Category Archives: Entertaining

Shaved Radish and Celery with Garlic Chives, Pine Nuts, and Anchovy-Caper Dressing

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I am fortunate to live in an area that promotes farm to table eating and locally sourced food.  I have two farmer’s markets in close proximity to me and I do my best to swing by each weekend.  This is truly the best way to venture out and try produce I’ve never bought, or even heard of for that matter.  I remember first buying a watermelon radish years ago, and almost falling over when I cut into it and witnessed the brilliant fuschia interior.

radish

You just don’t get those moments when you’re staying in your comfort zone.

Now, I do realize that not everyone lives so close to a farmer’s market so I wanted to share a simple Spring salad made of local ingredients to me but not so esoteric that you won’t be able to find them at your favorite market.  Here I’ve adopted one of my favorite vegetable cutting techniques, shaving on a mandolin.  Mandolins are not so scary once you get comfortable with it, and are willing to forsake the last inch of produce to keep your fingers intact!  They really produce beautiful shapes with great texture.  They are also cheap, and can be found all over the place, so get one if you don’t already have one.

Since I love salads that DON’T include greens (no offense to the Cruciferous vegetable family.  I love you, just not everyday), this is a favorite combination of mine when the weather starts to get balmy.  The crisp, slightly sweet radish is offset by the oniony chives and pungent anchovies and capers.  The pine nuts are buttery, the parmesan is just that hit of rich salt you need, and the fresh lemon brightens it all up.  One important thing in keeping the salad crisp and lovely:  Dress the vegetables as close to serving as possible.

Here’s to spring, healthful living, and the farms that work to provide us with these gorgeous treats.  From my market to yours, enjoy.

 

Shaved Radish and Celery with Garlic Chives, Pine Nuts, and Anchovy-Caper Dressing

SERVES 4

 

1 large bunch radishes, trimmed, scrubbed, and shaved on a mandoline

3 large stalks celery, shaved on a mandoline

1 teaspoon anchovy paste, OR 1 anchovy filet, finely minced

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon coarsely chopped capers

¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

¼ cup parmesan, freshly grated

1 Tablespoon garlic chives OR standard chives, minced

Sea salt and cracked pepper

 

In a jar, combine anchovy paste or filet, lemon juice, olive oil, capers, parmesan, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Shake vigourosly.

In a large bowl, combine radishes and celery.  Toss to combine.  Add pine nuts and parmesan, tossing again.

Add the dressing and chives to the salad and fold until well blended. Adjust lemon juice and salt to taste. Serve within 30 minutes.

 

*My Two Cents:  Toasted walnuts or almonds would be a nice swap for the pine nuts here.

If you don’t care for anchovy, simply replace it with a teaspoon of Dijon mustard.  It won’t have quite the same punch, but it’ll be close.

 

 

Photo credit:  organic authority.com

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Ginger

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I think I read once that Cancers tend to like carrot cake best.  I’m pretty sure I read that.  If I didn’t, that’s a strange thing to make up.

It kinda makes sense, if you think about it.  Being a July baby myself, I have done my fair share of reading up on the traits and characteristics to see what obviously applies and what takes some digging to relate to.  We are warm, emotional, and have a love for homemaking and family.  We are comforting, morally grounded, and nurturing.  Allegedly we can also border on dramatic, needy, and overly sensitive, but those are clearly the traits I have trouble relating to.

Hey, you pipe down back there.

Carrot cake is all of those good things.  It is familiar and welcoming, making you feel more relaxed and joyful with the first bite. Carrot cake is all of these things, at least, when it is done right.  I have had too many versions that are as dense as a fruitcake and just as crowded with dried fruit. Too many are insufficiently spiced and even dry.  Carrot cake should not be dry, it has all of those fresh carrot pieces letting off moisture and giving you extra insurance that this will not happen.

There are a lot of very good recipes out there, but this one is near perfect.  It has a tender crumb and fluffy texture due to the hand grated carrots (it’s worth it, I promise).  It has just the right amount of spice and sweetness.  I’ve left the raisins out, but feel free to throw some in if you prefer yours that way.  In my book, raisins are what turn carrot cake into a carrot muffin, so I don’t use them unless I’m baking for breakfast.

Top this perfect cake with maple cream cheese frosting and some spicy sweet candied ginger and it is the perfect soul-warming cupcake.

Ya know, some might even call it overly sensitive.  I call it “Practicing a high degree of insight and emotional intelligence.”  I call it “Passionate and hungry for human connection and understanding.”  I call it “Don’t call us overly sensitive just because we FEEL.”

