Fish - Fast Food on Steroids!

OK - it's a weeknight and you just don't feel like cooking, right?  Are you thinking about making a run to the local fast food restaurant and picking up take-out? Are you thinking you might order a pizza (of course, you will have to wait while the restaurant cooks the pizza and delivers it to you . . . )?  Well, in the time it takes to jump in your car and pick up take-out, or to wait for the pizza delivery guy, you can have dinner on the table - and since you made it yourself, you will know what is in it, and it will be delicious and good for you!

Fish is Food Snob's "go-to" meal when she needs to get dinner on the table in a hurry.  Most fish and seafood cooks in about six to eight minutes, so with a simple preparation and a few sides, you can serve yourself, your loved ones, or your guests in record time.  Over the next few weeks, Food Snob will share some of her favorite fish recipes with you - most of them are from restaurants where Food Snob convinced the chef to "share."  All of them are wonderful!

Now, Food Snob knows what some of you are thinking right now - you are thinking that you don't really LIKE fish.  You may not have read further than the headline. Please read on - Food Snob would like to change your attitude about eating and preparing fish.

First, if you think you don't like fish, you probably haven't had it prepared very well.  Food Snob grew up in the west and midwest, and when she was a child (a very long time ago), high-quality fresh fish was not available, unless it was a trout caught from a local stream.  Most fish she ate was NOT fresh, or even fresh-frozen, and usually, it was overcooked.

About 10 years ago, Food Snob was told by her doctor to add fish to her diet about three times a week to help combat high cholesterol.  Food Snob did not like fish and had no idea how she would be able to eat it three times a week.  So, she started out by reading about how to cook fish and trying fish dishes prepared by restaurants.  She had some wonderful fish dishes when eating out and soon learned how to make some of them herself.  If you don't have much experience cooking fish and you need a boost of confidence, here are some tips:

• DO NOT overcook fish.  Follow cooking times carefully and err on the side of undercooking rather than overcooking.  You can always cook a little longer if necessary.  As noted above, most fish cooks in 6 to 8 minutes; very thin fish requires almost no time to cook.
• Invest in quality.  Find out from your supermarket or grocer when the fish came in, how it was transported, when it was caught, how long it has been sitting in the cooler at the fish market.  If you aren't comfortable with the answer, shop elsewhere.  
• Invest in wild-caught fish.  Studies tell us that wild-caught fish is leaner, has more protein, more omega-3 fatty acids, and has not been subjected to antibiotics and pesticides.
• Don't ignore high-quality frozen fish if it is wild-caught.  Individually-wrapped, high-quality fish frozen just after being caught can be delicious.  Thaw it in cold water just before cooking - a tip provided by my foodie-cousin Dan.  He was right.
• Wash the fish and dry it very thoroughly before preparation.  Fish will not brown if it is not dry.

The recipe that follows, "Grilled Salmon with Marinated Vegetables and Wasabi Cream Sauce," is from  Bang! restaurant in the Highland neighborhood of Denver.  Food Snob has ordered this dish at Bang! many times - and a few years ago, the recipe was featured in the food section of the Denver Post. Food Snob snapped it up.  The recipe calls for a cup of heavy cream for four servings.  That is a whopping 200 calories. 20 grams of fat, and 15 grams of saturated fat per serving - just for the sauce!  Food Snob reworked the sauce and makes it instead with a little butter, some skim milk, and fat-free plain greek yogurt.  Food Snob's modified version of the cream sauce is 56 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 2.4 grams of saturated fat per serving.  Now, Food Snob knows you are wondering whether the wasabi cream sauce made WITHOUT heavy cream is as good as the wasabi sauce made WITH heavy cream. Of course not!  But it is still darn good, and it is infinitely better for you.  If you want to splurge for a special occasion, by all means, eat the sauce with the heavy cream.  The rest of the time, make the substitution and feel good about what you are eating.

Bang! serves this grilled salmon recipe over jasmine rice.  Food Snob likes it with basmati rice.  If you have time to prepare jasmine rice, basmati rice, brown rice, quinoa pilaf, or any other type of grain, by all means, do so - the dish will be delicious.  Keep the portions of the rice or pilaf relatively small.  But if you don't have the time, focus on preparing the salmon, the sauce, and the marinated vegetables.  The combination of temperature, texture, and flavor is amazing.  These three elements will make your meal delicious and your dinner a success! 

