thumbprint cookies

(go back to blog)

1/4 cup butter, room temperate

1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup corn starch
1 1/4 cup ap flour
tinted frosting (or you can use lemon or lime curd or your favorite jam)

Preheat oven to 375*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cream together the butter, sugar and salt. Beat in the vanilla, milk and cornstarch. Stir in the flour until it is just combined. Roll into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheet and make an indentation with your thumb. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, just until the cookies start to brown (when I take them out of the oven I gently push on the indentations to make sure they hold their shape). Let the cookies cool on a wire rack. Fill the thumbprints with a bit of the frosting, let sit until dry.

thumbprint cookies

frosting:
 2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
food coloring
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

In a small bowl, combine all frosting ingredients, adding enough milk for desired spooning consistency, blend until smooth. Spoon or pipe frosting into center of each cookie. TIP: To make chocolate frosting, omit food color and add 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa.

(go back to blog) 

bon appetite!

strawberry milkshakes

(return to blog)

1 cup light cream

1 cup milk 

1 cup homemade strawberry ice cream

2 tablespoons honey

2 cups fresh strawberries

4 tablespoons crushed ice

Place all the ingredients in a blender, blend until thick and creamy.

sprinkles strawberry cupcakes

(return to blog)

(makes 1 dozen cupcakes)

⅔ cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
1½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ cup whole milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature

2 large egg whites, room temperature

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.

2. Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about ⅓ cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.

5. With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.

6. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing.

sprinkles strawberry icing:

½ cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold
Pinch of coarse salt
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
1. Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners’ sugar; beat until well combined. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended. Do not overmix or frosting will incorporate too much air. Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice cream.

(return to blog)

strawberry ice cream

(return to blog)
sweet cream base
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream (or whipping cream)
1 cup milk
strawberries
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/3 cup sugar
juice from 1/2 lemon
zest from 1 lemon (optional)

Combine strawberries, lemon juice/zest, and 1/3 cup sugar. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Once strawberries have refrigerated, prepare the sweet cream base. Whisk eggs in a bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the sugar and continue whisking for a minute longer. Add the cream and milk, stir until fully combined.
Combine the strawberry mixture into the sweet cream base. Pour into an ice-cream mixer and mix according to mixer instructions. [I use a Cuisinart ice-cream maker which I love]. It took about 35 minutes to reach a soft-serve consistency, at which time I put it into the freezer to finish firming up.

 

(return to blog)

Baked Cake Donuts

(return to blog)

recipe is on the back of the label on the pan......makes one dozen donuts

2 cups cake flour, sifted
3/4 cup vanilla sugar or granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat your oven to 425°F.

Prep your donut pan with a little non-stick cooking spray.

In a bowl, combine the melted butter, buttermilk and beaten eggs. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the cake flour, vanilla sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

Spoon the batter into the wells of you pan (roughly 2/3rds full). An easier/cleaner option is to pour the batter into a ziplock bag and snip the corner or use a piping bag and pipe the batter into the pan.

Bake for 7-9 minutes, or until the tops of the donuts spring back when lightly touched. Do not over bake.

Allow to cool in the pan for a couple minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Finish the donuts by shaking them in bags of powdered or cinnamon sugar. Or glaze them with chocolate.

Chocolate Glaze
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon corn syrup
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon water

Microwave for 10 second bursts, stirring in-between, until melted.

Dip the donuts into the glaze and set on a rack to dry.

Donuts are best served fresh.

bon appetit!

Tomato Sandwich

(return to blog)

1 ripe tomato
2 slices bread, preferably white farm or peasant (if I don't have homemade, I use Pepperidge Farm)
Hellman's mayonnaise to taste (don't skimp)
Sea Salt
freshly ground pepper (optional)

Directions:
Slice the tomato thickly—about as thick as a slice of bread. Spread the bread with mayonnaise. Place the tomato on one slice. Sprinkle with salt (a little pepper, if you like). Top with the other slice of bread. Cut the sandwich in half.

 

bon appetit!

blackberry shortcake

 

(go back to blog)

3 lbs of blackberries, gently rinsed
sugar to taste,   from 1 teaspoon to 1/4 cup of sugar, depending on how tart the berries are.

Whipped cream:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Vanilla
1 teaspoon sugar

Put clean berries into a large bowl. Using a potato masher, gently mash down on the berries, until you've crushed about a third of them. Add sugar to taste. Mix and let sit for 5 minutes for the berries to macerate.

Biscuits
3 cups all purpose flour
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Sift the sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder into a large bowl. Mix with a fork to combine. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or a fork until the largest pieces of butter are the size of peas. (Or pulse several times in a food processor.) Combine the vanilla and cream in a liquid measure. Make a well in the center of the flour and and pour the cream into the well. Mix with a fork until the dough is evenly moistened and just combined; it should look shaggy and still feel a little dry. Knead gently by hand five or six times to create a loose ball.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into an 8-inch square, 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet lined with silpat or parchment paper, cover with plastic and chill for 20 minutes in the refrigerator. Heat the oven to 425ºF. Remove the dough from refrigerator. Cut the dough into 9 even squares and spread them about 2 inches apart from each other on the baking sheet. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.

