Nancy Baggett's Kitchenlane

Secrets to Successful Food Blogging -- "Life’s a Feast" Host Jamie Schler Shares Her Recipe for Success

2012-02-11T10:19:00.024-05:00

This is the first in a series of monthly interviews I’ll be posting about food bloggers whose work I enjoy and think you might, too. One purpose of these interviews was personal--simply to learn more about the people behind the food blogs I admire. Another was to learn individual bloggers’ secrets to success and share their work and wisdom with you. (Hint: Every popular blogger I’ve interviewed has a unique, highly personal recipe for success.)

Jamie Schler, Life's a Feast

This initial post features Jamie Schler, host of the well-known "Life’s a Feast : Confessions of a Gourmande" food blog and a regular contributor to the Huffington Post. Jamie has also conducted numerous food writing and food and culture workshops at venues including the International Food Blogger Conference in New Orleans, Food Blogger Connect in London, and the South African Food & Wine Bloggers Indaba in Cape Town. She also presents workshops for the Plate to Page Food Writing and Photography Workshops group.

Jamie and I have never met in person (though we hope to remedy that soon in New York at the IACP annual conference). And, since we live on different continents, we probably would never have connected if not through blogging. I don’t recall how I happened upon her blog, but I was immediately taken with her graceful, evocative prose, and photographs and recipes that resonated because they somehow reminded me of the years I’d lived in Europe.

For example, the gorgeous chocolate cake pictured below and which she wrote about here looked a bit like some of the Torten I'd sampled in Germany. So, I kept going back to Life’s a Feast for another helping. And she started stopping by Kitchenlane. And well, you know….

Jamie's Decadent Chocolate Cake with Christmas Spices

Like most successful food bloggers, Jamie clearly understands what makes her blog special: She immediately notes that she has a “multi-cultural” kitchen and perspective, the result of being an American who is married to a Frenchman and has lived in Europe for 25 years. When asked what’s unique about Life’s a Feast she says, “… my writing: my style, my stories and the way I approach and tell the tales of my life. And how I succeed in relating all of that to my food.

.... I never just write about what I cooked and why and I never just sit and pump anything out just to get a blog post up …. ”

Here, edited only for length, are my questions and her responses. I've found her answers thoughtful, articulate, and very useful; for me, they ring true. Please comment to let me (and Jamie!) know what you think.

Why did you start your blog? Has the experience been what you expected?
My husband and son, both very connected to the internet, forced me to start a blog. To be honest, they were tired of listening to me talk about food all the time and decided a blog was the best outlet for me. My son designed the blog and got me started. And I had absolutely no expectations; I didn’t know what a blog was really, much less a food blog, and I had no idea what I was doing or where I was supposed to go. The one thing that really surprised me and what I didn’t expect, though, was that the very first day I sat down to write that very first blog post, the words flowed; writing that first story was indescribably exhilarating. It really took me about another year to realize that writing, not food, was my true passion as well as my future.

Can you share some insights into how you write, come up with recipes, etc.?

The food on my blog is what I feed my family everyday: I pull ideas and recipes from each of our various cultures: American, French, Jewish, Moroccan, Italian, etc and then what I choose is influenced by the holidays, the weather, what my family is asking for, etc.

Writing is more complicated. I really need to be inspired and a topic may pop into my head immediately or it may simmer for several days until that incredible Eureka! moment and then I rush to the keyboard. I write, rewrite, edit, change... a story evolves as I write and I can’t hit “publish” until it is exactly what I want to communicate in subject, mood, emotion, etc. It really is like a work of art for me and I apply the same process. I try and touch each of the senses when talking about food and I try and “manipulate” the reader’s emotions: a story is nothing if I can’t pull my reader in and inspire a mutual feeling and emotional response. Language itself is extremely important to me: there are a lot of good ways to say something but there is only one perfect word or expression that exactly describes what is going on inside of my head, whether an action, a flavor, texture or sound, or an emotion. And I try and use language and vocabulary that mirrors and accentuates the mood of the story.

Do you have any secrets to success you could share with other food bloggers?

First, I think that I am lucky that I began blogging before traffic, stats, monetizing, cookbook contracts, and SEO were the blogger’s biggest concerns and driving force. I fell in love with writing and that became the focus of my blog very early on and I realized that I wanted to make a career in writing, both on food and culture.

My secrets? I keep my head down and work very hard every day to develop my writing skills, both the technical side of writing and the creative, storytelling side of writing. It was also important that I found my particular niche - food and culture - because that is crucial when it comes to marketing myself. I don’t let what is happening in the food blog world influence me - I have my style, my goals and I try not to waver from them no matter what; I came to realize that comparing myself and my work to others is futile. I want to be my own voice and pave my own path, not let others dictate my blog design, my recipe choices, my writing style or my goals.

Any other advice you can offer?

Have patience: Give yourself the time to hone your skills, understand your talents and strengths and make them work for you. And don’t judge your talent or how good you are by what people say to you on twitter. Turn to professionals and people whose own work you admire for critique and trust their judgement, both the negative and the positive.

Measure your confidence and your humility: Learn the art of networking: there is a fine line between being assertive and being aggressive; be respectful as well as friendly. I do believe and it has been my own experience that if one is talented, one will be noticed without being loud. Never assume that you are the best or that there is no room for improvement, growth or change.

Hold onto your individuality: While I allow others to inspire me I refuse to copy anyone’s style. I seek out my strengths and nurture them. I have learned to trust myself and my instincts and to follow them, while gratefully accepting guidance, advice and encouragement from those whom I respect.

Follow your passion: I’ve been involved in creating, organizing and participating in many conferences, workshops and events. Although I know this helps my visibility as a blogger, I actually do all of this because I love doing it: speaking and teaching about writing, and that passion for the subject (rather than the fame) shows - and it is that that creates one’s reputation! ###

If you're just getting started at food blogging, you might also be interested in some basic tips in Culinary Blogging 101.
Or for more food writing advice, check out my Three Steps to More Compelling Culinary Prose.
If your goal is a cookbook, you may want to read Wanna Write a Cookbook?--Make Those Recipe Intros Tasty or Three Big Dos and Don't for Writing Recipe Intros.

Sweets for a Sweetie--Vintage American Valentine's Cards

2012-02-06T19:31:00.015-05:00

I don’t know exactly when images of cute little girls whipping up sweet treats and delivering “punny” lines like, “Valentine, I’m sweet on you!” became a favorite theme for Valentine’s Day cards. But as you can see from these interesting vintage 1930s, 40s and 50s examples here, the idea had definitely taken hold in America by the mid-20th century.

Images of this sort were commonplace in the 50s when my friends and I were swapping valentines in elementary school, which, interestingly, teachers encouraged us to do. (I don’t think we had to give out cards to every classmate, and I know we didn’t have to sign them, both of which I'm guessing are now usually required to avoid hurting or creeping out anyone.)

No doubt one reason the baking topic turned up so often was that it readily (predictably) lent itself to the “Sweets for a sweetie!” or “You’re my Sugar Pie!” sort of declaration. But it’s probably also because American girls and women of that era faced a lot of social pressure to assume the happy homemaker/man-pleasing role; see my post on retro baking ads showing blissful home bakers. And what better way to please that special someone than to bake up a treat?

Besides underscoring the gender stereotyping and spotlighting what goodies were topping the sweet tooth list 60 years ago--pies and cookies appear in most of the cards I’ve seen--these images reveal a good deal about the dramatic differences between American life then and now. Ethnic diversity, for example, wasn’t on anybody’s radar when I was a child. Almost invariably the little girls pictured were pink-cheeked WASPy pretty, probably a holdover from the Victorian era when bevies of sweet cherubs routinely adorned valentines. Nowadays, the females featured are as varied as Dora the Explorer, Catwoman, and the Monsters, Inc. “star,” Cyclops-like, multi-pigtailed Celia Mae. (For more heritage cards, visit the vintagevalentinemuseum.com which provided many of these images.)

While the messages and visuals on cards for young children today are still usually benign, they are a far cry from the hearts, flowers, cuddly pets and warm kitchen sweetness of these vintage examples. And IMHO, some cards today step completely over the line. While hunting for a card for my grandson, I just rejected one showing a raygun-shooting space warrior announcing, “You’re a blast, Valentine!” and another with a big-fisted boxer punching the air and pronouncing, “Valentine, you knock me flat!” Not exactly what I wish to send a nine year old!

One thing that hasn’t changed is the preponderance of fairly dopey-silly puns on kids’ cards. The line on the one here below right saying, “I'm all stirred up aboutcha Valentine,” is certainly no more lame than the modern one with a boy hang-glider announcing, “You soar above the rest Valentine!”

That said, I haven’t seen any recent card quite as strange and awkward as the example at the bottom left: “I hope the RANGE of your happiness is in my kitchen, VALENTINE.” What!? That card designer was clearly trying way too hard.
I've heard from a number of peeps that their children still exchange cards today in school. Some teachers use the opportunity for handwriting practice or instruction in "socialization." How about your kids?

If you are interested in making your own Valentine's sweets, check out these pretty heart-shaped cookies.

How to Use a Marbling Technique to Decorate Valentine's Cookies, Plus an Icing for All-Natural Food Colors

2012-01-30T12:27:00.019-05:00

Recently I posted about my switch from decorating with regular commercial liquid food dyes to all-natural botanical alternatives. I explained here why I think this was a smart health decision and provided a lot of other details.

I promised that I'd follow up with an icing recipe to use with the "naturally beautiful" dyes. In the meantime, I also got an e-mail asking how to create the interesting geometric designs shown on some of these cookies (like most of the ones at left). So, I used the icing I made to show you step-by-step how the eye-catching effect is created.

The technique is called marbling, and it's a classic decorating method European pastry chefs have long used to quickly dress up fancy tortes and other pastries. Don't worry, it's easier than it looks!

Yes, the marbling can involve using a variety of different colors and very tidy piping (my pink striped cookie in the top left pic features red, brown, lime green and white!). But it doesn't have to be at all elaborate or even perfectly piped to look impressive.

The main thing to remember is that the designs need to be completed while icings are still wet. So, it's best to have everything ready and within reach in advance. The toothpicks should be handy, the icings made, and the accenting icing(s) placed in a piping bag or cone.

As the three pics at right reveal, the basic technique is fairly simple: After covering a cookie with a fairly fluid icing, immediately pipe spaced lines in a contrasting color (or colors) over the first layer. You can use a piping bag fitted with a fine writing tip; or a paper decorating cone; or a sturdy plastic baggie with one tiny corner snipped off. (Just to prove that you don't need to be an expert to have success, I piped the lines very imperfectly, quickly running back and forth across the cookie. I think you'll agree that the end result is still appealing.)

As soon as the lines are completed, use a toothpick to draw across them to marble the colors and create the geometric design. It may be easiest to start in the middle, then draw down through at regular intervals on each side. It's also possible to draw through the lines working from the bottom to the top, or by drawing downward with one line, then upward with the next for another interesting look.

In smaller heart cookies three vertical lines may be enough to cover the entire surface. However, the design in the finished cookie above right features five marbling lines. The only real key to success is to finish working while the two icings are still wet enough to blend and flow together and dry with a smooth surface. (If you are curious about how to create the little heart designs on several cookies pictured below, the how-to for this slightly different marbling technique is here.)

As all these pics prove, the “au naturel” dyes come in a nice variety of colors, so cake and cookie decorations can be just as pretty as they ever were. (All those shown were decorated with plant-based dyes from the Natural Colors line sold here.) The botanical food colors do have to be handled a little differently though because they are more prone to fade when exposed to heat, air, and light. Tint your icings, buttercreams, and such a little brighter than the final shade desired to accommodate for this. And store the bottles of colors tightly capped and in the refrigerator to keep the shades vivid.

Some brands of liquid botanical colors have a slightly thicker consistency than comparable synthetic dyes, partly because of the natural color pigments themselves and partly because the au naturel brands often incorporate plant glycerin instead of the more fluid but risky propylene glycol found in “regular” food dyes. Propylene glycol is the main ingredient in some kinds of antifreeze!

Don’t add lemon juice or other fruit juices to flavor icings tinted with botanical colors, as some natural dyes, especially blue shades, react with acid ingredients and immediately turn pink or red! If you really want a lemon, orange or lime flavor, add a couple pinches of very finely grated fresh citrus zest to the icing.

Easy Powdered Sugar Icing for Au Natural Food Colors

Here’s an easy powdered sugar icing suitable for using with botanical dyes (or with regular food colors if that’s what you have). A double batch of the same icing was tinted different colors and used to decorate all the cookies pictured.

You’ll notice that the recipe calls for optional meringue powder or egg white powder. Add it if you’re working with very bright contrasting colors that you don’t want to bleed into one another as the cookies stand. Meringue powder can be usually found with other Wilton cake decorating products. Plain egg white powder is often stocked in supermarket baking aisles.

Tip: Don’t leave out the corn syrup—it’s what gives the icing its sheen.

3 cups powdered sugar, divided, plus more as needed

1 tablespoon commercial meringue powder or dried egg white powder, optional

1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup, divided

1/2 teaspoon vanilla, almond, lemon, or raspberry extract

5 to 6 teaspoons water, plus more if needed

1 to 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder combined with enough water to make a smooth paste, optional

Natural botanical food colors (or regular food colors), as desired

Put the powdered sugar in a large bowl. Thoroughly stir in the meringue powder if using. Stir the corn syrup, vanilla, and 5 teaspoons water into the mixture, adding more water if the mixture is too dry to come together smoothly. Divide the mixture among three or four bowls if you want make an assortment of colors. Stir in botanical or synthetic food colors, as desired. The natural dyes will fade a bit as they dry and the baked goods are stored, so make them a bit brighter than you want the final shades to be. For a natural brown color, make a cocoa powder paste and stir it into one of the bowls until thoroughly incorporated. If necessary, thin the icings with more water to make them for fluid and spreadable; or thicken them until stiff enough to hold their shape when piped.

