Monday: Spaghetti and Meatballs
Tuesday: Lentil Soup with Kielbasa, bread or rolls
Wednesday: Petrale Sole Meuniere, Israeli couscous, green beans, salad
Thursday: Quiche, salad
Friday: out
Saturday: out (girls will fix themselves something)
Sunday: BBQ chicken (oven), salad, veggies (TBD), cornbread, special dessert (TBD)

Ever since spending time in Paris, I’ve been obsessed with the French macaron. Not a “macaroon”, as this month’s recipe in Bon Appetit calls it – but a macaron. Macaroons are heavier – like the coconut cookies that you see at delis and at Passover, or the sweet almond macaroons made with almond paste. I love these, too, don’t get me wrong. But they are big and bold and dense. The french style sandwich cookies are light, airy, and delicate, in a multitude of flavors – some basic and some downright crazy (I’ve tried tomato and basil). You savor each bite. The legendary ones, in my mind, come from Laduree. Laduree is the epitome of a high gloss patisserie – but they have substance as well as style. I think others copy Laduree and try to enhance their more traditional fare. But, not to great effect. Laduree’s salted butter caramel cookie is beyond incredible, as are their chocolate and raspberry. In fact, the three on a plate together would be worth the trip to Paris. Add in a slice of tart tatin at the legendary ice cream shop, Berthillon, and there is no reason to come home.

Bon Appetit, in this December’s issue, has a wonderful recipe for Chocolate Macarons with Orange Ganache. The ganache in the recipe is quite heavy on the spices and I added about 1/4 the amount for just a hint of holiday spice. I also didn’t bother sifting the sugar/almond mixture – though I processed the heck out of it so that there weren’t any big lumps. But the recipe is easy and the cookies turned out beautifully. In fact, it wasn’t so long ago – 10 years or so – when you couldn’t find a decent macaron recipe. And, believe me, I looked long and hard. Now, they are everywhere: Cook’s Illustrated, Gourmet (they published the first good one, I think), Bon Appetit, you name it. The cookies can be found at bakeries all over the U.S. (at least in San Francisco!) as well – some good, most not so good. None as delicious as Laduree.

This recipe is more than good. The piping takes a little practice – my cookies came out a bit bigger than the magazines and so I got fewer than the recipe suggested it made. Similarly, I had barely enough ganache – not the big layer as in the Bon Appetit photo. It is essential to let these macarons rest overnight as they soften with time and the flavors meld. Oh, this is indeed a very good recipe.

To prove that all recipes for macaron are not created equal, in doing the search for this one so that I could post it, I noticed another recipe from 2001 by Pierre Herme - the noted pastry chef who has, literally, written the book on macarons. The picture doesn’t have the classic “foot” at the base and the method for the home chef is completely different. I guess it has taken a while to come up with the right technique so that these little treats can be made consistently in home kitchens.

Thank goodness for food science and french pastry.

L decided to “cook the cover” of Bon Appetit again this month. This time, the cover featured another meringue confection – Peppermint Meringue Cookies - a lot easier to make than the Lime Blackberry Italian Meringue Pie. These little meringues are simple, straightforward, beautiful and delicious. Yum, yum. L did a great job making them as a birthday present for 2 friends at school with birthdays this week. The really amazing thing about the cookies is the swirly color made by NOT mixing in the food coloring before putting the meringue in a piping bag. A winner. We will definitely make these again.

The recipe, called “Moroccan Slow-Cooked Lamb“, was one of the best recipes that I’ve made in a long while. It was even better than I thought it would be, given the rave reviews. I did make a couple of changes – not big – because I didn’t want the dish to be too sweet and I wanted additional veggies. So, I reduced the apricots to about 1/3 cup, chopped them coarsely; added a few chopped, pitted prunes; and, added about 3 big carrots cut into chunks. I found that I didn’t need to simmer the dish to reduce the sauce – it was already fairly thick, perhaps because I cooked the dish in a big enameled cast iron dutch oven, instead of in a large skillet. Chopped parsley seemed to be a better choice for us instead of cilantro. I made the couscous, as indicated in the recipe, with toasted almond slivers, chopped parsley and lemon zest. The whole wheat couscous was cooked with a little butter and chicken broth, and fluffed before adding the almonds, etc.

This was definitely a keeper. A truly succulent, flavorful dish that I will make again! Even though J doesn’t like lamb, I think she would have liked this meal, had she ventured to try it. As it was, she ate left-overs from our meal with Grandma and WG (this was our plan, ahead of time). S, L, Mrs. “D” and I ooo’ed and ahhh’ed over the lamb. No pictures – even though it was picture-worthy!

