Archive for January, 2009

All Kinds of slice and bakes

01.09.09 // Comments:5

all kinds of cookies

The first time I tried to post about these cookies was in the middle of December, just after I had mixed up the dough, a doubled recipe, and placed a group of wrapped logs in my freezer. There were four different kinds—chocolate, lemon-chamomile, pecan and chocolate chocolate-chip—and the mixing and rolling had been a snap. It was the kind of thing I’d usually love to tell you about. But instead, the next day I just stared at my blank computer screen, watching the clock tick by in the upper right-hand corner. It was actually pretty horrible, now that I remember it. I’d try to think about the cookies, and I’d look at the photos of them, and, well, nothing.

So I tried again a week later, after I’d sliced the logs into thick coins and baked several batches for a holiday party, stacking them in clear containers lined with red tissue paper. Still nothing.

By the time I was giving groups of them as gifts at Christmas, I had all but given up on posting here, despite how delicious these easy, easy icebox cookies turned out to be, the perfect kind of slice-and-bakes, with infinite varieties limited only by your preferences.

Yet now, here I am, almost a month later, and I’ve decided to try once more. The thing that really did it for me was coming home Monday night, tired and achy and a little discouraged, and pulling out the frozen lemon-chamomile ones for dessert. A quick defrost in the microwave—30 seconds or so should do it—and they were just as good as when they first came out of the oven. I think I ate eight of them, right there at the counter. I decided then, for goodness’ sake, it was time to post these already.

These are cookies you want to have in your back pocket. Or, even better, frozen in logs to be baked when you want them, or baked and frozen to be defrosted when you WANT THEM NOW. These are one-size-fits-all cookies, something-for-everyone cookies, mix-today-for-later cookies. With a shortbread-like texture and a million possibilities, they’re simply delicious, and you have to try them.

[And if that sounds a little, well, lacking? Cut me some slack. I tried three times, OK? These cookies want to speak for themselves.]

Versatile Slice-and-Bake Cookies
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

The possibilities are endless with these guys: anything you think you might like in a shortbread-style cookie, try. Because there are so many varieties imaginable, I just went with ingredients I had on hand: crumbled lemon-chamomile tea & lemon zest; chopped pecans; chocolate chips; cocoa powder and chocolate chips. Also, because they are slice-and-bake style, you can make the dough, form it into a log and freeze it for up to one(!) month(!). Then, anytime you want fresh-baked cookies, just slice and pop them in the oven.

Ingredients:
2 sticks (8 ounces; 230 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoons vanilla or almond extract
2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour

Directions:
Put the butter in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat at medium speed until it is smooth. Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and beat again until the mixture is smooth and silky. Beat in the egg yolks, followed by the salt and any dried fruits, zest, nuts or seeds. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, beating just until it disappears. It is better to underbeat than overbeat at this point; if the flour isn’t fully incorporated, that’s okay just blend in whatever remaining flour needs blending with a rubber spatula. Turn the dough out onto a counter, gather it into a ball, and divide it in half. Wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Working on a smooth surface, form each piece of dough into a log that is about 1 to 1 1/4 inches (2.5 to 3.2 cm) thick. (Get the thickness right, and the length you end up with will be fine.) Wrap the logs in plastic and chill for 2 hours. (The dough can be wrapped airtight and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.)

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.

While the oven is preheating, roll cookie logs in any coatings of your choice. Then, using a sharp slender knife, slice each log into cookies about 1/3 inch (10 mm) thick. (You can make the cookies thicker if you’d like; just bake them longer.) Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets, leaving about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) space between them.

Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they are set but not browned. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool to room temperature.

Keeping: Packed airtight, the cookies will keep for about 5 days at room temperature, or in the freezer for a month. Unbaked logs can be frozen for longer.

Comments:5 Click here to comment! Categories: before the 2009 diet change

hold in your hand, hot

01.07.09 // Comments:16

lemons lining

I have wanted Meyer lemons for years. Mainly because, when I couldn’t find them, there were recipes everywhere with Meyer lemon this and Meyer lemon that, and, well, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Of course, just like most things we want because we can’t have, as soon as I bought them, I couldn’t find any of those taunting recipes, and then I had to go looking for ideas.

I made a cake: a Meyer lemon cake, with Meyer lemon glaze and candied Meyer lemons on top. But it wasn’t that good, and I only kind of liked it, and it took all my Meyer lemons but gave me little in return, just something mildly edible to snack on for the next week, before I would throw the remaining half in the garbage (the garbage!).

