Posts for February 16th 2010
Name That Dish!

Expert Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
Expert Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Ingredients
1 12-ounce package frozen lightly sweetened red raspberries, thawed
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream
1 cup milk
1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
1/2 cup miniature or regular semisweet chocolate pieces
1 teaspoon cooking oil
Pressurized whipped cream
Fresh raspberries
Miniature or regular semisweet chocolate pieces
Directions
- In a food processor bowl or blender container combine raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, and orange juice. Cover and process or blend until smooth. Using a rubber spatula press sauce through a sieve; discard seeds. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir together using a whisk.
- In medium bowl whisk eggs until the whites and the yolks are combined. Add sour cream. Whisk until smooth. Stir in milk and melted margarine. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients. Whisk or stir gently just until dry ingredients are wet. (Do not try to remove all the small lumps. The batter should be a little lumpy, not smooth.) Gently fold in chocolate pieces. Set batter aside.
- Heat griddle or large heavy skillet over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes or until a few drops of water sizzle when carefully sprinkled on griddle. Pour the teaspoon of cooking oil onto griddle and spread around with heat-safe pastry brush. Stir batter again to distribute chocolate pieces.
- For larger pancakes, ladle about 1/3 cup batter per pancake onto hot griddle. For smaller pancakes, ladle a slightly rounded tablespoon of batter per pancake onto hot griddle. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes on the first side or until the pancakes have bubbly surfaces and the edges look slightly dry. Using a wide pancake turner, carefully flip pancakes. Cook 1 to 1-1/2 minutes more on the second side or until golden brown. Remove from the griddle with a pancake turner. (Add additional oil to griddle as necessary to keep later batches from sticking.) Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Serve pancakes immediately. Stir sauce and drizzle over pancakes. Top with whipped cream, fresh raspberries, and/or additional chocolate pieces.
Makes about 12 (4-inch) pancakes or 48 (2-inch) pancakes.
Beginner Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Adapted from Taste of Home
Beginner Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Ingredients
2 cups biscuit/baking mix
2 tablespoons instant chocolate drink mix
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Maple syrup and butter
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine the biscuit mix, drink mix and baking powder. Combine the egg, milk and sour cream; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a greased hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top; cook until second side is golden brown. Serve with maple syrup and butter if desired.
- Cool remaining pancakes; arrange in a single layer on baking sheets. Freeze overnight or until frozen. Transfer to a resealable plastic freezer bag. May be frozen for up to 2 months.
Makes 3 servings, or about 11 pancakes.
Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (3 each) equals 611 calories, 28 g fat (13 g saturated fat), 109 mg cholesterol, 1,393 mg sodium, 79 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 13 g protein
British Columbia's Nanaimo Bars Taste Like Victory

This week, I set out in search of dishes that would commemorate the Vancouver Games. Besides some Montréal items like poutine, I wasn't having much luck with Canadian-born dishes. Then I stumbled upon a specialty known as the Nanaimo bar. The no-bake chocolate square was born out of the domestic housewifery of the 1950s.
One legend recounts a home cook from Nanaimo, Vancouver Island's second largest city, entering her chocolate squares in a magazine contest and naming them after her hometown. Another story is that homemaker Mabel Jenkins entered her recipe to a fundraising cookbook, and it soon spread like wildfire around the local communities.
Regardless of how it came to be, this extremely fudgy and chocolately no-bake dessert is considered British Columbia's favorite native treat. For a triumphant Northern dessert that really hits the sweet spot, read more.
Website of the Day: Egg Watchers
Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta With Honey-Glazed Apricots
From Food & Wine
Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta With Honey-Glazed Apricots

Ingredients
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (2 1/4 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons cold water
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
One 17.6-ounce tub of Greek yogurt, such as Fage Total brand (2 cups)
1 cup dried apricots
1 cup semi-dry white wine, such as Vouvray
1/4 cup honey
Directions
- In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water; let stand until softened, 5 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, bring the cream, sugar and vanilla bean and seeds to a simmer. Off the heat, stir in the gelatin until melted. In a bowl, whisk the yogurt until smooth. Gradually whisk in the vanilla cream; remove the vanilla bean. Pour the mixture into six 1/2-cup ramekins and refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, simmer the apricots in the white wine over moderately low heat until the apricots are plump and the wine has reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Stir in the honey and simmer the syrup until thickened, about 5 minutes; let cool.
- Run a knife around the inside of each ramekin. Set a plate on each ramekin and invert each panna cotta onto a plate; you may have to tap and shake the ramekins to loosen the panna cottas. Slice the apricots and spoon them on top of the panna cottas. Drizzle with some of the honey syrup and serve.
Serves 6.
Bride-to-Be Nicole on Family, Rob in Vogue, & the Jolie-Pitts All Over Venice
Nicole Richie is happy to talk about her son, Sparrow, but her engagement to Joel Madden doesn't seem like something she's ready to discuss just yet. Meanwhile, Robert Pattinson has a few thoughts of his own on Twitter, and the Jolie-Pitts take Venice as a family of six — check out PopSugar Rush now!
Noteworthy Nibbles — Feb. 16-23, 2010
If you didn't get your fill of revelry in the past couple of days, there's an array of eclectic eating and drinking events around the country to look forward to. Savor a blend of California and Basque cuisine on the East Coast, enjoy an homage to dates in Southern California, or rub elbows with international Slow Food leader Carlo Petrini over a family-style dinner in Atlanta.
What events will you partake in this week? Let us know in the comments below!
- New York, NY: West Coast Basque Cuisine at the Beard House — Feb. 16
- Indio, CA: Riverside County Fair & Date Festival — Feb. 16-21
- Laredo, TX: Laredo Jalapeño Festival — Feb. 16-21
- Napa, CA: Napa Valley Mustard Festival — Feb. 16-Mar. 27
- Alameda, CA: Dark & Delicious — Feb. 19
- San Antonio, TX: San Antonio Wine Festival Wine Opener — Feb. 19
- Santa Cruz, CA: Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Cook Off — Feb. 20
- San Francisco, CA: Soup Festival — Feb. 20
- New York, NY: Coffee & Tea Festival NYC — Feb. 20-21
- Atlanta, GA: Slow Food Family Dinner with Carlo Petrini — Feb. 21
In the know about a fabulous event? Spread the word in our Noteworthy Nibbles group in the YumSugar Community!