Tag: NYT Cooking
Lemon Curd, So Nukalicious!

Lemon Curd, So Nukalicious!

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When Tree Gives You Lemons…..Make Lemon Curd!

Outside my kitchen window grows one of my few garden successes,  a lemon tree.  While Meyer Lemon trees are ubiquitous here, I have a beautiful Eureka Lemon tree that despite me, produces a ton of lemons year-round.  I actually fertilized it this year…I now have a gazillion of lemons.  As I stare at my bowl of overflowing lemons this question comes to mind, what do I do with all these lemons?

Lucky for me, I found Melissa Clark’s Lemon Curd recipe on NYT Cooking.  Not only did I make a dent in my lemon stash (albeit, a tiny dent) but the recipe calls for making the curd in the microwave, super easy. Win-win.  Is it less time and work than the conventional doubler-boiler, on the stove process?  Not by much, but I do like the one bowl,  incremental cooking and intermittent stirring with the microwave recipe. You don’t have to stand over the stove constantly stirring.

Microwave Mania

I have a 600-watt microwave, the LOW end of the microwave power spectrum (hey, I got it to reheat leftovers, don’t judge me).  This is my process.  Combine the ingredients using a blender or stick blender and pour blended ingredients into a microwave bowl (like a Cook Anyday bowl!).

The OG recipe directions-microwave at full power in 1-minute increments, stirring between each minute.  When it starts to thicken, reduce power to 70% and microwave in 30-second intervals, once again whisking between intervals.

What I did-I started at full power but lengthened the first increment to 2 minutes before taking it out to whisk for the first time (low wattage adjustment).  At the 5 minute mark, the curd was still pretty thin, I added one more full power minute before reducing the power to 70%.  My lemon curd took another 2-1/2 minutes at 70%, 1 min increment for the first minute, and then 30-second increments, stirring each time.  The curd will thicken more as it cools. The cooking process  is done when the curd reaches a temperature of 180 with a thermometer or when it coats a spoon or spatula.

Moral of the Story

Adjust times according to your microwave and whisk well!

The Lemon Curd is silky smooth, luscious, and lemony.  I used 3/4 cup of sugar and it was fairly tart, if you like it sweeter use one cup of sugar.  Different fruits such as passionfruit or grapefruit would work well with this recipe too!

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Easy Lemon Curd

Delicious lemon curd made in the microwave from Melissa Clark and NYT Cooking!
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword lemon, lemon curd
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (113 grams unsalted butter) 1 stick
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
  • 1 cup (240 milliliters) freshly squeezed lemon juice from 4 to 6 lemons
  • ¾ cup to 1 cup (150 grams to 200 grams) granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions

  • Put the butter in a large (at least 6 cup) microwave-safe glass bowl or measuring cup. Cover bowl and set your microwave on 50 percent power, melt the butter. (~1 to 1 1/2 minutes).
  • Pour butter into a blender and add lemon zest, juice, sugar, eggs, egg yolk and salt. Blend until smooth. You can also use a stick blender. Pour mixture back into the same glass bowl you melted the butter in.
  • Microwave mixture, on full power, in 1-minute intervals for 5 minutes. Whisk furiously between intervals, especially around the edges of the bowl. It should start to thicken. (If it looks like it’s starting to thicken before 5 minutes, stop and continue to the next step; microwaves can vary.) See post for details.
  • Reduce power to 70 percent and continue to microwave for another 1 to 2 minutes, stopping to whisk every 30 seconds until the curd thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. (It will continue to thicken as it chills.) An instant-read thermometer should register 180 degrees (yet another reason to get a thermometer)
  • Whisk well. If you think there are any coagulated bits of egg, strain curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Or if it looks smooth, you can leave it in its current bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to create an airtight seal and let the curd cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours.
  • Enjoy! Pair your curd with fresh berries, scones, or fold it into whipped cream for cake filling. Eat it off a teaspoon!
Peanut Butter Miso Cookies -Kool, Bake Me Some of that Funky Stuff

Peanut Butter Miso Cookies -Kool, Bake Me Some of that Funky Stuff

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Always on the lookout for cookies with a twist, I came across these cookies in New York Times Cooking.  There I was nonchalantly scrolling through my feed when it popped up on my screen PEANUT BUTTER MISO COOKIES.  Say what?  Miso?  In a cookie?  Like a lot of folks, I have had Miso Soup, but in a cookie? I was intrigued.

This is essentially a  peanut butter cookie that sneaks in miso paste to add umami. It will have your cookie tasters guessing…what’s that yummy salty, edgy flavor? A cookie with a twist, something different but familiar.

