“My family gobbles these up in no time flat! ” — Carly Rickards
Raspberry Ribbons
Ingredients
1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raspberry jam
GLAZE:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
Divide dough into six portions; shape each into a 5-in. x 2-1/2-in. log. Place 4 in. apart on parchment lined (don’t use Silpats the jam is really messy) baking sheets. Make a 1/2-in. depression down the center of each log. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.
Fill depressions with jam. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes. (logs are really fragile when hot). Remove to a cutting board; cut into 3/4-in. slices. Place on wire racks.
In a small bowl, combine glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over warm cookies. cool completely.
If you plan on storing the cookies place a sheet of waxed paper between layers
Great holiday cookies for the office! These cookies have seen (and won) many cookie contests! — Trish Laam
Melting Moments
Ingredients
2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Corn Starch
1 Cup Confectioners Sugar (Powdered sugar)
1 1/2 Cups Butter
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
Cooking instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine flour, corn starch and confectioner’s sugar in medium bowl.
In large bowl, beat butter at medium speed until smooth. Add flour mixture and vanilla.
Beat until well blended. If necessary, refrigerate one hour or until easy to handle. Shape into 1″ balls; place 1 1/2″ apart on ungreased cookie sheets, flatten lightly.
Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.
Remove, cool on wire rack. Dust heavily with confectioners sugar after cookies are cool.
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 oz chopped chocolate
4 oz melted chocolate
1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of Cinnamon and orange zest
Melt butter and 4oz of chocolate and set aside to cool slightly. Whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla together. Add melted mixture to sugar mixture, mix until combined.
Sift flour, cocoa, salt & soda into wet ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in chopped chocolate. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes until tops crack.
All of my friends / neighbors / family go bananas over these cookies. – Micheline Cavallacci
Chocolate Oat Sea Salt Cookies
Ingredients
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. table salt
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups organic rolled oats
1/4 cup top quality cocoa powder (like Valhrona)
1/4 – 1/2 cup shredded organic coconut flakes (to taste)
1-2 cups top quality dark chocolate chips (like Ghiradelli)
Sea Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cream sugar and butter, when fluffy add eggs and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together and slowly add to butter mixture.
Add rolled oats, coconut flakes and chocolate chips. You can refrigerate at this point – or make them immediately. Try not to eat all the raw batter! Make 3″ rounds, and sprinkle with sea salt before baking (I prefer pink Himalayan sea salt – it adds a sparkle!). Bake about 15-18 minutes. Cool on rack. Pour tall glass of ice cold milk / share / and enjoy!
“These are wonderful, and many ask why not just buy the graham crackers: Because these are so awesome! Use a good chocolate, such as Ghirardelli or Valhalla! Also, I would suggest a great brand of raspberry jam, Bonne Maman!” – Submitted by Suzanne Carlin Homemade Graham Crackers with Dulce de Leche
3 cups flour
2 cups whole wheat graham flour
1 cup toasted wheat germ
2 t cinnamon
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 cups (4 sticks) butter, unsalted,softened
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
Whisk to combined first 6 ingredients in bowl and set aside. In a mixer beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about 4 minuets. Beat in honey. Reduce speed to low and gradually mix in flour mixture. You will have to scrape down sides numerous times to mix throughly.
Divide dough into 2 pieces, wrap each in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minuets.
When chilled, roll out each piece (dough may be dry) and using a 2 inch wide glass, or cookie cutter cut into rounds. Place on baking sheets covered in parchment paper. Pierce dough with fork all over to creat dotted lines, and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350. Bake until golden brown. Let cool completely. Filling:
14oz can sweetened condensed milk
Pour milk into a small oven-proof casserole. In a larger casserole, fill with about 1 inch of water and place the smaller casserole inside (to make a water bath). Cook at 350 degrees for about one hour until milk darkens to the color of caramel. Let cool. Spread on cooled graham cookies.
Then, melt 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate in double boiler, and fill plastic bag or pastry bag with chocolate, drizzle over half the cookies! Let chocolate harden.
Spread a spoonful of jam over remaining cookies, and top with chocolate drizzled cookie!
Bourbon Balls Last year I stumbled upon a gem of a local cookbook, The Saturday Afternoon Club of Santa Rosa’s Gourmet Cookbook. Though when exactly it was published is unclear, suffice to say it was during a long-gone time when “Mrs.” was used to identify the cook. These Bourbon Balls were inspired by Mrs. John P. Murray, with a few additions to update them. On the plus side, they don’t require cooking and pack a wallop of flavor. And, kids hate ’em.
