Rum Balls With Zing

One of the most classic holiday treats is the rum ball. This is a no brainer for seasoned home bakers - an experiment in fun for novices. Yet the original recipe can be fusty -  a throwback to holiday parties of mid 20th Century America. It's time to liven it up with exciting twists and flavors.

Melissa Clark did just this n her recipe for them in  yesterday's New York Times Food section. Her A Good Appetite  centers around the recipe, marrying another Christmas flavor, gingerbread. Hers was a happy accident, thanks to the scraps left over from a gingerbread house. She was left with weeks of nibbles and still had more remaining. As with any frugal home baker, she pulverized  the pieces.
,using the crumbs for both the balls and a few cheesecake crusts subbing them in for graham crackers. The first were a big hit.People like their heady, boozy buzz  and the gently spiced bites. This year she deiced to make them again, using packaged gingersnaps.along with pecans and amber rum. You can also use bourbon or brandy too, just to vary them.Ms.Clark also uses cocoa powder to give the rum balls an earthy mellowness along with freshly ground ginger, and freshly ground cardamon along with ground cardamon and more ginger. this time ground. Get rid of the usual corn syrup and put in maple for a warmer, deeper flavor. The cookies can be coated in either confectioner's sugar for a moist exterior or granulated sugar for a nice crunchy crust.

The recipe is simple and a no bake one. What brand of gingersnaps should you use? Ms Clark doesn't have any favorites. You could use Nabisco's new and improved recipe which features real ginger and molasses. For a buttery flavor then go to the cream of the crop - Tate's gingersnaps which have the lovely addition of butter flavor too. She does specify what kind of rum to use. The amber  variety has
 a mellower flavor than the white but she recommends using the one you like. It starts off with pulsing the cookie crumbs and pecans in a food processor until coarsely ground. Do not over process. The nuts have to have some texture. Alternately finely chop reserved nuts  and add them to the crumbs. In a separate bowl stir together 3/4 ths of a cup of confectioner's sugar , rum.maple syrup and the cocoa powder. Also add the spices. Stir in the crumb mixture, adding more ginger if you want more fire. Squeeze everything together in a mass. Roll the dough into one inch balls, finishing in a roll of either confectioner's or granulated sugar -your choice. Store them in an airtight container where they'll last up to two weeks (although they'll probably go in a day) Drizzle more rum onto the older ones to keep them moist.

Make these zingy balls to add to a cookie swap or end a holiday dinner. They're easy and fun. Bestof all they're delicious and boozy - the perfect Christmas bite?

An Icebox Cake With Snap

Icebox cake is the de rigeur dessert of the summer. It 's the perfect end for a barbecue or even better  a warm weather birthday. It's a cool creamy treat, easy to assemble with already made ingredients. Now there's a new recipe with a snap to it.

Melissa Clark wrote about her creation - strawberry gingerbread icebox cake in her A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Usually America''s icebox cake consists of the ultra chocolate wafers mortared together with Cool Whip. Her version subs in Nabisco gingersnaps  "glued" together with a strawberry mascapone creme and topped with more strawberries, this time macerated with sugar, lime and ginger.Home chefs can use the chocolate wafers,also made by Nabisco. The taste is that of a chocolate covered strawberry - just omit the ginger and lime.Just remember, she warns, don't use any sandwich cookie like an Oreo. The middle stuffing will not soften and the cake will have hard, sugary pockets standing out in a sea of fluffiness. Another cookie that is good to use is the Nilla wafer. The effect is the same as the gingersnaps. Most of these cakes are held together by heavy whipped cream but marscapone. It's sturdier and mixes well with the strawberry puree. The final touch is  the macerated berries , with them being marinated them in white sugar, ginger and lime.The last adds a zing to a normally sweet treat.

One of the best aspects of making any icebox cake is that it doesn't require any skill. It's just layering  and building it up like bricks and mortar (not so with the Famous Chocolate Wafers. These have to be stood up to form a log)You could even increase the amount.Ms Clark has eight snaps per layer and the cake is four layers high. It could easily be expanded to serve a large crowd.Could graham crackers be used? Maybe not for this recipe but they can be a component for other icebox creations. Could home chefs change the fruit? Yes, but I'd use a tart fruit like blackberries simply because the cream is very sweet  thanks to the addition of a quarter of a cup of confectioner's sugar. Raspberries are another good choice thanks to their tartness.  What about mascapone? Many grocery stores only stock it occasionally. A good substitute is a homemade mix of  sour cream, cream cheese and heavy whipping cream.Blend together until smooth and use as the recipe directs.

A strawberry gingersnap ice box cake is a cool way to usher in the summer.It's different and fun full of spice and kick. Make this new hot weather classic to end a barbecue or celebrate a summer birthday.
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Le Pain Quotidien

if you're a foodie living in LA or New York, then you'll have to check out this great bakery/restaurant called Le Pain Quotidien (The Daily Bread en francaise). This has everything from soups to luscious tarts and home made cookies.

Le Pain Quotidien is a chain and unlike other franchises you're not going to get a greasy burger and fries here. What you will get is good old fashioned French cooking and baking. They have wonderful quiches which are eggy and chock full for veggies or ham. There are daily soups served with bread. You can also buy desserts here, whether a buttery small waffle full of sugar or that French after school classic pain chocolat. Also try some of the cookies like the gingersnaps or chocolate chips.

This is also a great place to get a large bowl full of French hot cocoa as well as cafe au lait. These are more like large soups to be drunk using two hands. They also have excellent iced tea and black iced coffee here as well.

If you're visiting New York or LA this summer stop in Le Pain Qotidien. It's goo French food at American pricing.