Cook Like Mad

On our trip to North Carolina earlier this year, D and I learned many things about Southern food culture, some we expected, some we did not. I knew NC barbecue sauce was vinegary and it nearly always covered meat from a pig, but I was surprised-happily, of course- to see the number of ways Southerns cook cornmeal. D and I found between our teeth corn pone, cornbread, hush puppies both short and long, and cornmeal-coated everything. I had eaten hush puppies and cornbread up North, but not like this. I was used to dry, bland cornbread and hush puppies, made with instant mixes and the hush puppies fried so long they looked like lumps of coal. I needed this corn education in the South to show me how cornmeal could be made into tasty, craveable food.

My first lesson came at Speedy’s BBQ in Lexington, NC. D and I had heard that there was great barbecue to be had just south of Winston-Salem, so we made the 20 mile drive to Lexington to see what the fuss was about. Upon first glance we thought we’d be taken for fools- there was a gas station, a few hardware stores, and a surprisingly cute downtown area including a candy “shoppe” that looked straight out of the 1920s, but no Speedy’s. To be fair, we had passed another barbecue joint whose name I can’t recall, on the way into town, and it was pretty packed, but it wasn’t the place we had heard of online (thank god for the iPhone in times of barbecue need…), and we had our hearts set on finding our destination food stop. A few turns later and about to go back to the first barbecue place we happened upon, we found ourselves at Speedy’s, and the smell and sight of the smoker out back immediately assured us that we were in for a treat. Our waitress, totally emotionless and disinterested in our eagerness, at us down at a booth by the window and asked us for our drink order. D got a sweet tea, I got a coke, and what she brought to us were two pitchers of each. Ok, so even before the barbecue came out, I knew I liked this place- a pitcher meant, “even though we’re serving good food fast, if you want to linger, you’re more than welcome to.”

Soon our food came out, hush puppies, fries, and pork sandwiches- chopped and coarsely chopped, for D and me, respectively. The not-too-sweet, vinegary, thin sauce was light in color (demonstrating a lack of molasses) and heavy on flavor. The tang of the sauce went perfectly with the chopped pork, slightly fatty, mostly lean, and the soft bun could barely contain it. I asked for my sandwich with slaw on the side, and the odd, nearly pulverized cabbage mix that the waitress brought out was not was I expected, but delicious. I added it to my sandwich, and it rounded the flavors out nicely. (Side note: one of my favorite dishes is Choucroute Garnie, an Alsatian dish that involves braising various pork products in sauerkraut, so you can understand my enthusiasm for this American South flavor combination.) The hush puppies were wonderful as well- moist, deep golden brown (but not too brown!) and they had a slightly sweet n’ salty thing going on that I quite liked. Being too full to check out that old time candy shoppe in the middle of town, D and I bought Speedy’s BBQ t-shirts as souvenirs and hit the road.

My second lesson on cornmeal and its culinary applications in the south came at Mama Dips’ Kitchen in Chapel Hill, NC. God, this place made me wish I went to UNC, Chapel Hill… From the time we walked in the front door, we knew we’d set foot in an institution. The first thing you see when you walk in is the restaurant’s gift shop posing as a reservation desk. Here you can buy Mama Dip’s t-shirts, her signature barbecue sauce, her cookbooks (yes, she’s published more than one, and yes, I bought one), and numerous other goodies, all of which you will see as essential items to stock up on once you taste her food. Soon, we pass into the main dining room, unable to ignore the seemingly endless hallway of framed recognitions to our right.

Once we’re seated, our waitress quickly comes with the menus and takes our drink order- another sweet tea and another coke, please. We look at the menu and immediately panic as any good foodie does in a place you know you won’t be able to come back to for a while. There were too many choices. I mean way too many choices, like three panels of 9-point font, single-spaced lists of menu items. Needless to say, D and I took a deep breath and ordered. And with our order came the most incredible corn muffins and biscuits. Delicate, moist, and addictive, D and I dipped them in our gravy, our collard greens, and our squash casserole, savoring the harmony of flavors those dips created.

