More to S’mores.

Did you ever read one of those survey questions that asked, “How old were you when you found out about ______?”  Well, here’s one for me, “How old were you when you had your first s’mores?” I was 52 years old and at a cook out at a friend’s home.  After the main meal, they called the children together and said, “OK kids, time to make s’mores!”, and I had to ask what they were.   Oh, I can feel eyes going wide, confusion on the face, and, “She’s never had s’more before!?!”, and that answer is “No”.

With summer almost here, camping and barbecuing will be in full swing, and it seems that s’mores is a big deal west of the Mississippi.  Any stores selling food products already have a display of boxes of graham crackers, bags of large marshmallows, and packs of Hersey milk chocolate bars.  Oh, and here a rant from me; I remember when those Hersey bars were sold in packs of six, and now they are only in packs of four!  Outrageous!!!

Origin of the s’more seems to have begun on the east coast, but not exactly how it looks right now.  I remember, when we had overnights at camp, the only things we roasted over the campfire were hot dogs and large marshmallow on sticks we collected from trees.  The combination of graham cracker, marshmallow and chocolate came in a yellow package, sold in the cookie aisle, and were called “Mallomars”.  Family Dollar sells a similar cookie, “Eatz Fudge Marshmallow Chocolate Cookies”, that name long enough for you?  Anyway, the cookie has a graham cracker round, marshmallow on top, and the entire cookie is drenched in chocolate.  Sounds like what you all probably know as s’mores, right?

Another product that is similar to s’mores is the “moon pie”.  Moon Pies originated in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1917 at the Chattanooga Bakery. The story goes that a traveling salesman, Earl Mitchell, was inspired to create the snack after talking with Kentucky coal miners who wanted a large, filling treat for their lunch breaks. The miners suggested the snack be "as big as the moon," leading to the moon pie's name and size; and is still a popular treat in the south.

Ah, but who invented the s’mores that is popular around campfires?  In 1927, girl scout leader Loretta Scott Crew, was given credit for creating the recipe, for her troop.  She gave it the name “Some More”, and published the recipe in the Girl Scout handbook, “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts”.  The recipe retained its name for about 50 years before it was reduced to “s’mores”.  According to Colorado State University, the recipe name, either version, signifies that, after eating one, there is a strong desire for another.  Sounds a bit like Oliver Twist, “Please, sir, I want some more.”.

 

Now I am going to go one better on the simplistic s’more, and offer up a recipe for a complete dessert, S’mores Brownies.  These brownies can be created entirely from scratch, or semi-homemade using a fudge brownie mix.  Personally, I cheat and go the semi-homemade route, using the directions for cake-like brownies.  Even though the box states, for high altitude, “no change”, I still add three tablespoons of flour, or the center remains too gooey and sinks.  If you prefer, and have a fabulous homemade brownie recipe, then use it!

 

S’mores Brownies

(semi-homemade recipe for cake-like brownies)

Ingredients:

 1 (16.3 oz.) box of Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix

2 Tbsp. water

½ cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

Optional and for high altitude, add 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

9 graham crackers; four of the crackers should be broken up into dime-size pieces.

2 cups mini-marshmallow

3 (1.55 oz.) bars of Hershey Milk Chocolate, each small piece broken into halves

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly spray a 9”x9” baking pan with nonstick spray, then place 1-8”x12” piece of parchment paper long-ways across pan, turn pan and place a second piece of parchment long-ways again.  Crease paper along bottom edges of the pan; this will make removing the brownies much simpler, and help keep them from falling apart when moving to a platter. 

 

At the bottom of the pan, lay out five graham crackers, breaking pieces off to make them fit side by side, and cover the bottom.  Mix together brownie mix, water, oil, eggs, and extra flour if needed, and pour over the graham crackers, making sure to spread out evenly and smoothly. Place pan in oven and bake for 32 minutes, remove and set on towel or hot pad.

 

After 32 minutes, 350F.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On top of the, not completely baked, brownies, spread out the broken-up graham crackers.  Next, spread the mini-marshmallows, and last, but not least, spread out the broken-up Hershey bars.  Place back into the oven for another five minutes; the chocolate will get melty, and the marshmallows will begin to spread a bit, and slightly brown.

