my little kitchen

Welcome!

2008-05-28T22:32:00.004-04:00

To those of you stopping in by way of the Wall Street Journal, welcome! Mondays with Maida, which Lee Gomes referenced in his column today, is a project I finished last November. Here are links to the full archive for the project, the cookie panel's top ten, and nutrition data for the recipes. You can always find these links in my sidebar as well. I can't recommend the book highly enough - Maida is great and her recipes are delicious. The book I used (which I refer to as the "old book") is out of print, but still available through Jessica's Biscuit. Nearly all the recipes from the book were also reprinted in a later compilation (the "new book") which is still in print and available at Amazon. I'm partial to the old book for sentimental reasons and because of the charming drawings by Maida's daughter.

To my old friends... I was mentioned in the Wall Street Journal!! I still think there was some mistake :) The other bloggers mentioned in the article are tackling some truly challenging cookbooks including The French Laundry Cookbook and the Gourmet Cookbook. A weekly batch of cookies seems quite modest in comparison!

Happy Birthday Catelynn!

2008-04-07T07:20:00.007-04:00

Catelynn turns one in a few days so family and friends gathered this past Saturday to celebrate. Catelynn was in good spirits all day and was happily passed from mom to gram to auntie to friend needing a "baby fix"...

I volunteered to make cake and cupcakes for the party. The theme was turtles and I got my inspiration from the invitation which had a cute stylized turtle on it. I decided to use marzipan this time (the gum paste I used for the decorations on Cassidy's first birthday cupcakes was tasteless - bleh!). I used chocolate jimmies for the eyes and little white non-pareils to decorate the shells.

David and Stephanie had beautiful springy shades of green and pink for the plates, cups and flatware which coordinated perfectly with the gorgeous tulips brought by Bob and Chuck. Even the green in my little turtles fit in nicely with the display!

Happy first birthday my dear little Catelynn!!!

No excuse...

2008-04-07T07:07:00.004-04:00

So I tell you I'm going to post twice a week and then I disappear... completely... for a month. Sorry. I have no excuse - just an unexplainable reluctance to sit down and write lately.

So no more promises. Please keep me in your reader and I'll be here when I'm here. Though I'm having trouble getting the words down, you and this blog are often in my thoughts. I've toyed with the thought of quitting the blog altogether, but there's really no need to be that rash - Blogger is cheap. Even though the writing is harder than usual right now, I still enjoy being part of all this and there are still times when I have something I can't wait to share through my blog.

So what about State by State? I've obviously been having trouble getting going with it, but it is still a project that interests me very much. I'm not going to set a schedule - we'll just see what happens. There's still more to come on Maryland, but eventually (I hope) I'll get to the next state. We'll see :) In the meantime, I have a birthday party to tell you about...

State by State - Maryland: Smith Island Cake

2008-03-08T22:25:00.005-05:00

I'm afraid you might begin to think I should have called this series State by State Sweets, but let me regale you with one more sweetie from Maryland - the Smith Island Cake. On Smith Island, these cakes are simply called layer cakes. They can come in just about any flavor, but they're stacked 8, 10, or even 12 layers high - perfect for those who want a little cake with their frosting ;)

Since I have no photo, before we go any further, you must click on over here to get a sense of the proportions. While you're there, take a look at that frosting recipe - doesn't that add up to four pounds of frosting?? Actually, other photos of Smith Island cakes I've seen look more like the tortes they're sometimes compared to, with relatively thin layers of frosting between the cake layers.

Tom Horton's, An Island Out of Time, describes life on the island and introduces the reader to some of its inhabitants, including Mary Ada Marshall. With Smith Island Cake currently in the running for Maryland's state dessert, Mary Ada and her 8-layer cake traveled to Baltimore for a spot on yesterday's morning news. I was thrilled to find this video of the segment - Mary Ada is charming. When asked how long it takes to make one she says, "Some women it might take an hour. I can make one in about 25 minutes." She's not exaggerating either - Tom Horton says he timed her and she could bake and ice an 8-layer cake, wash the pans and put them away in 20 minutes. I wish!

No word yet as to whether the legislature will bestow the title of State Dessert on the Smith Island Cake, but I promise I'll keep you posted!

State by State - Maryland: Berger Cookies

2008-03-03T22:37:00.007-05:00

A Berger cookie begs the question, is there such a thing as too much chocolate icing? When my mail-ordered boxes arrived several months back, I wasn't so sure the answer wasn't yes. The dark chocolate icing certainly was enticing, but the size of the cookie was intimidating. Despite my initial skepticism, I had no trouble eating every last crumb of my Berger cookie and my officemates quickly polished off two boxes of them. Too much icing? Phhhhffft!

I barely remember the cookie itself, which is overshadowed in every respect by a generous half-inch of that dark fudgy icing, but it was a firm, cakey cookie. It much resembles the familiar black and white cookie from New York, but it has lots of black and no white.

I had not heard of them until I started hunting around for a cookie that hailed from Maryland, but they apparently have legions of fans. They have been made in Baltimore since the 1800's and according to DeBaufre Bakeries, which makes them today, the recipe is little changed from the original.

My attempts to find a recipe for the cookies were less than successful. I found a recipe for Suzanne Laubheimer's Version of the Famous Berger Cookie (scroll down - it's the second recipe), but the icing clearly wasn't right (just melted chocolate chips) and I was suspicious that the cookie wasn't close either when I read the instructions to shape the dough into one-inch balls and flatten with a glass. I decided to use a black and white cookie recipe for the cookie and the fudge icing recipe from a half moon cookie recipe. I ended up with a cookie in the spirit of a Berger cookie (lots of icing, though I didn't have the guts to pile it on to the degree you find on a Berger cookie), but just not the same. If I try this again I would use a cocoa-based fudge icing for a darker flavor and color.

Next time - A state dessert for Maryland?

State by State - Maryland

2008-02-29T23:08:00.003-05:00

Well, I promised I'd be back in February to begin State by State... and I've only got a few more minutes to make good on my promise! We'll see how things evolve, but right now I'd say my plan is not to try to be comprehensive, but for each state to talk about a few food-related topics that catch my fancy for one reason or another. As I ease back into this blogging business, I'll probably be keeping the posts rather short... but I plan to post a couple times a week.

I'll be focusing on Maryland during the month of March. I've lived here since 1964, but I feel that I hardly know the state. When you think of Maryland, what comes to mind? I expect it is probably something to do with the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland's vast coastline (over 7000 miles - can it really be?). I've only visited Maryland's eastern shore once and my only memories of it are sailing on a friend-of-a-friend's rickety trimaran, and stopping at a McDonald's that was across the street from a Perdue plant (feathers EVERYwhere). So this area that is so quintessentially Maryland is almost completely foreign to me. I hope to remedy that someday.

Oh my gosh... three minutes until March... must post!

Anyway, for this evening I'll leave you with this - a story I heard on the news the other day. It pleases me no end to hear about something like this happening where I live... Maryland :)

Next time - Baltimore's famous cookies

Out damn spot...

2008-01-22T17:27:00.000-05:00

As you can see, my blog has a new look - no more spots. I have been wanting to update my template for a very long time and finally took the plunge. At the moment what I have is a bare bones template, but I'm planning to maybe add some color and certainly to do something about the header. At the moment, I'm just happy to finally have full use of labels!

If something looks funny or doesn't seem to be working right - please let me know. So far the switch has been relatively painless, which leaves me thinking that disaster will strike soon.

update: question - do you all see the little tools link below each page element in the sidebar? I thought they would go away when I signed out from Blogger, but they didn't.

101 Things in 1001 Days

2008-01-02T21:43:00.000-05:00

This idea has been around for a while, but when I saw another mention of it on the Pink of Perfection along with the thought that we should put some fun into our resolutions, I was sold. I've got a good start on a list, but I'm not quite up to 101 things. I hope this isn't too much information, but my list is mostly about making and cooking, so it seems appropriate to put it here. Most importantly, posting it will (I think) help make it so - if I just made a list and didn't tell anyone about it, I could just as easily throw away the list and not tell anyone.

So here it is so far. With my cooking "things", I want to push myself to try techniques or foods I've been avoiding (though I haven't worked up the courage to put mushrooms on the list). With books I hope to make a dent in the unread piles in my house and similarly with sewing and knitting, I'd like to make some headway in the stash I've accumulated over the years and finish projects started long ago. That fuzzy beige sweater you see listed below? I started it 28 years ago - yikes! I'm not fooling myself that every single thing is really going to happen, but if even half of it does I'll be thrilled! I have 23 more "things" to add to the list - any suggestions?

Try tempering chocolate
Try canning dried beans (I’m getting a pressure canner)
Start building a pantry for the winter by canning some summer produce
Cook with artichokes
Cook with avocados
Cook with tempeh
Cook with seitan
Make puff pastry from scratch
Find a tofu recipe I really like
Weave napkins for myself
Weave a simple blanket with doubleweave
Weave a project using 8/2 cotton from stash
Weave another project using 8/2 cotton from stash (I have LOTS of 8/2 cotton)
Weave and sew a project using 20/2 cotton from stash
Try rep weave (sampling)
Try summer and winter (sampling)
Weave a gift for someone
Get up to speed with Fiberworks PCW (which I’ve had for years now) and design/document all of the projects above with it
Read Breathless in Bombay (and review for LibraryThing)
Read Sitting Practice (and review for LibraryThing)
Read Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant
Read The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Read The Amateur Marriage
Read Iris Origo: Marchesa of Val d’Orcia
Read Happiness Sold Separately
Read The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse
Read The Blind Assassin
Read The Known World
Read The Poisonwood Bible
Read The God of Small Things
Read Drowning Ruth
Read The Pilot's Wife
Read Back When We Were Grownups
~~Read Animal Vegetable Miracle~~ - finished 1/30/2008
~~Finish Catelynn’s stocking~~ - finished 1/18/2008
Finish fuzzy beige sweater
Make another felted critter (maybe an original design this time?)
Make Sock Monkey hat for Cassidy
Make Flower Power hat for Catelynn
Knit socks for myself
Make a sweater using yarn from stash
Make a felted purse or tote
Make Christmas stockings for Waldo and Kitty (no angora Santa beards though!!)
Knit at least one item to donate to charity from my stash
Make a sock monkey for Catelynn
Make a Cathy original - now that I’ve made a Christina original :)
Try creating a pants pattern from my favorite (and best-fitting) pants
Sew some more with Christina
Sew a garment with fabric from my stash
Sew a little gifty thing with fabric from my stash
Make a miniature teddy bear
~~Switch to new Blogger template~~ - done 1/22/2008
~~Customize template with my own header, etc.~~ - done 2/3/2008
Launch State by State (will check off once Maryland is done)
Post belated review of The Breakaway Cook
Post belated review of Educating Peter
Post belated review of Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant
Post about three “last chance cookbooks”
Purchase floor lamp for study
Clean and organize the basement
Get dryer vented to outside
Paint inside
Finish bedroom curtains
Window treatment for study
Clean up and plant herb garden
Make a list and get that nice handyman to come back
~~Set up TreasuryDirect account~~ - done 1/6/2008
~~Switch payroll purchase of savings bonds to TD account~~ - done 1/21/2008
Convert paper savings bonds to TD account
Form 2803 (too boring to explain)
Wisdom teeth on left side extracted in 2008
Start exercising again (twice a week for at least 8 weeks in a row)
Get my yarn stash inventoried on Ravelry
Get my hooks and needles inventoried on Ravelry
Reduce my average water consumption in 2008 by 5 gallons per day
Reduce my average electricity consumption in 2008 by 2 KWH per day
~~Switch all regular-sized incandescent light bulbs (except for my reading light) over to compact fluorescent bulbs~~ - finished 2/4/2008
Try needle tatting (thank you Santos!)
Get my genealogy stuff organized
Take and post to flickr 10 photos I’m proud of
101 things for the next 1001 days (which will start 9/29/2010)

Crochet: Betcha don't have potholders like these!

2007-12-05T23:45:00.000-05:00

OK, just one more potholder post - I promise! After finishing with yesterday's post I remembered some potholders my mom had. Then it occurred to me I probably had them somewhere. I dug around in all the likely places (NOT the kitchen) and found them! My mom had pinned a note to them indicating that they had been made by her Great Aunt Emma and given to my mom at her bridal shower. I wish I could say more so you'd have to scroll down to see the photo... because they really should be revealed with a big TA-DA...

Yup - they're his and hers and they've got openings at the top and legholes just like the garments they're modeled after. They're a little two-dimensional, but that's sort of a requirement for potholders. I don't think these potholders have ever done duty in the kitchen, though with those handy loops perhaps I should hang them on the fridge just as a conversation starter!

Crochet: Old Fashioned Potholders

2007-12-04T21:49:00.001-05:00

If you're looking for a last-minute homemade holiday gift for someone who likes to cook, how about some potholders? I grew up with potholders like this - they'd been crocheted for years by various women in my mother's family. I think some of the potholders we used (and possibly some of the ones I still use) may have even been made by my great-grandmother. The older potholders are typically yellow and white or red and white, but once my sister and I started making them we naturally gravitated to all kinds of colors and even those garish variegated threads.

I made the pair above for Bob two Christmases ago and they pretty much follow the pattern of their predecessors - a dark center with a good-sized white middle enclosed by a dark border. I was running out of blue so I introduced a third color in the one on the right, but that's probably as heretical as using variegated thread :) The older ones in my possession have the remnants of little picots at each corner of the border, but I never figured out how to do those and frankly was never inclined - it's a potholder after all!

I think I learned to crochet by making these potholders. It was either my mother or Auntie Bee that showed me how, though it's not a pattern that's written down (until now) or memorized. I don't know about the earlier potholder-makers in my family, but I can't make one without having a completed one to look at. I've never felt that I made the middles quite right, since I always end up with a little larger (often lopsided) hole in the middle, but I think these instructions will set you in the right direction and then you can refine them to your liking. Switch colors as you like - it's your potholder!

I'll apologize in advance about this pattern - I'm not well acquainted with crochet patterns, so this may not be very clear. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions!

The potholder is made of two identical pieces (though the color patterns need not be the same) that are joined by one more round that is worked through both pieces. I use a size 7 steel crochet hook with regular (size 10) cotton crochet thread.

Chain 7 (or less - I was just thinking that maybe there's a sneaky way to do this on just a loop of thread so you could pull it tight and close up that little hole in the middle) and join to form a loop.

I usually join each round by pulling a loop through and then chaining two.

Round 1 - work 10 single crochet (sc) in the loop and join.

Round 2 - work 2 double crochet (dc) in each sc (20 dc total) and join.

Round 3 - work 2 dc in each dc (actually it's really in the spaces between the dc) (40 dc total) and join.

Round 4 - in this round you establish the "corners" of the potholder where all the remaining increases will occur. Work 4 dc in the space between the first two pairs of dc and then 2 dc in each of the next 3 spaces. Repeat this four more times and join.

Rounds 5 - 11 (you can do more or less depending on the size potholder you want) - continue in the same way as round 4, always working 4 dc at each corner and 2 dc in the spaces.

** Update 8/16/08 - I just made a couple potholders by following the pattern as I wrote it here and realized that 11 rounds is a little small. I'd recommend 12 to 13 rounds for each piece and then join with another round as described below. **

When done, join, cut the thread and pull it through. Weave cut thread ends into the wrong side of the potholder to secure them and hide them. Work the other piece of the potholder in the same way, but don't cut the thread.

To join the two pieces, put the wrong sides together and work one more round in the established pattern. For this round you'll need to work through both sides, being careful that they are lined up correctly. When done, join, pull the thread through and weave in the end.

I think these potholders improve with age - they tend to tighten up and flatten out. They're not as big or thick as some potholders, but I think they're just right!

A few years ago I was browsing in a little antique shop in Greenwich Village and found some very similar potholders for just $2.00 each! Of course I bought all three. The increases are done differently and they have six sides rather than five. I haven't attempted to figure out the pattern yet, but hope to someday. I'll close with pictures of them (they're light green and white) and of some of my older potholders (the rust and white one is one I made a few years back, but the others are much older). If I'd planned better, I would have washed them before taking the picture - sorry!

Finally...What's Next

2007-12-02T22:12:00.000-05:00

I'm so sorry... I fully intended to write about my plans for after Mondays with Maida two weeks ago. But between Thanksgiving and being rather lazy, it just didn't happen. Part of the problem may be that I'm not feeling quite ready to get started on it, so let's consider this just a little sneak peek to tide you over until the "official" announcement - OK?

I've been thinking for several months that I'd like to examine American regional cuisine by looking at one state at a time and trying to figure out what foods are typical of each state. I started looking around some on-line and reading a little and quickly came to the conclusion that in order to get a grasp on the nature of a particular state's cuisine, I would also have to learn something of its agriculture and history. Throw in there an interest in food festivals, state fairs, and a wish to include food blogs, and you might begin to see my problem... maybe scope creep?

I obviously still need to sort out some details, but here's the general plan... I will focus on one state per month starting first with the states where I have lived and then moving on to those I have visited and finally on to those that are completely new to me. I'm calling the project "State by State" (and if you're familiar with Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, you'll know why). I plan to end each month with a post that is sort of a reference for the state, including a directory of food blogs based in that particular state, books I used, etc.

I'm going to start in February with Maryland. After that will come Massachusetts, North Carolina, Vermont, and New York. After that? We'll see :)

Between now and then I'm going to enjoy the Christmas season and I'm planning to take Zarah up on her invitation to "join the madness" as she calls it. I won't be posting daily as she is, but I would like to do a few seasonal posts. Then in January I hope to finally do a little redecorating around here: switch to a new Blogger template so I can take full advantage of tags, etc., and get a new look.

So that's what's coming - guess I'd better get busy :)

45 Pounds of butter later...

2007-11-16T00:15:00.000-05:00

Honestly, I was afraid it was going to be more than that, but even at 45 pounds, that's 180 sticks of butter - more than one stick per recipe! Here's a few more numbers to marvel at:

210 eggs
256 cups of flour (and that doesn't even include whole wheat, etc.)
178 cups of sugar (including granulated, brown and powdered sugar)
over 24 pounds of nuts
almost a pint of vanilla extract
over a cup each of baking powder and baking soda
almost a cup of cinnamon

There were five of you who took a stab at guessing the totals for butter, eggs, flour and sugar. The way I calculated a score for each contender was to divide the difference between the guess and the actual number by the actual number and then sum those results for each of the four guesses. The lowest score wins. Here are the results:

Lisa guessed 37 lbs of butter, 150 eggs, 250 cups of flour, and 150 cups of sugar, giving her the best score of 0.644

Nupur guessed 35 lbs of butter, 150 eggs, 200 cups of flour, and 250 cups of sugar, giving her a score of 1.131

Claire guessed 75 lbs of butter, 200 eggs, 300 cups of flour, and 250 cups of sugar, giving her a score of 1.291

Mari guessed 20 lbs of butter, 130 eggs, 130 cups of flour, and 70 cups of sugar (what an optimist!), giving her a score of 2.035

Elijah guessed 50 lbs of butter, 120 eggs, 500 cups of flour, and 400 cups of sugar, giving him a score of 2.740

So Lisa wins it! Congratulations! Nupur and Clare are the runners up. Clare is the only one of the three that wanted a copy of the book, so she wins the copy of Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies. Since Lisa is had the best score, she can choose which of the other two prizes (the small appetizer tray or the pewter pushpins) she'd like and then the other prize goes to Nupur. Thanks to all the guessers! Winners - send me an email with your address and I'll send your prize on it's way!

Top Cookie

2007-11-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

Nine of my personal top ten from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies

Oh what a struggle! Limiting the list to ten was actually the easy part, ranking them was near impossible. I have a feeling if I did this again in a day or so, the order would be very different. The nine runners-up are pictured above and listed below. Top Cookie (which after all the angst was the one thing I was sure about) is pictured below. If there's one thing I've learned after making and serving all these cookies, it's that everyone has a different idea about what makes a good cookie. I doubt anyone else would choose the same cookies I did for their own personal top ten, but I'm certain any cookie lover will find at least one to love on this list...

10. Austrian Walnut Crescents

9. Plain Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies

8. Tijuana Fiesta Cookies

7. Chocolate Mint Sticks

6. Hamantaschen

5. Pumpkin Rocks

4. Viennese Chocolate Walnut Bars

3. Texas Cowboy Bars

2. Cobblestones

and drumroll please! Top Cookie is...........

1. Big Newtons!!!!!!!

By the way, I just discovered that Jessica's Biscuit redesigned their site and all the links in my past Mondays with Maida posts to the "old book" are now obsolete. They still carry the book though, and I've put the updated link at the top of this post. For under $13, it's a steal - I think I can say that with authority :)

Don't forget to post your guesses in the comments by Thursday night - see here and here for more details.

Finally, huge thanks to the members of the cookie panel past and present. They did what I couldn't - rate the cookies - and in the process made it fun for everyone. So, thank you Phil, Suzanne, Denny, Laura, Terri, Drucie and Herman - I honestly couldn't have done it without you!! (And don't forget about their Top Ten list, which is quite different from mine.)

My Favorite "Et Cetera" Cookies

2007-11-13T11:16:00.000-05:00

Love it when I miraculously capture a curly wisp of steam. Love these tea bags from Bob and Chuck too. The Almond Tartlets weren't bad either, but didn't quite make it to my list of favorites.

This is a chapter of cookies that didn't fit into any of the previous chapters, so it's sort of hard to characterize them as a group. There were several tartlets, several baked as loaves and then sliced, and a smattering of others. Many were beautiful to look at, but few achieved cookie greatness - or have I become jaded and hard-to-please when it comes to cookies? Others have suggested to me (and I think it is true) that the order that the cookies were presented to the cookie panel probably had some bearing on their scores. I'm sure the same is true for me - the first chapter was approached with great enthusiasm, this last with a sense of obligation.

This chapter was heavy on the almonds and I feel to a certain extent that the almonds let me down more than the recipes. In almost every case I'd be inclined to toast the almonds if I were to try the recipe again. This chapter also had some of the most challenging recipes - the tartlets aren't difficult, but they do take time - lots of it. And there must be a trick to those macaroons that has escaped me.

But in spite of my waning interest and technical difficulties, there were still a handful of recipes that I would make again in a heartbeat. So without further ado, here are my favorites...

These moist and chewy, sweet and spicy Connecticut Date Slices are the pinnacle of cookie comfort!

This is one of those cookies that gave me some difficulty, but in spite of my troubles these Fudge Délices truly were delights!

On the other hand, making these Black-and-White Rusks really was fun and the resulting orange and chocolate cookies? Heaven! In fact, they narrowly lost out to the next cookie as my very favorite...

Hard on the teeth and not much to look at, but these simple Hazelnut Rusks let all those fragrant hazelnuts shine through. Eat them plain if you dare, or dunk them in your hot beverage of choice - either way, I think you'll love them as much as I did.

Almost done! All that's left is to name my own personal top ten from the book and reveal the winners of my little guessing game. There's still time to post your guesses about the total pounds of butter, number of eggs, cups of flour and cups of sugar (all kinds) required to make each recipe in the book once. I have one copy of the old book and a couple of other small prizes (a small maple appetizer tray from J.K. Adams in Vermont and a set of pewter pushpins with a culinary theme) to award to the closest guessers. All answers must be posted in the comments by midnight EST Thursday, November 15th.

If you just stumbled here from Google or elsewhere, we're talking about Maida Heatter 's wonderful book of cookies called Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies. The book is out of print but still available as a remainder, used, or in your library. All but one of the recipes were also reprinted in the newer Maida Heatter's Cookies which also includes cookie recipes from a couple of her other books. Read about my little project here and start here if you're interested in exploring my earlier posts.

