loojie's cookbook

Thanksgiving Spinach

2009-11-28T12:44:00.002-05:00

When you need to bring "something green," try this:

2 big bags frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
9 eggs
1 Tbs garlic powder
2 boxes feta crumbles (our Giant had the basil-sundried tomato kind on sale)
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 13x9 Pyrex dish. Crack eggs into mixing bowl and whisk smooth. Whisk in garlic powder. Add spinach and toss to coat with egg. Stir in feta crumbles. Pack mixture into Pyrex dish and bake 45 minutes or until firm and unrunny (start checking after 30 minutes -- don't let it brown).

Magdalenas

2009-05-16T20:57:00.003-04:00

These are the Spanish equivalent of French madeleines, with ingredients adapted to suit a country replete with olive and orange groves. Use your best olive oil -- you can really taste it.

3 eggs, room temp
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup olive oil
1 cup milk
Zest of 1 orange
1 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350. In stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat eggs and sugar until pale-yellow and kind of fluffy. Add oil and milk alternately, making sure the batter doesn't splatter everywhere. Add orange zest, then flour and baking powder. (This makes a TON of batter. I usually bake two trays of teacakes and still wind up with a tupperware of leftover batter in the fridge.)

Spoon batter parsimoniously (it will rise) into a well-oiled tea cake pan or mini-muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes or so, until the edges are starting to go golden brown and pull slightly away from the pan. Cool on a rack and sift powdered sugar over the cakes once they've cooled.

Store in an airtight container. These go stale quickly if you leave them out.

Apple Gazpacho

2009-05-16T20:53:00.002-04:00

I served this in crystal cordial glasses with little demitasse spoons at the tea we hosted for the National Cathedral congregation.

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 handful cilantro, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
Juice of 1 lime

Puree in Cuisinart. Serve chilled.

Tres Leches Cupcakes

2009-05-04T13:23:00.003-04:00

The DOCC '09 farewell party fell on Cinco de Mayo, so my contribution to the potluck reception was pretty much a foregone conclusion.

Tres Leches Capqueks
thanks to Cat Forp for the Mexican orthographic insight

For the sponge:
8 eggs, separated
1 1/3 C granulated sugar, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 C all purpose flour
3 Tbs corn starch
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

For the syrup:
3/4 C evaporated milk
3/4 C heavy cream
11 oz condensed milk (3/4 can)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin tins with cupcake cups. This recipe makes slightly more than two dozen, so you may wish to set up a tin with mini-cupcake liners for the excess batter.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla, and 1 cup of the sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the flour, baking powder, cornstarch and salt. Mix until thick and gluey.

Meanwhile, in your stand mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 1/3 C sugar at the end. Don't go too far -- you want your meringue silky, not stiff. Fold meringue into the gluey batter. (Start with a little of the meringue to loosen it up, then gently add the rest.)

Fill cupcake liners about halfway. Bake at 350 F for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cupcakes should just be darkening to golden brown.

With a small paring knife, carve a cone out of the center of each cupcake as though you were going to fill them with actual cupcake filling. Since you won't be -- the milk soaks into the cake -- leave the cones intact. Don't eat them. :)

Whisk the three milks together in a large measuring cup. The resulting dairy product should be at once creamy, syrupy, and slightly sticky. Pour some into the hollow of each cupcake and replace the cone. When you've finished filling all the cupcakes, go back to the first one, remove the cone, refill with milk, replace the cone, and repeat for all the rest. The sponge will absorb the milk.

(If you make miniature cupcakes, don't bother carving out the cones, just poke the cakes with a toothpick and then douse them in milk.)

Refrigerate. Word has it that these improve the longer they sit.

I frosted mine with a stabilized cinnamon whipped cream:

1 tsp gelatine
2 Tbs cold water
2 cups heavy cream
2 tsp cinnamon (I like cinnamon! Use less for subtler flavor)

Chill the bowl and whisk attachment from your stand mixer in the fridge or freezer. The cream should be cold too. Sprinkle gelatine over cold water in a small bowl. Wait five minutes until it gels up. Pour cream into cold mixing bowl, add cinnamon, and begin to whip with cold whisk. Microwave gelled gelatine for ten seconds to liquefy. Drizzle into whipping cream. Whip totality to soft peaks, then just a bit more to hold the texture of your piping. Don't overwhip. Really, don't ever overwhip.