I made a menu for the week a couple of weeks ago and was surprised at how helpful it was. It really makes my grocery shopping easier because I can buy everything on Monday/Tuesday and not have to be running out for things last minute. And, I can make things in advance that I need. For instance, I know that Tuesday is always a busy night and that we have dinner late. So, Tuesday needs to be a day when I have things ready to go ahead of time. Carnitas burritos will be perfect because I can have the meat, beans, salsa and rice all done in advance. Warm up a few tortillas in the microwave when we are ready to sit down, and it is an easy dinner. If I don’t make a list early in the week, I’m also always forgetting little items that I might need – like parsley, or cheese, or beans – when I need them. Thinking ahead, means I have everything on hand. Theoretically, at least.

Now that our big event (and thus the leftover delight tonight) is over, I can re-dedicate myself to trying to keep up my blog. I am hoping to try some new recipes next week….then, of course, the gear-up for thanksgiving.

I also tried a new recipe – a savory riff on the finger treat. I saw the recipe for Spicy Cheddar Witch Fingers in October’s Food & Wine magazine. It is quite similar to a cheese cracker that I make with rice krispies, but without the krispies. They turned out well, even though I used orange cheddar and glazed with egg white (leftover from the finger cookies). A keeper, though I think that I will add few dashes of Tabasco next time.

Happy Halloween 2011! This year, J made a giant origami paper crane and attached it to her back – very original (I looked for instructions on the web, thinking that there would be something….nada). L, getting a little old for trick-or-treating, went as a very adorable Pippi Longstocking. One of her best ever.

Here is the updated recipe for Halloween Finger Cookies.

Halloween Finger Cookies
adapted from CookEatShare

makes approximately 50-60 cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
2 2/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Sliced almonds
Raspberry jam (preferably seedless)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cream butter and sugar together, until well combined, but not fluffy. Add in the egg yolk and mix together well. Add in the extracts and blend in. Add the flour and kosher salt. Mix well – you will get a crumbly dough that holds together well when you squeeze it in your hand. Take heaping teaspoons-ful of dough (smaller than a walnut, about the size of a peanut shell when you roll it into the finger shape) and squeeze them in your hand so that the ridges between your fingers make marks on the dough and you get a 2-inch- 2 1/2-inch long finger shaped cookie. You can elongate the cookie by gently squeezing the sides. Place the fingers on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Take well formed almond slices and press them into the ends of each cookie – they will look like fingernails. Using the back of a butter-knife, make knuckle ridges.

Chill the formed cookies in the refrigerator until they are hardened, about 15 minutes.

Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 22-25 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned on the edges and bottom. Cool completely.

To finish off the cookies: place a large spoonful of raspberry jam in a zip-lock style sandwich bag. Seal the bag. Snip off a little corner of the bag so that you can pipe the jam out of the corner. If the almond nails are loose, remove them and place a little jam where the nail was – replace the almond on top of the jam. If the almond nails are not loose, simply pipe a little jam at the base of the nail for that bleeding look.

Serve and enjoy.

We made a few changes to the recipe so that it was a bit more kid friendly and also more flavorful. For instance, we did not make a red wine-blackberry compote because we thought the kids wouldn’t like the flavor. I substituted 1/2 cup water for the cup of wine and the compote was like blackberry soup, which I thought would make the crust fall apart. So, I reduced it down and made a blackberry jam-like filling, which worked well and didn’t compromise the buttery crust. We also added some lime zest for more kick to the lime curd – which was then very tart and flavorful. And, finally, we added 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla to the meringue to give it a bit of flavor, because it tasted kind of bland.

Once cut, the slices definitely were not as pretty as the whole pie – thus no pictures!

The pie was delicious. We were 10 for dinner and gobbled it up in no time (though it took all day to make). Was it worth it? Hmmmmm. Not sure. The best part of the whole process was getting to use the mini blow-torch to toast the meringue. Love that torch.

L and I decided that it would be fun to try to make it and we did last night, since J is still away at camp and we can still eat all the things that she wouldn’t want if she were home.  L did a search on my iPhone while we were out and we were able to buy all the ingredients on the go.  Those devices are at times so incredibly productive, helpful and useful – and at other moments so frustrating and time wasting.  This was one of the former.

The recipe is quick, easy and delicious.  I used a pound of shrimp for the three of us as a main course, but it would serve 6 as an appetizer.  I served the shrimp with orzo, green beans and asparagus, on the side.

Shrimp Saganaki

Adapted from The Food Network

Serves 3.

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 medium onion, chopped

1 lb. jumbo shrimp (about 15), peeled and deveined

Salt and pepper

½ tsp. dried oregano

Crushed chili flakes, to taste

1 ½ ounces Ouzo, optional

½ cup dry white wine

1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes in sauce (I used a wand blender to make these a little more pureed – like a thick, crushed tomato)

3 kalamata olives, finely chopped

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 oz.)

