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December 31, 2005
Do You Hear What I Hear?
The Christmas gift take this year has been particularly dramatic. The night before Christopher and I left on our annual holiday trip to the Frozen East, he unveiled his gift to me: a gorgeous white 40 GB iPod. This thing has enough memory to hold our entire music collection and still have gigabytes to spare. Did you hear that? OUR ENTIRE MUSIC COLLECTION. That choir of angels you hear is the sound of a new era dawning at our house.
When we arrived at my parents' place in West Virginia on Christmas Day, I watched my brother Todd open a gift my Mom, my sister and I had gone in on together: a sleek little 2GB iPod nano. This thing is so sexy that I was treating it like a religous icon when I opened it up to load it with music for him before we left. He looked sufficiently shocked and awed. Go me!
Not long after, I opened up a gift from Mom, Dad, my sister, AND her husband. For those of you playing at home, many names on the tag means a big deal present.
It was a stupifyingly cool 30GB black VIDEO iPod -- with my name engraved on the back. You heard me right: it was a three iPod Christmas. Perhaps you have already experienced this phenomenon in years past, but we are relatively late adopters of technology. Neither C'pher or I had any inkling that my family would go for such a gift, and so hadn't thought to compare gift notes.
Far from being disappointed, C'pher was excited that, in essence, HE now actually owned his own iPod. We've already started to make plans to use this device as our de-facto jukebox. I've already downloaded my first video (a free copy of the great SNL video from a couple weeks back called "Lazy Weekend" starring Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg rapping about going out to see "The Chronic...(what?)...cles of Narnia), and will keep all stakeholders informed of my attempts to find iPorn. Watch this space.
Oh, and it plays music, too.
Aside from gorgeous ornaments, fantastic and soon-to-be-digitized CDs, bakeware galore, and some great after-Christmas sale clothing, the most notable addition to our home after Les Pods has to be our Roomba. Yes, we're now the proud owners of a little round, red jobbie that will be sweeping up for us when we leave for work each day, leaving more time for us to take over the world... er, I mean blog.
Those visiting our sumptuous digs will please comment on the new cleanliness of our floors so we can say, "Oh, no need for compliments. After all... robots like Roomba have no feelings. Roomba! Come over here and sweep up those crumbs and be quick about it!" Having learned nothing from Ray Bradbury or Rod Serling, we will soon find ourselves trapped in a world we didn't make, fighting off our mechanical overlords while trying to get closer to newcomer Keanu Reeves. Sounds like an OK future to me, as long as I get to have my new iPod.
Posted by kyle at 1:59 PM | Comments (1)
December 22, 2005
The Goose is Getting Fa... er, Big Boned
My kitchen and I have been spending a lot of time together lately. I enjoy cooking in general and baking in particular. I now have what I think is a pretty kick-ass kitchen, subscriptions to both Everyday Food and Cooks Illustrated, as well as a hefty collection of cookbooks. I get the monthly e-newsletters from King Arthur Flour. Friends and co-workers share their favorites and ones they've always wanted to try. I leaf through relatives' recipe boxes. I clip recipes -- even the craptastic ones from inside the Stouffers Creamed Chipped Beef boxes. It's a sickness, really.
So when it came to this year's holidays, I decided I was going to do some serious damage in the aforementioned kick-ass kitchen. First came Thanksgiving, which I'm going to save for a later post (embarrassing that Nicole managed to blog about our most excellent feast before I did), so that leaves us with the Granddaddy of them all:
Christopher and I have thrown an annual Christmas party (yes, Bill O'Reilly... it IS a Christmas party. Happy now? I didn't think so.), but one that we've lived in San Francisco. We are seriously into Christmas. The food, the music, the decorations, the food, the merriment, the decorations, the food, the... well, you see where I'm going. We typically invite many many wonderful folks, who often in turn bring many many wonderful folks, so the party gets pretty large, and that suits us just fine.
Back in the day, I used to get laid off for the entire month of December, which meant I had plenty of time to devote to party prep, so the food and plans have gotten more and more elaborate over the years. I actually had to take an unpaid week at work this year, so I took the whole week before the party off -- and I baked. I hope I don't get a bunch of stoner-hits from Google from that last sentence.
I'm not the kind of cook who can pull things together off the cuff. I need a schedule. It doesn't have to be complicated, but it does have to be there. Otherwise, I won't accomplish anything. Cookie baking started in the early part of the week and continued throughout. I finished the last of them on Friday. All savory dishes were done the day before or the day of the party. The schedule worked out so well, that I even had time to throw together an extra item I wasn't planning on. Also, I watched almost all of season 2 of Once And Again, and totally bawled at the end of the last disc. I ask you: am I gay or what?