That that trip to North Carolina was a few months ago, but my interest in cooking with cornmeal is as strong as it was the day we came home. I suppose it’s taken me a few months to recover from the food of that trip (it was heavy, meat-centric, and pretty high in fat, to be honest) and to get up the courage to recreate my new favorite dishes at home. Would I be able to pull it off? D had started to crave those southern foods more than ever, partly due to another more recent trip to South Carolina and Georgia, and I wasn’t sure I could live up to both his and my expectations. So I researched a few dishes, and thought, how hard can it really be? I would make catfish and fried okra and hush puppies- all safe, tasty bets. In the end, the catfish and hush puppies were A-game dishes, but the okra (in my opinion, since D and our guests liked them) was sub-par. So below, find the recipes for hush puppies and fried catfish- two very Southern dishes, the former from North Carolina (but originally from New Orleans) and the latter from South Carolina. These recipes represent two out of the infinite number of preparations that are possible with a sack of cornmeal, and showcase the delicious flavor this ingredient adds to any dish. Enjoy! : )

Fried Catfish (adapted from Chitterlings.com)

Serves 4

4 catfish fillets, skinned.
1 cup Yellow Corn Meal
2 teaspoons Lawry’s Seasoned Salt (or just plain salt)
4 cups vegetable cooking oil (Enough to cover the catfish)

Method
1. Preheat oil to 325 degrees. Rinse the fillets thoroughly and then pat dry with a paper towel. Pat dry with a paper towel.

2. Roll the fresh, catfish fillets in a mixture of corn meal and Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. If you cannot find Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, then your favorite seasoned salt will have to do. It’s just that Lawry’s Seasoned Salt is a southern favorite. A quick way to coat the fish in the corn meal and season mixture is to place it in a plastic bag and just shake it.

3. Drop fillets two at a time into deep fryer. Fry until it turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on double layered paper towels and serve immediately while hot.

Hush Puppies (from Chitterlings.com)

Makes 6 servings

2 cups yellow corn meal
1 cup plain flour
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (you can also use plain milk in a pinch, but nothing compares to buttermilk)
3/4 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt (or just plain salt)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 teaspoon baking soda (if using regular milk, substitute baking powder here)
1/8 cup bacon grease. (This is another big key to the flavor. You can use other types of cooking oil, but bacon is my favorite)
Vegetable oil for frying (peanut oil is great too, but make sure no one you’re cooking for is allergic to peanuts!!)

Method

1. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add your eggs, oil, and buttermilk. Stir it all up until the flavors are thoroughly blended.

2. Turn your cooker on medium-high heat. When it’s hot you can drop your hush puppies in using a table spoon. Allow them to brown on all sides. They should begin floating when done, but if they don’t, don’t overcook them.

You can also store this mixture in the refrigerator for a day prior to frying. Before cooking let the mixture reach near room temperature.

-M : )

This month’s Daring Baker’s challenge involves making Dorie Greenspan’s Perfect Party Cake, from her outstanding cookbook, Baking: From My Home to Yours. This is my first Daring Baker’s challenge, and having just made Red Velvet Cake (recipe coming soon) for D’s birthday, I was less than enthusiastic about my debut revolving around another cake. I wanted something I could really get excited about, but after eating cake all of last week (and a heavy cake at that) I was putting off making this cake until the last possible day- yesterday. Evening. I swear I wasn’t procrastinating. It’s not like baking a cake is a daunting task or anything, I just couldn’t bare the thought of more cake. Frankly, neither could D.

Those were my thoughts before I started mixing the cake batter. During the mixing process, my thoughts went gradually from “mmm..this lemon zest smells good, maybe this won’t be so bad,” to “wow, this is a really nice cake batter,” to “god, I love the smell of cake baking in the oven,” to finally D and I scarfing down slices of cake thinking, “this is some of the best cake we’ve ever had!”