 

 

Remove pan from oven and let brownies cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan.  Carefully lift by the edges of the parchment paper and set onto a platter; carefully, using a long spatula, lift each side of the brownies and remove the paper.  To cut the brownies, use a very sharp knife as the graham cracker crust is still crispy; it does not soften up from the batter’s moisture.

 

Servings are 12 to 15, depending on how large they are cut.

 

Make it a complete dessert with ice cream and maraschino cherries.

There you have it, more to s’mores than you knew before.  Enjoy the sweet pleasure.

Mary Cokenour 

Trifling Around.

 Welcome Fall, and the beautiful cool weather it has brought.  Soon, the leaves will be bursting with colors of red, orange, yellow, and gold.  Whether driving into the mountains, to be up front and personal, or looking up from down below, the colors are an eye feast.  This is also the time for farmers to be plowing, and seeding, fields for winter wheat.  In other words, it is time for second harvest, the picking, eating, jarring, freezing, or other types of processing the last of the fruits and vegetables.

Of course, if you do not have a home garden to break down, going to local or farmers’ markets might just get a good supply.  Be aware that many of the produce could be on its last leg, and needs to be used up immediately.  Make a list of what items would be beneficial to have during the winter months, and how they should be stored.  Also, think about what might be tasty to cook or bake up too, to eat now, or to store as well.

And so, it came to pass that I was craving one of those quick and easy, no bake, pudding pies.  You know the type, pudding and whipped topping mixed together, spread out into a graham cracker encrusted pie pan, cooled to firmness and oohed-aahed later on.  Right, get the ingredients out, ready to start and then I notice bananas on the counter, very ripe bananas.  Well, I could make banana bread, but I did not feel like baking.  Could just slice them up and add to the pie mixture, and there I sat, stumped.  Or was I?

Sitting in my dish rack was a 2-quart, deep Tupperware container and it started to talk to me.  Alright, it did not really begin talking, but it was giving clues to a delicious idea.  What if I made a dessert, that fit perfectly into that container, was not the typical no-bake, but kind of unique in itself?  Instead of grinding up graham crackers, what if they remained whole, or slightly broken?  What if I used them like I would ladyfingers, when I made tiramisu?  (San Juan Record, November 15, 2017 edition for the tiramisu recipe) In other words, make a trifle!

 

While the trifle is more associated with England, the name origin is French, trufe, truffe, or truffle.  This referred to a mushroom tuber, melanosporum vitt, which primarily grows in the Provence region, of France, from December to March.  They are difficult to acquire, and quite costly, so, of course, craved by the wealthy.  Wait, what about the candy?  The truffle type candy got its name from the resemblance to the mushroom.  These, of course, are more easily found, are a very sweet treat, and less expensive than the real thing.

The English trifle was an attempt to use up stale cake.  Soaking the cake in sherry, or wine, it was layered, in a glass bowl, along with fruit and whipped cream.  It was a quick dessert to make, and very pretty to serve and eat.  When the English came to North America, recipes came with them.  The trifle became very popular in the South, especially with the fermentation of corn which created various forms of whiskey and bourbon.   A nickname for trifle was "Tipsy Parson" as it was said to have lured many a preacher off the wagon, literally.

Back to the bananas which ended up being sliced, and a component of a lovely trifle.

 

Trifle

 

Ingredients:

2 (1 oz.) boxes pudding, any flavor works, and sugar free can be used.

4 cups cold 2% milk

1 individual package of graham crackers (usually 3 in a box, so need only 1)

1 (8 oz.) tub whipped topping, lite or sugar free can be used.

Fresh fruit: 2 bananas cut into ¼ inch slices, quart box of berries, apple slices, or any type of           

                     fruit that goes with the pudding flavor being used.

 

Preparation:

In a medium sized bowl, beat together pudding and cold milk, for two minutes; set aside to firm up.

In a small bowl, crush the graham crackers, but small bits can be left; does not have to be a fine texture (see Option). 