So... now for the main event. Here's what was on the menu (recipes continue below):
SAVORY
Baked Brie
Chevre with Rosemary-Infused Olive Oil
Puff Pastry Rolls:
• Salami, Whole Grain Mustard, & Parmesan
• Pesto, Sun-dried Tomato, & Mozzarella
• Ground Lamb, Dijon Mustard & Feta
Spinach Bread
Tomato-Pistachio Spread
Hot Artichoke Dip
Cheeses & Crackers
Sliced Baguettes
Crudités, Hummus and Eggplant Spread
SWEET
Christmas Cut-Out Cookies with 'Buttercream' Icing
All Butter Cut-Out Cookies with Royal Icing
Chocolate Peppermint Swirl
Key Lime Sparklers
Profiteroles with Easy Mousse
Coconut Cookies
Chocolate Sherry Balls
Molasses Cookies
Sticky Toffee Pudding
TO DRINK
Champagne Punch
Pitchers of Cocktails:
• Margaritas
• Cosmopolitans
• Mojitos
Various other hard liquors for mixing
OJ, Cranberry, and Grapefruit Juices
Wine (Red, White and Sparkling)
Beer
Coke, Diet, 7-Up, Ginger Ale, Tonic
Sparkling Water
Coffee (with Baileys)
Obviously with all that, plus many guests arriving with festive treats of their own devising (including Hebrew Bazooka bubble gum), a good, if rather filling, time was had by all. Our floors gained no new stiletto marks this year, and despite an off-the-hook phone (and I don't mean that in the "Wow, that phone is Off The Hook, Bra!" way), and an errant votive that decided to take a flying leap spreading molten destruction in it's wake (Sorry Eric, Carol, Pam and Cricket!), we really had no party fouls or foul-ups. To see official Holiday Photographer Bill Delaney's pictures from the event, click here. Thanks again Bill!
Crank up that iTunes Smart Playlist with 20+ hours of Christmas party music. I'll say it: Best. Christmas. Ever.
BAKED BRIE
This is the simplest dish ever. Thaw out the frozen puff pastry (usually very easy to find), roll it out to a bigger size, toss the cheese on there fold it all up, egg wash, bake and BAM. You're fancy. I usually "top" the brie wheel with whatever extra something I happen to have, just for that little extra surprise when it finally gets cut into. I cannot stress how impressed people are when you manage the simple feat of wrapping and baking cheese. They especially love it when you use a cookie cutter or something to cut a pattern out of the excess dough to put on top. Fancy fancy fancy.
1 sheet frozen puff-pastry, pre-packaged
flour for dusting
1 (8 oz.) wheel of Brie
1 egg yolk lightly beaten with a Tablespoon of water
¼ or so dried cranberries (optional)
Defrost puff pastry sheet to room temperature, 15-20 minutes. Partway through, check to see if it is flexible enough, and unfold to defrost the whole way.
Pre-heat oven to 400º.
Lightly flour a work surface (I often use parchment or waxed paper taped down to the counter) and roll out the pastry just a little, to ensure smoothness. Pick a spot in the center of the pastry and lay down the cranberries (or whatever topping you use, if you use one).
Place brie wheel atop cranberries in the center. Lightly score a circular shape around the brie, allowing space all the way around that will encase the brie entirely; about 3-4 inches. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut the circle of dough out, and set the rest aside.
Fold the circle of dough up and all around the brie. Seal where necessary with a touch of the egg wash. Carefully invert onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, so that the folded side is down. Use a cookie cutter to cut a design out of the excess dough and place it on the dough, or just cut out pieces to decorate the top in your own way. Brush lightly with egg wash, avoiding getting too much on the baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Allow to stand at least 30 minutes before serving.
This may be assembled up to two days before the party and refrigerated (covered) until time to bake. Add egg wash just before putting into oven, not before.
If you prefer, you can "top" the cheese with fresh parsley or other herbs, minced garlic, buttered and spiced pecans or walnuts, toasted slivered almonds, apricot jam, or whatever you think sounds good.
CHEVRE WITH ROSEMARY-INFUSED OLIVE OIL
This has been a favorite of ours since our pal Elaine shared the idea with us several years ago. It's yummy, easy, and can be made well ahead of time. In fact, it should definitely be made at least the night before the party, so all the flavors have time to really combine. We usually use a log of chevre, but you could use whatever form you find, I'm sure.
1 roll (about 6 oz) of fresh goat cheese (chevre) at room temperature
2-3 Tablespoons rosemary-infused olive oil (recipe follows)
2-4 garlic gloves, finely minced
about 1 Tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
2-4 sprigs fresh rosemary for garnish
Fresh ground pepper to taste (optional)
Lay rosemary sprigs in a shallow container with an airtight lid. Spread minced garlic on a medium plate. Unwrap cheese and roll in garlic. Place cheese on rosemary sprigs. Drizzle with infused olive oil. Sprinkle with minced rosemary and add pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving with crackers or bread.
ROSEMARY-INFUSED OLIVE OIL
You can buy this stuff plenty easily, but it's almost never cheap. I found this simple recipe on the rather dubious RecipeSource.com, but it seemed to work for me just fine. The microwaving seems to serve two purposes: it speeds up the infusion process (which, without cooking can really take weeks), and it also kills bacteria in the ingredients so you can keep and use the excess for a few days after. Beware, though... the botulism bacteria loves garlic! It's a little on the spicy side thanks to the red pepper flakes, but I think you could leave those out with no harm to the final product. I also think other herbs would work in this recipe as well.
