CAKE-BALLIN'

Oh yea.

These delicious, probably diet-ruining, bite size treats always seem deceptively easy to make, but there's a reason bakeries get away with charging $3+ for one tiny ball: they are bitch to make. Yea, you can use store-bought cake mix and store-bought icing and they'll still turn out yummy. But from there, cakeballs usually turn into an all day project that will quickly consume your entire kitchen and make you rethink your baking-related life choices.
 

So when I stumbled upon a gingerbread cake mix at Trader Joe's, I took it as a challenge. The sweet ginger-y-ness was calling my name and I was going to bake it into submission as the cakeball of my dreams. 
I should mention now: I love ginger. Love it in asian food, love it in tea, love it in cocktails, love it in a spice mix, love it by itself. I have been known to justify a big, greasy lunch by sipping on some supposedly digestive-aiding ginger tea. With the candied ginger topping an already intense base, these particular cakeballs are not for the faint of heart.

GINGERBREAD CAKEBALLS WITH CANDIED GINGER & ORANGE PEEL

1 box gingerbread baking mix, plus any eggs/oil/water specified in the directions

1 jar cream cheese frosting

1 lb white chocolate candy coating
Candied ginger & orange peel topping (or sprinkles, nuts, etc for ginger-timid)

Prepare the cake mix as directed on the box, in a 9x13 cake pan. Let cool fully in the pan before removing. Cut the cake into sections to crumble into a large bowl - take two pieces of the cake and rub together until the whole cake is in fine crumbs. 

Add about 3/4 of the frosting to the cake crumbs and mix until fully blended and doughy. The mix should form clumps when pressed together, but if it's too dry and crumbly add more frosting.

Roll the mix into 1" balls and place on a wax paper covered baking sheet. This is really messy - as the mix warms up it'll stick to your hands more, so you may want to refrigerate the mix halfway through and watch an episode of, say, Downton Abbey. 

Once all the balls are prepared, refrigerate for several hours (while you power through the rest of Downton Abbey, obviously).

Now for the tedious part:
Prepare an area where you can arrange the cakeballs, bowl of candy coating, toppings, and another wax paper covered surface to place the complete balls on while the candy coating hardens. This gets messy and you need to work sort of quickly, so figure out a layout to keep everything efficient and within reach.

To prepare the candy coating, melt the chocolate as directed. I like to microwave the chocolate pieces in 30-second spurts, stirring in between, to ensure even melting without the risk of scorching the bottom.Once the chocolate is melted, dip one cakeball into the bowl (note on utensils for this below), coating completely. Tap your utensil against the bowl to to help excess coating drip off. place the fully coated ball onto the wax papered drying surface, and add toppings before the candy coating sets.

On the utensils for this: There are some great specialized "chocolate dipping forks" out there that may make this whole process a lot easier, but I haven't investigated yet. I somehow mastered the use of a toothpick and fork in tandem. Dip the toothpick in a little bit of chocolate, then poke the base of the ball (where it's gotten flat; the chocolate helps the toothpick from slipping out). As you pull the ball out, tip it over sideways onto the top of the fork so the "ugly part" is down, After letting the excess chocolate drain through the fork tines, use the toothpick to slide the ball off the fork and onto the drying surface, positioning it so the "ugly part" is down and the rest of the ball is smooth. I would have taken photos of this process, but my hands were literally covered in white chocolate.

SUCCESS. What feels better than dominating in the kitchen?

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Bison Stuffed Peppers

When I was in college, I used to live and work out at my horseback riding trainer's ranch during my summer breaks.  I was in love with ranch life.  We got up before the crack of dawn to a big country breakfast, rode a million horses, and then came in at night, hot and tired, to dinner and a cold glass of wine.  My trainer's husband was the cowboy of all cowboys, and, incidentally, he was the one who did all of the cooking.

I remember waking up on one particular morning to a breakfast of fried spam and eggs.  "No," I said.  Then, quickly, "I mean, that looks great, but I think I'll stick to coffee this morning."  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all fried spam out there.  Most of the food he made was amazing, from fresh fried catfish (which he caught that same day, of course) to brisket smoked overnight.  My favorite thing about his cooking, however, was that he used ground bison instead of ground beef.  Bison is leaner than beef, but tastier than turkey.  We used bison for hamburgers, spaghetti, tacos...everything.  So the other night, when I was picking out some peppers to stuff for dinner, I decided to try them with bison instead of beef.  The peppers turned out to be a well-seasoned, lean-protein-packed, quick, and easy dinner.  I will definitely be making these more often on busy weeknights.

Makes 4 large stuffed peppers:

4 large green or red bell peppers
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. ground bison
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup wild or brown rice, cooked according to directions on the package
1 package taco seasoning
1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook the rice according to the directions on the package, and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Saute the ground bison, onion, garlic, and salt and pepper until browned, about 7-9 minutes.  Add the taco seasoning and water, and continue to simmer over medium-low heat, as dictated by the taco seasoning package.  Remove the bison mixture from the heat, and stir in the rice.

