Inarizushi (Seasoned Sushi Pockets)

Inarizushi are at the tip of the boat

We like to include these in our sushi parties - a nice variation that's sweet and usually a good way to get your kids to decide they like sushi, since it doesn't include anything fishy.  You can also just stuff the pockets with sushi rice or add some other toppings, but I like it this way.

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups rice prepared for sushi*
1-2 Tbs. minced pickled ginger
2 Tbs. chopped peanuts
1 Tbs. sesame seeds
2 dates, chopped
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
tofu pockets

Mix flavorings into rice. Squeeze most of the liquid out of the pockets.  Press into egg shape, then stuff into pocket.  Fold top over and press the whole thing together.

*For sushi rice instructions, see Sushi Bowls Recipe

Cinnamon Rolls or Sticky Buns

Zoe and I made a quadruple batch of these for Zoe's classmates last week.  They were a big hit.  We had the sticky bun version for Christmas morning (just shape the night before and refrigerate overnight then bake in the morning), but Zoe thought they would be too messy for school, so we served them plain with frosting on the side.

This recipe is adapted slightly from The Joy of Cooking

Cinnamon Rolls


If you have a breadmaker, just combine all the dough ingredients (up through the 6 Tbs. butter) in the breadmaker and run the dough cycle. When the dough is ready, follow the instructions for shaping, rising and baking.

If you don't have a breadmaker, combine in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer and let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes:

1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm (105-115 degree) water

Add:

1/2 cup cake flour (all purpose is ok)

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix by hand or on low speed until blended.  Gradually stir in:

2 cups bread flour (all purpose is ok)

Mix for 1 minute until the dough comes together.  Knead by hand for about 10 min. or with the dough hook on low to medium speed for 5-7 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic and no longer sticks to your hands or the bowl.  Add:

6 Tbs. very soft butter

Vigorously knead in the butter until completely incorporated and the dough is once again smooth.  Place the dough in a large buttered bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours. (Refrigerate if you need more time before you shape it).  

Punch the dough down and roll it out on a floured surface into a 16x12 inch rectangle.  Brush the dough with 

1 Tbs. melted butter

Sprinkle with 

1/3 cup sugar mixed with 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Starting from the long side, roll up the dough as you would a jelly roll.  Cut crosswise into 12 slices.  Arrange the slices cut-side down in a greased 9x13 pan, spacing them equally in the pan.  Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350.  Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.  Top with cream cheese frosting if desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Have the cream cheese cold and the butter at room temperature.

In a medium bowl, beat until just blended:

8 oz. cream cheese

5 Tbs.unsalted butter

2 tsp. vanilla

Add one third at a time and beat until just smooth and the desired consistency:

2 to 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

If the frosting is too stiff, beat for a few seconds longer.  Do not overbeat.  This keeps, refrigerated, about 1 week or freeze up to 3 months.  This is going to be a lot more than you need.  So you can freeze the rest to use later, or just make a half recipe.

Sticky Bun Variation:

(Instead of topping with frosting) 

Bring to boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar: 

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

8 Tbs. butter

1/4 c. honey

Remove from heat and stir in:

3/4 c. chopped pecans

Pour the hot syrup into the baking pan and spread it evenly.  Let cool while you shape the dough.  Use brown sugar instead of white inside the cinnamon rolls, and proceed as in the other recipe.  When done baking, let cool 5 minutes, then invert the pan onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil to catch the hot syrup.

Andes Chocolate Creme de Menthe Cookies

For your consideration in your Christmas baking - I can't decide whether these or the orange chocolate chip cookies are my all-time favorites.  I also made almond macaroons and cranberry streusel shortbread cookies, which were both very good, but not an epiphany.

This one's for Eileen, who insisted I post this on my blog.  These are a dark chocolate cookie with Andes chocolate mints in them.  They're kind of like thin mint cookies, but better because they're crispy and chewy.  I wish I could remember where I got the recipe.  It has been too long.  Originally, I was making a chocolate cookie and adding the andes mints, but I think perhaps I got this off the package.

