Home cooking

[ng_moonmoth]

Happy Thursday! Spouse and I are foodies, which means that whenever it's running, Thursday night belongs to Top Chef: the reality show where professional chefs, all high-level and some of them quite successful, square off in a weeks-long series of culinary challenges that allow them to showcase their skills across the entire range of what one needs to be a big-time, big-name chef -- and rewards the winner with the exposure and stake that they can use to do precisely that, if they wish. Many winners have indeed done so, while others have gone the media route and been successful there.

But today's post isn't about the show, other than using it as inspiration. Each season, the chefs are likely to face a challenge like, "Make the dish that convinced you to take up cooking as a career," or "recreate a treasured family recipe." And with lots more people doing lots more home cooking these days, I'd like to offer up a similar challenge.

What is/are your signature dish/dishes? Have you made any of them recently? Even if someone else in your household is the primary cook, there may be one or two things you make that are special; you are welcome to just share those. If making your best dish amounts to cutting things up, adding some flavors, and putting the result in a bowl, that totally counts, too. And, as an escape clause for those whose culinary skills include the ability to burn water, and the best thing they make in the kitchen is "reservations": pick exactly one dish from a restaurant you often order food from, that you wish you could make yourself.

Comments

[readera]

Yes please!

[aome]

Otherwise known in my house as "Death by Chocolate Cake". There is absolutely no pretense to health. ;-)

Chocolate cake (credit: Hershey's cocoa tin circa 1981)

3/4 C butter (1.5 sticks), softened
1 3/4 C sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 C water, room temperature
2 C flour
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Grease and flour two round cake pans (8" or 9") and set aside.

In a mixer cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and blend again. In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Alternate adding the flour mixture with water when adding to the butter/egg mixture.

Divide batter evenly between the two cake pans. Bake at 350F for 30-35 mins (9" pans) or 35-40 mins (8" pans), until toothpick comes clean. Cool in pans about 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate buttercream frosting (credit: Better Homes & Gardens cookbook)

1/3 C butter, softened
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa
1 lb (approx 4.5 C) sifted powdered sugar
1/4 C milk (a little extra may be needed)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In mixer, cream butter by itself until fluffy. Add cocoa and completely combine. Scrape bottom of bowl. Add about half the powdered sugar. Add the milk and vanilla, then the rest of the powdered sugar to desired sweetness. You may need to add a little milk, a tsp at a time, until spreadable consistency is reached.

Happy baking!

[readera]

Thanks!