Category: food

When a coworker—falling prey to my blatant popularity-boosting campaign—stopped by my desk for a second handful of these cookies and asked for the recipe, I said I wouldn’t share. I said I couldn’t share. I still have fantasies about restarting the Busby Bakes machine and you just can’t go around giving away the company secrets, right?

Please. These are oatmeal cookies, made gloriously unhealthy through a range of add-ins. The basic recipe comes straight from the Quaker box lid (albeit with the replacement of white sugar with more brown sugar). The big secret behind the deliciousness? Reader, I encourage you to go for the bacon.

Oatmeal Cookies

1/2# unsalted butter at room temp

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 T. vanilla

1 1/2 c. flour

3 c. rolled oats (not the “quick” kind)

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

Additions, as desired:

1/2 c. chopped bacon (fry it first, people)

1/2 c. chopped dried fruit. Prunes, raisins, apricots, cherries all work well. If you’re feeling boozy, soak the fruit in whiskey. Or bourbon.

1 c. toasted chopped nuts. I lean toward pecans, but walnuts work.

1/2 c. shredded coconut. Unsweetened preferred. Or toast the sweetened angelic kind.

1/4 c. finely chopped white chocolate (if you like a very sweet cookie)

Haul out the stand mixer and use the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar until really smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Mix in vanilla. Sift together the flour, soda, and salt. Add to the dough, and mix until just barely combined. Mix in oats and additional ingredients. Chill dough for at least an hour; overnight yields the best flavor mingling. I like to use a little portion scoop to form the dough, but a teaspoon works, too. Bake at 325F for 8-10 minutes, on parchment lined sheets, until pale golden. Let the cookies sit for a minute before delivering to a cooling rack. Makes about 3 dozen. Store in an airtight container. Share with the worthy.

Seems that the Husband and I have been eating a lot of pizza lately. Yeah, yeah, I know—Chicago is so famous for deep dish. Which I don’t like.at.all. Too doughy and cheesy and saucy [yawn]. I’m a thin crust kinda gal, preferably wood-fired. This spring, we’ve enjoyed the following pies from places mostly in or around our neighborhood, at least we can walk to/from our indulgence:

The mushroom and spinach pizza at Crust.

The white pizza at Coalfire.

The potato rosemary at Pizza Metro.

The arugula and proscuitto-topped pizza at Enoteca Roma:

The delicious New Haven white clam pizza at Piece:

And my favorite, the mozzarella di bufala with arugula pizza at Spacca Napoli.

We make it at home, too, using a pizza stone that came with the Husband. Latest house favorite is cherry tomato, shallot (sautéd with sherry vinegar), bacon, and fresh mozz.

For the dough I’ve been using a recipe from the New York Times Magazine, substituting half of the white flour with whole wheat. Seems to work well with the bacon for some reason. Easy for a quick dinner, as you make the dough ahead of time. If you get your oven and pizza stone hot enough, you’ll bake up a great pie. Serve a salad on the side to make up for all that cheese…and bacon.

Pizza Dough

1 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 1/4 t kosher salt
1 1/2 c cold water
3 T olive oil

Make the dough in the morning to count on pizza for dinner. In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, mix the flours, yeast, salt until combined. Add the water and oil and mix at low speed until the dough is rough and shaggy. Increase the speed to medium and beat for about 8 minutes. The dough should be just shy of forming a ball.

Scrape dough out onto a heavily-floured surface. Let rest for 10 minutes. Separate into 2 pieces and form into a smooth ball. Place each ball in an oiled bowl, dust with flour, and cover with a towel or loosely drape with plastic wrap. Let dough rise until doubled in size, about 3 hours.

Punch down the dough and place into two freezer bags. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour and up to one day before use. I usually freeze the second ball of dough for another night’s dinner.

Makes enough for two 10- to 12-inch pizzas.

I think these are my absolute favorite, just as delicious as a plain old cookie can be. The recipe comes from the venerable French baker, Lionel PoilÃ¥ne, via Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets cookbook. Not too sweet, nothing fancy, just simple buttery perfection. Perfect with afternoon coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. And the name? Apparently when he was a child M. PoilÃ¥ne’s grandmother would call to him in a scolding tone, only to dispense his “punishment” in the form of this cookie. Who says grannies can’t be made of both sugar and spice?

