Month Mingle

Sugar Cookies For A Good Cause

20.12.2007 17 Comments

I often talk about my neighbor C. and her twin boys and how they are a loving, loud and buoyant pair. What I failed to mention so far is that about once a week, I "borrow" her boys for the afternoon. This expression started over a year ago when I kept the kids occupied one afternoon by teaching them how to make cookie dough while she was cleaning the house top to bottom and had no way of keeping them busy without supervision. They play a lot on their own but believe me we are still amazed at how they made it to seven so far without a broken leg or worse injury: fire, water, engine, anything that rolls, chops, cuts, explodes will find a way into their hands.

Having said this you might think I was crazy for volunteering to have them over. Well, when things start getting heated and borderline out of hand, I give them"the look". My grandfather Rene had "the look", piercing and serious enough to make you melt in your socks and I am glad I inherited that particular feature. One glance and the boys were playing somewhat in a quieter way but not entirely to make a studious afternoon: what fun would it be to make cookie dough without a little play, right? I was merely trying to keep the dough on the counter and not used as putty on the walls and grout on the kitchen floor. After that afternoon last year, their dad joked around and asked if I still wanted children after that experience and I joked "I’ll just borrow yours for the time being", and that’s how the expression stuck around.

Last Friday C. asked me to watch over the boys so she could pack the family’s suitcases for their trip to North Carolina. I said "Great! Let’s do A Drop In and Decorate Party!"…which was received with 6 incredulous eyes and a big "a what party?" I then proceeded to tell C. and the boys how crucial they were going to be in bringing some joys to less fortunate kids their age.
Every year since 2002, Lydia of The Perfect Pantry hosts a Drop In and Decorate Cookies For Donation. When I read about it in November I mentioned it to a few friends but we never seemed to be able to find a suitable baking day. Thus, when I was supposed to borrow the twins last week, it seemed like my last chance to bake for a great cause before the full blown crazy wind of the holidays.

Let’s just say that I spend half my day saying "Don’t touch that with your red hands! Step away from the wall! The first one to open the oven without me has to spell brother backwards, etc…." Interestingly enough, I never have to say these but a couple of times as they are completely into their task and they took their job of decorating for charity very seriously. They had a purpose, they were going to play Santa, they were going to make people smile. I love hanging out with those two because you give them the choice between a video game and piece of wood to go bang on something…they’ll go bang and march down the street to get the other kids involved. But again, that might just be because C. is the coolest mom ever!!

We made a plain sugar cookie dough, rolled cut and baked about 8 dozen cookies, and iced them with an icing from Dorie Greenspan found on Epicurious. The best I ever worked with so far, smooth, shiny and spreadable, very easy for the kids to handle. They kept one dozen to give to friends at school, and I kept one dozen for friends too, the rest went to "Helping Hands" which provides safe shelter to victims of domestic violence and their children. Victims there are in immediate danger from verbal, emotional, physical or sexual abuse. I am familiar with the place as I go there about once a month for baking or cooking demo with another chef friend of mine and we teach women there how to come up with good and wholesome meals while on a tight budget and with minimal equipment. There are a lot of women and children who are so disheartened with the basic notion of love, self and kindness that I really wanted to help put a smile on their face. Saturday morning we dropped off all the cookies, trees, sugar men, snowmen and visited the shelter for about an hour…long enough for me to almost "lose" the twins who were busy outside making mounds of dirt for "make believe sleigh rides"…their words, not mine! Where do they get such ideas?!!! Anyways…mission accomplished. The whole experience was profitable to all on so many levels, so if you don’t know what to do with the family visiting and all the kids getting in your way this weekend, sit them down at the kitchen table and make them decorate a bunch of cookies for a good cause. Chances are you will be visited by the Spirit of Christmas…

Basic Sugar Cookie Dough:

2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 1/3cups sugar
1 egg
3 cups flour
1/2tsp baking powder
1/4tsp. baking soda

In a large bowl, mix the flour,baking powder and baking soda and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together the utter and sugar until light and airy. Add the egg and whisk until well incorporated. Add the flour mix and whisk until incorporated.
Divide the dough into two balls, flatten them out and wrap them in plastic film. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight, until firm.
Remove one dough ball from the fridge and roll the it out in between sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out as man shapes as desired. Reroll the scraps, and refrigerate that smaller dough until firm again. Work with the other dough ball in the meantime.
Bake the cookies until they just about turn gold around the edge,8-10 minutes at 350F. Let cool completely before icing.