½ cup olive oil
1 longish strip of lemon peel
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Combine all ingredients and microwave on high for 1 minute, 15 seconds. Let cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.
PUFF PASTRY ROLLS
Recently, Christopher and I were having dinner with an colleague of his from work named Kay. Soon the subject of our Christmas bash came up, and she asked what we were serving. At that point, we were planning on doing another fabulous tray of tasties from the most excellent La Mediterranee like we did last year. Kay, though, presented me with an idea I couldn't pass up. It was easy, cheap, and we'd already have some of the ingredients: filled Puff Pastry rolls.
Kay's first suggestion was to roll out the puff pastry dough to a nice sized rectangle and top it first with Dijon mustard, and then a layer of salami, finished with a sprinkling of fresh parmigiano. Salivating, I decided I'd do it right then and there. I figured I'd get two packages of the frozen puff pastry, which each have two sheets in them. I'd use one for the Brie, and have three more.
The salami one would be the first. At dinner that night we came up with an idea for #2: pesto, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and shredded part-skim mozzarella (aka Pizza Cheese). Not too long after that, Christopher and I were having an impromptu lunch at the delicious new French place on Valencia, Garcon (which took the home of the late lamented Alma). Garcon was 'fantastique' to say the least, as was the Merguez lamb sausage sandwich on a baguette with Dijon mustard that I gobbled up. Right then and there, I knew what I'd put in that third pastry: lamb. I decided on grainy mustard for the salami one so I could use the Dijon on the lamb.
Remember earlier when I said how easy is usually is to find puff pastry sheets? Well, it seems many local merchants have been having, and I quote, "trouble with [their] supplier" lately, and so all of a sudden it became rather rare. We finally did track some down. I've since discovered that work-friend and fellow cook Beverlee has a way around this problem: she takes the puff pastry shells, which are pre-scored to puff up into little bowls when baked, thaws them out and rolls them out again, just like a normal dough. Wish I'd thought of that!
SALAMI & PARMESAN PUFF PASTRY ROLLS
1 sheet frozen puff-pastry, pre-packaged
flour for dusting
¼ cup or so of whole-grain mustard
½ cup or so of shredded fresh parmesan cheese
½ pound or so of hard salami, sliced thinly
1 egg yolk lightly beaten with a Tablespoon of water
Defrost puff pastry sheet to room temperature, 15-20 minutes. Partway through, check to see if it is flexible enough, and unfold to defrost the whole way.
Pre-heat oven to 400º.
Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the pastry in the same rectangle it comes in until it is about half again as big as it was. You want the dough thinner, but not so thin that it rips or can't hold together.
With a sharp knife or a pizza wheel, rim away the rough edges until you have a rectangle. Leaving about a 2 inch border to the edge of the dough, spread the mustard evenly on the pastry. Sprinkle the cheese over the mustard. Lay the salami down over the cheese and mustard in a single layer. It's OK of the edges overlap a little.
Starting at one of the short ends of the rectangle, gently and quickly roll the pastry and toppings in a tight roll. Once you reach the end border, brush a little of the egg wash and then finish rolling. Pinch together ends and fold them under the roll and seal with a little more egg wash.
Place the roll on a lined baking sheet, seam side down. Lightly brush with egg wash. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let stand another 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving. You can assemble the roll the day before the party and refrigerate, covered. If you do, do not apply the egg wash to the roll until just before you bake it.
Other variations include:
LAMB & FETA PUFF PASTRY ROLLS
¼ cup or so of Dijon mustard
1 lb of ground lamb, cooked with hot paprika, oregano, and a little red pepper flake; cooled and undrained
½ cup or so crumbled feta cheese
SUN-DRIED TOMATO & PESTO PUFF PASTRY ROLLS
¼ cup or so of prepared pesto sauce
3/4 cup or so roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes (the pre-chopped kind sold in jars in oil are fine)
½ cup or so shredded part-skim mozzarella
SPINACH BREAD
This was my first experience in working with a yeast bread, and it turned out fine, though I think it would have been a little better served with dinner than as a party finger food. It was super bready, and rather garlicky, so if you like that stuff, you'd like this. It certainly got eaten at the party!
I was a little hesitant when the aforementioned Kay (who gave me the idea for the puff pastry rolls) told me you start this bread with something called 'Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix,' but then I figured it's just pre-measured flour and stuff, so it's probably just fine. I mean, I don't turn up my nose at Bisquick, right? Why should I eschew this fine mix, which had it's own package of Red Star Quick Yeast included. All that said, I'm sure the magic of the mix could be easily duplicated with the contents of most bakers' pantries.
The funniest part of this dish was the amount of spinach we ordered to fix it. Somehow, when we filled out the Safeway.com delivery, we ordered a 2 lb. bag of fresh spinach. This bag was nearly as big as Rhode Island. We are still trying to make a dent in it, and it's nearly three weeks after we got it. Look for spinach cookies in your stocking from me this year. They are very high in fiber and oh so festive.