Mondays with Maida - Cheese Pennies

2007-11-12T10:10:00.001-05:00

Page 269 in the old book / page 287 in the new book

This is it - the VERY LAST ONE!! But before the celebrating begins, I've got some business to attend to - these Cheese Pennies. I've seen recipes like this before and honestly wasn't all that excited about this one before I made it, but I wound up being nearly as enthusiastic as the cookie panel. First I like the size - despite the name, these are a generous 2+ inches across; second- the dough is easy to mix, shape and slice; and finally they taste great.

I used 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne (actually, red chilli powder from the Indian grocery which I think is the same) and to my taste you would want no less. They had a warmth and spicy bite to them, but not so much to make you run for a glass of water. With 8 ounces of cheese and 4 ounces of butter, these are very rich crackers. The hot pepper heightens the cheese flavor and cuts through that richness - sort of like very nippy Cheez-it crackers.

I think the instructions given for toasting sesame seeds are fairly standard, but I found the time and or the temperature were way too much. When you start smelling them you should watch them carefully. Instead of the recommended 15 or 20 minutes (at 350 F), I'd start checking after 6 or 7 minutes.

The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for several days, which makes this a great do-ahead recipe for a dinner or party. Slicing them is a breeze - the dough holds together really well and there is nothing in the dough (like nuts or seeds) to catch on the knife. Maida says not to put the dough in the freezer, but I think that is just because you don't want to slice it frozen. I'm guessing you could freeze it and then let it thaw in the refrigerator for a day or two if you wanted to mix the dough more than a few days ahead.

I thought for sure Denny would cut me a break and not dock points for no chocolate in a cheese cracker, but nooo... Here's the panel ...

Suzanne: "First of all I love anything with sesames and I also love cheese. So I was in seventh heaven with the crackers. Cathy used a sharp cheddar cheese with quite a zing to it. I needed a drink of water to cut the sharpness of the cheddar. I’d like to thank Cathy for making me famous by asking me to be a participant in her blog. I’m sure my prophetic words will go down in cookie history. Each week, the whole office lived in anticipation wondering what delicious cookie Cathy would bring in to entice our palettes. In sincerity, it has been a pleasure knowing Cathy and being part of the blog. I’ll be reading your blog from California. Rating - 5.0"

Denny: "The taste really surprised me because I didn't know what they were. These were excellent - light and tasty. 4.0 which is the highest you can get with the -1 no chocolate penalty. Rating - 4.0"

Laura: "Spicy and cheesy with a nutty crunchy sesame topping. Very yum! Rating - 4.5"

Terri: "These would make a delicious appetizer. Cheesy, spicy and not too filling. I would love to eat them with a glass of red wine! The sesame seeds on top add a nice texture. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.6

And that is all she wrote! But it's not quite all I wrote... tomorrow I'll share my favorites from the chapter and then Wednesday I'll compile my own top 10 list from the book.

OK, Here comes the celebration part... just for fun, I'll tally up how much butter, nuts, flour, sugar, etc. I used during the course of this project. Anyone want to hazard a guess? Leave a comment with your best guesses to the answers to these questions: 1) How many pounds of butter? 2) How many eggs? 3) How many cups of flour? 4) How many cups of sugar (all kinds totaled together)? Also let me know if you have a copy of the book or not (or if you'd like one for someone else). I have one copy of the old book (a brand new copy) to give away and two other little prizes for the closest answers. You must post your answers by midnight EST this Thursday (11/15). I'll post the totals for these and a few more ingredients on Friday and announce the winners.

What's next? I'll tell you all about that next week!

Nutrition Facts

update: regarding my little celebratory guessing game - a question about what would be included in the totals was raised... the ingredients for each and every recipe in the book will be counted once. No matter if I've made the recipe one time or ten times. The other clarification I'll add is that I'm going to add egg yolks and egg whites together (10 yolks + 10 whites = 10 eggs) when coming up with a total for eggs, but if I have 10 extra egg whites, they'll count as 10 eggs.

Mondays with Maida - Marshmallows

2007-11-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

Page 267 in the old book / page 293 in the new book

No more cookies, but Maida ends the book with a couple of lagniappes. First up - marshmallows. If you've never made marshmallows before, it's worth doing at least once. It's really not difficult, and the end result is very satisfying. Maida points out that few people know what marshmallows are made of, and my experience was similar. In fact, one person seemed to think I had made my marshmallows from... marshmallows!

Marshmallows are made from gelatin and a sugar syrup (actually a combination of sugar and corn syrup). The hot sugar syrup is beaten into the gelatin, forming a dense foam that sets as it cools. Maida's recipe uses only vanilla as the flavoring, but Jocelyn over at Brownie Points gives a recipe for strawberry marshmallows along with lots of flavor variations. When you figure in coatings, etc., the possibilities are truly limitless.

I have it on good authority that Maida Heatter's mixer of choice is an old Sunbeam, so I was a little concerned that the 15 minutes beating time would be too much with a Kitchenaid. I decided to use the paddle rather than the whip (the last time I made marshmallows the recipe called for a whip attachment and had a beating time of 5 to 7 minutes). Beware - there'll be hot syrup flying around at first, so I wouldn't crank it all the way up right away. I started at 6 and moved up to 8, then briefly to 10, but decided to keep it at 8. I didn't think about using the pouring shield until afterwards, but if you have one use it. I beat the mixture about 13 minutes and then started worrying about the mixer overheating and decided that was enough. In fact, it was probably too long - I had trouble spreading the mixture in the pan. Rather than using aluminum foil and shortening, I lined the pan with parchment and oiled the parchment lightly.

Here's the panel ...

Suzanne: "Yum! These were delicious. I could definitely have a few of these. The marshmallows had just the right amount of sweetness. I’d love them in hot chocolate or roasting them over a fire. Rating - 5.0"

Denny: "I'm not a marshmallow person, except for s'mores, but these were very good. 3.0 with -1 penalty. Rating - 3.0"

Laura: "Yummy and gooey... like a spoonful of fluff dipped in powder sugar. Rating - 4.5"

Terri: "These are much better than the store-bought-in-a-bag type marshmallow. The difference is they aren't as airy and they're softer. Absolutely delicious! Can't wait to try them on hot chocolate tonight. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.4

Next week - Cheese Pennies

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Palm Island Brandy Snaps

2007-10-29T09:24:00.000-04:00

Page 264 in the old book / recipe is not in the new book

There are still a couple more recipes in the book, but this is the last cookie! At first I was feeling a little let down with this recipe, but the next day my impression changed somewhat. These cookies are not satisfying in the way a crunchy/chewy cookie with raisins or chocolate chips would be, but they do have a pleasing, fragile texture and lots of flavor.

These are actually drop cookies that spread out to an ultra-thin layer. After cooling for a bit, they are rolled around the handle of a wooden spoon to form tubes. I didn't try Maida's serving suggestion - rolling them around something wider like cannoli tubes and filling them with whipped cream - but they could easily be turned into a very elegant dessert. I think the whipped cream would be a really nice contrast to the strong molasses and ginger flavor of the cookies. Maida explains that the recipe is an old one from England and that the filled tubes would be served with satin ribbons tied around them(!)

Maida also goes on that they are "fun to make". Welllllll.... if your idea of fun is handling molten sugar with your bare hands, then yes, these are most definitely fun! They may not make the cut as "fun", but they are easy, though I did end up with some sore fingers. They are also time-consuming, since you bake just five cookies at a time.

What surprised me was that despite the difficulties of handling something so hot, the hot cookies were relatively sturdy, so rolling them wasn't the problem I envisioned. When properly cooled, they resemble (hot) fruit leather, so there is little risk of them tearing. The trick is giving them just enough time to cool. With my first batch I waited the prescribed one and a half to two minutes, but found the cookie was impossible to pick up. I assumed they were undercooked and put them back in the oven. Later, though, I realized that the problem was that they need more cooling (rather than cooking) time. I found the 8 minutes for baking was perfect, but that 2 minutes cooling wasn't enough - 3 minutes worked well for me. I suppose the cooling time may vary depending on how much heat your cookie sheets retain, so try them at 2 minutes, but then wait another minute if you can't easily lift the edge of the cookie with a knife or thin spatula. If the edges of the cookie become brittle before you've rolled them, you've cooled them a little too long.

Here's the panel (don't worry, the panel WILL be back for the last two recipes despite what appear to be parting comments from Suzanne and Denny)...

Suzanne: "I was really looking forward to the last cookie being extra special. Unfortunately, I don’t care for anything with ginger in it. The cookie was very attractive, tubular in shape and shiny. I took two bites of the cookie but wasn’t able to finish it since it has such a strong ginger taste. I know Cathy put a lot of time and effort into making the cookie and felt bad that my last comment couldn’t be favorable. I do think it’s fitting that the end of the book falls during the same week that I am retiring. Otherwise, I would need to come back weekly from California to taste the cookies and write my comments. This has been great fun, Cathy and I will keep reading your blog in my retirement. Rating - 1.0"

Denny: "Very good. Light and fancy with an almost chocolate flavor. Great "show" cookies. Since they taste almost chocolate, I only gave them a minus .5, so my rating in 4.5. A great ending to a long arduous journey. Yuk Yuk. Thanks very much. Rating - 4.5"

Laura: "These are yummy! They are light and crunchy and candy-like. They almost melt in your mouth. The flavors remind me of the Christmas holidays. Rating - 4.5"

Terri: "These are delicious and I didn't detect the taste of brandy. These are more like crystallized ginger snaps. The crunchiness and texture are great and the flavor has a bit of molasses. I really liked that these were rolled and thought they would be delicious with ice cream - any flavor. Rating - 4.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.5

Next week - Marshmallows

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Black-and-White Rusks

2007-10-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 262 in the old book / page 279 in the new book

These two biscotti-like cookies - last week's Hazelnut Rusks and this week's Black-and-White Rusks - have left me wishing there were more like them in the book. I've had little prior experience with this type of cookie, but have especially enjoyed these two. Fortunately, there's a whole chapter of biscotti to be explored in Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies!

These lovely two-toned cookies have two flavors as well. The outer layer has grated orange zest in it and the middle has some melted chocolate added to it. Forming the roll isn't difficult and the dough is generally easy to handle, though I did find the chocolate dough became somewhat brittle with time. This is another cookie for you former Play-Doh lovers :-) Both the middle and outer layers are rolled on a board into long ropes. The outer layer is flattened and then pulled up around the middle chocolate rope. The long oval shape of the individual slices is achieved by cutting on a very sharp angle after baking.

These cookies are a little easier on the teeth than last week's, thanks to half a cup of oil in the recipe, but they are still quite crunchy. The combination of chocolate and orange is wonderful and their looks and durability would make them ideal for holiday gift giving and even mailing.

Here's the panel (don't listen to Denny)...

Suzanne: "Delicious! I love everything about this cookie. I love the smell of the orange and the crunchiness of the cookie. The cookie was so attractive with its thin, angular shape and chocolate in the center. I’m sure I will be eating more then one of these cookies. Rating - 5.0"

Denny: "OK, but not much flavor. Maybe they should be thrice-baked with a real good cookie on top and another on the bottom. Even with the chocolate I could only give them a 2.0. Rating - 2.0"

Laura: "Zesty orange flavor with a hint of chocolate. Yum! A little more crunchy than I usually like, but it works for this cookie. Rating - 4.0"

Terri: "These are very much like biscotti and very tasty with the touch of chocolate in the middle. These are quite crunchy but would be perfect with tea or coffee. The slight orange taste adds a nice touch of flavor! Rating - 3.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.6

Next week - Palm Island Brandy Snaps

Nutrition Facts

Blog Action Day 2007

2007-10-15T13:00:00.000-04:00

Today is Blog Action Day - a day for bloggers to help get people thinking and talking about the environment. These days the environment is on everyone's mind as things like global warming become reality and not just a future worry. If you're not already convinced that you personally need to take steps to try to minimize your impact on the environment, I will leave the convincing to other, more eloquent writers (thousands of which you should be hearing from today). But if you like me have come to the realization that you must make an effort, however small, to minimize your impact on the environment, then let me toss out a few ideas. The basic goal is to use less. Most of these aren't terribly original, but it's a start...

You've heard it before - eat local. Eating local reduces the resources required to transport your food. My produce purchases got a little more local this year... I used to make regular trips to the farmers market at Dupont Circle which took me about an hour each way by car and subway. I expect I'll still make occasional visits, but I've now started frequenting a nearby (3 miles from my house) farmers market and have signed up with one of the three farmers there for her CSA next year. I obviously do much better with this in the growing season than in the winter, but I'm trying at least to be conscious of where my food originates and choosing the closer location when possible. I weigh in other factors, including cost and whether or not it's organic, so I don't always go with the most local product, but at least it now figures into my purchasing decisions (which was not the case a year ago).

Use a pressure cooker. Fond as I've become of Indian cooking, I guess it was inevitable that I would purchase a pressure cooker. The vegetarian cuisines of India make good use of beans and lentils in whole and split form (dal) and a pressure cooker makes preparing them so much easier. So what's the benefit for the environment? Pressure cooking reduces the cooking time (and therefore the energy required) by half to two thirds. I think many people my age regard pressure cookers with a little trepidation - my mother used hers (a gift from my dad) once or twice to make my dad happy, but feared it for its reputation of being prone to violent explosions of hot liquid. You can put those fears aside if you buy a modern pressure cooker - there are so many safety devices incorporated into the design these days that you'd have to work pretty hard to get the thing to explode.

Don't pay for water in your food. No, I'm not talking about bottled water (but if you're buying bottled water, you really should reconsider), I'm talking about water in processed products. I remember talking with Nupur about coconut milk - she was using some in that marvelous pasta dish she'd whipped up and I brought up the subject of "lite" coconut milk. She dismissed the product saying that it was just watered down coconut milk and she wasn't going to pay for water. The more I think about that statement, the more I see the wisdom in it. When there's water added to a product in manufacturing, you end up paying to transport that water and maybe even for extra packaging to contain the water. For example, If you eat lots of beans, you can save a small fortune cooking dried beans (with your new pressure cooker! ) rather than buying canned beans. By purchasing a pound of dried beans you're purchasing a product that weighs (and costs) less than one can of beans and getting something that provides over three times the quantity of cooked beans.

Don't pay for water in your cleaning products. Go with powdered or concentrated products when possible to reduce packaging and transportation costs. For reasons completely unrelated to environmental concerns (I thought I was having trouble with the liquid one, but it turned out to be something I was doing wrong), I recently started using powdered dishwasher detergent. It works just as well, costs less and weighs less - win-win! I haven't reverted back to powdered laundry detergent yet since I still have a little stockpile of liquid detergent to work through, but I'm not sure if the benefits there would be the same. I'll have to compare weight and recommended amount to use per load to figure out if would be worthwhile to switch. For years I've been using a floor cleaner (Sh-Clean) and general household cleaner (called Red Juice - it's similar to Product 409) put out by the Clean Team. I'm not a very good customer though - I'm still working through my original purchase! Red Juice is concentrated 10 to 1 and Sh-Clean is concentrated 20 to 1, so each makes many bottles of product once diluted.

Limit use of disposable products. You don't know how automatic it had become for me to stick leftovers into a sandwich bag or package my lunch (on those rare occasions that I packed one) using umpty-ump little bags. Now I try very hard not to use them at all. For lunch I use plastic containers (glass with a plastic snap-on lid if it will be reheated in the microwave), at home I use plastic or glass storage containers or bowls with plates set on top. In addition to purchased containers, I've accumulated quite a collection of yogurt containers (another great idea from Nupur - they're the perfect size for storing dals and beans) and glass jars (nice for spices and spice mixes). I also try to limit my use of paper towels - I use cloth rags and sponges for cleaning. I stick a half-size towel in packed lunches as a napkin and still use paper towels for food-related things (like putting into a container with leafy vegetables and herbs to absorb excess moisture). I haven't started using cloth napkins... but I'm thinking about it! I recently realized that one of my most wasteful purchases (in so many ways) - was my near daily trip to Starbucks for lunch. The sandwich or salad comes packed in a plastic container, then there's the big paper cup, napkins, etc. I've started bringing my lunch to work at least twice a week, but was stumped on what to do about the coffee cup problem because I'm just not ready to give up my daily cuppa! I mentioned this to Bob and he said "don't they sell commuter cups?" Of course - brilliant! (Why didn't I think of that?)

Use reusable shopping bags. I'm good about this at the grocery store and farmers market, but need to think about this for other shopping trips as well. I also keep a few clean (reused) plastic bags in each shopping bag for holding small or wet produce items.

Take short showers. I got this idea from Kelli. It's perfect for me in so many ways - I was queen of the 20-minute shower. I'd stay in until the hot water ran out or I was late for work - whichever came first! Kelly suggested using a timer and aiming for a 5-minute shower. I think I've only finished in under five once, but six minutes is definitely doable! I still have an occasional set-back here and it's going to be even harder when cold weather arrives, but even if I only do it every other time, it's a huge water and energy savings.

Cut back on book purchases. Books are my most frequent impulse purchase. I really don't buy much in the way of clothing or household items, but books? Amazon is way too convenient. I've been doing some research on-line for my post-Mondays with Maida project and have found Google Books to be an invaluable tool. If you get lucky, all or part of the book you're interested in will be available on-line as a preview. If not, there are links to Amazon and other booksellers, but first try searching for it in your library. Click the link the says Find this book in a library, provide your zip-code, and you'll get a list of links to nearby libraries with the book thanks to Worldcat. I've yet to make use of my library's inter-library loan, but very often the book I want is available right in my local library. If it's not, then I check to see if a used copy of the book is available through Amazon. You can get some amazing deals buying used books, though you're always going to pay at least $3.99 for shipping and handling. When choosing which copy of the book to buy, consider the location of the dealer in addition to quality and price. Shortening the distance the book has to travel is good for the environment, yes, but it also will get the book to you more quickly :) One other interesting option for books is BookMooch - a book-swapping site. This may not be the most desirable option for the environment, but if you choose not to participate in swaps outside your country and reuse mailing materials, maybe it's not so bad!

Grow my own. Aside from my blueberry bush, my garden has lain fallow for a couple of years now. One of my goals for next year is to revive my herb garden. It's not really feasible for me to grow anything else, since our community is overrun with deer, but herbs (and, oddly, blueberries) are apparently not to their liking. Herbs are perfect for home gardening in so many ways. Unusual varieties are easily grown from seed; being conveniently located just outside allows you to pick as little or as much as you need; and they are mostly happy without much watering.

Reduce food waste. I struggle with this one and though I have it as a goal for next year, I worry that having the CSA may actually aggravate the problem. I think the answer will involve making better use of my freezer, sharing food more often, and cooking more creatively.

Compost. I once had a compost pile and another goal for next year is to resuscitate the compost pile. I'm not cooking meat at home any more, so nearly all my food scraps should be compostable.

Well enough about me - what are your ideas? I'm very interested in any other suggestions you may have. Feel free to mention them in comments below or if the spirit moves you, write your own Blog Action Day post - there's still time!

Mondays with Maida - Hazelnut Rusks

2007-10-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 260 in the old book / page 277 in the new book

I guess Maida's cookie book was written before biscotti were all the rage. Maida describes this recipe as an old German recipe and there's nary a mention of those other twice-baked cookies we've come to know and love as biscotti. To head off any complaints that the cookies were too hard or lawsuits related to chipped teeth, I warned everyone that they were indeed like biscotti and advised they might want to dunk the cookies in their favorite hot beverage to soften them up. Some dunked, others braved dental disaster and ate them dry, but everyone (including me) enjoyed these tasty cookies.

I had toasted the nuts very lightly beforehand because I was worried that they were bland. I had purchased them blanched rather then attempting to remove the skins myself (a task that I find particularly onerous). I'm not sure what process is used commercially to remove hazelnut skins, but my guess is that it is not toasting followed by rubbing the nuts in a dishtowel - the nuts I'd purchased appeared to have been mechanically abraded and sure didn't taste toasted. Anyway, five minutes in the oven perked them right up and perfumed my kitchen as well. Is there any nut with a more heavenly scent than the hazelnut?

The cookies were very easy to make. The one step I worried about just a little was neatly slicing the baked cookie strips. I remember the first time I ever made biscotti I had a terrible time cutting through the nuts. That was thankfully not the case this time around, thanks to my bread-knife. The only trouble I did have was getting those half-inch slices to stand upright for the second baking - they were acting more like dominoes then cookies!

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "The Hazelnut Rusks were delicious. They reminded me of the mandel bread cookies that my aunt used to make. They were definitely hard and yes, I did need to dunk them to soften them up, but the dunking was part of the fun. This was a great morning breakfast cookie. Rating - 4.0"

Denny: "Excellent. Just a tad too crunchy. I considered suspending my No Chocolate penalty because they were so good, but I've got to be consistent. I'd give them a 4.0 with the -1 no chocolate penalty. I could even taste the hazelnuts. Rating - 4.0"

Laura: "Very tasty, once dunked! (Without dunking, they are indeed very hard.) Rating - 3.5"

Terri: "These are definitely like biscotti and were delicious dipped in my coffee! Since they're twice baked, they're crunchier than usual, but very tasty. The hazelnuts are delicious. Very good, but maybe not for anyone worried about losing fillings or chipping a tooth! Only kidding - they're not that hard! Rating - 3.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.8

Next week - Black-and-White Rusks

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Basler Brunsli

2007-10-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 258 in the old book / page 276 in the new book

At times like this, I find myself wishing there were a few photos in the book. These cookies are supposed to be bars, but between my messy cutting and a dough that probably could have (and should have) been stiffer, they were more like squarish blobs. But I'm not going to complain much, because aside from appearance they turned out as advertised. They were indeed "light colored and crisp on the outside -- dark, moist, and chewy on the inside".

And sweet. Oh my gosh are they sweet. They have a lovely complex flavor, that tempers the sweetness slightly, but these cookies are still achingly sweet. Several ingredients contribute to their unique taste - chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, and kirschwasser. No one dominates, instead they meld together into something that is dark and delicious.

The dough, which is basically a meringue with ground almonds and the above mentioned chocolate, cinnamon, cloves and kirsch, is formed into a rectangle and left for an hour to firm up before being cut into bars. My dough was still pretty soft and gooey, so even though I managed to cut the bars using a wet knife as Maida suggested, I found they had generally healed up by the time I got around to transferring them to the cookie sheets. Next time I would cut a row at a time and move them before cutting more. Once on the cookie sheets the bars must sit for another four hours before baking, so this is a recipe you plan your day around :)

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "The spices really threw me off. They taste like they should be in a pumpkin pie, but here they are in a meringue cookie with almonds and chocolate. This is a very interesting and different taste. Meringue cookies are not my favorite since they tend to be so sweet, but because they were so different I’ll rate them as a 4. Rating - 4.0"

Denny: "OK, minus one for not tasting like chocolate with all the spices. Unusual taste - not bad, just unusual. Couldn't taste the almonds either. Rating - 2.0"

Laura: "Crunchy exterior with melt-in-your-mouth chew gooey nutty insides. Yum! Rating - 4.5"

Terri: "These are outstanding! These meringue type cookies are very tasty with a wonderful assortment of spices. Just the right amount of chocolate and almonds too. As with meringue cookies, these are on the sweeter side. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.9

Next week - Hazelnut Rusks

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Swedish Fried Twists

2007-10-01T17:31:00.000-04:00

Page 256 in the old book / page 274 in the new book

In spite of my dislike of deep fat frying, these cookies were actually fun to make. Rolling the dough was a little difficult (perhaps I kneaded it a little too long or vigorously), but other than that the dough was easily handled. Cutting the cookies is very simple - they are just rectangles with a slot cut in them. That little twist is easy enough - just pull one end of the rectangle through the slot. Best of all, though, is watching them cook. You drop that funny looking little bit of dough into the hot oil and up rises a puffy, beautifully shaped cookie.

