coming soon - peanut butter swirled blondies

Like my good cyber-friend Jessica Hylton, proprietor and writer of Jessiker Bakes|The Blog says, "Peanut butter takes brownies to a whole new level of creaminess". And I agree, but I also wanted to know if the same applied to blondies. Yes, the achromatic brother of the brownie, and second cousin of the Chewy Coconut Bar. Blondies are delicious as is in their argent luster. However if you whip up some peanut butter and swirl it in, you are looking at one hell of a treat. The post should be out momentarily (two to three business days). And as always, 

Chow!

coming soon - thyme and black pepper cheez-its

This is a cool twist on a familiar snack. You'd be surprised how easy these are to make, and how much more delicious they taste than the store-bought variety. And as always, 

Chow!

spicy asian cucumber salad - sweet | cool | spicy

If there was only one thing I would want people to remember about my momma, it would be that she is an amazing cook. Okay...she's also kind, and funny, and all these other things, but really, people don't come over for the jokes, they come over for the food (sorry momma). And this is one of the "secret" dishes that drives droves of hungry folk through our dinky paint-scraped doors every weekend. 

This spicy cucumber salad is the perfect side dish and accompaniment to...everything. Spicy, crunchy, sweet, refreshing, and probably best of all, it takes 5 minutes max to make. 

the best lemon bars in the world - a classic perfected

Lemon Bars are one of those classic desserts you can find in about any of the supermarkets these days. What's different about my lemon bars is they actually taste good. I know, surprising (not the part about my lemon bars tasting good, the part about lemon bars tasting good at all). Sweet without being cloyingly so, buttery without being too rich, and certainly not dense. If I were to use one word to describe these lemon bars it would be, perfect. The dilemma chefs have always had when making lemon bars, was getting a firm enough top, without sacrificing a crispy bottom. With this recipe you won't have to give up any of that. This is the perfect summer dessert, gift, or picnic item for your next special occasion (or just for everyday eating). It's absolute perfection in a bar, so let's get started (before I go off on one of my tangents). By the way, did I tell you that I finally got a twitter account. @chefchowblog #awesome #madcookingskills #i'mnotmadatyou #i'msorry #don'tcry #nowyou'remakingmecry. Why didn't you stop me!

Like many of our recipes we'll start with the butter. You want to cut the butter into small chunks and put it on a plate in the freezer to harden. Whenever you're baking, often times the temperature of your butter will dictate the success of whatever you're making. Recipes that call for melted butter (i.e. cookies) are intended to have a chewy outcome. Desserts that require the butter to be cold (i.e. pies, pastries) mean the end product will one of these three, crispy, crunchy, or flaky (it could even be all three, oh my). The more you chow.

coming soon - the best lemon bars in the world

What constitutes the title "The Best in the World"? Well if we're talking Lemon Bars you should expect a buttery, crispy crust with a silky lemon-brimming filling, and a light dusting of powdered sugar. All of these components working in precise balance and harmony. In a dessert so famously known, you have to be sure everything about it is perfection. These bars bode the perfect ratio of filling to crust, perfect sweetness to tartness, and they're exquisitely rich without being heavy. Though I'm still writing the post for these, please be sure to check back soon. And as always, 

Chow!

marrow on toast - rich and unctuous

You know you wish you were here. And if you don't, then you're a party sucker and should rethink your entire life. Marrow on toast is such a classic preparation of this rich and unctuous treat. Not only that but I soak my toast with the rendered marrow fat so we get the maximum amount of beefy fatty goodness. 

reci-pics™ (recipe in pictures) - beef and green onion roll 牛肉大蔥卷

After the success I saw from the last Chinese How-To, "How to Fold a Chinese Dumpling", I thought you guys would be interested in another traditional chinese dish (my mom wanted me to show off her Beef and Green Onion Rolls 牛肉大蔥卷). This is a famous Taiwanese dish that you'll find all along the streets in Taiwan. The complexity of chinese cuisine, in it's flavors and textures, is so amazing and this roll is not an exception. The Beef Shank is so tender and succulent, while the green onion pancake tightly caresses it in it's crispy flaky entirety. We also spread a sweet and salty hoisin sauce along the inside of the pancake to give it sweet plum note. For now though, I'll only be showing you how to make the pancake (蔥花餅). We'll probably add it in at a later date.

double chocolate cherry cookies - pssst...there's wine in there

I don't want to throw the term, "The Best", around lightly. But...these are "The Best Chocolate Cookies I Have Ever Had"! And I've had a fair share of cookies in my days. These cookies have the chewy, the chocolate-y, the salty, the sweet, the acidic, the fruity all in a handheld package. I love making cookies. Not only are they easy, but no one ever gets tired of them because there are so many varieties to try. Oh, I forgot about the wine. Yes there is a glass of 2011 cabernet sauvignon in these cookies. What can I say, you put in good, you get out good. Other than the cabernet, however, the rest of the ingredients are for the most part commonplace, but combined together, in this specific ratio, baked in this precise manner, makes for a delicious chow-fection. I would suggest baking these before you eat them, but really the batter is probably the best cookie batter I've ever tried in my life. I'm not going to lie, I think it's the wine. My throat feels warm. 

First, you want to take a stick of butter out to soften. Whenever you make conventional cookies you need the butter to be soft. When I'm hard pressed for time I just cover the butter and put it in the perfectly warm San Diegan sunshine. News Alert: I'm actually less than 1 mile from the Bernardo Fire that is burning right now. I think I should leave. I know, I try to brag about living in San Diego every post I write. In a medium bowl whisk together all your dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder). Cocoa powder needs to be sifted and or whisked vigilantly to get rid of the lumps. 

coming soon - double chocolate cherry cookies

I don't want to throw around the term "The Best" lightly, but 
these are THE BEST CHOCOLATE COOKIES I HAVE EVER TRIED IN MY LIFE. They are sweet, salty, chewy, chocolate-y, wine-y (if you know what I mean...I put wine in them, that's what I mean). Just heavenly, or sinful, whichever floats your boat, you have to come back to check these out. 

skills test - how to fold a chinese dumpling 鍋貼

dos white bread variations - 1st annual cinco de mother's day!

Happy Cinco de Mother's Day! I know, with the debut of Picnic Earth Day in April and now this, I'll be surprised if I remember either of the two next year. Cinco de Mother's Day is basically the day where I show you how to create a Mexican themed Chow Creation that you can give to Momma as a present. This year I'll show you how to make White Sandwich Bread - but with a twist, dos twists. And for those of you who do not speak Spanish "dos" means delicious. 

I made a Cinnamon Raisin Loaf. Cinnamon being a very traditional Mexican spice, and raisins because Momma likes raisins. And Momma gets what she wants. For the second variation I decided to venture a little out of my comfort zone and make a Cheesy Taco Bread. Laced with cheddar cheese, green onions, my special taco seasoning, and topped with crunchy tortilla chips, it was money the minute my three year old nephew suggested it, and it was money when it came out of the oven. So good. 

1st annual cinco de mother's day - coming soon - white bread dos ways

Bread is in the making! Inspired by the flavors of Mexico, I'm going to be unveiling my two favorite savory and sweet white bread variations. A Cinnamon Raisin Loaf & Savory Taco Cheesy Bread. I'll show you my top secret, never-fail White Bread Recipe and how you can excite your tastebuds with these fiesta worthy flavors - all in time for Mother's Day!