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On the last day of the year, it seems appropriate to take a look back and list some of my favorite 2008 recipes from 5 Second Rule. I hope you find something you've never seen, or are reminded of something you saw long ago.
If you click the picture, you'll be brought to the original post, with the recipe.
I raise my glass to you all, and thank you for your continued support.
Happy new year.
With snow covering hillsides, blustery winds mussing ponytails, and fuzzy socks lining shoes, it's cocoa time. Go ahead: take a look in your pantry. If your cocoa's label includes unpronounceables, it may be time for a switch.
Land O Lakes Cocoa Classics Hot Cocoa Mix
Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate
Which would you rather drink?
When I became a parent, I knew I'd give up a lot.
Spur of the moment movie nights. Sleeping in on the weekends. Reckless driving.
Okay fine, I never really indulged in those things (even before parenthood), but in theory I could have. What I hadn't counted on, what I'd really never imagined, was that I'd also have to give up mushrooms.
My family tolerates many of my culinary quirks, but they don't tolerate mushrooms. Even my husband loathes them.
Colin's sitting across from me right now. Watch this:
"Colin."
"What."
"What do you think of mushrooms?"
"They're rotten fungus."
Case closed.
A few weeks ago I picked up a handful of creminis at the farmers' market, and while I was there I grabbed some flowering, leafy greens. Just having the mushrooms in my basket meant I'd be cooking for myself, so I decided to go all out.
"Excuse me. What's this?" I asked the market lady, pointing at the greens with the teensy yellow flowers.
"You choy."
"Me what?"
"You choy. It's like bok choy, only sweeter and more tender."
And it was.
I paired the veggies with a giant tangle of soba noodles, creating a trio of foods no one in my house would eat but me. Finally, a meal I didn't have to share. And I've got to tell you, it was one of the best lunches I'd ever made.
p.s. I just showed Colin this post. He looked at the pictures and said, "That's just nasty, dude."
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Recipe for Soba Noodles with Stir-Fried Greens and Cremini Mushrooms
I happened upon you choy, a Chinese cabbage, at the market, but you're welcome to substitute baby bok choy, or other easier-to-find greens. Like all stir-fries, this meal comes together quickly.
Serves 1 to 2 as an entree or 3 as a side
3 ounces soba noodles
2 teaspoons peanut or olive oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed and thinly sliced
1 bunch you choy, or baby bok choy or other greens, trimmed, stems cut in 1-inch pieces, leaves roughly chopped, rinsed but not dried
4 to 6 cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons Soyaki, or teriyaki sauce
Boil soba noodles according to package directions, about 3 minutes. Drain.
Heat a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil and garlic. Stir until garlic is golden, then add the greens. Stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes, tossing with tongs, until the water clinging to the leaves has evaporated and the greens have wilted a bit. Add mushrooms and stir-fry 2 minutes longer.
Add the sauce and the cooked soba noodles, and toss until heated through, about 1 minute longer. Serve immediately.
This year, Chanukah and Christmas coincide. Dreidels share space with nutcrackers, menorahs with ornaments, gelt with candy canes. With both holidays this week, it's hard to know which one to write about. Plus, I'm Jewish but Colin celebrates Christmas.
All interfaith families have their own way of commemorating the December holidays, and ours is no exception. We string blue and white lights outside, have a huge Chanukah feast with our Havurah (a group of friends from our temple), and always travel to Dallas for a traditional Christmas with Colin's family.
Tonight I made latkes for my in-laws, and I used my dear friend Alison's foolproof recipe. Alison is the go-to latke woman in my Havurah, and a few days ago she came to my house with our friend Julia. The three of us cooked latkes -- for 20 adults and 20 kids -- like they were going out of style. We set up two electric skillets on the back patio and three oil-slicked pans in the kitchen. With the exhaust fan on full-throttle and the windows cranked open, we even managed to keep the smoke alarm from screaming.
But that was in San Jose. Here in Dallas my luck was less good. I kept things quiet for a while as my latkes sizzled, but a few seconds after my 2-year-old nephew awoke from his nap, the smoke alarm roared to life: BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPP!
