Twelve Weeks of Christmas Cookies Week #9: Linzer Torte Bars

Today is Black Friday and the official start for Christmas shopping. For the past couple years, my mom, my daughter and I have ventured out in the dark and cold night to go Christmas shopping. We usually leave around 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning and laugh while we stand outside in freezing cold lines. My daughter refers to it as "shopping in the middle of the night" and she thinks it's the greatest thing in the world.

Another reason we love Black Friday shopping is because we always go out to breakfast. All three of us LOVE going out to breakfast and really enjoy having our own special girl time.

While out shopping, I will be packing a couple of these Linzer Torte Bars in my purse. After all, you cannot let a hunger pang pull you away from a great sale or bargain!

While commenting on Donna's blog, My Tasty Treasures, I noticed her Linzer Torte Bars. If you haven't been to Donna's site, then you must go now! She always has great recipes.

The Linzer Torte Bars are a real cinch to make, you can use any flavor of preserves or jelly, and they are seriously tasty and addictive. My mom loves blackberries, so I used a seedless blackberry jam and they turned out really tasty.

Linzer Torte Bars - adapted from Donna from My Tasty Treasures
1 cup flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup ground walnuts
1/2 cup softened butter
2/3 cup preserves/jam (Donna's recipe calls for raspberry preserves)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


Preheat oven to 375F. Mix all ingredients with a spoon, except preserves, until crumbly. Press 2/3rds of the crumbly mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9x9 square pan. Spread with preserves. Sprinkle remaining crumbly mixture; press gently into preserves.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool completely one hour. For 48 bars, cut into 8 rows by 6 rows bars, or cut into any size you like.

Notes/Results: A super quick cookie or bar to whip up in no time! Although I am a chocoholic, I LOVE these bars. In fact, I have become addicted to them. I love that the recipe requires so few ingredients. I also love the idea that you can use any flavored preserve or jam. These are one of my favorite cookies/bars that I have made in quite some time. A great choice for a cookie platter.

Thanks to Donna of My Tasty Treasures for a new family favorite!!

Check out the cookie monsters below to see what they baked up this week:
Megan of My Baking Adventures
Barbara of Barbara Bakes
April of Abby Sweets
Megan of Megan's Cookin
Denise of Keeper Worthy Recipes

Broccoli and Pasta with Mustard-Caper Sauce

I have a confession. I LOVE MUSTARD! It doesn't matter if it is Dijon, Spicy Brown, Stadium, Honey, or just plain old Mustard. I have been known to have at least five different types of mustard in my fridge at all times. It is by far my favorite condiment. When I was pregnant with my daughter I craved mustard on everything. I even went as far as to put it on english muffins, add it to my scrambled eggs, and pour it over mashed potatoes. I would eat specific foods just so I could dip them into the mustard. However, I never thought to put mustard on broccoli. Imagine my delight as I looked through my copy of Nigella Express and found the recipe Mustard-Caper Sauce for Broccoli. I knew I had to make this recipe for Sidedish Superstars over at I Heart Cooking Clubs.

Speaking of things I love, pasta is at the very top of the list. Ever since I was about four years old, I have been happily gobbling down all kinds of buttered noodles. My four year old friend and I would have discussions on whether or not we preferred shells over elbow or rigatoni. We would discuss which of our four parents made the best pasta and which of them used the correct amount of butter. I can still remember that her mom never put in enough butter and her Dad always put in a little too much butter.

Pasta was so loved in both households, that each family had a special pan, "the buttered noodle pan". Years later, as teenagers, buttered noodles were a food we made during all-night sleepovers, when we were upset about boys, or when we were giggling our heads off like young girls do. The "buttered noodle pans" were so important to us and always held special meaning. They were with us over the years as we grew up. Years ago, when my oldest friend got married, she registered for all kinds of beautiful china and new things. She loved them all, but her favorite was the gift her mom handed down to her. Can you guess what it was? Her mom surprised her by wrapping up the "buttered noodle pan" that we had grown up with. We laughed, we cried, and we remembered everything that we had shared over all those buttered noodles.

If only I had a penny for every single time I've cooked buttered noodles over the years. I would probably have enough to pay for a dream vacation! Since "buttered noodles" are my favorite way to eat pasta I decided to indulge and buy this Parmigiano Reggiano Butter, pictured below. I was saving this butter to use for a special occasion and decided to break it out today! I started off thinking that I would just use this butter to make "buttered noodles", and serve the broccoli with mustard-caper sauce on this side. Then I ditched that idea and decided what the hell....I'll just mix it all up together! I cooked one pound of mezze penne. Midway through, I threw the broccoli into the "buttered noodle pan" with the pasta long enough to blanch it. I tossed them together and served them with this delicious sauce.

