Pistachio Shortbread

Recently, I've been in a cookie slump.  It started with an attempt to bake some gluten-free cookies that were a crumbly (and odd-tasting) mess.  Next was the homemade Thin Mints during Girl Scout cookie season.  They weren't bad, but they weren't great and they didn't hold a candle to the real thing.  

But yesterday, I perused the newest issue of Bon Appétit and the recipe for Pistachio Shortbread caught my eye.  I've been looking at pistachio ice cream recipes (does anyone have a favorite?) but they all want you to use pistachio paste and while I know I can make it myself, that extra step is really dissuading me from moving forward.  

If you, like me, need a pistachio fix, look no further than these cookies.  A few pulses in your food processor, an hour in the refrigerator to chill, and 15 minutes in the oven and you'll have a delicious cookie.  These have a strong pistachio flavor, aren't too sweet, and are quite pretty with the flecks of green pistachio throughout.

Pistachio Shortbread
Bon Appétit May 2013    

1 cup unsalted, shelled raw pistachios (about 4 1/2 ounces) (be sure the pistachios are unsalted - I buy mine in the bulk section of Whole Foods or Sprouts or online at nuts.com)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
 

Preparation
1.  Pulse pistachios in a food processor until finely ground but not a paste, about 30 seconds. Add flour, sugar, butter, salt, and vanilla; pulse until mixture is the consistency of cornmeal. With machine running, drizzle in 2 tablespoons ice water (a crumbly dough should form; do not over-process).  My dough appeared to still be too dry so I added another 1/2 tablespoon and it was fine -- before you add more water, try to get the dough to clump together because it is probably moister than you think.

2.  Transfer dough to a sheet of parchment paper and pat into a rectangle. Top with another sheet of parchment and roll out to a 12x8-inch rectangle (the neater the edges of your rectangle, the less likely you are to end up with funky-shaped edge cookies like I did - see photo above). Transfer dough (in parchment paper) to a baking sheet and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

3.  Place rack in middle of the oven; preheat to 350°. Remove top sheet of parchment paper from dough and discard. Cut dough lengthwise into 8 equal strips, then each strip crosswise into quarters, forming 32 rectangles (I think I probably ended up with about 40 cookies because of my mishapen rectangle). Place rectangles on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1-inch apart.  Note that the cookies almost double in size during baking.  I ended up baking the cookies in two batches, two trays at a time because I made smaller cookies and spread them out.

4.  Bake shortbread until golden brown, rotating sheets halfway through, 14-18 minutes (the original recipe said 18-20 minutes, but I checked my first batch at 15 minutes and they were done). Transfer to wire racks; let cool.

Shortbread can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Coffee Ice Cream

One of my favorite things to do while I'm cooking is listen to podcasts, particularly Good Food, The Splendid Table, and NPR Food.  Last weekend, I heard about how even Girl Scouts feel reluctant about selling cookies (not because of cost but because of palm oil) and a horrifying story about adding aspartame to milk (seriously?  milk needs to be sweetened?).  I also listened to an older podcast in which the lovely Nigella Lawson suggests a Valentine's Day dinner created from her new cookbook, Nigellissima.  

In the story, she described what seems too good to be true - a no-churn, one-step coffee ice cream recipe.  It doesn't require an ice cream maker -- just 5 ingredients, a whisk or mixer, and an airtight container.

I'd liken the texture of this ice cream to gelatto or a rich, full-fat ice cream.  This isn't sorbet and it isn't healthy, but the coffee flavor is rich and the texture is what you'd find at an ice cream shop.  A small scoop will do the trick and you won't believe how easy this is to make.

Nigella Lawson's No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream
Recipe from Nigellissima via NPR
Yield = 1 pint

Ingredients
2⁄3 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder (I found mine at King Soopers - my Whole Foods and Sprouts didn't carry this)
2 tablespoons espresso liqueur (I used Kahlua)
1 1⁄4 cups heavy cream
1-pint airtight container

Preparation
1.  Put the condensed milk in a bowl and stir in the espresso powder and liqueur. In a separate bowl whisk the cream until it reaches soft peaks. Fold the cream into the condensed milk mixture.

2.  Pour the caffe-latte–colored, airy mixture into an airtight container and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.

3.  Serve straight from the freezer.

Profiteroles

When I first met Rob, I was a law school student who didn't know the first thing about cooking.  I owned one pot.  I have no idea what I ate for dinner most nights (cereal?) and the first meal I cooked for Rob was goat cheese and mushroom quesadillas (this was a major triumph at the time... and I had to purchase a non-stick pan to make them because I didn't have one).  Rob doesn't really like mushrooms.  I was a vegetarian.  

When we moved to London, the exchange rate was atrocious and eating out all the time was not an option.  The woman who owned our flat lent me a copy of Joy of Cooking and I finally started to learn my way around a kitchen.  Eventually, I got over the fact that Brits don't refrigerate their eggs.  I still remember having some classmates over and successfully making a Flourless Chocolate Cake that people actually seemed to enjoy.