What makes this cake excellent is that the batter is flawless, easy, and well-balanced (i.e. not too sweet, not too heavy) and the filling and frosting can be varied in innumerable ways. The original recipe calls for raspberry preserves inside and shredded coconut to be pressed up to a buttercream frosting on the outside of the finished cake, but I had fresh strawberry jam in the fridge, D doesn’t like coconut, and we were not in the mood for such a rich frosting as buttercream, so I made those substitutions. I suppose I could have decorated my cake a little better, garnished it with some fresh strawberries or the like, but my original indifference to the outcome of this cake told me not to buy those “extras” while buying the ingredients I needed at the supermarket. So be it. When I serve the cake I can always add extra berries at that time, but frankly, this cake needs nothing more than a fork to get it into your drooling mouth. This is the first recipe I’ve tested from this cookbook of Dorie’s, but it certainly won’t be the last. Enjoy! : )

mmm…cake innards!

Dorie Greenspan’s Perfect Party Cake (adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours)

Makes one 9-inch layer cake

For the Cake

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (use buttermilk if you want to intensify the lemon flavor)
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the Whipped Cream (double this if you want to cover the whole cake with whipped cream)
1 cup heavy cream, cold
1/8 cup sugar
2 tbsp raw wild flower honey (or another flavorful honey of your choice)

For Finishing
2/3 cup strawberry jam, stirred vigorously to loosen (feel free to use another flavor of jam)

Method

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment paper.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.

4. Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl whisk until the sugar is moist and fragrant.

5. Add the butter to the lemony sugar mixture and working with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light and fluffy.

6. Beat in the lemon extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.

7. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk-egg mixture, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.

8. Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.

9. Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber or offset spatula.

10. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, take them out of the pans, and peel off the parchment paper. Invert the cakes so they are right side up and cool to room temperature. The cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months.

11. While the cakes are cooling, whip heavy cream to soft peaks, then add sugar, slowly, continuing to whip. Once sugar is incorporated, add honey in a slow stream to the mixture. Make sure the honey gets incorporated by scraping the bottom of your bowl well, as the honey will sink to the bottom. Whip cream to stiff peaks and set in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the cake.

12. Once the cake layers are cool, place one layer on a serving plate. Top that layer with the strawberry jam. On top of the jam, spread 1/3 of the whipped cream. Place the second cake layer on top of the whipped cream and top that with the remaining whipped cream. Enjoy!

-M : )

Scallop Ceviche

Now that D and I are back from our trip down south, we are taking a break from heavy foods by dining on salads, soups, and sandwiches for dinner. We had our fill of yeast rolls and sweet potatoes at Mary Mac’s in Atlanta, cheddar biscuits and fried chicken at The Lady & Sons in Savannah, and whole hog pork barbecue and banana pudding at Sweatman’s, about a hour north of Charleston. Most of the food we had was incredible, but also incredibly heavy. All I wanted once we got back to D.C. was a big salad and some broiled fish. While a lot of the food we had down south was simple, country food, it didn’t feel pure, if you know what I mean. Sure the green beans, butter beans, black eyed peas, and sweet potatoes were cooked with few ingredients, but food that’s cooked for hours on the stove rarely tastes as fresh and healthy as it does in its raw state. Not to mention it all looks brown to me after a while, which is less than appetizing.

So since our meals have been “pure” (read: less than exciting) the past few days (for example, nicoise salads are the most complicated thing I have made since coming home), I am sharing some of my catering recipes I promised not too long ago, instead. The blue cheese and pecan crackers have a delicate, shortbread biscuit-like texture and are wonderful eaten on their own. The scallop ceviche in cucumber cups is always chic, impressive, and easy to make ahead. Both of these recipes will be among your new favorites in your entertaining arsenal. Enjoy!

