The right dessert to serve at Hanukkah, according to experts, is sufganiyot: aka, jelly donuts. Based on the same miracle that brings us latkes, the donuts are fried in lots of oil. Call me a health nut, but eating jelly donuts after eating a ton of latkes seems like an unpleasant gut bomb. For dessert, we want something a little lighter, a little fluffier, maybe with a tropical fruit in there. What we want is a Coconut Macaroon Cake.

Start with the Meringue

This cake, which comes from Michael Solomonv’s Zahav Home, starts with the topping. Namely: a meringue that you whip up with egg whites and sugar.

Your goal? Stiff peaks. That means the egg whites stand up on their own when you lift up the whisk. (Spoiler alert: “Stiff Peaks” is the name of the last chapter in my novel.)

Then you fold in sweetened, shredded coconut; the traditional form of coconut in a coconut macaroon.

That goes into the fridge, while you make the cake.

Easy as… Cake

This batter is so simple, it almost makes itself. Into your mixer goes butter and sugar, which you whip until fluffy, then the egg yolks leftover from the egg whites you used in step one. Vanilla and the traditional dry ingredients go in with some milk; then the batter goes into your prepped pan.

Normally this gets baked in a springform pan and that’s important because you can’t really flip this out (the top is so marshmallowy when it’s done). My springform wasn’t working great so I used a regular cake pan with a parchment lining and lifted it out later with a spatula and then slid it off the parchment.

Once you spread out your batter, you spread on the coconut layer.

Then you bake at 325 for about 40 minutes until the top is just starting to brown.

Out of the Oven and Into Your Life

Here’s the cake fresh out of the oven.

That’s one nifty looking cake.

After it cools, you get it on to a cake stand — whether through the springform or through operation macaroon lift — and look how nice it’ll look when your guests arrive.

It’s a deceptively simple cake. The base does, indeed, taste like a yellow birthday cake but then the top is giving marshmallow fluff with a complicated texture and a nicely set top. I could’ve eaten this all day.

Funny enough what this reminded me of, more than a coconut macaroon, was a Hostess Sno Ball. Remember those? Cakey with a marshmallow exterior + coconut? I loved those as a kid and so this cake wasn’t just yummy, it was nostalgic. And just light enough not to feel gross after a dinner of latkes and stuffed cabbage. That’s my idea of the perfect Hanukkah dessert.

Print

Coconut Macaroon Cake

A fluffy, marshmallowy riff on a coconut macaroon from Michael Solomonov's Zahav Home.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Jewish

Keyword coconut, dessert, egg whites, Hanukkah, macaroon, meringue

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 9 people

Calories 300kcal

Cost 15

Ingredients

For the Meringue:

• 3 egg whites yolks reserved
• ½ cup sugar
• 1½ cups sweetened shredded coconut

For the Batter:

• Cooking spray or oil for the pan
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• Pinch salt ½ cup 1 stick butter, at room temperature, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup whole milk

Instructions

For the meringue:

• In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy.
• While the mixer whips the egg whites, gradually stream in the sugar. Increase to high speed and whip until you have stiff, glossy peaks.
• Transfer the meringue to a medium bowl. With a spatula, gently fold in the coconut until evenly mixed. Cover and refrigerate while you make the batter.

For the batter:

• Oil and line a 9- or 10-inch springform pan (or round cake pan) with parchment paper. Then oil the top of the parchment. Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Swap out the whisk in the stand mixer for a paddle attachment.
• Cream the butter and sugar until smooth and light in color. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, until incorporated. Add the vanilla.
• Add half of the milk, alternating with half of the flour mixture, and repeat with the remainder, mixing until just combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan, tapping the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
• Spread the coconut meringue on top until completely covered.
• Bake until a skewer inserted all the way into the cake (past the meringue) comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan. Run a table knife around the edges of the pan and release the springform collar. Carefully transfer to a cake plate.

The post Coconut Macaroon Cake appeared first on Amateur Gourmet.

When it comes to Hanukkah, I’m a latke guy but not a brisket guy. Latkes are crispy and salty and fun to make. Brisket dries out really easy and it’s an expensive thing to screw up. So this year, for the first night of Hanukkah, I decided to go with another beloved entree with Jewish-inflections: stuffed cabbage.

It’s What’s Inside That Counts

This stuffed cabbage recipe comes to us from the Shaya cookbook by Alon Shaya, whose restaurant we ate at and loved when we visited New Orleans back in 2022. Like most stuffed cabbage recipes, this one has a filling made with beef, onions, and some parsley. Unlike most stuffed cabbage recipes, this one also has bread soaked in milk (a good strategy from the best Italian meatballs) and lots of spices (paprika, coriander, all-spice).

Leaf and Let Dry

Rewinding the tape, for a moment, you can see the bread that I used for the stuffing. You can also see the cabbage that got stuffed.

Once the filling was made (I used my hands to mix it all together), I set about prepping the cabbage leaves. Your mission: to extract as many whole leaves as you can without ripping them. Once you do, you cook them in boiling water just until pliable. (The only issue with the recipe is he doesn’t tell you how many leaves you’ll need. I’d count on needing at least fifteen.)

You put the just-boiled leaves on a cookie sheet lined with kitchen towels and let them dry.

