It’s not that often that I get fluttery thinking about cookies.  Most of the time cookies are cookies, and I could take or leave them (well, to be honest I’ll usually take them).  These cookies, however, are certainly an exception.  I think I could eat them everyday for the rest of my life.  They are so unique — a little crunchy, earthy, sweet but not cloying, buttery, and with just a hint of saltiness.

The first time I made these was years and years ago, when I was living in a co-op in the Santa Cruz mountains outside of Palo Alto.  We had a huge garden filled with tomatoes, squash, and all sorts of herbs.  There was a large sage plant growing alongside some rosemary, and through some fortuitous series of events, I decided to try baking a dessert with this strong, musty herb that people seem to either love or hate.

And the result?  Absolutely fantastic.  The recipe quickly became my favorite cookie recipe.

Anytime I take a plate of these cookies somewhere new, a very predictable series of events occurs:  Someone will ask what kind of cookies they are.  I tell them they are made with dried apricots, sage, and cornmeal.  People look at the plate with some trepidation.  A brave soul tries one.  Within about 10 minutes, the entire plate is gone.

Try them.  They are simply delicious.

Apricot, Cornmeal, and Sage Cookies
From Epicurious
Makes 25-30 3-inch cookies

1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
3/4 c. plus 2 T. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 c. chopped dried apricots
2 T. minced fresh sage
1/2 c. cornmeal
1/2 t. salt

Preheat the oven to 350.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl mix the butter, sugar, and egg until smooth.  Sift in the flour and baking soda, mix until combined, then add apricots, sage, cornmeal, and salt and stir until well combined.

Drop tablespoons of dough onto baking sheets, about 2 inches apart (the cookies spread quite a lot).  Bake 10 minutes, or until pale golden.  Remove from oven, allow to cool on baking sheet for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling

I daydream a lot about cooking during the week, especially when I’m on the train. Its rhythmic click-clack, the morning fog, and a warm cup of coffee are just the right combination for daydreaming about things I want to cook. During the week not so many of those dreams become reality, but during the weekend I break out of my daydreams and actually head into the kitchen.

Last week Elizabeth David’s book Italian Cooking kept me company on my train rides to and from work. Ms. David is one of my favorite food writers of all time. Eloquent, elegant, humble, and humorous are all words I would use to describe her writings. Her recipes are less like instructions and more like suggestions. I’ve made quite a few things from her various cookbooks over the years, and I find they turn out best not when you follow her words and ingredient lists exactly, but rather when you use it as a starting point and utilize your own knowledge and creativity to complete the dish.

Her Polpettone recipe (Italian meatloaf stuffed with hard boiled eggs and cheese) is no different. I have an odd love of loaves of meat, and typically turn to Paul Prudhomme’s cajun meatloaf whenever the craving strikes. Moist, spicy, and with a wonderful texture, I am not sure it can be improved upon (except by using rolled oats rather than breadcrumbs — a personal preference that results in a more tender meatloaf). So, when I decided to make Ms. David’s Italian meatloaf, I fused her suggestions with Prudhomme’s technique, and added spices and other ingredients as I saw fit. The result? Fantastic! Don’t get me wrong, I am not abandoning my beloved cajun meatloaf, but this Italian version is different enough that I can definitely make space for both in my repertoire.

Polpettone: Italian Stuffed Meatloaf
Inspired by Elizabeth David

olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1/2 t. white pepper
1 t. dried sage
1 t. dried marjoram
1 t. dried oregano
1/4 c. catsup
1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. chopped parsley

4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 c. rolled oats
2/3 c. bread crumbs or stuffing mix
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (15% fat or higher is best)
1/2 lb ground pork

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 oz. ham, minced
3 oz. grated provolone

Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare vegetable mixture:
Heat about 2 T. olive oil in a large saute pan.  Add onions and saute until softened.  Add the carrot, saute for another minute, then add the garlic and red bell pepper.  Saute the mixture until vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes longer.  Add salt, black pepper, white pepper, sage, marjoram, and oregano, mix well, and saute another minute or two.  Add catsup and milk, mix well, and cook for about 3-4 minutes until mixture starts sticking to the pan.  Remove from heat, fold in the chopped parsley, and set aside to cool.

Prepare meat mixture:
Mix the raw eggs, oats, bread crumbs, beef, and pork in a large bowl.  Using your hands, mix until everything is well amalgamated.  Add the cooled vegetable mixture, and combine well with your hands.  Divide the mixture into two roughly equal parts.

