Salty Sweet Chocolate Bars

These were served at the Historical League Open House but I did not get a taste. A few days later we had a meeting for Children's Holiday Party to be held Dec 17 at Arizona Biltmore and they were served again. YUMMMM. Tastes better a few days later.

Also love the Chocolate Peanut Treats on page 162 in Tastes & Treasures. Try them both.

FLEUR DE SEL CHOCOLATE CHIP BLONDIES

Ingredients:

8 oz unsalted butter, (2 sticks) soft

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup sugar

2 1/3 cups flour

1¼ t baking soda

Pinch fine sea salt, optional

2 eggs, at room temperature

2 t vanilla

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1-1½ T coarse salt; like Fleur de Sel or Kosher salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 9x13 jelly roll pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter on medium speed with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the sugars, stopping to scrape the bowl as necessary.
4. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the butter and sugar are fully incorporated, about 5 more minutes.
5. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda and sea salt, if using. Use a whisk to combine and break up any clumps. Set aside.
6. To the butter & sugar mixture add the eggs, one at a time. Allow the egg to fully incorporate into the batter before adding the second egg. Add the vanilla.
7. Turn the mixer down to the lowest speed. Slowly add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet. Scrape the bowl.
8. With the mixer on the lowest speed add the 3 cups of chocolate chips and mix just until combined. Alternately, remove the mixing bowl from the stand and use a wooden spoon to gently fold in the chocolate chips.
9. Spread the batter onto the prepared jelly roll pan.
10. Sprinkle the coarse salt on top, gently pressing to help the salt adhere.
11. Bake for about 25 minutes, until light golden brown; crunchy on top, not wobbly in the center; similar to a brownie… do not over bake.
12. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a rack.
13. Gently flip Blondies onto a cutting board to cut into cute little bars.

Makes about 24-48 bars

Pate a Chou Cream Puffs

League member Leslie Christiansen created the wonderful appetizer menu for the Historical League Open House. When I asked her about the "mini buns" that were served she responded, "Mini buns!! I cracked up over this one. These are little cream puffs- not buns, which can be used for savory or sweet foods.

Pate a Chou are what our good friends, the French call them. Pate is pronounced like Pat, and chou is like the word "shoe". The direct translation for chou is cabbage, and when you think about it, the cream puff looks like a little cabbage.

One very popular dessert we often see the pat a chou used for is the Profiterole, which is filled with a scoop of ice cream and then covered with some sort of yummy sauce.

I've taught this recipe many times, as it's tricky to make without demonstration, but easy once you've seen someone show you how to do it. And we usually have the ingredients in our kitchen- just flour, butter, water, eggs and a inch of salt."

Now you know why Leslie designed the menu (and not me). These Pate a Chou were filled with Curried Chicken/ Mango Chutney and were so-o-o tasty.

CREAM PUFF

PATE A CHOU

Ingredients:

1 cup water

4 oz unsalted butter (1 stick)

½ t kosher salt

1 cup flour (4 oz)

4 eggs

Method:

1. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and preheat a convection oven to 375 F, a regular oven to 400 F.
2. Place water, butter and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. Turn off the heat, leaving the pot on the stove. Add the flour- all at once and stir, using a wooden spoon.
4. Smash the dough against the sides of the pot to break up any lumps of flour. The dough will be like a thick ball. Stir over the residual heat of the stove for about 2 minutes to dry out the dough.
5. Place dough in bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each additional egg, until the dough has completely come back together. Do not rush this step or the dough will not work.
6. Transfer dough into a pastry bag (or a zip-top bag with a corner end cut off) with a large round tip. Pipe uniform sized balls onto the parchment paper about the size of a large walnut.
7. Bake for about 20 minutes, until light-golden brown. Decrease oven temp to 300-325 F and bake for 10-15 minutes longer, until the inside has dried-out. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Cut in half and fill with ice cream, whipped cream or a variety of salads. The puffs freeze very well in zip-top bags.

Pumpkin Bread for Thanksgiving

Simple and fast . . . the recipe for this pumpkin bread is so moist and delicious, it's a keeper for Thanksgiving. Freezes well.

Great Pumpkin Cookies on page 162 in Tastes & Treasures are another fall treat.

Check out the innovative way to make a Thanksgiving table display with mini pumpkins on top of the candlesticks. Easy and creative.

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

one 15 oz can of Pure Pumpkin (not pie mix)

one box 18 oz Spice cake mix

two egg yolks (beaten)

Directions: Mix together and pour into individual mini-bread pans (spray with non-

stick cooking spray first) or muffin cups. Bake 15-20 min at 350 degrees or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Recipe variations: Try carrot cake mix with 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup no sugar-added applesauce, 2 tablespoons milled flax seed and 1 egg.

Chopped nuts, chocolate chips, raisins, nutmeg, cinnamon and molasses are wonderful additions too.