Cut the tops off of the peppers, and remove the seeds inside.  Place the peppers in an oven-safe pan, and fill them with the bison mixture.  Sprinkle queso fresco on top of each pepper, and bake for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the peppers are heated through.

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Strawberry Pecan Smoothie

I used to be a morning person.  I really did.  A few summers ago, I remember being able to spring out of bed at 5:30 a.m., get my morning run in, go to the barn and ride a couple of horses, and be showered and on my way to campus for class before 10 a.m., without missing a beat.  Maybe all of my late nights up studying are catching up with me, or maybe it's all of the miles that I've put on my legs over the years, but I can't do that anymore.

These days, my alarm goes off at eight, assaulting me through the fog of sleep deprivation, sore muscles, numbers and data spinning mercilessly around my head, and last night's wine consumption.  Ten... fifteen minutes later, I'm dragging myself out of my grave of pillows and blankets -- grouchy, sluggish, and starving.   Coffee is a necessity, yes, but it can't bring me back to life on its own!  It takes more than that to get me through my workout, horse training sessions, and hours of schoolwork.

I like to eat healthily, but aside from my daily multivitamin, I'm not really a big advocate of nutritional supplements, and I'm especially wary of protein powders.  I like smoothies, but with just fruit and yogurt, they quickly become too sweet.  Thus, I had to come up with a different way to get some protein in my favorite breakfast recipe.

I have experimented with several different kinds of nuts, and pecans won my vote by a landslide.  I like to roast mine in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 350, until they are browned and aromatic.  If you are especially ambitious, you can use raw pecans soaked in water overnight for a healthier smoothie (soaking the nuts neutralizes the acids in them, making it easier for your body to absorb their nutrients). Coupled with a cup of strong coffee, this recipe can power me through the longest of mornings.

Makes about 3-4 smoothies:

10 large strawberries, chopped
3/4 cup chopped pecans (roasted or soaked)
3/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup crushed ice

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Extra smoothie can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.

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[quick bites] The Smith

THE SMITH
55 3rd AVE, NEW YORK (+ 2 other NYC locations)
www.thesmithnyc.com


So this picture is on the front page of The Smith's website. And guess what, it features BOTH of my favorite dishes there: the best tomato soup you'll ever consume, and a steaming pot of delicious mussels.

The Smith is one of those places I could eat at twice in a week (and have) - I'm always in the mood for it. Besides my personal favorites, they have some fab lunch sandwiches, nightly specials, a fantastic cocktail list and well-curated beer selection, and a great vintage atmosphere with white honeycomb tile floors and lots of dark wood. 

The "Roasted Tomato Soup with Cheddar Melt" is an appetizer portion of creamy tomato soup, with just the right amount of tomatoey, herby tartness to cut through what is probably a half pint of heavy cream per serving. It's the closest I've ever found to La Madeleine's legendary and unmatched Tomato Basil Soup. The "Cheddar Melt"? It's a piece of toasted sourdough covered in gooey melted white cheddar, ON TOP OF the soup. Your life is incomplete until you've had this.

The Mussels are a different kind of satisfying. Bathed in a velvety broth of white wine, butter, dijon mustard and tarragon, these little guys are everything I want when I order a pot of mussels. Shame of my life: after I finish the mussels, I dump the rest of the thin, crispy frites that are served with the dish into the remaining broth, and eat it like pho. Mmmmm.

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What I Always Want for Breakfast (and don't make often enough)

"How to make quiche" is one of those (many) completely useful things I learned from my mom, like putting baking soda in the fridge, hand washing with baby shampoo, and making cute throw pillows out of table linens from the sale bin at Anthropologie. Quiche is so easy, and always turns out so well, that I hate myself for wasting money on bodega bagels for breakfast when if I had planned ahead I could have been eating leftover quiche for breakfast all week. Yep, quiche one of those elusive foods that are actually better the next day.

What really puts quiche into that amazingly useful category, though, is the way you can throw anything into it. It's like a peasant stew: whatever you have in the fridge that could reasonably be paired together will make a good quiche.


That said, I usually start in the neighborhood of quiche lorraine because not many things I want to put into a quiche don't go with bacon and cheese. That was the plan this weekend when I whipped up the below Turkey Bacon and Mushroom Quiche, which turned out quite tasty. I prefer a flaky butter crust (Pillsbury makes a decent frozen one) to a shortening crust, and grainy spicy mustard over traditional Dijon.



BASIC QUICHE BASE:
3 eggs
1c milk or cream
3 tbsp spicy mustard

FOR TURKEY BACON AND MUSHROOM QUICHE:
5 strips turkey bacon, cooked and chopped
1 cup shredded gruyere
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
Salt and pepper to taste

Pie crust for 9in pie pan

Beat eggs, milk, and mustard in a mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients, stir to combine. Pour into an unbaked pie shell. Pop into a 450* preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, covering the edges with foil just as the crust starts to brown (about 15 min). Filling should be set when done, and a knife should come out clean when inserted. Allow to fully cool before serving. Voila!

