Crunchy Marshmallow Yum

Rice Krispies were on sale at the grocery this weekend. So were marshmallows.

What might one do with an abundance of these two tasty ingredients?

Okay, here's the secret about Rice Krispy Treats: only use that recipe on the side of the box as a rough guide.

A couple years back, a friend and I were lamenting how Rice Krispy Treats tasted so much better when we were kids. At first we thought maybe our memories were tainted; this was twenty years and several concussions after the fact, y'know? But the more we talked about it, the more we just knew things had once been different.


So, armed with boxes of puffed rice cereal and many, many marshmallows, I got to trying out some different things. We distinctly remembered a richer, gooier treat than the current recipe turned out - so the obvious thing to do was to add more butter and marshmallows.

Well, it took several batches while I gradually scaled the amounts up, and at least one where things were just way too greasy, before the experimenting could stop. Looking back, I'm surprised we even wanted any more Rice Krispy Treats after all the failed - but still tasty - attempts we ate. But, at long last, I'd found a combination that made something pretty much identical to what we both remembered.

So it was good, and this weekend (with the sale and all) I decided to make these gooey squares of crunchy goodness once again. Believe it or not, Munchkin couldn't remember ever having them before. As much as she loves marshmallows, I figured we were good to go.

Real Rice Krispy Treats
makes 24 squares

6 cups of Rice Krispies, or other puffed rice cereal
1 stick of butter
16oz bag of miniature marshmallows

Start by buttering the bottom and sides of a 13"x9" pan.

Put the cereal in a really big bowl and set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt the stick of butter over low heat. Stir frequently and let it cook until it begins to turn a very light brown.

Immediately add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted.

Pour the marshmallow goo over the cereal and keep stirring until mixed well. Work quickly before the marshmallows set!

Pour into prepared pan.

Rub some more butter on your hands and pat the sticky crispy mass into a nice, flat rectangle, making sure to get into the corners of the pan.

Resist the temptation to eat them immediately. Let set for 30 minutes or so.



And there we were with a big ol' pan of Rice Krispy Treats - not just any Rice Krispy Treats, but good Rice Krispy Treats. After dinner, Munchkin and I got ready to have dessert.

She took a small bite and decided that she didn't like them.

*facepalm*

Technorati: comfort food : dessert : The Bizarre Kitchen Incident

Valentine's Day: Dessert

To top everything off tonight...

Cheesecake.

What's more simple than cheesecake? And what's more perfect? I love chocolate as much as the next girl, but I really, really love cheesecake.

For Valentine's dessert, I wanted something rich but relatively light; something simple but decadent.




To me, that called for a crustless cheesecake with some fruit to evoke warmer weather. We got snow and ice from that blasted winter storm, so I didn't need a reminder as to how cold it is outside.

I made a coulis of frozen raspberries and another coulis of poached fresh peaches. I tried my hand at some fancy plating (not my forté, if you couldn't tell!) and proudly called Kevin in for dessert.

My only complaint is with the peach coulis; the peaches were fragrant and delicious out of hand, but I lost some of the flavor along the way from fruit to sauce. Though the coulis has a lovely yellow-orange color, it's far too mild for our taste. I think next time I'll reduce the sauce once I've strained it...

Still.

Overall today was an amazingly good food day. I don't know if the cheesecake met the heights of our main course, but we were both happy to be eating it. And we both unabashedly licked our plates clean.

Technorati: dessert : The Bizarre Kitchen Incident

SHF #27: Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Toffee Hazelnut Sauce

This month's Sugar High Friday caught my eye. How could it not? It's all about chocolate!! And I love me some chocolate - the more chocolate, the better is what I say.

It wasn't easy choosing one recipe. I rifled through cookbooks and websites, I viewed and reviewed my pantry, and I thought long and hard about chocolate.

Oh what a difficult, tragic life I lead.




I wound up mixing a few ideas together - like I usually do - and came up with something sure to fit any craving: chocolate, nuts, salt, and rich caramelly toffee. Okay, I suppose this wouldn't satisfy a fruit craving, but I suppose you could chuck some raspberries on there.

As to the brand of chocolate, I went with my current favorite "almost as good as Scharffen Berger" high cacao choice: Nestle Chocolatier bittersweet chocolate. This is an affordable option when you want rich, smooth, true chocolate taste without having to go to a specialty store and spend a bit more than you intended. Let's face it: just about everyone is on a budget and you can't always manage highest-quality. You won't sacrifice taste using Nestle Chocolatier, especially in baked products.
Not only did I use Nestle's chocolate, but I also used their Molten Chocolate Cake recipe to make the cupcakes.

