August 24, 2010

Meyer Lemon and Blackberry Ice

Filed under: Desserts — by Carla

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Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer just keep on rolling on here in Ohio where it has been hot, hot, hot. So much for summer’s open windows with the sounds of locust,  chirping birds and children playing. We’ve reluctantly spent most of our summer nights sealed in our sterile airconditioned homes instead of sitting on the porch breathing in summer’s heady aroma of freshly watered plants, our neighbors fire pit and the few hosta lilies that the deer left for us to enjoy.  I can’t help noticing, though, that it hasn’t been so hot in Paris. Every morning I check the weather there (because that is where I’d really like to be) and see that the Parisian summer of 2010 has been cool and dry…in the 70’s and 80’s most days. Zut alors! What I wouldn’t give for a few weeks to ramble those city streets in relative seasonal comfort. This was definitely the summer for a trip to Paris.

 

So, for the time being I will not peruse the cool wonders of the Musée d’Orsay or the not so sizzling Rive Gauche and must make the best of being stuck in hot and humid Northeast Ohio. And though we don’t have lemon trees here from which to make lemonade, the heat here has resulted in a bumper crop of very fine berries.  Last week I figured why not tame some of that heat with a delicious fruit ice?

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As luck would have it,  my grocer recently featured an abundance of locally grown, juicy blackberries. I grabbed two quarts and moved on to pick up a few other items when a basket of orangey yellow Meyer lemons came into view. We don’t usually see them here in Cleveland, so I dropped five or six into my bag, the better to make a deliciously contrasting Meyer lemon ice as well. The colors would be dramatic with the purply berry and pale lemon ices nestled in a glass and the flavors would offset each other with the lighter, breezier, not so sharp lemon and the dense, dark sweet berry.

 

One of the most attractive features of a summer ice is that you don’t need an ice cream freezer to make them. Just blend the ingredients together, pour the mixture into a 9x 13-inch metal pan and pop it in the freezer for 1 hour. After an hour’s freeze, just give it a scrape with the tines of a fork, freeze for another hour, repeat the process and let it firm up for another hour or overnight. The mix is sweet enough that it usually doesn’t harden into an unscoopable mass, but if it is too hard to scoop, just scrape it again with the fork to loosen it up. I usually make fruit ice a day ahead just to be sure it’s  firm, but even slushy, these fruit ices are heaven.

 

With a beautiful, cool dessert in the freezer I have the feeling that a shady evening on the patio might be in order. To set the mood, I’ll put on my Francophile’s music mix of Edith Piaf, Rendevous à Paris and Pink Martini. To keep things cool we’ll open a bottle of chilled Sancerre, toss together a pizza on the grill, maybe add a tomato salad and follow it up with this fruity, iced duo. It won’t be Paris, but it will be cool and delicious and we can all pretend.  

 

Kitchen Counter Point: Charming Meyer lemons aren’t as puckery as a regular lemon. They are thought to be a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange and taste as if that might be true. If you can’t find them go ahead and use regular lemons, but up the sugar to 1 cup. Blueberries can stand in for the blackberries with no changes to the recipe. Another nice way to serve these ices is to pour a shot of vodka or tequila over them and serve as a cocktail of sorts. Or a boozy dessert. Both work for me.

 

Meyer Lemon Ice

2 cups water
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice (about 5 lemons)

Bring water, sugar and salt to a simmer and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from heat and add the lemon juice. Pour the mixture into a 9x 13-inch pan and let it cool to room temperature. Place it in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove the pan from the freezer and scrape the frozen edges into the center of the pan with a fork. Return it to the freezer for another hour. Scrape the ice crystals again to the center and return to the freezer for at least another hour or overnight. Scoop the ice  into small chilled bowls and serve immediately. Can be made a day ahead. If the mixture becomes too firm to scoop, just scrape it again with the tines of a fork to loosen the crystals.

Blackberry Ice

5 cups blackberries
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Pinch of salt

Add the blackberries and water to a blender or bowl of a food processor. Process the berries for about 30 seconds or until well blended. Strain the berry mixture through a medium mesh strainer, pressing the liquid through with a rubber spatula in 3 or 4 batches. Stir the honey, lemon juice and pinch of salt into the strained berry puree and transfer it to a 9x 13-inch pan. Place it  in the freezer for 1 hour, Remove the pan from the freezer and scrape the frozen edges into the center of the pan with a fork. Return the pan to the freezer for another hour. Scrape the ice crystals again to the center and return to the freezer for at least another hour or overnight. Scoop the ice into small chilled bowls and serve immediately. Can be made a day ahead. If the mixture becomes too firm to scoop, just scrape it again with the tines of a fork to loosen the crystals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 10, 2010

Tomatoes with Feta Cheese, Basil and Reduced Balsamic

Filed under: Salads — by Carla

 

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For the last 25 years we’ve spent a summer week in Hilton Head with our best friends from college, Tim and Jan. Playing tennis, exploring the island on bicycles, afternoon bocce games and evenings on the beach with Manhattans in hand;  it’s a yin/yang of action and inaction. Our evenings on the beach are the high point of our day (remember the Manhattans), so most nights we prepare simple meals in our scantily stocked rental kitchen. But just because we’re on vacation doesn’t mean we take a vacation from taste.

You see, I stumbled upon some of the best tasting produce I’ve had all year on Hwy. 278, right in the middle of the island. Operated by a man with gentle eyes and what appeared to be his mother, their stand was an oasis of shade and cool in the 100 plus heat of midday. As I approached the stand, the elderly lady methodically shelled beans and dumped them into a plastic bin.

