Tag: #NYTcooking
Puttin’ On the Ritz…Chicken

Puttin’ On the Ritz…Chicken

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This past weekend the hubster went up to Tahoe to do maintenance on our cabin.  So I was flying solo at home with Sammy our dog who has a tough time traveling 😢 these days.

When dinnertime rolled around, I decided to open a bottle of wine and make myself a nice meal.  I had just seen Eric Kim’s recent post for NYTcooking, Ritzy Cheddar Chicken Breast and being a Ritz Cracker fiend, I immediately bookmarked the recipe.  This would be the perfect time to try his recipe.

Competitive Spirit

Aside from Carrot Cake and Good Cookies, if there is a meal that reigns supreme in our house, it is Wes’s Cornflake Chicken.  To be exact, Cornflake Chicken and Cream of Mushroom Soup.  How many of you remember your mom or dad fixing a version of this?  Come on, be honest, we have all had this precursor to Shake and Bake.  Instead of chicken perhaps pork chops?  Gotcha, didn’t I?

Being a card-carrying member of the ridiculous group “I am a foodie” and thus holding an unwarranted disdain for all foods I liked when I was twelve, I have never made cornflake chicken.  To this day, when the kids come home, they will request cornflake chicken or pork chops which Wes is more than happy to fulfill.

Could Eric’s version of chicken, marinated in sour cream, Dijon mustard and rolled in copious amounts of Ritz Crackers and Cheddar Cheese best the gold standard Cornflake Chicken?  I was determined to find out.

Easy Peasy, Chicken Cheesy

The prep for this dish is as easy and quick as Cornflake Chicken.  The chicken breasts are split in half and lightly pounded into cutlets then dropped into a marinade of Dijon mustard, salt, and sour cream which also tenderizes the chicken.

While the chicken marinates make your coating.  Crush a sleeve of Ritz Crackers, grate some sharp cheddar cheese, and season with garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Next time I might just add more spices, maybe some paprika and thyme.  Finish with a glug of olive oil, which will help the coating stick to the chicken and crisp it.

Roll chicken in crumb mixture, really pressing it in so you have a nice coat.  If you have crumbs left, don’t waste them, sprinkle them on the chicken.

The chicken bakes at 450 (hot, hot, hot) and should only take about ten minutes (boneless, split in half, and pounded means quick cooking).

I made a salad of Romaine, ripe cherry tomatoes (thank you Snook), and Japanese cucumbers (very crispy and delicious) with a simple vinaigrette.

Sat down with a glass of wine and a gorgeous dinner plate in about 30 minutes.  How great is that?  Eric strikes again with another fabulous, easy, dish.  The cracker coating was crispy, cheesy and tangy from the mustard, the chicken was perfectly cooked, moist, and tender and the salad a nice counterpoint.

I know what you are all thinking…does this beat out Wes’s Cornflake Chicken?  Probably not.  Nothing beats a dish from your childhood.  Will I make it again?  Absolutely!

I saved the last 2 pieces of chicken, one for Wes to judge, and one which made an amazing sandwich for lunch…yummos!

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Ritzy Cheddar Cheese Chicken Breasts

A quick and easy baked Crispy Cheddar Chicken Breasts
Course dinner
Cuisine American
Keyword baked chicken, cheddar cheese, chicken breasts, easy recipe, ERic KIm, Ritz Crackers, sour cream
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

Da Marinade

  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 1 large egg white
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • Kosher salt Diamond Crystal, use at least 1 teaspoon. For reg salt, start with 1/2 teaspoon

Da protein

  • 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds total)
  • 1 sleeve Ritz crackers about 100 grams
  • 2 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese coarsely grated (about 1 cup)
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil plus more for greasing wire rack
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, paprika or chili powder optional

Instructions

  • Position rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place an ovenproof wire rack over a sheet pan. Dab a folded-up paper towel with olive oil and rub it over the wire rack to grease it or use a brush. Place rack in oven to preheat.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg white and Dijon mustard until smooth. Season with salt. Set aside.
  • Lay the chicken flat on a cutting board and carve each breast in half horizontally so you end up with four thin cutlets. Add the chicken to the sour cream mixture, and smear the sour cream all over the chicken.
  • In a large bowl, crush the Ritz crackers into coarse pieces with your fingers. Some crackers will turn to rubble while others turn to dust. Leave some chunks, which will crisp up nicely in the oven. Add the cheese, garlic powder, onion powder and olive oil (add some thyme and or paprika, 1/2 t each if you like) . Season with ½ teaspoon salt and toss until evenly distributed.
  • Hold chicken cutlet by its thinner end, add to the bowl with the crumbs, and using your hands, press the crumbs onto the chicken to create a thick coating. Transfer the breaded chicken to the rack in the sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining cutlets. If you have leftover crumb mixture, sprinkle if on chicken before baking.
  • Bake the cutlets until the outsides are crispy and the insides are no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes (check at 10!!!). Let the chicken cool slightly so the coating can set, about 5 minutes, before transferring to plates.
  • Serve with with a nice crisp salad!
Cold Noodles with Tomatoes (Tomato Triple Play)

Cold Noodles with Tomatoes (Tomato Triple Play)

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I have taken over tomato duties from the hubby who has given up on becoming an urban farmer.  We just haven’t had any luck with turning our garden into a summer veggie paradise.  My bounty from 5 tomato plants so far has been a grand total of 4 tiny red orbs 🤦🏻‍♀️

FORTUNATELY, we have a wonderful farmer’s market in town.

