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Petite Vanilla Bean Scones
12 hours ago
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
BBA Pannetone
Moving on with the BBA Challenge, I made pannetone. Not my favorite rich holiday bread, but it was pretty tasty the first day. A rich, eggy dough is studded with fruits and candied peel, and flavored with vanilla and lemon extracts. You can't get much more flavor out of bread, frankly. It's definitely a Christmas loaf.
I didn't manage to get my hands on the candied peel, which was too bad. I'd never baked with them before, but I couldn't find them. I did use lots of dried fruits, soaked liberally with whiskey--but that backfired on me. I don't really care for whiskey...I am more of a rum girl. I figured I would use whiskey because the flavor should mellow in the baking, right?
NO. Not even a little bit. In fact, after the second day, it was almost inedible! The raisins and cranberries were lousy with whiskey, and it somehow became stronger day after day. I definitely would have used rum if I knew the effect it would have on the final dough.
I think this would have been an okay component to something else, like a bread pudding, but all in all it wasn't my favorite thing. Maye pannetone-style bagels, with bits of candied peel and rum-soaked raisins would be good...but this one probably won't be seen again in my kitchen in its original form. What can I say, I'm not Italian!
I didn't manage to get my hands on the candied peel, which was too bad. I'd never baked with them before, but I couldn't find them. I did use lots of dried fruits, soaked liberally with whiskey--but that backfired on me. I don't really care for whiskey...I am more of a rum girl. I figured I would use whiskey because the flavor should mellow in the baking, right?
NO. Not even a little bit. In fact, after the second day, it was almost inedible! The raisins and cranberries were lousy with whiskey, and it somehow became stronger day after day. I definitely would have used rum if I knew the effect it would have on the final dough.
I think this would have been an okay component to something else, like a bread pudding, but all in all it wasn't my favorite thing. Maye pannetone-style bagels, with bits of candied peel and rum-soaked raisins would be good...but this one probably won't be seen again in my kitchen in its original form. What can I say, I'm not Italian!
Friday, August 13, 2010
You Want Pie With That?
This is my first entry to the blogging event, You Want Pies With That? At least, the first to its new "official" blog site. It's being hosted this month by last month's winner, Branny of Branny Boils Over. She chose a personalized theme--what does your blog say about you? We were instructed to sum up our blogs with a pie--sweet, nutty, fruity, silly, classy?
I have a lot of things I can say about my blog--at least I hope. I try to be funny, sure, I try to bake beautiful desserts that are delicious, all-natural, and sophisticated. I like to branch out occasionally and make complicated, fussy deserts that challenge me. I also like to teach my readers about why things work the way they do (although I couldn't think of a pie that represented "nerdy".)
In the end, I decided to go with a couple of things that are really important to me--seasonal, and simple. My usual dessert is not a fussy croquembouche or 5 layer torte. No, my favorite pie remains a rustic, simple galette, not even baked in a pan. I love these for many many reasons. First, I can use my favorite pie dough of all time, Rose Levy Beranbaum's cream cheese pie dough, which you can find right here. I don't have to prepare a mountain of apples or pears or peaches, which makes it a much more accessible pie for everyday or after dinner. It also makes a smaller amount, if you just use one crust recipe and a few piece of fruit--perfect for a light dessert for our small family, and it won't hang around for a week and be wasted. It's also very beautiful, in a rustic sort of way, and I like the crust-to-filling ratio. Baking it on a pan on a hot stone ensures a crisp crust, and the lesser amount of juicy fruit prevents it from becoming soggy. You can even eat it on-the-go, if that's how you roll. (This is how I roll.)
I will also throw in my baking-science tips, because this one actually didn't turn out as great as some of my others! I was a bit rushed at the time, and I didn't roll it properly--I had some thick spots on the outer edges, and didn't work hard enough to keep it a circle. Perfection isn't required, but it does help the pie bake up evenly it it's more or less the same thickness.
Also, I only rested this half an hour in the fridge, didn't give it my customary half hour-fridge plus half hour freezer, to really firm up the crust, and I got some slippage and cracks. This was not helped by the fact that I didn't turn the oven up high enough. I have been getting some scorches lately when I bake on the stone--ruined a batch of bread recently--so I tried a lower temp, but that didn't work. Frozen pie crust + surface of hell oven temperature = set pie crust edges. That way, the fat melts very quickly, and doesn't have time to slip and slide around, melting your crust and making it droop. It's like the figures frozen in time when Pompeii exploded--instantly hot, scorching heat will set whatever it's baking with a minimum of movement. I should have started high and turned down immediately, then moved it to a higher shelf halfway through. Live and learn--still working the kinks out of my new oven.
