Archive for December, 2009

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The Postman Always Rings Twice … IF YOU GIVE HIM BROWNIES!

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

mintcrossweb

 
I LOVE having an excuse to bake. This time of year I have many reasons to turn on the oven. Yesterday’s was creating a holiday gift for my mother’s New Jersey mail carrier, Colin.
 
My mother and I are nomadic. We travel from our house in Massachusetts to her house in New Jersey to my brother’s house in Virginia and then back again to New Jersey and so forth.
 
Fortunately for us, the Post Office almost always finds us. Our carrier in Massachusetts, Lisa, and our carrier in New Jersey, Colin, put up with our comings and goings and keep track of our mail for us. So do the clerks and postmasters in their offices.
 
We always like to give them a special thank you in December—not just money, but something that represents OUR time the way the help they give us represents THEIR time.
 
We all like Colin, but our dog Truffle carries her affection for him to extremes. If left to her own devices, Truffle would hop into Colin’s truck and never look back at us. I could tell from the look in her eyes that she felt he deserved something extra special this year.
 
So I tried baking a treat that had intrigued me in a variety of books and blogs—brownies with mint candy inside.
 
Basically, this involves making brownie batter and dividing it in half. The first half goes into the pan and is covered with a thin layer of mints. The second half of the batter goes on top.
 
I decided to use Andes mints, which are very thin. I didn’t want my mint layer to overwhelm the brownies!
 
I was torn between two different flavors—the traditional chocolate-surrounded “crème de menthe” variety and the seasonal non-chocolate “peppermint crunch.” I settled for using some of each; I put crème de menthe on one half of the brownies and peppermint crunch on the other half.
 
Naturally, I had to try both kinds before passing the brownies on to Colin!
 
I might SLIGHTLY prefer the peppermint crunch—after all, brownies already have chocolate in them—but if you are a chocolate lover you may disagree. In any case, both flavors were delicious.
 
I also threw a little icing on the top of the brownies (with a few sprinkles) to make them extra festive for Christmas. This layer is optional but fun.
 
Colin looked happy to see them.
 

Colin takes our comings and goings--and our occasional strange headgear--in stride.

Colin takes our comings and goings--and our occasional strange headgear--in stride.

 
 
Peppermint Surprise Brownies
 
Ingredients:
 
for the brownies:
 
1/2 cup (1 stick) sweet butter
3 ounces (3 squares) semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
 
for the filling:
 
2 packages (4.67 ounces each) Andes mints (you won’t need quite all of them, but you will need most of them)
 
for the icing:
 
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) sweet butter at room temperature
confectioner’s sugar as needed (about 3/4 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla
holiday sprinkles (optional)
 
Instructions:
 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with aluminum foil, and butter the foil.
 
Prepare the brownie batter: In a medium pan heat the butter and chocolate squares, stirring frequently, until the chocolate melts. Remove it from the heat.
 
When the chocolate/butter mixture is cool enough to stick your finger into it (this won’t take long) stir in the eggs, followed by the flour and then the vanilla.
 
Pour half of this batter into the prepared pan. Lay the mints (unwrapped, obviously) on top of the batter as lightly as you can, covering as much of the batter as you can.
 
Pour the remaining batter on top (use a spatula to smooth it over the mints as needed) and bake the brownies for 25 minutes.
 
Allow the brownies to cool completely in their pan. Remove the foil from the pan, and gently peel the foil off of the brownies.
 
Next, make the frosting. Cream the butter, and add enough confectioner’s sugar to make a spreadable icing, adding the vanilla toward the end of this process.
 
Gently spread the icing in a thin layer over the brownies. Decorate with seasonal sprinkles if you like.
 
Allow the icing to harden a bit before you slice the brownies.
 
Makes 16 to 36 brownies, depending on how big you want to make them. (We like them little so I hope Colin does.)
 
minrbrownweb
 

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Harvest Salad

Sunday, December 6th, 2009

harvest salad web

 
I originally planned to post this salad for Sukkot, the week-long Jewish harvest festival. Somehow, the calendar got away from me!
 
