12.25.06
Posted in Cookies & Candies, Dessert at 12:20 pm by julie
We’ve made these little shortbread cookies lots of times, usually with the food processor, which means the cookies are ready for the oven in less than 5 minutes. My dough comes out very very dry and sandy, so you can’t roll it in your palms, but it holds together when squeezed (but you can add a tablespoon or two of water if your dough truly won’t cooperate). I am just extra gentle when pressing the cookies flat with a fork. That minor aggravation is worth it for the delicate flavor and texture of these cookies. They seem sweeter than the amount of sugar should justify, with a lovely undertone of caramel, and of course, they have a fascinating dusky color from the buckwheat, to which they were my first introduction. When I made these with my parents, we tried them dipped in some warm melting chocolate, and the combination was really lovely.
I keep meaning to bring a batch to work and call them sand cookies to see if people can guess the secret ingredient.
Buckwheat Cookies
1 C buckwheat flour
1 C all-purpose flour
2/3 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 large egg yolks, beaten
Heat oven to 325F. Put dry ingredients in bowl of food processor, and pulse once or twice to mix. Add butter, and pulse about 15 times, until pea-size pieces form. Add egg, and pulse 8 times, or until dough just comes together. Alternatively, combine dry ingredients in a bowl, and stir with a whisk to mix; in a mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy, and add eggs; beat in the dry ingredients in 2 batches, scraping down sides of bowl between additions. The dough may be very crumbly, but it should hold together when pinched.
Form tablespoons of dough into balls by tightly pressing together with your hands, and place 1 1/2″ apart on baking sheets; use a fork to press dough into rounds 3/8″ thick. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden around edges. Cool on a wire rack.
Source: Melissa Clark
Update 11/10/07: I made a half-batch tonight to use up an extra egg yolk, and tried a new shaping technique. I used my cookie scoop and firmly pressed some of the wet-sandy dough into it with my thumb. Then I released the scoop into my hand, and set the resulting dome of dough onto the cookie sheet. From there I could fork-flatten as usual. I really can’t stop eating these things once I start!
Update 2/28/2008: I had two extra egg yolks and an hour before we had to leave for a meeting with our doula after work, so I immediately turned on the oven and popped ingredients in the Cuisinart when I got home, and less than 20 minutes later there were cookies baking. Managed to squeeze them all into two batches, and pulled the second sheet from the oven just moments before walking out the door. So these are a good last-minute dessert if you need something fast. Also, still can’t stop eating them!
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12.18.06
Posted in Chocolate, Cookies & Candies, Dessert at 12:07 pm by julie
This is our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. The lower temperature makes cookies that hit that perfect balance between chewy inside and crisp exterior. They are definitely better with toasted nuts, but if you can’t be bothered, untoasted nuts work fine too. The toffee bits, my personal touch, add a subtle flavor that enhances the overall cookie experience without asserting itself. We made these most recently for Christmas at my parents’ house, and used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips, untoasted walnuts, and crushed toffee bars. They didn’t last long!
Great Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C firmly packed light brown sugar
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 C semisweet chocolate chips
1 C walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped
1/2 C toffee bits or crushed toffee bars (such as Heath)
Adjust the oven rack to the top 1/3 of the oven and preheat to 300F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Beat the sugars and butters together until smooth. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and baking soda. Stir together the flour and salt, then mix them into the batter. Mix in the chocolate chips, nuts, and toffee bits.
Scoop the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon balls (a cookie scoop works great) and place, spaced 4 inches apart, on the baking sheets. Bake for 18 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Make about 20 cookies.
Source: Adapted from The Great Book of Chocolate
by David Lebovitz
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Posted in Cuisines, Dinner, Italian, Meats, Pork and Ham at 11:40 am by julie
This is one of our favorite pork recipes. It has incredible flavor for the minimal number of ingredients, and leftovers make great open-faced sandwiches. We usually serve with mashed potatoes as an additional carrier for the leek sauce.
Lombo di Maiale Coi Porri (Pan-Roasted Pork Loin with Leeks)
4 large leeks (about 2 1/4 lb)
1/2 C water
1 T butter, divided
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper, divided
1 (2-lb) boneless pork loin, trimmed
1/2 C dry white wine
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Remove roots and tough upper leaves from leeks; reserve for making stock. Cut each leek in half lengthwise. Cut each half crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices (you should have about 6 cups). Soak in cold water to loosen dirt; rinse and drain.
Heat the leek, 1/2 C water, 1 tsp butter, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in a large Dutch oven or deep saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 10 minutes or until the leek has wilted. Pour into a bowl.
Heat 2 tsp butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Add 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and wine; cook 15 seconds, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return leek mixture to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours or until pork is tender. Remove pork from pan; increase heat to reduce leek sauce if watery. Cut pork into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Serve with leek mixture; garnish with parsley, if desired.