Decorating options:

>For rolled cookies--Spread out a smooth layer of icing the cookies tops, then for a marbled effect immediately top with a contrasting piped icing as desired. Directions for forming little hearts are here. Or immediately garnish the tops by adding colored sprinkles or decorator sugar as desired.

>For dropped or mounded cookies, dip their tops into the icing when it is very fluid. Or stiffen the icing with powdered sugar and enough to swirl or pipe onto their tops.

Yield: 1 batch of icing will generously decorate 30 to 40 2 1/2- to 3-inch cookies.

See how to make marbled heart cookies here.

Check out directions for my "jeweled" stain-glass heart cookies here.

Learn how to make all-natural homemade sprinkles in any color desired here.

Pastry Decorating the "Naturally Beautiful" Way--How to Avoid Synthetic Food Colors & Use Botanical Dyes

2012-01-26T20:55:00.024-05:00

Over the past several years I’ve been exploring how to minimize the use of synthetic food dyes in my pastry decorating. In fact, all the icings pictured here were tinted with botanical dyes. They are from the Chocolate Craft Colors “Natural Colors” line, available from a few retailers and on the Internet here . (In case you're wondering, no, I haven’t any affiliation with or commercial interest in this firm.)

I first got interested in “au natural” decorating when I developed an allergy to the usual red dyes in lipsticks. My lips burned, then peeled every time I applied lipstick; eventually I couldn’t use the standard cosmetic counter brands at all.

After researching lipstick dyes and various related allergies, I eventually decided to limit not just red synthetic colorants, but all the government approved FD & C (Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act) food dyes, including the familiar little 4-bottle food color sets stocked in grocery stores for home bakers.

Typically, these sets include mixtures containing FD&C red 40, red 3, yellow 5 (aka tartrazine), and blue 1: All of these are synthetic petrochemical colorants , and all have shown at least some evidence of being irritants or allergens in certain people. Red 40 and the particularly troubling tartrazine (both in a chemical class called azo dyes) are often considered the most suspect and have been banned from use in foods in some countries.

Another disturbing ingredient in the “regular” food dyes is propylene glycol. The unfamiliar name on the label may not ring any alarm bells because people often don’t know what this chemical is—it's the main ingredient in some kinds of antifreeze! (Propylene glycol is used to keep the liquid dyes flowing smoothly.) Since these additives are incorporated only for looks, I decided they just weren’t worth the risks and vowed to find some naturally beautiful alternatives.

Initially, I began substituting the colors readily available in the form of fruit juices from the supermarkets. In many cases, these produce not only a beautiful look, but they contribute appealing flavor to frostings and icings. Cranberry juice and orange juice have been particularly handy; check out my buttercream frosting recipe here and my “painted daisies” sugar cookies here.

Lately, I’ve been trying out various “au naturel” botanically-based commercial food color products. Although different companies have their own unique formulas, they all rely on plant pigments—such as red from beets, purple and blue from red cabbage, orange from annatto, yellow from turmeric, and, in one instance, an intense, unusual bright blue from hydrangea blooms.

As you can see from the Valentine’s cookies, the results from these dyes can be very pretty, and they will likely satisfy all but the most finicky home pastry decorator. (If you're interested in how to create designs featuring little hearts, like those shown in the romantic shot above, the step-by-step pics and directions are here.)

That said, the botanically-based liquid colors are different from their synthetic counterparts in a number of important ways. Here are some basics you need to know about natural plant dyes:

>They are usually not nearly as shelf stable as the synthetic food colorants and will fade over time; most manufacturers recommend that they be kept refrigerated. Also, tint your icings, buttercreams , and such a little brighter than the final shade you want, because they lose a little intensity as the finished baked goods stand.

>They are sensitive to heat so are best for tinting fillings, frostings and other enhancements normally applied after baking or to raw doughs that are baked briefly and/or at low temperature.

>Au naturel dyes don’t come in every conceivable color. Ones that precisely duplicate Christmas green and red are hard to find, but IMHO these are overused and a bit garnish anyway. The typical botanically-based greens and reds are plenty festive and have a fresher, more natural look.

> Some botanical food dyes change color in the presence of acid. Blue shades, for example, often turn reddish. One easy solution is to avoid adding lemon juice and other high acidic ingredients to fillings and frostings when using botanical dyes. Another is simply see what happens when you add lemon juice to a small amount of tinted frosting —sometimes the shade is beautiful, not to mention totally unique. For example, the blue icing shown at far left in the pic turns pink (shown right), while the purple (back left) turns a slightly brighter, pink-orange shade (back right).

Yes, these issues mean that switching to botanical dyes isn’t always just a matter of swapping out the typical supermarket colors. Which is partly why even though the au naturel alternatives on the market are plenty attractive and are much safer, the food industry doesn’t want to bother with them. But I’m told by folks in the natural foods business that many large mainstream companies have plans in place to switch to the botanical colorants when the public or the government demands it. Eventually this is likely to happen, in part because more and more products are being colored with petrochemical dyes, resulting in consumers eating more and more of these iffy additives all the time.

I’ve tried out the liquid food colors from several au natural product lines, and the “Natural Colors” 6-bottle set from Chocolate Craft Colors seems especially well-suited to the needs of the home baker. Their offerings are gluten-free, dairy-free, propylene glycol free, synthetic dye-free, and vegan, and the ½-ounce bottles come with a nifty dropper-style tip. The colors include berry red, yellow, orange, green, blue and purple. All the cookies shown here were colored with the red, blue, purple, and green shades from the set. (The brown shade is from cocoa powder.)

I’m thrilled to have shifted to “naturally beautiful” decorating. It means I can enjoy cookie baking and decorating with my grandchildren and serve up eye-catching baked goods to my family without wondering about potential risks. I’ve posted a simple icing recipe that uses the natural food dyes, plus more decorating tips and photos, so check them out.

And do let me know how you feel—are you going to go the “naturally beautiful” decorating route, too?

If you're interested in making your own homemade sprinkles with botanical (or regular) food colors, go here.

The Juggling Act, Plus A Good-for-You Spiced Applesauce Muffin Actually Tasty Enough to Eat!

2012-01-22T13:38:00.009-05:00

If you’ve ever seen the classic circus act of somebody juggling three balls with the left hand and spinning a large dinner plate on a pole with the right, you’ll have a picture of what's happening here at Kitchenlane right now.

One of the balls being juggled is this blog, which I’m constantly (happily) creating recipes, pics and stories for. Ideas and posts are always bubbling up and taking shape as I try to have something worthy here every time you visit Kitchenlane. Like this applesauce muffin recipe, for example--which I’ve been experimenting with (and eating for lunch with a nourishing soup) for the past week.

Another ball in the air is all the work-related activities—like tending to Facebook, Twitter, e-mails, article assignments, various culinary committee tasks, and tax paperwork (yikes!). And ball three—that’s all the personal stuff, like finding time for a hubby, spoiled dog, grandkids, friends, and maintaining a house.

So what’s that big whirling plate? That’s my next cookbook, a humongous 500-page manuscript that’s been in progress on and off for five years and is now “in production,” publishers’ lingo for becoming a book. In December a copy editor went over it word by word, making corrections, formatting, and raising questions for me to answer. And then, I spent nine long, mind-bending days correcting, rewriting and following up on good questions like, “How can this recipe serve 16 if you cut it into 12 bars?” Now, nearly every day some more steps are required to keep the plate spinning and efforts on track toward my eagerly awaited book (which is now pre-listed on Amazon, here—woohoo!). It’s an exciting time, but, whew, my head is spinning along with the plate!

All this is to explain the little lulls between posts and to let you know that I’m peddling up the hill as fast as I can! Now on with today’s recipe.

Good ‘n Healthy Spiced Applesauce-Raisin Muffins

I recently read in the Harvard Health Letter that though people tend to think of muffins as much more healthful than, say, doughnuts, the gigantic, sumptuous-looking ones typically found in coffee shops and bakeries are often fattier and more calorie-laden than the average glazed doughnut. Even the low-fat muffins aimed at health-conscious customers often aren’t really nutritious, the article points out, because to compensate for the reduced fat they increase the salt and sugar. The article notes that an even greater failing of these so-called healthy treats is that they usually don’t incorporate any whole grains and contain little fiber. Experts now feel that these issues are much more important than merely avoiding fat, especially if it’s low-saturated, heart-healthy fat such as olive oil, corn oil or canola oil.

Since I’ve been taking steps to eat more healthfully, I decided to create a nutrition-wise muffin that my hubby and I could eat with lunch or as snacks. (And which I could also share with you.) This recipe incorporates whole grains in the form of whole wheat flour and oats, plus more fiber from applesauce and raisins. It calls for a fairly modest amount of a “good,” fat; provides some high-quality protein from fat-free yogurt and an egg; and cuts back a bit on the usual amount of sugar and salt found in muffins. Note that the honey isn’t added because it’s particularly nutritious (it's not), but because it boosts flavor and helps keep the muffins moist.

In case you’re wondering why I didn’t add more whole grains and reduce the sugar and fat as drastically as some recipes circulating around, it’s because I want the results to be tasty, too. I learned while writing a number of heart-healthy cookbooks that if recipes are stuffed with too much fiber and stripped of too much of their normal sugar and salt, they will come out looking and tasting like hockey pucks. And at my house, nobody will eat hockey pucks no matter how wholesome they are!

These are good for breakfast, with a bowl of soup for lunch, or as a snack with a glass of milk or a cup of tea.

Tip: Whole wheat pastry flour yields tenderer muffins than regular whole wheat flour and, fortunately, is becoming easier to obtain. I found bags of the Hodgson brand, which worked great, stocked on my local supermarket shelves. Whole Foods and smaller health food stores are other good places to look.

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (if unavailable, substitute regular whole wheat flour)

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose white flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Generous 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 6-ounce carton plain nonfat or low-fat yogurt

1/4 cup corn oil, canola oil or other flavorless, low-saturated fat vegetable oil

1/3 cup clover honey or other mild honey

1 large egg, or 3 tablespoons liquid egg substitute

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup dark, seedless raisins or golden raisins (or a combination)

3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats (not instant oats)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 15 or 16 standard-sized muffin tin cups or coat with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Measure out 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mixture and set aside for garnish. Thoroughly stir the whole wheat and white flours, baking powder, allspice, baking soda, and salt into the large bowl with the remaining sugar. In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together the applesauce, yogurt, oil, honey, eggs, and vanilla until evenly blended. Add the raisins and oats let stand 5 to 10 minutes so they can thoroughly hydrate. Stir the applesauce-raisin mixture into flour mixture, mixing gently just until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened and incorporated; don't over-mix or the batter may toughen.

Using a 1/4-cup measure or large spoon, immediately divide the batter among 15 or 16 muffin cups; the cups should be fairly full. Sprinkle the muffin tops with the reserved sugar-spice mixture, dividing it equally among them.

Bake in the middle third of the oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until the muffins are tinged with brown on top and springy to the touch; a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of a center muffin should come out clean. Cool on wire rack 3 or 4 minutes; gently run a knife around cups and remove muffins from their cups. Let stand until cooled. These can be kept airtight for up to 3 days or frozen, airtight for longer storage. Let return to room temperature before serving.

Makes 15 or 16 standard-sized muffins.

Another muffin you may like--Cranberry-Pear with Crystallized Ginger. In that recipe the pears and cranberries provide the fiber.

Hearty, Wholesome & Easy Curried Lentil Soup--Another Recipe to Help You Eat Healthier in the New Year

2012-01-15T20:52:00.014-05:00

If you, too, made a vow to eat better this year, this recipe may help. It definitely achieves some of the goals I set for myself—to eat more veggies, whole grains, and fiber and less meat and fat, and (as always) fewer calories.

For me, eating a healthful lunch is particularly problematic. I’m usually in the middle of working and don’t want to stop, so I simply slap some cheese or peanut butter on multi-grain bread and keep on going. Not the worst meal perhaps, but totally lacking veggies and not low in fat either.

So I’ve devised a plan to make myself a big pot of easy, hearty soup every week. With this stashed in the fridge I can conveniently pull out the pot and heat up a fuss-free, meal-in-a-bowl lunch. Depending on the recipe, this approach guarantees that some of the nutritious veggies, fiber and whole grains are routinely on my menu.

For my first healthy recipe of the new year (posted here), I created an herbed fresh salmon chowder that also featured lots of cauliflower, carrots, celery, and potatoes. This week I went in a completely different direction, focusing on lentils and brown rice to deliver the protein, nutrients, and fiber, and enhancing them with some vegetables from the crisper and a unique, heady blending of spices and herbs.

In case you’re thinking that lentils and brown rice sound boring and too health-foody, believe me they are amazingly satisfying in this soup. In fact, those who prefer bland may actually find this recipe too peppery. It’s not blow-your-head off hot, but it’s piquant and has so much enticing full-bodied curry flavor that nobody misses meat at all. If you like, dial down the heat by omitting the dried red pepper flakes, then serving a little bowl of them so diners can zip up their servings at the table.

