Daily Dose: Lemon Cornmeal Cookies

Cornmeal isn't an ingredient normally found in cookies, so I was really intrigued when a friend recommended this recipe.  The flavor wasn't affected much, if at all, by the addition of cornmeal.  These certainly aren't corn cookies.  The biggest difference was in the texture, which is crisp and sandy; something between a shortbread cookie and a sugar cookie.  Really the ideal texture for dunking in milk or tea.  Even though I prefer my cookies to be soft and chewy, I'm definitely a fan of these cornmeal cookies!  I should note, however, that my boyfriend thought these were only "OK."  I couldn't disagree more.  Feel free to opine and take sides :)  Enjoy!

Lemon Cornmeal Cookies
(Recipe modified from MarthaStewart)


Ingredients:

1  1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal (fine ground)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, and salt; set aside.

Using a stand mixer or an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.

With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture, mixing just until combined.  Chill in the refrigerator for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll 1 1/2 inch balls and place, about 2 inches apart, onto two large baking sheets.  Dip a fork in sugar and use it slightly flatten the cookies. Use a criss-cross pattern, like with peanut butter cookies.  Bake until edges are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cookies immediately to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Lemon Cornmeal Cookies
(Recipe modified from MarthaStewart)


Ingredients:

1  1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal (fine ground)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, and salt; set aside.

2. Using a stand mixer or an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.

3. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Chill in the refrigerator for one hour.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

5. Roll 1 1/2 inch balls and place, about 2 inches apart, onto two large baking sheets.

6. Dip a fork in sugar and use it slightly flatten the cookies. Use a criss-cross pattern, like with peanut butter cookies.   

7. Bake until edges are golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

8. Transfer cookies immediately to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Daily Dose: Chili-Raspberry Parfait

I recently expressed my love for Nadia G., of Bitchin Kitchen.  If all her recipes are this good, my girl crush should last a long time.  This recipe packs a lot of flavor by doing some pretty simple things.  First, toasting the walnuts brings out their rich flavor.  Also, the whipped cream is anything but ordinary; it's deep flavor comes from the addition of brown sugar and liqueur.  The biggest flavor punch, though, comes from the addition of chili pepper in the sauce, which gives the dessert an unexpected kick.  Enjoy!


Chili-Raspberry Parfait
(Modified from Bitchin Kitchen)



Ingredients:
2 cups raspberries (fresh is recommended, but I used frozen to excellent results)

1 red hot chili pepper, diced
2 tablespoons brown sugar, separated
1-2 tablespoons of orange juice
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon amaretto (original calls for dark rum, but I used what I had on hand)
1 vanilla bean
1 cup walnuts, toasted
1 tablespoons honey

1/8 ounces sea salt

Directions: 

For the sauce: in a food processor, combine 1 cup raspberries, diced chili pepper, 1 heaping tablespoon of brown sugar, and enough orange juice to create a sauce consistency. Puree and set aside.

For the walnuts: place crumbled walnuts in a mixing bowl and add honey and a pinch of sea salt. Mix well.

For the whipped cream: combine whipping cream, dark rum, 1 tablespoon brown sugar.  Whisk until ingredients are well blended. Whip in a stand mixer, or with a hand blender, until peaks form.

To assemble: add 1 tablespoon of the walnut-honey mixture into the serving dish. Then add a layer of raspberries, a tablespoon of the spicy raspberry puree, and a layer of whipped cream. Repeat layers until the glass is full and top it off with a few raspberries.
 
Chili-Raspberry Parfait
(Modified from Bitchin Kitchen)


Ingredients:
2 cups raspberries (fresh is recommended, but I used frozen to excellent results)
1 red hot chili pepper, diced
2 tablespoons brown sugar, separated
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon amaretto (original calls for dark rum, but I used what I had on hand)
1 vanilla bean
1 cup walnuts, toasted
1 tablespoons honey
1/8 ounces sea salt

Directions: 

1. For the sauce: in a food processor, combine 1 cup raspberries, diced chili pepper, 1 heaping tablespoon of brown sugar, and enough orange juice to create a sauce consistency. Puree and set aside.
2. For the walnuts: place crumbled walnuts in a mixing bowl and add honey and a pinch of sea salt. Mix well.
3. For the whipped cream: combine whipping cream, dark rum, 1 tablespoon brown sugar.  Whisk until ingredients are well blended. Whip in a stand mixer, or with a hand blender, until peaks form.
4. To assemble: add 1 tablespoon of the walnut-honey mixture into the serving dish. Then add a layer of raspberries, a tablespoon of the spicy raspberry puree, and a layer of whipped cream. Repeat layers until the glass is full and top it off with a few raspberries.

