FOOD ON THE FOOD

Chewy Lime Sugar Cookies

Is there anything better than a simple, perfectly baked sugar cookie?

YES! A simple, perfectly baked sugar cookie with a hint of lime and coconut.

This was one of the recipes I taught at a parent and child baking workshop at Create a Cook last month. It’s the kind of cookie that’s dangerous for me to have around the house because one cookie inevitably turns into four. And don’t get me started on the cookie dough. I made a batch the night before class and the 13YO caught me scraping the last of the batter out of the bowl with my hands, eyes glowing, like a raccoon on a midnight raid.

The secret is to bake these cookies just until the dough balls collapse into their final cookie shape but before they take on any color. The tops will puff and crack, and they’ll feel underdone if you probe them with your finger, but that’s the best time to take them out. Let them stand on the hot pan for a few minutes and then remove them to a rack so they cool to a soft, pliable chew.

Then tell me how in the world anyone can keep their paws off them.


Chewy Lime Sugar Cookies

Make sure to use unsweetened coconut, not the moist, overly sweetened stuff. If that’s all you have or if you’re a coconut hater, you can omit the coconut entirely or sub in 1/3 cup cornmeal, which will make the cookies resemble Dancing Deer’s incredible sugar cane lime cookies.

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups granulated sugar, plus ½ cup for rolling cookies
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 large lime, finely grated with a microplane zester (shiny green part only)
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
½ cup unsweetened flaked coconut (not the chips)

Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the egg, vanilla extract, lime juice, and lime zest. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients and coconut. Mix until the dough coalesces into malleable clumps of dough.

Form rounded teaspoonsful of dough into balls and roll in the reserved sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1½ inches apart. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven just until the tops puff and crack but before the cookies take on any color (ovens vary, so you may want to rotate your pans halfway through for more even cooking). Let them stand on the cookie sheets for two minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. Makes about 40 cookies.

Source: Adapted from My Baking Addiction.

In Lieu of Sugarplums

It doesn’t really feel like the holiday season quite yet. The temperature seems too warm, the Halloween candy is still plentiful, and our pumpkins are in various states of non-frozen decomposition on the front stairs.  (For those of you following along on Husband’s Facebook page, our Jack-o’-lantern’s disgusting metamorphosis is finally complete—or is it?)

But now comes the scariest time of the year: holiday shopping season. It puts Halloween to shame. I shan’t be leaving the house until December 26. God help them if the kids outgrow their shoes during that time. Sorry, kids, no way am I going to Target today. Just wear socks and sandals. Oh, it’s snowing out? Tie a bread bag around each foot, you’ll be fine.

I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that the perfect holiday gift is a mere click away. People always say they have too many cookbooks, but they don’t really mean it. True, they might not be willing to buy one for themselves, but they will always happily accept one under the tree. Trust me. And don’t forget your Aunt Mildred. She seems like a Wintersweet kind of gal, and she’s very sorry for what she said about you that time she got into the cordial!


Sugared Cranberries  

These festive treats are sweetly tart and fun to eat. Use the freshest, bounciest cranberries you can find—not frozen.

1 cup fresh cranberries, washed, picked over
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/3 cup for coating
2 strips orange peel (no white pith)

Set the cranberries aside in a small glass bowl. In a medium saucepan, stir the water, 1 cup of sugar, and the orange peels together over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring the syrup to a bare simmer and remove from heat. Let the syrup cool 2-3 minutes, and then pour it over the cranberries. Set a small bowl on top of the cranberries to submerge them. Cover the bowls and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Strain the cranberries and set them on a plate. Remove the orange peels, cut into thin strips, and add to the berries. Sprinkle about 3 tablespoons of sugar over the berries, a little at a time, tossing well to coat. Let dry for 2 hours. Sprinkle another 1-2 tablespoons of sugar over them, rolling the berries until well coated. Let dry another hour before serving. Store uncovered at room temperature for 1-2 days.

Source: From Wintersweet by Tammy Donroe Inman (that's me!)

Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies

The 10YO has a new favorite dessert for fall: chocolate pumpkin cookies.

The recipe came from this year’s Whole Foods calendar (October 2015), but he made a few changes. For one, he asked to use the Extra Dark Chocolate cocoa because he takes after his mom. Then he eliminated the chopped up walnuts and dates from the recipe, because, well, he’s a kid. That’s fine, I said. If you’re the one doing the work, you can make them however you want.

The result is a deliciously soft chocolate spice cookie he’s made twice already: once before Halloween and once for his school’s Election Day bake sale at the local polling station last week. They’d be a great addition to your Thanksgiving smorgasbord as well.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies  

They're also good with the original 1 cup of chopped walnuts and 1 cup of chopped dates mixed into the batter.

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Extra Dark Chocolate cocoa powder (or regular)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon demerara sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk together the molasses and pumpkin puree in a separate smaller bowl.

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients and wet ingredients alternately, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Drop the batter in heaping tablespoonsful about 1 inch apart onto the prepared pans. Sprinkle with demerara sugar if desired. Bake until just firm around the edges, 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen.

Source: Adapted from the 2015 Whole Foods calendar (October).

How to Fix Ho-Hum Honeydew

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never had a decent honeydew in my life. To me, they always taste like cucumbers pretending to be melons. I’m just no good at picking them out, and when I ask the produce guy to pick one out for me, it's barely any better. It’s disappointing because I read food blogs where the writers wax poetic about the nectar-perfect honeydew they just tasted and I want to experience the sweetness of which they speak.

So I tried growing one myself.

It was the last melon plant in the school garden to set fruit, and then it just took forever and ever to grow. It pretty much didn’t change size at all in September despite the heat and my attentive watering. With a hard frost projected last weekend, I finally had to pull the plug on my runty garden-grown honeydew. It didn’t smell even remotely fragrant, but I cut it up anyway. It was very green inside. Too green. I tasted it. Surprisingly, it didn’t taste any worse than supermarket honeydews, but it was clearly underripe. Rather than throw the whole thing in the compost, I tried something. I tossed the green melon cubes with 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon lime zest. Wow, what a difference! The 12YO and I ate the whole melon in less than a minute. OK, the melon was tiny, but still, it was suddenly delicious!

Now I know what to do the next time a melon lets me down, although I’d probably double the syrup for a full-sized honeydew. Who knows, maybe it would work for cucumbers, too!

Pico de Gallo (Red Salsa)

As the tomatoes taper off this fall, I’m bidding them a fond farewell with this recipe for fresh salsa or pico de gallo. This is my current favorite homemade red salsa (for my favorite green sauce or salsa verde, go here).

With tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, and cilantro straight from the garden, it doesn’t get any fresher than this. We usually devour all the salsa with tortilla chips or maybe we'll save a little for huevos rancheros. But my Venezuelan friend recently turned me on to arepas (fried corn cakes stuffed with cheese), so I gave those a try. I admit I just used the recipe on the back of the bag of corn meal (basically mix 2 cups precooked white corn meal with 3 cups water and 1 tsp. salt). I fried up the patties, split them, and stuffed them with shredded cheddar, which melted almost immediately from the residual heat.

Topped with fresh salsa, these had me smiling all afternoon.

Pico de Gallo

Recipe can be doubled and tripled. Ole!

1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 lime
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, seeds removed, minced
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro (optional)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt (or more to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper

Soak the chopped onion in the juice of 1/2 lime for 15 minutes. Fold in the tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, and lime if necessary. Dig in with tortilla chips or spoon over arepas.

Sweet Corn Ice Cream

Sweet corn ice cream has been making appearances on late summer dessert menus all over town, from Commonwealth to Moody’s Backroom, so I decided to make some myself with fresh, local corn. After all, sweet corn is one of summer’s masterpieces. I love it boiled, grilled, chowdered, even raw. Why not celebrate all that sweetness?

What I came up with tastes exactly like corn on the cob. Like, exactly, down to the butter and salt. It’s uncanny, which can be good or bad depending on whether your mind is willing to accept two seemingly disparate worlds colliding: the world of ice cream and the world of corn on the cob. These flavor/texture hybrids can be very polarizing. The 12YO and I were in agreement that it was delicious, but the 10YO refused to try it and Husband hated it. Why? Because it tastes exactly like corn on the cob...but it's ice cream.

So here’s the recipe. Disgusting or delightful? You be the judge.


Sweet Corn Ice Cream 

The salt content is intentionally high to give it that special stand-alone corn-on-the-cob flavor. For a less salty variation to be served alongside, say, blackberry cobbler, reduce the salt by half or more to taste, but do keep a pinch.

4 ears of corn, husked
2 cups milk
2 large eggs (local or pasteurized)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups heavy cream

Using the large holes on a box grater, shave the corn off the cobs and add to a medium saucepan along with the cobs, broken in half. (Alternatively, you can cut the corn off the cobs and run the kernels through a food processor.) Add the milk to the pan and bring to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture infuse, cobs and all, for 1 hour. Cover the pan and place in the refrigerator to steep overnight.