Blue Cheese and Pecan Crackers (from Garde Manger, by the Culinary Institute of America)

Makes 3 dozen

1/2 cup butter, diced, cold

8 oz crumbled blue cheese (or block blue cheese, like Valdeon)

1 cup flour, plus more for dusting

1 tsp salt

2 oz pecans, finely chopped

Method

1. Add salt to flour. Cut butter into flour with your hands or a pastry cutter, then incorporate blue cheese. Stir in pecans. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and set in fridge for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper. Roll chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface to no more than 1/4 inch, and no less than 1/8 inch, thickness. Cut with a 2 inch round cookie cutter, or in another desired small shape and place shapes an inch apart on the lined baking sheets. Re-roll scraps from cutting and cut out more shapes. Repeat until dough is used up. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly golden and slightly firm. Remove from baking sheets and cool on parchment paper. Store in a tightly-sealed container for up to 1 month. Enjoy!

Scallop Ceviche in Cucumber Cups

Makes about 60 pieces

4 large english cucumbers, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch slices, crosswise

10 large scallops

1 large firm tomato, seeded and diced finely

2 bell peppers, in different colors, diced finely (I like orange and red, since the cucumbers are green)

2 jalapenos, seeds removed, diced finely

3 limes, juiced

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped finely

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt, to taste (you can add pepper, but I just don’t like to see the black specs in my ceviche)

Method

1. Remove tough muscle on the side of the scallops. Slice scallops across so you get three discs each, then slice into strips. Cut strips into small dice so pieces are about 1/4 inch x 1/4 inch. Place diced scallops into a large bowl and add lime juice, tomatoes, peppers, jalapenos, cilantro, olive oil, and salt. Mix well, cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap and set in the fridge overnight.

2. The next day, before serving, use a small melon baller to make the “cup” in one side of the cucumber slices. Make sure not to punch all the way through! When it’s time to serve, spoon 1/2 tsp of ceviche into each cup. Enjoy!

-M : )

Just look at that photo- do I even need to say anything to encourage you to make this pot pie? Feel free to bake this in individual ramekins so you can serve them in their baking dishes. With this rustic dish, that would be a beautiful presentation. Interestingly enough, this dough is very similar to the dough I created to make those Chinese five spice pinwheels. If you find yourself with leftover dough, you can always bake up a few of these cookies while you wait for the chicken to cook through. Dinner and dessert in one recipe! What’s better than that? Enjoy : )

Chicken Pot Pie

Makes 3 Servings

2 1/2 cups chicken stock (broth is fine)

2 large chicken breasts

1 carrot, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

6 tbsp beurre manie (3 tbsp flour mixed with 3 tbsp oil or melted butter)

vegetable oil, as needed

1 egg, mixed with 1 tbsp water

salt and pepper, to season

1 sheet Frozen puff pastry or use the recipe below:

Easiest Pastry Recipe:

1. Mix 1 1/4 cups flour with 1/4 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cut in 6 tbsp diced cold butter. Mix in 4 tbsp water until dough just comes together, wrap in plastic and set in fridge. Roll out to 10” circle when you’re ready to cover your pie.)

uncooked pastry crust, with a decorative topping made from extra crust

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a baking dish that has a diameter of about 9” (I prefer a cast iron dish, but any baking dish will work). Bring chicken stock to a boil in a 4 qt pot, turn down heat, and keep hot over medium heat, covered.
2. Heat a saute pan over medium high heat with 1 tbsp oil in it, and add carrots, celery, onion and a pinch of salt.

3. Meanwhile, set up another pan (that has a fitting lid) with 2 inches of water and heat on high. Place chicken breasts in pan, cover, and once the water comes to a boil, turn the heat to low and shallow poach the chicken breasts for 15 minutes, or until cooked through. When cooked, remove from water to a clean cutting board and let cool slightly. Once cool, shread or cut into large dice.

4. Add vegetables to chicken stock once golden brown and slightly soft. Add chicken also, then whip in beurre manie. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes, then pour into baking dish. (Note, you can stop here and refrigerate mixture, if you want to serve the dish tomorrow.)