My haul from last week’s farmer’s market included a variety of cherry tomatoes including Bronze Torch Cherry Tomatoes (pictured on the right above) from Live Earth Farm in Watsonville. We have been buying Live Earth produce since my kids were toddlers and they’re in their twenties now!  The Bronze Torch Cherry Tomatoes are simply AH-MAZING.  Sweet, tomatoey, delicious.

Tomato Trifecta

I am a big fan of Eric Kim.  He writes regularly for New York Times Cooking and just published a wonderful cookbook, Korean American.  It is hands down one of my favorite books. His recipes are easy and delicious and his writing is even better.  You can also find him on YouTube making many of his recipes, he’s funny, personable, and charming.  I went to his book signing at Omnivore Books in SF, fun, I’m such a food groupie.

I love his Grape Tomato Quick Kimchi which I make all the time.  Serve as Banchan (side dish-pictured on the right above) one day and as a sauce over noods the next day.  It is downright delicious.  As soon as I saw his Cold Noodle with Tomatoes recipe I jotted it down on my MAKE ASAP list.  It is so easy and incredibly delicious.  It should go on your list too.

Start with cherry tomatoes, slice them in half, and sprinkle with salt.  Let the tomatoes sit in the bowl while you put together the rest of the dish.  No need to use a strainer as the juices from the salted tomatoes become part of the broth.  Mince garlic, get out the rice vinegar, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, and sesame oil, and toss it all in a bowl along with the tomatoes.  Next, add cold-filtered or bottled water to the bowl (use water that tastes good).  Add diced scallions, and slices of radishes (the little red ones) or cucumbers to the broth. Set the broth aside.

Here’s the Hard Part

How to cook your somen.  DO NOT COOK YOUR SOMEN while you are getting the other components together. Make the broth and set it aside.  Focus on the noods so you don’t overcook them.  For somen (thin Japanese wheat noodles), start with plenty of unsalted water.  Somen has salt in it. If you use too little water, the noods will absorb too much water because of the salinity. Watch them like a hawk, and stir them with chopsticks or tongs while cooking to separate the noodles, this takes 3-4 minutes TOPS.  Remove from heat, rinse thoroughly under cold water and drain well.

Before serving, twirl noodles into a bundle and place them in a bowl.  Add crushed ice to the tomatoes and pour it over your noodles.  Garnish with additional scallions and sesame seeds.  It’s so refreshing, the perfect summer meal.  Carnivores, feel free to add shrimp or chicken or half of a hard-boiled egg.   Serve asap on a hot summer day.  Sooooooo good.

BONUS,  Ottolenghi’s Charred Tomatoes and Cold Yogurt.  Yes, my trifecta of tomato recipes.  Tomatoes, roasted with thyme, cumin seeds, lemon, and garlic,  served over yogurt or Labneh. It’s my go-to party appetizer, especially in the summer.  It’s “lick the bowl clean” good.  A showstopping, easy dish.  Make it, you’ll thank me.

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Cold Noodles with Tomatoes

Refreshing, delicious, and easy to prepare, Eric Kim's Cold Noodles with Tomatoes
Course noodles, one bowl meal, pasta, Soup
Cuisine Asian, Asian-American, Korean
Keyword cherry tomatoes, Cold noodles, Cold Noodles with Tomatoes, soup
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

The Star

  • 2 pints ripe cherry tomatoes halved
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)

The Noods

  • 12 to 14 ounces somyeon somen, capellini or other thin wheat noodle

Soup and Seasonings

  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce Kikkoman, Sempio 501 or 701 or LKK Premium Soy
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 large garlic clove finely grated
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 2 cups cold filtered water or bottled water of your choice.
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

The Garnishes

  • 2 radishes thinly sliced, or cucumbers work in a pinch
  • 2 scallions thinly sliced at an angle
  • 2 cups crushed or cubed ice

Omnivore Options

  • cooked shrimp or shredded chicken
  • hard boiled eggs, but not too hard-boiled lol

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes and salt. Let sit until juicy, about 10 minutes.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to package instructions, drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside. See post for how to cook somen noodles.
  • Add the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, mustard and sesame oil to the tomatoes, and toss with a spoon until well combined. Stir water into the tomatoes and sprinkle the surface of the broth with the sesame seeds, radishes and scallions.
  • Right before serving, add the ice to the broth. Divide the noodles among bowls, and ladle in the broth and any unmelted ice, making sure each serving gets a nice sprinkling of tomatoes, radishes, scallions and sesame seeds.
M&M Cookies For the Kid In You (Day 2)

M&M Cookies For the Kid In You (Day 2)

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Cookie Number Two-Twelve Days of Cookies

Last year my absolute favorite cookie was Eric Kim’s Grocery Store Cookie.  I called it my Marie Kondo cookie, it brought me JOY.  The original Lofthouse cookies, a cakey blob, packed in plastic trays covered with copious amounts of fake frosting and sprinkles…elevated to a wondrously delicious cakelike, buttery, tender cookie topped with raspberry buttercream frosting.  The only thing the two cookies had in common was the SPRINKLES.

Guess which one is the Grocery Store Cookie?

As soon as NYTcooking posted this year’s Holiday Cookies, I looked for Eric’s cookie.  It wasn’t hard to find, his was first on the list.  For the kid in all of us, Eric developed a recipe for festive M&M Cookies. (Bonus: Video of Eric making these!)  Simple, nostalgic and YUMMY.  A hint of crispiness on the edge, surrounding a chewy cookie dotted with M&Ms.  The M&M’s are cut into pieces so you get this really nice distribution of the candy coating and chocolate center.  With the first bite, I was transported back to my 9-year-old self.