But this is why I love this recipe--even with the mistakes, the casual nature makes for a pie that tasted just as good, anyway.
Rustic Peach and Blueberry Galette
One recipe Cream Cheese Dough for 9" pie *use all-purpose flour
3 peaches
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar (or less is peaches are very sweet, adjust this to your taste)
juice of one lemon
pinch kosher salt
handful fresh blueberries
heaping teaspoon or so of cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp tapioca flour (or cornstarch)
1 tbsp butter
Peel peaches with good peeler, or blanch and then peel. Slice into 1/4 inch slices. Toss with lemon juice, sugars, salt, cinnamon and blueberries. Place in a strainer over a bowl. Let rest 30 mins to1 hour. Preheat oven to 475. If you have a stone, place it on the oven floor. If you don't lower a rack to the bottom-most setting. In both cases, leave a rack in the upper-middle as well.
Prepare pie crust as directed, roll out to a little less than 1/4 inch thickness, about a 12" circle. Try to be round, but imperfect edges are fine. Transfer to a large baking sheet lined with parchment--if the edges overlap the pan at this point, that's fine, they're getting folded later.
When crust is ready and fruit has given its juices, place the juice in a saucepan and reduce to just a few tablespoons, or by half if you don't have much. Pour back over fruit, and stir in tapioca flour. Pile fruit in center of dough.
Working form the outside, fold edges over onto themselves so that they mostly cover the fruit, but not all the way, and continue folding dough over until you've gone all the way around. (See this tutorial if you need a visual--skip to 3:20 for the assembly, minus the frangiapane.)
Brush with 1 egg mixed with water, and then sprinkle with sugar (coarse sugar is better, and crunchier). Place in oven, and immediately turn heat down to 450. Bake for 15 minutes on the stone, then move to upper rack and lower heat again to 400. Bake another 20-30 minutes, til pie is bubble and golden brown. If if starts to overbrown before it's done, tent with foil for the last 10 minutes or so. Remove on pan and set on rack to cool--this is the hard part! You must wait 2 hours at a minimum to cut it. 4 hours is better. Then, top with ice cream and enjoy!
* Be sure to use all-purpose flour here, or at least 50& all-purpose to 50% pastry. If you have a pie crust or tart dough recipe you prefer, go ahead and use it, just be sure you are using one that is sturdy enough to handle not being in a pan. Really delicate pie doughs made with all pastry flour and tons of butter don't have enough gluten to hold this up, and will crack and just not work. Try substituting all-purpose flour in your favorite pastry dough recipe, if you have one you really like.
I have a lot of things I can say about my blog--at least I hope. I try to be funny, sure, I try to bake beautiful desserts that are delicious, all-natural, and sophisticated. I like to branch out occasionally and make complicated, fussy deserts that challenge me. I also like to teach my readers about why things work the way they do (although I couldn't think of a pie that represented "nerdy".)
In the end, I decided to go with a couple of things that are really important to me--seasonal, and simple. My usual dessert is not a fussy croquembouche or 5 layer torte. No, my favorite pie remains a rustic, simple galette, not even baked in a pan. I love these for many many reasons. First, I can use my favorite pie dough of all time, Rose Levy Beranbaum's cream cheese pie dough, which you can find right here. I don't have to prepare a mountain of apples or pears or peaches, which makes it a much more accessible pie for everyday or after dinner. It also makes a smaller amount, if you just use one crust recipe and a few piece of fruit--perfect for a light dessert for our small family, and it won't hang around for a week and be wasted. It's also very beautiful, in a rustic sort of way, and I like the crust-to-filling ratio. Baking it on a pan on a hot stone ensures a crisp crust, and the lesser amount of juicy fruit prevents it from becoming soggy. You can even eat it on-the-go, if that's how you roll. (This is how I roll.)
I will also throw in my baking-science tips, because this one actually didn't turn out as great as some of my others! I was a bit rushed at the time, and I didn't roll it properly--I had some thick spots on the outer edges, and didn't work hard enough to keep it a circle. Perfection isn't required, but it does help the pie bake up evenly it it's more or less the same thickness.