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The gentleman was shy but his produce teased me closer. I picked up a furry peach and smelled it. A wave of heavenly peachy aroma enveloped me and I realized in that crystalline moment that I hadn’t smelled a tree ripened peach in a very long while.

I moved on to the cantaloupe. Same kind of aroma, only cataloupy.

Trying to keep my cool, I chose a few peaches, gently nestling them into one of the recycled Bi-Lo bags I’d brought with me but then my eyes wandered to the obviously home-grown tomatoes. They literally whistled and winked at me to pick them up and give them a light squeeze. I couldn’t take the produce porn any longer and I complimented the owners about the beauty and aroma of their fruits and veggies. I guess that doesn’t happen often down there. The lady calmly said something to the effect that it’s a good thing that someone grows gardens and I agreed.

pict143111We ate the juice dripping down our chins peaches as they were meant to be eaten…out of hand. The cantaloupe was probably the best I’ve ever had. It was wonderful cold and sweet first thing in the morning before tennis and the tomatoes were perfect. It’s always sad to leave the beach at the end of a good vacation, but I was especially sad this year to say goodbye to that produce stand. Thankfully our local tomatoes are nearly as tasty and since our return I’ve had a few that were close to being as good as their distant cousins down south. I helped them out with a little balsamic reduction, fresh basil and feta cheese and share the recipe below. In the meantime, I’m still searching for the perfect Ohio tomato, peach and canataloupe to thrill me like those at that stand on Hwy. 278. Where’s your favorite local stand? Please share!

Kitchen Counter Point: If your tomatoes aren’t the best of the best (or even if they are)  try reducing balsamic vinegar for drizzling. The acids and sugars are heightened in the reduced mixture so it imparts a bit more zip than regular vinegar. The salt I call out for is fleur de sel. Translated as “flower of salt” it’s a bit pricey, but worth every penny. If you don’t happen to have any in your pantry, go ahead and use a sprinkling of kosher salt.

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Tomatoes with Feta Cheese, Basil and Reduced Balsamic

1/2 cup cheap balsamic vinegar

3 ripe, local tomatoes, sliced
Fleur de sel to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
About 10 fresh basil leaves, torn
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil for drizzling, plus more if you prefer

In a small saucepan, reduce the vinegar over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until it has reduced by half. It will thicken a little as it cools.

Arrange the tomato slices in a single layer on your favorite platter. Sprinkle over the fleur de sel and pepper to taste. Drizzle about half of the reduced balsamic over the tomatoes and then scatter the feta cheese over all. Top with the basil and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Eat immediately. If making the dish ahead, let it sit at room temperature for up to 1 hour. Do not refrigerate as the flavor of the tomatoes will fade.

July 13, 2010

Chop, Cook, Eat

Filed under: Meat Entrees — by Carla

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I love to cook. Like many of you, I believe the time spent cutting, chopping, simmering, sauteeing and roasting to be the best part of the day.  But  it’s the act of sharing that food with friends and family that makes me happiest. It seems like great tasting food always brings out the best conversations around the table and keeps you sitting there longer, visiting and chatting, sipping and chewing; a communion of sorts. So it is no wonder that I also love to teach cooking, to pass on that ability to bring pleasure to others. I’ve had many interesting students in cooking classes the last few decades, but my favorite students are without a doubt, my kids.

cce-intro_081They are four young adults living on their own at this point and so they have all come to grips with the sometimes daunting task of feeding themselves. They’re like most their age. They don’t plan or spend much time thinking about meals. But they’re tired of take-out and would like to eat cheaper and healthier. I had an idea for a book proposal that would be sort of a twenty-something’s guide to dinner and in talking to our local cable channel director a plan emerged to do a cable show of the same name with my kids. We just finished shooting Chop, Cook, Eat and have four 30-minute shows to air over the next few months. Each show features three one-serving dishes, each of which can be accomplished in under 30 minutes with one pan cleanup.

In testing recipes for the show, I discovered that this kind of simple cooking really works for me at this time in my life as well. Who doesn’t want delicious food, fast with easy cleanup?  So I’ve bundled up the recipes from the first show to share with you all. These sautés are the fastest way to get a great tasting dinner on the table in a hurry. The pan fried steak is a revelation in simplicity with its crusty outside and salty capery sauce made not with complicated stock, but just plain H2O. A sauce of lemon and cranberries atop a perfectly cooked chicken breast is sure to become a weeknight fave and those of you who are big on pig will want to try these pork chops with a mustardy, appley sauce . If you’re cooking for two, just double the recipe. To round out the meal, just add a salad or cook up some brown rice and dinner is served. It’s so easy, even a twenty-something can do it. Heh, heh. Sorry kids!

Kitchen Counter Point: All of these recipes incorporate the sauté technique. For best results 1) Use the heaviest pan you own. 2) Heat the pan for a few minutes before adding the meat. You want it to sizzle on impact. 3) Dry and season the meat before adding it to the pan. It will brown up much more nicely. 4) Turn the meat only once. That way it cooks faster and more evenly.

 
Steak with Simple Caper Sauce

Serves 1

Start to finish: 20 minutes
Hands on time: 20 minutes

The French have come up with so many variations of this dish that it almost boggles the mind. We love a grilled steak and the grill has its place,  but on a grill you forfeit the sauce. For this reason, pan fried steaks with a reduction sauce are worth the time it takes to learn this simple technique.