1 box 'Hot Roll Mix'
1 cup warm water
1 egg
flour for dusting
2 cups fresh spinach
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil for brushing
Fleur de Sel (or another coarse salt) for sprinkling
Prepare dough according to package directions. Before preparing it for it's final rising stage, work the dough into a long, flattish tube. Sprinkle first with garlic, then a little Fleur de Sel, and then press spinach into it, folding the dough over itself so the dough is covered. Form dough into a ring and sit out for final rise. Bake according to package directions.
Once out of the oven, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Fleur de Sel. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.
TOMATO-PISTACHIO SPREAD
This was easily Christopher's favorite thing I made, and it was an afterthought. I had finished and cleaned up from one of the baking projects, and was waiting for C'pher to be ready to run an errand with me. I knew I had about 45 minutes to make something and clean up, and I happened to turn to a dog-eared page in the fabulous Everyday Food and discovered a Tomato-Almond spread I had wanted to try. I looked at the ingredient list and I had everything... except Almonds. Undaunted, I pulled down the bag of Trader Joe's Roasted Pistachio Nutmeats (no shell means no work!), gathered the rest and got that food processor to blazing. A half-hour later and I had a very very tasty, slightly sweet and nutty spread that went great with crackers and baguette alike.
The recipe calls for you to toast blanched almonds, but my pistachios were already roasted, so I skipped that step. Also, the pistachios were unsalted (Christopher must have been crazy or something), and so I added twice the amount of salt than the recipe called for -- hey, I like salt. I think if you used a salted nut, you could cut back. Use your judgment. Salt is easy to add, even after the fact, but notoriously hard to remove short of a full-scale evaporation of all the other ingredients. Since that powerful a sun-lamp will likely be busy down at Tropical Tanz & Nail Salon, just add a little at a time to taste.
3/4 cup roasted unsalted pistachio nutmeats
1 (14 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 Tablespoon paprika (hot if you have it, though sweet is OK too)
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons coarse salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flake
¼ cup olive oil
Drain the can of tomatoes, and squeeze each one to remove the seeds. Add tomatoes to a food processor along with the all remaining ingredients except the olive oil. Process until nuts are finely ground and mixture is well combined. With the processor motor running, add the olive oil in a slow stream until a paste forms. Refrigerate overnight and up to one week. Try this recipe with roasted blanched almonds or another favorite salty nut. Makes ca. 1½ cups.
HOT ARTICHOKE DIP
If our Christmas Party menu is our paean to indulgent gastronomic excess, then Hot Artichoke Dip is white-trash jewel in the crown. Containing the better part of a jar of mayonnaise ('lite' works OK, too, though) and the only kind of parmesan cheese (yes, the canned kind) available in the rural Midwest for years, our version of this unbelievably delicious dish, which we got from Christopher's Aunt Kathy, has been kicked up the spiciness index, as is our wont. It just seems right.
Now, a warning: the amounts here are for a DOUBLE RECIPE. We very rarely make less than two batches. We recommend two medium-sized casserole dishes. I suppose you could bake this all in one large dish, but the deepness of the dip is one of the best things about it. Under NO circumstances should you throw away any leftovers after the party -- you will be sorry! It is yummy for days afterward and heats up well. Also, it never hurts to have a defibrillator on hand for any possible cardiac events.
2 (15 oz) cans of artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
2 cups mayonnaise (light mayo is fine)
1 cup grated parmesan (the canned kind is more 'authentic,' but fresh is good, too)
1 (16 oz) bag shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
½ teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon hot paprika
Pre-heat oven to 350º F. Thoroughly mix all ingredients in a large bowl, reserving 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and ½ teaspoon paprika. Distribute into two ungreased medium-sized oven-safe casserole dishes, and top with remaining mozzarella and paprika. Bake until bubby and heated through; about 30 minutes. Allow to set 5 minutes to cool slightly. Serve with strong crackers or sliced baguettes. Dip may be mixed, assembled and chilled up to a day ahead of time. Bring to room temperature before baking.
ALL-BUTTER CUT OUT COOKIES WITH ROYAL ICING
Regular watchers of this space may already know the joys of my absolute all-time favorite cookie recipe ever, the traditional Christmas Cut-Out Cookie with Buttercream Icing. The dough is a dream to work with (you would be too if you were full of Crisco*), only slightly sweet and very forgiving when either over- or under-baked (though given the choice, do under-bake them). Kudos to Emily for providing the forbidden silver dragees for this year's batch!
There's only one problem with these excellent treats: they aren't so very pretty. Oh, sure, they look very homey and rustic, and that's a great thing at Christmas. But years of looking at delicate and intricately decorated cut-out cookies left me wanting to try A) an all-butter cut-out cookie recipe, and 2) a batch of royal icing. Royal Icing, for those who don't know, is a relatively simple concoction of raw whipped egg whites and confectioners' sugar that goes on pretty smoothly and can, when used properly, create that gorgeous unbroken, smooth layer of icing you see in the magazines. Between my constant companion Everyday Food, and Martha Stewart Living magazine, I found both cookie and icing recipes (respectively) with no problem.