M&Ms aren’t easy to cut and not bounce around! My dough bowl and mezzaluna came in handy!

Cookie Workout

The cookies can be made with one bowl, whisk, and spatula (or wooden spoon) with the caveat that you start with soft butter (not melted) butter.  If you have a thermometer, it’s around 65-68 degrees.  You will also need some arm power as the recipe calls for beating the mixture for one minute to smooth and fluffy.  One minute, whisking a dough by hand is pretty long. Opt for your mixer unless you haven’t done your workout for the day.

Geeking Out

The baked cookies ended up with crevices that weren’t apparent in Eric’s batch.  I have a theory, I chilled my dough overnight which meant the dough was pretty cold, the butter had solidified and the dough had additional time to hydrate.  The chilled dough is a tad more resistant to spreading and collapsing thus creating fissures.  Here’s a great geek article on chilling your dough from Buzz Feed.  Next time I’ll bake them off with just a short chilling time to see if they don’t develop cracks.  I don’t think it impacted the flavor or texture too much.  If you try different M&Ms please leave a comment! I think it would be amazing with peanut M&Ms or almond M&Ms.

I like these, I LOVE the Grocery Store Cookie. I’ll be making both for the holidays.

So, make these cookies, pour yourself an ice-cold glass of milk, grab a cookie and enjoy the holidays.  I’m going to watch BIG, the perfect movie to go with these cookies!

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M&M Cookies by Eric Kim

Straight back to childhood, M7M Cookies, are chewy and a delight to eat.
Course cookies
Cuisine American
Keyword Almond Cookies, ERic KIm, M&M Cookies, NYTcooking
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (115 grams) unsalted butter very soft
  • 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
  • ¼ packed cup (57 grams )dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt Diamond Crystal or ¾ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ cups (185 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (96 grams) M&M’s

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 large sheet pans with parchment.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla and salt by hand until smooth and fluffy, at least 1 minute.
    Whisk in the baking soda, then switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Add the flour, then carefully and coarsely chop the M&M's, and add them, too. Gently stir to combine. Place the bowl in the refrigerator while you wait for the oven to finish heating.
  • Using two spoons or a cookie scoop, plop out 2-tablespoon/50-gram rounds spaced a couple of inches apart on the sheet pans. (You should get about 8 cookies per pan.) Bake until lightly golden at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely on the sheet pan; they will continue to cook as they sit.

Notes

If you really want to use your ixer.  The key is not to overmix.  On a Kitchen-aid when making cookies I rarely go above setting 4 (medium) when mixing cookie dough.  YOu don't need turbo which would increase the chance of overbeating.
YOu might want to fold in the flour and M&Ms to avoid overmixing.  If not, set mixer to stir and mix until you don't see any flour and stop.  Finish it off with a spatula.
Grocery Store Cookies! Sprinkle a Little Holiday Cheer

Grocery Store Cookies! Sprinkle a Little Holiday Cheer

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My favorite holiday cookie of the season is Eric Kim’s  (check out his site, wonderful essays,  beautiful writing) Lofthouse Style Grocery Store Cookie.  It’s surprising since I am not a fan of those ubiquitous cookies with the toothachingly sweet, artificial tasting frosting and eye-popping sprinkles.  But his homemade rendition looked so appealing, I had to try them.

Eric’s homage to the grocery store cookies is part of NYTcooking’s week-long video series on Holiday Cookies.  He takes the concept of the grocery store cookie and creates a small-batch, no preservatives, all-butter, cream cheese, tender cakey-cookie topped with a sweet, slightly tart raspberry buttercream.  The only resemblance to the supermarket cookie is the sprinkles on top!

These cookies are simply DIVINE

The directions are straight forward and if your ingredients are at room temperature, a bowl and a wooden spoon are all you need to make these cookies. How easy is that?  But you can be lazy like me and use your stand mixer, especially for the frosting.

Though hand mixing the dough is very doable, if time is short, go ahead and bust out your Kitchen Aid mixer.  Combine cake flour and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside.  Cream butter, cream cheese, salt, and sugar at medium speed until fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla extract (yes, 1 tablespoon) and beat mixture on medium for approximately 1 minute to aerate and incorporate sugar.  Reduce mixer speed to stir or low setting and add flour mixture.  Mix just until flour is incorporated.  The dough will be very very soft. Toss the bowl into the fridge for 15 minutes to chill the dough so it is easier to scoop.

Use a two-tablespoon ice cream scoop to measure out the dough.  Scoop all of the dough and place it on a pan that will fit in your freezer.  Place the pan in the freezer to chill the dough (min 10-15 minutes).  Do not skip this step, makes the dough much easier to work with, keeps it from spreading, and gives the flavors time to meld.

Frosting Goodness

While the dough is in the freezer, make the frosting.  Freeze-dried fruit is the magic that provides both color and flavor to the frosting- it is this tweak that provides the spark in this cookie.  The recipe calls for raspberry but strawberry, blueberry or mango freeze-dried fruit would work. I like raspberry not just for flavor but for color, it gives the frosting a hot pink happy glow.  Freeze-dried fruit can be found at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Target.  Grind the fruit into a powder in a mini food processor or place in a Ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to pulverize it.  Sift to strain the seeds out of powder.  The frosting is sweet, tart, and fruity, just delightful.

