Blackberry Preserves: our 100th post!

In honor of this being the 100th post on Bicoastal Chefs, I thought I would share something very dear to my heart: Blackberry Preserves 

For me, no preserve can beat a blackberry preserve.

I'm sure my preference is, in part, due to their nuance: somehow luscious and bright at the same time.

But, more than anything they remind me of home.  Picking blackberries in the backyard by the bucketful.  Popping them into your mouth while they are still sun-kissed.  Stains on your hands, stains on your shirt. 

That's the essence of a blackberry preserve.    

And, although these berries will never be as good as those of summers past, they aren't too shabby either.

The canning process for these preserves is, as with all my berry preserves, quick and rewarding. Get them all into your Dutch oven.

Sprinkle them with sugar.

Use your hand to scrunch the sugar into the berries.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Let it simmer for 30 minutes or so.  Add a squeeze of lemon if you like.  And you're done.

That is, unless you want to lick the measuring cup.

And the 'bowl'.  Like you are making cookies or something.

Here's to enjoying the taste of home.

[the previously posted]
Berry Preserves (adapted from my father and Jamie at Home)
Ingredients:
2 lbs fresh berries (blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
1/2 cup sugar
Squeeze of lemon (optional)

Directions:
Sterilize jars* and put a couple plates in the freezer.

Wash and dry the berries. Pour the berries into a 10-inch wide pot. Pour the sugar on top of the berries. Squnch the berries with your hands until all of the sugar has dissolved. Put the pan over medium heat, and simmer the berries for 20-30 minutes. Skim off the foam and stir every five minutes. Stir more frequently towards the end.  Add some lemon if you like, to try and preserve the color.

In order to test for doneness, remove the pot from the heat. Then, take the plate out of the freezer and put a small spoonful of the syrup on the plate. Put the plate back in the freezer for 3 minutes. Take the plate out and draw your finger through the middle. If the two sides of the syrup slowly come back together, then you have soft set preserves. If the two sides do not come back together at all, then you have medium-firm set preserves. If the lines quickly run together, return the pot to heat and continue to simmer until done.

Ladle the preserves into the sterilized jars, and process in boiling water for 10 minutes.

*In order to sterilize jars, wash the jars and then place them in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes. Leave the jars in the hot water while your berries are cooking down. 

A Visiting Cake!

This cake is called a 'Swedish Visiting Cake'.  And, yes, I made it almost exclusively for the name. 

Well, that and the fact that the Bicoastal Chef from the East Coast paid me a visit out here in the West.

This cake is very simple: the flavor base is lemon, vanilla, and almonds.  Unlike far too many dry cakes I make, this cake is delightfully moist.  And topped with a nice layer of crunchy almonds.

And, did I mention you can make it with one bowl and mix it together in approximately 5 minutes.  Yes, it is a wonder cake.  Thank you, Dorie Greenspan.

Start by rubbing the sugar together and lemon zest.
 
Next, add in the eggs.  Then add the salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract.

Then, stir in the flour. 

And, last stir in the melted butter (yup, melted, so you don't have to allow for time for it to come to room temp).

Pour the batter into a buttered (and floured) 9 inch pan (cake pan, cast-iron skillet, pie plate... whatever you have).

Scatter some sliced almonds of top.
 
Pop it in the oven and 30 minutes later you have a wonderful little cake on your hands.

The cake may be a bit hard to get out of the pan, so don't be afraid to serve it straight from the pan.

And, enjoy this lovely way to let your visitors know how delighted you are that they have come to see you!

Swedish Visiting Cake (from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours)
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar, plus a little more for sprinkling
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)
1/2 tsp pure almond extract (optional)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 stick (8 tablespoons) melted butter
About 1/4 cup sliced almonds [next time, I will up it to 1/3-1/2 cup, I loved this part]

Directions:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a seasoned 9-inch cast iron skillet or 9-inch round cake pan or pie pan.

Pour the sugar into a medium bowl.  Add the lemon zest and blend the zest into the sugar with your fingers until the sugar is moist and aromatic.  Whisk in the eggs one at a time.  Whisk in the salt and the extracts, if you're using them [which you should!].  Switch to a rubber spatula and stir in the flour.  Finally, fold in the melted butter.

Scrape the batter into the skillet/pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.  Scatter the sliced almonds over the top and sprinkle with a little sugar.  If you're using a cake pan or pie pan, place the pan on a baking sheet.

Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes, or until it is golden and a little crisp on the outside; the inside will remain moist.  Remove the skillet from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes, then run a thin knife around the sides and bottom of the cake to loosen it.  You can serve the cake, warm or cooled, directly from the skillet or turn out onto a serving place.

Serves 8-10

Butternut Squash Soup with Fennel, Pears, and Spices

I know you may be thinking, what, another butternut squash soup, but this one is different.  This one has fennel.

And pear.

And ginger, cumin, and nutmeg.

And orange zest.

And, although this might seem a bit unusual, it is brilliant (especially, the pear! and the fennel! and the orange zest! oh my!).  But, this is what I've come to expect from and love about Dorie Greenspan.