1 8-oz Delmonico, strip or rib eye steak, about 3/4-inch thick

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1 small shallot, minced

2 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided

Remove the steak from the refrigerator about 1 hour before you intend to cook it. Unwrap the steak and lay it out on a plate to warm up to room temperature.

Pat the steak dry and salt and pepper it liberally on both sides.

Heat a small heavy fry pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When the fat is hot, carefully arrange the steak in the pan and sauté for 3 or 4 minutes or until the steak has browned and no longer sticks to the pan. Turn the steak and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes on the second side for a medium rare steak, 5 or 6 minutes for medium well. (Regulate the heat so that the juices in the pan don’t become burned.) Remove the steak from the pan and transfer them to a plate to keep warm, covered loosely with foil.

Add the shallot to the hot pan and cook for 30 seconds. Add the capers and 1/4 cup water and cook, stirring up the browned bits by scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula. The sauce will reduce slightly. Remove from the heat,  pour over the steak and serve .

Sautéed Chicken Breast with Cranberry Lemon Deglazing Sauce

Serves 1

Hands on time: 10 minutes
Start to finish: 10 minutes

The true beauty of this dish is a perfectly cooked, juicy chicken breast. No more overcooked cardboard tasting, tough, dry chicken for you. The bonus lemony sauce is like a little exclamation point of citrusy brightness with tart red cranberries. Once you try it, you’ll cook chicken this way over and over again.

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1 chicken breast half, skinned, boned and pounded to 1/2-inch (1 cm) thickness
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Zest of 1/2  lemon, reserved for garnish
Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon minced flat leaf parsley

Add the cranberries to a small bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside

Heat the oil in a heavy fry or sauté pan over medium high heat. While the pan is heating, salt and pepper the chicken breast half to taste. When the pan is hot, add the chicken to the pan skin side down (Even though there is no skin here, the skin side will be the most attractive side to present on the plate.) Do not attempt to move the chicken once it is in the pan for at least 3 minutes. Watch the surface of the chicken as it begins to look wet and small puddles of moisture begin to puddle. At this point, turn the chicken over. It should be nicely browned. If it still sticks to the pan, give it another minute before attempting to turn it again. Cook on the second side for only 2 minutes and remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the chicken to a warm platter and cover it with foil while you make the sauce.

Drain the water from the cranberries. Return the hot sauté pan to medium heat. Add the lemon juice and cranberries and let it boil down until only a teaspoon or so remains, about 2 minutes. The lemon juice will pick up lots of the brown chicken flavor from the pan. Add the  butter and remove the pan from the heat. Taste for seasoning, it might need a little salt and pepper. If the sauce is too sharp, add another teaspoon or so of butter.

Slice the chicken crosswise into strips and arrange it on a dinner plate. Top with the sauce and garnish with the lemon zest and parsley. Serve immediately.

Tip: The sauce will evaporate if you let it sit for very long. Just add a little water a teaspoon at a time to bring it back.

Pork Chops with Apple Mustard Sauce

Serves 1

Hands on: 10 minutes
Start to finish: 10 minutes

This work-horse of a recipe has gotten us through more weeknight dinners than we care to confess to. It resonates first because it is delicious, second because it has a great sauce to moisten what can sometimes be dry cut of meat. Pair this chop with a roasted sweet potato and apple sauce. Yum.

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1 center cut, boneless loin pork chop, 1-inch thick, butterflied

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup apple cider
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced flat leaf parsley

Heat a heavy small fry pan over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil.
Season the pork chop with salt and pepper and add it to the pan. Allow the pork chop to crust or brown well before trying to move it. Cook for about 3 minutes on the first side, turn it over and cook on the other side for about 2 minutes.

Transfer the pork chop to a plate and add the cider and mustard to the pan. Stir with a fork and cook for about 1 minute. Pour the sauce over the pork and garnish with the parsley. Serve immediately.

June 29, 2010

German Chocolate Cake

Filed under: Uncategorized — by Meredith

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Cake. There is just something special about the word. It brings to mind images of parties and happy times. I’ll never forget making my own birthday cake with my Grandma when I was seven. We made a tiered yellow cake with pink frosting and lots and lots of sprinkles. Looking back on it, I doubt I was involved in much of the actual baking, but I know I was instrumental in putting on the final touches. She was probably sweeping up sprinkles from her kitchen floor for weeks.
One of my Grandma’s favorite cakes, and my absolute favorite, is German Chocolate. This is a gene I’m proud to have passed on to at least 2 of my three sons, who always request it for their birthdays. Although, I’ll venture a guess that the fact that my husband and middle son don’t like coconut, effectively eliminating the competition for seconds…and thirds, may come into play in making that choice.
Really though, what’s not to love about a cake that, if not for just a few moist crumbs, would certainly be classified as a candy? After all, the incredibly decadent and insanely addictive coconut pecan frosting only needs to be enrobed in chocolate to be considered a bar (are you listening Mars?).
Not being a pastry chef, I also love the fact that I don’t have to wrestle with decorating this cake. It needs only to have the frosting slathered on the top of each layer to make it look like something I’d jump over 10 Cake Boss concoctions to eat.
Simple and delicious. Heaven.

Kitchen Counter Point- Take a moment to toast the pecans before adding them to the frosting mixture. The difference in flavor is night and day. One of my favorite ways to toast nuts, especially in the heat of the summer, is in the microwave. I place in the a microwave safe bowl and, on high, cook for two minutes.  Then set the microwave to cook in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until the nuts are the desired level of toasty.
German Chocolate Cake with Coconut Pecan Frosting

Serves 10

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
Pinch of salt
7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
1-1/2 cups toasted, chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare three 9-inch round pans, by greasing, lining with parchment and flouring.