Royal Icing, adapted from Dorie Greenspan,via Epicurious:

3 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 large egg whites
1 tsp lemon juice
Assorted food colorings (optional)
Makes about 2 cups

Using electric mixer, beat the powdered sugar and egg whites until thick and shiny, adding more powdered sugar by tablespoonfuls if mixture is too thin to spread, about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice. Add more powdered sugar if the icing is too thin for your taste. Divide icing into portions. Add different food coloring to each,according to what you plan to decorate. Cover until ready to use. You can refrigerate the icing for a couple of days if necessary.

Meeta's Monthly Mingle this time around is centered around the event created by Lydia, so the cookies in the above picture are also virtually going to Germany!

Georgia Peach Ice Cream

02.07.2007 42 Comments

Well these georgia peaches
Son they know their way around
They can take your money, son before you get sight of town
Well they talk a little funny, but they look so fine
Nine out of ten of them gonna sell you a dime
I think they’re cute, think they’re cute as they can be
Talkin’ about a funny talkin’, honk-tonking georgia peach

Well, peaches, peaches
Love them georgia peaches
Well, peaches, peaches
Love them georgia peaches

Excerpt from Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Georgia Peaches

Yes, I know that me and the boys from the band were not talking about the same kind of peaches, but I could not help myself and kept humming the tune while peeling the fruit to make this ice cream.

When I got to the farmer’s market this morning and found a bounty of gloriously fragrant and yellow Georgia peaches, I knew some would end up in a cake, some cut up on my salad and some would turn out into an ice cream. It has been so hot and humid the past few days, we keep filling up on frozen fruits and icy cold smoothies while the ice cream machine is dying from boredom. I just was not that inspired until this morning. Oh sure, I could whip up some of our favorites again, but we are craving light, fresh and if possible incredibly tasty and there is nothing fitting the description better than a Georgia peach.

There is not much to add, other than giving you the recipe, and urging you to make it with fresh fruit and not frozen or canned are we are here in the US in full peach season. The base is a light custard and a little lemon juice or crystallized ginger can really perk it up.

Peach Ice Cream, adapted from Cuisine at Home (thanks Lisa for my birthday present!)

Makes 5 cups

2 cups fresh peaches, skinned, pitted and diced
1/4 sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split in half or 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Macerate the peaches with the lemon juice in a saucepan with the lemon juice and sugar for about 10 minutes or until syrupy. Simmer over medium heat until the peaches are soft for about 5 minutes. Let cool completely.
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until thick and pale. In the meantime, heat the milk, cream and vanilla bean until steam rises. Gradually add the hot cream to the egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent them from scrambling. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat until the cream coats the back of a spoon, 5 to 8 minutes.
Strain the cream and let cool completely. Stir in the peaches. At that point I used an hand-held mixer to puree some of the peaches and leave chunks into the base. Churn the mixture in an ice cream maer according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a container and freeze until firm.

It is so good that I am taking it to Meeta’s Monthly Mingle. She is on a well deserved vacation, so check back after the 7th of July for a cold and creamy ice cream round-up.

Birthday Mingle: Lemon Mascarpone Charlottes

03.06.2007 31 Comments

Yesterday, June 2nd was one special lady’s birthday: Meeta from What’s for Lunch Honey? blew another candle and knowing her I am sure it was done in style surrounded by many friends and family members. Happy Birthday one more time, dear Meeta!

During the last roundup of her event Monthly Mingle, she realised it was also a year ago that she started the Monthly Mingle event. Thus, she invited us for the June edition entitled Big Birthday Bang, to make a dish for her, the guest of honor. Smart woman, not only does she get to make her birthday last a little longer but given the past roundups, she can be sure to be served some pretty tasty things!

