Christmas season is cookie season. It can make home bakers jump for joy while novice ones may cringe at the magnitude of work ahead.Luckily the New York Times Food section today comes to the rescue. (is there ever a time when it doesn't?) with their holiday issue. It will inspire and ease whatever qualms may arise.
Most of the pieces are about baking and one article about edible gifts (more on those tomorrow). The baking articles are keepers. There are some seriously good recipes that can be made not just for the holidays but all year round. Kim Severson interviewed top cookie bakers or "cookiers" as they named themselves in the "Tao Of Dough". Top cookier, Georganne Bell lent her chocolate sugar cookies.This is a nice change up from the average vanilla ones. With it comes Ms Bell's recipe for the fluffiest royal icing.Usually it's made with egg whites however her recipe calls for meringue powder which will give it a lighter consistency. The chocolate sugar cookie recipe could also be used in making homemade Oreos.with a peppermint or vanilla buttercream filling Ms Severson also has a sidebar on how to decorate like a professional.One of the most important musts is getting the right consitency. Ms. Bell bangs the bowl five times against a counter to get a smooth surface. Two other musts - don't go crazy with icing gadgets and a slew of cookie cutters. Keep it simple with one holiday set.Also find a recipe that works for you and that you're comfortable with mixing and baking. Other points include switch to gel food colors and rolling out the dough to a quarter inch.
Allison Roman also contributes to the holiday issue with an article chock full of all sorts of spins on classic cookies. She has one recipe on toasted coconut shortbread, It has crunch and more butteriness thanks to the addition of unsweetened , shredded coconut. They're also finished with sanding sugar that gives a nice crunch when eating them. The end result is like one of those pure butter Danish holiday cookies that come in that blue tin this time of year. She also reconfigures this classic Scottish treat with salted pistachios, however walnuts,pecans or hazelnuts can also be swapped in.It is a bit harder than the average cookie dough. It does require a food processor however if that doesn't work, then old fashioned hand kneading to thoroughly mix the dough. It's baked in a traditional tart pan, similar to the original recipes.It's then sliced in wedges. She also has a chocolate molasses snap, that are slightly different than Georgeanne Bell's.Hers are spiked with freshly grated ginger mixed with butter for heat and spiced up with cinnamon. Simple granulated sugar is the only decoration this cookie needs. The issue also highlights cookie- centric cookbooks, reviewed by Margeaux Laskey. There is Sister Pie: The Recipes and Stories of a Big Hearted Bakery and Rose's Baking Basics to name a few.
Holiday cookie baking and decorating should be fun. Follow the recipes in The New York Times Food section. It'll make for easy and tasty Christmas time memories.
Showing posts with label r. Show all posts
Showing posts with label r. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Baby Foods
Notice something about your foods? Like they're getting smaller?That's because they are. As palates are expanding, dishes are shrinking.Portions are getting tinier and tinier.
The trend may have started with White Castle , the favorite East Coast hamburger chain.They introduced mini hamburgers called sliders.These were small sandwiches that were quarter of the size of a regular hamburger. The chain sold bags of a dozen by the dozen. They were great for kids because they fit in small hands and weren't overwhelming to eat. It took restaurants and diners a long time to catch on.It's been only the last twenty years that most eateries are now offering them. Now they come in all different styles from pulled pork to chicken to even crab cakes. Sliders are easy to make at home. Just use freshly ground meat such as ground chuck to make a smaller, meatball sized burger. As for the rolls ,King's Hawaiian Rolls are the perfect size for creating these mini marvels. As with regular hamburgers , served with a slice of cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomatoes. The rolls can also be used for making grilled cheese sliders along with mini versions of Sloppy Joes. You could even do a breakfast one with eggs, cheese, and bacon. To get a compact eggs, cook them in them in egg poaching rings for the perfect miniature.
Other dishes are getting smaller. Many restaurants are serving timbales of rice and polenta with a smattering of stew or gravy. Again home chefs can make these at home using timbale molds and cooking the grains into small shapes. They are a perfect way of introducing the kids to more sophisticated tastes without them wasting food. Try polenta timbales in a puddle of chicken cacciatore or pork with mushroom gravy.. Rice timbales can be the perfect base for salmon or sole in lemon butter sauce. Timbales can also be delicately fried baskets of dough, filled with quiche or the onion custard used in the Swabian dish zweibelkugen, onion pie.They can also be filled with spinach and mushrooms for a spin on a classic Julia Child recipe, spinach tart. These make great hors d'ouevre's but an even better main brunch dish, especially with a side of fruit. Fruit itself can be turned into miniature delicacies, thanks to melon ballers and sharp knives. A lemon or orange filled with fruit salad is a fun way to start or end a meal.Apples can be hollowed out too and filled with a mix of minced apple, caramel and crushed walnuts for a tiny but tasty end to a meal.