Happily, my sister-in-law forgave me for traumatizing her toddler. In fact, after tonight's latkepalooza, she proclaimed, "If that's all it took to be Jewish, I would have been Jewish years ago."
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Alison's Famous Chanukah Latkes
My friend Alison makes the world's best latkes, and she was kind enough to share the proportions for her recipe. The key is to keep them thin, cook them until they're deeply browned and crisp, salt them while they're hot, and put them in a low oven while you turn out batch after batch. A cold latke is like a soggy shoe: not to be eaten.
Makes approximately 40 latkes, give or take
10 russet potatoes
4 yellow onions, peeled and halved
4 eggs
1/2 cup matzoh meal (roughly)
Canola oil
Kosher salt
Sour cream and apple sauce, for serving
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
Peel the potatoes and plunge them in a large bowl with cold water. Either cut them into large chunks and shred them and the onions in a food processor, OR keep the potatoes whole and grate them on the large holes of a box grater (with the onions).
In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly and set aside.
Transfer a few handfuls of shredded potatoes and onions to a double-thickness of paper towels, and squeeze out as much liquid as you can muster. Place in the bowl with the eggs and repeat with remaining potatoes and onions. You'll use quite a few paper towels, so be prepared.
Stir in the matzoh meal and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix well with a fork, making sure to distribute the eggs thoroughly.
Heat a few glugs of oil in a large heavy skillet (you'll use about 1/4 cup oil at first, but you'll keep adding more) over medium-high heat. To see if the oil is ready, put in a pinch of potato mixture; if it sizzles and turns golden in about 10 seconds, the oil is ready. Use an ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measure to form the latkes; drop in the oil and flatten gingerly with a spatula. Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. As you proceed, the pan will get hotter and the oil will need to be replenished. Adjust the heat and add new oil as necessary. Carefully remove any burnt particles.
When latkes are done, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle immediately with salt. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and keep hot in the oven. Repeat until you've cooked all the latkes.
It's fun to see a project come to fruition, even if it's not mine.
In late 2003, when I found out I'd be moving from the Boston area to California, the cookbook author I'd been working with made a referral. "Call Flo," Lora had said. "I hear she's got a new book contract."
"Flo" was baking guru Flo Braker, past president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, baking columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, and author of The Simple Art of Perfect Baking and Sweet Miniatures. And she'd indeed just started another cookbook. Might she want some assistance?
My role in this book was decidedly minor, but I get to did follow its development over time. I got great insight into how hard authors work on their craft, and how long a cookbook pregnancy lasts. (Let's just say it's more than nine months.) Plus, the snacks at meetings are really, really good.
Baking for All Occasions offers recipes like Pumpkin Ice Cream Profiteroles with Caramel Sauce; Butterscotch Spiral Coffee Cake; and Banana Split Cream Pie. My personal favorite? The Cinnamon Bubble Buns, which lasted just long enough for me to snap their portrait.
If you've got guests this week, put these glazed cinnamon buns out for your holiday breakfast and stand back, coyly, ready for raves. Just set at least one aside for yourself -- preferably in a dark corner, behind the fondue pot, or somewhere else where no one will ever think to find it.
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Recipe for Flo's Cinnamon Bubble Buns
Adapted from Flo Braker's Baking For All Occasions, Chronicle Books (2008).
Plan ahead as this recipe takes time. Consider making the dough in the evening and shaping the buns the next morning. Then task little ones with rolling the pieces into balls and smothering them in cinnamon-sugar. I've changed almost nothing in this recipe (except the amount of cinnamon-sugar in the coating) but have compacted the directions ever so slightly for space. What follows is decidedly Flo's.
Makes 12 buns
Sour Cream Yeast Dough
2-1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water 100-110 degrees
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons for kneading, if necessary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter, melted
Translucent Vanilla Glaze
1-1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
To make the dough: Combine the yeast with the water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set aside until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the butter, sour cream, sugar, egg, and vanilla and stir to combine with a rubber spatula. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment, twist on the bowl with the yeast mixture, and add 2 cups of the flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix on medium-low until incorporated. Add the remaining 1/2 cup flour and beat until the dough is soft and smooth.
Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is no longer sticky (you may need to add 1 to 2 tablespoons more flour), about 3 minutes. Place it back in the mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot for about an hour, until doubled in size.
Put a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Spray and flour a standard 12-cup muffin tin.
To make the topping: In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Place the melted butter in a small dish nearby.
To shape: Punch down the dough, then form it into a long cylinder. Divide it into 12 equal portions, each one weighing 1-3/4 ounces. Divide each of the 12 portions (I use a bench scraper) into sixths, and roll each little piece into a ball. Roll the balls first in the butter, then in the cinnamon-sugar. Place in the muffin cups. Repeat, placing all 6 balls in the same muffin cup, roughly 5 on the perimeter and 1 in the center, but I found that being particular with the placement wasn't really necessary.
Repeat with the remaining 11 dough portions. When you're done, each muffin cup will be filled with 6 little cinnamon/sugar/butter coated balls, or "bubbles."
Cover the muffin tin with plastic and let rise for about 40 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until golden. Let cool for a few minutes, then remove the buns with the aid of a spoon or a thin knife blade. Place on a wire rack.
To make the glaze: Stir the sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth. Add a drop or two of water if necessary. Use a pastry brush to coat each bun with glaze, or just drizzle it with a spoon (as I did).
Serve immediately, or later in the day. These will not last -- not because they can't (they can), but because you'll eat them very, very quickly.
If there's anything friendlier than noodle kugel, I haven't found it. Sure, cheese blintzes and ricotta-filled crepes come close, but kugel, kugel is a thing apart. And don't even talk to me about potato kugel. My heart belongs to the noodle.
This humble Jewish holiday food earns top honors for two good reasons: First, egg noodles don't have attitude. They're not whole wheat rotelli or spinach tortelloni or sun-dried tomato capellini. They're just egg noodles: soft, slippery, extra wide. Like a cozy sweatshirt, or that hole-riddled cardigan your grandma knit with the sleeves that are way too long, but you wear it anyway because she always offered you Andes candies when you'd come to visit and it's the only thing left that reminds you of her. They're like that.
This is not the time for any al dente business either. Cook the noodles till they shimmy and shine.
Second, the cottage cheese and sour cream get sweetened with a little sugar. I know, I know, is this a side dish, or a dessert? Exactly! That's the beauty of noodle kugel. It can be anything you want it to be. But please, don't even think about going fat-free. Using fat-free dairy in kugel is like making a fat-free cake. It's untenable, not to mention ill-advised. Here's my suggestion: for breakfast, have a bowl of shredded wheat with skim milk, sprinkle it with flax seed, and then fold all your laundry. There. Now you're healthy, and you've done a good deed.
Carte blanche to toss full-fat sour cream and cottage cheese in the kugel.
The best kugel I've had, the kugel to end all kugels, is my Grandma Arline's. She's actually my step-grandma, but why fuss with semantics? I don't really remember any kugel before Arline's, and that should tell you something.
That said, I'd be a liar if I said I didn't tweak it just a little bit.
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Recipe for Grandma Arline's Noodle Kugel, tweaked
Exercising patience before cutting into this isn't easy, but if you care about neatness and presentation, you'd be wise to make it the night before and refrigerate it overnight. It's much easier to cut neatly when cold. Re-warm (covered) before serving. Arline tops hers with crushed cornflakes, but I leave them off. The choice is yours.
Serves 8 to 10
8 ounces extra-wide egg noodles
4 eggs, separated (you'll use all 4 whites but only 3 yolks)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 ounces cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
Pinch cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, for dusting on top
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.
Cook the egg noodles in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water.
In a large mixing bowl, gently whisk the 3 egg yolks. Slowly add the melted butter and salt, and whisk well to combine. Add the cooked noodles, stirring to coat.
In a medium bowl, stir together the cottage cheese, sour cream, and sugar. Scrape into the bowl with the noodle mixture and give everything a good stir.
In a clean, dry mixing bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Fold gently into the noodles. Spread into the baking dish and smooth the top. Dust with the cinnamon.
Bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes. Serve warm, or refrigerate overnight (cool to room temp first), cut into squares, reheat, and serve.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner. Was it easy?