5. Place round of pastry crust (or puff pastry) on top of baking dish, ensuring that the pastry overlaps the side of the dish slightly, so you can crimp the sides shut. Brush top of pastry crust with egg mixed with 1 tbsp water and bake in oven on a sheet tray (to catch drips) for 20 minutes, or until top is golden and cooked through. Serve in shallow bowls and enjoy!

-M : )

Ignore those button mushrooms next to the broccolini (or don’t)- I just sauteed them and put them on the plate to use up leftover mushrooms in the fridge. They married well with the other ingredients, though.

I’m cooling off from my sugar rush and getting back to my culinary school basics. While I cooked some great recipes in school, there’s one that stood out for its easy yet powerful flavor. Balsamic braised chicken is deceptively simple and sensible, and easily multiplied for extra guests. The rich brown sauce that drenches it isn’t ladden with butter, but instead, its full of rich, slow cooked chicken stock, balsamic vinegar, vegetables, tomato, and a touch of flour, to thicken it. No roux, no heavy cream, just a deep, dark, delicious sauce.

Now you may be wondering what in god’s name are those potatoes on the plate. Good question. In culinary school we were tortured by this exercise where we made “tourne” potatoes. (There should be that little accent over the “e” but alas, I’m new to this blogging thing, and don’t know how to add accents, so forgive me French cooking masters, as you roll in your graves.) Anyway, “tourne” means turned, and that’s what’s done to these potatoes. You peel and quarter your russet potato, then trim it, turning it dangerously in your hand as you point the tip of your knife towards your finger, to create a football shaped potato nugget. Yum. Now you could make any shape you want, but having a food blog makes you an anal cook, so I made pretty shapes with my potatoes. Also, football was on that evening. Get it? Yeah, dorky, I know. Parboil them in salted water for about 10 minutes (or until they barely resist being poked with a sharp knife tip), dry them with a clean towel, and saute them in olive oil, sprinkling with coarse salt as they come out of the pan. You’ll find they are a perfect pairing for your chicken (the main squeeze) and your broccolini (your obligatory veg). Double yum. Or is that triple?

The only trick to making this recipe excellent instead of just “good” is to taste your sauce and add more balsamic if the flavor isn’t coming through. It looks as dark in person as it does in the picture, so don’t be shy. Also, balsamic vinegars vary greatly in sweetness, viscosity, and acidity, and I won’t dare to tell you which you should buy, so feel free to add a touch of sugar or lemon juice, to balance the flavors of the sauce. Enjoy!

Balsamic Braised Chicken

Makes 3 Servings

6 chicken thighs, bone-in

1 large carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 tbsp tomato paste

3 tbsp flour

2 cups Chicken Stock

1 cup Balsamic Vinegar (the better the quality, the better the outcome, but don’t go crazy)

vegetable oil, as needed

salt and pepper, as needed

Sauteed broccolini and tourne potatoes, to serve (factor in 1 small bunch broccolini and 1 medium potato per person)

Method

1. Add 2 tbsp oil to a large, deep pan (one that has a lid that fits, ideally) and turn heat to medium-high.

2. Sear chicken thighs, meaty-side down, turning once, to color both sides a nice golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. Add carrots, celery, onion, and a pinch of salt to the same pan (do not wash between steps!) and saute until golden brown and slightly softened, 5-7 minutes.

3. Add tomato paste, “pincage” until the tomato paste turns an even darker red and add the flour, mixing well. Cook 1 minute to get rid of the raw flour taste.

4. Add chicken stock and balsamic vinegar to the pan, turn the heat up to high, and bring to a boil. Add the chicken thighs back in and reduce to a simmer. Cover immediately and let cook for 25-35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. You may want to turn chicken over after 15 minutes to ensure even cooking, as the liquid will not cover the chicken entirely.

