Countdown to Christmas: Chow's "Split-Second Cookies"

Do you know about Chow? If not, you should. Go ahead and check it out. We'll still be here when you get back.


It's pretty cool, isn't it? We loved their recent article titled, "Crazy-Easy Christmas Cookies," and since a little illness put a snag in our Christmas baking agenda, "crazy-easy" seemed like a good plan. 




So, we made their "Split-Second Cookies" the other day. Well, "split-second" is a bit of an exaggeration, and they weren't "crazy-easy" (just look at that long list of directions!). Still, they weren't too difficult or time-consuming either, and we love the crispness, the buttery flavor and the cut-on-the-bias prettiness of these jammy cookies.

Although the recipe suggests using "smooth jam," we used a wonderful slightly-seeded jam we got this summer on a day trip to Enders Island at Mystic, CT. It's called The Triduum Three-Berry Preserve. The priests and sisters at St. Edmund's Retreat  make it, and it is delicious. Special thanks to "Whit" for bringing us to Enders Island, and thanks to Chow for the great cookie recipe.

Split-Second Cookies

Recipe from Chow, but pictures here were taken by us.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface

3/4 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup smooth jam

Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Whisk the measured flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl to aerate and remove any lumps; set aside. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer, scrape down the paddle and the sides of the bowl, and add the egg and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until incorporated, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until the dough just comes together, about 45 seconds.

Cream butter and sugar; add egg and vanilla and beat well.

Then add flour mixture to turn into a dough

Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and form it into a disk. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Using your hands, roll each portion into a 10-by-1-inch log. Carefully transfer 2 of the logs onto each prepared baking sheet. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, make a 1/2-inch-wide and 1/2-inch-deep trough in the center of each log, leaving a 1/2-inch border at each end. Place the jam in a piping bag or a resealable plastic bag (snip off one bottom corner of the plastic bag, if using) and pipe the jam into each of the troughs.

Divide dough into quarters

Roll into 10-by-1-inch logs

Make a "jam trough" in the center of each "log"

Fill "trough" with jam

Place both baking sheets in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom and bake until the cookie logs are light golden brown around the bottom edges, about 10 to 12 minutes more.

Bake until golden brown around the edges

Place the baking sheets on wire racks and let the logs cool for 15 minutes. Pick up 1 of the parchment sheets and carefully transfer the two logs to a cutting board. Cut each log on the diagonal into 1-inch-wide pieces. Transfer the cookies to the wire rack. Repeat with the remaining parchment sheet and cookie logs. Let the cookies cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Secret Recipe Club: Peppermint Bliss Bark

It's the third Monday of the month, and you know what that means! Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day! Our assigned blog this month was The Weekend Gourmet by Wendy from Texas. The Weekend Gourmet features tons of festive recipes for every occasion, from the big game to National Brownie Day to the holidays. Wendy also offers giveaways very often, so check out her great blog for recipe ideas or for the chance to win a prize!

In the spirit of Christmas, we decided to make Wendy's original Peppermint Bliss Bark to include in our treat packages that will be going out to friends and neighbors. This recipe was so easy to make and turned out a delicious bite filled with plenty of different textures and flavors - chocolate, peppermint, oreo cookie and marshmallows. Blissful indeed! We followed Wendy's directions but used fewer peppermint pieces. Our version of her recipe is below. Make this stuff! It's delish!

Peppermint Bliss Bark

from The Weekend Gourmet

Ingredients:

1 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup mini-marshmallows

1 cup mini-Oreo cookies

1/2 cup chopped peppermint candies

4 ounces white chocolate

Melt chocolate chips in a double-boiler or very carefully in the microwave. Place marshmallows, cookies and 1/4 cup peppermint candies in a large bowl. Fold in the melted chocolate and gently mix until everything is combined. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and spread the mixture onto the paper. Melt the white chocolate in a double-boiler or very carefully in the microwave. Drizzle the white chocolate over the semi-sweet chocolate bark and sprinkle with remaining peppermint pieces. Chill the bark in the refrigerator (or outside if it's cold enough!) for an hour so it hardens. Cut into pieces and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve/share/eat.