Remove the cobs from the mixture and discard. Strain the milk mixture into a medium bowl, pressing down on the corn with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Reserve the strained corn for another use.*

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar a little at a time, then the salt, and whisk for 1 minute more. Add the strained milk mixture as well as the cream. Whisk for another minute until the sugar is dissolved. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions (usually spin for 25 minutes). Transfer the churned mixture into a freezer-safe container. Freeze until firm, at least 8 hours.

*If your poached corn still has some flavor left as mine did, don’t throw it away. You can toss it with cooked Israeli couscous or orzo, halved cherry tomatoes, slivered basil, and goat cheese for a delicious lunch.

 

Local Ingredients:
Corn: Lanni Orchards, Lunenburg, MA
Milk: Stonyfield Farms, Londonderry, NH
Eggs: Chestnut Farm, Hardwick, MA
Cream: High Lawn Farm, Lee, MA

Summer Squash Latkes

It’s always a race to use up all my CSA produce before we go on vacation. Here’s a nice little lunch that saved a zucchini and a pattypan squash from certain doom. These summer squash latkes are light and tasty, and you can customize them with whatever herbs you have within reach. Fresh cilantro with jalapeño. Basil. Oregano. Thyme. Fry these little pancakes until crispy and top with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Delicious!


Summer Squash Latkes

2 medium summer squash
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño, thinly sliced (optional)
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Greek yogurt, for serving

Grate the squash with the large holes of a box grater. Wrap the shredded squash in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze it dry.

In a medium bowl, combine the squash with the scallions, jalapeño, egg, flour, and baking powder. Season with salt and pepper. Mix gently just until combined.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil until shimmery hot. Spoon 1/3-cup mounds of batter onto the hot pan and press lightly to flatten. Cook over medium heat until golden, about 4 minutes. Flip them and cook 3 minutes more until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining batter, adding oil as necessary. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Makes six.

Source: Adapted from Food & Wine

My Favorite Strawberry Shortcake

We were at dinner with our neighbors the other night discussing what makes the best strawberry shortcake. I think it all depends on what you grow up with, but the six of us adults were of the mind that we don’t want sponge cake posing as shortcake. And though a biscuit will do, preferably it would be something in between a cake and a biscuit, something more scone-like. Something that crumbles just so with the slight tang of buttermilk and just a hint of salt. Something lumpy and old-fashioned between which to mound impossibly juicy strawberries and a pillow of sweet cream.

This is it. This is my favorite shortcake recipe. It’s a variation of one I’ve already run on this blog, but that was eight whole years ago. (Have I really been blogging that long? Yup, I have.) Since then, I’ve made a few changes that really improved the recipe. So here’s my new and improved version of strawberry shortcake, just in time for strawberry season to be almost over. There’s nothing fancy or difficult or trendy about it, but it's exactly what I want when I see all those beautiful local strawberries.  


Strawberry Shortcake  

Make this while the getting’s still good. Serves 6 to 8.

2 quarts fresh strawberries, tops cut off, sliced
1/3 + 1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk (I like Kate’s)
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 pint heavy cream
2 Tbsp. confectioner’s sugar
Vanilla extract, to taste

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, gently stir together the sliced strawberries with 1/3 cup sugar (or more, depending on the sweetness of the fruit). Set aside covered at room temperature while making the shortcakes.

In the bowl of a food processor, mix together the flour, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter pieces and process 15-20 seconds until the butter pieces are pea-sized or smaller. Transfer to a medium bowl. (You can also skip the food processor and cut in the butter by hand or with a pastry blender.) Add the buttermilk and mix until just blended. Drop large, heaping spoonfuls of the batter in mounds onto the prepared pans at least two inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the tops start to brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.

When ready to serve, whip the cream with the confectioner’s sugar and a dash of vanilla with an electric mixer on medium for a few minutes, just until smooth and mounding. To assemble, split the shortcakes in half horizontally. Over the bottom half, spoon lots of strawberries and their juices as well as a generous dollop of whipped cream. Replace the top half of the shortcake a bit askew. Pass remaining strawberries and whipped cream at the table.

Pickled Peppers

Peter Piper is a big fat liar. No way did he pick a peck of pickled peppers. The pickling is a whole other step! Who’s responsible for fact-checking these pre-Internet memes?

Luckily, the pickling process is pretty simple, and you can start pickling your hot peppers at the beginning of dinner prep and have them ready by the end. This particular recipe for quick-pickled cherry peppers is my favorite so far. These are the hots I used on last week’s Italian grinders and they’re also great in antipasto salads and on grilled summer burgers. I highly recommend them.

(BTW, my sources confirm that "she" actually does sell seashells by the seashore, but she doesn’t make very much money due to her poorly-thought-out business plan.)

Pickled Cherry Peppers  

This process works for any kind of hot pepper, such as jalapeños and serranos, though you might find me sneaking in some coriander seeds in that case.

1 lb. hot cherry peppers
1-1/2 cups white vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, peeled, mashed with the side of a knife
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. kosher salt

With a paring knife, cut a circle about 1/2 inch in diameter around each stem and pull off the tops. Most of the seeds should come out with them. Shake out the rest. Slice the peppers into rings (or keep them whole if you’re in a hurry or plan to stuff them with something like goat cheese).

In a small pot, combine the peppers rings, vinegar, water, garlic, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Pour everything into a quart jar and keep refrigerated for about a month, pulling out pickled peppers as needed.

*Be sure to wash your hands very, very well after handling hot peppers, and do not under any circumstances touch your eyes.

Boston Cream Puffs

The 12YO asked if I would make cream puffs over the weekend. I haven’t made cream puffs in ages—maybe since culinary school—but he had read about them in a book recently and developed a craving, so I said sure.

I probably should have asked what he was envisioning first. I don’t think he’s ever had a cream puff before, and sometimes the way things sound and the way things actually are don’t match up in a kid’s mind. Like the way Italian pastries always looked so good in the case to me when I was young, but then they usually turned out to be too dry and crumbly or not chocolaty enough and spiked with some unwelcome flavor like rum—blech! (I like rum now, but I was always super-bummed-out by rum as a kid because it detracted from the pure chocolate flavor I loved so much.)

Maybe that’s why I decided to put chocolate on these cream puffs. Or maybe because he loves Boston cream doughnuts (like mother, like son). Or maybe because we’re from Boston. Either way, they were all gone in 48 hours, mostly due to the 12YO’s winning argument that I should allow him to eat them for breakfast because they’re practically doughnuts. Touché!


Boston Cream Puffs  

These are just like little éclairs, just a touch sweeter to appeal to the young at heart. Reserve the leftover egg whites in the freezer for pavlova. Makes about 16.

Filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
4 large egg yolks
1-1/2 cups milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Dough
1 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs, beaten

Glaze
3 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy cream

To make the filling, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan until uniformly powdery. Add the yolks and whisk until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of the milk and whisk until combined, then whisk in the rest of the milk. Place the pan over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened like pudding, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the butter, whisking until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract. Transfer the custard to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap pressed up against the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Poke a few holes in the plastic with the tip of a paring knife to let out steam. Chill until firm, at least two hours.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter, and salt, and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon (it will resemble mashed potatoes) and return the pan to medium heat. Stir vigorously to dry out the mixture until it is shiny with small beads of butter (3 to 4 minutes). Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool for 5 full minutes so the eggs don't scramble.

Reserve a tablespoon of beaten egg in a small bowl. Add the rest of the eggs in four parts to the dough, beating well after each addition with an electric mixer or a strong arm until fully incorporated. Spoon tablespoons of dough onto the prepared pans spaced at least two inches apart (you can also use a piping bag with a plain tip, but I’m much too lazy for that). Brush the tops with the reserved egg. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until the dough is puffed, golden-brown, and dried. Remove from the oven and poke a hole in the side of each puff with a toothpick to let the steam out while they cool.

When ready to assemble, make the glaze. Pour the chocolate chips into a small bowl. Heat the cream to a simmer and then pour it over the chocolate chips. Let stand for 1 minute and then stir (not too fast) with a spoon until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is completely smooth.

Carefully cut the puffs in half across the equators with a serrated knife, but keep the halves paired up. Fill the puffs with custard and replace the tops so the filling is hidden inside. You might be tempted to overfill them, but keep in mind that you need some airspace inside to keep the filling from squeezing out everywhere when you eat them. Spoon some chocolate glaze over the tops (if the ganache has solidified too much, heat it gently in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds and stir until loosened). Refrigerate the puffs until the chocolate is set. Store in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

Sand Dollar Cookies

Wow, such beautiful beachy weather this week! It’s making me long for summer vacation even though it’s only May.

Cape Cod lore has it that the local beaches used to be littered with sand dollars bleached white by the sun. That was before my time. I’ve never found an actual sand dollar myself, but the kids have found a few. The hollow disks with the familiar star-shaped pattern are the exoskeletons of a type of burrowing sea urchin. A friend once told me about a time some years back at Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester when millions of tiny live sand dollars were swimming around in the water and washing ashore. It’s either feast or famine with sand dollars, I guess.

Speaking of feast, here’s a cute little cookie recipe you might want to have for the summer. Kids will have fun cutting out the shapes, arranging the almonds, and sprinkling them with a sandy mixture of cinnamon and sugar. They’re not a bad gift for Mother’s Day, either.


