speedy seared sea scallops
January 10, 2010 § 9 Comments
The gap in my posting over the holidays is mostly due to the amazing food I’m served when I go visit my family. Technically I could still cook, but I’m in someone else’s kitchen and don’t quite have the gall to start messing with their implements, especially since both houses I visit are inhabited by men who are extraordinarily skilled in the kitchen. Instead I happily plop down at the table, waiting to be fed better meals than I ever make myself (I am prone to eating cookies for dinner).
But this year, my father suggested we cook a meal together. I was mildly apprehensive, since both of us are pretty bossy in the kitchen, but he insisted that he would like to be my sous-chef. And it actually was a lot of fun! Although my sous-chef was somewhat snarky, as I had predicted. Anyhow, here is an actual dinner recipe: seared sea scallops with tarragon butter sauce.
This recipe is both incredibly quick and incredibly good. You can briefly feel virtuous for eating seafood, and then pour excesses of butter over the whole thing. Seriously, this meal was one of the favourite things I’ve eaten in a while. It’s important not to overcook the scallops, but other than that it’s hard to screw up. For instance, I overheated my butter sauce so it was more melty than it was supposed to be, but it didn’t make the slightest difference, except for that the butter spread onto the other parts of my meal (clearly a good thing). We served this with steamed green beans, and a very tasty risotto that for some reason took an hour and a half to make, so I’ll hold off on posting risotto recipes until I figure out what went wrong. In the meantime, eat some scallops!
Seared Sea Scallops with Tarragon Butter Sauce – adapted from Epicurious
Serves 2.
- 12 ounces large sea scallops, tough ligament from side of each discarded
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, divided
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon (I think I actually used more)
- Salt and pepper
Pat scallops dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then sear scallops, turning once, until golden brown and just cooked through, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
Add shallot, wine, and vinegar to skillet and boil, scraping up brown bits, until reduced to approximately a tablespoon. Add juices from platter and if necessary boil until liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Reduce heat to low and add 2 tablespoons butter, stirring until almost melted, then take pan off heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon butter, swirling until incorporated and sauce has a creamy consistency. Stir in tarragon and salt to taste; pour sauce over scallops.
belated cookies
January 2, 2010 § 12 Comments
Am I supposed to stop posting cookie recipes after Christmas? Unfortunately I’m terribly disorganized, and many pre-holiday photos are still lingering sadly in the tunneling clutter of my file system. But today the last cookie recipe sees the light of day! Although I suspect there will be more to come. I mean, what occasion are cookies not appropriate for?
These cookies are another recipe that’s naturally gluten-free, and impossibly easy. Plus no butter, which would normally be sacrilege but in meringue recipes is actually acceptable (especially when there’s a large quantity of chocolate). Egg whites are beaten with sugar into a thick cream, and then you add cocoa powder and chocolate for intense chocolate flavour. A roll in powdered sugar makes the cookies all pretty and snowy-looking, which I’m a sucker for, and it turns out many others are too!
I sort of expected a recipe based on meringue to turn out airy and light, but these cookies are seriously rich, dense, and fudgy. If you’re anything like me, you will love them. The only thing I minded was they were a tiny bit too sweet for my tastes. I thought about skipping the sugar roll at the end, but it makes them so pretty that I don’t think I can leave it out. Instead I might try reducing the sugar in the dry ingredient mix by half a cup or so.
Dark Chocolate Cookies – from Epicurious
- 1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces), divided
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided (next time I might use 1/4 or 1/2 cup less)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 2 large baking sheets or line with parchment.
Gently melt 1 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, stirring twice, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly.
Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow creme. Whisk 1 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into meringue. Stir in lukewarm chocolate and 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dough will become very stiff).
Place 1/2 cup sugar in bowl. Roll 1 rounded tablespoon dough into ball; roll in sugar, coating thickly. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; let cool.
nog and cookies
December 26, 2009 § 7 Comments
Despite the obvious fact that eggnog is yucky, one of my roommates decided to host an eggnog party at our house before Christmas. Turns out that other people also like eggnog! Who knows what terrible event they suffered as children to develop such perverse tastes. But eggnog or not, a holiday party calls for holiday cookies, so I stepped up to the plate with sugar cookies and gingerbread squares.
I sort of figured that my baking skills would translate into cookie-decorating skills. Turns out, not so much. But to my surprise, decorating cookies seems to be a big hit with my guy friends, as may be evident from how they turned out: the artistry included several brains, a man with X’s for eyes, and a goat. Me and my unoriginal ways were responsible for the two identical candycanes. The resulting assortment was, um, unique!
I don’t know if the recipe was a little off, or if I just don’t really like sugar cookies, but I thought they were just okay. The gingerbread bars, however, were something else. Quite a change from the usual sweet Christmas fare, these were dense and warmly spiced. They’re drizzled with white chocolate cream cheese frosting, and went over quite well with the eggnog-soaked crowd. I shouldn’t have baked them quite so long though, so don’t take the instructions too literally – always check for doneness as ovens vary considerably. Also, the recipe I used for the icing was not great, and I doctored it heavily before using, so I’d just refer you back to my more trusted icing on that front. With those tweaks, I’d say this recipe is quite tasty indeed, even once the eggnog wears off.