Greenspan’s recipe calls for using a food processor. But the preface describes how M. PoilÃ¥ne made the dough:  by hand on the counter. I’ve made these both ways; both methods yield perfect results. But I prefer the hands-on approach. Something about the tactile experience of feeling the dough transform from goopy mass to velvety dough has me feeling that I’m actually making something. You know what I mean?

Punitions

5 oz unsalted butter, at room temp
generous 1/2 c sugar
1 large egg, at room temp
2 c flour
pinch of salt

Food Processor Method:

Process the butter in the food processor until smooth. Scrape down the sides and add the sugar. Process until smooth. Scrape down the sides and add the egg. Process until smooth. Scrape down the sides and add the flour and salt. PULSE until the dough looks like streusel crumbs.

Hands-On Method:

Pour the flour and salt onto the counter (I usually use a sheet of parchment to cut down on the scrubbing afterward). Push it into a ring so there’s a saucer-sized well in the middle. Pour the sugar into the well. Add the egg to the sugar, and using your fingertips, work the egg into the sugar til it’s a smooth, pale yellow mass. Add the butter, squeezing it into the egg and sugar. When combined, start gently working in the flour. No kneading here, you want to work the dough as little as possible. You’re finished when all of the flour is only just worked into the dough.

Shaping, Chilling, Rolling, Baking:

Shape the dough into 2 disks. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill until firm, 3-4 hours or up to 2 days. Or wrap really well and freeze. When you’re ready to get your bake on, roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch round fluted biscuit cutter. Bake on parchment-lined cookie sheets until pale golden, about 8 minutes. If the scraps get soft, gather them up and pop them in the freezer to chill before re-rolling and cutting. The colder the dough, the better the cookies will hold their shape.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

For variety, the cookies can be sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar before baking. Rolled a little thinner, they can be sandwiched with melted chocolate or raspberry jam after baking.

The Husband and I spent the past weekend in Viroqua, Wisconsin with his family.  Twas beautiful, rural, hilly, beery.

Saturday morning we went to the farmer’s market. Small but some good finds among the baskets and beaded what-not. And a vibrant, friendly vibe. Bored Amish kids hung in the buggy while mom and dad sold deep, dark, grade B maple syrup. Chatty, pink-cheeked farmers sold seedlings, rhubarb, and spring onions. I scooped up a couple of jars of picked veg: baby brussel sprouts and asparagus.

Dinner on Saturday night was outstanding local prime rib at the
Olde Town Inn in Westby. We felt a bit guilty upon leaving the restaurant when we noticed a herd of cows across the road. Um…thanks?

On our way home, we stopped in New Glarus, a super Swiss Miss-ed town. Seriously, even the Citgo looked like a chalet. But we were there for the beer. New Glarus Brewing Company makes delicious, small-batch craft brews that aren’t available outside of Cheesehead territory. So we stocked up. Those Old Style tall boys in the fridge had better make room.

Last Sunday, the Husband and I met some friends for a hands-on cooking class. Our mission was to learn the secrets of chef George’s house-made sausage…and to end the humiliation suffered at a grillfest some 10 months back. At a barbeque last summer, the Husband and I showed up with “fresh” sausage from Whole Foods. Our hosts smacked down that yuppie nonsense with a batch of sausages so delicious, so porky, so incredible that even the guys at Bari would have approved.

Turns out, the encased perfection came from August. A small neighborhood grocery, August is the kind of place that will grind the beef for your hamburgers. Their fish selection is small but incredibly fresh. Stacks of cookbooks are on hand to lend inspiration. And they make a nightly dinner special for the hurried or the harried. And sausage, did I mention the delicious sausage?

Here’s a quick version of the class, which was really fun. Chef George made sure we knew the why behind the what, which I always find extremely helpful.

Step One: Chop up a cold Berkshire pork shoulder. If I recall correctly, 30% fat is desirable. Feed the chunks through a meat grinder.

Step Two: Divide the meat in half. To one half, add chopped oyster mushroom and fresh herbs; to the other, blanched leeks and hot pepper. Salt and pepper to both. Combine with your hands. Keep the meat mix cold.

Step Three: Stuff into casings. Casings being the small intestine of a pig. Don’t think it was the same one who gave the shoulder. Mercifully, the cleaning and rinsing had been done by the butcher.

