Stick a finger in it!

A little impaired but slowly healing, I am now definitely in the mood and motivated to make more cookies! the only thing is that I've been doing nothing but rolling balls of dough. At this point I've likely rolled several hundred balls of every kind; nutty balls, ginger balls, chocolate balls and I am getting bored. As I was rolling the Peppermint Pixies, I stopped for a moment, stared at the round sphere and stuck my finger in it and thought duh! that's easy what about some jam thumbprints!


This recipe appeared in Gourmet maybe a year or 2 ago. They ran an article on Gourmet's Favourite Cookies over the years. Not sure what year this was originally published but all I know is that this simple basic recipe is one of best I've eaten and quickest to make; no fancy equipments necessary and just one bowl to wash! The crust is tender and delicate and balances well with a preserve that is not too sweet. Unable to locate the link on their site to the recipe, I've quoted it below.

Strawberry Jam Tarts
from Gourmet: This is just one of Gourmet’s Favorite Cookies: 1941-2008. Although we’ve retested the recipes, in the interest of authenticity we’ve left them unchanged: The instructions below are still exactly as they were originally printed.

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
2 large egg yolks, beaten lightly
1 cup strained strawberry jam

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, the sugar, and the salt, add the butter, and blend the mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Stir in the egg yolks, blend the mixture until it forms a dough, and chill the dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Let the dough soften slightly, roll level teaspoons of it into balls, and arrange the balls about 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Using your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each ball, being careful not to crack the dough around the edges. (If the dough cracks, reroll it and try again.) Fill each indentation with about 1/4 teaspoon of the jam and bake the cookies in batches in the middle of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are pale golden. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 2 minutes, transfer them to racks, and let them cool completely. The cookies may be made 1 month in advance and kept frozen in airtight containers. Makes about 100 cookies.

Orange scented chocolate bites

When I was picking up some chocolate bars for the peppermint pixies, I noticed Lindt offered an orange flavoured dark chocolate bar and I figured it would be perfect to make another chocolate bite a little more festive.


These dark chocolate bites are as easy to make as it is to pop them in your mouth. The addition of orange zest, orange oil and orange peel studded chocolate bars makes these already decadent treats just a little more special and festive. Permeated with a marvelous citrus aroma, they bring back memories of the orange groves in Andalusia intoxicated with the heady scent of orange blossoms. Because the ingredients are few and simple, it's advisable to use the best quality ingredients available.
This particular cookie has certainly been around the baking universe and it would be no stranger to those familiar with Dorie Greenspan and Pierre Hermé. I believe it was my sister who introduced me to them many years ago. Since then, it has been an annual staple and a favourtie for our family. This recipe is actually not Greenspan's but rather Hermé's which I happened upon in an article from F&W site. It differs ever so slightly but the small difference I believe in the amount of sugar and flour makes Herme's dough a little less crumbly and easier to work with. I've made both and couldn't tell the difference. I only chose to work with Hermé's recipe over Greenspan's as it is much easier to handle.

Chocolate chocolate chip cookie
adapted from F&W article
The New Classic Cookies I Pierre Hermé's Christmas Cookies

Ingredients
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 sticks plus 6 tablespoons (11 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons fleur de sel
1 teaspoon orange oil
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (2 cups) for more orange intensity with orange peel - use Lindt's Orange chocolate bar.
Zest of 2 oranges

Directions
In a medium bowl, sift the flour with the cocoa and baking soda. In a large bowl, cream the butter. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, fleur de sel, orange oil and orange zest and beat until combined. Beat in the sifted dry ingredients just until blended; the dough will be fairly crumbly but will hold together. Knead in the chocolate until evenly distributed. Divide the dough in half and transfer to 2 large sheets of plastic wrap. Shape each piece of dough into a 1 1/2-inch-wide log and wrap in the plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 4 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using a sharp, thin knife, cut the logs into 3/8-inch slices and arrange about 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets. If the slices crumble, re-form the cookies, pressing the dough together. Bake the cookies on the middle and lower racks of the oven for about 17 minutes, or until puffed and cracked on top; shift the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.

Tangy & Tender Lime Cookies

Earlier this week driving home from my PT appointment, it occurred to me that making cookies could be a good form of therapy for my thumb as the putty like object the PT used for my thumb rehab has the consistency of soft cookie dough and so I started planning a list as soon as I reached home.

I begin with some ginger buttons crisps and buttery pecan balls. Feeling rather proud of myself, I decided to progress to a roll and cut cookie. Thankfully there were no mishaps wielding the knife with my left hand. Maybe the lesson for my injury is to slow down a little as I am accustomed to whizzing through anything I do and some of you know especially so in the kitchen.


The ingredients are as simple and basic as it can be. Everything is easily mixed together with the exception of zesting the lime and slicing them before baking, which was a little inconvenient with my condition. But it was worth the effort as it was a delight to smell them baking. Despite them being drowned in confectioner's sugar, it isn't tooth achingly sweet but rather a tangy and refreshing taste and melts delicately in your mouth. Perhaps you can try them and taste it yourselves.

