Milan Cookies

I do not like marshmallow. There, I finally said it out aloud!

But what about s’mores, and rocky road ice cream shakes, and hot chocolate topped with cute little marshmallows? Nope.

To most this might sound strange; especially for those who’ve got fond memories of having it sandwiched between graham crackers or toasted over a campfire. Earlier, as a kid, when I was curious about marshmallows and finally had them on a trip to the States, I didn’t get what all the fuss was all about. Every now and then I pop one in my mouth just to see if my opinion is unchanged or not.

So for this time’s Daring Bakers’ challenge I was really happy that we could pick between Chocolate covered Marshmallow Cookies and the Milan Cookies; no prizes for guessing which one I chose to make.

It took me three attempts to get them just the way I like them. Sometimes I wish food network recipes were a little more elaborate (or I had a steady hand at piping!)

• First I piped the cookie batter on the Silpat as soon as it was ready. This gave me an uneven shape.
• To prevent that for the next batch, I refrigerated the batter so it’s firm up and be easier to pipe out and then I baked it immediately in the preheated oven. The shape turned out okay butUnfortunately, because the batter was still cold, I ended up with charred corners and slightly under baked centres.
• In my final try, I piped the cold cookie batter on the Silpat and then let it stand for 30-40 minutes to come to room temperature and then baked it. Perfect results!

So although the recipe was small and got done in no time, I did learn a few important things about piped cookies!

Milan Cookies
Yield: About 36 cookies
Adapted from: Food Network

12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups (312.5 grams/ 11.02 oz) powdered sugar
7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon extract
1 1/2 cups (187.5grams/ 6.61 oz) all purpose flour
Nutella for the cookie filling

1. In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.
2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
3. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.
4. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.
6. Spread a thin amount of the Nutella onto the flat side of a cookie and press the flat side of a second cookie on top. (Do this only just before you want to serve the cookies or they ted to get soft).
   
7. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

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Zucchini and Goats Cheese Pizza

Just when I was making the garlicky twists, I realised that I didn’t really want to make those twists that end up being just plain dough at the edges. You know how the bread near the corner always turns out to have much lesser seasoning, herbs and cheese? You feel like you have to eat it with a straight face and pretend to enjoy it as much as the flavourful herb one? I’m sure you’re nodding along right now. Instead, I thought I’d just cut off the dough at the ends and use it up where it shines through instead of being a ho-hum twisty.

What I did was put together the dough that was leftover from the sides while I was making those incredible garlicky twist to make a zucchini and goat’s cheese pizza! I had seen this pizza on Smitten Kitchen when it was posted and when I was left with the scraps of dough, it so happened that I had some zucchini and goat’s cheese waiting for me in the fridge. And to top that I had some fresh basil that I’d grown a few months ago, now in full bloom (much thanks to Deeba, who sent me the seeds all the way from Gurgaon! =))

Fresh basil

The pizza was so delicious. The herb filled dough and the fresh slivered basil made the cut for me. I can’t tell you how packed with flavour fresh herbs right from the pot can be. Had it not been for such happy coincidences I wouldn’t have made this pizza. But you shouldn’t wait for coincidences to get you to make this. Go on, make it and thank me later.

Zucchini and Goat’s Cheese Pizza
Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen
Yield: 1 10 inch pizza

10oz / 300g pizza dough (add in your favourite herbs for a flavourful pizza crust)
4 oz / 113g goat cheese, at room temperature
Few leaves of fresh basil, cut into thin slivers
1/2 medium yellow zucchini, sliced thinly
1/2 medium green zucchini, sliced thinly as well
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 450F/230C degrees. Roll your pizza dough into a thin 10 inch circle and lay it on a tray or stone that has been dusted lightly with cornmeal.
2. With an offset spatula (more use than just icing cakes!) spread the cheese on the pizza dough. Sprinkle over salt and freshly ground pepper and scatter the fresh basil slivers over the cheese.
3. Arrange the zucchini coins in concentric circles over the goat cheese spread, overlapping them (alternate their colors to make it look pretty!) Drizzle with olive oil and finish with more salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the edges of your pizza are golden brown and the zucchini looks roasted and a little curled up at the edges.
5. Transfer to plate, slice it up and share if you can. ;)

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Garlicky Herb Twists

I love using stumble upon to discover new food blogs and recipes, and a few days ago when I was getting my regular dose of stumbling, I came upon a recipe for herb and garlic twisty bread that instantly made me sit up, take notice and mark it as a high priority baking item. With a name that has herb and garlic in it, who wouldn't? I have got to admit, I have a thing for a recipe with garlic. Sometimes all I need to get convinced to try a recipe is to know that it had a good amount of garlic or maybe an interesting way to use garlic (remember the garlic infused oil in the baked fries? *swoon*). Don’t even get me started on roasted garlic; I could eat that for dessert.

