Dark Chocolate, Walnut, and Smoked Sea Salt Cookies

Nothing says an interminable winter like making cookies. Here we are, almost halfway through March, and there's still about 4 feet of snow outside my window. Thanks again, polar vortex. But it does allow multiple consoling sessions via chocolate. And hey, if it just so happens to be chocolate mixed with salt, all wrapped up in a cookie, well, so much the better. You will not want for chocolate in this recipe. Oh, no sir. This is not a recipe where you hunt for the chocolate in your chocolate chip cookies. It will smack you upside the head with how much chocolate there is. As is only right.

And don't let that whole "smoked sea salt" thing scare you off. Regular old sea salt would obviously work just fine here. I just happened to have an entire handy jar of the smoked stuff, a culinary Christmas gift from many years past. And finally, after years of randomly sprinkling it on meats and whatnot, I finally had a recipe that called specifically for it. Sure, certain other substitutions were made (such as walnuts for pistachios). But the salt? Such deliciousness. But again, I repeat, if you don't happen to have a jar full of the stuff, regular ol' sea salt will certainly do the trick. Maybe it's ok if spring never comes, if I get to eat these cookies forever.

Yield: About 24 cookies if you make them small. I'm a big cookie person, so the recipe made about 15 for me.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

1 cup walnuts and/or pecans, coarsely chopped

smoked salt for topping

Method

Place rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars together until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the egg and beat in for about 1 minute. Add vanilla extract and beat to incorporate.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the mixture all at once to the butter mixture. Beat on low speed until just incorporated. Finally mix in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Dollop or scoop cookie dough by the 2 tablespoonful onto prepared baking tins. Leave about 2 inches of room between each cookie. Sprinkle generously with smoked sea salt.

Bake cookies for 22 minutes, or until just golden brown. 

 Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will last, well wrapped at room temperature for up to 4 days

Pretzel Cookies

Because who doesn't like pretzels? This is an emended recipe from an emended recipe. The original dates from an old "Cooks Illustrated" which explains the crazy hard-boiled egg yolk addition. Apparently it lends a certain flakiness to the end result. Who's to know? The end result is delicious, flakiness or no. 

Yield: People are insisting these make 40+ cookies. Well, that's bullcrap. If you make cookies properly (as in, so that you're not making them for ants), you'll get about 15 from this recipe. But, hey, ants need cookies too. 

Ingredients

1 large egg, hard-boiled and cooled
10 tablespoons (140 grams or 1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 grams) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (this is halved from the original)
1 cup (125 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (45 grams) rye flour (medium or white will work)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water
4 teaspoons turbinado or clear sanding sugar

Method

Place butter, sugar and salt in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Crack egg and peel shell. Separate yolk from white; add white to your next sandwich or egg salad. Press yolk through fine-mesh strainer and into mixer bowl with other ingredients. Beat mixture on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl and beater with spatula as needed. Add vanilla, mix until combined. Add flours and mix at low speed until just combined. Using rubber spatula or your hands, reach into bowl and knead dough a few times into a cohesive mass.

Shape the dough into a sort of log shape and place on parchment paper. Wrap tightly and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes (or longer. Legend has it that the dough only improves the longer it's rested).

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Slice 1/4-inch off the chilled log and roll slice into a ball in the palm of your hands; this softens the dough. On a counter, roll ball into a 6-inch rope. Pick up each end of rope and fold turn it into the center, pressing it into a pretzel shape. Transfer to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, placing cookies one inch apart on prepared sheets.

Brush each pretzel cookie with egg white wash, then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake cookies until they have golden brown edges, about 13 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven but let firm up on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring cookies to cooling racks.

Do ahead: Cookies stored in an airtight container between sheets of waxed or parchment paper will keep for at least one week.

Prickly Pear, Feta, and Watercress Salad

This salad is a bit of a stranger in a strange land. Wandering through my local Loblaws (hey, I moved to Canada!), I discovered something I had not imagined I'd ever seen in the Great White North.
Prickly Pears!
Glorious glorious prickly pears!
They called out to be used, as it seemed cactus was not a big ingredient up here in the snowy lands. I couldn't resist.
So I improvised and used them as a variation in a standard sweet/savory combination, much like a traditional watermelon salad, but more in homage to my southwestern roots.

Prickly Pear, Feta, and Watercress Salad

Serves 3-4 as a starter or side salad


4 ripe prickly pears, peeled (careful of spines!) and cut into half moons
1 medium heirloom tomato, sliced
1 avocado, sliced
2 bunches watercress, washed
100 grams of feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
50 grams of pumpkin seeds (salted or unsalted)
Lime juice (to taste,  but approximately from 1 1/2 limes)
Cilantro, washed and chopped
Chili Flakes
Olive Oil 


Method

Arrange the watercress at the bottom of the salad bowl. Add avocado, prickly pears, tomato, and feta cheese. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top. Add the chili flakes and cilantro on top, to taste. Right before serving, finish with a squeeze of lime juice over the salad and a drizzle of olive oil.

Mardi Gras King Cake

Yes, I realize that not only is it way past Mardi Gras, we've already passed Easter as well.
Never you mind!

The fantastic thing about annual holidays is that they'll always come round again! So, just think, you (and I) will be extra prepared for next Mardi Gras!