Are we still talking about cupcakes?

 

 

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Ginger

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

MAKES 24 CUPCAKES

 

Carrot Cake Cupcakes:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 cups sugar

1 ¼ cups canola oil

4 large eggs

3 cups peeled and grated carrots

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line 24 cupcake molds with papers, spray with cooking spray.

Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in medium bowl to blend.  Whisk sugar and oil in large bowl until well blended.  Whisk in eggs 1 at a time.  Add flour mixture and stir until blended.  Stir in carrots and walnuts.  Divide batter among cupcake molds, filling ¾ of each.

Bake cupcakes 14-18 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean.  Let cool in pans for five minutes or so, then transfer cupcakes to a cooking rack.  Let cool completely before icing them.

 

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:

Two (8 oz.) packages light cream cheese

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

¼ cup pure maple syrup

Candied ginger, chopped, for garnishing

 

In a stand mixer, beat all the ingredients on medium until fluffy.  Chill the frosting for 20 minutes, until it has set up enough to spread smoothly.

To decorate as I have, scoop frosting into a pastry bag (or large Ziploc if that’s what you have) with a decorative tip.

Frost cupcakes, then sprinkle with chopped candied ginger.

Butterscotch Pots de Creme with Salted Caramel, Creme Fraiche, and Black Salt

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I don’t know that I’ve ever been more excited to share a recipe with you.  This dessert includes everything that I love/am mildly obsessed with.  (My father has suggested I lose the “obsessed” reference in my vocabulary because it makes me sound a little crazy, but recipes like this leave me short of any other words.)  I have taken a fantastic base recipe for a perfect pot of cream, and added some of my favorite flavors to gild the lily.

  • Deep butterscotch flavor running through cool, silken cream.
  • Warm salted caramel to produce that contrast we all love
  • Tangy, rich crème fraiche to perk up the dessert’s sweetness
  • Fine salt for taste and fabulous color

 

I love to serve pots de crème, panna cotta, and pudding when entertaining because you can make them ahead and simply finish when dinner is done and everyone’s ready for something sweet.  You can bake these in ramekins of course, but I encourage you to think outside the box.  Are those vintage tea cups or favorite turquoise cappuccino cups ovenproof?  If so, cook and serve in those for an unexpected and whimsical aesthetic.

Remember, no one eats dessert because they’re hungry, so serve them something they will be left thinking about for days.  And how enjoyable is that moment you sprinkle the last custard with salt, and walk over to the table in anticipation?  This is not a comfort food hand-me-down from grandma, this is an artistic and modern delight.

I dare you not to become obsessed.

 

Butterscotch Pots de Crème with Salted Caramel, Crème Fraiche, and Black Salt

Adapted from MJ Adams/Gourmet 2003

SERVES 6

 

For Pots de Crème:

1 ½ cups heavy cream

6 Talespoons dark brown sugar

2 Tablespoons light brown sugar

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

6 Tablespoons water

4 large egg yolks

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 

For Serving:

1 cup crème fraiche (greek yogurt can be substituted)

1 cup prepared salted caramel (I love Happy Goat brand, but you can find this at many specialty markets), warmed

Hawaiian black salt, Fleur de Sel, or Pink Himalayan salt:  for finishing

 

With oven rack in middle position, preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Bring cream, light brown sugar, and kosher salt just to a simmer in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

Bring water and dark brown sugar to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and bubbly, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and carefully add cream mixture (mixture may bubble up and steam), whisking until combined.

Whisk together yolks and vanilla in a large bowl, then add hot cream mixture in a stream, whisking.  Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a 1-quart glass measure.  Skim off any foam with spoon.

Divide custard among ramekins or cups.  Arrange ramekins in a small roasting pan and bake in a hot water bath, uncovered, until custards are set around edges but still tremble in center, 45-55 minutes.  Do not be concerned if they look loose, they will set up as they chill in the refrigerator.

Transfer ramekins or cups to a rack with tongs and cool to warm or room temperature.  Refrigerate for 4 hours, or up to 1 day.

Serve each Pots de Crème with a dollop of crème fraiche, a generous drizzle of warm caramel, and a sprinkling of fine salt.

 

**My Two Cents:  If you don’t have crème fraiche for topping, you can substitute sour cream or greek yogurt.

 

Other delicious garnishes would be chopped candied nuts, small diced apples sautéed in brandy and brown sugar, or some finely grated pink peppercorn.