5. Remove chicken to serving plates, taste sauce for seasoning, and adjust as necessary with salt and pepper. If you desire, the sauce can be strained, but I prefer it unstrained. Thicken a little if necessary by cooking the sauce a little longer on the stovetop, without a lid, and pour sauce over the chicken. Add broccolini, potatoes, or whatever sides and vegetables you wish, to the plates and enjoy!

-M : )

pretty pecan pinwheels!

As I continue with my baking kick, my mind turns to cost. What ingredients can I cut out and still have a great cookie? Butter? No way. Sugar? Not in a million. Flour? Fat chance. Eggs? Hmm….And that’s where we begin.

In nearly every traditional cookie recipe, eggs lend texture, flavor, rise, and even sheen. But what if you’re secure in the ability of butter, sugar, and flour to add texture, pecans and warm spices to add flavor, and the layers created by the careful combining of butter and flour to create rise? Then you’ve got yourself a great cookie recipe. These Chinese Five Spice Cookies are not only fun and easy to make, but also resourceful. Change the filling to cinnamon, sugar, and currants, or fig jam and chopped almonds-any way you make these, they’re flaky and delicious.

Eggless Chinese Five Spice Cookies

Makes 25 cookies

Dough:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup butter, in small cubes, chilled

3-4 tbsp cold water

1/8 tsp salt

Filling:

1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp chinese five spice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet or use a silpat to line one.

2. Mix the salt into the flour. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, quickly incorporate the butter into the flour, until the mixture resembles coarse sand and the butter is still cold. If butter begins to warm, place mixture in the freezer for 5 minutes and begin again. Add just enough cold water to make a rough dough that stays together. You should be able to see butter streaks in the dough. Wrap in plastic and set in the fridge for 10 minutes to relax the gluten you may have developed in mixing and to allow the butter to cool.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the filling by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

4. Unwrap dough, lightly flour a flat surface, and roll out dough to a rectangle (about 12” x 8”), making sure it’s 1/4” to no less than 1/8” thick.

5. Sprinkle filling on top of the dough to make a thin, even layer and roll lengthwise until you’ve created a log. Place in the freezer to firm up for 10 minutes.

6. Slice the log into 1/4” to 1/2” slices, depending on how big you’d like the cookies, using a sharp knife. Place cookies flat on the baking sheet and into the oven, for 10-12 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool on a rack and enjoy!

-M : )

Aw, they look like hearts… Good thing v-day’s coming up!

Palmiers are the biggest trick in the book. They not only require two ingredients, frozen puff pastry and sugar, but maintain their addictive crunch for days after they’re baked. Using a silpat makes clean up especially easy, but the puff pastry has enough butter in it, and the sugar retains pliable enough out of the oven, to ensure easy removal of the cookies from the baking sheet even without pre-greasing.

A recipe really isn’t necessary for these scrumptious cookies, as they’re really a cinch, but here we go. Enjoy!

Palmiers (i.e. Mini Elephant Ears)

Makes 20 cookies, but can be easily multiplied

1 4” x 7” sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator overnight

1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for dusting

flour, as needed, for rolling

Method

1. Preheat oven to 385 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silpat baking mat. If you’re not using a silpat, leave the baking sheet ungreased.

2. Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured flat surface until it is less than 1/8” thick and sprinkle heavily with sugar. The layer of sugar should be nearly as thick as the layer of puff pastry dough.

3. Fold both ends (lengthwise) into the middle so they meet. Repea, doubling over your last fold. Fold in half lengthwise, so you have a log, roll in sugar, and place in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up.

4. Slice cookies with a very sharp knife, each should be about 1/4” thick. Place cookies down on the baking sheet or silpat so you can see their layers (i.e. lay them flat) and sprinkle again with sugar. Bake 10 minutes, or until they turn light golden. The bottom will be a darker golden than the top- that’s what you’re looking to see. Cool on a rack. These cookies are best once completely cool, when they’re at their crunchiest. Yum!

