More Smugness--Double Chocolate Cookies

Ok, once you get me started with cookies it is all over, but just one more. This is a Nigella recipe that is dead simple, and I almost always have the ingredients on hand to make them. I've used M & M's in these, and white chips too just to mix things up. I love the super-size of these cookies, but they can easily be made smaller, just watch the cooking time. They are also perfect for scooping out the dough and freezing in in cookie size balls, to cook later. I made these once when I served smores at a party as an alternative to graham crackers.

Totally Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Nigella Express

	INGREDIENTS 4oz dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids 1 cup flour 1/4 cup cocoa, sieved 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup, 1 stick soft butter 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/4 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 egg, cold from the fridge 2 cup (about 1 bag) semi-sweet chocolate morsels or dark chocolate chips Serving Size : Makes 12

1.	Preheat the oven to 325 . Melt the 4oz dark chocolate either in the microwave or in a heatproof dish over a pan of simmering water.
2.	Put the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a bowl.
3.	Cream the butter and sugars in another bowl. (I use my freestanding mixer, itself an odd source of comfort to me. this is so true!) Add the melted chocolate and mix together.
4.	Beat in the vanilla extract and cold egg, and then mix in the dry ingredients. Finally stir in the chocolate morsels or chips.
5.	Scoop out 12 equal-sized mounds – an ice cream scoop and a palette knife are the best tools for the job – and place on a lined baking sheet about 6cm apart. Do not flatten them.
6.	Cook for 18 minutes, testing with a cake tester to make sure it comes out semi-clean and not wet with cake batter. If you pierce a chocolate chip, try again.
7.	Leave to cool slightly on the baking sheet for 4–5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to harden as they cool.

Smugness in the kitchen

One of the many reasons I love Nigella Lawson is that she acknowledges and embraces the smugness that goes along with cooking, and particularly baking. Bringing something to a party that people fawn over and just saying, of yeah I just threw that together before I left the house (especially if your friends don't bake) is a wonderful, and lets admit it smug and superior feeling. In a world where very little is in my control, I at least know I can count on a few recipes to impress people.
Here is one of my favorite ways to be a smug domestic goddess or god in the kitchen. Make a double batch of drop cookies (my favorite recipes follow), get a large sheet train and dollop out the dough with a small ice cream scoop, or whatever you use for cookie dishing. Then put the whole tray in the freezer. In an hour you can pull the frozen dough off the tray and pop them into plastic freezer bags or some other mode of containment and stash back in the freezer. You can cook them like normal directly out of the freezer. This way when you have an overnight guest you can say, would you like some cookies, whip out your tray pop them in the oven and you are only 10-15 minutes away from homemade bliss. This makes you look like a crazy prepared 50's housewife with none of the drawback, like severe psychological trauma. Plus if someone springs a party invite on you, even if you are super busy you can throw cookies in the oven and look like a culinary super star when you get to their house. The smugness that goes along with always knowing you have homemade cookie goodness in the freezer cannot be underestimated.
Now I know what you are about to say, don't you just eat all the cookie dough. I really don't and I love cookie dough as much as anyone, trust me, fights break out over licking batter and dough in my family, but I find that when it is present in the freezer and easy enough to cook up, I really don't find myself with my hand constantly in the freezer. I also think for personal eating it is nice to just cook up say 5 cookies for a midnight snack with milk, rather than the temptation of several dozen. Anyway, here are some recipes to get you started on the road of culinary smugness.

Classic Chocolate Chip
this one never lets me down and easily doubles. You can skip sifting in any recipe I think if you put the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk them together. I use milk chocolate chips or M &M's but use whatever you like. White chocolate chips and dried cranberry's can be quite elegant for the winter as well.

• 11 1/2 ounce(s) Milk Chocolate Chips (Ghirardelli's please!)
  
• 2 1/4 cup(s) unsifted flour
• 1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) teaspoon salt
• 1 cup(s) (2 sticks) butter
• 3/4 cup(s) sugar
• 3/4 cup(s) packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla

Preheat oven to 375ºF (skip this if you are freezing them all).
Stir flour with baking soda and salt (use a whisk here); set aside.
In large mixer bowl, cream butter with sugar, brown sugar, you want this to lighten in color, it taks a couple minutes
add the eggs, and vanilla.
Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture.
Stir in chocolate chips or whatever else you want.
Drop 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie onto ungreased cookie sheets. (I use a silpat, which is a bit of an investment $20 usually, but worth it because your cookie bottoms won't burn.)