Also, I only rested this half an hour in the fridge, didn't give it my customary half hour-fridge plus half hour freezer, to really firm up the crust, and I got some slippage and cracks. This was not helped by the fact that I didn't turn the oven up high enough. I have been getting some scorches lately when I bake on the stone--ruined a batch of bread recently--so I tried a lower temp, but that didn't work. Frozen pie crust + surface of hell oven temperature = set pie crust edges. That way, the fat melts very quickly, and doesn't have time to slip and slide around, melting your crust and making it droop. It's like the figures frozen in time when Pompeii exploded--instantly hot, scorching heat will set whatever it's baking with a minimum of movement. I should have started high and turned down immediately, then moved it to a higher shelf halfway through. Live and learn--still working the kinks out of my new oven.
But this is why I love this recipe--even with the mistakes, the casual nature makes for a pie that tasted just as good, anyway.
Rustic Peach and Blueberry Galette
One recipe Cream Cheese Dough for 9" pie *use all-purpose flour
3 peaches
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar (or less is peaches are very sweet, adjust this to your taste)
juice of one lemon
pinch kosher salt
handful fresh blueberries
heaping teaspoon or so of cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp tapioca flour (or cornstarch)
1 tbsp butter
Peel peaches with good peeler, or blanch and then peel. Slice into 1/4 inch slices. Toss with lemon juice, sugars, salt, cinnamon and blueberries. Place in a strainer over a bowl. Let rest 30 mins to1 hour. Preheat oven to 475. If you have a stone, place it on the oven floor. If you don't lower a rack to the bottom-most setting. In both cases, leave a rack in the upper-middle as well.
Prepare pie crust as directed, roll out to a little less than 1/4 inch thickness, about a 12" circle. Try to be round, but imperfect edges are fine. Transfer to a large baking sheet lined with parchment--if the edges overlap the pan at this point, that's fine, they're getting folded later.
When crust is ready and fruit has given its juices, place the juice in a saucepan and reduce to just a few tablespoons, or by half if you don't have much. Pour back over fruit, and stir in tapioca flour. Pile fruit in center of dough.
Working form the outside, fold edges over onto themselves so that they mostly cover the fruit, but not all the way, and continue folding dough over until you've gone all the way around. (See this tutorial if you need a visual--skip to 3:20 for the assembly, minus the frangiapane.)
Brush with 1 egg mixed with water, and then sprinkle with sugar (coarse sugar is better, and crunchier). Place in oven, and immediately turn heat down to 450. Bake for 15 minutes on the stone, then move to upper rack and lower heat again to 400. Bake another 20-30 minutes, til pie is bubble and golden brown. If if starts to overbrown before it's done, tent with foil for the last 10 minutes or so. Remove on pan and set on rack to cool--this is the hard part! You must wait 2 hours at a minimum to cut it. 4 hours is better. Then, top with ice cream and enjoy!
* Be sure to use all-purpose flour here, or at least 50& all-purpose to 50% pastry. If you have a pie crust or tart dough recipe you prefer, go ahead and use it, just be sure you are using one that is sturdy enough to handle not being in a pan. Really delicate pie doughs made with all pastry flour and tons of butter don't have enough gluten to hold this up, and will crack and just not work. Try substituting all-purpose flour in your favorite pastry dough recipe, if you have one you really like.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Gale Gand's Butterscotch Pudding
I recently discovered the joy of buying used books on Amazon. I have no less than 200 books on my Wish List (I'm not kidding) and most of them are cookbooks--most of those being dessert books. I am a bit of a book hoarder, I must admit. I am the type who would buy a Kindle for novels I'll read once, but 99% of the books I buy will teach me something. Cookbooks, how to books, design books, history books...I am very much a gatherer of instructions. In short, a big fat nerd.
But the used books are now my addiction. In the last week I have ordered 4 of the books that have been on my list for ages. But I can hardly justify spending $30 every time a new cookbook gets mentioned in Bon Appetit. This way, I get them for 5 bucks or less, plus a few dollars shipping, and they are just like new. It's a perfect marriage of frugality and obsessive compulsive book-buying.
