Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

On request, I'm posting the recipe for these decadent morsels that I made for book group last week. I got this recipe from my sister Becky. The recipe I first got from her called for rolling the cookie dough balls in orange peel infused sugar, which makes them pretty and sparkly, but I didn't think the extra sweetness added much to the flavor. I like to make them with mini chocolate chips and roll them in waxed paper, freeze and slice them for a different look. You can shape the log in a square by packing into a wax-paper or aluminum foil box lined with plastic wrap.   Or just make them round.  The freezing step means they work really well as make ahead cookies for the holidays (or any other time of year). I also usually drizzle them with a bit of semi-sweet chocolate for drama. I just love orange and chocolate together. These cookies are nice and buttery and nutty, too.


Orange Chocolate-Chip Cookies

1 c. sugar
2/3 c. butter
1 Tbs. grated orange peel (I'm generous with this)
1 egg
1 3/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. chocolate chips



Cream together sugar, butter, orange peel. Beat in the egg until fluffy. Stir in dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate and nuts. Either roll into bar cookies in waxed paper and freeze or roll into 1 1/2" balls, place on ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten to about 1/2" thick. Bake 350 for 9-11 minutes. If desired, when cooled, drizzle with chocolate. Just melt about 1/4 c. chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 10 seconds. Place in plastic baggie, cut off a tiny bit of the corner and drizzle over cookies placed close together.

Herbed Turkey Breast with Bacon



So, I couldn't resist buying a turkey back at Thanksgiving, and ended up cooking it in parts instead of as a whole roast bird. I poached the legs in a seasoned broth and used them in mole and chilaquiles and turkey soup (made with that broth), and I boned the breast, rubbed it with herbs and wrapped it in bacon and made this fantastic roast chicken breast. It was dramatic and delicious the first evening, and the leftovers made great sandwiches with avocados, tomatoes, and lettuce. I was very happy with the results. I think it was the best turkey I've ever had. I'm fairly traditional when it comes to Thanksgiving, but I think I might have to give up the whole roast bird in the future for this. It cooks faster, too!

from a recipe in Fine Cooking's November issue:

Roasted Turkey Breast, Porchetta Style

1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp. chopped fresh sage
3 medium cloves garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 whole skin-on turkey breast (5 to 7 lb.), boned or 2 boneless skin-on turkey breast halves (2 to 3 lb. each)
Eight 1/8-inch-thick pancetta slices, unrolled into strips, or 8 strips thick-cut bacon (I used the bacon since that's what I had)

In a large mortar, pound the coriander and fennel seeds with a pestle to form a coarse powder. Add the rosemary and sage and pound to crush and bruise the herbs. Add the garlic and 1 Tbs. salt and pound until a paste begins to form. Stir in 2 tsp. pepper and 2 Tbs. of the olive oil and set aside.

Pat the turkey breast dry with a paper towel and lay it skin side down on a work surface. Rub half the spice paste over the meat. Turn the turkey over and carefully separate the skin from the meat without tearing the skin. Rub the remaining spice paste under the skin. Reform the breast and tie with 4 to 6 loops of butcher’s twine to make a roll. (If you’re using boneless halves, season the two halves, lay them on top of each other skin side out, and tie them together.) Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

Heat the remaining 1 Tbs. oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey breast and cook until golden-brown on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer the breast seam side down to a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Crisscross the pancetta or bacon over the top of the breast. Roast until the internal temperature reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. Let the turkey breast rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the pancetta and chop or crumble it. Remove the strings from the turkey, slice into 1/4-inch slices, and serve, sprinkled with the pancetta.

Is it possible to have too many truffles?






I think the answer might be yes. Most certainly, it's possible to make too many. Remind me never to make so many in one day ever again. It stopped being fun about halfway through. However, I'm sure I'll start to forget that by tomorrow when I'm enjoying eating them. We followed the recipe in Fine Cooking, and used Ghirardelli's dark chocolate chips in the ganache and Trader Joe's pound plus chocolate bars for dipping. They take a lot longer to make than I expected, but then we ended up making more than I expected, too. About 200? Plus dipped strawberries and ginger and dried apricots.

We just had to try all our flavor combo ideas:
mint with peppermint on top
dark chocolate orange
Mexican (cinnamon almond)
hazelnut
Irish creme
Ancho chile
wasabi and ginger

If I ever do this again, I'm not doing more than 2 flavors.

Here's Fine Cooking's interactive create your own truffle recipe.

Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

A Lighter Macaroni and Cheese

No bunless hotdogs this week. I even tried some new recipes and started replenishing my freezer stash.