No.
It wasn't easy at all.
Here's how things went down: I had a favorite cookie. My husband had a favorite cookie. My kids had a favorite cookie. And several friends who came to a party at my house on Saturday night had a favorite cookie.
None of these cookies were the same cookie.
Ultimately, I was swayed towards the Hungarian Horns after Colin made a second batch last night to bring to his colleagues at work. Don't believe me? Check out these (poorly lit, indoor) action shots below...
Colin's horns were flakier than mine, and that simple fact allowed the cookies to eke past their closest competitors to take home the grand prize: a box of Meyer lemons from my tree and a set of 5 Second Rule note cards.
So, Diva on a Diet, I offer you my most heartfelt congratulations on your winning Hungarian Horns. Email your address to me ASAP so I can get those lemons on their way. To the other finalists, please don't hate me. If you need to hate someone, I think it would be more appropriate for you to hate Diva. First of all, her name is Diva. And second of all, she's supposed to be on a diet, but instead she's winning cookie contests.
OK, phase two -- the raffle. I put all the names of the 25+ entrants on little pieces of paper, folded them up, and stuck them in a bowl. My kids picked the winner...
This is especially ironic because Carolyn lives right here in Silicon Valley and may even have her own Meyer lemon tree, but the rules are the rules. I thought about disqualifying her based on geography, but with all of the political swindling and hooplah in our great nation I hate to add to the problem. Plus, what kind of lesson would that be for my children? ("She lives too close! Pick another and don't tell anyone!") I couldn't do it.
So, Carolyn, congratulations! Send me your address, and I'll drop the lemons off personally. The money I save on FedEx will be keep my pockets nice and warm.
Thank you for participating, everyone!
Dorie Greenspan had a recipe for sablés in Bon Appetit a few years ago and I went gaga over it. I don't remember the exact recipe, but it had almost nothing in it: butter, sugar, and salt. Oh, I'm sure it had flour and eggs and maybe a few other ingredients, but the flavor was so pure and clean and gently sweet I wondered why I had, until that very moment, felt the need to put chocolate chips in all my cookies.
No longer.
So when you all selected Heather's Orange-Sablé Ginger Cookies as a finalist in this cookie swap, I was pretty excited. In fact, I almost made them first because I thought I had all the ingredients, but then I came to "pure orange extract" and uttered inappropriate words. The cookies would have to wait.
(Turns out Safeway had the extract. On sale, too.)
I'll also take this moment to officially proclaim that I'll be announcing both the Grand Prize winner and raffle winner tomorrow. (Feel free to try to influence me based on my posts from the last several days.) Then I'll go on a sugar detox diet for at least 24 hours. After that, we'll return to our regularly scheduled programming, which will include things other than recipes, and recipes for things other than cookies.
But first...
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Recipe for Heather's Orange-Sablé Ginger Cookies
From CSR: As always, I'm printing Heather's recipe verbatim below. My notes: 1) Keep in mind that the dough has to chill in the fridge for 3 hours before you bake the cookies. 2) The recipe calls for "finely chopped crystallized ginger." I'd revise that to say very finely chopped crystallized ginger, if only because the orange flavor is so subtle and the ginger flavor so powerful that the latter will overwhelm the former if your chunks are too large. (And don't even think about using a food processor on the ginger. I made that mistake with a small portion and it gummed right up into a solid ball. Practice those knife skills and aim for tiny dice.) 3) I'd also recommend flouring your hands before patting out the dough and using the parchment to your full advantage.
From Heather: This is adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe from years ago.
1 ¼ c. whole blanched almonds
1 c. powdered sugar
¾ c. (1 ½ sticks) butter
3 T. finely grated orange zest
1 large egg
1 T. freshly squeezed orange juice
1t. pure orange extract
1 ½ c. all-purpose flour
6 ounces finely chopped crystallized ginger
So here you go: another finalist in the virtual cookie swap, this time the Hungarian Horns submitted by the Diva on a Diet. I'm not sure what kind of diet she's on, but if it includes these then count me in. Take a look at the step-by-step photos on the Diva's blog here.
