Cookies and Cream Peanut Butter

A little free time is a mixed blessing.  The other day I was without a car and without my laptop for a good part of the day.  That kind of double whammy doesn't happen very often, and when it does, I get a little stir crazy.  I could have done so many things with the time, like tackle the year-old ironing pile, clear off my desk, read a good book... instead I did this.

But don't worry, this won't take a lot of your time.  If you've got 10 minutes and a food processor, you're in for a treat.  2 sleeves of cookies, and 2 cups of peanuts makes a new player in the cookie butter game.  Technically I guess it's a hybrid, part cookie butter, part nut butter.  Whatever, it's good.

It's a lot of fun to watch the different stages this goes through.  The cookies make a racket clanking around the food processor at first, then it sounds like coarse sand, then it turns into a giant ball that finally breaks down into a smooth deep blackish brown butter.  Then the nuts go in and it starts over again. 

The cookie butter will be quite liquid just after it's made but it will firm up as it sits.  Use it for spreading, dunking, spoon it over ice cream, take it wherever your imagination leads you.

Cookies and Cream Peanut Butter
26 Oreo cookies (2 rows from the 14 oz package)
2 cups roasted peanuts (I used salted)

• Put the cookies in the bowl of a processor and process until completely smooth.  You'll need a full sized machine for this job, the small bowl won't fit all the cookies and nuts.  In my machine this took a full 5 minutes.  Pulse the machine and scrape down the sides if necessary.  It will be dry and grainy for the first couple of minutes, then it will become a giant ball of stiff dough.  Keep it going until the dough breaks down, and starts to loosen up.  Eventually you will get a smooth buttery texture.  When in doubt, keep processing.  5 minutes should be enough.
• Add in the peanuts, and repeat the process for another 5 minutes.  The butter is done when you have a sooth, creamy thick consistency.  When in doubt, keep processing.
• Pour the cookie/nut butter into a jar with a tight fitting lid and store at room temperature.

You know what they say about idle hands...

Have a fun weekend!



One year ago today---

White Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere Friday: Limoncello Cocktail Cherries

Summer cocktails call for summer cherries.

The last time I made cocktail cherries I soaked them in Kirschwasser, Amaretto, and pomegranate juice.  They were wonderful, but better suited to winter drinks like Manhattans.  These Limoncello Cherries will brighten up all your spritzers, sparklers, chillers, coolers, splashes, punches, smashes and fizzes.  After they've soaked for a few days in the lemony liqueur they'll be ready for the party.

I made a new discovery with these cherries.  I was able to pit them while leaving the stem intact.  This is all because one day on facebook I was lamenting that I couldn't pit my cherries without losing the stems.  A commenter (thanks Jean!) mentioned that maybe one could pit a cherry sideways.  I tried it and now I have pitted cherries with stems!  So much better for cocktails.  And by the way, if you haven't 'liked' the blog on facebook you're missing out on some good times. I post several times a day, sometimes sharing posts from other sites, sometimes bringing back recipes from my archives, and it's a little more interactive than it can be here.  There's a link on the top right of this page if you want to join in.

These cherries don't require any special equipment.  I recycled a jam jar to store them in, and if you don't have a cherry pitter (which are very inexpensive and fun to use) you can always make one out of an old fork!  Here's a tutorial. You don't have to have special canning supplies because the alcohol will preserve the fruit.  Keep them in the fridge and they'll last at least as long as it takes you to go through them, just make sure the fruit is fully submerged in the liqueur.

Limoncello Cocktail Cherries
fresh cherries, washed and pitted
Limoncello (Italian lemon liqueur)
zest of 1 lemon (wash it first)

• Layer your cherries into a clean jar or jars, along with the lemon zest.  Fit the cherries into the jar as tightly as possible without squishing them too much, you don't want mangled cherries in your drinks.
• Fill the jar to the brim with Limoncello, making sure to completely cover the cherries.  Cap tightly and refrigerate.  You can eat them right away, but they are best after a couple of days of soaking, at least.  And they just keep getting better.

Limoncello is nice to have around, you can use it in cocktails, and it can be used in lots of summer dessert recipes, but if you don't want to buy a bottle you can also make your own. 

These are pretty spectacular on their own, right out of the jar, too!