Pantry Update

My baking supplies are slowly taking over my cupboards.  I decided it was time to consolidate, or at least contain the supplies in one area.  It's amazing what you can accumulate when baking becomes a full time hobby. My cupboards now hold the following:

4 types of flour
6 (SIX!) types of sugar
7 types of sprinkles (which are really just more sugar)
3 types of chocolate
5 extracts/flavorings
3 types of nuts
20+ cookie cutters
4 baking sheets
7+ baking pans

I can't imagine what I'll have at the end of January!

Daily Dose: Red Wine Sangria

Every sangria recipe can be simplified to the following easy steps:  Pour, chop, drop.  Pour some wine, chop some fruit, and drop it in the wine.  What you pour and what you chop is up to you!  For this batch I used a bottle of pinot noir left over from a dinner party, and some other liquor from the bar cart.  If you don't have red wine, use white.  If you don't drink alcohol, use grape juice. For the fruit I used apples, pear, orange, lemon, and strawberries.  Use your favorite combination :)  Enjoy!

Red Wine Sangria

Ingredients: 
1 bottle red wine
1 apple, chopped
1 pear, chopped
1 orange, thinly sliced
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
1/2 bag frozen strawberries (or fresh if they are in season)
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup dark rum (or brandy)
1/4 limoncello (or orange liqueur)

Directions: 
Mix all ingredients together and let stand in a sealed container or pitcher for several hours in the refrigerator before serving (24 hours is best).

Serve and enjoy!

Daily Dose: S'more Sundaes

Homemade Marshmallows? Check.  Graham Cracker Ice Cream?  Check.  Hot Fudge Sauce?  Check!!  Hmmm, looks like I have everything for some delicious s'more sundaes!  (You saw that coming, didn't you?).  Living in NYC, campfires are hard to come by.  So to get the marshmallows warm and toasted I busted out the torch!  If you don't have a torch, you can skewer marshmallows and toast them under your oven's broiler :)  Enjoy!

S'more Sundaes

Ingredients: 
Homemade Marshmallows (or store bought)
Graham Cracker Ice Cream
Hot Fudge Sauce
Graham crackers (for sprinkling on top)

Directions:

On a baking sheet, place a small mound of mini-marshmallows for each sundae.  Taking all precautions and following all instructions, carefully brown the marshmallows with the torch.

Scoop ice cream into a bowl.  Spoon fudge sauce over the top.  Top with toasted marshmallows.  Gobble up!

Daily Dose: Fudge Sauce

Chocolate sauce is great, but nothing beats the thick, gooeyness of a hot fudge sauce.  And who needs the store-bought stuff when this recipe is so simple?!  Just throw the ingredients in a saucepan and stir while warming.  Place in jars with cute labels, and this would make a great Christmas gift.  Enjoy!

Hot Fudge Sauce
(Recipe modified from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or 4 oz. semisweet chocolate squares)
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Directions: 

In a heavy saucepan, combine the milk, chocolate, corn syrup, butter and salt. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla.

Hot Fudge Sauce
(Recipe modified from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or 4 oz. semisweet chocolate squares)
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt


Directions: 

In a heavy saucepan, combine the milk, chocolate, corn syrup, butter and salt. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla.

Daily Dose: Graham Cracker Ice Cream

I've made quite a variety of ice cream flavors since getting my machine.  From cinnamon, to basil, to bacon.  But each time I've stuck to a simple cream and milk base, too afraid of salmonella to try any egg-based ice creams.  However, this recipe cooks the egg mixture, so I feel a little better about incorporating eggs. The end result was much creamier and richer than a simple cream/milk based ice cream, which tends to get icey.  I did hit one snag though; I didn't strain the mixture before putting it in the machine, which meant there were some chunks.  So to get the best texture, definitely don't skip the straining step.   Enjoy!

Graham Cracker Ice Cream
(Recipe from Recette via Zagat - Click for a video how-to!)

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 cups cream
6 graham crackers
3/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks

Directions:

Heat milk and cream, careful not to boil.  Crush graham crackers and add to hot milk mixture. Stir till crackers are mostly dissolved. I left a couple larger chunks.

In a bowl, whisk together yolks and sugar.  The mixture will be thick  While whisking, pour a small amount of the hot milk mixture over yolks to temper.  Repeat with a few more ladles of the hot milk mixture. Pour egg and milk mixture back into a sauce pot and cook while constantly stirring until thickened.

Strain mixture into a bowl over an ice bath. Stir ice cream base until cooled and pour into ice-cream maker. Follow ice-cream maker's instructions.  Once set, place ice cream into freezer until ready to serve.

Graham Cracker Ice Cream
(Recipe from Recette via Zagat - Click for a video how-to!)

