Food is Food

Good Morning! What did you do this weekend? I was flying solo so I gave my kids 11 baths (to kill time... they've never been so clean) and we made Christmas cookies! I can't wait to share them with you this week. What are your favorites to make? I love to stick to my usuals as well as try out new recipes. Believe it or not, I don't make these classic Peanut Butter Blossoms every year but I knew my kids would love to unwrap (and eat) the kisses (also killed a lot of time). I followed this recipe with one variation: I browned the butter on the stove and let it cool in the fridge for a bit before mixing it in with everything. If you're wondering why I did that, well, I happen to think browning butter makes everything better. Especially when there's peanut butter involved!

So tell me... what else should I make this year?

I think I've posted this exact same thing before but oh well. It's just so good. You know McDonalds has an Egg Mc Muffin? Well, this is that. But at home. The only caveat is that you need english muffins which are generally not sold in Sweden (but occasionally they can be found at The English Shop). So you either need to bake them yourself, which is quite hard work (anyone has a failproof recipe?) or you need to find them somewhere else. I found these particular ones in my freezer, since I stocked up last summer.

So. Grab your muffin. Split it. Toast it. Fry bacon. Add bacon and a slice of cheddar cheese, and a perfectly fried egg. For those I use oiled metal rings. I fry in butter and I break the yolk before briefly flipping the over. Perfection.

Not a recipe as much as an idea - soft tortillas, filled with spiced pork tenderloin, softened peppers and onion, a wonderful guacamole, pickled red onion, grated cheese, and sour cream.

Guess what?! I cloned myself! (See previous post if you're confused.) Yeah, I cloned myself, and my second self just made me lunch! The best lunch EVER! Well, okay, that didn't really happen, but I was able to time naps perfectly today, which left me with a few hours to make a REAL lunch and hopefully shower (I have a holiday party tonight so if I don't fit the shower in now it will have to be later with ALL of my kids hanging in the bathroom around an iPad).

Anyway, about the sandwich. You know those bags of pre-shredded Brussels Sprouts? I think they're genius, and almost always have one in my fridge (especially this time of year). So for the sandwich... heat a tablespoon of butter or olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat and sauté two tablespoons of chopped onion and three tablespoons of shredded sprouts. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until they're all brown and caramelized. Remove, and place a piece of your favorite bread in the skillet (I of course put more butter on the bread). Add a piece of white cheddar, then the sprouts and onions, then another piece of cheddar and top with bread (more butter). Grill like you would a grilled cheese! Voila! It's really, really good.

This holiday season there are several new dessert cookbooks, here are some of my top picks.

Home Baked isn't strictly a dessert book, it also contains savory baked goods, but the vast majority of the recipes are for sweets with just one section dedicated to breads (and a few recipes for dog biscuits). This book is mammoth! It has over 150 recipes for everything from Viennoiserie to cakes, cookies, pies and patisserie.

What sets the book apart is that the instructions are incredibly clear and well written and for the most part feel very easy to accomplish. The photographs are appealing as are the creative flavor combinations like Zaatar, Carrot Banana Cake, Chocolate Olive Oil Cake with Grapefruit, Peach and Berry Tarts with Buttermilk Custard and Fig, Apricot, Stilton and Goat Cheese Tart.
Who's it for? Any baking enthusiast or as the author says, "domestic adventurer."

Marie Asselin the author of Sweet Spot: Modern Better-for-You Dessert Recipes, with Clever Tips to Bake (mostly) Dairy-Free) is the talented writer and baker who has created some winning recipes for sweets that don't rely on butter and cream. There are cakes, cookies. creamy treats and some nifty master recipes for things like coconut whipped cream, an easy butterscotch recipe, nut praline and more.

The photography is clean and modern, and the recipes for things like Carrot and Pineapple Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting, Fresh Strawberry Squares with Pistachio Crust and Dark Chocolate and Whiskey Pots de Creme with Almond Langues de Chat are very appealing. Who's it for? Anyone who's looking for dairy free recipes, or just looking to lighten their desserts.

Note this is an e-book, available as a pdf or for an iPad.

Incredibly Decadent Desserts is the latest title from Cooking Light. So that means each recipe offers portions that are 300 calories or less. The recipes rely on more "low-fat" rather than "no-fat" dairy; this book is much more in the moderation camp. There is a recognition that dessert is, well, dessert. It’s an indulgence and frankly it should feel that way. The knowledgable author Deb Wise includes lots of tips and incorporates very of-the-moment ingredients like yogurt, bacon, amaranth, teff and Kamut flour in her recipes.

If you are concerned about calories and have all but given up on dessert, this book will open up a world of possibilities including cakes, cookies, puddings and pies. Recipes I’ve bookmarked include Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake, Mexican Chocolate Cream Pie and Apricot Pistachio Tart. Who’s it for? Anyone who wants to enjoy dessert with a little less guilt

Francois Payard the author of Payard Cookies is a third generation French pastry chef. He was named pastry chef of the year by both the James Beard Foundation and Bon Appetit magazine. He is also a cookie monster. Ok, not a monster but a self-proclaimed lover of cookies. As you might imagine, his cookies are not rustic or homey, they are elegant, sophisticated and well, fancy.