Bourbon Balls
2 cups crushed vanilla cookies
1 cup. powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup pecans, chopped fine
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup bourbon
Chocolate coating
4 oz high quality bittersweet chocolate
2 tsp oil
Mix all ingredients and roll into balls. Roll in powdered sugar. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Melt chocolate and oil in a double boiler until just melted or in a microwave at 1/2 power for about 2 minutes. Cool to about body temperature. Dip the cold bourbon ball into the melted chocolate with a fork and place on a foil-lined baking pan. Chill 2 hours.
Hot news from Napa: According to Paul Franson’s NapaLife, former Martini House chef Todd Humphries may be heading to the Oxbow Public Market to take over the space vacated by Oxbow Wine and Cheese Merchant. Not confirmation yet, but the rumor mill is buzzing that it’s more than likely. Martini House was sold in October 2010 to the owner of PF Chang’s.
Just down the street, Tyler Florence’s new Rotisserie and Wine is slated to open Wednesday, according to multiple sources. The casual restaurant concept will feature the return of Jeremy Fox, formerly of Ubuntu, as executive chef. Florence’s restaurant is the third in a much-anticipated trio of openings at the Riverfront development that included Morimoto,Fish Story and Rotisserie & Wine. The website is still mum about the opening details.
Silken tofu soup at Tov Tofu
No matter how you spoon it — pureed or chunky, hot or cold — it’s the original comfort food built on a foundation of vegetables and water, perfumed with spices and enriched with butter, cream, and meat. The more those elements get to know each other, the more complex the flavor. And the better the soup.
With the wind nipping at your cheeks and your fingers stiffening in the frost, it’s a body-warming meal in a cup. Looking ahead to cold and flu season ahead, soup is a holistic prescription and throat-easing friend, and a perfect amuse bouche on chilly holiday evenings. Here are some favorites for the wintry nights to come… Gumbo: Having worked for Emeril Lagasse, Rosso Pizzeria’s John Franchetti knows his roux. The buttery base for a true Lousiana gumbo, insiders say John’s is the real deal, incorporating house made sausage and seafood. Rosso’s soup menu changes up every couple of days, so call ahead to see what’s on the burner. Others include hearty wild mushroom with winter veggies and a creamy winter root vegetable soup. 53 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, 544-3221. Tofu Soup (it’s better than you think): Beat the cold with a roiling, boiling pot of silken tofu with a combination of veggies and meats (try the combination with beef, shrimps and clams) all topped with raw egg (it cooks in the soup). Tov Tofu, 1169 Yulupa Ave (near Whole Foods), Santa Rosa, 566-9469. Open Tuesday through Sunday 11am to 2pm, 5-9pm. Closed Monday. Butternut Squash: A perennial fall favorite, Santi’s version incorporates house made sweet Italian sausage topped with olive oil and roasted pumpkin seeds into the warm, creamy mix. On New Year’s Eve, the Santi kitchen whips up Zuppa di Cavolfiore: Cauliflower soup with sea urchin, herbs, and brioche croutons. Reservations required. 2097 Stagecoach Rd, Santa Rosa, 528-1549. Mushroom: A myriad of magical fungi – namely golden chanterelle and cremini) commingle in Monti’s Rotisserie’s Cream of Exotic Mushroom, garnished with truffle oil and chives. (714 Village Court, Santa Rosa, 568-4404). Clam Chowder: Spud Point Crab Company is where to go for the most authentic clam chowder this side of the Hudson. Rich and milky, your spoon won’t stand up straight in this creamy broth, but the seafood flavor’s to die for. 1860 Westshore Road, Bodega Bay, 875-9472. Another top bet: Bostonian Dennis Kelly of Sebastopol’s Henweigh Cafe (4550 Gravenstein Hwy. North (Rt.116), Sebastopol, 829-7500, open Wednesday through Sunday) claims he’s got the real deal at his restaurant — a hearty white chow-dah with the perfect ratio of clams to potatoes (plus a few other secret ingredients ). Having tasted the wares of several nearby West Coast chowder-hawkers (including the nearby Sequoia Drive-In, which also does some great chowder, 1382 Gravenstein Hwy S, Sebastopol, 829-7543), Kelly stands by his product. Turkey Noodle: Just like grandma used to make, but without the gristle. Willie Bird’s Restaurant serves up some kind of turkey soup every day, alternating turkey noodle, turkey rice and turkey barley. 1150 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa, 542-0861. Vegan:Bliss Bakery does a daily soup that can be made vegan (they are always vegetarian) for the asking. A recent winner was a ruby red beet soup with a crumble of goat cheese. 