This soup recipe not only satisfies my key nutritional goals, but it goes together quickly, cooks in about 30 minutes, and is extremely economical. Plus, it smells wonderful as it cooks, keeps well, and, if you use vegetable broth, is fine for serving vegetarians.

Hearty Curried Lentil, Brown Rice-Vegetable Soup

A generous bowl of this soup makes a great lunch served as is, but it can also be rounded out with some crackers and cheese. Garnishing the bowls with a dollop of plain yogurt is another easy way to boost the protein in the meal.

To streamline prepping tasks as much as possible, cut the vegetables into 1-inch chunks, then pulse until them in a processor until roughly chopped. Though the recipe calls 1/2 cup each of the onion, celery and carrot, feel free to use more or less depending on what you have on hand. Sweet peppers have a lot of vitamin C and add pleasing flavor, but they can be left out, if desired. If you don’t have red lentils, the more commonplace brown or greens ones can be substituted; they’ll just take 10 to 15 minutes longer to cook through.

If possible use reduced-sodium broth in the recipe; since many curry powders contain salt, the soup can actually come out too salty if regular broth is used. In a pinch, substitute broth made by reconstituting bouillon powder or cubes. I find that using half low-sodium and half regular bouillon powder produces a broth with about the right degree of saltiness.

Tip: For a healthful muffin to go with this soup, check out my Applesauce Muffins here.

1/2 cup each coarsely chopped onion, celery, and carrot
1/2 cup chopped sweet red or green pepper, optional
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth, preferably reduced sodium
2/3 cup uncooked red lentils
1/3 cup uncooked long-grain brown rice, preferably basmati
1 tablespoon mild to medium hot curry powder (your preference)
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom or 1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground hot red pepper flakes, optional
1 14- 15-ounce can diced or chopped tomatoes, including juice
2 tablespoons chopped chives, green onions, or cilantro, for garnish, optional

Combine the onion, celery, carrots, and sweet pepper if using in a 4-quart pot along with the oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until they are soft and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth, lentils, rice, and the herbs and spices to the pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring well. Adjust the heat so the mixture boils gently; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and rice are almost tender, about 20 to 25 minutes; take a taste to check. Stir in the tomatoes and their juice, and, if the soup is thick, enough hot water to thin it to a soup consistency. Bring back to a boil; taste and add salt if necessary.

Try my savory autumn bisque here. Another tempting soup, the minestrone pictured below is here.

Fresh Blueberry Muffins--With No Apologies to My Locavore Friends

2012-01-12T11:42:00.009-05:00

I know, I know. It’s the dead of winter, so the blueberries in my pictures were definitely not grown here in Maryland. In fact, right now blueberries aren’t in season anywhere on this continent. The staunch locavores who believe that shipping food huge distances is scandalously wasteful of resources will not be happy that these beauties were flown in from Chile.

But they showed up in my supermarket looking so pristine and gorgeous that even though I myself have occasionally spouted the locavore line (especially when it comes to peaches, which IMHO are only worth eating fully ripe from local trees) I had to buy them. The thought of a big bowl of fresh, summery tasting berries for breakfast on a cold, dreary winter day got to me. And I’d been wanting some good homemade blueberry muffins for a while, and though frozen berries will work, they usually drip and turn the batter an odd purple-gray.

Anyway, these berries turned out to be every bit as tasty as they look—full of flavor, succulent and possessing a pleasing tang. And I’m not feeling guilty that I bought them either. Besides being a healthful winter treat on my table, these goodies are helping put food on the family tables of many hard working Chilean farmers. Tom Tjerandsen, North American director of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association says the export crop will be about 78,000 tons this season, three-fourths of it coming to the US. And farmers there are striving to expand production to perhaps 120,000 tons by 2015. If any of my locavore buddies try to chide me on buying shipped-in fruit, I’ll point out that we’re providing a vital market to agricultural workers elsewhere around the globe.

Good ‘n Easy Blueberry Muffins

It seems like blueberry muffins have been around forever in America. According to the American Institute of Baking they are our most popular flavor (banana-nut is second); and muffins in general are a huge category in the baking industry.

But actually, fruit muffins of any kind are relative newcomers to our baking repertoire. One of the earliest recipes I’ve found was published in the 1905 edition Fannie Farmer’s Boston Cooking-School Cook Book: It called for 1/4 cup sugar and 1 cup of berries (the berry variety wasn’t specified). Note that 1/4 cup sugar is far less than most modern recipes require, so apparently muffins have gotten a lot sweeter over time. In fact, my version calls for a generous 3/4 cup of sugar in the batter and a little more sprinkled on top (which adds a wonderful crunch) and most people don’t find the muffins overly sweet at all.

These are plump, generously studded with blueberries, and stay pleasingly moist. They are easy to make, too, as ingredients are quickly stirred together and no mixer is required. In case you are curious, the small amount of baking soda helps facilitate proper browning.

Tip: Fresh blueberries will look and taste better in these muffins. However, if you want to use frozen berries add them before they are completely thawed and pat them dry with paper towels before folding them into the batter. You’ll need to add a few minutes to the baking time to compensate for the cooler temperature of the batter.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose white flour
Generous 3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1½ tablespoons more for garnish
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Generous 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
3/4 cup whole or low-fat milk
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups fresh or partially thawed (and blotted dry) frozen blueberries
1½ tablespoons blueberry flavored sugar for garnish (or substitute regular granulated sugar if necessary)

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Grease 12 standard-sized muffin tin cups or coat with nonstick spray.
Thoroughly stir together the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. In a small saucepan, melt the butter till runny over medium heat; then set aside. Measure the milk in a 2-cup or larger measure. Stir the butter into the milk. Then, using a fork, beat the egg and vanilla into the milk mixture until well blended. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just until dry ingredients are evenly moistened and incorporated; don't overmix or beat. Gently fold in the blueberries just until distributed evenly.
Using a heaping 1/4-cup measure or very large spoon, immediately divide batter among 11 or 12 muffin cups. (They should be fairly full.) Sprinkle the tops with the reserved 1 ½ tablespoons sugar, dividing it among them.
Bake for 14 to 18 minutes or until muffins are golden and springy to the touch; a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of a center muffin should come out clean. Cool on wire rack 3 or 4 minutes; gently run a knife around cups and remove muffins from pan. They are best when fresh.
Makes 11 or 12 standard-sized muffins.

In a muffin mood now? Check out my healthful applesauce raisin muffins here or my cranberry muffins here.

Resolving to Eat Better , Walk More, Weigh Less--Starting with This Handy, Wholesome Meal-in-a-Bowl Salmon-Veggie Chowder

2012-01-04T12:30:00.005-05:00

In the hope that something has been learned from past experience, I’m drastically scaling back on my New Year’s resolutions this year. No more grandiose plans to walk two miles a day (or even to walk every day); shed 10 pounds; completely reorganize my rat’s-nest of an office; or eat more healthfully.

These have all been on my New Year’s to-do list many times before, and though they doubtless seem piddling compared to many people’s resolutions, they’re apparently overly ambitious for me. So, I’m lowering the bar to more modest aspirations, including simple walking more frequently, losing three pounds, at least starting to tidy up my office, and eating a little less meat and more fish, vegetables and whole grains. My thinking is that following through on any of these means heading in the right direction—which is better than doing nothing or sliding in the wrong one.

In case you wonder, no, I won’t be providing any embarrassing reports of either personal achievements or failures. (There are enough “big loser” sorts of TV shows out there to satisfy any interest in intimate, humiliating details.) In fact, unless I make enough progress on office cleanup to post a pic (highly unlikely) probably the only evidence you’ll see of any of my plans being carried out is an occasional posting of a healthful fish or veggie recipe. There will definitely be NO before and after shots of me, although since my goal is losing only three pounds you probably wouldn't notice any difference anyway!

Fresh Salmon and Vegetable Chowder

I know that not everybody thinks that eating salmon is a healthful step. The naysayers point out that it's sometimes contaminated and that farm-raised salmon have a negative environmental impact.

Those who recommend salmon mention the benefits of its Omega-3 fats, which help reduce inflammation in our bodies. (Inflammation is thought to be a root cause of many health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, some types of cancers and arthritis.) Recently, some studies have shown that omega-3 fats may help slow cognitive problems such as Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive decline and help alleviate depression and aggressive behavior.

In any case, this convenient meal-in-a-bowl recipe is definitely on the healthful side because, in addition to the salmon, it features a lot of vegetables and is low in fat. It's fairly fuss-free, savory, and nutritionally well-balanced. The flavor will be greatly enhanced by the addition of either fresh dill weed or dried tarragon leaves: Each herb lends its own distinctively different and appealing character. Fresh dill weed isn't always readily available in markets, but is well worth using when you can find it. (Don’t bother substituting dried dill weed; it has very little taste.)

Tip: Be sure to check along the fleshy side of the salmon fillet and remove any bones along the lateral line before adding it to the pot.

1 tablespoon corn oil, canola oil or other low-saturated fat cooking oil
1/2 cup each peeled and chopped carrot and diced celery
5 1/2 to 6 cups low-fat reduced-sodium chicken broth (or reconstituted reduced-sodium chicken bouillon from granules), divided
1 12-ounce fresh or frozen (thawed) north Atlantic salmon fillet (skin intact), cut in half if very thick
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) cauliflower florets, coarsely diced
3 tablespoons fresh chopped chives or scallions, plus more for garnish, if desired
1/4 cup chopped fresh dillweed (coarse stems removed), or 2 teaspoons dried tarragon, plus more for garnish, if desired
1 1/3 cups instant mashed potato granules, preferably low-sodium
1 tablespoon prepared mustard, preferably Dijon-style
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a 4-quart saucepan or similar-size soup pot, combine the oil, carrot, and celery. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes, until the vegetables just begin to brown. Add the salmon, searing 1 to 2 minutes on the flesh side, then laying skin-side down. Add 2 1/2 cups broth and bring to a simmer. Poach the salmon, uncovered, for 6 to 10 minutes or until just cooked through. Place it skin-side up on a cutting board. Add the cauliflower and chives (or scallions) and dill to the pot. Cook until the vegetables are almost tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, scrape off and discard the salmon skin. Flake the flesh into bite-sized chunks using a fork.

Gradually stir the mashed potato granules and mustard into the pot until well blended. Stir in 3 cups more broth until evenly incorporated; thin the chowder with more broth if desired. Bring back to a boil. Add the salmon and reheat until piping hot. Add black pepper to taste. Garnish the chowder with small sprigs of dillweed and fresh chopped chives before serving if desired.
Makes about 1 1/2 quarts, 3 or 4 main dish servings.

Bye-Bye to Bad 2011 Food Trends--Five Whose Passing Should Not Be Mourned

2011-12-31T13:53:00.012-05:00

As we ring out the old year, and bring in the new, I've been mulling over several food trends I'm really happy to kiss goodbye. Things I don't want to eat, drink or even think about anymore. I'm sure I've missed some of your "favorite" duds, so please feel free to jump in and add them in the comments section. (For a post on all the foods I really hate, go here.)

Kombucha

Kombucha’s been touted as “the new yogurt,” by the probiotics crowd, but since this so-called “health” drink is sour, slimy and looks like pond scum, I’m inclined to dub it “the new sludge” instead. Few medical experts think that the gut flora replenishing and energy boosting claims have much merit. And considering that nasty gelatinous glob of microorganisms floating on top I don’t see how this grim brew can be promoted as a “perfect alternative to coffee, tea, beer, or soda,” and sold for $3 a bottle with a straight face. But maybe it’s just me—I get squirmy just watching those Jamie Lee Curtis Activia commercials.

Eating Insects

I’m not sure that eating insects really was a hot 2011 food trend except on “Fear Factor,” but the Huffington Post said so here, so it must be true. Even if, as is claimed, insects are good for you, full of protein, and have low environmental impact, I’m not going to grow a crop in my garden this year, at least not on purpose. Should any creepy-crawlies turn up, I won’t be cooking ‘em. And hopefully nobody else will be in 2012. Aren’t insects for the birds?

Cucumber Cocktails

I know cucumber quaffs were trendy in 2011 because I kept hearing and reading about them and was even treated to a too-cool cucumber margarita earlier this year at a culinary conference. Neither I, nor the tequila, was happy about it. And I’ll bet the inventor of the margarita was appalled. I don’t even think the cucumber was pleased. The most positive thing I can tell you is that the concoction was green. And you know what Kermit said about that.

Bacon in Everything

I like bacon, even love good wood-smoked bacon. Tucked into a BLT, or livening up a potato chowder, or paired with a stack of hot cakes or scrambled eggs, a few crispy slices are one of the hog’s great gifts to humankind. But in caramels and cookies? On hot fudge sundaes and coconut cream pies? Yeah, these dishes are not really bad with bacon, but if you like a nice hit of salty or smoky, add some roasted, salted, smoked nuts instead. They won’t garner any media attention or earn trendiness points, but they deliver more crunch and less grease. (My proof: I tried, really tried to make bacon cookies, and every time they came out better when I replaced the bacon with nuts.) In 2012, let's vow to keep bacon where it belongs.

Nouvelle Chips

The gourmet food peeps claim that all those new, exciting, crispy chips concocted from pinto beans, naan, peas, mung beans, kale and wild rice made ordinary potato chips passé in 2011. If that’s so, Lord, I hope that the spud ones bounce back in 2012. (Which seems likely ABC News predicts that 2012 will be a big year for the potato. Really?) IMHO, nobody ever invented a better vehicle for ingesting salt, fat, carbohydrates, and calories than the plain old potato chip. In the spirit of not messing with a good thing, I’m skipping the Madagascar sea-salted, artisanal barbecue, copper-kettle-cooked, chipotle-lime versions of potato chips, too. Why not join me, and we can make this a hot 2012 trend?