I have only known Meeta for a few months and through her blogs (she also writes The Daily Tiffin, and asked me to join its writers pool last month), The Daring Bakers, and emails and yet I imagine her to be strong willed, warm, organized and detailed, attentive, a great friend, wife and mother. I also imagine her stylish, feminine and full of pep and colors.

I had a list a mile long list of different birthday cakes I thought about making for her and that special day but once I imagined these Lemon Mascarpone Charlottes, I really found them fit for the event. Just like I envision Meeta, they stand tall with confidence, soft and strong in flavor and yet playful at the same time. A soft and just a bit decadent lemon mascarpone surrounded by Limoncello dipped ladyfingers…enough to make you happy, not tipsy!

Lemon Mascarpone Charlotte, inspired from Mercotte:

Serves 6

1 package Italian style ladyfingers
2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 oz sugar
4 oz mascarpone cheese
150 ml. heavy cream, divided
2 tsp. powdered gelatin (1 sheet) + 1/4 cup water
zest and juice of one lemon

Syrup to dip the ladyfingers:
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Limoncello

Sprinkle the gelatin over the water, stir and let sit to bloom.
In the meatime, warm up 5o ml. heavy cream until hot but not boiling hot. Stir in the gelatin and allow to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the mascarpone with the sugar, add 2 egg yolks and whisk until well incorporated. Add the lemon juice and zest.
Whip 2 egg whites until stiff, fold them into the mascarpone mixture.
Whip the remaining heavy cream to medium stiff peaks, and fold into the mascarpone.

To assemble the charlottes, I used 2.5 inch diameters pvc pipe cylinders (I use pvc for cold molded desserts and metal for baked ones), but you can use the diameters that you like best.
Dip the biscuits very briefly (1 second/turn/1 second/done…yes, that fast or you will end up with mush) in the Limoncello water and stand them straight one next to the other into the molds, fill with the mousse. Refrigerate until set. Trim the tops.
At this point I like to freeze the charlottes for a couple of hours, so it is really easy to unmold them. Just push through the bottom, they slide out of the molds very easily.
Decorate with sliced strawberries or whole raspberries.

Arabian Nights – Monthly Mingle 9

12.04.2007 18 Comments

Here I am, probably the last one to bring her dishes to Meeta’s Monthly Mingle. I really thought I would never make it on time this month…I fell victim to the old combination of too much work, too much family (but I am happy about that one) and very little play time in the kitchen….isn’t it funny how our kitchen priorities are very different from our boss’s our customers’?..but yet, they are quite happy when we bring them half of whatever we have concocted that day!

I got quite excited when I read about the theme this month: an entire event devoted to Arabian Nights…and then I drew a blank…for about 2 seconds!I immediately thought about dishes and pastries from Morocco and Algeria and decided to bake 3 of my favorites. I had a hard time finding pastries and desserts from other Arabic countries so I am really looking forward to learn more and see what other bakers have come up with. I am also going to check out the library in the future to try to broaden my horizon.

Why Morocco? My parents were born there, mom in Oujda and dad in Rabat, in the 30s and 40s as children of military families, their parents were stationed wherever they were needed and ended up traveling quite a lot, much like nomads. (My dad continued the tradition and this is why I probably ended up here!) Although they did not stay in the country, the Arabic world always had a place in my family, in phrases and sentences, in memorabilia, furniture and of course cooking (just ask anybody about my Grandmother’s couscous).

The other reason behind Morocco is because of the vivid memories I have from a little “hole in the wall” bakery that was situated a block away from my University when I was doing my graduate work. I would go there with a couple of girlfriends and get a little pick me up around 4pm before hitting the books again. The owners loved our little group of 3 young plump chicks and we always ended up sampling more than reasonable but for us every free sugar honey dripping morsel was worth its weight in gold! I have yet to find anything close to what they had here in SC but that may not be a bad thing as all the pastries from that part of the world have a tendency to be overly sweet and I know I would develop diabetes in a flash. However, there are three pastries that stuck to my memory, and Meeta’s event was the perfect opportunity to revisit them. Common ingredients in Arabic pastries are nuts, dates, orange blossom flower water, corn meal, fillo dough, honey, sugar and butter. Only a few bites of each one of these would satisfy any sweet tooth.