When I decided to make salad my theme for this week, however, I remembered how much I liked the slightly sweet/slightly tangy honey-mustard dressing and resurrected the recipe for my table and my blog.
 
The bacon wouldn’t be very appropriate for Sukkot, of course, but it does help transform the salad into a whole meal. The final product has fruit, protein, calcium, vegetables, and nuts. And it tastes terrific, too.
 
The dressing recipe makes enough for another day. Just be sure to refrigerate the leftover dressing–and to bring it to room temperature and shake it well before you use it again.
 
Ingredients:
 
for the dressing:
 
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon orange juice
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground pepper to taste (I like to grind the pepper mill about 6 times)
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
 
for the salad:
 
1/2 pound uncooked spinach leaves
1/2 cup walnut or pecan halves (or more if you like)
1 apple (your choice, cored but not peeled)
1/2 small red onion, chopped into rings or pieces
1/2 cup crumbled feta or blue cheese (or more if you like)
3 strips cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)
1/4 cup dried cranberries (or more if you like)
 
Directions:
 
First, make the dressing. In a small saucepan over low heat, stir together the vinegar, the juice, and the honey until the honey dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat, and let the mixture cool for a few minutes; then use a whisk to stir in the mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper. It will take a while for the ingredients to smooth themselves out.
 
Finally, slowly whisk in the oil. Careful pour the dressing into a jar with a tight-fitting lid that will hold at least 1-1/2 cups of liquid.
 
Wash the spinach thoroughly.
 
Place the nuts in a small frying pan, and fry them over low heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly, to release their oils. Take the pan off the heat.
 
Just before you are ready to eat, slice the apple. In a salad bowl, combine the spinach, onion slices, toasted nuts, apple slices, cheese, bacon (if using), and cranberries.
 
Shake the dressing, and pour a third to a half of it onto the salad. Toss the salad well but carefully.
 
Serves 8.

 
tinkysoup

  
By the way, since I know many of you are probably in the midst of holiday shopping right now (I’m starting soon, I promise!), I thought I’d remind you that copies of my Pudding Hollow Cookbook are available.
 
Of course, I’m sure most of my faithful readers’ friends and relatives already have copies of this lovely book (my text, Judith Russell’s illustrations), but if someone on your list doesn’t own a copy please consider buying it.
 
Domestic postage and gift wrap are free (although I have to confess that my gift-wrapping skills aren’t as good as my cooking).  And I love to sign copies of the book.
 
Here’s the link…..
 

PuddingHollow_Cover1203

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Posted in Autumn, Holiday Foods, Salads and Dressings | 5 Comments »

Oscar of the Waldorf (and Waldorf of the Tinky)

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

waldorfweb

 
It has taken me several days to recover from the digestive excesses of Thanksgiving. I went to the store yesterday to buy milk and turned a little green when I saw the cream lurking on the shelf nearby.
 
So I have vowed to work on simple foods–salads in particular–to get my palate and waist back into line before the latkes and Christmas cookies start flying around.
 
The trouble with this strategy is that there are still plenty of leftovers from Thanksgiving in the house. I don’t have any trouble avoiding the desserts (most of them are in the freezer at this point anyway), but I can’t really ignore the turkey.
 
A couple of days ago I decided to throw some turkey and cranberry sauce into a Waldorf Salad.
 
I love Waldorf Salads. Actually, I love the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, period–the chic art-deco trim, the Bauman rare-book display in the lobby, Cole Porter’s piano (surely the classiest musical instrument in the world!), the charming waiters and receptionists.
 
My friend Chikako was married there many years ago. When she explained that according to Japanese custom school friends of the bride always sing at weddings I crooned “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” with the band. (It was the only song they and I knew in common.)
 
Ever since then I have dreamed of calling my autobiography I Sang at the Waldorf.
 
I also like the Waldorf’s long culinary history, particularly the legend of maître d’hôtel Oscar Tschirky, who worked at the hotel from its opening in 1893 until 1943.
 
