Sables- Chocolate and Lemon Sandwich Cookies

Wow- I have a blog? Really? I nearly forgot. My life has been completely turned around- in a good way- but turned around nonetheless. So the big news is our new abode. Historic firehouse turned loft in beautiful Lowertown St. Paul. Our lovely capitol city. We will miss Northeast Minneapolis, but never fear, we still own our house, so we don't have to really say goodbye, not yet.

Any Christmas or Hanukkah gifts given by us were an official miracle. Between moving and moving and cleaning and moving, we are tired.

My family does a make or bake gift exchange, which is easy for my crafty sister and sisters-in-law, but buying is much easier for me. One year I made Sables- a French Butter cookie that was amazing. This is actually a very simple recipe, but this was before I did any baking or cooking, so I was pretty proud of myself.

I decided to do this again. I've been asked for the recipe so many times, I had the wherewithal to document the process so I could post it here. My life is coming back together after all.

I must confess, this recipe is not my own. It came to me through our favorite food magazine Cooks Illustrated. Many of you know about this gem, but if you don't you must get a subscription.

These are very special butter cookies, each one literally crumbles in your mouth leaving a buttery, slightly sweet taste with the smallest hint of salt. Sandwich some chocolate or lemon honey between two of those cookies and they are worthy enough to be given as a gift. So that's what I did.

There is a secret ingredient, discovered through the rigorous scientific method employed by the America's Test Kitchen crew of Cooks Illustrated. The ingredient is hard boiled egg yolk crumbled into the batter. That's it. One little egg yolk makes all the difference. I never would have guessed. Which is why you should order the magazine. 

Sables (French Butter Cookies)
recipe makes about 20 sandwich cookies
Ingredients:
1 large egg
10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 large egg white lightly beaten with 1 tsp water
4 tsp turbinado sugar aka raw sugar
3 1/2 ounces of chopped dark or milk chocolate
Lemon honey or curd.

1. Hard boil the egg by placing it in a pan, covered with water, bring to a boil, cover and remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Fill a small bowl with ice water. Remove the egg from the hot water and place it in the ice water. Leave for 5 minutes, peel the egg and discard the white (or eat it with salt- waste not). Press the hard yolk through a fine mesh strainer into small bowl.

2. Using a stand mixer with paddle or food processor: beat butter, granulated sugar, salt and cooked egg yolk on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping as needed. Reduce speed to low, add the vanilla and mix until incorporated. Stop mixer or processor, add flour and mix until just combined- about 30 seconds. With a rubber spatula, press dough into a ball.

3. Divide the dough in half and shape each piece into a log about six inches long and 1 3/4" diameter. Wrap each log in parchment paper and twist each side to seal. Like this.  

Tip: the smoother you get the dough rolled, the more perfectly round your cookies will be. To do this, twist  one end first and set it upright on the counter, pressing the dough by tapping it a few times, so it settles evenly. We also ended up using our sushi mat to roll them tight.

Chill dough for about 2 hours in your refrigerator. 45 minutes in the freezer will do as well. Or you can do what I did, which is throw it in the fridge and go to bed.

4. Arrange your oven racks to the upper middle and lower middle positions and pre-heat your oven to 350*.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap your dough and using a chef's knife, slice dough for sandwich cookies into 1/8" thick slices. Rotate the dough as you slice so the cookies stay round.

 As you can see, mine aren't perfect, which is okay, since they still turned out fabulously. I attempted the pretzel shape, which I found much easier the last time I did this. To do this, take two of the cut round cookies and smush together into a ball. Roll the dough into a 6" long rope and form the pretzel shape, one side at a time. This ended up to be too much work- they kept falling apart- you can see I gave up after 8 took about 15 minutes. The sandwich cookies are way easier.

5. Using a pastry brush, brush half the cookies with the egg white mixture and sprinkle the cookie with turbinado sugar. Place in the oven for about 10-13 minutes, until the centers are pale golden brown with slightly darker edges. Switch and rotate the baking sheets in the oven halfway through. Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

6. Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl and microwave on half power for 1-2 minutes and let it cool slightly. 







The cookies with the sugar are for the top of the sandwiches.