Now if only they tasted half so good. In spite of some mighty exotic ingredients (cognac and cardamom), these cookies are exceedingly bland. In fact in the header note Maida herself even calls them "extremely plain". Why then? Why does practically every country have a variation of this cookie to call its own? I don't get it and I'm a little bummed that I bought a bottle of cognac in order to put two tablespoons into a cookie where it wouldn't even be noticed. You know me though, I'll probably keep that bottle until the day I die (as well as that old bottle of savory), so it's bound to come in handy for something between now and then. If you don't have cognac, and are intent on making these, I'm sure you could swap in something else (orange juice, rum...) or even replace the cognac with a little extra cream.

The fact that the whole world loves these cookies makes me wonder if I did something wrong. Maybe they were cooked too long or maybe something went wrong in the frying. I monitored the temperature of the oil closely, but used a fairly small pan, which meant that I could only cook two or three at a time and so had the oil heated for a quite a while. A dusting of confectioner's sugar perks these cookies up slightly, but not enough to make a repeat appearance in my kitchen likely.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "As I discussed with Cathy, the taste didn’t remind me of a cookie. Actually, the taste reminded me of Chinese food. I couldn’t taste the cognac or cardamom. They were very attractive with a twist and powdered sugar on top. The cookie tasted very plain and you could definitely taste the oil from frying the cookie. Sorry, Cathy, I know you put a lot of work into this cookie, but my rating is .5. Rating - 0.5"

Denny: "OK. They looked a little like pizelle dough, so I was prepared for the anise which I don't like. I was pleasantly surprised when the anise wasn't there so that makes them better than pizelles. -1 for chocolate give them a 2.0 by my tastebuds. Rating - 2.0"

Laura: "Okay flavor, but a little too oily for my liking. Perhaps if eaten just after being made (i.e. still hot) would have been better (though I know logistically that would be impossible). Rating - 3.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 1.8

Next week - Basler Brunsli

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - French Sugar Fans

2007-09-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 254 in the old book / page 273 in the new book

I like these cookies, but I'm not convinced they're worth the effort. Don't get me wrong - they were very good and went over well in the office, but the dough was difficult to handle. They're basically sugar cookies with two big things going for them: their looks and their lemony flavor.

I love the idea of the fan shape, which is particularly suited to serving with ice cream. I also really enjoyed the lemon flavor (from lemon zest). Beyond that, I didn't think they were any better than my favorite sugar cookie, Maida's Plain Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies. I think I would choose to modify that recipe slightly next time I'm looking for a lemony and/or fan-shaped sugar cookie rather than making this one again.

The fan shape is achieved by rolling a portion of the dough just large enough to cut out a circle 8 inches in diameter (I used an 8-inch cake pan as a guide). You can use a pastry cutter to get a ruffly edge, though the dough for this recipe is so soft it tends to accumulate in the little notches of the cutter. The circle is then cut into 8 wedges and radiating lines are pressed into each wedge (I used a bench scraper to do this).

The pretty little fan shape is definitely worth the trouble, I just don't think it needs to be quite so much trouble :-) Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "Delicious! Without knowing the name of the cookie, I said to a fellow staff member, “how attractive; they look like fans”. I could smell and taste the lemon flavor in the cookie and they had just the right amount of sugar on top. The cookie was delightful. Rating - 5.0"

Denny: "Surprisingly good. They are very nice-looking but I could tell they were just a sugar cookie so I was disappointed. The lemon zest changed my mind completely. With the minus 1 no chocolate penalty, I give them a 3. Rating - 3.0"

Laura: "Light, buttery, and delicious! Lovely light flavor of lemon with sugar crystals sprinkled on top. Yum! Rating - 5.0"

Terri: "Delicious and artfully beautiful! These would be the perfect cookie to serve with raspberry sorbet! Just the right amount of lemon zest (and I really like lemon in cookies). Rating - 4.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.3

Next week - Swedish Fried Twists

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Connecticut Strippers

2007-09-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 252 in the old book / page 272 in the new book

I'd love to know why these (and last week's) cookies are attributed to the state of Connecticut, but searching on-line for information on cookies called "Connecticut Strippers" is futile at best. Clicking on a link in your search results is far more likely to take you to someplace you don't want to be than to enlighten you on the naming of these cookies. Oh well.

Anyhoo, while the Connecticut part of the name still puzzles me, the stripper part obviously comes from the way in which the cookies are made. As with last week's Connecticut Date Slices, these cookies are formed into long, flattened logs, baked and then sliced.

The cookies are flavored with cinnamon and brown sugar, and have currants and walnuts in them. I ran short of currants and so used a mixture of currants and raisins. They are also topped with a mixture of chopped walnuts, cinnamon and sugar before baking. I'd recommend that when shaping the logs you not just flatten them, but make a very slight depression down the middle. This will help keep the topping in place, which otherwise tends to bounce and roll off.

The cookies were very good, but I think I may have left them in the oven a minute or two too long - I thought they were a little on the dry side. They were still well received by all in the office, even Suzanne (!). Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "Actually, I liked the 'Strippers', even though they had raisins. I really didn’t taste the raisins and enjoyed the cinnamon, currants and nuts. This would be great with coffee. Rating - 4.5"

Denny: "Very good. Tasty and crunchy. I give them a 3.0 after -1 no chocolate penalty. Rating - 3.0"

Laura: "These are delish! Wonderful and spicy with the hint of walnuts. Nice and chewy with a sprinkling of sugar on top. Rating - 4.5"

Terri: "These 'strippers' are delicious, but not as chewy as the last cookies from Connecticut. I prefer the spicier and chewier ones from last week to these. But the currants /raisins and walnuts were delicious. Both of these types are great fall cookies with coffee, tea, or hot apple cider! Rating - 4.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.0

Next week - French Sugar Fans

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Connecticut Date Slices

2007-09-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 250 in the old book / page 270 in the new book

Though not the most photogenic of cookies, these date slices more than make up for their looks with a warm, spicy flavor that is complemented by sweet dates and raisins. Surprisingly, there are no nuts in these cookies, but if you just can't go without, walnuts or pecans would do nicely.

The spicing for these cookies is a little unusual. At first bite you might think the cookies have ginger in them, but instead they have cinnamon, cloves, and Maida Heatter's secret ingredient - mustard powder (this is the third cookie she's used it in). With the spices, molasses, dried fruits and sweet glaze, I thought these cookies were reminiscent of Maida's Hermit Bars.

In fact, these cookies are much like bar cookies, but instead of being baked in a cake pan, the dough is formed into long strips that are baked on cookie sheets (as for biscotti). The strips are then sliced after they've cooled. Easy, homey, and very good!

Here's the panel...

Drucie: "Spicy and moist, and best of all, no nuts! (Which makes them nice and chewy.) The sugary glaze bumps up the sweetness just enough. I like this cookie a lot! Rating - 4.5"

Denny: "Very good, but maybe a little too spicy. Kind of overwhelmed the dates. 3.0 with the minus 1 for no chocolate. Rating - 3.0"

Laura: "These have a nice ginger spice cake texture and flavor, definitely enhanced by the dates and raisins. Rating - 4.5"

Terri: "Wow - these are outstanding! Very moist and just spicy enough. These are a combination of ginger, cinnamon, and just the right amount of raisins. Absolutely wonderful with coffee or tea! Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.3

Next week - Connecticut Strippers

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Almond Tartlets

2007-09-03T15:35:00.001-04:00

Page 248 in the old book / page 269 in the new book

Tartlets again, but this week they're almond. The recipe is very similar to last week's. The filling is the same but for the chocolate and flavorings and the pastry is still shortbread-like, but even richer this go-round with two whole sticks of butter and an egg. I had no problems making these, but the end-product was generally thought to be bland.

The recipe suggests a couple of variations where either candied cherries or pineapple are put under the filling and the finished tartlets are dusted with powdered sugar. I think this would make for some pretty cookies and might be appreciated by those that were bored with these sweet, but (in spite of all the almonds in them) not very almondy cookies.

I had remembered Suzanne's criticism of last week's cookies (she couldn't taste the almond) and was concerned that the fact that my almonds had been in the freezer for a number of months might have deadened their flavor. Whether or not that was the case, the freshly-purchased blanched almonds in these cookies were no more flavorful. Even though I enjoyed these tartlets, I would have to agree that the almond flavor was subdued at best. Perhaps toasted almonds or maybe even almonds with their skins on (unblanched) would convey more flavor. I think a hazelnut version of this cookie would also be nice.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "The Almond Tartlets were the same shape as last week’s cookies and also had the same pie-crust flaky shell. This week I could taste the sweet and crunchiness of the almonds. This was a great cookie with my morning coffee. Rating - 4.0"

Denny: "Very plain. Couldn't taste the almonds. -1 for no chocolate gives them a 1.0 in my opinion. Rating - 1.0"

Laura: "Moist and flaky tartlet crust. Almond filling is sweet but nothing terribly exciting (and I love almond flavor). Rating - 3.5"

Terri: "These are very tasty, but not quite as good as the chocolate version from last week. I'm not a chocoholic, and I do love almonds, but this tart seemed a bit bland. Rating - 3.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.0

Next week - Connecticut Date Slices

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Chocolate Tartlets

2007-08-27T00:09:00.000-04:00

Page 246 in the old book / page 267 in the new book

I started worrying about this chapter some time back. One reason was that the cookies looked more difficult, but another was I didn't have some of the required equipment. I started hunting around for tartlet pans and wasn't having much luck when Santos kindly volunteered that the sort of thing I was looking for was readily available in Manila and that she'd be happy to get some for me on her next visit. She was true to her word and before long I was in possession of a boat-load of beautiful little boat-shaped tartlet pans as well as some smaller but deeper round pans (like tiny brioche pans).

These Chocolate Tartlets require half-inch-deep pans so I put those pretty little bateaux to good use and also used the plain round pans that I'd gotten for the Fudge Délices. The recipe actually calls for smaller pans, but I found these worked very well with no change in the timing needed. My pans were about twice the size of those called for, and I got 35 good-sized tartlets with a little pastry dough leftover.

One nice thing about using larger pans is that it takes less time to make a batch of these :) Mixing the pastry dough and filling is very simple. Pressing the dough into the pans isn't difficult, but it is a little tedious and does take time. The only tricky part when making these tartlets is removing them from the pans. Don't worry though, they don't stick and if you're reasonably careful they'll come out perfectly. Maida describes the process like this: "...invert each mold into the palm of your hand and, with a fingernail of the other hand, gently release and remove the mold." The trick here is to use your fingernail to pry the pan away from the cookie, not the other way around. If you try to pull at the cookie with your fingernail, you'll just break away a piece of the crust. While prying the pan with your fingernail, use your thumb and forefinger on the other hand to sort of gently encourage the tartlet out of the mold. Once you get one, you'll know exactly how to do it.

Denny's out this week - wouldn't you know it'd be a chocolate cookie he missed. Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "This was an unusual cookie since it was like a chewy chocolate brownie in a tart shell. I just found out that there were ground almonds in the brownie. The ground almonds were so fine that I couldn’t taste them and I kept thinking the whole time I was eating the tart that chopped almonds would have been an added treat. Rating - 4.0"

Laura: "Yum! This is a moist tasty brownie in a flaky tart shell. Moist and delicious. Fab! Rating - 4.5"

Terri: "These are outstanding! The chocolate filling with ground almonds is delicious and the pie crust-like shell is perfect. the only addition might be some whipped cream for the top! Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.5

Next week - Almond Tartlets

Nutrition Facts

Sewing - Project Christina

2007-08-22T21:36:00.000-04:00

Back in April, knowing my nine-year-old niece's passion for Project Runway and her desire to be a fashion designer when she grows up, and being at a loss as to what to give her for her birthday, I wrote a little "press release" and tucked it in a box with some tissue paper, the logo above, a couple of photos of Tim Gunn and wrapped it up. Christina's reactions to gifts I've given her in the past have always been quite subdued (Chuck will tell you this runs in our family :) ), so I was really tickled when this gift was met with such obvious glee - she was literally bouncing up and down on the sofa while her mom read the press release aloud.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2007

Project Runway Spin-off Announced

NEW YORK – The producers of Project Runway today announced Project Christina, starring Christina ___. Christina, who recently celebrated her ninth birthday, is an aspiring fashion designer. With locations in ___, ___, and ___, Maryland, Project Christina will trace Christina’s progress as she brings one of her designs to life.

The first episode will set the stage for the entire project as Christina sketches her design. In later episodes, her assistant, Cathy ___, will take Christina’s measurements and modify a basic pattern so as to approximate the design Christina envisions. After a trial run in muslin, Christina and Cathy will go to ___ Fabrics where Christina will select her fabrics and notions from among the vast array on offer there. While she will have an unlimited amount of time to make her choices, she will be restricted to a $40 budget. After her purchases are made, Christina will attend a celebratory luncheon in her honor at a restaurant of her choice.

Christina will later spend time in Cathy’s sewing room overseeing the construction of her garment. During this time, she will ensure that the garment is true to her design and that it fits properly. She will also participate as much as she is able and/or wishes in the actual sewing of the garment.

As one might expect, the series will conclude with a walk down the runway, as Christina models her completed design for her adoring fans in her very own home.

Christina sent me her design a few weeks ago and we set the date for this weekend. In between I worked on the pattern (I started with Butterick 4220 and made some major alterations) and did a couple of trial runs in muslin. Christina and I went shopping Sunday, had a nice lunch out, and then got to work. We were up early Monday and finished about midday. Christina helped every step of the way and in spite of the fact that she was a little nervous initially about using the sewing machine, she took to it like a fish to water. She really was eager to be involved as much as she could be and I was impressed with how well she remembered instructions I gave her and how carefully she did things.

This was a learning experience for me as well, since this was the first time I've ever made more than minor adjustments to a pattern. My pattern wasn't perfect - notches didn't line up exactly as they should, etc. - but it worked well enough. Much like cooking, with clothing construction I've always been one to follow directions. This experience has whet my appetite for striking out on my own on occasion.

If you sew (or cook, or knit, or crochet, or weave, or whatever), pass it on to someone! It'll make their day and it'll really make yours :)

Mondays with Maida - Chocolate Meringue Ladyfingers

2007-08-20T08:05:00.001-04:00

Page 244 in the old book / page 266 in the new book

These ladyfingers are simply chocolate meringues piped out with a plain round tip. Perhaps someone more skilled at piping could make them look beautiful, but in my case you couldn't help but compare the outcome to p__p. In fact, a lady at work got such a chuckle out of it that she brought one home for her seven year old nephew. Anyway, for a more presentable shape, I'd be tempted to try a star tube next time. You could still pipe them into three-inch sticks, or just make round blobs.

The taste was quite good - the chocolate flavor came through and they're very crunchy, sweet, and light as air. As you might expect with a meringue, they're hollow inside with a hint of chewiness in the middle.

To make them you make an italian meringue, stir in a mixture of cocoa and confectioner's sugar, pipe onto cookie sheets and then bake at a fairly low temperature. Couldn't be easier, and they're fat-free too!

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "Ladyfingers are always very attractive cookies, but meringue cookies are not my favorite type of cookie. I feel like I’m eating pure sugar and I don’t care for the texture of the cookie. Rating - 2.0

Denny: "Unusual, but very good. liked the feel of this one, light and crunchy. Chocolaty too, but very crumbly. Minus one for crumbliness gives them a 4.0 in my eyes. Rating - 4.0"

Laura: "Yummy cookies! (But I wouldn't suggest making them as ladyfingers). Rating - 4.5"

Terri: "Wow - these are delicious. I really like the chewiness when you bite into this cookie. The meringue makes them very light and this would be a grat choice with some summer fruits. Rating - 4.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.6

Next week - Chocolate Tartlets

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Fudge Délices

2007-08-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 242 in the old book / page 264 in the new book

These little chocolate tarts were delicious and should have been relatively simple to make. I made an unfortunate decision a few weeks back when I ordered the little tartlet pans - I only bought 12. The recipe makes 23 (more on that later) and I really should have purchased two dozen of the pans.

Another problem I had was that a goof I made while preparing the filling caused the chocolate to seize. Even as I was adding the milk, butter and vanilla to the melted chocolate I was thinking, "this is interesting, seems like these liquids would make the chocolate seize." Well, I was right about that but I was remembering the instructions incorrectly - I should have been adding the sugar at the same time. Instead, I added it after the chocolate seized. It seemed to recover fairly well, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was the root of my later troubles - while baking, the butter bubbled up in the filling leaving the surface sort of pock-marked. The tartlet you see above is one of very few that weren't scarred in that way.

I also think that my tartlets were over-filled. Maida was emphatic that 23 was number to make to ensure that the filling was the proper thickness, but nearly all mine lacked a clean edge of pastry because the filling rose up over it. My pans were slightly bigger than those called for (2 3/8" rather than 2 1/4") but I used a 2 3/4" cookie cutter for the pastry as specified in the recipe. There was plenty of pastry leftover, so next time I'd make 24.

After all my difficulties, I assumed the cookies were going to be a disaster and was resigned to making a second batch. But after sampling one, I decided to go ahead and bring in my flawed but tasty cookies. Top Chef I am not :)

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "Delicious! The inside of the tart cookie shell tastes like a chocolate fudge brownie with a pecan on top. They were also very attractive. The rating is definitely at 5 and if I could I’d rate then even higher. Rating - 5.0

Denny: "Excellent 5.0. Only problem was there weren't enough of them. Not too crunchy or sweet, just right. Did not look as great as they were! Rating - 5.0"

Laura: "Nice flaky tart shell with moist and delicious brownie-like filling. Rating - 4.5"

Terri: "These cookies are outstanding and a must for chocolate lovers! I really liked the crust or shell in which the fudge was held. Almost like a mini fudge pie. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.9

Next week - Chocolate Meringue Ladyfingers

Nutrition Facts

Catching up and Taking off...

2007-08-01T22:27:00.000-04:00

Work has been kind of crazy recently... so I am very, VERY happy to be leaving on vacation starting Friday! What's even better is that I'm leaving on vacation with Bob and Chuck. We are visiting Newport, Rhode Island, and then continuing on to Vermont for a couple of days. I've long wanted to visit Newport, so I'm very excited about that leg of the trip, and of course nothing could be better than some relaxing time in Vermont. When I return home, work will be the farthest thing from my mind!

Before I go, I have some catching up to do. So many times I have plans to write a post on something, even sometimes composing bits of it in my head, but time passes and it just never happens. Sometimes it's because I get busy with one thing or another, but mostly it's because I seldom find writing these posts easy (even after three years - why?), so I keep putting it off. I don't want this post to slip into that black hole with all those other unwritten posts.

I've been meaning to say a little about my birthday celebration. Actually, it would probably be more acurate to say birthday celebrations, since the festivities spanned a long weekend and even this upcoming trip is birthday-related. My weekend started Friday evening when my parents took me out for a birthday dinner. Bob and I had talked the night before and he'd told me to be sure to save a little room - he was making me something and would be bringing it with him on the train. I had no clue what he was making - I didn't even know if it was sweet or savory - but I was really touched that he was making something for me and couldn't wait to find out what it was (and to eat it of course!)

When Bob and Chuck arrived later Friday evening, the first order of business was opening gifts. One in particular made me yelp out loud - Chuck found a signed first edition of Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts! It was so sweet of him to even think of it!

After gifts, Bob went into the kitchen to serve up his mystery creation. Knowing my avid interest in Indian cuisine, he had made Gajar Halwa (carrot pudding) for me! It was incredible - very rich and sweet. He served it warm with some pistachios sprinkled over top. Just fantastic - and there were even leftovers for me to enjoy later in the week.

Saturday Bob, Chuck and I spent a couple hours in the kitchen making a gigantic lunch for ourselves and then Saturday evening was the big family party. David and Stephanie graciously hosted the party at their house and David came up with a really clever idea - he took a doodle that I'd drawn (a mouse named Chester that I always drew as a kid) and printed it on a T-shirt for me, on balloons for the party and on a huge laminated poster to be used in playing "Pin the belly-button on Chester!"

Dinner was catered and Bob had seen to it that there was not only vegetable lasagna for me to enjoy, but an Indian curry. There was lots more to eat as well - but it was clear that these things were chosen just for me. Finally, after dinner I was presented with a memory book to which everyone had contributed wonderful letters and photos. It was (and is) the kind of thing that makes me get all teary... such sweet thoughts and such happy memories.

How lucky am I to have a family like this?

Mondays with Maida - Almond Macaroons

2007-07-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 240 in the old book / page 263 in the new book

I'm afraid no almond macaroon will ever measure up to my ideal almond cookie: Brutti ma Buoni (or Belli et Brutti as the case may be), but if I'd never tasted the Italian version of this cookie, I suppose I might have said these were pretty good.

I was out of blanched almonds, so I had to buy them fresh rather than pulling some from the freezer. Even so, there were complaints that the macaroons weren't almondy enough or that the almond flavor was not noticeable. Perhaps the answer to that would be to toast the almonds before grinding them... or increase the amount of almond extract. Then again, maybe the problem really isn't a lack of almond flavor, but a lack of any other flavor. The cookies aren't especially sweet and if you look back at that Belli et Brutti recipe, you'll see that they have both vanilla extract and lemon zest (which added a wonderful layer of flavor to those cookies). These almond macaroons are made simply of almonds, sugar, egg whites, and almond extract.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "I thought from the look of the cookie that it would be crunchy, but instead it was very chewy. The cookie was a very attractive pinwheel shaped with a cherry in the center and I liked the almond taste. I didn’t like the soft, chewiness of the cookie. Rating - 2.5"

Denny: "OK, didn't do too much for me. Bland and really couldn't taste the almonds, which I love. -1 for no chocolate equals 2. Rating - 2.0"

Laura: "Very tasty and chewy. Delightful almond flavor, but would have liked the cookies to be a bit more almondy. Rating - 4.0"

Terri: "These macaroons are outstanding! Very moist and chewy. The cherry in the middle is especially decorative - but the taste is the best macaroon I've eaten. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.4

In two weeks - Fudge Délices

Nutrition Facts

Y is for Yellow!

2007-07-27T22:29:00.000-04:00

Yellow Squash Dalcha, Carrot Raita and brown rice

Sorry, this is hardly the most beautifully composed dinner plate, but what it lacks in good looks it more than makes up for in good taste! I really don't need an excuse these days to cook myself an Indian meal. It took me forever to finally muster the courage to tackle my first recipe, but now I find myself quite often turning to my Indian cookbooks (and particularly Madhur Jaffrey) when looking for an answer to the question, "what's for dinner?" Though I don't need an excuse to cook Indian, I'm afraid I've become such a slacker blogger of late that I do need an reason to post about it. Well, I've got one - Nupur's A to Z of Indian Vegetables. She's running out of letters, so it's now or never!

This week's letter is Y and all I could think of was Yellow Squash and Yogurt. With that in mind, I chose two recipes from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian - a fantastic cookbook that has quickly become one of my very favorites. The first is Vegetarian Dalcha - a sambar of masoor dal (red lentils) from Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh. The zucchini in this recipe is a substitute for bottle gourd in the traditional recipe. I'm not sure what distinguishes Dalcha from other sambars, but I think it might be the bottle gourd... so is a Dalcha with yellow squash really a Dalcha? It may be a misnomer, but I've dubbed my adpatation "Yellow Squash Dalcha" just so I get that all-important Y in there. :) I love dal under any name and this easy-to-make dish did not disappoint. It is delicously seasoned and the squash, which is cooked for just a couple of minutes, provides a nice contrast in texture.