Andes Chocolate Creme de Menthe Cookies

1/2 c. salted butter
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 c. flour

1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 c. cocoa powder (special dark cocoa makes for dramatically dark color)

1 package (10 oz) Andes creme de menthe baking chips

Blend butter and sugars until fluffy, then mix in vanilla and eggs.  Sift dry ingredients together, then stir them into the butter mixture.  Stir in the mints.  Shape in 1 oz. balls (I use a small cookie dough scoop).  Bake at 350 for 8-10  min.  Makes about 3 dozen.

Happy 14th Birthday!

So, for a Halloween/Day of the Dead themed party, I made the darkest chocolate cake I could find and Clay decorated it with a stencil and powdered sugar. Pretty awesome looking!

Among other things, guests got to make their own Ultimate Caramel Apples. Which really turned into a bit of a disastrous mess, as you can see in exhibit #2. The girls had a lot of fun, and the apples were quite tasty, with all the topping options and the homemade caramel and all, but the caramel was a little too runny and slowly slid off the apples while they were supposed to be cooling. They looked great when we left them, but when we came back, all the toppings had drooped to the bottom.

We had a bonfire and a taco bar and they watched "Wait Until Dark", which they deemed the scariest movie they'd ever seen in their lives (old-fashioned suspense!). Overall it was a success, but we worked so hard on the whole affair that I've sworn to just order a pizza next year and let them hang out.

So here are the recipes:

Caramel for Apples

Chocolate Beet Cake

The first time I made the caramel (test run), it seemed like it was going to have big crystalline chunks of sugar because of the way it melted while I was stirring, so the second time I added a bit of water to help it dissolve, which is, I think, the reason it all dripped off the apples at the party. The first batch didn't do that. So just follow the recipe and don't try to second guess it. I just used salted butter, though, because that's what I had on hand. Don't do this with the frosting for the cake without reducing the salt, though, because it will be too salty. My favorite apple topping is currently sea salt and toasted pecans. Mmmmmmmm.

Pumpernickel with Olive and Walnut Spread Tea Sandwiches

I think it was a need to do something other than sit at the computer working on taxes and financial aid applications and look out at the grey skies and snowy landscape that led me to issue an open invitation to my bookgroup buddies and their daughters to come have a girly tea party. We ended up with 22 of us, and with everyone's contributions, we had a pretty impressive spread of assorted tea sandwiches, scones, mini muffins, cupcakes, fresh fruit and other goodies. We had a decent showing of tiaras and fancy dresses, too. And, really, I had a lot more fun than it looks like from this photo. It was a good party, and the sun even came out briefly! Thanks, everyone, for coming and cheering me up!

I made my favorite celebratory sandwiches from the original Moosewood Cookbook.

Here's my easy version:

3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup black olives
8 oz. cream cheese
1 scallion stem, chopped
1 red bell pepper
mesclun greens or spinach leaves, washed
cucumber (optional)
1 loaf pumpernickel bread

Toast the walnuts in the microwave for 3 minutes. Pulse to chop in the food processor. Remove to bowl. Pulse black olives to lightly chop. Add the cream cheese and chopped scallion and walnuts and pulse until blended but not too pureed. Spread on pumpernickel, top with red bell pepper (I diced it first, but slices work fine), greens and optional cucumber. Cut as desired. (I cut off the crusts and cut them in triangles).

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!

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

Pan de Muertos

To celebrate Dia de los Muertos on Tuesday night, we made this delectable pan de muertos from allrecipes.com. It's a chance to think about loved ones who have died and honor their memories. Pan de Muertos is a lot like a challah bread (made with eggs, butter and milk), but flavored with orange peel and a hint of anise, then glazed with an orange glaze. It was much better than the ones we used to get in Mexico! We ate it all up, far too fast.