Peanut Butter Cookies

Fear not! This IS a post about cookies. But I'm going to take you there the long way... the same way I got there. It started with planning the menu for a weeknight dinner with one other couple. The weather was supposed to be warm and sunny, and we knew we wanted to grill. I decided to go with the bright hot-weather-inspired flavors of India with this Tandoori-Style Grilled Chicken and this fabulous curried cauliflower salad. (Note about the salad, this time I used toasted almonds instead of curried cashews and golden raisins instead of apricots, and added a red potato to the roasting cauliflower. I also skipped the step of the glaze and just tossed everything with the dressing. It's just as good!)

Another given - based on the weather and our very-short nice-days season in Seattle - was that I would make ice cream. To carry the dinner theme through to dessert, I selected a ginger recipe. I left out the pieces of candied ginger, not for flavor reasons, but because I like my ice cream smooth. If I was eating it plain, I might have sprinkled a few crumbles on top, like they do at Molly Moon's on their outrageous ginger hot fudge sundae (ginger ice cream, hot fudge, and candied ginger sprinkles... three simple-enough sounding ingredients making for an undeniable explosion of delight.)

But hot fudge sundaes weren't quite the right dessert for this time, and even the most incredible ice creams can stand good cookie partner. This is where I started to get creative. There were a number of ideas percolating, with the initial seed (or is it spice!) of inspiration coming from the garam masala oatmeal cookies I made back in May. A google search for garam masala cookie brought me to a couple of different sites with basically this same recipe for a vegan cookie that sounded pretty good to me. The recipe struck me for the simple list of ingredients, and the fact that there was no egg (obviously, since it's vegan.) But the omission of a primary ingredient found in most cookies reminded me of one of my favorite cookie recipes... C&H Unbelievable Peanut Butter Cookies which draw special attention to the fact that the recipe has no flour. A lot of curry sauces have peanut butter in them, so it was a short leap from there to think about morphing these two recipes into one for a garam masala-peanut butter cookie.

You could certainly just stir in some garam masala powder to your favorite  peanut butter cookie recipe, and I did with my 4-ingredient C&H recipe. YUM! But I also played around with ingredients to make a cookie and a shortbread. The shortbread was probably a bit more work then either of the cookies, but were super-good and fun for something a little different. The cookies are deliciously crunchy, and I love how the spice just gives it an exotic undertown without really being a stand-out flavor of its own. Besides revelling in the addictive nature of the sugary crunchiness, I also had the glory of creating my own recipe based on the ideas that came together from these various blog postings. I'm sure you will love them as much as I do, or maybe you'll feel brave enough to a little shot of spice innovation to your own favorite recipes.

Ovum-free peanut butter-garam masala cookies.

Notch-Up Peanut Butter Cookies 1/2 c butter
1/4 c peanut butter
1/2 c brown sugar
1 c flour
1 1/2 T granulated sugar
1/2 t baking soda
2 t garam masala
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/4 t salt

Whisk together flour, soda, spices, and salt. Cream butter, peanut butter and sugars until smooth. Stir in dry ingredients and beat until well-blended. Stir in vanilla. Bake at 375 for about 12 minutes until golden. Allow to cool on sheet for 2-3 minutes to set, then remove to rack and cool completely.

Peanut Butter Shortbread(note: the ingredients here are the same as above, just with the proportion of butter and peanut butter swapped!)
1/2 cup peanut butter (not "all natural")
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1 1/2 t garam masala
1 cup flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon


Cream butter, sugar, peanut butter. Stir in vanilla. Sift together flour, garam masala, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda, then add mixture to peanut butter mixture. It will be crumbly. Pat into a round and wrap in plastic wrap. Refridgerate at least two hours. Divide in half and pat dough into a 9" pie plate. Prick over with fork. Bake at 375 for 16-18 minutes, until golden and set. Cut into wedges or slices while hot, and allow to cool before removing from pan.

Garam Masala Oatmeal Cookies

Garam Masala wasn't the first spice blend I'd think to add to a cookie to jazz it up, but a review of it's ingredients actually reflects an excellent palate for baked goods, and these oatmeal-raisin cookies are a definite winner. They actually make a lot more sense than the curry powder cookies I made back in November (also delicious, but even less intuitive!) Garam Masala has a lot of the traditional spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom that are delicious in sweets and savories both, so I was excited to mix up this batch of hearty and tasty oatmeal raisin cookies.

I run just shy of the amount of Garam Masala powder called for by the cookie recipe, but fortunately, I have all the ingredients on hand as specified by the spice blend recipe earlier in the same article, so I tossed in some extra of each. I actually found the flavor in the finished cookies could have stood up to even more spice, which perhaps was simply a factor of my blend being older and less fragrant, so next time I will probably try to grind the full amount fresh instead of using powder from the store that is who knows how old.