And somewhere in the midst of this, I decided that the whole thing is symbolic, and not just of the fact that I always want what I can’t have, from people to places to ice cream sundaes late at night. Truth is, sometimes things just don’t go how you want them to in life. Maybe the bad Meyer lemon cake while Meyer lemon glaze and candied Meyer lemons on top, especially as it was followed by a disgusting Italian casserole and a ho-hum chocolate bread pudding a few days later, should remind me of something greater. I will not always get my way. That is an important lesson, indeed. And another point: usually, there’s a silver lining to things, if you have eyes to see it.

In my case, that silver lining has been fresh bread. I discovered a happy truth about fresh bread, and it is this: no matter what happens on your crummiest of days, you’ll feel a lot better when you have fresh bread to nibble. It’s true. The first time I made this recipe, which, if you must know, was the time I didn’t knead it correctly and the bread was strangely formed but still tasty, especially with butter and honey on top, Chicago had insane rainstorms and our house had flooding, and everything was madness. But, you know, I had fresh bread.

bread to heal

The second time I made it, which was the time I did everything right and saw the dough turn all elastic and soft, right there in the mixer before my eyes, the loaf molding into a perfect (perfect!) shape and texture while it baked, I took it in my lunch, sliced and buttered. And that day, wouldn’t you know but I had a hole in my shirt (a HOLE IN MY SHIRT!), and someone did something very nasty, and, on top of all that, I was late to the office because the roads around here are full of potholes and the tollway people are fixing them in the midst of morning rush hours.

But, at lunch time, the world seemed quite a bit brighter while I held my fresh bread.

bread to hold

There are lots of things I could tell you about this bread recipe: that it’s from one of my Christmas-gift cookbooks, the Art and Soul of Baking, which I’m starting to really love; that it gives you the best kind of triumphant feeling when you see the yeasty dough double in size like it’s supposed to, transforming into a white, rounded loaf before your eyes; that its smell is probably one of the most wonderful scents to hit your kitchen, ever.

But, mainly, I’m just going to tell you this one thing, advice really: bake some hot, fresh bread, and brace yourself. Not everything turns out as wonderfully as it does, so, some say, it’s a good idea to have some in hand.

Old-Fashioned White Loaf
Adapted from the Art & Soul of Baking, by Cindy Mushet

A few quick comments on the ingredients: 1) Don’t substitute anything strange, say like evaporated milk mixed with water, for the regular milk called for. I know it’s a pain to run to the store when you’re out of it, but I learned it matters. 2) Sometimes impurities in tap water can affect your bread’s rising. I don’t trust ours, so I used bottled water that I heated up.

A few quick comments on the directions: If you have a stand mixer, this is your lucky day. Put your dough hook to work and find out that making bread requires you to do very little but follow steps in order. You will not have to knead the dough by hand AT ALL. In fact, it’s very exciting—maybe even thrilling when you’re very tired—to watch the stand mixer turn ingredients into elastic dough. I highly recommend it.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup (2 ounces) warm water – between 110 and 115 degrees F
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup (8 ounces) warm whole milk – between 110 and 115 degrees F
2 Tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, melted
3 cups (15 ounces) bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

MIX, REST & KNEAD THE DOUGH:
Place the water, sugar and yeast in a small bowl and whisk to blend. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes or until the yeast is activated and foamy or bubbling. In the medium bowl, whisk together the warm milk and melted butter.

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of the stand mixer. Mix for a minute on medium speed to blend. Add the yeast mixture and milk mixture and mix on medium speed just until the dough comes together, 2 to 3 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp, lint-free cotton towel and let the dough rest for 20 minutes to allow it to fully hydrate before further kneading. Turn the speed to medium-low and continue to knead until the dough is firm, elastic and smooth, 3 to 6 minutes. (NOTE: To mix by hand, combine the flour and the salt in a large bowl, add the yeast and milk mixtures and mix until a dough forms. Turn out onto a work surface and knead until firm, elastic and smooth, about 8 to 10 minutes.)

RISE THE DOUGH (FIRST RISE):
LIghtly oil the tub or bowl, scrape the dough into the tub and lightly coat the surface of the dough with a little oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp lint-free cotton towel, and let it rest until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes. (TIP: If you use an upright, clear container, you can mark where the dough is, with marker or tape, on the outside and will be able to easily tell later if the dough has doubled.)

PUNCH DOWN THE DOUGH AND SHAPE INTO A LOAF:
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Press down on the dough firmly to expel some of the air bubbles, but don’t knead the dough again, or it will be too springy and difficult to shape (if this happens, simply cover the dough with plastic or a damp lint-free towel and let it rest 10 to 15 minutes to give it time to relax). Shape the dough into a loaf the size of your pan. Lightly coat the loaf pan with melted butter or a high-heat canola spray. Place the dough, seam side down, into the pan.