Here is what I discovered:
• Butter cookies, while delicious, are rather brittle unless they are rolled out very thickly (and are brittle even then), and don't taste a whole lot different than the tins of spritz butter cookies you can buy at any grocery store.
• Royal icing does make a prettier cookie with icing that is far less apt to get ruined, but the taste is just not up to the 'country buttercream' icing that I usually use.
All that said, the cookies came out fine and were a hit. I think if I ever got my hands on a cookie press, I might try this dough to make some spritz cookies of my own. As for Royal Icing, I think it might be fine for using on cookies made primarily as decorations, but for eating, I'm all about the classics.
* I am now only slightly regretting this phrasing.
3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces
½ teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
Place flour, sugar, butter, and salt in the bowl of a food processor; process until mixture is the texture of coarse meal. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks and vanilla; with motor running, add to food processor. Process just until a dough forms.
Divide dough in half; form into two 1/2-inch-thick disks. Wrap in plastic; chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°. On a piece of floured waxed paper, roll one disk to a thickness of 3/16 inch; chill. Repeat with remaining dough. Flouring cutters as you go (to prevent sticking), cut dough into desired shapes; carefully transfer to baking sheets. Re-chill rolled-out dough if difficult to work with.
If decorating before baking, brush with egg wash (1 large egg white beaten w/ 2 teaspoons water), then sprinkle with sugar or sprinkles. Bake until edges are firm (not brown), 15 to 20 minutes for 3-inch cookies. Cool 1 to 2 minutes on baking sheets; cool completely on a wire rack. Store finished cookies in an airtight container, up to 2 weeks. Makes about 30 cookies.
This dough can also be rolled into a log shape, chilled overnight, sliced and baked. It can also be used in a cookie press to make spritz cookies.
ROYAL ICING
The recipe I found called for some lemon juice, and I think that may have been part of what I didn't like so much. Not that it wasn't a good taste... it wasn't what I was hoping for in this case.
2 large egg whites
4 cups sifted confectioners'' sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Beat the room-temperature whites in a large bowl until stiff but not dry. Add sugar and a little of the lemon juice, beat for 1 minute more. Add more lemon juice to thin icing if it is too thick, and more sugar if it is too thin. Add food coloring if desired. Fill piping bag with small tip to decorate cookies.
CHOCOLATE-MINT SWIRL COOKIES
I first made these really good-looking cookies last year when I got the recipe from the Food Network's '12 Days of Cookies' newsletter. For whatever reason, I decided to omit the mint extract in the recipe, and while they looked great, they really didn't taste like anything special for something that required a fair amount of extra effort.
This year I upped the ante: instead of your standard cocoa powder, I used some dark Dutch-process stuff (Valrhona to be exact... yes, it is worth it!), I added a little red food coloring to the 'vanilla' dough for a holiday flair, and the mint extract was in in in. The result was a great looking cookie that had a delicious Peppermint Pattie-type flavor.
Don't be daunted by the two-dough layering and rolling up process. It's a lot easier than it sounds, and once the rolled logs have chilled, the slice-n-bake aspect of these cookies just couldn't be easier. One should note, however, that you'll have to be able to get a cookie sheet (or something) full of flat, rolled-out, wax paper wrapped dough into your fridge for a couple of hours. My fridge has a great spot for this, but if I had tried it in my old fridge, I'm sure I would have had to do a bit of prep beforehand.
'Vanilla' Dough:
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
¼ teaspoon fine salt
1 large egg
1 to 1¼ teaspoons mint extract
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
food coloring (optional)
Chocolate Dough:
1¼ cups granulated sugar
¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon fine salt
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks) room temperature
1 large egg
1½ cups all-purpose flour
For the 'vanilla' dough:
Mix the two sugars and the salt together in a medium bowl. In another small bowl, whisk the egg and mint extract and set aside. With a hand held mixer beat the butter until smooth in a large bowl. While mixing, gradually add the sugar mixture, and continue beating until lightly colored and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stop mixing and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg mixture (and food coloring, if using) and beat until smooth. Gradually add the flour, mixing slowly until blended.
Turn the dough out of the bowl, divide in half. Place the halves between two pieces of lightly floured parchment or waxed paper. Roll into a 10 by 12 by ¼ inch rectangle. Slide the sheets of dough/parchment sheets onto a baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm, about two hours or overnight.
For the chocolate dough:
Whisk the sugar, cocoa, salt in a medium bowl. With a hand held mixer beat the butter until smooth in a large bowl. While mixing, add the cocoa mixture, and continue beating until lightly colored and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Stop mixing and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and beat until smooth. Gradually add the flour, mixing slowly until blended.