Cowgirl Cookies (this is what my best friend calls them and I like the name, they are oatmeal chocolate chip, and seem to have at least a theoretical added health value add nuts if you must, but I'm a purist)

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1½ cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

3 cups Oatmeal (old fashioned or quick cook)

1 bag of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, add egg and vanilla and beat in well.

Mix up flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl with a wire whisk.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat just enough to combine, then stir in the oatmeal and the chips.

Dole out the cookies with a small ice cream scoop or a teaspoon onto a cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

You can also freeze the dough in zip top bags in cookie sized balls and bake off as needed.

Yields: 3-4 dozen

Jam Thumbprints

So in case those weren't enough cookies for you, here is another family favorite, Jam Thumbprints. I say splirge on the jam with these and go with Bonne Maman jam, it means Grandma in french, how could you go wrong, especially since my grandma always made these for christmas. I should also note that I brought these to my qualifying exam just before christmas last year and I passed, there was a blizzard, it was very dramatic. Anyhow I like to think that my cookie bribe hedged my bets a bit with my dissertation comittee. Another possible variation whihc I think is super elegant is to do Rose Thumbprints. I found rose petal jam at the Middle Eastern market where I live, I bought it in the middle of the summer wiht no idea what to do wiht it, and then it dawned on me. I added some rosewater (whihc you can usually find at the regular market near the vanilla) to the dough, and the rose jam to the centers. I makes a really lovely floral cookie, not to sweet. Enjoy!

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

½ cup granulated sugar

2 large egg yolks, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon coarse salt

Jam

Make the dough: Cream butter and granulated sugar with a mixer until pale and fluffy. Add yolks and vanilla, and beat for 1 minute. Reduce speed to low, and beat in flour and salt until combined. Cover, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour (or up to 1 day).

Preheat oven to 325.

Roll balls using 2 teaspoons dough for each. Place 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. With the handle of a wooden spoon, or your thumb press gently in the center of each to create an indentation. Put enough jam in the center to just fill it. Bake for about 14 minutes until brown around the edges.

Yields: about 60 cookies

Triple Ginger Crisps

Here is a favorite of my Mom's, Triple Ginger Crisps. I like these because they are simple but elegant, especially since you roll them in sugar before they go in the oven.

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1½ cups granulated sugar

1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

⅓ cup unsulfured molasses

Coarse sanding sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with nonstick baking mats or parchment paper; set aside. Whisk together flour, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk; beat to combine. Add grated and crystallized ginger and continue beating until combined. Add flour mixture, alternating with molasses, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Continue beating until fully incorporated.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Coat each ball with sanding sugar, and place on prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating pans once, until flattened and dark golden brown around the edges, about 12 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Hanukkah Cookies

So this is what happens when you are in graduate school, you start something and forget all about it for almost a year, but I've had a request for some cookie recipes for the holidays. I think food gifts are the best, cheap, fun to make, and thoughtful. This year I'm planning on making some pound-cakes, but in years past I've done lots of cookies. Here is a basic sugar cookie that is nice for cut outs that you can ice. This is Alton Brown's recipe which I've had luck with, I did his peppermint swirl variation which went down well at a dessert potluck. It looks cool but does not require cookie cutters, or frosting. I'll put up a few more cookies I like in the next few posts. Happy Cooking!

Basic Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Directions

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 batch Sugar Cookies, recipe above
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/2 cup crushed candy canes or peppermint candies

Directions

Divide the dough in half and add chocolate and vanilla to 1 half and incorporate with hands. Add egg yolk, peppermint extract, and crushed candy to other half of dough and incorporate with hands. Cover both with plastic and chill for approximately 5 minutes. Roll out doughs separately to approximately 1/4-inch thickness. Place peppermint dough on top of chocolate and press together around the edges. Using waxed paper or flexible cutting board underneath, roll dough into log. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Place cookies 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat and bake for 12 to 13 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking time. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Shepherd's Pie in the Snow

I have been remiss, and not posted for months... Damn Qualifying Exam, but I have passed and so I will try to post more regularly. I can't imagine anyone is reading this anymore, but if you are here is a lovely Shepard's Pie I just made. It is Alton Brown's recipe that is a bit involved, but not complicated. It really hit the spot on a snowy night (we are currently covered with a fresh foot of snow here in Rochester).

