Sweet Mary

A Little Construction

I have been working on getting my new logo on the site; however, it's not quite working! I think I am going to have to seek some help to get the banner in properly. I can officially mourn the death of my retro oven banner because it is now gone, gone, gone!

Lemon Biscotti with Sour Lemon Drizzle

As promised, here it the Lemon Biscotti recipe I used to go along with the chocolate custards this past weekend. This is a Cooking Light recipe.  I'd say these cookies were as big a hit as the chocolate custard. I can never sing the praises of biscotti enough because the flavor combinations are endless, they freeze well, you can eat them any old time, and they are highly portable. 

If you like this recipe, you can also take a look at these:

Double Chocolate and Ginger Biscotti

Orange Almond Biscotti

Cherry Pistachio Biscotti

Anise Biscotti

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided

1 tablespoon lemon extract

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 large eggs

Cooking spray

2/3 cups powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350 F.

Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl.

Combine rind, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, extract, oil, and eggs. Add to flour mixture and stir until well-blended. The dough will be dry and crumbly. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface

and knead lightly 7 to 8 times. Divide dough in half. Shape each portion into an 8-inch long roll. Place 

the rolls 6 inches apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Flatten each roll to a 1-inch thickness.

Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Remove rolls from baking sheet and cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Cut each roll diagonally into 15 (1/2-inch) slices. Place slices cut side down on a baking sheet. Reduce oven temp to 325 and bake for 10 minutes. Then, turn cookies over and bake another 10 minutes. The cookies will be a little soft in the middle but will harden as they cool. Remove from baking sheet and cool completely.

Combine 1 tablespoon lemon juice and powdered sugar. Drizzle over biscotti.

Bmore Food Bloggers

I had the pleasure of meeting some lovely local food bloggers the other night at LP Steamers for crabs.  I neglected to take a photo; however, Minx of Minx Eats did up a nice post and took a photo. Click on her link to check it out. I also got to meet Wendi of the newly created Bon Appetit Hon and Exit 51, Meg from Pigtown Pigout, Dara of Dining Dish, Julie of Kitchenography, and Liz of What's To Eat Baltimore?, and John of The Baltimore Snacker. John also posted about the crab feast.

Although not in the mood for crackin' crabs, I ate some fish, drank some beer, and listened to lots of great food stories. A big thank you to everyone for makin' this sorta new Bmore food blogger feel right at home!

Stovetop Chocolate Custard for the Bookless Club

In Providence, I was part of a book/food club that was always a lot of fun. We, for the most part, read the books and would take turns hosting and cooking each month. It was never a requirement that you read the book and, actually, we spent very little time talking about the book! I think that is pretty typically of a lot of book clubs. Now, I haven't found a replacement for my lovely Providence ladies who I miss very much; however, I was recently asked to attend and do a dessert demonstration as part of a Bookless Club. Yep, a Bookless Club, as in let's forget about pretending to want to read and talk about books and just get together to eat, drink and get a little silly. Nothing wrong with that!

So, I gave the Bookless Club a lesson in how to make a quick, easy, and ridiculously decadent Stovetop Chocolate Custard. I paired the custard with a lovely Lemon Biscotti (recipe will be posted in a few days) and some whipped cream. This is a great make-ahead dessert during the summer that doesn't require turning the oven on. It will also please those chocolate lovers. I had tons of fun and would love to thank the ladies for inviting me! Here we are ready to sit down and enjoy the final product.

*this recipe is from Star Chefs and makes 6 servings

*you will need 1/3-cup ramekins or a similar serving dish/cup

3 ounces good bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (chips will also do)

1 large egg yolk

1 cup plus 1 tbsp half and half

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder

small pinch of salt

2 tsp orange liqueur

1 tsp vanilla

whipped cream for serving

First, set up your workspace by placing the ramekins by the stovetop. Put the chopped chocolate into a liquid measuring cup or bowl that has at least a 3-cup capacity. Place a fine mesh strainer on top of the liquid measuring cup or bowl. Place this on a hot pad near your stovetop.