463 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa, 542-6000. Pho: Served up in bowls the size and approximate volume of bathtubs, its a brothy Vietnamese blend of meat, noodles, and vegetables. Extra points for tendons and offal, though you can certainly get it without. Consider it the Vietnamese answer to grandma’s chicken soup. Best Bets: Goji Kitchen (1965 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 523-3888) Simply Vietnam (966 North Dutton Ave., Santa Rosa, 566.8910). Agedashi: Fried squares of tofu are immersed in a brothy dashi bath. Sweet, sour, crunchy and absolutely guaranteed to warm your cockles. Street-Eatz Mobile Kitchen (various locations, see street-eatz.com for their current schedule); Shogun Japanese (2350 Midway Dr., Santa Rosa, 575-5557) Hot and Sour Soup: A soul-satisfying broth filled with egg, mushrooms, pork, bamboo shoots and soy sauce, this Chinese resaturant staple is a meal bellwether. If it’s good, then chances are the rest of the meal will be too. Bad, and well, you’re on your own. China Room, 500 Mission Blvd # E, Santa Rosa; Mandarin Chinese Restaurant, 2781 Yulupa Ave., Santa Rosa, 526-2126. Menudo, birria: Most taquerias feature menudo and birria (a goat-meat stew) on the weekend. Best bet: Chelino’s, where you can load up on soup and crispy, crunchy taco’s dorados (fried hard-shell tacos) with carne asada (under $3 each and way better than the Bell). 1079 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, (707) 571-7478. Relleno Negro: El Rinconcito Yucateco, 3935 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa. 707.526.2720. Miso: Many Americans are put off this usually grainy, overly salted broth because restaurants don’t take the time to do it right. A daily staple for Japanese, true miso is the embodiment of umami (sometimes called the fifth-flavor) with a combination of rich, savory and smoky flavors. Skip the freeze-dried versions and go for the real deal at Hana Japanese Restaurant, 101 Golf Course Dr., Rohnert Park, 586-0270. Chili: Pull the cord on your weekday escape hatch for a dose of small-town life at the Jimtown Store in the heart of Alexander Valley. Beyond the rustic quaintness is a serious kitchen known with a lock on chili, both vegetarian and carnivorous. Take a steaming bowl out to the covered porch for best results. 6706 State Highway 128, Healdsburg, 433-1212 General Soup Rx:Mac’s Kosher Deli does several daily soups from scratch that may not be fancy, but they’re soul-soothing bowls of comfort for a rainy day (or otherwise). 630 4th St., Santa Rosa, 545-3785. Also in downtown Santa Rosa, Fourth Street Market Deli has several daily soups made from scratch on cold days, with minestrone being a favorite of chilly office drones.
What are your favorites?
With less than 36-hours until the feast hits the table, I’m sure we all have too much to do and not enough time in which to do it, so today’s is a post with a purpose: Fast, easy, small little things you can do to elevate some of your Thanksgiving Day standards from the delicious but possibly tired to a more lively yet still traditional level. For what it’s worth, I’m subjecting my family to all of these tomorrow, so at least you know that my money, my pen and my fork are all where my mouth is.
Mashed Potatoes: Make mashed potatoes in your preferred manner and – after mashing in the butter and seasonings – gently fold in a large bunch of finely minced chives. Serve with garnishes of Vodka Creme Fraiche (or use whipping or sour cream, and prepare like this) and whatever caviar the price of which does not make you blanch. (Why? Because potato-vodka, caviar-vodka, caviar-potato, and potato-chive are all absolutely classic flavor combinations, and the result turns a kid-friendly side into a very adult treat. And no, I doubt they ate fish roe at the first Thanksgiving, but they probably didn’t have turkey, either.)
Glazed Carrots: Make a typical glazed carrot (e.g., gently boil down cut or baby carrots in some chicken stock with sugar and a little salt), but add a squeeze of orange juice and a small pinch of cinnamon or clove. (Why? Because carrot-orange, orange-cinnamon, and carrot-cinnamon marry perfectly, and the acidity and spice balance out what can otherwise be a little too sweet and one-dimensional.)
Green Bean Salad: Instead of yet another creamy, hot, casserole dish, serve them cold in the Provencal style, e.g., per Patricia Wells At Home in Provence: Quickly blanch the beans and dress in a sherry vinegar-shallot vinaigrette. (Why? For one thing, because it frees up oven space! But also because it’s really nice to have a bright, clean, cold vegetable dish to help balance out all the rich, starch-laden, and very brown glory of virtually everything else.)
