 minutes, the cheese was bubbling, the kitchen was fragrant and the juice in the pan was totally lick-worthy!
These mushrooms turned out way better than I expected. The next time I make it, I’m going to make sure I double triple the quantity!
Herb Butter Mushrooms With Smoked Mozzarella
Serves: 2
8 oz./225g button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
4-5 sprigs of thyme leaves
15g/1tbsp cold butter, cut into tiny cubes
Olive oil to brush the baking sheet and mushrooms
1 oz./30g smoked mozzarella or Danish mozzarella ( I prefer smoky flavours, any day)
Salt and pepper
Scant handful of chopped parsley for garnish
- Brush the pan with olive oil and place the mushrooms gill sides up with the stem removed.
- Chop the stem and mix it with the garlic and thyme and stuff it back into the mushroom.
- Dot the mushroom stuffing with cold butter.
- Brush with olive oil and top it with thin slices of mozzarella cheese.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Slip the pan under a broiler for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and the mushrooms fragrant.
- Transfer to a plate, garnish with cilantro and serve immediately!
Like this post? Subscribe or Share it!
I’ve had my box of Arborio rice for almost over a year now, but never came around to making some risotto. Not because I’m not a fan, but because I was quite intimidated. The box of rice remained vacuum-sealed so I wasn’t so worried (once open, it is advisable that you store it in the refrigerator, else it will go bad really soon).
Once I got down to making it, it was fun. Indian readers, think of it as an Italian khichdi – no really, that’s all it is. 
What’s more, all the carbs and fat gets balanced off by the workout you get by stirring away rice and adding the broth ladle by ladle. That said, Alton Brown does say that you don’t really need to stir it constantly, but I’d just wanted to be absolutely sure the first time I made risotto. Another thing I only recently learned is that a quick way of making the risotto would be to cook it in a pressure cooker and it will be ready sooner than you think! The only thing I don’t like about risottos is that they cannot be made ahead of time since they absorb in all the moisture and the dish gets quite dry.
Risotto can be made with a lot many variations – with seafood, herbs, spices, mushrooms, cheese, and what have you. What’s interesting is that you don’t really need so add much cheese because the rice is extremely starchy; it assists in attaining that perfect creamy texture.
Some Risotto do’s and don’t:
- Choose a heavy pan with a thick bottom and sides to help distribute heat evenly.
- It’s best to buy thoroughly cleaned risotto rice because you want to avoid rising it as the creamy texture is attained by the starch on the rice.
- It’s best to use homemade broth. Follow Alton Brown’s recipe – you won’t be disappointed.
- Always let the broth simmer while adding it ladle by ladle. Keeping both, the rice and broth at similar temperatures will help in achieving the texture sooner; which means being kind to your arm.
Here I’ve tried to replicate a risotto I had at a local restaurant. It was extremely creamy and luscious 3 cheese risotto with asparagus and toasted hazelnuts (I’m not a fan of nuts in my food, but the hazelnuts give it an amazing bite to it – really shouldn’t omit it!)
Three Cheese Risotto with Asparagus and Hazelnuts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
400g Arborio rice
150 ml dry white wine
1.5l vegetable or chicken stock , simmering
60g asparagus, the tough ends trimmed and then blanched
2 tbsp butter
50g Pecorino Romano with truffle bits, grated
50g Gruyere cheese, grated
50g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated. Some more for the table.
30g hazelnuts, toasted
- In a heavy bottomed pan heat the butter and oil together. Add the onion and cook on a low flame until soft and translucent
- Add the rice and stir on a high heat for a few minutes. Keep stirring, or the rice will stick. Add the wine and stir until it has evaporated.
- Turn down the flame now. Add the stock a ladle at a time. Keep stirring until all the stock has been absorbed, then add some more! You might not require all the stock, so keep checking on it. The grain should be nice and plump to look at and have a slight bite to it. I like to add a few spoonfuls of extra broth because I like my risotto to be a little looser than usual – you can avoid that if you like. Add salt if the broth is not salty enough. Also, add the asparagus at this point.
- Turn off the heat and then beat in the butter and pecorino, gruyere and half the parmigiano reggiano cheese. Stir until everything has come together beautifully. Cover it with a lid for a minute. Then serve immediately. Stir in the hazelnuts just before serving. Top with the rest of the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
Like this post? Subscribe or Share it!
)
