Linwoods Giveaway!

The Linwoods brand was founded in 1985 and was successfully developed in retail stores across Ireland during the years that followed.  Jon Woods joined Tonia this week to share the company’s philosophy. Click here to listen...

Click on the bag to enter to win a sample bag of the Linwoods Ground Organic Flaxseed!

New York Wine Expo

@NewYorkWineExpo

The 5th Annual New York Wine Expo will be held at the Javits Convention Center March 2 - 4. Show Director, Ed Hurley, spoke with Tonia about the tasting events planned for this weekend.

Click here to listen to the interview

Southern Italian Food

@frankstitt

Frank Stitt did not set out to be a chef, but although he studied philosophy at Berkley during the 1970s, he met Alice Waters and was sold on food. During his subsequent culinary career Frank accrued local, regional and national gastronomic awards and a favorite son of Alabama, his home state. Frank shared his love of Italian food and his recipe for bruschetta with Tonia.

Bruschetta

Ingredients

yield: 4

• 4 slices (about 2 inches thick and 3 inches long) focaccia or ciabatta
• 1/2 cup sweet peas, fresh or frozen, rinsed and blanched in boiling water until tender, shocked in ice water, drained (frozen peas may be rinsed in hot water)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 shallot, finely chopped and softened in a pan with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, about 1 minute
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese (drained if very wet)
• 1/2 cup fresh radishes, washed, dried, and finely sliced
• 1/2 cup pea tendrils or fresh mint sprigs
• Agrumato lemon oil* or extra virgin olive oil

Procedures

1. Prepare a fire in a grill or fire up the broiler.
2. Grill or broil the focaccia slices for 30 seconds per side, until golden brown and crisp.
3. Place the peas in a medium bowl and crush with a potato masher or the back of a large spoon. Season with salt and pepper and add the softened shallot and a little lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. While the bruschettas are still warm, spread a layer of ricotta across each piece. Spoon some of the crushed peas on top and place them on a serving plate. Garnish with the lemon zest, sliced radishes, and pea tendrils (or mint). Drizzle each with the Agrumato lemon oil or extra virgin olive oil before serving. 
   
   

   A recipe from Bottega Favorita by Frank Stitt

Pizza Cookie

@robinvmiller

Robin has fifteen years of experience as a food writer and nutritionist and is the author of the bestselling cookbook Quick Fix Meals. She is the host of Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller. She joined Tonia to talk about the importance of having a "well stocked pantry."

Pizza Cookie

Ingredients

• 11-ounce package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1/2 cup strawberry preserves
• Strawberry fruit jerky, cut into 1-inch diameter "pepperoni" rounds
• 1/2 cup shredded white chocolate

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll cookie dough into a ball. Roll ball out on a lightly floured surface into a 12 to 14-inch circle. Transfer circle to a baking sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with preserves, strawberry "pepperoni" and white chocolate.

Recipe from Robin Miller

Brunch Anyone?

@sallysampson

Sally Sampson is the founder and president of ChopChop, and a cookbook author and food writer who has written 11 cookbooks and been the coauthor of seven more. She shared her fantastic idea on re-inventing a breakfast brunch favorite.

Egg Casserole

EGG SPINACH BAKE
 

12 eggs, beaten
2 pkgs. frozen chopped spinach drained (thawed)
2 lbs. sm. curd cottage cheese
3/4 c. melted butter
1 lb. Colby cheese cut into cubes
3/4 c. flour
1/4 c. instant minced onion (or powder)
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Grease 9 x 13 inch pan (glass). Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs slightly. Squeeze spinach until dry, add cottage cheese and butter. Add all ingredients except Parmesan cheese.Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top. Bake 55 to 60 minutes until lightly brown cool slightly before cutting.

A recipe of Sally Sampson

Korean Pepper Paste

@ChefMarkGarcia

What is Korean Pepper Paste? Tonia had that question answered by Chef Mark Garcia this week on Tonia's Kitchen. "The flavor combination of Korean pepper paste with sesame, Asian pear and garlic honors Korean BBQ and inspires new interpretations. While these flavors are gaining attention on restaurant menus in some regions, they are still emerging in others. We predict this unique combination of sweet, sour, spicy and savory will soon dazzle taste buds all around the globe." Ready to try it out?