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and stir with a whisk to combine. Set aside.

Into the mixer bowl add the sugar, butter and shortening. Mix on medium until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs to the batter one at a time. Beat until smooth.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture in the mixer bowl followed by 1/3 of the buttermilk. Add half of the remaining dry ingredients to the mixer bowl followed by half the milk. Mix until incorporated and add the last of the dry ingredients followed by the remaining buttermilk.
Spread the batter evenly into prepared round cake pans, greased, lined with parchment then greased and floured, and bake for 20-25 or until tester comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool in pans on racks for 10 minutes. Turn out of the pans and peel off the parchment paper.

To make the frosting: Combine the milk, sugar, butter, egg yolks and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and golden in color, about 10 minutes. Stir in the coconut and pecans.

Lay one cake layer on a serving plate and top with the one-third of the frosting. Repeat with remaining layers and frosting. Serve.

June 16, 2010

Strawberry Shortcakes with Buttermilk Ice Cream

Filed under: Desserts — by Carla

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There are some dishes that actually scream, “I’m in season. Quick, eat me right now”. In July, it’s crunchy, creamy, corn on the cob. In August it’s juice dripping down your chin tomatoes freshly plucked from the garden. And in June, tah dah…it’s strawberries. Not strawberries as you know them from the rest of the year, but the real deal, locally grown, sweetened by the same sun that shines on you strawberries. Strawberries so good, they make you forget winter. Magic strawberries, indeed.

We have about four weeks of good strawberry eating and though I have been known to make a jar or two of strawberry jam once in a while, I’m mostly a fan of eating them naked, just as they are. But when family arrives for sunday dinners, it’s time to make that summertime dish of dreams and memories, strawberry shortcake.

 Because shortcake as usual is a little bland, I can’t resist perking it up with a little orange zest. But keep in mind shortcake’s major function, after all, is to act as a sponge. Though it may seem like sacrilege to douse these perfect berries with sugar, I love the juicy sauce that ensues. It softens the berries a bit and enables the shortcake to perform its ordained job of sopping up all the sweet/red juice. To make matters even more delicious, I pair the shortcake and berries with a scoop or two of buttermilk ice cream. Even if you don’t really like to drink buttermilk, you can’t let that minor detail stop you from trying it. A frozen custard, really, this ice cream is rich with egg yolks and heavy cream. The perfect icy, creamy, tangy accompaniment, buttermilk ice cream just might turn out be the strawberry’s new best friend.

So, don’t hesitate to create your own summer memory on a plate. Whether you buy them at a farmer’s market or pick them yourself, search out your own magic berries in the next few weeks and make this delicious dessert for family, friends or just for you and you alone. Quick. Eat strawberries right now.

Kitchen Counter Point: There are two important points in making the best shortcake. 1) It’s important to start with cold butter. That way, some of the little nubs of butter remain in the dough and help to puff it when they steam and melt in the oven. If you use warm butter it will be completely rubbed into the dough and the shortcakes will be heavy like  hockey pucks. 2) The next step is to add the buttermilk and just mix until it comes together. You don’t want to work it too much at this point as the gluten in the flour will become activated and become tough. Toss with a fork or your hands until the dough just comes together, then pat it out on a floured surface and cut into triangles. It’s so easy.

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2 pints strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Pinch salt

Shortcakes
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, log quartered and diced into small squares
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup buttermilk plus 1 tablespoon, divided
2 tablespoons coarse sugar like Sugar in the Raw or granulated sugar

Buttermilk Ice Cream, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350ºF

Wash the strawberries and hull and slice them. Add them to a medium bowl and combine with the 1/3 cup sugar and lemon juice. Stir and set the strawberries in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours so that the sugar has a chance to pull the juices from the strawberries and make a nice juicy sauce.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and stir with a whisk or fork to combine. Add the butter and orange zest and squish together with the tips of your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Add the 1/2 cup buttermilk and quickly combine with a fork until it forms a mass. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and pat into a circle about 1-inch thick. Cut crosswise into 6 triangles and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with the remaining tablespoon of buttermilk and sprinkle the coarse sugar over the tops. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

To serve, slice the shortbreads horizontally and place the bottoms on a small plate. Spoon the strawberries and juice over the shortcake and replace the top. Serve with buttermilk ice cream and swoon.

Buttermilk Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Add the cream to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

While the cream heats, whisk together the yolks, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. When the cream is hot, slowly pour it into the yolks while beating them with a whisk. Transfer the cream/egg mixture back to the pan and cook over medium heat until thickened slightly (don’t boil) about 3 minutes. Pour the custard into a large, clean, heat-proof bowl and cool to room temperature. Whisk in the buttermilk and lemon juice and chill the ice cream base until very cold (see tip). Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Most will tell you to transfer the ice cream to a container and freeze it until it is firm, at least 4 hours, but I never have time for that. Besides, I like it soft, smooth and creamy and serve it straight from the ice cream maker bowl. Serve with strawberry short cakes or anything else that you want to be out of this world delicious.

Tip: I usually make ice cream the day I’m going to use it, so I’ve come up with a way to chill the base fast. Pour it into a 9x 13 metal pan and place in the freezer. Check every 30 minutes or so and give it a stir. Remove it before it begins to set up and process it in the ice cream maker. If it begins to set up and freeze, let it warm up a bit in the fridge. If you add it to the ice cream maker too cold, it can freeze up too fast on the outside edges and jam the machine.

