Whole Lemon Bars

It took me a little while to warm up to lemon bars.  Most of my exposure to them came through the various bake sales of my childhood, and who would have lemon bars when there are brownies, cupcakes, and cookies, oh my?  Fortunately my taste matured.  Still, lemon bars can frequently be something of a wild-card.  Sometimes they are too sweet, sometimes the crust is just lacking, sometimes the lemon offers only a hint of flavor.

this would be an occasion to splurge
for the sifter

On the same day that Elizabeth and I made the Coconut Red Lentil Soup, we made these Whole Lemon Bars.  Oh, they were perfect.  The bars had the zing of the citrus and a shortbread-like crust.  Not to mention they are just plain ol' purdy to look at.

now that's what I'm talking about

This recipe uses an actual whole lemon that is pulverized by a blender or food processor.  For that lemon, Mr. Lebovitz (the man who developed this recipe) recommends using an organic lemon because everything (pith, pulp, peel, and all) goes in the lemon bars.  One organic lemon is not very expensive either.  As for the lemon juice, I think two lemons should be more than enough to produce 3 tablespoons of juice.

Whole Lemon Bars

by David Lebovitz

Crust

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tablespoon salt

8 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lemon Topping

1 lemon, organic or unsprayed

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 large eggs, room temperature

4 teaspoons corn starch

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Optional: powdered sugar, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Overturn an 8-inch square pan on the counter and cover the inside of the pan with foil, shiny side up.  A good way to do this is by first wrapping it around the outside of the pan to get the shape.

Mix the crust ingredients together and stir until just smooth.  Pour the batter into the pan, making sure to spread and smooth it so it is level.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until it's golden brown.

While the crust is cooking, cut the lemon (this would be the organic one) in half, remove the seeds, and cut it into chunks.  Blend the lemon chunks, sugar, and lemon juice until the lemon is no longer chunky.  Add the rest of the lemon topping ingredients and continue blending until almost smooth.

When the crust is out of the oven, reduce the heat to 300 degrees, pour the lemon mixture over the crust and bake for 25 minutes or just until the filling stops jiggling and is barely set.

Take it out of the oven and let it cool completely.  Then carefully remove the golden wonder by lifting the foil.  Cut into the desired shape and sift powdered sugar over the top before serving.  Voilà!

***

At the moment, I am in Delaware with my aunt and uncle and cousins.  My first-cousin-once-removed (although who knows if that is right) is now 3 years old and loves The Who.  To the point that he wants to be called Roger (the lead singer's name).  Currently, his favorite song is "Baba O'Riley" and, man, has this kid got the rhythm down.  So in honor of him, here is "Baba O'Riley" by The Who:

Lebovitz, David. "Whole Lemon Bars." David Lebovitz: Living the Sweet Life in Paris. 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 14 June 2011. <http://www.davidlebovitz.com>.

Coconut Macaroons

I wouldn't call this particular effort a failure in any way, but it did get a little messy towards the end - I think mostly because we didn't completely follow the recipe.  (My ridiculous and time-consuming fastidiousness occasionally pays off...?)

I've been hearing all these things about gluten-free baking lately and when a friend of mine suggested we make coconut macaroons, I got really excited.  Someone suggested we try dipping half of each cookie in melted chocolate, which did not really work because the cookies hadn't cooled completely and therefore had not set.  So we ended up having bits of the macaroons floating in a giant bowl of melted chocolate.  We managed to deal with that though.

coconut macaroons with an
enormous dollop of melted chocolate

Coconut Macaroons

adapted 500 Cookies

2 cups shredded or flaked coconut

4 egg whites

3/4 cup superfine sugar

2 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine all the ingredients except the cherries in a heat-proof bowl.  Put the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir constantly for about 6 minutes or until the egg whites start to thicken (and the batter holds its form and the consistency is the same throughout).

Remove the bowl from the pan, add the cherries, and crop large spoonfuls on the baking sheets.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the macaroons are golden.

