Page 569 – Sonoma Magazine

Mostaccioli Cookies | Cookie Recipe

December 2011

By biteclub

These are a really dark, earthy kind of cookie. What struck me most was the history of these cookies, and the use of honey, wine and molasses. If the dough is a little too sticky before you roll it out, incorporate a little more flour.

Mostaccioli Cookies

Donna (Grandmereb Lovestobake here)

“In reading the history of this Italian cookie, I read that the original recipe for mostaccioli cookies dates back to 300 years before the birth of Jesus Christ! If that’s true then the mostaccioli recipe is one of the oldest cookie recipes on record. This was my revised recipe of one I found. My husband mother’s family was from Southern Italy where this cookie is a holiday favorite! I hope it might become one of your holiday favorite cookies to make.”

Makes 15 cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup natural (not Dutched) cocoa powder
2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup finely ground almonds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup dry red wine (or water)
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 Meyer lemon, zest and juice

Directions:
Into the bowl of a Kitchenaid-type stand mixer fitted with the paddle beater, sift the cocoa powder. Add flour, sugar, almonds, cinnamon and baking soda. Mix lightly to combine. Add honey, molasses and wine (or water). Mix until a smooth, sticky dough forms. Allow to stand for 1 minute to absorb the liquid, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Turn the dough onto a generously floured surface, and pat into a 6×10-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Flour the dough lightly, and roll over it once or twice with a rolling pin to even it out. Using a ruler and a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into 2-inch squares. With a dry pastry brush, wipe off any excess flour. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone liner, and transfer squares to the pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and let sit for 1 minute. Then, lift the parchment (with the cookies on it) and place it on a cooling rack.

While the cookies are still warm, combine confectioners’ sugar and the juice and zest of lemon in a small bowl, stir until smooth to make a glaze. Paint the surface of each cookie; the glaze will soak in. In a minute or two, paint on a second coat of glaze. Allow the cookies to cool completely; they will remain chewy on the inside.

If you have any left over (and you won’t) store in an airtight container.

What I’m Thankful For

December 2011

By biteclub

For the last three weeks I’ve rushed around yelling and screaming, panicking and feeling generally stressed out about, well, nothing of much significance other than baking cookies and getting my holiday shopping done. That now seems kind of ridiculous.

When things come to a screeching halt out of nowhere, sometimes the silence afterwards is so loud you can’t ignore it. The daily shit falls away and you’re left with the little things. The things you can hold onto like smooth pebbles in your hand. The things you can focus on while the landscape crumbles into dust. And the people who step forward out of nowhere with outstretched arms to catch you.

So here’s what I’m thankful for this holiday season.

– A community that loves to eat with me.
– Biteclubbers who have my back.
– The Best Banh Mi
– The Newcomers
– Jackson’s hamburgers
– Reggie Bacon and the Gleason Ranch peeps
– The Barbecue Boom here. And here.
– A boss who trusts me to do the right thing.
– Rama The King here.
– Getting spicy here.
– Fair Food Scrambles
– Cookies. Cookies. Cookies.
– Children who are glad to see me when I come home every night. Okay, most every night.
– People who give a shit.
– Locals who take a chance
– Chefs who give a shit
– Restaurants that soldier on. And on. And on.
– A little Latin flavor
– The amazing food of Sonoma County. And our amazing producers.
– Everyone who helped me with this. Damn you guys rock.
– Stories that are fun to write.
– Bacon believers.
– Co-workers I’m glad to see every day.
– People who never give up and stand for something even if it isn’t popular.
– A family whose first response to any problem is, “We’ll get through this together.”
– Virtual friends who always have a cheerful word to share on Facebook. And here.
– A normal electrocardiogram (whew!)
– My rock. Even though he can’t update his Facebook page to save his life.
– At least it’s not as bad as this…

There are a million others, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll leave it at that. Thank you to every chef, restaurateur and amazing producer I’ve had the privilege to write about this year. Thanks to Brent and Debbie at KZST. Thanks to all of you. I admire you all and can’t wait for the next chapter.