Put the egg yolk in a small bowl. Add roughly 2 tablespoons of the half and half to the yolk and beat well with a fork.

Combine the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a small, heavy-bottomed, nonaluminum saucepan. Blend well with a whisk. Add the yolk mixture and stir well to blend. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides down with a spatula. Heat reserved half and half in a separate saucepan over low heat, stirring often, until hot. Make sure it doesn't boil. 

Temper the eggs by gradually pouring some of the hot half and half into the yolk-coco powder mixture in the other pan, whisking constantly.  Continue gradually pouring hot half and half in and whisking constantly. Scape down the sides with a spatula.

Set this mixture over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until it comes to a boil. Boil and stir for one minute. Keep this at a low boil. Move it off the heat if it starts to boil too hard. Remove from heat after one minute and stir for one more minute. Then, pour some of it through the strainer on top of the chocolate. Let this sit for one minute and whisk till smooth. Pour remaining hot liquid through strainer on to chocolate. Whisk to combine. Stir in vanilla and liqueur. 

Divide among ramekins and leave a little space for  whipped cream. Put in fridge for two hours before serving. Cover tightly with plastic wrap when cold.

Pesto Pasta Salad

Wow, for the first time in my blogging history, I am ahead on recipes. Not quite sure how this happened as I feel like I am baking and cooking a lot less these days. Anyway, over July 4th weekend, I made some side salads to go along with grilled chicken. One of the salads was this Pesto Pasta Salad from Simply Recipes, which my family and I liked very much and would definitely make again. I was tired of the same old same old pasta salads you usually end up eating at summer holiday gatherings, so went with this recipe and wasn't disappointed at all. I actually took a short cut and did not make my own pesto. Yes, I know, shame on me. However, I did all the cooking, grilling, and dessert making that day. Considering I hadn't visited with my Mom and sister in a long while, I really wanted to cut down on my kitchen tasks, so store bought pesto it was and it worked just fine.

4 cups spiral pasta

1 cup fresh basil pesto (homemade or store bought)

2 tbsp chopped green olives

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 cup frozen peas, defrosted (or fresh)

12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved

A few fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Cook pasta according to instructions. Salt water. Strain pasta when cooked. Al dente is best.

Put pasta in a big bowl. Mix in basil pesto, green olives, and pine nuts. Gently mix in cherry tomatoes, peas, and pine nuts. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill or serve at room temperature.

Lime Sugar Cookies

What do you do if a cookie experiment goes horribly wrong, but you've promised to bring cookies to some hungry folks on a Monday afternoon? Well, you look around your pantry to see what ingredients you have..and start over. My intention was to make some kind of cookie with almond butter; however, my recipe just didn't work; consequently, I whipped up a batch of these Lime Sugar Cookies from The America's Test Kitchen Cookbook (p. 503) and a batch of my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Honestly, although I can't remember the last time I made sugar cookies, I think this was the perfect sugar cookie recipe. Crisp on the outside. Chewy on the inside. And, the lime was a nice departure from just a plain old sugar cookie. Of course,  darn good recipes are what America's Test Kitchen is known for, so I wasn't surprised. I love their Family Cookbook because it is filled with can't go wrong classics and a plethora of excellent cooking and product tips. Because I look on the web for recipes so much now, sometimes I forget I have this book (and a few others). Anyway, it's a great book and you should check it out sometime.

*makes about 2 dozen cookies

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 (additional) teaspoons grated lime zest

Place oven rack in the middle and heat oven to 350 F. Process 1/2 cup of sugar with 1 teaspoon grated lime zest until fragrant, about 10 seconds.  Put this on a shallow dish for coating and set aside. In a separate  bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.

Beat butter and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes. Beat in vanilla and, then, the eggs and lime zest. Add eggs one at a time until combined about 30 seconds. Scrape bowl down as needed.

Reduce mixer to low and slowly mix in flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Give the dough one final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure it is combined.