Slide the parchment papers onto a wire wrack and allow to cool completely.

coconut globules

this was our problem...
the egg whites were not thick enough so they seeped out

Timo working hard at scraping those cookies

The Tony awards took place the other night.  It was strange and exciting to watch this award ceremony that included all these amazing shows and performers that I saw a month ago.  On the other hand, I was incredibly frustrated because there are still so many shows that I did not have time to see during finals.  So here's a song from Jersey Boys, my first Broadway show even if it was not part of the Tony Awards. It is a song by Frankie Valli and The Four Season called "Beggin'":

Vanstone, Philippa.  500 Cookies: the Only Cookie Compendium You'll Ever Need.  Portland, Me.: Ronnie Sellers Productions, 2005.  Print.

Chocolate Soufflé

Back in middle school and high school, I played a decent amount of basketball.  In the beginning, I had practice regularly two nights a week.  One night I threw on my practice jersey, put on my shoes, and prepared to get into the car with my dad.  We shouted our goodbyes up the stairs and opened the front door as my mother cried out a semi-hysterical and shrill, "What?!"  I ran back up the stairs just in time to see my mom pull a perfectly-crisped and puffy cheese soufflé out of the oven.

my chocolate soufflé

Soufflé, for those of you that are not familiar, is a light baked dish made up of a base and whipped egg whites.  The base is made out of la roux (milk, flour, and butter), egg yolks, and flavored with anything from cheese to chocolate to Grand Marnier.  The two parts are then folded together and baked so that it rises... and falls after 5 to 10 minutes out of the oven.  My mom makes a killer souffle.  It is one of those favorite and famous meals in my family.

egg whites

chocolate and egg yolks

So there we all are in the kitchen as my mom carefully extracts the most impressive and puffy soufflé she has ever made.  And we have to leave just as the soufflé hisses its hiss of deflation and falls.  This is one of the great tragedies in our family lore - that we could not enjoy .  In my first attempt, I decided to make chocolate soufflé.

just before the oven

Chocolate Soufflé

from The New York Times Cookbook

2 tbs butter

2 tbs flour

3/4 milk

pinch o' salt

2 oz unsweetened chocolate

1/3 cup sugar

2 tbs cold coffee

1/2 tsp vanilla

3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

4 egg whites, stiffly beaten

whipped cream (if desired, which is should be)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a small pot, melt the butter, add the flour and stir with a wire whisk until blended.  Meanwhile bring the milk to a boil and add it all at once to the butter and flour.  Combine with the whisk and add the salt.

Melt the chocolate with the sugar and the coffee over hot water (...or in the microwave).  Stir the mixture together and add it, plus the vanilla, to the butter, milk, and flour.  Beat in the egg yolks one at a time and let it cool a bit.

Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites.  This step has the greatest possibility for messing up your soufflé.  The goal is to mix everything together without beating out the little pockets of air bubbles in the egg whites.  When I did this part (with my mother looking over my shoulder), I folded just until everything was mixed, but there were still little flecks of white egg whites throughout.  Butter and sprinkle with sugar a 2-quart casserole dish and pour in the soufflé mix.  Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until everything is puffy and brown.  Serve (immediately) with whip cream.

***

Making a soufflé can be stressful, especially for the first time.  As my roommate knows well, Barry Louis Polisar's "All I Want Is You" is a song that always helps me release stress.  Barry is a children's songwriter and author for things like Sesame Street (what up, Cookie Monster?):

Claiborne, Craig. "Chocolate Soufflé." The New York Times Cookbook. New York: Harper & Row, 1961. 605. Print.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Ever since I got home, I have had this incredible hankering for rhubarb.  It is kind of still in season - it's about $3/lb in the Bay Area right now.  I flipped through this dessert cookbook that my cousin helped out with.  It is called Rustic Fruit Desserts and the recipes are phenomenal.  I adopted their recipe, "Apple Crisp with Brandy-Soaked Currants" (which also looks REALLY good, but I sadly do not have the ingredients at home).

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

adapted from Rustic Fruit Desserts

Crisp Topping:

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Fruit Filling:

1.5 lbs strawberries (this is about two containers strawberries)

1 lb rhubarb (about 4-5 stalks)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tbs flour

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a 9-inch square baking pan.  Make the crisp topping by combining the brown sugar, flour, salt, and cardamom in a bowl.  Add the butter and mix it around so it forms crumbly clumps.  Put the mixture in the freezer while you prepare the fruit.  Make the filling by washing the fruit, cutting it up, and thoroughly mixing the sugar and flour.  The poundage of the fruit does not really matter, but it should almost fill the baking pan before adding the topping.  Put the pan in the oven and cook for 50 minutes.  Serve with cream if you know what's good for you.