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Morsel Combat: Macarons

Foodaphiles-- Francophiles, macarons are tricky.  I've been defeated by this dainty confection before; it broke my confidence completely.  I didn't attempt to make them again for months, because I knew I would only suffer another crippling loss in the game of elusive French pastry.  But today, this gray, rainy day, I woke up with the Rocky fight song in my head, ready to come back swinging.  It took all day, and a small buttercream disaster, but ultimately, I came out on top.

Now, Philes, there are a few crucial rules to follow in order to win this war:

1.  While it is important to beat your meringue until peaks form, try not to overbeat it.  You don't need a stiff meringue.  In fact, if you beat it too much, it will be difficult to fold in the almond flour and powdered sugar mixture, and you will end up with an overly thick, dry batter.
2.  Pulse your almond flour and powdered sugar together thoroughly in the food processor for several minutes before mixing them with the meringue.  This will make the piping process easier.
3.  Use a size #2 pastry tip.  I know, it's tiny, but it prevents the batter from coming out too fast and ruining the shape of your macarons.
4.  Don't skimp on the amount of time that you let your macarons sit out before baking.  The skin that forms over them is critical to maintaining the shape of the macaron while baking and to getting those puffy edges (called "feet") that make your macarons look so professional.
5.  Instead of using jam for the filling, as I did, you can also use buttercream with the flavoring of your choice or a simple chocolate ganache.
6.  This is not the time or place for drunk baking.  Drinking wine does not make you more French by association, and therefore innately better at making macarons (as I mistakenly assumed the first time I tried this).  It only makes it harder to pipe out the macaron batter into uniform circles.

OK, you're ready.  Follow the rules of macaron-making, be careful when removing them from the parchment paper, and you have no reason to be scared of these little confections. Attack!

You will need:
a baking sheet
parchment paper (not wax paper)
food processor
electric stand or hand mixer
rubber spatula
pastry bag w/ size #2 tip
wire cooling racks

To make 25 Blackberry Almond Macarons:

1 cup almond flour
1 2/3 cups powdered sugar
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
food coloring, optional

for the blackberry almond filling:
1 cup blackberry jam
1/4 tsp almond extract

Preheat the oven to 325 deg. F, and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pulse the almond flour and 1 2/3 cups powdered sugar in the food processor for about a minute, until the mixture is very fine.

Beat the egg whites and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar on high until soft peaks form, about 3-4 minutes.

Using a spatula, fold the almond flour mixture into the meringue until blended. Add food coloring if you wish.

Spoon the mixture into your pastry bag, and pipe out uniform 1 inch circles onto your lined baking sheet.  Let the unbaked macarons sit out for at least an hour before baking them.  They will develop a "skin" that will help them keep their shape while they bake.

Bake the macarons for about 10 minutes.  Keep a close eye on them, as you do not want them to brown.  They should puff up nicely but should not crack.

Remove them from the oven, and carefully remove them from the parchment paper and transfer to your cooling rack.

To make the blackberry almond filling, simply mix 1/4 tsp of almond extract with the cup of blackberry preserves.  Spread a thin layer over the flat bottom of a macaron, and place another macaron on top, bottom side down, to create a sandwich cookie.

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Death in the Afternoon

I have recently become aware of several unexpected perks that go along with cooking in my parents' kitchen.  Most notably, I have access to booze of a much higher quality than I would ever buy for myself as an unemployed twenty-two year old in grad school.  So, after a couple of glasses of delicious red wine, I decided to make my parents proud and put my own creative spin on Ernest Hemingway’s signature cocktail.

Inspired by his book, Death in the Afternoon, this cocktail recipe also appeared in a cocktail book compiled in the ‘30s by several famous authors.  Hemingway’s instructions were simple: “Pour one jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly.”  Now, if I drank 3-5 glasses of champagne and absinthe over the course of an afternoon, I would probably at least feel like death.

But I don’t want you guys to die in the afternoon, or anytime, ever!  So, my fellow philes, I substituted pastis for the absinthe, and dropped a couple of blackberries in my glass to balance out the dryness of the champagne and pastis. My motives aren’t purely altruistic, though.  Pastis has a delightful anisette flavor, which makes it the perfect companion for my dark chocolate anise crinkles.  At least, they taste great together right now, but then again, I’ve been taste testing this cocktail for an hour or two by this point.

To make two glasses of Death:

4 tablespoons Pastis (I used Ricard’s Pastis de Marseille)

1 ½ cups dry champagne or Prosecco (I recommend Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut – very dry, and pretty cheap)

In each of two champagne glasses, pour ¾ cup champagne and 2 tablespoons of pastis, and stir.

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