Grilled Salmon with Marinated Vegetables and Wasabi Cream Sauce (serves 4)

Marinated Vegetables:

Prepare the marinated vegetables first.  Peel and slice thinly into a large bowl, using a box grater with slicer or a food processor:

1 english cucumber (these are the long cucumbers wrapped in plastic wrap at the supermarket)

Add to the cucumbers:

1 medium carrot, peeled and grated or julienned

1/4 cup diced red onion

2 to 3 radishes, sliced thinly

If you don't have radishes or carrots, you can leave these ingredients out.  The most important ingredients in the marinated vegetable salad are the cucumbers and the onion.  Add to the vegetables:

1/4 cup champagne vinegar (if you don't have champagne vinegar, your next best choice is white wine vinegar, and if all you have is white distilled vinegar, that works too!)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 Tablespoons sugar (or organic agave nectar, or honey)

pinch of crushed red chile flakes

Stir the vegetables and set aside to marinate while you finish the rest of the meal.  

Wasabi Cream Sauce:

To make the sauce, melt in a small saucepan over medium heat:

1 Tablespoon butter

As soon as the butter has melted, quickly add:

2 teaspoons flour (if you are on a gluten free diet, use cornstarch)

Stir the flour into the butter until the mixture is very smooth and it begins to bubble.  Remove it from the heat and add:

3/4 cup skim milk (you can use 1% or 2% milk also, if you don't have skim milk)

2 teaspoons wasabi paste (Japanese horseradish)

2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar, agave nectar, or honey

fresh ground pepper

Return mixture to the stove and allow it to boil until thick, then remove from heat and keep warm over very low heat.  Just before fish is done (explained below), add:

1/4 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt

Stir in yogurt and allow mixture to become hot, but do not boil, as the sauce will curdle easily.  Taste for seasoning; add salt, more wasabi, or more pepper depending on your taste.  NOTE:  if you decide to make this sauce with heavy cream, you simply combine 1 cup heavy cream with the wasabi paste, soy sauce, sugar, and fresh ground pepper; simmer for about 5 minutes, and adjust for seasoning.

Grilled Salmon:

To make the salmon, heat a grill pan, frying pan, or your outdoor grill to medium high heat.  Spray pan or grill lightly with cooking spray or brush with a little oil to keep fish from sticking.  Wash and dry throughly:

4 - 6-ounce pieces of skinless wild salmon fillets

Coat the salmon very lightly with olive oil (use 1 to 2 teaspoons at most). Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.  Grill salmon for 3 to 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness.  Food Snob prefers her salmon medium rare, with just a little bit of transparency in the center (between 125 and 130 degrees).  When salmon is cooked too long, it dries out.  Cut into fish if necessary to check for doneness.  

For each serving, place a small amount of basmati rice (if you prepared it) on the bottom of the plate or bowl and top with salmon fillet.  Drizzle each piece of salmon with about 1/4 of the wasabi cream sauce.  Top the salmon with 1/4 of the marinated vegetables, draining them thoroughly (use a fork or a slotted spoon) and serve.  Food Snob added baked asparagus to her salmon dish in the photo above.  See her February 10, 2013 blog posting for the recipe, which takes all of 5 minutes.  

Nutritional information for one serving of salmon, wasabi cream sauce, and marinated vegetables:  438 calories, 20.5 grams of fat (most of which is heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids), of which 4.33 is saturated fat.

Bang! is participating in Denver Restaurant Week if you decide you want to try this delicious salmon dish "in person."  Watch for next week's featured fish recipe: Orange Roughy with White Wine Sauce, Spinach, and Grilled Potato Spears.

Ward off Winter's Chill - Make a Pot of Chili!

February is the perfect month for chili.  Since the weather is still cold and the days are still relatively short, chili is a wonderful way to “warm up” on a cool winter evening. Food Snob has found that chili recipes abound during February – for one thing, chili is usually a staple at Super Bowl parties – along with the buffalo hot wings and brownies! 

Chili is a very personal thing.  Like chocolate or brownies, most people are passionate about what makes for a good chili – and there are as many opinions on the essential ingredients are there are people.  Do you like your chili hot and spicy or do you prefer yours on the mild side?  Do you like pork in your chili, or do you prefer to stick to beef?  How about turkey or bison?  Do you add cheese, raw onions, and sour cream to your chili, or do you prefer it “straight?” 