Turn the dough out of the bowl, divide in half. Place the halves between two pieces of lightly floured parchment or waxed paper. Roll into a 10 by 12 by ¼ inch rectangle. Slide the sheets of dough/parchment sheets onto a baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm, about two hours or overnight.
To assemble the doughs into swirls:
Put one of the chocolate doughs on the workspace and remove the top sheet of parchment. Brush dough lightly with cold water. Place a sheet of vanilla dough on the workspace, and remove top sheet of paper. Using the bottom piece of the paper to lift the dough, place the vanilla dough on top of the chocolate dough. Take care to line up the edges of the two doughs and trim as needed. Lightly press to smooth and seal the doughs together. Remove the top piece of paper. Brush the surface of the dough lightly with cold water. Position the sandwiched doughs with the long edge facing you. Using the edge of the paper as a guide, roll the doughs into a tight cylinder, about 2 inches wide. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. Repeat with remaining two sheets of dough.
To bake the cookies:
Preheat to 325º F. Slice the dough crosswise into ¼ inch thick cookies. Lay about ½ inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until just golden - not too dark you'll lose the definition of the spiral, about 14 to 16 minutes. Makes about 6 dozen cookies.
KEY LIME SPARKLERS
This is another little gem that arrived in my e-mail box, this time from the wonderful King Arthur Flour e-newsletter. They actually sell a kit for making these little delights, which would likely save you the trouble of finding sour salt (citric acid), lime juice and key lime juice, but once you try them you'll want to make them again.
They are nicely tart with the great taste of Key limes, the Meyer lemon of the lime diaspora. The 'sparkler' part of the name comes from using edible glitter, which, while not necessary, does add a certain something, especially if you see them in the daylight. I changed some of the original recipe proportions to get a more pronounced lime flavor, and added a little green food coloring, since without it (or green edible glitter) they look just like Italian Wedding cookies, which, while delicious, are no Key Lime Sparklers.
One last note: make these small. The batch I made for the party got a little too big, and a little too dry in baking. Stick to the 1 inch rule.
Cookies
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons Key Lime Juice
1/8 teaspoon lime oil
1/8 teaspoon sour salt (citric acid)*
1 large egg 2½ cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
Coating
1/8 teaspoon sour salt (citric acid*)
1 cup glazing sugar or confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons white edible glitter (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
*Sour salt (citric acid) is what gives the cookies their sour bite—if you want less tang, use just a pinch.
In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, and baking powder till well blended. Beat in the lime juice, lime oil, sour salt (citric acid), and the egg. Blend in the flour thoroughly.
Roll the dough into 1" balls, and place them on lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake the cookies in the top third of a preheated 350°F oven for 14 to 16 minutes, until the cookies are browned on the bottom. Remove them from the oven, and cool on the pan for about 2 minutes before transferring to a rack.
Mix together the sugar coating ingredients in a pan or bag. Gently shake and roll the still slightly warm cookies in the sugar till coated. Allow the cookies to cool completely, then repeat, coating again with the sugar. (If you're freezing the cookies, you may choose to recoat the cookies in sugar once they've been removed from the freezer, before serving.) Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
PROFITEROLES (WITH EASY MOUSSE)
Yet another Everyday Food find, when I saw the recipe for the profiteroles (aka 'cream puffs') I just knew I had to try it. You actually make the dough in a pot on the stove, so that sounded cool. Yes, I am easily impressed.
In the magazine, they had them filled with the more traditional ice cream, frozen, and drizzled with hot fudge sauce just before serving. I knew that wouldn't work for me, but I couldn't think of a substitute until the illustrious Kay (she of the Puff Pastry Rolls and Spinach Bread) suggested an 'easy mousse' recipe that seemed a no-brainer: instant pudding with half of the cold milk replaced with heavy cream. It would give the right taste and would be stable at room temperature! Eureka!
I also made these a bit too large. The dough is very very sticky, but do try to keep the amount of dough in each lump down to a heaping Tablespoon. They look very fancy when they're done, and aren't sweet (no sugar) which naturally makes them perfect for filling with something sweet. If you wait to fill these until closer to the party, do NOT store them sealed in plastic or they will lose their nice light, slightly bready quality and will go a bit chewy on you. Bleah.
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for baking sheets
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash
1 Tablespoon confectioners' sugar (for sprinkling, optional)
Make the dough: Preheat oven to 425°, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Butter two large rimmed baking sheets.
Combine butter, 1 cup water, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until butter melts. Reduce heat to medium.
Add flour; cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball, 30 seconds to 1 minute. The dough is of the right consistency when it pulls away from the sides of the pan and looks like dry mashed potatoes. Remove from heat; cool 1 minute.
With an electric handheld mixer, beat in eggs, a little bit at a time, until completely incorporated (dough should look shiny and be soft enough to slowly fall off a spoon).
Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto baking sheets (you should have 24 to 28), about 2 inches apart. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush puffs with egg wash (do not let it drip on sheets).
Bake, rotating sheets between racks halfway through, until puffed and brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven; turn oven off.
