Friday, April 30, 2010

White Sangria


I. love. sangria. It's the perfect spring/summer drink. For those of you that know me, however, know that I can't really drink red wine (it's the tannins, I get migraines and then I'm sad). But, I love love love white wine. And I love fruit. So what could be better then a white sangria? Oh yea....a white sangria with my new favorite liquor, St-Germain.

St-Germain has quickly become my new favorite liquor. It's an elderflower liquor from France and it is tasty! It's lightly sweet and just plain tasty. You should check it out if you get a chance (and are of the appropriate drinking age, of course). They have a bunch of drink recipe recommendations on their website, I've tried quite a few of the recipes and have yet to be disappointed.

Okay, so here's the recipe for the St-Germain Sangria.


(For those folks 21 and over)


Sangria Flora
courtesy of St-Germain

Prep Time: 10 minutes or so (however long it takes you to chop up fruit)
Inactive Time: at least 3 hours

Ingredients
  • 1 bottle Sauvigon Blanc or other dry white wine (I used a Pinot Grigio - it was delicious!)
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups St-Germain
  • 2 Fresh Peaches, sliced
  • 1 Fresh Orange, sliced
  • 5 - 6 Strawberries, halved or quartered
  • A handful of Fresh Raspberries
  • 1 bunch Fresh Grapes
Directions
  1. Stir ingredients in a pitcher or carafe. Allow fruit to soak in the mixture between 3 and 8 hours. Serve in an ice-filled glass.
Enjoy responsibly!! This is really tasty and before you know it you may have had many many glasses.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Almond Spritz Cookies

These may not sound like a lot ... but they are like crack. And incredibly easy to make. But mostly like crack. It's hard to eat just one!

This is a simple cookie press recipe that you can whip out in a very short amount of time. Don't have a cookie press? I'm sure you could find a way to make these anyhow, but the dough is incredibly soft and sticky. I'd reckon that these would be perfect for a nice afternoon tea, or with a dollop of sorbet for a light summer desert!

Almond Spritz Cookies
adapted from my Cookie Press Cookbook

Prep Time: 10 - 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Yields: 3 dzn cookies

Ingredients
  • 8 TBS (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 6 TBS granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the flat beater (or with a hand mixer), beat together the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and almond extract on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour a little at a time, beating until well blended.
  3. Fill the cookie press with dough according to the instructions and fit with the desired-shaped disk. Press the dough out onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing the cooking about 1 inch apart.
  4. Bake until the cookies are firm to the touch, about 10 minutes.
  5. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool. Cookies may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Yum!!


Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Cheesey Straws


What exactly IS a cheese straw? It's a straw shaped item of cheesy deliciousness. These are the adult version of a cheez-it, but much healthier. Well....maybe not a LOT healthier, but you will know exactly what is in it and there are no preservatives at least, right?

The really dangerous thing about this recipe is it can go from ingredients to your belly in less than an hour! If your friend calls up suddenly and wants to come over, you can whip these suckers up and have them waiting when your friend walks in a door. Having a party? Make these! Craving a cheese-d up treat? You got it....

So, I made these almost as soon as I found the recipe and wasn't sorry. In fact, I made two batches because I was afraid I'd eat one of the full batches by myself!!

Cheddar Cheese Straws
adapted from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 to 15 minutes

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups (about 6 oz) sharp cheddar cheese (I used a lovely white cheddar from Wisconsin)
  • 4 TBS (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature and cut into 4 pieces
  • 3/4 cup flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 TBS half-and-half (I used cream, and I imagine that whole milk would also work)
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a food processor (or for those that are food processor challenged - I used my KitchenAid, and you could probably use a hand mixer too) combine the cheese, butter, flour, salt & pepper flakes in five 5-second bursts until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the half-and-half (cream/milk/etc) and process for about 10 seconds until it forms a dough ball.
  3. On a lightly floured surface using a floured rolling pin, roll into an 8 x 10 rectangle that is about 1/8" thick. Cut into thin 8" strips, each 1/4" to 1/3" wide. Dipping the knife in flour every couple of cuts will make the cuts cleaner. Also, the straws can really be anywhere from 2" long to 10" long if you are challenged in your cutting.
  4. Transfer the cheese straws to a parchment lined baking sheet, (you can also use an ungreased baking sheet if you don't have parchment paper on hand) leaving at least 1/4" between the straws.
  5. Bake the straws on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the ends are barely browned. Remove from the oven and put the cookie sheet on a cooling rack to cool.
  6. Serve at room temperature.