Gather your ingredients

Melt your chocolate

Mix it all together

Melt your white chocolate

Spread it all out on a parchment-lined baking sheet

Cut and serve!

Countdown to Christmas: Rosemary Almond Butter Toffee

Severe abdominal pain caused Amy to go to the doctor on Friday morning and that seemingly quick doctor's visit turned into a 9-hour event complete with lab tests, cat scans and all kinds of nonsense in the E.R. They "think" it's some sort of intestinal infection, but all she could think was, "I don't have time for this! When is our Christmas baking going to get done?!?"

Saturday morning, after an anti-inflammatory injection and a couple of prescriptions began to work their magic, we got to some light work in the kitchen. We're not even half way done, but it was a good start. And while that annoying abdominal pain isn't quite gone, Amy is starting to feel a little better. Kitchen therapy. Works every time.

Anyway... We knew we wanted to do a toffee to include in our friends-and-neighbors Christmas treat boxes. Who doesn't love the crunchy sweetness of a good toffee? And Amy loves to mix salty and sweet, so we knew it would be a nut toffee. But it wasn't until she spied Rosemary Marcona Almonds during a recent visit to Trader Joe's that this particular recipe was born. That rosemary really gives this toffee a uniquely delicious hint of herbacious fabulousness. And it looks cool, too. So very Christmas-y! Enjoy!

Heat butter, salt, sugar, and corn syrup to 300 degrees

Sprinkle chopped almonds over wax paper-lined baking sheet

Pour toffee over chopped nuts

Top with chopped Trader Joe's Roasted and Salted Marcona Almonds with Rosemary

Rosemary Almond Butter Toffee

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup white sugar

6 tablespoons dark corn syrup

1/2 cup chopped plain roasted, salted almonds

1/2 cup chopped Trader Joe's Roasted and Salted Marcona Almonds with Rosemary

Melt butter over low heat. Add the salt, sugar and corn syrup and stir until sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil until mixture becomes foamy and reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer. In the meantime, line a baking sheet with wax paper and sprinkle the plain chopped almonds all over it. Pour the caramel over the nuts on the baking sheet, spreading with a spatula to cover. Sprinkle the chopped rosemary marcona almonds over the toffee mixture. Chill in refrigerator (or outside if it's cold enough!) until hardened, about one hour. Peel wax paper away and break into pieces.  Store in an air-tight container until ready to serve/share/eat.

Wordless Weekender: Steamers at Legal Sea Foods

A Wedding at the Tappan Hill Mansion

Last weekend, our friend Frank married his soulmate Leila in a moving ceremony held at the Tappan Hill Mansion. What a beautiful location to begin a new life! The stone mansion, once owned by Mark Twain, had a wall of windows in the back that offer expansive views of the Hudson River. The building and the grounds were simply gorgeous. But, since this is a food blog, we want to talk about the food. We learned that the mansion is an exclusive venue for caterer Abigail Kirsch, Catering Relationships, and the food, besides being plentiful, was quite impressive, full of flavor, and beautifully plated. We had to take some photos, and we thought we'd share them. To Frank and Leila, we say congratulations, mazel tov, and thank you for sharing your special day with us. To the rest of you, enjoy the "food porn."

Starter: Grilled Vegetable Croque Monsieur - eggplant, sundried tomato and fresh mozzarella sandwich griddled in a pesto custard with a salad of white beans, artichokes, fennel and arugula.

Salad: Salad of Baby Greens - crumbled ricotta salata, dried cranberries and spiced walnuts with orange dijon vinaigrette, served with a wedge of warm balsamic drizzled cranberry sage flatbread.