Add Party Panache with Parmesan Wafers--Easy & Gluten-Free, Too

2011-12-29T16:05:00.000-05:00

Like many home bakers, I've been focused mostly on cranking out cookies and similar sweets the last few weeks. But now, with New Year's Eve fare on the agenda, I'm yearning for something savory to serve. These Parmesan wafers immediately came to mind.

As you can see, they are light, fragile-crisp, and enticing looking. And since they contain only Parmensan cheese and herbs, they are slightly salty and full of flavor. (And gluten-free, as well.) They are excellent munchies to serve with cocktails, or with a soup course (especially tomato soup--yum). Or offer them along with a glass of bubbly when you ring in the New Year.

The most successful nibbles and noshes always seem to be highly addictive, and these are, too. So of you're serving a crowd, consider doubling or tripling the recipe.

Herbed Parmesan Wafers

The only key to success with these amazingly simple but tempting wafers is to use fresh, good-quality Parmesan cheese. The black pepper is optional; add it amply, or sparingly, as desired.

1 1/3 cups freshly shredded good quality Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chives or 1 teaspoon dried chives or basil leaves

Fresh, coarsely ground black pepper, optional

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat to 375 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with nonstick foil or with foil sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together the cheese and herbs. Using a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon filled about 2/3rds full, scoop up the mixture and place in 2- to 2 1/2-inch mounds about 2 1/2 inches apart on the sheets. Pat or spread out the shreds so they are evenly spaced and spread out in the round. Grind fresh coarse-ground black pepper, over the tops, if desired.

Bake (upper third of the oven) one pan at a time for 6 to 9 minutes; reverse the pan from front to back about halfway through, continuing until the wafers are bubbly and just slightly golden colored. Remove from the oven and let firm up about 2 minutes. Using a wide spatula transfer the crisps to paper towels and let stand until cooled to at least warm. Serve them barely warm or at room temperature.

Makes about 25 2 1/2 to 3-inch wafers.

New Year's Good Wishes & Thanks

2011-12-28T10:56:00.016-05:00

With the old year waning, and the new one approaching fast, I've been reflecting back and also looking forward. I've had a lot of good fortune in my life and year. I truly hope you have, too.

Here are just a few things, some large, some small, some trivial, some not, that I'm grateful for:

> That my son and his family now live near enough that we can just hop in a car and drive over for a day. No TSA pat-downs or jammed airports for me anymore!

> That when my exuberant little poodle ran away in the woods we found him before the foxes did.

> That my mother never minded me baking and messing up her kitchen.

> That nobody at our family holiday gatherings reminds me of the cast of “Married with Children,” or “Jersey Shore.”

> That when I dropped my brand new I-phone it didn’t break. Also, that I haven’t lost it (at least not yet).

> That I had three grandparents who thought I was totally adorable.

> That I have two grandchildren who definitely are totally adorable.

>That I live in a country where women are allowed to read, write, and have opinions, and that I can count a goodly number of wise, loyal and opinionated ones as my friends.

> That I have a loving companion to share my life with.

> That I found the key to the freezer door so I can stop having to tape it shut.

> That my worth as a person isn’t judged by the tidiness of my house.

> That the new year looks to be full of both gratifying work and interesting play.

May your New Year be everything you hope for and more.

Kids Holiday Cookie Baking & Decorating--Making Memories, Having Fun

2011-12-24T15:40:00.012-05:00

I invited my grandchildren to come bake and decorate Christmas cookies in Nana's kitchen yesterday. I don't think I have to talk it up too much, because the looks on their faces pretty much tells you they had a good time. You can also see that their cookies came out just great!

I'd already made up the sugar cookie dough, rolled it out between sheets of baking parchment, and chilled it. Then the kids went to work cutting out the cookies using the cutters they personally chose from my collection. That's Lizzie admiring the cookies just before we baked them.

The next step was to make the simple powdered sugar icings. The kids got to pick the colors and do all the mixing themselves, which they enjoyed a great deal. Since I prefer to minimize their exposure to synthetic food dyes, all of the ones we used came from fruits and other natural botanical colorants.

As you can see, these come in a variety of hues and are plenty vibrant. (I also further avoided commercial synthetic colors by making my own cookie sprinkles; the recipe is here.)

The next step was to set up the kids at a table with the icings, sprinkles, and cookies. Notice that they are working on sheets of baking parchment (makes for easier cleanup!). I also provided a spoon for each icing so the shades wouldn't get mixed together as the same one was dipped into multiple bowls.

As they decorated the kids did a lot of sampling of the icings and sprinkles (especially Charlie), which is why I skip the synthetic dyes in the first place. At first they also tended to load on too much icing in too many colors, but when they saw that this resulted in a messy look, they started adding less. (I made a point of letting them work as independently as they could.) We picked out their best efforts and those are shown in the pic at top. Very appetizing, I'd say. (For some easy decorating tips, go here.)

If you've got a few extra hours in your schedule and some special little people in your family, consider letting them have a cookie baking and decorating party in your kitchen this holiday. It may mean a lot more than any gift you can buy.

Have a joyful, peaceful holiday everyone.

Holiday Stained Glass & Jewel-Studded Cookies--Dazzling Snowflakes, Trees, Stars & More

2011-12-22T20:30:00.006-05:00

It's fun and easy to make eye-catching "stained glass" or "jewel studded" cookies like the ones pictured. You can use a gingerbread dough or my tried and true sugar cookie dough from The All-American Cookie Book.

Just be sure it's a dough that doesn't puff up too much or call for more than about a teaspoon of baking powder. Cut out the cookies in whatever seasonal shapes you like, such as the Christmas tree and snowflake cookies here, or the star and chapel shown below. (For a different season see my "jeweled" Valentine's Day hearts here.)

Then, using mini-cookie cutters, mini fondant cutters or the end of a metal pastry piping tip (or a thimble or small bottle cap) cut out a cut-away or several cutaways from each cookie. If the cookies are being prepared mainly for eating, it's best to keep the cutaways small, as little bits of hard candy are easier to bite into and eat. As you can see from the snowflakes and Christmas trees, the smaller bits also create a "jewel-like" effect. On the other hand, if you plan to use the cookies mainly as light-catcher decorations or as holiday tree ornaments, a large expanse of "glass" is very pretty. As you can see from the gingerbread star at left, the effect is entirely different.

After forming the cutaways, bake the cookies as you normally would following the recipe directions, except underbake them by a minute or two. If you plan to hang up the cookies, be sure to make a stringing hole in each before you bake. Also, insert a piece of toothpick to keep the hole open during baking. (Don't forget to remove it after the baked cookies have cooled just slightly.) Once the cookies are cooled, lay them, slightly separated, on a foil-lined baking sheet; do not omit the foil or the cookies will stick to the pan. Fill the cut-aways in the cookies with crushed clear hard candies, such as lollipops, Lifesavers, or Jolly Ranchers.

To ready the candies put them in a tightly closed triple layer of plastic bags and crack them into fine pieces using a mallet, heavy rolling pin, or heavy metal spoon. Even better, if you have a plastic chopping mat, place the candies centered on a cutting board, then lay the chopping mat over top and whack away!

You need to spoon in enough candy bits to fill the cut-aways, but don't pile in too much or it will overflow. If necessary, use a small, clean artist's paint brush to brush away any candy bits that spill onto the cookie surfaces.
Put the cookies back into the oven just long enough for the candy to melt but not boil over, about a minute or two–keep checking, as the time will vary depending on the brand of candy and the amount used. Let the cookies stand on the baking sheet until completely cool again. Be sure not to touch the "stained glass" parts during cooling as they will be extremely hot and can cause bad burns. After the cookies are cooled, they peel right off the foil.

At this point they can be used as is, or iced with any coordinating powdered sugar icing or royal frosting. The Christmas trees were glazed with a pale frosty green and the snowflakes with simple white. The snowflakes were then sprinkled with crystal sugar and a few bits of the same crushed blue candy used for the jeweled insets to dress them up a little more.

For an even more dramatic look, add piping in the same or a contrasting color after the icing sets as is shown in the iced and "jeweled" heart cookies shown below and featured here.

For holiday cookie decorating using icings but no "glass," see the tips and how-to for creating the pretty cookies shown below, here.

Secrets to Making Chocolate Peppermint Bark--Step By Step Pics & Tips

2011-12-18T16:15:00.013-05:00

It’s funny how some recipes just start turning up all the time, and before anybody even notices they’re a classic. This has happened with peppermint bark, which is wildly popular these days, especially during the Christmas holidays. I started giving it out as a Christmas gift about 10 years ago, and now, I can't stop--all the recipients insist they have to receive it again each year! (I'm up to making about 20 pounds every holiday; it's shown packed in gift bags below).

Aside from the fact that it features the dynamite duo of chocolate and peppermint, the festive contrasting colors probably help account for its huge appeal. (The same festive look brightens my Chocolate-Peppermint Brownies, too.)

Chocolate bark is easier to make than many candies, but there is one very important trick that a lot of the recipes circulating around don't tell you: You need to very carefully follow certain chocolate melting and cooling directions. This will ensure that the chocolate sets up quickly and has a smooth, crisp texture and sheen. Confectioners call this process tempering, and while it’s not hard to do, it can’t be skipped. Otherwise the chocolate may come out crumbly, blotchy, or streaked.

Basically, tempering ensures that melted chocolate has formed the most desirable type of crystals and cools and hardens before the natural white fat, cocoa butter, can rise to the surface and look streaky. Additionally, adding some unmelted chocolate to the bowl near the end of mixing not only cools, but “seeds the batch.” This encourages the mixture to set with the right crystals, specifically ones that makes it smooth and hard at room temperature. (I've just built the quick tempering process right into the recipe, so all you have to do is follow the steps.)

As for the recipes on the Web that make no mention of tempering: These may work if the chocolate just happens to be in the right state, but trust me, you're taking a risk. To avoid the tempering issue completely and still successfully make bark, you can buy compound chocolate or white "melting" chocolate confectionery products that include other fats such as palm kernel oil instead of the more temperamental cocoa butter. The problem is, since cocoa butter contributes a lot of the flavor to real chocolate, these convenient alternatives don't taste particularly chocolatey.

Chocolate-Peppermint Bark

To conveniently ready the candy: Place unwrapped candies or broken-up sticks or cane pieces in the middle of a large cutting board and lay a plastic cutting mat over top. (And waxed paper over that to prevent bits from scattering. If you don't have a mat, slide the cutting board into a triple layer of heavy plastic bags, closing the bags tightly. Using a kitchen mallet or the back of a heavy spoon, whack the candy into 1/8-inch or finer pieces (larger pieces will be too hard on the teeth.)

Chocolate melts at lower than human body temperature, and will scorch if exposed to very high heat, so warm it gently. Also, melted chocolate doesn’t mix readily with tiny amounts of liquids. So, don’t add peppermint extract or any other liquid to the melted chocolate, as this may cause the chocolate to suddenly harden. (A few drops of peppermint oil, on the other hand, can be added.)

Broken-up candy canes, peppermint sticks, or red and white peppermint hard candies will all work well in this recipe. I think a combination of canes or sticks and pinwheel candies lends the best texture and flavor.

Although the pics show dark chocolate bark being made, white chocolate bark can be prepared exactly the same way. Or, if you wish to make a two-toned bark, use a larger 12" by 18" sheet pan or two smaller sheets to prevent the bark from being too thick. Ready the first layer and let it completely cool and set as directed but without sprinkling any crushed peppermint over top. Then repeat with the second chocolate, spreading over the first layer and adding the crushed peppermint garnish over top.

For a two-toned bark readied with real chocolate (not compound chocolate), you must be sure to use a white chocolate containing cocoa butter and not palm kernel oil or coconut oil. (Just read the label to be sure.) These two fats are incompatible with cocoa butter, and once the two-tone slab sets, the dark and light chocolate layers will just separate when you try to break the bark into pieces. (Chocolate expert Elaine Gonzales explained to me that the incompatibility results from the fact that the palm kernel oil and coconut oil are lauric acid fats and cocoa butter and some other commonly used fats have a completely different non-lauric chemical composition. The two types will not bond.)

If you have enough baking sheets, the bark recipe may be doubled. Follow the directions at the end.

Tip: You don’t have to have a candy thermometer or other special equipment for this recipe. However, if a cooking or common household thermometer that registers 88 to 90 degrees F. is on hand, use it to check the chocolate temperature. If no thermometer is available, use the touch test provided in the recipe below.

About 1 pound 6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet (not unsweetened) chocolate or white chocolate, divided
1 tablespoon corn oil or other flavorless vegetable oil
2 to 3 drops oil of peppermint, optional
1/2 to 3/4 cup (about 4 1/2 to 5 ounces) crushed peppermint pinwheel hard candy or candy canes

Line a 10- by 15-inch (or similar) rimmed tray or baking sheet with aluminum foil; allow the foil to overlap on the narrow ends by 1 1/2 inches and try not to wrinkle the foil. Break up or chop 1 pound chocolate into small chunks; leave the remaining 6 ounces whole.