Thoroughly Redundant Chocolate Tarts

2009-03-23T09:13:00.000-04:00

Chris Dudley, my voice teacher, had a birthday this past Saturday (March 21, for the record). When asked his favorite flavor, the good fellow specified "It's chocolate all the way for me." So are these tarts.

Thoroughly Redundant Chocolate Tarts

Chocolate Tart Crusts
(Martha Stewart's recipe)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon good vanilla extract

1. Pulse flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. Add yolks and vanilla, and process until mixture just begins to hold together (no longer than 30 seconds).

2. Knead dough a little to soften, but not too much. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).

3. Preheat oven to 350. Roll out dough into circles of appropriate size; line a pie plate, tart pan, tartlet pans or even mini-muffin tins with the stuff. Be sure to grease any tin from which you intend to extract an intact tart crust. Pierce with a fork or blind-bake with weights to keep crust from poofing. Bake 12-15 minutes for small tarts, maybe 20 minutes for larger ones.

Dark Chocolate Ganache Custard

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Guittard couverture)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
A few grinds of fresh black pepper
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 325. Melt chopped chocolate and cream together, either in a bain-marie over low heat or in thirty-second bursts in the microwave, whisking each time until ganache is thick and smooth.

2. Whisk egg yolks, egg, sugar, flour, ground black pepper, salt and cinnamon in medium bowl to blend.

3. Gradually whisk ganache into egg mixture until smooth and blended. Pour filling into cooled tart crusts.

4. Bake tarts until filling puffs slightly at edges and center is softly set, about 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your tart.

Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting

(Skip the gelatine stabilizer if you don't want cake frosting. Unstabilized chocolate whipped cream is great for general dessert-topping use.)

1/2 teaspoon Knox gelatine
1 tablespoon cold water

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon good vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 tablespoons sugar

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together cream, vanilla, cocoa and sugar. Stick in the fridge and let chill for 15-30 minutes until sugar and cocoa have dissolved.

2. (this step can be omitted) Sprinkle gelatine over cold water. Let sit for five minutes. Warm in the microwave for just a few seconds until mixture is liquid.

3. Whip cream mixture until soft peaks form. Drizzle liquid gelatine into cream. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Pipe over cooled tarts.

Dust with cocoa for thoroughly redundant tarts.

Figgy Pudding

2008-12-20T22:05:00.004-05:00

& and I hosted our first annual DC Wassail party this year: a tour of the National Tree and fifty-odd state (and commonwealth and territory) trees on the Ellipse, followed by warming treats and carols at 206. The cider and eggnog we served came out of store-bought containers, but the peppermint bark, salted caramels, maple marzipan and figgy pudding were all prepared with love by yours truly.

Yes, FIGGY PUDDING.

Because how can you have a wassailing party without figgy pudding?

Having never cooked nor even tasted the stuff before, I turned to Professor Google in search of a recipe. I found this one, which I (and all our guests) wholeheartedly recommend.

I gashed each dried fig with a paring knife, tossed them all into a pot of water laced with cinnamon that I'd just brought to a boil and removed from the heat, and let them steep overnight before chopping them for the recipe the next morning.

(Now Bring Us A) Figgy Pudding, DC-style

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 cup molasses
2 cups dried figs (about 1 pound), stems removed, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel (or lemon extract --ed.)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
2-1/2 cups flour (I used spelt flour to no ill effect --ed.)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 325 F.

In your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until fluffy. Add eggs and molasses and beat again. Add figs, lemon, buttermilk, and walnuts. Blend 1 minute. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Blend until everything is incorporated.

Butter an 8" round, deep casserole dish and pour in the batter. Bake for 1.5 hours, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Spoon pudding out onto plates or cut it into wedges. Garnish with whipped cream.