Intermezzo: Mojito Granita - sweet-n-tart mint rum ice served in a lime wedge on a sea salt/sugar bed.

Entree Choice One: Balsamic Beef Tenderloin - roast tenderloin of beef with balsamic rosemary demi glace, tuscan vegetable tian, and orzo black quinoa risotto cake.

Entree Choice Two: Tropical Mahi Mahi - mahi mahi with a cilantro lime marinade, mango-red pepper relish, asparagus spears, and roasted sweet potatoes.

Dessert: Ice Cream Sundaes (and wedding cake, of course!)

Cranberry-Orange Vodka Liqueur

Last year our foodie friend Joanne taught us how to make cranberry vodka liqueur. We made it, loved it, and gave it as gifts for our Christmas Eve cocktail party. This year, we took her recipe and added a few enhancing flavors via mandarin orange peels and a vanilla bean. The result was deliciously smooth, sweet and slightly citrusy. We suggest trying it chilled, on the rocks, or with a splash of mandarin sparkling water. Let us know how you like it! Salute!

Cranberry-Orange Vodka Liqueur

(makes about 1/2 gallon)

Ingredients:

2 12-ounce packages fresh cranberries

2 cups granulated sugar

6 tablespoons water

peels from 6 mandarin oranges (careful to avoid the bitter white pith)

1 whole vanilla bean

1.5 liters plain vodka

In a large saucepan, heat the cranberries, sugar and water over medium-high heat. Stirring often, heat until the mixture becomes syrupy and the cranberries begin to burst open (10-12 minutes). Remove from heat and add the orange peels, vanilla bean and vodka. Give it a good stir and allow to cool completely. Pour into an airtight container and allow to sit in a dark, cool place for three days, gently shaking it once a day. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and pour into several airtight jars or decorative bottles (if gift-giving) or into one large airtight jar or bottle (if keeping all to yourself)  (which is okay too).

Start with cranberries and sugar

Add a few tablespoons of water

Heat until cranberries start to pop

Remove from heat and add mandarin orange peels and vanilla bean

Pour in vodka and let sit for a few days

Let the holidays begin!

And the Winner Is...

We had exactly 60 comments in response to our Happy Weekend Giveaway. We used the random number generator available at random.org and the number it produced was #11. Therefore, the author of the 11th comment and the winner of our Williams-Sonoma gift card giveaway is Ashley! Congratulations! Thanks to everyone for commenting, subscribing, liking us on Facebook, and most of all, reading. Come back soon - we'll be posting the first of our many holiday-themed posts later this weekend.

Happy Weekend Giveaway

We had a tough week but Friday came and made everything better. First some grant money owed to Chris finally arrived (after about three months!). Then we found out we won a recipe contest (with a cash prize!) with our Cheesy Pancetta Hash Brown Bites. Then, in a weird coincidence, Simple Recipes decided to feature that same winning recipe without even knowing it won! Crazy craziness. Finally, we found and bought the cutest Christmas tree ever. Friday to end all Fridays.

Anyway, since it's officially the Holiday Season, and since it's such a Happy Weekend, and since we've come into some extra cash (see above), we wanted to spread the love with a GIVEAWAY! How about a gift card to the foodie haven we all know and love so very much...Williams-Sonoma?!? It offers so many possibilities: that non-stick brownie pan for your aunt, that beautifully sharp chef's knife for spouse, or, hey, put it away for some retail therapy for when you start to experience those post-holiday blues late January.

To enter to win a $50 gift card to Williams-Sonoma, courtesy of A Couple in the Kitchen, by Friday December 9 at 12:00 noon EST:

1. Leave a comment on this post to earn one entry, and/or

2. LIKE us on Facebook to earn one additional entry, and leave a comment letting us know you did, and/or

3. Subscribe to A Couple in the Kitchen by email or RSS and leave a comment letting us know you did.

If you have already liked us on Facebook or are already a subscriber as of today, just leave us a comment letting us know.