***

Crisps are one of my favorite desserts to make during the school year because it is a great dish to make with some friends.  One person prepares the fruit, another the coating for the fruit, and one or two other people can make the crisp topping.  Usually I make some kind of apple crisp with an oat-based topping, but the strawberry rhubarb crisp turned out really well.  The intense red from the berries and the rhubarb rises and bubbles up to stain the crisp topping.  It is actually a kind of striking contrast between the little islands of browned sugar.

There is nothing quite like cooking to some really great jazz music.  And because I can't find any of my cousin Dave's music online (I'm going to try to change this soon), here is Benny Goodman doing a version of Jelly Roll Morton's "King Porter Stomp":

Schreiber, Cory, and Julie Richardson. "Apple Crisp with Brandy-Soaked Currants." Rustic Fruit Desserts: Crumbles Buckles, Cobblers, Pandowdies, and More. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed, 2009. 138. Print.

Ice Cream Cookies

My family has two holiday seasons.  The first holiday season is the traditional one - Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's...  At the moment, we're in the middle of the second, mid-year holiday season.  Basically, we celebrate my parents' anniversary, my dad's birthday, my birthday, and my sister's birthday in one 26-day period.  And in case we feel as if we have not consumed enough cheese, champagne, and favorite-dinners, this whole season of festivities is bookmarked on either end by Mother's Day on one end, and Father's Day and the Fourth of July on the other.  Occasionally we sprinkle graduations in there.

Anyway, we just celebrated my dad's birthday.  Instead of ordering an ice cream cake, I decided to make ice cream sandwiches.  I tweaked the recipe a little bit, but here's the original:

Ice Cream Cookies

from 500 Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) sweet butter

1/4 cup vegetable shortening (you know, that Crisco stuff)

3/4 cup superfine sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups cornflakes or crisped rice cereal

1/2 cup melted semisweet chocolate

4 cups vanilla ice cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease two baking sheets (I'd recommend using little bits of the vegetable shortening.  It should be out on the counter already anyway).  Sift the flour and baking soda.  Beat the butter and shortening with the sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla extract and gradually add the flour and cereal.  

the crispy rice-infested dough

Roll the dough into small balls (there should be 24 of them) and place them on the baking sheets.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, then allow them to cool on a baking rack or something.  

When they are totally cooled, coat the bottom of each cookie with a layer of melted chocolate.  Put the cookies in the refrigerator to make sure the chocolate hardens.  

I'm just impressed I was able to clear out this much space

Spoon about 1/4 cup of ice cream onto the chocolate side of a cookie and then make a sandwich with another cookie.  Put the cookies in the freezer as you work to prevent the ice cream from melting.  

the first cookie

When all the cookies are finished, transfer them to an air-tight container and store in the freezer for up to 4 days.

***

I've never been a fan of crispy rice or cornflakes or whatever you want to call them.  Plus, I made some (minor) changes to the recipe.  As a result, I was deeply suspicious of what would become the finished product.  I was horrified at the thought of ruining precious ingredients (just think of the ice cream!), but I decided I had to trust the cookie book because it has yet to disappoint me.

I had to taste ahead of time to ensure the utmost quality

I ended up making mint chocolate ice cream sandwiches instead, with only a few changes.  I subtracted 2 tbs of flour from the whole cup and added 2 tbs of cocoa to the cookie dough instead.  The cookbook suggests crushing peppermint candies and adding them to the dough in addition, but I just couldn't do it.  I considered adding mint chocolate as well, but I honestly forgot to.  However, I did manage to get mint chocolate in there.  After melting 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I would recommend adding another small handful to the 1/2 cup just because I started to run out), I added peppermint extract - somewhere between 1/2 tsp and 1 tsp.  When you melt the chocolate, make sure you do not anger it or the oils will start to separate and you'll end up with a weird half-boiled, half-crusty shell that is only vaguely reminiscent of its previous glory.  Use a spatula to coat the bases of the cookies.  I had some problems with the chocolate starting to harden, so I submerged the chocolate bowl in a larger bowl of hot water and stirred frequently.  Instead of vanilla ice cream, I used mint chocolate ice cream (the kind with the chocolate chunks in it).  Finally, you will want the ice cream to be fairly soft to ensure ease of scooping, and the edges of the ice cream will melt and drip regardless.  I would recommend using a circular 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop the ice cream and freeing the ice cream using that trusty spatula. That way, the ice cream will already have some semblance of a disc-shape and sandwiching the ice cream will not have an incredibly lop-sided effect.