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat, add the garlic and then add the onion and cook until softened, but not brown – about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp.  Season with the salt and pepper, to taste, and the chili flakes and oregano.  When the shrimp is almost cooked through, take the pan off the heat and add the Ouzo.  Put it back on the heat, being careful so that the ouzo doesn’t flame. Cook for 1 minute and then and add wine to pan.  Simmer another 30 seconds and, remove the shrimp from the pan to a plate and reserve to add back in later.  Add the tomatoes and the chopped olives to the pan and let them simmer for a few minutes. Return the shrimp to the pan, and toss in the sauce to re-warm it, but don’t cook the shrimp further. Finally, sprinkle the crumbled feta over the contents of the pan and melt it into the sauce, stirring it gently to keep some bigger chunks.

If you were going to have this as an appetizer, you could put it in individual serving dishes before adding the feta.  Sprinkle the feta on top and then broil briefly to melt the cheese and get it a little toasty.  This is how it was served in Santorini!

Last week, I hosted my book club. Not realizing that most of the ladies in my book club would be unable to make our discussion, I cooked too much. So what else is new. We read the book “Let the Great World Spin” by Colum McCann, which takes place in New York in the 1970s. It is a great book. I absolutely loved it and I was inspired to make traditional New York foods for our noshes. Our book club host usually has enough food for those who didn’t get to have dinner before arriving, but the food is most commonly bite sized treats for those who just want to graze. There are typically both savory and sweet foods, with some fruit to keep things healthy.

I decided to serve the following:
- knishes (or is the plural just knish, like with fish?)
- brie and cheddar cheeses (a nod to the French and Irish characters) with apples (yes, for the big Apple)
- dill pickles (New York style)
- strawberries
- black and white cookies


Black and white cookies are really a treat and I’ve made them so many times that I can’t count. Black and whites are a family favorite and if I had to explain what they are, I’d say that they are like a vanilla cupcake top with a light icing. They are more cake-like than cookie-like. I use this recipe, which says that it makes 8 cookies. I always make the cookies smaller than called for – probably about 12-16 medium sized cookies. This time I made some tiny ones that looked like little buttons. They key to the icing is to use good quality cocoa powder for the chocolate icing.

I’m a New Yorker by birth, but I don’t think I’d ever had a knish before I made them. I know I’ve seen them a thousand times, but always thought that they would be too heavy. I did a lot of research on-line to find a good recipe, and even looked in my old cookbooks. It seems that there are many different ways to make knish. Some are folled up jelly roll style. Some are made very large. Some are rolled into a log and then sliced. Some are made into a big square like a turnover. I decided to make bite sized knish, that were mostly covered by the dough. Really, I was surprised at how easy it was to make these little potato pastries. I was also surprised at how delicious they were.

I came up with the recipe below from a bunch of recipes on-line. What is nice about the dough is that it comes together very quickly and, as pastry doughs go, is pretty light on the fat. You can make the potato mixture ahead of time.

Bite-Sized Potato Knishes

Knish Dough
3 cups flour
¾ tsp. kosher salt
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
6 Tbsp. canola oil
¾ cup water
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar

Potato Filling
5 large Yukon Gold potatoes
3 Tbsp. butter
1 medium/large yellow onion
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large egg

1 large egg, beaten, for egg wash

For the dough:
Mix together the water, oil, vinegar and salt in a medium sized bowl. Add the flour and baking powder. Stir together until dough is formed. Knead the dough, lightly, about 6 times. Return the dough to the bowl, cover the bowl, and let the dough rest for an hour or more (refrigerate if it will be more than a few hours).

For the filling:
Peel the potatoes and cut into quarters. Add to a pot and cover by about an inch with cold water. Add some salt to the pot to season the water. Bring the pot to a boil and turn down to a simmer, uncovered. Simmer until the potatoes are tender (15-20 minutes). Drain. While the potatoes are cooking, sauté the onions in the butter until they are soft and getting slightly browned. When the potatoes have been drained, mash them and then add the sautéed onions. Mix together and add additional salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the egg.

To make the knish:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using 1/3 of the dough at a time, roll the dough out to a rectangle about 10×12-inches – the dough will be quite thin. Cut the dough in half, lengthwise. Take some of the potato mixture and make a log going down the center length of each piece of dough. The potato log should be about 1 to 1 ½ -inches in diameter. Fold one side of the dough over the potato, moisten the other edge of the dough (by brushing with water or egg wash), and then fold it over the other side. The dough should overlap – lightly press the dough together. Cut each log, using the blunt side of a knife, crosswise, into 8 pieces. Take each piece and pinch the dough around any potato showing. Place the piece, with one of the pinched sides down, on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the pieces with egg wash. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

I think that these taste better when they are cooled a bit and the pastry has softened. You can also cool these and refrigerate or freeze them. Rewarm, as needed, in the oven or in the microwave.

The picture of the strawberries doesn’t do them justice because I took it this morning (Monday) after the remaining strawberries had been in the fridge overnight and lost their glossy-ness. The strawberries last night looked like the ones that you buy at Godiva, but these were the ultimate organic strawberry perfection, hand dipped with love. Great day!