One year ago today---

Spinach and Onion Pakora with Green Chutney

Raspberry White Chocolate Macadamia Cake

I realized the other day that I've never posted a recipe that features raspberries.  I thought that was odd, and since berries are everywhere right now, it's time to fix that.  This is my kind of voluptuous breakfast cake, thick and puffy , filled with raspberries cooked down to a barely jammy state, topped with a macadamia and white chocolate crumb.

It's inspired by a British cake that uses rhubarb instead of berries. I was drawn in by the macadamia and white chocolate topping.  You don't really taste the white chocolate, it just gives a certain sweetness and creaminess to the crumble.  The overall cake is not too sweet, and definitely in the coffee cake arena.

This makes a large cake, so make it for a crowd, or freeze some for later.  I adapted the recipe from Waitrose. 

Raspberry White Chocolate Macadamia Cake
serves 10
oven to 350F
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 cup sugar
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut in pieces
2 large eggs
2/3 cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb fresh raspberries (3 packages) 
crumb topping:
1/2 cup flour
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sugar
heaping 1/2 cup macadamias, rough chopped
3 or 4 oz white chocolate, cut in chunks 

•  Sift the first 5 ingredients together.  Rub in the butter with your fingers until the mixture has the texture of coarse crumbs.
• Mix the eggs with the yogurt and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Add to the dry ingredients and mix well.
• Spread out the dough evenly into a buttered 8x10 baking pan.  You can line it with parchment if you like.
• Top with raspberries.
• Mix the topping by rubbing the sugar, flour and butter together with fingers until crumbly.  Add the nuts and chocolate.  Sprinkle evenly over the raspberries.
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool slightly before cutting.

One year ago today---

Peach Habanero Jam

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Sabih, with Zhoug, Tahini Sauce,and Mediterranean Chopped Salad

This is fast food straight from the streets, and pages, of Jerusalem the city, and Jerusalem the cookbook.  I've made lots of the stunning dishes from this book, and this will make the fourth I've blogged about. 

Sabih is Israeli street food, very casual and satisfying.  It might look like a jumble, but it's actually an artful layering of fried eggplant slices, two different kinds of sauce, and boiled egg, topped with a cool and crunchy chopped Mediterranean salad.  It all fits on a fluffy moist pita and you can fold it up and eat it with your hands.  You can never go wrong with street food because it's been thoroughly vetted by masses of hungry eaters on the go.

This recipe includes recipes for two of my favorite Middle Eastern sauces, Tahini Sauce and Zhoug, which, until now, I only knew as the 'crazy hot green sauce' that comes with all the meals at our favorite kebab joint.  They give you the sauce in the tiniest little container, and look at you funny if you ask for extra.   My husband and I fight over the last drops of green in those containers, so I'm very happy to know how to make it. The sauce is both cooling and powerfully hot at the same time, and  a really nice contrast to the creamy tahini sauce.  I have a weakness of highly flavored green herb sauces, and so many cultures claim a version.  It reminds me of fiery Indian Green Chutney and  pungent Argentinian Chimichurri Sauce.

Once you've got all the components, the Sabih gets layered up quickly.  First are the fat slices of eggplant that have been cooked until brown and soft in oil.  Then a drizzle of tahini sauce, some wedges of barely hard boiled egg, more tahini, a dash of the zhoug, and finally a fresh topping of chopped salad.

I have adjusted the recipe slightly, rewritten it in my own words, and made it for 2.  If you want the original recipe, you'll just have to buy the book, which I highly recommend you do...it is one of the most inspiring cookbooks I have ever bought.  The photos alone are worth the price, and the recipes are all new and unusual, without being so exotic as to seem unapproachable.