Harissa from Oujda, adapted from Fatema Hal :

If you are familiar with the hot sauce ‘harissa’, do not ask me why this particular pastry is also called this way as there is nothing hot about it. I am guessing it refers to the cooking style, but if you know, please let me know in the comment box.

250 gr. ground almonds
125 gr. sugar
2 Tb. orange blossom flower water
2 Tb. honey
75 gr. butter

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a saucepan, mix together the sugar and orange blossom flower and boil for 2 minutes over medium heat. Do not caramelize, but bring to a syrup like consistency. Remove from the heat and stir in the almonds, butter, honey. Mix well. Pour into a 8X8 inch square pan and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the ovem, let cool completely and cut into losanges.
They are easier to cut if refrigerated for 1 hour.

Maancha (also spelled Mhencha) , Snake pastries:

Makes 8

16 sheets
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups almonds
1/4 cup melted butter + 1 Tb.
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
honey to drizzle

Preheat oven to 400 F.
In a food processor, grind sugar and almonds. Add orange blossom water and 1 Tb.butter. Blend into a smooth paste.
Stack 2 sheets of filo dough, brush with melted butter and place 1/4 cup of the almond paste and spread it down the center, in the shape if a thick pencil.
Roll the dough around the paste, and form into a snake coil. Repeat with remaining dough and paste. Brush evenly with buttter and drizzle with honey if desired. Bake for 10 minutes.

Date Snails, adapted from Celine:

Mine ended up looking like bear claws, because I could not get them to roll the right way. I’d rather come up with another solution than have something aesthetically weird. The following directions are given for making snails.

Makes 16-18

Dough:

1 lb all purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks butter
2 Tb. sugar
2 TB orange flower blossom water
1 egg

Filling:

1 cup chopped, pitted dates mixed with a pinch of cinnamon and a dash of orange water

For the dough:
Mix all the ingredients together and add a little bit of warm water if necessary to obtain a smooth dough. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes to relax it.

Form the filling into little logs. Roll out the dough into a thin rectangle. Put one log on the longest side and roll once over to encase the date filling.
Keep doing this with the remaining date logs and dough.
With scissors, cut slits into each log at 1/2 inch intervals, not cutting all the way through. Cut each log at 5 inch intervals and coil the dough onto itself to form a snail.Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Pear And Blue Cheese Mini Cakes With Cardamom and Rosemary

15.03.2007 18 Comments

Let me start by saying "thank you" for understanding my frustration last night and for your support which prevented me from banging my head against the computer screen or eating half the cheesecake I had baked earlier. I love the blogging community because whatever ails you, evening something trivial as losing your post, a lot of you came and offered advice, humor and great relief that I may not be a complete 'puter moron after all!

Now back to our regular programming.

It is no news that I have been hooked on blogging events… like an addict I impatiently await my directives every month and the creative and talented Meeta did not disappoint with her latest Monthly Mingle focusing on savory cakes. I was happy to come up with something that would combine my love of savory and sweet foods. Yes, B. and I do not live on desserts and pastries only….well except on sundays it seems like!

The first time my mom made a savory cake I thought it to be the strangest thing in the world…back then I already knew I would live for all things sweet! She would bake, slice thick and cubes perfect morsels of cakes with ham and gruyere, roasted red pepper and feta, crab and dill, etc…her combinations were endless. They became some my favorite items to make and serve with a glass of wine before dinner, at a cocktail party and other events involving finger foods. I regret not copying her recipe down when I visited this past Christmas and my parents are relax in the Alps I chose not to bither them with such a small inquiry. I figured I could easily come up with my own and so I went googling around. After reading many a savory cake recipe I finally settled on this one.