PROOF THE DOUGH (SECOND RISE):
Lightly oil the top of the dough to keep it moist. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a damp lint-free cotton towel and allow it to rise again until its top is 1/2 to 1 inch above the rim of the pan, about 45 to 60 minutes.

GLAZE AND BAKE THE BREAD:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush the top of the loaf with a thin film of beaten egg. Bake on a middle oven rack for 35 to 40 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Comments:16 Click here to comment! Categories: before the 2009 diet change

All Warm Inside

01.05.09 // Comments:13

soup to warm your soul

The other way to make January feel a little brighter, I mean beyond marshmallows plump with peppermint, should really come as no surprise. Cold days call for one thing, and it’s the kind of thing you probably wouldn’t mind eating on not-so-cold days, either: hot homemade soup.

Now, if this were any other food group, you might be tempted to point out that, hey, you just wrote about another soup, that potato and onion one, last week, didn’t you? You could legitimately ask, what, is this going to be like the cookies now, where you all get on a kick with something and make them over and over again? So I’m very glad it is soup—hot, comforting, perfectly seasoned soup—that’s in question. Or else I’d have very little to say in my defense.

So first things first, this is a spinach soup. Spinach is one of those things—along with tomatoes, asparagus, parmesan cheese and pecans—that I had to grow to enjoy. I liked Popeye as much as the next kid (although maybe not as much as my mom, who calls the real-life movie version her favorite), but even he didn’t make me want to eat leafy vegetables.

Instead, spinach and I grew together slowly, beginning in my late teens or early twenties with dishes that almost hid the spinach content, such as spinach-artichoke dip, which is filled with enough cream cheese and other things to make your forget your name, let alone what you’re eating. Then I think I moved towards fresh spinach in salads, sometime after I learned iceberg lettuce has basically no nutritional value and back when I tried to eat strictly “healthy” things for a while. Somewhere along the line, spinach kind of sneaked up on me as a faithful friend. It was almost as if one day, I realized I actually thought spinach was delicious, that most things I’d tried it in were things I liked eating. And now, I’ll be darned if I don’t like it steamed or boiled or cooked up into some sort of quiche or frittata. In fact, you could say, if it’s got spinach, I’m in.

spinach soup makes winter better

Also, as a quick nutritional plug: Not only is spinach seriously worth letting grow on you for the taste factor, but also it is good for you like Popeye said. When steamed or, like in this soup, quickly boiled, it is a source of all kinds of vitamins, like A, C, K, magnesium and B9 (folic acid). I don’t know about you, but at the start of a new year, something comforting, delicious and healthy? I don’t think it could get much better. And, a few sips of this soup in your belly and the smell of it wafting through your kitchen, savory and strong, I bet you’ll be saying the same thing.

Potage Crème d’epinards or, Cream of Spinach Soup
Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by the brilliant Julia Child

When making soup, it’s tempting to be a little heavy-handed with the salt, I know. But watch yourself: with this variety, the chicken stock adds enough saltiness, I promise, and you’ll be surprised at how beautifully seasoned everything turns out, just as it is.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup minced yellow onions (or green onions)
3 Tablespoons butter
3 to 4 packed cups of fresh spinach leaves and tender stems, washed and chopped into thin slices
l/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 1/2 cups boiling chicken broth or white stock (I combined one can of stock with about 2 cups of water and a chicken bouillon cube, boiled until cube dissolved)
2 egg yolks
l/2 cup whipping cream (I substituted coffee creamer)
1 to 2 Tablespoons softened butter

Directions:
Cook the onions slowly in the butter in a covered 2.5-quart saucepan for 5 to 10 minutes, until tender and transluscent but not browned.

Stir in the chopped spinach and salt, cover, and cook slowly for about 5 minutes or until the leaves are tender and wilted.

Sprinkle in the flour and stir over moderate heat for 3 minutes.

Off heat, beat in the boiling stock. Simmer for 5 minutes. (Optional: you may puree slightly with a food mill, a food processor or a stick blender, which is what I used; do not overmix). Return to saucepan and correct seasoning.

(*) If not to be served immediately, set aside uncovered. Reheat to simmer before proceeding.

Blend the yolks and cream in a mixing bowl. Beat a cupful of hot soup into them by driblets. Gradually beat in the rest of the soup in a thin stream. Return entire soup mixture to saucepan and stir over moderate heat for a minute or two to poach the egg yolks, but do not bring the soup to the simmer. Off heat, stir in the enrichment butter a tablespoon at a time.

Pour the soup into a tureen or soup cups and serve.

Comments:13 Click here to comment! Categories: before the 2009 diet change