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chopped chocolate and oil on 100-percent power for 1 minute. Stop and stir. Continue microwaving on 50 percent power, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds until most of the chocolate is melted. (Alternatively, heat the chopped chocolate and oil in a heavy, medium saucepan over lowest heat. Stir and watch carefully until most of the pieces are melted. Immediately remove the pan from the heat.

Transfer the chocolate to another dry, cool bowl. Continue stirring until the chocolate completely melts, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the peppermint oil ( if using) and 4 ounces unchopped chocolate until it melts and the mixture is almost cool to the touch. To judge the warmth, insert a thermometer in the deepest part of the bowl. Wait 30 seconds, then check for 88 or lower degrees F. (Alternatively, touch the chocolate stirring spoon to just above your upper lip; the melted mixture should feel almost cool.) Keep stirring to cool the mixture if necessary. If some chunks remain unmelted when the desired temperature is reached, just lift them out and them aside. If the added pieces have completely melted and the mixture is still too warm, stir in the remaining 2 ounces unchopped chocolate and continue cooling down the mixture by stirring.

When the chocolate is cooled enough, lift out any unmelted chunks with a fork and discard. Add the previously sifted very fine peppermint shards to the chocolate. Stir well. Reserve the remaining larger bits for garnishing the top.

Immediately pour the chocolate-peppermint mixture into the prepared tray. Using an off-set spatula or table knife, spread the chocolate out to the edges; be sure the layer is evenly thick. Sprinkle the reserved peppermint bits evenly over the chocolate. Shake the tray back and forth and rap it on the counter several times to embed the candy bits in the chocolate. Immediately transfer the tray to the refrigerator, resting it flat. Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes or until the chocolate is completely set.

Carefully peel the chocolate bark from the foil as shown below; be sure to remove all bits of foil. Break the bark into 2- to 4-inch irregular pieces with your hands. Package the bark as desired.

Store airtight at cool room temperature for up to 2 months. Makes about 1 1/3 pounds peppermint bark.

Doubling the Recipe: Follow the basic directions, except ready two 10-by 15- or similar rimmed trays or baking sheets. Break up or chop 2 pounds chocolate into small chunks; have 8 ounces unchopped chocolate on hand. In a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave the chopped chocolate and 2 tablespoons corn oil on 100-percent power for 2 minutes. Stop and stir. Continue microwaving on 50 percent power, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds until most of the chocolate is melted. Continue stirring until the chocolate completely melts. Stir in 4 drops peppermint oil ( if using) and 5 ounces of unchopped chocolate. Proceed as for the original recipe, except if the mixture is still too warm, stir in 3 more ounces unchopped chocolate. Continue exactly as for the original recipe, except divide the recipe evenly between the two pans. Makes about 2 3/4 pounds peppermint bark.

Almost Sherrill's Soft Gingerbread Boys--(As Seen on the Food Network)

2011-12-15T16:05:00.016-05:00

I've been getting requests today for a recipe that just appeared on a Food Network show on gingerbread. The pic here was taken in my kitchen several years ago when the segment was originally shot.

If you didn't see the feature here, let me fill you in: Some years back, when I was researching recipes for my All-American Dessert Book, I heard about a locally famous glazed gingerbread cookie that was prepared at a Capitol Hill diner called Sherrill's Restaurant. Trouble was, by the time I'd found out about these plump, chewy-soft goodies, the restaurant was no longer in business.

Some of my foodie colleagues with the Washington Post food section were in touch with the retired pastry chef who had made the cookies at Sherrills. They offered to see if he would give me the recipe for my book. When he declined, I then tried to pay him to make me a sample batch; I thought this would help me in trying to duplicate his recipe. Alas, he wasn't interested in doing this either.

Still determined, I talked at length to several of the Post food staffers who had eaten his cookies, writing down all the details of what the cookies looked and tasted like. Then for several months, I just kept making up versions and sending them to my Post colleagues for feedback. After numerous attempts and a lot of helpful comments like, "too sweet," "not spicy enough," "getting there," etc., I finally produced a batch that they declared "very, very close to the original."

I wish I could tell you that the original creator of the Sherrill's gingerbread boys thought so too, but I never heard from him, so I don't know. But my cookies were extremely popular with those who tried them.

Several years after my All-American Dessert Book containing my knockoff version came out, I was asked to do a video segment featuring my cookies for a show on gingerbread. It's since run several times on the Food Network, and now again this year. Since I'm getting requests for the recipe, here it is. Enjoy!

Almost Sherrill's Soft Gingerbread Boys

Rolled gingerbread cookies are usually on the crisp and crunchy side, but these are plump, lightly glazed, sweet and not too spicy, and, most important, noticeably chewy-soft. Note that this recipe does not contain any eggs.

Incidentally, the glaze (being added at left) is similar to that used on doughnuts, so it often becomes more opaque and flaky as it stands and cools. This is normal.

Tip: To keep this dough from warming up and softening too quickly, thoroughly chill a large baking sheet. Then lay the dough on it as you cut out the cookies. Chill the baking sheet as needed for successive batches.

Dough
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2/3 cup light molasses
Generous 1/2 cup clover (or other mild) honey
1/3 cup corn oil (or other flavorless vegetable oil)
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
Dark raisins or dried currants (for eyes and buttons)
Glaze:
1 1/3 cups powdered' sugar, sifted after measuring if lumpy
3 1/2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons corn oil (or other flavorless vegetable oil)

To make the dough:
In a large saucepan, stir together the butter, molasses, honey, oil and brown sugar until blended. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture just comes to a full boil. Immediately start timing and cook, stirring occasionally, for exactly 1 minute. Remove from the heat; let cool slightly.

In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking powder, and salt. Working carefully to avoid splashes, pour the molasses mixture over the flour mixture. Beat with a mixer on low, then medium speed until very well blended. If the mixer motor labors, stop and complete the mixing by hand. Cover and refrigerate for 30 to 40 minutes, or until barely warm and stiffened.

To roll the dough:
Divide the dough into thirds. Roll out each portion between sheets of baking parchment or wax paper until a generous 1/4-inch thick. Stack the rolled portions (paper still attached) on a baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours, or freeze for 30 to 40 minutes, or until very cold and firm.

When ready to bake:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease several baking sheets or coat with nonstick spray oil.

Working with one dough portion at a time and leaving the others in the refrigerator, gently peel off the top sheet of paper, then pat the paper loosely back into place so it will be easy to remove later. Invert the dough and peel off the second sheet.

Using a 4- to 5-inch gingerbread boy (or girl) cutter, cut out the cookies. Using a spatula, transfer cookies to baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.* If at any point the dough softens too much to handle easily, transfer the paper and cookies to a baking sheet and refrigerate or freeze until firm. Re-roll any dough scraps. Continue cutting out the cookies until all the dough is used. Very firmly press raisins into the cookies for eyes and buttons.

Bake for 9 to 14 minutes, until the tops are lightly colored and the edges are slightly darker; don't underbake. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks over sheets of baking parchment or wax paper. Let the cookies stand for 4 minutes to firm up. Using a wide spatula, transfer them to the racks.

To make the glaze:
In a 1-quart saucepan, stir together the powdered sugar, 3 1/2 tablespoons water and oil until well blended. Bring to a boil, stirring, over medium-high heat, for 30 to 45 seconds (the glaze will be clear). Stir to recombine the glaze, then use immediately while it is still hot. (If the glaze is allowed to stand and cool, it may thicken and become sugary. In this case, add a teaspoon of hot water to thin it again, place over medium heat, and continue stirring until the sugar dissolves. Immediately remove from the heat and use.)

To glaze the cookies:
Using a pastry brush or a paper towel, brush the cookies with glaze until their tops are coated all over with an even layer; the more glaze you use, the softer the cookies will be. Stir the glaze frequently to prevent it from separating. Let the cookies cool completely, at least 1 hour. It's normal for the glaze to become slightly sugary and flaky.

The cookies will keep, packed flat with baking parchment or wax paper between the layers and stored airtight, at room temperature for up to a week or frozen for up to 2 months.Makes 16-18 gingerbread boys.

If you're a cookie fan you might also like my cranberry white chocolate drop cookies, or thoroughly tested, popular sugar cookies recipe shown at left.
Another post details how to ready homemade cookie sprinkles such as those here.

How About Giving Some Cookbooks This Holiday --Support Authors AND Give a Memorable Gift

2011-12-13T12:24:00.258-05:00

Let me climb up on a soapbox and say that if you're looking for a holiday gift for a foodie, you should think about giving a cookbook. Yes, I suggest this partly because I'm a cookbook author myself; several of my books are shown right here. And yes, I'm well aware that free recipes are available all over the Internet.

But please remember that very often the really well-tested and delectable recipes circulating out there on the web are adaptations borrowed from books that diligent authors or chefs spent a lot of time and money creating. (Of course, some bloggers do create original recipes and slave over their testing, and their readers should be appreciative.) Plus, having in hand a whole cookbook packed with interesting recipes, helpful and entertaining recipe intros, the author's personal tips, tutorials and commentary and, often, lovely photos, is a totally different, much more satisfying experience than using bare-bones recipe printouts.

Most of my colleagues with reputations for totally trustworthy recipes say they have to test numerous times to ensure that the final dish is perfect and that their instructions are written clearly enough that even novice cooks can succeed. (To help ensure this, I often send out my recipes to home testers and have them make and rate each dish; the details are here.) At a minimum, the recipes I create for cookbooks, newspapers, magazines and for this blog get tested three times, and usually more. The 100% whole wheat-honey bread (shown at left) from my Kneadlessly Simple cookbook took more than 12 tries--I lost count after that! It took me eight tests to create the super reliable "nearly foolproof" fudge recipe posted here at Kitchenlane earlier this month. And about 20 tries to create the "knockoff" gingerbread boys recipe here.

Probably the most over-the-top recipe testing story ever involves Julia Child's effort to create a doable and authentic French bread for her seminal Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Her editor, Judith Jones, says that Julia's husband Paul (who was a good cook) tried over 50 recipe variations without success. Finally, as my tribute to Julia details, they packed up, went to France, and visited the country's most famous baker to learn the secrets to success. I know many other less well-known food writers and cookbook authors who are equally as diligent about bringing their readers unique, carefully tested, utterly delectable recipes. This is time-consuming and expensive, and to be frank about it, they only get paid for their efforts when buyers support them and buy their books.

Let me be even bolder here and suggest that if somebody on your gift list is interested in baking or eating good homemade yeast bread, you might consider giving them a copy of my latest cookbook, Kneadlessly Simple. The hardcover edition has been very popular and has received many favorable reviews, and now is even more reasonably priced in a brand new, easy to order, very economical softcover edition. Since the recipes require no kneading (and often no hand-shaping) and also greatly minimize kitchen muss and fuss, the book is geared for both newbie home bakers and those folks just too busy to hang around the house tending rising dough all day. Find more general info on the method and the crusty, white pot bread (shown at left above) here. (The recipes feature the convenient option to hold the dough in the refrigerator at several stages until you're around and ready to work with it.) A post here explains more about what pots work best for the pot breads.

All the bread snapshots in this post were taken in my kitchen as the recipes were being tested. (Thoroughly!) As you can see, the collection includes a wide variety of recipes--from the festive iced sweet loaf belowand the cheese bread shown at right and posted here. A whole gallery of breads in the book, from cinnamon buns, to seeded and saffron bread are presented here.

Even if my bread book or perhaps my cookie or dessert books don't seem like the perfect choice for you to give, do think about titles by other authors that might enthrall a foodie friend or relative and that will also help keep the cookbook industry and its hard-working authors and editors in business. For a starter list of possible gift cookbooks check out the Chow post here. My colleagues and I thank you and wish you a wonderful holiday.

Make Your Own Cookie & Cake Sprinkles--Secrets to a Festive Custom Look

2011-12-12T12:57:00.033-05:00

I just made my own decorator sprinkles to use on cookies, cakes, and other sweet treats. And you can, too!

They are easy, economical, taste much better than store-bought, and you can make them in absolutely any custom shade desired. An important added benefit for me personally is that by readying homemade jimmies I can avoid giving my grandkids decors laden with synthetic food dyes. During a family cookie decorating session, they snitched a lot of sprinkles, all free of commercial synthetic dyes. Since some research suggests that these may cause hyperactivity or allergic reactions in certain children, I feel more comfortable tinting my sprinkles using au natural food colorings made from only fruit, berry, and veggie-based colorants, and occasionally, cocoa powder. (For my "au natural" buttercream frosting, go here.)

Often, I just use the dribs and drabs of whatever powdered sugar frostings are left over from decorating projects, such as my marathon decorating day featuring the eye-catching cookies shown here. To do this yourself, simply follow the piping, drying, and chopping instructions below.

But it's easy to mix up a batch of icing specifically for preparing sprinkles using the recipe here. The ingredients are just quickly stirred together--no mixer or beating required.

For au naturel sprinkles in pastel shades, any fruit juices you have in the refrigerator will do--cranberry, Concord grape, cherry, raspberry or orange juice will all add a touch of color and a light, pleasing taste. If avoiding synthetic dyes matters to you, check the labels to be sure the juices you buy are actually free of Red 40, and Yellow 5 or 6 and other petroleum derived products. If you don't consider commercial dyes a big issue, tint the icing for your sprinkles with regular food colors, as desired.

For brighter completely au natural hues, it's possible to buy botanically-based colorants on-line and in some specialty stores. The India Tree brand, called Natural Decorating Colors, features a little three-color set. A company called Seelect sells a whole array of natural food colorants in 2-ounce bottles (each will likely last you a life-time!). A third firm, www.chocolatecrafters.com sells a very convenient six-bottle set of natural colors in blue, red, yellow, purple, green, and orange. To see how these natural colors look used on assorted Valentine's cookies, go here.

