Season Greetings (and Butter Pecan Cookies)!

Hi everyone:

I want to wish you a Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukhah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, Eid-al-Adha... Whatever you celebrate, I wish you all the best during this holiday season.

Here's a delicious Butter Pecan Cookie recipe I'd like to share with you. It's from Simply Recipes. The buttery taste, along with the pecans will have you going back for more. I made them Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day. They keep disappearing. Fast! I may make it one more time on Tuesday. The more I make it the better my cookie-making skills become.

This recipe only makes 12 cookies, but you can double the ingredients to make more. Thanks, Elise for the recipe and tip on creaming the butter and sugar. Very helpful.

Paz

Butter Pecan Cookies
Simply Recipes

By the way, here's a tip I learned over lunch with Bay Area pastry chef Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater. Cream the butter first. Then add sugar and cream them together. This is the way it is supposed to be done. (Thanks Shuna!)

3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for coating
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

1- Preheat oven to 350°. On a baking sheet, toast pecans until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Let cool completely; finely chop.

2- With an electric mixer, cream butter for about a minute. Add 1/3 cup sugar and cream until light, about 1 minute more. Beat in vanilla, salt, and flour, scraping down sides of bowl, just until dough comes together. Fold in pecans.

3- Separate dough into 12 pieces; squeeze dough to shape into balls. Roll in sugar. Place, 3 inches apart, on a baking sheet.

4- Gently flatten with the bottom of a glass (reshape sides if necessary). Sprinkle with sugar.

5- Bake until golden brown, rotating sheet halfway through, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with more sugar. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Makhouda D'Aubergine

Ever since I’d seen this Makhouda D’Aubergine recipe on The Traveller’s Lunchbox, I was interested in trying it. By the way what does ‘Makhouda’ mean? Can anyone tell me? Months after I’d first seen the recipe, I became even more excited about it because I’ve discovered that I really like eggplants/aubergines. Yum!

This recipe of eggplants, eggs, red pepper, onions, garlic, gruyère cheese, and fresh herbs was another hit in my house. I made it with the intention of saving some for lunch the next day. Well, that didn’t happen because they finished in record time.

The instructions were really straightforward and I had all the ingredients except for one – rosewater. I like that the recipe gave suggestions to replace unavailable ingredients – like using black pepper if you didn’t have the Tunisian spice blend bharat, or cayenne pepper as a replacement for North African hot pepper paste, harissa.

I didn’t have bharat or harissa but I did have their substitutes and they worked out well for me.

The photo isn’t too appealing. While the food baked, I worked on the computer and watched The Lord of the Rings (I and II) on T.V. Caught up in multitasking, I left the Makhouda in the oven a tad bit too long. As a result, the top became a little too dark, but it didn’t mar the taste. Served with salad, the Makhouda D’Aubergine was delicious and very filling.

The Flying Apple made this dish as well and like her, I plan on making it again (and again and again.) It was that good. ;-) Thanks, Melissa for this recipe. And congrats on your doctorate degree! Yippee!

Paz

Makhouda D’Aubergine
North Africa: The Vegetarian Table

Serves: 4-6 Notes: Serve this as a side dish with sweet or savory tagines, or as a light main course with a fresh green salad. Tunisians also apparently love to stick slices of it inside crusty bread spread with a little harissa and eat it as a sandwich.


1 large globe eggplant
salt for sprinkling
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded, deribbed and diced
8 large eggs
a handful (about 1/2 cup packed) chopped fresh parsley or coriander/cilantro leaves, or a mixture
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz (225g) gruyère cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1 teaspoon bharat (Tunisian spice blend; you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon rosewater)
3/4 teaspoon salt
harissa (North African hot pepper paste) or cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
lemon wedges


Peel and cut the eggplant into 1/4-inch dice. Sprinkle lightly with salt and place the cubes in a colander to drain for about 20 minutes. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and cook the eggplant, onion, and pepper, stirring occasionally until golden and soft, about 20-25 minutes. Transfer this mixture to a colander to drain off as much of the oil as possible.