Sand Dollar Cookies  

You can make the dough a few days in advance. Keep it tightly wrapped in the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for a half hour before rolling out. Makes about 4 dozen.

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
2 large eggs
1 large egg, separated
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Sliced almonds

Beat the butter and confectioner’s sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extract (reserve the egg white for later). Mix until smooth and fluffy.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix at low speed just until incorporated. Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured counter, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut out circles with a 2-1/2-inch biscuit cutter. Place the rounds on the prepared pans and brush with lightly beaten egg white. Stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle over the cookies. Gently press five almond slices in a spoke design in the center of each cookie.

Bake for 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and gently press the almonds into the cookies again. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon-sugar if desired. Bake for 10 more minutes or until the middles resist your touch when lightly pressed. Remove the cookies to wire racks and let cool completely.

Little Rhubarb Pavlovas

The cherry blossoms are out, and the rhubarb is just coming up in the school garden. Naturally, it got me thinking about dessert.

If you haven’t yet embraced rhubarb, or if you already embrace it to the fullest extent of the law, then you have to try this recipe. Sweet, soft, and light with just a hint of tartness, these little rhubarb pavlovas are the absolute best thing about spring. I mean, besides the absence of all those giant snow piles. And all the returning birds. And the warming air and the gradual greening of the landscape. OK, there’s a lot to like about spring, but this is definitely right up there, like a big puffy cloud plopped right down on your plate.

If I were you, I’d get right on it!


Little Rhubarb Pavlovas  

The meringues can be made up to a day ahead of time and stored in airtight containers. Save your egg yolks in the fridge covered with a little cold water to make lime curd. Serves 10.

Meringues
4 large egg whites
1 pinch salt
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. white wine vinegar (or plain white vinegar)

Filling
2 lbs. rhubarb, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla paste or vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. cardamom
Pinch salt

Whipped Cream
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1 Tbsp. confectioner’s sugar
Splash of vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and trace 10 4-inch circles in pencil using a glass as a guide. Turn the parchment paper over so you can still see the circles but you don’t get pencil on your meringue.

Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt in a large, clean bowl on medium-high speed.  (It’s very important that your bowl is grease-free and that you separate your eggs cleanly, with no broken yolks mixed in with the whites. Any fat will interfere with the whipping process.) When soft peaks form, begin adding the sugar 1 tablespoonful at a time with the mixer running. Continue beating on medium-high speed until the mixture is dense and stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes. Rub some meringue on your fingers to make sure all the sugar has dissolved. It should feel smooth, not gritty. Using a spatula, lightly but thoroughly fold in the cornstarch and vinegar. 

Gently spoon the fluffy mixture in the marked circles on the parchment paper, making a well in the middle of each for the filling. If the parchment is sliding around too much, use a dab or two of the mixture to glue the paper to the pan. Bake them in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until they’re just starting to take on some light color and feel firm on the outside but still soft in the middle. If they crack slightly, that’s okay. Then turn off the heat and let them sit inside the oven with the door propped open with a wooden spoon for 20 to 30 minutes. They should still feel soft in the middle when gently pressed. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Increase the oven temperature to 325°F. In a large roasting pan, toss the rhubarb with the sugar, vanilla, cardamom, and salt. Let sit for 20 minutes to draw out some moisture. Then cover tightly with foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the rhubarb is soft but still holds its shape. Remove from the oven. Strain the rhubarb in a sieve set over a medium saucepan. Gently transfer the rhubarb to a medium bowl. Over medium heat, bring the rhubarb juices to a simmer and then reduce for 5 or 6 minutes until syrupy. Pour the syrup over the rhubarb and let cool, then refrigerate covered until ready to serve.

Assemble the pavlovas just before serving. Whip the cream in a clean bowl with confectioner’s sugar and a splash of vanilla until soft, smooth peaks form. Spoon the rhubarb into the wells of the cooled pavlovas and top with softly whipped cream.

Beet Burgers

No, that is not a typo. I don’t mean beef burgers. I mean beet, as in magenta-colored, underground root vegetable burgers. Wait, come back!!

Look, I’m the first one to tell you that I’ve never been one for veggie burgers. Stop trying to pass vegetables off as meat. I know the difference. But these aren’t trying to be meat at all. They have their own unique character and there’s something about the sweet smokiness that I absolutely love. I can’t stop eating them. The recipe makes seven or eight patties and I ate them all myself the first week. Then I made them again last week and same deal. Of course it helped that no one was fighting me for them. Husband’s on his low-carb diet again and the kids, well, I only made them take one bite, more out of selfishness than mercy. Hands off my beet burgers, kids...and quit it with the mock vomit noises.

Full disclosure: you have to have an open mind when making these. They create a lot of dishes to wash and they’re very weirdly constructed. Let’s list a few of the more unusual ingredients: Beets (yes, we’ve already covered that, Tammy). Lentils. Walnuts! Raisins?! This is weird and wacky stuff. I admit I was initially drawn to the recipe because deep down I was like, there’s no WAY this is going to be good. Sometimes I like to follow a path to its inevitable ridiculous conclusion just to see what happens. Usually my instincts are correct about the impending train wreck ahead, but once in a while, I’m pleasantly surprised. This was one of those times.

But even if I can’t convince you to dig some beets out of the murky depths of your crisper for this experiment, you’ll still want to check out the cookbook this recipe came from. It’s called The New Persian Kitchen by Louisa Shafia and it’s an absolute stunner, all rose petals, pistachios, and pomegranate seeds. It’s a keeper.


Sweet and Smoky Beet Burgers  

This is a great use for leftover rice. I skip the bun and ketchup, and opt instead for a dollop of tzatziki with lots of dill. The smoked paprika is essential to the flavor. Do not substitute.

1/4 cup dried green lentils
1 yellow onion, sliced thinly
2 Tbsp. grapeseed oil, plus extra for searing
1 medium beet, peeled and grated (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
2 cups cooked short-grain white or brown rice, at room temperature
1 egg
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small pot of boiling water, cook the lentils until tender while preparing the other ingredients, about 20-25 minutes. Drain and let cool.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmery hot. Add the onion and sauté until it starts to caramelize, 10 to 15 minutes. Turn down the heat slightly and add the grated beets along with the garlic, walnuts, raisins, and smoked paprika. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.

Transfer the contents of the skillet to a food processor and pulse until chunky, about 20 seconds.  In a large bowl, combine the onion mixture with the lentils, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Replace the bowl of the food processor (no need to wash) and add the rice and egg. Pulse for 20-30 seconds until you have a coarse, sticky mixture. Add the rice to the bowl of onions and lentils and mix well with your hands.

Lightly oil your hands and make about 8 small patties not quite 1-inch thick. Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat and add oil to coat the bottom. Place the burgers in the skillet and cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes. Gently flip the burgers and turn the heat down to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, until they are cooked through and the burgers have a firm, brown crust.

Source: Adapted from The New Persian Kitchen by Louisa Shafia

Mexican Lime Curd

If you want to taste sunshine without leaving the frosty confines of your ice house, have I got a recipe for you: Lime Curd.

Maybe initially that doesn’t sound very enticing. Perhaps it conjures up images of congealed proteins bathed in sour juices. If so, that’s entirely the wrong idea. Think of citrus curd as a smooth, luscious pudding packed with tartness. The bright acidity hits you like a smack of cold air while the generous butter content swaddles your tongue like a warm blanket. Lemon curd is usually what people swoon over, especially when Meyer lemons are in season. But I love limes, and I’m here to tell you that lime curd can do battle with lemon curd any day of the week.

First, a bit about limes. Supermarket limes are typically Persian limes. You can make lime curd with these limes and it will be delicious (in fact, there’s a recipe for curd using regular limes in my cookbook). But I had the great fortune to end up with Mexican limes the other day. Mexico grows two kinds of limes, the ubiquitous Persian limes I just mentioned and a slightly smaller native lime, a variety that is better known as the famous Key lime. Here in the States, when limes are labeled as Mexican limes, you’re usually just getting Mexican-grown Persian limes. But every once in a while, you’ll end up with Mexican-grown Mexican limes. You probably won’t even know it until you leave them on the counter for a while and instead of staying green (or turning brown), they turn yellow like lemons. These limes are more acidic and have a bracing complexity that's hard to resist. They are widely considered to be the very best limes by the people in charge of limes.

You know how crazy people get for Key lime pie, right? Well, this Mexican lime curd is like Key lime pie without the crust. You can just spoon it out of the jar for a spontaneous burst of happiness. It’s also good on biscuits, scones, or coconut macadamia shortbread (WINTERSWEET, p. 92). Mexican limes tend to be larger than Key limes, so it doesn’t take as many or as long to juice them, but the two are interchangeable.

This curd is magical. It is delightful. And it is yours.

Mexican Lime Curd  

I’d recommend organic limes for this recipe since you’ll be using the outer peel. If not, you’ll want to scrub them well. Also, just a note that the finished curd is bright yellow, not green. That’s no mistake. The color is influenced more by the egg yolks than the juice or zest.