Source: Cooking Light, March 2002
Update 8/7/07: We had a friend come over to watch movies with us on Tuesday, and Jeremy requested I make my leeky pork for the occasion. I was happy to oblige, using 2 pork tenderloins procured from Costco and some organic leeks from the farmer’s market. Served with egg noodles because we didn’t have enough potatoes on hand, and they are definitely inferior to mashers for this dish. Still, everything came out beautifully tender and flavorful, as always, and was heartily appreciated by the guys.
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12.12.06
Posted in Breakfast at 4:47 pm by julie
This easy breakfast cake came from a book on Amish cooking. Jeremy requests it all the time for weekend breakfasts, and it’s one of our favorites in part because it doesn’t require any eggs, unlike virtually every other breakfast food besides cereal. It is good both hot from the oven, and cold, later in the day, as a snack. I’ve cut it down for a more suitable amount for the two of us, and have tried making it with countless variations, all of which have come out beautifully. I’ll catalog some of them at the bottom of the post. I haven’t tried it with fruit yet, but I bet it would be lovely with some berries or sauteed apples or pears, and it’s on my list of things to try. The topping makes me think of a deconstructed streusel.
Cinnamon Flop
For flop:
1/2 C white sugar
1 C AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 C milk
2 T butter, melted
Optional: Vanilla or almond extract, cinnamon or other spices, 1 T buckwheat flour for subtle flavor, or 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour for heartiness; dollop of sour cream or yogurt for an extra hit of moistness.
For topping:
AP flour
Brown sugar
Cinnamon
2 T butter, cut into pea-sized bits
Optional: Oat or wheat bran or wheat germ, raw sugar, sliced almonds.
Stir together dry ingredients, then add in milk and melted butter and stir briefly just to mix. Pour into a greased pie pan and spread to cover the bottom (this is like a thick cake batter). Sprinkle or sift on a dusting of flour, then brown sugar (I use a fork to sprinkle on), and cinnamon. Dot the topping with bits of butter and gently press them into the batter. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, cut into wedges, and serve with bacon and fresh fruit.
Source: Adapted from The Best of Amish Cooking, by Phyllis Good
Update 12/12/06: This weekend’s flop was made with a tablespoon of buckwheat flour, which acts more like a spice in this context and imparts a lovely subtle flavor and surprising amount of color to the flop.
Update 1/3/07: We got home after two weeks in Colorado for Christmas and the first thing Jeremy requested was a cinnamon flop and scrambled eggs. As soon as we got some milk, I made a variation with cacao nibs, and scrambled eggs cooked up quickly and drizzled with truffle oil. Jeremy complained a bit about the texture of the nibs—I believe he was thinking of them more in terms of chocolate chips—but once I told him to think of them like nuts, he was happy, and it was fun to try out, at least once.
Update 1/29/07: This is getting to be virtually a Sunday tradition, mostly by request. I’ve made it so many times that I don’t even need the recipe now. This time I made it with a quarter whole wheat pastry flour, and it wasn’t even noticeable. Came out extra moist too, for some reason that I don’t think is related. Anyway, served with cast-iron fried bacon, which is now the only way that Jeremy likes bacon.
Update 2/17/07: I made a cinnamon flop for breakfast while Jeremy went jogging. This time I added a tablespoon each of buckwheat and cacao nibs, and it was a really lovely combination, one to make again, certainly. Cocoa powder in the streusel would give it an extra chocolate kick. We had fried eggs with the flop for some protein. Photo and adapted recipe now available here!
Update 3/25/07: Another weekend, another flop. This one used up some leftovers: toasted pecans and half a ripe red pear from our dinner salad the night before. I chopped the pecans pretty finely and mixed them into the batter. The pear was sliced thinly and fanned over top of half the batter (I wasn’t sure if it would turn out), and then the streusel went over that. Baked as usual, and it came out really nicely. The pecans added a nice flavor to the flop, and the pear was a tasty addition, very tender. It probably could use some extra cooking time because of the additional moisture from the pear.
Update 4/16/07: Jeremy requested a flop for breakfast yesterday, to go with some scrambled eggs, so I happily obliged. This was your basic flop, just with some vanilla paste for an extra vanilla-y kick.
Update 1/20/08: A variation to use up the leftover allspice crumb topping from some delicious Dorie muffins: Substitute brown sugar for the white in the flop batter and add in a bit of allspice. Instead of the deconstructed streusel, top batter with the leftover crumb topping and pack it down, then bake as usual. This made a crazy-moist and delicious crumb cake. Photo is here (scroll down to Exhibit D)!
Update 3/15/08: I did a basic flop this weekend and just added some finely chopped pecans to both the batter and topping. It came out really well, and Jeremy said it was one of the best flops I’ve made in a while. Not that they aren’t all delicious. 
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