Combine the softened butter, fruit, vanilla, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl.  Blend on low speed until the ingredients are mixed together then increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, a couple of minutes, and about double in volume.  Set aside.

Take the cookies out of the freezer and roll them into balls (eminently doable thanks to freezing). Place each ball on a parchment-lined cookie sheet 2-3 inches apart.  If the dough gets too soft or sticky to work with,  return it to the freezer.  Flatten each to approximately two inches in diameter and one-inch thickness.  Bake 13 to 15 minutes or just until the edge starts to color, don’t over bake.  You will be rewarded with a tender, buttery, light cakey-cookie with a wonderful vanilla punch.

The Finale:  Cookie + Hot Pink Frosting x Sprinkles = Happy

Swirl a generous amount of the frosting on each cookie and then SPRINKLE-FY each one.  These cookies are so indescribably good, put them on your BAKE THESE COOKIES list now. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the 2020 Holiday Cookie Box!

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Eric Kim's Grocery Store Cookie

Remember Lofthouse Cookies from the Supermarkets? Every little league game, school bake sale featured those sprinkle adorned, frosting laden, cakey cookies in the plastic trays. Imagine a homemade, luscious, delicious, version.
Course cookies
Cuisine American
Keyword Grocery Store Cookie, Lofthouse Cookie, sprinkles, Supermarket
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes

Equipment

  • Small sheet pan that will fit in your freezer I have a side by side so sadly a regular-sized cookie sheet will not fit
  • Cookie sheets
  • 2 Tablespoon Ice cream scoop #40 the size of the scoop will be on it somewhere! Sometimes on the handle or the rim of the scoop, even on the little thing-a-ma-jigger that pushes the dough out of the scoop

Ingredients

Cookie

Da Dry Stuff- Combine in small bowl and set aside

  • 2 ¼ cups cake flour (285 grams)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

Da Wet Stuff

  • ½ cup unsalted butter (115 grams) 1 stick, at room temperature
  • 3 ounces cream cheese (85 grams) at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Frosting

  • 1 cup freeze-dried raspberries (30 grams) finely ground in a food processor or spice grinder
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (225 grams) 2 sticks, at room temperature
  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar (245 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of kosher salt

Da Bling

  • Multi-colored Sprinkles Happy dust!

Instructions

  • Make the cookies: In a large bowl, using a spoon, cream the butter, cream cheese, sugar and salt until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and whisk to incorporate some air and to dissolve the sugar crystals, about 1 minute. Stir in the flour and baking powder until just incorporated.
  • Heat oven to 350 degrees and line two rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper. Using two spoons or a cookie scooper, plop out 2-tablespoon/50-gram rounds spaced a couple of inches apart. (You should get about 7 to 8 cookies per sheet pan.) Place the sheet pans in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes until the dough is no longer sticky and easier to handle.
  • While the dough chills, make the frosting: In a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl, sift the ground raspberries, using a spoon to help pass them through, until most of the ruby-red powder is in the bowl and most of the seeds are left behind in the sieve. (Discard the seeds.)
  • To the bowl, add the 1 cup butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt and, with an electric hand mixer, mix on low speed until the butter absorbs the sugar. Then, turn the speed up to high and beat until the frosting doubles in size, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure all the ingredients are incorporated. Transfer the frosting to a small container, cover tightly, and set aside. (You should have about 2 cups of frosting.)
  • Remove the sheet pans from the freezer. Roll the chilled dough into even balls and flatten them slightly with your fingers so they’re about 2 inches wide and 1 inch high. Bake the cookies for 13 to 15 minutes, rotating the pans and switching racks halfway through, or until they no longer look wet on top, are still light in color and spring back to the touch. They will puff up and crack slightly. Let cool completely on the sheet pan. (They will continue to cook as they sit.)
  • Using a butter knife or offset spatula, frost each cooled cookie with the raspberry frosting and adorn with the sprinkles.
Apple Crumb Crostata with Bacon Toffee Sauce

Apple Crumb Crostata with Bacon Toffee Sauce

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Jamie is in Minneapolis right now, she sent a quick pic of herself bundled up in her down jacket, gloves, wooly hat with a single caption, 26.

Yep, I am a wussy Californian and not a very nice one, I replied with a laughing emoji in shorts.

I mark the change in seasons, not by dragging out a winter wardrobe but by the offerings at my local Farmers Market.  My favorite Fall fruit has finally arrived APPLES!  Apples are like that best friend after a breakup.  The summer romance with peaches and berries is over but apples are here to comfort you, pick you up, and help you forget them.

Like a kid in a candy store, I went from basket to basket picking up Mutsuis, Pippens, Jonagolds, and Fujis. I love using a combination of apples in pies and tart for both flavor and texture.  Recently, Apple Crumb Crostata by Claudia Fleming, pastry chef extraordinaire at Gramercy Tavern once upon a time and author of the fabulous book, The Last Course, popped up on my NYT feed. Everything I have made from her book has been delicious so when I spied the crostata recipe, it was a no-brainer.  The homemade apple pie I usually bake to signal Fall’s arrival would have to wait.

The moving parts to this recipe, pastry crust, apples, crumb topping, and Bacon Toffee Sauce that sends this over the top.

