I made these awesome cookies for a party. Super simple to make and so delicious. I love the combination of sweet and salty, chewy and crunchy and of course, chocolate. Never too much chocolate! In fact, I think I'll drizzle these with dark chocolate next time...
I'm also thinking you can vary these with other candy bars - as long as you cut the into thin strips that will fit along the middle of the dough, you're golden.
150 g butter 150 g sugar 225 g flour 3 tbsp golden syrup 3 tbsp cocoa powder 1,5 tsp baking powder 1,5 tsp vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
3 Snickers bars, each cut into three thin slices, length-wise 1 egg handful of salty peanuts, coarsely chopped
Cream the butter and sugar. Add flour, syrup, cocoa powder, baking powder and vanilla. Mix into a nicely uniform dough - I use my Kitchen-Aid for this.
Shape two long, thin rolls of dough and place on a baking sheet. Score both down the middle. In this score, insert the thin planks of Snickers, and pinch slightly so that the rolls hold together.
Brush with eggwash and sprinkle with lots of salty peanuts.
Bake at 175°C for 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool slightly before cutting them at an angle, then let them cool completely before you attempt to move them. (Or eat them.)
Nothing is more disappointing than a soggy french fry. There are lots of things I don’t just like crispy but extra crispy. Toast, onion rings, pizza crust, potato chips, breaded cutlets, pie crust, streusel. I could go on and on. And is there anything better than the crispy edges of a roast? I’m the one who wants a rare slice from the middle and a crusty slice from the end of the roast—beef, pork or lamb.
There are lots of ingredients for making food crispy and many of them contain gluten, and one of them is naturally gluten free, cream of rice. Cream of rice is finely ground rice that cooks very quickly. It can be used as a hot cereal but also in recipes like this one for baked rice custard that I plan on experimenting with shortly. When used in meatballs it absorbs moisture but also helps to create a lovely crisp texture to the surface of the meatballs. I like beef meatballs to be delicate and tender made light with ricotta or moist bread crumbs, but lamb meatballs are really good with a bit of a crust.
I have used black pepper, cumin, paprika and cinnamon to season these meatballs, but you could change up the spices if you prefer using fresh mint or garlic, or swapping chili powder in place of paprika. You could leave out the cumin and cinammon, I added them because lamb is strong flavored and pairs well with hot, sweet and smoky spices. The meatballs are great as an appetizer, served with toothpicks but also with rice, orzo or pilaf. You can also make them bigger if you like, you’ll just need to broil them a bit longer.
Lamb Meatballs
Serves 4
1 pound ground lamb, 80% lean
1/4 cup finely chopped white or yellow onion
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
1/4 cup cream of rice
1 egg
Mix all the ingredients gently with your hands. The meatball mixture will be wet but will firm up. Refrigerate the mxiure for at least 30 minutes. Using a teaspoon scoop the mixture and roll into meatballs and place on a foil lined broiling pan. Broil meatballs for 6 minutes. Serve with tahini sauce, garlic yogurt sauce or tomato sauce.
Just wanted to let everyone know that I’ll be on vacation this week, so you'll have to rely on re-runs for your Food Wishes fix. I'm looking forward to a short, but relaxing break, where I do as little as humanly possible. We’ll continue to publish your comments and questions, but I won’t be around to respond to the small fraction I usually do. That means, as usual, you’ll have to rely on each others expertise. That should work out just fine. Thank you for understanding, and we’ll see you next week! .
This recipe is a real oldie. I've had it for ages and my mom often made it when I grew up - I think she got it from a neighbor when Philadelphia cream cheese was first introduced to Sweden. I've actually blogged about it before, but considering that was NINE years ago I think it's fine to do a re-post. I recently made it again, and inspired by a very similar-tasting paleta I had in Copenhagen last summer at Hija de Sanchez I decided to top the whole thing with a drizzled Dulce de Leche and some raspberries. Delicious.