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes

3/4 cup unsalted butter
8oz Nestle Chocolatier bittersweet chocolate (either morsels, or chopped bar form)
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 1 T sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 T AP flour

Preheat oven to 425*. Grease a muffin tin liberally with Crisco.

Place eggs, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium-high speed with the whisk attachment until fluffy and light yellow, about 8 minutes. The mixture will drizzle into the bowl in a slowly-dissolving ribbon when it's been mixed enough.

While the eggs are being mixed: In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the chocolate and stir constantly, until chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.

Switch to the paddle attachment (or, if not using a stand mixer, a sturdy spatula).
Slowly add 1/3 of the chocolate to the egg mixture, stirring slowly. Once the chocolate is incorporated, add the rest of the chocolate and the flour. Mix on low speed until a somewhat thin batter is formed.

Divide the batter among 12 muffin cups.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until set around the edges and slightly jiggly in the center. Place pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
Gently run a knife around the edge of each muffin and turn out onto a rack to cool for about 5 minutes.

Serve warm with Salted Toffee Hazelnut Sauce, ice cream, or whipped cream.

(note: this recipe can also be made in 6 6-oz ramekins and will have a "molten" liquid center)

Salted Toffee Hazelnut Sauce

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
1 t vanilla
1 t kosher salt

Place all ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Over medium heat, stir until the butter and sugar melt.


Continue stirring occasionally until the mixture comes to a full boil - 5-7 minutes. Once it reaches a boil, let it boil without stirring for 1 minute.

Remove sauce from the heat and let cool about 10 minutes.

Spoon over cupcakes.

Technorati: chocolate : dessert : sugar high friday : The Bizarre Kitchen Incident

Anti-chocolate chip cookies

Munchkin is an unusual child in that she doesn't like chocolate much. The only exception is when that chocolate comes in small doses mixed with peanut butter - think Butterfinger bars or peanut butter cups.

I was craving cookies, so for this weekend's baking project I decided to play on both my craving and her preferred type of candy. I took my standby chocolate chip cookie recipe and we made some substitutions.

Unfortunately not everything went according to plan...





Our oven has been cranky lately. It's a gas oven that tends to run a little bit hot, so I've been accounting for that with slightly lower bake temps. Saturday it decided to make some self-adjustments without my permission - and! - without warning me.

We mixed up our dough, merrily scooped it onto the baking sheets in nice little rows, and popped the first 24 cookies in the oven.
8 minutes later.....charcoal-bottomed cookies. They were completely non-salvageable; nicely browned on the top but burnt on the bottom.

I hate when that happens. The only redeeming factor was that I still had another 30 cookies or so worth of dough left and one higher slot in the oven to move the rack.

Fear not! The rest of the cookies baked perfectly after I made some appliance adjustments and our losses were minimal. We have cookies.

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes about 4 dozen, give or take a few

1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature (NOT margarine)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 T vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 1/2 t salt
2 cups chocolate chips (can substitute any flavor baking chip - for these we used 1 cup peanut butter chips and 1 cup peanut butter & chocolate swirl)

Preheat oven to 350*

Cream both sugars, the butter and the Crisco together until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition.
Add the vanilla, baking soda, and salt and mix well.
Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, incorporating each addition before adding more.
Gently fold in the chips - I find it best to do this by hand with a sturdy wooden spoon.

Portion the dough with a small disher or a regular old tea spoon. I like "rustic" irregular cookies, so we just spooned a bit up and plopped it on the baking sheet. If you want neat, even cookies, use a disher or gently roll the dough into balls.

Bake at 350* for 8-10 minutes, until tops are lightly browned.
Let cool for a couple minutes on the baking sheets, then remove to wire racks.

I'm a fan of "crispy on the outside and soft on the inside" chocolate chip cookies; the butter helps with the crisp and the Crisco helps with the puffy & chewy. It's also important not to overbake your cookies if you want to retain the softness inside. I pull them when the tops are a light golden brown and the cookies are set. Obviously an extra couple minutes will give you a cookie that is crispier throughout.

After a day of reflecting on my poor burnt cookies, I've now realized that it really was for the best. What the hell would I do with 4 dozen cookies between 3 people?

