Boss Brownies - and I'm not talkin' Bruce Springsteen

Dutch Process High Fat Cocoa: Seriously, there's nothing in my pantry that sounds better than this...except maybe a lovely bottle of Italian red wine I'm saving for just the right meal.

But since I'm in the mood for chocolate, my son is begging me for something chocolaty and I just happen to have said Dutch Process High Fat Cocoa  from Penzeys on hand,  I set out to find a recipe that would yield a perfect batch of soft, chewy brownies with that glossy "crust" top, slightly bittersweet and rich, but without that cloying sweetness that makes me grit my teeth.

Milder and mellower in flavor than unsweetened cocoa powder, Dutch-process cocoa also dissolves easily in liquid. The butter, sugar and cocoa in this recipe are melted over simmering water until smooth and shinny. Next eggs are added one at a time and blended until the batter turns glossy.

Here's a recipe adapted from Epicurious that fits the bill and then some.

Boss Cocoa Brownies

• 10 Tablespoons unsalted sweet butter
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 34 cups plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened  Dutch-process cocoa powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure Madagascar vanilla extract
• 2 cold large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup walnut or pecan pieces (optional)

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.
2. Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa and salt in a medium heatproof blow and set the bowl in t wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.
3. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny and well blended, add the four and stir until you can't see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes wit the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using,. Spread evenly in the lined pan.
4. Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack. If you cut it too soon, it'll be too gooey (which we did because we couldn't wait)
5. Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 15 or 25 squares.

Winter Cobb Salad:Recipe

Last year I had the pleasure of having breakfast with Michael Symon at a demo that he did at Williams-Sonoma. From recipes in his cookbook, Michael Symon's Live to Cook, he made creamy scrambled eggs with goat cheese, potato pancakes and of course, plenty of bacon. Michael Symon loves bacon, it features prominently in many of his recipes.

The next best thing to eating Michael Symon's food, is seeing him cook, so you can replicate his recipes at home. Right now you can see a number of videos with Michael Symon at EatWisconsinCheese.com, where he demonstrates some very interesting techniques. For example, he makes gnocchi that is cooked in a pan, with no need to parboil.

I'm always looking for more salad recipes and I like his version with arugula, apples, radishes and Wisconsin blue cheese. Symon's salad is a side dish, but with just a couple more additions, it actually makes a great main dish. To the salad I added crunchy jicama, creamy avocado, toasted walnuts and in honor of Symon, smoky bacon. The result is a very substantial "Cobb" style entree salad, with rows of seasonal ingredients. I'm not going to lie to you, while not hard to make, this salad does take a fair amount of time to prepare, but it is absolutely worth it. Even the least enthusiastic salad eater will love it.

Winter Cobb Salad
Serves 4, as a main dish

Ingredients

1 shallot, minced, about a tablespoon
3 Tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup radish slices
1 Granny Smith apples, cored and diced
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1 cup jicama, peeled and diced
6 cups arugula
1 cup Black River blue cheese, crumbled (Buttermilk blue would be good too)
1 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

Instructions

Dressing
Place shallots and large pinch of kosher salt in mixing bowl. Add vinegar, honey and mustard. Mix. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Taste for seasoning then put in a small pitcher or ramekin for serving.

Salad
Make a bed of arugula on a large serving platter. Place the radishes, apples, avocado, jicama, blue cheese, walnuts and bacon on top of the salad in rows. Serve with the dressing on the side. Alternatively you can create individual servings of the salad if you prefer.

Enjoy!