Note that unlike the ordinary synthetic food dyes, these plant-based ones need to be stored in the refrigerator or the colors will fade over time. And, depending on the hue, the colors may not be as intense as the synthetic dyes.

Most important of all--some botanically-based dyes will change color in the presence of acids from fruit juices. So before you add them to a whole batch of frosting, add a drop to a small amount of it to see if you like the color created. Blue-hued natural dyes are particularly prone to changing color when blended with fruit juice--usually to a very pretty shade of pink. So, if you're really yearning for a blue frosting, use plain water instead of fruit juice in the recipe.

Homemade Sprinkles

For multicolored nonpareils, you can pipe the various shades onto one sheet of parchment as shown in these pics. For individual colors, pipe each color onto a separate sheet and chop and store them separately. The recipe may be doubled, or even tripled if you wish, but the sprinkles are best used within 6 months. Note that homemade sprinkles are best to add over frostings and icings or to top sugar cookies that require fairly short baking times. Exposure to heat for longer than about 10 minutes causes the natural colors to fade.

By the way, both the icings and sprinkles shown in this post feature only botanically-based colors. Which proves that you can decorate with pizzazz and avoid health risks, too.

Tip: My tried and true sugar cookie dough used to prepare the cookies shown is here.

1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more if needed
1 to 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy, optional
2 to 3 teaspoons cranberry, grape, cherry, raspberry, or orange fruit juice or water, plus more as needed
Several drops of regular or au naturel (botanically-based) commercial food colors, optional

Put the sugar in a small, deep bowl. (Or to make sprinkles in two colors, use two bowls.) If preparing cocoa jimmies, thoroughly stir in the cocoa powder; a larger amount will yield a deeper color and flavor. Gradually and thoroughly stir in enough juice or water to create an icing that is smooth and stiff enough to pipe. If desired, stir in a drop or two of food color for a brighter shade.

Lay out a long sheet of parchment. Spoon the icing into a pastry bag fitted with a fine writing tip; or into a parchment piping cone (as shown at left); or into a sturdy plastic baggie. Snip a tiny opening in the piping cone tip or one corner of the baggie.

Pipe slightly spaced, thin vertical lines of icing onto the parchment; as the pic at left shows, it's okay if the lines aren't perfect. Let the lines dry uncovered at least 15 hours in dry weather and 24 hours in damp or humid weather.

Slide the parchment and piped lines onto a cutting board and using a large knife, cut across the lines to create jimmies or dots as desired. (Or use a pizza cutter.) If the sprinkles don't seem completely dry, let stand several hours to dry further. Use immediately or store airtight in a cool spot away from bright light for up to 6 months.

Makes about 1/2 cup sprinkles.

For more on "naturally beautiful" decorating with botanical food colors such as on the hearts go here.

For a round-up other cookie decorating techniques such as the one shown on the daisy cookies below, go here.

Great Gifts from the Kitchen--Seven Tempting Treats To Make and Give This Holiday

2011-12-07T12:37:00.015-05:00

Whether you just enjoy the creativity, or prefer to personalize and give more meaning to your presents, or are simply budget conscious, gifts from the kitchen are a gratifying option for the holidays. Here are just seven of the many kitchen gifts I've happily given out over the years. (Just clicking on the titles will take you to the how-to and recipes.)

Gourmet Herbed Vinegars--For the right person, (usually a fairly adventuresome or gourmet cook), homemade herbed vinegars can be the perfect gift. Not only do the bottles make a charming decorative kitchen accent, but the cook who likes to ready homemade mayos, vinaigrettes, Bearnaise or quick pan sauces will be thrilled with their fresh, intense flavors and zip. Note that the vinegars are also easy to prepare.

Candied Grapefruit and Orange Peels--
The homemade version of this confection tastes so spectacular that just writing about it is making me want some now. In fact it's really hard to understand how store-bought citrus peels can be so much less appealing, but that's usually the case. Note that "as is" homemade candied peels are both fat- and gluten-free; of course, if you dip the strips in chocolate, they will then include cocoa butter, the natural fat of chocolate.
Hearty Minestrone Soup Mix

This is a perfect gift from the kitchen when your recipient is diet-conscious or simply doesn't like sweets. A convenient, not to mention eye-catching, jar of mix can be effortlessly combined with water and a can of tomatoes for a whole pot of healthful, nourishing minestrone. (By choosing certified gluten-free ingredients, you can tailor your soup mix to those allergic to gluten.)

Nearly Foolproof, No-Beat Chocolate Rocky Road Fudge--

It took me many tries over several decades to come up with a fudge recipe that looked and tasted good and came out right every single time. If you can bear to part with the batch, it makes a fine holiday gift for any fudge or chocolate fan.

Cranberry-Chocolate Chip Bars-in-Jars Mix--
Attractively-layered containers of "bars-in-jars" mix make thoughtful gifts for favorite teachers, relatives, or friends, and can be readied by teens or younger children working along with a grownup. The recipient stirs the mix together with butter and an egg for an almost effortless pan of festive homemade chocolate chip-cranberry bars.

Citrusy Homemade Limoncello Liqueur--
For the occasional tippler, or fan of all things Italian, a bottle of this potent lemon-scented liqueur would make a truly memorable gift. Better get on it though--the lemon peels have to steep at least a week and the holidays are almost here.

Stained Glass and Light Catcher Cookies--
Festive, highly giftable rolled cut-out cookies can be created fairly easily using this simple "stained glass," technique. Children love both giving and receiving these.

Simple Secrets to "Too Pretty to Eat," Iced Holiday Sugar Cookies--It's NOT Fancy Piping or Sprinkles

2011-12-04T12:42:00.013-05:00

In case you haven't already guessed, I'm cookie obsessed. I've been making and decorating cookies ever since I was a child. For several decades now, every holiday I come up with a fresh new look and collection.

My aim is cookies eye-catching enough to stand out and create a stir (and, of course, that taste as good as they look). I want people to ooh and aah and comment (just before they take a bite), "This is really too pretty to eat!"

Using an assortment of decorating techniques, over the years I've made a goodly number of cookies that have elicited this kind of response: Stained glass stars and Christmas trees (more on the stained glass method here), sparkling iced snowflakes in a variety of sizes, and "painted" springerle, are just some of the most memorable ones.

Interestingly, the desired pizazz with sugar cookies doesn't generally come from relying on fancy, hard-to-find cutters, or in using a lot of decorator sprinkles. And usually not from adding elaborate piped details either, although the rocking horses and dollie cookie at left did require a good bit of piping.

But, since I don't work in a bakery or decorate baked goods all day long, piping isn't my forte, and often, I just brush on icing details (like the stocking heel and toe, left) with a small artist's brush. (If you're decorating with children, note that they are also particularly comfortable applying icing with a brush.) Although my kitchen contains a lot of cutters (I just bought a canister containing 20 holiday shapes for $5!) and I have many kinds of sprinkles, these don't actually get used much. The stocking cookie, which is accented with clear crystal sugar, is the only one here sporting any sprinkles at all.

Instead, the key to truly eye-catching iced sugar cookies is simply to avoid the traditional (make that ho-hum) bright red and green Christmas colors, and rely on a fresher, less familiar palette. If you look carefully at all the cookies here, you'll see that they're readied from about six complementary custom-blended royal frosting colors that are mixed and matched in various ways. Tip: The brown hue is created by stirring a little sifted unsweetened cocoa powder into a red or yellow shade.

Even if you prefer to stick with the more conventional red-green holiday scheme, it's easy to update the look just by mixing up, say, a more interesting evergreen or lime shade by adding a drop of blue or yellow into the usual green, and a less predictable purple red by tinting it with a drop of blue. And remember that for real wow power, you need to employ an array of at least four or five colors, not just a couple of shades.

One more technique that you see here and can readily copy is the decorative scalloped effect shown on the snowmen's hats above left, on the lower candy cane and snowflakes right, and bell, star and dollie pictured at the top. It's called marbling and involves nothing more than piping a straight line or circle of contrasting icing onto a layer of still-wet base layer of icing, then drawing a toothpick through the piped lines to produce ripples. For more how-to details and examples of the marbling technique, go here. For a good all-purpose sugar cookie dough, go here.

For more inspiration on coming up with striking color palettes and achieving beautiful results such as the painted sugar cookie leaves below, check out my post on pumpkin and leaf cookies here. Or check out how to make your own custom-color cookie and cake sprinkles here.

Finally--Nearly 100% Foolproof Fudge! No-Beating Required! None!

2011-11-28T19:31:00.010-05:00

Fudge and I go back a long way, and we've had both our good and bad moments. Now, I think I've finally mastered this mercurial, occasionally maddening candy. It's taken me many years.

My first forays into fudge began as soon as I could read cookbooks and was old enough to use the stove--probably around age 9. Well, to be accurate, sometimes I made fudge and sometimes I made something more akin to sludge!

Often on Sunday afternoons, I'd get out the big, heavy dutch oven and my mother's falling-apart vintage recipe books and choose a tempting looking fudge to make. (Any lacking chocolate were dismissed as not being real fudge.) Usually, I tried to enlist my little brother to help with the beating, but he was much better at licking the spoon than stirring with it. Plus, he didn't listen when I tried to give him instructions (or, in his words, boss him around).

Of course, at that age, I knew nothing about the complexities of working with sugar and chocolate, and none of the grown-up cooks in the family did either. And in retrospect, I don't think most of the authors of those books knew the necessary candy chemistry either, because I can now often see that those old recipes were just wrong.

Sometimes the fudge wouldn't set, ever--in which case, we pronounced the results "fudge sauce," and ate it over ice cream! Other times it turned to stone without even being stirred; we just chipped off pieces and ate it anyway. And often we ended up with gritty fudge, though at ages 9 and 4, we weren't yet connoisseurs, so were not turned off by this.

The only fudge batches we kids considered failures were those that couldn't be eaten at all. Specifically, these included ones that burned and tasted nasty and ones in which the chocolate never really integrated into the cream.

The burning, I now realize, occurred because chocolate is best only gently melted, not cooked or boiled, and too much high heat had caused its natural starch to scorch. Notice in the following recipe that the chocolate goes in near the end and isn't cooked at all, the safeest way to go.

The second problem occurred because instructions said to put all the cold cream and chunks of chocolate into a pot and heat them until the chocolate melted and blended in--which it never did. I now understand that chocolate is persnickety and only melts and blends smoothly with liquid when the two are warmed and slowly, gradually mixed together. This inviolable confectionery rule accounts for the fairly precise mixing method called for below, so do follow it.

Let me now get to the point by fast-forwarding past several decades of fiddling with fudge-making, professional confectionery training and hours of kitchen testing and moving on to my novel fudge recipe presented here. I'm proud to say I created it for a story that ran in the Washington Post food section last year. I firmly believe that it avoids the major pitfalls of the usual recipes circulating around--at the very least it greatly minimizes the chances of under-cooking, burning, graininess, and even failure to set up and become fudge instead of sauce. And imho it tastes first-rate, too!

Nearly 100% Foolproof Rocky Road Chocolate Fudge

Since I only came up with this fudge-making method in the last year and it's unique, it's going to seem a bit unusual. Instead of being beaten until it grains and stiffens, the fudge is simply poured, while still warm and fairly fluid, into the prepared pan. It then stands at room temperature for a number of hours. This resting period allows time for the natural starch in the chocolate to gradually absorb the extra moisture and stiffen the candy to a firm, but not dry consistency. So long as you follow the directions as written, the method yields fudge that is exceptionally creamy and flavorful and that stays moist and succulent during storage. Please, please curb any impulse to improvise. And let me know how you like the recipe--I'd love your feedback.

It’s important to use a pot that holds at least 6-quarts; the cream-sugar mixture will boil up over the sides and make a mess in a smaller one. And never substitute a semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate for unsweetened or 99 to 100 percent cacao chocolate. (Use either 7 1/2 or 8 ounces depending on whether you like a slightly milder or more bittersweet fudge.) The unsweetened chocolate is essential not only because it provides the right amount of chocolate to balance the sugar, but because it contains the right amount of natural cocoa starch to stiffen the fudge as it stands. This happens best at room temperature, so don’t refrigerate the fudge right away.

It’s best to use a candy thermometer, but you can make this fudge without one. Just watch closely for the cream mixture to thicken and turn a light dulce de leche color as described below. Then remove it from the heat and proceed as directed.

One more thing--yes, of course, this makes a super gift from the kitchen! For other kitchen gifts ideas, check out my yummy bars-in-jars recipe or my minestrone soup mix kit.

Tip: I really like a rocky road fudge, but if you prefer yours plain, simply omit stirring in the 2 1/2 cups of mimi-marshmallows into the mixture at the very end of mixing. Don't skip the 2 cups of marsmallows that are melted in at the beginning however as they are essential to recipe success.

2 cups heavy (whipping) cream

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

Pinch of salt

7 1/2 to 8 ounces unsweetened chocolate (or 99 to 100 percent cacao chocolate), chopped

4 1/2 cups mini-marshmallows, divided

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

Line an 8‑inch (or for thinner fudge a 9-inch) square pan with aluminum foil, allowing it to overhang on 2 sides. Combine the chopped chocolate and 2 cups marshmallows in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds on high power. Stir lightly, then microwave 30 seconds longer. Stir and set aside.