Technorati: dessert : cookies : oops : The Bizarre Kitchen Incident

Cinnamonalicious Cinnamon Buns

I truly believe that there isn't much better in this world than a fresh cinnamon bun. Just those two words together - cinnamon bun - conjure up images of gooey frosting, warm, fluffy sweet dough, and the dark, spicy-sweet filling all rolled up into one perfect, decadent spiral of awesomeness.

You can smell them, can't you? You can feel the crisp bits of cinnamon-sugar and the little dab of cream cheese icing on your lip, right?

They're beautiful, they're delicious, and - best of all - they're easy to make. They're especially easy to make when you turn to one Mr. Alton Brown and his overnight cinnamon rolls, because most of the waiting happens while you sleep.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

recipe from Alton Brown
Makes 12 buns

Alton explains the process step by step in his recipe, and the only change I can suggest is to add a wee splash of vanilla extract to the icing. The vanilla really wakes up the flavor of the cream cheese and brings together the icing and the cinnamon extremely well.

You may find it a little tricky to roll the dough at first, but go slow and be patient. You will be rewarded.

The overnight rise makes this recipe one for a weekend breakfast with the family rather than a complicated affair you reserve for special occasions. Don't wait for Christmas or a birthday to enjoy these melt-in-your-mouth treats, and most certainly don't spend $5 to buy one at the mall! Do a little mixing on Saturday evening, and Sunday morning be ready for your house to smell better than any bakery.

Technorati: dessert : pastry : The Bizarre Kitchen Incident

A Truffle-licious Christmas

Truffles seem to be the rage this holiday season, don't they? Everywhere I look, someone is making a batch to give as gifts or to bring to a party - and everywhere I look these people are posting pictures and oh my GAWD does it all look good!

When I asked our Christmas Eve dinner hosts if I could bring something and was asked in return what I'd like to bring, truffles were still on my mind. I offered to bring dessert (along with an appetizer and my Infamous Mashed Taters) with the idea to make some ostentatiously delicious truffles.

While I was at it, I decided to make some extras to bag up in these cute li'l cello bags with Santa on them to use as small thank-you gifts to some local businesses we frequent. Living in a small town like we do, one gets to know those they do business with on a regular basis.

I firmly believe you just can't go wrong when you turn to Jacques Torres for confectionery goodness.

Truffles by Jacques Torres
from Dessert Circus at Home
makes about 180 small truffles

18oz heavy cream
21oz bittersweet or dark chocolate, good quality (note: that new Nestle Chocolatier stuff? Yeah, thassgood.)

Chop chocolate into small bits with a large serrated knife. Place in a large bowl.
Over medium heat, gently warm the cream until small bubbles form around the edge
Pour half the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 30 seconds. Using a whisk, stir until the chocolate begins to melt. Add the rest of the cream gradually, whisking to incorporate.

If you wish to flavor all or part of your ganache, do so now. You can use liqueurs or spirits like Grand Marnier, or you can use flavoring extracts like coconut or mint. Add the flavoring gradually to taste.

White Chocolate Truffles

6oz heavy cream
16oz white chocolate, chopped fine

Repeat above process to make the white chocolate ganache.


Pour warm ganache into a half sheet pan, a 13x9 baking pan, or other relatively flat container. Chill in the refrigerator about 1 hour, or until firm.

Meanwhile, prepare baking sheets or half sheet pans by lining with parchment paper, wax paper, or silicone baking mats.

When the ganache is firm, use a melon baller or a teaspoon to portion the chocolate onto the prepared pans. Don't worry about making them look pretty; you can do that later.
Alternately, you can pull the ganache a little sooner, when it's of toothpaste consistency, and use a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (Wilton 1A or 2A). Pipe small dollops onto prepared pans.
Chill ganache again for at least 1 hour, or until the chocolate lumps are firm.

Once the chocolate is firm again, quickly roll each into a ball using your hands and then roll in your desired coating.

Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, though they won't last that long.

Possible coatings

About the only limit is your imagination! You can use:
Cocoa powder
Confectioner's sugar
Finely chopped nuts
Coconut - toasted or untoasted
Crushed hard candies
Ground spices ("mellow" them out with confectioner's sugar or cornstarch)

---

I made two recipes of the plain chocolate and 1/2 recipe of the white chocolate and turned them all into 6 different types of truffle.