This is one recipe that is so easy to put together. You can either use store bought pizza dough or make your own. The recipe calls for rosemary and thyme, but you can just as well use your favourite herbs. I usually don’t make the same thing twice (ah, the perils of food blogging), but I just had to make these a second time for two reasons: 1. the taste of the herby filling with garlic and parmesan was distinctively etched in my memory and 2.( ahem) the photos I took the first time weren’t quite up to the mark. I couldn’t not have these on my blog so I made these again!

Some things I learnt while making this the second time:

• A moist dough is always better – it resulted in such soft and pillowy bread as opposed to a very chewy one with a stiffer dough.
• More parmesan is always a good thing.
• You can sub your favourite seasoning mixture for the salt and pepper which makes it more likable.
• Don’t be shy to use more than the prescribed amount of herbs.

I urge you to go ahead and make these. Don't be surprised if you make a meal out it. Better still, serve it with your favourite garlicky dip and you'll be in garlic heaven.

Garlic Herb Bread Twists
Adapted from: Gourmet July 2009

1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (2 ounces), divided
Salt and pepper or your favourite seasoning blend
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 lb / 900g pizza dough, (or use store-bought)
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Lightly oil 2 large (17- by 13-inch) baking sheets.
2. Stir together rosemary, thyme, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in a small bowl.
3. In a pan gently heat the olive oil and stir in the garlic until it just begins to sizzles. Turn off the heat immediately. Add 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper to it.
4. Divide dough in half. Keeping half of dough covered with a kitchen towel, gently roll out other half into a 15- by 10-inch rectangle on a floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin.
5. Sprinkle one half of dough with half of herb mixture, then fold dough in half crosswise from top to centre and then again from bottom to centre. Roll lightly to form a rectangle. Cut lengthwise into 9 strips (less than 1 inch wide) with a pizza wheel or a pastry scraper. Twist each strip from both ends and place on baking sheet, arranging twists 1 inch apart. Don’t worry too much if they flop back, you can just as well call them “rustic”. Next, brush with garlic oil and let stand while forming remaining bread twists.
6. Repeat process with the second half of the dough.
7. Bake bread twists, switching position of sheets halfway through, until golden (15-20 minutes total).
8. Meanwhile, stir together parsley and remaining 3/4 cup cheese in a shallow baking pan.
9. Immediately after baking, brush bread twists with remaining garlic oil, then roll in parsley and cheese until coated. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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DIY Graham Crackers

Now I don’t have the same story as most others who grew up on Graham Crackers and loved them so much they had to replicate it at home. My need for making these crackers stems more from curiosity than a trip down memory lane.

When I saw this recipe for Graham crackers on Smitten Kitchen, I was fascinated for I had never seen a graham cracker recipe before (or more appropriately, never looked for one)! Luckily, I knew what Honey Maid Grahams tasted like for I had tried them a few months ago and knew what to expect. Turns out, these crackers were better than the boxed version! Nothing beats fresh, out of the oven goodies, right? I had them warm just by itself, but I bet it'd be so good with some whipped cream. They were a little more dense and a little more chewy, but very satisfying!

Every recipe for cheesecake calls for a Graham cracker base and because of the unavailability of graham crackers here I’ve had to use locally available digestive biscuits. Now i know I won't have to and the next time I make cheesecake I'm going to make these homemade grahams and really live up to the term "baked from scratch!"

Graham Crackers
Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen
Yield: 10 4 x 4.5-inch graham crackers or 48 2-inch squares

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons / 375g unbleached all-purpose flour (I swapped 1/2 cup AP flour for whole wheat)
1 cup / 176g dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tsp / 6g baking soda
3/4 tsp / 4g kosher or coarse sea salt
7 tbsp / 3 1/2 ounces / 100g unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 cup / 114g mild-flavored honey, such as clover
5 tbsp 77g milk, full-fat is best
2 tbsp / 27g pure vanilla extract
Topping (optional, I skipped this because the crackers themselves were sweet enough for me)
3 tbsp / 43g granulated sugar
1 tsp / 5g ground cinnamon

1. Combine together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.(Alternately, you can cut the ingredients together with a pastry blender).
2. In a small bowl or a Pyrex jug, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.
3. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it and chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight. Meanwhile, prepare the topping, if using, by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and setting aside.
4. Divide the dough into two halves. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8th inch thick.
5. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, score the dough every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers. As you can see, I just rolled with the flow without any precise measurements. Lift with a metal scraper gently, the dough is sticky.
6. Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping, if you’re using. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge or 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Repeat with the second batch of dough as well as the remaining scraps of dough.
   
7. Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350°F.
8. Bake for 15 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking.

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All-time Favourite on Foodgawker: Garlicky Baked Fries!

