
One of the things we will definitely miss about Seattle are all of Tom Douglas' wonderful restaurants. Fortunately, we have the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook to fill the void once we are in Los Angeles. Ever since I received the cookbook in the mail, I've wanted to make the tomato soup in it. When we first tried all of the Tom Douglas restaurants in our first couple of weeks in Seattle, I had the tomato soup at Dahlia Lounge and was left with some very fond memories.

![DSC_0704](/photos/2013/06/DSC_0704-584x386.jpg)

I tried making a healthy tomato soup one time that was in the little cookbook that came with my Vitamix. It was disgusting, so I was weary to try it again until I got the Tom Douglas cookbook and my interest was renewed. Even though it doesn't use fresh tomatoes, Tom's recipe is amazing!

Plus it's topped with homemade brown butter croutons! You can even make grilled cheese croutons if you are feeling up to it, although I chose to stick with the simpler brown butter version since we were making grilled cheese sandwiches on extra crusty bread (extra sharp white cheddar with a variety of dried herbs— oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, and salt). Cheddar paninis are the perfect complement to tomato soup.

![DSC_0706](/photos/2013/06/DSC_0706-584x386.jpg)

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## Tom's Tasty Tomato Soup with Brown Butter Croutons

:::p{.yield}
serves 4
:::

#### Soup

- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 5 cups canned whole tomatoes in juice
- 1 cup water
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano
- 1 tablespoon sugar

1. Heat the butter and the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add in the onion and the garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent and fragrant.
3. Add in the tomatoes, water, cream, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, celery seeds, oregano, and sugar.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Allow to cool slightly and transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender to puree the soup into a smooth texture.
6. Return the soup to the saucepan and reheat.
7. Season with additional salt and pepper.
8. Serve soup warm with croutons (below) and a white cheddar grilled cheese sandwich.

#### Brown Butter Croutons

- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 slices European-style rustic bread cut int 1" cubes (approximately 30)
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and heat it up, stirring constantly until the butter has browned and has a nutty fragrance.
3. Put cubes of bread in a medium sized bowl then pour browned butter over, tossing bread.
4. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.
5. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

:::p{.source}
slightly adapted from [Dahlia Bakery Cookbook](http://www.amazon.com/The-Dahlia-Bakery-Cookbook-Sweetness/dp/0062183745)
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Tom's Tasty Tomato Soup + White Cheddar Paninis

toms-tasty-tomato-soup-white-cheddar-paninis


My only gripe about Dahlia Bakery is that they aren't on the Eastside, so we can't stock up on their freshly baked bread, treats, and delicious breakfast sandwiches all of the time. So we'll have to settle for the next best thing—making Dahlia's treats in our own kitchen from [The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook](http://www.amazon.com/The-Dahlia-Bakery-Cookbook-Sweetness/dp/0062183745/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357338851&sr=8-1&keywords=dahlia+bakery+cookbook) (I love the tagline— Sweetness in Seattle).

![DSC_1317](/photos/2013/01/DSC_1317-584x386.jpg)

We actually stopped by Dahlia Bakery on New Year's Eve morning after picking up Bonnie from the boarding facility in Seattle she stayed at while we were in Scottsdale. We got there as soon as they opened and ordered their made-to-order doughnuts with vanilla mascarpone and seasonal jam (for me) and an English muffin breakfast sandwich with house-cured ham (for Dustin). The sandwich took a little longer than one would expect, but the service at Dahlia Bakery was outstanding. They handed me some dog treats for Bonnie, who was impatiently waiting outside, and tucked in a three pack of their enormous chocolate chip cookies for free for the long wait. Now that's customer service!

![DSC_1318](/photos/2013/01/DSC_1318-584x386.jpg)

It just so turns out that we were asked to bring, not one, but two desserts to the New Year's party we were going to (my dessert reputation proceeds me), so in addition to the [crack pie](/blog/2013/01/momofuku-crack-pie), I wanted to make a chocolate dessert— the chocolate truffle cookies from The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook. Needless to say we were rolling in Dahlia Bakery cookies for the next couple of days, and each and every one was consumed.

The original recipe from the book said it made 30 cookies, so I decided to half it for the small party we were going to, which seemed like a smart idea considering there would be several other desserts. I could have quartered the recipe because even after halving the recipe, I still ended up with two dozen cookies to share! We sent everyone home with leftovers. Perhaps my cookie scoop was smaller than what the recipe called for; however my cookies were approximately 3" in diameter, which is similar to what the recipe said to expect. Either way, these cookies were the perfect size for a choc-o-holic. For the average person they might have been too big!

![DSC_1320](/photos/2013/01/DSC_1320-584x386.jpg)

These cookies are the ultimate chocolate cookie. They are rich, decadent, and probably the most chocolately cookie I've ever consumed— bordering on brownie territory, but definitely still a cookie. They are slightly hardened around the edges, but super soft in the middle and the crust get perfectly crackly. There's relatively little flour in them, so the chocolates and cocoa powder really shine through. I took these cookies to the next chocolate level by melting dark chocolate, dipping them in it, and adding chocolate sprinkles, reminiscent of one of our favorite gourmet bakeries for cookies in Houston, Desert Gallery. I only had enough chocolate and time before the party to dip half of the cookies, and those were the ones that definitely went first!

You definitely want to use the highest quality chocolate you can since that is the starring ingredient here. I bought 70% cocoa in a block from Whole Foods. Making these cookies this good isn't cheap! That's why Dahlia Bakery can sell them for $2.50 a piece. Everyone who eats one of these cookies will comment on the amazing chocolatiness of them, and you'll be super popular!

## Dahlia Bakery Chocolate Truffle Cookies with Crackly Crust

_slightly modified from The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook by Tom Douglas and Shelly Lance_

- 8 ounces high quality bittersweet chocolate (I used 70% cocoa), chopped
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons high quality unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Dutch-process)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups bittersweet chocolate chunks, divided
- 1 2.5 ounce bottle chocolate sprinkles
- coarse sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
- powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Line two cookies sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
3. In a double boiler (or a heat proof bowl sitting on top a saucepan with simmering water), melt the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
4. While the chocolate is cooling, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together in a medium sized bowl.
5. In a large sized bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
6. Add in eggs one at a time, and beat well.
7. Add in the melted chocolate and the vanilla extract and mix until uniform.
8. Fold in 1 cup of chocolate chunks with a rubber spatula.
9. The dough will get stiffer the longer it sits out, so start using it right away and DO NOT chill it (they won't spread properly if you do). Use a small cookie scoop, to portion out the dough into 24 equal sized balls.
10. Optional: sprinkle the top of each ball with coarse sea salt (sea salt + dark chocolate = amazing) or roll in powdered sugar, especially if you do not plan on dunking them in additional chocolate (so you can really see the crackling of the crust).
11. Lightly press down on the dough balls as you place them on the baking sheet.
12. Bake for approximately 15 minutes until the tops are set, but not hard.
13. Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes, or they will break as you try to remove them. They do stick slightly (even to a Silpat), but use a spatula and be gentle, and you should be fine.
14. Once the cookies have completely cooled, use your double boiler (or heatproof bowl and pan) to melt the remaining 2 cups of chocolate chunks. Dip each cookie into the melted chocolate and coat with sprinkles.
15. Place cookies on parchment paper and in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to set the chocolate. Return the cookies to room temperature before serving.


#dahlia-cookbook

Tom's Tasty Tomato Soup + White Cheddar Paninis

Dahlia Bakery Chocolate Truffle Cookies