With a toothpick, poke a hole in each puff. Return to oven (still off) for 10 minutes (this helps puffs dry out).
EASY MOUSSE
I debated between chocolate and vanilla for these things, but chocolate won out.
1 small box chocolate instant pudding mix
1 cup cold milk
1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
Combine pudding mix and milk in a large bowl with an electric beater. Beat in whipping cream until fluffy.
Put 'mousse' into a pastry bag fitted with a medium sized tip, one just big enough to fit inside the holes in the tops of the puffs. Slowly squeeze the bag to fill each puff with mousse until it is full. Place puffs on tray or bowl and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.
COCONUT BUTTER COOKIES
Have I mentioned lately how great Everyday Food is? Well it is. This cross between a macaroon and a chewy butter cookie is from there. I made them last year and loved them. Don't let them bake too long and don't heap the coconut on; it'll only burn. These hold up very well over time and still tasted great when I had one yesterday... a full two weeks after they were baked!
1 (14 oz) package sweetened shredded coconut (just over 5 cups)
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
Preheat oven to 350° F. Set aside 2 loosely packed cups of coconut on a plate. Place remaining coconut in a food processor along with sugar, salt, and baking powder; process until finely ground. Add butter, and process until no lumps remain. Add egg and vanilla; process just until smooth. Add flour; pulse until a crumbly dough begins to form, scraping down the sides of bowl as needed (do not overmix).
Forming 5 or 6 at a time, scoop level Tablespoons of dough, and place in reserved coconut. Roll into balls, lightly coating with coconut.
Arrange balls, about 2 inches apart, on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until lightly golden, 15-18 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 1-2 minutes; transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
CHOCOLATE SHERRY BALLS (aka SWEDISH CAKES)
These truffle-like delights were a specialty of Christopher's beloved grandma, and they show up every year on our cookie plates. Since there is absolutely no baking involved, they're particularly easy to make, though a little messy -- especially if you use the recommended mixing utensils: your hands. They're also often the first cookies to be made since they are stored in the freezer.
We used some of that famous Valrhona cocoa powder (it uses a lot!), and you could really taste the difference, so I'm recommending here the use of Dutched cocoa powder, though it seems to have fallen out of favor lately. Not sure why. Also remember that anytime you cook with alcohol (especially in this case, since the cookies aren't baked), be sure it's alcohol of a quality you would want to drink. You don't have to like Sherry, but even a non-discriminating palate can tell a crappy salt-nightmare Sherry from a decent one. For what it's worth, we used a pretty cheap brand, Christian Brothers, and it was fine.
3 cups oatmeal (not instant)
12 Tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
¾ cup sugar
3/8 lb. (1½ sticks) butter, softened
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
6 Tablespoons strong coffee, cooled
Dry Sherry to taste (we probably used just over a ¼ cup or so)
¾ cup confectioners' sugar in a clean paper bag
In a large bowl, whisk together oats, cocoa and sugar. Stir in butter, vanilla and coffee. Mix with clean hands until well combined. Add Sherry.
Making 8-10 at a time, roll dough into 1" balls. Place in paper bag with sugar. Shake the bag to coat the balls. Remove them and place in a plastic bag in the freezer to firm up; at least 1 hour. Store in freezer and serve cold when possible.
CHEWY MOLASSES SPICE COOKIES
My mother used to make the greatest molasses cookies in the whole wide world. Years ago, I got a copy of her recipe, but it's lost in the bowels of my recipe clippings collection (resolution for 2006... finally get that bulging envelope cleaned out and, dare I say it, organized), so when I saw this recipe in (guess where) Everyday Food, I thought I'd give it a go.
They were certainly good tasting, but spread a little bit more than I was hoping. I wanted something a bit thicker. Though this is a rare occurrence, and I have no evidence to support this, I may (and I stress 'may') have mis-measured the flour in this recipe, which might account for why my cookies were especially flat, sugary and didn't crackle at all. Hey, I get at least one dud per Christmas, pally.
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups sugar
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
¼ cup molasses
Preheat oven to 350° F. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a shallow bowl, place ½ cup sugar; set aside.
Beat butter and remaining cup of sugar until combined. Beat in egg and then molasses until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in dry ingredients, just until a dough forms.
Pinch off and roll dough into balls, each equal to 1 tablespoon. Roll balls in reserved sugar to coat.
Arrange balls on baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. Bake, one sheet at a time, until edges are just firm, 10 to 15 minutes (cookies can be baked two sheets at a time, but they will not crackle uniformly). Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; transfer to racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container, 3 to 4 days. Makes about 3 dozen.
STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING
Ah... the piece de resistance of our annual party. This was a recipe Christopher picked up while living in Aberdeen, Scotland. The original recipe calls for treacle, which is really just an old term for dark molasses, though I believe that real Scottish treacle has special properties that make it unique. Someday we're going to try it... if we ever run out of the little jar of dark molasses we bought a few years ago!
Here is what he said about it in the commentary of a cookbook he contributed to back in Pittsburgh:
"This dessert, rich enough to make you pleasantly sick, hails from northeast Scotland, courtesy of 'ma Blootoon quine,' Mrs. Ann Cromarty.