Remember the garlicky baked fries I posted not too many moons ago? Well, I just discovered that they’re on Foodgawker's “MOST FAVOURITED: ALL-TIME” page. Yipeeeee! :D

Just want to thank you all for for being so kind. You guys are the best!

Won’t say much; instead I will let the recipe shine through some reader comments:

Anonymous
“Oh, these are absolutely fantastic!! I've made them a couple of times now and they will become a staple in our house. Another lite alternative to the greasy stuff!

My husband even picked these today when I asked him what kind of potatoes he wanted ("the garlicky thingies"). I adore these with Ranch dressing, it's give a cool touch to the spices. They make the whole kitchen smell delicious.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

A feast for the eyes
“OMG! I made this recipe, and it was fantastic! I was not happy with my photos (too much company, no time to really stop and shoot)...so I will have to make them again (darn) to get better pictures. So good! Thanks you so much for this recipe. It's a keeper!”

emmainab
“I made these tonight and they were a big hit. I baked them at a lower temperature for a longer time to coincide with the timing of the main course being served. I turned them several times. My new favorite way to shine when company is coming, or not.”

The Little Teochew
"Hi Shaheen, I made them today! Love them! Thanks for sharing :D"

Marteen
“I’ve made these twice already and I love them. These are the best fries I've ever made.”

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Peach And Cherry Jam Infused With Vanilla Bean

This has been a bountiful season of peaches and cherries; I’ve eaten boxes of cherries and a whole lot of peaches with honey but sadly, the season is coming to a close. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find good peaches. Every time I see the velvety fruit blushing away, I have got to buy it! So like a crazy girl I kept buying the fruit in such copious quantities, that I ended up with more of it in the refrigerator than I had space for. The wonderful idea of canning them dawned upon me.

I’ve never made jam before, so I read up a lot of resources before finally arriving at a recipe that would work for the fruits I had in mind. It turned out just like what I wanted - sweet and tangy at the same time, with gorgeous specs of vanilla and the sweetest fragrance any jam could ever have. This is testament to the fact that real vanilla beans can make everything better! I was a little worried when in some places I saw people use pectin to help set the jam, but the jam set perfectly without any of it.

I love this jam on toast with ricotta cheese but I’m already thinking of ways to use this in my baking!

Peach and Cherry Jam Infused with Vanilla

14 oz / 400g peaches
7 oz / 200g cherries
14 oz / 400g sugar (my fruits were very sweet) Use up to 600g of sugar.
1-2 cups hot water
Juice of 1 lime
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and the gorgeous caviar scraped out.

1. Stone the cherries and cut into two.
2. Dunk the peaches in hot water and then cold water to remove the skin. Cut into chunks.
3. In a jar or a bowl add the fruits and sugar and toss to coat. Pour in 1 cup of hot water. Add the scraped out vanilla as well as the stick. Also squeeze out the lime juice. Let this sit overnight or until 24 hours.
4. If you like a smooth texture now is when you can use the stick blender to give you a more consistent jam. I like mine chunky so skipped this step all together.
5. The next day, transfer this to a large post and let it simmer, stirring frequently for 40-50 minutes or until the texture is a little more runny than what you’d like (because, as it cools it is going to thicken). Add up to 1 more cup of water whenever you feel that the preserve is rather chunky.
6. Once cooked, let it cool. Transfer to sterlised jars to preserve.

Excellent resource for canning and preserves: “How to make marmalades”

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Black Forest Cookies

Move over, you 'regular' Chocolate Chip Cookie, I have found nirvana!

Right out of the blue, I came across THE most supremely decadent Black Forest Cookies in this new book, Baked. This has got to be the first recipe I've made within just a day of getting the book, and that says A LOT about how interesting the recipes are (I usually flip through the pages, narrow it down to a few recipes and then begin to think about making them). This book is not your average baking guide, but is filled with nontraditional recipes that incorporate quirky ingredients and take baking to an all new level. Not surprisingly, these rich triple chocolate cookies with cherries are fittingly known as Black Forest Cookies!

The Black Forest region in southern Germany is a beautiful mountain range filled with a gorgeously rich population of trees and lakes. Here originated the Black Forest Gateaux, which consists of several layers of chocolate cake with whipped cream, chocolate, and cherries spread between each layer. It also regularly makes use of a form of cherry brandy called Kirsch.

My Black Forest Cookies, however, use some interesting substitutes, while keeping the integrity of the original Black Forest creation intact. So, white chocolate chips substitute the whipped cream, dried cherries replace maraschino cherries and well, chocolate for chocolate.

Be forewarned, waiting for the cookie dough to harden over 6 hours will be the toughest part when you know the chocolate to flour ratio is 12:1 (Oh sweet heavenly goodness!)

(chocolatey, not doughy!)

Given the huge amount of chocolate required, I made a third of the recipe; not a very wise decision because I had to literally fight with orangefoodie for the last few crumbs of the cookie! I have already put a bright pink post-it note in the book to flag it as my super-keeper recipe!

