effing awesome molasses cookies

yes, that is the whole title...like a pimp named slickback. but i digress (pronounced, dee-hress). these taste like ginger snaps without the lame "snap" part. i want none of that in my cookies. only two things in the world should be hard, and cookies are not one of them. hiyooo!


p.s. i know some of you out there are only friends with me because of these cookies, if you suddenly stop talking to me, I'LL KNOW WHY!


auditory pairing: she wants revenge - tear you apart (the cookie, of course)

effing awesome molasses cookies
yields ~2dozen


-1/2c butter, melted
-1/4c veggie oil
-1c brown sugar, packed
-1 egg
-1/4c molasses
-2c all-purpose flour
-2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp ground cinnamon
-1/4 tsp nutmeg
-1/2 tsp ground ginger
-1/2c white sugar, for rolling


1. combine butter, oil, brown sugar and mix for 5min with whisk attachment in kitchenaid, until mixture lightens in color


2. add egg, mix until combined, then add molasses


3. in separate small bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt & spices...add slowly until fully incorporated


4. place mixture in fridge 30min to firm up (preheat your oven @ this time to 375F)


5. take about 1/2tbsp into a ball and roll in white sugar, place on baking sheet


6. cook for 7 minutes, it will still be soft, and look a tiny bit brown. let rest 5-10 min to complete cooking.


heres some snow boobies i made during rva's snomg3 for your enjoyment:

-JA

le diner

Tuna + beets + cauliflower + aged mimolette + walnuts + arugula + orange + garlic + olive oil = le diner with le garcon!


Pretty simple? Oui. I saw him do this . . .


And this . . .




This one too . . .




Well, he basically diced the mimolette and added it onto the boiled cauliflower. Seasoned that with pepper, added some fresh dill and then pureed in the food processor. Oh and I cannot forget about the roasted garlic, which he added onto the processor and pureed, which, in my opinion was the best part of this side dish.

Then he toasted some walnuts onto a pan, reduced a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, added the zest of about half of an orange into the reduced balsamic vinaigrette, roasted and sliced some beets, took a few arugula and voila . . . the salad.



So then, he seared the tuna on a very hot non stick pan, but prior to that he seasoned it with salt and pepper of course, and cooked in until it's a little brown on the outside but of course, very rare (for me) on the inside. Laid the tuna onto the cauliflower mash and did his thing with the plating.



Le diner with le garcon = le love ;)

promiscuous chili

and by promiscuous, i mean easy. easy like your mother was last night, trebek. not only is she easy, but she's also malleable. ground beef, ground turkey, or soy protein can be used as, well.....the protein. 


auditory pairing: delta spirit - streetwalker

easy chili
yields ~8 servings


1 lb ground beef (or turkey, or soy protein)
2 8oz cans tomato sauce
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes (or 2 medium fresh tomatoes dices)
2 cans kidney beans, drained
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 c corn (frozen, canned, fresh, yo mama)


spices:
2 packets chili seasoning
1/2 tbsp turmeric
2 tsp oregano
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp saffron, crushed
salt & pepper to taste (can be close to a tbsp each)


1. brown beef over med/hi until fully cooked, add one packet chili seasoning during cooking


2. in large pot, saute onions and green pepper


3. add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes (and a canful of water each for both the tomato sauce and tomatoes), meat, beans, corn, spices, and bring to a boil


4. boil on medium for 20 mins 


5. serve with fritos/cornbread, shredded chee, sour cream, and chives. be thankful shes so easy, and pleases you so fast. what a streetwalker.

Biscotti

ciao tutti! it's high time i join this here food porn partay, so i give you my first post: biscotti. perfect on a snow day, or let's be real, any day. there are many more exciting recipes out there than this one, but this is a classic Italian version, and a super top secret (until now...) fam recipe that i share with you adoring public. so use it carefully. biscotti are meant to be enjoyed with a hot beverage and dunked liberally... because gnawing on a hard biscotti da solo is well, not very Italian, ie, not very fun. i suggest coffee-- a shot of espresso, or a tasty cappuccino with your biscotti is a super fantastic way to start ones day. later in the evening they are equally good with a cup of tea, or hell, a hot toddy if you're feeling naughty.

auditory pairing: manu chao - me gustas tu



Biscotti di Nonna (grandma's biscotti)

3 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. toasted chopped hazelnuts (i usually use almonds, as that's what i have on hand. you can also use pistachios...)
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. (1 stick) melted butter
1/2 tsp. each pure lemon and anise extract ( or one full tsp. of either)

- preheat oven to 350 and grease large baking sheet.