Shape the loaf:
In a 9×13 glass pan shape half the meat mixture into a flat loaf about 6 inches wide, 12 inches long, and about an inch high.  Sprinkle the hard boiled eggs, ham, and provolone evenly over the meatloaf, leaving about a 1/2 -1 inch border at the sides.  Now working with the other half of the meat mixture, take small handfuls, flatten it between your hands, and place atop egg mixture, creating ‘patches’  of meat to enclose the filling.  Take care to enclose the sides with meat mixture so no eggs or cheese will leak out.  Once you’ve used up all the meat mixture, smooth with your hands to make a compact, neat loaf.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, then raise heat to 425 and continue to bake until meatloaf is done, about 35 minutes longer.  Allow to stand for 10 minutes after removing from oven.  Slice into 1-2 inch pieces, and enjoy!  Serve on its own or with some spicy tomato sauce alongside.

The path to contentment on a Sunday morning for me involves good coffee, a little sunshine, perfectly toasted bread, and eggs with golden runny yolks.

This morning I woke up supremely hungry…. I think a stomach growl is what actually pulled me out of sleep and into the land of the awake. After putting on some coffee, I looked through the fridge and pantry to take stock of breakfast possibilities. bagel? no…. oatmeal? too slow…. leftovers from last night? delicious but too heavy…. eggs on toast? yes!

Equally delicious for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner, these eggs are very versatile. Instead of tarragon you could use basil, parsley, chives, chervil, or even cilantro (I might add a little cayenne with the cilantro). I personally love the assertive licorice-y flavor of tarragon, and so use it every chance I get. Also, this recipe comes together in about 10 minutes, allowing one to quickly satisfy both hunger pains and a desire for a delicious breakfast on a Sunday morning.

Note: You can soft boil and shell the eggs ahead of time if you plan to make this for a large group. Also, if you prefer, you can used poached eggs instead of soft boiled.

Oeufs Mollets Estragon (Soft Boiled Eggs with Tarragon)

Per Person:
2 eggs
1 T. butter
1 t. tarragon, finely chopped
salt
pepper
2 slices rustic country bread, toasted

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add eggs, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the eggs and put into a bowl filled with ice water. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then carefully shell the eggs.

In a small saute pan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the eggs, and roll them around in the butter, making sure the butter does not burn. Sprinkle with tarragon, salt, and freshly ground pepper. Roll the eggs around some more to make sure all sides are coated. The saute process should take about 2 minutes.

Place an egg on top of a piece of toast, and drizzle any extra butter from the pan over the toast. Serve the eggs unbroken and allow each person to release the yolky goodness at the table. Enjoy!

There is no cheese that I enjoy more than high quality, handmade ricotta.  For years I poo-poo’d it because all I had ever tasted was the shelf stable, strangely homogeneous, fairly tasteless, mass-produced grocery store variety.  And then a few years ago I had a ricotta epiphany!  My friend Nora (the Cheesemonger at The Kitchn and food expert extraordinaire) introduced me to artisan handmade ricotta from Saxelby Cheesemonger in the Essex Market in NYC.  Creamy, wonderfully textured, subtly yet richly flavored, I was smitten from my first bite to my last.

Since then I’ve searched out artisan ricotta, and it’s harder to find than one would hope.  Call me picky, but in SF, THE city of foodies, the only ricotta I have found that I really love is Bellwether Farms ricotta.  They make a cow milk and sheep milk version, and both are delicious.  Unfortunately, only a handful of shops carry the cheese (none of which are my  regular grocery stores), and the cheese turns sour if left for more than a few days.  How disappointing it is to be excitedly looking forward to the last few bites of perfectly textured, creamy ricotta, only to open the container and smell a sour aroma…

I have tried making ricotta before, using whole milk and lemon juice as the coagulant, but I found the taste to be a little strange, and the texture too dry and spongy… The whole experiment was a bit of a bust, and I sort of gave up on the idea of homemade ricotta.  That is, until I saw this article over at the Kitchn describing fresh buttermilk cheese.  Though it’s decidedly not ricotta, it seemed like something I would enjoy (and it’s absurdly easy to make), so one night after work last week I decided to make cheese.

And the result?  Absolutely fantastic.  It has that elusive and wonderful texture only found in high quality ricottas, and the flavor is great — subtle, not too rich, with just a slight tang, and lots of character.  The lemon and thyme add a nice touch, though on its own or with another simple seasoning (black pepper, tarragon, even lavender perhaps), the cheese would be delicious.