1 Tbsp. finely grated lime zest (shiny outer part only, not the bitter white pith)
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice from 6 Mexican limes (or ~12 Key limes)
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Pinch of salt

Place a large bowl half-full of ice water near the stove. Next to that, set a wire-mesh strainer nested inside a medium metal bowl.

In a medium saucepan, rub the lime zest into the sugar with your fingers until moist and fragrant. Whisk in the beaten eggs and lime juice. Add the butter and salt, and set the pot over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the butter melts and the mixture thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. Do not boil. Wait for when the mixture thickens to the consistency of a loose pudding. It should coat the back of a spoon, leaving a distinctive track when you run your finger through it. At this point, remove the pot from the heat.

Set the bowl with the strainer inside the ice bath, and quickly pour the curd through the strainer into the bowl, using a rubber scraper to force the curd through the sieve. (The ice bath halts the cooking and the strainer is insurance to remove any overcooked egg proteins that may arise. Be sure to scrape as much of the curd as possible off the underside of the strainer.)

Let the curd cool for a half hour before pouring it into small jars. The curd will thicken further and the flavor will intensify as it chills. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Valentine’s Day Blizzard of Love

I bumped today’s exciting salad post in favor of something sweeter. What can I say, Cupid wasn’t really feeling the greens. He tried to shoot a head of lettuce at my face with his bow, but it bounced right off.

Anyway, it’s snowing again here in Boston. Another day, another blizzard, and I’m going to need something more powerful than love to help me heave all of this snow over the existing 10-foot snow banks. Something that will give me the strength and agility to do so in subzero wind chills while simultaneously dodging all of those dagger-like icicles hanging from the rooflines.

So consider this toffee recipe my form of blizzard insurance. With any luck, it’ll get me out there and back inside in under three hours. That it might also pass for something Valentine-y is purely coincidental.


English Toffee  

Sometimes I add 1/2 tsp. of vanilla to the toffee if I want a stronger, more butterscotchy flavor.

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Pinch or two of coarse sea salt

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, sugar, water, and salt. Stir constantly until the butter and sugar melt, and then stir occasionally until a candy thermometer reads 300°F. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture into an ungreased 13x9-inch pan.

Let the toffee sit undisturbed for 3 to 5 minutes until it stiffens a bit (don’t touch it with your fingers—it’s hot; you just want it stiff enough to hold the weight of the chocolate chips—set one on top and see if it sinks). Once the toffee has cooled a bit but still radiates heat, scatter the chocolate chips on top. Let them sit for 5 minutes to melt, and then spread the chocolate evenly over the toffee, all the way to the edges. Scatter the nuts on top, pressing gently to adhere. Sprinkle with sea salt. Let cool completely for several hours.

To remove the toffee from the pan, stab it with a butter knife near the corner to crack it and remove a piece. Continue to break off irregular pieces with your hands or remove the whole slab to a cutting board. Store the pieces in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Pomegranate + Burrata = Love

I’ve been all about pomegranates lately.

My fling started with a salad disguised as dessert (my favorite kind). It had ripe slices of persimmon, creamy burrata cheese, crunchy homemade sesame brittle, and pomegranate seeds over arugula, dressed with a maple-balsamic vinaigrette. It was very tasty (you can find the recipe from Food & Wine here). We've been eating the leftover pomegranate seeds ever since: just plain, with Greek yogurt, and sprinkled over the remaining burrata.

A few words about burrata. I didn’t have a full understanding of what this Italian cheese really was before I bought a container from Maplebrook Farm. I knew it was a soft, mild cheese, one that was vaguely mozzarella-like, but apparently I was confusing it with bocconcini, the little balls of fresh mozzarella. So I was surprised when I opened the container to find one large ball of mozzarella.

When I removed it from the container with a spoon, it seemed to quiver like a water balloon. I was perplexed, but I forged ahead. I placed the cheese on a board and cut right into it, which caused an explosion of cream and runny cheese curds to spray forth all over the counter, running down my kitchen cabinets. Turns out it was a water balloon! Just one made out of cheese and filled with creamy goodness. (If you’re as interested in how they make it as I was, check out the process here).

I learned three things from this experience. One, maybe ease up on the stabbiness when it comes to portioning out burrata (and do it over a shallow bowl to catch all the exploding cheese). Two, that I love burrata. And three, that I love burrata with pomegranate seeds. The tart, juicy pop of the seeds against the soft, milky curds is just wonderful. It would make a totally indulgent Valentine’s Day dessert that’s very fresh and not too sweet.

 

How to Seed a Pomegranate: If you look at a pomegranate, you’ll notice it has fat ridges that run from pole to pole like thick longitudinal lines. If you cut gently just through the skin down one of those long ridges, and then again down another one of the adjacent ridges, you can pull a wedge of mostly intact seeds out of the fruit. Then you can just loosen the seeds gently with your fingers, pulling out the thin white membranes that enclose them. I store the remaining fruit in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge until I need to cut another wedge. If you need a lot of seeds at once, it’s often more efficient to submerge the wedges in a bowl of water so you can move a little quicker without the seeds squirting juice all over you. Then you can drain off the water and scoop out the seeds.

Mocha Hazelnut Dacquoise

There were some requests for the dessert recipe I made for Thanksgiving, so here it is. It's one of my favorite special occasion desserts of all time, and it also happens to be gluten-free. It comes from Joanne Chang's first cookbook, Flour. I've made changes to the size and assembly of the cake so that it feeds a crowd and avoids pastry bags of any kind. I also serve it in a baking pan so I don't have to decorate the sides. I was way too stressed out by the piano delivery to do any detail work that afternoon (or ever!).

A dacquoise is a French layer cake made with sheets of nut meringue (egg whites mixed with sugar and ground nuts and baked until crisp). This particular version uses almond and hazelnut meringues layered with espresso buttercream and chocolate ganache. It's like a Napoleon but with nuts and chocolate. It's about as fancy as I ever get. The components aren't hard to make, but the timing of the assembly can be tricky. The meringue slabs have to be fully cooled and half of the ganache should be thick enough to mound while the other half should be thin enough to pour fluidly during the crucial window of time when the buttercream has just come together but hasn't yet broken. This is not to scare you away, but merely to warn you not to make this in a situation where a business deal is on the line unless you enjoy high-octane panic attacks.

Rather, make it for friends or family who won't care how it looks as long it tastes good. Which it does. Very, very good. People threatened to weep.


Mocha Hazelnut Dacquoise   

A note about meringue: egg whites should be completely yolk-free in order for the recipe to work correctly. Also, make sure the bowl and beaters are clean with no hint of grease. Save one of the yolks for the buttercream below, and then submerge the rest in cold water covered in the fridge to make lime or lemon curd within a few days (recipe in WINTERSWEET, see note on page 151). For the nuts, "blanched" means their dark skins have been removed.

Meringue
3/4 cup blanched whole hazelnuts, divided
1/2 cup blanched whole almonds
1-1/3 cups confectioner's sugar
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
6 egg whites
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Ganache
1 pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
2 cups heavy cream

Buttercream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into thirds
1 Tbsp. instant espresso powder (or 2 Tbsp. instant coffee powder ground fine)
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Find yourself a nice-looking rectangular baking dish for serving and set aside. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and trace three rectangles several inches smaller than the dimensions of the pan you will be serving it in. For example, if using a standard 9x13-inch pan, measure rectangles 6x10 inches. Make sure the rectangles are spaced at least 2 inches apart as the batter will spread a bit. Turn the parchment sheets over so the pencil is on the underside of the paper.

For the meringue layers, toast 1/2 cup of the hazelnuts in a dry sauté pan over medium heat, tossing frequently, until they turn golden in spots and smell toasty, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the toasted hazelnuts to the bowl of a food processor to cool. Set the remaining 1/2 cup of untoasted hazelnuts aside in a small bowl for decoration. Repeat the toasting process for all of the almonds. Add those to the hazelnuts in the bowl of the food processor and let cool for a few minutes. Process until the nuts are ground to a rough powder. Do not overprocess or they will turn into nut butter. Transfer the ground nuts to a medium bowl. Sift the confectioner's sugar over the top, add the salt, and stir to combine.

Using a stand mixer with the whip attachment (or a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites on medium speed until they hold soft peaks that droop gently when lifted, about 3 to 4 minutes (longer for a handheld mixer). On medium speed, add the granulated sugar to the whites in three equal additions, mixing for 30 seconds after each addition. When all of the sugar has been incorporated, increase the speed to high and beat for about 15 seconds longer. The meringue should be stiff and glossy. Remove the bowl from the mixer and sprinkle the nut mixture on top. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the nuts into the meringue, depositing the batter from the bottom on the bowl on top, rotating the bowl as you go.

Spread the mixture into rectangular shapes as marked on the parchment paper. Bake for 1-1/2 to 2 hours until the rectangles are firm to the touch. Turn off the oven and let them sit inside the warm oven for about 1 hour more to fully dry. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

When the meringue layers are cool, make the ganache. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, scald the cream over medium-high heat until bubbles start to form around the edge of the cream. Don't walk away or you risk it boiling over. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute to soften the chips. Slowly whisk the chocolate and cream until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour half of the mixture into a small, shallow bowl and set in the refrigerator covered for a half hour or so to thicken while making the buttercream. Leave the rest at room temperature so it remains a pourable consistency.