A Couple of Tips

I had a tough time rolling the dough out to 14 inches.  It would have been pretty thin.  I ended it up a diameter of 12.5 inches at best.  Which means after folding the edges over my crostata was barely 8 inches.  You might be able to roll it to 13 inches.  I used approximately 5 apples for a scant 6 cups of apples, plenty of apples for this size crust.  I took the advice of others on NYT cooking and halved the amount of crumb topping and the bacon toffee sauce.  I still have plenty of sauce left even though the tart is long gone.  The sauce is delish over ice cream or fruit.

The crust is made in a food processor which though speedy, requires due diligence to not overprocess the dough.  Over-processing leads to a tough crust.  The pulse button on your processor is your best friend.  Throw the flour, sugar, and salt into the food processor bowl and pulse a couple of times to blend.  Add the butter and pulse just until you have an oatmeal-like mixture with some pea-sized pieces of butter left.  Add ICE-COLD water through the chute while hitting the pulse button to combine.  Pulse just until the mixture looks like it is going to clump and come together and STOP or you will over-process the dough.  Pour the dough out onto a wax paper or plastic wrap, and smoosh it together into a ball.  Flatten into a disc, wrap it and toss it in the fridge to chill and rest.

Just pinch and fold over.  My fold-over was less than 4 inches, more like 2.5-3 inches.  Here is the link to the NYT recipe and video with Claudia Fleming and Mark Bittman.

What to do with the bacon I fried for the Toffee Sauce?  Baco-bits on the crostata! Ok, it might have been overkill.

I served the crostata with BOTH the yummy, decadent Bacon Toffee Sauce and vanilla ice cream, cuz’…

Go Big or Go Home

Put this on your Fall bucket list!

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Apple Crumb Crostata with Bacon Toffee Sauce

It's Fall! Apple season is here. Absolutely delicious apple crostata by Claudia Fleming
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Apple Crumb Crostata, Claudia Fleming, Dessert
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
  • ⅓ cup ice cold water more as needed
  • 1 egg beaten or use heavy cream
  • Raw sugar for garnish

Filling

  • 6 to 8 Granny Smith or other tart apples peeled and cut into slices (about 6 cups total)
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces optional

The Crumble

  • Make half recipe! It's plenty!
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
  • 1/4 cup pecans, chopped optional

Bacon toffee sauce

  • Make half recipe!!! It makes plenty!!!!
  • 1 ½  cups heavy cream
  • 1  (1-pound) box dark brown sugar
  • 2  teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1  teaspoon salt
  • 5  ounces (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 2  ounces rendered bacon fat (from about 4 slices thick-cut bacon)

Instructions

  • Make the crust: Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse to blend. Add butter, pulsing, until mixture resembles small peas. Add ice water and continue to pulse until mixture just begins to come together in moist clumps; if mixture is too dry add a bit more water a tablespoon at a time. Gather dough into a ball, flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour or freeze for up to a month.
  • Make the filling: In a large bowl toss together sliced apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, zest and vanilla. Set aside.
  • Make the crumble: In a medium bowl, mix together granulated sugar, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Drizzle in melted butter and, using a fork, stir until mixture is crumbly and all the flour is incorporated; the crumbs should be smaller than 1 inch. Add chopped pecans if desired.
  • Heat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove dough from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 14-inch circle (if you're lucky). Transfer to baking sheet and chill until firm, about 15 minutes.
  • Remove baking sheet from refrigerator and let soften for 1 to 2 minutes. Arrange apples in the center of the dough, dot with butter, leaving a 3-inch border all around; reserve the juices. Brush exposed dough border with beaten egg and fold edge in up over fruit, making pleats every 2 inches. Pour remaining juices over exposed fruit, brush the folded outer edge with beaten egg or cream, and sprinkle with raw sugar. Cover exposed fruit with about 1 cup crumble.
  • Bake crostata until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove and let cool before serving. Serve with Bacon Toffee Sauce

Bacon Toffee Sauce

  • In a heavy medium saucepan, combine cream, sugar, vanilla and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer, and allow to cook for 3 to 5 minutes being careful not to let it get too hot and bubble over.
  • Remove from heat and whisk in butter followed by bacon fat; stir until thoroughly combined. Serve sauce warm.
  • Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 10 days.
Summer Madness #1: Too Hot (Miso Sesame Chicken Salad to Keep the Gang Kool)

Summer Madness #1: Too Hot (Miso Sesame Chicken Salad to Keep the Gang Kool)

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The weather has been pretty darn warm.  Actually, I’d say damn hot lately.  I grew up in San Francisco, a warm day meant temps in the ’70s. Growing up we spent most of July and August in a blanket of fog.  My first car had an all-black interior and NO AIR CONDITIONING.  NBD.

But now I live in Silicon Valley, 50 miles south of San Francisco.  My cars have AC, my house has AC (a non-negotiable requirement of the Hubster who grew up in Sacramento).  I once scoffed at folks who succumbed to installing air conditioning.  No more.

I will say we do try to keep usage to a minimum, preferring to leave windows and doors open so the evening breeze cools down the house.  We keep oven baking and cooking on the stove to a minimum by eating lots of sushi, salads, and bbq.  We fire up the grill in the backyard and enjoy our meals outside. Summer alfresco dining, what could be better?

I subscribe to NYT Cooking and each week Sam Sifton pops up with a What to Cook This Week column.  This week’s newsletter included a Miso Sesame Chicken Salad from David Tanis.  That caught my eye.

MIso Sesame Chicken Salad

Silky poached chicken, crunchy cucumbers, scallions on a bed of Bibb lettuce topped with a creamy Miso-Sesame dressing.  Karma, I had chicken in the fridge, cucumbers from a friend’s garden and Aedan Miso I had just bought at the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market.