Crostini with Cream Cheese, Prosciutto & Fig

At the Historical League Open House, President Sharron McKinney spoke of the many things the League is doing. President Elect, Pam Ryan, co-hosted the event with Leslie Christiansen. Pam presented owners of the historic Craftsman-style home, Shelly and Griff Hearn, with Tastes & Treasures

cookbook and our new Centennial book, AZ Recollections and Reflections, as a thank you for hosting the Open House. The "Before" and "After" photos of their remodeling was impressive.

Another great appetizer served was Crostini with Cream Cheese, Prosciutto and Fig.

CROSTINI WITH CREAM CHEESE, PROSCIUTTO & FIG

Ingredients:

8 oz Cream Cheese, at room temperature

4-6 dried Garland figs, finely chopped

5-6 slices prosciutto, cut in a thin ribbon, or chiffonnade

1 baguette French bread

Truffle Oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Method:

1. Preheat oven to boil. Place oven rack near the top.
2. Slice bread about 3/8-inch thick, cut about 24 slices. Place on a sheet pan and drizzle witholive oil.
3. Lightly toast one side of the bread, about 3-4 minutes. Allow bread to cool.
4. Using a butter-knife spread a thin layer of the cream cheese on the toasted side. Sprinkle with the chopped figs and prosciutto.
5. Just before serving, drizzle with a few drops of the truffle oil.

Serves 12 as an appetizer

Cooking at Desert Botanical Gardens with Tastes & Treasures cookbook

Observe the Arizona Centennial by learning to make the official centennial entrée--piñón crusted chicken with cherry chipotle sauce at Desert Botanical Gardens Feb 5 from 2-4 pm. League member Leslie Christiansen, who will instruct the class, commented, "Toasted pine nuts give this dish a wonderful nutty aroma and texture, and the cherry chipotle sauce is smoky and full of flavor. This mouth-watering entree comes from the historic guest ranch Rancho de La Osa, as does margarita pie. A fabulous, refreshing dessert, margarita pie is the Southwest's version of key lime pie."

These delicious recipes are perfect for entertaining and can be found in the Historical League's award winning cookbook Tastes & Treasures, for sale in the Garden's bookstore as well as www.HistoricalLeague.org.

Sign up for this class at www.dbg.org/education-programs/classes-trips and scroll down to Feb 5 class Centennial Celebration Cooking with Leslie Christiansen.

Scottsdale ArtFest features League books

We have a booth at Scottsdale ArtFest Nov 19-20 downtown by the library. The Historical League will be selling Tastes & Treasures cookbook, Arizona Recollections and Reflections, Centennial aprons, hats and visors.

Join us and enjoy all the wonderful arts and crafts booths from 10 am - 5 pm Saturday and Sunday.

Carolyn Mendoza has volunteers lined up to help her with sales - Pam Ryan, Bonnie Newhoff, Sharron McKinney, Nina Fillipi, Pat Faur, Lindy Isacksen, Margaret Pogue, Delores Tomasek and Judy Blackwell. Our volunteers are the best.

Mini Raspberry Black-Bottom Cheesecake

Leslie Christiansen has so many wonderful recipes to share. For the Historical League Open House, she create ones that volunteers could make ahead and bring to the historic home. Her comments, "I wanted appetizers that could be easy to make in advance and then transported to another location.

These were delicious and made a beautiful presentation.

MINI RASPBERRY BLACK-BOTTOM CHEESECAKES

Ingredients:

6 whole chocolate graham crackers

3 T butter, soft

2/3 cup sour cream, at room

temperature

¼ cup sugar

1 eight oz package cream cheese, at room temperature

2 eggs, at room temperature

2 t vanilla

¼ cup raspberry jam or apricot preserves

Vegetable spray

Foil cupcake liners

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a standard muffin pan with foil cupcake liners and lightly spray with non-stick spray.
2. Place the metal blade inside a food processor. Break up the chocolate graham crackers as you put them inside, and pulse until crushed. Add the butter and process to form fine crumbs.
3. Spoon the graham cracker crumbs into the prepared cupcake pan. Press with the back of a spoon or a glass to compact the crumbs. Bake for 5 minutes.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the sour cream for about 20 seconds on medium speed.
5. Add the sugar and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl.
6. Lower the mixer speed, add cream cheese and beat about 2 minutes.
7. Add the eggs, one at a time; waiting to add the second egg until the first egg is fully incorporated. Scrape the bowl.
8. Add the vanilla and beat until smooth. Scrape the bowl.
9. Pour the batter into the baking cups, filling them about ¾ full. Bake for about 15 minutes, do not overbake. The center will be slightly jiggly.
10. Remove cheesecakes from the oven. Spoon about 1 t jam on top of each cheesecake.
11. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill the cheesecakes until cooled, about 2 hours. Cheesecakes can be refrigerated up to 2 days.
12. Carefully peel off the foil baking cups from the cheesecake before serving.
13. Please bring cheesecakes to the Open House in the paper liners.

Makes 36 mini cheesecakes