Miso Primer

Before getting to the recipe, let’s talk about Miso.  Miso is made from soybean that has been fermented with Koji, (the fungus Aspergillus oryzae).  It is a cornerstone of Japanese cuisine.  It adds a salty, earthy flavor to soups, marinades, and salad dressings.  There is white miso or Shiro Miso, red miso or Aka Miso and mixed miso or Awase Miso (red and white).  White miso is mild and sweet while red miso is aged longer and develops a much saltier, earthy taste, and is darker in color.  Awase. Miso is a blend of both red and white miso.  Shiro Miso is the most popular, so if you had to pick just one, this is the way to go. Try Hikari White Organic Miso which can be found in most Japanese stores.  Miso Honey Ribs, and Japanese Cha Siu from No Recipes both use white miso and are really delicious.

These cookies follow the standard cookie-making process.  Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add white miso and peanut butter and cream mixture again, add egg and vanilla and stir in flour.  Pop the dough into the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes.  The dough will firm up and be easier to handle.  Use a 2 tablespoon ice cream scoop (#30-#36) to scoop out portions of dough, and hand shape to form a nice smooth ball.  Roll cookies in Demerara sugar or raw sugar which provides a nice crunch.  Place on a baking sheet.

The KEY to this recipe, let the cookie dough rest.  Put it in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours to allow the miso to mellow.  The longer you let it rest the mellower the miso gets.
A great addition to these cookies would be white chocolate chips to compliment the miso or butterscotch chips.

Pan Rapping

A trick from Sarabeth’s baking book.  When the edges of the cookies are just beginning to set and the centers puff up, reach in the oven, lift the cookie sheet up, and rap or drop it on the rack.  This will cause the cookies to deflate and create those characteristic cracks.  Bake until the edges are set.  Yes, the precursor to pan banging cookies.

The sweet, salty, earthy flavor of these cookies pairs well with a nice cup of tea.  The edge is crispy, the center is chewy and every bite has a nice crunch from the sugar.  It’s different, it’s delicious, and a great addition to any holiday box of treats.

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Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

A sweet, salty, earthy, crispy-edged, cookie with a chewy center and a miso twist. Delicious!
Course cookies
Cuisine American, Asian-American
Keyword Peanut Butter Miso Cookie
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 225 grams
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½  cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature 115 grams
  • 1 cup light brown sugar 220 grams
  • ½ cup granulated sugar 100 grams
  • ⅓ cup white miso paste 80 milliliters
  • ¼ chunky peanut butter 60 milliliters
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup 105 grams Demerara sugar, plus more as needed
  • 2/3 cup white chocolate chips or butterscotch chips optional

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and baking powder, and whisk until incorporated. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
  • Add miso and peanut butter to the mixing bowl, and continue to mix at medium speed, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of the bowl to make sure all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated, and mix a bit more if needed. Add egg and vanilla extract, and mix until just combined.
  • Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, and mix on low speed until flour mixture is incorporated. Repeat with remaining flour mixture in two batches until all of it is incorporated.
  • Place 1/2 cup Demerara sugar into a small bowl. Scoop out a ball of dough (about 50 grams per cookie-use a 2 T ice cream scoop), and roll each portion between your hands until it is nice and round. (If the dough is too soft to roll, you can pop the mixing bowl in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes to firm the dough up slightly.) Roll the piece of dough into the bowl of Demerara sugar and turn to coat. Transfer each ball to a parchment-lined baking sheet, arranging them about 3 inches apart. Repeat with all of the dough.
  • Refrigerate for 2 hours and up to overnight. (Even 15 minutes of refrigerator time will help the dough firm up, and the flavors meld. The longer the dough is refrigerated, the more mellow the flavors will be.)
  • When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake cookies for about 15 minutes, until crisp at the edges and slightly puffed in the middle. They should still be a bit underdone in the center. Pull out the baking sheet and hit it against a counter. Place back into the oven to finish for about 3 to 4 minutes. When cookies are firm at the edges and slightly puffed in the center, pull them out and again hit the baking sheet against the counter. The cookies should appear flat and crinkly at the center.
  • Let the cookies cool on a baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Store fully cooled cookies in an airtight container; they should retain their chewy texture for a few days.
Cake Got to Be Gluten-Free (Rice Flour Pound Cake)

Cake Got to Be Gluten-Free (Rice Flour Pound Cake)

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I am always looking for gluten free desserts and Vegan treats for my friends. This is a cataclysmic mind-shift for a person who has always been in the “All butter, Cream-filled, No holds Barred, Is there another flour besides AP wheat” camp.