This is not just another butternut squash soup, this is the butternut squash soup.

One of the keys is roasting the squash before hand.  It takes some time, but, on the plus side, not only do you get a ton of flavor, but peeling a squash after you have roasted it is a cinch.

Once its cool, cut it into 2 inch or so pieces.

While your squash is cooling, saute up some onions.  Then add in your fennel, celery, and garlic.

Next, in with the spices.  Unlike curried squash soups, these spices keep the soup on the sweeter side of things, rather than the savory-er side.

Add your stock.  And once that comes up to a simmer, throw in your pears.  And the orange zest.

Simmer away, gently, for 20ish minutes.

 Blend it up.

And, get ready to enjoy a slightly sweet, surprisingly elegant butternut squash soup.

Spiced Squash, Fennel, and Pear Soup (from Greenspan's Around My French Table: a book you must buy right now)
Ingredients:
About 3 pounds squash, such as Long Island Cheese or Butternut (or 1 1/2 lbs pre-cut)
About 3 Tablespoons of olive oil
Salt
1 large Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
1 spring onion, trimmed and coarsely chopped, or 1 large shallot, coarsely chopped
1 medium fennel bulb, touch core removed, slived
2 celery stalks, trimmed and thinly slices
1 large garlic clove, split, germ removed, and sliced
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
fresh ground pepper
5-6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped [I didn't peel them]
2 strips orange or tangerine peel, pith removed
1-2 lemons

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.  Line baking sheet with foil.

If you're using a whole squash, cut in half, scoop out the innards, and rub the exposed flesh with some olive oil.  Sprinkle the squash with a pinch of salt, put on a baking sheet, and bake 60-75 minutes for a whole squash, 45 for cut.  When you can pierce the flesh easily with the tip of the knife, its done.  As soon as its cool enough to handle, peel it and cut it into 2 inch cubes.

Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over low heat, then stir in onions, Spanish and spring.  Season lightly with salt and cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions start to soften but not color.  Add the fennel, celery, garlic, and a pinch more salt and cook, stirring often, for another 5-10 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft but still pale.  Stir in the ginger, cumin, nutmeg, 1/4 tsp salt, and a few grinds of black pepper, then add the roasted squash.  Pour in 5 cups broth, increase the heat, and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the soup simmers gently; add the pears and orange peel.  Partially cover the pot and simmer about 20 minutes, or until the pears and squash are soft enough to be mashed with the back of a spoon.

Puree the soup.  Taste for salt and pepper.  If the soup is too thick for you, stir in up to 1 cup more broth and reheat until hot.

Ladle the soup into bowls and finish with a little lemon juice [if you like].

A quintessential holiday treat: Peppermint Bark Cookies

Have you ever seen a cookie look more holiday?

It's like instant merry and bright.

And the cookies themselves are delicious.  I know that there is a lot of peppermint bark running around out there right now, but it often is so sweet and over the top that I steer clear.  But, not to worry with these!

The peppermint bark itself isn't very sweet, especially if you use excellent dark chocolate.  And whatever sweetness there is is cut by the shortbread cookie bottom.  Just delightful!

They are also a ball to make: sure to put you in a jolly frame of mind.

You start by  making a shortbread bottom.  Don't worry if you don't have a 13x9 metal pan, I just did it on a normal jelly roll pan and shaped it to round about 13x9.  You can cut the edges if they burn.  Then, right after the shortbread is done baking, you sprinkle dark chocolate over it.

Let that melt and spread it.

Then sprinkle candy cane bits all over it.

Then drizzle it with white chocolate.

Just look at it!

Chill it a bit, then cut.

Enjoy!

And with these, the Bicoastal Chefs wish you a happy holiday, to you and yours!

Peppermint Bark Cookies (from epicurious)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg yolk

6 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped red-and-white striped hard peppermint candies, chopped (about 3 ounces)

2 ounces high-quality white chocolate

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 13x9x2 metal baking pan with nonstick spray.*  Line bottom of pan with 9-inch wide parchment paper, leaving overhang on both short sides of pan.

Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl.  Using electric  mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes.  Then beat in the sugar.  Continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes.  Beat in vanilla, then egg yolk.  Gradually add flour beating on low speed just to blend.

Drop dough by tablespoons full onto prepare baking pan, spacing evenly.  Using moistened fingertips, press dough to form even layer over bottom of pan.  Pierce dough all over with a fork.

Bake cookie base until light golden brown and slightly puffed and edges come away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes [for me, it was more like 18-20].  Place pan on rack, immediately sprinkle with chocolate. Let stand until chocolate softens about 3 minutes.  Using small offset spatula, spread chocolate over top of cookie in thin even layer.  Immediately sprinkle peppermint candy over.  

Stir white chocolate in medium bowl set over saucepan of simmering water, stirring until smooth.  Remove from over water.  Using fork, drizzle white chocolate all over cookies.**  Chill until white chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

Using paper overhand as aid, lift cookie from pan and transfer to work surface.  Using large knife, cut into irregular pieces.  

Can be made 1 week ahead.  Store in refrigerator, layering with waxed paper or parchment.