I added frosting to make them as
ice cream cake-like as possible

Despite the crispy rice things, these actually turned out really well.  In fact, I'm guessing the crispy rice is what made the cookies so, ahem, crispy.  When I pulled the cookies out of the oven, however, it seemed as if they were a little gooey so I'd recommend flattening the dough more than just a little (make sure they don't burn).  That said, sitting in the freezer does have the lovely effect of solidifying any unruly bits.  And, to make the cookies more like an ice cream cake, I made some frosting (here) and decorated the ice cream cookies.

In honor of my dear father, here is the Eurythmic's "Sweet Dreams", a song to which he cannot resist dancing with unabashed zeal:

Vanstone, Philippa.  500 Cookies: the Only Cookie Compendium You'll Ever Need.  Portland, Me.: Ronnie Sellers Productions, 2005.  Print.

Meringue Tart Shells

I used up something like seven egg yolks total on the flan and on some homemade pasta (coming soon!), so there was a bowl full of egg whites sitting in the fridge.  There are a couple things that you can make with egg whites, most notably sorbets (in order to emulsify and stabilize the sorbet and preserve it while it's frozen) and MERINGUES.  For those of you who don't know, meringues are weird thing made out of sugar and egg whites that are super sweet and kind of melt in your mouth.  My grandmother likes to make banana cream pies using meringues as the pie crust instead of actual pie crust.  TRY THIS.  Anyway, my mom (rightly) got fed up with the egg whites that were sitting around and made these.

Meringue Tart Shells

from The New York Times Cookbook

6 egg whites, at room temperature

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp lemon juice

1 2/3 cup granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.  Beat the egg whites, salt, and lemon juice until they hold soft peaks.  Continue beating the egg mixture and add the sugar gradually.  Keep beating all the ingredients until it is glossy and stands in firm peaks.  Using a pastry bag (ie. a ziploc bag or something with like this with its tip cut), shape the meringue into 3- to 4-inch rounds on unglazed paper on a baking sheet (we used tin foil).  Build up the sides by laying coils of meringue one on top of the other to a depth of about 1 1/2 inches.  Bake slowly in the oven for about 1 hour.  Remove from the paper/tin foil with a spatula.

the remains a mere 24 hours later

***

We actually used all 7 egg whites and adjusted the recipe accordingly, but they still turned out really really well.  Again, this is something that is really difficult to do by hand.  You'd probably be beating the eggs for a good half hour with a whisk alone.

Today on a hike I put my iPod on shuffle (ALWAYS a risky move...) and Dave Matthews Band came up, which took me instantly back to the eighth grade.  Here's Dave Matthews Band's "Eh Hee"... it's a weird song but it's pretty entertaining:

Claiborne, Craig. "Meringue Tart Shells." The New York Times Cookbook. New York: Harper & Row, 1961. 523. Print.

Chocolate Truffles

My parents have been married for 21 years today!  And I'm also making truffles!  I've been waiting to make these truffles for SO LONG.  Get excited.

Chocolate Truffles

from The Art of Simple Food

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 lb bittersweet chocolate

10 tbs (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter

6 tbs heavy cream

1-2 tbs brandy (optional)

Sift the cocoa powder into a small bowl and set it aside (I actually sifted this time).  Put the chocolate and the butter in an medium heat-proof bowl and put it in a pot of simmering water.

Once it melts, stir in the cream and the brandy.

oh it is so perfect

Refrigerate the mixture until it's firm.  Use a melon-ball roller or some really small spoon and scoop 1/2-inch balls onto a baking sheet.

Smooth the balls with your hands and drop them a few at a time into the cocoa powder to coat them.  Then, put them back in the refrigerator until they are firm.

When you're ready to eat them, bring them back to room temperature for the best flavor.  Viola.  C'est magnifique.