Mustard-Caper Sauce for Broccoli- adapated from Nigella Express by Nigellla Lawson
6 tablespoons butter *I used Parmigiano-Reggiano Butter*
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons capers

Put the butter, mustard, and lemon juice into a pan over medium heat. As the butter melts, whisk all the ingredients together and then add the capers. Pour the emulsified sauce over cooked broccoli (and pasta) and serve. Makes enough to dress 1/2 to 1 pound broccoli.

Notes/Results: A wonderful, super quick, fresh, zesty and zippy pasta dish! I loved the zesty flavor from the mustard, lemon juice and capers. I topped off the pasta with some freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and it was a lunch to remember! This is a must make for all mustard lovers out there, it was delicious and a real "keeper" of a recipe.


I am submitting this dish to both Presto Pasta Nights and I Heart Cooking Clubs. You can find out how to join Presto Pasta Nights by clicking here or head on over to Deb's site here. Head on over to I Heart Cooking Clubs by clicking here to see all the other side dish superstars.

I hope you all have a tasty and delicious Thanksgiving!! I am hosting Thanksgiving at my house this year. We are having both my mother and father in-law, my sister and brother in-law, and my Mom. My Dad and his wife weren't able to make it, but we will be seeing them at Christmas time. Off to cook and clean for the next two days!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Marsala-Honey Pears with Gorgonzola

This week's theme for I Heart Cooking Clubs is potluck, which means that we can choose any recipe at all. Earlier in the week I was curious about Nigella's lunch box treats, which are made up from crispy rice cereal, cornflakes, quick-cooking oats and sesame seeds. They are held together with rice malt syrup, butter, milk chocolate and rolled into little balls. They were okay, and my son loved them, but I was uninspired with them.

When Saturday rolled around I realized that I didn't want to submit the lunch box treats. They were alright, but not really anything to post about. While flipping through my copy of Nigella's Express, I quickly noticed this recipe for Marsala-Honey Pears with Gorgonzola. I knew instantly that this was the recipe for me! I had all the ingredients on hand, except for the Gorgonzola. A quick trip to the store and I was all set. Marsala-Honey Pears with Gorgonzola - adapted from Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson Serves 6-8
2 pears (approx 1lb total weight), each cut into eights (but unpeeled and uncored)
2 tablespoons olive oil (regular not extra virgin)
3 tablespoons Marsala wine
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup walnut halves
1 lb ripe gorgeous Gorgonzola in perfect condition; it should never have seen the inside of your fridge

While you are cutting the pears into eights - i.e., quarter them and halve each quarter- let the oil heat in a large skillet. Fry the pears for 3 minutes a side, and while they are frying whisk the Marsala and honey together in a cup. When the pears have had their time, throw in the Marsala honey mixture and let it bubble up vociferously around the pears. Then transfer them, all bronzed and syrupy, to a plate. Add the walnuts to the dark juices left in the pan and stir-fry them for about a minute until they are themselves darkened in part and sticky all over. Remove them to the plate with the pears and add ingredient X, your Gorgonzola.

Notes/Results: Unlike the lunch box treats, this recipe was very inspiring! It was a wonderful pairing of salty and sweet, as well as crunchy and smooth and it dissappeared quickly! Both the Marsala and the Gorgonzola have a salty flavor that pairs so well with the honey and the pears. I chose Gorgonzola Picante, which has a sharper flavor and is absolutely creamy and delicious. I ended up using sliced almonds and they added the perfect crunch to the pears and cheese. I also put the Gorgonzola on the stovetop to warm and melt while I baked some fresh bread. This allowed the Gorgonzola to come to room temperature and get all melty. A great dish to make for either an appetizer or a dessert. Definitely a make again recipe!!



Don't forget to head on over to I Heart Cooking Clubs to check out all the other "potluck" dishes that were shared this week!

Twelve Weeks of Christmas Cookies Week #8: Tyler's Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies and Cake Slice Bakers: Burnt Sugar Cake

Welcome to the Sugar Fest! I baked all day yesterday. First, I made my very absolute favorite chocolate chip cookie: Tyler's Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies. I first discovered these cookies through Tyler Florence Fridays and made them for the first time in March of this year. Since then I have easily made them a dozen times. I love them, my family loves them, and everyone always asks for the recipe.

