Peppermint Rocky Road Cookies

The short and simple of it is that I was craving some Rocky Road Ice Cream the other day. Surprisingly, it's never been a favorite and I more often lean towards a mint based creation or black and white milk shake when it comes to ice cream indulgences. The other night, it was Rocky Road. The craving quite possibly was ignited by the need to use up some marshmallows left over from a late fall camping trip. They have been staring me down, mocking me with their fluffiness for a few months now.

"How about sweet potatoes?!" You say. As sweet potatoes go, I like them mashed or in a plain pie, no added marshmallows as I believe sweet potatoes are strongly sweet on their own.

So I thought brownies or Rocky Road Cookies. I knew I had all ingredients for cookies, so cookies it was.

But wait, there is no peppermint in Rocky Road. Well, in holiday Rocky Road there is. Or more likely, I was needing to rid myself of a stagnant pile of peppermints (a la the dark chocolate peppermint bark) that have been sitting around longer than I care to mention.

This recipe is (very slightly) based on those delicious Cranberry Macadamia White Chocolate Chip Cookies. I added cocoa powder to the batter to give them a chocolate base. More should have been added to really pump up the chocolate in this (which is why chocolate chips were added). When baked, the marshmallow oozes out of the cookies and provides a sweet crisp crunch along the edges which was a pleasant surprise. These cookies are chewy and a sweet meal in themselves!

PEPPERMINT ROCKY ROAD COOKIES"
Makes about 25 2-inch cookie drops
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tablespoon good cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup chocolate chips (your pick: dark, white, milk)
1/2 cup crushed peppermint
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2 cups roughly chopped (or cut) marshmellows, in about 1/2 inch pieces. Plus extra for tops of cookies

1) Preheat oven to 350F
2) In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa.
3) With an electric mixer in another bowl, add butter and sugar, mixing until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, mix until well combined.
4) Beat in flour mixture until well combined.
5) Add remaining ingredients and stir until evenly combined.
6) With a spoon, drop dough about 2 inch apart. Top with an extra piece of marshmallow. Bake in batches in middle of the oven 10-12 min (or lightly golden) for soft cookies. Cool on racks.

Holiday Art Sale!

I rarely to never steer you from foodie love but I've been quiet and for good reason (besides, there will be food if you come). And... ti's the season for gift giving to yourself and others-- you need beautiful things to serve your delicious creations on, yes?

If you live in or around NYC come on down to my studio's Holiday Art Sale!!

pLeAse spREaD tHe WOrd!

Join us! Eleven ceramic artists gather for one last show (our studio is closing to make way for luxury condos).

ThursdAy, dec 7: 4-8 pM
fRIday, DeC 8: 4-8 Pm
SaturdAy, Dec 9: 12-5 pm (live Music 2-5 pm)
SuNday, dec 10: 12-5 Pm

And by Appointment. 718.729.4882.

42-26 28th St, Ste 2E
Long Island City, NY 11101 map

mapquest directions for car (there is a cheap parking garage across the street and plenty of empty streets)

by subway (if you come after work and live in Brooklyn buses and the G are just outside. Or catch the LIRR in Queens!):

N,W or 7 to Queensboro Plaza. Use Queens Plaza South exit to street. Walk straight ahead to 28th St and turn right. The building is at the end of the block on the corner of 28th St and 42nd Rd.

E,R or V to Queens Plaza. Use Queens Plaza South exit to street (the middle of the train is nearest this exit). Walk straight to 28th St. and turn left. The building is on the right at the end of the block on the corner of 28th St and 42nd Rd.

G to Court House Square. Walk north on Jackson Ave and turn left onto 42nd Rd. The building is straight ahead on the corner of 28th St. and 42nd Rd.

Dark Peppermint Bark

Last Thanksgiving I was in Chicago when some family friends gifted us a tin of Williams Sonoma Peppermint Bark. It was so frighteningly addictive that I was eating sheets of it a day. My mother forced me to take it home to New York City and it was gone in a matter of days.