In a medium bowl, mix the eggs and add the herbs, garlic, cheese and bread crumbs. Add the eggplant mixture. Season with the bharat, salt, and a small spoonful of the optional harissa or cayenne pepper.

Grease a 2-quart soufflé dish. Pour the egg mixture into the dish and bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown and puffed in the center, 40-45 minutes (a knife inserted into the center should come out clean). Let cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto a serving platter (you can also just leave it in the dish). Cut into wedges or squares to serve. Serve hot or at room temperature with lemon wedges on the side.

New York Monday # 54: Buying a Christmas Tree

Well, folks, it's that time of the year. The holiday season. And for those celebrating Christmas, it's time to buy a Christmas tree. That's what one family is doing here. I think they were happy with their purchase, especially the little girl.

It's also that time of the year when they show certain movies on T.V. Last year, I mentioned that It's a Wonderful Life is one of my favorite movies to watch. It's always shown, some time, between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've seen it a million billion and one times. I surprise myself that I never tire of watching it. They showed it last night but I hadn't planned on watching it and turned the channel to watch something else. Somehow on a commercial break, I found myself back at the station showing It's a Wonderful Life. I ended up watching it AGAIN till the end and enjoyed it as if I hadn't seen it before.

There are a lot of fun scenes in this 1947 movie, as well as fun phrases that the characters say. Last year, I shared some of my favorite lines. This year, I'll share one of my favorite scenes, which is when George Bailey, the hero, returns home. He's so happy to see his family -- wife and kids -- he continuously hugs and kisses them as if he can't get enough of them (See the movie cover above). George has realized that he has a wonderful life, after all. It's a really touching scene.

"Remember, no man is a failure who has friends."
~ Clarence the Angel in It's a Wonderful Life ~

Have a good week, everyone, and Happy Holidays!

Paz

Same place, different day

Thought I'd post a picture of the same scene shown originally here. Except that in this current picture, it's a bright, clear, and beautiful day.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Paz

Double Crusted Peach Cobbler

My first peach cobbler. Okay, so everything I make here is my first.

Well, this first peach cobbler wasn't bad at all. The best part of the cobbler was the peach filling. I used canned peaches, which were perfect for me -- perfectly cut, perfectly ripe... The filling was very good and tasty.

I had a slight problem with the crust: I could have/should have left it in the oven to bake a little longer. I didn't. Also, I could have/should have sprinkled more sugar on the top but I didn't. The reason I didn't do either was because the instructions were vague – “bake until golden brown.”

Better instructions for me would have been, “Bake for 30-45minutes.” Something like that.

Instead of “Sprinkle with sugar,” better instructions for me would have been, “Sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar,” etc…

The dough was fine, but next time I'd like to try it with the dough that I used for my Roasted Baby Roma Tomato and Feta Tart. I like that dough better and wonder if that will make a difference with the peach cobbler... I'll see...

I plan on trying this peach cobbler again.

Paz

Making the peach filling

Double Crusted Peach Cobbler
Boy Meets Grill


Crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping and rolling
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Peach Filling:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch salt
10 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices (if peaches are out of season, use thawed frozen peaches)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Crust:
Place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and process for 5 seconds. Add butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water, a few tablespoons at a time, until the dough just comes together.

Remove dough and knead lightly on a lightly floured surface until it just comes together. Divide the dough in half and form into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Once dough is chilled, remove from the refrigerator and roll each disk into a 9-inch square approximately 1/4-inch thick. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets and return to the refrigerator to chill until ready to assemble.

Filling:
Melt butter in a large high-sided saute pan over medium heat. Add the sugar and water and cook until sugar is dissolved. Add nutmeg, salt, peaches, and flour and cook for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place half of the peach mixture in the bottom of a 9-inch square buttered baking dish using a slotted spoon. Top the peaches with 1 layer of dough. Place on a baking sheet and bake until the crust is light golden brown. Remove from the oven and top the crust with the remaining peaches and cover with the other crust. Brush the top crust with heavy cream, sprinkle with sugar, and return to the oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbly. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

Right out of the oven

New York Monday #53: Another Cloudy Day

The weather in the city is unseasonable. One day it is sunny. Another time it's dreary (like the photo above). A few weeks ago, it was very warm. Last week was freezing. This new week, who knows what the weather will have in store for us. We'll see.