Bittersweet chocolate coated in cocoa powder
Bittersweet chocolate flavored with coconut, coated in crushed macadamia nuts
Bittersweet chocolate coated in toasted crushed almonds
White chocolate coated in crushed candy canes
Bittersweet chocolate coated in honey dust
Bittersweet chocolate half-coated in crushed toasted almonds and half dipped in white chocolate, with a sprinkle of fleur de sel.

Pumpkin Threeway

What's better than pumpkin when the weather cools?
Pumpkin and its squash cousins just taste like fall and winter. There's no rhyme or reason to it; when most of us think pumpkin, we think crisp nights and the smell of snow in the air.

Unfortunately when most people think pumpkin, they also think pumpkin pie. Don't get me wrong; I love me some pumpkin pie, but it seems only a small minority of the population realize that pumpkin is so much more than pie.

Three versatile recipes follow, from breakfast to dinner, from entree to dessert.

The most telling example I have of "Ew, pumpkin what??" is my favorite non-pie pumpkin application.
A couple Thanksgivings ago, my mom made a pumpkin roll to serve with dessert. The recipe called for around a cup of pumpkin, and she had purchased one of those big 30-some oz cans of the stuff. There was a LOT of leftover pumpkin that she didn't want to see wasted...so I said I'd come up with something.
I was already working on a couple other dishes and we had a full menu planned, so I wanted simple and somewhat unassuming. What to do, what to do? Why, we had no soup on our menu! I remembered seeing recipes for pumpkin soup somewhere along the line, but I couldn't remember any of the important details - including what goes in pumpkin soup other than pumpkin.
Not one to let something so trivial stop me, I threw together what I thought would be tasty. Come time for dinner, I ladled that soup out and proudly served it to my perplexed and mildly horrified family. They all stared at their bowls with more than a little trepidation, and as spoons slowly went from bowl to mouth I could tell they were only trying it to be polite and fully expected to discreetly move on to the "normal" food after one bite.
Since I don't serve food that I haven't tasted, I already knew it was good. In fact, I was halfway through my bowl before anyone else had worked up the nerve to try the stuff. From the corner of my eye, I saw the surprise register on everyone's faces as they tasted, and before long the soup was gone.
My recipe has evolved since that first foray, but it remains simple and fuss-free.

Pumpkin Soup

Makes 6-8 appetizer or side dish sized servings

24oz pumpkin, pureed (roasted and pureed raw pumpkin, or canned pure pumpkin)
36oz chicken or vegetable stock
1 medium white onion, small dice
1/2 green apple, grated
1 T brown sugar
Heavy cream
Dry mustard, nutmeg, curry powder, salt & pepper
Green onions to garnish

In a stockpot, saute the onion in a bit of butter or oil over medium heat until translucent.
Add the stock and the pumpkin and allow to come up to temperature, whisking well to combine.
Add the grated apple and mix well.
Add 1 teaspoon curry powder, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Whisk well and then let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Season to taste with salt & pepper.
Slowwwwwllly add heavy cream, whisking the entire time, until you achieve your desired consistency and creaminess.
Taste and adjust for seasoning again.

To serve:
Ladle into ramekins or small soup bowls. Top with a sprinkle of nutmeg and some sliced green onion.

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Pumpkin Muffins from Cooking Debauchery

Next in line of my favorite pumpkin recipes is a recent discovery from the ever-incredible Kitarra over at Cooking Debauchery.
Oh holy hell, these muffiny-cupcakey things are amazing.

I made a few adjustments to her recipe based on, of course, personal taste and what I had on hand; the most drastic change was omitting the fruit.
I went with:

Muffins:
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 t salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 t baking soda
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 t ground ginger
1 t cinnamon (maybe more...we like cinnamon)
1 T vanilla

Filling:
1 8oz brick of cream cheese
1 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla
3 T brown sugar

I prepared it as directed in the original recipe. As mentioned there, overmixing the batter will give you rubbery, dense muffins. Use a gentle hand and mix only until the dry ingredients are moistened.

My favorite part of these muffins is how easily they transition to a simple dessert. They're awesome with your morning tea/coffee, but they're also just sweet enough to cap off a hearty dinner.
Let's not mention that picky children will happily eat some pumpkin if they think it's a cupcake, too. There's enough wiggle room in this recipe that you can easily make them low fat (sub out some of the oil with applesauce...yum!), and between the vitamin A and fiber pumpkin carries, your kids won't know they're eating something healthy.