Enjoy this cheesy, salt treat!!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Jack Cheese & Garlic Crackers

Whenever I tell someone I'm going to make crackers they give me a look and say something along the lines of "you can do that?!?". Yes. You can make homemade crackers. It's actually quite easy, made easier if you have a cookie press. And they are delicious. I was shocked the first time I made crackers, I really was. I was a little skeptical really.

And, to be honest, I still really don't know what makes a cracker a cracker and a cookie a cookie. I'd love to know more about the science of baking to understand how when I use basically the same ingredients I get two very different textures. Because on the basic level, that's what's different between a cracker and a cookie. The texture. I wouldn't want a cheese and garlic cracker that had the same texture as, say, my chocolate chip cookies. Nor would I want my chocolate chip cookies to be somewhat sandy and sturdy like my crackers!

Thus....here is a cracker recipe with a few notes for variations below!

Jack Cheese and Garlic Crackers
adapted from the Williams-Sonoma Cookie Press recipe booklet

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 14 to 16 minutes
Yields: 40 to 50 crackers

Ingredients
  • 2 cups plus 2 TBS all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 16 TBS (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup finely grated dry jack cheese, at room temperature **see note below**
  • 4 garlic cloves, pressed through a garlic press (if you don't have a garlic press finely mince)
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Over a sheet of waxed or parchment paper (or in a bowl I suppose), sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.
  4. Add the cheese and garlic and beat until combined, about 2 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  5. Reduce the speed to low, slowly add the flour mixture and beat until just combined, about 3 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  6. Fill the cookie press with some of the dough according to the instructions and fit with the desired-shape disk; cover the remaining dough with plastic wrap. Press the crackers out onto an ungreased baking sheet, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Bake until set and golden, 14 to 16 minutes.
  7. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the crackers cool completely. Remove them from the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough. Serve with something yummy to dip them in!
***A Couple Notes***

Okay, a couple things about these crackers:
  1. Cheese: you can use whatever cheese you have laying around that is somewhat dry and would go well with garlic. Last time I did these I used Parmesan. DO NOT USE THE FINELY GRATED STORE BOUGHT PARMESAN. At least don't if you are interested in using the cookie press. Please just grate your own cheese. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to do this shortcut with my various cookie press recipes (use store-grated parm) and how many times I've had to manually make the cookies because the dough is just too dense. But seriously ... use what cheese you have in the fridge. Take 5 minutes and grate it yourself.
  2. Don't have a cookie press? No worries! This recipe can work without a cookie press, no problem. Make the dough the same. It may be a bit sticky, so just keep your surface powdered. Roll the dough out till it's about 3/8" thick and cut into squares. To make them more decorative sprinkle with poppy seeds or something and poke with a fork.

Wow your friends with these at your next party, and enjoy!!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Becky's Famous Lemon Bars

Apparently I'm known throughout the land (or at least the NYC theater community that I've worked with) for my lemon bars. It's a little embarrassing, in fact. I have stories. And am sometimes sold-out by colleagues and friends, and then I have to arrive with lemon bars in hand.

But seriously, what's not to love about an amazing lemon bar? A nice, crunchy shortbread crust. A tangy, yet sweet, creamy lemony middle...I want a lemon bar and cup of tea just thinking about it!

Okay, so you want the secret to my success? Well...maybe I won't give you that. But I will show you the recipe I use!