Baby sized versions of favorite dishes are always a fun and novel way to eat. Try a plate or sliders
or an lemon bursting with fruit salad. You'll then realize good things really do come in small packages!!
The trend may have started with White Castle , the favorite East Coast hamburger chain.They introduced mini hamburgers called sliders.These were small sandwiches that were quarter of the size of a regular hamburger. The chain sold bags of a dozen by the dozen. They were great for kids because they fit in small hands and weren't overwhelming to eat. It took restaurants and diners a long time to catch on.It's been only the last twenty years that most eateries are now offering them. Now they come in all different styles from pulled pork to chicken to even crab cakes. Sliders are easy to make at home. Just use freshly ground meat such as ground chuck to make a smaller, meatball sized burger. As for the rolls ,King's Hawaiian Rolls are the perfect size for creating these mini marvels. As with regular hamburgers , served with a slice of cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomatoes. The rolls can also be used for making grilled cheese sliders along with mini versions of Sloppy Joes. You could even do a breakfast one with eggs, cheese, and bacon. To get a compact eggs, cook them in them in egg poaching rings for the perfect miniature.
Other dishes are getting smaller. Many restaurants are serving timbales of rice and polenta with a smattering of stew or gravy. Again home chefs can make these at home using timbale molds and cooking the grains into small shapes. They are a perfect way of introducing the kids to more sophisticated tastes without them wasting food. Try polenta timbales in a puddle of chicken cacciatore or pork with mushroom gravy.. Rice timbales can be the perfect base for salmon or sole in lemon butter sauce. Timbales can also be delicately fried baskets of dough, filled with quiche or the onion custard used in the Swabian dish zweibelkugen, onion pie.They can also be filled with spinach and mushrooms for a spin on a classic Julia Child recipe, spinach tart. These make great hors d'ouevre's but an even better main brunch dish, especially with a side of fruit. Fruit itself can be turned into miniature delicacies, thanks to melon ballers and sharp knives. A lemon or orange filled with fruit salad is a fun way to start or end a meal.Apples can be hollowed out too and filled with a mix of minced apple, caramel and crushed walnuts for a tiny but tasty end to a meal.
Baby sized versions of favorite dishes are always a fun and novel way to eat. Try a plate or sliders
or an lemon bursting with fruit salad. You'll then realize good things really do come in small packages!!
Friday, July 10, 2015
Summer Weekend Meals
Summer weekends are meant to be easy and breezy and that also extends to cooking. Don't sweat it , trying to make the perfect meal during these sweaty times. Chill. There's always a simple recipe just waiting to be made.
This was David Tanis' mantra in his weekly column A City Kitchen in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. His idea is to take shrimp and coconut milk and turn it into an exotic treat of seafood with curry noodlesThe spices used can be found in any spice rack, cumin, coriander and fennel seeds. Onions are also added as are cherry tomatoes for color and tang. You don't have to use shrimp. Mr Tanis also recommends other vegetables , cubed chicken or tofu. Another idea is using the shrimp for an easy kabob with cherry tomatoes and cut up red and green pepper. Sprinkle some curry on the skewers before you grill and then serve with instant pilaf. Rice noodles are a base for the curried shrimp but used in many other dishes,Try them in an easy dish of vegetables bought from a trip to the local farmer's market.Another easy meal are rice bowls.This is a no brainer to make and the other ingredients can vary..Use chicken or beef as the main one , then toss in the vegetables of your choice. Seasonings can be as simple as salt or pepper or as complex and varied as star anise, Chinese five spices or sage. Have saki on the side for an entertaining quick and carefree lunch or dinner.
I also am of the same mind as Mr. Tanis, however I also feel that any kind of pasta can contribute to a snap of a weekend meal.My favorite is the one pot pasta recipe, a family recipe that cooks up quick. What is great about it is the variations.that can be made. Sausage or ground chuck can be added. A drop of pesto can be thrown in with the tomato sauce. a regular pasta is another quick cook up. You can make a quick primavera sauce using the spoils of your garden. Cook up fresh plum tomatoes with onions and carrots for a yummy , fresh tasting sauce. You can also make a pasta con burro, melted butter and garlic over spaghetti or angel hair Shredded basil can be mixed in for an easy take on pesto. One of the best and easiest summer dishes is ratatouille .This Mediterranean classic has just tomatoes, onions and eggplants mixed with garlic , olive oil and oregano . The cooking time is usually forty five minutes however there are some microwave recipes that takes just ten minutes. Serve with toasted French bread to round it out.
Summer is here and the cooking is easy Whip up an easy lunch or dinner, then sit back and enjoy. Simple meal for a simple warm weather day.