Little did I know that this might just be the easiest dessert to put together. I'll be making it again in white chocolate/ dark chocolate layers (a la Williams Sonoma for a fraction of the cost) for my ceramic studio's holiday sale, but just had to get this out to you now to create and be swayed by paying $25 for a box at the store! If you have some chocolate lying around and some peppermints piled up nabbed from restaurants, this is perfect use for them.

It is one of those recipes people will think you bought or spent all day laboring over and you will tell them you did and laugh to yourself. It would make a perfect holiday gift for friends—just buy a nice tin at the dollar store!

I will not even put quantities down because however much chocolate you have can be used and the peppermint quantity will depend on how strong you want the final product.

DARK PEPPERMINT BARK
Qty Depends on amount of chocolate used. Active time= 10 minutes. Inactive time= 6 hours-overnight.
* 1 bar dark chocolate
* peppermint canes or candy, crushed
* 1 teaspoon peppermint extract (optional)

1) Lay parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
2) Put peppermint in a paper bag and wrap with a clean dish towel. Use a hammer to crush the peppermint into pieces from dust to chunks.
3) Melt the chocolate in a double boiler*, add the peppermint extract and mix as it melts.
4) Once melted, pour onto parchment paper and use a spatula to spread chocolate about ¼ inch thick. Sprinkle with peppermint and allow to dry 6 hours to overnight.
5) Once dry, break chocolate apart into uneven chunks, store covered.
* If a double boiler is not available use two non-stick sauté pans. One should be larger and filled half way with water, brought to a boil. Place the smaller pan on top of the water, without it touching the other pan and melt chocolate in the smaller pan.

Thyme Cornbread

I was never a very big fan of cornbread. I had it at restaurants slathered in butter, sure. More often than not though, I preferred filling up with a heaping spoonful of mashed potatoes or thick creamed spinach. Delicious. Cornbread was too often dry and overly crumbly and needed too much butter to be palatable. That, or an attempt to moisten it with jalapeno peppers just made it soggy instead of giving it a due kick.

Well, D is a southern boy who likes his cornbread. Come to think of it, because of his Indiana roots, it’s really corn that he loves-- In any form, preferably fresh. Well, we’re out of fresh corn. The junk the markets are hawking as “late summer” corn is limp, withered and disgusting. So we turn to cornmeal for our corny fixings.

Since D has been around, I have been quite surprised to see just how far cornmeal can go. It appears in our mainstay breakfast pancakes and pops up in light fries like battered calamari. Over time I have begun to think highly of cornmeal and thought maybe cornbread should be given another try.

And so, with a little leftover thyme and a new cast iron pan c/o my mother, some “I  Cornbread” was created. When warm and fresh with a dab of butter this cornbread is moist and delicious. The thyme imparts the perfect herby sweetness to the final product making you think you might just be eating healthy—although even better with a side of cracklings.

THYME CORNBREAD
Makes about 12 sticks or small muffins. Active time= 10 minutes. Bake time= 15-20 minutes.
Have all ingredients at 70F
*3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
* 2-½ teaspoons double acting baking powder
* 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1-¼ cups yellow or white stone-ground cornmeal
* 1 egg
* 2 to 3 tablespoons melted butter or drippings
* 1 cup milk

1) Preheat oven to 425F. Grease cornbread pan with butter (cast iron is best) and place in oven while prepping ingredients
2) Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl.
3) Add cornmeal and stir until evenly combined (I recommend Sunny Slopes Farms Cornmeal in Indiana, email me for their phone number)
4) In a separate bowl beat the egg. Beat into it the butter and milk.
5) Combine all ingredients with a few quick rapid strokes until evenly combined.
6) Carefully remove pan from oven and place batter in hot pan about ¾ of the way full. Bake 15-20 minutes until just golden on top. Serve immediately.

Mysteries of Jamba Juice

Head over to Just Praise for some mysterious news...