I took Nora’s advice and crumbled about 1/4 cup into scrambled eggs, and they were divine!  Spooned over some crunchy toast, it could be my new favorite breakfast…

Thyme and Lemon Fresh Buttermilk Cheese
Adapted from From Nora Singley’s Cheesemonger column

1 qt. whole milk
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
2 t. coarse sea salt
1-2 t. fresh thyme, minced
1 t. lemon zest

Line a colander or strainer with either a cotton handkerchief or 3 pieces of cheesecloth that have been cut into 12 inch squares.  Set colander in sink or over a large bowl.

Combine milk, buttermilk, salt, thyme, and lemon zest in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, and heat over medium-high heat until mixture has separated into white curds and translucent whey, about 8 minutes. If using low-fat buttermilk, separation occurs at about 180 degrees and the curds will clump together readily. If using whole buttermilk, separation occurs closer to the boiling point, about 212 degrees, and the curds are finer-grained. When using whole buttermilk, let curds and whey stand off heat for about 3 minutes after separation, so the curds cling together and facilitate the straining step.)

Ladle the contents of the saucepan into the prepared colander. Let the whey drain, 1 to 2 minutes. Lift the four corners of the cheesecloth and gather them together.

Gently twist the gathered cloth over the cheese and press out any excess whey.  Do not squeeze out too much liquid of the cheese will be dry and grainy.

Serve unwrapped cheese warm on French bread, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt.

Heat milk, buttermilk, lemon and thyme

Cook until curds and whey separate

Ladle curds into a lined strainer

Drain and squeeze

]]> http://www.modernbeet.com/archives/328/feed 7 http://www.modernbeet.com/archives/326 http://www.modernbeet.com/archives/326#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 06:09:30 +0000 Jen http://www.modernbeet.com/archives/326

Here it is, the end of Dungeness crab season and I am *finally* getting around to posting this delicious roasted crab recipe…  don’t walk… RUN to get the last of the dungeness before it is gone!  Tender, sweet, and oh so sustainable, dungeness crab is one of my favorite wintertime treats.

Typically when preparing crab, I opt for a very simple preparation — I warm the crab in a steamer then make a lemon butter sauce for dipping — simple and delicious.  But, sometimes it’s fun to be adventurous and try an unexpected combination.  Enter Ms. Shafia’s Roasted Crab with Fennel and Orange.

I first came across Louisa Shafia’s new cookbook Lucid Food while perusing the latest 10 Speed Press offerings.  With regards to cookbooks, they are tops.  A large percentage of my favorite cookbooks are published by 10 Speed Press (Super Natural Cooking, Asian Dumplings, Fat: A Misunderstood Ingredient, The River Cottage Meat Book, and the whole Moosewood series, to name a few…).  So, I guess it is no surprise that I am really enjoying this latest publication that has recipes ranging from down home american to out there asian interpretations (ginko nut dumplings with foraged ginkos!) to persian delicacies.

Anyhow, this cookbook is really lovely.  In its layout, it reminds me a bit of Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking (read: beautiful pictures, nice typography, overall beautiful layout), though the recipes have a focus on omnivorous eco-concious cooking instead of vegetarian cuisine.  It is divided by season, and stresses the use of locally available seasonal ingredients.

Some of the other recipes on my to-cook list are (mostly from the Fall and Winter sections… Summer seems too far away to read the chapter yet!):

- Buckwheat Crepes with Mashed Potatoes and Jack Cheese
- Amaranth Porridge with Fruit and Nuts
- Kale Salad with Avocado, Almonds, and Toasted Nori
- Pan-Roasted Portobello Mushrooms with Mashed Parsnips
- Red Cabbage, Apple, and Dulse Salad
- Fesenjan (Chicken in Pomegranate Walnut Sauce)
- Fava Beans and Seared Zucchini with Garlicky Croutons
- Rhubarb and Pistachios over Thick Yogurt

Speaking of those foraged ginkos, I’ve noticed quite a few elderberry trees coming into bloom near my office.  Anyone have plans to make any elderflower creations?