This was David Tanis' mantra in his weekly column A City Kitchen in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. His idea is to take shrimp and coconut milk and turn it into an exotic treat of seafood with curry noodlesThe spices used can be found in any spice rack, cumin, coriander and fennel seeds. Onions are also added as are cherry tomatoes for color and tang. You don't have to use shrimp. Mr Tanis also recommends other vegetables , cubed chicken or tofu. Another idea is using the shrimp for an easy kabob with cherry tomatoes and cut up red and green pepper. Sprinkle some curry on the skewers before you grill and then serve with instant pilaf. Rice noodles are a base for the curried shrimp but used in many other dishes,Try them in an easy dish of vegetables bought from a trip to the local farmer's market.Another easy meal are rice bowls.This is a no brainer to make and the other ingredients can vary..Use chicken or beef as the main one , then toss in the vegetables of your choice. Seasonings can be as simple as salt or pepper or as complex and varied as star anise, Chinese five spices or sage. Have saki on the side for an entertaining quick and carefree lunch or dinner.
I also am of the same mind as Mr. Tanis, however I also feel that any kind of pasta can contribute to a snap of a weekend meal.My favorite is the one pot pasta recipe, a family recipe that cooks up quick. What is great about it is the variations.that can be made. Sausage or ground chuck can be added. A drop of pesto can be thrown in with the tomato sauce. a regular pasta is another quick cook up. You can make a quick primavera sauce using the spoils of your garden. Cook up fresh plum tomatoes with onions and carrots for a yummy , fresh tasting sauce. You can also make a pasta con burro, melted butter and garlic over spaghetti or angel hair Shredded basil can be mixed in for an easy take on pesto. One of the best and easiest summer dishes is ratatouille .This Mediterranean classic has just tomatoes, onions and eggplants mixed with garlic , olive oil and oregano . The cooking time is usually forty five minutes however there are some microwave recipes that takes just ten minutes. Serve with toasted French bread to round it out.
Summer is here and the cooking is easy Whip up an easy lunch or dinner, then sit back and enjoy. Simple meal for a simple warm weather day.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Chefs Gone Wild
What happens when chefs are taken out of their comfort zones and thrust into the wild? The result is interesting dishes with wild animals and foraged plants.it creates a new spin on the farm to table ideology.It's more of wilderness to mouth kind of idea. Will it make for a better cook? Possibly.It's a way of thinking on one's feet ,literally.
Julia Moskin explored this concept in an article in today's New York Times Dining section.Chefs from around the world meet in Hardeeville South Carolina, in areas very different from the controlled and civilized atmospheres of their restaurants. It is a Scandanavian concept, first being done in Denmark,Called Cook It Raw , it has nothing to do with the raw food movement, Instead it let chefs not only hunt , kill and butcher wild game but also forage wild plants and gourds that also figure largely in the later dinners. They can chase after deer or even alligators one day and look for wild mushrooms the next.
Does this make for a better chef?It may make for one that's highly creative.One chef, created a delicate dish out of a deer's heart, an animal he recently shot. Another group used a strain of Carolina Gold rice,a fluffy variety that hasn't been tried since the 1920's.They were taught how to harvest, from threshing to pounding and polishing.. They're also made to use low tech methods such as cooking over an open fire and butchering anything they've caught. Some have even cut up alligators in the glaring lights of a truck.
WIll more chefs go on these ventures ? Probably,Cooking in the raw teaches them new skills as well as introduces them to new ingredients.It could make for some wild recipes inthe world's most civilized and sophisticated eateries.
Julia Moskin explored this concept in an article in today's New York Times Dining section.Chefs from around the world meet in Hardeeville South Carolina, in areas very different from the controlled and civilized atmospheres of their restaurants. It is a Scandanavian concept, first being done in Denmark,Called Cook It Raw , it has nothing to do with the raw food movement, Instead it let chefs not only hunt , kill and butcher wild game but also forage wild plants and gourds that also figure largely in the later dinners. They can chase after deer or even alligators one day and look for wild mushrooms the next.
Does this make for a better chef?It may make for one that's highly creative.One chef, created a delicate dish out of a deer's heart, an animal he recently shot. Another group used a strain of Carolina Gold rice,a fluffy variety that hasn't been tried since the 1920's.They were taught how to harvest, from threshing to pounding and polishing.. They're also made to use low tech methods such as cooking over an open fire and butchering anything they've caught. Some have even cut up alligators in the glaring lights of a truck.
WIll more chefs go on these ventures ? Probably,Cooking in the raw teaches them new skills as well as introduces them to new ingredients.It could make for some wild recipes inthe world's most civilized and sophisticated eateries.
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