So, what are you thankful for?

SR Cattlemen’s Eyeing RP Location

December 2011

By biteclub

Longtime Montgomery Village tenants, Cattlemen’s, are eyeing the former Latitude restaurant space in Rohnert Park. But reports that they’re packing up their bean buckets in Santa Rosa and moving southward are premature, according to restaurant management.

Last week the Community Voice reported that a deal had been struck and suggested the steakhouse would relocate to the long-shuttered location just off Highway 101. Meaning the Santa Rosa location would hang up its stirrups permanently.

And while Santa Rosa steakhouse manager Danny Kimpton said the restaurant had been looking at the Rohnert Park location, leasing negotiations between Cattlemen’s and Codding management are still in the works. “We were looking at other options,” said Kimpton, “and will be looking at both leases” before making a final decision about the restaurant’s future in the coming weeks.

“We’ve been a part of community for 40 years now,” he added, “but right now we’re just not sure where we’re at.”

Are you a Cattlemen’s fan? Or not so much…

Hooters to RP in January 2012

December 2011

By biteclub

Hooters Rohnert Park is slated to open in January 2012 and is currently accepting applications, ladies. (6099 Redwood Drive, Rohnert Park is the location.)

Which is weird, because it seems like elsewhere Hooters are becoming scare. Including one at Fisherman’s Wharf in SF, slated for a Dec. 21 closure.

One has to wonder. If a restaurant with barely-clad, busty women can’t make it in the swirling hot tub of culture that is Fisherman’s Wharf, does Rohnert Park stand a chance?

Wait, don’t answer that.

Gratuitous photo follows:

Hooker’s House Bourbon

December 2011

By biteclub

Here’s to a tasty bourbon that only a Hooker could have inspired.

Using a two-step barrel aging process, the spirited folks making Sonoma’s own Hooker’s House Bourbon import the good stuff from Kentucky distilleries, then age it in hand-picked pinot noir barrels for a flavor that’s entirely unique. The four-year-old bourbon “finished” for nine months imparting subtle wine and oak flavors and nuances. According to creator Fred Groth of HelloCello/Prohibition Spirits, the result is deep flavors of coffee, caramel, black cherry, vanilla and baking spices.

So what’s with the name? Let’s turn our history books back a page to General Joseph Hooker, a Civil War veteran best known for his love of stiff drinks and friendly ladies. Hooker’s House Bourbon refers to the handsome soldier’s Sonoma home and is also, of course, a cheeky reference to the frisky gals Hooker brought along during some of his military campaigns to raise morale among the men. Among other things. These agreeable ladies became known as “Hooker’s Brigade” and later, just “Hookers”.

At 100-proof there’s not doubt this is one stiff drink. Just the way the captain would have wanted it.

Available through Prohibition Spirits locally at Bottle Barn, 3331 Industrial Drive Santa Rosa, 528-1161, $36.

Tipsy Cranberry White Chocolate Almond Cookie Recipe

December 2011

By biteclub

I accidentally macerated the cranberries in the brandy for, uh, a week rather than the four hours it calls for. Hey, a girl gets busy. They turned out extra boozy and I can say with confidence I didn’t hear a single complaint. The leftover cranberry brandy? Well, let’s just say it didn’t go to waste. Oh, and don’t worry too much if the kids get into these. There’s a little nip of brandy in the berries after cooking, but the sugar will rile them up more than the booze.

Tipsy Cranberry White Chocolate and Almond Cookies

By Meghan
“This is a recipe I have been fooling around with for years, always trying to make it just a little bit better which is hard because it was such a great recipe to begin with. But last year I think I perfected it when my family told me it was the one thing that always had to be at Christmas Eve dessert. Always.”

