Fare Exchange: Brownies, dog treats and portabella burgers

Jane Henegar

Welcome to all of you. It's cooking weather and, therefore, good eating weather.

I think most cooks, looking ahead to holiday meals, are also looking for new ideas. Here are some requests that arrived second-hand at this desk: Turkey cooked with mayonnaise on top, mashed potatoes using a ricer and Brussels sprouts made many ways.

Let's talk about those Amaretto brownies that Judy Beaty sought, the ones from Canyon Grill. She explained, "They do not contain icing or nuts but are served warm with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce."

And then a missive arrived from cookbook author Ferris Robinson, who uses Bailey's Irish Cream in her version. Note the fewness of ingredients and the ease of preparation. Ms. Robinson added this note: "Pretty darn good and a little less fat I am sure."

Brownies Like Canyon Grill

Box Ghirardelli brownie mix

1 egg

A handful or 2 of chocolate chips

Bailey's Irish Cream

Mix according to brownie mix directions, substituting Bailey's for oil. Pour into an 8-by-8-inch greased and floured pan and bake for 19 minutes.

DOG TREATS

Jody Poindexter of Flintstone, Ga., found this recipe for a dog treat on Food Network.

Rachael Ray's Peanut-Carob Isabooscotti

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 pinches ground cinnamon

1 cup chunky peanut butter

1 cup milk

1 cup carob chips

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Place the peanut butter in a medium bowl and microwave at high power to soften, 5 to 10 seconds. Whisk in the milk, then stir the mixture into the dry ingredients.

Shape the dough into a long, flattened log and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Slice the log crosswise on an angle into 1-inch thick pieces. Set the slices on their sides (they should look like biscotti) and bake until crisp, 10 to 12 minutes more. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Melt the carob in a microwave or on the stovetop over low heat. Thin the melted carob with 1 tablespoon water, if needed. Using a spoon drizzle the melted carob over the biscuits. Let cool completely and store in an airtight container.

CHEF'S CHOICE

What do chefs cook in their home kitchens? This is a perennial question, and one that assumes chefs go home tired of cooking and have ingenious and successful shortcuts.

Charity Everett, founding owner of Revel Pastry Co., rises at 3:45 a.m. to start baking her gourmet delights. After an exhausting day, she is at home in the kitchen making her recent favorite, an open-faced sandwich. Although she did not prescribe a particular bread, "I always love brioche. It's my favorite."

And where does one buy brioche in Chattanooga? "Oh, I make mine."

I should have known.

Charity Everett's Weeknight Open-Faced Sandwiches

Olive oil

Kale, as much as you want

Onion, as much as you want

Sequatchie Cove Cumberland cheese, grated

Poached egg

Heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté onion and kale until limp. Drain thoroughly and keep warm.

Sprinkle grated cheese on thick slices of bread and run under the broiler. In the meantime, poach an egg.

To assemble sandwich, put toasted cheese bread on your plate, cover with kale and onion mixture and then a poached egg. Serve immediately.

Let's also note that Revel Pastry, which supplies delicacies like homemade pop-tarts and spinach, goat cheese and roasted red pepper croissants to local coffee shops, will prepare pastries for your holiday events. Orders for their seasonal specialties may be made on the website at revelpastry.com, and Thanksgiving orders should arrive before Tuesday, Nov. 17. Among other delights, you will find dark chocolate ginger tarts and apple spice scones.

MORE ON APPLES

We are back on the autumnal apple topic. Ginnie Gray wrote, "For Thanksgiving a number of years ago, I was asked to bake apple pies. Visiting Linda's Produce, I was quickly in a dilemma as to which apples to select. My solution was to select two of six different types of apples: Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Winesap and, I think, Pink Lady was the last one. What a hit. My brother went on and on, so the remainder of the two pies stayed with him in Oak Ridge.

"Since that time, I have always mixed the apples for any pies I make. At times I will add chai spice which also serves to kick it with a different flavor."

VEGGIE BURGER

And finally, here's one from J.W. who credited this easy dinner to the Kitchen Whisperer.

Portabello Veggie Burgers

2 cups cooked black beans

2 cups cubed portabello mushrooms

1 cup minced broccoli

1/2 cup minced red onion

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning

3 extra large eggs

3/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons panko (Japanese breadcrumb)

In a large bowl, add 2 cups of black beans and mash half with a masher and leave the other half whole.

Mix in mushrooms, finely chopped broccoli, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and Montreal Seasoning.

Add in 3 eggs, cheese and bread crumbs and mix gently until combined. Pulsing the ingredients a few times in a food processor may give it a finer consistency to help it stick together.

Hand-form patties and coat with panko breadcrumbs.

In a non-stick pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium heat. Place a patty on the pan and cook one side until browned, usually 3-5 minutes. Be careful not to mash it down and make sure not to turn until it is brown. This keeps the patty from falling apart when you turn it and finally put in on your bun. When one side is done turn and cook the other side until brown.

Just musing: Wonder how many people cook with their Halloween pumpkin? Did anybody try a Halloween pumpkin bisque? Let us know, and in all matters of taste, keep reading, keep writing.