The dough, which is easy to put together, feels really nice to work with; it's smooth, cool, and rolls out like a charm after its overnight rest in the fridge. I'm grateful to a certain 12-year-old girl for her assistance and extremely pleasant company during phase I of this process.
And just for the record, remember last week when I made the biscotti and invited local readers to come over, ring the bell and demand a taste? No questions asked? Well...
That evening the doorbell rang.
My heart raced.
You love me! You really love me!
I grabbed a handful of biscotti, tied them with a quick, messy bow, and threw open the door to greet my adoring public.
Or, as it turned out, the UPS man. Even worse, he'd already gotten back in his truck by the time I opened the door so I couldn't even hand him some cookies.
Dejection.
When the doorbell rang a second time that night, I knew better than to assume it was a biscotti-seeking fan.
But it was!
You know who you are, and you made my night. I hope you enjoyed your dessert.
p.s. Don't come over to try the Hungarian Horns. They're long, long, long gone.
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Recipe for The Diva on a Diet's Hungarian Horns
CSR: In a minute I'll provide the verbatim recipe as it was submitted to me, but first, my comments: This dough needs to chill overnight, so plan accordingly. Also, 1) You'll be rolling and filling one dough ball at a time. Keep the other two wrapped in plastic and refrigerated until ready to roll. 2) Don't be afraid to let the cookies get nice and brown in the oven. I let mine cook a few minutes longer than the recipe suggested. 3) If you don't need all 48 cookies for a swap, consider making larger horns, cutting each circle into eighths rather than 16ths. I did this with one portion of my dough and found the horns easier to roll.
From Diva:
Dough:
2 cups flour
1 cup butter, well chilled and cut into cubes
2/3 cup sour cream
1 egg yolk
Cut butter into flour, as if for a pie crust. I do this in a food processor,
pulsing until it's the texture of coarse pebbles. Remove mixture from food
processor and place in a mixing bowl. Beat the egg yolk and sour cream together
in a small bowl, then add it to the flour and mix well. The dough will be soft
and sticky. Use your hands to kneed it into a ball, but do not over work the dough.
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge overnight.
Filling:
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup finely chopped walnuts
1 tsp. ground Cinnamon
1 egg white, beaten
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix sugar, nuts and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Remove about 3 tbsp. of
the cinnamon sugar to a small bowl, reserve for use in topping the
cookies. Reserve the remainder of the sugar for filling.
Divide the dough into thirds and shape each into a round ball. Roll out dough,
one ball at a time, on a floured surface, until it forms a 12 inch round
circle.
Top the circle of dough with @ 1/3 of the sugar/nut mixture to cover and press
filling lightly into dough. Cut the circle into 16 equal wedges and roll each
wedge from the wide end to the point to form the horn. Curl the ends in
slightly to form a crescent shape. Repeat until all of the horns are made.
Brush the top of each cookie with the beaten egg white and dust with a sprinkle
of the reserved cinnamon sugar.
Bake on an un-greased cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes, or until light golden
brown. The horns will puff slightly as they bake, so leave some room
between them on the sheet.
Repeat the process with the remaining rounds of dough. This recipe will
make 48 cookies.
I've been waylaid. Today, I gave a presentation in my son's classroom on healthy foods. I brought in little tasting cups of cut-up kiwi, pomegranate, avocado, Meyer lemon, black beans, edamame and roasted kabocha squash. The kids had to guess what they were after trying each one. It was pretty hilarious to see their faces, especially when they bit into the diced lemons. I passed around some whole, uncut produce, too (persimmons, butternut squash, ruby red grapefruit) so they could handle and smell a variety of different fruits and vegetables.
Then the best part: a fellow mom (and veteran teacher) took the kids out to the little garden she'd planted with them earlier in the fall. The kids picked their own lettuces, smelled the freshly dug garlic, and admired the skinny roots on the ends of the radishes. When spring rolls around, they class will make a salad.
I don't want to get all touchy-feely, but there's something magical about watching children interact with nature.
I have cookies to bake for the contest, so I'm out of here. I'll post the next recipe soon.
Hungarian Horns are on deck.
