Squeem'ing in the New Year

Uh-oh.... looks like cookie-palooza did me dirty and I'll be Squeem'ing in the New Year tomorrow night. Note to self: liquids only and must bring big handbag incase a mid celebration squeem-evacuation is needed!

Christmas Cookie-Palooza!

Snowman, cookies, decorated trees, cookies, wreaths, cookies, reindeer and have a mentioned cookies? Unlike cooking a mouthwatering roast or hearty Bolognese baking is an exact science. My 10th grade chemistry grade haunts me as a reminder to ‘leave it to the pro’s' but this holiday season I was determined to have a Christmas Cookie Success Story. I turned to Cooksillustrated.com to guide me and after 12 dozen cookies people are still asking for more. So, Ha! Take that Mr. I’ll-see-you-in-summer-school-10th-grade-Chemistry-teacher!

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THICK AND CHEWY TRIPLE-CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Published September 1, 1999, Cook's Illustrated

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.

If you like bursts of warm melted chocolate in your cookies, include chocolate chips in the batter. The addition of chips will slightly increase yield of cookies. To melt the chocolate in a microwave, heat at 50 percent power for 2 minutes, stir, then continue heating at 50 percent power for 1 more minute. If not completely melted, heat an additional 30 to 45 seconds at 50 percent power. We recommend using a spring-loaded ice cream scoop to scoop the dough. Resist the urge to bake the cookies longer than indicated; they may appear underbaked at first but will firm up as they cool.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)

½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon table salt

16 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (i.e. 1 bag of cups chocolate chips)

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 2 cups)

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder

10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 ¼ sticks), softened

1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar (10 ½ ounces)

½ cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl; set aside.

2. Melt chocolate in medium heatproof bowl set over pan of almost-simmering water, stirring once or twice, until smooth; remove from heat. Beat eggs and vanilla lightly with fork, sprinkle coffee powder over to dissolve, and set aside.

3. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds. Beat in sugars until combined, about 45 seconds; mixture will look granular. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Add melted chocolate and chips in steady stream and beat until combined, about 40 seconds. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With mixer at low speed, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overbeat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until consistency is scoopable and fudgelike, about 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, adjust oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Leaving about 1 ½ inches between each ball, scoop dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets with 1¾-inch ice cream scoop.

5. Bake, reversing position of the baking sheets halfway through baking (from top to bottom and front to back), until edges of cookies have just begun to set but centers are still very soft, about 10 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets about 10 minutes, slide parchment with cookies onto wire racks, and cool to room temperature. Cover one baking sheet with new piece of parchment paper. Scoop remaining dough onto parchment-lined sheet, bake, and cool as directed. Remove cooled cookies from parchment with wide metal spatula and serve.

SOFT AND CHEWY MOLASSES SPICE COOKIES

Published January 1, 2002, Cook's Illustrated

Makes about 22 cookies.

Measure the molasses in a liquid measuring cup. If you find that the dough sticks to your palms as you shape the balls, moisten your hands occasionally in a bowl filled with cold water and shake off the excess. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time. If baked two sheets at a time, the cookies started on the bottom rack won’t develop the attractive cracks. The cookies should look slightly raw and underbaked when removed from the oven. If you plan to glaze the cookies (see recipe below), save the parchment paper used to bake them.

1/3 cup granulated sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces), plus 1/2 cup for dipping

2 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (11 1/4 ounces)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon table salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces)

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup molasses (about 6 ounces), light or dark

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 1/2 cup sugar for dipping in 8- or 9-inch cake pan.

2. Whisk flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in medium bowl until thoroughly combined; set aside.

3. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter with brown and granulated sugars at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and add yolk and vanilla; increase speed to medium and beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds. Reduce speed to medium-low and add molasses; beat until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping bottom and sides of bowl once with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to lowest setting; add flour mixture and beat until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl down once. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no pockets of flour remain at bottom. Dough will be soft.

4. Using tablespoon measure, scoop heaping tablespoon of dough and roll between palms into 1 1/2-inch ball; drop ball into cake pan with sugar and repeat to form about 4 balls. Toss balls in sugar to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are browned, still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), about 11 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not overbake.

5. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes, then use wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire rack; cool cookies to room temperature and serve. (Can be stored at room temperature in airtight container or zipper-lock plastic bag up to 5 days.)

SOFT AND CHEWY SUGAR COOKIES

Published November 1, 2002, Cook's Illustrated

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

The cookies are softer and more tender when made with unbleached flour that has a protein content of about 10.5 percent. Pillsbury or Gold Medal works best; King Arthur flour has a higher protein content (around 11.7 percent) and will result in slightly drier, cakier cookies. Do not discard the butter wrappers; they have just enough residual butter on them for buttering the bottom of the drinking glass used to flatten the dough balls. To make sure the cookies are flat, choose a glass with a smooth, flat bottom. Rolled into balls, the dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 week. The baked cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces), preferably Pillsbury or Gold Medal

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon table salt

16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened but still firm (60 to 65 degrees)

1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)

½ cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces), for rolling dough

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions; heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl; set aside.

2. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment or with hand mixer, beat butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add egg and vanilla; beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.

3. Place sugar for rolling in shallow bowl. Fill medium bowl halfway with cold tap water. Dip hands in water and shake off excess (this will prevent dough from sticking to your hands and ensure that sugar sticks to dough). Roll heaping tablespoon dough into 1 1/2-inch ball between moistened palms; roll ball in sugar, then place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, moistening hands after forming each ball and spacing balls about 2 inches apart on baking sheet (you should be able to fit 12 cookies on each sheet). Using butter wrapper, butter bottom of drinking glass; dip bottom of glass in remaining sugar and flatten dough balls with bottom of glass until dough is about 3/4 inch thick.

4. Bake until cookies are golden brown around edges and just set and very lightly colored in center, 15 to 18 minutes, reversing position of cookie sheets from front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking time. Cool cookies on baking sheet about 3 minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Rosemary Lamb Chops

Lamb is a rich and flavorful type of red meat that works great with acidic marinades and hearty seasonings. To save time and your knives, tell the butcher you would like them ‘Frenched.’ The butcher will then remove the excess fat and trim down the chop and expose the bone (ribs). On average each rack of baby lamb chops will contain 8 chops.

1 Rack of Baby Lamb Chops

¼ Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Tbs Fresh Rosemary, roughly chopped
1 Medium Shallot, minced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 Tsp Dijon Mustard

½ Cup Olive Oil

1 ½ Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Black Pepper

In a large Zip Lock back combine all of the ingredients above. Let the lamb marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.


Preheat oven (or grill) to 425ºF. Remove rack from the marinade and place on a roasting rack with a drip pan underneath or a shallow baking dish. Roast in the the oven for 15-20 minutes until the internal temperature of the lamb is 140 ºF. Remove rack from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Culinary Q&A: What are you supposed to do/can do with the green parts of green onions, leeks, radishes?

Question: What are you supposed to do/can do with the green parts of green onions, leeks, radishes? Is the green part merely superficial or can you use it/eat it in some fashion?? I just made potato-leek soup and I felt so bad tossing all that pretty green stuff!!! Do tell...

Answer: Yes! Don’t hate-on (or trash) the green stuff! Many of the vegetable’s nutrients can be found in the greens that are often discarded too soon. Sturdier greens, like the ends of leeks, scallions or fennel frawns are great for making flavorful and nutrient rich stock.

Vegetables with small and tender leaves, like radishes, can be a great addition to any lettuce of salad greens mixtures. For larger leafy greens (*think beets*), remove the center vein and use them as you would Swiss chard or kale.


Sautéed Beet Greens

2 Tbs Butter
1 Garlic Clove, minced
⅛ Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tbs Shallot, minced
Leaves from 6-8 Medium Beets
Salt and Pepper

Thoroughly rinse leaves and spin dry. Roughly chop the leaves into 2-3 inch pieces (they will shrink while cooking). Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium low heat. Add garlic, red pepper flakes and shallots and cook for 2 minutes. Toss in leaves and cover the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes then remove the lid and let cook uncovered for an addition minute, allowing the excess moisture to evaporate. Season with salt and pepper, serve warm.


Basic Chicken Stock

1 Chicken Carcass (meat removed)
2 Carrots
2 Celery Stalks
1 Onion, cut into eights
3 Garlic Cloves
5 Black Pepper Corns
Greens from 1 Leek
Fennel Fawns from 1 bulb of fennel
2-3 Quarts of water (*4 cups in quart)

In a large soup pot combine all ingredients. Let stock simmer on medium low for 2-3 hours, trying to avoid boiling. Remove carcass and strain stock. Store stock in the refrigerator for up 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 month.

Holiday Honey Glazed Ham

1 Bone-in Spiral Cut Ham (approx 9lbs)
¾ Cup Packed Brown Sugar
¼ Cup Honey
1 Tbs Dijon Mustard
¼ Tsp Cloves
½ Cup Orange Juice
1 Cup Chicken Stock


Pre-heat oven to 325ºF.

In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, honey, Dijon mustard, cloves and orange juice. Place ham, cut side down, into a deep roasting pan. Rub ham with sugar mixture, being sure to get the glaze between each layer of the ham. Add the chicken stock to the bottom of the pan. Cover with aluminum foil and tightly seal. Bake for 1 ½ - 2 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 100 degrees.

joannE.'s Holiday Handbook - 2009

What do you get the person who has everything? This recipe collection just may be the perfect last minute holiday gift you are looking for!


(Click to launch the full edition in a new window)


Happy Holidays & Delicious Dishes,

~joannE.

Culinary Q&A: Parchment Paper Substitution

Holiday Baking Question: Can you use foil when a recipe calls for baking on parchment paper? If yes, do you spray it with non-stick cooking spray?

Answer: Yes. Parchment paper is paper that has been treated with sulfuric acid and coated with a very thin layer of silicon. It can withstand direct exposure to high temperatures and provides a non stick surface. It is mostly commonly used in baking for two reasons, (1) prevent bake goods from sticking and (2) it prevents the bottom of bake goods from over-browning by acting as oil and moisture resistant barrier.