The only cooking required is poaching the chicken.  I decided to make half the recipe so  I opted to poach chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken which took less time and works perfectly for this dish.

No brainer method for the best damn poached chicken.

Like Whole Poached Chicken, this cooking method results in juicy, tender, delicious poached chicken breasts, perfect for salads, sandwiches, or morsels for your favorite doggy…

Fill a saucepan large enough to hold 1 whole chicken breast (split in half) with water. You don’t need to add much to the water except for a good pinch salt.  I cheat and add a tablespoon of Better Than Bouillion Chicken Base just to intensify the flavor, totally optional.  Bring the water to a boil and add the chicken.  Bring it back to a boil, lower the heat so that it is barely simmering.  Cover the pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to sit for 15-20 minutes (do this by size, smaller breasts-15 minutes, larger-20 minutes).  Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool until it is easy to handle.  Ta-da, perfect chicken for salads, sandwiches, or Hainanese Chicken and Rice.

Back to the salad.  I love the textures in this salad.  Tender, silky chicken and crisp cold cucumbers.  You can use romaine or iceberg but I like using Bibb.  Instead of slicing the cucumbers I rolled-cut them and lightly smashed them. The Miso and Sesame Sauce has a touch of lemon zest which adds a hint of citrus.  I used Gochugaro, a Korean chili powder instead of cayenne to add some spice.

This is a tasty addition to the summer salad rotation.  Enjoy!

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Miso Sesame Chicken Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Asian sesame paste or tahini
  • 4 tablespoons white shiro miso I used Aedan Mild White Miso
  • 3 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon mirin
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • ½ teaspoon roasted sesame oil
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Small pinch of cayenne optional, I used Gochugaro Powder instead
  • 1 3-poundchicken, cooked poach chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken as directed in post
  • 2 heads small Bibb or Boston lettuce can use Little Gems or romaine hearts
  • 2 medium cucumbers, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick, lightly salted I prefer Persian or English cucumbers
  • 3 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions or chives
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds for garnish
  • 1 teaspoon toasted black sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

  • Put sesame paste, miso, vinegar, mirin, ginger, sugar and lemon zest in a small mixing bowl. Whisk together until well combined. Whisk in sesame and vegetable oils. Check seasoning and adjust with salt, pepper and cayenne, if using. You should have about 2/3 cup dressing. If it seems too thick, thin with a tablespoon or 2 of water.
  • Remove skin from chicken and pull all the meat from the carcass. Shred chicken meat into 1-inch strips and put in a medium mixing bowl. (Refrigerate or freeze any remaining skin, fat, bones and cartilage for making broth.) You should have about 4 cups shredded chicken.
  • Separate the lettuce leaves and arrange on a large platter, leaving space for the chicken at the center, then scatter with cucumber slices.
  • Gently toss the shredded chicken with salt and pepper. Pour all but a few tablespoons of dressing over the chicken and gently toss to coat. Transfer dressed chicken to center of platter and nap with remaining dressing. Sprinkle scallions and sesame seeds on top and serve.

Notes

I made a half recipe which was plenty for the two of us.  
Ashure Cereal
Crazy 8 Day: It’s Crack Not A Cookie but It Deserves to be on the List

Crazy 8 Day: It’s Crack Not A Cookie but It Deserves to be on the List

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This year I joined in on Food52’s Holiday Gift Swap. It was simple, all I had to do was  make a donation to their designated charity and promise to send a food-centric gift by Dec. 10th.  A couple of days later, I received my “Secret Santa” swapee’s name and address.  My swappee lives in Colorado, I already had a list of go to items I wanted to send her like Jule’s granola and my cousin’s spiced pecans.

My box of goodies came from Catherine of Salt Lake City.  Like a kid in a candy store, I quickly tore the box open and discovered a treasure trove of gifts, sweet and salty chocolate sprinkles, popcorn seasoning, salad toppings, a too cute kitchen towel and a delicious cereal mix- Ashure Cereal that I started munching on immediately.  Luckily, Cathy included the recipe by Saimin Nosrat in the NY Times. It starts with a base of puffed wheat, nuts, and sesame seeds.  Then spiced with cinnamon, cardamon and mahaleb, (a middle eastern spice from cherry seeds, think bitter almond) and finally toasted in the oven with brown sugar, honey and oil.  It is addictively delicious.

After scarffing down the bag, I knew I had to make my own batch.

This is where the search begins…

I head to my favorite market, International Food Bazaar.  I unwittingly thought that the spices would be the hardest to find. Surprisingly not true.  Most of the ingredients and spices can also be found online.

With Mahaleb in hand, I head to my neighborhood grocery for the puffed wheat cereal…

4 STORES later, I walk out empty-handed and dejected.  Not a bag or box of puffed wheat to be found.  Apparently it is really hard to find puffed cereals without sugar added.  Who would have “thunk” it?

I took to the internet, and found Vitacost, a supplement/health food site where I not only find Puffed Wheat, but Puffed Kamut (an ancient grain), Puffed Corn and Puffed Rice. You can find Puffed Rice by Quaker Oats in the supermarket, a great alternative for a gluten free version. I like Puffed Kamut. I would definitely cut a bit of the cereal and add more nuts and Mahaleb.  Watch carefully when baking as it browns fairly quickly.  I love it over yogurt and fresh fruit or straight out of hand.

