Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies

While I was making the Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes for the adults for my parent's St. Patrick's Day celebration I needed a child-friendly dessert.  I recently discovered that my kids love cheesecake.  I already knew they loved brownies.  So, I found this recipe in my stash of recipes torn out of magazines from long ago and decided to give these a try.  I put a drop of green food coloring in the cheesecake batter to make it look more holiday-ish.  Overall, I thought they were okay....really, have you ever eaten a bad brownie?  I think if I had my choice, I'd rather keep the two treats separate.   

Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies
from Gourmet, June 2007

Yield:  16

Active Time: 15 minutes
Start to Finish: 50 minutes (not including cooling)

Two adored classics come together in this dessert lover's superbrownie.

Ingredients:

For brownie batter:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

For cheesecake batter:
8 oz. cream cheese, well softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make brownie batter:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. 

Heat butter and chocolate in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, whisking occasionally, just until melted.  Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined.  Whisk in flour until just combined  and spread in baking pan. 

Make cheesecake batter and bake brownies:
Whisk together cheesecake batter ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.  Dollop over brownie batter, then swirl in with a knife or spatula. 

Bake until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 35 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Family Rating: 1 thumbs up.

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Apricot Chicken with Almonds

This was such a quick and easy recipe!  It was really tasty and the kids loved it!  Unfortunately, there wasn't enough chicken for the kids to have seconds (which they wanted!), so daddy was nice enough to give them some of his piece.  I rarely repeat recipes, but I would definitely make this again for a quick weeknight meal!

Apricot Chicken with Almonds
Gourmet, January 2005

Ingredients:
4 (6-ounce) skinless boneless chicken breast halves
5/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preparation:
Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a 13- by 9-inch flameproof baking dish (not glass).

Pat chicken dry and sprinkle all over with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper total, then arrange at least 1/4 inch apart in baking dish. Bake 10 minutes.

While chicken bakes, toast almonds in a small baking pan in oven, stirring twice, until golden, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook apricot preserves, soy sauce, mustard, butter, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until preserves are melted. Pour sauce over chicken and continue to bake until chicken is just cooked through, about 10 minutes more.

Turn on broiler and broil chicken 4 to 5 inches from heat, basting once, until chicken is glazed and browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Serve sprinkled with almonds.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

Meatless Monday & Recipe Repeat: Broccoli and Cheddar Skillet Flan

Going through my folder of recipes that I've cooked before, I found this one.  I know my husband, a.k.a. "the weekend chef" already made quiche over the weekend, but I had my recipe already picked out and on the menu first!  I have to say that it was definitely missing something.  Possibly the nutmeg that I omitted.  I rarely use nutmeg anymore due to a mac and cheese recipe that was ruined, in my opinion, due to the addition of the spice!   I needed to add hot sauce to my piece to enjoy it.  The kids had theirs with ketchup.  So, although this was definitely quick and easy, I don't think I'll be making this one again. 

Broccoli and Cheddar Skillet Flan
Gourmet, February 2007

There are fluffy eggs, melting cheese, and golden hash browns in every bite of this one-dish meal. It makes a good stand-in for quiche, with potatoes acting as a crust.


Ingredients:
6 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Rounded 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, chopped
1 (1-lb) bag frozen hash browns, thawed in a microwave oven
1 (10-oz) box frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

Directions:•Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.

•Whisk together eggs, milk, pepper, nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until combined, then whisk in cheddar and 3 tablespoons parmesan.

•Heat oil in a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté shallot, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 3 minutes. Add hash browns and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Spread potatoes evenly in skillet and cook, undisturbed, 2 minutes. Remove from heat and spread broccoli over potatoes, then pour in egg mixture. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Bake until set 2 inches from edge but still slightly wobbly in center, 12 to 15 minutes.

•Turn on broiler. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until top is set, puffed, and golden brown.

Family Rating: 1 thumb up. 

Potato and Blue Cheese Gratin

Today is my husband's birthday.  My birthday is in September.  This year we decided on a joint birthday present, a Canon T2i, and a joint celebratory dinner, Chef Anita Lo's Annisa, down in NYC.  These were both done in October, since it's the half-way point of both of our birthdays.  His request was that the kids help make his birthday dinner.  Well, they partially helped with the dessert, which we'll get to later.  But by dinner time they were off playing, and we were on our own to cook.  He requested steak and potatoes.  He was in charge of cooking the meat and I cooked the potatoes.  I have made the following recipe several times.  It is so simple yet so delicious!  We only put the blue cheese on half the potatoes since my daughter isn't a fan of blue cheese.  Just an FYI, these don't taste the same the next day, so if you want to have a little more, go for it!

Potato and Blue Cheese Gratin
Gourmet, December 2005

Tender, rich, and browned on top, this easy potato gratin gets loads of flavor from a very minimal amount of blue cheese that is added at the last minute.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb medium yellow-fleshed potatoes
1 cup heavy cream
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese (1 oz)

Preparation:
Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 425°F.

Peel potatoes and slice 1/8 inch thick, then toss with cream, garlic, salt, and pepper in skillet. Cover with foil and roast until potatoes are very tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and preheat broiler. Remove foil and sprinkle potatoes with cheese. Broil until top is browned, 2 to 3 minutes.

Family Rating: two thumbs up!  The kids loved these!