Pecan Cookies

Pecan Cookies

Makes approximately 4 dozen small cookies

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup regular oatmeal
2 cups chopped pecans

Optional (use one or more of the following if you like, cutting the amount of chips in half if you use both):
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
12 ounces chocolate chips
12 ounces butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Using a mixer, beat the butter until it is light and fluffly.  Add the sugars, salt and vanilla, mix well.  Stir in the eggs.  Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and gradually add to the mixture, stirring to incorporate with the moist ingredients.  Stir in the oatmeal, pecans, and any of the optional ingredients you are using.

Drop the dough by the spoonful onto a baking sheet and bake for 8 to 9 minutes.  Allow them to cool and firm up on the pan for a couple minutes before transferring them to a baking rack to cool.  Store in airtight container.  They will stay fresh on the shelf for a few days or in the freezer for a few weeks.

Pumpkin Brioche

Pumpkin Brioche

(adapted from Susan Spicer's "Crescent City Cooking" cookbook)

1 envelope active dry yeast

1 teaspoon honey, plus 2 tablespoons honey

1 cup pumpkin puree

5 eggs, plus 1 beaten egg

1/4 cup whole milk

3 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into small pieces

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1 teaspoon honey in 2 tablespoons warm water.  Place the pumpkin puree in the bowl of a mixer.  Using the paddle attachment, beat 1 minute at medium speed, then add the 5 eggs, milk, and yeast mixture and beat for 1 minute.  Add the flour, the remaining 2 tablespoons honey, and salt and mix for about 5 minutes at medium speed.  Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes, then beat in the cold butter, a third at a time.  Remove the bowl, cover it lightly with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise at room temperature until doubled in size. 

Close your hands into fists and gently punch down the dough to release air pockets and reduce its size.  Cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator to rise overnight, or at least 6 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and scoop it into a buttered 6-cup brioche mold, two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans, or individual molds (such as buttered muffin tins).  Allow the dough to rise at room temperature until doubled.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Brush the surface of the dough with the beaten egg and prick it in several places with a toothpick.  Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 325 degrees F.  and continue baking until golden brown, about 20 more minutes for a large mold, or about 10 minutes for individual rolls.  Cool for 10 minutes in the molds, then invert and cool completely on a wire rack.

Paella

Sense of Home

Paella
~adapted from Tyler Florence's "The Ultimate Paella"~

2 cups chopped or shredded chicken
2 chorizo sausages, thickly sliced
1 onion, diced
1 sweet red bell pepper, sliced, save a few slices for a garnish
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
15 ounces whole tomatoes, drained and crushed
4 cups short grain Spanish rice
6 cups water, warm
generous pinch saffron threads
1/4 cup clam juice
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed
salt
Lemon wedges, for serving

Toss the chicken and spice mix* until evenly coated. 

Heat a small amount of oil in paella pan (or a wide shallow skillet) and heat over medium-high heat.  Saute the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve.

In the same pan, saute the onion, pepper, and parsley.  Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, add garlic and cook for another minute.  Then, add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld.  Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains.  Pour in water and add a little salt, simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid.  Add the clam juice, chicken, chorizo, and saffron.  Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 10 minutes.  Add shrimp, tucking them into the rice and continue cooking until shrimp are pink and form the shape of the letter C.  When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom.

Sprinkle thawed peas around the outside of the dish and add sliced lemons and peppers as a garnish.  Lemons slices can be squeezed over individual servings just before eating.

*Spice Mix for chicken
1 tablespoon smoked Spanish paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine ingredients in a small bowl.

Baked Apples with Walnuts and Dried Cranberries

Baked Apples with Walnuts and Dried Cranberries

2 large apples

1/3 cup brown sugar, plus 2 teaspoons

1 cup apple cider

1 teaspoon whole cloves

walnuts, chopped

dried cranberries

cinnamon

Slice off the very top of each apple and core it, place them in a baking dish.  Fill cored center with walnuts, cranberries and one teaspoon of brown sugar each, sprinkle the top  with cinnamon.

Mix apple cider and 1/3 cup brown sugar and pour around the apples.  Sprinkle the whole cloves in the cider around the apples.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes, until apples are soft.