Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Posted on September 29, 2013 by eatcookblog

Labor Day we had a few friends over for a barbecue. (Of course, you knew that already because you read the Pomegranate-Queso Fresco Salsa post, right? Remember…Rosh Hashanah started just days after Labor Day…I was in barbecue mode, not Jewish holiday mode…remember? Yeah. Yeah.) Main course was Sriracha-Glazed Chicken Skewers and Broccoli Slaw.

Well, I really wanted to break out the Kitchenaid ice cream maker attachment and make a new flavor ice cream for dessert. I looked all through David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop and didn’t see anything that really grabbed me, so I went to old faithful Smitten Kitchen and found Butterscotch Ice Cream. I had been dreaming about this dessert (Butterscotch Budino from Nostrana) I had in Portland while visiting our son Kyle last year (okay, I dream about that dessert a lot…one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Seriously.), so I figure I’ll try the ice cream. It was good (not Butterscotch Budino good, but good). I served it sprinkled with a few chopped sugared pecans from Trader Joe’s on top and accompanied by Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies.

Oh yeah, the Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies. At the very end of the ice cream recipe, she says, “Note: If you serve with espresso-chocolate shortbread cookies, your friends might never leave. Proceed with caution.” Okay fine. Now I gotta make the cookies too. Well, let’s just say it was a very good decision. In fact, the cookies received far more kudos than the ice cream! I mean, I love shortbread cookies anyway, but hat I liked about these is that you can really taste coffee in them. And with the little bits of dark chocolate?!? Mmmmm. Will definitely make these again (even without the Butterscotch Ice Cream)!

Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

(SK says these are adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking, of which I am also a huge fan!)

Makes 42 cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon boiling water
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (plain, or a toffee variety), finely chopped, or 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Dissolve the espresso in the boiling water, and set aside to cool to tepid.

2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth. Beat in the vanilla and espresso, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, mixing only until it disappears into the dough. Don’t work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. Fold in the chopped chocolate with a sturdy rubber spatula.

3. Using the spatula, transfer the soft, sticky dough to a gallon-size zipper-lock plastic bag. Put the bag on a flat surface, leaving the top open, and roll the dough into a 9 x 10 1/2 inch rectangle that’s 1/4 inch thick. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so it doesn’t cause creases. When you get the right size and thickness, seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days.

4. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

5. Put the plastic bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough out onto the board (discard the bag) and, using a ruler as a guide and a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets and carefully prick each one twice with a fork, gently pushing the tines through the cookies until they hit the sheet.

6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The shortbreads will be very pale–they shouldn’t take on much color. Transfer the cookies to a rack.

7. If you’d like, dust the cookies with confectioners’ sugar while they are still hot. Cool the cookies to room temperature before serving.

BLT Salad (from Shelby, NC)

Posted on September 25, 2013 by eatcookblog

Our daughter Ally’s boyfriend Jackson spent quite a bit of time with us this summer. He and Ally were here at our house for a few days before we all headed up to Sonoma for our son Kyle’s wedding, where he stayed with us for a week. He’s a really wonderful guy and we like him a lot. And I give him all the props in the world for his “trial by fire” in meeting the whole extended mishpacha. All at once. And he did great – every single one of them had such nice things to say about him.

Ally & Jackson in San Diego (La Jolla/Torrey Pines)

Ally and Jackson met in New Orleans (where they are both living) and he is from North Carolina, so we haven’t met his family (Ally has – she spent Christmas with them last year). But a couple weeks after the wedding, I received the most lovely email from Jackson’s mom, Chrys. She complimented me on the blog. She said she has made a couple recipes and really enjoys finding out about our family through reading it. (Awwww!) She thanked us for hosting Jackson at our home and said that she wanted to send us some Cleveland County peaches. She asked if I knew if it was possible to send fresh fruit. I told her that it’s possible, but that I had learned from personal experience (via a “fruit of the month club” gift) that California’s department of agriculture won’t allow certain fruit into California (don’t even get me started on that! Let’s just say that the “fruit of the month” usually ends up being apples!) She said she’d look into it. I didn’t hear anything back and quite frankly, had forgotten all about it.

Then a few weeks ago I received a package in the mail, from Chrys. It was a cookbook called A River’s Course – a Gourmet Collection from the Junior Charity League of Shelby, North Carolina. It has the most beautiful cover that looks like an oil painting of a river. She wrote the sweetest note, too, telling me that, indeed the CA Dept of Food & Agriculture told her NC peaches couldn’t come to CA for fear of fruit flies. She said “Come to NC and we’ll take you to the spots pictured (& eat peaches!”). She also took the time to list some of their favorite recipes from the book, as well as the pages they’re found on!!! What a nice, generous and thoughtful person!