Tangy Lime Cookies
recipe from Martha Stewart

Ingredients
1 1/2 sticks butter softened
1/3 cup Icing sugar
Zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
Additional icing sugar for coating cookies - about 1 cup

Method

1. Cream butter and icing sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in lime juice, zest & vanilla.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch & salt. Add to creamed butter, beat on low speed until combined.
3. Divide dough in 2. Using parchment paper, roll dough into two 1 1/4-inch-diameter logs. Chill in refrigerator for a couple of hours.
4. Preheat oven 350˚. Slice well chilled logs 1 1/8 inch thick and place on parchment lined cookie sheets about 1 inch apart.
5. Bake cookies until barely golden. 12-15 minutes.
6. Cool cookies slightly and toss them just barely warm in the additional icing sugar.
7. Cookies can be stored in air tight containers up to 2 weeks.

This is a great do ahead recipe. The dough keeps in the refrigerator for several days and up to a couple of months in the freezer. These are usually the first cookies that gets mixed right after Thanksgiving and thrown into the freezer until it they get baked just before Christmas.

24 Days before Christmas

The year has certainly flown by, at least for me and I cannot believe that it is already December. I have been mixing and playing with batter but of a different sort - concrete! Like baking, the ratio or liquid, water in this case has to be precisely measured (taking into account the humidity in the air) to achieve the right consistency so the concrete would cure correctly. At some point E & I stopped counting at 2000lbs of concrete and we still have 100 or so more lbs to mix and pour but alas we've hit below freezing temperatures so we'll have to wait until next Spring to do that.

So enough of that, I don't think anyone reading this is at all interested in concrete discussion. Well, usually by this time, I would have started my Christmas baking soon after Thanksgiving but it's hard to get into the mood since I broke or rather crushed my thumb on my dominant hand nonetheless about 2 months ago! ironically nothing involving the landscaping E&I was working on. Since you all know sitting still isn't quite my cup of tea. As I mentioned, I have been busy mixing batter just not the edible kind even with my injury.

As I had to go shopping to prep Thanksgiving dinner last week, I passed by the apples and the delicious appley aroma wafted my way and gave me a little inspiration to bake something, so I thought what about an Apple Cake! I remembered many years ago I had made such a delicious thing in a simple manner. These days, with my injury, simple and humble are the key ingredients I seek for. As simple as it is, I cannot for the life of me find where that recipe was so I went to my trusted resource and after reading the ingredients and with slight modifications found this recipe to be easy, unpretentious and fool proof but most importantly delicious! If any of you like to try your hand at first time baking, try this and you won't be disappointed. If I am able to mix it and wield a knife with my left hand, you have absolutely no excuses. Original recipe can be found here.

Brown Butter Apple Cake
adapted from epicurious.com

Ingredients
1 cup Spelt flour or 3/4 cup AP Flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/4 scant teaspoon of Cardamom (optional)
4 large apples (4 different kinds-I used Braeburns & Honeycrisps)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons Calvados
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
finely grated zest from 1 lemon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter

Method
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter and line the bottom of an 8" cake pan with parchment paper. I used a 9" spring form pan for easier removal for my sake and not to have the trouble of cutting a piece of parchment and so my cake's height turned out on the shallow side.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat on the stove until it is golden brown. Remove from heat.

Peel and core the apples and cut into 1- to 2-inch chunks while the butter cools.

Whisk together the dry ingredients ( flour, baking powder, cardamom )

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs until foamy. Add sugar and whisk to blend. Whisk in the Calvados and vanilla. Carefully whisk in half the flour mixture until incorporated, add half the cooled melted butter, followed by the rest of the flour mixture and the melted butter. Switch to a spatula and mix gently until you have a smooth but rather thick batter. Fold in the lemon zest and gently fold in the apples until it is coated with the batter. Turn out the mix into the buttered pan and push and poke it to the sides with the spatula and give the pan a slight shake and jiggle to even out the batter and remove air pockets.

Slide the pan into the oven. If using a spring form pan, place it on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until the top of the cake is golden brown, the sides pull away from the pan and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. It only took 45 minutes for me likely because of my pan size.


I haven't tried it but I bet it is delicious with served with a simple sabayon spiked with Calvados and scented with Cardamom. If you dare to try here's my Sabayon recipe and let me know what you think.

Simple Sabayon
Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Calvados ( able to substitute with other alcohol)
1 cup heavy cream
A couple of pinches of cardamom ( optional)

Method
Beat 3/4 cup heavy cream just until stiff peaks form and keep chilled in refrigerator. Prepare a bain marie or water bath on the stove and also a bowl of ice and cold water. Using a large metal bowl whisk together yolks, sugar, calvados and 1/4 cup cream. Set it over a bain marie whisking constantly and vigorously, cooking the sabayon until thick and whisk leaves tracks. Set cooked sabayon over the bowl of cold water and ice and gently whisk to cool the sabayon. Gently fold in the chilled whipped cream with a spatula. Serve or cover and chill. The sabayon can be made a day ahead.