Oven-Roasted Dungeness Crab with Fennel and Orange
Adapted from Lucid Food by Louisa Shafia
Serves 2

2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. dijon mustard
1/2 an orange, zested, then cut into supremes
10 sprigs fresh thyme
1 dungeness crab, cooked, cleaned, cracked, and split into halves or pieces
1 small shallot
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
3/4 c. dry white wine
1/4 c. orange juice
salt and pepper
1/2 lemon, quartered

Whisk together the garlic, 3 T. of the olive oil, the mustard, and orange zest.  Toss in 6 of the thyme sprigs.  Place crabs in a shallow baking dish and smear the garlic mixture all over them, working it into the cracks in the shell.  Set aside in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Heat a large ovenproof saute pan over medium-high heat and add the remaining 1 T. olive oil.  Add the shallot and saute for 1 minute.  Add the fennel and the rest of the thyme and saute for 1 minute.  Pour in the wine and orange juice and bring to a boil.  Add salt to taste, decrease the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.  Uncover and simmer for about 5 more minutes.

Add the crab and all of the marinade to the pan and bring to a boil.  Taste the sauce and season as needed.  Cover the pan and put it in the oven for 5 minutes.  Baste the crab with the sauce and roast for 5 minutes more.  Take the pan out of the oven and carefully pour the sauce through a large strainer into a bowl.  Cover the crab to keep it warm.

Pour the sauce into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil.  Reduce the sauce, stirring often, for 4 minutes.  Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter.  To serve, divide the crab among the plates.  Pour the sauce over the crab and season with pepper.  Garnish with orange slices and a lemon quarter.  Serve with crusty bread and a tender green salad.  Enjoy!

I am back!  Back to cooking, back to blogging, back to the USA, back to San Francisco!

Steven and I returned from our 10 month German adventure at the beginning of November, and have been doing all the things people do when they return to a place they have missed dearly.  I’ve been visiting with family and friends, eating at my favorite restaurants, shopping at my favorite grocery store, jogging along the waterfront, and of course visiting the farmer’s market.

The first saturday we were back I convinced Steven to go to the Palo Alto farmer’s market with me by offering to stop along the way for oh-so-tasty and impossible-to-find-in-Germany breakfast sandwiches.  Eggs.  Bacon.  Cheese.  Bagel.  One would think this delicious combination would be America’s #1 export!

At the market, colorful, plump winter squash were stacked high on vendors’ tables along with whole stalks of brussels sprouts, baseball-sized pomegranates, and all sorts of pears and apples.  What a bounty!  Always a squash lover, I decided to pick up a sugar pie pumpkin.  It’s one of my favorites since it has a wonderful flavor that’s not too sweet, has a good texture, and is fairly easy to peel and carve.  I also picked up some fresh hot red chiles, cilantro, and torpedo onions since I had this curry in mind.  I love coconut milk based curries, and this somewhat unusual one with pumpkin is no exception.  It’s rich and flavorful, a little sweet, a little spicy, but not too heavy since it is brimming with vegetables.  Served atop brown rice, it’s substantial enough for a meal in itself, though it would also be lovely in a spread with other curries, raitas, noodles, etc.  Squash is in peak season right now too, so it’s a great time to try this.

On a totally different note, thanks for sticking with me while I dropped off the face of the planet during our move! :)  and Happy Thanksgiving!

Spicy Pumpkin and Peanut Curry

1 c. water
1/3 c. chunky peanut butter
zest and juice from 1 lime
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. tomato paste

Olive oil
4 medium red torpedo onions, cut into 1-2 inch chunks (or substitute 2 medium red onions)
1 medium sugar pie pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, and cut into 2-3 inch chunks

2 large handfuls cilantro, chopped, divided
2 fresh red chiles, finely diced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 400ml can coconut milk
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Mix together the water, peanut butter, lime zest and juice, soy sauce, and tomato paste in a bowl and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet (14 inch) or a chef’s pan over medium high heat, then add the onions and saute until softened and the edges are beginning to brown, 4-5 minutes.  Add the pumpkin and stir fry for about 4-5 minutes.  Add half the cilantro, chiles, garlic, and garlic, and stir fry for about 2 minutes.  Add the coconut milk and peanut mixture and stir until well mixed.  Loosely cover with tinfoil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer until the pumpkin is tender and the sauce has thickened, about 15-20 minutes.  Add more water if the sauce becomes too thick, or boil vigorously if the sauce is too thin towards the end.

Serve with rice and garnish with the other half of the cilantro and the chopped peanuts.  Enjoy!
(Note:  This curry goes particularly well with Half Moon Bay Brewing Company’s Pumpkin Harvest Ale!)