Back in Boston, I subscribed to Gourmet.  Most of the recipes were way too complicated for me, but when the March 2008 issue arrived I knew I had to make profiteroles.  I can't remember now whether I'd ever had them before, but the image on the cover was irresistible. 

Have you ever seen such an enticing dessert?  The pastry portion, which is the profiterole, is a pâte à choux or a light pastry dough.  Translated from French, profiterole means "a small profit."  Perhaps someone was being cheeky?  

Miraculously, the first batch turned out well.  Apparently I made them in my pajamas (see above - Sheepy Time!) and I was so proud that I made Rob take my photo.

Profiteroles can be finicky.  I've had to start the choux over on numerous occasions.  This is a recipe where you need to measure certain ingredients out ahead of time (I've noted them below).  That said, it isn't complicated and it can all be done a day ahead of time.  The chocolate sauce is out of this world good.  You'll have some leftover and you'll likely spoon it on most anything... or just eat it on its own.  Dangerous... but delicious.

Notes about making the profiteroles - After you melt the butter and water, the instructions tell you to add the flour at once and to stir with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the side of the pan.  Be sure to measure out your flour ahead of time.  If you get to this step and the dough doesn't pull away from the sides and form a ball, I'd suggest starting over (see the photo above for my dough "ball").  This has happened to me and the result is that the profiteroles don't rise.  I'd also suggest cracking the eggs into a bowl ahead of time so they are easily added to the batter.  You can still just drop one yolk in at a time (with the surrounding whites), but it will be much easier to do from a bowl.

The dough will be very sticky.  I've found the easiest way to pipe the dough is in a ziploc.  Even better, there is no clean up.

Notes about making the chocolate sauce - Measure your cream and chocolate ahead of time and have your salt nearby.  Don't be dissuaded when, after adding the cream, the mixture will caramelize on your whisk or fork (see above where there is a huge chunk attached to my fork).  As the mixture heats up, this will eventually melt.  I've made the chocolate sauce ahead of time and it keeps in a sealed container in the refrigerator for at least a week.  Of course, it is best served immediately.

Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce
Gourmet Magazine - March 2008 

Ingredients

For profiteroles:

• 1 quart coffee ice cream (or vanilla or really any flavor you like)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs

For chocolate sauce:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 7 ounce fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked), finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Equipment:

• Equipment: a small (about 1 1/2-inch) ice cream scoop; a ziploc bag (trim one corner once the dough is in the bag and squeeze the dough from that corner)or a large pastry bag fitted with a 3/4-inch plain tip 

Preparation:

Chill a small metal baking pan in freezer. Form 18 ice cream balls with scoop and freeze in chilled pan at least 1 hour (this will make serving faster) (I've never done this step but if you are serving this to a group or at a dinner, I am sure this is advisable).

Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Measure out flour and set aside.  Bring butter, water, and salt to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until butter is melted.  Reduce heat to medium, then add flour all at once and cook, beating with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from side of pan and forms a ball, about 30 seconds.  Transfer mixture to a bowl and cool slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well with an electric mixer after each addition.

Transfer warm mixture to pastry bag and pipe 18 mounds (about 1 1/4 inches wide and 1 inch high) 1 inch apart on baking sheet.  Try to avoid having pointy peaks as they will be more likely to burn (just press them down gently with your finger).

Bake until puffed and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes total.  Prick each profiterole once with a skewer, then return to oven to dry, propping oven door slightly ajar, 3 minutes.  Cool on sheet on a rack.

Make chocolate sauce:
Heat sugar in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and cook, swirling pan occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is dark amber.

Remove from heat, then add cream and a pinch of salt (mixture will bubble and steam).  Return to heat and cook, stirring, until caramel has dissolved.

Remove from heat and add chocolate, whisking until melted, then whisk in vanilla.  Keep warm, covered.

Serve profiteroles:
Halve profiteroles horizontally, then fill each with a ball of ice cream.  Put 3 profiteroles on each plate and drizzle generously with warm chocolate sauce.

Notes:  Ice cream balls can be frozen up to 1 day (cover with plastic wrap after 1 hour).  Profiteroles can be baked 1 day ahead and cooled completely, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature.  Recrisp on a baking sheet in a 375°F oven 5 minutes.  Cool before filling.

 

French Apple Tart

Election day!  As someone who lives in a swing state, today I am thankful for the fact that the campaigning is over.  We have had no fewer than four people at our door each evening to ask us if we have voted, for whom we voted, and whether someone named Charles who previously lived here has voted (I have no idea).  I admire their dedication and passion but wow -- full court press!  I miss the days of voting in Massachusetts where presidential candidates barely bothered to advertise.  It also reminds me of when I worked for a Senator and a Congresswoman in college.  I'm pretty sure I was insufferable.  