Winter's Taste of Sunshine

After baking several cookies using just egg whites, I am left with 6 yolks! So what am I to do with with just yolks? I also have several naked lemons grated just for the peels. As I was having my morning cup of tea, I was struck by how sunny the day is even though it is winter and it occurred to me that I should make some tangy Lemon Curd. It is quick and a good way to use up my leftover supply of yolks and lemons.


This is my adaptation of a little taste of sunshine which makes a bright yellow and very tangy and tart curd.

Lemon Curd
Yields 2 cups

Ingredients
6 egg yolks
6 oz sugar - increase up to 1/4 oz for a sweeter curd.
150ml lemon juice - about 3 lemons
4 oz butter - room temp and cut into tablespoon size pieces
Zest of 1 lemon
pinch of salt

Whisk sugar into yolks over a bain-marie (water bath). Add salt and pour in the lemon juice and continue whisking over the bain-marie until the temperature reaches 170˚ on a candy thermometer and the curd starts to thicken. Remove the thickened curd from the bain-marie and whisk in pieces of butter one by one. Finally fold in the lemon zest. Pour into a jar and press a plastic wrap onto the surface and leave it to chill in the refrigerator until cold. As mentioned this makes a very tart curd. Although I have a sweet tooth, I am not particularly fond of overly sweet things. The thick consistency makes a good filling for sandwich cookies and cakes.

How thoughtful of mother nature to provide lemons for us in the cold winter months. It really is a taste of sunshine in the midst of winter's cold.

Wedding Cake

After arriving here several days and exploring my new home area. I decided that we must have a cake of some sort for our wedding celebration. But not having all my equipment and tools it proved to be a challenge but armed with only the basic tools and my trusty bare hands and a whisk I decided to make a Chocolate Mousse Cake. I do not recommend this as my arms ached from whipping the cream and the egg whites. Recipe for the base I obtained from here and the mousse from Nick Malgieri's also found here which is perfectly light and airy for the flourless base and to E's excitement it's happens to be a Swiss recipe. This can be made over 2 days and also the mousse will need to set for at least 2-3 hours or better yet over night.

Chocolate Flourless Cake for the base - adapted from epicurious.com

12 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup or 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter cut into pieces
6 large eggs, separated
12 Tbsp sugar
2 Tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottom of a 9" springform pan (preferable as this will provide a mould to pour the mousse in) or cake pan with parchment paper. Wrap outside of springform pan with foil to prevent batter leakage. Stir chocolate and butter in a water bath until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.

Using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 6 Tbsp sugar until mixture is thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Fold in the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, then fold in vanilla extract. With clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form and to this gradually add the remaining 6 Tbsp sugar, beating until medium-firm peaks form. Fold whites into chocolate mixture lightly then pour into prepared pan.

Bake cake about 45-50 mins and skewer or cake tester comes out with some crumbs. Top will be cracked and the cake will be double in size. Cool cake in pan on rack. Don't panic as the cake will start falling immediately after coming out of the oven.

After cake is cooled, pat the top down and remove cake from pan. I trimmed and leveled the top of the cake and E got to eat the crackly top and trimmings. If using a springform pan place the cake back into the springform pan with sides lined with acetate ( you can find these in cake or baking stores) or since I didn't have any with me I successfully formed a ring with wax paper. Line the top of the cake with raspberries (1 pint just about covers the surface nicely). Place in refrigerator and prepare mousse.


Swiss Chocolate Mousse - adapted from Nick Malgieri

The original recipe from Nick Malgieri's makes too much mousse so the quantity below is half which is perfect for assembling the cake.

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 envelope unflavored gelatin or 2 sheets
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup egg white (about 3-4 large egg whites)
1/2 cup sugar
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Whip cream until it holds a soft peak and refrigerate while preparing other ingredients.

Sprinkle gelatin over the water to soften about 5 minutes. Strain the water out before adding into the egg whites below.

Combine the egg whites and sugar in the bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk vigorously with a hand mixer until egg whites are hot and the sugar is dissolved—about 3 minutes. Test a little with your fingers, if it feels gritty continue to heat and whisk until all the sugar is dissolved then remove from heat.

Strain the softened gelatin and whisk into the hot egg whites using the hand mixer then whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form and feels somewhat cooled and creamy in appearance. Do not overbeat or the meringue will become dry. Bring meringue to cool to room temperature, stirring every so often. When it is cool, whisk by hand about a third of the meringue into the chocolate, then quickly fold the chocolate mixture back into the remaining meringue.

Pour the mousse over the prepared base with raspberries and place in the refrigerator to set for at least 3 hours. Then unmold and enjoy!



We were certainly blessed with perfect blue skies and gorgeous weather on our wedding day!


Expansive views from the summit of Mt. Audubon



View of Indian Peaks from Brainard Lake after our hike.