However you like your chili, it is a delicious and healthy dish that Food Snob particularly approves of for these reasons:  (1) the meat protein is “stretched” by the addition of lots of vegetables (Food Snob’s recipe includes onions, garlic, celery, orange or yellow peppers, tomatoes, and jalapeno); (2) beans add protein and healthy fiber; (3) the dish is delicious when reheated for lunch or dinner a few days later (say “YES” to leftovers!); and (4) the “heat” ingredients can be adjusted to fit your taste or the taste of your family members.

Many people don’t make chili often because most recipes typically take quite a bit of time to get to the table– not so much on the preparation end, but on the simmering end.  Food Snob agrees that her chili tastes best if it is simmered for about 30 minutes to an hour after all the ingredients have been added.  However, the chili is still delicious when eaten as soon as the vegetables are tender – which is about 45 minutes after starting to prepare this dish.  If she is in a hurry, Food Snob serves the chili right away, and lets the leftovers simmer slowly, covered in the pot while eating dinner.  Allow the leftovers to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate or freeze for another meal or to eat for lunch during the week.  The chili will taste even better a few days later – Food Snob promises!

Food Snob created the chili recipe that follows about two weeks ago for the Super Bowl.  The flavor is fantastic – and the heat comes from three sources:  a small amount (1/4 pound) of chorizo; a jalapeno; and ground red chile from Chimayo, New Mexico.  Food Snob makes a trip to New Mexico every year just to purchase ground red chile grown near the little town of Chimayo, but you can find good ground red chile in the Mexican section of your supermarket. The important thing to remember is to NEVER use chili powder.  Purchased chili powder from the spice aisle contains no flavor and not much heat.  Your chili will be much improved if you buy real ground red chile and use that instead.  To adjust the ingredients in this recipe to your heat tolerance, try the following:  use hot chorizo if you like spicy chili; use regular chorizo if you prefer milder chili.  Before adding the jalapeno, cut off a small sliver and taste it.  If it is burning hot, and you don’t want your chili to be too spicy, use only a quarter or half of the jalapeno.  If you like your chili hot, use the whole jalapeno.  TASTE the chili before adding the ground red chile.  Add the red chile, a teaspoon or half teaspoon at a time, and taste after each addition.  You can always add more chile if you want more spice, but once you add too much, you can’t go backwards!  Tasting as you go is the key.

You can make this chili with your choice of organic grass-fed ground beef, ground bison, or organic/natural ground turkey. Try to find at least 90 percent lean ground meat or turkey if you can. You can choose pork chorizo, chicken chorizo, or turkey chorizo – but whatever type you purchase, try to find good quality natural or organic chorizo.  Food Snob’s recipe will ask you to drain the ground meat and chorizo in a colander once it has been browned, and rinse it with hot water before returning it to the cooking pan.  This technique helps to remove extra fat from the chili.

Quick and Hearty Chili – makes 8 servings

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium high heat.  Spray the bottom of the pot lightly with cooking spray. Add to the pot:

1 pound 90% lean ground organic beef, bison, or turkey

¼ quarter pound chorizo sausage (pork, chicken, or turkey)

Use a wooden fork or spoon to crumble the meat. Adjust the heat as needed so the meat browns evenly but does not burn.  When all of the meat is evenly browned, set a colander in your sink and transfer the browned meat to the colander.  Rinse the meat with very hot water to wash away any residual fat.  Set the colander on a plate to drain.  Rinse the pot to wash away any fat; wipe with a paper towel. 

Return the pot to the stove and reduce the heat to medium low.  Add a small amount of:

canola oil (one to two teaspoons) – just enough to coat the bottom of the pot

Then add to the pot:

1 large onion, diced

1 large yellow or orange pepper, diced in ½ inch pieces

2 or 3 stalks of celery, diced

½ or 1 jalapeno, finely diced (depending on heat preference)

Stir the vegetables and “sweat” them by covering with a piece of parchment paper cut to the circumference of the pot.  To learn more about how to “sweat” vegetables, see Food Snob’s blog posting from January 5, 2012: Learn to Sweat Your Vegetables.  Stir the vegetables occasionally and, once the vegetables have softened (about 5 to 10 minutes), remove the parchment paper and add to the pot:

2 Tablespoons chopped garlic

Stir vegetable mixture and allow garlic to cook about one minute.  Then add the ground meat from the colander back to the vegetables in the pot and stir to mix.  Add immediately:

1 cup low fat, low sodium beef or chicken broth

3 cans (14.5 to 16 ounces) no salt, organic diced tomatoes

3 cans (14.5 to 16 ounces) black beans, no salt added

½ can tomato paste

1 Tablespoon leaf oregano, dried

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 to 2 Tablespoons ground red chile (or less, depending on desired heat)

1 Tablespoon organic agave nectar or honey

2½ teaspoons kosher salt

2 to 4 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

Allow mixture to come to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.  Cook a few minutes until vegetables are tender.  Add:

1 Tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar

DO NOT skip this ingredient!  Taste chili – add more salt if necessary and if you would like the chili hotter, add more ground red chile.  Ladle chili into bowls; serve with desired accompaniments.  Food Snob prefers her chili “straight.” 

Allow the remaining chili to simmer about 30 more minutes, covered, over very low heat.  Cool to room temperature and refrigerate or freeze.

Next week – don’t miss Food Snob’s upcoming series featuring four fabulous fish recipes – the perfect antidote to Denver's 5280 Restaurant Week.  If you haven’t made your reservations for Restaurant Week, which starts Saturday February 23^rd and continues through Friday, March 8th, don’t delay.  Enjoy a three-course meal at participating restaurants (of which there are many) for $26.40 for one person or $52.80 for two.  Then eat healthy the rest of the week by trying one of Food Snob’s favorite fish recipes. Fish is the ideal option when you want to serve fresh, fabulous, heart-healthy food for dinner in a hurry!  

Romance in the Kitchen - Valentine's Dinner at Home!

It is Valentine's Day this Thursday - do you know what your dinner plans are? If you are undecided about whether to go out for dinner or stay home and cook, follow Food Snob's wise advice - stay home and cook!  It can be romantic to cook a delicious and simple dinner together with your valentine(s).  (Okay, Food Snob admits that her husband doesn't really think cooking in the kitchen is all that romantic, but he definitely is in love with eating the results!)  Whether you are one, two, or a family of four or more, by cooking your Valentine's dinner at home, you avoid: (1) the crowded restaurant scene, and (2) the prix fixe dinner, which always costs more than you want to pay and includes more food than you want to eat.

A number of years ago, my husband and I discontinued dinner out on Valentine's Day, opting instead for a cooking at home.  It's a great time to splurge with a wonderful entree and a rich chocolate dessert - after all - it IS Valentine's Day! You can include the kids - or wait until they've gone to bed - and enjoy a bottle of wine while you eat dinner by candlelight.  Take the time to set a pretty table, and make a simple, but delicious meal, such as the one highlighted in this week's blog.  You won't be getting home late, you won't be stuffed, and you won't be exhausted when you head back to work the next day.

Last Valentine's Day, Food Snob stopped at the local grocery store to buy a Valentine's Day card, and sitting by the check-out, packed in ice, was a display of wild-caught, frozen lobster tails.  Food Snob hadn't decided on her Valentine's dinner menu yet, but the lobster tails sparked her interest, and she purchased two tails for dinner later that evening.  For those of us that aren't lucky enough to live by the coast, a lobster tail is a viable option, and at about $6 for a 4 to 5 ounce tail, lobster is affordable.  Food Snob's husband, who grew up on the east coast and LOVES lobster, always wants TWO lobster tails.  Even if you serve a family member two lobster tails, you will be paying a lot less that eating lobster out!

Food Snob grilled the lobster tails, brushed them with a little melted butter, and served them with rosemary smashed potatoes and baked asparagus spears. Since it wouldn't be Valentine's Day without chocolate, she topped off the meal with chocolate lava cakes, served hot from the oven with vanilla ice cream.

Food Snob breaks all the rules on Valentine's Day and prepares a menu that does not meet her usual low-fat, low-calorie standards.  After all, Valentine's Day is a special evening - a night to splurge - within reason, of course.  Instead of serving the lobster tails with drawn butter and dipping each bite, Food Snob brushes the tails with butter before serving.  This technique will save you and your sweetie TONS of calories while sacrificing little in flavor.  The chocolate lava cake, which is very rich, is served in smaller portions so that you can enjoy its rich flavor without overdoing on the calories.