5 Ingredient Fudgy Nutella Cookies with Sea Salt

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If I buy a jar of nutella, I will finish a jar of nutella.  I will finish it spoonful by spoonful, walking past the kitchen, reading a book, in my pajamas, while I’m ironing….

We could be in a commercial filled with snapshots of my day, with this song playing in the background.

It’s kind of a problem, so I try not to keep in the house on a consistent basis.

However, these cookies are the greatest reason to buy nutella.  They are one of my absolute favorites, but because everyone with taste buds loves them, I always pack some up and give them to friends.

Who wouldn't like this care package?

Who wouldn’t like this care package?

No one will ever guess that there are 5 ingredients in these cookies.  I am still in disbelief, myself.

However, it’s true.  Nutella swoops right in and provides enough chocolate, sugar, and milk to eliminate the need for a laundry list of ingredients.  Since they contain no leaving agents (baking soda or powder) and very little flour they are dense, flat and fudgy.  If you’re looking for a cakey cookie, this one’s not for you.

When I served these to a professional chef friend of mine, he loved them so much he gobbled up four of them on the spot.  He said to me “Did you make a mousse for the base?”  I wryly said… “Uh huh.”

I finally folded and told him the secret ingredient. He was shocked.

Bonus?  The 1 cup of nutella needed here leaves you with too much to throw out and not enough for a second batch.  Believe it or not, the recipe for the remaining nutella is even easier than the cookies:

 

Prepare yourself by changing out of clothes and into pajamas and cozy socks.  Walk into the kitchen, turning on the dimmest light to keep a low profile.  Take one spoonful of nutella from jar and eat.  Wash spoon and return to drawer immediately to destroy the evidence.

 

5 Ingredient Fudgy Nutella Cookies with Sea Salt

Adapted From Ambitious Kitchen

MAKES 14-16 COOKIES

 

½ cup flour (you can also use a gluten free flour blend here with good results)

2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup nutella

Fleur de sel, or other flaky salt for sprinkling

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients but salt in a large bowl with electric mixer until well combined.  Cover bowl with ample plastic wrap, pressing the wrap against the surface of the dough to ensure no air gets in.

Place dough in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Remove from refrigerator and, using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon to ensure even portioning, roll dough into 1 ½-2 inch balls.

Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between them.

Bake for 10-14 minutes, depending on size of cookies.  Remove from oven, let set up for a few minutes, then sprinkle with salt.

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Serve.

*My Two Cents:  If you don’t have fleur de sel, you can grind sea salt over the tops of the cookies.  The key is to make sure the grain isn’t super coarse, we’d like to keep everyone’s teeth intact.

*  I have made these with a gluten free flour blend with very good results.  With such little flour, you can’t even tell the difference!

 

Secret Ingredient Beef and Vegetable Stew

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Happy New Year, all!  If the frigid temperatures in the Northeast didn’t clue you in, it’s January.  As is the case each year at this time, I have given some thought to what changes and improvements I’d like to make for the coming year.  There are some that seem to be reoccurring (less shopping, more saving; less worrying, more meditating; less technology, more sleeping… ironic that I’m blogging about using less technology, right?)

But I find I’m more of a “decision” kind of a girl than a “resolution” one.  Decisions require action; resolutions require desire.  Action tends to yield far better results than willfully wishing for better days ahead.

The decisions I have made around food involve consuming less meat, a further dedication to seasonal eating, and a commitment to savoring the process as much as the result.  Seems fitting that I’d start the New Year with a lighter version of one of my favorite winter comfort foods.

Any time I see the words “Secret Ingredient,” my curiosity is peaked.  Sure, sometimes that secret ingredient is the ubiquitous use of espresso powder in brownies but often it is something I hadn’t thought of.

This stew’s secret ingredient is anchovy, which is melted into the base and lends a briny, buttery undertone to the dish.  Since I’ve made a decision to use less meat, I’ve scaled back on the portion, and doubled the amount of mushrooms and carrots.  Mushrooms add a meaty flavor and texture while keeping the stew light. With salty anchovies, rich tomato paste, bright tomatoes, and loads of vegetables, you wind up with a very flavorful stew that makes the most out of the caramelized beef and juices.  This is a comforting supper for your family, but glistening and showered with fresh parsley, elegant enough to serve for a dinner party (bonus:  it’s better made a day ahead of time).

