Pistachio cookies

But not just pistachio—there's also white *and* dark chocolate chips accenting the high and low notes, orange zest rounding out the middle, and enough salt to bring it all together. Besides that, it's just the recipe on the chocolate chip bag (which I always forget is improved by letting the dough firm up in the fridge).

2 sticks butter, softened (salted)
3/4 c white sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs
zest of 1 large orange
1 t vanilla
2 1/4 c flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t allspice
1 t kosher salt
1.5 c pistachios (unsalted)
1.5 c chocolate chips (half white, half dark/semisweet)

Preheat oven to 375F. Make like cookies: cream butter by itself, cream in sugar then eggs+zest+vanilla, mix in dry ingredients (flour through salt), mix in nuts and chips. Drop onto 3 greased cookie sheets, stick in the fridge for a few minutes so they don't spread out as much as mine did, then bake for 8-10 min.

Lemon drizzle cake

Lester sent me this very British recipe for lemon cake yesterday—grams, self-rising flour, greaseproof paper, and all. I kept the grams, as you can see, but everything else is easy to substitute. It makes a deliciously syrup-laden cake, a good balance of tart and sweet all the way through, and the turbinado crust is a great touch. I think it might be even better without the almonds though.

3 sticks butter
350 g white sugar
zest + juice of 6 medium Meyer lemons (divided)
6 eggs
200 g flour
1 T baking powder
150 g ground almonds
2 T milk
1 T bourbon
200 g turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F and butter and parchment 2 loaf pans. Cream the butter, sugar, and half the lemon zest. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Gently mix in the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, almonds) then the milk and bourbon; the batter should be fairly stiff but still sloppy enough to fall off the beaters. Divide the batter between the pans and bake for 45 min (for 9x5" loaf pans, probably longer for smaller). Meanwhile, stir the turbinado into the remaining lemon juice+zest to partially dissolve.

When the cakes are baked, set them in their pans on a cooling rack and poke the tops all over with a toothpick. Pour the lemon syrup over the surface, letting the liquid soak in and the sugar leave an even, crunchy coat. Let cool completely in the pans.

Crust & Crumb bagels

This attempt at bagels (the third on this blog) turned out about as well as the first, and way better than the second. That's probably because this version has the driest dough yet, which is critical for getting good chewy bagels. The everything bagels (which I topped with salt, poppy seeds, fennel seeds, and caraway seeds) turned out especially well.

I followed the "yeasted bagels" recipe from Crust & Crumb, which takes 24 hr start to finish. My only real modification to the recipe was to add a drizzle of honey to the poaching water—this is characteristic of "Montreal-style" bagels, which are popping up all over the west coast these days—but I'm not sure it made a difference.

make the sponge:

2 c bread flour
2 c cool water (65F)
1/3 t yeast

In the morning, stir together the sponge ingredients in a bowl that can hold double the volume. Cover and let sit on the counter all day. By evening (or at least 6 hr later) when you're ready to use it, it should be bubbly and have a loosely cohesive internal structure like a well-proofed starter (but without the sourdough smell).

make the dough:

2 c sponge
1 t yeast
1 c lukewarm water (85F)
4 t salt
3 T malt syrup
1.75-2 lb bread flour (at least 6 c)
optional add-ins (I used cinnamon raisin)

After dinner, measure out the sponge into a large bowl, and stir in everything else except the flour until smooth. Dump in a third of the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to make a batter. Dump in another third and stir to form a stiff, shaggy ball of dough. Transfer the dough to a clean surface and knead for a long time, gradually incorporating the last third of the flour until your wrists are exhausted and the dough is smooth, firm, and dry. (At this point I cut the dough in half and kneaded 1 T cinnamon and a cup or two of raisins into one half.) Let the dough ball(s) rest on the counter, covered with a clean cloth, for about half an hour while you take a break and play some pinochle (or the recipe says you can move straight to shaping).