***

And now that I've employed one of the five French phrases I have in my arsenal, I have to add this song: "La Vie en Rose".  I realize that Edith Piaf did it first and did fantastically well (and did it French, for that matter) but I just love Louis Armstrong's version.  His voice and his trumpet just make it an entirely new song for me:

Waters, Alice, Patricia Curtan, Kelsie Kerr, and Fritz Steiff. "Chocolate Truffles." The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution. New York: Clarkson Potter, 2007. 382. Print.

Flan

My sister got her driver's license.  Yes, this did happen a good 6 months ago, but it's really only affected my life now.  Sure, I no longer have to ferry her around the Bay Area, but apparently going to school (even during post-AP season) is more important than not being stuck at home until a friend can come and get you.  Thankfully, my father has prepared a list of things I can do to stave off the boredom: walk the dog (which is nice), clean the kitchen, do the laundry, glue together that ceramic bowl, take photos of the house so we'll have some kind of document of our belongings in the case of a natural disaster...

it's pretty much winter here

Instead I made flan.  Mostly because it's made with really basic ingredients that I didn't have to go shopping for.  But also because it is delicious.  You'll need a 9-inch round dish that is ovenproof.  And something bigger than that that can hold the dish and enough water to partially submerge the contained flan.

Flan

from The Art of Simple Food

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 3/4 cups milk

1/4 cup cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 egg yolks

3 eggs

In a small pot, pour 1/4 cup water and then sprinkle 3/4 cup sugar in an even layer.  You're going to want to have the rest of the water (another 1/4 cup water) at the ready.  Cook the water and sugar over medium-high heat until the sugar caramelizes.  DO NOT BE AFRAID.  I was terrified.  I've never caramelized anything except maybe onions and googling images wasn't helpful either.  My problem was that I used some raw sugar that was kind of brown to begin with.  But you'll know when it has finished.  Just be a little wary of the bubbles.  Anyway, here's what will happen: the whole thing will start to bubble violently.  If it's not heating evenly, swirl everything gently in the pot but don't stir it.  

this is when I took it off the stove...
you can't really tell, but it's golden brown

When the sugar caramelizes, it will turn a rich golden brown color.  When it does this, take it off the heat.  It will keep cooking with the heat of the pan.  Have a wooden spoon or something nearby, plus the 9-inch round glass or ceramic ovenproof dish.  When the sugar and water has turned dark golden brown, step back and pour in the measured water.  It will be a little violent, but have courage.  Stir everything together with the spoon and then immediately pour the mixture into the dish because it's going to start to harden really quickly.  (Side note: IMMEDIATELY after pouring the caramelized sugar from the pot, run it under hot water a couple times because it is going to be ridiculously difficult to clean.  As will that wooden spoon.)  

ready for the water

all the goodness is hardening

This is a good time to preheat the oven to 350 degrees if you plan to bake immediately.  In another pot, heat the milk and cream over medium heat, but do not let it boil.  Once it is steaming, add 3/4 cup sugar and the vanilla and remove the pot from the heat, making sure to stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved.  Let it cool until it is lukewarm.  In the meantime, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks.  Tip: when separating the whites and the yolks, use two different bowls and do each egg one at a time.  That way, if you drop the egg and the yolk breaks, you won't waste all the egg whites that you've already separated.  

Whisk the eggs into the cooled cream mixture.  Pour the custard mixture into the prepared dish.  Place the dish inside a larger oven proof pan and fill with warm water to a depth halfway up the side of the dish.  

ready for the oven

Cover the larger pan with foil, place in the oven, and bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until the custard is just set around the sides, but still jiggly in the center.  Take the flan out of the water bath and let it cool.  Run a knife around the flan to release it.  Cover it with a platter that is large enough to hold the flan and retain the caramel sauce.  Quickly invert the custard onto the dish.  Top the bottom of the baking pan and gently lift it off.  Serve the flan in slices with its sauce spooned on top.

FLAN

***

So here's the deal: do you see how little of the bowl is taken up by the flan?  (The smaller of these two dishes cracked so I had to use the larger one.)  So when I inverted the flan... shit went down.  It was definitely delicious and perfect, but it was destroyed.  This is the final product, minus the bits that we ate in order to make it look better...

yeah... but it was really good!