Shrimp Bisque

It has been so long… I have a holiday sale coming up at my studio and made a mad push to fire one last kiln load before the big day. If you’re in the New York City area and think handmade ceramics might be up your gift giving alley (or for you personally), all are welcome. Eleven ceramic artists all with very different styles will have pieces on sale. Food, drinks and even some live music--music on Saturday only--will be part of the celebrations. The sale is Dec 7-10 in Long Island City, Queens (first stop into Queens from Manhattan, 15 minutes from midtown). Email me if you would like more details-- the bad news: this is our last sale, the building that houses our studio will be turned into luxury condos!

So are you already tired of all that turkey? Or maybe it’s the turkey that is making you tired. I’ve already turned my leftovers into my grandmother’s savory Latvian Pancakes and stashed them in the freezer for a rainy day. Okay, I popped a few along the way. But I learned that making these time consuming treasures is much easier taken in steps: day 1 make crepe batter and filling; day 2 make crepes, fill and finish. Mmm, I might go grab another one…

But really, the shrimp bisque already. If you have fish stock on hand this recipe is a cinch. It is quick, filling and warming on a cold, rainy day. With some warm bread (or in a bread bowl) this makes a fantastic meal.

My mother sent me Ina Garten’s new book Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again. Most recipes are pretty basic with ingredients that can easily be substituted for what you have on hand. I’ve heard the writing matches Ina’s personality, and if you don’t like her show, you won’t like the book. I don’t have cable (so I have never seen the show) and I haven't really taken the time to read her stories, so the recipes suit me well enough as a jumping off point.

I saw this shrimp bisque recipe and while I was really craving clam chowder, this recipe seemed a little less labor intensive (and I had clam chowder at a restaurant the previous night so why over due it?). With my old lean to, the handheld blender, I was able to whip this one up in just about 30 minutes. I had fish stock frozen and waiting for use from the seafood paella and today was its day!

SHRIMP BISQUE
Adapted from The Barefoot’s Contessa at Home cookbook
Makes about 6 servings. Active time= 20 minutes. Inactive time= about 10 minutes.
*1 pound shrimp, shells removed and set aside
* 1 tablespoon butter (or olive oil)
* 1 onion, chopped
* 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
* 2 celery stalks, chopped
* 1 rosemary branch, 4-6 inches
* 2 teaspoons paprkia
* ½ cup brandy
* 5 cups fish stock (see my paella for a recipe if you cannot find it at the store)
* 1 8oz can tomato paste (get one with no salt/ no flavors added)
* 1 pint heavy cream or half and half

1) In a small pot on medium heat, bring fish stock and shrimp shells to a simmer, about 15 minutes. Do not boil.
2) While stock is warming, in your main stock pot over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon butter. Add onions, garlic, celery and rosemary. Sauté 8-10 minutes, until onions turn translucent.
3) Add paprika and shrimp, cook for 3 minutes until shrimp begin to turn pink and curl.
4) Add brandy and cook for 3 minutes more.
5) Remove the rosemary branch (okay if some leaves remain). Strain the fish stock to remove the shrimp shells and add to the main pot.
6) Add tomato paste and stir until dissolved.
7) Using a handheld blender (or carefully in batches with a regular blender) pulse the soup. Break down most of the shrimp, but overall, leave the soup chunky. Add cream, bring to a simmer and serve.

Posts around...

A few posts around the net:

Holiday Dining.
United States of Arugula.

Thanksgiving Feasting, Part II

I will be making no Thanksgiving meal this year, nor will I be helping with preparations other than eating appetizing bits. There are so many clever little hints I've been picking up along the way that I would have loved to dish out, ways to spice up presentation, etc. Maybe next year. Until then... I will contemplate what I would have made (and make your searching a little easier in the days to come):

For munching, I would definitely have a cheese platter set out with dried fruit (apricot, plum, figs), assorted nuts (cashews, walnuts, roasted chestnuts) and some olives. A few cheeses I would absolutely have? Some of my old and new favorites: Bayley Hazen Blue, a stinky Epoisses, a butterscotched Gouda and the rich Monte Enebro. [Okay, not too difficult to figure out the key to my heart lies in cheese.] Serve it with a bold Zinfandel (the only wine pairing I will make).