To make the espresso buttercream, make sure the butter is sitting out at room temperature first. Stir together the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. While the sugar syrup is heating, wash the mixer bowl and whisk attachment. Beat the eggs and egg yolk together on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes until pale in color. When the sugar syrup comes to a boil, cook without stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes until the temperature reaches 238°F on a candy thermometer. When the syrup is ready, remove from the heat. Turn the mixer speed down to low and slowly drizzle the hot syrup down the sides of the mixer bowl carefully so it doesn't hit the whip and splatter. When all of the syrup has been added, increase the speed to medium and whip for 6 to 8 minutes (again, longer with a handheld mixer) until the mixture is light and fluffy, and the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch.

This is where things get scary. Turn the mixer speed down to low and add the room-temperature butter to the bowl a few chunks at a time. The mixture will break almost immediately into a disgusting, curdled mess. It will seem ruined. You will be cursing me. But keep mixing and it will come together again, trust me. It always does. Think to yourself, would Joanne Chang let me down? No, she would not. Increase the speed to medium and continue whipping for about 5 minutes until it turns smooth and silky. If it needs a few minutes more, go ahead. Add the espresso powder and salt, and whip until completely combined. If the buttercream should break again later on, I've always been able to get it to come back together again with enthusiastic mixing (sometimes in combination with a cold towel pressed against the bottom of the bowl).

For assembly, peel the cool dacquoise rectangles from the parchment paper. If any are misshapen, you can gently trim them down with a paring knife, but be careful not to shatter them as they're very fragile. Set one rectangle in the center of the chosen serving vessel. Remove the small bowl of ganache from the refrigerator and give it a brief stir to make sure it has thickened enough to mound without running. If not, refrigerate it for another half hour. If so, proceed to spooning a thick layer on top of the dacquoise up to about a half-inch from the edge. Use as much of the ganache as will reasonably fit to create a layer at least a half-inch thick. Press a second layer of dacquoise on top. Do the same with about 2/3 of the espresso buttercream (if it's starting to separate, give it a vigorous mixing before this step). Top the buttercream with the last dacquoise, placing it upside-down so the flat side is on top. Press lightly to adhere. Using a small spatula, spread the remaining buttercream into any gaps between the layers that are visible. Place the cake immediately into the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.

Check that the ganache at room temperature is still pourable. If not, you can gently whisk it over simmering water just until fluid. Pour the ganache evenly over the cake, letting it drip down the sides. If the sides of your cake are visible, you can cover them with sliced almonds, but otherwise, any imperfections won't be seen. Decorate the top with reserved hazelnuts. Chill until ready to serve. Slice with a sharp knife.

Source: Adapted from Flour by Joanne Chang

The Dinner of Death

That's what the kids dubbed last Tuesday's meal: The Dinner of Death.

Talk about dramatic. I mean, it's just a bunch of Brussels sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, blue cheese, walnuts, herbs, and some kind of weirdo healthy looking whole grain also known as farro. What's not to like?

The kids have suggested that I just copy and paste all of the above ingredients into this next paragraph to save time. They don't like any of it. Or so they say.

But you have to give credit where credit is due—they did eat it. The mountain of Halloween candy is very compelling and easily visible from the kitchen table.

Last I checked, we're all still alive.

Autumn Farro Salad with Brussels Sprouts, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Blue Cheese  

This is the kind of dish you either love or hate. You know who you are.

1 cup farro
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
2 oz. walnut halves
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 Tbsp. minced shallot
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar (or balsamic)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Boil the farro in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes until tender but still al dente (this may take longer for some varieties of farro). Drain and set aside in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, roast the Brussels sprouts and shiitakes in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, stirring every ten minutes or so. I keep them on two different sides of the pan, taking the mushrooms out after about 20 minutes and letting the Brussels sprouts go a little longer until they're done, 10-25 minutes more depending on their size. Add the mushrooms and Brussels sprouts to the bowl of farro.

Stir in the walnuts, herbs, and blue cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk the shallot, vinegar, and oil together and fold into the salad. Taste and add more salt as needed. Don't be stingy with the salt. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Local Ingredients:
Brussels sprouts: Wilson Farms, Lexington, MA
Herbs: School garden, Waltham, MA
Cheese: Great Hill Blue, Marion, MA
Shallot: Waltham Fields Community Farm, Waltham, MA

Raspberry Mascarpone Tartlets

So many beautiful fall raspberries, so little time.

I recently acquired some tiny little tart tins. I wouldn't have pegged myself for a tiny little tart tin kind of girl, but I do have a weakness for pie-like things. And a weakness for raspberries. I wanted something to showcase the fresh, plump berries, something not too terribly difficult. This is what I came up with: fresh raspberries with vanilla mascarpone cream in a Biscoff cookie crust.

If you're not familiar with Biscoff cookies, they're a type of Belgian biscuit called speculoos. They taste like fancy graham crackers with a hint of gingersnap, but just a hint. You can find them in the snobby section of the cookie aisle. You know where I'm talking about, with the imported Scotch shortbread and Italian wafer cookies. Pepperidge Farm is never too far away. I use Biscoff a lot and they happen to make a great crumb crust.

I will warn you, trying to get a cookie crumb crust out of a tiny little tart tin in one piece can be tricky. Forget the butter, the ones slathered in oil work best. Also, they should be completely cool. It's easier to spoon the filling into the tart shells when they're still in the pan. Otherwise, the shell might crumble right in your hand. But the problem with pre-filling the shells is that when you try to remove the tarts from the tins, gently squeezing the sides and shaking them upside-down, you inevitably end up with some crumbs in your filling. I don't know how to avoid that. I just removed them with a toothpick and covered the rest with raspberries. This is why I could never work in a restaurant. I'm just not that picky about the presentation. (Also, I hate being screamed at.)

But, hey, fussiness aside, these tasted great. Like the kind of dessert you can feel good about.

Raspberry Mascarpone Tartlets  

Can't find Biscoff biscuits? Or don't care to find them? Sub in graham crackers or thin chocolate wafer cookies instead.

8.8 oz. package Biscoff biscuits
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
8 oz. mascarpone
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract or paste
1 pint raspberries
Vegetable oil, for greasing tins

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Set the tart tins on a sheet pan. Oil very well (I swirl the oil in one tin so it gets in all the crevices, then dump the oil into the next tin and repeat).

Crush the Biscoff biscuits in a food processer or blender into fine crumbs. Mix in the melted butter. One at a time, fill the tins almost to the top with buttered cookie crumbs. Firmly press the crumbs up against the sides flush with the top edge all the way around (use one thumb to press the crumbs against the side of the tin, one thumb along the top to keep them contained and flush with the top). Then press the crumbs along the bottom. Place the whole sheet pan in the oven and bake the crusts for 10 minutes until dry and fragrant. Remove the pan from the oven and let the crusts cool on a rack until completely cool.

Meanwhile, for the filling, whip the mascarpone briefly with an electric mixer in a medium bowl to loosen. Add the heavy cream, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla. Mix on medium-low speed for 1 to 2 minutes until well combined and thick enough to hold its shape. Set aside.

Carefully fill the cooled crusts with the mascarpone cream. Gently remove the tarts from the tins and set on the pan. Remove any crumbs with a toothpick, then arrange the raspberries on top. Chill until ready to serve. Makes about 8.

Quick Cucumber Salad

Now that school is back in session, it's challenging to return to the usual state of structure and restraint. But it's very necessary, both for the belly and the budget.

We're still getting tons of cucumbers in our farmshare, so here's a nice way to use them. Fresh and flavorful, this tangy salad goes well with grilled meats and various end-of-summer pastas like this one.


Dill Cucumber Salad  

I used to salt the cucumbers ahead of time to extract some of the water, but now I don't bother. The liquid they give off tempers the bite of the vinegar.

2 large cucumbers
1/2 onion
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Slice the cucumbers very, very thinly. You can use a mandoline, but if you don't own one, cut them as thin as you can with a sharp knife. Slice the onion thinly, too, and put the vegetables in a medium bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt. Add the rice vinegar, chopped dill, sesame seeds (if using), a pinch of red pepper flakes, and ground black pepper to taste. Toss well and refrigerate until ready to serve, stirring occasionally.

Local Ingredients:
Cucumbers, onion, dill: Waltham Fields Community Farm, Waltham, MA

Curried Zucchini Soup

Summer squash getting you down? Do you have enough bat-sized zucchini to supply a major league baseball team? If so, then you need to make this soup. It's bright and flavorful with Indian flavors and only requires a half hour of work. More importantly, you will use up a full three pounds of zucchini while furnishing yourself with lunch for a week.

Curried Zucchini Soup  

I like to brown the vegetables to give this soup extra flavor. Feel free to adjust the amount of curry powder to your liking. You can add a little cayenne, too.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 small onion, peeled, chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
3 pounds zucchini (about 3 medium), cut into cubes
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and curry powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the vegetables soften and start to turn brown.