June 9, 2010

Barley and Wild Grain Salad with Fresh Herbs, Dried Fruit and Walnuts

Filed under: Salads — by Carla

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I’ve never been, and never expect to be, a lady who lunches.
It’s not only the nap inducing glass of Sauvingnon Blanc and overdressed Caesar salad topped with either chicken or salmon that I shun. I don’t even like to take the time to eat lunch when working at home. Sometimes it’s hard to resume  focus after a lunch break and let’s face it, the mid day meal just isn’t as much fun as, say, dinner. I need something as easy and quick to eat as an apple and a handful of peanuts. That means any potential lunch must be sitting in the fridge waiting to be scarfed down at my desk or over the sink. That’s where this chewy barley and wild grain salad comes in. Because I make a big batch as a side for dinner the night before, there’s  plenty of delicious and quick leftovers for days of future lunches to come.

Multiple grains form the backbone of this fiber rich, tart and sweet salad so it not only tastes good, but is good for you as well. It’s not only fast, but  it fills me up and keeps me from pecking around for that  five o’clock before-dinner snack. Once the grains are cooked, there really isn’t a hard and fast recipe that must be followed. For example, my herb garden is flush with parsley, oregano, chives and thyme so I just add a variety of whatever suits my fancy. The simple vinaigrette is just a squeezed lemon and a splash of olive oil. Just add tart-sweet dried fruit and toasted nuts and dig right in.

So, maybe with a bit of planning, I’m a luncher after all.

Kitchen Counter Point: I think it’s important to add the cooked grains to the vinaigrette hot from the pan. That way, they seem to absorb the flavor into the grain and not just coat it on the outside. It’s also a pet peeve of mine when grains, beans or pasta aren’t cooked in salted water. It’s kind of the same concept as adding warm grains to the vinaigrette. When grains, pasta or beans are cooking ( or hot), they absorb some of the cooking liquid and if it is seasoned, so much the better. Since flat tasting insipid grains are a big no-no, add about 1 teaspoon salt to 2 cups cooking water. You’ll be glad you did.

Serves 6 to 8

1 cup pearled barley
1 cup wild rice mix (Lundgrens is nice)
Juice of one lemon or about 1/4 cup
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup currants or raisins
1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
1/4 cup minced parsley
2 teaspoons minced thyme
2 teaspoons minced chives
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Add the barley to a 2-quart saucepan with a lid and cover with 2 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, uncovered, reduce the heat and cook covered for 20 minutes or until the barley is cooked through, but still firm to the bite. Dump the grains in a strainer to remove any unwanted extra liquid.

Add the wild rice mix to a 2-quart saucepan with a lid and cover with 2 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer uncovered, reduce the heat and cook covered for about 45 minutes or until tender. Dump the grains in a strainer to remove any unwanted extra liquid.

Add the lemon juice and salt to a large bowl and stir to dissolve the salt. Add the olive oil to the bowl and blend with a fork until mixed. Add the warm grains, cranberries, currants, nuts and herbs to the bowl and toss to mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Refrigerate unused salad and bring to room temperature before serving as leftovers or just nuke for a few moments to take the chill off.

May 25, 2010

Arugula and Goat Cheese Soufflé

Filed under: Egg Dishes — by Carla

 

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Farmer’s markets often sell the tastiest vegetables and fruits, but fresh, local food isn’t the only reason to seek them out. Lovely outdoor environments and knowledgeable, friendly people with colorful stories about the food they grow and sell are perks you definitely don’t get at the A&P. So, even though the growing season here in Northeast Ohio is just getting started, I look forward to getting back to my local farmer’s market. Last week there was arugula, spinach, chard, mushrooms, honey, maple syrup, cheese and lots of eggs. Definitely enough  to stir my imagination.  Thanks to spring’s unexpected largesse, my thoughts turned to making a fluffy goat cheese and arugula soufflé for dinner. Dense and rich in flavor yet airy and light at the same time, a soufflé is the oxymoron of the food world. Paired with a crispy baguette and a light salad, who could want for more?

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There is no reason to be faint of heart at the thought of making a soufflé. They are really pretty easy to make and so delicious and exciting to eat. It’s fun to watch a soufflé rise in the oven and it’s absolute theatre to set one dramatically, yet gently down on the dining room table for all to dig in. I have a thing for bitter arugula and the tangy prize winning goat cheese from local Mackenzie Creamery. But, let’s face it, the star of any soufflé is the eggs and on this lucky day I scored the most beautiful eggs in the world…from Arucana chickens. The intensely flavored yolks are a rich, bright orange, but good taste is only half their appeal. They are so gorgeous to look at in restful shades of beige, brown, blue and green that it’s kind  of a shame to break them. When I asked the Egg Lady why those particular chickens laid such colorful eggs she replied that chickens lay eggs with shells the same color as their ears. Have you ever thought of chicken ears? Of course they must have ears somewhere under all those feathers, right? Thinking about chickens with enormous blue, green and brown elf ears, I bought 2 dozen on the spot.

So there you have it, straight from Egg Lady’s lips, the most colorful and by far the best farmer’s market story of the day which I am now passing along to you with a recipe for a yummy, cheesy soufflé. Buk, buk, buk, bukaaaa. You’re welcome.