Lemon Bars
adapted from Paul Deen's recipe
Prep time: about 15 minutes
Cook time: 40-50 minutes
Total time: about 1 hour (plus cooling time)
Yields: 24 large or 48 small bars

Ingredients

CRUST:
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup powdered (confectioner's) sugar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
LEMONY GOODNESS (ie...FILLING)
  • 6 eggs
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 TBS grated lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • Additional powdered sugar for dusting
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 pan with vegetable oil cooking spray.
  2. Make the crust: Combine the butter, flour, powdered sugar and salt in a bowl. Mix with spoon or fingers until well combined. Shape into a ball and pat evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the crust is set and just beginning to brown.
  3. Make the filling: While the crust is baking, using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat together the eggs, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and flour.
  4. Pour over the baked crust and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown and crusty on top.
  5. Let cool completely, then sift powdered sugar over the top.
  6. Cut, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.
**NOTE** It's important to make sure to let this fully set before taking them out of the pan and serving, otherwise they will be runny.

Enjoy!!!

Meringue Drops

Okay...get ready for an overload of recipes!! Over the next few days I'll be blogging about all the goodies I made this weekend for my housewarming party. I look forward to having many more parties as this apartment is great for entertaining. My evil plan has worked!!

At any rate ... the list of items baked for this weekend was extensive. Some are things I've blogged about before, so you won't see updated recipes...but those would include my Parmesan crisps, gluten-free apple pear crisp, etc. Some are favorite recipes that I don't think I've had the opportunity to blog about yet, so yay!! Now I can blog about them! Many of them I forgot to photograph, or the photos aren't on my computer yet so those will be forthcoming.

Enough about my party ... you probably want to know about these meringue drops I made. I actually made chocolate chip meringue drops, and there's another variation I did not make but am dying to try ... I'll tell you how to make it here!!

So about these meringues, they are incredibly light and airy. I've had store-bought meringues before and have loved them, but these I love even more. They are super easy to make but do take a bit of a commitment with the oven as they cook at a low temperature and need to then sit in the oven, while it's turned off, for at least 2 hour after you are done with the baking. The other glorious thing about them is the lack of ingredients, they are low-fat, and depending on the type of chocolate you use they are gluten-free. So many positives in one little baked good, how can you say no?

Chocolate Meringue Drops
Active Prep Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Time: 3 hours
Total time from start to in your mouth deliciousness: about 3 hours and 10 minutes
Yields: 40 cookies

Ingredients
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder (check to see if it's gluten-free if you want this to be a gf recipe)
  • 1/2 cup mini-semisweet chocolate chips (again...check to see if it's gluten-free...)
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
  2. In large bowl of a mixer, beat the egg whites at moderately high speed until they hold stiff peaks. Beat in the sugar one tablespoon at a time, then beat in the vanilla extract. Reduce speed to low and beat in cocoa powder. With rubber spatula, fold in the chips.
  3. Drop mixture by the rounded teaspoonful onto baking sheets, spacing one inch apart and bake for one hour. This yields a more rustic meringue, for a more uniform meringue use a piping bag and pipe a teaspoonful on the parchment.
  4. After baking for an hour, turn off the oven and dry the cookies in the oven for 2 hours longer. Remove pan and store in an air tight container.

Variation
Instead of making these chocolate with chocolate chips, subtract chips and use 1/2 cup of chopped pecans. Also add a pinch of nutmeg & cinnamon to the egg whites.

Enjoy!!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

In case you want some mediocre cake quickly....

....so, I keep finding recipes for this 5 minute cake that you can make in the microwave. And after pondering cake all morning, I had to try it. Just think about it ... cake. Cake. Don't you want some cake now?

I knew that no good could come from this. Really, there were only two outcome options: a) The cake is bad to edible. b) The cake would be amazing and I'd have an unlimited supply of chocolate cake readily available at my hands within 5 minutes and I would grow to be as large as a house.

As it turns out, I feel like the answer is a) The cake is bad to edible. Now...I would go as far as to say that it was bad. It was ... okay. Forgettable. The texture isn't really what I like in terms of a cake. And it's not very chocolate-y. But, it's fantastic for cake if you need cake NOW THIS VERY MINUTE. If you can wait an hour I'd recommend making a real cake. Or if you don't want a lot of cake, make a pan of brownies. I know it's not the same, but you'll be happier.

All that said, I might play with the recipe and tweak it some, but really....as I made it today it's not worth it for me to have again. If you have a better recipe for a five-minute microwave cake, please let me know!