Makes 9 biscuits. (Adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine, July 2003)

Whip the cream with a mixer, adding a drop or two of vanilla and, if you like, a teaspoon of sugar.

To serve, cut each biscuit in half, place bottom side in a bowl, dollop on some of the whipped cream and ladel on a big spoonful of the berries top with other half of the biscuit, another dollop of cream and more berries. 

  

(go back to blog) 

bon appetit!

english muffins

(go back to blog)

[a Gesine Bullock-Prado recipe]

I like to add a touch of sourdough starter.  It adds tang and a chew that I find utterly delightful.  You don't have to, especially if you don't keep a starter.  And if you don't keep a starter and you decide upon reading this that you want to make this recipe but only with sourdough, you'll have to wait a few weeks to get started.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups flour
1 cup water
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) melted butter
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup sourdough starter (optional)

1 tablespoon yeast
1/3 cup warm (not hot) water
pinch sugar

PROCEDURE

•In a large bowl, combine 1 cup water, ½ cup milk, melted butter, sugar and salt.

•In a small bowl, stir together yeast, pinch sugar and warm water. Allow to dissolve and bloom, about five minutes.

•Stir the bloomed yeast into the large bowl with the water and milk. Add sourdough starter, if using.

•With a large wooden spoon, stir constantly as you slowly add the 3 cups flour. Stir vigorously until the mixture is smooth. The dough shouldn’t be runny but will be rather loose and sticky.

•Cover and allow to rest for thirty minutes.

•Preheat a smooth griddle (or if you don’t have one, a large skillet) over medium heat. Spray liberally with non-stick cooking spray and place tart rings (or tuna cans) on the griddle and spray the insides of the rings liberally as well.

•Using a large cookie scoop, scoop on large glob of batter into the ring (the batter should fill the ring no more than half way up). I use my fingers to push the batter to the very edge since it won’t spread as easily as, say, a pancake batter. However, the batter will expand as it’s grilling, so don’t be overly concerned with filling up the entire ring. I filled the rings half full [using a large serving spoon].

•You can cover the grilling muffins with a lid (I use two pot lids to make sure they are all covered) but the batter does rise and will stick to the underside of the pot cover. If you have a deep and narrow hotel pan, this works beautifully but you can feel free to go topless. Grill for ten minutes over medium heat. I went topless [and loved it]!

•Flip the muffins and grill for about 10 minutes more. Use tongs or a spatula for the flipping. (I find that the griddle oil starts to blacken at this point and if I’m feeling like a perfectionist, I’ll remove the muffins from the griddle to a cooling rack and wipe the griddle down and respray to keep the side that gets cooked last from getting blackened). I did not wipe down my griddle & I had no blackening.

printable recipe

I toasted this and ate it with goat butter and homemade brumbleberry jam, oh my!

(go back to blog)

lobster rolls

 (return to blog)

New England style lobster rolls are best when just mixed with a few simple ingredients...a sprinkle of finely chopped celery, tease of fresh lemon juice, touch of mayo and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. And don't even think about serving it on anything besides a perfectly toasted, buttered New England style hot dog bun.

 New England Style Lobster Rolls

2 pounds cooked lobster meat, chilled and chopped roughly into chunks
1 small celery rib, finely chopped (see note)
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I use Hellman’s)
one or two squeezes of fresh lemon juice
Snipped fresh chives
Pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
New England style hot dog buns
Unsalted butter

In a large bowl, combine the lobster meat, celery, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Adjust seasonings to taste. Stuff the toasted buns with the chilled lobster salad and serve immediately.

Just a note: if you are cooking your own lobsters, I recommend steaming them rather than boiling...steaming is a slower cooking process that results in more tender meat. There is also less chance of over cooking the lobster since the water does not penetrate the meat (making them more flavorful and succlent). It is important not to over crowd the pot or the lobsters will not cook properly. A 5 gallon pot is perfect for steaming up to 8 pounds of lobster (for more than that, steam in two batches). Fill the steamer pot with an inch of water and a tablespoon of sea salt. Place the rack inside, cover and bring to a rapid boil. Place the lobsters in the pot (claws first) and cover tightly. Roll the lobsters over after 7-8 minutes to make sure they cook evenly. Lobsters are done when the shell turns bright red and the tail meat is white without any translucency (should there be any roe, it also will be bright red). Total cooking time should be about 14-16 minutes per batch. 
To remove the meat: cool lobster completely, then break off the tail. Using a large knife, carefully slice through the underside of the tail section. If it is a female lobster discard the tomalley (this is the green substance found in the carapace of the lobster commonly refereed to as the liver and pancreas, these organs accumulate environmental contaminants, and although some consider them to be a delicacy, I discard them). Crack the claws and knuckles using lobster crackers and remove the meat.

Celery Note: When celery is chopped it releases it's natural moisture, which can drastically water down the lobster salad and give it an undesirable soupy consistency. To avoid having this happen, wrap the chopped celery in several paper towels and place in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes, the towel will absorb any excess moisture.
   (return to blog)