There are two important rules to this cookie. First and foremost, YOU HAVE TO MAKE THEM BIG! The recipe was written to make cookies measuring 1/4 cup. I am all about making smaller cookies to save calories, but you just can't do that to this cookie. When they come out of the oven they are big, but they have slightly crispy edges and extremely chewy centers with big chunks of chocolate. The second rule is that you have to buy good quality chocolate in bar form and cut chunks. Tyler's recipe is written to use dark chocolate, but I buy two 4 oz. bars of Ghiradelli semisweet chocolate. I cut them up into big chunks and fold them into the dough. The chunks of chocolate are huge and so yummy to bite into. The recipe can be found here. I have now made 69 Tyler Florence recipes and this is my favorite Tyler recipe! If I only made one cookie, this would be the cookie I would make.


This is also my second post as part of the Cake Slice Bakers. We are baking from Nancie McDermott's book, Southern Cakes, and this month's cake is the Burnt Sugar Cake, pictured above. This cake begins by making a burnt sugar syrup consisting of equal parts sugar and water. One half of the syrup is added to the cake batter and the other half is reserved for the frosting. I had thought this cake would be reminiscent of a caramel cake, but it had a completely different flavor profile. The cake was dense and sweet and the frosting had a sugary kick to it. I enjoyed both the cake and the frosting separately, but together they were a little too sugary for me. I agree with some of the other members in that the frosting was a little gritty or granular due to the fact that there was just so much sugar.

Burnt Sugar Syrup

1 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water

1. Heat the sugar in a cast iron skillet or another heavy bottomed pan with high sides. Heat over a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar melts into a clear brown caramel syrup. It should be the color of tea.
   
2. Gradually add the boiling water, pouring it down the sides of the pan so that if the syrup foams and bubbles up, you should be protected.
   
3. Continue cooking, stirring often, until the water combines with the syrup and turns a handsome brown syrup.
   
4. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Store the cooled syrup in a sealed jar if not using right away.

Burnt Sugar Cake (from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott)

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1¾ cups sugar
4 eggs
½ cup Burnt Sugar Syrup (recipe above)

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans (or bundt pan)
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and stir with a fork to mix well. Stir the vanilla into the milk.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and the sugar with an electric mixer at high speed for 2 – 3 minutes, until they are well combined. Stop now and then to scrape the bowl down. Add the eggs, one by one, beating well each time. Pour in half a cup of the burnt sugar syrup and beat well.
   
4. Add a third of the flour mixture and about half of the milk, beating at a low speed, until just incorporated. Mix in another third of the flour and the rest of the milk. Finally, add the remaining flour.
5. Divide the batter between the cake pans (I baked mine in a bundt pan)and bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes until the cakes are golden brown, spring back when touched gently in the center and begin to pull away from the sides of the pan
   
6. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn out the cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Burnt Sugar Frosting

3¾ cups confectioners sugar
½ cup Burnt Sugar Syrup (above)
¼ cup (½ stick) butter
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 – 3 tbsp evaporated milk or normal milk

1. In a large bowl, combine the confectioners sugar, the burnt sugar syrup, butter and vanilla. Beat with a mixer at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl now and then to bring the ingredients together.
   
2. Add 2 tablespoons of the milk and continue beating until the frosting is thick, soft, smooth and easy to spread. Add a little more sugar if it is thin, and a little more milk if it is too thick.

Notes/Results: I made my cake in a bundt pan, instead of two 9" cake pans. I loaded all the icing on the top of the bundt cake. If you made two 9" cakes, you frost it just like an old fashioned cake. The cake was pretty just with the frosting, but I was afraid it wouldn't photograph well on it's own. I had some salted pecans left over from Tyler's salad recipe so I crushed them up and scattered them over the top. This was my way of creating a sweet and salty combination. It was a nice addition, but in the end the cake was a little too sweet for me.



Have a Great Weekend!!

Check out what all the other cookie monsters made this week by clicking on the links below:

Megan of My Baking Adventures
Barbara of Barbara Bakes
April of Abby Sweets
Megan of Megan's Cookin
Denise of Keeper Worthy Recipes

Frisee with Pears, Goat Cheese, and Salted Pecans -Recipe #49 - Stirring the Pot

My friend and I had a long conversation yesterday about what we were serving for Thanksgiving. The two major dilemmas are not having enough oven space and too many things needing your attention at once. After at least one hour on the phone, we both decided that a great Thanksgiving salad was going to be part of our Thanksgiving table this year. Why not?

Maybe a green salad isn't a traditional side dish, but it is an easy and beautiful addition to any Thanksgiving table. A salad can be made the night before and doesn't require any oven or stovetop space the next day. Better yet, a salad requires no attention while you're busy cooking other things. Salads are beautiful and light and are a welcome dish at any party I've thrown. For all of these reasons, my friend and I both decided that we were definitely making a salad for Thanksgiving!!