Korean BBQ Wings

 

Korean BBQ meets Buffalo wings. These succulent finger foods are served with crunchy Asian pear to create a unique flavor adventure.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Refrigerate: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (125 mL) Korean pepper paste (Gochujang)
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) soy sauce
• 1/4 cup (60 mL or 85 grams) honey
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL or 20 grams) minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL or 2 grams) McCormick® Ground Ginger
• 4 pounds (2 kilograms) chicken wing pieces
• 1 Asian pear
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL or 7 grams) McCormick® Sesame Seed

1. Mix hot pepper paste, soy sauce, honey, garlic, sesame oil and ginger in medium bowl until well blended. Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag or glass dish. Add 1/2 cup (120 mL) of the marinade; toss to coat well. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Reserve remaining marinade.
2. Remove chicken from marinade. Discard any remaining marinade. Place chicken on shallow foil-lined large baking pan. Bake in preheated 375°F (190°C, Gas Mark 5) oven 30 minutes, turning chicken halfway through cooking.
3. Meanwhile, quarter and core the Asian pear. Cut each quarter into 3 pieces. Place pear slices in large bowl. Add cooked chicken and 1/2 of the reserved marinade; toss to coat well.
4. Grill chicken and pear slices over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until grill marks appear, turning occasionally. Toss chicken and pear slices with remaining reserved marinade in large bowl. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seed.
Makes 12 appetizer servings.

Test Kitchen Tips:
Gochujang or Korean pepper paste is made from chile powder, glutinous rice powder, fermented soybeans and salt. It is used to flavor stews, soups and marinades, and as a condiment at the table. It is available in Asian markets and online specialty stores.

Recipe courtesy of FlavorForecast.com

Crazy for Crab

@fredthompsonNC

Fred Thompson is a cookbook author, culinary instructor, freelance writer and grilling guru. Born in North Carolina (or ‘que country’), he would rather be standing beside a grill than anywhere else. This week, he shared a cool recipe with Tonia from his book Crazy for Crab.

Crab Dip

Silverton Sandwiches

Nancy Silverton

Nancy Silverton is an American chef and baker who is the author of several cookbooks and has been at the forefront of efforts to revitalize sourdough and artisan breads in the United States. She talked sandwiches with Tonia this week.

Sandwiches

Big FAT Cookies

@elcupcakes

Elinor Klivans is a cookbook author and food writer, who specializes in desserts and home baking. Tonia caught up with this "sweet" cook who shared the story behind her book Big Fat Cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I started with Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Cookie. This recipe begins with a fairly standard chocolate chip cookie dough. You then scoop out ten cookies and place them on a cookie sheet. Those cookies are baked and left to cool. Mine baked into each other because I put them too close together. But it didn’t matter, because once the cookies cooled, I broke them into little pieces and mixed them back into the cookie dough. I didn’t let my cookies cool quite enough, and I ended up mixing melted chocolate into my cookie dough, rather than chips that had re-solidified. I don’t think it mattered too much though. Once the cookie bits were stirred back in, the cookies were scooped out and baked. You can read more of Elinor's ideas by clicking here...

It's Poonchkie Season

Salem, Massachusetts

Pastry Chef Rob Lianni shared the story behind "Poonchkies," a special treat that's made from February until Easter. It's a polish jelly donut that traditionally was made on Fat Tuesday, to use up all of the eggs and sugar but now, "we make them right through Easter because people want them so much," says Rob!

Poonchkies

Recipe for Paczki

An Easy Paczki Recipe

Ingredients:

2 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs room temperature butter
½ cup warm milk - Warm to 110 degrees. Check with candy thermometer.
¼ tsp genuine vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp dry yeast
2 cups flour + flour for rolling out dough
Oil for frying (about 2 cups - Canola recommended)

