Rolling in Dough

Cinnamon & Aleppo Chile Mole' Cookies

The Savory Spice Shop is one of my favorite tour destinations. Kate and Cory welcome us in and wax poetically about Himalayan Pink Salt, Tahitian vanilla pods and the differences between true cinnamon and cassia (what we think is cinnamon, but it's really not). The aroma of freshly ground spices greets you at the door and one trip through the store is enough to make you rush home and clean out your spice cabinet (I'm looking at you, vat of paprika).  It is a gourmet stop that engages all of your senses, with brilliant aromas, exotic flavors, and gorgeous colors and textures.

I've been serving Mole' cookies during this stop, especially on the Chocolate Tour. It's a great way to demonstrate how well chocolate plays with cinnamon and chiles. I've used the mild Aleppo chiles from Syria in this recipe, but you could substitute a hotter chile or up the amount if you wanted more warmth. 

For the best results, mix up the dough and leave it tightly covered in the fridge, baking them as you need them. Fresh, they are a small, moist, spicy cake, a few days later, they are hard, crunchy, bland mounds. Also, pull them out a minute or two before you think they are done. 

Enjoy!

Mole’ Cookies

Adapted from The Art and Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon Kahlua
6 ounces 70 percent cacao bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (3 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (3 ounces) Almond meal
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
½-1 teaspoon Aleppo chiles

For Rolling:

3/4 cup (3 ounces) confectioners' sugar

½ cup sugar

Directions:

1. Bring 2 inches of water to a gentle boil in the bottom of the double boiler. Place the butter, liqueur, and chocolate in the top of the double boiler, reducing heat to a simmer. Stir occasionally with a spatula until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove and let cool slightly while you whip the eggs.

2. Place the eggs and granulated sugar in the bowl of the mixer and whip on high speed until very light in color and thick, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the melted chocolate mixture into the eggs and whip until blended, about 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl.

3. Add the flour, almond meal, cinnamon, baking powder, and Aleppo chiles to the egg mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Stir gently a few times with the spatula to ensure all of the flour is incorporated. Cover the dough with plastic and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, until firm.

4. Preheat the oven to 325°F and position an oven rack in the center. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

5. Scoop the chilled dough into tablespoon-size balls (12 grams). Pour the granulated sugar and confectioner’s sugar into small bowls. Roll each dough ball in the granulated sugar and then in the confectioners' sugar, being sure to coat the ball completely. Space the cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

6. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time, rotating the sheet halfway through the baking time, for about 12 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and cracked. If you nudge a cookie, it should slide on the sheet rather than stick. It is better to under bake these cookies, when they are over baked they are dry and crunchy. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

- makes about 45 cookies -
Storing tips: These cookies are best the same day they are baked. Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.

Snow and Ice Cream with the Little Man

This is Colorado and there a few things more magical than being in the city with huge, fluffy snowflakes swirling all around you. It was against this wondrous backdrop that I had the opportunity to spend some time with Kristin, the ice cream genius behind the Little Man Ice Cream Shop, housed in Denver's most distinctive building, learning how to make ice cream.

I remember watching the Little Man's building go up. In a former life, I was a product rep and called on the business next door a couple of times a week. From a humble hole in the ground arose a large, round galvanized milk can, towering over the neighboring buildings. People were fascinated by it and were constantly stopping to talk to the crew, leading them to erect a sign stating that they were deaf and mute and were unable to field any more questions.   

When the milk can finally opened for business on July th, 2008, it quickly became the neighborhood hangout. Classic porch gliders and soda fountain seating gave the place a homey, nostalgic feel that just made people want to hang out, enjoying their ice cream cones and nodding along to Elvis tunes on the loudspeaker, while their children played on the slide installed behind the building.

But the cool atmosphere isn't the only story here. Little Man excels on many levels - beginning with their ice cream, gelato and sorbets. On any given trip there, you might encounter Mexican Chocolate, Root Beer or Apple Caramel Pie Ice Cream; Grapefruit or Lemon Sorbet; and Fig or Blueberry Cinnamon Gelato.

And while the unique flavors sound like they might be over the top, they work beautifully - with crisp, clean flavors. Kristin makes all of the the luscious flavors in a kitchen just up the street, where I joined her for a lesson in the finer points of ice cream production.

On the day of my visit, Kristin was making chocolate ice cream. Using a base of 14% butterfat and egg yolks, she adds three kinds of chocolate for a surprising depth of flavor and color, using freshly ground spices and cocoa powders sourced from the local Savory Spice Shop. 