Can you see where I'm going with this? This recipe from Stirring the Pot would be a perfect salad for any Holiday table. It is beautiful, easy, colorful, healthy and absolutely delicious!!

Frisee with Pears, Goat Cheese, and Salted Pecans -adapted from Stirring the Pot by T Flo
Dressing:
1 cup creme fraiche ** I used Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 lemon, juice only
1 tablespoon sugar
1 shallot, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
2 medium ripe Bosc pears **I used red Bartlet pears for the red color
8 cups frisee lettuce **I couldn't find any at Whole Foods so I used mixed baby greens
3/4 cup salted pecan halves, toasted
3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

In a small bowl combine creme fraiche (or greek yogurt), mustard, lemon juice, and sugar. Fold in shallot and season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator to let the flavors come together. Note: I let my dressing set for 24 hours.

Meanwhile, for the salad, halve, core, and cut the pears into thin slices. Toss pear slices together with frisee leaves and toasted pecans in a large salad bowl. Drizzle with dressing and fold in the crumbled goat cheese. Serve immediately.

Notes/Results: I have been wanting to make this salad since I received the book. It is creamy, sweet, salty, and crunchy. I absolutely loved it and think it would be great for any Holiday table, especially with the red bartlet pears. The pears do need to be somewhat firm or they will fall apart in the salad. I couldn't find salted pecan halves, so I coated them in a little butter, sprinkled them with a little salt and roasted them in the oven at 350F for about 8 minutes. I think dried cranberries would be a great addition to this salad and they would add a wonderful dimension with their tart and chewy flavor. This salad was extremely healthy, especially with the creme fraiche subbed out with the Greek yogurt. I looked at the nutritional information for the goat cheese and saw that the package was 4 ozs. Each 1 oz. serving of goat cheese is only 70 calories. This would be a great main dish or side dish to any table. Add a whole grain roll or slice of bread and all food groups are represented!! A definite make again recipe!

What are you serving for Thanksgiving? How do you get around the issue of limited oven space and too many things requiring your attention? I'd love to hear your secrets!!

Red Beans and Rice, Grandma Walter's Biscuits and Basic Creole Spices

A couple weeks ago, I won the most beautiful cookbook ever, My New Orleans: The Cookbook from my friend Deb at Kahakai Kitchen. I had spent lots of time at the bookstore looking through this fabulous book and wanted it passionately. This is easily the most beautiful cookbook in my collection, thanks Deb!! The book is huge, a real coffee table book, and full of pictures, traditions, and stories. John Besh shares his love for New Orleans and emphasizes using local ingredients and supporting his community.

For years I have wanted to go to New Orleans. It has been at the very top of my list of cities to visit forever. New Orleans is appealing to me for many reasons: culture, beauty, music, food, and also because my Mom lived there as a teenager. I was in New Orleans as a toddler and the only thing I remember is going up and down the stairs to my Grandfather's house while my Mom told me "watch out for the alligators". Having a toddler now, I can understand why both the stairs and alligators stuck with me. Don't all kids have a natural obsession with stairs and alligators?

Four years ago, the city was hit by Katrina. I remember it well because it happened the night before my 30th birthday. Prior to the tragedy, I had been busy having a colossal fit over turning 30. A few hours later I considered myself lucky to be turning 30. What a horrible tragedy and I couldn't believe the horror that unfolded on the TV. I prayed that the city would rebuild itself and this book gives me hope that it is. I can't wait to go there one day and gorge on food, music, and scenery.

The first dish I made was Red Beans and Rice. It looked so delicious on Deb's site and I knew it would be the first thing I made from the book. John Besh uses bacon fat, a one pound bag of kidney beans, the holy trinity(bell pepper, celery, and onion), and two ham hocks. I had trouble finding regular ham hocks, so I had to use country ham hocks which ended up being a delicious substitution. The end result was smoky, slightly spicy, and very meaty. A delicious and filling bean dish that most everyone would approve of. It was great served over the Basic Louisiana White Rice and satisfied my craving for comfort food.
I thought of making John's cornbread recipe, but couldn't stop thinking about the recipe for his Grandmother Walters's Biscuits. John says he believes the secret to his Grandmother's biscuits was the fact that she talked to them, willing them to rise. John himself likes to use european-style high-fat butter which has less water and therefore looks and tastes better. I used plain old butter and I think they turned out fabulous! I think the secret is in turning the biscuits and folding them over, creating those flaky layers. Also, when the biscuits were allowed to rest for 30 minutes, they rose on the countertop and become fluffy. They were the best biscuits and I will be making them a lot! They are so good that I have to share the recipe with you.