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Next up is another mishmash recipe that I cobbled together from various other recipes and ideas.

Pumpkin....and pasta. Together. In the same dish.

Pasta with Sausage and Pumpkin Alfredo Cream

Makes: 4 entree servings

1lb pasta, cooked and drained
1lb sweet or hot Italian sausage (bulk, or casings removed)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock, plus more as needed
1 cup white wine
2 T butter
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup heavy cream
Small handful of sage leaves, chiffonade
Half a handful of basil leaves, chiffonade
Nutmeg, salt & pepper

Brown the sausage and drain well. Remove to a bowl.
Deglaze the skillet with wine, then whisk in pumpkin, stock, butter, and a pinch of salt over medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Whisk in the heavy cream and bring up to heat. Add the Parmesan and whisk gently until combined. Simmer for 5 minutes, until thickened. If sauce is too thick for your liking, add a bit of stock until it reaches the consistency you like.
Add sausage and simmer for 5 more minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add 2 pinches of ground nutmeg.
Just before serving, add sage and basil and mix well. Add salt or pepper as needed.

Serve over pasta.

Technorati: breakfast : dessert : entree : pumpkin : sides : soup : starters : The Bizarre Kitchen Incident

The only brownie recipe you'll ever need

Attn dieters: STAY FAR AWAY!!!

Much like the Infamous Mashed Taters, these brownies are a special occasion food.

This is a slightly modified version of Alton Brown's brownie recipe (all hail Alton!). In my eyes, Mr. Brown can do no wrong, but sometimes my personal tastes dictate some minor deviation from his gospel of food.
Not only are these amazingly delicious, but you probably have everything you need to make them in your kitchen right now.

Rich Fudgy Brownies

8 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1lb butter, melted
2 1/2 cups cocoa powder (like Hershey's)
1 1/2 T pure vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
2 t kosher salt
1 T cinnamon

Dark chocolate chips (like Hershey's Special Dark or Ghirardelli Dark)
Chopped nuts - optional

Butter and flour a 13x9 pan. Preheat oven to 300*.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and cinnamon.
Whip the eggs until fluffy and light yellow. Add both sugars and beat until creamy.
Add the melted butter, salt, and vanilla and blend well.
Add the dry ingredients slowly, mixing well between each addition. When all the dry ingredients have been added, continue to mix for a minute or two until the batter is smooth and thick.

Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. Liberally sprinkle chocolate chips over the entire top of the batter to cover.
If using nuts, sprinkle the chopped nut of your choice on with the chocolate chips.

Bake at 300* for 60-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs sticking to it. Watch carefully, as you don't want these to overbake - and they're overbaked if your toothpick comes out clean

Let cool 30 minutes or so before you try to cut them.


If you like a no muss, no fuss brownie that's moist, dense, rich, and incredibly chocolatey, then this is the brownie for you. The flour is almost an afterthought, just enough there to hold things together. There's nothing extraneous here - just chocolate with a hint of cinnamon to deepen the flavor.

Technorati: brownies : chocolate : dessert : The Bizarre Kitchen Incident

Pain au chocolat

I don't believe in taking things slow. After never having baked anything more complicated than chocolate chip cookies my whole life, I cranked out a few loaves of bread to great success.

That was way too easy, I thought. I needed a challenge. And I needed chocolate.





I recalled a conversation I'd had with Beth where we were discussing, of all things, baking. She commented that she hadn't yet worked up the gumption to try her hand at croissant because it was so complicated. Now, she certainly didn't intend the comment to be a challenge, but I took it as one to challenge myself.

Could I make croissant?
Jacque Torres made it sound fairly doable...and even explained how to make the divine pain au chocolat, which would certainly take care of my chocolate cravings.
I decided to dive in.