Years ago we headed to a regatta in Sac.  During a break in the action, my friend Judaaay, convinced me to check out a bakery nearby that specialized in gluten-free and vegan products.  We made the SHORT drive (45 minutes away-auugh) to try their breads and pizza-all gluten-free.  They looked pretty darn good.  We both ordered slices of pizza and as we sat there eating, Judah remarked, Not bad, huh.  I replied…

Girl, You have obviously not had a real pizza in a LONG time.

Fortunately, the tide has turned and due to the demand for gluten-free food, more than just palatable” pastries are being created every day.  The photo of a luscious pound cake in The NY Times caught my eye and lo and behold it is made with rice flour.  Gluten-free!  With my friend Judaayh in mind, I got busy.

The cake starts with creaming butter, sugar, and melted coconut oil until light and fluffy.  There’s no overbeating this batter…no gluten!  But you don’t want to go crazy and break down the butter.  I used refined coconut oil which is essentially tasteless.  You could use a less processed, unrefined coconut oil which would give your cake a hint of coconut flavor or nuttiness. Never used coconut oil to bake?  Here is a  primer from SF Gate.  Note, this recipe uses regular rice flour NOT Sweet Rice Flour which is a glutinous rice product.  You will end up with a dense mess if you use sweet rice flour.  I found rice flour at Whole Foods made by Bob’s Red Mill.  Last note, this recipe does use BOTH coconut oil and coconut milk.

The finished batter before baking

I used 2 teaspoons of vanilla because I don’t have Tequila and I still can’t find my Rum 🤔.  Rum would be lovely.  I’m sure this batter could handle the addition of lemon or orange zest or poppy seeds.  After adding the liquids it will look like a lot of batter relative to the pan.  This cake does not rise a lot so not to worry, no overspill.

This cake is delicious.  It’s tender, buttery, moist with a nice crumb.  I’d make it again in a heartbeat…regardless if Judaay was coming over or not!  I can’t wait for shelter in place to be over so she can come over for a cup of coffee and a slice of this cake.  So good!

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5 from 1 vote

Rice Flour Poundcake

Gluten free, buttery, delicious pounc cake!
Course Cake
Cuisine American
Keyword coconut, Gluten free, poundcake, Rice flour
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes

Equipment

  • 8-by-4-inch loaf pan

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups (200 grams) white rice flour not sweet rice flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper optional

Wet Stuff and Creamed Mixture

  • 4 tbsp (55 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for greasing
  • 4 tbsp (60 milliliters) coconut oil
  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (225 grams) granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • ⅓ cup (80 milliliters) sour cream
  • ⅔ cup (160 milliliters) unsweetened coconut milk full fat
  • 1 teaspoon mezcal, tequila, or rum, vanilla or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract if not using alcohol
  • 2 tbsp poppy seeds if using rum, optional
  • zest 1 lemon, or lime if using tequila or mezcal finely grated

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan. Melt coconut oil in small saucepan over low heat. Bring oil back to room temperature before baking. In a medium mixing bowl, combine rice flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper, if using.
  • Using an electric mixer, whisk together coconut oil, butter and sugar at high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. With the motor still running, add eggs and combine until creamed and very fluffy. Reduce to low speed and whisk in a third of the flour mixture. Once combined, add sour cream. Whisk in another third of the dry ingredients, then half of the coconut milk. Add the remaining flour mixture. At a medium speed, whisk in the rest of the coconut milk, and mezcal, until smooth and completely combined.
  • Scrape batter into pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 to 55 minutes. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn on a wire rack to cool completely.

 
Just Another Day (Decadent Chocolate Cake)

Just Another Day (Decadent Chocolate Cake)

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Every year my birthday sneaks up on me…I’m sure it’s because I am in denial until the very day and then it’s unavoidable.  Which just so happens to be today. When did I get this old?  I have kids and they’re how old?  Wow.

But I have lots to celebrate and thank my lucky stars for, great hubby, amazing kids, awesome family, and friends, the important things in life.

What? I have to Bake My Birthday Cake?

In our house, Wes’s carrot cake has become the de facto birthday cake.  I’m all for it as it means Wes is the one baking for everyone’s birthday.  This year I broke with tradition when I found an old friend in the New York Times cooking section.  Decadent Chocolate Cake, which I haven’t made in a long time, from my generation’s Joy of Cooking, The Silver Palate.  I remember buying my copy of the Silver Palate cookbook. I was so excited.  Attracted by the friendly prose, whimsical drawings, and cooking tips, I poured over the recipes and read every side note.  It served as a primer on ingredients, entertaining, and great food.  Chicken Marbella, Pumpkin Pie, Blackberry Mousse, Pasta with Tomatoes, Garlic, Basil and Brie became dishes I impressed my friends with.