Next up is Carrot Raita - a mixture of yogurt and spiced grated carrot which has been lightly cooked. I never dreamed that the carrot mixture would color the yogurt so beautifully. In fact, much to my surprise, what I ended up with could rightly be called "Yellow Yogurt"! (OK - so it's closer to golden, or maybe even orange, but humor me... please?) My experience with raitas is limited to the most basic - tomato and cucumber - but after my experience with this one, I'm anxious to try others. I especially enjoyed this raita just after it was made and was still at room temperature, but it can also be eaten chilled. Next time I may cut back slightly on the oil and might even increase the red chilli powder a bit.

Yellow Squash Dalcha
adapted from "Red Lentils with Zucchini" in Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian

1 cup masoor dal, picked over and rinsed
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
2 tbs canola oil (the original recipe calls for 1/4 cup, but I found this was plenty)
4 whole cardamom pods
1 1/2 inch piece of cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tsp ginger paste
3 garlic cloves, mashed or very finely minced
2 small yellow squash cut into half-circles about 1/2-inch thick
black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
freshly-squeezed lime juice

Place the masoor dal and 4 cups water in a pot (holding at least 3 quarts) and bring to a boil. Stir in the turmeric, turn the heat down to low and cover (keep the lid slightly ajar). Cook the dal for about 40 minutes. When done stir in the salt.

Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the spices (cardamom, cinnamon, bay, and cumin) and cook for a minute. Add the onion and stir and cook until slightly browned. Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook for another minute. Add the squash, black pepper, and red chilli powder and stir for another minute then stir in 1/2 cup water, cover the pan and lower the heat. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour the squash mixture into the dal and stir. Add freshly-squeezed lime juice to taste and stir.

"Yellow Yogurt" (aka Carrot Raita)
adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian

2 tbs (or less) oil (I used canola, but I see now that olive oil was one of the suggested oils and I'd be inclined to use that next time)
1 tsp mustard seeds
pinch asafetida
8 oz carrots, coarsely grated
1/2 tsp salt, divided
2 cups plain yogurt (I used lowfat)
black pepper to taste
1/8 - 1/4 tsp red chilli powder

Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, stir in the asafetida. Add the grated carrots and stir and cook for 15 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Let the carrots cool to room temperature.

Whisk the yogurt until smooth and then whisk in 1/4 tsp salt, black pepper, and red chilli powder. Stir in the cooled carrot mixture. Serve room temperature or chilled.

Mondays with Maida - Craig Claiborne's Chocolate Macaroons

2007-07-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 239 in the old book / page 262 in the new book

I'm pretty sure these macaroons didn't turn out the way they were supposed to, though I have my doubts that they would have tasted that much better if they had. I don't think I can fault Maida on this one - the blame clearly is mine - but the phrase "consistency of soft mashed potatoes" did leave me a little uncertain. How soft is soft?

These cookies are made in (what I think is) a unique way: ground almonds, ground chocolate and sugar are combined with egg whites and then cooked on the stove until the mixture reaches the "consistency of soft mashed potatoes" which is supposed to take about five minutes. Then they are piped onto cookie sheets and baked. I was particularly worried about overcooking the mixture and Maida's warnings only increased my anxiety, "Do not let the mixture boil, and be careful that it does not burn... If the mixture [is] cooked long enough in the frying pan, these will not spread in baking. If it [is] cooked too long, the dough will be stiff and difficult to press through the pastry bag." There didn't seem to be any wiggle room - undercook and they will spread or overcook and it will be impossible to pipe them. Oh the pressure!

So I'm cooking the mixture on the stove and get to the five minute mark. The mixture is thick, but still fairly loose. I decide to go another minute. Not much different from five minutes. Ahhh! What to do, what to do. I chicken out and take it off the stove. The next step is to stir in the almond extract and then stir occasionally until the mixture cools. Once it had cooled I was pretty sure I had undercooked it and when I started to pipe it, I was certain. I considered putting the mixture back in the pan and cooking it longer, but didn't know if cooking, then cooling, then cooking the egg whites would create a new problem (does anybody know if this would have been OK to do?). So I piped the macaroons and held my breath. They spread almost immediately, but managed to hold a little shape. I put them in the oven fully expecting that they were going to spread and merge into a thin interconnected sheet of cookie dough, but miraculously they spread no further in baking. You can see in the photo, though, that the star shape was all but lost.

I think because they spread, they dried out more while baking. They were chewy, but not moist. I also thought they were bland, but it's possible a moister consistency might have enhanced the chocolate flavor. Maida certainly seems enthusiastic in the notes, "Hip hip hooray and three cheers for Craig for creating these sensational macaroons..." I think they might be worth another try.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "I didn’t believe there was a chocolate cookie that I wouldn’t rate as a 5. I’ve found one. The cookie was kind of bland, not very sweet and sticky to the touch. It was a very attractive cookie, but not like any macaroon cookie I’ve every tasted before. Rating - 2.5"

Denny: "Very good. Chewy and chocolaty, but couldn't taste the almonds. I'd rate them a 4.0. Rating - 4.0"

Laura: "Chocolaty and yummy, but the cookie itself was a little "sticky". Rating - 4.0"

Terri: "This would be a favorite for chocolate lovers, but was too chocolaty for my taste. The texture was chewy, in fact, almost too chewy for a macaroon. The cherry added an appealing sweetness and color to this cookie, but I basically thought it was too heavy tasting for a macaroon. Rating - 3.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.4

Next week - Almond Macaroons

Nutrition Facts

OH NO, FIVE-O!

2007-07-20T09:09:00.000-04:00

My name is Cathy and I'm a 50-year-old blogger. Waahhhhh!!!!! Birthdays come and go and I don't give them much thought, but this one is different. It's not the vanity thing... it's the living thing! I keep thinking, best case - I've reached the halfway mark. I remember my Dad saying many years back that time is relative and the older you get the faster it goes. Nothing could be truer and let me tell you, it sure seems as though the seasons are whipping by these days. What happened to summer? For that matter, what happened to the 2000's?

Aside from time passing too quickly, I actually like being older. I think I'm happier and more accepting of myself. I do detect an increasing impatience that's a little worrisome, but perhaps that is forgivable in light of my increasingly accelerated sense of time. In general though, life is good. Very good. I have wonderful friends and a fantastic family, good health, a comfortable place to put my head down at night, and not least of all this little blog which has brought me a sense of community and some friendships that I will treasure always.

There are certainly things I miss from my younger years, but then again I am SO much closer to retirement and the prospect of that thrills me to no end! I really can't complain about my job. People there have been good to me; I work in a place where I can feel that I'm contributing to the public good; and it has given me a comfortable life. BUT... the things I long to spend my time on are not the things I can make a living from and these days they seem to get bumped by work and general busy-ness: cooking, weaving, sewing, knitting, genealogy, etc. I will be able to do the job I wish most to excel at - being Aunt Cathy - so much better when I finally am able to step away from the more mundane work-a-day world! More time to bake cookies with Cassidy, sew with Christina, weave with Catelynn (yes, I've decided that 3-month-old Catelynn will be the next weaver in the family!), hug Tommy, and chase Brian around the house trying to plunk a kiss on his cheek.

But I shouldn't and I won't wish away the remaining working days, for at the very least there are evenings and weekends to be enjoyed: cooking in my little kitchen, catching up on hobbies, reading a good book, delving into a new weaving project, or simply enjoying the company of friends and family. There's also time to stay in touch here and I honestly look forward to that.

When I started blogging in 2004, I felt that I was an anomaly. It seemed to me at that time that every other blogger was at least 20 years younger than me. I suspect I was mistaken then and I know that's not true now - and thank goodness for that! Blogging brings all sorts of people together and the variety of ages is no less than the assortment of hometowns, ethnicities, or favorite ice cream flavors! Anyway, I have come to feel very much at home here, so I am finally ready (though still with slight trepidation) to post my picture here. Hello everyone!

I'm home from work today and since it's a weekday morning it's very quiet. A little while ago, I heard a rattling sound which was a little alarming. Leo (my cat) and I gave each other puzzled looks and then I heard it again. It was coming from this room. It turned out to be a goldfinch tapping on the window. There was a minute or so when I was able to look him right in the eye, but of course the moment I turned to grab my camera he was off. It was such an unusual and wonderful thing to happen on my birthday, that I have decided to take it has a good omen. I think the next fifty years are going to be great!

My Favorite Hand-Formed Cookies

2007-07-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

With a come hither look that's hard to refuse, these Fudge Mallows made the Cookie Panel's top ten, but were too sweet for my taste.

Can you tell I'm running out of steam? I probably shouldn't admit that, but it's true. I think I've had enough cookies for a while, but there are only 16 to go and I can't stop now! Unfortunately, whether it's my waning enthusiasm, or that after 132 cookies I've become hypercritical, or possibly even that the cookies in this chapter weren't quite up to the standards of the earlier chapters, I was slightly underwhelmed by these hand-formed cookies. There were definitely cookies I liked, and even some I liked a lot, but in my opinion there were no WOW cookies this time around. I should hasten to add that I may be alone in my view of this group of cookies, for the cookie panel in its infinite wisdom awarded its first 5.0's to two cookies from the chapter: the Fudge Mallows and English Gingersnaps #1.

This chapter brought the most dramatic cookie disaster yet, the second cookie to get a reputation in the wilds of the blogosphere for looking like a turd (I kid you not. And I'm not telling what the first one was, it's in the witness protection program), but still and all, it was fun. Lots of fun, actually - there is something very, very satisfying about rolling dough with your hands, be it into little balls or long ropes.

So, on with the show. I hope my earlier comments don't deter you from trying some of these cookies. Even if they're missing that wow-factor, there were still some very good cookies. As usual, the runners-up are in no particular order and I've saved my very favorite cookie for last...

This is a classic, but still sooo good - delicate, buttery, and nutty Austrian Walnut Crescents.

Chewy and crunchy at the same time, with the winning flavors of brown sugar and toasted almond. I think I'm going to have to find an excuse to make these Señoritas again very soon.

Not to everyone's liking because of the sesame seeds, I thought these Italian Sesame Sticks were delicious... and habit-forming!

And finally, my favorite: Coconut Washboards. I made them with unsweetened, dessicated coconut, which I expect is what made them so crunchy (the recipe says they are semisoft cookies). Though I'm curious to try them as Maida intended (probably with sweetened, shredded coconut), I loved this crunchy version. They taste great too - it always amazes me how basic ingredients such as brown sugar, butter and vanilla can combine to produce such wonderful flavor.

One more chapter!!! I get my weekends back!!! But I'm getting ahead of myself... there are still 16 cookies to go and hopefully a few gems yet to be discovered. Please join me next Monday when I begin the mysteriously titled last chapter, "Et Cetera". And if you're just tuning in, all the cookies on this page are from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies. The book is out of print but still available as a remainder, used, or in your library. All but one of the recipes were also reprinted in the newer Maida Heatter's Cookies which also includes cookie recipes from a couple of her other books. Read about my little project here and start here if you're interested in exploring my earlier posts.

Mondays with Maida - Italian Sesame Sticks

2007-07-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 235 in the old book / page 259 in the new book

Here we have another plain but good cookie that (I think) got undeservedly low scores. I think there were quite a few people that didn't enjoy these, but on the other hand a large batch of over 70 cookies was gone by the end of the day, so someone must have liked them! I know I did. They are rich and crumbly, have flavorful crust of sesame seeds and are one of those cookies where you keep going back for another.

In the recipe notes Maida explains that the recipe comes from a trattoria in New York's Little Italy where she enjoyed them with espresso. She noted that she saw the regulars dunking them in red wine (hence my photo above which you may have been puzzling over). I tried one dunked in wine and I think it might be an interesting combination, but unfortunately the only wine I had on hand was opened long ago and long past being drinkable.

If you (like me) loved playing with Play-Doh as a kid, you are going to have a blast making these cookies. You trained your entire childhood for this! Remember rolling out long, worm-like ropes of the stuff? The instructions for this cookie have you roll out 20-inch-long ropes of dough and then cut it into shorter logs. Fun!

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "I love sesames on anything. As a matter of fact the only type of bagel I eat are sesame bagels. My first impression was that there wasn’t much to this cookie, but after the second bite, I really enjoyed the lemony taste and the sesames. The cookie was a little on the dry side. Rating - 3.5"

Denny: "It had to happen. A recipe that someone should not have passed on due to mediocrity. I found these dry, seedy and not really that good. More like a not-so-crunchy breadstick. If it were a breadstick, I'd give it a 3, but with the no chocolate penalty, I'd rate it a 1.0. Rating - 1.0"

Laura: "Too many sesame seeds! Cookie underneath is tasty, but the sesame seeds ruin the cookie for me. Rating - 2.0"

Terri: "These cookies remind me of a shortbread cookie rolled in sesame seeds. Actually, they are a bit like a cracker. Mine was delicious with my morning coffee - not too sweet, but filling. Rating - 3.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 2.4

This is the last cookie in the chapter, so please join me again on Tuesday to find out which of the hand-formed cookies were my personal favorites!

Next week - Craig Claiborne's Chocolate Macaroons

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - English Gingersnaps #2

2007-07-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 234 in the old book / page 258 in the new book

This cookie is a smaller, spicier, and orange/lemon-scented (and yes - snappier!) variation of last week's English Gingersnaps #1. I loved the orange and lemon rind in these - it really brightened the flavor and made the cookies a little out of the ordinary.

The dough for these cookies has slightly less flour than the original recipe, so the dough is softer and needs a longer chilling time. After chilling, the dough is very easy to handle and shape. These gingersnaps are a more conventional size, so you get a generous 80 or so cookies per batch.

The cookie panel is a little short-handed this week. I really thought I would catch Suzanne and Denny later in the week, but a late flight delayed Suzanne's return and Denny worked from home at the end of the week, so the cookies I'd saved for them were enjoyed by someone else - me! Here's the panel (what's left of it, that is)...

Laura: "Yummy and crunchy. These cookies remind me of the wonderful gingersnaps my grandmother would make. Delish! - 4.5"

Terri: "These ginger snaps are a bit spicier with a tinge of orange taste as compared to Gingersnap #1. Also, they are not as chewy and smaller. I prefer the #1 G.S., but if you like spicier - try these. Rating - 4.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.3

Next week - Italian Sesame Sticks

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - English Gingersnaps #1

2007-07-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 233 in the old book / page 257 in the new book

Well, I could hardly have been more surprised if Denny had deducted points for chocolate - the cookie panel (with Drucie subbing for Denny) bestowed a perfect 5.0 upon these very simple, very unchocolate gingersnaps. What made this perfect score even more befuddling was that I wasn't all that crazy about the cookies myself.

The recipe makes a relatively small number (22) of large cookies. The dough requires only a brief chilling time and the cookies are easy to make, so the entire process is not very time consuming. The dough is formed into balls which are coated in sugar before baking. The sugar coating splits open during baking forming the familiar crazed surface.

Ginger "snaps" doesn't seem quite the right name for these large semisoft cookies. They have the requisite spicy ginger flavor, but the texture is hardly a "snap". I was never a fan of gingersnaps until Nupur introduced me to Trader Joe's triple ginger snaps. I couldn't help but compare these cookies to the TJ's version. In my opinion, those yummy little TJ snaps would best these cookies hands down. It will be interesting to see how next week's cookie, a smaller, crisper version of this cookie with more ginger and some grated orange and lemon peel, will compare.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "I’m usually not a big fan of ginger, but I loved this cookie. My first impression was, 'wow, what a big cookie', but after my first bite, I wanted more then one cookie. The texture was just right, soft yet had some crunch to it. Rating - 5.0"

Laura: "Large, moist, chewy and delightfully gingery! These Ginger Snaps #1 are definitely a 5! Rating - 5.0"

Drucie: "These cookies were moist and chewy with a great flavor. I think that these are my favorite so far - even though they aren't chocolate! Rating - 5++" (I promised Drucie I'd include her ++)

Terri: "These are the best ginger snaps I've ever tasted! Just the right amount of ginger and spicy but sweet. Very moist and chewy texture. The sugar sprinkled on top is perfect. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 5.0

Next week - English Gingersnaps #2

Nutrition Facts

RCI: Maharashtra - Mixed Vegetable Pulao

2007-06-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

Mixed Vegetable Pulao and Toor Dal

I've had weeks to get this done, but wouldn't you know I'd put it off until the last possible moment? In fact, I was very close to not participating in the June Regional Cuisine of India (RCI) event, which is hosted this month by Nupur of One Hot Stove. I am glad I did finally get my entry together. First of all, because Nupur is hosting it. I feel fortunate to call Nupur my friend and she has been an inspiration to me in many ways. Nupur has been hosting a weekly series called the A to Z of Indian Vegetables which I have been following with avid interest, but it hadn't even occurred to me that I might participate. When she announced that she would be hosting the June RCI and that it would focus on Maharashtrian cuisine and she provided links to sites with Mahatashtrian recipes, it seemed to me that the time had come to jump in and join the fun.

The second reason I'm glad I didn't let this event go by without joining in is that if I hadn't participated, I might never have tried this delicious vegetable pulao. I confess that my selection criteria for a recipe for this event were less than admirable - it pretty much came down to, "what looks easy?" Oh, there was one other criterion, given that I was hours from the deadline, "what can be done in one evening?" That ruled out any recipes calling for sprouts. So, in the end I picked this Mixed Vegetable Pulao, a tasty mix of rice and vegetables scented with whole garam masala (cloves, cinnamon, cadamom, peppercorns, and bay leaves). I used the suggested vegetables, but I expect you could vary them according to your tastes and what you have on hand. Oh no - I just realized I left out the peas! Oh well, it seems that is my modus operandi when cooking Indian - at least one ingredient is added late or left out entirely! Someday I will get the hang of this!

Anyway, back to the pulao. The only difficulty I had (aside from forgetting the peas) was that the recipe turned out to be more time-consuming than I anticipated. One step that I'd probably do ahead next time is deep-frying the cashews. In fact, if you can find unsalted roasted cashews, I would use those. Don't leave them out though - they add a pleasant contrast in texture and a sweet, nutty flavor. I was also surprised to see sugar as an ingredient. Since no amount was given in the recipe and I no experience on which to draw, I just arbitrarily added 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. I assume the idea is to balance flavors and not to make the dish taste sweet, but even so I have no idea how much is appropriate. If anyone can offer any insight it would be much appreciated!

I had some toor dal alongside the pulao, which was a wonderful combination. The recipe also suggested serving the pulao with a raita, but time was short and the two dishes were all I could manage. Perhaps I'll make a raita to have with leftovers tomorrow :)

So that's my entry... thank you for hosting Nupur!

Mondays with Maida - Charlie Brown's Peanut Cookies

2007-06-25T00:08:00.000-04:00

Page 231 in the old book / page 255 in the new book

One look at the list of ingredients and I knew this one was a contender for the "Top Ten" list: cinnamon, brown sugar, salted peanuts, peanut butter, and chocolate chips (not to mention two sticks of butter). I liked these very much, but... how do I put this... they're good in an obvious and not very subtle way. They're kids' cookies - not that there's anything wrong with that. We're all kids when it comes to cookies I suppose!

This cookie is a thumbprint cookie made from a brown sugar dough with a little cinnamon added. You roll each ball of dough in chopped, salted peanuts and then poke it with your thumb to make way for a dollop of peanut butter. Then to absolutely, positively guarantee that everyone will love them, you arrange a few chocolate chips atop each one.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "I love the name of the cookie. You will never get a complaint from me when the cookie has peanut butter, peanuts, and chocolate chips. There is a certain way you need to eat these cookies since the chocolate chips are in the center and on top of the cookie. You need to eat around the chips and then put the center of the cookie with the chips in your mouth all at once. Then you get a surprise of peanut butter and chocolate chips together. Can you tell my favorite candy is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup?. Rating - 5.0"

Laura: "Crunchy and very peanutty, with a dab of chocolate. Delish! Rating - 4.0"

Denny: "Wow. Awesome to look at. They actually look overloaded and they are. Almost too many peanuts, but not really. Extra crunchy and not too sweet and the crown of chocolate chips puts them over the top. Can't think of too many better except for my Mom's. Rating - 5.0"

Terri: "These are fantastic! I could eat the whole batch! A great combination of nuts, chocolate, peanut butter and chewiness. The nuts are not ground completely, so they add to the crunchiness of this great cookie. A big winner. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.8

Next week - English Gingersnaps #1

Nutrition Facts

My Quiz Answers

2007-06-19T21:38:00.000-04:00

1. How will you/did you spend Father's Day? Cookout, picnic, restaurant? Any special food traditions?

Our tradition of the last few years (hmmm... how old does something have to be to qualify as a tradition?) has been to play a round of miniature golf. Actually, this is my youngest brother's tradition. Originally it was just he and my dad, but now I'm invited join in the festivities along with my mom, sister-in-law and Cassidy. This year David and Stephanie spent the weekend with her parents, so our miniature golf game is scheduled for next weekend. My personal tradition, as I've mentioned before, is to make my dad a batch of fig bars (Maida Heatter's "Big Newtons"). I delivered those to him on Father's Day, had brunch with my parents, and played a few hands of Flinch. It was a very nice day and I'm looking forward to Father's Day part II next Sunday!

2. Do you know what the odds are of having more than one double-yolked egg in one carton of eggs?

OK, I have to apologize on this one. It was obviously a setup, but the least I could have done was word the question more clearly. I don't know what the odds of getting more than one double-yolked egg in a carton are - as you all guessed, they're probably quite low. What I should have asked was, if you find a double-yolked egg, what are the odds that you'll find another in the same carton? I presumed, as you might, that they would be *really* low, but that is apparently not the case. I bought a carton a couple of weeks ago and upon using the first egg, saw my very first double-yolked egg. I was amused and not at all alarmed to see one double-yolked egg, but by the time I'd cracked open the third or fourth I was a little freaked and was wondering what kind of mutant chickens were making my eggs. I was thinking of firing off an email to Jen, who is blogdom's resident expert on eggs, but decided to first consult Google. I learned that the large eggs layed by young hens are likely to be double-yolked. So, that means that if your carton of large eggs came from a young flock, there's a good chance you'll have more than one double-yolked egg. In my case, every single one of them was double-yolked. I know they're supposed to be lucky, but still... I was never so glad to finish a carton of eggs!

3. Do you have any "cooking cheats"... shortcuts you take because it's easier and no one will ever know the difference?

Now with this question, lazy cook that I am, I was really hoping to get some good tips! Using canned tomatoes is such a normal thing for me that I had never even thought of it as a cheat, but I may avoid a future emergency run to the grocery store the next time I'm a little short on milk thanks to Mari! My cheats have to do with sifting. These days I seldom sift flour before measuring, instead just fluffing it up a bit with the scoop. I used to have just the teensiest guilt pangs when I'd do this, but then one day saw Ina Garten doing the same thing. Now I know I'm in good company and the guilt is gone :) Usually, when a recipe says to sift ingredients together I'll go along with that, but if I need to put those dry ingredients in a bowl anyway, I'll just whisk them together rather than dragging out the sifter or strainer.

4. If you were to indulge in a peanut butter sandwich, what would you have with it? Strawberry jam? Grape jelly? Cheese?

Mmmm... so many possibilities! I'd have trouble picking just one. At the moment it would probably be strawberry jam, since I just made some recently. In the past I always enjoyed my homemade apricot jam and another favorite is apple butter. I love Chuck's idea of bananas and will have to give that a try soon. Here's one that might not have occurred to you, but which is (trust me) delicious: thinly sliced dill pickles. Really!

5. When loading the dishwasher, do you think the spoons and forks should go up (handle down) or down?

I think we're all in agreement on this one - handles down!

Thanks to Mari, Leigh, Zarah, Nupur and Chuck for taking the quiz - I've really enjoyed reading your responses!

Mondays with Maida - Sour Cream and Pecan Dreams

2007-06-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 229 in the old book / page 254 in the new book

These cookies are formed like thumbprint cookies, with a smidgen of brown sugar, sour cream, pecan, and cinnamon filling. They are firm, but not quite chewy and have a hint of cinnamon from the filling. One person who really liked these was certain they had pumpkin in them (they don't).

