I made these little cheese balls for a gaming night last week, and thought they were a terrific hors d’oeuvre. They have a nice tang without tasting too yogurty, and the texture is soft and creamy like chevre. The marinade is fragrant with garlic and dill, and there’s a rustic elegance to the look of white cheese swimming in herb-infused oil. Because of the delicate texture, I couldn’t quite get them to be perfectly spherical, but I think they are supposed to be a little rough - perfection is overrated, anyway, right? The recipe takes hardly any effort at all and is very inexpensive to make…although it does require at least 24 hours of planning ahead so the yogurt has time to drain.

The little guys are pretty versatile, too…I look forward to flavoring them with olives, za’atar, roasted cumin, red peppers…use your imagination! On Leite’s Culinaria, where I originally found the recipe, someone suggested just making a dip with the drained yogurt instead of forming balls, which is a good idea if you’re in a rush and is somewhat of a more traditional preparation of yogurt cheese. The balls do look quite nice for parties, though, and the flavorful leftover oil is a tasty bread dip in its own right.

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Just a Bite, Savory Dips & Extras | 4 Comments »

I was going to wait until it was officially 2008 to roll out this redesign, but I got so used to looking at the new header and colors while testing them out that I just can’t stand to look at the old ones any longer. :) So here it is! I hope you like it.

Although I’ve had a chance to work on the website here and there, I unfortunately did not have time to do the Bûche de Noël (aka Yule Log) for this month’s Daring Baker challenge. I know, what a way to start out as a newly minted DB, right? There are some fantastic cakes out there, though…take a look at the Daring Bakers’ Blogroll for a peek at their lovely creations.

One reason this month was so busy for me was due to time spent making treats to give as gifts. Last week, I spent 4 hours after work making three and a half batches of truffles with my friend K. We made ginger, plain chocolate, and cinnamon orange cocoa-dusted truffles, and soft chocolate/Grand Marnier centers enrobed in a crisp, bittersweet shell. We used Alice Medrich’s recipes (which are the ones I always use), and a mix of Callebaut and Guittard chocolates. They were heavenly!

I did learn some important lessons, however, that will stay with me the next time I fantasize about opening my own tiny patisserie - namely, that rolling chocolate for hours is actually pretty hard work! Still, there are worse fates than being coated in chocolate, don’t you think? I mean, it’s got to be much better than turning into a blueberry and having to visit the Juicing Room.

Anyway, before I out-dork myself with yet another silly reference, I’d like to give a scrumptious, ganache-covered thank you to every person who has stopped by to read cookworm this year. Even though the blog is only 6 months old, I’ve had a marvelous time connecting with people, learning all sorts of bloggy things, and of course, cooking! Here’s wishing you all a Happy New Year and best wishes for 2008. May the coming year be your most delicious one yet!

Candy Land, General | 7 Comments »

Caramels seem to be one of those foods, like brownies and chocolate chip cookies, that are simultaneously classic yet also the subjects of much contention and woe in the kitchen. With caramel candies, no one seems to agree on what temperature to cook the caramel to so it achieves the ideal texture. I guess the problem is that “ideal” is just too dang subjective to really let anyone have the final word. It makes sense, of course: not everyone has jaws of steel, and some people might actually enjoy the feeling of candy that doubles as molar glue.

Although I mentioned this when I made caramels a few months ago, it bears repeating that I find 250°F to be the best temperature to achieve my own favorite texture, which I feel strikes a good balance between mildly chewy but not too sticky. If this is not right for you, here are a couple of suggestions: Those who like more pillowy caramels might be happier at 246°F, which is quite soft indeed and will likely need refrigeration to keep its shape. For something more firm, going up to 255°F should serve you well. Be wary of higher temperatures, though, as it’s easy to slip into a dangerous territory where the sugar turns rogue, merrily taking vengeance on dental work before finally reaching a nice snappy brittle.

This batch is flavored with fleur de sel, a wonderful and classic combination. A nice coarse sea salt would also be fine to use. I do like my salted caramels to be fairly salty, hence the sprinkled tops in addition to salt inside, but this is completely optional. You could also leave out the inside salt and just dust the tops, if you like the look of the coarse flakes and want a more subtle saltiness. I didn’t include a recipe last time, so here is a good one that is easy and rich with both cream and butter.

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Candy Land | 7 Comments »

This pic was snapped right after I broke one of my tripods and my flash stopped working (yes, I am in fact always this graceful), but I had to share it anyway because the dish it depicts is just so darn delicious! It’s garlicky and green and nutritious and quick. I’m a big fan of kale, and have noticed recently in the supermarket that one can buy large bags of it prewashed and chopped, which means there is no excuse not to eat kale all week long and revel in the joy of American conveniences.