Makes: about 36

*I used a larger jelly roll pan and just shaped the dough to 13x9 on it.  Then, when the edges burnt a bit, I cut those off.

**Avoid globs of white chocolate, they are way to sweet. 

Sables, two ways: Almond Sables and Lemon Sables

 
(almond sables)
 
As far as I'm concerned, I will never find a cookie with a better texture than these sables.  They are ever so slightly crisp, but oh so tender.  And have this dynamite sandy feel around the outside.  I'm sold: sables win my cookie texture award.

(lemon sables)

Speaking of winning awards, these cookies also recently won a holiday cookie contest!  What sets them apart, on top of their texture, is their simplicity.  They are simply flavored butter cookies, which, in a season of sugary-over-the-top-ness, they are a breath of fresh air.

So, if you are in the midst of looking for a holiday cookie that will impress and please, these cookies are for you. Not to mention, you can make these cookies up to three days in advance, pop them in the frig, and slice and bake them at the last minute.  Yet another advantage of these sables!

These cookies only have a handful of ingredients, and are a cinch to put together.

Begin by beating the butter.  Unlike with other cookies, you don't want the butter to get light and fluffy, you want it to be creamy and velvety.

Next, if you are making the lemon sables, you begin by rubbing the zest of 1 1/2 lemons into granulated.

Then, add the granulated sugar, confectioner's sugar, and salt.
 
Next, add the egg yolks, one at a time.
 
After that, time to add the flour.  If you are making almond sables,

you will sub out part of the flour for fine ground almonds.
 
To prevent the flour from going everywhere, drape a kitchen towel over your mixing bowl, and pulse the flour into the dough at the beginning.

Eventually, all of the flour will get mixed in; however, the dough will stick to the sides of the bowl and won't form a coherent ball.  But, that's how it should be.


Here's the almond dough.
 
Spill the dough out onto a work surface and divide it half.  Next, and here is a crucial step, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and use the plastic wrap to help you make a log.  I tried this without the plastic wrap and it was a complete disaster.

Once this is done, refrigerate it for at least 3 hours, or up to 3 days.  When you are ready to baked them, take the logs out and slice them into 1/3 inch disks.
 
Bake for 17-20 minutes.  And let cool on racks.

The flavor really does develop over time, so wait until they are cool, if you can.  If not, enjoy one hot and wait to really judge them until they are cool.

And when you do, I think you will find them to be a winner!

Sables (from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)
For lemon sables:
Ingredients:
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
zest from 1 1/2 lemons
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp salt, preferably fine sea salt
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 cup all-purpose flour
Decorating sugar [optional]

Directions:
Beat the butter, in a large bowl, at medium speed until smooth and very creamy.  Working in a small bowl, using your fingers, rub the grated zest of the lemon into the granulated sugar until the sugar is moist and very aromatic, then adds this and the confectioner's sugar and salt to the beaten butter.  Beat until well blended, about 1 minute.  The mixture should be smooth and velvety, not fluffy and airy.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the egg yolks, again beating until the mixture is homogeneous.

Turn off the mixer.  Pour in the flour, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and the counter from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, 1-2 seconds each pulse.  Take a peek-- if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple more times; if not, remove the towel.  Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough and the dough looks uniformly moist.  (If most of the flour is incorporated but you've sitll got some in the bottom of the bowl, use a rubber spatula to work the rest of the flour in).  The dough will not clean the sides of the bowl, nor will it come together in a ball-- and it shouldn't.  You want to work the dough as little as possible.  What you're aiming for is a soft, moist, clumpy, rather than smooth dough.  Pinch it, and it will feel a little like play-doh.

Scrape the dough out onto a smooth work surface, gather it into a ball and divide it in half.  Shape each piece into a smooth log about 9 inches long: it's easier to work on a piece of plastic wrap and use the plastic to help form the log.  Wrap the logs well and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably longer.  The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

Getting ready to bake:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350.  Line two baking sheets with parchment.

Remove the log of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it and place it on a piece of parchment.  [Optional for decorating the outside] Whisk an egg yolk until smooth, and brush some of the yolk all over the sides-- this is the glue, then sprinkle the entire surface of teh log with decorating sugar.

Trim the ends of the roll if they're ragged, and slice the log into 1/3 inch thick cookies (You can make them as thick as 1/2 inch, but no thinner than 1/4 inch).  Place the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving an inch of space between them.

Bake one sheet at a time for 17-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet at the midway point.  When properly baked, the cookies will be light brown on the bottom, lightly golden around the edges and pale on top; they may feel tender when you touch the top gently, and that's fine.  Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest a minute or two before carefully lifting them onto a rack with a wide metal spatula to cool to room temperature.

Repeat with the remaining log of dough.

For Almond Sables:
The same as above, except omit the lemon zest and reduce the flour to 1 1/2 cups, and add 1/2 cup finely ground almonds (or pecans or hazlenuts or walnuts) to the mixture after you have added the sugars.  If you'd like, instead of sprinkling the logs with sugar, sprinkle them with finely chopped almonds or a mix of almonds and sugar.