Grandmother Walters's Biscuits - adapted from My New Orleans The Cookbook by John Besh
2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold butter, preferable European style, diced (Definitely use salted butter**)
1 cup whole milk

Preheat the oven to 425F. Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a mixing bowl. Using a fork or pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles cornmeal. Add the milk, stirring until the dough just comes together to form a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Gently pat the dough down with your hands and fold it over on itself. Pat the dough down and fold it over once or twice more. Loosely cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for a half hour or so.

Being careful not to overwork the dough, roll it out until it is 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Cut dough into biscuits using whatever cutter you like. Grandmother used an inverted juice glass, which was really an old preserves jar. For more biscuits, use a smaller glass.

Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake until uniformly golden brown, 10-14 minutes.
My husband had been been gone all week working in North Carolina, so I decided a homecoming dinner was in order. I made the Basic Creole Spices to use on a steak. The spices consisted of celery salt, sweet paprika, coarse sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and allspice. It was a unique blend, very different from Cajun spices used to "blacken" foods. I rubbed the spice into the steak and seared them well. The spice resulted in a very zesty steak with a hint of heat from the cayenne.
My husband's eyes lit up when he came in and saw this meal on the table. It was a real delight!!
Thanks to Deb over at Kahakai Kitchen for having such a wonderful contest and sending me such a beautiful cookbook to add to my collection. I'm looking forward to cooking and sharing many more recipes from this terrific cookbook.

If you are curious and want to know more about this cookbook, click here to view Deb's review of this book.

Throwdown: Pecans - Nigella vs Paula

Last month I got the chance to see Bobby Flay in person at the Incredible Food Show here in Lexington, KY. Bobby was so charming and full of jokes and laughter. I noticed very quickly that he enjoyed teasing the audience. You can tell that he enjoys good fun and laughter and I think this is why his Food Network show Throwdown suits him so well.

For those of you who do not know, Throwdown is a great show where Bobby is on a "secret mission" to challenge absolute masters in different kinds of cooking. In each show, the cook thinks the Food Network is shooting their dish for a special show. What they don't know is that Bobby is going to show up and surprise them with a cook-off. Surprisingly, Bobby doesn't always win. A lot of times the decision comes down to whether or not the judges prefer the "traditional dish", usually made by the cook OR "Bobby's spiced up version". You never really know in whose favor the judges will decide.

I love the idea of having a throwdown in my own kitchen and deciding which dish we like better. In preparation for the holidays, I have decided to start with pecans first. Candied or spiced pecans make a quick and easy holiday appetizer and everyone usually loves them. In the spirit of the Food Network show, I have picked a traditional recipe and a non-traditional recipe. Both recipes were easy and took the same amount of time and effort.

PAULA DEEN'S GEORGIA SPICED PECANS
VS
NIGELLA LAWSON'S MAPLE PEPPER PECANS

Paula's version is the more traditional version, made with sugar, cinnamon, evaporated milk, and vanilla. These are your traditional version of holiday pecans that you might get at the mall, in a holiday package, or from a friend. They taste almost like a praline.
Nigella's version is the more non-traditional recipe, made with butter, maple syrup, salt, and cayenne pepper. I loved the idea of using maple syrup and adding cayenne pepper. My husband and I love spicy foods and were really looking forward to trying these. My picture of Nigella's pecans didn't turn out to well, but you could see little specks of cayenne pepper running over the pecans - YUM!
THE WINNER: PAULA'S GEORGIA SPICED PECANS

Notes/Results: I was actually surprised by the vote for Paula's pecans. Dare I say that I prefer Nigella's recipes to Paula's any day of the week. Nigella's recipe also had two ingredients that I love: maple syrup and cayenne. Prior to making both pecans, I was convinced I would like Nigella's better. Nigella's pecans were a little more savory with just a hint of heat. I ate a couple and then set them aside. Paula's pecans were sweet and cinnamony and tasted just like those yummy pecans you get during the holidays in the mall. They were delicious and I couldn't stop eating them. I was addicted! I took them to a bunco game and they went over very well.

GEORGIA SPICED PECANS - adapted from The Lady and Sons, Too by Paula Deen
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup evaporated milk
2 cups pecan halves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the sugar, cinnamon, and milk in a medium-size saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook to the soft-ball stage (234-238 degrees on a candy thermometer). Add the pecans and vanilla and stir well. Using a slotted spoon, drop single pecans on a sheet of waxed paper; allow to cool.

Nigella's recipe can be found here, on the food network.

I think there will be more throwdowns in my future!