As the freezer worked it's magic, Kristin explained that the difference between commercial and artisanal ice creams, other than the ingredients, is the air that is incorporated during the freezing process. Some grocery store ice cream contains as much as 100% air (equal parts air and good stuff!). Artisanal ice creams contain around 25%.   

I asked what made gelato and ice cream different. "In Italy, by law, gelato must contain no added air. Unfortunately, we don't have the same restrictions", Kristin said, "but gelato has a lower butterfat content, which gives it a different mouth feel." 

After the ice cream comes out of the freezer, it is spooned into buckets and put into a hardening freezer (-40 degrees) for 2 days, then allowed to "warm up" to zero degrees, before being scooped into your cone.

And lest you think that winter in Denver doesn't lend itself to ice cream, the Little Man has other plans. In addition to their remarkable flavors of ice cream and gelato, they are whiling away the cooler days serving gourmet soup and grilled cheese. 

The other truly remarkable thing about the Little Man is their "Scoop for Scoop" program. Little Man's owner, Paul Tamburello, donates a scoop of rice to developing countries for every scoop of ice cream sold - now well over 123,000 scoops. What's more, instead of simply sending a check, Paul delivers the rice himself. With this amazing show of hands-on giving, Paul is truly walking the walk.

On a side note, the Little Man has an annual Christmas Tree sale starting soon. For a throwback to A Christmas Story, stop by some December evening. Choosing a tree in their cozy courtyard dotted with cafe lights and warmed by patio heaters, while eating an ice cream cone in the snow is soooo much more fun than picking up your tree at the grocery store.

Denver's Little Man Ice Cream is an experience to be had. Particularly if you can make it while it's snowing.

Little Man Ice Cream

2620 16th Street, Denver, CO 80211

303-455-3811 

Roasted Apple Strudel

We have a tradition in our house of celebrating the New Year with a Money or Three King's Cake. Of all of the various crazy things people do to ensure good luck and prosperity in the New Year - wearing red or yellow underwear, burning their regrets, cleansing the house with burning sage or eating black-eyed peas (full disclosure: I have tried most of these), eating something sweet and delicious with a coin baked into it seems to make the most sense. This began in our house as a way to nudge my husband out of a financial slump. I told him that if he found the coin he would certainly have a good year. Of course he found it (do you think I'm silly?) and it re-energized his career. The money cake has evolved into something more than just hopes for prosperity. I now also make a cake based on someplace I'd like to travel to in the coming year, and bake a euro in it, rather than just a penny. This year by popular consent, we made an Apple Strudel, because everyone agrees that it would be lovely to go to Germany or Austria again.

Gourmet's Apple Strudel recipe boasts of being the real Viennese deal and it sounded delicious. Making strudel is time consuming but so worth it! I had always taken the easy route of using phyllo dough, but in the interest of improving my baking techniques, I decided to go for the Full Monty. The apples are peeled, sliced and roasted, tossed with chopped walnuts and golden raisins and rolled in a paper thin, butter basted dough that covered my entire countertop, hanging off three sides halfway to the floor. My kitchen was filled with the drool-inducing smells of cinnamon, apples and Calvados, as I danced around singing "Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudel, doorbells and sleighbells and schintzel with noodles..."

When it finally came out of the oven, we all gathered around and chose what we hoped was THE piece that contained the cherished euro. The first bite transported me right back to Salzberg, where I was lucky enough to enjoy several warm world class strudels, sigh... The strudel was terrific - crispy dough surrounding soft, warm cinnamon apple filling, dusted with powdered sugar. Tiny bits of dough flaked off under the fork as I cut into it. Mmmmmmm. But no euro the first night. Early New Year's Day morning we each had another piece and this time Lovie found the coin.

It's funny, when Mike or I find it (actually I've never found it on New Year's Eve night), it portends good luck and prosperity. When Lovie finds it, I'm just as excited for her, but I tend to just write it off as a fun New Year's tradition. Maybe this is a defense mechanism. She's found it twice in the last three years - how much luck and prosperity does a six year old need?

Gourmet's Roasted Apple Strudel

for filling:
2 pounds Gala apples, peeled, cored ad cut into 3/4 inch pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon          
 dash salt
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon Calvados
1 oz. walnuts
1/4 cup fine bread crumbs

for dough:
1 cup bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg yolk
3 oz. lukewarm water
1/4 cup flour for dusting
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss apples with butter, 1/8 cup sugar, lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and salt on a baking sheet with sides until well coated, then spread apples out. Roast, stirring occasionally until apples are very tender and any liquid has evaporated, about 1 1/4 hours. Transfer to a bowl and stir in raisins and Calvados and let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Meanwhile, make the dough. Stir together the bread flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a mixer. Make a well in the center and add 2 tablespoons butter, egg yolk and water. Mix at medium low speed with paddle attachment until dough becomes a soft, sticky ball and comes away from the sides of the bowl, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Lightly brush with some butter and let stand, covered with an inverted bowl, for 40 minutes.