A Saucy Hot Tub

While they’re drying, you can make your sauce. Shaya’s recipe has onions, garlic, and the nifty addition of anchovies which adds great umami and nobody will have any idea where it’s coming from. It also has a lovely hit of pomegranate molasses.

Once those start to turn golden (and the anchovy melts), you add tomato paste, and finally crushed tomatoes, pomegranate molasses, and water.

Get Stuffed

Now’s the fun part: stuffing the cabbage! Sometimes little kitchen tasks can be soothing. This is one of them.

I used an ice cream to scoop about 1/4 cup of filling into the bottom part of a whole cabbage leaf. Then you roll it up like a burrito and put the seam-side down in the pot of simmering sauce. Do this over and over again until you have a full pot. For the ones that didn’t fit snugly at the bottom, I used toothpicks to hold them together.

You put the lid on and then let this simmer for about ninety minutes. When the lid comes off, it’ll look just like this:

How’s that for a cozy winter night’s meal? And the really nice thing is you can make it ahead and then just let it sit on the stove until you’re ready to eat. Then you just turn the heat back on and simmer until it’s all warmed up again. Look at these happy stuffed cabbage eaters.

Paired with latkes and sour cream, this is the Hanukkah dinner of your dreams (Christmas tree notwithstanding).

Print

Stuffed Cabbage with Mint and Pomegranate Molasses

A zesty and savory stuffed cabbage from New Orelans chef Alon Shaya.

Course Main Course

Cuisine European

Keyword cabbage, Hanukkah, Shaya, stuffed cabbage

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 400kcal

Cost 40

Ingredients

• 1 gallon plus 1 cup water divided
• 2 large heads green cabbage
• 4 slices white bread
• ½ cup milk
• 1 yellow onion
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil divided
• 2 tablespoons Morton kosher salt divided
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ⅓ cup Arborio rice
• 1¼ pounds ground beef preferably 80 percent lean
• 1 cup lightly packed fresh parsley leaves chopped
• 4 cloves garlic crushed
• 2 sprigs fresh oregano
• 1 anchovy
• ½ cup tomato paste
• One 28-ounce can peeled whole tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
• 5 or 6 fresh mint leaves torn

Instructions

• Bring 1 gallon water to a boil. Remove and discard the cabbages’ tough or bruised outer leaves, then make an incision all around the cores and gently peel away one leaf at a time, so they stay as intact as possible. If the leaves keep tearing on you, you can place each head of cabbage, core side up, in a large heatproof bowl, and ladle the boiling water over them so they’re completely submerged; top off your pot of boiling water, since you’ll need it again in a bit. Let the cabbage sit for 15 minutes, drain the water, and peel the leaves as directed; stop peeling as you near the center, since the leaves need to be at least 7 or 8 inches long.
• Working in batches, cook the cabbage leaves in the boiling water for just 1 or 2 minutes, until they’re pliable but still have some life in them; if you poured boiling water over the heads of cabbage before peeling, you’ll only need to do this parboiling process with the crisper inner leaves. As they finish cooking, pull them out with tongs or a slotted spoon, and lay them flat on a dish towel to cool while you finish the rest.
• To make the filling: Cube the bread into ½-to-1-inch pieces, and toss it with the milk to soak evenly (don’t worry if some of the pieces start to disintegrate). Cut the onion in half; reserve one half for later, and mince the other half. Add it to the filling with ¼ cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon salt, paprika, coriander, and allspice.
• Rinse the rice thoroughly until the water runs clear; this gets rid of starches that can gum up the filling. Combine it with the rest of the filling.
• Add the ground beef and parsley to the bowl, and use your hands or a spatula to fold it all together until it’s evenly combined. Cover in plastic and refrigerate while you make the sauce.
• Pull out a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, and add the remaining ¼ cup olive oil over medium heat. Thinly slice the other half of the onion, and add it to the oil with the garlic, whole sprigs of oregano, and anchovy; cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes, until the onion slices are browned on the edges and the anchovy melts. Add the tomato paste, stirring to break it up, and let toast for a couple minutes.
• In a large bowl, crush the canned tomatoes between your fingers, and combine them with the last 1 tablespoon salt, pomegranate molasses, and mint. When the tomato paste smells fragrant and caramelized in the pan, stir in the canned-tomato mixture and the last 1 cup water, and bring it all to a simmer.
• To stuff the cabbage: Mound about ¼ cup filling right near the base of each leaf. Roll them all like burritos, tucking in the sides as you go, taking care not to tear them.
• Add each parcel of stuffed cabbage, seam side down, to the pot with the sauce, using your spoon to push them to the bottom and snuggle them together wherever they’ll fit. You can stack them if necessary. Decrease the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for 75 to 90 minutes. To check for doneness, partially cut into one of the little packets, and taste a piece of the Arborio rice; it should be intact but creamy. If it needs more time, re-cover, cook for 10 minutes, and taste again; repeat for more 10-minute intervals if needed.
• Take the pot off the heat, and let the cabbage rest for 30 minutes or so, with the lid still on, to give everything a chance to settle. Discard the sprigs of oregano. Serve the stuffed cabbage warm, taking care not to let the leaves unravel, and spoon some of the remaining sauce over the top.

The post Stuffed Cabbage with Pomegranate Molasses and Mint appeared first on Amateur Gourmet.