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 cups cream
6 graham crackers
3/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks

Directions:

1. Heat milk and cream, careful not to boil.
2. Crush graham crackers and add to hot milk mixture. Stir till crackers are mostly dissolved.
3. In a bowl, whisk together yolks and sugar.  The mixture will be thick
4. While whisking, pour a small amount of the hot milk mixture over yolks to temper.  Repeat with a few more ladles of the hot milk mixture.
5. Pour egg and milk mixture back into a sauce pot and cook while constantly stirring until thickened.
6. Strain mixture into a bowl over an ice bath. Stir ice cream base until cooled and pour into ice-cream maker.
7. Follow ice-cream maker's instructions.  Once set, place ice cream into freezer until ready to serve.

Bitchin Kitchen

So, I have a new girl crush.  Her name is Nadia Giolia, a chef/comedienne from Canada, and she rocks my world!  Her new show, Bitchin Kitchen, debuted last night and my boyfriend and I just happened to stumble upon it (with a name like "Bitchin Kitchen" we had to check it out!).  Let me tell you, this comedy cooking show is surreal!  It's as if Giada Delaurentis had a love affair with The Situation and their Jersey Shore love child was Nadia G:  one part serious foodie, one part irreverent modern Italian.  Check out this montage below; you'll be crushing on her hard before it's over!

Bake Wear: Halloween Edition!

The unnatural green color of yesterday's marshmallows inspired me to create something fun and special for Halloween.   Click on the links for free designs you can print at home.  Enjoy!

The first design was inspired by the radioactive color of the marshmallows.  Just attach the warning sign to a toothpick (either glue or tape will work), and insert into the marshmallow.  For the sprinkle detail, simply brush a little water onto one side of the marshmallow and press into a dish of sprinkles.  It's that easy!  This would be great for a "Mad Scientist" or "Lab of Horror" themed Halloween party.

These green goblins are cute enough to eat (and you can!).  Simply attach the eyes to a toothpick(either glue or tape will work), and insert into the marshmallow.  For the mouth, use a sharp knife to score the marshmallow in the shape you desire.  This creates a sticky surface for the sprinkles to stick to.  Apply sprinkles and watch your goblins come alive (metaphorically, of course)!

Bake Wear: Dress Up Your Baked Goods

Click on the link for free tags and labels you can print at home.  Enjoy!

Walnut Tartlets

 

Port Glazed Grape Tart

Walnut Shortbread Cookies 

 

Blueberry and Cream Cookies

Daily Dose: Homemade Marshmallows!

Time for some ooey-gooey-goodness!  This was easier than I expected, but definitely requires special equipment.  A candy thermometer is essential to ensure that the sugar mixture doesn't overcook.   And the stand mixer makes easy work of the whipping.  The hardest part was dealing with the gooey fluff.  This stuff is seriously sticky and I ended up with marshmallow fluff all over the kitchen!  Even with the extra clean-up, these blow store-bought marshmallows out of the water.  Enjoy!

Homemade Marshmallows
(Recipe from Alton Brown)

Ingredients:
3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 cup ice cold water, divided
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Nonstick spray

Directions:

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by. NOTE: I was surprised at how unpleasant the gelatin smelled (kinda yeasty), but apparently that's normal, and the marshmallows themselves will only smell of vanilla and sugar (yum!).

In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat. NOTE: It took my mixture closer to 10-12 minutes to reach 240 degrees. 

Just after pouring.

After only a few minutes of whipping!  Already so fluffy!

Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. NOTE: my mixture became very fluffy very quickly.  Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping.

Mini Marshmallows:

Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Line 4 half sheet pans with parchment paper, spray the paper with nonstick cooking spray and dust with the confectioners' sugar mixture.

Scoop the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round piping tip. Pipe the mixture onto the prepared sheet pans lengthwise, leaving about 1-inch between each strip. Sprinkle the tops with enough of the remaining cornstarch and sugar mixture to lightly cover. Let the strips set for 4 hours or up to overnight.

Cut into 1/2 inch pieces using a pizza wheel or scissors dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining sugar mixture and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Regular Marshmallows: (NOTE: I added some neon green food coloring to the remaining batch.)

Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Daily Dose: Spiced Zucchini Walnut Bread

This zucchini bread was a DISASTER!  Before rushing out to a family event, I decided to squeeze in some baking.  Baking in a rush was a bad idea. Baking in a rush with a never-before-tried recipe?  TERRIBLE idea.  Usually I read a recipe's reviews and comments, making any recommended adjustments that seem needed.  This time, I didn't have time to read the reviews until the batter was already in the oven.  The first review I read was encouraging: "Best zucchini bread I've ever had.I think the blend of spices is perfect."  After that, a sinking  feeling came over me as comment after comment screamed "too much oil," "too sweet," "too dense."  Ugh!  The reviews were right; this recipe definitely needed more flour or less oil or both.  It was too greasy and too dense.  *sigh*  I'll try again next time I have zucchinis, and hopefully report back with better results!