 Once the cookies are cooled, spoon some chocolate on the bottom cookie...

...top with the sugared cookie, slightly off center so the chocolate shows a bit.

Just for variety, I also heated some lemon honey I bought at Byerly's, you could also use lemon curd. The honey hardens when cooled, so it worked very well for this purpose.

I repeated the process with the lemon.









                                                  The finished product...plates of cookies!

 

                                               See? Gift worthy after all. Happy New Year!

Umami Meatloaf

Winter- here we go again. Darkness at 3:30, cold toes, even in the house. All those cute lounge around the house shorts and tank tops- now flannel, wool socks and hoodies. Bye, bye summer sexy.

On the other hand, it's comfort food season.

In honor of this season, I give you meatloaf. We're calling this umami meatloaf. Now, a brief science-foodie lesson from Wikipedia: There are five basic categories humans can taste, sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. Scientists debated whether umami was indeed a basic taste ever since Kikunae Ikeda proposed its existence in 1908. Finally in 1985, at the first Umami International Symposium in Hawaii, the term umami was officially recognized as the scientific term to describe the taste of glutamates and nucleotides. Now it is widely accepted as the fifth basic taste. Foods rich in umami include tomatoes, mushrooms, cured meats, fish sauce and MSG. Generally umami is used as a flavor enhancer. Thus the widely used MSG in Chinese food. Contrary to now-popular belief, MSG isn't an unnatural chemical from our modern world, doesn't mean you have to love it, but it's not poison. I digress.

We are calling this meatloaf "umami" due to the number of umami ingredients used. Unlike any other meatloaf I've ever had, we used 1/2 bulk hot Italian sausage and 1/2 ground beef as the base. Black beans, tomatoes and mushrooms were cooked together with spices and stirred into the meat. Of course we used our two favorite cured meats, coppa and bacon fat. Finally, it's glazed with a combination of Heinz 57, red wine vinegar, cayenne and chipotle and brown sugar. The loaf was "free form", meaning unencumbered by a pan, and baked to crispy, umami goodness. The dish was was rich, moist and unbelievably flavorful.

Ingredients
1/2 lb bulk hot Italian sausage
1/2 lb ground beef- 80% lean.
1/8 pound hot coppa, minced fine.
1/3 c minced onion
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c diced grape tomatoes
1/3 c minced crimini mushrooms
1/4 c black beans (cooked in cumin sauce- Kuners)
1 tbsp bacon fat
1/4 c cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp Worchestershire
1 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
1.5 c Panko flake
1 egg  
1 tbsp of Heinz 57 steak sauce
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp of dried chipotle chile
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp brown sugar
 
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350*. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with release.

In a large bowl, mix the sausage, ground beef and coppa together.

In a frying pan over low heat, saute the onion, garlic, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, black beans with the bacon fat until soft and no extra liquid remaining.  Let cool for a moment and then add to the meat mixture.

Mix the cilantro, Worchestershire, fish sauce, black pepper, cayenne into the meat mixture. Next mix in 1 egg. Once all the ingredients are well incorporated, knead in the panko flakes. Form a loaf, and place on the baking sheet.

Combine Heinz 57, red wine vinegar, chipotle chile, cayenne, brown sugar together. Brush or spoon the mixture over the loaf, making sure the sides are coated as well.

Bake at 350* for one hour, or until the internal temperature is 160*. Let sit for 10 minutes or more. Serve.

Cashew Pesto

Cashew pesto on a chicken thigh with roasted red peppers

Obviously, I am used to fine food. I probably take it for granted. If the AC and I were ever to part ways, I like to think I would become the chef in another relationship. I have learned  a lot by osmosis. I understand how things go together, basic techniques, the importance of timing. But would I have the magic? I think I need to stay a few more years if I want to learn that. 

The following recipe is about the magic. That extra something that only a good chef could add. We're talking a pesto made with cashews. Cashews. Think about eating a single cashew. The rich, creamy texture, saltiness, sweet, crunch. There's a reason they have so many calories, they pack punch. We grow at least three kinds of basil in our garden every year, this means we have too much basil and we tend to make pesto this time of year. Generally the pesto we make is good, this pesto took good to a whole other level. Orgasmic comes close. Magic pretty much describes it. Rich, creamy, perfect texture, made up on the spur of the moment, off the top of my love's scarred, bald head. That's the real deal. That's what I am going to try to appreciate more about this man I have. Because I know I'm lucky- I guess after 13 years I have a lot to be grateful for. 