They're quite easy to make, but don't be alarmed if you wind up with lots of extra filling. Well, maybe I should qualify that... I had lots of leftover filling and I think the cookies were just fine. In fact, I'm not sure where all that filling was supposed to go. Perhaps if I'd chopped the nuts more finely I might have been able to fit more into each cookie. If you do end up with extra filling, I found a great way to use it up: spread some on a piece of bread and put it in the toaster oven or under the broiler. Yum!

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "The cookie was good, not great, but good. I would have liked the cookie a little bit softer, but I did enjoy the taste of the brown sugar and pecans. I didn’t really taste the sour cream topping since it was mixed with brown sugar and cinnamon. Rating - 3.5"

Laura: "Sweet and tasty cookie with a very yummy bit of pecan-pie type dollop in the center. Rating - 3.5"

Denny: "Excellent. Subtly flavored but really good. I'm not sure why I like them so much, but I do. I'd give them a 3 after -1 no chocolate deduction. Rating - 3.0"

Drucie: "These cookies are moist and chewy with a flavor that is subtle yet delicious. I don't usually like cookies with nuts in them, but these have made me see the light! I really like these cookies. Rating - 4.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.6

Next week - Charlie Brown's Peanut Cookies

Nutrition Facts

The Sunday Quiz

2007-06-17T09:43:00.000-04:00

The Sunday Doodle

Just curious, wondering, need to know...

1. How will you/did you spend Father's Day? Cookout, picnic, restaurant? Any special food traditions?

2. Do you know what the odds are of having more than one double-yolked egg in one carton of eggs?

3. Do you have any "cooking cheats"... shortcuts you take because it's easier and no one will ever know the difference?

4. If you were to indulge in a peanut butter sandwich, what would you have with it? Strawberry jam? Grape jelly? Cheese?

5. When loading the dishwasher, do you think the spoons and forks should go up (handle down) or down?

Leave your answers in the comments... I'll post mine on Tuesday. Have a great week, and happy Father's Day!

My Quiz Answers

2007-06-12T20:58:00.000-04:00

1. Do you know the difference between "Crushed Tomatoes" and "Ground Peeled Tomatoes"? Muir Glen sells both and to my eye they look exactly the same.

I've been wondering about this for quite some time, but it didn't occur to me until just a couple of weeks ago that I could email my question to Muir Glen. I got a speedy, albeit to-the-point, response: Thank you for contacting us. Because of the higher solids content (higher Brix), the Crushed product is a thicker product. If there is anything else we can do concerning this matter, please let us know. I wasn't familiar with the term, Brix, but I've now learned that it is a measure of dissolved solids, or more specifically dissolved sugars. I compared the nutrition labels on the Muir Glen site and the crushed tomatoes are indeed higher in calories (25 calories per serving vs. 20 calories) and sugars (3 grams vs. 2 grams).

2. Do you eat breakfast cereal? For breakfast? Do you have a favorite?

Cereal is my breakfast mainstay. In warmer weather I have cold cereal with milk and (usually) fresh fruit just about every morning. In cold weather I switch to hot oatmeal with a little brown sugar. My favorite cold cereal seems to change every few years, but for the past several years it has been Nature's Path Multigrain Oatbran Flakes. I like the taste and I like that it's slightly sweet, so I don't need to add sugar. Bonus - the flakes are very sturdy and don't get soggy in milk. :)

3. You're channel surfing and come upon the Food Network. Who would you stop for? A. Emeril, B. Bobby Flay, C. Giada De Laurentiis, D. Ina Garten, E. Alton Brown, F. Oh please, I'd be on the next channel so fast...

Like so many others, I'm of the opinion that the Food Network has gone seriously downhill (it started when they took Sara Moulton's Cooking Live off the air), but hope springs eternal, so I still check the line-up from time to time. I used to really enjoy Alton Brown and didn't mind Giada De Laurentiis, but sort of can't be bothered with either any more. I still stop for Ina Garten though.

4. How much time do you typically spend fixing dinner (not including clean-up) on a weeknight?

Except on very rare occasions, 15 to 30 minutes, tops. It's rare that I do much more than heat up some leftovers on a weeknight. If I'm out of leftovers, it's got to be something I can throw together pretty quick because I'm usually ravenous by the time I get home.

5. I recently came across a recipe that calls for "4 to 5 fresh sage leaves, peeled and finely chopped". Any ideas on how to peel a sage leaf, or do you think it's a mistake?

I was hoping one of you would know the answer to this. I have plenty of sage out in my garden, so gave peeling sage a shot and failed miserably. I can't imagine that it's worth the trouble, even if it is possible, but I'm still curious to know. I'm thinking about sending a letter off to the publisher to see if I can get to the bottom of this.

Thanks to Rachel, Stephanie, Nupur, and Anonymous for playing along! See their answers here. Unfortunately, no one came up with a way to peel sage :) but they had some good guesses on crushed vs. ground tomatoes and I enjoyed comparing notes on cereal, food TV, and preparing weeknight dinners.

Mondays with Maida - Austrian Walnut Crescents

2007-06-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 228 in the old book / page 253 in the new book

Tender and buttery little cookies in a pleasing crescent shape - you'll get no complaints from me! Well, perhaps one teeny weeny quibble... they need a bit of salt. But these cookies are easy to like even without the salt.

The dough is slightly crumbly (and seemed to become more so as time passed), but still relatively easy to handle. The shaping takes a little time, but is quite doable. Maida tells you to roll the dough between your hands, but I found it easiest to first shape the dough with my fingertips into the shape you see at the top of the picture below - sort of like two back-to-back cones. This shape must then be thinned out and lengthened. You can do that either by rolling it between your hands, or by rolling it on a flat surface with both hands. I found that this second method was better for getting evenly tapered ends, but sometimes resulted in the cookie caving in. Fortunately, the dough can be easily pinched back into shape with your fingers. The final step is to bring the ends around to form a crescent shape.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "Yum! The taste reminded me of a similar cookie that’s round with walnuts in them and is covered with powdered sugar. The Austrian Walnut Crescents didn’t crumble when you ate them and were not as heavy as the round cookie. The crescent shape with the powdered sugar was attractive. I loved the walnut taste of the cookie. I could eat them all. Rating - 5.0"

Laura: "Yummy, tasty and crunchy... but just a little drier than I like. Rating - 3.0"

Denny: "A very nice little cookie, but a little bit on the bland side. Crunchy and tasty with a bit too much powdered sugar. Even with the -1 chocolate deficiency, I'd give them a 3.0. Rating - 3.0"

Terri: "These are outstanding! The walnuts are finely ground and the buttery flavor is delicious. These would be an excellent choice to serve with a chocolate type cookie Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.0

Next week - Sour Cream and Pecan Dreams

Nutrition Facts

Ghosts of cookies past

The Sunday Quiz

2007-06-10T20:14:00.000-04:00

The Sunday Doodle

Just curious, wondering, need to know...

1. Do you know the difference between "Crushed Tomatoes" and "Ground Peeled Tomatoes"? Muir Glen sells both and to my eye they look exactly the same.

2. Do you eat breakfast cereal? For breakfast? Do you have a favorite?

3. You're channel surfing and come upon the Food Network. Who would you stop for? A. Emeril, B. Bobby Flay, C. Giada De Laurentiis, D. Ina Garten, E. Alton Brown, F. Oh please, I'd be on the next channel so fast...

4. How much time do you typically spend fixing dinner (not including clean-up) on a weeknight?

5. I recently came across a recipe that calls for "4 to 5 fresh sage leaves, peeled and finely chopped". Any ideas on how to peel a sage leaf, or do you think it's a mistake?

Leave your answers in the comments... I'll post mine on Tuesday. Have a great week!

Mondays with Maida - Cracker-Barrel Raisin Cookies

2007-06-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 226 in the old book / page 252 in the new book

Just out of the oven, these cookies had a nice little crunch on the outside and were soft on the inside, but a day later that nice contrast of textures had disappeared and what was left was a dryish, soft cookie. Happily, lots and lots of soft raisins add moisture and chewiness to what otherwise might have been a rather unremarkable cookie.

There are two ways to shape these cookies. Since this is the "Hand-Formed Cookies" chapter, I went with the first method: chill the dough, roll it into balls, then make crisscross markings with a fork. However, if I were to make these again, I think I'd use the alternate method - drop the dough (without chilling it), then press with a fork. This second method would certainly save time and having seen the results of the first method, I don't think the extra effort is necessary.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "Cathy tried in vain to pick out the cookie with the least amount of raisins for me since she knows I’m not a raisin fan. I do like raisins if they aren’t cooked. I think I’ve figured out why I don’t like raisins in cookie. Somehow they loose their sweetness and become bitter tasting. Even though I like a crunchier cookie, I didn’t mind the soft texture of this cookie. Rating - 2.0"

Laura: "Moist and yummy cookies. Very plump raisins, with a hint of lemon in the cookie. Rating - 3.5"

Denny: "These were OK. Not crunchy enough for me, raisins were a little too plump for my taste. That suggests to me that someone might even really like these a lot, just not me. Minus one for lack of chocolate, so I rate them a 2.0. Rating - 2.0"

Terri: "These cookies are definitely for raisin lovers! Each cookie has about 6 raisins and they remind me of a raisin bran muffin. I like the slight lemony taste - they may be a bit dry, but very tasty with morning coffee! Rating - 3.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 2.6

Next week - Austrian Walnut Crescents

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Coconut Pennies

2007-05-28T13:00:00.000-04:00

Page 224 in the old book / page 251 in the new book

Time for another chapter in the continuing saga of Cathy's coconut adventures... As you may recall from last week, the cookies billed as "semisoft" turned out very crunchy. Well, this week the cookies described as "crisper" (than last week's Coconut Washboards) were actually quite chewy. I suppose there could be some other explanation, but at the moment my assumption is that it all comes down to the coconut.

Last week I used unsweetened, dessicated coconut. This week I used a store brand of sweetened "flaked" coconut. The flakes of this coconut are broader and shorter than either the "Angel Flake" or "Fancy Shred" Baker's coconut you may be familiar with and I think account for the chewiness of these cookies. I neglected to take a picture of the coconut, but Leigh suggested I do a post with pictures of the various types, which I think is a great idea, so look for that sometime soon.

This recipe had small amounts of cinnamon and nutmeg in it, but I couldn't detect either. The cookies are most noticeably sweet, rich (two sticks of butter'll do it), and chewy. I didn't think they were as good as the Coconut Washboards, but they earned equal marks from the cookie panel.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "The cookie reminded me of a dry, chewy, oatmeal cookie. I don’t know if I really tasted the coconut except it did make the cookie chewy. This wasn’t one of my favorites. Rating - 3.0"

Laura: "Chewy and sweet - not as coconutty as I would have expected, but still a very delicious cookie. Rating - 4.0"

Denny: "Very good. Crunchy and coconutty. Minus one for no chocolate makes them a 3.0 to my tastebuds. Rating - 3.0"

Terri: "These have a chewier texture then the Washboards from last week. I prefer these. The amount of coconut is just enough to give them a coconut flavor but not like a macaroon. I'm not sure why the name 'Pennies' except the shape is round! Rating - 3.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.4

Next week - Cracker-Barrel Raisin Cookies (oh-oh, Suzanne's not going to like that...)

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Coconut Washboards

2007-05-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 223 in the old book / page 249 in the new book

OK, here we go with my big coconut dilemma again. A conundrum that is only aggravated by the fact that I currently possess four different kinds of coconut, all of which must eventually be used up. Ideally I would try each kind of coconut in each recipe, but I'm afraid for now it's going to be try one and see how it turns out...

I made this week's Coconut Washboards with the unsweetened, dessicated coconut. This time, I did not rehydrate the coconut and I measured it by weight. The cookies turned out very crunchy - which was how I envisioned them (for me, that name conjures up an image of a store-bought cookie from my past), but a little different from the semisoft cookie described in the recipe notes.

The other difference I noticed was that the dough was easy to handle. In fact, I didn't need to chill the dough before shaping. Each portion of dough is first rolled into a sausage shape, then flattened, then pressed with a fork. It takes a little time, but is easy and nearly foolproof.

I thought the cookies were very good, but I'm curious to try the recipe again using sweetened, shredded coconut, which I expect would produce a cookie closer to the semisoft cookie Maida describes. Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "This was a plain-looking, rectangular shaped, big (but not thick) cookie. Even though it was plain-looking, the taste was anything but plain. I love the crunch of the cookie and the coconut, buttery taste. It tasted great with my morning coffee. Rating - 4.0"

Laura: "Crunchy and yummy - not too sweet - just right! I would have liked just a tad more coconut, but overall a very delish cookie. Rating - 4.0"

Denny: "These were good. I liked the crunch and the coconut taste. Minus one for no chocolate makes them a 2.0. Rating - 2.0"

Terri: "If you like the combination of coconut and crunchiness, this is the cookie for you! I particularly like coconut and found this cookie had just right amount... not as much as a macaroon. Also, a nice size cookie since it's rectangular in shape - with ridges like a washboard. Rating - 3.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.4

Next week - Coconut Pennies

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Danish Butter Sandwiches

2007-05-14T10:43:00.000-04:00

Page 221 in the old book / page 248 in the new book

These big, sweet cookies definitely have eye appeal, but they are very big and very sweet - too much so for some. I didn't test them on any kids, but I imagine they'd love them. I thought these buttery, crunchy cookies were very good, but my conscience was troubled with the knowledge that there were over two sticks of butter in just 24 cookies - that's 2 1/4 teaspoons per cookie!

They're very easy to make, but I had one little problem. To shape the cookies you roll them into balls, flatten them slightly between your hands, and then use a fork to imprint them with the stripey design. As you can see above, the dough was a little crumbly, so when I flattened the balls they tended to split on the sides. The only remedy I can think of (except - perish the thought - add more butter), would be to try beating the dough a little longer. The instructions are to beat it until the mixture holds together, but maybe I didn't let it go quite long enough.

I found my kitchen scale came in very handy in shaping these cookies. Since I find those cues for sizing cookies confusing (is a well-rounded teaspoon more or less than a rounded teaspoon?), lately I've been using the scale to create sort of an exemplar cookie. I weigh all the dough and then divide it by the number of cookies it's supposed to make to find the weight of one cookie (say 25 grams). Then, I weigh out 25 grams (or whatever the amount is) of dough and I can see exactly how big each cookie is supposed to be. With these cookies, since it's important that they be uniformly sized and it was a small batch, I weighed each portion.

By the way, the beautiful tray the cookies are sitting on was given to me by Zarah when she visited about this time last year. The gorgeous spring weather that has finally arrived has me fondly recalling her visit and wishing we could make it an annual tradition!

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "The cookies were very attractive with indentation lines going down the center of the cookie. I guess I’m not a fan of sandwich cookies. I’d rather eat one at a time. Maybe that’s why people (me) separate Oreo’s and eat the center filling before eating each cookie separately. I thought the center browned butter filling was too sweet. The cookie was rather plain tasting. Rating - 3.0"

Laura: "Yummy, buttery, delicious cookies with added treat of a creamy sweet icing in between. Rating - 4.0"

Denny: "OK, nothing special, so nothing to say. Minus one for no chocolate. Rating - 2.0"

Terri: "These are delicious - if you like shortbread cookies you'll love these ones. These sandwich cookies are like two shortbreads with butter creme holding them together. Very sweet and buttery. I particularly like the crunchy crispness in the texture. Rating - 4.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.3

Next week - Coconut Washboards

Nutrition Facts

I can't like that

2007-05-13T16:01:00.000-04:00

A while back, my three year old neice, Cassidy, and my brother came to my house for dinner. I thought I'd come up with an ingenious plan to get her to eat the tomato and chickpea dish that I was serving. I put a little of the pureed mixture (sans the whole chickpeas) in a small bowl and presented it to her with some crackers. I told her it was "dip" - Cassidy calls anything in which you dunk something else dip (the ketchup for french fries, the tamarind chutney for pappadums, etc.). Though Cassidy has become a picky eater, she loves dipping and I thought she'd be so charmed by the presentation she'd forget to scrutinize what it was she was about to eat.

Ha - wishful thinking. I set it before her, she gave it one look and pronounced, "I can't like that". Of course, I had to stifle my laughter - she'd obviously confused "can't" with "don't". Or had she? I thought about it a little and realized that for so many of the foods I say I don't like, it really would be more honest to say that I can't like them. Whether it's the appearance or just of idea of it, I've passed judgement before even tasting. It would be so much easier to be open-minded about food - why can't I?

I'm afraid won't be answering that question today, but I did want to share the latest food which I've decided I can't like (though, in this case I am mildly curious) - the Kool-Aid Pickle, aka the Koolickle.

Mondays with Maida - French Filbert Macaroons

2007-05-07T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 219 in the old book / page 246 in the new book

Funny that this cookie comes so soon after my revisit with its Italian cousin, Brutti ma Buoni, or as Maria Grammatico calls them, Belli et Brutti. Last time I tried that recipe which is made with almonds, I was thinking it might be interesting to try it with hazelnuts rather than almonds. Little did I know that I was just a couple of weeks away from trying Maida's take on that very thing. According to Maida, these cookies are traditional for Christmas in France.

Her version has not only the expected nuts, sugar and egg whites, but also a small amount of seedless black raspberry jam and finely minced candied cherries. There's not enough of either to provide more than a hint of flavor, but that's OK - hazelnuts are the star here and their flavor comes through loud and clear. What the jam and cherries do is help make the cookies moist and chewy. Hazelnut... moist and chewy... I think we have a winner!

These cookies are very easy to make. I used the food processor to grind the nuts and it worked well. I worried that I should add some sugar to prevent the ground nuts from turning to butter, but that was not a problem at all. I didn't get them ground quite as evenly as I'd hoped, but the few larger bits of nut here and there provided a nice texture.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "I enjoyed the taste of the cookie, but didn’t care for the texture. The texture was extremely chewy and I felt like I was chewing gummy bears. I think that it probably was the candied cherries that make the cookie so chewy. The cookie took too much work to enjoy. Rating - 3.0"

Laura: "Very moist and chewy. Lovely flavor of hazelnuts. Rating - 3.5"

Denny: "Excellent. Very tasty and not as crunchy as they look. Couldn't pick out the raspberry taste, but the cherries added to the overall excellence of the cookie. Minus one for no chocolate makes them a 3.5 for me. Surprisingly good since I'm not much for regular macaroons. Rating - 3.5"

Terri: "These are absolutely fantastic! If I closed my eyes while eating one of them, I'd think I was in a French pastry shop! These macaroons are chewy and have just the right amount of hazelnuts, jam, and candied cherries. They are all blended so well, one can see a slight reddish tint in the cookies. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.8

Next week - Danish Butter Sandwiches

Nutrition Facts

Meet me in St. Louis

2007-05-01T22:50:00.000-04:00

When Nupur invited me to come visit her in St. Louis, she didn't have to twist my arm. We had gotten together a couple of times while she was in New York, and each time I truly enjoyed our time together, but it was cut short because one or the other of us had to hurry off somewhere else. Needless to say, the idea of a whole weekend to visit with Nupur and V. (and let's not forget Dale) sounded perfect to me!

There was much to enjoy - lots of fabulous food, the St. Louis Gateway Arch, Soulard Market, Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, mini donuts (see below), Global Foods, Gus' Pretzels, Forest Park, and the gorgeous mosaics in the nearby Cathedral Basilica - but more than anything else, I enjoyed the company of Nupur and V. I had lots of time to talk with Nupur during the weekend and I was truly impressed by her passion for living life responsibly and well, be it by eating healthfully, or by reusing and recycling, or by living an uncluttered life. I came away from the weekend energized and inspired.

It should come as no surprise that Nupur is amazing in the kitchen. I was fortunate enough not only to partake of the meals she prepared, but to look over her shoulder as she prepared them. I will be revisiting the archives of One Hot Stove with even greater enthusiasm (and Nupur, don't be surprised if you get an email or two begging for recipes I can't find on your blog!)

Nupur and V. - thank you so very much for welcoming me so warmly into your home!

That fine Soulard Market delicacy... mini donuts!

Mondays with Maida - Señoritas

2007-04-30T22:07:00.000-04:00

Page 218 in the old book / page 242 in the new book

Sorry, my cookie post is arriving a little late today... I just got back from a wonderful weekend which I'll tell you a little about in the next day or two.

These cookies have lots going for them: they're crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle, they're very easy to make, and they're loaded with brown sugar and toasted almonds. Once again I find myself championing a cookie that some found plain. I thought the toasted almonds in these cookies gave them great flavor and added a nice crunch, lifting them well above the ordinary.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "This cookie grew on me. At first, I thought there wasn’t much to the cookie, but after a few bites, I really liked the brown sugar and crunchy almond taste. Rating - 4.0"

Laura: "These cookies are sweet and crunchy. The flavor is nice, but they aren't very "exciting" (as cookies go). Rating - 3.0"

Denny: "OK but a little too sweet 2.0 (-1 for no chocolate). Rating - 2.0"

Terri: "These are delicious, especially if you like almonds. The texture is chewy, but the almonds make them a bit crunchy too. There's just enough brown sugar, so these are almost an almond flavored sugar cookie. Rating - 4.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.3

Next week - French Filbert Macaroons

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Chocolate and Peanut-Butter Crescents

2007-04-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 216 in the old book / page 241 in the new book

You might be thinking, "What's with the thumbprints, aren't these supposed to be crescents?" Yes, yes, that's true and as you can see, I did make some crescents, but the dough was painfully crumbly and the crescents were pitifully cracked, and (perhaps most importantly) shaping those crescents was taking far too long. After a good hour and a half I had only shaped about half of the cookies. It was becoming more difficult rather than easier, as the dough seemed to be getting more crumbly. I seriously considered tossing the remaining dough, but then it occurred to me that a thumbprint shape might work.

I can't say Maida didn't give fair warning: "These are small candylike cookies that take time and patience." I just ran out of time and didn't have the patience. The cookies are shaped by taking a small amount of dough, rolling it into a ball, pressing the ball flat between your hands, and then wrapping the flattened dough around some peanut butter filling. The filled cylinder is then tapered on the ends and curved slightly to form a crescent. Rolling the dough into a ball and even flattening it was not a problem, but wrapping it around the peanut butter caused the dough to crack. I did the best I could to heal the cracks by pinching them, etc., but it was futile. Thankfully, the cracks didn't get any worse during baking and the filling didn't ooze out.

And though the crescents weren't especially attractive, I thought they tasted great. The cookie is thin and hard and the filling is quite soft - a really nice contrast. (The panel, you'll see, was less than enthusiastic.) The thumbprints were OK, but there's too much of the dense cookie and not enough of the filling.

I opted not to roll these in powdered sugar or vanilla sugar as suggested in the recipe, but one or the other would have made the cookies a little more attractive. I'm not sure I have it in me to try making these again, but if I did I think I might try cutting down slightly on the flour with the hope that the dough would be less crumbly. I'd also be tempted to drizzle on some chocolate and/or peanut butter icing to give the cookies eye appeal. If I resorted to making thumbprints again, I think a dollop of chocolate icing on top (so that it completely covered the peanut butter filling) might make the cookies more like Reese's peanut butter cups.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "I thought, 'What could be better – chocolate and peanut butter together'. Somehow, I was disappointed. The cookie was very crunchy almost to the point of being hard and wasn’t fudgy enough for me. The peanut butter was too thick and stuck to the roof of my mouth and teeth. I know Cathy said that the crescent shape was difficult and took a lot of time, so I feel bad about making a negative comment, but the cookie for me was disappointing. Rating - 3.0"

Laura: "You can't go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter! The cocolaty cookie crescent was a little too crispy/crunchy, but the flavor was delightful... especially when mixed with the creamy peanut butter filling. Rating - 4.0"

Denny: "Not bad but kind of disappointing. My taste buds were expecting a Reese's peanut butter cup cookie, but it was not even close. Not enough chocolate or peanut butter in the recipe. High expectations meet a lesser reality. Even with the chocolate bonus, I rate them a 3.0 as crescents or thumbprints. Rating - 3.0"

Terri: "These are delicious - kind of like a cookie-Reese cup candy! They have a crunchy texture and just the right amount of peanut butter. Even though I don't consider myself a
'chocoholic', these are great. Rating - 4.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.6

Next week - Señoritas

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Chocolate Oatmeal Crispies

2007-04-16T13:25:00.000-04:00

Page 214 in the old book / page 240 in the new book

Light and crunchy with lots of texture from rolled oats and coconut and a deep dark chocolate flavor - can't complain about that! I expect these cookies would keep very well and despite the fact that they shatter into tasty bits in your mouth, they seem relatively sturdy too. Definitely one to remember next time you're thinking about mailing cookies to someone special.