I already had an idea of what I wanted for this challenge: something sweet, something salty and one or two spices and/or herbs to complement them. I played around for a couple of days and came up with a dozen combinations of fruits such as figs/prosciutto, pineapple/ham, peppers/feta, seafood/mascarpone. The possibilities are endless, limited only by your imagination. I decided upon pear and blue cheese because of their classic sense of companionship. I love cardamom in everything, especially crushed up over roasted pear, and the grassy flavor rosemary goes well with both fruit and blue cheese.Instead of my mom’s usually little cubed morsels, I chose to bake these in regular sized muffin tins.

Pear And Rosemary Mini Cakes With Cardamom and Rosemary, adapted from Regal:

Makes 12 muffin sized cakes

200 gr. flour (about 2 cups) You could use half regular and half whole grain flours.

2 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

3 eggs

10 cl. milk

5 cl. olive oil

1 pear, peeled, cored and diced

5 oz. blue cheese, crumbled

1 tsp. ground cardamom (I used fresh green pods that I crushed with the back of my knife)

1 Tb. dried rosemary

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, olive oil, and milk and whisk until well combined. Gently fold in the pear, cheese and spices/herbs with a spatula until incorporated.

Pour into muffin tins (use paper molds or grease well), and bake at 350 for 25-20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clear.

Let cool to room temperature.

Notes: baked as the recipe is written, we both regretted not taking a more pronounced stance: sweet or savory. In the morning, I would not mind a little bit more sugar whereas in the afternoon a little bit more salt would be appreciated. I am just so bad at choosing that I have come up with my own solution: a spat of strawberry jam in the morning and a spat of salted butter in the evening.

These are great for a sunday brunch, dinner party and they are great as mid morning or afternoon snacks. They taste fantastic with a cup of tea.

A Mouthful Of A Name…

14.03.2007 16 Comments

Pear And Blue Cheese With Cardamom And Rosemary….

Problem is I have just spent the last hour blogging about them and Blogger &%^$$(# lost my post in cyber space and I stared at the error message on my screen cursing in French…

Right now, I don’t have the energy to re-write it….and I am still fuming… give me one hour or a day and I’ll tell you all about them escpecially since I made them for lovely Meeta's Monthly Mingle.

Cranberry And Cream Scones

08.02.2007 15 Comments

Warning: this post is about love!

I like to give my man a little extra attention in the morning because it is truly the only time of the day we can spend "uninterrupted"…you know how it goes, work, hobbies, friends, functions, for some kids and others pets, and before you know it the day is drawing to an end.
I was getting tired of our breakfast selections so when I saw Meeta's invite to her Monthly Mingle, I figured it would be a great way for me to show B. my love and appreciation with one of his favorites, scones. I felt bad the recipe called for heavy cream and butter so to alliviate any guilt I added dried cranberries…it’s good for the heart!

B. could not stop humming his way through the house knowing that he had those waiting for him this morning. After over 8 years of marriage, I am blessed by the fact that he thanks me for every meal or special treat I set out in front of him… I thank him for still opening the car door for me and making sure my tank is full. We are romantics in our own and geeky way. For example, we have a V-Day card contest every single year: who will be the one to give the most Valentine cards, romantic, funny, creepy, dorky, homemade,…. I think I went a little crazy this year…we’ll see!

Big silence of approval from B. regarding these scones and he asked for another batch next week…my heart can’t say no!

Cranberry and Cream Scones, adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Cream Scones:

Makes 8 large ones.

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 egg

2 cups flour

2 Tb sugar

1 Tb baking powder

pinch of salt

5 Tb. cold butter, cut in small morsels

extra sugar for rolling the dough

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350.
In a small bowl, whisk the cream and the egg. Set aside.
In a separate and larger bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender, 2 forks or your fingers (my choice, I like to play with food), until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the cranberries.
Mix in the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly with a spoon or again your hands. Do this fairly quickly to avoid over kneading the dough. Gather into a ball and pat on a sugared board. With a 3 inch cookie cutter, cut out 8 rounds.
Put them on a foil or parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown.

Note: I like rolling the dough with sugar on my board and not extra flour. It coats the scones with a light crunch and prevents the dough from getting tough.