Kitchen Counter Point: Since time seems to be the enemy in the kitchen these days, I thought I’d give some tips on how to make a soufflé quickly and easily.
1) Start with room temperature eggs. The whites always beat up better warm rather than cold. Lay them out on the counter 30 minutes before you start the soufflé. Or, if you’re in a hurry and the eggs are cold from the fridge, just place them in hottish water for a few minutes to warm them up.
2) Make the base ahead of time. The base is just a basic white sauce, egg yolks and the flavoring. You can make it earlier in the day or even the night before and keep it refrigerated until about 40 minutes before you’re ready to eat. Warm the base up to room temperature, whip up the egg whites and fold them together, bake, eat, yum.
3) Don’t over beat the whites. When they are over beaten, the air bubbles are more likely to burst when folding them into the yolks. Just beat them with a hand mixer or stand mixer until soft peaks form, and then whip another 20 seconds or so. You know they are firm when you remove one of the beaters and the whites form a stiff pointy peak on the end of the beater.
4) Fold gently with your widest spatula and not overmuch. Folding is a technique used to mix airy, foamy ingredients. Using a large spatula, scoop the mixture up and over onto itself until blended. It is important not to over mix so that most of the air bubbles in the mixture remain to puff the soufflé when heated in the oven. It isn’t necessary to completely fold the whites into the yolks with each addition. Some streaks are ok.
5) Assemble the soufflé 1 hour ahead of time. It will keep on the kitchen counter with a bowl inverted over it for up to 1 hour. Then just pop it in the preheated oven. It really works!

 Serves 4 to 6

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, divided
4 large handfuls arugula, tough stems removed
1 shallot, minced
5 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk, heated
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
6 large egg yolks
8 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup Gruyere, grated
8 large egg whites, room temperature
Pinch of salt

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F.

Butter the bottom and up the sides of an 8-cup soufflé mold with 1 tablespoon of the butter and coat the inside of the mold with a few tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese.

Bring a 2-quart saucepan of salted water to a simmer. Add the arugula and when wilted, about 20 seconds, drain and rinse under cold running water. Squeeze dry and chop finely by hand. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté for 2 minutes or until translucent. Add the flour and cook over medium heat stirring until the butter foams, about 2 minutes. Quickly pour in the hot milk, whisking until blended. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne and boil for 1 minute. The sauce will be thick. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and cool for 3 minutes. Whisk in the yolks, one at a time and then stir in the arugula, goat cheese and Gruyere. It’s ok if the cheese remains lumpy but it will probably melt. Reserve. (The soufflé base can be made up to this point a day ahead, kept covered and refrigerated. Let come back to room temperature before resuming the recipe.)

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Beat the egg whites and a pinch of salt in a stand mixer with the whisk, using a hand held mixer or by hand using a balloon whisk (a big one)  until the whites are stiff. Fold 1/4 of the whites into the soufflé base to lighten it then fold in half the whites, leaving streaks, then add the rest of the whites folding carefully but completely.

Turn the soufflé into the prepared mold and smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese over the top.

Quickly place the soufflé in the lower third of the oven. Turn the heat down to 375 degrees F. and bake for 30 to 35 minutes without opening the oven door to check on it. It is done when puffed and the center is no longer runny. To test, plunge a wooden skewer down the center of the soufflé. If it comes up dry, the soufflé is done. If wet with uncooked egg, bake for another 5 minutes and check again. Serve immediately.

May 13, 2010

Pakora with Cilantro Chutney and Tamarind Sauce

Filed under: Appetizers — by Carla

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Like most people, I crave something fried and spicy every now and then. So, yesterday I decided to make up a batch of one of my favorite foods, pakora…tasty little chick pea fritters flavored with Indian spices, grated potato and onion. There are times when firing up a pot of hot oil is exactly what you need to do in order to taste something truly amazing, especially if you are  often disappointed by the greasy over or under cooked fried dishes served in restaurants.  When made at home, they are truly one of the best fried things you’ll ever put in your mouth, especially  dipped into tart cilantro chutney and sweet and sour tamarind sauce. Kind of what I’d imagine Indian carnival food would taste like, the tender, fluffy spiced insides and crispy, crunchy outsides of these fritters dipped in tangy sauces just explode with eastern flavors.

I’m a sucker for both sauces, but if you’re only going to make one, the coriander chutney comes together pretty quickly. Leftovers can be used to top off  grilled chicken or pork, in tuna fish salad, coleslaw. You get the idea. I’m not going to gloss over the fact that you might have to find an Indian or Hispanic grocery in order to get the block of tamarind paste for the tamarind sauce, but believe me when I say that the search is worth every minute. Tamarind wakes up the flavor of everything it’s partnered with and it also makes a great glaze to baste over grilled lamb, beef or poultry shish kabobs, so you’ll get multiple uses out of it.  

This is definitely one of those projects that lends itself to a group effort, so plan on making a double batch (no need to double the sauces) so that there will be plenty of bites for everyone. I’ve often made these as a starter to a simpler meal of easily reheated Indian dishes such as korma or vindaloo. I can’t guarantee that pakora will change your life, but a new standard will be set for the taste of freshly ground spices and perfectly fried food which is a good day in the kitchen any way you measure it.

Kitchen Counter Point: If you want to taste the real deal spice-wise, the extra step of toasting the whole spices, cooling and then grinding them up is the way to go. I’ve given you a simple recipe for garam masala, a spice blend that once made, will find its way into gilled meats, vegetables, sauces and marinades. It’s warm and kind of sweet with the flavors of coriander, cinnamon, clove, cumin and pepper. Just pick up a coffee mill at the discount store and dedicate it solely to grinding up your spices fresh. You won’t believe the amount of flavor in toasted and freshly ground spice. It’s kind of like the difference between freshly ground coffee and coffee that’s been ground up and sitting in a warehouse for 6 months. It’s alive and vibrant… a big difference. But you’ll never know unless you try it!