Do you ever know something without really knowing something? Like the fact that you can get your parking validated at Nordstrom’s at The Grove in L.A. Until you need your parking validated, you don’t really let that thought surface.

Well last night I was in my kitchen at 7:30 P.M., feeling peckish, and without a box of pasta to boil up. I scrounged through my drawers and my freezer and stumbled upon a bag of frozen gnocchi. The normal thought would be: “Let’s boil these little potato dumplings and toss ’em with butter and cheese.”

That’s when that something that I knew without really knowing appeared on the screen in my brain: “Fry ’em!” it said.

“Fry ’em?” I replied in my brain (not out loud).

After studying a few techniques online, I took some leftover vegetables from a roast chicken dinner from last week — Delicata squash, onions, turnips, etc. — and warmed them up in my non-stick skillet.

(Those are cranberries in there too!)

I scraped all of that into a bowl, once it was warm, then I wiped out the skillet. Then I added a glug of olive oil and a layer of frozen gnocchi direct from the freezer bag.

I covered it with a lid (actually, a cookie sheet) and let sit undisturbed for three to four minutes. When I lifted the sheet, and tossed the gnocchi over, I saw what you see at the top of this post: the crispiest, most golden brown gnocchi.

To that, I added a tablespoon or two of butter.

I seasoned with salt and tossed all around until the butter started to brown and the gnocchi was cooked through.

Then I added all of the vegetables back:

Tossed a few times in the air and seasoned with a little more salt, I scraped this all into a bowl and beheld one of the most gorgeous dinners I’ve made in a while.

People: this dinner was incredible. Like a total game-changer. Like I’m going to buy frozen gnocchi for the rest of my life so I can keep on doing this.

Unlike regular boiled gnocchi, this gnocchi was almost like a French fry on the outside: it had that crackly, salty, crispness you long for in a fried potato. But then the inside of was pillowy and light. (I used Raffetto’s brand, which came from my CSA.) So now the thing that I knew that I didn’t really know is something that I really, really know. And lucky for you, you know it now too!

The post The Frozen Gnocchi Revelation appeared first on Amateur Gourmet.

Which is better: summer cooking or winter cooking? I vote winter cooking, with an emphasis on “cooking.” In the summer, you don’t need to do much: slice a peach, add some arugula, a splash of olive oil, a sprinkling of vinegar and you’ve got a salad. In the winter, that won’t cut it. You’ve really got to cook in winter and that’s a happy thought when it’s nineteen degrees out and you’re freezing your tush off. The only thing better than eating a deep, satisfying dish like this lamb and squash tagine is the process of cooking it. As the title says: it’s better than a space heater.

A Lamb Shoulder to Cry On

The first thing you’ll need to do to make this tagine is to procure some lamb shoulder. If you’ve been reading my blog from day one (that would be January 8th, 2004), you’ll know that lamb shoulder is one of my favorite ingredients. It’s got the heft of beef, but with a little more funk, and it braises up beautifully. I bought mine at Paisano’s, my local butcher, which already has it cubed up as stew meat.

Back here (here being home), I rubbed the lamb with a flavored butter per the recipe I was using: from Andrew Tarlow and Anna Dunn’s Dinner at the Long Table. (The butter is smashed with ginger, cumin, turmeric, and garlic.)

Sharpen Those Knives, We’ve Got Onions to Slice

This recipe calls for seven sliced onions. That’s right. Seven sliced onions.

To make that happen, I got out my knife sharpener and made sure my chef’s knife was super sharp before I jumped in. It’s really true: “The sharper your knife, the less you cry.” If I shed a tear or two, it was only because I was listening to the Beaches soundtrack while I cooked.

These onions get cooked down in olive oil with a pinch of salt for a while, until they give up their liquid. Then you add more spices: cumin, coriander, and pepper.

When those bloom after ten minutes, you add your marinated lamb, cover with a parchment seal, and then the lid and braise in the oven for two hours.

Bring on the Squash

My CSA sent this koginut, so that’s what I used when it was time to add the squash. But you can use any winter squash.

You just cut it up into 2-inch pieces and add them to the lamb and the onions.

That goes back into the oven for another hour and after that, you just take it out and let it cool down for thirty minutes.

Who needs a hot tub when you’ve got a lamb and squash tagine? I felt like Bilbo Baggins eating this and so did Craig and our pal Josh who joined for the feast.

Throw out that space heater and get yourself some lamb shoulder stat.

The post Better Than a Space Heater: Lamb and Squash Tagine for a Cold Winter’s Night appeared first on Amateur Gourmet.

Some recipes just scream “Christmas!” and one of those recipes is Maida Heatter’s Palm Beach Brownies with Chocolate-Covered Mints (aka: Peppermint Patty Brownies). I stumbled upon this recipe while flipping through her post-humous book, Happiness is Baking. The second I saw the ingredients — the normal brownie stuff + 2 1/2 12-ounce bags York chocolate-covered Peppermint Patties — I was in. Who wouldn’t be thrilled at that combination, especially on a chilly night in December?

First You Melt Your Chocolate and Butter

Like all great brownie recipes (notably: Alice Merdrich’s), this one begins over a double boiler. But whereas that one uses cocoa powder that “blooms” with the butter, this is all dark chocolate, baby. As in unsweetened chocolate. Don’t worry, the sugar comes later.