Optional
Either glaze, sugar, or powdered sugar for the outside

1. Whisk together the sugar, butter, warm milk, vanilla, and salt in a mixing bowl. Breathe deeply while doing this. It smells delicious!
2. Sprinkle the dry yeast into the bowl. Whisk it in gently. Sing a Disney tune for good luck.
3. Begin adding the flour a bit at a time. Stir it in with a wooden spoon until it is all mixed in. Dough should not be wet. You can add a LITTLE bit of flour if needed.
4. Sprinkle flour on your pastry board (or clean counter), and transfer the dough to it. Then add a bit of flour over the top of the dough ball.
5. Knead the dough gently until it is soft and pulling away from your hands.
6. Place dough ball in a lightly greased bowl.
7. Cover and let it rise in a warm place, out of drafts, for about 1.5 hours. Turn your oven on for awhile if necessary to warm the kitchen up. The dough should double in size by then. If it does sooner, you can continue. If it doesn't double in 1.5 you can give it some more time. If it fails to rise you probably had old/dead yeast, too hot of milk, or not a warm enough place for the dough to rise.
8. Place your dough on your floured pastry board and get out your rolling pin.
9. Strike a pose with that pin! Roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch. Have a little flour handy if needed to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin. Strike another pose!
10. Use a floured cookie cutter, glass, Mason jar, etc to cut out as many round shapes as possible. This recipe should make about a dozen. This could depend on the size of the cutter you used.
11. Flour a cookie sheet, or other flat surface, and lay your dough rounds on it. Put them in a warm place and give them about half an hour to rise.
12. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan. My grandmother used a deep fryer, but I don't have one.
13. Place as many dough rounds as will fit in your pan, but do not crowd them together so they are touching or squishing each other.
14. It should only take about 1.5-2 minutes to brown each side. Flip them gently with tongs or a spatula. It is easy to burn them so don't get distracted!
15. Gently lift each paczki out and place it somewhere to cool down. I think a wire rack, followed by a rest on a paper towel covered plate (to blot excess oil) works best.
16. Let them cool about 10-15 minutes. You can then sprinkle them with powdered sugar, regular sugar, or drizzle them in honey or glaze. Or just eat them while still warm.
17. If you didn't eat them in the previous step, eat them now. Do not share with anyone!

Recipe from Squidoo.com

Anne Willan and Tarte Tatin a la Tomate

@AnneWillan

Cookbook author, Anne Willan offered her delicious recipe for cooking vegetable tarte tatin.

Tarte Tatin à la Tomate

Ingredients:
6 ounces/170 g store-bought puff pastry 
2 pounds/900 g plum tomatoes, cored and halved lengthwise 
Salt and pepper 
1/4 cup/60 g sugar 
1/4 cup/60 ml red wine vinegar 
1/4 cup/60 ml olive oil, more for the pan 
2 or 3 sprigs fresh rosemary 
2 or 3 dried bay leaves 
1 head garlic, divided into cloves, unpeeled 
1/4 cup/60 ml red wine 
Few leaves arugula or frisée, for garnish 

Method:
Heat the oven to 275°F/140°C. Sprinkle the cut sides of the tomatoes with salt and pepper and set them aside. Sprinkle the sugar in a large frying pan with an ovenproof handle and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar melts and toasts to golden caramel, 3 to 5 minutes. Take the pan from the heat and at once add the vinegar, standing back as it will sputter and fume. Return it to the heat, stir to dissolve the caramel, and then stir in the oil. Again take the pan from the heat and add the tomatoes, cut side down, packing them tightly so they all touch the bottom and pushing the rosemary and bay between them.

Roast the tomatoes until they are very tender and wrinkled, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Forty-five minutes before they are done, add the unpeeled garlic cloves to the pan. If liquid remains at the end of cooking, evaporate most of it by cooking the tomatoes briefly over high heat, taking care they do not scorch. 

Oil a second frying pan with an ovenproof handle and transfer the tomatoes to it, arranging them snugly cut side down in a pattern. Discard the herbs and leave the garlic behind, along with any juices, in the first pan. Add the wine to the garlic and heat it, stirring to deglaze the juices and boil them down to 2 to 3 tablespoons. Pour the liquid and garlic through a strainer over the tomatoes, then push through the garlic pulp. Set the tomatoes aside to cool. The tomatoes may be cooked up to a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator. 

Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C. On a floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 10-inch/25-centimeter round and prick the dough so it rises evenly. Transfer it to the pan to cover the tomatoes and tuck any excess dough down around the fruit. Bake the tart until the dough has risen and is crisp and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let the tart cool for 5 minutes, then turn out it onto a platter and garnish with the arugula. Alternatively, let it cool in the pan, then turn it out and serve it at room temperature. Tarte Tatin à la Tomate may also be cooked up to 8 hours ahead and kept in the pan. Warm it briefly in the oven before turning it out.

Excerpted from THE COUNTRY COOKING OF FRANCE

Fischer & Wieser Giveaway

Case Fischer

For over 40 years, Fischer & Wieser has maintained a tradition of handcrafting delicious,gourmet offerings one jar at a time. Case Fischer joined Tonia this week to share the exciting and tasty story behind their delicious sauces! We're giving you the chance to enjoy Fischer & Wieser's Raspberry Chipotle Sauce and Mom's Spaghetti Sauce! Just click here to email Tonia and win!

     Click to hear the interview!

The Original Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

The Original Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce® has garnered awards and accolades across the globe for more than a decade. A perfect blend of raspberries and chipotle peppers, this smokey, sweet and spicy sauce makes meat, fish and fowl extraordinary! Accept only the Original! Enjoy!

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce is the original recipe from Patrick Timpone's mom, Nenfa. Naturally, it is the one you remember, made with lots of fresh whole garlic and fresh basil leaves that you have loved from the start. It's more like the fresh sauce that your mom used to make. We use Sicilian olive oil and juicy sweet California tomatoes to create the unforgettable taste that marries well with spaghetti. Open up a jar today and we know you will agree that it is America's Best Tasting Spaghetti Sauce.

Kitchen Sink Cookies with Top Chef Ryan Scott

@chefryanscott

What's new with Bravo's Top Chef Ryan Scott? Tonia caught up with the busy California culinary star and got him to share his favorite "foodie" recipe: Kitchen Sink Cookie.

Kitchen Sink Cookie

Ingredients:

5 cups Butter

5 cups Sugar

3 3/4 cups Light Brown Sugar

¼ cup + 1 Tbsp Light Corn Syrup

1 ½ Tbsp Vanilla Extract

10 each eggs

8 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour

2.5 Tbsp Baking Powder

1.5 Tbsp Baking Soda

2.5 Tbsp Kosher Salt

½ Gallon Guittard Chocolate Chips, Butterscotch Chips, Coconut, & Four Barrel Coffee (½ cup) mix

1 Bags Potato Chips

1 Bags Pretzels

Procedure:

1. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter, sugars, corn syrup, and glucose syrup on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy and pale yellow in color. Scrape down sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.
2. On a lower speed, add eggs and vanilla extract to incorporate. Increase mixing speed to medium-high and start a timer for 10 minutes. During this time the sugar granules will fully dissolve; the mixture will become an almost pale white color and your creamed mixture will double in size.
3. When time is up, on a lower speed, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix 45 to 60 seconds just until your dough comes together and all remnants of dry ingredients have incorporated. Do not walk away from your mixer because you will over mix the dough. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.
4. On the same low speed, add gallon of chocolate chips, butterscotch, coconut, and coffee mix and mix for 30 to 45 seconds until they evenly mix into the dough. Add chips and pretzels on low speed until they are just incorporated.
5. Using a 6oz ice cream scoop, portion cookie dough onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan, at least 4” apart. Wrap scooped cookie dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 1 week. DO NO BAKE COOKIES AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. 
6. Preheat the oven to 400F (convection oven 350F). When the oven is hot, bake the cookies for 9 to 11 minutes. While in the oven, the cookies will puff, crackle, and spread.

A Recipe from Chef Ryan Scott

Chocolate Souffle with Jason Moniz

Locavore

Executive Chef & Partner of Locavore in San Fransisco, Jason Moniz, shares his secret for a chocolate souffle.

Chocolate Souffle

Happy Valentine's Day

Chef Ian Just

Boston Chef, Ian Just, owner of Les Zygomates, served up his recipe for Chocolate Fondue for Valentine's Day.