For some reason lately I've been in a dither over what kind of coconut to use. In years past I've always relied upon either Baker's or the store brand of shredded coconut and never thought twice about it. But these days I do most of my shopping at Whole Foods and neither type is available there. That together with my sense that the product I've always used has been getting sweeter and stickier over the years has led me to seek out an alternative. I'm confused about the kinds of coconut too and suspect there are some alternatives that either are not available to me or I haven't stumbled upon yet. For these cookies I used Bob's Red Mill Medium Shredded Coconut, which is a dried, unsweetened coconut. I rehydrated it in warm water, then put it in a paper towel and blotted out the excess moisture, and then measured it. I've also used frozen (the one I was able to find was sweetened, but presumably less so than Baker's), and I've used the "coconut powder" available in Indian grocery stores, but can't remember for what. I'd be curious to hear what types of coconut you use and any tips you may have about swapping one kind for another.

OK, back to the cookies. They use semisweet chocolate, which give them a surprisingly dark color and taste. They're very easy to mix and shaping is just like a peanut butter cookie: roll a blob of dough into a ball and then press a fork in two directions to flatten the cookie slightly. They spread during baking, so though they're shaped like peanut butter cookies, they don't look like them.

Here's the panel...

Laura: "Tasty, crunchy, and deliciously chocolaty. A little bit drier than I like my oatmeal cookies to be... but still very yummy! Rating - 3.5"

Denny: "Very good. Crunchy and chocolaty with lots of texture. Better than you'd think just by looking at the name. Rating - 4.0"

Drucie: "You can't go wrong with chocolate! These cookies were nice and crispy. The oatmeal and the coconut gave the cookie a nice texture. And best of all - no nuts in these cookies! Rating - 4.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.0

Next week - Chocolate and Peanut-Butter Crescents

Nutrition Facts

Something (slightly) different...

2007-04-08T21:51:00.000-04:00

Mondays with Maida is taking a little Easter holiday, but will be back next Monday with the Chocolate Oatmeal Crispies originally promised for this week. In the meantime, here's a non-Maida cookie to tide you over...

I first wrote about these cookies about two years ago, after my trip to Sicily. These Belli et Brutti (beautiful and ugly) are more commonly called Brutti ma Buoni (ugly but good). I've never made french macarons, but as I made these it occurred to me that you could think of them as a very rustic italian version of that confection. But maybe that's a stretch.

In any case they too are primarily almonds, sugar and egg whites. I had trouble last time I made them because instead of remaining pleasantly chunky as I remembered them from Maria Grammatico's Pasticceria, they spread until they were flat as could be. So this time, I decided to cut the baking powder in half and leave out some egg white. They still spread but were much closer to what I remember. I question whether the baking powder is needed at all and think I might try leaving it out completely next time.

This time I also ground the almonds myself rather than purchasing almond meal. Since a hand cranked meat grinder was recommended over a food processor, I tried the grinder attachment to my Kitchenaid mixer which I reasoned was similar in design. It "ground" to a halt in about 15 seconds. With great difficulty I finally opened the grinder to remove the almonds and sugar and found that a solid almond disk had formed just under the plate with the blade embedded in it. I literally had to chip away at the almond to remove the blade. Moral of the story: use the food processor!

The cookies are wonderfully crunchy on the outside and moist and chewy within. They are very, very sweet, but as I recalled no one complained about that last time I made them. I am very tempted to play with this recipe some more - perhaps toast the almonds (or even use another nut), reduce the sugar, or maybe try beating the eggs whites (something it seems is done in every other recipe for Brutti ma buoni).

Belli et Brutti
(Adapted from Bitter Almonds by Mary Taylor Simeti & Maria Grammatico)

1 lb whole blanched almonds
1 lb sugar (2 1/4 cups)
about 2 1/2 large egg whites (3 egg whites less 1 tablespoon)
1 tbs honey
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp baking powder
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grind the almonds and sugar together in the food processor until the almonds are fairly consistent in size (I did this in two batches). Place all ingredients in the mixer bowl and beat on low speed using paddle until the dough comes together. Use a tablespoon to scoop out pieces of dough (or pinch them off with your fingers). You want them to be roughly shaped and kind of spikey. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet about an inch apart and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. I had planned to bake two sheets at a time, so my racks were adjusted so that the oven was divided in thirds. I ended up baking one sheet at a time, so I started them on top and then moved them to the bottom rack halfway through the cooking time - they were nicely browned on both the peaks of the tops and on the bottoms. Dust with powdered sugar and remove to racks to cool. Makes 3 to 4 dozen.

Mondays with Maida - Chocolate Aggies

2007-04-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 213 in the old book / page 239 in the new book

No drama this week - in the making or the eating. These cookies were simple to make and very, very good. They're moist, chewy, and perhaps most importantly - chocolate.

I can't recall if I've made these before, but they certainly are a familiar cookie. You'll find similar recipes on the net under the names "Chocolate Crinkle Cookies" and "Chocolate Snowflake Cookies". Maida's name for these cookies puzzled me and I hunted around to see if other cookies were known as "Aggies", but as near as I can tell the only recipe out there with this name is Maida's own. There are two other meanings of the word: students of an agricultural college or agate marbles. I'm guessing it's the marbles that inspired the name of these cookies. As you see them in the photo above they don't much look like agate marbles, but before baking I suppose they did.

In case you're not already familiar with these cookies, what gives them their distinctive look is a coating of powdered sugar that is applied before baking. When baked, the cookies split open and spread in a way that clearly inspired their other monikers - crinkles and snowflakes.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "I love chocolate brownies and that’s exactly what this cookie tastes like. The sweetness of the powdered sugar topping was an added treat. The cookie had walnuts inside which added to the fudgie brownie taste. Rating - 5.0"

Laura: "Chocolate with a dusting of powdered sugar sweetness! Deliciously moist and chocolatey. Very yummy cookies! Rating - 4.5"

Denny: "Very nice little cookie with maybe just a little too much powdered sugar. Not much to say about it, but it was good. Rating - 4.0"

Drucie: "Not only are they pretty to look at, but they are chocolatey and chewy as well. I'm not a fan of nuts in cookies, so I found the walnuts a little distracting. Rating - 4.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.5

Next week - Chocolate Oatmeal Crispies

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Fudge Mallows

2007-03-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 211 in the old book / page 235 in the new book

The Cookie Panel has spoken and they've said, no - demanded (think Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors), "CHOCOLATE!" Okay, so I'm still smarting from the panel's utter rejection of my beloved Big Newtons last week, but regardless, this week's scores are shocking. Their first 5.0 ever - and this for a cookie that I thought was only average.

It's appearance certainly is seductive, but these cookies are much too sweet for my taste. The cookie base has good flavor and alone wouldn't be overly sweet. Its texture is sort of blah though - firm but cakey. It is the marshmallow that puts the cookie over the top in sweetness, but on the other hand it also provides a chewy gooeyness that saves the cookie from being truly ordinary.

The cookies are quite easy to make. Maida recommends wetting your hands slightly before rolling the dough into balls (presumably to prevent sticking), but I didn't find that necessary. I used the marshmallows that Whole Foods sells in plastic containers. They're sort of like homemade, and I thought they'd have better texture than the "jet-puffed" variety. Which brings me to this:

I call it "cookie massacre". After baking the cookies you stick half a marshmallow on top of each and put them back in the oven for between one and one and a half minutes. I left mine in about a minute and 10 seconds. They actually didn't look this bad when I first pulled them out of the oven. The marshmallows on one sheet were still perched on top of the cookies. Those on the other sheet had mostly toppled off but had just started to melt. Unfortunately, the marshmallows continued to melt out of the oven. I probably should have slid the paper off the cookie sheets immediately rather than attempting to lift the cookies off individually, but even after the cookies were on the racks, the marshmallow situation got worse. I tried to do damage control for a little while and then just gave up and decided to wait until they cooled. The moral of this story is watch those suckers closely and consider taking them out before you think they're ready. I doubt I'll make these again - but if I did, I'd probably pull them out after 30 seconds or so.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "Wow! Yummy! This cookie had everything you could want. The cookie’s texture tasted more like chocolate cake then a cookie. There was a whole pecan in the center. On the top of the cookie was a blob of marshmallow and on top of that a thick blob of deep, rich chocolate fudge. Very sweet, but delicious! I think I've died and gone to heaven. Rating - 5.0"

Laura: "A. Maze. Ing! These cookies were very yummy fudgy brownie-like cookies topped with gooey marshmallow and fudge glaze. Terrific! Rating - 5.0"

Denny: "Excellent! Chewy and gooey. One of the best yet. 5.0!!! Just a wee bit sticky but worth it. The marshmallow makes it extra sweet but adds its texture to the chocolate icing above and the chocolate cookie below for a wonderful combination. Rating - 5.0"

Drucie: "These cookies were delicious! Sweet and chocolaty, and the marshmallow was a nice contrast in texture. I really like these cookies. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 5.0

Next week - Chocolate Aggies

Nutrition Facts

My Favorite Rolled Cookies

2007-03-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

These Swedish Ginger Cookies were a joy to make and tasted great too - they just missed my short list.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel! I miscounted the number of remaining chapters when I concluded the icebox cookie chapter, but though there are still two chapters remaining, there are just 32 cookies to go. 116 other cookies are but memories now, including 27 rolled cookies...

I have to say, this was probably the chapter I feared most. I've never been very good at rolling cookie dough and I'm not sure I improved much as I worked my way through this chapter. I wish there were tips I could pass along for rolling dough evenly or preventing it from sticking, but these things still seem to more dependent upon the character of the dough than anything I do. I have learned that I have a fondness for filled cookies over plain old rolled cookies and given a choice, I will shy away from thinly rolled dough.

Though the seemingly endless number of plain brown cookies (be they honey, ginger, or whole wheat) got a little boring, there was only one truly awful cookie. I found it difficult to narrow my favorites to just a few but though I was tempted to include just about all of the filled cookies, I finally managed to winnow the list down to six. So here's my quickie recap of the best of the best. As usual, the runners-up are in no particular order and I've saved my very favorite cookie for last...

My go-to sugar cookie recipe - Plain Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies - with a new look, but the same wonderful flavor thanks to plenty of real butter and vanilla.

Unbelievably light and tender, these Rum Raisin Shortbread cookies had a wonderful rum flavor that wasn't the least bit harsh.

I loved the flavor of these elegant Viennese Chocolate Cookies - chocolate and almond with a surprising hint of lemon.

Perfect for the holidays, for company, or any other special occasion, Ischler Cookies are bound to please just about everyone. Two almond cookies with a little apricot jam in the middle and a semisweet chocolate glaze on the outside sounds like a winning combination and it is!

What I like most about filled cookies is the filling and these Hamantaschen deliver a generous helping of a delicious prune and apricot filling. The delicate orange-scented pastry is pretty great too!

And surprise, surprise, the greatest of them all - BIG NEWTONS! (Ha! Take that Cookie Panel!) Really though, these are seriously good cookies. Each time I look at that picture, the memory of them is so strong, I can practically taste and smell them. They're really that good.

So now on to "Hand-Formed Cookies" - I've been looking forward to this one. I love rolling little balls of dough between my hands and welcome the break from the rolling pin! By the way, in case you're new here - all the cookies on this page are from Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies. The book is out of print but still available as a remainder, used, or in your library. All but one of the recipes were also reprinted in the newer Maida Heatter's Cookies which also includes cookie recipes from a couple of her other books. Read about my little project here and start here if you're interested in exploring my earlier posts.

Mondays with Maida - Big Newtons

2007-03-19T01:00:00.000-04:00

Page 206 in the old book / page 228 in the new book

Oh how I love these cookies! I've been making them every Father's Day for some years now, since my Dad is a big fan of filled cookies. In my opinion, this is about as good as it gets... a buttery whole wheat crust, fragrant with honey, surrounds a thick fig filling with hints of orange and lemon. So often with a filled cookie the pastry is just a handle for the filling, but with Maida's Big Newtons, the pastry and filling are equally matched. I can't imagine one without the other.

These really aren't difficult to make, if you have something to grind the figs with. I've always used the grinder attachment to my Kitchenaid mixer, but Maida indicates that a food processor could also be used. I can't imagine finely chopping all those sticky figs with a knife. The dough tends to crack here and there as you roll it, but it's easy enough to push it back together or even patch it, if need be.

Cookie trivia: Ever wonder why Fig Newtons are called Newtons? The cookies were introduced by the Kennedy Biscuit Works in 1891. The company was based in Cambridgeport and named its products after nearby towns - so Fig Newtons were named for Newton, Massachusetts. Read more about it here and here. Today the Kennedy Biscuit Works bakery is known as Kennedy Biscuit Loft - yup, it's been converted to condos! One of the ovens is still on display in a common area.

Sadly, the cookie panel is lacking in fig lovers. They were not nearly as fond of these cookies as I am. I was tempted to take editorial license and "correct" their scores, but instead I'll give these cookies the kudos they deserve in tomorrow's post on my favorite rolled cookies. Here's the panel... take what they say with a grain of salt :)

Suzanne: "I guess I’m not a big fan of Fig Newton cookies. I don’t like biting down on seeds. I like the sweet taste of the fig, but not the seeds (the same with raspberries). The fig filling was an inch thick. I only hope that we are not going into a month of different types of fig cookies. Rating - 1.5"

Laura: "The cookie part was very tasty. However the fig filling was a little too sweet and too thick. Rating - 3.0"

Denny: "Aptly named. They taste like FN's but better - more figs. However, I've never been keen on FN's so with a minus 1 for no chocolate, I'd give them a 2.0. Better than FN's but about average for a cookie from a great baker. Rating - 2.0"

Drucie: "The cookie portion was delicious, but the filling was overwhelming. I love sweets, but this filling was so sweet that I couldn't finish it. This cookie would have been great with about 1/3 of the filling. Rating - 2.8"

Overall rating by the panel - 2.3

That's the last of the rolled cookies - come back tomorrow to find out which were my personal favorites.

Next week - Fudge Mallows

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Danish Coffeehouse Slices

2007-03-12T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 204 in the old book / page 226 in the new book

I just had an "I could have had a V8!" moment - I uploaded the photo above and then noticed the name of these cookies again. I looked at the lovely Italian plate and back at the name of the cookies... and remembered the beautiful little Royal Copenhagen tray that Zarah brought me last year from Denmark. Big head slap. Hopefully I'll remember it when I make the Danish Butter Sandwiches in about two months!

These cookies bear some resemblance to both last week's cookie - Rugelach - and next week's Big Newtons. They're rolled with a filling of apricot jam, currants, and walnuts, much like rugelach, but the long rolls are not sliced until after they're baked - like fig newtons. The pastry is orange-flavored and the filling includes generous amounts of cinnamon and sugar. Denny complained that there was a little too much going on with these cookies, and he has a point. I think I would prefer the filling without the cinnamon and sugar. I think they mask the apricot jam's tartness and give the filling an almost grainy texture.

With Suzanne still out and both Terri and Herman having given up sweets for Lent, Drucie graciously agreed to fill in on the cookie panel...

Laura: "These are very moist and tasty. The filling (jam, nuts, currants) is incredibly yummy! Rating - 4.0"

Denny: "Very good. A little busy with the different flavors, but I guess I was expecting more nuts because it looks like a nut roll. Reminded me a little of a fig newton with the crust. Overall very nice once I got used to it. -1 for no chocolate. I'd give it a 3.8. Rating - 3.8"

Drucie: "Moist and chewy. I especially like the orange and cinnamon flavor with the currants. Too many nuts detract from the moistness of the cookie. Rating - 3.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.6

Next week - Big Newtons

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Rugelach

2007-03-05T10:44:00.000-05:00

Page 201 in the old book / page 188 in the new book

I used to include Rugelach (with apricot jam, currants and pecans) in my assortment of Christmas cookies quite regularly. I've gotten out of the habit recently, partly because I think of them as one of the more difficult cookies to make (by now you must know of my aversion to rolling cookie dough), and partly because I've also fallen out out of the habit of making apricot jam each year (one bad batch put a damper on that). Well now that I've tried Maida's recipe, I may have to put Rugelach back in the starting line-up at Christmas. They were much easier to make than my usual recipe, they don't require any apricot jam, and they were delicious!

The dough for Maida's version of Rugelach is rolled into 12-inch circles, brushed with melted butter, and sprinkled with walnuts, currants, cinnamon and sugar. You then cut each circle into wedges and roll each wedge from wide end to small. This method is quite forgiving of ragged/lopsided circles and uneven wedges - thank goodness! The other recipe I've used, from Rosie's Bakery Chocolate-Packed Jam-Filled, Butter-Rich, No-Holds-Barred Cookie Book is more exacting. The dough is rolled very thinly into large rectangles which are rolled and sliced - much more work. The other problem I always had with that recipe is that the middles always seemed undercooked - not so with Maida's recipe. They were wonderfully crunchy through and through.

These cookies went quickly and were obviously a hit. Even a coworker who only reluctantly eats nuts told me that they were the best nut cookie she'd ever had. She was quite enthusiastic, so this was clearly intended as a complement, though I guess you'd have to say it was a qualified complement. :)

Suzanne will be out for the next couple of weeks doting over her new granddaughter, Victoria. Congratulations Suzanne! Here's the panel ...

Laura: "Light, flaky and crunchy - very tasty! Rating - 4.5"

Denny: "Golden brown delights. Reminds me of my Mom's and Grandmom's holiday baking. And what's better than that?! Baked to perfection with just the right amount of crunch. Cookies like these make it a pleasure to be on your Cookie Committee. I wish they had a little chocolate so I could them a 5, but to be consistent I'd give them a 4.0 with the -1 no chocolate penalty. Rating - 4.0"

Terri: "These are a delicious treat! I love the buttery taste of the cookie and the amount of walnuts and currants is perfect. These would be great with vanilla ice cream. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.5

Next week - Danish Coffeehouse Slices

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Hamantaschen

2007-02-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

Page 199 in the old book / page 224 in the new book

These Hamantaschen are traditional for Purim, but have a nontraditional prune, apricot and walnut filling. Before I tell you more, Suzanne kindly provided a little background that I'll share with you...

In case you want to put a little history in your blog, the cookie is shaped like a triangle because the bad man in the story (Haman) who wanted to kill the Jews in Persia (Iran today) wore a three cornered (triangular) hat. What the King (Ahasverus) and Haman didn’t know was that the King was married to a Jew, Esther. When Esther found out from her uncle Mordechai that Haman wanted to kill all the Jews, she went to the King and told him that she was Jewish. The King loved Esther and instead killed Haman. Each year the Jewish people celebrate Esther saving the Jews in Persia by reading the Megillah of Esther (the Book of Esther) and each time Haman’s name is mentioned everyone drowns out the sound of his name with noisemakers (graggers). The children and some adults dress up in costumes. When I was a child, we dressed up as Esther, the King, Mordechai, and even Haman, but today they dress up in any costume. The synagogues also have Purim carnivals for the kids. It’s a fun holiday.

Well, even though the cookies are modeled on the bad guy's hat, I'm completely enamoured with their shape. It's simple to do, holds lots of filling, and looks great too. You cut a circle, spoon some filling in the middle, and then lift up three sides and pinch the corners together - it's far simpler to do then it is to describe. Maida suggests you hold the cookie in the palm of one hand while doing this, but I found it easier to work with it on the cookie sheet since that left both hands free to shape the cookie.

The filling was delicious in spite of the fact that my apricots were like cardboard. I hadn't noticed that they were within a couple of days of their sell-by date when I bought them. I could see they were pretty ugly, but chalked that up to the fact that they were unsulphured. I got home, though, and found that they were completely dried out. I steamed them (I had to or I wouldn't have even been able to chop them!), but still had to add quite a bit of extra water to the filling as it cooked. But it all worked out - the filling was sweet, tart and flavorful.

Here's the panel ...

Suzanne: "When I made this cookie with my kids when they were little, the cookie was harder in texture. Cathy’s cookie was delicious but the dough is softer then the traditional cookie. The cookie traditionally either has apricot, prunes or poppy in the center, but I enjoyed the mixture of prunes and apricots in this cookie. It had a sweet but tart taste. Since my kids love chocolate (I wonder where they got that from?) I use to put chocolate chips in the center. Rating - 4.5"

Laura: "These are very tasty cookies. The filling was yummy and I loved the unique 'tricorn' shape of the cookie. Rating - 3.5"

Denny: "Excellent, loved the filling although I missed the walnuts. Minus one for no chocolate gives them a 4.0. Rating - 4.0"

Terri: "These cookies are a work of art and truly delicious! The combination of the prunes and apricots make them sweet enough and the walnuts and crust add the perfect crunch. And of course, they must be good for us with the prunes! Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.3

Next week - Rugelach

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Prune Pillows

2007-02-19T22:47:00.000-05:00

Page 196 in the old book / page 223 in the new book

While these cookies appealed to me from the get-go, I was afraid they might be a tough sell at work. A couple of the panelists weren't exactly eager to try them, but they got surprisingly high marks for a prune-filled cookie. The filling, which is tangy and sweet, is delicious. The cookie was slightly crisp initially, but softened with storage. It was good but plain - its purpose was clearly to contain the filling and not much else.

Given that there were a number of cautions in the recipe about keeping the pastry cloth, cutters, etc., well floured, I was surprised to find that this dough was relatively easy to handle. I had very little trouble with it sticking, even in the final stages of shaping the cookies, when it had been sitting around for a while.

For the filling, I stewed the prunes myself rather than buying canned prunes. I kept it simple and didn't add any flavoring. I soaked the prunes for about six hours and then simmered them in enough water to cover for about half an hour. When cooking the filling, I found I needed to add a little extra water a couple of times in order to continue cooking it for the specified time, but I was very happy with the end result. The filling was smooth, but still had a little texture.

If you're a fan of prunes, here's a cookie that makes them the star. I bet you'll love it!

Here's the panel ...

Suzanne: "I enjoyed the prune and nut filling in the pillow-shaped cookie, but if I had my druthers, I think a chocolate and nut filling would have tasted better. The cookie was soft and was covered with powered sugar. Rating - 3.5"

Laura: "The cookie portion of the cookie was very yummy. The pillow portion of the cookie was good too. The walnuts with the prunes made a good combination. However, since I don't really care for prunes, I have to score these lower than I would have... Rating - 2.5"

Denny: "The name was a definite turn off, but they were excellent. Sounded like some kind of senior center love toy. Great UFO look to them, quite a surprise after the name. Very tasty. Minus 1 for no chocolate gives them a 4.0. Rating - 4.0"

Terri: "These are delicious surprises - but you must like PRUNES! I really liked the filling with the walnuts added. These are not too sweet, but the crust and filling almost reminds me of mince-meat pie. Rating - 4.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.5

Next week - Hamantaschen

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Chocolate-Chip Pillows

2007-02-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

Page 194 in the old book / page 222 in the new book

Wouldn't you know... chocolate finally shows up again and Denny is away for the week on travel. It would be hard to imagine anyone not liking these little pie-shaped cookies filled with chocolate chips. They taste much like a Toll House cookie, with brown sugar and just the right amount of salt, but all the chocolate chips are buried in the middle.