One of my new ones has been on my top-ten list forever! Gale Gand is one of the nation's best and most well-known pastry chefs. She's lived abroad in the UK and frequently uses fruits in her desserts, and they sometimes have a European flair. She can usually be counted on to provide the weights for her recipes--not so in this book, but I found a recipe that called for a pound of flour that was equal to 3 1/2 cups, and did the math myself. Close enough! And I'm sure I could find another recipe of hers to compare it to.
The book is divided by main ingredient--Butter, Sugar, Flour, and Eggs. Cookies, cakes, pies, puddings and more fit neatly into most of her chapters.
The first up--Butterscotch Pudding. I have been wanting to try a recipe for this since it hit the blogosphere awhile back. David Lebowitz has a recipe, as well as a few others I found. My husband requested pudding, and I figured it would be a fine time to try.
A few more steps than a regular cornstarch custard, but simple nonetheless. The flavor comes from caramelized butter and brown sugar, which you allow to cook until the butter browns. If you've never had brown butter, you're misisng out--it's nutty, and rich, and fragrant, and there's nothing quite like it. A brown-butter-brown-sugar-caramel is divine.
Added to a simple custard base, it is cooked for a minute, then cooled. Her instructions are clear and very easy-to-follow. I think I may have left it on for just a minute too long--it was smooth, but not as silky as it could have been. I'll try again and see if it makes a difference.
This may be the best thing to come out of my kitchen. It was, pardon my French, really fucking good. This is NOTHING like packaged, artificially flavored butterscotch pudding, the flavor reminiscent of the fake chips you can buy, and tasting nothing like butter or brown sugar. No, this is the real deal.
I topped it with softly whipped cream that I spiked with rum--although of course you could use scotch, to be authentic.
Butterscotch Pudding
2 1/4 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
6 tbsp butter
265g (1 1/4 cups packed) light brown sugar
35g (1/4 cup) cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
Combine milk and cream in a large saucepan and bring to just simmer, then turn off heat.
In a nonstick skillet, melt butter and add brown sugar. Cook over medium heat until butter browns and sugar caramelizes, about 5 minutes--you'll smell the nuttiness when it's ready.
Add the butter-sugar to the hot cream while whisking constantly. If it's not quite smooth, blend with an immersion blender. Or leave it, it will dissolve later on.
Put eggs in a small bowl. Add cornstarch, then salt, and add 1/2 cup of the hot cream-sugar. Stir til dissolved. Pour back into hot milk.
Stirring constantly, bring to just a boil--a few large bubbles is all you're looking for. The ideal temp is 185, I believe, if you're checking-you don't really want it to boil, so turn the heat off before it really gets going.
Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla, and pour into custard cups. Chill as long as you like, 6 hours to get really cold, but I'll admit to being a big fan of warm pudding.
A couple notes--Mine turned out just the tiniest bit grainy. I probably cooked it a tad too long, and will be trying it again. Also, this is a very firm custard, so be aware--it is pie-filling quality firmness. I think I would prefer it a little looser--but then, it may be that when I took it too far, I made sure the cornstarch bonds would completely activate, and may have firmed up more than the original recipe intended. Give it a try, let me know how yours turns out!
But the used books are now my addiction. In the last week I have ordered 4 of the books that have been on my list for ages. But I can hardly justify spending $30 every time a new cookbook gets mentioned in Bon Appetit. This way, I get them for 5 bucks or less, plus a few dollars shipping, and they are just like new. It's a perfect marriage of frugality and obsessive compulsive book-buying.
One of my new ones has been on my top-ten list forever! Gale Gand is one of the nation's best and most well-known pastry chefs. She's lived abroad in the UK and frequently uses fruits in her desserts, and they sometimes have a European flair. She can usually be counted on to provide the weights for her recipes--not so in this book, but I found a recipe that called for a pound of flour that was equal to 3 1/2 cups, and did the math myself. Close enough! And I'm sure I could find another recipe of hers to compare it to.
The book is divided by main ingredient--Butter, Sugar, Flour, and Eggs. Cookies, cakes, pies, puddings and more fit neatly into most of her chapters.
The first up--Butterscotch Pudding. I have been wanting to try a recipe for this since it hit the blogosphere awhile back. David Lebowitz has a recipe, as well as a few others I found. My husband requested pudding, and I figured it would be a fine time to try.