Coffee Cup Chocolate Cake

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes + 1 minute for cooling
Total time: 6 minutes
Makes: 1 coffee cup of chocolate cake

Ingredients
  • 4 TBS all-purpose flour
  • 4 TBS sugar
  • 2 TBS cocoa powder
  • 1 Egg, lightly beaten
  • 4 TBS milk
  • 2 TBS oil
  • Splash of vanilla
  • 2 tbsp nuts or chocolate chips (optional)
Recipe
  1. In a COFFEE CUP, mix together flour, sugar & cocoa powder
  2. Mix egg with the dry ingredients
  3. Mix milk, oil & vanilla with dry ingredients thoroughly
  4. Add nuts, chips, etc. if you are going to add them.
  5. Microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes, then let stand for 1 minute.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Beautiful Blueberry Pie

I really love pie. I'm not going to lie. One of the things that I can't fathom is the fact that Matt doesn't like cooked fruit. Thus...fruit pies (which I do really really love) are lost on him, so I rarely make them because either I need to a) eat the entire pie myself, or b) find a minon of friends to eat the pie with me. Now, I could totally eat an entire pie myself ... but I try not to. And I do have many friends that are more than willing to help a girl out, but then I need to find a time and a place to mesh our schedules to make this happen.

So, I've taken the opportunity this weekend to make myself a pie. I'm hoping to not eat the entire thing by myself tonight, but I guess we shall see.

I actually made a multi-berry pie today, following this basic blueberry pie recipe.

So, here you have it:

Blueberry Pie
adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Serves: 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes plus the time to prepare the crust
Total time: 1 hour 35 minutes plus cooling time

Ingredients
  • 6 cups blueberries (30 oz) (or mixed berries)
  • 3/4 to 1 cup plus 1 TBS sugar
  • 3 to 4 TBS potato starch (can substitute corn starch)
  • 3 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp grated lemon zest
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 1 recipe Double-Crust Pie Dough (below this recipe)
  • 2 TBS unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 1 egg white, lightly beaten
Recipe
  1. Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position, place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 500 degrees F. Toss the berries, 3/4 cup of sugar, 3 TBS of the starch, the lemon juice, lemon zest & spices together and let stand for 15 minutes. Add the remaining 1 TBS potato starch if the mixture has released too much liquid. Add up to 4 more TBS of the remaining sugar if the berries taste tart.
  2. Meanwhile, roll out the top crust to a 12-inch circle. Spread the berries in the unbaked pie crust bottom and dot with the butter. Lay the other crust over the blueberries, seal & crimp the edges, and cut four vent holes. Brush the crust with the egg white and sprinkle with the remaining 1 TBS of sugar.
  3. Place the pie on the heated baking sheet and lower the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Bake until the top crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F, and continue to bake until the juices are bubbling and the crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes longer. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving.
  4. TO MAKE AHEAD: The pie can be stored at room temperature wrapped tightly in aluminum foil, for up to 2 days.

Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or just by itself!!



Double-Crust Pie Dough (courtesy of The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook)

Yields: enough crust for 2-single crust 9" pies, or 1-double crust 9" pie
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes (includes 1 hour of chilling time)

Ingredients:
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
  • 2 TBS sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 8 TBS vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
  • 12 TBS (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled
  • 6 to 8 TBS ice water
There are two methods here - one is using a food processor, the other is a hand-mixing method. I've only done this by hand.

  1. Food processor method: Process the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Scatter the shortening over the top & process until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and, using short pulses, process the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Transfer to a bowl.
  2. Hand-Mixing method: Freeze the butter in its stick for until very firm. Whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar and press into the flour, using a fork. Grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater into the flour mixture, then cut the mixture together, using two butter knives or a pastry blender, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  3. Continue for both methods: Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture. Press the dough together, using a stiff rubber spatula until the dough sticks together. If the dough does not come together, stir in the remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does.
  4. Divide the dough into two even pieces and flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Wrap the disks tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Let the chilled dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling it out and fitting it into a pie plate. (Note: I like to flour 2 pieces of wax paper and roll the dough out between them, it leads to easier clean-up).
TO MAKE AHEAD: The dough can be refrigerated, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up
to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Let the frozen dough thaw on the counter top until
malleable before rolling.