Makes about 12 medium sized pakora

3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
A few grinds of black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala, recipe follows
1 cup chick pea flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup water
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 sweet potato, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
2 cups vegetable oil for frying
Cilantro Chutney, recipe follows
Tamarind Sauce, recipe follows

Combine the salt, cayenne, black pepper, garam masala, chick pea flour and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the water, onion, potato and cilantro and mix well. You should have a lumpy batter.

Heat the vegetable oil (enough to come up 3-inches) in a heavy pan or skillet to 360ºF (It really helps to have a deep fry thermometer for this. Pick one up at the grocery store.). Drop the batter by heaping 2 tablespoons into the hot oil (about 3 or 4 at a time) and cook the pakora for 1 1/2 minutes. Keep an eye on the thermometer as the temperature of the oil will plunge as you add cold batter. Adjust the heat accordingly. Turn the pakora and cook on the second side for another 1 minute. Remove the pakora from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a paper towel lined sheet pan. Continue to cook the remaining batter in the same manner. You can keep the pakora hot by placing them as they are fried into a 200ºF oven.

Serve the pakora hot as an appetizer or a snack with cilantro chutney and tamarind sauce on the side.

Garam Masala

1 cinnamon stick, broken into small pieces
1 tablespoon cardamom seeds
2 tablespoons whole cloves
2 tablespoons coriander
2 tablespoons peppercorns
2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the spices and stir until fragrant, 3 or 4 minutes. Continue to stir and watch the spices carefully so that they don’t burn.. Remove the spices to cool.

Grind the garam masala in a spice or coffee mill dedicated to that purpose. For the best flavor, store the spice at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Fresh Cilantro Chutney

Makes about 1 cup

2 cups cilantro leaves, lightly packed
1 fresh serrano chili, seeded (taste the chili and use more or less to suit your taste)
One 2-inch knob of ginger root, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup sweetened coconut
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons), plus more if needed
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor until finely chopped. Refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 days. If the chutney looks dry, add more lemon juice or a splash of water. There should be a little bright green liquid surrounding the solids.

Tamarind Sauce

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Tamarind can be found in a few different forms. It can be a compressed block, with the fibrous seeds and connective fibers that must be soaked and strained. It can come in a wet, seedless block. Or, it can come in a jar as tamarind concentrate. My favorite is the wet seedless block, though it still may contain seeds and should be handled using the soaking method below.  If you have the concentrate, just use about 1/2 cup of the liquid and omit the soaking and straining directions. You won’t have the volume and the sauce won’t be as thick, but it will still taste great.

1/2 cup tamarind paste, chopped into pieces
1-1/2 cups boiling water, divided
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup golden raisins
2 teaspoons finely minced ginger root
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Place the tamarind paste in a large bowl and cover with 1 cup of the boiling water. Let the paste soak until the water is cool enough so that you can break apart the tamarind with your fingers. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of boiling water and let stand again until just warm. Strain the mixture into a medium bowl, discarding the fibrous pulp.

To the tamarind liquid, add the sugar, molasses, raisins, ginger root, salt, garam masala and cayenne. Taste for seasoning and let the sauce sit for at least 1 hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. Let come back to room temperature before serving. Can be kept up to 1 week, refrigerated.

April 26, 2010

Cheese Ravioli with Fried Sage and Browned Butter

Filed under: Pasta — by Carla

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I love to cook just for me.

Not normal at all, I know, but when my husband is away for the night, I often turn on the Coltrane, Krall, Ray Charles, mix a cocktail and improvise dinner with whatever is in the house. The other night I had a yen for pasta. Whether using a hand cranker or the electric KitchenAid -roller, making pasta is a lot of fun. You take a little blob of dough and turn it into something ethereal…a magical silk purse from a sow’s ear sort of thing.

After a rummage in the frig, I found a smidge of ricotta left over from last week’s lasagna, goat cheese, a wedge of Parmesan, mozzarella, and a bunch of sage leaves. Of course, it all added up to cheese stuffed ravioli with fried sage and browned butter. I flipped on the music (added Big Night to the mix), lit the fire and had a great time making and eating those tender cheese stuffed bites. The salty/creamy, stuffed ravioli juxtaposed with the browned butter and fried sage is one of my favorite flavor contrasts. I’m not crazy about the taste of raw sage, but when fried to a crisp in butter it morphs into something delish. The bonus is that the butter takes on the flavor of the sage turning it into a nutty, sagey sauce. The dish paired beautifully with a breezy little Sauvignon Blanc from Spain appropriately named Las Brisas.

Every time I roll pasta I’m reminded of the creative time spent with those Playdoh factories we had as children. Oh, the hours spent extruding shapes and molding imprints with brightly colored blue, red, yellow and white Playdoh. And here I am, still having a great time playing with dough. Only now the reward is dinner. For one.

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Kitchen Counter Point: It’s definitely no fun for your hard earned ravioli to come undone in the cooking water. That’s why it’s important that you push the air from the inside edge of the filling to the outer edge of the pasta when sealing it. If air remains inside the sealed pasta, it expands when heated and pops open your pasta, so this is a pretty important tip. Also be sure to seal the ravioli, pressing down on the seams to make sure that they don’t come unhinged. I like to use a fork.  Finally, cook the ravioli at a gentle boil. That way the force of the bubbles is less likely to burst those little pillows apart.