Chocolate Fondue

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 cup semi sweet chocolate

1 cup butter

2 TBLSP bittersweet chocolate

Zest of one orange

2 TBLSP flour

3 whole eggs

Directions

Melt chocolate & butter in double boiler, whisk until incorporated. Heat sugar & eggs until warm. Remove skin of orange, dice rind into fine cubes. Add chocolate/butter mixture to sugar & eggs. Mix well. Add flour, zest of orange and whisk well. Butter terrine mold, pour into terrine. Leave an inch at top of mold. Cover with foil.

Served in a Terrine – 12” x 3 1/2"

Recipe of Ian Just – Les Zygomates – Boston

Chocolate Lovers Truffles

Susan Fussell

Susan Fussell is the senior director of communications for the National Confectioners Association. If you're a chocolate lover, you are going to LOVE Susan's recipe for Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles!

Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles

Whoopie Pie Surprises

@nsiler

Host of PBS's Bake Decorate Celebrate, Nancy Siler joined Tonia in spotting some dessert trends for this Valentines Day. Nancy noted that, "you can actually take your Whoppie Pies and use your marshmallow fluff in the middle and roll it in colors or crushed peppermints to make that heart into something more!"

Spiced Whoopie Pies with Lemon Creme

Ingredients:

• Whoopie Pie Pan
• Vegetable pan spray
• 2-1/4 cups cake flour, sifted
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup milk
• Lemon Crème Filling

Directions:

Preheat oven 325°F. Lightly spray Whoopie Pie Pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, spices and salt. In second bowl, beat butter and sugars with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add half the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix on low speed. When dry ingredients are almost incorporated, add milk. Continue to mix on low speed until all ingredients are almost incorporated. Add the remaining dry ingredients. Mix on low until just combined. Spoon 2 tablespoons batter into each cavity; spread batter to the edges. Cavity should be about 2/3 full.
Bake 11-13 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when touched. Allow the cakes to cool in pan 8 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely before filling. To assemble pies, spread about 1 tablespoon lemon filling on flat side of one cake; top with second cake.

Makes 12 whoopie pies (24 cakes total).

Recipe provided by Nancy Siler

Baking Tips and Whoopie Pies

@nsiler

Nancy Siler, host of Bake Decorate Celebrate! on PBS, offers some baking tips on how to make a special marble cake for Valentines Day. Click on the link below to hear more!

Marble Valentines Day Cake

Heart Shaped Whoopie Pies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk

Directions:
 

Cherry Cream Cheese Filling (Recipe is below) Preheat oven to 350°F.
Lightly spray Whoopie Pie Pan with nonstick cooking spray. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; beat until
well combined.
In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add half the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix on low speed.

When dry ingredients are almost incorporated, stop the mixer and add the buttermilk. Continue to mix on low speed until all ingredients are almost incorporated.

Stop the mixer and add the remaining dry ingredients. Mix on low until just combined. Spoon 2 tablespoons batter into each cavity; spread batter to the edges. Cavity should be about 2/3 full.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when touched. Allow cakes to cool in pan 8 minutes. Cool completely before filling. To assemble pies spread filling on one cake and sandwich with another cake.

Makes 12 whoopie pies (24 cakes total).

Cherry Cream Cheese Filling:

1/3 cup dried tart cherries
1/2 cup boiling water
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
2-3 drops icing color, if desired
Assorted sprinkles

In a small bowl, combine cherries and boiling water; steep 5 minutes or until cherries are plump; strain. Chop cherries roughly.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer until creamy. Add sugar; mix well. Mix in chopped cherries and icing color. Sandwich cakes with filling; roll edges in sprinkles.

Recipe from Wilton

Ellie's Raspberry Fool

Ellie Krieger

Host of the Food Network's Healthy Appetite, Ellie Krieger has a suggestion for something different this Valentine's Day. "A Raspberry Fool is basically is some pureed raspberries. And then I use a mix of real whipped cream. Typically a fool is ALL whipped cream but I fold real whipped cream with some thickened yogurt. That's my trick to get all of the richness and creaminess while balancing that it's still good for you!"

Raspberry Fool

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups vanilla nonfat yogurt
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen raspberries, thawed
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup well-chilled heavy cream
• 4 ladyfinger cookies

Directions

Place the yogurt in a strainer lined with a paper towel and let it drain over a bowl to thicken in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, and up to 1 day. Discard the liquid and set the thickened yogurt aside.