Now We Beat the Eggs

Hope your KitchenAid mixer is holding up okay, because you’re about to beat five large eggs with lots of sugar for ten minutes.

There’s also vanilla extract and almond extract in there. Oh and espresso powder (though I just used actual espresso). Once it beats up it gets all fluffy; and that’s when you realize there’s no baking powder or baking soda in this recipe. So all of the lift comes from the air you work into those eggs.

Once the ten minutes are up, you add your melted chocolate and butter until it’s incorporated.

Finally, you fold in walnuts. I know what you’re thinking: “Ew, walnuts!” But they provide the health and more texture.

Like a Chocolate Peppermint Lasagna

Now it’s time to layer into your foil-lined pan. First, goes one half the brownie batter.

Once you’ve spread that out, you add your Peppermint Patties. Now, full confession: I read the ingredients wrong and thought it was 2 1/2 cups of York Peppermint Patties, not 2 1/2 12-ounce BAGS. That’s insane to me because 2 1/2 cups was plenty.

Anyway, she says you won’t use all the Patties so I think it worked out fine. Then you top with the rest of the brownie batter.

Bake for Exactly 35 Minutes

I love recipes that are hyper specific, and this one is no exception. She tells you to bake these brownies for 35 minutes.

And 35 minutes later, they’ll come out looking like this.

A knife will still come out wet, but that’s what makes them so fudgy. The key step is to let them cool and then to refrigerate them until they’re cold (for a few hours).

Slice and Serve

Once chilled, you flip them out on to a cookie sheet then flip on to a cutting board.

Now you slice them into 32 bars using a mathematical formula that you’ll see in the recipe itself.

These are incredible for a myriad of reasons. (1) One brownie goes a loooong way in that it’s rich and packed with Peppermint flavor. (2) This recipe makes a LOT… I gave so many of these away and we still have a ton in our fridge. (3) They’re festive and wintry and beautiful on a little platter to serve your guests after a warming meal. So if you’re looking for a wintry, surprising treat to serve this holiday season, I’ve got good news: you’ve found it.

Print

Peppermint Patty Brownies

A candy-filled Christmas-y confection from Maida Heatter's Happiness is Baking.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword brownies, chocolate, Maida Heatter, Peppermint, Peppermint patties

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 32 brownies

Calories 400kcal

Cost 40

Ingredients

• 8 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 8 ounces unsalted butter 2 sticks
• 8 ounces walnut halves or pieces 2 cups
• 5 large eggs 1 cup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon instant espresso or coffee powder I used real ground espresso
• 3 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 2/3 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 (12-ounce) bags York chocolate-covered Peppermint Patties (Miniature Classics), unwrapped

Instructions

• Adjust an oven rack one-third up from the bottom and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 13 X 9 X 2-inch pan as follows: Invert the pan and center a 17-inch length of nonstick aluminum foil, shiny side down, over the pan. With your hands, press down the sides and corners of the foil in the pan and very carefully press it into place in the pan. Now, to butter the foil, place a piece of butter (additional to that in ingredients) in the pan, and put the pan in the oven. When the butter is melted, use a pastry brush or a piece of crumpled plastic wrap to spread the butter all over the foil. Set the prepared pan aside.
• Place the chocolate and butter in the top of a large double boiler over hot water on moderate heat. Stir occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are melted. Stir to mix. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Break any walnuts halves into large pieces; set aside.
• In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the vanilla and almond extracts, salt, espresso, and sugar at high speed for 10 minutes. On low speed, add the chocolate mixture (which may still be warm) and beat only until mixed. Then add the flour and again beat on low speed only until mixed. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
• Stir in the nuts.
• Spoon half the mixture (about 3 1/2 cups) into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
• Place a layer of the mints, touching each other and the edges of the pan, all over the chocolate layer. (You will not use all the mints; there will be some left over.)
• Spoon the remaining chocolate mixture all over the mints and smooth the top.
• Bake for 35 minutes, reversing the pan front to back once during baking to ensure even baking. At the end of 35 minutes the cake will have a firm crust on top, but if you insert a toothpick in the middle it will come out wet and covered with chocolate. Nevertheless, it is done. Do not bake any longer.
• Remove the pan from the oven; let stand until cool. Cover the pan with a cookie sheet and invert the pan and the sheet. Remove the pan and foil lining.
• Cover the cake with a length of wax paper and another cookie sheet and invert again, leaving the cake right side up.
• Now the cake must be refrigerated for a few hours or overnight before it is cut into bars.
• When you are ready to cut the cake, use a long, heavy knife with a sharp blade. Cut the cake into quarters. Cut each quarter in half, cutting through the long sides. Finally, cut each piece into 4 bars, cutting through the long sides.
• Pack in an airtight box, or wrap individually in clear cellophane, wax paper, or foil. These freeze perfectly and can be served very cold or at room tempearture.

The post Peppermint Patty Brownies appeared first on Amateur Gourmet.

I don’t like stringy vegetables. Chalk it up to a fear of choking, but I’m convinced that something stringy will get caught in my teeth, I’ll swallow, and then it’ll be like a fisherman with a fishing line that’s dropped deep into my throat, blocking my airways, and killing me on the spot.

How’s that for an introduction to a leeks vinaigrette recipe? Well my husband, Craig, loves loves loves leeks, especially leeks vinaigrette. The best one we’ve ever tasted is the one from Bar Bete here in Brooklyn which, as seen here, has shavings of Parmesan all over the top, along with some golden raisins studded throughout.