This is not a book for beginners but for someone with a stand mixer, a scale (everyone should really have one). rolls of parchment paper, a pastry bag and tips as well as silicone baking mats and in some cases, a candy thermometer. The cookies are stunning and involved. For example the Walnut Cookie Bars are composed of a crust, walnut filling, almond cream and a topping.
Who’s it for? Anyone looking to impress or learn some professional pastry techniques.

I thought I’d seen it all, until Cookies & Beer came around. Yes, it is what it sounds like, a book of cookie recipes with beer pairings. Like a romantic comedy with a car chase thrown in, I suppose it might bridge a divide between two possibly divergent groups, in this case beer lovers and cookie lovers.

The recipes come from brewers as well as acclaimed pastry chefs from around the country—such as William Werner and Christopher Elbow. The book has both traditional and modern recipes—there are manly cookies with bacon, savory cookies as well as some classics like Russian Tea Cakes and several versions of chocolate chip cookies. There are even cookies with spent grain (from making beer) or beer in the batter.

The recipes are mostly really easy and you can skip the beer if it’s not your thing, or put a whole new spin on the traditional cookie party.
Who’s it for? Obviously cookie and beer lovers!

Guittard Chocolate Cookbook was written by Amy Guittard, the great, great granddaughter of the founder of the Guittard chocolate company. It was published earlier this year but it has lots of holiday appropriate recipes, such as Chocolate Trifle, Chocolate Almond Ginger Bark and Jim's Special Fudge so I'm including it.

I love the use of light rye flour in recipes like Chocolate Pistachio Sables, Salted Chocolate Shortbread and Morning Muffins made with applesauce and oats. The recipes are geared for the home baker and generally don't require any fancy techniques. The book has recipes for cookies and bars, breakfast pastries, cakes, puddings and confections.The recipes use Guittard chocolate, and the chips at very least are widely available in supermarkets.
Who's it for? Chocolate lovers!

Disclaimer: These books were provided as review copies and this post includes affiliate links

Does anyone else feel like they need to clone themselves right about now? I need at least two more of me to get stuff done in these next two weeks. Three would probably be best. One to watch the kids, one to get the gift shopping done and one to bake all of the things I want to bake. As for the real me? I would just sleep for two entire weeks and wake up Christmas morning feeling all magical and refreshed. I'm going to write this screenplay. It's going to be called "Psycho Holiday Mom" and it's going to win an Oscar. And this person will play me (for reals, click on that link and watch that video if you haven't already seen it... "we can't let people know WE SIT!").

Alas, there is just one of me and I'm trying my best to pop the stress when it starts to bubble, to keep things in perspective, to maintain the magic of the holidays (wine helps). Lately, I've been looking up festive recipes online and while these aren't latkes, they are a fun variation of the crispy, veggie pancake. I found this recipe and it's spaghetti squash mixed with all sorts of yummy spices, formed into a fritter of sorts. Topped with greek yogurt and chives... I ate four for dinner.

So tell me... how are you handling all of this hustle and bustle? TIPS?!

One of the most common mistakes people make when serving cheese, is not letting it come to room temperature first, so that all the flavors can be fully realized. This beautiful, baked stuffed brie takes that principle to the next level.

I went with a festive, and seasonally appropriate filling of cranberries and walnuts, but I’ve done this with at least a dozen different fillings, so don't be afraid to play around.

Believe it or not, Michele and I once had a frozen stuffed brie business for a brief time, and supplied them to some of San Francisco’s finest shops. The business was called, “A Better Brie,” and while we moved on to bigger and better things, we had a lot of fun doing them, and they were very well received. Candied pecan was our best seller, with caramelized mushrooms coming in a close second.

What you seen here is exactly how we used to put them together, so if you weren’t around these parts in the early 90’s, here’s your chance to taste what you missed. I really hope you give this baked stuffed brie a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 small wheel of brie (about 6 to 8 inches is perfect)

handful of dried cranberries, chopped

handful of chopped walnuts

enough puff pastry to cover (1/8-inch thick), plus extra for design

1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water

-- Freeze for 1 hour, bake at 425F. for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is browned, and the brie is soft.

*By the way, do not skip the freezing for one hour step. The crust needs to bake to a golden brown before the brie starts pouring out, so it must be partially frozen when it goes in the oven. If you happen to make it ahead of time, and put it in the oven frozen solid, then I’d lower the temp to 400, and give it an extra 10 minutes or so, or until the cheese is runny.

If you go to most grocery stores or supermarkets you can find dried pasta for as little as about $1 per package. At the same time there is “artisanal” dried pasta which costs at least twice as much, and often much more. Is it worth it? Yes, it is and here’s why.

Recently I was at an event where there was an in depth discussion about pasta. Big producers like Barilla make in 2 days what a smaller artisanal company like Rustichella d’Abruzzo produces in an entire year. But it’s not just about volume, it’s also about how the pasta is made.

