Let Your Heart (and your cookies) Be Light

the holidays are - notoriously - a time of excess, especially when it comes to food. we had a much lighter crowd this year, so it freed up some extra time to create an exceptionally decadent and time-consuming dessert. i'd been threatening to make Chocolate Meringues for months now but never seemed to have the requisite four hours on hand to waste on what is, basically, a fussy cookie. yesterday, though, time was on my side.

meringues aren't as scary to handle as they may seem. the stiff egg whites, as long as they're handled carefully, are very forgiving. plus, there's nothing like sinking your teeth into a puffy chocolate cloud after you've gorged yourself on a holiday dinner.

the recipe is very straightforward. the main thing you have to be with these cookies is patient......not one of my strengths, especially when we're talking about chocolate chips.

Chocolate Meringues
adapted from Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook

1 c. powdered sugar
2 T. cocoa
Pinch of kosher salt (it would be a mistake to use table salt here, in my opinion. you want a more texturized salty bite to come through in these babies)
4 eggs whites
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

preheat oven to 250 degrees. line two sheet pans with parchment paper.

sift together powdered sugar, cocoa and salt. beat together the egg whites and vanilla at high speed until the form stiff peaks. fold in the sugar/cocoa mixture along with the chocolate chips, if you're using them.

drop by rounded tablespoonfuls (or my preferred method - pipe it through a frosting bag) on the parchment paper.

bake for at least 2 1/2 without opening the oven door (i know, i know. but, just breathe with me here and you'll be alright). test the meringues - they should be firm on the outside, but still squishy and soft in the center. turn off oven and leave them in there for 15 minutes or so.

just to make them ridiculously extravagant, i mixed up a chocolate ganache with a few drops of Grand Marnier added in and spooned it over the cooled cookies. then i topped them with good 'ole rainbow sprinkles and placed them on wax paper to set.




my, oh my! these were terribly fun to eat with just enough sweetness and that little bit of punch from the salt.....mmm. worth every minute - all 210 of them.

PS - my apologies for the photo quality. it was taken from my blackberry because our real camera had too much to drink at a holiday party and is still sleeping it off.

Spiced Pecans to the Rescue

Yep, this year "I am that girl". The one that coped out and gave nuts for Christmas. How lame. How unoriginal. Although, I must say the salty, sweet, spicy, crunch will keep you coming back for more. (And licking your fingers too.) So because of that, I figured they were worth a posting... enjoy.

Spiced Pecans with Rum Glaze
courtesy of Cooks Illustrated

2 c. raw pecan halves

Spice Mix:
2 TBS. sugar
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground allspice

Rum Glaze:
1 TBS. dark rum
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 TBS. unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350. Spread pecans out evenly onto a cookie sheet. Toast for 4 minutes, then rotate the pan and toast 4 minutes longer. You want the nuts to lightly deepen in color and become fragrant.

While the nuts are toasting. Place the spice mix ingredients in a bowl, set aside. Melt the rum glaze ingredients in a pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil.

Remove the nuts from the oven and pour them into your pot of hot rum glaze. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the nuts are shiny and almost all the liquid has evaporated. Then transfer them to your spice mix bowl and toss to coat. When finished, spread them back out onto your cookie sheet and allow them to cool.

The Clam Mother Load

As I was walking the isles of my local Sam's Club the other day, I came across these unnecessarily large cans of chopped sea clams. I took notice because they were about half the price of what I'm used to paying for 1/3 the amount of clams. So I had to do it!!! Home I went with the mother load of clams...

White Clam Sauce with Angel Hair

I love the green onions sauteed in smooth velvety butter with a hint of the salty sea from the clams. I quickly dipped one side of some foccacia bread into the olive oil broth and broiled it for a few seconds, until the bread formed a nice crust. You'll definitely want some sort of crusty bread to soak up all the juices.
I hope you enjoy our family favorite too!

Ingredients:
half a stick of butter
2-3 bunches of diced green onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 c. dry white wine (optional)
1 TBS. chicken base
1 (8oz.) bottle of clam juice
3 cans of chopped or minced clams
parsley
pinch of sugar
cracked pepper
angel hair pasta
parmesan cheese

Directions:
-Cook the pasta
-In a sauce pan, melt the butter and saute the onion until soft
-Add the garlic, chicken base, clam juice, wine, olive oil, and oregano. Bring to a simmer.
-Once simmering add a pinch of sugar, to taste.
-Add the parsley, clams, and cracked pepper.
-Bring to a simmer again, just until the sauce is warm. You don't want to overcook the clams.
-Serve over pasta and sprinkle with parmesan.

WELCOME

This blog is dedicated to foodies and written by foodies. We all have various tastes, various cooking skills and various food interests. We hope you enjoy the variety as much as we do...

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