Take a Leek

So yesterday, for lunch, I pulled some leeks out of the fridge and decided to recreate this winning take on Craig’s favorite dish.

Turns out that leeks vinaigrette is so easy to make, it’s almost a joke. After trimming the leeks, you cut the leeks in half vertically. Then you rinse under cold water, pulling all the flaps back to get all of the grit out, and then you boil in salted water for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, you make a punchy dressing with two kinds of Dijon, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Once you can pierce the thickest part of the leek with a sharp knife, you lift them out of the water, let them cool a bit, blot dry with paper towels, and then paint the dressing on.

That in and of itself would be a great lunch — stringiness notwithstanding — but I decided to add some toasted pecans, golden raisins soaked in warm water and vinegar, and lots of shaved Parm, just like the Bar Bete version (minus the nuts).

Somehow these ingredients transformed the leeks vinaigrette from something very simple and classic into a showstopper. But then I had the idea to add chopped parsley too.

I mean, you don’t have to add chopped parley. It just makes it pop even more.

And even though I saw my life flashing before my eyes as I ate this, we enjoyed every bite.

Print

Leeks Vinaigrette with Pecans, Raisins, and Parmesan

A fancy take on the classic French dish.

Course Salad

Cuisine French

Keyword French food, leeks, salad, vegetables

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 250kcal

Cost 15

Ingredients

• 4 whole leeks
• kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon spicy Dijon
• 1 tablespoon grainy Dijon
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup whole pecans, toasted and chopped
• 1/4 cup golden raisins, soaked in a splash of white wine vinegar with some warm water
• Parmesan cheese, shaved
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Instructions

• Start by trimming and cleaning your leeks. Cut off the hairy end, but leave the root intact. Slice the leek in half vertically. Rinse under cold running water, being sure to peel back the layers to get rid of any dirt.
• Bring a wide pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Add the leeks and boil for several minutes, until a knife goes through the thick end easily. Lift out with tongs and allow to cool on a tray.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the mustards, white wine vinegar, and extra-virgin olive oil with a pinch of salt.
• Pat the leeks dry with paper towels, place on a platter, and brush on the dressing. Top with the pecans, the raisins, the Parmesan, and the parsley.

The post Leeks Vinaigrette with Pecans, Raisins, and Parmesan appeared first on Amateur Gourmet.

One nice thing about being a food writer who works from home is that, come lunch time, I have every reason to go a bit overboard. After all, if I spend time making a good lunch, doesn’t that give me something new to write about? Plus I get a good lunch? It’s a win-win for everyone, especially when the lunch that I make includes these Sour Cream Cheddar Biscuits.

Fat + Fat + Fat + Flour

What makes these biscuits so winning is the absolute gestalt of fat that goes into them (plus I threw in some scallions for good measure).

Normally a biscuit is flour + baking powder + salt + cold butter + buttermilk. This one swaps out sour cream for buttermilk and has the gaul to add two heaping cupfuls of grated cheddar cheese.

By the time you add the sour cream, you have a dough that has everything going for it.

Now you just have to apply good technique to bring it together.

It’s All in the Wrist

Biscuit dough is a lot like pie dough in there’s a fine line between overworking it and not working it enough.

To a newbie, seeing that shaggy mess on the board can be intimidating. My advice: just go for it and start kneading, using a bench scraper to bring together as you knead, until you have a rectangle.

Now you’ll want to do something called “the letter fold” which sounds fancy, but it’s just a way to get lots of layers into your biscuit. Fold the right half towards the left, stopping 3/4ths of the way over, and then fold the left side over that, kind of like a letter that you’d put into an envelope.

Press that all down with your wrists — notice all the stray bits that you need to pick up as you go — and do it one more time. Then pat into a final rectangle.

Cut, Chill, Brush and Bake

One nice thing about using a bench scraper, is you can also use it to cut your biscuits (no need for round biscuits here).

The quick guillotine-like cut ensures that your biscuits will rise up in the oven. (Twisting a cookie cutter for a circle of dough can impede the rise.)

One important step: refrigerating your dough (or freezing) for 30 minutes, to ensure the butter doesn’t melt too fast and become a puddle with some dough on top (that’s happened to me).

After that, put the biscuits on to a Silpat-lined baking sheet, brush with some melted butter, sprinkle with Maldon sea salt, and bake in a 425 oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

That’s One Cheesy Biscuit

Once they come out of the oven, they’re ready to eat.

I served these with some leftover vegan soup to inject some nutrition into the meal. (Those scallions count as a green vegetable!)

In terms of a happy little treat to make in between writing sessions? You could a lot worse than these sour cream cheddar biscuits.

Print

Sour Cream Cheddar Biscuits

My riff on a recipe from the Tillamook Cheddar website.