One big difference is how the pasta is extruded. Artisanal producers use bronze dies, these create a rougher surface texture which allows the pasta to better absorb sauces or condiments. While sauces are important, so are the noodles! They should really taste good. Extruding the pasta through these dies is a slower process than using the teflon dies that industrial producers use. Bronze dies don’t last as long and are much more expensive.

The drying time in particular is also crucial. Smaller artisanal producers slowly dry the pasta and it sometimes takes up to 2 days, whereas large producers dry it as quickly as possible using heat. The resulting pasta is a noticeably different color. Industrial pasta effectively toasts the wheat by the use of heat, which gives it a different flavor altogether. It’s not terrible, it’s just not nearly as good.

Last but not least, one of the most important ingredients is the wheat itself. A proper blend of grain yields just the right texture and flavor.

Beyond wheat, there are also different ingredients. Today many companies often make pasta that is gluten free, organic or made from different grains. I tried some dried pasta from Rustichella made with different ingredients that lend not just color but flavor. They make tonnarelli (aka spaghetti alla chitarra) with squid ink, spicy red pepper and spinach, but my favorite was the pumpkin torchio (torches). The sweet flavor of pumpkin really shines in this pasta which is best dressed with a very simple sauce such as the one suggested on the package which combines sausage, white wine and sauteed onion.

Curious about all the different types of pasta? This Encyclopedia of Pasta infographic helps to make sense of 188 shapes. Here’s my quick and easy guide to pairing pasta and sauce:

Long thin pasta—oil or tomato based thin sauces
Wide ribbons — thicker meat sauces
Cup or shell pasta — chunky with vegetables or bits of meat
Tubular pasta — thicker ragu style meat sauces
Mini pasta — soups or salads

Bottom line, pasta is relatively inexpensive. Considering it’s often the main part of a dish even $5-10 for 4-6 servings is quite reasonable.

Disclaimer: My thanks to Manicaretti for providing Rustichella d’Abruzzo products for me to review.

Rarely do I read through a list of ingredients where every single thing sounds great. It didn't happen this time either, but it was pretty darn close. I was leafing through Persiana, the cookbook by Sabrina Ghayour that's at the top of my christmas wish list, and I stumbled upon a creamy dip with pistachios, feta and coriander as the stars. It had dill as well, which I don't like at all, and I changed the quantities to go with what I had at home. The result was glorious! Mostly salty and lemony but with a lovely crunch from the nuts.. oh, I can't wait to make this again!

Pistachio Feta Coriander Dip

one small bowl

50 g pistachios (unsalted)

1 tbsp olive oil

140 g feta cheese

large handful of coriander leaves (or two handfuls, really. Lots!)

1/2 garlic clove

1/2 tsp sambal oelek (feel free to use red chili instead, and as much as you'd like - I like things mild...)

zest and juice from 1/2 lemon

2-3 tbsp greek yogurt

Use a food processor. Start with the nuts and the oil and process briefly until coarsely chopped. Add everything else, and pulse until lovely and creamy. Taste to see if you want to adjust the seasonings. Then serve. Eat. Enjoy. Lick from bowl.

As the old joke goes, these Russian tea cakes might not be Russian, but at least they’re not cakes. No one knows exactly how these came to be known as Russian tea cakes, but nevertheless, they are quite delicious, very simple to make, and visually ideal for holiday entertaining.

And when I say “easy,” I mean really easy. You dump everything in a bowl, and mix it with your hands until combined. Professional pastry chefs will lose their minds, since we’re forgoing their precious “cream the butter and sugar” step, but the final product is identical, no matter which technique you use.

The only tricky thing here is the baking time, since there are so many variables. Things like the size of the dough balls, whether you use a silpat or parchment, how light or dark the sheet pan is, etc., can all effect the final time significantly.

I think this cookie tends to get under-cooked, and some recipes call for as little as 12 minutes at 350 F. I like these fairly golden, so I get that nice brown-butter flavor, and that took me about 20 minutes or so, which is why I gave such a wide range. Start checking at 15 minutes, and proceed from there.

Thanks to their snowy appearance, these “cakes” would be perfect for your holiday dessert spread, don’t feel like you have to wait for a wedding, or for some Russians to come over for tea. I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes about 28 to 32 Russian Tea Cakes:

1 cup (2 sticks) room temperature unsalted butter

1/3 packed cup powdered sugar (plus much more to coat finished cookies)

1 cup finely chopped walnuts (very lightly toast nuts in dry pan first for best results)

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

- Roll into just slightly larger than 1-inch balls, bake at 350 F. for 15 to 25 minutes, or until lightly golden

Food is Food

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Brown Butter Peanut Butter Blossoms

Breakfast idea

Dinner idea

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts Grilled Cheese

New Dessert Cookbooks Winter 2015

Spiced Squash Pancakes

Baked Stuffed Brie filled with Cranberries & Walnuts – A Better Brie

Artisanal Italian Pasta

Pistachio Feta Coriander Dip

Russian Tea Cakes – A Great Holiday Cookie by Any Other Name

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