Combine the cream, sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a 6‑quart or larger heavy non-reactive pot or enamel-coated Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium‑high heat, stirring with a long‑handled wooden spoon. As the mixture boils and rises up the sides, continuing stirring until it begins to subside, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Adjust the heat so mixture boils briskly, occasionally gently stirring and scraping the pan bottom. Continue boiling, stirring frequently, about 5 to 7 minutes or until the mixture begins to boil down, thicken just slightly, bubble loudly and turn a pale beige color. Then, to avoid scorching, lower the heat so the mixture boils very gently.

If a candy thermometer with a clip is available, clip it to the pot, submerging the tip in the candy, but not touching the pan bottom. Otherwise, just start frequently testing with the candy thermometer available. Cook, stirring constantly and scraping the pan bottom and sides and watching carefully to prevent scorching, about 3 to 5 minutes longer. When the mixture turns a very pale light caramel or dulce de leche color and reaches 234 to 235 degrees F, immediately remove the pot from the heat (with pot holders), stirring. Pour the mixture over chocolate, being careful not to burn yourself. If the bottom of the pot looks grainy or as if it is beginning to scorch, don't scrape out the last of the mixture.

Add the vanilla to the bowl with the chocolate. Stir the fudge with a clean wooden spoon until the chocolate is fully melted and blended in and no streaks remain; this will take several minutes. Be sure to scrape up the mixture from the bottom. If the fudge looks oily and separated or is too stiff to stir, vigorously stir in up to 5 teaspoons warm water a teaspoon at a time; stop adding as soon the mixture smooths out and looks creamy. Fold in the nuts, if using, until evenly incorporated. Then lightly fold in remaining 2 1/2 cups marshmallows, stopping before they begin to melt into the mixture. Immediately turn the fudge out into the prepared pan; quickly smooth out to the edges with a lightly greased table knife.

Let the fudge cool on a wire rack. Cover and let stand at room temperature at least 8 hours and preferably overnight; this allows time for the natural chocolate starch to firm up the fudge. Then refrigerate, wrapped airtight, for up to 10 days. Alternatively, freeze airtight, for up to a month.

Let the fudge slab thaw or warm up slightly before cutting. Lift the foil and slab from pan. Carefully peel off the foil; place the fudge slab on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, trim off and discard the uneven edges all around, if desired. Cut the fudge into quarters in one direction and sixths in the other to yield 24 pieces (or cut in bigger pieces, if desired). Pack airtight and store in a cool place for up to a week. Or freeze airtight for up to 1 month; thaw in the refrigerator, then let warm to room temperature before serving.

Makes about 1 3/4 pounds plain fudge, 2 1/8 pounds nut fudge.

Savory, Hearty Gift from the Kitchen--Minestrone Soup Mix Kit

2011-11-22T10:38:00.009-05:00

Sunday afternoon was a golden one, with the leaves still falling and the sun bright and warm. I spent a leisurely hour preparing some kitchen gifts for the holidays. It was a good feeling to see my pretty minestrone soup kits sitting there on the porch finished and ready to go. I realized after I took the picture at left that I wasn't the only one enjoying the pleasant weather. If you look closely straight back into the center of the woods, you'll see a deer lying down resting there among the trees.

She had probably eaten her fill of the last hostas in my yard and decided she needed to take a nap. I was feeling contented and a little nappish too!

Perhaps making kitchen gifts is so gratifying to me because I grew up in farming country. Gifts from the home kitchen rather than bought items were the main way families remembered one another during the holidays. Many folks liked to drop by friends’ and relatives’ homes every year with a treat they'd put up during the summer preserving season. A family friend, Mrs. Miller, always gave us a jar of big, chunky sour pickles, and Aunt Roberta presented us with her famous allspice- and mustard seed-sparked green tomato slices. (Which I still make on the rare occasion I can get enough green tomatoes.)

Other peeps dispensed baked goods: A lady my parents played bridge with gave us a loaf of banana bread, which she invariably presented prettily tied up in a red and green plaid bow. We reciprocated with a jar of raspberry jam, or a tin of rolled sugar cookies, or sometimes my mother's fondant-stuffed dates.

The kitchen gifts habit I learned long ago stuck. No matter how many presents I buy, I don’t really feel ready for the holidays till I prepare a variety of kitchen treats to give out. Originally, I made rolled sugar cookies but over the years I’ve updated my repertoire to include candies (lately, peppermint bark), spiced nuts, chutneys, herb vinegars, this layered soup mix, and my chocolate-chip-cranberry bar cookie mix. (I don’t do jam because my sister gives it.)

The soup kit recipe makes a thoughtful and healthful present for any cool weather occasion, especially for those who can't eat or don't care for sweets. (If you scroll down you can see the finished soup.) I gave a jar to my Thanksgiving hostess several years ago, and have also made up kits for Christmas gifts. The recipe was featured in the Washington Post food section several years ago and was a big hit! If you pack yours in an attractive jar or canister as I have here, that can be part of the gift, too. (Or if you're on a budget, use recycled large mayo jars or canning jars.)

Minestrone Soup Mix

(Makes 1 jar of mix and yields about 2 quarts soup)

This attractive gift mix enables the recipient to make a very savory and hearty pot of homemade minestrone with minimal effort and supplies. In fact, served along with a bread or salad, it can make a fine, no-fuss supper.

Tip: If you hunt up gluten-free bouillon granules and pasta, the mix can be suitable for those with wheat allergies. You can also sub vegetable bouillon granules for a vegan version of the kit.

Tip: For a lower sodium soup, I suggest using 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon regular bouillon granules and 1 tablespoon very low sodium bouillon granules.

Layer the mix ingredients in a clear glass, acrylic, or plastic jar or canister with a volume of 1-pint (16-ounces) or 1/2-liter or slightly more. If only larger containers are on hand, you can improvise by filling any empty space at the top with a plastic bag full of soup crackers. Or, if the container used is a little too small, attach the package of pasta to the outside of the jar instead of in its top. Don’t forget to provide the recipe instructions along with the mix.

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon good-quality beef bouillon granules
3 tablespoons minced dried onions
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped dried (not oil-packed) sun-dried tomatoes or chopped freeze-dried tomatoes or dried sweet pepper pieces or dried chives (or a combination)
1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves or dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic or garlic powder (not garlic salt)
Scant 1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes or 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup uncooked pearled barley
1/4 cup uncooked red or brown lentils
1/4 cup uncooked green or yellow split peas
1/4 cup uncooked kidney beans
1/4 cup uncooked cannelloni beans or great northern white beans
1/2 cup uncooked medium-size macaroni, penne, or corkscrew pasta

To make the mix: Combine the bouillon granules, dried onions, dried tomatoes (or sweet peppers), oregano, marjoram, garlic, and pepper on a sheet of heavy duty foil. Using the foil as a funnel, put the mixture into a clean 1 pint or 1/2 liter jar (or similar-size canister or a heavy zip-lock bag). Rap the jar to even the layer. In layers, add the barley, lentils, split peas, kidney beans, then finally, the white beans to the jar, rapping after each addition to even the layers. Pack the pasta separately in a small sturdy plastic bag and close tightly. Tuck it into the top of the jar (or tie around the outside if the jar is full). If the jar or bag will be shipped, pack any headroom with crumpled wax paper. Close tightly.

Ready and include a card or sheet containing the following recipe instructions:

Minestrone (Makes about 2 quarts soup)

A fragrant, nourishing, fuss-free soup. The diced meat is entirely optional, but makes a heartier, meal-in-a-bowl minestrone. Keep the mix up to 3 months in a cool spot.

1 container of Soup mix
1/2 cup diced ham, hard salami, pepperoni, or smoked turkey, optional
1 to 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped mixed fresh or frozen vegetable medley (such celery, bell pepper, zucchini, and onions)
1 14- to 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, including juice

Grated Parmesan cheese, coarsely ground black pepper, or chopped parsley for garnish, optional

Remove the pasta package (and crackers, if included) and set aside for later use. Put all the remaining ingredients in the jar in a large soup pot with 9 1/2 cups of hot water. Bring to a boil, stirring once or twice, then turn off the heat and let the beans hydrate for 10 minutes. Return to a boil, then cook, covered, adjusting the heat so the pot boils very gently until the beans are just barely tender, usually 50 to 55 minutes.

If the minestrone is thick, thin it to a soupy consistency, then reheat it to boiling. Stir in the pasta, vegetables, and meat (if using). Simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes longer, until the pasta is cooked al dente. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste; reheat to piping hot. If necessary, thin the minestrone with more hot water to the desired consistency. Pass a bowl of Parmesan for garnishing the soup, if desired. The soup usually thickens upon refrigeration; thin it before reheating. Keeps 3-4 days refrigerated or 2 months frozen in an airtight container.

What's coming soon to Kitchenlane: I'll be featuring a series of gifts from the kitchen the next few weeks. Next up, a nearly foolproof rocky road fudge.

Say Thanks with Perfect Pumpkin Gifts from the Kitchen

2011-11-19T19:26:00.003-05:00

I can't think of anything more appropriate to take a host or
hostess for Thanksgiving than a pumpkin-themed gift. The pumpkin is our most enduring symbol of autumn's bounty. Native Wampanoag tribesmen introduced pumpkins and other squash to the Pilgrims, who may have roasted some in the fire right along with the game for their now-famous 1621 feast.

In fact, a popular early American rhyme, circa 1633, suggests that pumpkins were as commonplace on colonists' daily menus as they are on our Thanksgiving menus today. (Apparently, parsnips were likewise widely eaten back then, but they've been supplanted by green bean casserole on modern Thanksgiving tables. My veggie-hating grandson would definitely consider this progress!) Notice that the poem uses the archaic English "undoon," in place of "undone," to make the rhyming pattern work:

"For pottage and puddings and custards and pies,

Our pumpkins and parsnips are common supplies,

We have pumpkins at morning and pumpkins at noon,

If it were not for pumpkins we should be undoon."

This year I'm going to my son's house and am contributing both pumpkin quick bread and "painted" pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies
(dough recipe here) to our Thanksgiving feast.

The cookies are cut out with pumpkin shaped cutters and decorated with a quick powdered sugar icing. (I incorporated a teaspoon of light corn syrup to make the glaze glossy.) Because I prefer to minimize the use of food dyes these days, I substituted orange juice concentrate for water, and heightened the hue only slightly for a soft, natural look. The darker accent lines on the pumpkins were created by adding a little cocoa powder to some of the orange icing. Instead of piping, I applied the accents using a small artist's brush while the icing was still wet. You could use a piping bag and fine tip for this, if desired.

Part of the secret to making any kitchen gift seem special is to present it nicely. Because the cookies are already colorful, I've wrapped them individually in plain clear bags and raffia that show them off but don't compete for attention. (The other advantage of clear bags is that they are easier to find than seasonal ones and can be used any time of year.) I'm giving out the individual cookies as gifts for the kids this year, but they also make fine Thanksgiving table favors.

The pumpkin mini-loaves (made using the recipe here) can be packaged in several ways: Sometimes, I wrap them in plastic or a decorative cellophane bag, add a tag, and secure them with a festive ribbon. Another possibility for a family that likes to bake is to wrap the loaves, then return them to their baking dishes and give these as part of the gift. (I found the mini-loaf pans at Michael's several years ago for $1 each!)

Since we'll have a cozy group of only about eight this year, we'll probably cut and serve one loaf and save the second to enjoy after the day of feasting is past. A slice makes a lovely snack with a glass of milk or soothing cup of tea--with or without a turkey sandwich!

In case you're wondering, no, I don't usually take any pumpkin pies to family Thanksgiving celebrations. My grandchildren love to help get ready for Thanksgiving by making these with their dad.

Are My Recipes Good Enough for a Cookbook? Recipe Testers Revealed the Hard Truth

2011-11-16T10:01:00.021-05:00

Everybody wants to write a cookbook. A veterinarian once told me this as she probed and prodded my poodle. The UPS man said so as he delivered a cookbook manuscript to my door.

It’s fine to aspire. But coming up with all those pesky recipes may be a challenge. In case you didn't know, famous folks often just hire a recipe developer. Some peeps solve the problem by cleverly adapting other authors' recipes, which (unfortunately) in some cases is legal but does require reworking them in a particular way.

I recommend (gasp!) digging in and diligently creating the recipes yourself. Though this admittedly involves a lot of effort, it's a very gratifying and creative process.

In the food and cookbook writing classes I teach, I always emphasize that the recipes can't just be so-so, they have to be really good. (I learned this the hard way as I mentioned in a previous post.) It’s important to thoroughly test, not just guess about your recipes. Then get others to test them and honestly say what they think.

Extra testing in your own kitchen is a good way to find errors like dropped ingredients and incorrect yields, but getting third parties to make and rate your recipes is a much more valid measure of their worth. It helps verify that the instructions are clear and doable by somebody other than you! And it helps gauge whether the eventual user is likely to be happy with the final dish.

As part of my work on my next book, Simply Sensational Cookies, a few months ago I sent some in-progress recipes to a group of volunteer home bakers from across North America. ( I didn’t personally know any of these helpful folks.) I furnished them guidelines and rating sheets and urged them to grade the recipes very hard on taste, texture, appearance, and overall appeal. (While home cooks’ recipes don’t have to look attractive, readers expect a professional’s to be.) I also encouraged the testers to take photos so I could see how their cookies turned out; some of their pics are shown in this post.

