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TODAY IN FOOD: It’s Cream Cheese Brownie Day

February 10th is National Cream Cheese Brownie Day.

Why add cream cheese to brownie batter?

You might logically say, for more richness. Cream cheese makes a denser, fudgier brownie, and the tangy quality of the cream cheese is a nice counterpoint to both the deep chocolate flavor and the sweetness of the sugar.

Some cream cheese brownies simply incorporate the softened cream cheese into the batter; others create a marbled swirl in the batter, still others add a cream cheese layer on the top of the brownie, as shown in the top photo. The recipe is below

Then, there’s the full cheesecake topping that makes a half cheesecake, half brownie delight called the “zebra.” But that’s another holiday.
 
 
RECIPE: CREAM CHEESE BROWNIES

Ingredients For 16 Brownies

For The Brownie Mixture

  • Butter and flour for the pan
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup superfine sugar*
  • 1/2 cup self-rising flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup dark/bittersweet chocolate chips
  •  
    For The Cream Cheese Mixture

  • 3/4 cup cream cheese at room temperature
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup superfine sugar*
  • 1/4 cup self-rising flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  •  


    [1] Cream cheese swirl brownies (photo © Lara Hata | iStock Photo).

    Chocolate Chips
    [2] If you want to use higher-quality chocolate than supermarket chips, you can chop up a quality chocolate bar (photo © King Arthur Flour).

     
    Preparation

    1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Butter lightly flour an 8 x 8-inch square cake pan. Combine the flour and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

    2. MELT the butter in a small, heavy-bottom saucepan. Stir in the cocoa until thoroughly blended, and set aside.

    3. BEAT the eggs until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and stir in the chocolate mixture. Sift the flour and salt mixture over the top and fold it into the mixture. Add the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips.

    3. MAKE the cream cheese mixture. Whisk together or use an electric mixer to blend the cream cheese, egg and sugar. Sift the self-rising flour over this mixture and fold in. Add the vanilla extract.

    4. POUR three-quarters of the brownie mixture into the prepared pan, and spread the cream cheese mixture over it. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining brownie mixture on top, making swirls with a knife.

    5. BAKE 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Be careful not to over-bake.

    6. COOL the brownies in the pan, then cut into squares.
     
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    *You can make superfine sugar by pulsing regular granulated sugar in a food processor.

      

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    TIP OF THE DAY: Valentine Cake

    Heart Shaped CakeMake these individual Valentine cakes with a 3-inch heart cookie cutter.   Bake your sweetie a devil’s food chocolate cake with our Valentine cake recipe from Michael Recchiuti. It uses a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut mini-heart cakes from a sheet cake. For one large cake, heart-shaped cake pans are available at any kitchen supply store. Write a customized message on the top of your Valentine cake and decorate with seasonal candies (cinnamon red-hots, Hershey’s kisses). If you’d rather buy than bake, check our favorite heart-shaped cookies and cakes in the Gift Finder section of THE NIBBLE online magazine. Try them with some of our favorite, romantic Valentine’s Day wines and liqueurs.
     

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    TOP PICK OF THE WEEK: Burdick Chocolate

    Larry Burdick was a pastry chef in New York City when he chose to focus on making chocolate. Then, he decided to focus on making it in quieter, gentler New Hampshire—in the old “mail order” days, before the Internet, when those in the know might get a holiday catalog. Today, it’s easy for chocolate connoisseurs everywhere to visually feast on his wares. Order online or by phone and beautiful catalogs will be mailed to you as well. If you happen to be in Walpole, New Hampshire or Cambridge, Massachusetts, you can feast in person at Burdick’s restaurant and café, destination spots for many fans.Burdick is one of the senior statesman of great American chocolate. Even if your palate doesn’t covet his sophisticated bonbons, marvelous marzipan and pert pâtes de fruit, his famous, ganache-filled chocolate mice and penguins (and seasonal bunnies and ghosts) are irresistible. His hot chocolate was our winner in a field of 60, and is a prior Top Pick Of The Week. Read the full review, and separately, check out the hot chocolate. Your Valentine will appreciate both.   Burdick ChocolateChocolates are only part of Larry Burdick’s extensive repertoire.
     

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    TODAY IN FOOD: It’s Pizza Pie Day

    Pizza RomanaOur favorite frozen gourmet pizzas, from Pizza Romana.   While National Pizza Week is celebrated the second week of January, today is Pizza Pie Day. Most of us aren’t old enough to remember that pizzas were formerly called pizza pie—you can catch the reference in movies from the 1950s. The history of pizza is relatively recent, given how ancient flat breads and cheese are in man’s cuisine. The key element that turned them into what we know today as pizza is the tomato, which was brought to Europe from the Americas in the 16th century. This was the yellow cherry tomato, and as a member of the Nightshade family of plants, it was believed by many Europeans to be poisonous. The tomato was enjoyed as a houseplant. However, famine in the 18th century caused the fruit to be eaten by the poor, and no one died. The poor in the area around Naples then add tomato to their flat bread, often serving as their main meal with melted cheese and/or anchovies, and so the pizza was born. (So was tomato sauce for pasta and other dishes.)
    Pizza gained in popularity, sold from open-air stands by street vendors, and soon became a tourist attraction. Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba in Naples is regarded as the world’s first pizzeria. It began as a pizza bakery in 1738, providing street vendors with pizzas, but in 1830 expanded to include a pizza restaurant with chairs and tables. It remains in business today. Pizza arrived in the U.S. with the first wave of Italian immigrants in the late 19th century.
    – See our favorite line of frozen gourmet pizzas, Pizza Romana—imported from Italy.
    – Try something different: An apple, cheddar and bacon pizza recipe.

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    TIP OF THE DAY: Types Of Smoked Salmon

    February 9th is National Bagels and Lox Day. “Lox” is an old generic term that is fading away, replaced by much more complicated choices. So how does one decide among the Irish, Danish, Nova Scotia, Norwegian, Scottish and other smoked salmon contenders? They differ in saltiness, smokiness and fishiness; the only way you’ll know is to taste. If it’s sliced-to-order, you can try a piece at the counter; but packaged salmon (which can be equally fine or better quality depending on manufacturer) is often less expensive because factory slicing is cheaper than store labor). Buy small amounts of each and compare. You don’t need bagels: Slices of salmon with a sprinkling of dill and capers, a lemon wedge and an optional garnish of crème fraîche make a lovely first course for brunch, lunch or dinner. TIP: Once you decide what you like, write it down—they sound so similar, it’s easy to forget.


    – Learn about the different types of smoked salmon.

    – Discover sustainable, line-caught smoked salmon from Nantucket Wild Gourmet & Smokehouse.

    – See David Burke’s smoked salmon pops.

    – Try a savory, smoked salmon cheesecake (for hors d’oeuvres or a first course).
      Smoked SalmonHow many types of smoked salmon can you name?
     

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