Lobster tails have been on sale in Denver everywhere this past week, as they usually are the week before Valentine's Day.  Food Snob, taking a friend's advice, found fresh asparagus on sale at Sprouts this week for $1.60 a pound. The ingredients for the smashed potatoes and the chocolate lava cakes are sitting in your pantry right now.  You can put this dinner together in about 45 minutes after you get home from work - and less if your Valentine helps you. What are you waiting for?  It's time to cook!

Valentine's Day Dinner Menu - serves 2, but can easily be doubled

Grilled Lobster Tails with Butter and Lemon
Rosemary Smashed Potatoes
Baked Asparagus
Chocolate Lava Cakes with Vanilla Ice Cream

Put two 4 - 5 ounce lobster tails in a plastic freezer bag and thaw them in cold water while you prepare the lava cakes.

Chocolate Lava Cakes - makes 4 small servings - save 2 for another day

Butter four 5-ounce ramekins.  (If you don't have small ramekins, use two larger ramekins and SHARE the dessert.) Dust the ramekins with flour.

In a small bowl, combine:

one whole egg plus one egg yolk
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Using a mixer, beat the egg yolks and the sugar until light yellow (about 2 minutes).  In a small microwave safe bowl, combine:

1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (I like Ghiradelli) 
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons canola oil

Cover and microwave for 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted.  Allow to cool slightly and add the chocolate to the egg mixture along with:

1 Tablespoon flour

Stir together and divide the batter between the four ramekins.  Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and set aside for later.

Baked Asparagus - serves 2

Wash and trim:

1 bunch asparagus (I prefer fatter asparagus to the skinny asparagus - if you use skinny asparagus, your cooking time will be shorter)

Dry the asparagus thoroughly with paper towels.  Line a large, rimmed baking pan with foil, spray lightly with cooking spray or with an olive oil mister.  Place the asparagus on the pan in a single layer.  Drizzle with:

2 teaspoons olive oil
kosher salt - to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon)

Using your hands, coat the asparagus spears evenly with the olive oil and the salt - set aside for later.

Rosemary Smashed Potatoes - serves 2

Scrub but do not peel:

2 medium sized yukon gold potatoes

Cut in quarters, lengthwise.  Slice potatoes in about 1/4 inch slices.  Place potatoes in a steamer basket and steam over boiling water for about 5 minutes, or until tender.  Remove from steam and allow to drain.

In the bottom of a sauce pan, over medium low heat, add:

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, or the leaves from one large sprig of fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Cook the rosemary and garlic in the olive oil for about a minute until fragrant - but do not let the garlic brown.  Add the steamed potatoes to the olive oil mixture and use a hand-held potato masher to "smash" the potatoes.  The mixture will be thick, so you can add a small amount of non-fat greek yogurt, or some half-and-half, to help the potatoes come together.  Since it was Valentine's Day, Food Snob went for the half-and-half!  Just a tablespoon or two . . . then add kosher salt or sea salt and some pepper to taste.  Keep warm while you cook the remainder of the meal.

Grilled Lobster Tails with Butter and Lemon

Before preparing the lobster, preheat your oven to 500 degrees - you will be baking the asparagus in the oven once it is hot.

Now that the two lobster tails are completely thawed, use a scissors and cut the lobster shell lengthwise down the under side.  Pry the shell open and remove the lobster tail.  Check inside the tail and if you see any black stuff, wash it out. According to my internet research, the black stuff is part of the lobster's intestinal tract.  If one of my readers knows better, please inform!  Once the lobster is washed, dry it thoroughly with paper towels.  Coat the lobster lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Coat a grill pan or frying pan lightly with oil (you can also cook the lobster on your outdoor grill - if you can see what you are doing at night - brush with oil or coat with cooking spray before grilling your lobster).  Heat the grill pan over medium high heat until smoking.

Before putting your lobster tails in the pan, put the asparagus in the preheated oven.  If the asparagus are skinny, you will need to check them in about 3 minutes - if they are larger, you will need to check them in about 6 minutes. You want the asparagus to be tender-crisp.  Larger asparagus will be done about the same time the lobster is done - remove from the oven and keep warm.