I wish I could brag that everything tested was good enough to go in a cookbook, but I knew from past experience that this wouldn’t be the case. (An earlier post on accepting testers’ criticism gracefully is here.) Of the approximately 20 recipes tested only 7 received perfect or near perfect ratings of 9 or 10 in all four categories.

The testers’ remarks about the winners were the kind every cookbook author hopes to hear. Commented Steven, “It’s fairly unusual and exotic … I loved this cookie!” Cindy was also thrilled with her results: “This is an absolutely delicious biscotti recipe. I especially like the texture—although it is crunchy, it’s not a tasteless crunch nor a hurt-my-mouth crunch….” And Susan simply said of the Vanilla-Cream Sandwich Cookies, “… they are SO delicious.”

In the dud group, six recipes received a disappointing 7 points or less in at least one category, and two received an utterly abysmal 3 and 4. I consider even a 7 a failing grade because when folks are paying for recipes they expect and deserve something better than “It’s okay.” I’ve since spent 3 weeks upgrading a sugar cookie recipe that received a single 7 (the other scores were 8s) because the tester’s reaction was so clearly ho-hum. Said Margo, “A basic, sturdy, serviceable, easy to make sugar cookie, but it didn’t knock my socks off.” If I don’t routinely knock people’s socks off, especially with traditional favorites like sugar cookies, I’m not going to maintain a loyal following or generate the broad enthusiasm and word of mouth needed to sell books.

You might assume that the complete “duds” automatically get dumped, but it’s not that simple. I did immediately cut a recipe for animal crackers that the tester, Deb, gave mostly 6 ratings because of her following comments: “Lacking in flavor. Just not appealing.” And the real killer, “Not worth the trouble. Just didn’t compare to animal crackers.” Calling a recipe a waste of time and less appealing than store-bought is a kiss of death!

My Sweet & Crunchy Peanut Crisps recipe actually received the single worst score—a 3 for taste from a tester named Sallie. But Sallie’s ratings of 7 for texture and 8 for appearance, along with her several favorable comments made me think the recipe might be worth saving. I’ve since completely reworked it to jazz up the taste and am fairly certain it’s now cookbook worthy. In case you'd like to try the "new and improved" version, it's posted here.

The most troubling negative response was to my Chocolate-Cardamom Crunch Cookies, which I absolutely adore, but which the tester, Elaine, and her battery of samplers “did not care for at all.” They found the bits of crushed cardamom seeds distracting and “chalky” and the overall appearance drab. Some raters even found the taste of the spice strange. I, in contrast, specifically called for crushed, not ground, seeds because I loved the crunch, and I happen to think that cardamom is the world’s most alluring spice, especially when combined with chocolate.

So, I plan to make these again and present them to a large tasting/rating panel before deciding their fate. If I do put them in the book, I’ll emphasize in the headnote that though most cardamom fans will really enjoy them, they will not have broad appeal and they look rather plain.

I’m enormously grateful that my volunteers were so thorough and thoughtful. They offered a wealth of other invaluable insights into what the “end user” probably wants and needs. I’m going to thank each one of them for their important contribution on the book's acknowledgements page.

Here are just a few of their many comments that have enabled me to improve specific recipes and my book in general. And there will be more helpful feedback coming, because I'm sending out additional recipes to testers soon.

“When a recipe calls for posh chocolate, I expect the results to be orgasmic.”
“Found a serrated knife caused tendency toward slices breaking more than a regular knife.”
“The mixing and shaping are easy, but give a heads-up that the prep is substantial.”
“I think a novice baker would find rolling the dough into a square a bit challenging.”
“Had to drive 20 miles to get the cardamom seeds for this cookie.”
“I would add more detailed instructions on dough shaping. Not everybody is experienced.”
“The reader would appreciate a heads-up on how long this will take from start to finish.”
“The biscotti loaves cracked on top during first baking. You should tell readers if this is normal.”

As you might guess, hearing truly candid feedback isn’t necessarily fun, but it’s incredibly worthwhile. I put it in the same category as getting a shot—it hurts but it makes me better.

A Smashing Way to Use Up Halloween Pumpkins—Pumpkin-Tomato Bisque

2011-11-08T16:36:00.006-05:00

Perhaps it’s the current economic downturn, or a heightened environmental awareness. Or maybe I’m just starting to turn into my paternal grandmother, whom I adored, but prefer not to become! At any rate, lately I’m showing signs of following in her slightly fanatical recycler footsteps.

Grandma was a staunch, uncompromising believer in “waste not, want not,” compulsively saving all little paper sacks, pieces of string, and rubber bands—which nobody, even mild-mannered Grandpop, dared point out had mostly rotted and become useless from age. My stern yet doting grandmother was also convinced that wasting food was a sin: Anyone who left sandwich crusts on the plate at her house was scolded, and she carefully saved all bread heels and crumbs to feed the ducks during our delightful daily walks in the nearby park. Actually, I never saw her throw away any food.

Let me admit here that on several occasions my hubby has insisted that we toss out the jumble of cardboard boxes stashed in the garage in case I “have to send somebody something,” and that at this very moment I have a huge bag full of recycled clean plastic salad containers out there ready to store leftovers, gloves, shoes, etc. (Does anybody else find it ironic, even discomforting that all those “natural, organic” greens come packed in totally environmentally unfriendly, non-biodegradable plastic boxes?)

But to get to the point, I decided not to let the three Halloween pumpkins just languish on our stoop this year. Some precious natural resources, not to mention a farmer’s sweat equity, went into growing them, so it seemed right to consider them food. Probably if I’d formulated this notion ahead, I’d have bought smaller ones. Their total weight of over 25 pounds is now causing the nonsensical “Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater,” nursery rhyme to reverberate in my brain.

So far, I’ve tackled the largest—a thirteen pounder—and am speeding ahead. After scraping out the seeds and loose pulp and brushing the interiors with oil or butter, I broiled one quarter, roasted one quarter, and in two batches nuked the other half. Both the roasting (at 450 degrees F) and the microwaving worked fine, but I don’t recommend broiling because it added nothing to the flavor and turned the skin dry and tough. We first ate some of the cut-up cubes of cooked flesh simply buttered and salted. They were tender and succulent, but, frankly, bland to the point that we couldn’t face eating large quantities fixed that way.

But the alternative dish, a pumpkin-tomato bisque has been—I have to say it—a smashing success. So far, I’ve made two batches, and am eagerly looking forward to the next pot. It’s healthful, filling, easy, economical, and, oh yes, tastes really good. It can be gussied up for a dinner party or served for the most humble lunch. Readied with vegetable broth, it is suitable for vegetarians.

So, thirteen pounds down, and twelve to go-- into pumpkin pies, more batches of bisque, or possibly pumpkin drop cookies with cream cheese frosting. Grandma would be very proud.

How about you? Are you more of a recycler or more environmentally conscious than you used to be? Does all that plastic food packaging, especially on organic products, bother you? Do let me know.

Pumpkin-Tomato Bisque

I imagine that if you wanted to substitute plain canned pumpkin, you could; probably 2 1/2 to 3 cups would be needed. But since my goal was to provide a way to use up fresh leftover Halloween pumpkins here, I haven’t tested that approach. Incidentally, the pumpkins I bought were raised for ornamental purposes, yet they had a thick wall of succulent flesh inside. There’s no need for the so-called sugar or pie pumpkin in this recipe; it will still have a robust, very appealing flavor, texture, and look.

You’ll notice a secret ingredient, peanut butter, which may sound odd, but should not be left out. Most people don’t even detect its presence, but it lends richness, body and underlying nutty character that really makes the dish.

About 3 1/3 to 3 1/2 pounds fresh whole pumpkin, including seeds
1 tablespoon melted butter or 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more if needed
About 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth, divided
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (substitute 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger if necessary)
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, to taste
1 14 to 15 ounce can garlic, basil and oregano seasoned diced tomatoes
1/4 to 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
Freshly ground black pepper to taste, optional
About 2 tablespoons table cream and/or chopped peanuts for garnish, optional

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Cut the pumpkin in half vertically, and scoop out and discard the seeds and stringy pulp. Rub the flesh surface lightly with melted butter or oil, then sprinkle lightly with ½ teaspoon sea salt. Cut the pumpkin into three or four large pieces. Place on a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet.

Roast the pumpkin (middle oven rack), uncovered, for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. (Alternatively, arrange the pieces on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with a microwave-safe cover and microwave on full power for 16 to 20 minutes, or until tender when pierced in the thickest part with a fork.)

Set aside until cool enough to handle. Then cut the flesh away from the skin. Coarsely chop the pumpkin and discard the skin. You should have about 3 1/2 to 4 cups flesh. (Use it immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.)

Combine the chopped pumpkin, 3/4 cup broth, allspice, cardamom, and cayenne in a 4-quart pot or saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil gently, uncovered, for about 10 minutes until the pumpkin is soft and the liquid greatly reduced. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process until very smooth, at least 3 minutes; stop and scrape down the sides halfway through and don’t under-process.

Return the pureed pumpkin to the pot. Combine the canned tomatoes and peanut butter in the processor. Process until completely smooth, about 2 minutes; don’t under-process. Stir the tomato mixture into the pot. As necessary, thin the bisque with more broth or water. Taste and add more salt and black pepper as desired. Heat to piping hot.

Garnish the servings by adding a teaspoon of table cream to the center top of each soup bowl and then partially swirling it in, or by sprinkling over chopped peanuts, if desired. Top with freshly ground pepper, if desired.

Makes about 1 quart soup, 4 to 6 servings.

In the mood for pumpkin but looking for sweet instead of savory--try this really good pumpkin-cranberry bread or pumpkin bread pudding.

Cranberry-Apple Crumble--When You Crave the Taste of Autumn

2011-11-03T10:35:00.012-04:00

Last week I kept eyeing the bags of cranberries in the refrigerator, thinking I really should make something with them because nature’s goodies deserves to be treated with respect and even cranberries won’t sit in there forever. Then, I thought that once I created this crumble recipe, I’d get you drooling with words like “festive” and “seasonal,” and by pointing out that the color of cranberries is so much deeper and richer (not to mention better for you) than anything out of a food coloring bottle. And that their flavor is so bracing and zingy and marries so perfectly with fresh local apples that when you take a bite you can almost feel the cool autumn mist from crimson bogs on your face and hear the fallen leaves crunching underfoot in the orchard.

Yes, I craved a taste of the season mightily, but needing to dispatch some cranberries motivated me more. The conventional wisdom is that cranberries are excellent keepers, and they are certainly on the far end of the spectrum from, say, pears, which go from too hard to exquisitely ripe to mealy-mushy in about 3 hours. But in an impulsive gesture in support of our poor, over-productive cranberries farmers (more on harvesting berries here), when I first spied fresh berries in the markets in September I bought more bags than I’m going to admit to here. And now October is gone, and we’re into November, and soon their smooth, shiny skins will wrinkle, and they’ll be too soft to bounce when dropped. (Did you know that some early American settlers called craneberries “bounce berries?”) Flaccid is as unattractive a descriptor of cranberries as it is of most other things—I’ll leave it at that.

So here we finally are, one cranberry bag less in my crisper, and one large, sumptuous cranberry-apple crumble to consume. As it baked, the smell of toasty oats, butter, brown sugar, and the fruit all bubbling up together grabbed hold and wouldn’t let go of me. It was hard not to find a spoon and dig in as the dish came out of the oven, but the flavor is fuller if you wait a bit. (How fitting that the leaves kept drifting down while the crumble cooled on my deck.) I actually doubled the recipe, so the one shown here is humongous, but feel free to make it regular size if you’re not trying to save so many good berries from coming to a bad end.

I dished up a serving and plopped on a scoop of ice cream to take a picture, deciding pretty quickly that instead of just having the dish of crumble sitting there, it should look as if someone was actually in the act of eating. So, for art’s sake, I took a spoonful, which led to a second, which soon led to all eating and no photographing any more. What with the cold and creamy mingling with warm, sweet-tart berry-tinged apples and accents of chewy-crispy oats, if I have been a cat I’d have purred. Like long walks in the woods and visits to a cider mill, this is the sort of indulgence autumn was just made for. (Another equally appealing indulgence is this cranberry streusel bar recipe.)

Cranberry-Apple Crumble

As presented, this is tangy-tart. For a tamer taste, add two or three extra tablespoons of brown sugar to the recipe. For best apple flavor, combine several kinds of apples--Stayman, Johnathan, and Rome or Honeycrisp are lovely together. The recipe is an updated version of one that I created back in the 1990s for my Dream Desserts cookbook.

The servings really call out for a scoop of ice cream.

Tip: If you need a gluten-free version, simply substitute white or brown rice flour for the all-purpose flour and use certified gluten-free oats.

1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose or unbleached white flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 2/3 cups peeled and diced Stayman, Jonathan, Rome or other tart, flavorful apples
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 2/3 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) unsweetened cranberries, chopped
Ice cream for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 7 1/2- by 11-inch baking dish.

Stir together the oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Using forks or fingertips, cut in butter until thoroughly incorporated. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice until well combined. Stir in cranberries. Reserve 1 1/4 cups oat mixture for topping. Add the remainder of oat mixture to the fruit, tossing until well mixed. Spread the mixture in baking dish. Sprinkle reserved oat mixture over top.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until mixture is bubbly and nicely browned on top and apples in the center are tender when pierced with a fork. Transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

Makes about 6 servings.

For another way to make use of fresh cranberries, check out the Cranberry-Pear muffins here.