Ingredients:
1 cup of brandy (to soak the cranberries in, reserving 1 1/4 teaspoons of it for the dough)
1 cup of dried cranberries
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
3/4 cup of lightly packed brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup of white chocolate chips
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Directions:
Put the cranberries in a wide and shallow bowl. Pour in enough brandy to just cover the cranberries. Cover and place in the fridge for one to four hours. When done soaking, place a colander over a bowl and pour the cranberries and brandy through. Set aside both the cranberries and the reserved brandy.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and beat again until light, fluffy and well incorporated.

Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and add 1 1/4 teaspoons of the brandy that the cranberries soaked in. Beat well until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then add to the mixture a cup at a time, beating until just mixed. Fold in the brandy soaked cranberries, white chocolate chips and almonds. Let chill for 15 minutes in the fridge.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place rounded spoonfuls down on the sheet. Bake at 375°F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Basil Orange Italian Cookies | Cookie Recipe

December 2011

By biteclub

Basil orange cookie recipe — Basil Orange Italian Cookies

These are really different, but delightful. Basil can sometimes be a little tough to find in the winter, so if you’re really pressed, you can use about a 1/3 cup of the stuff in the squeeze tube. It’s not as good, but it will work. I bumped up the tangerine juice and zest a pinch so the orange flavor popped, as well.

Basil Orange Italian Cookies

Tammy Rossitto
“My family teases me because I like to watch Chopped. So they challenged me to make something with tangerines, sweet basil and bittersweet chocolate chips. Makes about 5 dozen. They taste better the next day.”

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp tangerine juice
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp finely grated zest (colored part only) of tangerine|
½ cup fresh sweet basil, washed and dried and finely shredded
1 12oz bag of Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 375º

Cream softened butter with basil, tangerine zest and the sugars until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add tangerine juice, beating well.  Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture. Beat for 2 minutes.  Add chocolate chips.

Let mixture rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.  Use cookie scoop to scoop dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, use a tablespoon and spoon rounded spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheet.  Bake 9-11 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven.  Let rest on cookie sheets for 2 minutes.

Remove to cooling rack and allow to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container.

Cayenne Chocolate Coffee Cookies | Cookie Recipe

December 2011

By biteclub

Cayenne Chocolate Coffee Cookie recipe — Cayenne Chocolate Coffee Cookie

First off, these can pack a punch if you turn up the addition of cayenne, so watch out! The cookies end up with a rich, fudgy almost brownie-like consistency. I love the addition of coffee liqueur and tart fruit in the batter. Very unique indeed.

Cayenne Chocolate Coffee Cookies

Shalana Patout
“These are great cookies to bring to holiday parties! They seem like such an unassuming little cookie at first. I have people ask me for the recipe constantly!”

Ingredients
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup raisins
4 T. coffee liquor (such as Kahlua)
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped (I used TCHO for something really special. You can use Ghiradelli or another bar type chocolate)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/8 – 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you like your cookies)
2 large eggs at room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 T. pure vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan, combine dried fruit, raisins and coffee liquor. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and remove from heat immediately.

Heat chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring between each, until almost melted; do not overheat. (I’ve ruined too many good bars of chocolate this way, so I just make a double boiler out of a metal mixing bowl and a saucepan with simmering water).

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, black pepper and cayenne.  In a separate mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low; beat in melted chocolate.

Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in fruit and coffee liquor mixture.  At this point the batter will seem thing — more like a brownie batter than a cookie dough. Don’t worry, it will hold up.

Drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 to 3 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake until cookies are shiny and crackly yet soft in the center, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe yields about 24 cookies.

Notes:  You can use any variation of dried fruit to equal a cup.

Mostaccioli Cookies

Tipsy Cranberry White Chocolate and Almond Cookies

Persimmon Cookies

Basil Orange Italian Cookies

Cayenne Chocolate Coffee Cookies

CHOCOLATE FILLED SNOWBALLS