These cookies take a little time to make, but really are not difficult. The dough is rolled before chilling between sheets of waxed paper, which makes for easy handling. Maida tells you exactly how many chocolate chips to use in each cookie (6), so the assembly is straight forward. The only trouble I had, if you can even call it that, is the fork tended to slice through the top piece of dough rather than sealing it to the bottom. Whether this was because the dough was still stiff from chilling or the shape of the fork tines, the cookies managed to stay together.

Here's the panel ...

Suzanne: "I can’t figure out how Cathy got the chocolate chips inside of the cookie without them melting. Anyway, the cookie was buttery, crunchy and I loved the chocolate chip surprise inside. Rating - 5.0"

Laura: "These are yummy crunchy cookies with a chocolate pillow surprise. The cookie tastes like chocolate chip cookie dough without the chocolate chips (in the dough). Inside the "pillow" are several gooey chocolate chips. Yum! Rating - 4.0"

Terri: "This is a delicious and fun cookie with the surprise of chocolate chips inside. It resembles a mini-pie from the outside with a shortbread type dough. The chocolate chips are piled in the middle and make this just the right combination of chocolate and cookie. Rating - 4.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.3

Next week - Prune Pillows

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Plain Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies

2007-01-29T00:00:00.001-05:00

Page 193 in the old book / page 221 in the new book

Every time I make these - and I've made them many, many times - I am always a little surprised by how good they are. There is no secret ingredient or even anything remotely unusual about them, they are very easy to make, and the dough handles like a dream, but mostly and most importantly, they just taste incredibly good. If I were compelled to explain the "secret" to these cookies, I'm afraid all I'd be able to come up with is real butter and real vanilla. There's not much else to explain the fantastic flavor.

I make these almost every Christmas, often at Easter or Valentine's, and on occasions in between. This is a very versatile cookie and can be rolled thick or think and cut large or small. I usually roll them a little less than a quarter of an inch thick and cut them in circles or occasionally hearts. This time, being that it was for no particular occasion, I was not constrained by tradition in any way and decided to try out a cookie cutter I bought years ago in an antique store. I have no idea what it is supposed to be (if anything), but it seemed to be a hit and was cause for much discussion (what is it?).

Here's the panel ...

Suzanne: "I love sugar cookies! Cathy’s cookies had just the right amount of sugar on them so that they were not too sweet. The shape of the cookie was quite unique and whimsical. Rating - 4.5"

Denny: "I liked the unique design of the cookie cutter very much; kind of like a "fleur de lis" for any Saints fans. But it's just a sugar cookie. +1 on presentation (cutter) and -1 for no chocolate. I'd give them a 3. Rating - 3.0"

Laura: "You can never go wrong with a good sugar cookie... and these are good sugar cookies! Light and crunchy, with a great flavor. The sprinkling of crystal sugar on top adds an elegant and tasty touch. (The lovely unique cookie cutter also gets a 5/5) . Rating - 5.0"

Terri: "These are great old-fashioned sugar cookies. The crystal sugar on top adds a nice touch. They're crunchy and not too sweet. I liked the cookie cutter that Cathy used. It looks like a "flying comma". Adds an interesting look to a basic sugar cookie. Rating - 3.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.0

In two weeks - Chocolate-Chip Pillows

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Cornell Sugar Cookies

2007-01-22T11:22:00.000-05:00

Page 192 in the old book / page 220 in the new book

I completely forgot to take a picture - hence the funny looking blob above. Actually, the cookies didn't look that much different. They were very plain, soft, and were hardly my idea of a sugar cookie. They had an interesting flavor and an even more interesting back story.

In the late forties Dr. Clive McCay**, a professor at Cornell University, was asked to help improve the diet of patients in New York state mental institutions. Dr. McCay decided the best place to start was the bread and he developed a recipe for what came to be known as Cornell Bread. The key ingredients in the recipe, which were chosen to enhance the protein and vitamin content of the bread, were soy flour, wheat germ, and dry milk. Maida Heatter has taken these signature Cornell ingredients and applied them to the sugar cookie, producing something quite different from your typical sugar cookie. There are a few other ingredients worth noting in this recipe: raw sugar, nutmeg and allspice. The spices are hardly recognizable (though Laura caught it and came and asked if there was nutmeg in the cookies), but definitely contribute to the flavor, and the raw sugar adds a little crunch here and there.

I decided to forgo the pastry cloth this week and had no trouble rolling these out on a floured counter top. I cut them a little smaller than recommended and ended up with 29 rather than 18 cookies, but I thought the size was still generous. The cookies were good, but not good enough to make up for their plain-Jane appearance. Perhaps I could do a little nutritional/visual enhancement of my own... say, a little chocolate icing?

** sorry, the article I've linked to was only available through the Google cache, but it is by far the most informative I found

The panel was a little short-handed this week with Suzanne on vacation and Denny out sick...

Laura: "These are good. Moist and chewy with just a hint of spices (nutmeg and allspice). Very yummy. Rating - 4.0"

Terri: "These are very tasty and not as sweet as most sugar cookies. I'm not sure how many calories though. Not dry, but quite plain. Rating - 3.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.8

Next Week - Plain Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Dione Lucas' Sablés

2007-01-15T12:49:00.000-05:00

Page 190 in the old book / page 218 in the new book

I've gotten off easy the last couple of weeks - if only all rolled cookie doughs were as easy to handle as this one! Once again the dough is rolled unchilled between sheets of wax paper, chilled briefly and then cut. In spite of the fact that I went with a cutter with a ruffly edge, I was still able to easily release the cut cookies from the cutter.

The cookies themselves were a little disappointing. Pretty as they were, they were rather bland in flavor. They have ground almonds and a little rum in them, but the almonds contribute more to the texture than the taste of the cookie, and the rum is more noticeable to the nose than the tongue. Even the whole almond that tops the cookie could stand to be enhanced flavorwise. For some reason (perhaps to keep the whole cookie uniformly pale in color?) the almond is not toasted beforehand as it was for last week's cookie.

Now let me tell you a little about Dione Lucas. I was not familiar with her name, but I suspect many of you are. She was the first woman to graduate from the Cordon Bleu and the first woman to host a television cooking show (in the late forties). Maida Heatter calls her "one of the greatest cooks of our time" and says that she served these cookies at a memorable dinner party. Julia Child, who many of us might consider to be "the mother of French cooking in America", herself attributed that accomplishment to Dione Lucas. Ms. Lucas wrote several cookbooks, including The Cordon Bleu Cookbook, and ran the Egg Basket restaurant in New York. She died in 1971.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "The cookie again this week was a somewhat plain, but I enjoyed the taste. I thought it had a slight buttery taste, but maybe what I was tasting was the rum. It was an attractive cookie with a clear glaze on top which I expected to be sweet, but it wasn’t. Rating - 3.5"

Denny: "Dione should drink more rum when she bakes. These were Ok, kind of bland especially when compared with many of the others we've tried. I'd give them a 2.0. They're actually better but the chocolate penalty of -1 drives them down and I actually like shortbread. Rating - 2.0"

Laura: "This is a very nice shortbread type cookie. Very tasty. Love the crunchy almond on top. Yum! Rating - 3.5"

Terri: "These are very tasty with a slight flavor of rum. They were a little bit dry, almost a shortbread consistency. The almond and glaze were delicious. Rating - 3.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.1

Next Week - Cornell Sugar Cookies

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Ginger Shortbread Cookies

2007-01-08T17:14:00.000-05:00

Page 188 in the old book / page 217 in the new book

These cookies are mildly spiced and very crunchy. The texture was verging on a candy-like crunch and wasn't at all what I expected for a cookie labelled as shortbread. When I first read the recipe and saw it called for dark brown sugar and it was called shortbread, I thought it too good to be true. I guess it was!

They couldn't be easier to make. The dough comes together quickly and then is rolled between sheets of wax paper before chilling for just a few minutes. Cutting the cookies out is equally easy, as the dough handles well. I didn't have a smooth circle cookie cutter of the proper size (1-3/4 inch), so I made some with a slightly smaller (1-1/2 inch) cutter and some with a slightly larger (2 inch) one. Both sizes worked well. These cookies spread a little and left some melted butter on the cookie sheet.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "This was a good cookie, not great, just good. The spices reminded me of spices in a pumpkin pie and therefore would be good to serve in the winter months. Rating - 3.0"

Denny: "Excellent. I'm not that big on ginger, but these are great. I don't even eat gingerbread because of the ginger taste. The glaze seemed to make them a little crunchier. I'd give them a 4, deducting 1 for no chocolate. Rating - 4.0"

Laura: "Yummy crunchy cookies - just the right mix of spices! These are very tasty cookies. Rating - 4.0"

Terri: "These cookies are delicious. Just the right amount of ginger makes them mild, but spicy. The almond in the middle is not only decorative, but very tasty. I liked the crunchiness of this cookie too. Rating - 4.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.6

Next Week - Dione Lucas' Sablés

Nutrition Facts

The Essence of Chocolate

2007-01-07T11:49:00.000-05:00

If you follow any food blogs, you've probably already gotten a peek at The Essence of Chocolate - a gorgeous chocolate cookbook from the guys at Scharffen Berger, John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg. I'd had my eye on this book, so I was thrilled when offered the opportunity to review it Happily, the book lived up to and even exceeded my expectations.

This is not just a cookbook. Interspersed with the recipes are chapters that describe how the Sharffen Berger company came into being, how chocolate is made, and how cacao is grown. Both the narrative and recipe sections of the book are lavished with beautiful full page photographs.

Perhaps what pleases me most about this book is that there are so many enticing recipes and that they generally appear to be very doable - not overly difficult and not requiring obscure ingredients. If I allowed myself to dog-ear this book (I can't bear to - it's too beautiful), there would probably be at least twenty page corners folded over. I'm also very happy to find a number of ideas for using those cocoa nibs that have been languishing on my shelf.

The recipes are divided into four sections: Intensely Chocolate (rich chocolate sweets), Essentially Chocolate (lighter chocolate sweets), Hint of Chocolate (sweet and savory recipes with just a little chocolate), and Basics and Add-Ons (recipe components or accompaniments that aren't necessarily chocolate). Some of the recipes come from the folks at Sharffen Berger, but most are contributed by well-known chefs and cookbook authors, including Rick Bayless, Flo Braker, Thomas Keller, David Lebovitz, Alice Medrich, and Jacques Pépin.

There are also a number of simple ideas, called "Quick Fixes", scattered throughout the book. These are more like interesting ideas than recipes: load up a clean pepper grinder with cocoa nibs and mill some nibs over melon or strawberries; or use a mixture of cocoa powder and salt as a rub for chicken, meat or vegetables.

Like most everyone else, I'm trying to get back to eating a little less indulgently after the holidays, so I have not yet sampled any of the chocolate sweets in the book. I did try the Three-Bean Chili which has a bit of cocoa in it to provide rich color and aroma. This was a very easy to make vegetarian chili, using canned beans and tomatoes and having a cooking time of only 10 minutes. Probably because of the short cooking time, the acidity of the tomatoes seemed to overwhelm the other flavors. But allowing the chili to sit overnight and reheating it eliminated this problem entirely. I thoroughly enjoyed the leftovers. Next time I would make this the night before I planned to serve it.

I've long wanted to make marshmallows and when I saw among Claire's new year resolutions, "Make Marshmallows", I thought, me too! There just so happens to be a recipe for marshmallows in the chapter of Basics and Add-Ons. It is used in the S'mores recipe and is suggested as one of the things you might dunk in the Chocolate Orange Fondue. I'm enjoying mine straight, though I plan to have a couple in a mug of hot cocoa tonight. Marshmallows are basically a sugar syrup mixed with gelatin that is beaten into a foam and then allowed to set. You'll need a candy thermometer, but other than that they're really very easy - and fun! This particular recipe is flavored with a generous amount of vanilla extract and dusted with a mixture of cornstarch and confectioners' sugar, but you could tinker with the flavoring or coatings. I'm thinking next time of rolling them in toasted coconut, dipping them in chocolate, or as my brother David suggested, rolling them in cocoa powder.

If you're still not convinced that you must have this book, you might want to take a look at a few of the recipes from the book that are posted at Leite's Culinaria, where the book was named as one of the Best 20 Food Books of 2006: Almond Roca, Apricot Hazelnut Squares, and Cocoa Caramel Panna Cotta.

Mondays with Maida - Uppakra

2007-01-01T13:43:00.000-05:00

Page 186 in the old book / page 216 in the new book

If only these had come up a week earlier in the rotation! These pretty little Swedish cookies are rich and crumbly and would be perfect included in an assortment of Christmas cookies. With their buttery flavor and the crystal sugar sprinkled on top, they reminded me of those ubiquitous "Danish Butter Cookies" you see this time of year under various labels and almost always in blue tins. With a little potato flour in the mix, these cookies were much lighter in texture than their tinned cousins and were also graced with a sprinkle of finely chopped almonds.

The dough chills for just a brief period and didn't stick to the pastry cloth, so rolling was relatively easy. You have to keep the rolling pin floured though, because the dough has a tendancy to stick to the rolling pin, particularly at the edges. The cookies are formed by cutting circles and then cutting about a third of the circle off (I found a bench scraper worked well for this) and placing it atop the remaining two-thirds of the cookie. The cookie is then brushed with a little beaten egg and sprinkled with almonds and crystal sugar.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "The cookie is a mix between a shortbread cookie and a sugar cookie. The cookie is a little dry and crumbly. It isn’t as sweet as a sugar cookie, but it did have large sugar granules on top. I also like anything with nuts, so I enjoyed the ground up almonds on top. I do have to admit that the cookie does play tricks with your mind. It looks like a half of a round cookie, so my mind is telling me I need another half. Rating - 3.5"

Denny: "Nicely done, but a tad understated. Maybe I'm just cookied out from Christmas. I'd give them a 3 with the obligatory minus one for no chocolate. Rating - 3.0"

Laura: "These cookies had a delicate flavor, but they were a bit dry for my liking... I was out of the office for several days and Cathy saved some for me in a zippy bag. Because I ate them several days later, that may have contributed to the dryness. Still, they were nice cookies. Rating - 3.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.3

Next Week - Ginger Shortbread Cookies

Nutrition Facts

You must read this...

2006-12-29T19:58:00.000-05:00

Dallas Food has a fascinating and unbelievably thorough report that answers the question, What's Noka Worth? Noka, if you like me are not in the know when it comes to chocolates that are in the $309 to $2080 per pound range, is the Plano, Texas manufacturer of some very expensive molded chocolates and truffles. Not surprisingly, the answer is "quite a bit less than the asking price", but getting to the answer is a fantastic journey. That guy knows his chocolate.

Mondays with Maida - Arrowroot Wafers from Bermuda

2006-12-26T09:42:00.000-05:00

Page 184 in the old book / page 215 in the new book

Today we have a very special Tuesday edition of Mondays with Maida... well, very special only in that it is Tuesday. The cookies... not so much. In fact, I'd planned to slip in a late evening post yesterday when no one was looking, but collapsed on the couch instead.

These cookies are made with both arrowroot and regular wheat flour, so though arrowroot can serve as a flour substitute for those that are gluten intolerant, these cookies are not gluten-free. But if you are unable to eat these cookies, you're not missing a thing. These cracker-like wafers are barely sweet and so dry they made me cough. What little flavor they have really isn't bad, but there are many more interesting cookies to be made and I see no reason to make these again.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "This didn’t taste like the name brand Arrowroot cookies that I gave to my children way back when. The cookie was very plain, wafer thin and the taste was in between a cracker and cookie. The cookie tasted like it had very little ingredients in it except the flour. There was a slight taste of sugar and almost no taste of butter. Rating - 1.0"

Laura: "These were very crisp cookies. They had a nice enough flavor, but were pretty boring. Rating - 3.0"

Terri: "Not to be ungrateful for Cathy's efforts, but these are the least favorite of all the cookies I have tasted. I've tasted the store-bought arrowroot cookies, but this recipe seems dryer then those. Sorry Cathy, just being honest. These don't hold a candle to the Christmas cookies you brought to the office last week. Rating - 0.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 1.5

Next Week - Uppakra Cookies

Nutrition Facts

Knitting and Felting - A Christmas Bunny for Cassidy

2006-12-19T22:31:00.000-05:00

Every few Christmases there's one gift that I get totally psyched about and can't wait to give. This year this is the one.

I had my doubts about this little guy as I was knitting him. At one point there were at least ten stitch holders hanging off his body and innumerable loose ends. The knitting, which involves increasing, decreasing and picking up stitches, was actually not that difficult and for the most part went quickly. Where I got bogged down were the places where I had to graft stitches (I'm still not sure I do that right), sewing the ears (I FINALLY figured out how to do an invisible vertical seam - yay!), and weaving in those dozens of ends. When I was done with the knitting and sewing he was looking kind of sad...

and kind of big...

But a wash cycle later he emerged completely transformed. I didn't take a photo at this stage, but all the little bumps and holes disappeared, he was a cute bunny size, and best of all he had perfect curves everywhere. It took a couple days for him to dry out, then I added the eyes and nose, stuffed him, sewed up the remaining opening, and tied on a bow.

And in a few days I'll be introducing him to my dear niece Cassidy...

I should add that the pattern is by Mary Martin and is available on her site or Patternworks.

My Christmas Cookies - 2006

2006-12-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

This year's Christmas cookies are all out of the house now, but here's my little round-up of what I made and what I thought of them. Usually there are three or more cookies that I repeat from year to year, but this year I decided to try all new recipes.

Maamoul from the Food Network - these were very good, but didn't quite live up to my expectations. The recipe includes three different fillings. I made both the date-orange filling and the apricot-golden raisin-nut filling. My complaint with both is that they needed to be a little tarter - perhaps more orange in the first and a little lemon in the second would have helped. Also, both called for a pinch of salt, and I think I'd eliminate that another time. I remembered having seen a recipe for maamoul on a food blog, but didn't remember which one. Now I do - it was Indira's. Next time, I think I'll try her recipe. I'll have to find one of those gorgeous molds first though!

Spice Balls from Sara Moulton - I thought these were great, but maybe not the sort of thing I'd normally make for Christmas. They're chewy and taste of molasses and spices - delicious! They start as a ball rolled in sugar (hence the name), but they spread in cooking and flatten once removed from the oven. They're very easy and very good.

Chocolate-Filled Stars from Nick Malgieri's Cookies Unlimited - I always have trouble piping cookies, whether I use a bag and tip or a cookie press. Half the time it seems like the dough just doesn't want to "let go". Even so, I love making spritz cookies. This particular cookie is a brown sugar cookie and is topped with a dollop of chocolate filling, which makes it even more appealing. They were very good, but hard rather than tender and sandy as you might normally expect a spritz cookie to be. My only gripe with the recipe is that the filling (you're given the option of using either a sugar-based chocolate glaze, which I used, or ganache) makes a far more than you need for these cookies. If I'd planned better, I could have made the ganache and used it for both these cookies and the turtles (see below).

Pistachio and Cherry Mexican Wedding Cakes from the December, 2006 issue of Bon Appetit - my absolute favorite this year. These are delicious - so buttery and sweet and the addition of dried cherries and pistachios to this classic is just perfect. They're also easy to make and the recipe makes a big batch. I will definitely make these again - hopefully I can hold out until next Christmas!

Caramel Turtle Bars from the December, 2006 issue of Fine Cooking - this would probably be my first runner-up to the Mexican Wedding Cakes above. These cookies have a brown sugar shortbread base and are topped with caramel, pecans and chocolate ganache. I should have waited for the ganache to cool a little more so that I could drizzle it in a pretty pattern as shown in the magazine. Instead, mine ran into a nearly solid layer, but that's OK - they still look pretty and no one ever complains that there's too much chocolate! These are a little bit of work, but well worth it. A couple comments on the recipe - it took much longer than the 6 minutes stated for the caramel mixture to reach 240 F, but it finally did. Also, the ganache took longer to set than indicated in the recipe.

Swedish Christmas Cookies from the Food Network - these were probably the least interesting of the bunch, but still quite good. They're buttery icebox cookies that are flavored with cardamom and rolled in either colored sugar or chopped pecans.

That's all. Did you notice what's missing? I took a week off from rolled cookies!

Mondays with Maida - Caraway Hardtack

2006-12-11T22:13:00.000-05:00

Page 182 in the old book / page 214 in the new book

These cookies are very similar to last week's Hot Butter Wafers, the only differences being that they have considerably more sugar and are sprinkled with caraway seeds. They are sweet, hard and crunchy and are pleasantly perfumed with caraway. I liked them, but wasn't surprised to find that most of my coworkers were less enthused than I.

This dough was not as tough as the dough for the Hot Butter Wafers, so I didn't have trouble rerolling the scraps. The dough is simple to mix and is only chilled slightly before rolling. I enjoyed these, but I doubt I'd make them again. If I were in the mood for a caraway-flavored cookie, I think I'd choose to make Swedish Rye Wafers, with their delicate texture, interesting flavor, and charming shape.

These cookies had at least one fan, though. A guy that works in another office stopped by the following day to tell me how much he liked the cookies. Normally all the cookies are consumed the day I put them out, but this week there were ten or so leftover cookies which I had put in a plastic bag and tucked away in my desk drawer. I pulled them out and offered them to him - made his day and mine!

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "This was definitely a dunking cookie. It needed to be dunked in hot coffee or tea to soften it up. The cookie was so hard that I had a hard time biting into it. Matter of fact, I had to break the cookie with my hands into smaller pieces before I could take a bit of the cookie. If you are getting older, like me and have soft teeth, forget this cookie. There wasn’t much of a taste except it was very sweet and had a few caraway seeds on the top. This one definitely wasn’t worth the calories. Rating - 1.0"

Denny: "Well, I'd give them a 4 minus 2 on general principle, then a minus 1 for no chocolate. These are the first ones even a good baker and caraway seeds couldn't save. Rating - 1.0"

Laura: "These were very hard cookies (hence the name). They smelled wonderful and tasted nice (once I scraped off the caraway seeds), but they were too hard for my liking. Rating - 3.0"

Terri: "I would like these better without the caraway seeds. The basic cookie is delicious with a buttery flavor. Also, I prefer a chewy chookie and this one is definitely harder and crunchier. Not one of my favorites, but I'm not a great fan of caraway seeds. Rating - 2.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 1.75

Next Week - Mondays with Maida will take a short break, but there'll still be lots of cookies - stop by and see this year's Christmas cookies!
In Two Weeks - Mondays with Maida will be back with Arrowroot Wafers from Bermuda

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Hot Butter Wafers

2006-12-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

Page 181 in the old book / page 213 in the new book

According to Maida, the recipe for these cookies is an early colonial recipe that was used by Dolley Madison and served at the White House. They are the plainest of cookies with only flour, butter, sugar, and eggs. They are thin, firm and crisp and only slightly sweet.

The dough is rolled after being chilled only briefly, so they weren't too difficult to roll. Well, let me qualify that: they're not too difficult to roll the first time. The problem is the dough is quite tough (the cut cookies shrink before your eyes), so rerolling the scraps was near impossible. I gave up after a half-hearted attempt since I was pretty sure these cookies were going to be a tough sell anyway.

Thinking that the cookies might be a little like pastry, I thawed out some cherries from my stash and made sort of a stove-top cherry pie filling. I cooked a little butter and flour together for a minute or two and then gradually added the juice from the thawed cherries, then added the cherries and some sugar and cooked it for another couple of minutes. Then I topped some of the cherry mixture with a "pie crust" - one of the cookies. It was delicious, but the cookie was difficult to break up with a spoon, so it's not something I'd do again. (But I am so making that stove-top cherry pie filling again!)

