ISO Recipes from the Fine Cooking's Weekend Cooking

[stella]

Hi everyone! I was wondering if anyone out there might have picked up a copy of Fine Cooking's special publication titled "Weekend Cooking" and would kindly post two of the recipes from the magazine? I'm particularly interested in "Blueberry Muffins with Cinnamon Crumble" and "Fastest Fudge Cake".

Thank you so much in advance! :)

[ClaraB]

Here you are, stella.

Blueberry Muffins with Cinnamon Crumble

These are especially wonderful still warm from the oven. If you're making these in the morning, leave the butter out overnight so it's ready to use.

For the cinnamon crumble:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
scant 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the muffins:
Butter and flour for the muffin tins, or use muffin liners
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated or ground nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup fresh blueberrries or unthawed frozen blueberries

Set an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 350F.

Make the crumble: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add the butter and work it in with your fingertips until you have a uniform, moist crumble. Cover with plastic wrap.

Make the muffins: Butter and flour 12 regular or 6 large muffin tins or line them with paper liners. In a small bowl, sift together both flours, baking soda and baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in vanilla. On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Gently fold in the berries by hand. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups to almost full.
Scatter a generous amount of the crumble over the batter in each muffin cup (there may be some left over).
Bake until the tops are golden and spring back when touched lightly and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes clean, 20 to 25 minutes for regular muffins, 30 to 35 minutes for large. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a rack.

Makes 12 regular-sized or 6 large muffins.


Fastest Fudge Cake

If time is of the essence, know that this cake, which is made with cocoa powder and therefore requires no chocolate melting, is delicious on its own; but it's even better topped with the ganache.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and warm
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup warm Ganache (optional; see recipe below)

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 350F. Grease the bottom of an 8X2 or 9X2 inch round cake pan or line it with parchment.
In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. sift only if the cocoa remains lumpy after whisking. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and brown sugar with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Add the eggs and vanilla; stir until well-blended. Add the flour mixture all at once and stir just until all the flour is moistened. Pour the hot water over the batter; stir just until it's incorporated and the batter is smooth. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes for a 9-inch pan; 35 to 40 minutes for an 8-inch pan. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge and invert the cake (peel off the parchment if necessary). Invert it again onto the rack and let cool completely.
Once cool, set the rack over a baking sheet or foil. Pour the warm ganache over the cake and use an icing spatula to spread it over the top of the cake and down the sides. Let set for about an hour before serving.

Serves 8 to 10.

Ganache

You'll have a bit of this ganache left over after icing the cake; use it as a sauce for ice cream or another dessert. It keeps for a week in the fridge. Rewarm gently.

8 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream; more as needed
sugar (optional)

Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk gently until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. (If using a 70% bittersweet chocolate, the ganache may be a bit thick; add more cream, a tbsp at a time, to thin it. You might also want to add a couple tsp of sugar when you add the hot cream.)

Yields 1 1/2 cups

[stella]

Thank you so very much, ClaraB!!

[stella]

I finally got around to making the Blueberry Muffins with Cinnamon Crumble the other day. These muffins are moist and not too sweet, just the way I like them. I think I could've made more than 12 regular-sized muffins, though (maybe 14?), because the batter overflowed when they were baking in the oven.

[Gecko]

I have this publication too and I was wondering if it is just me, or is the recipe for the chocolate french toast confusing? They talk about putting the chocolate on top of the bread slices, and then covering it, but then they mention melting the rest of the chocolate but not what to do with it. Maybe I was just tired when I read it..... :confused:

[oceanjasper]

I have this publication too and I was wondering if it is just me, or is the recipe for the chocolate french toast confusing? They talk about putting the chocolate on top of the bread slices, and then covering it, but then they mention melting the rest of the chocolate but not what to do with it. Maybe I was just tired when I read it..... :confused:

Hi Gecko! I bought this magazine last night, so I checked out the recipe. I had to read it a couple times to be sure, but I think it says to just melt the butter, cook the remaining bread, and fill with remaining chocolate. Basically, you are doing the same thing with all of the chocolate (putting the chunks in between the slices of bread), just doing it in batches. Hope that makes sense! :)

[novice baker]

Here you are, stella.

Blueberry Muffins with Cinnamon Crumble

These are especially wonderful still warm from the oven. If you're making these in the morning, leave the butter out overnight so it's ready to use.

For the cinnamon crumble:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
scant 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the muffins:
Butter and flour for the muffin tins, or use muffin liners
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated or ground nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup fresh blueberrries or unthawed frozen blueberries

Set an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 350F.

Make the crumble: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add the butter and work it in with your fingertips until you have a uniform, moist crumble. Cover with plastic wrap.

Make the muffins: Butter and flour 12 regular or 6 large muffin tins or line them with paper liners. In a small bowl, sift together both flours, baking soda and baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in vanilla. On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Gently fold in the berries by hand. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups to almost full.
Scatter a generous amount of the crumble over the batter in each muffin cup (there may be some left over).
Bake until the tops are golden and spring back when touched lightly and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes clean, 20 to 25 minutes for regular muffins, 30 to 35 minutes for large. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a rack.

Makes 12 regular-sized or 6 large muffins.


Fastest Fudge Cake

If time is of the essence, know that this cake, which is made with cocoa powder and therefore requires no chocolate melting, is delicious on its own; but it's even better topped with the ganache.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and warm
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup warm Ganache (optional; see recipe below)

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 350F. Grease the bottom of an 8X2 or 9X2 inch round cake pan or line it with parchment.
In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. sift only if the cocoa remains lumpy after whisking. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and brown sugar with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Add the eggs and vanilla; stir until well-blended. Add the flour mixture all at once and stir just until all the flour is moistened. Pour the hot water over the batter; stir just until it's incorporated and the batter is smooth. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes for a 9-inch pan; 35 to 40 minutes for an 8-inch pan. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge and invert the cake (peel off the parchment if necessary). Invert it again onto the rack and let cool completely.
Once cool, set the rack over a baking sheet or foil. Pour the warm ganache over the cake and use an icing spatula to spread it over the top of the cake and down the sides. Let set for about an hour before serving.

Serves 8 to 10.

Ganache

You'll have a bit of this ganache left over after icing the cake; use it as a sauce for ice cream or another dessert. It keeps for a week in the fridge. Rewarm gently.

8 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream; more as needed
sugar (optional)

Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk gently until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. (If using a 70% bittersweet chocolate, the ganache may be a bit thick; add more cream, a tbsp at a time, to thin it. You might also want to add a couple tsp of sugar when you add the hot cream.)

Yields 1 1/2 cups

Thanks ClaraB! So kind of you to type out the recipes. I tried the fastest fudge cake. It was really nice, and simple to prepare!

[Gecko]

Hi Gecko! I bought this magazine last night, so I checked out the recipe. I had to read it a couple times to be sure, but I think it says to just melt the butter, cook the remaining bread, and fill with remaining chocolate. Basically, you are doing the same thing with all of the chocolate (putting the chunks in between the slices of bread), just doing it in batches. Hope that makes sense! :)

Thanks! I just wen back and re-read it and I am happy to say that it makes more sense now. I guess I skimmed the part where it said "cook the remaining bread" - I thought it had all been done and filled with chocolate. This is certainly my idea of a decadent midnight snack.

[oceanjasper]

Thanks! I just wen back and re-read it and I am happy to say that it makes more sense now. I guess I skimmed the part where it said "cook the remaining bread" - I thought it had all been done and filled with chocolate. This is certainly my idea of a decadent midnight snack.

I have to admit that I was really liking the idea of chocolate french toast drizzled in loads of melted chocolate! :D