Sabih         ~~~slightly adapted from Jerusalem

serves 2
1 large eggplant
olive oil 
2 eggs, boiled and cut in quarters
tahini sauce (recipe below)
zhoug (recipe below)
chopped salad (recipe below)
2 pitas (look for fresh authentic pitas)

• Cut the eggplant into 1 inch slices.  Salt them on both sides and set on a baking sheet for about 30 minutes to allow some of the water to sweat out of them.  Wipe the salt off and dry them with a paper towel.
• Coat the bottom of a large saute pan with oil and heat until hot.  Fry the eggplant slices until dark brown and soft, about 5 or 6 minutes on each side.  They should be soft throughout.  Add more oil when you flip them if the pan is dry.  Do this in batches if necessary, don't crowd them.
• Spread a little tahini sauce on each pita, then arrange the eggplant on top, overlapping the slices.
• Drizzle more tahini sauce over the slices, and add the eggs and a few blobs of the zhoug (it is hot!)
• Add a final drizzle of tahini, and finish with a generous helping of the chopped salad and enjoy!

Tahini Sauce
2/3 cups tahini (sesame paste)
1/2 - 1 cup water
juice of 1/2 large lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp salt

• I made my sauce in a small food processor, I like the the consistency of the sauce when it's made this way.  You can easily do it with a spoon, as well.  If using the processor, put the clove of garlic into the bowl and process until finely minced.  Add the tahini, 1/2 cup of water, lemon juice and salt.  Process until smooth.  Add more water as needed to make a thick but runny sauce, with about the consistency of honey.  I needed about a cup of water.
• Keep refrigerated.

Zhoug
2 cups cilantro leaves 
1/2 cup parsley leaves
2 hot green chiles, sliced, seeds and all (I used Serrano)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (you can also use ground cumin)
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp water
juice of 1/2 lemon

• Put everything into a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.  Scrape down the sides and pulse further until the sauce is evenly chopped, but still has a coarse texture.  
• Store in a clean jar.  It will keep refrigerated for a couple of weeks.

Chopped Salad
1 medium tomato, cut in small dice
1 small cucumber, cut in small dice
several green onions, sliced
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper 

• Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Keep cold until ready to use.

Other recipes from Jerusalem---

Red Pepper and Baked Egg Galettes

Roasted Chicken with Clementines

Basmati and Wild Rice with Chickpeas Currents and Herbs 

Minimal Monday: Heirloom Cherry Tomato Tart

You only need a few ingredients for this tart.  A sheet of frozen puff pastry, and any soft spreadable cheese will do for the base.  I used marscapone, but there are so many different varieties out there.  Boursin or a fluffy goat cheese would be nice.

The cheese primes your canvas and gets it ready for whatever you want to arrange on top.

I chose heirloom cherry tomatoes.  I got them from Trader Joe's, but you can use sliced regular tomatoes, too.  Or olives, artichoke hearts, caramelized onions, whatever floats your boat.

I filled in the gaps between my cherry tomato mosaic with little gobs of goat cheese.

This is a Minimal Monday style recipe.  I didn't even roll out the puff pastry, so you can transfer it from the package directly to a baking sheet.  No flour, no rolling pin, no tricky transfer of the dough to the pan. 

Heirloom Cherry Tomato Tart
serves 4 as an appetizer, or 2 for dinner
oven to 425F
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
4 oz marscapone cheese (about 1/2 an 8 oz container) at room temperature
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
about 1 lb heirloom cherry tomatoes (you won't need quite that many) cut in half
1 or 2 ounces goat cheese for filling in the gaps
several large leaves of basil cut in thin ribbons, for garnish
salt and fresh cracked black pepper

• Set the pastry sheet on a parchment lined baking sheet.  No need to roll it out any further.  Score a line around the edge of the pastry with a bread knife, about 1/2 inch in from the edge.  Don't cut all the way through.  This will make a frame around your tart, and the pastry will puff up nicely around your filling when it bakes.
• Mix the marscapone cheese with the lemon juice and zest.  Add salt and black pepper to taste.  Stir until the mixture is smooth.  If you are using another kind of cheese, you may not need the lemon.
• Spread the cheese evenly over the pastry, within the little frame that you etched in the dough.  I first add the cheese in little blobs all over the dough, and then spread with a knife.
• Arrange your tomato halves any way you like over the cheese.
• Fill in the cracks with little bits of goat cheese.
• Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until the crust is browned and everything is bubbly.
• Garnish with ribbons of fresh basil.
• Eat right away.

I have a busy week ahead, how about you?