Cut the dough into 16 equal-sized pieces (e.g., 8 plain and 8 cinnamon raisin). Roll each piece into a 6" rope, join the ends with 2" overlap, and roll the overlapping ends together on the counter to seal. Place the shaped bagels on 2 semolina- or cornmeal-dusted baking sheets, cover with cloths, and let rest. After an hour or two, the bagels should just be beginning to rise, and a tester bagel should float in a bowl of cold water. Seal the pans inside spray-greased garbage bags and put in the fridge overnight.

cook the bagels:

big pot of water
honey
optional toppings (I used kosher salt, poppy seeds, fennel seeds, and caraway seeds)

Wake up early to pull the bagels out of the fridge, remove the bags, and cover the bagels with a cloth. Put the pizza stone in the middle of the oven and start preheating to 475F. This will take a while, so make some coffee and read some email. Then start boiling a few inches of water and a drizzle of honey in the pot. When the water boils, turn it down to just barely simmering (harder boil means flat wrinkly bagels). Working in batches (three bagels at a time works for my pot), poach the bagels in the water for 1.5 min on each side. Place the poached bagels on semolina-dusted parchment and sprinkle with any toppings. (Out of the 8 plain bagels, I left 4 plain and made 4 into everything bagels.) When the first 8 bagels are boiled and topped, slide the parchment of bagels onto the pizza stone and bake for 10-11 min while you boil the other 8 bagels; the second batch should be ready to bake right about when the first batch is done. Let the bagels cool on a rack for at least half an hour before slicing.

Egg drop soup

This soup started out as a way to turn extra egg whites (leftover from making mint chip ice cream) into dinner. It's very quick, very easy, very savory, and very light. In fact, it was a bit too light for a light dinner for three, and would be even better bulked up with wontons, sturdy greens, ramen or udon noodles, etc—try adding those between the mushrooms and the egg.

drizzle peanut oil
1 thumb-size chunk of ginger, peeled and sliced
1 bunch scallions (6-8), half chopped in 2" lengths and half thinly sliced
1/2 t red pepper flakes
dozen shiitake mushrooms, stems reserved and tops quartered
6 c hot stock (2 not-chicken stock cubes)
1 t soy sauce, or to taste
6 oz tofu, diced
1 T cornstarch
3 egg whites, lightly beaten

Heat the oil, ginger slices, long scallion parts, pepper flakes, and mushroom stems in a pot while you boil water for the stock. Add the stock to the pot and simmer for 15 minutes until the the broth is flavored to taste (add soy sauce now as needed). Remove and discard the ginger, scallions, and mushroom stems (scooping or straining works).

Add the tofu and mushroom tops to the broth and simmer until the mushrooms are cooked through. Ladle a bit of broth into a bowl and dissolve the cornstarch in it, then stir it back into the pot to thicken the broth a bit. (This should help the chunky bits stay suspended in the broth instead of just floating at the surface.)

With the soup at a very gentle simmer, slowly drizzle the egg whites in a thin stream around the surface of the pot—the egg should cook instantly into ribbons. Sprinkle in the rest of the scallions and gently stir. Simmer for another couple minutes to set the egg completely before serving.

A couple days of food in Portland

• Amazing vegan reuben at Red and Black Cafe before exploring Hawthorne, Hosford-Abernethy, and the warehouse district
• Genmaicha at the very pleasant Behind the Museum Cafe to gather our energy for Powell's
• More vegan grains+veggies goodness for dinner at Prasad
• Brunch of stellar french toast, but underwhelming other things, at Jam
• While wandering around Mississippi: tea samples at Stash (we bought the Portland blend), solid cappuccinos (plus comfy couches and good music) at Albina Press, and delicious jambalaya and fried okra for happy hour at Miss Delta (no interesting local beer though, boo)
• Didn't get any food or drink at Living Room Theaters, but Old Goats was highly entertaining and you should see it if you get the chance
• Midnight snack at Voodoo Doughnut, of course
• Passable coffee at Pieper Cafe, around the corner from Brandon's house (thanks for putting us up!)
• Train food to-go from the Mt Tabor area: pasties from the Brit-approved Horse Brass, yummy lefse and overpriced sides from Viking Soul Food, spelt+pear+pecan bread from Tabor Bread. Wanted the veggie bowl from Namu, but sadly they didn't open while we were around the Good Food Here food cart pod.