 

So I made the Decadent Chocolate Cake for my birthday and it was every bit as delicious as I remembered.  It’s moist, sweet, and chocolatey.  And you know what?  The beauty of having a birthday the day before Valentine’s Day is I get to have cake two days in a row, guilt-free.  The recipe can be found in NYT Cooking for those you who do not have a dog-eared, well-used copy of The Silver Palate, like mine.

Over the years I replaced some of the semisweet chocolate chips in the icing with dark chocolate to bump up the chocolate flavor.  The cake itself is sweet and mild (after all the recipe is 30+ years old) so go ahead and add chopped pieces of chocolate or chips to the cake batter before baking to amp up the flavor.  Sift the powdered sugar before adding it to the chocolate, it minimizes lumps.  When making the icing, work quickly as the icing sets almost immediately.  Pour over the cake while it is still warm.

Birthday cake calls for a tall glass of icy cold milk but Valentine’s Day calls for champagne, bubbly and romantic.  Right?

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5 from 1 vote

Decadent Chocolate Cake

From the Silver Palate Cookbook
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Decadent Chocolate Cake
Prep Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 3 oz unsweetened chocolate
  • 8 T butter 1 stick
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs separated
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups less 2 T all-purpose flour sied
  • 1 tsp baking powder

CHOCOLATE FROSTING

  • 2 T butter
  • 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 6 T heavy cream
  • 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar or as needed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Knock out excess flour. In a large bowl, pour the boiling water over the
  • chocolate and butter; let stand until melted. Stir in the vanilla and sugar, then whisk in egg yolks one at a time, blending well aer each addition.
  • Mix baking soda, and sour cream together and add to chocolate mixture. Si together flour and baking powder; add to batter, mixing thoroughly.
  • In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Stir a quarter of the egg whites into the batter. Scoop remaining egg whites on top of
  • batter and gently fold together. Pour the batter into prepared pan. Set in the middle rack of oven and bake 40-50 minutes, or until the edges have
  • pulled away from the sides of the pan and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes; unmold and cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Frosting

  • Place all ingredients in a heavy saucepan over low heat and whisk until smooth. Cool slightly;
  • add more sugar if necessary to achieve a spreading consistency. Spread on cake while frosting is still warm.
Summertime, summertime..Watermelon Tomato Salad

Summertime, summertime..Watermelon Tomato Salad

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One of the best things about summer, besides long lazy days and warm evenings for leisurely walks; is the abundance of fantastic produce.  Juicy sweet peaches, nectarines, sun ripened tomatoes, all sorts of melons and berries so sweet they taste like sugar. Farmer’s markets are literally bursting at the seams with crates filled and with summer’s bounty.  The other day I came home with heirloom tomatoes with one thing on my mind, a recipe from my weekly NYT Cooking newsletter, Tomato Watermelon Salad with Feta Cheese.    When the kids are home, a watermelon lasts a day at most, cut and consumed just like that. Poof, gone.  But with just two of us at home, a creative twist is needed to help us finish an entire melon.  This salad is the perfect answer.  Juicy chunks of watermelon, tomatoes, cucumbers, slivers of red onion, salty feta cheese, a basil and a balsamic dressing, hmmm,  a perfect summertime salad.  Enjoy!

**Don’t FREAK Out!**  The recipe does not have actual measurments!  Its pretty fast and loose.  Use a ratio of 1:1 watermelon to tomatoes.  4:1 for the watermelon to cucumbers (1/4 amount of cucumbers) and 8:1 for the red onion.  Really its to your taste and the amount you make depends on how many you are are serving.  The vinagrette is probably enough for a salad composed of half of a watermelon and 6-8 tomatoes. Crumble as much or as little feta as you like, it provides a nice tang and saltiness to the salad.  Variations:  Use mint instead of basil or a combination of the two.  Green onions instead of red onions or ricotta salata instead of feta.

Adapted from the New York Times

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Summertime, summertime..Watermelon Tomato Salad

Course Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword watermelon

Ingredients

  • 1 seedless watermelon cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 4-6 ripe assortment of ripe tomatoes seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • cucumbers peeled, seeded, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • red onion diced or thinly sliced
  • feta cheese of ricotta insalata crumbled
  • basil julienned

Dressing:

  • 2 tbsp Sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Combine watermelon, tomatoes, and cucumbers in a large bowl. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon kosher salt and mix. Let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile make the dressing. Pour vinegar into a small bowl, whisk oil into vinegar into emulsion forms. Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Drain excess liquid from tomatoes and watermelon mixture. Add onions and julienned basil. Mix lightly. Crumble feta cheese on top of salad and drizzle with vinagrette. Serve.