Well, it just so happens that the day the book arrived was one of those days that I’m driving home from work thinking, “ugh, what are we going to have for dinner? I don’t feel like going to the store.” So I couldn’t have been more excited to receive a brand new cookbook!! I started thumbing through the book, hoping to find inspiration.

I turned to the “Salads” section and saw a lot of delicious looking recipes that I earmarked for later, and then came to BLT Salad. Yum. Scanned the ingredients…lo and behold, I had everything! It’s kind of a cross between a BLT sandwich and a Panzanella Salad. Really yummy. I added avocado and tossed in some leftover cooked chicken. It was a delicious, really easy, light weeknight dinner. Will definitely be making this one again. Often.

Thank you so much Chrys (and Greg, Jackson, Emma and Katy)! I do hope to get to Shelby someday to see all of those beautiful places…and eat peaches!

BLT Salad

Serves 2 as a main course

(adapted slightly)

INGREDIENTS

6 slices bacon

1/4 loaf Italian or sourdough bread

Kosher salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon water

1 small red onion, chopped

1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, halved

1 head Boston lettuce (I actually used romaine, because that’s what I had), torn into bite-sized pieces

Optional:

1 avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped

1 cup cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces

DIRECTIONS

In a skillet, cook bacon over moderate heat until crisp. Reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet, drain bacon on paper towels and crumble.

Cut bread into 3/4-inch cubes to measure 1 cup. Heat bacon drippings over moderately high heat but not smoking and sauté bread crumbs with salt to taste, until golden brown. Transfer croutons to paper towels to drain and cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, lemon juice, mayonnaise, water, salt and pepper to taste.

In a large bowl, toss together lettuce, tomatoes, onion, bacon, croutons, avocado (if using) and chicken (if using), salt and pepper to taste and enough dressing to coat.

Beer-Can Chicken

Posted on September 18, 2013 by eatcookblog

So I think I’ve mentioned that the July “Grilling” issue of Bon Appétit is my favorite issue of the year (followed by a close second is the Thanksgiving issue). This July’s has already produced infamous Sriracha-Glazed Chicken Skewers and the Beer-Can Chicken recipe had been taunting me for too long. So I decided to make it one Saturday a couple weeks ago.

Tony and I had been running around doing errands and stopped in at our local Sprouts Farmer’s Market to pick up the ingredients for dinner (the chicken and our fave Broccoli Slaw). Sprouts is a chain of smallish grocery stores that specialize in organic, natural and healthy products. Which is great – we bought a Rosie Brand “sustainably farmed, free range, organic, hormone and antibiotic-free” chicken, but the recipe calls for a can of light lager beer and Sprouts had a great selection of expensive bottled craft beers, but the only beer in cans they had was 12-packs of Pabst Blue Ribbon. (Seriously? PBR? I know PBR has become quite the hipster beer lately with most trendy, cool bars serving it, but really? A 12-pack? All I needed was one can!)

1/2 can PBR + 4-3-2-1 Spice Rub = 1 delicious chicken

Okay, fine. So we took our expensive sustainably farmed, organic, free range chicken and our 12-pack of PBR home. And you know what? This chicken is DE-licious. Incredibly delicious. And so easy and simple. It’s moist and tender. The steam from the beer and the salt in the rub just lock in all the juices. And the skin gets all browned and crisp. In the famous words of Colonel Sanders, “it’s finger licking good”. Literally. We were pulling meat off the bones and licking our fingers. Tony claimed it was the best chicken he had ever had anywhere. I’m still torn between this and the Sriracha skewers, but we’ll definitely be making this again. And again.

Well, what can I say? It IS called Beer-Can Chicken!

And the PBR wasn’t so bad either.

Beer-Can Chicken

(Bon Appétit, July 2013)

INGREDIENTS

1 can light lager beer

1 3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken (buy the best quality chicken you can find)

2 tablespoons 4-3-2-1 Spice Rub (recipe follows)

Special equipment: A foil baking pan (for drip pan)

DIRECTIONS

Pour out (or drink) half of beer (guess which I opted for? Lol.) Tip: if you use a can opener to remove the whole top of the beer can, it’ll maximize the boozy vapors that make it to the chicken

Prepare grill for high, indirect heat and fit with grill pan (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on 1 side of grill and put drip pan on empty side; for a gas grill, leave 1 burner turned off and place drip pan over unlit burner). Add water to pan to a depth of 1/2″.