Stretch the dough. Line a baking sheet with sides with parchment paper. Take off any rings, bracelets or watches. Cover a work table with a sheet and rub flour into it. Put the dough in the center and stretch it into a 12 inch round with your fingers. Using the backs of your hands and wrists, reach under the dough and begin gently stretching and thinning dough from center to edges, moving around the table as you work. Gradually stretch the dough into a 36 inch square, letting it rest for a few minutes when it resists. This will take about 20 minutes. Let the dough dry for 5 minutes.

Assemble the strudel. Combine walnuts, bread crumbs, 1/8 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in a food processor and process until nuts are finely chopped.

Very gently brush dough with butter and sprinkle evenly with walnut mixture. Mound apple filling in an 11x3 inch strip along the side of the dough that is closet to you, leaving a 4 inch border. Fold side borders over filling and holding the sheet taut, roll the strudel up, starting with the bottom flap.

With a long metal spatula, transfer the studel to the baking sheet. Brush with remaining butter and dust generously with powdered sugar. Cut 3 or 4 steam vents in the top.

Bake strudel until golden, 40-45 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on bakiing sheet, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

This is my entry into "Make Your Own King Cake", hosted by Zorra at 1x unruhren bitte. Please join her to see how bloggers around the world celebrate the Epiphany with their own King's Cakes.  

 
 

Daring Bakers Challenge - Milk Chocolate & Caramel Tart

I had heard they existed. I saw bits about them on other blogs that I admired. A collection of the coolest food bloggers on the web gathering together to bake something that you would not typically undertake on a rainy Saturday afternoon at home. They even have a patron saint, St. Honore, keeper of bakers and pastry chefs. I aspired to join them, to bake as I have never baked before. But I was apprehensive. Would my baking measure up? What if there was a secret handshake? I persevered and decided to undertake the first monthly challenge, the Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart. This is a daunting recipe that includes a crisp chocolate shortbread crust topped by a smooth caramely base, followed by a layer of milk chocolate mousse and finished with crunchy caramel candy bits.

I was leery about starting this. It sounded really sweet and I am not super confident about my caramel making skills. But after three weeks of procrastination, I finally got to work and discovered that my unease was mostly for naught. As I ground nuts and assembled my mise-en-place for the crust, Lovie commented that my set-up looked just "like Alton Brown's". Fortified by this wonderful compliment, I forged ahead. The crust went together easily and while it chilled overnight, I dreamed of the masterpiece I would create come morning.

Ever notice how reality always steps in to make sure that you don't get too cocky? Well, Reality paid me a visit early the next morning. Remember the kitchen gadget that was all the rage a couple of Christmases ago? That cookie sheet-like piece of metal that could thaw frozen meat in 10 minutes flat by magically sucking the cold out of it? Well, this same law of thermodynamics exists in my kitchen. The top of my island baking center is powder coated sheet metal. Great for kneading bread, not so great for pie crusts, sugar cookies or in this case, Chocolate Shortbread Tart Crust. The crust went from chilled to squishy in about three minutes. The more I rolled, the softer it got. I even scraped it off and rechilled it, but to no avail. In the end, after all of the patching, my crust looked more like a puzzle than a tart. But once it was finally in the oven, things began looking up. My caramel melted and darken up beautifully, even using the tricky dry method. I added warm Cream Fraiche, eggs and some flour and my caramel layer was done. The mousse layer went well too, with melted milk chocolate and whipped egg whites. I finished up by making hard caramel candy bits to sprinkle over the top. Finally assembled, I was pretty proud of my tart. It looked great and the tastes I had indulged in during the process were fabulous. I had made a small tart for Lovie and a larger one that was going to be my contribution at a pot luck that evening. I cut Lovie's tart open and had a bite, and another, and another and another. She almost didn't get to try it. It was so good. 

Later at the pot-luck, my tart was a raving success! Set right next to the Velveeta-green bean casserole and the Stouffer's Lasagna, everybody loved it. I got nearly as many compliments as the gal who brought the Velveeta casserole, although no one asked for my recipe. Good thing they didn't - not everybody can  be a DARING BAKER! Bwahahahahahah.....   