Alton (I feel like we are on a first name basis since I am a devoted Good Eats and Feasting on Asphalt fan) calls for ground lamb, but I had beef, so I used that. I also doubled the carrots and added about four parsnips I got at the farmer's market--yes my roommate and I walked to the farmer's market when it was 10 degrees out (we cabbed back). I also ended up doubling the amount of potatoes because I didn't think I would have enough to suitably cover the pie, and who doesn't like more mashed potatoes! I also used milk in lieu of heavy cream there, and a suggestion, I just smoothed them on as the directions said, but they didn't get quite as crunchy as I wanted, so next time I think I woul take a trick from Nigella Lawson who scrapes a fork over the top of the potatoes to create ridges that nicely brown. I also smugly used corn that I had bought at the farmer's market this summer and boiled up, cut off the cob and froze. In the end use what you like, this method seems very forgiving to changes and adjustments. Hope you enjoy it!

The recipe for you:

Shepherd's Pie

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2008

Prep Time:
45 min
Inactive Prep Time:
hr min
Cook Time:
45 min

Level:
Intermediate

Serves:
8 servings

Ingredients
For the potatoes:

* 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
* 1/4 cup half-and-half
* 2 ounces unsalted butter
* 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 egg yolk

For the meat filling:

* 2 tablespoons canola oil
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 2 carrots, peeled and diced small
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons tomato paste
* 1 cup chicken broth
* 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
* 2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
* 1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
* 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
* 1/2 cup fresh or frozen English peas

Directions

Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Place the half-and-half and butter into a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until warmed through, about 35 seconds. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return to the saucepan. Mash the potatoes and then add the half and half, butter, salt and pepper and continue to mash until smooth. Stir in the yolk until well combined.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Place the canola oil into a 12-inch saute pan and set over medium high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots and saute just until they begin to take on color, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the lamb, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 3 minutes. Sprinkle the meat with the flour and toss to coat, continuing to cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.

Add the corn and peas to the lamb mixture and spread evenly into an 11 by 7-inch glass baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula. Place on a parchment lined half sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Link to Food Network page with recipe

Fall Soup-y Goodness

Ok, so I've been a total loser not posting in months. This is what happens when you are writing your dissertation... I have not stopped cooking though! I've been working on perfecting a Blondie recipe, but in the mean time I bought some more gorgeous black kale at the farmer's market last weekend and some organic honey cured bacon and made a lovely soup with it. This soup is HONESTLY better on day two, sounds crazy but it is true. Also, don't serve this to a date or eat this at lunch if you are going to be around people you want to impress. It is best consumed as a solo dinner, when you are in for the evening, beans and greens, need I say more? So here it is:

Kale and White Bean Soup

1/2 to 1/4 lb of bacon chopped (optional)
1-2 tbs olive oil
1 onion roughly chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic chopped
4 carrots sliced
1 large potato
1 carton of ready-made veggie stock (you can also use chicken, you just need 4 cups of whatever you use)
1 14oz can of canellini beans
1 head of kale (cut out the tough stems and ribs and then chop coarsely, you could also use cabbage if you can't get kale)
1-2 bay leaves
dried oregano
Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

start by browning the bacon in a heavy soup pot, until it is crispy and gives off some fat, then add olive oil and the onion. Sweat the onion for 2-3 min and then add the garlic and cook 2-3 min longer all over a low-med heat. Then add the carrots and potato stir and cook another 2-3 minutes add some salt and pepper at this point. Then add the stock, the liquid from the beans and the bay and oregano, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Then add the Kale and beans and simmer another 10-15 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Then take out about 1/3rd of the soup and puree it in the blender, food processor or with an immersion blender. then just add it back to the soup and season it with salt and pepper. Serve with Parmesan cheese on top.

Key Lime Cupcakes

I brought this to a potluck last night and it seemed to go over well. Do what you like with regards to dyeing the cupcakes and the frosting. I thought the violent chartreuse color of the cakes was a nice foil to red velvet cakes which have become quite trendy of late. I also added a bit of dye to the frosting for a very light green. As to decor, I like my cupcakes perhaps how I like my men, clean and cute, but not excessively pretty. I use a pastry bag with a large round tip to pipe a good sized swirl of frosting and I toped them with one of those small sugared fruit slice candies, lime flavored of course. Somehow everyone at the party seemed to know they were mine...I suppose violently green cupcakes are very me. Decorate them however you like though. Enjoy!