Instead of worrying about politics over the past few weeks, we prepared for Halloween and attempted to "manage" the pesky squirrels who ate not one but three of my pumpkins.  Poor Forest has been tortured by their piggish ways (see below).  I am convinced this is the same squirrel who ate half of my peaches earlier this summer (he is the plumpest of all his friends).  Honestly.

We also had our first snow!  I met J for an early morning run and it was so fun to see our house covered in snow for the first time (and to have the temperature rebound to 68 degrees later that week).

Back to dessert.  You know you've written a great blog post when it inspires people to run to their kitchens and get cooking!  Last month, a post about a French Apple Tart from Alexandra's Kitchen inspired me.

I'd seen the tart in Saveur, but was thrilled to try Ali's rendition, which included an additional layer of frangipane (a delicious blend of almonds, butter, and sugar).  The added frangipane elevates this tart... and if you can make the tart look beautiful, you've got yourself the perfect dinner party dessert offering.  Me?  I had a bit of trouble with perfecting the "rose" design that is supposed to result, but I thought it was lovely all the same.

 Alexandra's Kitchen's French Apple Tart

First, be sure to watch the Saveur slideshow for step-by-step instructions on making the rose design.  Don't be discouraged if it isn't perfect - it will still taste great.  Do you see those funky petals in the middle of mine?  Eek.

Second, follow Ali's recipe.  If you have the ingredients, make the frangipane - I think it takes this tart from good to great and it comes together in seconds.

Third enjoy!

Apple Cranberry Crumble

Ironman training seriously infringed upon my time at the farmer's market this summer.  The last time I went to the Boulder Farmer's Market, it was at the end of a six-hour bike ride.  My motivation through the last hour was that the market closes at 2 PM, so the faster I rode, the more time I'd have to peruse.  Hey, everyone is motivated in a different way!

We made it to the market that day, but with only 30 minutes to look around... and I was seriously distracted by wanting to eat everything in sight.  Thankfully, the Boulder Farmer's Market runs through the 3rd Saturday in November.  Last Saturday, I leisurely strolled through the market, scoped out the radishes, sunchokes, apples, and squash, and sampled some local goodies.  We've already had snowfall on the Front Range, but the farms are still going strong.   

Afterward, we went mountain biking, something we hadn't done at all this summer but have been doing fairly regularly the last few weeks.  Fall might just be my new favorite season.

I'm guessing that, regardless of where you live, there is an abundance of apples in your area.  I sampled about five varieties on Saturday before settling on Jonagolds.  We've been in between stone fruit and apple season here and I haven't made much dessert in the last month.  I found myself day dreaming of baked apples and cinnamon and wondered if I could meld my favorite dessert (Plum Crumble) into one containing apples?  It turns out that the crumble topping is just as delicious and crunchy and buttery with apples underneath as it is with plums.

What I love most about this crumble is that when you pour melted butter over the topping, it creates a crisp outer shell around the delicious fruit filling.  The apple and cranberry combination held together much better than the plum crumble and it was the perfect ending to a crisp fall weekend.

Apple Cranberry Crumble
Adapted from a Plum Crumble in the NY Times 
Total time: 50 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings 

Note - I've been asked for an apple pie recipe a few times.  I'll confess that I never follow a recipe for apple pie filling. I slice up a few apples and toss them with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little bit of sugar and either flour or cornstarch.  So, while I measured the ingredients below, use your own judgment when it comes to the spices - add more cinnamon or nutmeg or sugar or even more cranberries!  All spice would also be a nice addition.  

Ingredients
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 plus ½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
7-8 medium apples, cored and sliced (I used Jonagold because they tasted the best at the farmer's market, but Jonathan, Braeburn, Fuji, Granny Smith, and Pink Lady are all good choices) (approximately 9 heaping cups when sliced)
1 cup fresh cranberries (these add a bit of color and a little bit of flavor - feel free to omit if you don't have them or to add more if you want a stronger cranberry flavor)
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 well beaten egg
½ cup unsalted butter, melted

Preparation
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in center.

2. Thoroughly mix brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and nutmeg. Add to apples and mix well. Add cranberries and place mixture in ungreased, deep 9-inch pie plate.  Be sure to scrape any of the sugar combination left in the bowl onto the apples.

3. Combine remaining sugar, baking powder, flour, cinnamon, and salt.  Mix well.  Stir in egg.  Then, using hands or a metal whisk, mix thoroughly to produce little particles (pictured above if you'd like a visual).  Sprinkle over apples.

4. Slowly drizzle butter evenly over crumb mixture.  The butter has a tendency to roll down the topping and over the rim of the pie dish, so do this step carefully.  Bake the crumble on a rimmed baking sheet for 30 to 35 minutes, covering with tin foil if the top is browning too quickly (the baking sheet is for the butter that may bubble over the rim of your pie dish).  The crumble is done when top is browned and apples yield easily when pricked with a fork or knife.  Remove from oven and cool.

5. Serve warm or refrigerate for up to two days.  If reheating, bring to room temperature then warm at 300 degrees.  Enjoy with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.