Step Four: Cook each type of sausage two ways: Brown in a hot pan, then cook through in a hot oven.

And steam (never, ever boil) then brown in a pan.

A BYOB dinner at the counter followed, where despite our best efforts we reached no consensus on the best sausage nor the best cooking method. Will have to revisit when we cook up the links we brought home. And again upon purchasing more from August. To all of our friends with grills: this summer, we promise to show up with the good stuff!

I love a hot baked something for breakfast on Sunday mornings. At our house, that usually means scones. This recipe is based on one given as a wedding shower gift by my friend C., a talented baker. A cousin of the humble biscuit, scones are a traditional Scottish quickbread that rely on baking powder for leavening. The buttermilk lends a tender component, which I prefer to the denseness found in scones made with cream.

Usually, I go the sweet route and make them with currants, dried apricots and pecans, or dried cherries and bits of dark chocolate. But lately I’ve been going savory, specifically bacon+onion+cheese. Absolutely delicious, although this eliminates the excuse to eat jam, Devonshire cream, or lemon curd with breakfast.

Buttermilk Scones

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole-wheat flour
1/3 c. sugar (omit if making savory scones)
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
6 oz. unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks
1 c. buttermilk
up to 1 c. of additions (dried fruit, nuts, chocolate, grated cheese, sauteed onion, crumbled bacon, chopped ham)
1 T. minced herbs (for savory scones)
1 egg, beaten for egg wash
Preheat oven to 400F.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Use a pastry cutter to mix in the butter. The dough should have the texture of coarse crumbs. Gently blend in the buttermilk, mixing until just combined. Gently fold in the additional ingredients.

On a floured surface, gently roll or pat the dough to 1 1/4 inch thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter, re-roll scraps until all dough is used. Place on ungreased cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment). Brush tops of scones with egg wash. Bake for around 20 minutes, until scones are browned on top and on the bottom. Serve immediately!

You can freeze the unbaked scones and then just bake them off a few at a time. Freeze them on a cookie sheet, then store in a ziplock bag for up to a month. No need to thaw, just pop them in a preheated oven.

On Sunday morning I made a mad dash through Whole Foods, gathering last-minute ingredients for our Mother’s Day luncheon. Just as I’d squeezed past the bottleneck at the floral department (dads and kids), I skidded to a stop at the sight of a huge pile of ramps. Ramps! Have not seen them in the grocery store, ever.

Ramps are wild leeks, harvested in early spring. Or at least in May here in Chicago (so named for the stink of marshes filled with ramps). The white bulb, pinkish stalk, and lush greens are edible and have a soft garlic/assertive onion flavor and aroma.

Excited by my discovery, I bought a lot of them. Dinner the next night was a delicious and simple roast of chicken, ramps, and baby potatoes. The recipe I used is from Epicurious, which, for a change, I followed to the letter.

Last fall, the Husband and I discovered Kuma’s, a bar that serves outrageous burgers on the Northwest side. If the original Exit had a kitchen (and a dedicated cleaning crew), this is what it would feel like. True, it’s insanely crowded. Unless you snag a seat at the bar, the wait is excruciating. But once your food arrives, your reward is swift, juicy, and piled high with things you didn’t think could or should top a burger.

Selection is part of the good fun, as most combinations are named for heavy metal bands (the Slayer: “Pile of fries topped with a ½ lb. Burger, Chili, Cherry Peppers, Andouille, Onions, Jack Cheese, and Anger”) or for how you’ll feel afterward (the Clutch: “Cheddar, Swiss, Jack, Smoked Gouda”).

Pictured above is a recent special that featured grits and fried green tomatoes. My hands-down favorite is the Kaijo: bacon, blue cheese, and fried onions. Haven’t finished one yet. The Husband, who has been known to stop in for lunch, is a fan of the straight-up Kuma: bacon, cheddar, and lord help him, a fried egg. Call the cardiologist: we went there a lot this winter.

The other day I happened upon a gorgeous bunch of beets with perfectly intact, robust greens at the top. Sadly, this is a rare discovery. I made haste with the greens and we ate them that very night.