One year ago today---

Blackberry Walnut Bran Muffins

New Potato and Sweet Pea Salad

This is a spring version of the old standby barbecue/picnic potato salad.  It uses the tiniest new potatoes you can find, and fresh garden peas.  The dressing is a lightened up half and half mayo and Greek yogurt blend.  The flavor is brilliant thanks to fresh lemon juice, fresh dill and lots of snipped chives. 

 

Have you come across Peewee potatoes?  They're the size of large grapes!  They cook up quickly and I think they look so cute in this salad.

Look for the smallest potatoes you can find.  Halve or quarter them them if they are on the larger size.  I put the salad together while the potatoes are hot so they have a chance to absorb the flavors from the dressing.

Don't be shy with the fresh dill and chives.  The more the better. 

I just blanch the peas for a minute or so in boiling water to take the raw edge off.  There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that you've used fresh garden peas, but the blanching brings out their flavor and improves their texture and color.  The lemon juice and yogurt make a really zingy dressing, and a little mayo keeps it from being too delicate.

New Potato and Sweet Pea Salad
serves 4
1 lb baby new potatoes (leave them whole if they're small enough, if not, halve or quarter them)
6 oz fresh garden peas (a heaping cup)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
juice of 1/2 lemon
handful of fresh dill
handful of fresh chives
salt and fresh cracked black pepper

• Whisk the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, and lemon juice together in a large bowl.  Set aside.
• Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and add the fresh peas.  Let cook for about a minute or two, then drain and cool the peas immediately in a bowl of ice water.  Drain and set aside.
• Cover the potatoes with water in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Cook until the potatoes are just tender, when you can pierce them easily with the tip of a sharp knife.  Drain and add the hot potatoes to the bowl with the dressing.  Toss to coat the potatoes.
• Add the herbs, cooled peas, and salt and pepper to taste.  Don't skimp on the herbs or the salt and pepper.  Toss well.
• Cover and refrigerate until very cold.  Check the seasonings and toss again lightly just before serving.

NOTES:  I think a couple of eggs, cooked just until their yolks start to harden, then roughly chopped, would be a good addition for the next time I make this.

I'm off to the farmer's market, how about you?


One year ago today---

Heirlooms

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere Friday: The Spring Fling

The birds are chirping, the bees are buzzing, and it's 5 O'Clock Somewhere Friday---I'm in the mood for a Spring Fling.

This  rum drink is made with fresh rhubarb simple syrup and a hint of rosemary.   I got inspired by a daiquiri recipe that appeared in Bon Appetit several years ago that paired the two.  The  earthy herb cuts the sweetness of the rhubarb and it is really unusual and delicious.

Rhubarb simple syrup is a snap to make.  I chopped 2 stalks of rhubarb (about 2 cups) and added it to 1 1/2 cups water and 1 cup sugar in a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Strain through a mesh strainer to remove all the rhubarb pulp, and return to the pan to reduce it a little further.  Boil gently for about 8 minutes, until the syrup has reduced and has thickened a bit.  I ended up with about 1 1/4 cups of syrup.  The color is beautiful.

Let the syrup cool and then refrigerate until ready to use.  It will keep at least a week, refrigerated.  You can use it on pancakes, ice cream, granola, oatmeal, or just mix it with sparkling water to make your own rhubarb soda!

Spring Fling
2 oz white rum
2 oz rhubarb simple syrup
2 oz fresh squeezed grapefruit juice (pink or white)
1 small sprig rosemary, plus 1 for garnish
lime wedge for garnish

• Remove the leaves from a sprig of rosemary and muddle, or lightly crush them at the bottom of a cocktail shaker.  Don't press too hard, rosemary is a very pungent herb, and you don't want it to overpower the drink.  Add the rum, simple syrup and grapefruit juice.  Add ice to fill the shaker and shake well, then strain over fresh ice in a tall glass.  Garnish with a lime wedge and a fresh sprig of rosemary.

Rhubarb Simple Syrup
makes about 1 1/4 cups
2 stalks fresh rhubarb, chopped
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar

• Put the rhubarb, water and sugar in a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
• Boil gently for about 10 minutes.  
• Strain out the rhubarb, and put the syrup back on the stove to reduce a bit further.  Boil gently for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the syrup is reduced to about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2  cups. 
• Let cool and then put in a container with a lid and refrigerate until ready to use.

Have a great weekend.