Light and Fluffy Saturday Bread Pudding

2008-12-20T09:18:00.002-05:00

Yesterday at an office holiday party, I had a slice of bread pudding from a caterer's chafing dish and was fairly disgusted by how greasy it was. (I ate the whole thing anyway though; 'tis the season.) Seriously: why does bread pudding need a stick of butter to make it taste good? I concluded that it didn't.

Reasonably Healthy Bread Pudding

1 cup raisins
4 eggs
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
1/2 baguette, cubed

Preheat oven to 375. Butter four ramekins. (This is the only butter in the recipe.)

Steep raisins in hot water (or tea, or rum, or other marinade of your choice) until tender. In a mixing bowl whisk together eggs, soy milk, sugar, and flavorings. Add other flavorings if you like -- maybe some cocoa or mint or coconut? When custard is smooth, dump in bread cubes, stir around until moist, then tamp down until the bread sponges up the custard. Drain the raisins and stir them into the mix.

Decant mixture into ramekins, position these in a Pyrex dish, and bake for 45-50 minutes or until custard puffs up, is set in the center, and the tips of the bread cubes are just starting to darken to chocolate brown.

Trick #1: Instead of salt, add to the custard a pinch of New Hampshire blend: maple sugar, salt and pepper.

Trick #2: Recycle the soaking liquid from other fruit you've been marinating -- I had a pot of cinnamon water in which figs had steeped overnight -- to enhance the flavor of the raisins.

Trick #3: Pull the dish of ramekins out of the oven after 20 minutes and drizzle a bit of honey over each. Pop back in the oven. Honey will both moisturize and caramelize the custard.

Frittata de Blanc

2008-09-28T14:27:00.004-04:00

I rarely remember to write down the recipes that magically emerge from the odd lots and leftovers laying around my fridge. This one was yummy and easy enough that it's worth remembering.

Frittata de Blanc
with apologies to The Police

1 small (bigger than a golf ball, smaller than a peach) potato, peeled and grated*
1 shallot, peeled and grated*
1 glog olive oil
Black pepper**
1 chunk grilled mahi-mahi, about the size of your hand, chopped
1 pint pasteurized egg whites (half a quart carton)
Grated pecorino cheese

Saute potato and shallot in olive oil. Add mahi-mahi and toss until fish is heated through. Pour egg whites over fish mixture. Don't scramble. Trust the sides of your skillet to cook the egg whites and not burn. Okay, maybe scrape a bit around the edges just to keep the thing round.

Turn on your broiler. When the egg whites are starting to look opaque and set up, take the skillet off the burner and pop it under the broiler. Check after five minutes to make sure that the edges are starting to puff up. When they're looking puffy, but the surface hasn't browned yet, pull the skillet out of the oven, grate pecorino cheese over the frittata until you can smell it, then pop the skillet back in the oven. Keep an eye on it. In another minute or two it should be good and puffy and brown.

Slice and serve. Delicious under a slathering of Uncle Brutha's #10 Hot Sauce (as are most things short of ice cream).

* I bought my Microplane grater on clearance at Bed Bath and Beyond, got it home, and realized why this fancy supersharp implement was only ten bucks: it was missing the handhold for the object being grated. I figured this out when I got down to the end of the potato and grated my thumb. And then again with the shallot. (My boss says, a propos, that latkes are never actually kosher for this exact reason: there's always a little blood mixed in.)

** In retrospect this could have used more seasoning. I bet chopped fresh basil would be lovely, or perhaps some curry powder. Or maybe stir in some dijon mustard or hot sauce.

Lemon Bars for Aimee's Birthday

2008-09-21T13:22:00.005-04:00

&'s mother requested lemon squares for her birthday. I took the basic recipe and personalized it with cardamom, a spice that Aimee learned to enjoy in her coffee while living in Cairo.