A few more steps than a regular cornstarch custard, but simple nonetheless. The flavor comes from caramelized butter and brown sugar, which you allow to cook until the butter browns. If you've never had brown butter, you're misisng out--it's nutty, and rich, and fragrant, and there's nothing quite like it. A brown-butter-brown-sugar-caramel is divine.
Added to a simple custard base, it is cooked for a minute, then cooled. Her instructions are clear and very easy-to-follow. I think I may have left it on for just a minute too long--it was smooth, but not as silky as it could have been. I'll try again and see if it makes a difference.
This may be the best thing to come out of my kitchen. It was, pardon my French, really fucking good. This is NOTHING like packaged, artificially flavored butterscotch pudding, the flavor reminiscent of the fake chips you can buy, and tasting nothing like butter or brown sugar. No, this is the real deal.
I topped it with softly whipped cream that I spiked with rum--although of course you could use scotch, to be authentic.
Butterscotch Pudding
2 1/4 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
6 tbsp butter
265g (1 1/4 cups packed) light brown sugar
35g (1/4 cup) cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
Combine milk and cream in a large saucepan and bring to just simmer, then turn off heat.
In a nonstick skillet, melt butter and add brown sugar. Cook over medium heat until butter browns and sugar caramelizes, about 5 minutes--you'll smell the nuttiness when it's ready.
Add the butter-sugar to the hot cream while whisking constantly. If it's not quite smooth, blend with an immersion blender. Or leave it, it will dissolve later on.
Put eggs in a small bowl. Add cornstarch, then salt, and add 1/2 cup of the hot cream-sugar. Stir til dissolved. Pour back into hot milk.
Stirring constantly, bring to just a boil--a few large bubbles is all you're looking for. The ideal temp is 185, I believe, if you're checking-you don't really want it to boil, so turn the heat off before it really gets going.
Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla, and pour into custard cups. Chill as long as you like, 6 hours to get really cold, but I'll admit to being a big fan of warm pudding.
A couple notes--Mine turned out just the tiniest bit grainy. I probably cooked it a tad too long, and will be trying it again. Also, this is a very firm custard, so be aware--it is pie-filling quality firmness. I think I would prefer it a little looser--but then, it may be that when I took it too far, I made sure the cornstarch bonds would completely activate, and may have firmed up more than the original recipe intended. Give it a try, let me know how yours turns out!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
I made pudding!
Butterscotch, to be precise. It's in the fridge. Pics and the recipe review coming soon--it's from a new cookbook by Gale Gand, Butter Sugar Flour Eggs. I am very excited about this one, and I'm looking forward to trying a few new ones.
I also have a backlog of recipes...Sourdough English Muffins, Chocolate Cream Tartelettes, Pain a l'Ancienne again...I've been busy! Panettone is planned for this week out of the BBA...I've got quite a bit to do!
I also have a backlog of recipes...Sourdough English Muffins, Chocolate Cream Tartelettes, Pain a l'Ancienne again...I've been busy! Panettone is planned for this week out of the BBA...I've got quite a bit to do!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Up to my old tricks...the BBA Challenge Returns
Do you know what semolina is? If you don't, and you are a bread baker...you are missing out. It is probably my favorite type of flour, and I like to add some to just about every recipe. It's a fantastic secret ingredient. I looked around a little, and I didn't really find an explanation for why it's magic, except that it's supposedly very high in gluten. This will make for a very strong network of gluten, which means your dough can rise higher, the air inside stretched to its maximum by the balloon-like gluten-y dough. To paraphrase an excellent movie, "It's so fluffy I'm going to die!"
I made a sandwich loaf, my favorite fast, and slow pizza doughs feature it, and it just lightens whatever it's baked with. It leaves a golden color, a moist crumb, and an airy feel that can't be duplicated in any other way. If you can't find it at your grocery store, the health food store will definitely have some.
But the point I'm reaching is the bread I finally got around to making, the Pane Siciliano. This is of course out of The Bread Baker's Apprentice, by Peter Reinhart, and continues my alphabetically ordered journey into his world.
This is a lean dough, meaning no eggs or milk, and hardly any fat. If properly baked it will have a nice crisp crust, and give a very chewy, but light loaf that is wonderful for sandwiches. (Yes, I can attest to this.) It's a fairly straightforward bread, made with his standard pate fermentee the night before to develop the exquisite flavor it has, then mixed, risen, cold-proofed one last time, and risen again and baked as usual. The only curveball is a high percentage of semolina flour--about 25% of the total flour used, I believe.