I ate this as a main dish with some pita bread, but it could also be served with rice or couscous, or as a side dish to a stew or tagine. The recipe is similar to one in Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian, which is easily one of my favorite cookbooks of all time - it has hundreds of interesting, simple, and healthy recipes that are ideal for the home cook. In fact, there is no doubt that the introduction to Madhur Jaffrey’s books when I was 22 or so has completely influenced my preferences for cooking and eating to this day. Thank you, Madhur, wherever you are!

Kale with Chickpeas and Olives
3/4 pound (about 15 cups) kale, rinsed and chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 cup water
12 kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 15-oz can, drained)
2 teaspoons ground cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons mild paprika
pinch of cayenne
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic and stir for a few seconds. Add kale and stir, then pour in the 1/2 cup water and cover the pan. Cook on medium-low until kale wilts and is tender, about 5-10 minutes. Add chickpeas, olives, and spices, cover again and cook until mixture is warm, about 5 more minutes. Serve with rice or pita bread.

Main Dishes, Salads & Sides | 1 Comment »

I loooooove rosemary in baked goods, especially during the holiday season. Like the way fresh basil heralds summer, rosemary seems to evoke comfort and warmth, and the smell of it baking is my favorite way to greet winter. I’ve also realized that I can sustain this pleasure by making cookies that last for a long time, which is more than I can say for those adorable rosemary trees that always seem to die after a week or so (although that could just be my black thumb).

The template for these biscotti is from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: from My Home to Yours, a recipe that is quite amenable to all sorts of variation. The combination of lemon, rosemary, and pistachios is fantastic in a sweet cookie, and I also think they would be divine with pignoli nuts in place of the pistachios. I find that this recipe produces biscotti that are more tender and crumbly than the very hard and crunchy sort, so do keep that in mind if your biscotti interests dictate a preference (I like them to be not too tooth-cracking, myself). Also, if you’re like me and crazy about rosemary, feel free to add the whole 1 1/2 tablespoons. If you’re not sure, start with just a few teaspoons to see how you like it.

Lemon Rosemary Biscotti
Adapted from Baking: from My Home to Yours

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 cup roughly chopped pistachios

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt together.

In a large mixing bowl, rub the sugar, lemon zest, and rosemary together with your fingers until combined. With an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the sugar mixture with the butter until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined, then fold in the pistachios. The dough will be soft and rather sticky.

Scoop half of the dough onto one side of a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a spatula or and your fingers, form the dough into a log about 12″ long and 1 1/2″ wide. Repeat with the remaining dough on the other side of the baking sheet.

Bake until the logs are a light golden and firm, but springy in the center - about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes (leaving the oven on).

When cool, cut the logs into 1/2″ to 3/4″ slices, and place the slices back on the parchment-lined baking sheet, standing the pieces up. Return the sheet to the oven and bake until biscotti are golden and firm, about 15 more minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely on racks. Biscotti will keep for about a month in an airtight container.

Baking | 4 Comments »

These cookies are from The Baker’s Dozen Cookbook, which I took out of the library a few weeks ago and is definitely going in my “to buy” list. The Baker’s Dozen, if you haven’t heard of them, are a community of top-notch professional bakers (e.g., Flo Braker, Marion Cunningham, Peter Reinhart, David Lebovitz) who organized the group to share techniques for help and inspiration. The book is mostly full of building blocks and classic favorites, which is very appealing to me as I like the idea of having a solid foundation with which to modify, depending on whether I’m in the mood to be simple or creative.

According to the description, these sandwich cookies are supposed to be reminiscent of a Flanders-evocative supermarket cookie which happens to be a longtime favorite of mine. It’s been years since I’ve eaten one, but there are still memories of longing for the “expensive” cookies that I wasn’t allowed to have at home but which I snuck from the kitchen of a friend, whose mother was known to be something of a gourmet (she liked to spend money on food, at least). This homemade version is very delicious, with a sandy, crisp outer texture sandwiching a glorious chocolate center. Like their inspiration, they are delightfully dunkable; I like to hold one halfway submerged in milk or tea, seeing how long I can keep it under without falling apart.

The recipe yields quite a bit, about 40 cookies (or more if you make them small, which I recommend, as crisp cookies are nicer in miniature), and like most sandwich cookies, they do take some time to make. But it’s the baking season! It’s time for giving! This is simply no time to complain, now is it?

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Baking | 5 Comments »