You'd never guess this recipe from Ellie Krieger has a substantial amount of butternut squash in it. It has all the comfort of homemade mac and cheese without being so heavy. It is lightened up a bit with ricotta cheese and the butternut, which adds to the orange color. It's actually easier than traditional homemade mac and cheese (if you don't make the pureed squash from scratch like I did) because you don't have to make a roux for the white sauce base. I didn't have the jack cheese, so I substituted sharp cheddar. I would use extra sharp cheddar in the future for a stronger cheesy flavor, as directed. I put it in two 8 in. square pans, baked one and froze the other (lined with foil so I can pull it out and put it in a plastic bag in the freezer) to bake and eat another week. Broccoli makes a great side dish.

Macaroni and Four Cheeses

16 oz. elbow macaroni
two 10 oz. packages frozen pureed winter squash
2 cups lowfat milk
1 1/3 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
2/3 cup grated monterey jack cheese (2 oz)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbs. plain dry bread crumbs
2 Tbs. freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375. Coat a 9x13 inch (or 2 8x8 in) baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook the macaroni according the package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, place the frozen squash and milk in a large saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a spoon until it is defrosted. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until almost simmery, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the cheddar, jack, ricotta, salt, mustard, and cayenne. Pour over the macaroni, stir to combine, and transfer to the prepared baking dish(es).

Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake until the cheeses are bubbling around the edges, about 20 min, then broil for 3 minutes so the top is crisp and nicely browned.

Cranberry Streusel Shortbread Bars


I'm finally done with my Christmas/holiday pottery orders and got work delivered and shipped off on Friday and all my Christmas packages mailed. On Saturday I got to sew with Z and take a good long nap, and I did some Christmas baking today. I had a bit of a preview on Monday, when I made caramel corn and toffee to ship to family, on Tuesday, when I made orange chocolate chip cookies for book group, and on Thursday when I made chocolate covered strawberries for Z's class party. Those turned out beautiful, but I didn't get a single picture. I've never tried tempering chocolate before, but it isn't as difficult as I had thought. We're planning to make some truffles this week, so I'll try to post about that.

I got this fantastic recipe in an email today and I just so happened to need to bring cookies to a Christmas concert this evening and I had fresh cranberries languishing in the bottom of my refrigerator, so I decided to give it a try. These are quite easy, festive, and have a delicious contrast between the tartness of the cranberries and the buttery sweet shortbread. I like the suggestion in the comments to add orange peel to the filling, and will try that next time. These are going on our favorite holiday cookies list. Just be sure to allow the extra time needed for chilling, and watch out to not add too much sugar in the first step (I accidentally added the full cup listed in the ingredients list instead of the 3/4 cup in the instructions, but it turned out great anyway).

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/cranberry-streusel-shortbread-bars.aspx

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Zuppa Toscana


It hasn't been above freezing for days now, and today seemed particularly bitter out. Even inside, you can feel the cold coming off the walls. A hot, hearty soup was just what we needed to warm up from the inside. Since I knew we had a winter box from the farmer to pick up today, I planned to make Zuppa Toscana to use up some of the giant bunch of kale. I've been meaning to try this soup since the summer, but this was the perfect time of year for it. I cobbled together this recipe from several that I've seen. It was fantastic! So very warming and satisfying. We all agree this is a keeper. The only thing that might have made it better would have been if I'd made some fresh crusty bread and heated up the house even more with the oven.

What are you all doing to stay warm?

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. mild italian sausage
1 cup onion, chopped
1 Tbs. minced garlic
2 large potatoes, scrubbed and cubed but not peeled (red potatoes are great)
1 quart chicken broth
2-3 cups water, as needed
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (to taste)
2-3 generous cups of kale, washed, stemmed and cut into small pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup heavy cream

Take the sausage out of its casing and crumble and fry it over med-high heat. When it about half cooked, stir in the onion and continue to saute. When the sausage is cooked, spoon out the fat, then return to the heat, add the potatoes and garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and 1-2 cups of water and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are nearly tender, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in the kale and salt and pepper if desired. Cook until the kale is tender, about 5 more minutes, adding more water if desired to keep it brothy. Remove from heat and stir in the cream and serve.

All this needs is a good salad and some crusty bread on the side.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Z's booth


Here's a photo of Z's booth at the Holiday Shoppe. She seemed a little disappointed at the end of the evening that she hadn't sold more of her work (she had a few tote bags left over), but that had a lot to do with the fact that she severely underestimated her profits. Once we counted up the cash, she was thrilled. She sold out of her sock animals and made 3 more while girls waited. At one point, when I went to see how things were going, she was sewing away, and there was a girl standing there waiting to buy it as soon as she finished. I saw some pretty happy girls walking around with their sock animals.