Details: Contest open only to residents of the United States. Must leave one comment to receive one entry. Williams-Sonoma is not a sponsor of this giveaway. Winner will be determined by a random number generator. Winner will be contacted by email and announced on this blog and on Facebook by midnight December 9th EST.

THANK YOU FOR STOPPING BY. THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED.

Woo-Hoo!

Woo-hoo! We are happy to announce that our recipe for Cheesy Pancetta Hash Brown Bites has won the Simply Potatoes/Foodbuzz recipe contest!

Read the announcement here and be sure to try this easy, delicious recipe using Simply Potatoes hash browns!

Thank you to Simply Potatoes and Foodbuzz!

Mouth-Watering Meatballs

Some gossip magazine or "news" show or website or something like that recently reported an interesting "celebrity" feud. Apparently, two of the Real Housewives of New Jersey disagree as to what is the proper Italian way to cook meatballs. Teresa Giudice, in the recipe for "Joe's Juicy Meatballs," bakes her meatballs and makes fun of fellow housewife Caroline Manzo for frying hers. Well, we would normally say "to each her own," but in this case, we have to side with Caroline, no matter what percent Italian she is!

We have perfected fooled with our meatball recipe over the years. Sometimes we use beef, pork and veal; other times we substitute lamb for the veal. Sometimes we use plain breadcrumbs, other times, panko. It all depends on our moods and the contents of our pantry. This particular time our meatballs came out really really really good. So, we decided it was time to share the recipe.

 

We think the secret to this particular batch (which made about 80 meatballs) was a red pepper that we purchased at specialty cheese (and other fine foods) shop Caseus in New Haven, CT. This is crushed Salemme Pepper, and is Connecticut grown and cultivated. We have used it in a few of our dishes recently, and it has given them a unique flavor. It has a beautiful orange-red, fiery color and intense, make-your-nose-itchy smell. And it is hot. Really hot! So we use it sparingly and highly recommend you do the same. Still, even the little bit we used gave these meatballs a nice hint of spicy hot flavor. If you can't find this pepper (it is available online!), or if you care not to use it (go ahead and try it!), use regular red pepper flakes, but double the amount as noted in the recipe below.

Besides the pepper, what made these meatballs so good? First, we worked hard at making them what we consider the perfect size: golf-ball-sized. Frying them in oil (sorry, Teresa and Joe) causes our favorite results: dark-brown-and-a-little-crisp-on-the-outside, but still tender-moist-and-juicy-with-just-a-touch-of-pink-on-the-inside.  And let's not forget that red pepper kick! They stayed together well and tasted amazing in our Goodfellas-inspired red sauce.

You gotta' love spaghetti and meatballs. Mangia!

Mouth-Watering Meatballs

Cooks' note: we have noted our usual variations in the recipe in case you want to try those too!

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground pork

1 lb. ground veal (or lamb)

1 1/4 cup panko style breadcrumbs (or 2/3 cup regular plain breadcrumbs)

4 eggs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon Crushed Salemme Pepper (or 2 teaspoons regular red pepper flakes)

1/2 cup chopped parsley

2 teaspoons kosher salt

olive oil

 Place the chopped onion, garlic cloves and chicken broth in a blender or food processor and blend well. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients as well as the garlic-onion mixture and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. Put a couple drops of olive oil on your hands and begin to roll the mixture between your palms to the desired size meatball which you place on a cookie sheet; when your hands start to get sticky, wash them off, re-oil them, and begin again until the meatball mixture is gone. Fill a large skillet with about 1/4 inch of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, place the meatballs in the skillet in batches, without crowding the skillet. Cook them for 3-4 minutes, then flip them and cook them on the other side, about 2 minutes. Drain them on paper towels. Continue until all meatballs are browned. If you plan to eat them right away, make your sauce and heat the meatballs through in the sauce. If you plan to freeze them, allow them to cool thoroughly before doing so.