In the meantime, have a great week, everyone!

Paz

Mushrooms & Egg Noodles

I’ve mentioned that I've discovered I like mushrooms! A lot!

Here’s another easy and tasty recipe with mushrooms from Coconut and Lime. LOVE it! Thanks, Rachel!

Paz



Mushrooms & Egg Noodles
Coconut and Lime

Ingredients:
½ lb egg noodles
⅔ cup fresh parsley, chopped
6 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
salt

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Then add egg noodles and cook about 6 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the butter and oil. Add the shallot and garlic, sauté until soft and translucent but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté, stirring occasionally, until coated and cooked through. Drain the egg noodles and toss with parsley and lemon juice. Add the mushroom mixture and a sprinkle of salt and toss again. Serve immediately.

New York Monday # 52: New York Stars

Holiday decorations in the city have gone up and will stay up for a while. Here's a sample.

Have a great week, everyone!

Paz

Portobello Mushroom Salad - Weekend Herb Blogging (Parsley)

Click on photo for larger image


I've mentioned before that there are many foods that I did not like to eat, until I started to cook. Let's add mushrooms to the list.

I found this Portobello Mushroom Salad recipe on Domestic Cat. The recipe mentions whole Portobello mushrooms but I bought the ones already sliced. I think I'm allowed to take a little short cuts once in a while. ;-)

I enjoyed making this salad and eating it. The mushrooms, sprinkled with dried oregano and thyme tasted perfect. The mixture of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and lemon juiced, simply enhanced the taste. Last, I garnished the dish with one of my favorite herbs -- chopped, fresh parsely (the flat leaf kind). I don't think this herb will ever fail you as you prepare your meal. Any time I toss it on the food I prepare, it always seems to liven up the meal in taste and appearance.

The recipe does not call for red onions. However, I had some leftover chopped onions in the fridge and threw it into the salad. Mmm... Mmm good! I loved the crunchy texture with the soft, smooth mushrooms and the textured feel of the parsley. Definitely a good combination. Thanks, Domestic Cat, for this recipe! I've made it several times, now.

I'd like to submit this recipe for Weekend Herb Blogging. It is one of my favorite food blog events but due to my busy schedule, I haven't been able to participate in quite some time. Parsely is one of my favorite herbs with which to use on food. I probably went overboard here with the parsley and put too much, but I don't care! I love it! I don't think I can have too much parsley. It tasted good with the mushrooms.

Everyone knows about parsley. I'd say it's a common herb used by many (Middle Eastern, European, and American cuisine). However, I learned something new from Wikipedia. Among its many uses, parsley is used as a breath freshner. It works well against garlic breath. Hmm... I'll have to remember that. In the mean time, if you want to know more parsley, you can visit Wikipedia.

Paz

Portobello Mushroom Salad
Domestic Cat

• 400grs portobello mushrooms
• fresh or dried herbs, such as oregano and thyme
• balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt, freshly ground blackpepper

Preheat your oven to 200-210 C. Quickly wash mushrooms under running water and pat dry. Using a mellonballer or a coffee spoon, scoop out the black flesh under their caps. This will help them to have a better colour. Place mushrooms upside down on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with a little salt and place herbs on their caps. Cook in the oven for about 30 mins or until soft. Remove the tray from the oven and transfer mushrooms on a cutting board. Cut them lenghtwise in 0.5 cm slices. Combine mushroom slices with the rest of the ingredients and check the taste. Balsamic vinegar especially goes well with this salad. Serve warm with meat or fish, or on its own. Enjoy!

*One can blog about herbs, plants, vegetables, or flowers for Weekend Herb Blogging (WHB). To see the list of other interesting WHB posts, go to Kalyn's Kitchen, Sunday afternoon.

Interested in participating? Check out the guidelines.