This New Year, let’s resolve to make less resolutions, decide to make more decisions, and contemplate it all over a steaming bowl of beef and vegetable stew.IMG_2702

 

 

SECRET INGREDIENT BEEF AND VEGETABLE STEW

Adapted from Food 52

SERVES 8-10

 

3- 4lbs. beef stewing meat, cut into 2-3 inch pieces

1/3 cup mixed olive and canola oil

2 leeks, washed well and cut thinly

1 large onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

4 carrots, diced

5 celery ribs, diced

8 ounces white mushrooms, quarted

¼ cup tomato paste

2 anchovies

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup red wine

3 cups beef broth

1 cup canned whole tomatoes with juices

3 bay leaves

3/4 teaspoons dried thyme

Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

1/3 cup chopped parsley

 

Season the beef with salt and pepper on both sides. Brown the meat in batches in a 5-6 quart Dutch oven over high heat, adding more oil as needed. Remove to a plate.

Lower the heat and add all the vegetables. Cook for 5-10 minutes until softened. Stir in the tomato paste and anchovies and cook to melt the anchovies and distribute.

Add the beef back in, with its juices. Add the wine, vinegar, and tomatoes with juice (breaking them up against the side of the pot as you go) and bring to a boil. Add the stock to cover (you may need a bit more than 3 cups). Put in the salt, bay leaf, thyme, bring to a boil. Simmer, partially covered, for 2-3 hours until the meat is tender. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate.

When cool, skim off much of the fat from the top. Reheat over low heat, letting the stew simmer 30-45 minutes before serving.

Mix in half of the parsley and garnish with the rest

Silken Cauliflower Soup with Seared Brussels Sprout Leaves and Crushed Almonds

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Take a look at the ingredients below.  Take a good, long look.

Okay, you’re probably done.

There are two ingredients in the soup itself:  cauliflower and onion.  I, too, was skeptical of how this soup could be as creamy and full-bodied as was promised with so few players.  I was skeptical, that is, until I saw that this was a recipe from Paul Bertolli.

Paul Bertolli spent over 20 years making culinary magic at Chez Pannise under Alice Waters, and Oliveto, both in California.  If there is anyone that can bring a humble vegetable to white-glove status, it is Chef Bertolli.

I learned of this soup in late September and have made it 6 times since.  The stewing technique used here softens the cauliflower in the most gentle way, coaxing rather than hammering the flavor out.  The result is a satin smooth texture and cauliflower that tastes like the most cauliflower-est cauliflower you’ve ever had.  (I’ve thought of how to describe the taste more articulately, other words sound more eloquent but none are more accurate.)

Another wonderful thing about this soup is that, like with most soups, it is even best made ahead of time and therefore ideal for entertaining.  On that note, the true exclamation point for this soup was when my friend Clare and I served this at a very elegant dinner party we were private chefs for.  Clare suggested adding Brussels sprout leaves and almonds for crunch and beauty, both of which these two simple garnishes provide.  We served many interesting courses that night, but the dish that may have been praised most was this silken soup.  We heard more grumbles of affection over cauliflower than salted caramel ice cream.

Need I say more?

 

 

Silken Cauliflower Soup with Seared Brussels Sprout Leaves and Crushed Almonds

Adapted from Paul Bertolli

Serves 8

 

For the soup:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion (6 ounces), sliced thin

1 head very fresh cauliflower (about 1-1/2 pounds), broken into florets

5 1/2 cups water, divided

Salt, to taste

 

 

For garnish:

½ cup lightly sautéed Brussels sprout leaves

5 roasted almonds, chopped

 

Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Sweat the onion in the olive oil over low heat without letting it brown for 15 minutes.

Add the cauliflower, salt to taste, and 1/2 cup water. Raise the heat slightly, cover the pot tightly and stew the cauliflower for 15 to 18 minutes, or until tender. Then add another 4 1/2 cups hot water, bring to a low simmer and cook an additional 20 minutes uncovered.

Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender to a very smooth, creamy consistency. Let the soup stand for 20 minutes. In this time it will thicken slightly.

Thin the soup with 1/2 cup hot water. Reheat the soup if necessary.

Serve hot, garnished with a few Brussels Sprout leaves and chopped almond pieces per serving.

 

*My Two Cents:  Feel free to leave off the suggested garnishes and simply drizzle with great extra virgin olive oil and shower with freshly cracked pepper.  This is, in fact, what Chef Bertolli does.

Other great garnishes would include frizzled shallots, garlicky croutons, or fried herbs

Chilled Sweet Corn Soup with Blackberries, Basil, and Walnut Oil

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There are some dishes you come across that change your life.