Cranberry Sauce: Please, please do not depend on the stuff in the can. If you must serve the gelatinous blob – growing up in my family, if you couldn’t see the tell-tale circular can marks, it just wasn’t Thanksgiving – at least make another bowl of the real stuff. It is trivially easy: Boil a 1lb bag of cranberries with a half-cup of water and a cup of sugar until they burst. Simmer or bake until they thicken and become translucent. Raise them up a notch by adding the finely minced zest of an orange. (Why? Because the canned stuff is almost spam-like in its slimy texture and vapid flavor profile and the real thing is just so easy. No, seriously, you want to have bright, tart flavors and a little color on the plate, and fresh cranberry sauce does that in spades.)
Stuffing: Add a saute of sweet onions (preferably cipollini), apples, and celery. If you like sausage, use chorizo (break up the sausage and render it, then use the fat for the saute); or, go off the hook and use a slab of pate, broken up (liver is classic in stuffing, and liver and apples are perfection together). And finally, if you have the time, use corn bread – it makes for an outstanding stuffing, and a great, seasonal bread for the table as well. Add chicken stock before cooking to get the dressing to your preferred density. (I admit, that is note a last minute change, and takes up precious real estate in the oven – but you can do it ahead of time. Why? First, because corn bread pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the onions and celery, the tartness of the apples, and the heat of the chorizo; and second, because whatever bread they had at the first Thanksgiving, it seems highly likely that it was made of corn flour. And if you can’t be bothered to make a corn bread, and I won’t blame you, the apple-onion-chorizo deal is still a nice riff on the classic.)
Mac-n-Cheese: OK, this really isn’t a last minute addition, and I doubt mac-n-cheese counts as a Thanksgiving classic, but it should. This is also my recommended main course for vegetarians. Make it using the Cook’s Illustrated stove-top version of John Thorne, but substitute a fontudafor the base, and add enough cheese to get a cheese:dry pasta ratio of 1:1. Once it’s been finished, grate a black truffle over the whole pile of it. (Why? Because it’s so good it should be illegal.)
Got any great little tweaks of your own? Questions? Post ’em! Let’s talk!
I could wax excitable and eloquent for pages upon pages about the virtues of the California Hass avocado (and yes, it is “Hass”, not “Haas”, named for Rudolph Hass, the postman who, in the 1920s, planted the one and only Mother Tree of virtually every avocado you’ve ever eaten), but I cannot stomach the poor excuse on offer at my local Safeway.
The avocado has more fiber than most fruits; is high in monounsaturated fats; is rich in B, E, and K vitamins and has more potassium than a banana; and, speaking of bananas, avocados are one of the few climacteric ripeners – the very rare fruits that mature on the tree and actually get physiologically ripe (and better tasting) on your counter top.
Anyway, the point of today’s drive-by post is this: Our local Safeway – which, to be fair, is generally a very decent supermarket, as far as supermarkets go – has Hass avocados for $1.25 per. Don’t be tempted: They’re disgusting and irredeemable. I’ve written about guacamole before but, just for the record, I love love love avocados. But not all avocados: You can keep your hard, your watery, your shiny-green-skinned Floridian bastard cousins and all those aguacates from the Caribbean and Central America – I only have time, and waistline, for the luxuriously creamy version. Unfortunately, November (in a cook’s tragic irony, because this is precisely when crab season gears up, and crabs and avocados fit together like spoons) marks the turn of seasons for the California avocado crop and the beginning of several cold, hard months of Avocado Winter.
It is during this period that we import avocados – including, as I got at Safeway, the Hass cultivar – from Mexico and, apparently, when I need to stop eating avocados altogether. I don’t know why the Mexican Hass should be so inferior, so thin and watery and hard all at once, but I suspect it has nothing to do with coming from Mexico, and everything to do with having been grown out of season. Indeed, I suspect that the children of Mother Tree Hass, while thriving in the Los Angeles summer (they’re almost all from SoCal due to frost risk), also produce rich fruit in Mexico; and then, when the Angelino trees all shutter themselves for the winter, the Mexican trees – in their slightly warmer, yet still inadequate clime – manage eek out a living, sending their nastiness to avocado junkies like me, at the seemingly bargain basement price of 4 for $5. But I don’t really know. What I do know is that the avocado will now and forever more join the ranks of the Proximal Kitchen Tomato Manifesto: Either it’s in-season, or it’s in the trash.
“My family gobbles these up in no time flat! ” — Carly Rickards