Season chicken with 2 tablespoons 4-3-2-1 Spice Rub. Place cavity of chicken, legs pointing down, onto open can so that it supports chicken upright. Place can, with chicken, on grill over indirect heat (and above drip pan). Grill chicken, covered, until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of thigh registers 165°F, 45-60 minutes. (If using charcoal, you may need to add more to maintain heat.) Let chicken rest 10 minutes before carving. Serve with pan drippings.

4-3-2-1 Spice Rub

You can use this simple formula to sass up plenty of things that aren’t poultry, like pork, steak, or vegetables.

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons kosher salt

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Makes enough spice rub for two whole chickens. Double or triple the recipe and use it all summer. Keep the leftover in a tightly covered jar or container.

Apple-Pomegranate Crisp

Posted on September 16, 2013 by eatcookblog

When I wrote the post about Summer Berry Crisp, I told you all just how easy fruit crisp desserts are. Believe me, they are. Another great thing about a crisp is that you can make them with any fruit and combination of fruit. You can adapt it to any fruit that’s in season. Case in point…Apple Pomegranate Crisp. The recipe is exactly the same as the Summer Berry Crisp, except I replaced the berries with Granny Smith apples and tossed in some pomegranate seeds.

My friend Sandy invited us for break-the-fast on Saturday night. I offered to make dessert. She requested a fruit crisp (no surprise there, she was the one who requested a crisp when I made the berry one for her Memorial Day party.) I wanted to do something Fall-ish. In the back of my mind, I was going to do an Apple Cranberry Crisp, but it’s a little early for fresh cranberries (and though I usually buy extra fresh cranberries when they are in season, throw them in a Ziploc bag, put them in the freezer, so I have them on hand, but there were none). I looked in the fridge and saw that I had a container of pomegranate seeds (you may have noticed lately my new found obsession with said seeds…sprinkled on my Everyday Granola and yogurt in the morning, added to Pomegranate Margaritas, baked into oatmeal-white chocolate chip cookies…), so I decided I’d try them. And we were all glad I did! They added just a little tartness to the apples and it was delicious.

And then I got super motivated and decided to make a Honey-Vanilla ice cream to go with it. Yum! Until I remembered that we were picnicking at the beach (DUHHHH!), so how could I bring ice cream?! What a dork. I ended up whipping a little cream and bringing that. Now I have a container of Honey-Vanilla ice cream in the freezer! I may just bake another batch of the oatmeal cookies and make ice cream sandwiches. Mmmmmmm….

Apple-Pomegranate Crisp

INGREDIENTS

5 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin

1/2 cup pomegranate arils (seeds)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Crisp Topping:

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream or, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375°. Butter a 9×13″ baking dish.

Gently combine the apples with the sugar, flour and lemon juice. Gently mix in the pomegranate arils.

Prepare the topping: Combine the oats, flour, both sugars, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Use a pastry blender or two knives to work the butter until topping resembles coarse meal. (Fold in pecans if using.) Sprinkle evenly over the berries.

Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown, about 40-45 minutes. Remove the crisp to a rack to cool slightly. Serve in dessert bowls, warm or at room temperature, with ice cream or whipped cream.

Fruited Cheese Log

Posted on September 11, 2013 by eatcookblog

This is yet another really old recipe. It’s from Better Foods & Gardens magazine and was the $200 winner in the Prize Tested Recipes® section, submitted by Laurie Robinson from Tonasket, WA, in the “cheesy appetizer category”, October 2002. I just love the combination of cheese, dried fruit and nuts. I used to make it a lot and made it often when we’d have family and friends over for Sukkot (read more about this Jewish holiday here) and even part of our breaking-the-fast meal. It’s light and easy and reminds me of fall.

Tony’s sister Kelly was particularly fond of it. Then one time her husband asked me what it was called and I said, “Fruited Cheese Log” and he thought that was the funniest thing ever. He was like, “it’s really good, but you gotta change the name. There’s nothing appetizing about a log of cheese.” So then of course, every time I’d pull out the recipe after that, I’d think “there’s nothing appetizing about a log of cheese” and I’d put the recipe back.

Well, I’m going to tell you…this particular log of cheese is appetizing. In fact, it’s actually quite yummy! I’m proud to say that I’ve brought the recipe out again and will be back in the regular line-up! It’s great spread on crackers or sliced apple. We even “shmeared” it on toasted bagels the other morning.

Fruited Cheese Log

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces (2 cups) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, room temperature

1/2 of an 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 cup dried fruit, chopped (Your favorites. I like golden raisins, apricots and cranberries.)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup toasted almonds (pistachios are good too!)