Use wet hands to roll 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into balls and, then, roll in sugar to coat. Lay balls on non-stick or parchment-lined baking sheets spaced about 2 inches apart. Flatten the cookies with the buttered bottom of a drinking glass and then sprinkle any remaining sugar on top.

Bake cookies one sheet at a time until edges are set and just beginning to brown and the centers are  still soft and puffy,  about 10-12 minutes. Rotate baking sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Serve warm or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Bmore Stories

Nope, this isn't a food post. However, it's a nice little plug for some local artists who do great things that make folks like me happy. If you didn't get a chance to check out The Stoop's Baltimoored: Summer in the City at Centerstage last week, check it out on WYPR tomorrow (Friday, July 17 at noon; 88.1 FM). The Stoop is a wonderful group of storytellers who do several performances throughout the year. 

Last week, they did a show all about Charm City and performed it like an old time radio show. The show I attended was taped for WYPR, so there was lots of hootin', hollerin', and applaudin'. It was lots of fun, really, because they hit on all those things that are oh so very Baltimore. Local musicians Ellen Cherry, The 5th L, Calib Stein and the Brakemen, and Arty Hill performed which added an interesting folksy-rootsy-hip hop vibe to the whole night. Storytellers included Rain Pryor (Richard Pryor's daughter) and Clarke Peters (a.k.a. Lester from The Wire...who I inadvertently said Hello to on my way in because he was out back having a drink).

Anyway, I hope you Bmore folks will give it a listen and think about supporting the Stoop in the future. I am certainly sending out my thanks for a much needed fun night (after a cruddy week!) and a lovely reminder of why I wanted to move back to a bigger more diverse city. 

Kate's Chard Strata

I am lucky to know so many great cooks, bakers, and healthy eaters; consequently, to mix things up a bit on Sweet Mary, I've asked some of my friends and family to share some of their favorite recipes. So, we can all look forward to some great food and stories.

First up is my sister-in-law Kate, who is a whiz in the kitchen and constantly makes healthy food and baked goods from scratch for her family (i.e. my brother and nephew). Her family has a wonderful and bountiful garden that provides a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that make it to their table in interesting ways. I am bummed I live 5 hours away or this single lady would be showing up for dinner...a lot! Here is Kate's post and recipe for Chard Strata.

Summer cooking in the Allen household is all about one thing: making use of garden bounty. And making the most of the garden means being able to cook one item in many different-though-appealing ways. Last year I hit a personal record with butternut squash. After all the stews and pies and breads and roasted vegetables, however, my husband's enthusiasm started to wane. The pureed soup finally did him in. After he wouldn't touch it, I said, "If you aren't going to eat butternut squash, you are going to have to stop planting it." You can imagine my surprise when he said, "I didn't plant it. It just came up on its own."

One thing he does plant is Swiss chard, which luckily can also be cooked several delicious ways: with fish in foil, in a leafy green calzone, on a feta-topped pizza, into cheesy squares, or as part of an Indian feast featuring palak paneer. The other beauty of Swiss chard is that it doesn't mature all at once or go to seed; you can trim from it all summer long. Blanched and chopped, it also freezes well, so you can feel like Popeye all year long. Here is one of my favorite uses: Swiss chard strata. Served room temperature, it is a useful summer dish - good for brunch, lunch, dinner, or picnics.

6 eggs

1/4 cup milk

2 slices sandwich bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

pinch ground pepper

1 tbs olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup chopped tomato, drained of any juice

4 large Swiss chard leaves

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 tbs parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9-inch round baking dish.

Whisk eggs and milk in a large bowl. Stir in bread, herbs, and pepper. Set aside to soak.

Heat oil in skillet, cook onion about 8 minutes, add garlic and cook about 2 minutes, add tomatoes and cook another 5 minutes. Allow to cool.

Prepare chard: Blanch leaves in boiling water for a couple of minutes, rinse under cold water, pat dry, and roughly chop.

To the egg mixture, add the onion/tomato mixture, chard, and crumbled feta.