Beet greens pack a nutritional sucker-punch. High in potassium, vitamin K, vitamin A, and the anti-oxidents lutein and beta carotene, they’re really good for you in spite of their deliciousness and versatility.

My favorite way to enjoy all dark, leafy greens is after a quick saute with some aromatic additions as well as salt and freshly ground pepper. Saute the greens in olive oil with with garlic or minced shallot. finish with a squeeze of lemon juice, or a splash of soy sauce or sherry vinegar. Or gild the lily and cook a couple of strips of bacon, then add the greens. Definitely finish this with a lashing of sherry vinegar.

Brace yourselves, cookie lovers. Behold my latest obsession: tortoni, a humble yet complicated frozen dessert of Italian origin. I first read about it in the New York Times Magazine in February, in an article by my beloved Amanda Hesser. Haven’t read much by her in a while, and I keep forgetting to pick up her splendid cookbook/memoir/love story, Cooking for Mr Latte.

I first made this for an Academy Awards party and received the house party equivalent of a standing ovation. The almond cookie crumbs hold up to provide a crunchy counterbalance to the creamy, dreamy mousse. Let it warm up a little and it tastes even better. Because of its moussiness, it doesn’t truly melt…it just gets soft and velvety. Tis a pain in the ass, but completely worth it.

TORTONI
serves 8 gluttons or 12 polite friends

First, make yourself some Almond Paste:

1# 2 oz blanched almonds, lightly toasted, cooled completely
3/4 c confectioner’s sugar
pinch of salt
2 c sugar
1/2 c water
1/2 c light corn syrup
1/2 t almond extract

Grind almonds and 1 T confectioner’s sugar in food processor to a coarse powder. Add remaining confectioner’s sugar and salt and process to a fine powder. Dump into the bowl of a stand mixer.

Heat sugar, water, corn syrup in a saucepan over low heat, stir to combine. Once sugar has dissolved, increase heat and bring to a boil. Cook to 325F (between thread and soft ball).

Pour the syrup over the ground almond mixture and mix with the paddle attachment at low speed until combined. Cool to room temperature and mix in the almond extract. If the dough is too stiff or won’t bind, add a little boiling water.

Knead the dough until soft and elastic. Dust the counter with a little confectioner’s sugar if necessary. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

Then, make the Macaroons:

[sidebar: these are more like Italian amaretti cookies than traditional American coconut macaroons or the heavenly French macaron]
2 egg whites
7 oz almond paste
3/4 c sugar
pinch salt
1/4 c confectioners’ sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl. Beat lightly with a fork.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the almond paste, 3/4 cup of sugar and the salt. Pulse until combined. Scrape into the egg whites. Add the confectioners’ sugar and fold together. Let the batter sit for an hour or more.

3. Using two spoons, drop the batter onto parchment-lined well-insulated baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. (The drops should be about 2 teaspoonsful.) Bake until uniformly golden, about 18 minutes. Peel cookies from the parchment as soon as you can handle them without burning your fingers.

Finally, make the mousse that forms the business part of the tortoni:

12 macaroons
3/4 c sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 t vanilla
2 c heavy cream.

1.Preheat the oven to 250F. Break the macaroons into pieces and toast them on a baking sheet until golden, dry and crumbly. Let cool. Grind to fine crumbs in a food processor. You need about 1 cup. (Go ahead and toast/grind all the macaroons you’ve made. Store the extra crumbs in the freezer. You’ll want to make this again, trust me.)

2. Combine the sugar and 3/4 cup water in a small, heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until the syrup reaches 230 degrees on a candy thermometer.

3. Meanwhile, in a mixer, whip the egg whites until they form firm peaks. By hand, whip the yolks until fluffy. In the mixer bowl, fold together the whites and yolks.

4. When the sugar is ready, turn on the mixer to medium speed and, with it running, slowly pour in the syrup in a fine thread. Reduce the speed to low and whip until the mixture cools to room temperature. Mix in the vanilla.

5. Whip the cream and fold it into the egg mixture.

6. Line the base of a springform pan with parchment. Spoon a third of the crumbs into the base. Cover with half of the mousse. Sprinkle with another third of the crumbs. Cover with remaining mousse. Top with the remaining crumbs. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.

7. About 15 minutes before serving, remove from freezer. Unwrap and unmold immediately. Let it sit just a bit before cutting into wedges.