Stir in the zucchini. Add the stock, salt, and pepper, and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or until the zucchini is tender. Stir in the cream. Remove the soup from the heat to cool slightly before blending.

Using a blender, process the soup in batches until smooth (or use a stick blender). Reheat and season the soup to taste. Makes 8 servings (or freeze half for later).

Source: Adapted from The Dinnertime Survival Cookbook by Debra Ponzek and Mary Goodbody

Local Ingredients:
Zucchini, carrots: Waltham Fields Community Farm, Waltham, MA
Onion: School garden, Waltham, MA
Butter: Cabot, Cabot, VT
Cream: High Lawn Farm, Lee, MA

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars

I think I've mentioned how much I love rhubarb: rhubarb pie, rhubarb crisp, rhubarb parfaits. I may be a minority on this, but I like my rhubarb to stand alone. However, in the interest of diversity on my blog, I offer you these Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars. The rhubarb in our school garden is going gangbusters, and there's no way elementary school kids are going to eat it all unless it's mixed with something they know is good. Like strawberries. And a sweet crumbly topping. You have to earn their trust first, and then maybe you can subtract the berries. (Maybe.)


Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Bars   

This makes enough to feed a crowd. For a smaller group, halve the recipe and make it in an 8x8-inch pan. Prepare to eat it all within a few days as the moisture from the fruit tends to uncrisp the topping over time.

Dough
21/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold, cut into 6 pieces
2 oz. cream cheese
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom (optional)

Fruit
1/2 pound (2 cups) strawberries, hulled, halved, and thinly sliced
1 pound (4 cups) rhubarb, cut into roughly 1/2-inch thick pieces

1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch pan.

For the dough, put 2 cups of flour into the bowl of the food processor along with the brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and cream cheese, and pulse the motor until the mixture is moist and crumbly. Dump everything out into a medium bowl. Measure 3 cups of the mixture and add back to the food processor along with the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, egg, and vanilla. Blend just until it starts to come together into a dough. Press the clumps evenly into the pan. Bake for 10 minutes until puffy.

Meanwhile, combine the strawberries, rhubarb, brown sugar, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Spread the fruit in an even layer over the surface of the partially baked crust.

To the bowl of reserved streusel topping, add the walnuts and cardamom if desired, and work in with your fingers until pebbly. Sprinkle the topping over the surface of the fruit. Bake again for 40 to 50 minutes until the topping is light golden brown. Let cool completely before slicing. Store uncovered for a day or two to keep the streusel from getting soggy.

Source: Adapted from The Kitchn and The Tart Tart

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Here's a good recipe for chewy granola bars packed with salty peanuts and chocolate chips. I'm not going to claim this is health food despite all the oats and nuts. After all, these bars contain quite a bit of the sweet stuff, too. But they do pack a lot of energy into a tasty, portable package if, say, the kids need a boost before soccer or baseball or lacrosse.

Put it this way, before the 11YO had one of these granola bars, he planned to just walk the Moody Street 5K. Next thing you know, all the granola bars are gone and he's practically right behind me on the course, running with his best friend. Maybe there's no correlation. Maybe he was carried by the crowd's cheers. Maybe he's faster without his appendix. But here's what I do know for sure: the kids are already requesting more granola bars.

Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars    

If you don't have brown rice syrup, you can substitute, as I did, with golden syrup, date syrup, or honey.

1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup crisp rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)
1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and line it with parchment paper, letting the ends overhang a little.

In a large bowl, stir together the peanut butter, maple syrup, and brown rice syrup with a large fork until smooth. Mix in the oil, vanilla, and salt. Add the oats and crisp rice cereal, and stir with the fork until well mixed. Next, run your hands under running water and then knead the mixture firmly, allowing the cereal to crunch up under the pressure. Add the peanuts and chocolate chips, and knead again until well distributed.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press in as firmly and evenly as you can. The firmer you press in the mixture, the better the bars will hold together. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the edges appear golden.

Let the bars cool completely in the pan. Remove from the pan by pulling up the sides of the parchment and set on a cutting board. The best way to slice the bars is to use a chef's knife and press down in one firm motion. Do not saw through the bars. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Source: Adapted from Isa Does It by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Shiitake Banh Mi

A few weeks ago, I found myself with a glut of shiitake mushrooms. A sudden spell of warm weather caused my five logs to flush all at once with these small, rather dry, cracked mushrooms. The next day called for rain, so I decided to keep them out a little longer to let them grow a bit more and rehydrate. When I woke up the next morning, the temperature had plummeted, there was snow on the ground, and I ended up with several pounds of huge, rather waterlogged, partially frozen mushrooms (insert frowny-faced emoticon here).

Frozen mushrooms aren't the best. The way mushrooms grow from tiny pinheads to full-grown specimens is basically by inflating with water. But if that water should freeze, it will expand and rupture the cell walls. The results are pretty slimy. I know because I cooked the frozen ones anyway. Not the best.

On the upside, some of the mushrooms didn't freeze and these banh mi-like sandwiches were a great way to enjoy them. A banh mi is a sandwich that evolved in Vietnam during the French colonial period. It's usually some kind of meat, like pate or pork belly, in a baguette with pickled vegetables, fresh herbs, and spicy chili sauce—a fusion of both cultures in one tasty package. For this vegetarian version, shiitake slices are sautéed in soy sauce and garlic, then added to a baguette slathered with Sriracha mayo, layered with quick-pickled cucumbers and radishes, and garnished with cilantro and mint. Fresh-tasting and satisfying, this was lunch all week.

The idea was inspired by a recipe in the vegan cookbook Isa Does It by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, except I unveganed it by adding the mayo back in. Vegans and non-vegans alike will want to check out this book: it's full of things that even I would eat, and the food photography and overall design is great. And if you have the same pet peeve I have about authors' faces on the cover (no offense to anyone's face—all I want to see is the food), you can remove the dust jacket and underneath it, printed directly on the cover, is a nice colorful alphabet soup with little pasta letters spelling out "Let's Eat."

Yes, let's!


Shiitake Banh Mi    

Avoid super-crusty baguettes for these sandwiches unless you want the roof of your mouth shredded. Aim for something mid-way between a soft sub roll and a traditional baguette (Russo's shoppers: try the medium sub rolls that come in bags of three on the bottom shelf). Also, I used regular red radishes, which turned the picking liquid pink and gave the vegetables a rosy hue by Day 2. If you want a more manly sandwich, maybe stick with the traditional white daikon radishes.

Quick Pickles
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup thinly sliced radishes
1 cup thinly sliced English or Persian cucumber

Shiitakes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, caps sliced 1/4-inch thick, stems removed
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Sriracha mayo
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Sriracha
Salt to taste

Assembly
4 soft baguette rolls
Fresh cilantro sprigs
Fresh mint leaves

For the pickles, whisk together the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt until dissolved. Stir in the vegetables and let them sit in the liquid until ready to serve.

For the shiitakes, preheat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil and then the shiitakes. Sauté until they soften, release their moisture, and brown a bit in spots, 5 to 10 minutes depending on how much moisture they contain. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds before adding the soy sauce, stirring until well mixed and fragrant. Remove the mushrooms to a shallow bowl to cool slightly.

For the Sriracha mayo, whisk together the mayo, Sriracha, and salt. As written, the spice level is about medium, but you can adjust it to your liking by adding more mayo or more Sriracha.

To assemble the sandwiches, split the baguettes lengthwise by cutting out a narrow wedge from the top. Then hollow out the rolls a little by pulling out some of the extra bread inside to make room for more filling. Spread the inside generously with Sriracha mayo. Add some cooked mushrooms, then some pickled radish and cucumbers, and then cilantro and mint. Eat up. Any remaining sandwich components can be stored several days covered in the fridge. Makes 4 sandwiches.

Source: Adapted from Isa Does It by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Anyone Still In the Mood for Easter Cake?

Well hi, long-lost readers! Did you think I disappeared for good? No such luck.

This was the post that was supposed to go up last week before we drove down the Cape for Easter, but then things got all biblical in the blogosphere. Typepad, my blog hosting service, was cyberattacked on the eve of Good Friday, rendering thousands of blogs inaccessible, mine included. FotF was resurrected on Saturday, then crucified again on Easter Sunday in ironic fashion.

We were too busy eating quiche and jellybeans to really care on Easter. I sort of noticed on Monday, but then promptly forgot because the Boston Marathon was so exciting! Americans like Meb and Shalane digging deep for #BostonStrong was an amazing thing to watch. But then on Tuesday, when service was still down, I definitely noticed. I needed to write. Was my blog coming back? Ever?

I hadn't considered a scenario in which you could actually lose access to all of your work indefinitely. I took it for granted that my eight years worth of words and pictures would always be there until I died and stopped paying the bills. Now I wonder: is that really true?

FotF seems to be running smoothly at the moment, so thank you for your patience. Also, thanks to Typepad for pulling those all-nighters. Hopefully, that's the last time this happens, but if you should arrive here to find a big empty space again in the future, check my Twitter or Facebook feeds for status updates. I also have a space on Medium that can serve as my emergency backup blog in a pinch. Because there ain't no emergency like a food blog emergency.