To layer the trifle, a 2-quart deep bowl or container is required. 

First layer: Spread half the crushed graham crackers.

Second layer: Spread out 1/3 pudding over graham crackers

Third layer: Spread out half of the fruit.

Fourth layer: Fold together remaining pudding with 1/3 whipped topping; spread out in bowl.

Fifth layer: Spread out remaining graham crackers.

Sixth layer: Spread out remaining whipped topping.

Seventh layer: Spread out remaining fruit.

 

 

 

Layered View

Place lid or plastic wrap over bowl or container.  Place in refrigerator for one hour to allow all layers to settle and set.

Makes 8 servings.

Option: If some of the graham crackers are very fine, set aside, two tablespoons, before beginning the layers.  Sprinkle over the top before placing in the refrigerator.

 

 

While out, enjoying the color change of the leaves, why not have a fall themed picnic, and do not forget to bring the trifle for dessert.

Mary Cokenour

 

Definitely Death by Chocolate.

I have admitted that I'm not a big fan of baking; I don't enjoy doing the precise measurements required for a perfectly baked item.  However, that doesn't mean I shy away from it altogether, and do find ways of experimenting.  One cake I love to play with is cheesecake; using different types of cookies for a crust, pureed fruits, candy pieces, various flavor combinations. It's almost as fun as making cookies, and there are hundreds of variations of those.

Now I have also admitted that I adore chocolate, so I hope you're seeing the path I'm about to travel on.  If not, well it's Chocolate Cheesecake; a completely decadent, all chocolate cheesecake: chocolate crust, chocolate cheesecake layer, topped with a chocolate ganache.  My version is not overly sweet, but the chocolate is so rich and flavorful, the extra sugar is not missed.  I have had adults and children try this cake recently at a party, and everyone loved it.  A normal slice of cheesecake has about a two inch width; but a one inch width slice will be about as much as you can eat of this cake.  Afterwards you will definitely want a nap as you experience blissful joy.  Eat anymore of it and death by chocolate might just occur as you lapse into a coma of complete nirvana.

Enough of the tease, lets get to the recipe.

 

Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

2 cups crushed chocolate graham crackers
5 Tbsp melted butter

For the Cake:

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
1 (8 oz) package mascarpone cheese (use regular cream cheese if not available)
1 cup sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 (4 oz) package Ghirardelli Bittersweet Baking Chocolate, melted and cooled

For the Ganache:

½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 (4 oz) package Ghirardelli Bittersweet Baking Chocolate, broken into pieces

Preparation:

Spray a 9 inch springform pan with baking spray; place a piece of parchment paper, cut to fit the bottom, inside the pan; spray also with baking spray.

Mix the crushed graham crackers with the melted butter; press onto bottom and halfway up sides of pan. Place in refrigerator for a half hour to set.  Preheat oven to 325F.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, mascarpone, sugar and vanilla extract on high until well blended. Add the eggs and melted chocolate; on low speed mix until well blended.

Take pan out of refrigerator, set on top of a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil and wrap foil up around the sides. Pour the cream cheese/chocolate mixture over the crust and smooth out with a spatula.

Place the pan inside a 3 quart baking dish, so that it sits flatly; pour cool water into the baking dish ¼ up the side of the pan. Be careful no water gets inside the aluminum foil. Place inside oven on center rack; bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the center is almost set. Turn off heat, prop open oven door and wait for 30 minutes before removing baking dish. Set pan on counter, run a knife around the rim of the cake to loosen sides; refrigerate for 4 hours.

To make the ganache, in a small saucepan, medium-high heat, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Add in the chocolate and quickly begin whisking until chocolate is melted, incorporated well and has a smooth, shiny texture.

Let cool slightly; remove cake from refrigerator and pour ganache over the top, smooth out with a spatula. Return cake to refrigerator for 4 more hours or overnight; depending on when it is planned to be served.

Carefully open springform pan; use a long, wide spatula to get between pan bottom and parchment paper. Carefully lift cake onto serving dish; cut into 16 slices.

*Makes 16 servings.

Mary Cokenour