So be forewarned, the most difficult ingredient to find will be the cereal.  But it will be well worth it, Ashure Cereal is absolutely delicious.

Here, for you to drool over, my Food 52 holiday swap gift  from Cathy!

Ashure Cereal
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Ashure Cereal

Course Snack
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Keyword cereal
Cook Time 15 minutes
30 minutes
Servings 10 servings
Author Adapted from NYT

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup /85 grams neutral-tasting oil such as canola
  • 6 tablespoons /110 grams honey
  • 1⁄2 cup /110 grams dark brown sugar packed
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon ground mahaleb increase to 3/4 -1
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 10 cups /160 grams puffed wheat sub Puffed Kamut or Rice
  • 3/4 Scant cup /85 grams halved pecans increase to 1 cup
  • 1⁄3 cup /50 grams pumpkin seeds
  • 3 tablespoons /30 grams sesame seeds
  • 1⁄2 cup /85 grams almonds very roughly chopped, or left whole with skin

Instructions

Step 1

  • Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle positions. Heat to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.

Step 2

  • Combine oil, honey and sugar in a medium saucepan, and set over medium-high heat. Whisk well, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.

Step 3

  • In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients, and mix well. Once the honey mixture comes to a boil, carefully pour it over the dry ingredients. Working quickly, use a large silicone spatula to stir, turning the contents of the bowl over until everything is coated evenly with the syrup. Transfer mixture to baking sheets, and use spatula to flatten out cereal into an even layer.

Step 4

  • Place baking sheets on prepared oven racks, and bake for 10 minutes.
  • Carefully remove 1 tray at a time, and use spatula to stir cereal around. Rotate trays 180 degrees, and switch oven positions to ensure even baking. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes longer, until golden brown and well caramelized. Remove from oven, and allow to cool entirely on the trays before breaking cereal into large clusters.

Step 5

  • Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Happy holidays and happy baking!
“Open Sesame” Salted Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookie Revealed

“Open Sesame” Salted Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookie Revealed

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Holiday Cookie List: Number EIGHT. Very LATE. But worth the WAIT!

My friend Mel mentioned a recipe she had tried recently from the NYTimes for Salted Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies.  She could not stop raving about them, light, crispy, buttery, hint of sesame, they sounded scrumptious. Always on the lookout for riffs on classic cookies, I immediately made a mental note to put the recipe on my Cookie Bucket List.

I checked out NYTcooking and noticed the recipe contained only granulated sugar which may account for its crisp texture.  I like a crispy and chewy chocolate chip cookie so I googled chocolate chip tahini cookies.  Judging by the number of recipes that popped up in my search, this cookie is a winner. The grand dame for this cookie recipe appears to be from Danielle Oron’s Modern Israeli Cooking: 100 New Recipes for Traditional Classics.  I settled on Davie Lebovitz’s version which calls for both granulated and brown sugars.  Perhaps the moisture in the brown sugar would add a bit of chewiness to the cookie.

Sherlock Wanna Be

My aspiration to be an ATK food investigator.  I baked the first sheet of cookies on parchment paper and the second on Silpat.

The difference was small but noticeable.  The cookies baked on parchment were just a bit thinner and had a crackly top.  The Silpat cookies did not spread as much and the top did not have the crackly appearance.  Both were delicious and texturally quite similar.  Of note about a minute before the cookies were done I rapped the pan on the rack which causes the cookies to deflate giving them the signature crackly top. The parchment-baked ones appeared to have more cracks.  A trick I learned from SaraBeth’s Kitchen baking book.

Cookies on the left were baked on parchment, the cookies on the right on Silpat

It is super important to chill the dough.  The dough is very soft and light and benefits from the time in the fridge.  I used a 2 tablespoon scoop for a bit smaller cookie and baked the cookies for approximately 12 minutes.  As soon as the cookies are removed from the oven, sprinkle them with a mix of fleur de sel or flaky salt and black and white sesame seeds.  Cool on a rack.

BAKE THESE COOKIES NOW

They are delicious. Crispy edges, a little bit of chewiness in the center, buttery, chocolatey (there’s my fake word again) with a subtle hint of sesame. So, so, good.  The Tahini seems to lighten the cookie.  If you want a crisper cookie I would use granulated sugar only.  A definite keeper.

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“Open Sesame” Salted Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookie Treasure Revealed

A delicious twist to chocolate chip cookies by adding tahini
Course cookies
Cuisine American
Keyword Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookie, cookies
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

The Stuff to be Creamed First

  • 8 tablespoons 115g, 4 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup 120ml tahini, well stirred
  • 1/2 cup 100g granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup 90g packed light brown sugar (For a crisper cookie omit brown sugar and use 200gm granulated sugar or 1 cup)

The Wet Stuff

  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

The Dry Stuff

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons AP FlourThe 150g
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher Diamond Crystal or sea salt (DL uses a french sea salt which is similar to a kosher salt, it is not like our sea salt, if using table salt use 1/2 teaspoon, if using Morton's kosher salt use 3/4 teaspoon)

The Bling

  • 2 cups 280g bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chunks (I used TJ's chocolate chunks)
  • flaky sea salt such as Maldon or fleur de sel
  • black and white sesame seeds