And so now that I can proudly claim to be a member of the loving and talented baking community known as the Daring Bakers, I would like to encourage you to check out the blogroll on the sidebar and visit some of my comrades de cuisine. I think you will find some fun and creative cooks to brighten your day and enlighten your cooking.

I shall close with this famous fraternal quote -

"Thank you Sir, may I have another?

English Toffee Inspiration Sundae

There are few flavors I love more than toffee. Elegant, creamy, warm and tasting of both vanilla and butterscotch, I love toffee in all of its forms, from the Hersey's Skor bar and Werther's hard candy to the coup' de grace of candy goodness, English Toffee. Crunchy and buttery with an interesting texture that sort of melts into your teeth, a delicious layer of chocolate sprinkled with salty nuts, English Toffee is truly a candy to fall in love with.

I attribute my love of toffee to my Grammie. As a kid, I spent a couple of weeks at her house in Iowa each summer. These were glorious times when indulgences like drinking RC Cola out of glass bottle on the front porch and cooking Totino's Pizzas in the basement because it was too hot to use the kitchen oven became special treats. We spent our days watching Grammie's soaps and The Price is Right and ended each night with a bowl of cereal during Johnny Carson. These were my first true vacations, where none of the rules from home applied and we got to eat things my Mom would never buy.

My Grammie's candy bowl was always full of Brach's mix, including those striped pink, brown and white coconut things (what are those, anyway?), Starlight mints, chewy toffees with flavored middles and my favorite, butterscotch disks wrapped in yellow cellophane. I also developed a taste for butterscotch pudding, it was Grammie's favorite. Never one for instant pudding, Grammie always made the stove kind, using the most unusual whisk I've ever seen. It was sort of a spring on a handle, not at all like the basket whisks I have today. Butterscotch became my flavor and back at home I remember trying to force this lovely brownish yellow dessert on my chocolate loving family, with mixed results. So out of summers spent at Grammie's, grew my love of toffee. But I don’t have it very often, so it's still special when someone offers me an irregularly shaped piece of English Toffee heaven. 

I was perusing the too-narrow aisles of the liquor mega mart, known to all in the area as Applejack, when I came across a colorful bottle of something called Dooley’s. A German toffee liqueur, made with vodka, toffee caramel and other “natural ingredients”. Although I had never heard of German toffee or vodka, it sounded delicious. An idea began to take shape as I rushed home to work on my masterpiece.

Starting with vanilla ice cream, I used the Dooley’s liqueur as a sauce, and finished my sundae with some shaved dark chocolate pieces and chopped pecans. What a great combination! Smooth, creamy and buttery, a perfect mix of vanilla-y toffee flavor simplicity and intriguing bits of chocolate and nut crunch. A perfect summer way to enjoy the buttery toffee flavors I love!

English Toffee Inspiration Sundae

Premium Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Dooley's Toffee Liqueur

Shaved Dark Chocolate

Chopped Pecans

Get out a beautiful dish and add two (or more) scoops of ice cream. Drizzle the Dooley's decoratively over the top. Sprinkle the chocolate and pecans on. Serve to toffee loving friends and family often.

Cheers!

This is my contribution to Yum Sugar's celebration of National Candy Month - dishes made of or inspired by the candy we love.  

 

Oh My Darlin' Cherry Dumplin'

February seems to be the official month of Cherries. Maybe it's because of George Washington and his legendary tree. Maybe their red color makes them a Valentine's Day favorite. Maybe people are just ready for summer fruit after a long winter of eating apples. But although we are at least 4 months away from true cherry season, I am always hungry for cherries in February. Plump, juicy, tart cherries are my favorite fruit. I love to bake with them, they elevate a simple dough or pastry to new heights. Plain flaky crusts show them off beautifully, allowing their flavor to burst through in every bite. You don't need to dress them up much either. Frozen cherries only need a bit of sugar to make them sing.

While perusing some of the entries in Valentine Postcards Around the World, I ran across a gorgeous heart shaped cherry tart. I began to think about making a cherry dessert of my own. I had a vision of cherry loveliness. It wasn't going to be a pie or a turnover. I was craving something doughy and warm, maybe with a cobbler topping on it, with the sort of crusty top you only get from sprinkling it with sugar. I began the cookbook recipe search. Hmmm... I came across a Cherry Dumpling recipe in the fabulous Tartine book. I had found my inspiration! I took a few liberties, halved the recipe, omitted a few things and added a couple more. An hour later, Lovie and I were enjoying a warm, gooey Cherry Dumpling just out of the oven. It was exactly what I needed in February. Thanks George!