If people really needed an afternoon snack I might whip up a batch of the recent cranberry bread. Fabulous with tea or coffee.

That should be enough to tide people over until a nice warming bowl of soup. How to choose since I love soup. A quick and easy one is Curried Butternut Squash or a zesty Carrot Ginger, a sweetly spiced new one is Winter Squash, and a decadent one, yet to be posted (but if you would like a recipe, let me know, it’s delicious) is a rich Chestnut Soup with Thick Bacon Bits.

A salad would follow. Probably endive, pear and walnut. Possibly with pomegranate. Much like the one here. Cleansing and delicious.

Turkey, of course. Broiled Brussels sprouts, sweet potato chips with an elegant balsamic reduction, garlic mashed potatoes topped with caramelized onions, braised beets and other root veggies for color, and maybe some sweet asparagus with a splash of truffle oil (and shavings if the budget allows). I’m not really a stuffing person, but I made this oyster stuffing, last year that was rich and delicious and scavenged to be taken home.

A pause for dessert. Maybe a walk around the block. Then dessert.

Hands down holiday favorite is the pumpkin cheesecake-- though this chocoalte espresso tart is luxurious. For the cookie lovers, pumpkin gingersnap cookies, gorgeous cranberry macadamia white chocolate chip cookies and rum raisin oatmeal cookies.

The following morning would be full of succulent Latvian Pancakes, with plenty to freeze for later snacking—the perfect way to get rid of those turkey day leftovers!

Enjoy your Turkey Day wherever you may be.

Announcing New Site: Just Praise

I have a new site up and running: Just Praise. Just Braise's sister site will showcase restaurants, books and food events. They shall be praised or panned. Either way, the verdict will be Just. The first few posts have gone up and you can find them at Just Praise. If you enjoy reading Just Braise, please give JP a visit.

In the meantime, a few things have gone up around the blogsphere that will soon be added to Just Praise:
Food Art @ The Plant
David Kamp's United States of Arugula

Cranberry Sweet Bread

The other week I was at the grocery store and noticed the bags of cranberries were finally set out. Mmmm, cranberry juice I mumbled, and in a trance walked over and placed them in the basket D was carrying.

“What are you going to do with those?”
“I dunno, they’re pretty.”

And so the pretty little rubies sat in the fridge for the better part of a week while I researched some recipes. I was looking for something fast and easy that would still look and taste delicious. I finally found it on a Chowhound forum-- a one bowl, just add, stir and bake recipe. I checked the comments and someone had already made it with wowed reaction so I decided to dig in as well.

This cake-like bread was delicious warm right out of the oven. The recipe recommends a caramel sauce, but I think whipped cream would be great too. I had it plain with coffee and it made a great mid-afternoon pick-me-up or breakfast.

This is the recipe list as it appears in Chowhound. There are other fabulous cranberry recipes listed there too so check it out.

*Note: This is not my mother listed below. Also, I cannot vouch for the caramel sauce because I did not make it. The changes I made are as follows: I used 2% milk instead of whole milk and increased the cranberries to one whole 16 ounce bag (from 2 cups). Lastly, I used a 7x11 pan as I wanted a thicker bread. I had to bake mine about 10 min more.

MOM’S CRANBERRY CAKE W/ CARAMEL SAUCE
Makes 1- 9x13 loaf. Active time= 10 minutes. Inactive time= about 30 minutes.
* 2 cups unsifted flour
* 1-½ cups sugar
* ½ teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, soft
* 1 cup whole milk [2% works well too]
* 2 cups whole fresh cranberries [or 1-16 ounce bag]

1) Preheat the oven to 350F
2) Mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and butter together until it resembles coarse crumbs.
3) Add milk and stir until evenly distributed. Fold in cranberries.
4) Pour batter into a buttered 9x13 pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Pour caramel sauce (below) over individual servings and serve.

CARAMEL SAUCE
* ½ cup butter
* ½ cup sugar
* ½ cup brown sugar
* ½ cup half and half

1) Combine all ingredients on stovetop and heat until thickened; do not boil.

Head over to Sweetnicks for the ARF roundup