Place the lobster tails in the grill pan and grill on one side for about two-and-one-half minutes to three minutes, depending on thickness.  While the lobster is grilling, melt in the microwave:

1/2 tablespoon butter

Turn lobsters over and grill another two-and-one-half minutes to three minutes. Lobster tails will be firm. Remove tails to a warm plate; brush the tails with the melted butter.

Serving the Meal

Food Snob likes to plate her dinners, particularly for a special occasion.  Divide the smashed potatoes between two plates.  Top each mound of potatoes with a lobster tail, drizzle with any juices.  Place asparagus spears on either side of the lobster tails.  Add a lemon slice and serve.

Before sitting down to dinner, turn your oven down to 450 degrees.  After you've enjoyed your lobster tail and your glass of wine and are ready for dessert, pop the chocolate lava cakes into the oven and set your timer for 6 minutes.  The lava cakes will bake while you are clearing the table and making coffee.

Check the cakes after about six minutes - you want to remove the cakes from the oven when the outside edges have raised and are "set," but the center is still sunken.  If the outside is not set, cook a minute or two more.  If you overcook, the cake will not be "molten."  Remove the cakes from the oven and let rest a minute or two until you are ready to serve.

Invert the cakes onto individual plates, dust with powdered sugar, and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Next week:  Food Snob just developed a new recipe for a quick and tasty chili - it is delicious made with ground turkey, ground bison, or grass-fed beef.  It's perfect for a cold February day, can be made in about 45 minutes, and serves 8.  You can enjoy it for dinner and again for lunch later in the week!

Brownie Competition - and the Winner Is . . . .

In February 2011, the cover of Bon Appetit magazine pictured a stack of fudgy, moist brownies accompanied by the headline:  "Best-Ever Brownies - Warning:  You Will Eat the Entire Tray!"  This headline sent Food Snob on a two-year quest to determine whether the brownies featured in Bon Appetit magazine were, in fact, the best brownies ever, or whether she could find another brownie recipe that was even better.

Now, brownies are a very personal thing.  Some people like their brownies dense, chocolatey, and fudgy.  Food Snob falls into that category.  Others like their brownies lighter and "cakier;" these types of brownies work well in brownie sundaes, but in Food Snob’s opinion are not so great eaten on their own.  Some folks prefer their brownies with nuts (that would be Food Snob); others prefer theirs with no nuts.  Some prefer their brownies with frosting, chocolate chips, coffee, liqueur, or toffee filling.  The variations are endless.  Food Snob was attracted to the Bon Appetit brownie recipe because it was advertised as dense, chocolatey, and fudgy, and the brownies contained nuts.

The first step was to MAKE the brownie recipe to see how good the brownies really were.  The recipe, entitled Brown-Butter Cocoa Walnut Brownies, calls for very simple ingredients:  butter, cocoa, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs, walnuts, vanilla, and a small amount of flour (small amounts of flour and the absence of milk make the brownies fudgy not cakey). You have these ingredients in your kitchen right now, don't you?

Of course, Food Snob never makes a recipe exactly as written.  EVERY recipe gets adjusted a little to reduce the saturated fat, sugar, and calories without sacrificing the flavor.  Brownies are especially challenging because, let's face it, not much about them is healthy.  However, a LOT about them is delicious, so Food Snob believes in adjusting what she can and then savoring the results in moderation.  If the brownies turned out to be the best she had ever eaten, moderation was going to be difficult.  After all, the headline had warned her that she would be eating the entire tray!

The brownie recipe, even with Food Snob's adjustments, was all it promised it would be.  These brownies are fantastic.  It IS hard not to eat the entire tray.  The secret is to freeze them and take them out one at a time and savor them slowly.  The pleasure lasts longer that way, and you can still indulge without feeling guilty.

Over the next two years, Food Snob tested the brownies against other favorite brownie recipes to see which recipe was better – in every taste trial, the Brown-Butter Cocoa Walnut Recipe was the winner hands down.  Food Snob made side-by-side comparisons with her own favorite brownie recipes, brownie recipes published in the newspaper and on the internet, and even the Classic Fudge-Walnut Brownie recipe first published in Cooking Light in September 2011.  The Cooking Light recipe, which is very good, was featured as the best chocolate recipe ever during the magazine’s 2012 anniversary year.  Still, the Browned-Butter Cocoa Walnut Brownie recipe from Bon Appetit was better.  You can view the winning recipe from Cooking Light at this link: Cooking Light Brownie Recipe. 

