World Peace Cookies

Maybe everyone else, or at least the French, are fully aware of the world of sables; however, this is my introduction to it.  And, I'm afraid there is no going back.

Sables are like the French version of shortbread.  They are butter based, which is in no small part why they are so good.  What I fell head over heels for is their texture (again, in no small part due to the butter).  'Sable' in French means sand, and the outside is sandy, with a firm texture, but the inside is tender and melty.  I honestly cannot imagine a better texture for a cookie.  Couple that with the fact that they are chocolate through and through, except for a edge of sea salt, and no wonder these cookies promise to bring world peace!

Start by sifting together your dry ingredients.
Then really cream together the butter.
Add the sugars, vanilla, and salt.
Did I mention that the salt really puts these sables over the top?
Whip that all together.
Now, for adding the dry ingredients, since there is cocoa powder, which tends to explode like a bomb when you mix it, Dorie Greenspan has you cover the bowl with a tea towel while you add the dry ingredients.  Brilliant!

Once the flour is a little incorporated, you can mix it until just incorporated.

Next, add in some chocolate chips.

Make sure they are good, dark chocolate chips.  I like Ghiradelli 60% chips.

Pour that out onto a surface, and shape into a disk.

Divide the dough in half.  And roll each half into a log, wrapping it, and let it chill.

One thing that is wonderful about this recipe is that you can freeze one of the logs, and just slice it off whenever you are ready, i.e., when its midnight and they start singing their siren song...

Once it is fully chilled, you cut the log into disks.  Warning: the cookies will crack when you cut them.

In fact, many of them will literally split in half.
 
Not to worry, that is just their 'nature'.  As long as you squish them back together you will be fine.

Then, bake them off.  They won't look done when they're done baking, but just remove the rack to a baking sheet, and trust it.  Eventually, remove the cookies to the rack itself.

Now, I tried them warm and at room temperature, and while both were good, nothing could ever compare to the warm, melty goodness of the chocolate right out of the oven.

Enjoy!

World Peace Cookies (from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours)
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
5 ounces bitter sweet chocolate, chopped into chips or semisweet chips

Directions:
Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking soda together.

In a separate bowl beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy.  Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

Turn off the mixer.  Pour in the dry ingredients, drape a kitchen towel over the mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time.  Take a peak-- if there is still a lot of flour on the surface, pulse a couple of time more; if not, remove the towel.  Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough-- for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don't be concerned if the dough looks a little crumble.  Toss in the chocolate piece and mix only to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half.  Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.  If you've frozen the dough, you needn't defrost it before baking-- just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer).

Getting ready to bake: Center the rack and preheat the oven to 325.  Line two baking sheets with parchment.

Using a sharp thing knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick.  (The rounds ar elikely to crack as you are cutting them- don't be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie).  Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes-- they won't look done, nor will they be firm, but that's just the way they should be.  Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

One Great Zucchini Gratin

This gratin knocked my socks off. In no small part, I'm sure, due to the zucchini I picked from father's garden just hours before... but still, this is one to remember.

The top delivers that to-die-for crunch that always elevates vegetable, well really all, dishes for me, and the almost instant beschamel sauce is just that, almost instant, adding a lovely, creamy dimension to the zucchini in no time.
To make this, start with zucchini or squash, or a combination (which adds such lovely color).
Chop them up into 1/4 inch slices.
Saute for 10 minutes.
Add some flour and nutmeg.
Add some hot milk.
And, instantly: you have a beschamel on your hands.

Put that in a baking dish.
Cover with a mixture of breadcrumbs and Gruyere (or any other good melting cheese).
Dot with butter.
Pop in the oven for about 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Then... dish it up.
And, don't worry if you cannot restrain yourself from eating it all. I couldn't.

Zucchini Gratin (adapted from the barefoot contessa)
Ingredients:*
6 Tablespoons butter
2 lbs zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 teaspoons salt**
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup hot milk
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
3/4 cup Gruyere, shredded

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.

In a 12-inch skilled, melt the butter. Saute zucchini for 10 minutes, or until just tender. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the milk, cooking over low heat for a few minutes until it makes a sauce.*** Pour the mixture into an 8x10 baking dish.

Combine the breadcrumbs and Gruyere, and sprinkle over the zucchini. Dot with 1 Tablespoon butter, cut into bits. Bake 20 minutes, until golden brown.

*I cut this recipe in half and used an 8 x 8 dish, but the cooking time was the same.
**I did tablespoons instead of teaspoons when I made this, which was a mistake, but after scraping some salt off the cooking zucchini, it managed to be okay... Well, pretty much okay...
***This happened in under a minute for me.

Tomato Tart

Way back in March, my father and I planted three tomato plants in my backyard. Now, after spending a couple of weeks eating tomatoes that were not exactly 'ripe' but far too tempting to pass up, I am flush with ripe, gorgeous home-grown tomatoes.
I wanted to do something 'fancy' with them, and I thought a savory tart would be just the thing.

Now, I have never made a savory tart before, so this was an adventure. But, I'm tired of being afraid of pastry crust, and since there was no pressure, as I was making it just for my own enjoyment, I felt courageous.

And let me tell you...
... this is hands down one of the best things I have ever made.

