Suzi’s Blog
Super Bowl Idea: Grandma Rose’s Chocolate Layer Cookies
No Super Bowl party can conclude with a victory dessert. Long ago in Portland, Oregon, Rose Nataflin had a bakery that drew crowds out the door. Her two cookbooks, now sadly out of print, are treasures. This layered chocolate cookie from Rose is a reminder of how grand a cookie can be. A chocolate brownie cookie is baked, then topped with a mint cream which becomes the middle when chocolate glaze crowns the entire affair. These are easy to make, easier to eat, and impossible to forget. I cannot tell you how many times I have made these. Suzen suspects, but currently I am not under oath or in witness protection.
Grandma Rose’s Chocolate Layer Cookies
Yield: one 9″ square which is more than enough for … [I don't want to get personal here]
The Cookie Layer:
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- ½ cup sweet butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup slice nuts [pecans, walnuts, or almonds -- all work but I prefer pecans now]
- ½ cup unsifted, all-purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly grease a 9” square pan. Melt the chocolate and butter together over hot water. In a bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar until thick. Add nuts, flour and chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Pour batter into pan and bake for 25 minutes. Let cool.
The Mint Cream Filling Layer:
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons softened sweet butter
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ¾ teaspoon peppermint flavoring
Beat together all the ingredients until smooth. If you like, sprinkle a drop of green coloring in this mint cream.
Spread the filling evenly over the cookie layer, cover and chill until firm. About 1 hour.
The Chocolate Glaze on Top:
- 2 ounces sweet chocolate
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Melt together all ingredients over hot water.
Drizzle the glaze over the mint topping. For some added visual elegance, you can top with chopped nuts. I haven’t tried shredded coconut, but that might be a very different flavor contrast with the mint.
Cover and chill again until firm. Cut the layer into bite-sized squares and place in paper candy cups. [Oh, to be honest, I never bothered with the cups. I just began nibbling.]
Source: Grandma Rose’s Book of Sinfully Delicious Cakes, Cookies, Pies, Cheese Cakes, Cake Rolls & Pastries by Rose Nataflin
Super Bowl Idea: Brian’s Spicy Mango Salsa
If I say “salsa” what crosses your mind? To most of us, the “salsa” word immediately pulls up an image of something red, hot, and sitting on a chip. It’s as if Karl Marx were the Chief Salsa maker with the motto: “Salsas of the world, unite!”
Thank God for diversity. There is a world of salsas in all colors, flavors, and intensities. This one offers you an abundance of fruit flavors including mango, banana and plenty of chili warmth. This salsa can sit proudly on the top of any chip. It’s also the perfect accompaniment for dishes like chili, nacho, or crab cakes.
As a complement to say, chili, this salsa provides contrast in texture and sparkle. A chilled salsa is a bright match for stove-hot chili. This complementary role is achieved without blandness: there is heat in this salsa and it’s appropriately spicy to provide contrast for that chili.
I’ve made this salsa many times and have refined this recipe so that it is quick and easy to make, yet utterly delicious. In the ingredients below, you see I specify “2” of everything, which makes for each preparation. The last ingredient, the jalapenos, is the one exception. I prefer the heat of just one jalapeno but you may want two. And, as with any salsa, some last minute adjustment of heat, of lime juice, or of sugar may be needed given the sweetness of the fruit.
If you haven’t worked with mangos before, it’s simple. Just peel and cut off the meat. That “big” fruit has a big core, so you harvest relatively little meat from each mango. Don’t try to cut into that core. If you are pressing with your knife, you’ll be pressing with your teeth and that’s not good salsa.
One word of warning from my lawyer: these are jalapenos so be careful. You probably think the “warnings” about hot peppers are over done. They aren’t. Wearing rubber gloves is a good idea. Avoiding anything near you eye is important. When I made my last test batch two days ago, I avoided my eye completely. But I did rub my brow once, then went to exercise, sweated, and had to flush my eye with cold water. Please be careful.
Feel free to improvise with this recipe. You can add cilantro or other spices. I like this version which has fewer of the “usual” ingredients and gives you a distinctly “new” flavor experience.
Brian’s Spicy Mango Salsa
Servings: enough for 4-6 people as a side dish
Ingredients:
- 2 mangos, the meat cut into medium dice
- 2 bananas, cut into ¼ inch rounds
- 2 shallots, cut into medium dice
- 2 limes, juiced
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 pinches of salt
- 1 jalapeno, diced with seeds and membrane removed
- Garnishes: sliced cilantro, scallions, …
Preparation:
Place the diced mango in a bowl, then add the bananas and shallots. Pour in the lime juice and stir immediately. The lime juice will help keep the bananas from turning brown. Add the sugar, vinegar, and salt and stir. Then add the jalapeno. Stir to mix, then set aside for five minutes. Sample the mixture and adjust the flavor to your taste. You may want more lime juice, sugar, salt, or even vinegar. Over the next hour the sugar will begin to draw plenty of liquid from the fruit.
Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
Source: Brian O’Rourke