I also ran out of golden raisins, typically one of my pantry staples. I thought about substituting them in full for dried cranberries, but instead I decided to add the last quarter cup I had and use cut-up prunes for the remainder - prunes seeming entirely more raisinesque than berries.

An important step in this recipe which I haven't seen for oatmeal cookies before is to press them down slightly before baking, and this is especially easy if you save the wrapper from your stick of butter and use that as the press. This allows the cookies to bake more evenly, and come out of the oven with crisper edges and crunchier insides which I significantly prefer.

All in all, these are sweet, chewy, savory, and delicious, and while still on the trail-mixey side, I will definitely make them again, bumping up the amount of garam masala next time, and using the golden raisins (or maybe dried apricots!!!) as called for.

Apple Spice Cake

I am starting to feel a bit more like how I imagine an artist thinks... how do I make something new, that hasn't been done before, but that is still good - still respecting what is established and tried-'n-true while creating something special and unique? There are recipes I want to try, but for a special occasion, like a loved-one's birthday, I want to make something that is remarkable that demonstrates an extra amount of thought and preparation. I continue my quest for the perfect brownie and perfect sugar cookie, but even if I found the exact recipe, it wouldn't be what I would make for a celebration.

This struggle came to particular light as I was planning a cake for my mom's birthday. The almost-Halloween timing always pushes me heavily toward pumpkin. I love the moist, spiced cakes that pumpkin provides the base for - pumpkin-buttermilk bundt cake with maple glaze, pumpkin layer cake with apicot filling, pumpkin sheet cake with browned butter icing and carmelized walnuts, or pumpkin-orange loaf cake with pecan swirl and bourbon glaze.

So many delicious choices, but so cliched for a late-October birthday. I turned to another part of the autumn harvest: apples, but tried to glamourize them with an international flair. I made an apple-spice cake recipe in two 9-inch round pans, filled the layers with garam masala custard, and frosted with a sweet caramel. The result was moist, rich with fall spices and the exoticism of India, while delighfully reminescent of a sticky, gooey  caramel apple from the childhood Halloween carnival.

Cake Layers
Two 8" or 9" round pans, lightly greased and floured.
Preheat oven to 350.

1 1/3 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsweetend applesauce
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 large granny smith apple, peeled and shredded

Whisk together dry ingredients. In a separate small bowl, whisk together applesauce, oil, and eggs. Stir in shredded apple, then add wet ingredients to dry and stir just until incorporated. Divide evenly between prepared pans, smoothing tops.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until tester comes out clean. Cool on racks.

Note: as always, if you can buy whole spices and grind them yourself, the flavors will be much deeper and more complex. You will appreciate the difference.
Garam Masala Custard
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 whole eggs
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup butter (unsalted)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon garam masala powder
2 teaspoons maple syrup

Stir cream and cornstarch in medium bowl until cornstarch dissolves. Add eggs and whisk to blend.

In small heavy saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar, stir until sugar dissolves then bring to a boil. Mix in garam masala and maple, then gradually whisk butter into cream mixture. Return to saucepan and whisk continuously over medium-high heat until custard begins to thicken, and mixture reaches 160 degrees. Strain custard into clean bowl, press plastic wrap onto the surface, and chill until set.

Caramel Frosting

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup whipping cream 

3 tablespoons butter (unsalted) + 3 tablespoons (optional)

1 teaspoon

Combine in a medium, heavy saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Raise heat to medium high and cook, without stirring, until temperature reaches 238-240 degrees (soft-ball stage). Remove from heat and float 3 tablespoons butter on top. Allow to cool to 110 degrees (about 45 minutes). Beat icing with electric mixer until cool, thick, and creamy. Use right away because it will start to set (if you want to make it ahead, warm slightly and rebeat to spreading consistency.)

To assemble the cake, fill layers with the custard and frost with the caramel frosting. I coated my cake with one layer of this glaze, and then beat in an additional 3 tablespoons of butter and frosted with a second layer of the thicker icing. The custard could be used to pipe a message/script decoration. Other attractive garnishes would be whole star anise pods ringing the border, with cinnamon sticks tied in a bundle with a pretty ribbon in the center.

The version of the cake pictured is actually frosted with brown sugar buttercream,
which is great to work with and also complements the cake well.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

I'm thirty-three years old and I just watch Breakfast at Tiffany's for the first time last week. It's true that I don't watch many movies, but even so, even I was surprised it took me so long to finally watch this classic. This weekend, I hosted a cocktail party, and while I'd been planning the menu for a couple of weeks and didn't really have any particular theme in mind, when it came time to get dress for the party, I was totally inspired by Audrey's updos that I'd just seen onscreen the day before.  Holly Golightly may not own cat, but she sure owns her hair. Nevertheless, but I guarantee the food at my cocktail party was a lot better than at hers, and with fewer flaming chapeaux.