Cardamom Lemon Bars

2 cups flour
1 cup powdered sugar
2 sticks butter, melted

4 eggs
1 tsp fresh-ground cardamom (about 12-15 cardamom pods)
2 cups sugar
Juice of 2 lemons
2 Tbsp lemon zest (or thereabouts; & zested the lemons so fine and fluffy, I just grabbed a couple big pinches of the stuff)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup flour

Powdered sugar for sprinkling

Prep:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 Pyrex dish with the paper wrappers off your sticks of butter.

Shortbread:

Combine 2 cups flour, 1 cup powdered sugar and butter. Stir until doughy and press into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until edges are golden brown. Let cool.

Custard:

Smash cardamom pods in your mortar and pestle. Remove pod skins and grind seeds to a powder. Muddle in some of the sugar.

Crack eggs into a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and start whisking. Add cardamom sugar, then the rest of the sugar, whisking until light. Add lemon juice and zest, then flour and baking powder, whisking until combined. Pour mixture over cooled shortbread and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Sprinkle powdered sugar over the baked custard while still hot. It will caramelize and create a thin crisp layer on top of your finished lemon bars, so reserve more powdered sugar if you want a snowy-white layer on top of the final product.

Chill before cutting. These are best eaten with a fork, but if you want finger-food bars you could even freeze them.

&'s favorite bread

2008-08-23T23:31:00.003-04:00

Inspired by Laura K.'s beer bread recipe. This comes together in minutes, makes a fine "what shall we bring?" addition to any dinner party, and is a great way to use up those bottles of crappy Yuengling beer that somehow materialized in the back of my fridge. & loves it with curry but you could substitute cinnamon or green herbs for a different effect. If you use lousy beer, you don't get any beery flavor at all in the loaf.

Curry Beer Bread

3 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 bottle of beer (Yuengling serves)
1/2 stick butter, melted

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add beer and stir until dough comes together (it will be sticky). Scrape into greased 9"x5" loaf pan. Spoon half of the melted butter over the top of the dough. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Brush with remaining melted butter. Bake for about 25 minutes more.

Sunday Morning Pancakes

2008-05-11T22:50:00.002-04:00

& and I have made these for three out of the past four Sundays. (The fourth, we spent in San Francisco.)

1 1/3 c. flour or Whole Foods Gluten Free Bisquick Knockoff
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt

2 Tbs butter, melted
1 Tbs vanilla
3/4 cup + 2 Tbs warm water
1 Tbs honey

2 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks

In a bowl combine the first four (dry) ingredients. Melt butter in measuring cup; add honey, vanilla and water. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, then gently fold in egg whites. Batter will be thick and fluffy, not runny like you'd expect.

Scoop batter by the ladleful into a preheated skillet (nonstick or sprayed with olive oil, or both). Flip when they're poofy and beginning to crisp. Serve with ginger honey from the cathedral herb shop, or leftover cupcake frosting, or anything, really.

Amarula cupcakes with cinnamon mousse frosting

2008-05-02T20:58:00.004-04:00

I'd been waiting to bake these ever since I bought a bottle of Amarula Cream on the suggestion of a (gay?) guy who turned out to be a one-date wonder. I don't tend to drink creamy drinks; I'd rather have a glass of wine, a dram of single malt, or hell, a glass of water.

But as a cupcake flavoring, bwah! Amarula Cream is awesome. I finally had the occasion to break out the bottle on the occasion of Pam's birthday, and will definitely be baking these again. The combination of Amarula and cinnamon flavors was beautiful, so subtle, sheer bliss.

Amarula Cupcakes

1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup Amarula Cream liqueur

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tin with cupcake cups.
In your stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla extract. Add the leavening, salt, and half the flour, then the Amarula, then the rest of the flour.

Scoop batter into cupcake cups and bake for about 20 minutes. Cakes will be golden and, inexplicably, freckled with lemon yellow.

Frost with Cinnamon Mousse Frosting:

1 c (1 8oz carton) heavy cream
1 tsp cinnamon, or more if you're using really good Vietnamese cinnamon
4 oz white chocolate
1 c (1 8oz tub) mascarpone cheese

Chop the chocolate and dump in your mixing bowl. Pour the cream over top and nuke the bowl, 30 seconds at a time, whisking vigorously after each go, until the chocolate is melted and you've emulsified it into the cream. Whisk in cinnamon, then chill overnight.