Puree half the raspberries in a food processor until smooth. Strain into a large bowl, pressing the liquid out with a rubber spatula. Discard the seeds. Whisk in the confectioners' sugar. Stir in the remaining raspberries.

In a chilled small bowl whip the cream until stiff peaks are formed. Gently fold in the yogurt. Fold in the raspberry mixture.

Spoon into cocktail glasses and chill, covered, for at least 1 hour. Serve with ladyfinger cookies.

Recipe by Ellie Krieger

Fudge Cookies with Gail

@ChefGailsokol

You don't have to be a professional baker to make good fudge cookies. Listen to Chef Gail Sokol, author of About Professional Baking, share her recipe for Sour Cream Fudge Cookies that will make your mouth water!

Fudge Cookies

Makes 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups bread flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

¾ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder

1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate, chopped

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

6 TBLSP. Unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup light brown sugar (packed)

2 large eggs

7 TBLSP. Sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder into a bowl. Whisk the mixture and set it aside.

Melt the semisweet and unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler. Cool to room temperature and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed for approximately 1 to 2 min. or until the mixture becomes somewhat light. On low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each one well before adding the next. Stop the machine occasionally and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

With the machine still on low speed, slowly add the cooled melted chocolate and blend well. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract, blending well. On low speed, add the flour and cocoa mixture and blend only until combined. Remove the bowl from the electric mixer and, using a rubber spatula or metal spoon, blend in the chocolate chips by hand.

Using a 1 oz. (1/8 cup) ice cream scoop, place scoopfuls of batter onto a sheet pan covered with parchment paper; space each 3 inches apart. With a moistened hand, flatten each cookie slightly. Bake for about 18 minutes. The fudge cookies will be soft, but will firm up as they cool. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet pan for 5 minutes before removing and placing them on cooling racks.

Courtesy of Gail Sokol  -  About Professional Baking – The Essentials

Top Chef for a Healthy Heart

@RichardBlais

Bravo's Top Chef Richard Blais joined Tonia to talk about Heart Health Awareness Month. "I'm working to teach people cook (and) inspire delicious heart healthy food," Richard says. One way to accomplish this is to cook with fresh vegetables. Another tip: use low sodium products. Richard suggests, "while you're cooking, think about flavor but don't think of flavor as necessarily the salt shaker." Try using ingredients like clams, low sodium V8, or lots of herbs and spices as your source of flavor.

Spicy BouilliaBlais

Serves  1

Ingredients

3 oz halibut filet

1 scallop

1 shrimp

2 clams

2 tablespoons carrot, diced small

2 tablespoons fennel , diced small

1/2 teaspoon oregano, dried

1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried

1 tablespoon onion, diced small

1 tablespoon celery, sliced

1 teaspoon fennel seed

2 teaspoons olive oil

5 garlic cloves, sliced

1 cup Spicy Hot Low Sodium V8

1 cup Low Sodium V8

2 tablespoons Healthy Request Cream of Chicken

Half lemon, juiced and its zest

2 tablespoons parsley

2 tablespoons basil, chopped

1/4 slice whole wheat bread

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Method

1.  In a sauté pan, sweat 3 cloves of garlic, thyme, oregano, fennel seed, carrot, onion, celery and fennel in 1 teaspoon olive oil until they release their aroma and soften.

2.  Add the Spicy Hot Low Sodium V8, Low Sodium V8 and clams and reduce on a simmer. When the clams open, you can remove them and hold for final presentation. When reduced by a third, swirl in the chopped basil and lemon zest.

3.  Meanwhile, in a separate pan, heat 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil, and after seasoning the fish, shrimp & scallop with a 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, sear them until just done, finishing them with a sprinkle of parsley and lemon juice and zest. Hold them with the clams for final presentation.

5.  Mix the Cream of Chicken with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and remaining garlic, minced.

6.  Spread this on the toasted bread.

7.  To present, lay the sauce (stew) on the bottom of a shallow bowl and the fish fillet in the center of    the bowl. Lay the toast on top of the fish and the shellfish on top of the toast.

Recipe courtesy of Richard Blais