Total: 4 hrs

Makes: 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients

For the brioche:
1 cup whole milk, heated (about 105°F to 115°F)
1 (1/4-ounce) packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
Vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons orange zest
4 large egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons bourbon
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons almond extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), chilled and cut into small
pieces

For the filling:
3 cups pecans, toasted and cooled
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), small dice
To assemble:
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk
1 small plastic baby (optional)
For the decoration:
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice
3 tablespoons sanding sugar (optional)

Method

For the brioche:
1. Place the milk in a large bowl and (You can also do this with a stand mixer, but I recommend the old school hand method) sprinkle the yeast on top.
Set aside to rest until the mixture bubbles, about 5 to 10 minutes. (If the mixture doesn’t bubble,
either the milk was not at the correct temperature or the yeast was old.) Coat a large bowl with
vegetable oil and set aside.

2. Add the sugar, salt, and zest to the milk mixture and mix to combine. Add the egg
yolks and mix until evenly incorporated. Add the bourbon, orange juice, and almond extract and
continue mixing. Add the flour and nutmeg little by little until the dough is moistened throughout
and starts to come together. Turn out the dough from the bowl and knead until the dough forms a ball, and is smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes.

3. Add the butter piece by piece, letting each fully incorporate before adding the next. Place the
dough in the oiled bowl, turn to coat with oil, cover with a damp cloth, and let sit in a warm area
until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

4. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, cover, and let rise until doubled in size again,
about 1 hour. (Alternatively, you can place it in the refrigerator overnight to rise, about 12 to
16 hours. Be sure to let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before rolling.)

For the filling:

Place the nuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and pulse until
coarsely chopped, about 5 pulses. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until you have a coarse
meal, about 5 more pulses.

To assemble:
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Roll the dough into a 28-by-8-inch
rectangle. Leaving a 1-inch perimeter at the top and bottom (the short sides), spread the filling
out along the whole length of the dough.

2. Whisk together the egg yolk and milk until evenly combined. Brush the exposed perimeter of the
dough with the egg wash, fold the long sides of the dough over the filling to form a long cylinder,
and pinch the edge to seal. Place the cake seam side down on the baking sheet, form into a ring,
and pinch the ends of the dough together to form a circle with about a 3-inch hole in the middle.
As needed, press on the circle so that the filling is evenly distributed within the dough. 

3. Cover the cake loosely with a damp towel and set aside to rise until doubled in volume, about 60
minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle.

4. Just before baking, brush the remaining egg wash on the surface of the cake. Place in the oven and
bake until the cake has puffed up, the crust is golden, and the underside is golden brown, about 30
minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool at least 1 hour.

5. Hide the baby, if using, in the cake by pushing it up through the bottom of the cake, being careful
not to push through the top of the cake.

For the decoration:
1. Stir together the powdered sugar, bourbon, and orange juice until evenly combined. Brush the cake
with the icing and, if desired, immediately decorate with the sanding sugar.

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

We have an abundance of cabbage. All kinds. And there are only so many times you can make coleslaw or braise the things. Desperate to get rid of the volleyball-sized sphere on our kitchen counter, the NY Times yet again came to our rescue. The article may as well have been titled: "When you're sick of coleslaw...".

I served these as an appetizer at a recent dinner party and they were a hit with everyone. I recommend about 2 stuffed leaves per person as a starter (always leave them wanting more!).

Ingredients 
12 large cabbage leaves (about 2 pounds)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large red or white onion, finely chopped

Salt to taste

1 1/4 cups quick-cook long-grain or basmati rice, rinsed and drained

4 tablespoons pine nuts

4 garlic cloves (to taste), minced

1/3 cup chopped fresh dill

1/3 cup finely chopped mint

1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/3 to 1/2 cup strained freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 lemon, sliced

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the cabbage leaves, a few at a time, for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are flexible. Transfer from the pot to a bowl of cold water, then drain and set aside. Cut out the thickest part of the base of the center rib by notching a 1- to 1 1/2-inch V at the base. This will make the leaves easier to roll up.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large nonstick skillet and add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until it is tender but not browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the pine nuts and garlic, stir together and add the drained rinsed rice. Stir for a minute or two, until you hear the rice begin to crackle, then remove from the heat. Toss with the herbs, salt, white pepper, nutmeg, and black pepper pepper and 1 tablespoon olive oil. To gauge how much salt you will need, use the amount that you would use when cooking 1 1/4 cups of rice (I used about 1 teaspoon).

Roll the parcels with the V-shape facing you.

3. Lightly oil a heavy flame-proof or lidded skillet. Place a leaf on your work surface in front of you, with the wide ribbed bottom closest to you. Place 2 rounded tablespoons of the rice mixture on top of the leaf. Roll the leaf over once, and tuck in the sides. Continue to roll the leaf into a tight package. Place in the pan. Fill and roll the remaining leaves and pack them into the pan. You will probably need to stack two layers of the filled leaves.

4. Whisk together the lemon juice, remaining oil and tomato paste with 2 tablespoons water. Season to taste with salt. Pour over the cabbage rolls. Add enough water to barely cover the rolls. Invert a plate and place it on top of the rolls to keep them wrapped and in position. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover the pan, turn the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, at which point the cabbage leaves will be tender and the rice cooked. Remove from the heat and carefully remove the stuffed leaves from the water to a platter or to plates with a slotted spoon or tongs. Taste the liquid left in the pot and adjust the seasoning. Serve the rolls warm with the liquid from the pot as a sauce.

Yield: 6 servings.