Use a size-appropriate dish if you care about aesthetics.  (But would you really reject aesthetically-displeasing flan?)  Also, this recipe was a little egg-y, or so some people thought.  But all in all, it was fairly easy.

There's a whole convoluted history of flan, the origins of flan, and the etymology of the name(s), but I associate it most closely with Latin America.  And since Cuba is culturally kind of considered Latin American, here's Buena Vista Social Club's "Chan Chan":

Waters, Alice, Patricia Curtan, Kelsie Kerr, and Fritz Steiff. "Flan." The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution. New York: Clarkson Potter, 2007. 372-3. Print.

Almond Biscotti

A couple years ago, a friend of mine gave me a book called 500 Cookies: The Only Cookie Compendium You'll Ever Need.  Basically the chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies are so good that it's taking me three years to be able to branch away from those two recipes.  So I tried the almond biscotti to make up for the fact that I'm not going to Italy in the foreseeable future.

Almond Biscotti

from 500 Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup superfine sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup whole blanched almonds

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Grease and flour two baking sheets. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Whisk the eggs and vanilla together and then stir it into the dry ingredients.  Add the almonds and stir them into the dough.  The dough should be pretty sticky.

greased and floured pan

the dough

Divide the dough into two and form each lump into a log-like thing that's about 2 in. wide and 10 in. long.  Stick the pans in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the logs are golden.  Remove them from the oven and immediately cut each into 1/2 in. slices.  

biscotti logs pre-oven time

1/2 in. slices after the first baking session

Lay the slices onto one side and bake each side from 10-15 minutes or until they are golden brown.  Let 'em cool.

I had no idea how to deal with the butts
so they kind of burned

***

First of all, I'm not actually a big fan of biscotti.  Or so I thought.  Other than the fact that they take awhile to make, these cookies are a perfect side for ice cream or just a cup of coffee - assuming you like coffee.  I'm thinking about making some fig biscotti or maybe apricot biscotti later on.  

If you're at school and not back in your mother's well-stock kitchen, you don't really need any unusual baking ingredients other than the superfine sugar and the almonds - neither of which are that expensive.

That said, we did not have almonds.  And now that I'm back in the boonies of Marin and 10 miles from the nearest grocery store, there is no way that I'm going to go get blanched almonds when we have perfectly good raw almonds.  Plus, I discovered that it's not actually that difficult to blanch almonds anyway.  Blanching is the process of immersing whatever in scalding water and then dramatically stopping the cooking process with some cold water.  So put the almonds in a bowl and add boiling water so that it just covers the almonds.  Let it sit for a minute, drain, run the almonds under cold water, and drain them again.  As for greasing and flouring the pan, grease the pans with butter and some wax paper or a paper towel.  To flour the pan, sprinkle about 3 tablespoons worth of flour on the pan and then spread it by tilting the pan and tapping the bottom until the entire pan is coated.

Also, make sure to take the cookies out when they are golden brown.  Even if they are still slightly doughy in the center, they will still harden after you take them out of the oven.

desert!

Final note, notice the lack of a sifter in this particular recipe.  Yay!  Something we don't have to ignore!

I could and should put another Italian song up here, but now that I'm home, I have to blast all the classics on the amazing speaker system as opposed to my crappy $10 speakers.  So here's Paul Simon's "Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard":

Vanstone, Philippa.  500 Cookies: the Only Cookie Compendium You'll Ever Need.  Portland, Me.: Ronnie Sellers Productions, 2005.  Print.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I'm trying to clean out all the excess food in my room before the end of the year.  Which means cookies!!  And what better way to use up baking materials and the peanut butter that's been chilling in my refrigerator than a batch of delicious peanut butter cookies?

Peanut Butter Cookies

from 500 Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup (1 stick) sweet butter

1/2 cup superfine sugar

1/2 cup unrefined light brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup (8 oz.) crunchy peanut butter

pinch of salt

Sift the flour and baking soda together (psh).  Beat the butter and sugars until they are soft and creamy (ie. microwave butter).  Combine the egg, flour mixture, peanut butter, and salt.  Add the butter and sugar mixture and mix until smooth.

Wrap the dough in foil or parchment and refrigerate overnight, or at least for 2 hours (pain, I know).

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Shape the cookies into 1 1/4-in. balls.  Flatten slightly with a fork and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden.

