American test kitchen

Cooking With Christie: Brigadeiros

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Inspiration: Last amongst the treats I whipped up this year as holiday gifts were Brigadeiros.

The recipe I used was from the 2017 American Test Kitchen Christmas Cookie issue. However, while brilliant at turning out some of the most reliable recipes around, the ATK site requires you to pay to gain unrestricted access to their site, or you need to purchase their magazines and/or books as I do. So here are two different web recipes, 1 & 2; that, while similar to the ATK one, are not carbon copies.

The magazine where I got the recipe from!

In any case, these sweets are super simple to make….and are probably the stickest substance I’ve worked with in several years! Even after they are chilled!

Even better, due to their coating of sprinkles, they turn the gooey chocolate instantly festive! And since they’re so rich, I can only envision myself making them on holidays like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Halloween. (As these suckers are so soft, I cannot imagine making them for warm weather holidays, lest my parent friends quietly kill me as their kids get the fudgy substance all over their clothes and person.)

These Brazilian treats went over splendidly with every chocolate lover on our gift list this year!

Helpful Hint: If you use a teaspoon to scoop the gooey goodness out of the pan — make sure to grip the measuring spoon by the neck. Otherwise, if yours are like mine, there’s a possibility the spoon will bend from the sheer effort needed to drag it through the set chocolate.

Christie: If these were introduced to St. Mary Mead, I could see Miss Marple or any other village ladies whipping these up for holiday parties and church fetes! Or at Halloween parties where kids and chocolaty treats go together like Ariadne Oliver and apples!

Cooking with Christie: Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling

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Inspiration: I love baking. I relish making things others delight in eating….But otherwise, the final result isn’t particularly important to me. It’s the making process I enjoy.

Hence, I give the majority of bakes away to others.

One of the primary recipients of my efforts is my husband’s coworkers. Normally, I bake and send whatever tickles my fancy. However, in a rare instance, they sent me a request: Could I bake something celebratory?

No problem!

After hitting my cookbook library, I found this recipe from The American Test Kitchen: Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling. And as advertised — they are super chocolatey! They are also the most popular bake of everything I’ve sent along so far!

(Though I used their regular chocolate frosting, not the buttercream in the video, as I was running low on time the day I baked the cupcakes!)

Even better, they are actually easy to make.

Christie: If decorated with better piping or decorations, I could see Poirot indulging in one of these tiny cakes. As it is, I think Miss Marple might partake of mine at a church fete. Tommy & Tuppence would probably dig in if these were served at a school bake sale!

My 52 Weeks With Christie: A.Miner©2023

This is the magazine where I found the recipe in!

Cooking With Christie: Pasta With Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce

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Inspiration: From the end of August to the beginning of September, my husband’s tomato growing efforts reached fruition, and we possessed a veritable ton of cherry tomatoes! At about the same time, I purchased Cook’s Illustrated Magazine No. 184 (aka Sept/Nov 2023), which contained a bunch of great tomato based recipes — including Pasta With Burst Tomato Sauce.

And let me tell you, it’s outstanding! Even better, it’s easy to make.

The above video is the American Test Kitchen video demonstration of the recipe. BTW: The magazine didn’t have the panko topping.

Slightly trepidatious, as I’ve never used anchovies before, I set about making the dish…And due to my stupid, stupid allergies, I needed to eschew the garlic. But it turns out the anchovy fillets added more than enough flavor! (Without making it taste fishy.) I also increased the pepper flakes to a healthy teaspoon, as anything less, you get little if any, heat. I also switched the flakes from generic red pepper to gochugaru, which I prefer.

Then, watching the video, I realized I didn’t make the dish the way the recipe’s author intended…Rather than keeping them whole, I chopped the cherry tomatoes in half and had them as a single layer across a large shallow pot, which made a great creamy sauce without the whole cherry tomatoes. This unintentional goof worked out, as my husband likes tomatoes when manipulated in a dish, but not generally as a whole fruit.

A Bit of Household Controversy: In the pic above, I’ve used Fusilli Lunghi Col Buco noodles — they’re fun and I love the texture they add to the dish. My husband sides with Cook’s Illustrated and thinks a shorter pasta is best…So now, as a compromise, I prepare two separate pastas!

In any case, give this recipe a whirl. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

Christie: I can see Poirot or Mr. Satterthwaite tucking into this dish and eating it with relish as it possesses an elegant simplicity…Provided it was plated in a refined style!

My 52 Weeks With Christie: A.Miner©2023