The next morning, fit your stand mixer with the whisk attachment and pour half the ganache into the bowl. Add the mascarpone and whip until well combined, roughly 2 minutes. Add the other half of the ganache, and beat until the frosting holds stiff peaks. Pipe over cupcakes and garnish with ... well ... I'm boring, I garnish everything with my Spanish dragees.

inspired by vichyssoise

2008-02-10T14:34:00.000-05:00

...but ultimately so divergent from vichyssoise that I can hardly call it that.

3 leeks, trimmed
1 Tbs butter*
1 lb. sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes), peeled and chopped
1 shallot, peeled and chopped
2 small cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 vegan bouillon cube
2 1/2 cups water
1 dried chipotle pepper, ground in a mortar and pestle

Boil leeks within an inch of their lives. Reserve broth. (I drink it neat, hot or cold -- love the stuff.)

Melt butter* in skillet and add shallots, sunchokes and garlic. Lower heat and let 'em sweat for a bit. In a separate saucepan, bring water to a boil and dissolve bouillon cube. When the little bits of shallot in your skillet are starting to brown and crisp, scrape the contents of the skillet into the saucepan. Add a chipotle pepper that you've ground up in your mortar and pestle. Simmer for a long time, until the sunchokes absorb most of the liquid and are soft. (You may need to add more liquid. Use the leek broth.)

When sunchoke mixture is cooked down, place boiled leeks in Cuisinart. Add sunchoke mixture. Puree. Thin with more leek broth as needed.

Delight in this.

* The butter makes this non-vegan, but I love the flavor it adds. For a vegan version (and a different flavor), substitute olive oil.

cranberry et al. chutney

2008-01-25T20:45:00.000-05:00

My fridge, post-holidays: picked over, but not without a few surprises.

1 apple, peeled and cored
1 handful fresh cranberries
1 handful shelled pistachios
1 shallot, chopped
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1/4 c sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine in a saucepan over low heat. Cook down. When the cranberries pop, squash them with your wooden spoon. Eventually the mixture should cook down to the texture of thick relish.

Use as the tart condiment on a cheese plate, spoon onto crackers or turkey sandwiches, or heck, eat with a spoon.

kitchen cleanout extravaganza

2007-08-05T13:36:00.000-04:00

Ways to use up stuff in your kitchen when you're about to move house:

- Use up leftover salad dressing as a marinade for meat or fish.

- Zest and juice a lemon; add the juice to the water when you make couscous, and stir in the zest afterward.

- Add a healthy shake of curry powder to the water whenever you cook a whole grain.

- Things you can stir into cooked whole grains: a few spoons of tomato sauce, pan-fried onions/garlic, chopped up leftover meat or fish, chopped raw veggies and/or herbs laying around in your fridge, or even nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans). Experiment with flavor combinations .

- Toss leftover brown rice with a can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed) and some sausages from the freezer, sliced into coins and panfried. Sprinkle generously with Old Bay seasoning and any hot sauce you'd like to use up.

- Crush leftover crackers in a mortar and pestle. Stir into canned crab, salmon, or tuna. Add a beaten egg, a spoonful of mayonnaise, and any spice you want to use up (curry powder, for example, or Old Bay seasoning). Form into patties and panfry.

- Experiment with unconventional baked goods, like brown rice cookies or mayonnaise cookies.

Alecto's Eclectic Pilaf

2007-07-31T20:05:00.000-04:00

I am eating this for dinner right now.

1 c quinoa (mix of red and white)
2 c water
1 vegan broth cube
1 tsp curry powder

Combine the above in your saucepan, bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. While doing so, chop up:

1 poblano pepper
1 handful fresh watercress
1 smoked Boca sausage, thawed

When quinoa is done, toss with goodies. Let cool to room temperature if it's a hot day.