Verdict: Mississippi and Mt Tabor neighborhoods are delightful. As are vegan tempeh rice bowl things. Totally failed to take advantage of the beer scene, but that just means I'll have to go back!

Peanut butter fudge cheesecake

Happy holidays everyone! My little stepbrother is a cheesecake fan, so we adapted this to what my mom had around the house. (Making ganache with sour cream worked surprisingly well.) It's like a big creamy peanut butter cup, but even better--a good addition to your white Christmas.

crust:
1.5 packs graham crackers + 1/4 c cocoa powder (or just use oreos)
5 T melted butter

Grind the cookies in the food processor, then combine with other ingredients.


cheesecake filling:
2.5 packs cream cheese (20 oz), softened (lowfat ok)
1 c sugar
1 c peanut butter (crunchy, unsalted)
1 t vanilla
3 eggs + 1 egg white

Cream all ingredients together, eg in the food processor.


chocolate filling:
1 c sour cream
2 T milk
1 egg yolk
2 c chocolate chips

Warm the sour cream, milk, and egg yolk in a small saucepan over low heat, taking care not to scald. Stir in the chocolate until smooth.


to assemble:
6 mini Reeses cups, chopped

Preheat oven to 325F. Press the crust into a 9" springform pan (there may be extra) and bake for 10 min, then cool completely. Pour 2/3 of the chocolate filling into the crust, smooth, and sprinkle with the chopped peanut butter cups. Pour in all of the cheesecake filling, top with the last 1/3 of the chocolate filling, and smooth carefully. The springform will be quite full, so place it on a cookie sheet to catch any overflow. Bake for about 1 hr 15 min until the center is just set, then chill overnight.

Two hearty winter dishes

Laura here, your friendly neighborhood guest blogger, with a couple recipes to warm your bones on those cold winter nights.  

Served these two dishes last night, accompanied by a multigrain baguette from La Farine, truffled pecorino, and a nice bottle of wine.  It was almost enough to make me homesick for Gran Sasso...

Chestnut and chickpea soup (Zuppa di ceci e castagne)

This recipe is a translation / adaptation of a recipe I found a few years ago on the official Abruzzo tourism website, attributed to l'Osteria Antiche Mura, a restaurant in L'Aquila.  Indeed, it tastes almost exactly as I remember -- rich, slightly sweet, and very flavorful.  The website where I found this recipe seems to have disappeared, but here's my take on it.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lb chestnuts
• two cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained 
• 6 cloves garlic
• sprig rosemary
• 3 fresh bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• olive oil, 
• salt & pepper

Roast and shell the chestnuts.  If anyone knows a trick to make this easier, please for the love of god tell me what it is!  I usually score each chestnut with an 'X', then bake them at 350 for 20 minutes or so.  But I also usually have a hell of a time shelling them, so my method is probably not optimal.

Put the shelled chestnuts in a bowl of lukewarm water.  You can let them soak for up to 2 hours (recommended by the recipe), but in my experience, that's not really necessary.

Mince the garlic and rosemary.  Saute garlic in olive oil, then add the rest of the ingredients, along with ~6-8 cups water.  Simmer for a good long while (probably ~30 min.), until the chestnuts start to disintegrate and thicken the broth.

Chard with shiitake mushrooms

This recipe is based on a dish my friend Eden Gallanter once made for me.  It is one of the most delicious ways to cook greens that I have ever experienced.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch chard, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 lb shiitake mushrooms
• 1 shallot or 1/2 onion, finely sliced
• generous pour Madeira or other cooking wine (~1/2 cup)
• 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• olive oil
• salt

Saute onions in olive oil until translucent.  Add shiitakes and cook until they release their moisture.  Deglaze pan with wine.  Add greens and cook until wilted.  Add nutritional yeast and salt to taste.