DIRECTIONS

Place jack cheese, cream cheese and orange juice in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixture (or use the paddle attachment of a stand mixer) until thoroughly combined. Stir in dried fruit.

Divide mixture in half. On a large piece of waxed paper, shape one portion of the mixture into a log about 5 inches long. Repeat with remaining portion. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours. Roll in nuts before serving. (I’ve found it’s easiest if you let the log sit at room temperature for 15 or so minutes before rolling. Also, if you spread the chopped nuts on plastic wrap, you can use the plastic wrap to “pat” the nut, as you roll the cheese in them, to help stick to the cheese.)

Serve with assorted crackers or apple slices.

I’ve kept the extra cheese log in the fridge for a week or so.

Pomegranate and Queso Fresco Salsa

Posted on September 4, 2013 by eatcookblog

Rosh Hashanah starts Wednesday at sundown. I kept meaning to write a post with a nice recipe for the holiday. Trouble is, yesterday was Labor Day, we had a few people over for a nice BBQ, which was a lot of fun, but I was in barbecue mode, not really in the Jewish holiday mindset (though I did use Martha’s idea for using a carved out apple as a honey dish and we all said a quick blessing over apples and honey).

It’s also been unbelievably HOT and humid in San Diego lately. I think it was 95 degrees today. (Not really thinking about kugel and roast chicken right now…oy.) So late last night, I went to the Epicurious site and saw “get ready for Rosh Hashanah with these recipes for the Jewish New Year”. There were a few categories…”Apples, Honey, Brisket, Pomegranate”. I wasn’t really interested in a baked apple kugel or a honey cake and for sure not roasting a brisket for four hours, so I clicked on “Pomegranate”. I actually love using pomegranate arils (seeds) in all kinds of different dishes (see below), including the infamous Pomegranate Margarita.

Okay, and here’s your Jewish lesson for today. We all know why we dip apples in honey at Rosh Hashanah, right? It symbolizes our wish for a sweet new year. But do you know why we eat pomegranates? For one, because they are a “new fruit” (meaning, a fruit that has recently come into season but that we have not yet had the opportunity to eat). A pomegranate is often used as this new fruit…Israel is praised for its pomegranates. It is also said that they contain 613 seeds just as there are 613 mitzvot (commandments). And (my favorite), it symbolizes that the new year should be bursting with sweetness and blessings as numerous as the seeds of the pomegranate.

Back to the pomegranate recipes. I found this one for Pomegranate and Queso Fresco Salsa from Marcela Valladolid, Mexican Made Easy: Everyday Ingredients, Extraordinary Flavor. Sounded really delicious and easy. And I do love Mexican food. Thought it would be really good on carne asada tacos. Done and done. I did alter it just a bit (used Cotija cheese rather than queso fresco, because that’s what I had on hand and added a little lime juice). Oh, and truth be told, when I stopped at Trader Joe’s, I bought a package of their fresh pomegranate seeds and, yes, some already marinated carne asada.

It was muy delicioso in the tacos. I think it would also be delicious on grilled fish, chicken (like paillards) or lamb. You can do any of these for a non-traditional Rosh Hashanah meal OR, I bet it would be a perfect accompaniment to a roast chicken…or, dare I say, brisket?

Oh, and here are some of my other favorite Rosh Hashanah recipes here on the blog: Apple/Pomegranate/Blue Cheese Salad with Honey Vinaigrette, Seven Species Salad, Apples & Honey Cake, Spiced Applesauce Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting, and Oatmeal/Pomegranate/White Chocolate Chip Cookies.

L’shana Tova and may the new year be bursting with sweetness and blessings as numerous as the seeds of the pomegranate!

Pomegranate and Queso Fresco Salsa

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 cup pomegranate seeds, from one large pomegranate* (or one TJ’s 5.3 oz. package)

2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

2 tablespoons crumbled queso fresco (or Cotija or feta)

1 teaspoon olive oil

juice of one lime

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.

In a small bowl, mix the seeds, basil, cheese and cooled pine nuts. Drizzle with the olive oil and lime juice. Stir gently. Season with salt and pepper.

*To seed fresh pomegranate – over a bowl (to catch any juices), cut the pomegranate into four pieces. Then cover the pieces, in the bowl, with cold water and start pulling the seeds out with your hands. The seeds will fall to the bottom and the “other stuff” will rise to the top. Now remove the “other stuff” and drain the water.

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Monthly Archives: September 2013

BLT Salad (from Shelby, NC)

Beer-Can Chicken

Apple-Pomegranate Crisp

Fruited Cheese Log

Pomegranate and Queso Fresco Salsa