Banana Espresso Muffins

By Danny

Perfect Breakfast Muffin

I love having muffins for breakfast! During the work week, I rarely have the desire (or time!) to have an elaborate breakfast. Muffins are perfect because they're not super filling, and let's be honest here, who doesn't like to start the day with cake! I'm a HUGE fan of classic banana bread, but I've been making it so much lately that I wanted to try something different with my browning bananas.

I've always liked coffee and bananas together, so I decided to try a banana espresso muffin! This recipe is great, and the ingredient that makes all the difference in this recipe is lemon zest---that's right, lemon zest. It adds an amazing brightness and weirdly brings out the flavor of the bananas!

Banana Espresso Muffin recipe after the jump...

Banana Espresso Muffin Recipe

Makes 6 muffins

1 very ripe banana, lightly mashed
1/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached flour
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor mix banana and sour cream until smooth. Add the egg, lemon zest, and vanilla and process until blended. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat on low speed of a stand mixer for about 1 minute. Add the butter and half the banana mixture and beat until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add the remaining banana mixture in two parts, beating for about 20 seconds after each addition. Add pecans and beat on low speed just until incorporated. Remove half of the batter and place in separate bowl and add the espresso powder until incorporated.

Place muffin liners in tins and alternate spooning banana mixture and espresso mixture into each liner until full to the top. Take a knife and gently swirl each muffin liner to mix the espresso batter and banana batter. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove muffins from pan and cool on wire rack. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Bread Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum


...Read more

Recipes I Want To Try This Weekend

By Danny


Title says it all.

Meyer Lemon and Fresh Cranberry Scones - Smitten Kitchen
Butternut Squash with Browned Butter and Thyme - Simply Recipes
Margarita Shots! - James Starmer Food

Making Spanish Sangria!

By Danny

Best Sangria Recipe

I'm usually not a huge sangria fan. I tend to find that most sangria recipes call for way too much sugar for my taste. So when Michael suggested we make sangria for our recent cocktail party, I wasn't too excited. Boy was I wrong! Michael found this great recipe and it was really excellent. Not too sweet, and just the right amount of tartness. This is perfect for a party because you can make it a day before...it actually gets better with time!

Red Wine Sangria Recipe

* 2 bottles red Spanish table wine
* 1 cup brandy
* 1/2 cup triple sec
* 1 cup orange juice
* 1 cup pomegranate juice
* 1/2 cup simple syrup, or more to taste (equal parts sugar and water, heated until sugar dissolves, cooled)
* Orange slices
* Apple slices
* Blackberries
* Pomegranate seeds

Directions

Mix all ingredients together and let stand in a tightly sealed container or pitcher for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Recipe found on Food network tv.com

Chocolate Layer Cake Recipe

By Danny

Classic Chocolate Cake

I love classic recipes! This is a fantastic recipe for a classic chocolate cake. It's one of Ina Garten's recipes, so you know it has to be good! What I like the most about this recipe is that Ina always adds coffee to her chocolate desserts because the coffee actually brings out the flavor of the chocolate!

Classic Chocolate Cake Recipe after the jump...

Barefoot Contessa Classic Chocolate Cake

Cake

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee


Frosting

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules

1. MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans and line them with parchment paper; butter the paper. Dust the pans with flour, tapping out any excess.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the flour with the sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt at low speed. In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the oil, eggs and vanilla. Slowly beat the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients until just incorporated, then slowly beat in the hot coffee until fully incorporated.

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then invert the cakes onto a rack to cool completely. Peel off the parchment paper.

4. MAKE THE FROSTING: In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate at high power in 30-second intervals, stirring, until most of the chocolate is melted. Stir until completely melted, then set aside to cool to room temperature.

5. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat for 1 minute, scraping down the side of the bowl. At low speed, slowly beat in the confectioners’ sugar, about 1 minute. In a small bowl, dissolve the instant coffee in 2 teaspoons of hot water. Slowly beat the coffee and the cooled chocolate into the butter mixture until just combined.

6. Set a cake layer on a plate with the flat side facing up. Evenly spread one-third of the frosting over the cake to the edge. Top with the second cake layer, rounded side up. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and side of the cake. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before slicing. ...Read more

Cheap Trader Joe's Wine

By Danny

Good Cheap Wine

I found this interesting conversation on Chowhound about good cheap wines. Do you have any suggestions for good cheap trader joe's wine?

Chowhound Trader Joe's Wine Conversation

UPDATE: Jason from Jason's Wine Blog left this terrific link containing his choice of the best TJ wines for 2008. Thanks Jason!

Best Wines of 2008

Top Chef 5 Is Coming!

By Danny

I really, truly, cant wait!

25 Must-Have Cookbooks - The Ultimate Cookbook List

Reader Submitted List!

A couple of weeks ago I posted an open call for the very best cookbooks. I wanted to compile a list of cookbooks that had been vetted by readers. The idea for this list came from my frustration with the shear amount of cookbooks out there....it's hard to know which ones are good and which ones are crap. So, here it is. If you would like to add a book to the list, just leave a comment and I will update the list accordingly. Make sure to send the list to your friends. Check out the comments section of the original post to see who submitted and please make sure to visit their site!

Must-Have Cookbook List after the jump...

Ultimate Cookbook List!

1. The Joy of Cooking - Irma S. Rombauer
2. The Silver Palate Cookbook - Rosso & Lukins
3. The Dean & Deluca Cookbook - David Rosengarten
4. The Bread Bible - Rose Levy Beranbaum
5. Tartine Cookbook - Prueitt/Robertson
6. How to Cook Everything - Mark Bittman
7. The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan
8. Kennedy Kitchen: Recipes and Recollections of a Great American Family - Neil Connolly
9. Jamie's Italy - Jamie Oliver
10. Betty Crocker Cookbook
11. French Laundry - Thomas Keller
12. Cake Bible - Rose Levy Beranbaum
13. Baking Illustrated: A Best Recipe Classic by The Editors of Cooking Illustrated Magazine
14. The Great Book of French Cuisine: Revised Edition - Henri-Paul Pellaprat and Jeremiah Tower.
15. Donna Hay Flavors
16. Bread Baker's Apprentice - Peter Reinhart
17. Appetite - Nigel Slater
18. Definately Baking: From my Home to Yours - Dorie Greenspan
19. Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone - Deborah Madison
20. Jamie at Home - Jamie Oliver
21. The Zuni Cafe Cookbook
22. I'm Just Here for the Food, version 2.0 - Alton Brown
23. Kitchen Diaries - Nigel Slater
24. Whole Foods Market cookbook
25. Barefoot Contessa at Home - Ina Garten ...Read more