Serve with Turkish sheep's milk feta cheese and grape tomatoes; these are good either on the side or mixed in.

Barbara's Summer Tomato Pie

2007-07-31T16:04:00.000-04:00

One of my stepmother's finest contributions to my dietary canon. If you make this pie with Jersey tomatoes in July or August, you'll know what I mean. (Yes, I'm from New Jersey, where we take tomatoes seriously.)

Summer Tomato Pie

1 pie crust, baked and cooled*

2-3 good big summer tomatoes, sliced
1/2 - 1 onion, sliced (sweet Maui or Vidalia onions are best)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (add more if you enjoy melted cheese)
Salt and pepper
Dried herbs to taste

Layer thickly-sliced tomatoes in your baked pie crust. Use a lot, they shrink. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and your choice of dried herbs (Barbara uses dried basil and chives) over the tomatoes, then spread an onion, sliced into thin circles, over top of that.

Mix mayonnaise and grated cheese together in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Spread over the whole pie. Bake 30 minutes at 350 F. Serve warm.

* A storebought frozen pie crust works just fine, but if you don't have any in the freezer, make an

Easy-as-Pie Crust (recipe for 1 single-crust pie)

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt
3 tablespoons ice water

Combine flour and salt in mixing bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter until the clumps are the size of small peas. (Don't use your hands or the pastry will get heavy and gummy; you want the butter to stay cold.) Add ice water and stir in with a fork. Don't add extra water even if you think it needs it -- trust me, it doesn't.

Gather up dough into a ball, wrap in plastic, flatten into a rough disc shape and refrigerate for a half hour. When dough is cool and firm, flour your rolling pin and roll the disk out into a 12" circle. (I do this on a big flexible plastic cutting board, then invert the circle directly into my Pyrex pie plate.) Prick dough all over with a fork, then bake at 425 F for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. Cool before filling. Also great for quiches.

Cornmeal Cardamom Cookies

2007-06-14T10:00:00.000-04:00

These are addictive -- between the crunch of the cornmeal and the elegant cardamom fragrance, they're perfect both as a standalone munchie or to dunk in a cup of coffee, tea, or milk.

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground cardamom
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

Beat together butter and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Mix in flour and cornmeal until just blended. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 F and line your baking sheets with trusty cooking parchment. Pinch off pieces of dough and roll them into balls (a good size is somewhere between a cherry and a golf ball). Punch each little doughball down into a round disk in the palm of your hand. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden.

I made these to thank a co-worker who helped me unload a U-Haul full of furniture, including the biggest heaviest queen-sized mattress known to man. Steve isn't normally a fan of crunchy cookies, but devoured these with abandon. The next time you're moving house, have a batch of these ready to reward your heavy lifters -- they'll thank you!

Salsa Verde (cruda como te gusta)

2007-04-25T21:45:00.000-04:00

Tomatillos make me smile. Ben Franklin is reputed to have said that beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy; I think that tomatillos must prove something similar. Who can help but grin at these snappy little green things -- is it a fruit or a vegetable? I think a fruit, technically -- with a flavor and texture halfway between a tomato and a Granny Smith apple? I need to find more uses for these little buddies of mine. Right now, here's my favorite preparation.

(extra credit since it's all raw! as my nutritionist recommends)

Salsa Verde

4 tomatillos, husked, rinsed and chopped
6 fresh serrano chiles, or more to taste, sliced
1 shallot, chopped
Juice of 1 lime, or more to taste
A healthy dose of tequila

Combine all ingredients in blender. Pulse until chunky. If too liquidy (I tend to be overgenerous with both the lime juice and the tequila), decant into a colander and let the juice drain off into a bowl until the salsa is dry enough for your liking.

I drink the runoff juice neat. If you're not insane like me, you could use it as a mixer (mmm, Bloody Marys!), salad dressing, or seasoning in grain dishes, too.

Chipotles en Adobo

2007-04-01T11:02:00.000-04:00

There are a bunch of similar recipes floating around online; you may fiddle with the proportions to determine your own favorite. This is the recipe I've used for the past ten years.