If you are baking cookies and the recipes calls for parchment paper simply spray your cookie sheet with a non-stick cooking spray and you are good to go. If you are concerned about the bottom of your cookies over-browning you may need to decrease your cooking time or oven temperature. The only benefit of using foil would be to expedite the clean up process.

Wax paper was invented by Thomas Edison and is paper that has been covered with paraffin wax. It can be substituted for parchment paper when the paper will be completely covered (i.e. lining cake pans), the wax will melt if directly exposed to high heat.

~Happy Baking!~

Marinated Celery Salad

1 Bunch Celery (approx 10 stalks)

1 Medium Red Onion, thinly sliced

2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

2 ½ Tbsp Capers, roughly chopped*

1 Tbs Fresh Oregano, chopped

1 Tbs Fresh Parsley, chopped

¼ Tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1 Tsp Salt

½ Tsp Black Pepper

⅓ Cup Olive Oil

½ Red Wine Vinegar

Cut celery stalks on the biased into ½” inch slices and roughly chop the leaves. Toss all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and add additional red wine if needed. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Toss and serve!

*Recipe Note: Use capers that are brined, not packed in salt

Culinary Q&A: Buttermilk Substitution

Culinary Question: Sometimes a recipe calls for buttermilk. I hate buying a whole thing of buttermilk for the 1 or 2 Tablespoons a recipe calls for. Is there a substitution for this?

Answer: Combined 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Let sit for two minutes and use the amount the recipe calls for.

Why: Buttermilk's name is deceiving as it contains less fat then regular whole milk. The process of making buttermilk is similar to making yogurt. As it goes through a fermenting process the acidity level of the milk increases. In baking, many recipes that call for buttermilk often included baking powder. Baking Powder works as a double leavening ingredient and will react first upon contact with a liquid and a second upon contact with an acid. By increasing the acidity of milk with lemon juice you are triggering the second reaction to acidifying agent. 'Double-Acting Baking Powder' is baking powder the has a third reaction when it is exposed to heat.

Almost Award-Wining Seared Duck Breast with a Black Currant-Pink Peppercorn Sauce Served over Creamy Gorgonzola Polenta and Wilted Baby Spinach

Serves 8

This recipe was entered in the 2010 San Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition. It didn't make the final cut but is still pretty darn tasty! The overall winner will be announced in March 2010.

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Seared Duck Breast with a Black Currant-Pink Peppercorn Sauce

8 Muscovy Duck Breasts
1 oz Shallot, Minced
4 oz Crème de Cassis
1 oz Dried Black Currants
12 Pink Pepper Corns, Crushed
16 oz Brown Veal Stock
½ oz Parsley, Minced
2 oz Cold Butter, Cubed
Salt & Black Pepper

Preparation
1) Pre-heat oven to 400°F
2) Place Currants and Crème de Cassis in small mixing bowl and set aside
3) Pre-heat dry sauté pans
4) Score duck fat and season both sides with Salt and Pepper
5) Sear duck breast by placing fat side down (4 breasts in each pan)
6) Once fat has browned, flip breasts and allow the underside of the duck to brown
7) Finish duck breasts in the oven for an additional 6-9 minutes until med-rare, flipping breasts ½ way through cooking
8) Remove duck from the oven and place breasts on roasting rack, with a sheet pan underneath, to rest
9) Place stock in small saucepan and bring to a simmer
10) Discard excess fat in sauté pans and return the pans to the stove over medium heat
11) Add half of the shallots to each sauté pan and deglaze each pan with 2.5oz of the Crème de Cassis and Black Currants
12) Combine contents into 1 sauté pan
13) Stir in Pink Peppercorns and Veal Stock
14) Reduce until nappe (a syrupy consist
15) Add Parsley and Monte au buerre
16) Season with salt and pepper
17) Place duck on hot sizzle plates and return to the oven to reheat before serving

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Creamy Gorgonzola Polenta

24 oz Milk
16 oz Chicken Stock
8 oz Polenta
2 oz Butter
1 Tsp Salt
8 oz Gorgonzola
Salt & White Pepper

Preparation
1) Bring Milk, Stock, Butter and Salt to a boil in a large Saucepan
2) Whisk in polenta and continue to stirring until the polenta begins to thicken
3) Cover and reduce heat
4) Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally
5) Add Gorgonzola and stir until completely incorporated
6) Season with Salt & White Pepper

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Wilted Baby Spinach

2 lbs Baby Spinach,
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 oz Olive Oil
Salt & Black Pepper


Preparation
1) Pre-heat large Sauté Pan
2) Add Olive Oil and toss in Spinach and Garlic
3) Once spinach begins to wilt remove from heat
4) Season with salt and pepper
5) Serve immediately

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To Plate

1) Place an approximate 3oz bed of wilted spinach in the center of the plate and top with 6oz of the polenta (being careful not to entirely cover the spinach)
2) Place the duck breast that has been sliced on the biased on top of the polenta with the fat side up
3) With a saucing spoon, spoon 1oz black currant sauce over the duck breast to finish



*Photo to come!