(from Bon Appetit, September 2008)

CUPCAKES

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup self-rising flour (I had trouble finding this at the market, for each cup of self-rising flour you can substitute 1 cup minus 2 teaspoons of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoons of salt)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
• 1/4 teaspoon neon-green food coloring
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

FROSTING

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

CUPCAKES

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin pan with 12 paper liners. Whisk both flours in medium bowl. Beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar; beat to blend. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then next 3 ingredients (batter may look curdled). Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions. Don't overbeat! Spoon scant 1/3 cup batter into each liner.

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool.

FROSTING

Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth, then beat in sugar, lime peel, and vanilla. Spread over cupcakes

Bon Voyage Party Menu

By popular demand, the recipes from my party this weekend to send off my lovely friend moving out west. I will now weep silently in the corner while you peruse these...

Roasted Garlic Dressing/Dip (from Bon Appetit, July 2008)

2 large heads of garlic
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup greek yogurt (you could also use regular yogurt, buttermilk, or any number fo buttermilk substitutes, even sour cream would probably be good)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut off top 1/2 inch from garlic heads. Place garlic heads on foil, cut sides up. Drizzle each with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Enclose garlic in foil. Roast until soft, about 1 hour. Unwrap; cool. Squeeze garlic from skins into blender. Add mayonnaise and greek yogurt; puree. Add basil; blend until chopped. Season with salt and pepper.

Roasted Eggplant Dip (from Ina Garten)

2 medium eggplants, peeled
1 red bell pepper, seeded
1 red onion, peeled
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons good olive oil
kosher salt
black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Preheat oven to 400. Chop the eggplant, red papers and onion roughly into 1 inch cubes and toss on a cookie sheet with minced garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes, tossing once, until the veggies are soft and slightly browned. Cool the veggies and then use a food processor of blender to puree them coarsely. Add the tomato paste and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with veggies and toasted pita to dip

This is also really lovely as a pizza sauce instead of tomato sauce. You can even use a pita round as a crust, just top it with mozzarella or an Italian cheese blend.

Key Lime Squares

Graham Crackers (2 of the 3 bags in a box of them is enough) or Oreo Cookies (2 ½ rows from a standard package)

1 stick of butter

6 egg yolks (whites not required)

1 cup lime juice (I use Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice, but you can use fresh or any other kind)

2 14 ounce cans sweetened condensed milk

If desired: the zest of a few limes, and whipped cream (cool whip holds up the best but is made of scary things, you be the judge)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 in baking pan. Melt the butter. Crush cookies by hand or in a food processor to a coarse crumble. Add the butter; you can mix with the processor or with your hands this will be the consistency of wet sand. Put the mixture into the prepared pan and spread over the bottom, pressing it down with your hands. Put this crust in the oven for about 20 minutes. Let this cool while you get on with the filling. Mix egg yolks, lime juice and sweetened condensed milk until thoroughly combined; add lime zest to this mixture if you like. Pour over the crust and bake for 20-30 minutes until the custard is set, just jiggle the pan a bit and see if the center looks set. Let this cool on the counter for a while and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours, more is better. You can cover this with whipped cream if you like before you cut it into squares to serve.

Chocolate and Zucchini Cup Cakes, (adapted slightly from Clotilde Dusoulier’s lovely cookbook Chocolate and Zucchini, here is a link to her blog: http://chocolateandzucchini.com/)

2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C butter, softened or extra virgin olive oil (I used oil)
1 C light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp instant coffee granules (the Nescafé type, the stronger the better)-I didn’t have this on hand but I can only imagine this would make it MUCH better
3 eggs, at room temperature
2 C zucchini, unpeeled, grated (two medium)
1 bag chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 muffin tins with paper liners (this makes about 18 cupcakes)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In your food processor or mixer, combine the sugar and butter or oil, and mix until fluffy. Add in the vanilla extract and espresso powder, then the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition.

Spoon in the flour mixture, reserving the last half-cup of it. Mix thoroughly, the batter will be thick.

Add the grated zucchini and 1 cup the chocolate chips to the reserved flour mixture, and toss to coat. Fold in the batter, and blend thoroughly (but don’t over mix!). Use a small ice cream scoop to dish out about 2 small scoops per muffin cup. Then take the rest of the chocolate chips and sprinkle a few on each cup cake.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

You can top these with a dusting of powdered sugar, they really don’t need any frosting, this is from a girl who really sees cup cakes (as all sane people do) as a vehicle for frosting.