Dramatic?  Not for me.

Isn’t life ultimately about love?  How to give it freely, how to open ourselves more fully every day to receive it?  Isn’t it about using gifts and passions of ours to show the people in our lives that they matter?  Isn’t it about consumption, creation, learning, and giving?

Well, this is at the heart of my love of cooking.  I love cooking because I love people.

When I tasted the inspiration for this soup at what has quickly become my favorite new restaurant in Brooklyn, Parish Hall, I immediately knew that I wanted everyone I loved to experience it.  It was sweet, thoughtful, and vibrant.  It was so much more than the sum of its parts.

I went to work creating my version of this special soup, swapping walnut oil in for the authentic squash seed oil, and leaving texture in the base rather than pureeing and straining it completely smooth.  I knew that the Parish Hall Chef had used a Vitamix Blender to get that velvety texture, but this should be something anyone could make at home.

I wanted this to be a beautiful, and considerate first course that felt simultaneously homey and elegant.  I wanted this to show that every day is an opportunity to create something, taste something, share something, and maybe even change your life.  Each time my meals are met with broad smiles and grateful hearts, that’s precisely what happens.

 

Chilled Sweet Corn Soup with Blackberries, Basil, and Walnut Oil

Serves: 6

 

12 ears of corn, corn stripped from the cobs

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1 Tablespoons butter

¾ cup heavy cream

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

½ cup blackberries, halved

2 Tablespoons fresh basil, torn

walnut oil, for serving

 

You first need to make the stock:  Place corncobs and 14 cups cold water in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 1⁄2 hours.  Discard cobs, and reserve stock in separate bowl.

In the empty stockpot, sweat shallots with butter and ½ tsp salt over medium-low heat until translucent, 5-6 minutes.

Add corn kernels and sauté for 10 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.  Add corn stock, and bring up to a boil over high heat.

Reduce to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.  Taste for seasoning.  Lastly, add the cream and stir briefly to combine.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender to desired texture.  Transfer to a shallow dish and refrigerate until cold.

To serve, ladle soup in serving bowls and garnish with blackberries, basil, and a drizzle of walnut oil.

Late Summer Blueberry Crisp

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Summer is almost over, and I’m just fine with that.

I know, I know:

“I can’t believe it, I didn’t even get to the beach ONCE.”

“Would you look at me?  I can’t believe I’m going into the cold weather with no tan whatsoever!”

“Winter’s going to be dreadful this year.  I can feel it, just wait…Do you remember the winter of (Insert any year in the last two decades).”

These are the typical responses I’m met with when I express my pleasure that the dog days of summer are almost behind us.  The recent gusts of cool breeze and glimpses of a fluorescent evening sky hints that the universe is in agreement.  We are ready for autumn.

But first, let’s go out properly and spend lazy nights enjoying the beautiful bounty that Summer has brought us.  When I don’t have the time or willingness to make a blueberry, cherry, peach, apple, or strawberry pie, I make a blueberry, cherry, peach, apple, or strawberry crisp.  By swapping out the pie crust for a light and quick crumble topping, I get that tart, sweet, and warm fix with no fuss.

There is no one who doesn’t like a fruit crisp; served molten and juicy from the oven with cool and creamy ice cream, it just may be my favorite kind of comfort food.  The smell that perfumes the house with this dessert in the oven is reason enough to make it a regular occurrence.

This is my basic blueberry crisp recipe, which can be adapted to accommodate any fruit that is in season and calling your name.  So bake up a pan of gooey blueberry crisp, welcome back your knit cardigan, take a seat on the deck under a cool breeze and colored sky, toasting to summer the right way.

 

Late Summer Blueberry Crisp

SERVES 8

 

FOR THE FILLING:

3 pints fresh blueberries (or 6 cups frozen wild blueberries)

2/3 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

FOR THE TOPPING:

¾ cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not instant)

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix the blueberries, cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice, and salt.  Transfer filling to an 8-inch square baking dish, or buttered pie plate.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, oats, baking powder, and salt.  In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.

Stir flour mixture into butter mixture, and using your hands, form clumps in the topping until it is dry and crumbly enough to pick up with your hands.

Sprinkle topping evenly over the blueberry filling, and bake 45 minutes-1 hour, or until filling is bubbling and top is golden.

Transfer to wire rack to cool for 30 minutes, then serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Orange Creamsicle Meringues

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There are a few perks to working for Martha Stewart.  Okay, more than a few.