Oscar of the Waldorf, as he was called (perhaps I should rename my book Tinky of the Waldorf?) created the Waldorf Salad, Veal Oscar, and (according to some sources) Eggs Benedict. He also introduced Thousand-Island Dressing to a wider eatership.
 
He was known for his flair with food and with people. When asked for a testimonial to accompany his application at the Waldorf, he allegedly walked around Delmonico’s Restaurant (his previous workplace) asking his favorite customers to sign the glowing letter of recommendation he himself had written.
 
The signatures–supposedly from such luminaries as entertainer Lillian Russell, businessman/gourmand Diamond Jim Brady, and railroad executive George Jay Gould–did the trick, and Oscar Tschirky became Oscar of the Waldorf.
 
A delightful 1931 profile called “Oscar the Epicure” enthused, “Whenever people, in America at least, speak of the art of eating, they invariably mention Oscar.”
 
The profile appeared in a book by Edward Hungerford (published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons) titled The Story of the Waldorf-Astoria. (The first edition was published in 1925; I don’t know whether the 1931 edition was identical or not.) You may read more of the profile and the book on either of these wonderful web sites: Old and Sold and Boldt Castle.
 
Oscar believed in the craft of menu construction and amassed an extensive menu collection, which he left to Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration along with his personal papers.

oscar2

I feel that I have a tenuous connection to Oscar Tschirky through my brother David, who frequently sojourns at the Waldorf on business. We actually often refer to David in the family as “Mr. Waldorf-Astoria.”
 
The nickname is a tribute not to his connection to the hotel but to his extravagant tastes. My Great-Aunt Charlotte used to call my grandfather the same thing because she thought he had rather “la dee da” ways. (He did, but we loved him anyway–and we love my brother.)
 
I could write a lot more about Oscar and David and the Waldorf, but this essay has already meandered on longer than a blog post is supposed to. So let me return to the topic of my turkey–or rather Tschirky–salad.
 
A Waldorf Salad has many virtues. It’s a cinch to throw together. It uses fresh ingredients one has on hand for much of the year. And it illustrates some of the properties that make those ingredients so wonderful.
 
Apples, celery, and walnuts are crunchy foods. It’s only when eating them together in a salad, however, that one realizes that they’re crunchy in different but complementary ways.
 
My Thanksgiving salad (also a great idea for Christmas!) adds the softness of turkey and the rich red hue of cranberry sauce to this classic dish. I have to admit that the color of the mixture startled me a bit. It’s a very mid-20th century shade of pink.
 
I’ve always been one to embrace garishness, however. Oscar of the Waldorf had a flamboyant side. Why shouldn’t I?
 
You’re the top. You’re a Waldorf salad.
You’re the top. You’re a Berlin ballad……..
 
Garish Thanksgiving Salad from Tinky of the Waldorf
 
Ingredients:
 
1/4 cup mayonnaise (low-fat is fine)
2 tablespoons whole-berry cranberry sauce plus a bit more later
the juice of 1/2 small lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 firm apple (I used a gala), cored but not peeled, cut into bite-size chunks
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted for a few minutes in a small cast-iron pan (toss while doing this!) to release the oils
2 stalks celery, cut up
1/3 cup dried cranberries (you may use raisins, but these extend the holiday theme)
3/4 cup pieces of leftover turkey meat
lettuce as needed
 
Instructions:
 
In a bowl combine the mayonnaise, the 2 tablespoons cranberry sauce, the salt, and half of the lemon juice.
 
Sprinkle the rest of the lemon juice on the apple pieces and toss gently.

In a larger bowl combine the apple pieces, most of the nuts (save out just a tablespoon or so), the celery, the cranberries, and the turkey. Add the mayonnaise mixture and stir until everything is a bit pink.

Line a serving plate or bowl with a bed of lettuce, and place the salad on top.

Sprinkle the remaining nuts on the top, and put just a dab of additional cranberry sauce smack in the middle (because you need EVEN MORE COLOR!).

Serves 2 generously.
 

applesforsaladweb

 

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Posted in Apples and Cider, Cranberries, Holiday Foods, Meat and Poultry, Salads and Dressings | 5 Comments »

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