I brought strawberry jam in to the office in the hopes that it would make the cookies more appealing. As it turns out, nearly all the cookies were eaten and most apparently without strawberry jam. Here's the panel...

Suzanne: Suzanne was still out of the office but will be back next week.

Denny: "Very plain but my expectations were low so I'd give them a 2 (minus 1 for no chocolate). Maybe the plainness explains why there were so many great men then per capita as compared to so few today. Rating - 2.0"

Laura: "I first tried one plain and then tried one with the strawberry jam. The jam helped, but not that much. The cookies themselves were okay, though somewhat boring. They are lovely with tea, however. Rating - 2.5"

Terri: "These are very tasty but are almost like a flat "vanilla wafer". I thought it would be a good basic cookie recipe for holiday cookies, but standing alone with no decorations, makes it sort of boring. If there's such a thing as a "boring" cookie! Rating - 2.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 2.3

Next Week - Caraway Hardtack

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Rum-Raisin Shortbread

2006-11-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

Page 179 in the old book / page 212 in the new book

It almost took me by surprise, but I was really anxious to try these cookies once they were out of the oven. I think partly it was because I was having trouble imagining how they might taste and partly it was because they looked so darn good. The recipe makes a small batch (15 or 16) of large and very rich cookies (over 200 calories and 12 grams of fat... each!), so I forced myself to wait until they cooled before trying one. I knew I was only getting one chance.

They did not disappoint. They had a lovely sandy texture - light and fragile. They tasted of rum, but it was not harsh or unpleasant in any way. And of course, they were loaded with raisins. Oh how I wanted another!

The recipe is very simple and since the dough is rolled quite thick, even rolling and cutting the cookies isn't a problem. I was tempted to make some smaller cookies, but worried that they might not turn out as intended, so chose not to. In spite of the richness of the dough, these are very easy to eat. I know at least two of the panelists went back for a second.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: Suzanne was out this week, but I know she was really sorry she missed a chance to try these raisin-filled cookies! :)

Denny: "Very good. Rum was not overpowering as in most rum cookies. Minus 1 - no chocolate. Rating - 3.0"

Laura: "Light, buttery and flakey - just the way shortbread should be. Delicious! The only thing that would have made them even better, in my opinion, would have been to use golden raisins. Rating - 4.0"

Terri: "These are rich and delicious! The rum flavor is obvious from the first bite. The shortbread flavor is wonderful too. This was absolutely one of my top ten favorites. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.0

Next Week - Hot Butter Wafers

Nutrition Facts

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-22T21:36:00.000-05:00

In my family it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without pie. Pumpkin pie and mincemeat pie, to be specific. This year we're going out to dinner and then everyone is coming over to my house afterwards for dessert and a little puzzle-making. That's just my speed... leave the turkey worries to someone else and just bake!

Here's my Mom's recipe for pumpkin pie, which in my opinion is the best pumpkin pie. It's much more custard-like than any other pumpkin pie I've had, probably because it has more milk and eggs. This makes for a lighter texture that I especially like. I also like all the spices in it. I use both skim milk and fat free evaporated milk. I've also baked it in a casserole without a crust and even that stripped down version is pretty great - perfect for post-Thanksgiving personal indulgence.

Pumpkin Pie

1 1/2 cups cooked pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
3 slightly-beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2/3 cup evaporated milk

Mix everything together and pour into an unbaked pie crust (you'll need a deep 10-inch pie plate). Bake at 400 F for 50 minutes or until a sharp knife comes out clean.

Now if you're wondering about the mincemeat pie, it's hardly a recipe, but it is also very, very good. Mix a large jar of mincemeat with a large can of crushed pineapple (I drained it slightly) and about half a cup of chopped walnuts. Line a deep 10-inch pie plate with pastry, pour in filling, and top with pastry. Crimp the edge, poke a few holes in the top crust, and bake at 425 F for 30 minutes.

Mondays with Maida - Caraway Sour-Cream Cookies

2006-11-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

Page 178 in the old book / page 210 in the new book

The recipe for these cookies is very similar to the Tropical Sour-Cream Cookies from last week, the differences being in the flavoring (caraway vs. lemon and orange), the sugar (white vs. brown), and the rolling (1/8-inch vs. 1/4-inch). The result is a cookie that is quite different in texture (crunchy vs. cakey) and mildly flavored with caraway seeds.

Well, perhaps mine were more mildly flavored than Maida intended. While the recipe only calls for 1/2 teaspoon of caraway seeds, I was not even able to scrape up that small quantity with what remained in my spice jar. It was Sunday night and too late to run out for more. Besides, I rationalized, nobody in my office seems to appreciate seeds anyway.

After my difficulties rolling the Tropical Sour-Cream Cookies, I was prepared for the worst with these cookies. But whether it was a few more hours in the freezer or the slight differences in the recipe, I somehow managed to roll out these cookies without much trouble. You do have to work quickly though - there's not much time between when the dough softens up enough to roll and when it becomes hopelessly soft and sticky.

These were pleasantly sweet, faintly perfumed with caraway, and lightly crunchy. Overall, they were good, but not especially memorable.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "This was just a round, plain looking, and good tasting cookie. I enjoyed the sour cream, caraway taste probably because there were very few caraway seeds in the cookie. Somehow the flavor of the caraway seeds were more pronounced then the seeds themselves. Rating - 3.5"

Denny: "Non-descript, tasted like a not-so-sweet sugar cookie. Not enough caraway or sour cream. Minus 1 for no chocolate gives them a 2.0. Not complaining, just being hones. Rating - 2.0"

Laura: "These are okay - would've been much better without the caraway. Rating - 2.5"

Terri: "These cookies were not as tasty as the similar cookie from last week, Tropical Sour-Cream Cookies. I'm not a fan of caraway seeds (they get stuck in my teeth), so this would not be one of my favorites. But I enjoyed one with my coffee this morning. Rating - 2.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 2.6

Next Week - Rum-Raisin Shortbread

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Tropical Sour-Cream Cookies

2006-11-13T10:35:00.000-05:00

Page 176 in the old book / page 209 in the new book

Lemon juice and the grated rind of both lemon and orange give these soft cookies a very nice citrus flavor, but they have an unfortunately bland appearance. They need something to pretty them up - perhaps some of that decorating sugar with the larger crystals with a touch of orange and yellow sugar thrown in (I prefer to mix a little colored sugar into a larger amount of white sugar so you get lots of sparkle and crunchiness, but just a bit of color).

I'm convinced that inside this rolled cookie there's a drop cookie crying to get out. I tried rolling the dough on a floured pastry cloth, but despite eight hours in the freezer it was still soft and sticky, so I decided to roll it between sheets of wax paper. The problem then was removing the waxed paper. I persevered and managed reasonably well, but I knew there was no way I was going to be able to roll out the scraps (oh, and that large chunk that was hopelessly stuck to the waxed paper). So I scraped the remaining dough into a little heap and then used a couple of spoons to scoop and push it onto the parchment. In the photo above, the rolled cookies are in the foreground and the dropped cookies are behind them. They are more similar in size then they appear in the photo.

I told most the panel that I had made both dropped and rolled cookies. Suzanne and Terri each had a dropped cookie. Denny and Laura had one of each. Laura knew she had one of each, but Denny did not. I think the consensus was that the dropped cookies were just a little better - they were a little thicker. The recipe calls for the cookies to be sprinkled with a bit of granulated sugar, but I forgot to do so with the rolled cookies.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "I enjoyed the orange taste to this cookie and it probably would have tasted great with vanilla ice cream. I prefer a crunchy cookie and this cookie was soft. There was nothing about the round cookie that was appealing to the eye. It was rather non-descript other then it had a pleasant fresh orange taste. Rating: 3.0"

Denny: "OK, couldn't taste the tang of sour cream, but caught the hint of citrus. 3.0 minus 1.0 (no chocolate deduction) = 2.0, but they weren't terrible. I may have to rethink the no chocolate deduction. Rating - 2.0"

Laura: "Cathy rolled some and dropped some. I tried the rolled cookie first. It was chewy on the inside and crispy-ish on the outside. The dropped cookie was moist and fluffy on the inside - almost cake-like. Both have a lovely lemony flavor (I prefer the dropped version). Rating - 3.5"

Terri: "These have a very fresh taste with the orange flavor. I liked the texture and thickness. The sugary topping was good but not necessary. Rating - 3.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.0

Next Week - Tropical Sour-Cream Cookies

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Viennese Chocolate Cookies

2006-11-06T00:00:00.000-05:00

Page 174 in the old book / page 208 in the new book

These are very rich chocolate almond cookies that taste surprisingly light. I thought they were wonderful, but most of the cookie panel was less enthused than I. What I found most interesting and pleasing in these cookies was probably the very thing that spoiled them for those who thought the cookies came up short.

Among the expected ingredients (chocolate, almonds, butter, etc.), were the less expected (cinnamon and cloves), and the totally unexpected (grated lemon rind). I don't think the lemon was recognizable unless you knew it was there, but it brightened the flavor of the cookies. Others (Suzanne and Denny) felt the cookies weren't as chocolatey as they'd expected or hoped. This wasn't for a lack of chocolate in the cookies, so my guess is that the lemon, which I enjoyed, was perceived by Suzanne and Denny as diminishing the chocolate flavor. Oh well. As Tim Gunn would say, chacun à son goût!

The technique for making these is a little different - no mixer is used and the chocolate is added in the form of ground chocolate. You pull the crumbly dough together into a ball and then "break" it by smearing a little at a time on your work surface with the heel of your hand. Messy, but somehow satisfying. The resulting dough is very easy to handle and was a pleasure to work with. Once again, I decided to make some small cookies as well as some in the recommended size. I topped the smaller ones with a slice of blanched almond. The larger ones were topped as instructed in the recipe with half of a blanched almond that was toasted. I found the process of splitting the almonds tedious and a little difficult - next time I would just use slices.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "I love chocolate and nuts, but somehow these were not my favorite cookie. How could that be? I could definitely taste the lemon in the cookie and I think the lemon cut down the sweetness of the cookie. They looked and smelled like a chocolate cookie, but with each bite that deep chocolate taste was missing. I don’t think I’ve ever given a chocolate cookie a rating less then a 5 (maybe a 4), but my rating for this cookie is 3. Rating: 3.0"

Denny: "Good but I was disappointed by my high expectations. Chocolate and almonds are quite a combo, but this cookie took a bit from their normal synergy. A 3.0, with 2.5 being average. Rating - 3.0"

Laura: "Delicious combination of chocolate and almonds - two of my favorites. Rating - 3.5"

Terri: "Outstanding! I could eat the entire batch. These have a light chocolate flavor - not too rich and the almonds add lots of flavor too. My 20 year old son thought they were great too! Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.6

Next Week - Tropical Sour-Cream Cookies

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Ischler Cookies

2006-10-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

Page 171 in the old book / page 206 in the new book

I knew these were going to be a hit - how could they not? Two cookies, rich with butter and ground almonds, are sandwiched together with some sweet and tart apricot jam and then given a crowd-pleasing final touch - a generous coat of semisweet chocolate on one end. They were outstanding.

I followed the recipe just about to the letter and found both the dough and the cookies were easy to handle. I had no difficulty rolling the dough or dipping the cookies. I cut most of the cookies the recommended size (2 1/2 inches), but also made a few small cookies (1 1/2 inches). Next time I think I'd go with the smaller size. The cookies spread a little and by the time you sandwich two together, fill and dip them, the little ones are just right. (Note: the larger ones are pictured above.)

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "Yum! Two cookies in one! This was a double treat since there are two thick cookies placed together with an apricot jam filling in the middle. The cookie had an almond taste, but the almonds must have been finely chopped, because there were no noticeable pieces of almond in the cookie. The cookie was dipped in chocolate and had a thick layer of rich dark chocolate on both sides of the cookie. Rating: 5.0"

Denny: "Exellent but a tad messy. The cookie's terrific with a hint of apricot and a taste of almonds. Liked the way a half-dip of chocolate gives you a handle for not getting chocolate on you. Minus .1 for the mess and minus .1 for not covering more of cookie with chocolate, like 2/3 or 3/4 or 7/8 rather than 1/2. Terrific. Rating - 4.8"

Laura: "A very tasty cookie! A nice pairing of a simple almond cookie with the apricot jam... with the added delight of CHOCOLATE! Rating - 4.0"

Terri: "These cookies are my favorite so far. The combination of almonds, apricot filling and the chocolate dip make this the perfect cookie in my eyes and my taste buds! The shortbread texture of the cookie gives it a crunchy feel, and the apricot sandwiched between the layers was delicious. Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.7

Next Week - Viennese Chocolate Cookies

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Viennese Almond Wafers

2006-10-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 170 in the old book / page 205 in the new book

It was probably when I saw those little beads of butter sweat on the parchment that I first had the sinking feeling these cookies were going to be a flop in the office. Cookies oozing butter don't especially appeal to me. I wasn't won over when I tasted one either - very buttery, thin, crispy, toasty almonds on top, but not much else flavorwise. It appears, however, that I misjudged both the cookies and the cookie panel.

I rolled the dough between sheets of wax paper, chilled it and then turned it out onto a floured pastry cloth. The dough is rolled into a 9-inch square and then cut into 24 small oblongs. I was a little sloppy when it came to cutting the rolled dough. I eyeballed it and cut freehand with a pizza cutter, but another time I think I would use a ruler as a guide. The other thing I would do differently the next time is separate the cut oblongs slightly after cutting and before brushing them with the egg white. I didn't separate them until after the egg white and almonds were put on top and found that the cuts were near impossible to find.

So as I hinted above, these cookies were a huge hit. I may have to make them again just to try and figure out why!

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "The paper thin wafer cookies were in an oval shape and were great! The sweet butter taste along with the shaved toasted almond topping was a delicious combination. The only problem is that you definitely have to have more then one (or a lot as I did). Rating: 5.0"

Denny: "Extra excellent. Light and tasty and loved the nuts on top. Minus one for no chocolate still gives it a 4.0. Rating - 4.0"

Laura: "Delicious and crunchy with a lovely flavor... A few too many chopped nuts on top, but still great. Rating - 3.5"

Terri: "These delicate cookies are delicious. I particularly like almond flavor and these were very flavorful and crunchy. The almond slices on top of this thin layer makes this a work of art! Rating - 5.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 4.4

Next Week - Ischler Cookies

Nutrition Facts

According to my calculations...

2006-10-21T11:55:00.000-04:00

I was shopping for dishwashing liquid the last week and they didn't have the size and type I wanted, so my eye wandered over to some other brands. I noticed one that claimed to be environment-friendly, so I picked it up and took a look at it's back label. I was immediately sucked in... "blah blah, blah-blah-blah! Blah blah... we could save 81,000 barrels of oil... blah blah - blah..." As you may surmise, my critical thinking skills were on sabbatical at that moment. My interpretation of the claim was that by using this vegetable based detergent I would save the world a significant amount of oil. I plopped a bottle in my basket and didn't think to examine their claims more carefully until just last night.

What the label actually says is: "If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of 25 oz. petroleum based dishwashing liquid with our 25 oz. vegetable based product, we could save 81,000 barrels of oil, enough to heat and cool 4,600 U.S. homes for a year!" Hmmm... so how many households are there? And what will my purchase of one bottle do?

The U.S. Census estimated that there would be approximately 110,000,000 households in the U.S. in 2006. So the bottle I bought (taking their claim at face value for the moment) will save .000736 of a barrel of oil.

But how big is a barrel of oil and how does that equate to something I can understand - like gasoline? A barrel of oil has 42 gallons of crude oil which translates to 19.5 gallons of gasoline. So the claim would be that by using this bottle of dishwashing liquid instead of a petroleum based product, I could save .0144 of a gallon of gasoline. I think my car averages about 20 miles per gallon, so using one bottle of this product is about the same as not driving .287 of a mile, or about 505 yards (five football fields). Not quite as impressive, huh?

The thing is, this product is more watery than the product I usually use. I doubt one bottle of this vegetable based detergent will last as long as my regular brand, which ultimately means more packaging. Plastic packing. Petroleum based - right? In all fairness, the packaging for the vegetable based product "contains a min. 25% post-consumer plastic", but still... I'm switching back.

Mondays with Maida - Swedish Ginger Cookies

2006-10-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 166 in the old book / page 202 in the new book

The dough for these cookies handles like a dream. It is rolled at room temperature and is not at all sticky. It is a beautiful ebony color and smooth as silk when rolled. Rolling these cookies was almost like play. If only all rolled doughs were like this!

This recipe would be perfect to use with kids. It is what I would call "gingerbread", so it is perfect for decorating with raisins and candies, or with icing (Maida provides a royal icing recipe). And not only is the dough easy to roll, mixing it provides an entertaining chemistry lesson. Baking soda is added to a heated mixture of molasses and sugar. The alkaline baking soda reacts dramatically with the acidic mixture resulting in a thick caramel-colored foam that rises to the top of the pan.

I rolled the cookies a little under a quarter of an inch thick and got about 70 cookies (I think they were about 2 1/2 inches across). These can be rolled just about any thickness you'd like. They have equal amounts cinnamon and ginger and have a warm, spicy flavor. I liked them very much - though I'm certain I was biased by the fun I had making them!

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "If you are a fan of gingerbread cookies, then you will like this cookie. The heart shape was adorable, but very plain looking. I thought the cookie could use a powdered sugar glaze icing not only for taste, but to dress it up. Rating - 3.0"

Denny: "OK - don't like ginger too much. Minus 1 for no chocolate. Rating - 2.0"

Laura: "In a word: delicious! Lovely golden spice color. Light, crunchy texture. Fabulous "Ginger Cookie" flavor. Rating - 5.0"

Terri: "These ginger cookies taste as good as they look. The heart shape is very festive and the taste resembles a delicious ginger snap. I think these would be good alongside of a lemon bar. Very tasty. Rating - 3.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.4

Next Week - Viennese Almond Wafers

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Swedish Honey Cookies

2006-10-09T12:00:00.000-04:00

Page 164 in the old book / page 201 in the new book

Another in our series of plain brown cookies. These were very crisp and had an interesting combination of spices - cinnamon and coriander. The aroma coming from the oven as they baked was amazing, but I was initially underwhelmed by their flavor. By the next day however, either they or I had mellowed and I enjoyed them much more.

Once again, my laziness moved me to deviate from Maida's instructions for rolling the dough and I have to say, it worked quite well. I have some of that extra-wide plastic wrap, so I rolled the unchilled dough between sheets of it and then chilled it before cutting. The dough softens up quickly and is very sticky, so I peeled off the top layer of plastic wrap, flipped it over onto a floured pastry cloth, and then peeled off the other layer. Most importantly, I had to work quickly. I found cutting the rerolled scraps was a little trickier since I didn't allow them much time to chill.

Maida says that these cookies are traditionally scalloped and the drawing that accompanies the recipe shows a very pretty, almost flower-like, scalloped shape with six deep scallops. I didn't have a cutter like that, but was still happy with how they turned out. Amazing how a little ruffled edge can had some interest to those plain brown cookies. ;)

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "Delicious! I love the sweet, crunchiness of this cookie. I guess those Swedes know exactly the right spices to put in their cookies because this one melted in my mouth. Rating - 5.0"

Denny: "Very nice. Not too much spice that you couldn't taste the honey. Minus 1 for no chocolate. Rating - 3.0"

Laura: "Yummy cookie! Light and delightful honey spice flavor. Rating - 4.0"

Terri: "I prefer 'chewy' cookies, but these rank high on my list of 'keepers'. The honey flavor comes through as well as the slight spicy taste. These would be perfect with strawberries and whipped cream! Rating - 3.5"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.9

Next Week - Swedish Ginger Cookies

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Honey Graham Crackers

2006-10-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 162 in the old book / page 200 in the new book

My not-yet-perfected rolling technique resulted in graham crackers that were more like cartoon graham crackers than "real" graham crackers. Because they were thicker in the middle, each had a bulging waistline. Not so straight rows of fork-pricks contributed to their almost comical appearance. Well... comical to me anyway. No one else seemed to notice.

They did notice that these graham crackers weren't much like store-bought. The biggest difference was textural - the crackers were fairly thick and therefore not very crunchy. They also softened up over the course of the day, since the box they were in was left uncovered most of the time.

Rather than chilling the dough and then rolling it out on a floured pastry cloth as instructed in the recipe, I was feeling lazy and decided to try rolling the dough between sheets of wax paper before chilling. I marked out the 15 by 5 inch oblong on my counter with freezer tape rolled each portion of the dough and then placed it and the wax paper on a cookie sheet in the refrigerator. It worked very well and was much easier than pounding away on chilled dough. The wax paper peeled away from the dough quite easily. Only one problem... which I'm just now realizing. I'm pretty sure I divided the dough into thirds rather than fourths. Which explains why the crackers were too thick.

Between the error I made rolling out the dough and the fact that I had to substitute light for dark brown sugar, I'm thinking these graham crackers perhaps deserve a second chance. They had a bit of cinnamon in them which gave them an interesting flavor, but lacked the crunchiness you expect in a graham cracker. Apparently, that was my fault rather than the recipe's.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "The Graham Cracker wasn’t as sweet as the store bought crackers. It was also thicker and therefore not quite as crunchy. I hate to say it, but I think I Iike the store bought grahams better then this recipe. Somehow it was missing that honey taste. Rating - 2.0"

Denny: "Just a 2. Little softer than store-bought. I'm not sure if that's better or not. They were OK. Rating - 2.0"

Laura: "Thicker and 'chewier' than store-bought, but still tasty! Rating - 3.5"

Terri: "I have a true love of graham crackers since my kindergarten snack (50 years ago) was graham crackers with homemade butter! Yum! These honey graham crackers today were delicious, but slightly on the dry side. I had mine with coffee so they seemed a bit moister. Rating - 3.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 2.6

Next Week - Swedish Honey Cookies

Nutrition Facts

Mondays with Maida - Wild-Honey and Ginger Cookies

2006-09-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

Page 161 in the old book / page 199 in the new book

These may look much like last week's cookies, but they're quite different in both taste and texture. They have a full cup of honey in them which probably accounts for the almost orange color. I think it also accounts for their texture, which is crisp, but more of a dull crisp rather than a crunchy crisp.

The dough goes together very easily, but is different from most cookie doughs in that the butter is melted with the honey rather than creamed. The hot butter and honey mixture is then mixed into the dry ingredients. Maida recommends wrapping the dough in oiled foil, which I did. I had a little problem with the edge of the foil getting embedded in the dough and bits tearing off. Perhaps parchment would work better.

The ratings for these Wild-Honey and Ginger Cookies were all over the map. There were those who really liked them, but I wasn't crazy about them. Much as I like honey, I just didn't enjoy the flavor of these cookies. I think part of it is that the only spice in them is ginger. Last week's Whole-Wheat Honey Wafers had both ginger and cinnamon, and had a warmer, rounder taste.

Here's the panel...

Suzanne: "The cookie was crunchy, but tasted like there was absolutely no sugar in the ingredients. The only flavor I could taste was the ginger and I’m not a big ginger fan. Rating - 1.0"

Herman: "These are GREAT … 5/5 for me because I love honey and ginger!! Rating - 5.0"

Laura: "Crunchy cookie with a delicate touch of ginger. Yummy! Rating - 4.0"

Terri: "The 'honey' flavor is stronger than the 'ginger' spice flavor - but this is an interesting combination. Reminds me of a flat vanilla wafer. Very tasty with tea! Rating - 3.0"

Overall rating by the panel - 3.3

Next Week - Honey Graham Crackers

Nutrition Facts