Pain au chocolat
Makes 16 pastries

Dough:
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon dry active yeast
generous 1/2 cup cold water
3 1/3 cup bread flour, plus more as needed
2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
generous 1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 lb + 2 tablespoons butter, softened at room temperature to spreadable consistency

Filling:
~9oz bittersweet or dark chocolate - GOOD QUALITY - use chips or chop up bar chocolate

Egg wash:
2 large egg yolks
1 large whole egg
scant 1/4 cup whole milk
scant 1 tablespoon sugar

Several hours before you start, take the large quantity of butter out of the fridge and place in a bowl to soften. It should be of spreading consistency when you start the dough.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter and allow to cool to room temperature. It should still be pourable, but not hot.
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the cold water.
Place the flour, salt, sugar, milk, and melted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. On medium speed, mix until the ingredients are just dispersed.
Add the dissolved yeast and mix at medium-high speed for 2 minutes, or until dough begins to form and pulls away from side of the bowl.
Check the consistency of your dough. If it's very sticky, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time. If it's very dry and stiff, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
The dough is ready when it's soft, springy, clings to the dough hook in a ball, and is only a tiny bit sticky. Add flour or milk until you hit that point. (I had to add almost 2/3 cup more flour to get it right)
Remove the dough hook and scrape dough off it with floured hands.
Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of flour over dough in the mixing bowl and use your hands to gently form it into a ball, turning to coat the whole thing lightly in flour.
Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let the dough proof for 30 minutes.

Remove dough to your work surface. You can either lightly flour your counter or wherever you normally work, but what I did was take a length of parchment paper, 15" wide by about 36" long and lay it out over my surface.
Knead the dough gently a few times. If it's sticking badly to your hands, incorporate a bit more flour into it.
Roll the dough into an 8" x 15" rectangle about 1/4" thick. This is where that parchment paper came in handy, for measuring purposes as well as easy mess cleanup!
Wrap the dough in parchment paper or plastic wrap, place on a baking sheet or some other hard surface, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and return to your work surface. Bring the softened butter! If you're using the parchment paper method, you just need to unwrap and go. Otherwise, lightly flour your work surface again.
Lay the dough so the long side faces you. Spread the butter over the right 2/3 of the dough. I found a silicone spatula to work well for this, but it's going to be messy regardless.
Fold the (butterless) left third of the dough over the center, then fold the right third of the dough to the left. Now it should resemble a folded letter. This is called a "single fold."
Roll this out into another 10" x 30" rectangle about 1/8" thick.
Give the dough a book fold, or double fold, by folding each short end to the middle so they meet but do not overlap. Then fold one half over the other half like you're closing a book. Jacques may balk at me doing this, but the parchment paper makes some of the folding much easier, and your hot hands don't have to touch the dough as often, thus there's less butter melting.
Re-wrap the dough, put it back on your baking sheet, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

At this point, you can leave the dough in the refrigerator overnight and finish the pastries the next morning if you want.

Remove dough to your work surface again - either parchment paper lined or lightly floured.
Roll into another 10" x 30" rectangle and turn it so the long side faces you.
Give the dough a single fold by folding the left third of the dough over the center. Then fold the right third of the dough to the left.
Re-wrap the dough and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes for its final chill.

Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Remove the dough to your work surface once again, and this time roll it into a 10" x 36" rectangle about 1/4" or so thick. Try to keep it looking as much like a rectangle as possible, as this will make slicing easier.

Get ready to work quickly!!!
With a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, slice the dough into 16 equal rectangles. I cut 4 even strips long-wise, then cut each of those into 4 equal rectangles.
Lay each rectangle on your work surface, with the long side facing you, and place about 1/2 tablespoon of the chocolate in the upper third of each one. Fold that third of the dough over the chocolate. Place about another 1/2 tablespoon of the chocolate along one seam of the folded dough. Fold the bottom third of the dough over the chocolate.

At this stage, they can be frozen for up to one week if well wrapped in plastic wrap. Thaw on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding.

Turn over the pastries so the seams face down. This will keep them from opening as they bake. Place them on your prepared baking sheet. They'll get bigger as they proof and bake, so space them about 2 inches apart.
When you've formed all 16 pastries, loosely cover the baking sheets with plastic wrap or floured tea towels and let the pastries proof at room temperature until they've doubled in size and look all airy and poofy: 1-2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prepare the egg wash by whisking the ingredients above together well.
When the pastries are doubled in size, gently brush the egg wash over them to cover completely.

Bake for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees until golden brown and delicious. (mine took about 12 minutes)

They're best fresh from the oven - though let them cool for a few minutes so the chocolate doesn't burn your mouth! - but they're also delicious eaten at room temperature the next morning.

You can wrap any leftovers tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for about 2 weeks. Thaw at room temperature and warm in the oven if desired.

Technorati: dessert : pastry : The Bizarre Kitchen Incident