-M : )

Ok, so I guess I’m on a baking kick. Its just that D and I have a few friends coming over to watch football tonight and tomorrow night, and I couldn’t help but bake some goodies to munch on during the game. I made both palmiers (recipe in part deux) and chocolate-dipped pecan meringues (recipe below). I am particularly fond of cookies that are easy, cheap, and can be made small, and these two recipes match all the criteria.

Not only do smaller cookies take less time to bake, they are also a wiser bet for satisfying your guests and making sure that your baking doesn’t go to waste (and frankly, your feelings don’t get hurt). Bigger cookies require the guest to contemplate the size of their appetite, normally an evaluation that takes place after a meal. If you want your baking to be put to good use (i.e. chomped and digested) then make those cookies smaller! Smaller cookies means more cookies to enjoy, and fewer people saying no to trying one. No one’s going to need to consult their diet commandments to eat one. All the pleasure in a couple fewer bites, that’s all. You can even feel good having seconds. And trust me, you’ll want more than one.

What I love about these cookies is not only that they’re easy and liked by all, but also that they have a certain adult quality about them. Its that almost-burnt flavor, that caramelized, brown sugar taste that deepens and balances the sweetness. They are crunchy, light, and even great without being dipped in chocolate, white or dark. Serve a few in a bowl with some raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries, add a little whipped cream or ice cream, and you have a more formal dessert. Whether you share them with friends while watching football or enjoy them crushed into ice cream, cuddled up with a good book, enjoy!

Chocolate-Dipped Pecan Meringues

Makes 25-30 1 1/2” cookies

1/2 cup pecans

2 egg whites

pinch salt

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/8 cup white chocolate chips

1/8 cup dark or milk chocolate chips (your choice)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 385 degrees and lightly grease baking sheet, or better yet, use a silpat baking mat on top of the baking sheet.

2. Pulse pecans in a food processor (preferably a small one) until coarsely ground. Take care not to over pulse, or else oils will release and coarse texture will be lost.

3. Whip eggs whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form and add sugar slowly, while continuing to beat whites. Beat until stiff peaks form.

4. Immediately fold in pecans, taking care not to deflate the egg whites (the sugar does help to stabilize them, though).

5. Drop or pipe about a tablespoonful of batter onto baking sheet or mat, and leave 1” of room between cookies. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn oven down to 285 degrees. Bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden all over. Cookies will still be slightly soft to the touch, but they will harden as they cool out of the oven, yielding a crunchy texture.

6. While cookies cool, melt the chocolates in separate dishes in the microwave. Dip bottoms of the cookies in melted chocolate once completely cool and firm and place them on wax paper, then in the fridge, so the chocolate can harden.

Note: white chocolate-dipped cookies will not need to be refrigerated to harden, but the milk or dark chocolate-dipped ones probably will.

Enjoy!

-M : )

Summer Corn Fritters with Mixed Fruit Salsa

People constantly ask me, “What’s your favorite thing to make?” As if I, having gone to culinary school, should have a set answer for this question. As if I’m not a great cook if I don’t have an answer. Please. The reason I don’t have an answer is because this is an unanswerable question. Do you ask a parent which child is their favorite? I hope not. How could someone choose a favorite dish? With every dish I make again and again I gain mastery of it, and with every new dish I make or create I expand my culinary repertoire. While these feelings of mastery and novelty are equally as satisfying in their own ways, I constantly find myself more inclined to cook a new dish over one that is tried and true.

Since I don’t cook much in my apartment in New York, when I go down to DC to visit my boyfriend, I love taking advantage of his larger kitchen and surprising him with new dishes. I also love the challenge of cooking something new. I don’t come from a family that has a rich culinary heritage, so when I started cooking when I was 12 years old, I started with a pretty clean slate. Sure, my mom taught me how to measure, mix, bake, and saute, and my dad taught me how to grill and make a mean dish of lox, eggs, and onions, but the food we ate was largely based on what we found at the supermarket that was fresh and healthy (and often, organic), rather than on recipes passed down through generations.