Unfortunately, this brand of magic isn't very photogenic. I'm aware that it looks inspired by the "shit through a tin hole" installation at the Walker sculpture garden. But, believe me, some of the most beautiful things come in packages that suggest  otherwise...no I'm not talking about my man again- just this particular meal.

The original dish is the picture above. We added the pesto to a fabulous turkey burger the next day. Like any fatty, heavily spiced sauce, it tasted even better after a day of sitting in the fridge. 

On a turkey burger the following night

Cashew Pesto
In a frying pan over med-high heat, add a dollop of olive oil and one large diced shallot, when soft, add two cloves of minced garlic- cook until soft and put it to the side. 

In your food processor add:
2 hands full of roasted cashews, grind until fine.
Then add 2 1/2 oz chopped aged Gouda, chop fine.
Add one large, seeded, roughly chopped fresh cayenne pepper, process.
1 cup of loosely packed fresh sweet basil.
1/4 c olive oil; really good olive oil.
1/2 tsp salt.
1 clove of chopped, raw garlic.
15-20 cherry tomatoes seeded (cut in half and then scoop out seeds using a grapefruit spoon or teaspoon)
Finally, add the cooked shallot/garlic mixture to the food processor.
Process until finely minced, add olive oil and salt as needed to get a smooth, pesto consistency.

Sauteed red bell peppers:
1 red bell pepper sliced into rough bayonets
Saute on med-high heat with approx 2 tbsp balsamic, 1/2 tsp sugar sprinkled on top,a little salt. Cook until vinegar is a thick glaze.

Chicken:
2 boneless skinless chicken thighs, salt and pepper on both sides.
On one side, sprinkle smoked hot paprika and kachai powder liberally.
Sear over medium high heat with paprika side down to create a crust- about 2 minutes
Flip over and bring heat down to medium, cover and let cook through.

Tomato and Soppresata Salad

Balance. I'm an constantly seeking it, but somehow it eludes me. Every once in a while I catch it, but never hold on. I am a passionate person who seeks and craves change but needs routine and structure. So I tend to run after the change full force, forgetting to slow down and re-visit the things proven to make me happy. Eventually I stop running and realize how much I miss the routine. Ah, the joys of growing older, the increased insight is awesome and so often the thing you need most is right in front of you.

One of my favorite routines is going to Bill's Imported Foods on Lake St. and Lyndale Ave in Minneapolis. Just going through each of the aisles, looking at strange and familiar foods, planning our next meal or snack is a calming, restorative routine. Often our eyes are bigger than what we'll actually ever eat and we end up with exotic syrups, preserves and fabulous halva that will go bad before the perfect meal was formed. One of the things we always use up and can always be found in the brown paper bag that leaves the store with us is Soppresata sausage. Go ahead, re-visit some of our old posts, I'll bet it's in half our recipes. Huge fans of cured meats- nitrates and all- Bill's is where we find our staples. Soppresata is an Italian-style cured sausage. It comes as a link about 1.5" round and 10" long. We prefer the one labeled "hot". It's not really, it's just spicier and more flavorful than the other option. Sometimes we cut thin slices to serve with cheese, but the real miracle is it's versatility. Chopped finely, it provides the perfect amount of saltiness, bite and extra flavor to nearly everything.

This recipe makes use of all the extra tomatoes and basil you're going to have to pick tonight before the deep freeze. It's incredibly simple and a fabulous side dish to place next to your favorite entree tonight. You're basically going to core, de-seed and chop a couple tomatoes, add diced basil (sweet, lemon, thai, whatever you like), some good quality olive oil, a splash of a nice balsamic and thin slices of the Soppresata I just told you about. Salt and black pepper finish it off. Simple, fresh, delicious way to say good bye to summer.