Frozen Cheesecake with Dulce de Leche drizzle serves 12
200 gram cream cheese 3 eggs, separated into yolks and whites 200 ml sugar 300 ml heavy cream 1 tbsp vanilla sugar finely grated peel of one big lemon
150 g digestive biscuits 50 g butter, melted
Use a springform pan. Blitz the digestive biscuits in a food processor. Add in the melted butter. Press this firmly into the base of your pan. Place in the fridge while you proceed.
Cream the cheese, egg yolks and the sugar with the lemon peel. Beat the cream until it forms stiff peaks. Carefully blend with the cheese cream. Beat the egg whites until stiff, and fold those in too. Pour carefully on top of the crust in the pan. Put in the freezer for at least six hours or overnight. On the day of serving, take it out and remove it from the tin - you might need to carefully run some hot water on the outside. Place on a serving plate and drizzle with dulce de leche.
Take out about twenty minutes before you want to eat and top with the berries. This keeps well in the freezer (but better without the fruit).
It may sound strange, but the only way to mess up this pumpkin zeppole, is by using a fresh pumpkin. Like virtually every other pumpkin dessert, I think using pure canned pumpkin will give you the best results. That really is the trick to this Halloween treat.
If you take a pumpkin, roast it, and scoop out the flesh, it may look similar to the canned stuff, but you’ll be surprised at how little sweetness and flavor it actually has. It sounds like a great way to go, but in reality, it is not. And what about “sugar pumpkins;” that smaller variety of pumpkin specially grown for cooking? They are definitely better, but still, it’s been my experience that even those don’t have as concentrated a flavor.
Like all things cooking, people will vehemently disagree with me, and claim they can achieve results that are just as good using fresh, but even so, that’s a lot of work for something that’s basically the same. Ultimately, you’ll have to decide.
By the way, if you can't get canned pumpkin, roasted butternut squash (just like we did for this soup) will work very nicely!
Special thanks to my old friend, Jennifer Perillo, for this recipe was adapted from one of hers. I’m not above stealing a recipe from total stranger, but it’s nice knowing the foundation for a recipe is coming from someone who actually knows what they’re doing. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 24-30 depending on the size:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup (8 ounces) fresh ricotta cheese, well-drained
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree (or roasted butternut squash)
When Carson isn't around for dinner, I typically eat what the kids eat. Mac & cheese with a side of peas? Sounds delicious, I'll take it. I usually feel way too lazy for any type of real effort. However, the other night my son requested ravioli with a side of crispy broccoli and cauliflower. (In case you're wondering, my daughter requested chewing gum and peanut butter on a spoon.) I realized this was something I could work with, and by adding some shaved brussel sprouts that I sautéed in browned butter, it became a very adult and very delicious meal...
Preheat oven to 450. On a baking sheet, add broccoli and cauliflower florets. Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 20 minutes, shaking pan halfway to make sure everything is cooking evenly. In the meantime, prepare ravioli as directed on package (until al dente). While pasta is boiling, heat butter over medium heat in a medium skillet until it begins to brown. Add brussel sprouts and sauté for about 10 minutes, until golden, seasoning with salt and pepper. Once pasta is cooked and drained, place back in pot. Add brussel sprouts, roasted broccoli and cauliflower, and toss with pine nuts and Parmesan cheese.
I was away last weekend in Wisconsin, indulging in amazing food and drink with even more amazing friends. After eating whatever I pleased for 3 days straight, I felt the need to make something light and comforting last night. A "Meatless Monday" meal, if you will. (Wait. Was yesterday Monday? I don't even know these things anymore.) I was perusing the squash, gourd and pumpkin display at Trader Joe's, and I got the idea to make a bowl with spaghetti squash as the base (instead of rice or noodles). It was delicious, and I will make it again and again...
