| Yin-Yang Cookies
To prepare the vanilla dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar and use an electric mixer to beat until fluffy and smooth, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Set aside. In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture, using a spoon or an electric mixer with a paddle attachment to form a stiff dough. Set aside. To prepare the chocolate dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar and use an electric mixer to beat until fluffy and smooth, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Set aside. In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture, using a spoon or an electric mixer with a paddle attachment to form a stiff dough.
Pie is only the beginning of great pumpkin desserts
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside. In a second large bowl, combine the shortening and brown sugar. Use an electric mixer to beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla, then mix until well-combined. Add half the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the other half and mix again. Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets in 1-tablespoon mounds, arranging them 2 inches apart. Bake for about 14 minutes, or until lightly browned at the edges. Midway through baking, rotate the baking sheets top to bottom and front to back. For the icing: While the cookies bake, in a medium bowl combine the butter and maple syrup. Use an electric mixer to beat until smooth.
Cuisine Scene: Adventurous dining and pickles, too
The Cottage Eatery at 114 Main St. in Tiburon debuted Friday night with a standing-room-only party. Husband and wife team Edward Carew and Jennifer Rebman created a wonderfully pleasant space, entirely different than the cool, austere decor that had characterized Virapan's Tiburon Thai, the space's previous incarnation. Now, it has deep herb-green wainscoting and pillars, cream walls and an almost springy floor dappled in a stone-like pattern of gray/green and umber. I was intrigued with a wall of gleaming jars filled with assorted pickles that the couple create in house. "We love pickles," Rebman said. "We're going to make all kinds of pickled vegetables and candied fruits, and serve them seasonally." Carew and Rebman are trained chefs and met in New York while cooking at the Gramercy Tavern.
Manly Super Blog: Carving a path through Super Bowl week
Yes, at long last we can focus on the game on the field now that the endless wait for kickoff is only hours away instead of days and weeks. Don't forget to keep logging on after the game kicks off, as the Manly Super Blog lives up to its name by staying live throughout the game, when I'll be posting my quarterly reports on everything from game to the broadcast to the commercials - in other words the part that's fun, because it's completely informed by hindsight - a beautiful place where "wardrobe malfunction" isn't speculation, but a very real and grossly underwhelming reality. .
Versatile dukkah adds spice to the mix
I collect many ingredients to use in my kitchen, but some of the most interesting are found in the assortment of spice mixtures crowding my pantry shelves. Some of the mixtures come from friends, others from my own shopping. Whenever I am in a new grocery store or an international market, I check out the spice section. There, I find packets, jars and boxes of seasonings that are unfamiliar. I don't always know what to do with them -- and sometimes that doesn't matter. Part of the fun comes from finding new ways to use the intriguing flavors in everyday cooking. So I was thrilled when my friend Catherine Evans introduced me to dukkah, a spice mixture from Egypt. Evans, who taught cooking classes for children at the Smithsonian Institution, is one of the most intuitive cooks I know.
|