As a result, I feel no duty to keep certain dishes alive, nor do I feel compelled to learn family dishes before I delve into making others that truly pique my interest. I am in the clear. I can cook what I want. Maybe that lack of responsibility to pass down culinary traditions is what frees me to cook simply what I’m interested in cooking. I suppose I take full advantage of this freedom by cooking something new nearly every time I cook. Maybe not something completely new, but I always have to add a new twist. The only real exception to this is my omelet- which I have down to a science- but that’s for another post.

So the more “new” dishes I cook, the more I realize that creating a satisfying meal is more than just finding a balance in its taste elements (sweet, salty, bitter, sour, umami); it’s also about finding a balance- or an appropriate contrast- in its temperature. Often, we take this for granted. For example, aren’t most fried foods served hot with a cold sauce? Have you really ever thought about how pervasive this is? I have, and here are some examples: crab cakes with remoulade, fried fish with tartar sauce, falafel with hummus, chicken wings with blue cheese dressing….I could go on and on. The thing is, all of these cold elements aren’t healthy (save, hummus), so while they add a cold contrast, they only really serve to make an already unhealthy food even unhealthier. My solution was to create a healthier fried dish with an even healthier cold element to satisfy my craving of having a dish with a contrast in temperatures: corn fritters with mixed fruit salsa! The corn fritters are sweet and savory, as is the salsa, which includes peaches, mangoes, pineapple, red onions, lime juice, and cilantro. Serve this as an appetizer, as a vegetarian entree, or add grilled shrimp, for a heartier meal. Enjoy! We did : )

Summer Corn Fritters with Mixed Fruit Salsa

Yield: 4 Servings

For Salsa: (hint: make this first so it can macerate in the fridge while you cook the fritters. The flavors will meld and yield you a better result. Adjust the salt right before serving. )

2 yellow peaches, diced

1 large mango, or two small mangoes, peeled and diced

1/2 pineapple, trimmed of rough exterior and inner brown seeds, diced (eat the other half as a snack or save for later)

1 small red onion, minced

1 lime, juiced

1/4 cup cilantro (or to taste), minced

1/4 cup canola oil

slightly less salt than desired, to taste

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to macerate, at least 30 min, but up to 5 hours.

For Corn Fritters:

3 ears fresh corn (white, yellow, or mixed), shucked, kernels cut off the cob with a large knife.

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup cornmeal (don’t buy cornmeal just for this, you can substitute 1/4 cup flour if you don’t have it in your pantry)

1 egg

1/2 cup milk (or buttermilk, if you’re feeling adventurous)

2 Tbsp canola oil

1/8 cup cilantro, minced

1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced (optional)

salt, pepper and cayenne to taste

Canola oil (or peanut oil, if no one’s allergic), for frying

Method:

1. Mix flour and cornmeal in a large bowl. Mix the egg and milk in a separate bowl until well incorporated and add to dry ingredients. Mix gently, leaving some flour in clumps. Fold in corn kernels, cilantro, jalapeno (if using), and 2 tbsp canola oil. Be careful to only mix to incorporate the ingredients, no further. Over-mixing will activate the gluten in the flour and yield you a tough fritter rather than a delicate one. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. Batter will be very thick.

2. Heat enough oil in a large pan to come a 1/2 inch up the sides, over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, test a spoonful of the batter to check the seasoning, and adjust the salt/pepper/cayenne as necessary. Drop spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil and spread each with the back of a spoon to a diameter of 2-3 inches. They should be about a 1/4 inch thick. Shallow fry on one side until golden brown, flip, and finish browning on the other side. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with the salsa piled on top, or served on the side.

*Note: These are also excellent with guacamole! (Guacamole: Mash 2 avocados, add 1/2 small onion (minced), 1 small tomato (seeded and diced), the juice of 1/2 a lime and 2 tbsp minced cilantro, and adjust salt to taste. Add 1 minced jalapeno (seeds and ribs removed) or 1/2 minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce, if you want it spicy.)

Enjoy!

-M : )