Instructions

  • 1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and kosher or sea salt, set aside.
  • 2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, tahini, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until fluffy.
  • 3. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Add the egg, the yolk, and vanilla, and continue to mix for another minute, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl during mixing
  • 4. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just combined, then add the chocolate chips. Do not overmix.
  • 5. Cover the dough and refrigerate overnight.
  • 6. Preheat the oven to 325ºF (160ºC). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  • 7. Form the cookies into rounds using an ice cream scoop. For small cookies make each 1 1/2-inch (3.5cm), for larger cookies, 2-inches (5cm) diameter. Place them evenly spaced on the baking sheets, 3-inches (8cm) apart.
  • 8. Bake one sheet at a time, so you can keep an eye on them, use themiddle rack of the oven.
  • 9. Bake the cookies, turning the baking sheet midway during baking, until the cookies are golden brown around the edges but still pale in the center. For small cookies, about 12 minutes, for larger cookies, about 14 to 15 minutes.
  • 10. Remove from the oven, sprinkle cookies with a bit of flaky sea salt and sesame seeds.
  • 11. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet.
  • Storage: These cookies will keep for two or three days at room temperature, but are definitely better the same day they're baked. The unbaked dough can be refrigerated for up to one week, and frozen for up to two months.
Ottolenghi-Ototalyummi Blueberry Lemon Almond Cake

Ottolenghi-Ototalyummi Blueberry Lemon Almond Cake

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I am a big fan of Ottolenghi’s cookbooks, the photos are mouthwatering and every dish I have tried has been delicious.  My favorite book is Jerusalem and not just for the recipes and photos but it’s premise. Two men who grew up in opposite ends of Jerusalem, one Jewish, one Arab create wonderful food together.

In today’s America we seem so divided…we should just have a ginormous potluck where everyone brings their favorite dish to share. The rule would be bring a dish your grandmother or your grandfather made for you.  Can you imagine that table?  It would be filled with dishes from every corner of the world.  Hard to hate on someone sharing a bowl of their grandmother’s mandu or kreplach. Mean words to a guy who hands you a plate of brisket perfectly smoked the way his dad taught him?  I hope not.  Food soothes the soul, heals the heart and sways the mind.

A girl can dream right?

A couple of weeks ago Ottolenghi posted a recipe in his New York Times column that looked absolutely scrumptious.  A Blueberry Lemon Almond Loaf.  Lucky for me I have a lemon tree in my garden (an endless supply of lemons makes me happy) and had ripe, sweet blueberries from my trip to the farmers market over the weekend.

Buttery goodness is brightened by lemon zest, with a generous amount of blueberries, and finished with a zingy lemon icing. Yep, making cake, then eating cake.

The batter comes together quickly. The addition of almond flour produces a tender crumb. The only glitch I encountered was adding a reserved portion of blueberries to the batter after 15 minutes in the oven.  At this point, the top of the loaf was brown and pretty set. I ended up throwing the blueberries on top and pushing them down-with a bit of success. Next time I’d check the loaf earlier and throw the berries on a bit earlier so they sink into the batter a bit. I love lemon so I pumped up the amount of lemon zest in the cake and added some to the icing. Bake this cake it’s lemonlicious and bluerrific.

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Ottolenghi-Ototalyummi Blueberry Lemon Almond Cake

Blueberry Lemon Almond Cake from Ottolenghi. Buttery, filled with citrus flavor
Course Cake, Dessert
Cuisine European
Keyword Apple Cake, blueberry, lemon, ottolenghi
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 43 minutes

Ingredients

Ottolenghi New York Times Cooking

Creamed Mixture

  • 11 tbsp 1 stick plus 3 tablespoons(150 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the pan
  • 1 scant cup (190 grams) granulated or superfine sugar caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs beaten

Dry Mixture

  • ⅔ cup (90 grams) all-purpose flour plain flour, sifted
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (110 grams) almond flour finely ground almonds
  • 1 ½ cups (200 grams) fresh blueberries Split into scant 1 cup for the batter and 3/8 cup for top of cake

The Finish

  • ⅔ cup (70 grams) confectioners’ sugar icing sugar, powdered
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice (or more juice as needed)

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/200 degrees Celsius. Grease a 9- or 8-inch/21-centimeter loaf pan with butter, line it with a parchment paper sling and butter the paper. Set the pan aside.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and almond flour. Set aside.
  • Place butter, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until light, then lower speed to medium. Add eggs in three additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times as necessary. The mix may split (look curdled) a little but don’t worry: It’ll come back together once you add the dry ingredients.
  • With the stand mixer on low, add the reserved dry ingredient mixture in three additions, mixing just until no dry specks remain. Fold in about 3/4 of the blueberries by hand, then scoop batter into the prepared loaf pan.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining blueberries over the top of the cake. Check the cake at the 10 minuteReturn to the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes, until cake is golden brown but still uncooked. Cover loosely with foil and continue to cook for another 25 to 30 minutes (less for a 9-inch pan, more for an 8-inch pan), or until risen and cooked, and a knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
  • Remove from oven and set aside in its pan to cool for 10 minutes before removing cake from pan and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
  • When cake is cool, make the icing: Add lemon juice and icing sugar to a bowl and whisk together until smooth, adding a bit more juice if necessary, just until the icing moves when you tilt the bowl. Pour over the cake and gently spread out. The blueberries on the top of the cake may bleed into the icing a little, but this will add to the look.
  • Let icing set (about 30 minutes), slice and serve.

My Tweaks

  • I added another teaspoon of lemon zest to the batter and 1/2 teaspoon of zest to the icing. I ❤️ lemon
  • I did not use all the icing, I drizzled the icing on instead. Not a big fan of lots of icing.