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Serves 1 (plus leftovers for lunch the next day)

Pasta (or use purchased fresh pasta sheets)
Makes about 1-1/4 pound, serves 4-6 (extra can be frozen for another day)

2-3/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more if necessary
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt

Filling
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
3 tablespoons goat cheese
2 tablespoons Parmesan, grated
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon fresh chives (if they’ve come up in your garden yet), minced
1 teaspoon parsley (ditto), minced
Pinch salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne
Pinch nutmeg

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 large sage leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Extra Parmesan cheese

Place flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add the eggs and pulse several times until clumps of moist dough form. Turn the dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Divide it into 4 piles, gather each into ball and knead until smooth, sprinkling lightly with flour if sticking, about 3 minutes. Wrap in plastic. Let the dough rest at room temperature at least 20 minutes.

While the dough rests, combine the cheeses, egg, herbs, salt, pepper, cayenne and nutmeg and taste for seasoning.

Rolling dough into sheets:
Freeze two of the dough balls for another time. Set the pasta machine to the widest setting. Working with one piece at a time, and keeping the other covered, flatten the dough into a rectangle and run ut through the machine. Fold it in thirds crosswise, as if you were folding a letter. Dust the outside lightly with flour and putting the open end through first, run through roller again. Repeat this process on the widest setting until the dough is smooth and elastic. It may take 3 or 4 times. This is a continuation of the kneading process and gives the dough a chance to absorb more flour if it is too sticky. Then continue to roll through the narrower settings (one time through each setting, without folding). Dust lightly with flour as needed to keep it from sticking, until the pasta sheet is the desired thickness (if hand cranking, roll all the way to the thinnest setting and if using the KitchenAid roller roll it down to #5). Place the sheet of dough on a lightly floured work surface. Repeat with the remaining pasta piece. If the pasta tears at any time during the rolling process, just fold it in half, dust the outside with flour on both sides and run it through the same setting one more time.

Bring 4 quarts of water to a gentle boil.

Fill a small bowl with water and a pastry brush. Dust the counter lightly with flour. Lay out the long sheet of pasta, fold it in half and make a mark on the dough at the halfway point. Open the strip of dough out again and brush half the surface very lightly with water. Drop small spoonfuls of your filling on the damp pasta sheet, about 2 inches apart. Fold the other half over the filling, making sure all the filling is covered and at least a 1-inch border remains around the edges. Using your index finger, gently press out the air pockets around each mound of filling. Use a sharp knife, pizza cutter or ravioli cutter to cut each ravioli into squares and press down on the edges with the tines of a fork to make a tight seal. Dust a sheet pan with flour to prevent the pasta from sticking and lay them out on the sheet making sure not to let them touch. Repeat with remaining dough sheet  and filling.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the butter. When it is sizzling hot, add the sage leaves, brown them on both sides and then transfer them to a plate. It should take about 2 or 3 minutes. The butter should be browned and full of sagey flavor. Remove the pan from the heat making sure that it doesn’t burn.

Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the boiling water. Drop the ravioli into the boiling water and stir, making sure that they don’t stick on the bottom. Cook the ravioli at a bare simmer until just tender, about 4 minutes. Drain into a colander or scoop from the water with a slotted spoon and add the ravioli to the warm browned butter. Toss gently to coat. Pour the ravioli out onto a heated plate and top with the fried sage leaves, a sprinkle of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with extra grated Parmesan cheese if desired

April 15, 2010

Chocolate Orange Shortbreads

Filed under: Cookies, Uncategorized — Tags: — by Meredith

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One of life’s little luxuries I enjoy the most is afternoon tea. There’s almost nothing better and it’s possibly the best part of being able to work at home. I might eat lunch on the run or at my desk, but I always make a concerted effort to sit down in the afternoon, when the house is quiet, before the kids come home, and have a cup of tea. And of course, what is a cup of tea without a cookie. And really, what is a cookie if it’s not chocolate.

This Chocolate Orange Shortbread, from The Mixer Bible, Second Edition is one I often turn to when I’m looking for a culinary Calgon moment. It’s rich, buttery goodness is ever so slightly cut by a bright note of orange, and the dough comes together so easily. For this recipe, we are making it in a mixer, but it could just as easily be done in a food processor or even by hand.

chocolate-shortbread-0121 Kitchen Counter Point- Although these cookies are great rolled out and cut into rounds, for a different twist, I also like to roll out the dough slightly and then press it into a small (I use a 7-1/2 inch), fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. It takes about 20 minutes to cook and I cut the cookies into wedges with a serrated knife when they are still slightly warm. You will need two tart pans for this recipe, or just keep one half of the dough chilled while the other is baking and then repeat the process. Make sure to thoroughly cool down your pan though before pressing the second batch of dough in. You don’t want to melt it before it gets in the oven.
Chocolate Orange Shortbreads

Makes 2 dozen cookies
1-1/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tbsp orange zest, finely grated
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 oz bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Position racks in top third and bottom third of oven and. Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Set aside.

In the mixer bowl, using the paddle, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Stop to scrape bowl down. Add in the orange zest and reduce the speed to low. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and beat until well blended. Gather the dough into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch. Cut into 2-inch circles and place 1-1/2-inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake shortbread for 5 minutes. Reverse sheets. Bake until shortbread looks dry and feels firm to touch, about 5 minutes longer. Cool on sheets for 1 minute. Remove to racks and cool completely.
Place the bittersweet chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth.

Fit a pastry bag with 1/8-inch plain tips; spoon chocolate into the bag. Or, spoon chocolate into a small plastic bag (cut off 1 tip from each bag). Pipe chocolate
decoratively over cookies. Let stand until chocolate sets, about 1 hour. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight in single layers between sheets of waxed paper.)

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