Course Bread

Cuisine Southern

Keyword baking, biscuits, cheddar, sour cream

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8 large biscuits

Calories 270kcal

Cost 15

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
• 3 scallions sliced thin, white and light green parts only Optional
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese 8 ounces
• 1 cup full-fat sour cream
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• Maldon sea salt

Instructions

• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter with your fingers or pastry blender until butter is in small, pea-sized pieces. Toss in the scallions, if using. Toss in the cheddar cheese. Using a fork or your hands, mix in sour cream until dough comes together (dough may still be slightly crumbly). You might need to add a few teaspoons of water to help it cohere.
• Dump the dough on to a lightly floured board. Knead until it starts to come together. Press into a rectangle and, using a bench scraper, make a letter fold. Press down into another rectangle and do the letter fold one more time. Finally, press into a large rectangle that's about 1-inch thick and use the bench scraper to cut into 8 large biscuits. Place biscuits on a tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat and place the biscuits on it, a few inches apart. Brush with the butter, sprinkle with the Maldon sea salt, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes (or longer) until golden brown all over. Allow to cool slightly, then eat!

Notes

My tip: during the refrigeration step, you can freeze any that you want to save for later. Freeze on a plate and when frozen, place in a freezer bag and then just bake ’em from frozen in a 425 oven for a few minutes longer. A treat for another time! 

The post Sour Cream Cheddar Biscuits appeared first on Amateur Gourmet.

When Woody Allen got cancelled, I defaulted to Albert Brooks. Annie Hall was (and maybe still is) my favorite movie; but when people ask, I say that my favorite movie is Defending Your Life because I can happily watch it over and over again and love it every time.

And then there’s When Harry Met Sally. Nora Ephron’s screenplay, directed by Rob Reiner, exists in the same orbit as those first two movies and, yet, it’s never been a favorite of mine. Don’t get me wrong: I like it! If I had to criticize it, I’d say that whereas Annie Hall is overt in its dichotomy between what Granny Hall calls “a real New York Jew” and a flighty, flaky WASP (played to perfection by Diane Keaton); When Harry Met Sally is less on-the-surface about its Jewish/WASP dynamics. I just Googled it and in the original version, Sally was Jewish and Harry wasn’t, which makes sense in that scene where Meg Ryan orders pie with all of those specifications. For me, When Harry Met Sally feels like it had its name changed at Ellis Island from Rabinowitz to Rose.

Waiter, There is Too Much Pepper on My Paprikash

You’re probably wondering what any of that has to do with a Chicken Paprikash recipe. Well there’s a famous scene in the movie where Harry and Sally are at The Met and Billy Crystal is talking with an accent and he says, “Waiter, there is too much pepper in my paprikash.”

The accent, I’ve come to realize, is Hungarian and that brings us to today’s chicken paprikash recipe which comes from Jeremy Salamon’s wonderful cookbook, Second Generation.

Jeremy is the chef owner of two restaurants here in Brooklyn: Agi’s Counter in Crown Heights, named after his beloved grandmother, and Pitt’s BK, which I’ve written about here on the blog.

I first met Jeremy in the early two thousands when I was working for the Food Network and I interviewed Jeremy in Boca about having a Food Network-themed Bar Mitzvah (!). Boy, how time flies. Now he’s a James Beard award-nominee for Best Chef New York and I’m… still a food blogger.

Brown Those Chicken Thighs

Like all of the best braises, this one starts with browning meat; in this case, chicken thighs.

Normally I take this step to an extreme — I really like to get my chicken thighs brown — but, as Jeremy points out in the recipe, you really don’t need to. It’s going to wind up simmering in a paprika-infused onion sauce, so the only reason to get it a little brown is to develop the fond (or brown stuff) on the bottom of the pan which will get worked into/improve the sauce.

Onions Onion Onions

Speaking of the sauce, the next step involves adding two whole onions sliced.

You cook those down for a while until they start to color; it takes about fifteen minutes or so.

Putting the Paprika in the Paprikash

What makes Paprikash Paprikash is — you guessed it — Paprika.

Jeremy’s recipe calls for both smoked paprika and hot paprika. I also had Noble Sweet Paprika from Burlap and Barrel so I mixed all three.

It’s really as simple as adding the paprika to the onions; that’s the crux of the whole recipe.

You also add tomato paste, toast it all for a bit, then deglaze with chicken stock.

Nestle the chicken back in….

And you cook it for 45 minutes just like that. The sauce will thicken, the chicken will absorb all of those flavors, and when it’s done you’ll have a bright red, flavor-packed, chicken stew ready to go.

On A Bed of Buttered Noodles

Jeremy suggests serving his paprikash with “a good, soft bread and plenty of slices of fresh bell or sweet peppers.” I went another direction and boiled some egg noodles and tossed them with butter and lots of herbs (dill and parsley).

The final ingredient is sour cream, which Jeremy has you whisk in a small bowl until “light and airy.” Then you dollop it over the top of the finished dish.

This was the coziest, easiest, cold December night meal. Perfect with a glass of red wine and the “When Harry Met Sally” soundtrack playing from your Alexa. Hey, it’s got a good soundtrack. One bite of this chicken paprikash and you’ll be orgasming like Meg Ryan at Katz’s Deli.