- in medium bowl combine flour, nuts (grind those betches in a food processor), baking soda and salt

- in large bowl beat eggs, sugar, butter and extracts, about 5 min. or until very well blended

- stir in flour a bit at a time until fully incorporated

-beware that this yields an extremely tough and sticky dough. dunk hands in flour and knead dough together in bowl, separate dough into two portions

- shape dough into two slightly flattened logs and place a few inches apart on baking sheet. the longer they are, the tinier your biscotti, the wider the log, the bigger the biscotti. personally i think wider and bigger = better... ;-)

- bake for 30 min. till firm and light brown

-transfer rolls with spatula to cutting board. you may want to wait a minute before cutting into these bad boys, but i rarely do

- using a sharp knife, cut on the diagonal into 3/4 inch slices. place slices cut side down on baking sheet. bake another 15 minutes, then turn over and bake on other side an additional 15 minutes. they should be a toasty golden color and quite hard

- let cool completely and you are ready for biscotti bliss. these things keep practically forever in an airtight container (exposed to air, they soften up a bit. and we like these janks to be hard! teehee)

pretzel toffee chip brownies

do you like take 5 candy bars? inorite?! well these little beauts are take 5s in brownie form. INORITE?! read on, lover of all that is good in the world.


auditory pairing: fun. - walking the dog (bc its pk's first birfday today!)

first person who tells me what this molecular structure is gets something special from me!

hint: it has something to do with this recipe

pretzel toffee chip brownies
yields ~1 dozen big brownies
adapted from recipegirl


1/2c butter (1 stick)
2  1oz squares dark chocolate
1/2c sugar
3/4c flour
2 eggs
1/2c toffee bits
1 bag chocolate chips/chunks
1c broken up pretzels


1. preheat oven to 350, line half-sheet or square pan with foil and spray with cooking spray


2. melt butter and chocolate, transfer to bowl


3. add sugar, flour, and eggs to said bowl, whisk baby whisk


4. add chocolate chips/chunks, toffee bits, pretzels, mix. pour mixture into foiled/sprayed pan and smooth with spatula


5. bake ~15 mins for half-sheet pan, ~20 mins for square pan, until brownies appear done


6. and trust me, you WANT this step. let brownies cool completely, and then place in fridge for a few hours. this is done for two reasons, a: it is akin to hot lava at the end of it's baking period. it will burn your whole mouth and make your palate never taste food the same again...not that i did that. b: when the chocolate chunks resolidify, they're money. they're so money they don't even know it and make this whole situation jump up to a higha level!


-JA

Restaurant Week

It's the most wonderful time of the year (October in Richmond, November in Miami and Summer & Winter in NYC!!) when some of the best restaurants in your city come together to offer a prix fixe lunch and/or dinner!! Yes, prix fixe. It's like winning the lottery over and over and over again in one sitting! (gawd, I'm awful at this non-sarcastic kind of humor). Anyways, (before I make a total fool out of myself), being the Danny Meyer and Van Gogh fan that I am, I wanted to try The Modern. I, along with two Chinese boys (ha!), went to dinner on a cold winter night.

SO . . . I thought we were off to a good start when I saw this . . .




I chose the Braised Tripe with chickpeas and harissa aioli (which kind of reminded me of my Grandma's (Dad's Nanay) tripe with chickpeas and tomatoes) for my first course, which, after eating all the mini baguettes above, made me really full.




Then for the second course, I chose the Saffron Tagliatelle with braised rabbit, wild mushrooms and baby zucchini.




Then to top it off, I chose the Modern Cheesecake with almond crumble, raspberry and fromage blanc sorbet. I've been craving cheesecake for days and this fit the bill perfectly.




Were my choices predictable? A little bit. Tripe. Anything with saffron. But! I did try the cheesecake, which I normally would not. I usually tend to go the chocolate or creme brulee (granted that it's on the menu) route. Well, creme brulee or not I thought it was a pretty good meal. If I had to pay full price, I would say it's "an ok" meal but given that it's $35, it was great! So, go. If you're in NYC, go opentable bonkers like I did.

coconut saffron ice cream

yea. it's snowing and i'm making ice cream. what of it? here's some science for that ass: more ice cream is sold per capita in colder climates compared to that of warmer climates. your face. i'd go into explaining why it's better for our bodies to eat ice cream in cold weather, and drink coffee in hot weather, but that would negate my "no long intros" rule. it would also make me look highly nerdy. and you guys can't know that about me just yet.


this ice cream is seriously motherflipping marvelous. i made this for my dad and i am incapable of not licking the spoon after i accidentally drop it in the ice cream over and over...


auditory pairing: blue scholars - bruise brothers (its a filipino and persian duo....coconut and saffron! zing!)

coconut saffron ice cream
yields ~1 pint
adapted from david lebovitz


2/3c whipping cream
1c coconut milk
1/4c sugar
scant 1/2 tsp saffron threads 


1. crush the saffron threads in a small mortar and pestle. in a medium saucepan, bring all ingredients to a boil.


2. reduce the heat and simmer (simma down na!) gently for 10mins, stir occasionally. remove from heat and chill the mixture thoroughly in the fridge.


3. once chilled, churn in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. eat the SHIT out of this ice cream.


if you have a kitchenaid, i seriously advise getting the ice cream attachment. it's way cheaper than buying a lame-o ice cream maker. i say lame-o because i am jealous if you own one.


-JA