Gingerbread Bars – from Dunk Twice
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 cup white chocolate chips (optional)
- White chocolate cream cheese frosting (scroll down the link)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13×9 inch pan with foil and butter the foil.
In a medium bowl, add flour. Scoop out 2 tablespoons of flour and place in separate bowl to reserve for topping.
Into the flour (not reserved flour), whisk in ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In large bowl, cream together butter and 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating just to combine after each addition. Mix in vanilla and molasses. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in white chocolate chips if using.
Scoop batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Sprinkle the top with reserved flour, then sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.
Bake until bars are golden brown and a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs attached, about 20-24 minutes. Remove and cool completely on rack before cutting.
When bars are cooled, lift the bars out of the pan using the foil. Using a ziploc or pastry bag with a small hole cut at the tip, drizzle white chocolate icing over gingerbread, then cut into bars. You will probably have leftover icing, and you’ll just have to figure out for yourself what to do with it.
simplest truffles
December 24, 2009 § Leave a comment
I always have this idea that if I just had some time off, I would try out all those recipes I’ve been saving and bake up a storm of impressive concoctions. One impediment, though, is that I generally spend my vacations at various family members’ houses. Right now I’m visiting my dad, and while he’s a pretty accomplished cook, I don’t think anything has been baked in this house for the past decade or so. In practical terms, that means I don’t have my embarrassingly large collection of baking equipment and ingredients at hand, and need to stick to projects that are slightly more normal than what I may have had in mind.
Enter chocolate truffles. This recipe is the absolute simplest I’ve found for truffles. No tempering chocolate, no straining cream – only the essential steps, and the result is still decadent and luxuriously smooth. It does take a few hours of chilling time, but your work is incredibly minimal, aside from the necessary rolling (which takes me about 20 minutes, but I’m slow), and it calls for only four ingredients. The recipe is also a great base for any flavour additions you may have in mind: for example, my favourite variation is to roll the truffles in toasted chopped almonds, and you could also add a splash of your favourite liqueur to the ganache base. They also make great Christmas presents! Because they’re beautiful and delicious, and who doesn’t like chocolate? Okay, some people, but then keep the truffles for yourself and all is well.
The only note: these are easy to make, but the quality of the ingredients makes all the difference. Since a truffle is basically a chocolate vehicle, the chocolate you use is the main factor for the final taste. Get as high-quality as you’re willing to pay for – I used Callebaut, but Lindt would probably also be good.
Enjoy, and happy holidays!
Simplest Chocolate Truffles – adapted from Epicurious
Yield: about 30 truffles
- 2/3 cup whipping cream
- 12-ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped (or even easier, use chocolate chips, but make sure they’re good quality)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (or in this variation, 1/2 cup toasted almonds, finely chopped – for toasting instructions, see here)
Bring cream to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until melted and smooth. Whisk in vanilla. Pour into medium bowl. Cover; chill until firm, about 3 hours.
Line baking sheet with waxed paper. Drop mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet. (If your drops are approximately spherical, this will make your life much, much easier in the next step. If they’re flat like in my picture, you might regret it.) Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes.
Place cocoa (or nuts) in a bowl. Roll truffles between hands into rounds. Roll truffles in cocoa (or nuts). Cover with plastic; chill until ready to serve. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Keep chilled.)
Note: An extra bonus to using nuts is that no one can tell if you failed dramatically at making your truffles spherical. Yay!
triple-chocolate cranberry cookies
December 21, 2009 § 3 Comments
The media lied to me! Despite my massive consumption of their much-touted ‘superfoods’ – mainly in the form of cheap sushi (fish oils!) and things with cranberries baked into them (antioxidants!) – I have somehow come down with a sniffly nose, scratchy throat, and a case of flu denial. Sure, I didn’t get the flu shot, but I reasoned that I am tough and such. This is clearly just a minor cold and will be gone by tomorrow.
Anyhow, even though the cookies I’m about to talk about didn’t save me from this cold, they are still definitely worth making. They’re an awesome oatmeal cookie packed with three kinds of chocolate chips and fresh cranberries, and then drizzled with more chocolate to top it all off. They tasted wonderful. They had that great sweet-tart combination you get with cranberries, and they were sooo crispy and delicious right out of the oven. I was worried that they would get hard overnight, but they actually stayed soft for quite a few days. Also, they’re really pretty! Much fancier than a typical chocolate chip cookie, but just as easy and delicious. They’re an excellent addition to your holiday baking, and a great gift as well. I gave some to a friend and he liked them so much that he ate five for breakfast. Although he did regret that.
Triple-Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies – from Epicurious
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
Topping
- 2 ounces white chocolate, chopped (for drizzling)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and oats and stir until blended. Stir in all chocolate chips and cranberries.
Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until edges are light brown, about 16 minutes. Cool on sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely.
Gently microwave chocolate until melted and smooth. Using small spoon, drizzle melted chocolate over cookies . Let stand until chocolate sets, about 1-2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)
one cake two cake 