Anyway, here's that cake. You're probably guessing it's Lemon Poppy Seed, and you're close but no cigar. This version is made with grapefruit, an adaptation of the Grapefruit Buttermilk Cake in my book. It's tender and moist with a subtle, citrusy flavor. The 8YO adores it. It's something sweet and bright and hopeful. Just do me a favor and don't give any to the hackers. No cake for them.

 
Grapefruit Poppy Seed Cake    

I prefer tart white and pink grapefruits for baking, but the sweeter red grapefruits will also work.

Cake
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated grapefruit zest (shiny yellow or pink part only)
1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
11/3 cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (125 ml) buttermilk
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Syrup
1/3 cup (80 ml) freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (from about 1/2 grapefruit)
1/3 cup (70 g) granulated sugar

Icing
1 tablespoon grapefruit juice
1/2 cup (65 g) confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Butter a 91/2 x 51/2-inch (24 x 14-cm) loaf pan. Tear out a sheet of parchment paper. Fold it in half or thirds so that it can lie inside the whole width of the pan, ends hanging over the long sides of the pan. This paper hammock makes it easier to lift the cake out of the pan later.

For the cake, mix the sugar with the grapefruit zest in a small bowl. Rub the mixture together with your fingers so the zest releases its oils.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar mixture until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the vanilla and mix again.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Add one third of the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture and mix on low speed just until combined. Alternate adding the buttermilk and the rest of the dry ingredients in halves to the sugar mixture, mixing until just combined and scraping down the sides of the bowl in between. Add the poppy seeds with the final addition of dry ingredients. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake the cake for 55 to 60 minutes or until the top is golden and puffed, and a toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the syrup, combine the grapefruit juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil the syrup 1 minute and then remove it from the heat. With a toothpick or skewer, poke holes all over the top of the cake. Pour the syrup over the cake, a little at a time, brushing it with a pastry brush to ensure even soaking. When all of the syrup has been added, let the cake cool completely. To remove the cake from the pan, lift up the edges of the parchment paper and set the cake on a plate, then slide the paper out from underneath.

For the glaze, whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon of grapefruit juice with the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. You want the consistency to be loose enough to drizzle, but not so thin that it soaks into the cake. If it’s too thin, add more sugar. If it’s too thick, whisk in some water a few drops at a time. Drizzle the icing over the top of the cake with a whisk (if it dribbles over the sides, all the better). The cake can be stored at room temperature covered in plastic wrap for 2 to 3 days.

Mushroom Strudels

Mushroom season is almost upon us! And without any book events on the horizon, that means there's nothing to stop me from diving face first into the poison ivy. Nothing except my vanity, that is, which is inconsistent at best.

Brace yourselves for my hideous form!

In the meantime, here's a great recipe for individual mushroom strudels. I had these for lunch all week. They're like a food snob's Hot Pocket. Just pop the leftovers in the toaster oven and serve them with a little salad. (Oh, who am I kidding, there was no salad. Phyllo laughs at salad.)

I made these strudels with regular old button mushrooms combined with dried Serbian black trumpets rehydrated in water, but you can use whatever mushrooms you like. They were inspired by one of my favorite books on edible fungi, The Complete Mushroom Book by Antonio Carluccio. It's an amazing book. As Amazon reviewer Richard Powell notes, "You get the impression that you have been taken into a confidence, that you are being let in on some secrets. Reading this book is a bit like reading a dusty sacred text with golden page edges." My thoughts exactly. The beautiful photos don't hurt, either. And the recipes? Fabulous. Lots of nice pastas, risottos, and sautés, though maybe the morels stuffed with foie gras were a little over the top. I mean, if I had both morels and foie gras on hand, I might be inclined to spread out the wealth a little, maybe give them each a chance to shine independently. Foie gras stuffed inside morels in a cognac cream sauce is like the turducken of luxury foods. A little rich for a Tuesday night, but let's file that idea away for my last supper.



Mushroom Strudels    

If you can't be bothered with phyllo dough, you can just sauté the mushrooms (omit the flour) and then serve them over polenta, rice, or the whole grain of your choice.

Filling
1 pound mixed fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 medium onion, minced
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
1 Tbsp. dry sherry
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
Leaves from 1 spring of marjoram
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

Pastry
12 sheets phyllo dough (9x14-inch)
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a baking sheet with butter or line it with parchment paper.

Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a damp paper towel. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter and cook the onion over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes until soft. Add the mushrooms and nutmeg, and sauté for 4 minutes more until the mushrooms have cooked down and released their juices. Reduce the heat to low and add the sherry. Cook for about 2 minutes stirring now and then to evaporate the alcohol. Stir in the flour, marjoram, salt, and pepper, and remove from the heat. Let the mixture cool while preparing the pastry.

Set a sheet of phyllo on the counter, short side facing you. Brush it with melted butter. Add another sheet of phyllo on top, and brush that with butter. Top with a third sheet of phyllo. Spoon one-fourth of the mushroom mixture on the side closest to you, leaving an inch of space all around the bottom and sides. Sprinkle the mushrooms with 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan cheese. Fold the bottom edge of the phyllo over the top of the mixture, fold in the sides, and then roll it over and over into a neat package not unlike a burrito. Brush it all over with beaten egg and set it on the baking sheet seam side down. Repeat three more times.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Serve warm. Makes 4.

Source: Adapted from The Complete Mushroom Book: The Quiet Hunt by Antonio Carluccio

Pistachio and Cardamom Meringues

Ever since my friend Red made Ottolenghi's cinnamon and hazelnut meringues for a dinner party, I've been dreaming about their sweet, cloud-like forms. I love anything with nuts and meringue. Just say the word dacquoise and I swoon.

Recently, I found myself with a backlog of egg whites in the freezer, and if there's anything that makes Husband crazy, it's random little Tupperware containers of things kicking around that he claims I'll never use. But I will use them. You bet I will! Quickly, before he chucked them in the trash or out the window, I got my hands on that Ottolenghi recipe. I made a few changes, substituting regular table sugar for the caster sugar and dark brown sugar for the turbinado since that's all I had. Then I flavored the meringues with pistachios and cardamom instead.

Boy, was I smitten. I can't imagine a more regal treatment for those precious not-forgotten egg whites. Gluten-free folks, take note—these are excellent. Keep them in mind for Easter, when they'll serve as a more elegant, grown-up version of marshmallow Peeps. They'll also work for Passover.

Move over coconut macaroons!

 

Pistachio and Cardamom Meringues    

My only stipulation for meringues is that they be soft in the middle. Hard, chalky, dried-out meringues get no love from me.

7 large egg whites
1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 cup pistachios, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 225°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Place the egg whites and both of the sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk together. Put about an inch of water in a small pot and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, and rest the bowl on top of the pot making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Stir the mixture occasionally as it heats until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Rub some of the mixture between your fingers to make sure you can't feel any sugar crystals. If you still feel some grit, you can put it back on the heat, stirring, for a few minutes longer, but you don't want the mixture to overheat. Remove the bowl from the heat before it gets too hot to touch.

Fasten the bowl back to the stand mixer. With the whisk attachment, whip the mixture on medium-high for about 8 minutes until it cools and the meringue is firm, glossy, and holds its shape when you lift up a bit with your spoon. Mix in the ground cardamom. Using a large spoon, scoop up an apple-sized amount and use another spoon to scrape it onto the lined cookie sheets. Space them an inch or two apart and sprinkle with nuts.

Bake for about 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours, until the meringues are crisp and dry on the outside, but still a little soft in the center. Poke your finger through the bottom of one of them to be sure they're done to your liking. They should not be brown in any way. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Store the meringues covered at room temperature. Makes about 20.

Source: Adapted from Ottolenghi: the Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi

Vegetable Dumplings

To follow up on my earlier dumpling post, here's the recipe for the veggie dumplings I make with shiitake mushrooms, cabbage, and carrots. The recipe for the pork version, which started this whole dumpling kick more than 10 years ago, is here. If you run out of steam with your dumpling making, don't beat yourself up about it. Both fillings make fantastic omelets. I've done that many times myself (with a dab of spicy sambal oelek on the side). Enjoy!

Vegetable Dumplings    

This year, I tried to take my crimping skills to the next level by watching this video. My technique isn't perfect, but I get the job done. You can also use pre-made gyoza wrappers instead of making your own dumpling skins.

2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled, minced
2 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps halved and sliced
2 cups Napa cabbage, shredded
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup chopped Chinese chives or scallions
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil, for frying
Soy sauce, for dipping
Rice vinegar, for dipping

For the dumpling skins, put the flour in a medium bowl and gradually add the water, stirring with a fork until the dough can no longer be stirred. Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and knead with floured hands until smooth, 5 to 10 minutes. If the dough is too dry to come together, add a little more water. If the dough is too wet and sticky, add more flour as necessary. Transfer the dough to a clean, oiled bowl, cover with plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.