Do yourself a favour, make these as soon as you can, for you're no chocolate fan if you haven't.

Black Forest Cookies
Yield: 24
Adapted from: Baked - New Frontiers in Baking

3/4th / 80g. cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
16 oz / 450g bittersweet chocolate ((60-72% cacao)
10 tbsp / 150g. butter
6 large eggs
1 1/4th cups granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup / 6 oz. / 170g. semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup / 6 oz. / 170g. white chocolate chips
1 cup / 6 oz. / 170g. dried cherries
A tbsp of kirsch if you like (I didn't add this)

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt together.
2. In a large bowl set over a double boiler, melt the butter and dark chocolate together until the mixture is silky smooth.
3. In a KitchenAid bowl or another large bowl, if using a hand held beater, beat the eggs and sugars in high speed until the mixture looks thick and pale. About 5 minutes.
   
   
   
4. Add the cooled butter-chocolate mixture and vanilla to the eggs until just combined.
5. Add the flour mixture and mix until it looks incorporated. Another 10 seconds.
6. With a spatula fold in the two kinds of chocolate chips and dried cherries.The dough will look more like a batter - don't worry, this is how it is supposed to be. Refrigerate this for 6 hours or overnight.
7. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C.
8. On a baking sheet linked with parchment paper or Silpat, drop the cookies by rounded tablespoons or better still, an ice cream scoop. Do not let these come to room temperature or the batter will get runny. Pop them in the oven immediately. If you have a small oven like mine, and are baking in multiple batches, then keep the cookie dough/batter refrigerated while you're waiting.
   
9. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking time, until the cookie looks set and a few cracks begin to appear.
10. Remove from the oven and let it cool a bit before transferring to a cooling rack.
    

Serve warm with a slightly gooey centre. Add vanilla or any fruit ice cream if you like. Chocolate, if you're pure evil.

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Book Giveaway + Banana Nutella Crepes

I can’t remember how I heard about The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry first; I think I bumped into on Amazon where it was listed as one of the books customers bought along with the one I was looking at. When I found out that this story has Le Cordon Bleu as the main focus, I was overjoyed! I ordered a copy immediately.

The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry is a lovely memoir of Kathleen Flinn who pursued her long standing dream of studying at the world’s finest culinary school. Once her job let go off her, her boyfriend encouraged her to follow to go to Paris and said, “Do you want to be on your deathbed, wondering why you never went?” 24 days later, she was at Le Cordon Bleu.

The book chronicles her way though cooking school with a little bit of life thrown in (though I would have loved to read more about what goes on in the kitchen). Through the book you will have gone to Paris and back.

Inspiring, riveting and emotional – I couldn’t keep the book down (even while climbing the stairs to my office!) I loved it so much - I want to give a new copy of this book to one of you! (Rules follow)

There are a whole bunch of recipes in this book, but French haute cuisine is not for me (just yet :)). However, I did make the Banana and Nutella Crepes from this book.

Banana and Nutella Crepes
Yield: 8 crepes
Recipe source: The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry

For the crepe batter
¾ cup / 80g all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup / 250 ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 tbsp butter, melted

Filling for the crepe:
Thinly sliced bananas
Nutella (the proportion of this can never be defined – dollop them on the crepes to your hearts content.

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl, making a well in the centre.
2. In a Pyrex jug or another bowl, mix together the milk and the vanilla.
3. Add a third of the milk mixture and the eggs to the well, slowly incorporating in the flour.
4. Whisk in the remaining milk and melted butter.
5. Allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
6. Heat a non-stick pan on a low-medium heat and dab or brush it with a little butter. (However, if yours is a newer non-stick it will be fine so you don’t worry about it sticking to it too much.)
7. Scoop about ¼ of the batter and pour it on the heated pan, making sure it is not too hot.
8. Tilt the pan to evenly cover with the batter.
9. The crepe is ready to flip once the edges are slightly browned. Stack them up.
10. Now with each crepe, spread some Nutella on it and line with slice bananas. Have it the no-fuss way by rolling it up or simply fold it over like an omlette and serve. YUM!

Rules for the giveaway:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me about what you are currently reading or which book is next on your list.
2. Facebook fans and e-mail subscribers, automatically qualify for the giveaway. To up your chances of winning, become a fan of The Purple Foodie and subscribe to my regular email updates!
3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the give away, making sure you include the link to this post. The more you tweet, the higher your chances! Each time, come back here and comment with the link to your twitter status to qualify.
4. Stumble this post.

The giveaway is open to local and international readers until the 25th of July, 2009.

IMPORTANT! Please leave your email address or twitter ID in the comments section for me to reach you if you’ve won, won’t you? Especially when your name isn’t linked to a blog/online profile.

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