When I make this again, I'm going to use my Dutch oven, I think. That's the only way I've ever gotten an acceptable crust on an artisan loaf I've baked. I do have a perforated French bread pan, and that works alright for my torpedoes--but honestly, I prefer the boule shape anyway. Much better for sandwiches, garlic bread, and generally more versatile. It does leave less crust, but after the first day, it's never as good anyway!
Oh, one other thing I learned from this particular loaf was how to shape the "S" shape. It was very simple, clearly illustrated I the book, and after one try I had a perfectly shaped loaf. Beautifully spiraled, very pretty, all but one kept its shape during baking.
This dough would make sweet little "S" shaped dinner rolls, too--I think I might like to give them an egg wash if I did that, though. Some more color, more shine! I kept them plain on this go-round, just for simplicity's sake. The "S" shape makes this perfect for sandwiches, especially if you're toasting the bread or pressing it--it's slightly flat but still with enough bite to make an interesting sammy.
As per the instructions of the challenge, I won't post the recipe, but If you'd like it, just leave a comment, and I'll get it to you!
This post is also submitted to YeastSpotting!
I made a sandwich loaf, my favorite fast, and slow pizza doughs feature it, and it just lightens whatever it's baked with. It leaves a golden color, a moist crumb, and an airy feel that can't be duplicated in any other way. If you can't find it at your grocery store, the health food store will definitely have some.
But the point I'm reaching is the bread I finally got around to making, the Pane Siciliano. This is of course out of The Bread Baker's Apprentice, by Peter Reinhart, and continues my alphabetically ordered journey into his world.
This is a lean dough, meaning no eggs or milk, and hardly any fat. If properly baked it will have a nice crisp crust, and give a very chewy, but light loaf that is wonderful for sandwiches. (Yes, I can attest to this.) It's a fairly straightforward bread, made with his standard pate fermentee the night before to develop the exquisite flavor it has, then mixed, risen, cold-proofed one last time, and risen again and baked as usual. The only curveball is a high percentage of semolina flour--about 25% of the total flour used, I believe.
When I make this again, I'm going to use my Dutch oven, I think. That's the only way I've ever gotten an acceptable crust on an artisan loaf I've baked. I do have a perforated French bread pan, and that works alright for my torpedoes--but honestly, I prefer the boule shape anyway. Much better for sandwiches, garlic bread, and generally more versatile. It does leave less crust, but after the first day, it's never as good anyway!
Oh, one other thing I learned from this particular loaf was how to shape the "S" shape. It was very simple, clearly illustrated I the book, and after one try I had a perfectly shaped loaf. Beautifully spiraled, very pretty, all but one kept its shape during baking.
This dough would make sweet little "S" shaped dinner rolls, too--I think I might like to give them an egg wash if I did that, though. Some more color, more shine! I kept them plain on this go-round, just for simplicity's sake. The "S" shape makes this perfect for sandwiches, especially if you're toasting the bread or pressing it--it's slightly flat but still with enough bite to make an interesting sammy.
As per the instructions of the challenge, I won't post the recipe, but If you'd like it, just leave a comment, and I'll get it to you!
This post is also submitted to YeastSpotting!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Recipe Review--Chewy Chocolate-Raisin Cookies By Martha
I spotted this recipe for ooey-gooey-and-chewy chocolate raisin cookies awhile ago in a Martha magazine. I have been sort of into the combination of raisins and chocolate lately. It's not something I would consider a really delicious combination, since I'm not a huge raisin fan, but then I remember eating Raisinettes by the pound as a child. They are SO good, and raisins + chocolate is pretty much great any way you slice it.
It was between this recipe and Dorie Greenspan's Raisin Brownies, which are also due for a trial run in my kitchen. But having just made brownies a few days ago that I sent to a friend, I thought cookies would vary things up a bit.
This is a unique recipe--no eggs, and instead of two sticks of butter you have one stick (half a cup) and then half a cup of honey, in addition to half a cup of brown sugar. What this does is to give plenty of sweetness (duh) but also, sugar replaces the fat that would tenderize the dough. A standard chocolate chip cookie dough has two sticks of butter, but not so here. It's just like in the 90's, when everything became low-fat, but no one lost any weight? The cookie manufacturers replaced the fat with sugar because it functions in a similar way. Although it has just as many calories (compare a box of low-fat Oreos to the original and you'll see) and is actually worse for you, because the fat will keep you fuller longer than sugar will.