I halved the squash, scooped out the seeds and roasted it on a baking sheet for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Then, I scraped out the "noodles" with a fork, drizzled them with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. I topped my bowl with sautéed brussel sprouts (chopped) and shiitake mushrooms (always weirds me out that word has two 'i's'), boiled sweet corn, avocado and sriracha.
By the way, this also would have been perfect with a soft-boiled egg on top, but for whatever reason I've lost my ability to properly execute that culinary technique. And that is a fancy way of me saying, WTF... why can't I soft boil an egg anymore??!?? I keep trying, and trying, but it won't peel, and it's like EXTREMELY raw inside. What am I doing wrong, people, what, what??
Many people are surprised when they find out that crab rangoons are about as Asian as Buffalo chicken wings, but it’s true. Even though they’re commonly found on Chinese and Thai menus, they were actually invented in San Francisco, at Trader Vic’s, in 1956.
While not “authentic,” these crispy crab and cream cheese wontons are one of the most addictive, delicious, and crowd-pleasing appetizers ever created. That is, if the filling has enough crab in it. Most of the restaurant versions I’ve had are probably 3 or 4 parts cream cheese, to 1 part crab, but here we’re using a 1 to 1 ratio, and the results are amazing.
Besides being generous with the crab (or lobster, or chicken), the other critical factor is the “warhead” fold. Even though you can fold these over once to make a simple triangle, I highly recommend using the method shown herein.
The “turnover” fold is easier, but you don’t get nearly as much crispy goodness, and that’s what makes these so great. It’s that contrast between the warm creamy center, and those four crunchy edges that makes this such a magical bite I really hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 60 Crab Rangoons:
8 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces crab meat, drained well
1 clove crushed garlic
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch cayenne
60 square wonton wrappers
canola oil for deep-frying
For the sauce: (Note: I only made a half batch in the video. This should easily be enough for 60 rangoons)
We had a friend over for dinner a few weeks ago, and at one point he started raving about his favorite dessert of all time. It's called a Pistachio Pudding Cake, and it was new to me. His mom made it for him a lot as a kid, and it's something he thinks about once in awhile and then starts craving like mad. I had on my to-do list to make him one, and I finally got around to it. Of course, I knew nothing about making this particular cake, but once I googled it I found there are a bunch of recipes out there. I chose this one, and while I never actually tasted it (it's probably rude to give someone a present with a giant bite missing?), he said it was delicious. Oh and I definitely stuck my finger in the frosting, don't judge. What childhood desserts do you crave the most?
I don’t watch a lot of food television, but every once and a while I’ll catch a show where celebrity chefs sit around describing the best things they ever ate, and this English muffin was inspired by one served at the Model Bakery, in Napa, CA.
These muffins were fried in clarified butter, and looked (and sounded) absolutely amazing. I didn’t actually use their recipe, since I wanted to experiment with a simpler, faster method; but if it makes you feel any better, I did cook them in clarified butter.
Speaking of which, I’ve never done a video for clarified butter, but you don’t need one, since all we do is melt some unsalted butter (the only kind I ever use), and once it’s melted, take a spoon and skim off the white, foamy milk solids from the top. That’s it. Once clarified, you can use it without fear of the butter burning from high temps, or long cooking times.
If you want, you could just briefly brown each side and finish these in an oven until cooked through, but I did mine all the way in the pan, a la Model Bakery, and it worked out fine. They took about 7 to 8 minutes per side, and really took on a great buttery flavor.
Over the years, I’ve tried several different methods, including the traditional batter cooked in ring molds system, but I think this technique is much easier, and produces something very close to a classic English muffin. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!
Makes 6 English Muffins (recipe can easily be doubled):
- First mix:
1 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup warm water
- Wait 15 minutes to see if yeast is alive, then add:
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg white
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup warm water
- Mix dough and let double
- Form 6 seamless balls of dough, press on to a lined baking pan, coating both sides with non-hipster corn meal.
- Allow to double in size and fry in clarified butter for about 7-8 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Let cool before splitting!
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