In a large sauté pan or wok, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onions and ginger until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and cook for a minute. Next, add the cabbage, carrots, and Chinese chives. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the vegetables are soft and all excess liquid has evaporated. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let cool. Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, and chopped cilantro. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Cut the dough into 8 wedges with a sharp knife or bench scraper. With your hands, roll one piece of dough into a 1-inch thick rope. Cut the rope into 1-inch pieces and roll them into balls. With a rolling pin, roll out the balls into 3½-inch rounds. If your circles aren't coming out very circular at first, don't worry, you'll get better with practice. Keep the remaining dough covered to keep it from drying out.

For each wrapper, put 2 teaspoons of filling in the center and fold the dough over to form a half circle. Pleat and press the edges together with your fingers. If they don’t stick, use a little water in between to seal. Transfer the dumplings to a floured baking sheet and cover with plastic. Freeze on individual trays until completely frozen, and then store in freezer bags until ready to use.

To pan-fry, heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Working in batches of no more than 8, add the dumplings with ½ cup water, cover, and cook until the bottoms begin to brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking, covered, until the bottoms are toasty brown and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes more. If they should stick to the pan, carefully loosen the bottoms with a spatula (be careful not to splash hot oil on yourself). Transfer the dumplings to a plate. Serve with a dipping sauce made from equal parts soy sauce and rice vinegar.

Salted Dark Chocolate Tart

As I mentioned before, it was my dad's birthday over the weekend. I usually make baklava, per his request, but this year he wanted to try something different.

He picked up my book (proudly on display on his coffee table for all of his cats to see), and picked out the Salted Dark Chocolate Tart (page 83). He loves chocolate and pistachios, so it was a logical choice. Also, it's rich and delicious. I knew he would like it, and I know I like it, and even the kids were enthusiastic about it once they scraped all the pistachios off. Or maybe they ate two pieces each because they were just so glad to be done with their death march around Sturbridge Village. Either way, we capped off a nice afternoon of barbecue and American history with what essentially is a chocolate truffle pie. And now I'm offering the recipe here. Because I know some of you aren't going to buy my book, but I love you anyway.

Also, want to know what makes a great serving plate for desserts in a pinch? The rotating plate on the inside of your microwave. It's perfectly flat, and the textured, tempered glass almost reads as "fancy." You'll want to clean it off first, of course. Spaghetti sauce splatters detract from the presentation and flavor, but it's nothing a little soapy water and some elbow grease can't handle. Just a little bachelor wisdom from my dad I'm passing on to you!

Salted Dark Chocolate Tart    

The recipe is straight out of my cookbook, except I'm substituting a potentially easier way to make the crust. Have at it!

Crust
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 8 pieces
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Few drops of vanilla

Filling
1-1/3 cups bittersweet chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Chambord or crème de cassis (optional)
1-1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Topping
1 to 2 pinches large, coarse-grained sea salt, like Maldon or Fleur de Sel
2 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios (optional)

For the crust, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter pieces and pulse in 1-second beats until you have chunks of butter the size of peas, 8 to 10 pulses. Add 1 tablespoon of milk with a few drops of vanilla through the feed tube, and pulse until the dough starts to clump. If it doesn't clump after 12 pulses, dribble in the remaining tablespoon of milk a little at a time, pulsing the motor after each addition, until the mixture clumps together. (You can also cut the butter into the dry ingredients with an electric mixer, a pastry blender, or your fingers. Add the milk in increments, fluffing with a fork, until the dough holds together when pressed.) Dump the dough onto the counter and form it into a ball. Flatten it into a disk about 3/4-inch thick and wrap it in plastic wrap. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface into a circle about 1/4-inch thick and 12 inches in diameter. With a bench scraper or spatula, flip one side of the dough over the top of the rolling pin, gently loosening the dough if it sticks to the counter, until it is fully draped over the pin. Center the dough over a 10-inch tart pan and unfurl. Gently fit the dough into the corners of the pan without stretching it. Clip off the excess dough by rolling the pin over the top. Gently press the dough against the sides of the pan with your fingers so the dough level rises slightly above the pan's edge to compensate for shrinkage. Use the scraps to reinforce any areas that are too thin. Poke the bottom crust with a fork about a dozen times. Line the dough with aluminum foil. Fill with pie weights all the way to the sides to keep the dough from shrinking (dried beans or rice work well). Bake the crust for 20 minutes, and then carefully remove the foil and weights. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the bottom crust is cooked and dry. Let it cool completely before filling.

For the filling, combine the chocolate, sugar, salt, and Chambord in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream and butter until the butter has melted and the cream is hot with some bubbles forming around the edges. Do not boil. Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute. Gently whisk just until smooth so as not to create air bubbles. Pour the filling into the tart shell and set it on an even surface in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or until firm.

Just before serving, sprinkle the tart with sea salt, or ground pistachios, or both! The tart can be stored covered in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days, but the salt will start to break down (totally edible, just not as pretty).

Source: Adapted from WINTERSWEET by yours truly.

Salad and Some Beauty Rest

In case you're wondering what I've been up to lately instead of posting to my blog, let me explain. We just got a new mattress.

…

Maybe you didn't hear me correctly: WE GOT A NEW MATTRESS!!!!

Why is everyone shrugging and acting like this is no big deal when my entire life has changed??

First off, for any new readers who may have wandered in, I am a champion sleeper. If there were an Olympic event for sleep, I would have won every gold medal that was available since 1973. I can sleep anywhere, anytime, instantly and without reservation. I'm one small step away from narcolepsy. I'm a step-and-a-half away from actually being dead.

Several months ago, Husband started having back problems. This was probably due to sleeping in the rut that had developed on his side of the bed over the years. When it became clear that his complaining wasn't going to stop unless drastic measures were taken, I rotated the mattress like a dutiful wife for probably the first time ever. His back got a little better while mine took a turn for the worse. Now I was sleeping in the rut. I'm never one for springing out of bed in the morning, but even less so when it involves a steep uphill climb and a Hail Mary as I try to fling myself over the edge.

We finally bit the bullet and lugged our stiff, sleepy selves down to Jordan's Furniture. We asked their expert "sleep technicians" to show us their finest mattresses in the $500 range. After a long period of laughter, they proceeded to show us what they had in triple that figure. But first they had us each lay down on some kind of sleep sensor that showed how our bodies interact with a flat surface. I was pretty sure I already understood the physics of sleeping based on my four decades of experience, but perhaps this new technology had some greater insights. I laid myself down on my back, front, and side. The areas that exerted the most pressure on the sensor, like my hips for example, showed up on the big screen in blobs of bright red and yellow. Conversely, the areas that didn't make contact with the sensor, like the arch of my back, didn't show up at all. I'm not sure what the point was supposed to be—concave areas need more support, convex areas need less? Unless you're fitting me for a molded full-body sleep orthotic, what's the difference? All the mattresses are flat. As far as I could see, all that sensor did was provide a large display of boob and ass prints for everyone in the whole showroom to see. A little T&A to help the salespeople get through the day. I hope they enjoyed the show!

Luckily, I have my own low-tech way of selecting a mattress. I sit down on it and if it sinks even a little, I move on to the next one. We like very firm mattresses around here. Very firm. I was almost fooled by a Tempur-Pedic, which seems really firm at first, but you have to wait a full ten seconds for the slow sink to finally come to completion. Nope! No sinking. We tried out a whole bunch of other options until we arrived at the most expensive rock slab they had available: solid granite topped with a thin layer of memory slate. We laid down and immediately fell asleep. Well, I did at least. Husband has a modicum of pride. I woke up two hours later all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I believe my exact words were: We'll take it, I don't care how much it costs.

Now that we have it home, I can honestly say that this mattress is a modern miracle. I would write poetry about it if I could write poetry. Lying in bed that first night, Husband and I were talking about the mattress the way we used to talk about each other. If anyone even thought about making a move, the other would say: Don't touch me, you'll ruin the moment!

The night before last, I slept for 12 hours. Twelve! I would have slept longer except Husband couldn't take it anymore and practically dragged me out of bed and set me down in front of the breakfast table. But the joke was on him because it was already time for lunch!

Radicchio Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette    

Toast the croutons and hard-boil the eggs ahead of time so you can whip this up in a flash.

1 head Chioggia radicchio, quartered through the core, sliced thinly crosswise
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Chopped walnuts
Homemade croutons
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Walnut Vinaigrette
1 large shallot, finely diced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons walnut oil
Sea salt

Combine the shallot, vinegar, and salt in a small bowl and let stand for 10 minutes while preparing the other ingredients.  

To make croutons, cut a few slices of baguette into small cubes. Toast them in a sauté pan with a little olive oil and a sprinkling of salt, tossing frequently, until crisp and browned.

Finish the vinaigrette by whisking in the mustard and walnut oil until thick and emulsified. If the flavor is too sharp for your taste, whisk in a little more oil. Toss the radicchio, parsley, and vinaigrette together and arrange the salad on two plates. Top with the egg, walnuts, and croutons. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Source: Adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetable Literacy

Local Ingredients
Eggs: Chestnut Farm, Hardwick, MA
Shallot: Waltham Fields Community Farm, Waltham, MA
Mustard: Raye's, Eastport, ME