Transfer to baking dish and sprinkle with parmesan.

Bake 30-40 minutes until puffed and set.

Raspberry Hand Pies

Part of my July 4th weekend included visiting my longtime friend Pam and her husband Stephen. I gave her a hands-on pie making lesson and, let me tell you, she was a natural. We did everything by hand (meaning no mixers or even pastry cutters) and the crusts came out extraordinarily flaky. They were also super delicious because we got to use more of those freshly picked raspberries! I sure do love my summer desserts!

I used my tried and true crust recipe (that hails from an old Williams & Sonoma book).  Click here for the recipe.  

Double the recipe.  Cut the dough in half.  Wrap in plastic and chill for 20 minutes or so. Then, roll one dough out to about 1/8-inch thick. Using a 4 or 5 inch cookie cutter, cut out as many rounds as you can. Place them on a baking sheet and place in fridge. Then, repeat with the rest of the dough.  While the dough is in the fridge mix up the filling.

Filling

5 cups berries

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca

1/2 teaspoon vanilla (if you want)

Mix all of this up in a bowl. Heat oven to 375 F.

Then, get one sheet of rolled rounds out. Place a few tablespoons of fruit on the center of each leaving about 2 inches to the edge.  Brush the edges of the bottom rounds with water. Then, get the remaining rounds out and place them on top of the bottom rounds. Press a fork around the edges of the pies. Brush the tops of the rounds with water and sprinkle with water. Make a few vents by poking tops with a fork.

Place in oven and bake until golden brown, roughly 45-55 minutes.  Cool before serving or serve warm.

*adapted from Blackberry Pocket recipe in Williams & Sonoma Pie & Tart

Nectarine Sorbet with Raspberries

Oh, it's that time of year again when my brother's back yard is filled with ripe berries. He went on vacation with his family and my Mom, sister, and I got to go pick a bunch and enjoy them on some nectarine sorbet I made for July 4th. Delicious is a serious understatement in this case!

If you're looking for another summery recipe, click here for Plum Raspberry Sorbet.

This recipe is from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.

6 ripe nectarines (2 lbs.)

2/3 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Take the pits out of the nectarines. No need to peel them. Cut them into small chunks. Cook them with the water over medium heat. Make sure you cover them and stir once in a while until they are soft and cooked through, roughly 10 minutes. You can add a little more water if you need to. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Cool to room temperature. Then, puree the mix in a blender till smooth. Stir in the lemon juice. Chill the mixture thoroughly and freeze according to your ice cream maker's directions. Top with berries.

Blackberry Blueberry Nectarine Crisp

Here is a quick post about a dessert I threw together yesterday for a lunch with a friend. One of the perks of not working is having such a flexible schedule. I've taken the opportunity to take a break from sending out resumes and networking on several occasions to meet up with a few lovely folks in the area. 

My intention was to make Blackberry Crumb Cake; however, I forgot sour cream at the supermarket and was too lazy to go get it! So, since I am going away this weekend, I took whatever fruit I had left in my fridge, threw it together, and made a simple crisp. Crisps are one of my all time favorite desserts. Always easy to make and delicious when the fruit is in season. I wasn't measuring all that accurately, so feel free to adjust as needed. Also, I made a bit too much topping, so I'd cut it back a bit next time.

Have a great 4th of July weekend!

Topping

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup old fashioned oats

1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling

12 oz blackberries (about 1 1/2 to 2 cups)

4 oz blueberries (about 1/2 cup)

2 nectarines, diced

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons corn starch

Heat oven to 325 F. 

For the topping, mix all ingredients in a bowl except for the butter. Melt the butter and then drizzle it over the filling mixture. Using a spatula, fork, or your hands, mix together until the mixture forms course crumbs.  Set aside.

For the filling, mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into an 8x8 baking dish or pan. Then, sprinkle the topping evenly over top of the filling.  Bake for 45-50 minutes, until fruit is bubbling, and topping is golden brown. Cool on a rack and serve warm if you can.