TARBORO — I discovered a new taste sensation a few weeks ago that surprised me. I had heard of Nutella but I had never tried it.  That changed a couple of weeks ago and now I’m totally hooked.

Hobert and I sing and sometimes we sing with his family group. When we are all there for a performance, there are about 35 of us. I have to admit, even though I may be a little biased, most of the time, this group is awesome.

A few weeks ago, we sang at a small church in the foothills of the mountains. After the service, they had food set up in their fellowship hall. As I went through line, I saw what I thought was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I happen to love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, so I took a triangle. All I can say is WOW! It was peanut butter and Nutella. That’s how this love affair began.

If you have never had Nutella, it’s in the same spot as the peanut butter in the supermarket. It tastes like a combination of chocolate and peanut butter. It’s heavenly! It’s so good that there was a World Nutella Day in February!

Recipe No. 1 is Nutella French Toast. It’s essentially a sandwich dipped in egg and fried. Yummy. Please let the bread lay out overnight so that it isn’t too soft or it soaks up too much of the egg dip and isn’t as good.

Recipe No.  2 is a new brownie recipe. You and your family will love this one. Please give it a try.

The third recipe is Nutella Cheesecake. This one takes a little more work but it’s worth the effort. Note: You’ll need a 9-inch cheesecake pan for this recipe. You’ll also need some heavy duty aluminum foil to wrap the pan in. Because the cheesecake is baked in a water bath, you don’t want any of the water to seep into the bottom of your cheesecake. Wrapping the pan in foil prevents that. You will also need a larger pan that you can fit the cheesecake pan into for the water bath.

The fourth recipe is a marinade for steaks. This is worth the effort too. It’s easy and terrific. You may want to double the recipe and keep some on hand in the fridge.

The last recipe is a Mole Sauce. This is good on steaks, chicken, beef. Just about anything. Make it as hot or mild as you like.

Nutella French toast

2 eggs

2 tablespoons of milk

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of vanilla

3-4 thick slices of white bread (or any type of bread of your choice)

butter and/or a tablespoon of oil or a couple sprays of Pam

 Mix the eggs, milk and vanilla together in a shallow bowl big enough to fit your bread slices. Sprinkle in the cinnamon; add more or less depending on your tastes.

On medium heat, oil the pan with whatever method you choose.

Take two slices of bread; spread them with a medium-thick layer of Nutella. Lay one side of the bread in the mixture. Immediately flip the sandwich so the other side gets coated. Lift for a moment just to let whatever excess mixture drip off and immediately place into the pan.

After a couple of minutes (3-4), flip the slice in the pan. Cook until both sides are golden brown.

Repeat step 3 until all slices are done or you’re out of mixture.

Note: Before dipping each new sandwich into the mixture, be sure to mix it with a fork and/or add some more cinnamon to the mix. Also be sure to re-oil the pan a little bit before placing a new slice to ensure that it browns just as nicely as the last.

 Pour syrup or eat as is. Enjoy!

Variations: add nutmeg, sprinkle icing sugar, use almond extract, and add fruit.

Nutella & Peanut Butter Brownies

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2  cup all-purpose flour

1/4  cup cocoa powder

1/4  teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

4 tbsp (1/4  cup) peanut butter (chunky, smooth, whatever you have on hand)

4 tbsp (1/4   cup) Nutella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 8_8 inch or 7_11 inch pan with baking parchment paper.

Measure the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a small bowl and whisk to combine.

Stir the sugar into the melted butter. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Put the Nutella and peanut butter in a small bowl and microwave until runny (about 30 seconds). Fold into brownie mix. (I chose to just barely mix in the Nutella and peanut butter, which left delicious streaks of peanut butter in the finished brownies that were both a surprise and delight – my favorite part of these brownies. However, feel free to completely mix in the Nutella and peanut butter for a more uniform taste.)

Pour batter into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until top forms a crust.

Nutella Ripple Cheesecake

For the crust:

2 cups chocolate crumbs (you can use Oreo crumbs or chocolate wafer crumbs)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 tbsp. sugar

For the filling:

3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

3 tbsps. Frangelico

1/2 cup Nutella (the Nutella has to be fairly liquid so I recommend warming it in a double boiler so you can drizzle it easily)

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a kettle full of water to boil for the water bath.

Combine all the crust ingredients and pour into your cheesecake pan. Press the crumbs firmly so that they cover the entire bottom of the pan (no need to push crumbs up the side of the pan).

In a stand mixer, combine the cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until smooth. There should be no cream cheese lumps.

Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl in between each addition.

Add the vanilla extract, the heavy cream and the Frangelico and mix until smooth. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Pour half the cheesecake batter over the prepared crust. Drizzle the Nutella over the batter and then top with the remaining cheesecake batter. Fit the pan into a larger pan and pour in the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Be careful not to spill any water in your cheesecake.

Carefully transfer the cheesecake to the oven. Bake for at least 45 minutes. The cheesecake should be set around the edges but still fairly wobbly in the middle. If not, continue baking for another 5 minutes and check again.

When the cheesecake is done, turn off the oven but leave the cheesecake in there for an hour to set up.

After an hour, remove the cheesecake from the water bath and discard the foil. Place the cheesecake on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

Once the cheesecake is cool, place in the refrigerator until it is very cold (at least 6 hours). If you can leave it in overnight, that’s even better.

Nutella Marinated Steaks

2 strip steaks

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 tbsp Nutella

1/4 cup instant espresso

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

Lemon Juice

Sauté the onions in a pan over medium high heat for about 2 to 3 minutes. In a food processor, mix together the Nutella, olive oil, espresso (you have to make it before hand or use the instant), cooked onions, squeezed juice from half of a lemon, and the cayenne and cumin.

Mix together until it appears to be well blended. Then, marinate the steak between 6 hours to overnight. (I chose overnight). Reserve a little marinade in a covered bowl to drizzle on after cooking.

Put the steak on a grill.  Cook the steak for 5 minutes on one side and 4 on the other.

Drizzle some of the leftover marinade on the steak.

Nutella Mole          Poblano Sauce

3 ancho or chipotle chilies, stems removed, seeded, soaked in warm water

1/2 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 8-oz can tomato sauce

1/4 cup almonds, or hazelnuts if you have any

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 cup Nutella

1/2-oz or 1/2 bar unsweetened dark chocolate

1 cup chicken broth

Remove stems and seeds from dried chili peppers. Soak in warm water. Set aside.

In a saucepan, sauté 1/2 chopped onion and 3 cloves chopped garlic until just softened. Also add 1/4 cup almonds, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp cloves, and 1/4 tsp cumin.

Drain and squeeze out water from the chili peppers. Add the chili peppers, the mixture from the sauce pan, and 1/2 of the can of tomato sauce in the food processor. Add more of the tomato sauce if needed to blend the mixture more smoothly. Add the mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the tomato sauce. Add 1/4 cup Nutella and 1/2-oz or half a bar of unsweetened dark chocolate. On medium-low heat, add about 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir until the mixture is well-blended. You might need another 1/2 cup of chicken broth. You don't want the mole to be too thick, nor to thin. Some recipes suggest using bread or crackers to thicken the sauce, but I didn't feel the need for it.

Taste. Adjust if necessary. Add more Nutella or dark chocolate if you want a dark, dark mole. This sauce is great on chicken, pork or beef.



Karen’s Kitchen is a weekly column by Karen Freeman of Tarboro. Contact Karen at:

kvfreeman@triad.rr.com to exchange ideas, ask questions, submit recipes, tips or suggestions.

Check out her Web site: http://www.geocities.com/kvfreeman27886/