There is a secret layer of Dijon mustard on the bottom, which is absolutely perfect. I used goat cheese and thyme to also accompany the tomatoes, and I was, in particular, shocked at how perfect the thyme was. And add to the mix perfect tomatoes...
and you're in for a summer treat.

Start with your tomatoes. One worry was that the tomatoes were going to make the crust soggy, so I took a tip from the Oliver, and salted the tomatoes for about 15-20 minutes before hand. You just slice them up and put them in a colander.
Sprinkle with salt, and let sit for 15-20 minutes. This will cause the excess liquid to drain away and intensify the flavor.
Next, tart dough. This is a pretty easy, pretty forgiving tart dough. Start with your flour and salt in a bowl. Add the butter.
Then pulse 10-15 times until the mixture looks crumbly and feels like cornmeal.
Mix together 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of ice water, and pour it into a well in the dry ingredients.
Mix, until the dough holds together. If it doesn't come together easy, as mine didn't, add another tablespoon of ice water.
Gather the dough into a ball, and put it on a lightly floured surface.

Roll out the dough so it is large enough to cover the bottom of the pan and go up the sides.
Roll the dough over the pin, and unroll it into the pan. Gently nudge the dough, being careful not to stretch it. And, press the dough firmly into the indentations.
Cut off the excess dough, and save for a mini-tart later!
Now... time for the Dijon. It really makes such a difference.
Spread a good layer of Dijon over the bottom. And let it dry out a couple of minutes.
Arrange the tomatoes over the mustard. Try to make it pretty. And, drizzle olive oil over top.
Now for the fresh herbs.
Like I said, the thyme was just right.
Next... goat cheese.
Arrange the goat cheese on top. And, sprinkle with more herbs.
Now, the recipe says if you want, you can drizzle honey over it. So I did on half of it, just to see. Unfortunately, I forgot which half I did it on, and at the end, I couldn't actually detect a difference in flavor between either side. I think my honey was too whimpy.
Bake for 30 minutes or so, until the dough is cooked and the cheese is nicely browned.
How completely gorgeous is this?
And it tastes just as good.

French Tomato Tart (from David Lebowitz)
One 9-10 inch tart pan

Ingredients:
One unbaked tart dough (recipe to follow)
Dijon or whole-grain mustard
2-3 large ripe tomatoes (or 6-7 small tomatoes)*
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons freshly chopped herbs, such as thyme, chives, chervil, or tarragon
8 ounces fresh or slightly aged goat cheese, sliced into rounds**
Optional: 1 1/2 tablespoons flavorful honey

Tart Dough:
1 1/2 cups (210 g) flour
4 1/2 ounces (125g) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes***
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
2-3 tablespoons iced water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.

Slice tomatoes and set in a colander. Sprinkle with salt, and let excess liquid drain for 15-20 minutes.****

For the dough*****:
Mix the flour and salt in the bowl of your food processor. Add the butter, and pulse 10-15 times, or until the mixture has a crumbly, cornmeal-like texture.

Mix the egg with 2 tablespoons of water. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the beaten egg mixture, stirring the mixture until the dough holds together. If its not coming together easily, add the additional tablespoon of ice water.

Gather the dough into a ball and roll it our on a lightly floured surface, adding addition flour only as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the counter.

Once the dough is large enough so that it will cover the bottom of the pan and go up the sides, roll the dough around the rolling pin, then unroll it over the tart pan. "Dock" the bottom of the pastry firmly with your fingertips a few times, pressing in to make indentations.

For tart:
Sread an even layer of mustard over the bottom (the amount you would put on a sandwich) and let sit a few minutes to dry out.

Arrange tomatoes in a single, even layer. Drizzle the olive oil over top.

Sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs, then arrange slices of goat cheese on top. Add some more fresh herbs, then drizzle with honey, if using.

Bake the tart for 30 minutes or so, until the dough is cooked, the tomatoes are tender, and the cheese on top is nicely browned.

*This is what it took me
**You could use any good melting cheese you like, comte, fontina, etc.
***I think this about 9 tablespoons
****This isn't in Lebowitz's recipe, but it prevents the crust from getting soggy. In fact, when I had the tart the next day, it still wasn't soggy. So, I think this method is pretty effective.
*****I chose to do the first parts of the dough in the food processor, but you could do it by hand, cutting in the butter with a pastry blender or fork if you like.

Easy and delicious dip for strawberries

As a little girl, I always loved when my mom had parties, because that meant there was a good chance she might make strawberries and dip. Oh... that dip: I can very vividly remember eating one dipped strawberry after another, thinking that this was the most delicious thing I had ever eaten. Turns out, I still think it is delicious.

But, what I didn't realize then is how simple it is to make. Seriously, 5 minutes tops.

You need three things: Strawberries, of course:
(oh, strawberry season, i love you)

And, sour cream and brown sugar,
The proportion for the dip is 3 parts sour cream to 1 part brown sugar
Get them in a bowl together, and mix until the brown sugar crystals have disappeared
That's it!
Serve with a mess of strawberries (or other fruit if you like... but strawberries are immanently dippable)
And enjoy!

Dip for Strawberries (from my mama)
Ingredients:
3 parts sour cream
1 part brown sugar*

Directions:
Combine sour cream and brown with a hand mixer, mixing until brown sugar crystals have disappeared.

Serve with strawberries, or other fruit.

*(1 cup: 1/3 cup makes a good amount)