Project Runway Cocktail

Ok, so I promised info on my smore bar, but the book with Nigella's lovely chocolate cookies is at home, and I am not so that will have to wait. For now a cocktail invented by my friend for our Project Runway viewing parties. I think I will call it....

The Hot Tranny Mess: (in honor of Christian of course)

1 shot vodka
fill glass most of the way with Fresca
top off with club soda if you like
add a cherry
and viola! You are ready to make it work!
I think some grenadine might also make a welcome addition to the concoction but do as you like.

Grill Menu

Hey there, sorry I have been such a loser, not posting for a while. I'll try to post more frequently really. First up will be some new recipes from my 4th of July party. I don't have an outdoor grill, but I managed to make grilled steak sandwiches on a grill pan and a George Forman grill. People really liked them, and you can grill up some portabellos for those pesky vegetarians and serve them with the same sauce.

Cherry Cola Steak Sandwiches:

First the sauce:
Cherry Coke BBQ Sauce (also tasty on chicken)
This is from Bon Appetit magazine this month, but I changed it up a bit

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small bottle of A-1 Steak Sauce
• 1 1/2 cups of ketchup
  
• 1 12- to 13-ounce jar cherry preserves or jam
• 1 cup cherry cola or regular cola (regular, not diet)
• 1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until golden, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Stir in everything else. Bring to simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered until reduced to 4 cups, stirring often to prevent scorching, about 50 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and cool completely.
You can make this ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. It is a crazy good sweet BBQ sauce, but it has the nice Worcestershire meatiness from the A-1. You could add hot sauce if you want, but I prefer a sweet sauce.
Steak:
I took a Sirloin steak and cut it in half to fit on my 2 grills, but do whatever you have to to get it on your grill machine of choice. Just put olive oil on, rub it all over the meat (the fun part) and then sprinkle liberally with McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning or just salt and pepper. Then throw it on the grill or the Forman until it is done as you like it. Beware, the forman cooks a lot faster so keep an eye on it. Then my lovely pal cut the meat for me, against the grain please!
To Serve:
I put out the steak on a platter, the sauce in a bowl, and some challah rolls out for people to make sandwiches. Challah is a Jewish egg bread that is braided, in loaf fomat it makes great French Toast, but the rolls are lovely they look like little shinny yellow knots and most good size grocery store bakeries should have them.


OK next time I'll tell you about my Smore bar....

Ice Tea Quickie

So just a quick post for now... I've gotten back into my ice tea habit for the summer, though it doesn't quite feel like summer here yet. I found these really great ice tea bags at Trader Joe's which you put in the coffee maker and brew. I ran out last week so I just put a few tablespoons of loose leaf tea in a coffee filter and brewed it with 12 cups of water and it worked like a charm. I have some lovely key lime tea I got in St. John which I brewed and it turned out great. I've been getting Agave Nectar to sweeten the tea, I think this provides more of an illusion of health than an actual reduction of calories, but I do what I can. It is convenient thought because it is already in syrup format, not that making simple syrup is that hard, but you know I get lazy. Also a quick hit on a spring dinner:

Potato and Corn Chowder:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 4 slices bacon, chopped (I use turkey bacon) 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves of garlic chopped 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1 pound small potatoes, cut into small chunks 4 to 5 large ears corn, kernels scraped from the cobs, or one 10-ounce box frozen corn 1 medium or 2 small zucchini, finely chopped 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika 3 tablespoons flour One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth (I've been using "Better than Bullion" concentrate) 1 cup milk 1 cup heavy cream Salt and pepper

1. In a medium soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp at the edges. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the potatoes, corn, zucchini, and paprika and cook for 4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the pot, stir and cook for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the broth and simmer until thickened a bit. Stir in the milk and cream and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 8 minutes. 2. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper. This is adapted from a recipe from Every Day With Rachel Ray (I know she is a little scary and perky, but the woman can cook!) Quick and Dirty Method: Replace veggies with a bag or two of precut ones from the store. I used Wegman's Minestrone veggies (which has carrots, celery and leaks too) and added some fresh green beans at the last minute (don't over cook them) and a bag of frozen corn. I think you can put in whatever veggies you like with this, it is mostly the method of starting with bacon and adding flour in to thicken it which gives it that nice smoky but fresh flavor from the cream. I made this for my dad and he thinks it would benefit from taking out some of the potatoes and pureeing them to thicken it more. I think you could probably do the same with the frozen corn, but I was too lazy to do that tonight so I can't tell you how it would turn out. I like to serve it with a white pizza, store bought dough rubbed with olive oil, chopped garlic, some spiced (herbes de Provence is nice) with a four cheese Italian blend on top. Enjoy!