Chicken with Bell Pepper "Pesto"

This past January we ventured up to Lake Superior to enjoy four relaxing days with four close friends. We thought that if we went to where it was beautiful in the winter and played in the snow, we could learn to appreciate the winter- the one major downside of our state. We were a in fabulous room with floor to ceiling views of Lake Superior. Falling asleep to the sound of the waves, it was completely what we needed. As for the whole snow-thing, there wasn't any...maybe this year.

Since we were there with foodies, the food was also something to experience. Besides the drinking, rolo pretzel turtle, chips with french onion dip eating, we got in some gourmet bites. One of the standouts was a bell pepper pesto on cheese ravioli. Made with cheese and pistachios, it was rich, flavorful and very satisfying.

Recently we tried to re-create the dish. It should have been easy, since the recipe was originally found in a back issue of Cooks Illustrated. After going through every issue we had twice and still not finding it, we decided to improvise. It turned out well, although it became something completely different than what we set out to make. Without the dairy and nuts, this version is not quite as indulgent, eating it did not seem healthy though, which, in my book, is the name of the game- feeling indulged when you're not indulging. You could put this sauce over pasta and it's vegan. Didn't know we had that in us...

We are into our meat, so chicken was the vehicle for the sauce this time. It's very straightforward to make.  

Bell Pepper "Pesto"

Ingredients:
1 Purple bell pepper, sliced thin.
1 Red bell pepper, diced.
1 medium sized hot chile pepper (we prefer thai).
1 medium sized shallot. 
1/4 cup lemon basil (sweet basil would work). 
2 tbsp Olive oil
1/4 tsp fresh lavender
Black cherry balsamic vinegar (or other aged balsamic).
Salt and black pepper to taste.

1. Marinate the purple bell pepper in black cherry balsamic vinegar (or other aged balsamic) and salt for five minutes.

2. In a frying pan over medium heat, saute the marinated peppers with the balsamic until semi-soft. Put to the side.

3. In the same frying pan over medium heat, saute the shallot until soft.

4. Add to your food processor: the diced red bell pepper, the hot chile (thai), lemon basil, salt, pepper, olive oil, lavender, puree finely.  

We served this over chicken thighs dusted with salt, cinnamon and black pepper, placed in the same frying pan and sauteed.

Bourbon Bacon Peaches

I almost never eat or make sweets or deserts. However, I was reviewing our posts the other day and I realized almost every desert I have made in the last year or so has been post worthy.  I might have a flair for creating items I don't eat. Correction, that I usually don't eat. And yes, I really enjoyed this one. I even made it twice. Actually, that isn't fully correct. The second time I made it the UB made a Manhattan killing almost all my rye whiskey. Inventory control in the kitchen is important to those who cook. I ended up making a variant -I will list that too.


How to make:
First make the sauce by covering and heating in the 'nuker' for 30-45 seconds one ounce of maple syrup and the leaves from 1/3 sprig of fresh rosemary.  Once cooked and cool mix in the whiskey and a pinch of salt. Stir.

Halve the peach. Melt the bacon fat on medium. (yes, you heard me - bacon fat) in a pot/pan (with a lid) that can barely hold the two peach halves flat side down.





Once the fat is liquid, coat inside of the peaches with bacon fat (pour some of it inside each peach) and then place them in the pan face down.

Cover, bring to medium heat, lightly boiled  for 8-10 minutes, until cooked.

Pour sauce on top of peaches, make sure rosemary stays on top.


Place the peaches on small plate and spoon the now thickened sauce on top of the peaches. Eat and enjoy the goodness of making a healthy snack unhealthy.


Ingredients:

1 peach halved
1 1/2 tsp bacon fat

Sauce:

1oz maple syrup
1/3 sprig rosemary (8-10 leaves)
1 oz rye whiskey: Variant:1/3 oz rye whiskey, 1/3 oz dark rum, 1/3 oz cognac
A titch of salt

Be'Wiched Continues to Inspire...

In case you haven't tried Be'Wiched yet...just thought I'd give you a bit of motivation. What you see below is the brunch special from this morning. That would be brioche french toast topped with a perfectly soft boiled egg, three slices of thick cut maple cured bacon, mixed greens and heirloom tomatoes. OMG.