Let 'em cool.

the unshaped dough ready to fulfill
their magical cookie destiny

***

We've already talked about the whole sifting thing.  And I realize that this recipe doesn't really allow for spontaneity (damn the refrigeration), but chilling the dough achieves that lovely crumbly-peanut-butter-cookie quality.  Also, little tip:  if you don't care too much about the aesthetics of your cookies, just cut the refrigerated dough with a knife and slap those puppies on the baking sheet.

I've been doing a lot of programming lately, which means I've been listening to a lot of Moby.  For some reason it just makes sense.  Here's Moby's "In My Heart" (I love the piano in the beginning):

Vanstone, Philippa.  500 Cookies: the Only Cookie Compendium You'll Ever Need.  Portland, Me.: Ronnie Sellers Productions, 2005.  Print.

Ciao Bella - Blackberry Cabernet

I have to tell the world about this.  Ciao Bella is a gelato and sorbet company that started in San Francisco (represent!) and is now taking over the world.  Meaning it is spreading to other lovely place, like New York City.  But even if there isn't a Ciao Bella store near you, you can still buy pints of their ice cream at most grocery stores.

Ice cream is getting painfully expensive, especially for a college student.  A pint goes for about $5.69 in New York, which causes me physical pain.  BUT it gets cheaper if you share with someone else.  Plus, half a pint of ice cream is still cheaper than getting a few scoops of ice cream anywhere in Manhattan.

Point being, try the pint of Blackberry Cabernet Sorbet.  It is so good.  You will not regret the $6.

Neiman Marcus Cookies (Chocolate Chip Cookies)

This is the best recipe for chocolate chip cookies that I have ever found.  Without a doubt.  Even better, it requires less butter and sugar than the cookies on the back of the Toll House bags.

neiman marcus cookies (chocolate chip cookies)

from 500 Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. instant coffee powder

1 1/2 cups (8 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Beat the butter and sugar together, and add the eggs and vanilla.

butter, sugar, egg, vanilla.  yum.

Sift together the remaining dry ingredients, including the coffee powder.  Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix in chocolate chips.

Roll into balls.  Use your fingers to flatten onto a non-stick baking sheet 2 in. apart.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes.

look at 'em with all their current and potential goodness

Store in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.

Makes 2 dozen.

***

Okay.  Comments.  I do not sift things, especially not in college.  First of all, who has a sifter?  And secondly, why would I dirty another bowl AND a sifter?  However, the point of mixing and sifting the dry ingredients is to ensure that the ingredients of lesser proportions (ie. the salt, baking soda, coffee powder...) are evenly distributed.  Oh, and that there aren't any clumps.  I can deal with the clumps (I'm wicked with a spatula) but the apparent homogeny thing is a bigger deal.  My solution is to add the flour last.  That way you can mix the other dry ingredients thoroughly into the dough.  When you do add the flour, do not panic.  Against all odds, the butter and egg will work their little hearts out and absorb all that flour to make delicious cookie dough.  Go ahead and try some.  You know you want to.

I will say that I also make my life easier by softening the butter in the microwave.  Clearly remembering to take the butter out hours before making cookies to soften is just as hard as remembering to preheat the oven before starting.  Also, don't freak out too much about the brown sugar.  Sure, the cookies are better and more delicious with light brown sugar, but if you only have dark brown sugar, the cookies will only be slightly inferior.  Finally, this recipe doesn't call for an entire bag of chips.  But I think we can all come to terms with that fact that there is extra chocolate in the room.

ooh yeeaaah

You will need more than one baking sheet if you mind waiting for the cookies to bake and cool.  Although the recipe says 8-10 minutes, I usually have to keep them in for another 2-4 minutes.  I hate overdone cookies, which usually results in underdone cookies.  When the cookies look perfect to you in the oven, it's possible that you've over cooked them.  I look at the bottom of the cookie.  When the edges are crispy-looking and browned and you flattened the cookies before putting them in the oven, take them out.  If you didn't flatten them and they are nice and puffy, wait another couple minutes to make sure the center is baked enough.