British Comfort Food

So in honor of my lovely British roomate's departure for the summer I thought I'd bake her one last fruit crisp (or crumble, I know there is a technical distinction but whatever either way it tastes good!). My favorite recipe is Ina Garten's. The Peach Crisp page of my Barefoot Contessa cookbook is warped and staned with peach juice, which in my mom and I's book is the mark of a great recipe (more on dog-eared classics coming soon...). I use whatever fruit is handy, I like peaches and strawberries in the dead of summer when they are beautiful and sweet, and in the fall apples with loads of cinnamon and nutmeg and sometimes some dried cranberries thrown in for good measure. I once added some of Trader Joe's fab Cranberry Apple Chutney, one of my favorite condiments, which was really good. I think peaches might be good with some ginger grated in. When I taught a friend to make pie crust we added ginger to the peaches and it was really nice, though the pie as a whole was a disaster. Ok so the master recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 and butter the largest casserole you have, Pyrex is great for this

The Fruit:
First you need to mix up the fruit, peel the apples, peaches, or pears and cut then in to chunks. For peaches you can blanch them for 30 seconds a few at a time in boiling water and then shock them in cold water to get the peels off. You can toss in strawberry slices or raspberries, dried cranberries, whatever appeals, just be sure you have enough fruit. You'll want 4-5 pounds of whatever it is, it will look like a lot but you'll make a good amount of topping and it will be too rich if you don't have enough fruit.
So combine in a bowl or right in your casserole:
4-5 lbs fruit
about 3/4 cup of sugar. Use 1/4 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown with peaches and all brown with apples. I pretty much put in a couple of handfuls and judge by taste.
2 tbls. of flour (I eyeball this too, just a good handful works to thicken the fruits' sauce)
Spices: Add whatever you like here, most often I go with maybe a tsp. of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. of fresh grated nutmeg

let this all sit while you get on with the topping

The Crisp:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

You can mix this up in a food processor or with the paddle attachment of a mixer, but for my money as Julia Child taught us, our hands are the best tools so just use the tips of your fingers and mush the dry ingredients into the butter. Whatever you do you are looking for a crumbly consistency with pea sized pieces of butter.

Get your fruit into the casserole, and through the magic of television your fruit, having sat with the sugar and flour, will create it's own sauce. Then dump the crisp on top and smooth it out. Pop it in the oven for 1 hour and you will have some serious comfort food fit for people on either side of the pond. Let it cool a bit before digging into the molten goodness and served with a scoop of French vanilla ice cream you will be in heaven!

Enjoy!

Welcome to the search....

To Whom it May Concern: I'm starting this blog as a place to compile my favorite recipes. More and more I've been searching for the best recipes for my favorite foods (mostly baked goods), and I've recently had some success finding them. This scientific approach is in part due to my obsession with Alton Brown's show Good Eats. For me, the Holy Grail of baking is brownies. I've still never found a concoction that satisfies me at that basic kid level as much as boxed mixes (Ghiardelli's being the worlds best mix, naturally). I'm getting closer though. For this first recipe though I think I'll stick to one which I can hands down say is the best of its class: Flour Bakery's Banana Bread. Banana bread is one of the best quick breads, but some recipes are too greasy and others verge on fruit cake dryness. This one though is lovely and light and very banana-y. Flour is a fab bakery in Boston, http://www.flourbakery.com/ , which is worth checking out if you are there for a meal or a treat. Here is the recipe, the trick I think is beating up the sugar and eggs. Also I use vanilla yogurt (stoneyfield organic) instead of the creme fraiche or sour cream, and no nuts, but that's just me. Enjoy the banana bliss!

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed
2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped


Set oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Drizzle in oil. Add mashed bananas, creme fraiche, and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients and nuts. Pour into a lined loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

This is from foodnetwork.com courtesy Chef Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery in Boston