Chipotles en Adobo
originally emailed to me by Melinda, February 1997

A dozen or so dried chipotles, stemmed and split in half
1 medium onion, sliced into thin arcs
2 cloves garlic, sliced into thin coins
1/3 cup vinegar
5 Tbs ketchup or tomato paste
3 cups water
Pinch salt

Combine all ingredients in saucepan; bring to boil; lower heat and simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until chipotles are soft and liquid has reduced to 1 cup.

You can either eat the chipotles (and onions and garlic) straight from the jar, or puree everything in the blender for a delicious thick sauce. I recommend the former only if you live either by yourself or with people who won't object to your breath afterward. The stewing liquid is a tasty sauce on its own, tossed with pasta or in a pilaf.

"Dirty Dozen" Habanero Sauce

2007-04-01T10:38:00.000-04:00

Next in the series of My Favorite Hot Sauces: a brightly-flavored, carrot-based sauce, spiced with an enormous quantity of habaneros. Best made in the spring and summer, when the habs at your grocery store are the big fresh bright red ones.

(I don't need to tell you not to chop habaneros with your bare hands, right? At least wear rubber gloves. I spear mine with a fork.)

"Dirty Dozen" Habanero Sauce
Cribbed off the old UC Berkeley recipe server, circa 2000

1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, put through a press
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 c carrots, chopped into coins
1/2 c water (plus more as needed)

12 (yes, 12) fresh habaneros, chopped
1/2 c vinegar
juice of 1 lime

Saute onions and garlic in oil until soft but not brown. Add carrots and water. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until carrots are cooked through (squish one with a wooden spoon to test). You may need to keep adding water while this goes on; the carrots soak it up. When carrots are done, remove to a blender. Add habaneros, vinegar and lime juice and blend until smooth. Return to saucepan and simmer 2-5 minutes to blend the flavors.

Another fairly thick sauce, but this you can bottle in any ordinary hot sauce bottle.

Hot Smoke Finishing Sauce

2007-04-01T10:28:00.000-04:00

I've been rediscovering an old hobby lately: homemade hot sauce. These are a few of my favorite hot sauces.

Hot Smoke Finishing Sauce
cribbed off of the old UC Berkeley recipe server, circa 2000

This is a delicious barbecue-type sauce, less hot than just plain flavorful. There's just so much going on -- bourbon, cocoa, chipotles, maple syrup! The original recipe called for dried thyme, but I substitute dried cilantro, just to keep all that coriander company.

2 Tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, put through a press
1 Tbs brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup bourbon
1 cup vinegar (any kind; I usually use plain white)
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp dried cilantro
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbs coriander
1 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
8 chipotles, canned or dried, split in half
1 habanero, split in half
1 (14 oz) bottle ketchup
1 1/2 cups water
pinch salt

Heat oil. Saute onion and garlic until soft. Lower heat. Add sugar, maple syrup, bourbon, vinegar, spices, and cocoa. Reduce 5 to 10 minutes. Cut chiles in half and add to pot along with ketchup, water and salt. Simmer over low heat for 90 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Add water if sauce becomes thicker than ketchup. Cool slightly and puree in blender. Bottle in a squeeze bottle or wide-mouth jar -- it's thick!

I eat this straight up on crackers. Absolutely mouthwatering.

World's Easiest Polenta

2007-02-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

You could stir it for ages over an open flame...or you could work my father's magic.

Put 4 cups boiling water into a large microwave casserole (or heat the water in the microwave).

Mix 2 cups cornmeal into 1 1/2 cups cold water.

Mix this cornmeal slush into the hot water in the casserole.

Cook three minutes in microwave on high. Stir.

Cook 1 minute longer on high. Stir. Let sit a minute or two.

If not done, cook in 1 minute increments until done.

Serving Suggestion #1: Spread polenta on plate; layer in slices of cheese; spread more polenta over the cheese and top with tomato sauce (preferably with meat of some sort).
Apparently the tradition in my grandmother's family was to serve it this way, with sauteed green cabbage and onions on the side.