I have access to insider tricks and techniques, beyond the glossy and informative pages of our magazines.  I have beautiful MS branded mugs from which to drink my morning office coffee.  I have an office rooftop in West Chelsea where I can lunch, participate in breakfast meetings, and join staff for Wednesday sunset yoga.

Okay, I’ll stop now.

These meringues were on the cover of our May 2012 Martha Stewart Living.  They look deceptively difficult, and even with a culinary degree the chances that I would attempte them on a sunny afternoon would have been slim.  While I like to bake, pastry arts generally require more patience and restraint than I can muster (especially on a weekend!).

However, we had the lovely Kris Kurek, from the Living test kitchen on the show this past spring and I got to talk to her about just how much emotional stability was required to complete these beauties.  She assured me I would qualify, and after seeing her trick for creating the orange stripes… I agreed with her.

These are a beautiful little sweet to have for a bridal or baby shower, mom’s birthday, or piled in a mini glass cake dome for a gift.

Three important things I have learned about meringues in my trial and error:

a)    Make sure all of your equipment is spotlessly clean, this effects the hold and shape of the meringue

b)    Use the freshest eggs possible

c)     Let the meringues cool completely in the oven before attempting to lift off of the parchment.  If they are still warm at all, the protein in the egg will stick to the pan… these are delicacies and you must be gentle with them.

Okay so you may not have rooftop yoga and access to the MSLO prop room, but hey, you have me.

ORANGE CREAMSICLE MERINGUES

YIELD:  25 meringues

Martha Stewart Living, May 2012

 

Ingredients

3 large egg whites, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

Large pinch of salt

Large pinch of cream of tartar

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest

Gel-paste food coloring, in orange

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Combine egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Add vanilla bean seeds. Set bowl over a pot of simmering water, and stir until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm, about 3 minutes. Add salt and cream of tartar.

Beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form and meringue is mostly cooled, about 7 minutes. Beat in zest.

Using a small paintbrush, paint 3 vertical stripes of food coloring inside a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip (Ateco #805). Fill bag with meringue, and pipe 1 3/4-inch circular shapes (they don’t need to be perfect rounds) 2 inches apart on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. As you finish piping each shape, apply less pressure to pastry bag, and swirl the tip off in a circular motion.         

Bake meringues until crisp on the outside but still soft inside, about 1 hour 15 minutes.  Shut off oven, and let cool completely in oven.  Transfer to wire rack.

*My Two Cents:

Feel free to use another color dye, yellow was accompanied by the orange on our cover.  In this case, you would use lemon zest instead of orange.

I plan to make these meringues with peppermint extract and red food coloring for Christmas this year.  The possibilities are endless.

Black Truffle Butter Popcorn with Manchego and Black Pepper

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This is, unquestionably, my favorite popcorn of all time.  Besides being a ridiculously delicious nibble for a rainy night home alone, it is a perfect snack for movie night when you want your friends to feel special.  It uses black truffle butter, which is a quick and easy way to elevate the good to the best.  The aromatic, woodsy depth of the truffle permeates the fluffy kernels and creates a sublime foundation for salty Manchego cheese and cracked pepper.  This is a truly sophisticated treat, and one that you will make again and again.

If you can’t find truffle butter at your local market, you can go to my favorite meat purveyor and buy it online at D’Artagnan here.  Besides popcorn, this butter is a special addition to a seared steak, roasted fingerling potatoes, or your favorite pasta shape.

One caveat:  If you are sneaking this popcorn into the movie theater, as I have been known to do, wrap it up good.   Truffles have a noticeable aroma, and may induce looks of envy/disapproval all around you.  Remember this also, any time you use a potent cheese, butter or the like, you need less of it.  This makes it considerably better for you than devilishly beloved movie theater popcorn.

Being ostracized by fellow patrons is a tiny price to pay for the pleasure of this popcorn, BELIEVE me.

 

Black Truffle Butter Popcorn with Shaved Manchego

SERVES 6-8

 

½ cup popcorn kernels, popped

2 tablespoons black truffle butter, melted

1 cup freshly grated manchego cheese

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Place hot popcorn in a large bowl, add melted truffle butter and manchego, and toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve.

 

*My Two Cents:  If you only find white truffle butter, it will make a fine substitute.

I use the Spanish manchego cheese here, but any hard and salty cheese will do.  Parmesan is most traditional in this popcorn.

If you want to add a splash of color, some fresh chopped parsley can be folded in for an herbal touch.