Print

Chicken Paprikash

A classic recipe from Jeremy Salamon's Second Generation.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Hungarian

Keyword chicken, chicken thighs, Hungarian, Jeremy Salamon, parpika

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 450kcal

Cost 25

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon hot paprika
• 2 cups chicken stock, store-bought or homemade
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Instructions

• Spread out the thighs on a large plate or tray and pat dry with paper towels. Season on both sides with 1 tablespoon salt.
• Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and cook for 4 minutes on each side until golden brown. You're not looking to fully cook the chicken here, just getting some color on it. Transfer the chicken back to the plate.
• Add the onions to the skillet and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and starting to caramelize. Add the tomato paste and stir until the onions are fully coated and the paste begins to stick to the skillet, about 2 minutes. Stir in both paprikas and toast for 5 seconds, until very fragrant. Immediately pour in the stock and stir to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Nestle the chicken back in the skillet. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cook for 30 to 45 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove from the heat. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
• Vigorously whisk the sour cream in a small bowl until it's light and airy. Dollop over the chicken or serve on the side.

Notes

To serve it like I did, boil one pound of egg noodles in salted water until just al dente. Toss with four tablespoons of butter, season to taste with salt and pepper, and add a big handful of finely chopped parsley and dill. 

The post Chicken Paprikash appeared first on Amateur Gourmet.

Vegan cooking can be thankless. Just by labeling something “vegan,” you’re instantly aware of all of the things you’re not including: chicken stock, sausage, Parmesan cheese. But sometimes you encounter a recipe that’s so good, you don’t even realize that it’s vegan until after you’ve made it. That’s how it was with this easy vegan squash and chickpea soup from the Towpath cookbook that I made last night for dinner. Not until I started writing about it this morning, did I realize what I’d made.

Don’t Make a Futsu Over My Futsu

Have I talked about how into black futsu squash I am lately? I used it in my pumpkin pie and I used it again for this stew (even though the original recipe calls for “Roast Crown Prince Squash,” which seems to be green and smooth). Black futsu seems very intimidating with its hard warty exterior. It kind of looks like a goblin head with a stem attached.

But here’s the secret about black futsu: to cook it, all you have to do is cut it into wedges and roast ’em. You don’t have to peel it. In fact, the skin gives it even more textural intrigue.

The reason people love this squash so much is because of its intensity. The squash flavor is concentrated; it’s a bit nuttier than a butternut, a bit less chalky than a kabocha. But if you’re futsu-phobic (or can’t find one) you can use any squash you like here, it’ll still work.

Bring on the Chickpeas

Squash and chickpeas might seem like strange bedfellows, but, in fact, they go wonderfully together (see here). I think it’s the similarity in texture: something hard that becomes something soft, like an erection in reverse. (This is a test to see if anyone actually reads this stuff.)

To make this stew, I used a bag of Rancho Gordo dried chickpeas that I didn’t even pre-soak. I just threw them in a pot with a whole head of garlic, sliced in half; some thyme and bay leaves; and a pinch of salt. They took about two hours total, which wasn’t bad. And cooking your own chickpeas like this makes them so much more interesting to eat: they’re an unlikely combination of firm on the outside and creamy on the inside.

Let’s Make a Stew

Every step of this stew recipe makes sense. You start by sautéing onions and garlic in olive oil, then adding the chard stems. (Nothing goes to waste here.)

To that, you add saffron threads that you infuse into boiling water. (I received this saffron as a gift three years ago, but it still tasted saffrony.)

The saffron dyes everything a beautiful shade of orange, which is a nice, colorful moment.

Tie it Together with Tomatoes

In goes a tin of tomatoes, and suddenly you have something that looks like a soupy tomato sauce. You may pause for a moment and question whether this stew will make any sense. Don’t worry, it will! Especially when you add all of the chickpeas and their cooking liquid.

The chickpea liquid — infused with garlic and thyme — adds another dimension to the stew. And then you add the squash.

Suddenly it all starts to come together; especially since you let it simmer for 25 minutes after each addition (leave plenty of time to make this dinner).

Add the Leaves at the End

Once your stew is good and stewed, you add the chopped chard leaves and let them wilt down.

And that’s basically it. Check out this beauty.

Doctor it with a little lemon juice at the end; and, if you’re not vegan, a dusting of Parmesan cheese. (You can also add a Parmesan rind to the stew as it cooks, if you’re not religious about such things). And that’s what I call a vegan dinner that doesn’t taste like a vegan dinner. Bring on the angry vegan comments!

Print

Roast Squash, Rainbow Chard, Chickpea and Saffron Stew

A nourishing, rich, and surprisingly flavorful recipe from the Towpath cookbook.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword black futsu, butternut squash, chickpeas, Swiss chard, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 3 hours hours

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6 people

Calories 300kcal

Cost 40

Ingredients

For the chickpeas:

• 1 1/4 cups dried chickpeas covered and soaked overnight in water
• 1 head garlic cut in half horizontally
• 2 red chillies
• nice glug of olive oil
• whole handful of peppercorns
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 sprigs thyme
• salt and pepper

For the roast squash:

• 1 pound 7 oz crown prince / kabocha / black futsu squash peeled, seeds removed and cut into 1¼ in pieces (I left the skin on)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil

For the broth:

• 4 red onions sliced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 red chillies whole
• 7 stalks of rainbow chard stalk and leaf separated and stalks cut into ¾-in slices.
• 20 saffron strands soaked in 100 ML/3 fl oz boiling water for at least 10 minutes
• 10 1/2 ounces tinned whole plum tomatoes blitzed or mashed (I just used a whole can and crushed by hand)
• 1 lemon juiced
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Start by draining the chickpeas (which you've soaked overnight… though I didn't and it was still okay). Place in a saucepan – the chickpeas will expand quite substantially during cooking so make sure you use a large-enough saucepan. They will also cook more evenly if not overcrowded. Cover with 6 cups of water.
• Bring to the boil and remove all scum. Add in all the other ingredients for the chickpeas (don't hesitate to use any other leftover bits in the fridge that would be good for the stock). Turn down to a simmer and cook until the chickpeas are tender but not mushy, around 1-1½ hours. At this point, season with salt and pepper.
• While the chickpeas are cooking, prepare the squash. I like to cut my squash at different angles for aesthetic reasons, but just make sure they are all a similar size so that they cook evenly. Coat the squash with olive oil, and season. Roast the squash on a high heat to get a lovely caramelisation and colour. Make sure you don't overcrowd the roasting tray as the squash will end up steaming rather than browning. The squash should cook within 25-35 minutes – you want the squash to be cooked through but still holding its shape, otherwise it will go mushy once in the broth.
• In another large saucepan, sweat down the onions and garlic in the olive oil over a low heat until soft and sweet – about 10 minutes. Add the red chillies.
• Add the rainbow chard stalks and continue to cook on a gentle heat for around 5 minutes until they too soften. Season.
• Add the saffron and its liquid. If you have excess saffron strands left in your container, swirl around with a little water and pour in – don’t waste any of that delicious flavour.
• Add the tinned tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes until it is slightly reduced.
• Now add the cooked chickpeas and their liquid, but remove any stocky bits that were thrown into the chickpea cooking liquid. Bring to a boil and simmer for around 25 minutes.
• At this point, add the roasted squash and cook for another 25 minutes, so all the ingredients get to know one another. Season as you go, and at the end, check the seasoning and add enough lemon juice to cut through the richness.
• When ready to serve, add the chopped rainbow chard leaves. They will only take a few minutes to cook in the hot broth.
• Serve with a drizzle of olive oil.

The post Too Good to Be Vegan: Squash, Chard, Chickpea, and Saffron Stew appeared first on Amateur Gourmet.

Let’s say it’s the day after Thanksgiving and you have a glut of cranberries. What’s a person to do? You could make cranberry muffins for breakfast, that’s an idea. You could make Melissa Clark’s sticky cranberry gingerbread and people would be tickled. Or you could make what I recently made from Genevieve Ko’s 2016 cookbook, Better Baking: Cranberry Magic Bars. They’ll put a smile on lots of faces.

I’m all about transitional recipes and these bars whisk us from turkey season to ho ho ho times. You start with a standard graham cracker base, plus a few toasted pecans for good measure.

Bring on the Cranberries

Next up, a layer of cooked cranberries that might look a lot like the cranberry sauce you served on T-Day.

In fact, if your leftover cranberry sauce is sweet and not savory (let’s avoid onions here), I bet you could just spread that on instead of making a fresh batch.

Toppings Galore

Now comes the fun stuff. What puts the “magic” in cranberry magic bars? Toasted pecans, coconut, and chocolate.

Side rant: I’m a big believer in toasting my nuts these days before using them in a baking recipe. It seems counterintuitive: if it’s going in the oven anyway, why should you pre-toast it? (I actually just watched an episode of Kids’ Baking Championship where an eight year old asked the same thing.) But toasting your nuts separately draws out their oils, changes their color, and brings out a toastiness you won’t get if you just toss them into your cookies or bars.

The coconut, on the other hand, will toast in the oven. (It goes from white to golden pretty fast, hence no need for pre-toasting.)

Cut ’em Up and Serve

All you do, once the toppings are on, is bake this for twenty minutes. If you use parchment paper, and let it cool in there, it’s a cinch just to lift it out.

Letting them cool is the hardest part. Then you cut into sixteen squares and serve ’em up. They work as a snack, a dessert, even a decadent breakfast. So don’t throw your cranberries away! Make some cranberry magic.

Print

Cranberry Magic Bars

An easy cranberry, chocolate, and coconut dessert from Genevieve Ko's Better Baking.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword bars, chocolate, coconut, cranberries, cranberry, pecans, treats

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 16 bars

Calories 299kcal

Cost 20

Ingredients

• 9 graham crackers 141 g, broken
• ¾ cup pecans, toasted and chopped 82 g
• ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar 104 g
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled 70 g
• 2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries 220 g
• ¼ cup fresh orange juice 59 g
• ¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes, broken up if large 24 g
• 1/4 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate 42 g

Instructions

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom and sides with foil or parchment paper, and spray again.
• Combine the graham crackers, ¼ cup (27 g) of the pecans, and the 3 tablespoons sugar in a food processor and pulse until the crackers and nuts are finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until fine crumbs form.
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press into an even layer. To get a completely flat bottom, press in the mixture with the bottom of a dry measuring cup.
• Bake the crust until the edges are golden brown and the center is dry to the touch, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. (Leave the oven on.)
• Meanwhile, combine the cranberries, orange juice, and the remaining ½ cup (104 g) sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is the consistency of jam and has reduced to 1 cup, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Pour the topping over the crust and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle the coconut and the remaining ½ cup (55 g) pecans evenly on top and gently press into the cranberry mixture. Scatter the chocolate evenly over the top and press it in.
• Bake the bars until the filling is gently bubbling and the coconut is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Notes

The bars are best the day they’re made but will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

The post Cranberry Magic Bars appeared first on Amateur Gourmet.