I was inspired to bake some cookies today! No point in fighting chocolate cravings, right? These are my husband’s favorite chocolate chip cookies, and he always tries to sneak some as soon as they have come out of the oven.

The original recipe is from an old issue of Everyday Food magazine, but I like to use less sugar and real ground coffee instead of the instant stuff. Vietnamese coffee beans which have been roasted in butter work particularly well in this recipe. A tall glass of cold milk is a must with these cookies!

Double Chocolate Cookies With Coffee

1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon ground coffee
8 oz. dark chocolate (70%), 4 oz. melted, 4 oz. coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
3. Beat sugar and eggs with an electric mixer until soft and fluffy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time. Incorporate well.
5. Add coffee and melted chocolate and mix well.
6. Gradually add the flour mix and incorporate.
7. Stir chocolate chunks through.
8. Drop generous tablespoons of dough on baking sheet, leaving 2 inches in between.
9. Bake for about 14 minutes.
10. Let cool (if you can wait that long!)

Enjoy!

This bread is fantastic all by itself or with some butter and orange marmalade. It’s irresistible when it’s still warm, and even better with a cup of tea or coffee. The recipe is from the February issue of Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Make sure to plan ahead as the dough requires quite some time to rise, but the actual preparation is very easy and speedy with the help of a food processor.

Cinnamon-Raisin Bread (2 loaves)

2 x 1/4 oz. package active dry yeast
2 1/4 cups warm water
3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons honey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing
7 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup sugar + 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, mixed

1. Sprinkle yeast over 1/2 cup water, add 2 teaspoons honey and whisk until yeast dissolves. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Transfer to a food processor. Add butter and remaining 1 3/4 cups water and 3 tablespoons honey.
3. Add 3 cups of flour and salt.
4. Process until smooth.
5. Add remaining 4 cups of flour, one cup at a time. Add raisins.
6. Process until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and forms a slightly sticky ball.
7. Butter a large bowl.
8. Knead dough on a floured surface a few times, shape into a ball and transfer to bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap.
9. Let dough stand in warm place until it doubles in volume. This should take about 1 hour.
10. Remove dough from bowl, punch down, and divide in half.
11. Roll each dough half into an 8 1/2″ long rectangle.
12. Brush rectangles with water and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture, leaving a 1/2″ border around edges.
13. Starting with short side, roll dough into a log. Seal edges with fingers and tuck ends under.
14. Transfer logs to loaf pans with seam side down.
15. Brush tops with melted butter, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place for another 45 to 60 minutes.
16. Bake in preheated oven at 400F (200C) for about 45 minutes. Tent with aluminum foil if top darkens too quickly.

Enjoy!

I recently returned from a trip to Lisbon, where I had some of the best pastry. There was literally a pastelaria (pastry shop) on every corner, and no matter what I tried, it was all delicious.

However, my absolute favorites were pasteis de nata. These are crisp puff pastry shells filled with a heavenly soft custard that is faintly reminiscent of vanilla. The little pastries are eaten straight at the counter, as is tradition there. Along with their order, customers are handed powdered sugar and cinnamon, which are sprinkled over the tarts.

The most famous place to eat pasteis de nata in Lisbon is at Antiga Confeitaria de Belem, which is a sprawling cafe just outside the city in Belem. The place churns out thousands of pasteis de nata every day, and their recipe is top secret. Don’t expect to walk in and get right down to business though – the place is hugely popular with tourists, and there is always a line.

I was anxious to try them, but I actually didn’t like them. The shell was too thin, and the filling too soft and eggy for me. My favorite pasteis de nata came from Casa Brasileira in Baixa, an old neighborhood in downtown Lisbon. Everything was just right about them, and the perfect contrast between the crisp shell and the creamy filling made me come back to this pastelaria way too many times during my trip. I ate copious amounts of their pasteis de nata, and I would fly to Lisbon just for an order of them! In the meantime, I’m going to do the next best thing, and try baking them myself.

Pastelaria Casa Brasileira
Rua Augusta, 267-269
Lisbon, Portugal

Antiga Confeitaria de Belem
Rua de Belem, 84-92
Belem, Portugal
www.pasteisdebelem.pt

The world’s best fried catfish is dished out in a quaint restaurant in Manchac, Louisiana right on the bayou. A 40- minute drive northwest of New Orleans through scenic Cypress swamps along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, Middendorf’s is the holy grail of fried catfish. And for good reason. A visit to Middendorf’s will forever change the way you think about fried catfish.

Middendorf's in Manchac, Louisiana

Dining on the bayou

People come here from all over the place for “Middendorf’s Special” – a plate piled high with their famous thin fried catfish, served up with a side of tartar sauce, sweet cole slaw, crunchy fries, and heavenly hush puppies with just the right amount of jalapeno chili. The paper thin fish is breaded with cornmeal, ensuring the perfect crunch. It is then deep fried at just the right temperature, making it light as air and never greasy.

Middendorf's Special

Fried Thin Catfish

Perfection

Hush Puppies Like None Other

Middendorf’s
I-55, Exit 15 in Manchac
Manchac, Louisiana
(985) 386-6666
Open Wednesday to Sunday, 10:30AM – 9:00PM

My friend Mario just sent me the sweetest greetings from Zagreb…  Apple walnut strudel from Bas restaurant, and pastry from Vincek with tiny wild strawberries bringing back wonderful memories.

Apple walnut strudel

Pastry from Vincek

Vincek is one of those Old World pastry shops that instantly force you to delete the word “calories” from your vocabulary. There’s everything from torten to cakes, pastries, and ice cream. A visit to Zagreb is not complete without a stop (or two!) at Vincek.

Vincek
Ilica 18
Zagreb, Croatia
Open Monday through Saturday 8:30AM to 11:30PM. Closed Sundays and holidays.