The first time you make cookies, or bake anything for that matter, it is going to set you back a couple dollars.  I think all of these ingredients cost me in the range of about $25-$30, and I already had the coffee powder and salt.  Plus, the baking sheet itself costs about $10 and you need a bowl, measuring cups, and maybe a spatula.  It's okay to be frustrated.  But these are start-up costs.  You'll use the baking sheet and utensils forever and now you can make cookies whenever you want, usually for the additional price of a bag of chocolate chips and possibly some brown sugar (these are the two ingredients that go fast).

The first thing I did today was make cookies so I can bring some to my sister when she flies in this afternoon.  And in celebration of morning cookies and anticipation of the fantastickness that is to be this week, I've been listening to Ida Maria's "Oh My God".  I first heard this song in the trailer It's Kind of a Funny Story and it got me through finals last semester.  It pretty much requires jumping up and down.  And cookies.

Vanstone, Philippa.  500 Cookies: the Only Cookie Compendium You'll Ever Need.  Portland, Me.: Ronnie Sellers Productions, 2005.  Print.

Tiramisu

"Tiramisu" in Italian literally means "pick me up."  And with a combination of sugar, cream, espresso, and chocolate, that's exactly what it is.  Oh, and the a splash of rum or brandy helps.  It's like the Red Bull of Roman Gladiators.  (We'll just ignore the fact that the first documented Tiramisu seems to be in the '70s...)

Two days ago, at Rugby practice, I managed to be the one of the participants in a mutual head butting.  So now I have a concussion and swelling all around my forehead and nose, plus my forehead split just above my right eye.  But you should see the other girl.  (She was shaken but otherwise seems to be totally fine.)  I went to the hospital, hung out for about seven hours, and the ER doctor finally glued my forehead (apparently this is what they do now instead of stitches) around 4 am.  It looks like I'll have to wear sunscreen or a hat at all times for the next six months to prevent pigmentation (yay for having the pallor of...I don't know...a really pale person).  Regardless, I'll have some sort of scar over my right eye.  Which is exactly where Harry Potter's scar is.  Score.

After stumbling back to campus, taking a shower, and sleeping the day away, a pick-me-up was exactly what I needed.  So my lovely friends came over and we made tiramisu from a website called Cooking for Engineers.  Mock all you want, but the recipes are fantastic and has a well-made chart ever really hurt anyone?!

According to the terms of the website, I'm not allowed to repost the actual recipe and I'm not willing to risk the privilege of viewing this gift from the graphically-oriented culinary gods.  So here is the recipe.  Go crazy.  It's super easy and very delicious.  It's kind of a pain to beat the whipping cream with just a whisk, but this is why we have friends!

What would Italian dessert be without Italian music?  Here's a popular Italian song by the artist Neffa.  It's called "Cambierà" (which means "things will change"):

It reminds me a tiny bit of Randy Newman, at least in the beginning.  If you like song, listen to "La mis signorina," which I also like.  It's interesting because Neffa's songs are classified in a range of genres, from funk to R&B to hip-hop and rap.

Caitlin mixing the mascarpone, sugar, and rum 

The soaked lady fingers

For those of you that do not know, tiramisu is a dessert that is composed of layers - usually two different layers repeated twice.  The first is a layer of lady fingers that have been dipped in a mixture of coffee and espresso.  The cookies are extremely delicate, so they absorb the liquid and begin to fall apart, especially under the weight of the rest of the dessert.  The second layer is generally a combination of mascarpone cheese, sugar, rum, and eggs, although in this case we used heavy whipping cream (and thus did not eat raw eggs and toned our biceps).

Whipping the cream.  This took awhile.

Still whipping the cream.  Ariana is laughing concernedly.

Caitlin's hands folding the mixture.
What would her mother say about those chipped nails?

One thing I will say about the recipe: I've made this recipe twice now, and the type of lady fingers you purchase really makes a difference.  The first time my sister and I made it, the lady fingers were incredibly light and airy, so dunking them in coffee sometimes resulted in their disintegration if we weren't careful.  Last night, the lady fingers I bought had a layer of sugar on top that made it more difficult for the cookies to absorb the coffee and espresso mix.  It resulted in a tiramisu that had some very cookie-like layers.  That said, the lady fingers became spongier over night, so it didn't really matter.  And guess what?  Pretty much all of the ingredients can be purchased at Trader Joe's!

The extra lady fingers and the tiramisu, in all its glory