This past week, and just in time for the Super Bowl, People Magazine and the Denver Post featured John Elway’s favorite brownie recipe, served on the menu at Elway’s restaurant.  See John Elway's Brownie Recipe.  Since she was planning on featuring her brownies in this week’s food blog, Food Snob dutifully baked both recipes:  John Elway’s brownies and the Browned-Butter Cocoa Walnut brownies.  Family and friends who compared the two brownie recipes nixed John Elway’s recipe, and the Brown-Butter Cocoa Walnut Brownie was the runaway favorite from 100 percent of testers hands down (okay, Food Snob only asked five people to test the brownies).  In fairness to John Elway, his recipe does state that the restaurant serves the brownies with ice cream and caramel sauce.  Food Snob’s family had them for dessert one night with ice cream and caramel sauce and we agreed that the brownies were better that way.  Still, we weren’t inclined to “eat the whole tray.”   

So, were you thinking about bringing brownies to a Super Bowl party tomorrow?  Do you want to treat a loved one to something more special than a box of chocolate for Valentine’s Day?  Try this brownie recipe and Food Snob promises that your brownies will be more interesting than the Super Bowl.  Wrap them up in a pretty box and your Valentine will be thrilled with a treat that tastes better than truffles.

A word about brownie mixes.  Do not even THINK about making your brownies from a brownie mix!  Brownie mixes contain all sorts of artificial ingredients to make them shelf stable and they do not taste anywhere near as good as the Browned-Butter Cocoa Walnut Brownies.  The Cocoa Walnut Brownies are fool-proof, require only one pot to mix the batter, and can be in the oven almost as quickly as a mix.  Food Snob refuses to eat brownies from a mix EVER; when she goes to a pot luck she can tell just by looking which brownies are made from a mix and which are not and she stays away from the ones that are made from a brownie mix.  They are not worth the fat and calories. 

There are several secrets to success when making the brownie recipe that follows.  First, the recipe calls for browned butter – browned butter is what gives the brownies such an amazing flavor.  Do not skip this step.  Food Snob has already reduced the amount of butter in the recipe – to reduce it more compromises the flavor.  Second, the recipe asks you to line your pan with foil – leaving several extra inches of foil on each end.  This amazing technique allows you remove the brownies from the pan after they cool, while still in the foil, and after peeling back the foil, create absolutely perfect squares. No sticking to the pan!  Finally, Food Snob has reduced the sugar and the nuts, and cuts the brownies into 24 squares instead of 16 squares.  Smaller brownies are just as satisfying as large brownies and have fewer calories.  These brownies weigh in at 120 calories each, with 2.4 grams saturated fat and 8 grams total fat. 

Browned-Butter Cocoa Walnut Brownies – makes 24 pieces

Browned-Butter Cocoa Walnut Brownies are on the left;
Classic Fudge-Walnut Brownies from Cooking Light are on the right 

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325 degrees.  Line a 9 inch metal baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving a 2 inch overhang.  Coat foil with cooking spray. 

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, place:

5 Tablespoons good quality butter

Melt butter and continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at the bottom of pan, stirring often about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and add, stirring until melted:

5 Tablepoons trans fat free spread for baking, such as Smart Balance

When melted, immediately stir into pan:

7/8 cup sugar (3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons)

¾  cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (spoon into measuring cup, then level)

2 teaspoons water

¼ slightly rounded teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Let mixture cool about 5 minutes.  Then add, one at a time, beating vigorously with a wooden spoon after each addition:

2 eggs

When mixture looks thick and shiny, add

1/3 cup flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled

Stir until blended.  Beat vigourously 60 strokes.  Stir in:

1 cup walnuts, measured and then chopped coarsely

Once combined, transfer batter to prepared pan.  Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 25 minutes.  Do not overbake  Cool in pan on rack.  Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan.  Cut into 4 strips.  Cut each strip into 6 brownies.  Can be frozen for several weeks – if they last that long!

Now Promise Food Snob that you won't eat the whole tray!  When you try these brownies, comment and let Food Snob know what you think. If you have a favorite brownie recipe, please share!

Next week's blog - skip the restaurants and cook a quick and elegant dinner for your Valentine!  Food Snob supplies the menu; you supply the wine and the candles!