We always serve this late-on in the party. Bowls with a dense little square covered in a rich, warm sauce and topped with chilled heavy cream puts some people off, but there are always those guests more than willing to soak up the extras. This cake also freezes beautifully, and can easily be baked, frozen and mailed to a distant friend with the recipe (and maybe some of the ingredients) for the sauce.
Cake:
1 (8 oz.) package chopped dates
1 cup water
1¼ cups (about 6 oz.) dark brown sugar
¼ cup (½ stick) butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup self rising flour (recipe follows)
1 teaspoon baking soda
A healthy dribble of dark molasses
Sauce:
1½ cups (about 7 oz.) dark brown sugar
2¼ cups (1½ sticks) butter
1 half-pint carton of heavy whipping cream, plus more for serving.
To make the cake: Pre-heat oven to 350° F. In a large, heavy bottomed sauce pan, boil dates with water until mushy. Lower heat to medium and add brown sugar and butter. Cook until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes.
Stir in eggs, flour, baking soda and molasses.. Pour into an ungreased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out of the center clean. Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Invert the pan onto a plate, hold plate and pan together and shake until cake comes loose.
To make the sauce: Combine all ingredients over medium-low in a medium saucepan until melted. Do not let mixture come to a boil.
To serve: Slice cake and drizzle warm sauce over the top. Serve with vanilla ice cream, fresh whipped cream, or simply drizzle with a little more cold unwhipped heavy cream. Serves 8-10, or more if your pieces are small (it's very rich).
SELF-RISING FLOUR
Weather you buy or make this stuff, don't leave it sitting around longer than 4-6 months, as baking powder starts to lose some of it's kick in time.
1 cup sifted cake flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
Sift all items together well, and use in place of store-bought self rising flour.
KYLE'S FAMOUS HOLIDAY CHAMPAGNE PUNCH
OK. Confession time. I hardly invented this drink, though it now bears my name. When I learned it from a guy I saw back in the day, it was named after him. I have been making it annually now, though for well over ten years, and I feel I've sufficiently added to the life of the recipe as well as the ingredients, so I'm not entirely ashamed of calling it my own.
To serve this at one of our first SF Christmas bashes, I got myself an ugly but functional pressed-glass punchbowl from Bed Bath and Beyond. It worked out fine for a long long time. Our dear friend Ms. Julie one year got us a gorgeous glass bowl, very simply designed with high sides and with our initials etched around the rim. We use it as often as we can and have learned to love punch and the making of it.
Do yourself a favor, though and get an ice-ring mold. For a few years I managed to use a shallow bowl with a plastic jar in placed in the center to make the rings, but it's just not the same. If you absolutely refuse to do a ring, simply dump half a bag of frozen strawberries in and maybe a few good-looking ice cubes and that'll do the trick.
Also, try not to waste the Dom Perignon on this punch, even if it is Christmas. It should be good enough champers to drink, but get something on the cheap end. Under NO circumstances should you use Cooks. That stuff isn't even fit to clean your drains with.
1 (16 oz.) bag frozen whole strawberries
1½ cups of strawberry juice
1 small (12 oz.) can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 small (12 oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate
½ of a can (6 oz of a 12 oz. can) frozen limeade concentrate
2 2-liter bottles of 7-Up, chilled if possible
1 bottle sparkling wine, chilled if possible
Rum (dark or light) or vodka to taste
Place about half of the strawberries in an ice ring mold. Mix strawberry juice with ½ cup water and pour over strawberries until the liquid level is about halfway up the berries. Place in freezer until liquid is rigid; about 45 minutes. Any of the original 1½ cups of strawberry juice that remains and water. Re-freeze. If any room remains in the top of the ring, cover with more water and re-freeze.
Remove ring from the mold by dipping the ring into a shallow basin with very hot water that comes at least halfway up the side of the ring. Use a fork to try to "push" the ring around in the mold until it comes loose. Invert ring over basin and place ring into a plastic freezer bag and store in freezer until you're ready to assemble the punch.
When assembling the punch, place the orange juice, lemonade and limeade concentrates in the punch bowl and mix to combine. Add 7-Up and sparkling wine and stir, breaking up melting pieces of juice concentrates. Float ice-ring in the bowl and add rum to taste.
The juice concentrates may be combined in a container beforehand to ease last-minute assembly. This is especially helpful if you're planning on multiple batches.
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Merry Christmas to all cooks and eaters, and remember those going hungry as we are not. God bless us every one!
Posted by kyle at 12:34 PM | Comments (1)
December 16, 2005
Now... where were we?
HO-kay. So you know how when you have a blog and you have lots of ideas on stuff to write but instead you obsess about getting just the right Christmas gifts for your family and goof off on SFGate and other people's blogs all day instead of posting on your own?
Me neither.
Posted by kyle at 10:49 AM
December 1, 2005
The Final Countdown
Posted by kyle at 2:32 PM