Serving Suggestion #2: Oil a Pyrex loaf pan and fill with polenta. Chill in fridge overnight. Unmold the next day on your cutting board and slice into small batons, about a half inch thick. Arrange batons on baking sheet, season to taste, and brush with olive oil. Broil for about ten minutes, until crunchy; flip batons with a spatula and broil 5 minutes more until they begin to brown. Yummy dipped in strong-flavored sauces (tomato, barbecue).

The Cinnamon/White Chocolate Cupcake Experience

2007-01-07T19:04:00.000-05:00

One of my best Christmas gifts this year was a candy bar: white chocolate laced with cinnamon. It was both yummy and truly inspiring. (As were the tub of sour cream, the slab of Ghirardelli white chocolate and the jar of Vietnamese cinnamon from Christina's, all of which had been singing siren songs from my kitchen ever since I got home from Florida.)

Cinnamon Sour Cream Cupcakes

1 stick butter
1 3/4 c sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 c sour cream
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp really good Vietnamese cinnamon, plus more to taste if it's REALLY good
3 c flour
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tins with cupcake cups.

Combine butter and sugar in stand mixer (it will be more crumbly than creamed). Beat in eggs one at a time, then sour cream, then vanilla. Add cinnamon. Add flour and baking soda; test flavors (yes, that means lick the spatula!); add more cinnamon or sugar as needed. Batter will be smooth but thick.

Fill cupcake cups about 3/4 full; bake 20-25 minutes, or until your kitchen smells all cinnamon-heavenly and a toothpick comes out clean from the center of a cake.

White Chocolate Mascarpone Frosting

1 c heavy cream
1 c mascarpone cheese
4 oz white chocolate, chopped fine

Warm the cream over medium heat or in microwave until it feels hot, but do not let it boil (or even simmer). Place the white chocolate in a heatproof mixing bowl and pour the warm cream over it; whisk until the chocolate melts. Chill mixture in your freezer or an ice bath. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the mixture and a second piece over the whole bowl; refrigerate for at least 4 hours. (This, obviously, can be made ahead of time -- like, the day before.)

Combine mascarpone and half of the white chocolate mixture in your stand mixer and whip until well combined, roughly 2 minutes. Add the other half of the white chocolate mixture, increase the speed to high, and beat until the frosting holds stiff peaks.

Frost cooled cupcakes; garnish with a sprinkle of Vietnamese cinnamon. Enjoy!

Chocolate Lavender Cupcakes

2006-12-10T22:12:00.000-05:00

Cupcakes in December should be cozy and relaxing. These are both. Literally.

Ingredients:

4 ounces bittersweet (I recommend at least 70%) chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I like the Fage kind from Greece)
1 1/2 cups (packed) brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (try Plugrà!)
2 teaspoons dried lavender blossoms, finely ground in spice mill
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tins with cupcake cups. Chop chocolate and melt in Pyrex measuring cup in your microwave, half a minute at a time, until smooth when stirred with a butter knife. Let cool while you proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Whisk milk and yogurt to blend in small bowl. Using your stand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, then add ground lavender. Pour in melted chocolate and continue beating until smooth. Mix in dry ingredients alternately with milk mixture in 3 additions each.

Spoon batter into cupcake cups. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Frost with lavender whipped cream.

Frosting:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon lavender flowers
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon gelatine
1 tablespoon cold water

Simple Syrup: Combine sugar and water over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until sugar dissolves. Add lavender, reduce heat to low, and leave alone for 3 minutes. Shut off heat, get distracted, and go do something else for a half hour or so while the syrup cools. Strain.

Stabilizer: Sprinkle gelatine over cold water. Let sit for five minutes. Warm in the microwave for just a few seconds until mixture is liquid.

Assembly: Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Drizzle simple syrup into cream, then add liquid gelatine. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Pipe over cooled cupcakes and top with the lavender buds you strained out of the simple syrup (or, if for some reason those are no longer available, with a dusting of good Dutch cocoa).