Sorry, didn't mean to go off on a nutritional tangent there...but it's true. In this cookie, the honey is not meant to lower the fat, but to increase the chewiness, because any type of syrup (honey, molasses in brown sugar, etc) will make for a chewier cookie. The syrups are hygroscopic, and attract water, keeping them soft. This recipe uses an astonishing 1/2 cup of honey. Chewy it is.
It also omits any egg. What an egg will do in a cookie recipe is provide structure (from the proteins) and therefore lift. It will be a more cakey product, less dense, if you add an egg or two. Since the recipe writer wanted a flat cookie, no egg is used.
The cookie dough has Dutched cocoa, making it deep, dark and very chocolate-y. It also throws in some raisins soaked in brandy, and white chocolate. I did deviate here-I had no brandy, and also haven't ever tried brandy, so I wasn't sure about the taste. I thought of using dark rum but I was also fresh out! So I just used water to rehydrate them, and added vanilla to the dough. It will change the flavor if you use the brandy, but the flavor isn't really a problem. It tasted pretty good.
I just wan;t sure about the texture. It was really chewy, as promised. But sort of odd...I can't describe it. The big chunks of raisins were a little unpleasant here. I liked that it was chewy, but maybe not so chewy! I liked the crackle of the raw sugar on the outside. Like I said, flavors were good-just the texture bugged me.
So, I will leave it at that. A decent recipe if that's what you like. I may tinker here and there with the concept of a Raisinette Cookie, because I believe it's a great idea. We'll see!
You can find the recipe for them here on Martha Stewart.com...I'm not going to repost this one, since it's wasn't truly fantastic.
It was between this recipe and Dorie Greenspan's Raisin Brownies, which are also due for a trial run in my kitchen. But having just made brownies a few days ago that I sent to a friend, I thought cookies would vary things up a bit.
This is a unique recipe--no eggs, and instead of two sticks of butter you have one stick (half a cup) and then half a cup of honey, in addition to half a cup of brown sugar. What this does is to give plenty of sweetness (duh) but also, sugar replaces the fat that would tenderize the dough. A standard chocolate chip cookie dough has two sticks of butter, but not so here. It's just like in the 90's, when everything became low-fat, but no one lost any weight? The cookie manufacturers replaced the fat with sugar because it functions in a similar way. Although it has just as many calories (compare a box of low-fat Oreos to the original and you'll see) and is actually worse for you, because the fat will keep you fuller longer than sugar will.
Sorry, didn't mean to go off on a nutritional tangent there...but it's true. In this cookie, the honey is not meant to lower the fat, but to increase the chewiness, because any type of syrup (honey, molasses in brown sugar, etc) will make for a chewier cookie. The syrups are hygroscopic, and attract water, keeping them soft. This recipe uses an astonishing 1/2 cup of honey. Chewy it is.
It also omits any egg. What an egg will do in a cookie recipe is provide structure (from the proteins) and therefore lift. It will be a more cakey product, less dense, if you add an egg or two. Since the recipe writer wanted a flat cookie, no egg is used.
The cookie dough has Dutched cocoa, making it deep, dark and very chocolate-y. It also throws in some raisins soaked in brandy, and white chocolate. I did deviate here-I had no brandy, and also haven't ever tried brandy, so I wasn't sure about the taste. I thought of using dark rum but I was also fresh out! So I just used water to rehydrate them, and added vanilla to the dough. It will change the flavor if you use the brandy, but the flavor isn't really a problem. It tasted pretty good.
I just wan;t sure about the texture. It was really chewy, as promised. But sort of odd...I can't describe it. The big chunks of raisins were a little unpleasant here. I liked that it was chewy, but maybe not so chewy! I liked the crackle of the raw sugar on the outside. Like I said, flavors were good-just the texture bugged me.
So, I will leave it at that. A decent recipe if that's what you like. I may tinker here and there with the concept of a Raisinette Cookie, because I believe it's a great idea. We'll see!
You can find the recipe for them here on Martha Stewart.com...I'm not going to repost this one, since it's wasn't truly fantastic.
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