First things first, Darling, the menu:

The recipe for Roasted Eggplant Dip is from one of my earlier postings, available here.

View my pumpkin party appetizers posting for my lamentations about my beloved curried pepitas. For this party, I modifed the recipe to make pecans, and the bowl was emptied twice over during the evening. For all you friends who requested the recipe, see below, but feel free to experiment with your favorite seasoning and spice blends to taste.

Garam Masala Spiced Pecans
1 egg white
1 tablespoon garam masala powder
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cups raw pecans
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking pan with parchment. Whisk together first five ingredients. Stir in pecans to coat evenly. Stir in salt and toss. Spread on baking sheet. Bake until toasted, about 20 minutes, stirring every 6-8 minutes.

Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Mushroom Tartletts
See my previous version of Mushroom Tartletts recipe for my preferred version of a tasty hors d'ouvres made with puff pastry in mini muffin tins. I reconfigured the filling for this party by replacing the basil with fresh sage, and rolling it into spirals of Pillsbury crescent dough. I was able to get about 30 slices from one package of dough, but making fewer would have allowed them to be a little easier to work with, thicker and more even spirals. I recommend freezing the rolls briefly before slicing to make them easier to cut, because mine were a little slippery and got a little squashed. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes, or until golden.

Spinach-Basil Pom-Poms
These are based on a recipe my grandmother used to make for parties all the time, from one of her favorite cookbooks, Marlene Sorosky's Cookery for Entertaining. I love them because they can be made, and baked straight out of the freezer when you want them. I have dressed up the original into the version below.

10 ounces fresh spinach, washed and finely chopped
1-2 ounces fresh basil and oregano or other herbs to taste, finely chopped
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
black pepper to taste

Stir together greens, panko, and cheese. Mix in eggs, butter, pepper and nutmeg. Form into tightly packed balls, about one-inch diameter. Place on cookie sheet and freeze about 20 minutes, then transfer to plastic bag or container to store.

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature. Makes about 30.

Cucumber Canapes
Will asked me, "what is a canape?" It's technically a piece of bread, toast, or cracker topped with a savory spread. These are cucumber canapes because they are cucumbers topped with a savory spread: crab salad. Use any ingredients you like. My version this time would have been better for summer, which fits with the refreshing juicyness of cucumber rounds anyway.
English cucumbers have fewer seeds, and their long thin shape makes for nice even cross-sections. If you have a channel knife (generally used to make citrus peel garnishes for beverages), use it to gouge away lengthwise stripes of skin in a decorative pattern before you slice the cucumber. Slice cross-wise about half-inch thick, and lay cut-side on paper towels to wick away some of the mositure.

For my topping, I mixed shredded crab meat (higher quality lump crab would be tastier, but it wouldn't bind together as well and would slip off your hors d'ouvres and be harder to eat) with a bit of olive oil mayonnaise, diced red bell pepper and corn kernals for delightful color, tarragon, lemon juice, salt and pepper, garnished with a snip of fresh chive.

Next time I'd love to try a crab salad version with lime juice,
fresh cilantro, and hot peppers garnished with avocado.

These are a great hors d'ouvres because they are hearty (both in that they last well and can be made and ahead and transport well, and in that they are nutritious, well-balanced and satisfying.) My recipe can be found here (makes 80 pieces), this time made with the addition of edamame. Will is in charge of the assembly, and likes to get creative with how he arranges the toppings on the rice cakes. I think they hold together best if you use the wasabi first as a bit of glue to secure the piece of salmon, then nestle the edamame next to the salmon and sprinkle with flakes of nori and sesame seeds.

No recipe here, these are SO easy. Use your favorite tortellini (these were tri-color four cheese),
favorite dressing (I like just balsamic and olive oil) then skewer with grape tomatoes and/or olives.
Depending on the size of the tortellini, use one or two per skewer.

Roasted Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Walnuts
Small baby red, yukon gold, and blue fingerling potatoes (1-2 per person)
Wash and dry potatoes, and cut into halves (thirds if large), trimming a small flat side off the uncut side so that they will sit flat on the platter. Toss with olive oil and roast at 425 for about 25 minutes, stirring once or twice during baking. Check after 20 minutes, you don't want them too soft or they won't stay together.

Allow to cool completely.

Pipe blue-cheese walnut dip (recipe below) on top of potato rounds. I tried to use a decorative tip, but the walnuts - even though they were finely ground - got stuck, so use a wide enough round tip. Garnish with a caper. I made 60 pieces, and used less than half the dip, so you can cut the recipe down if you want.

2 teaspoons walnut oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup greek yogurt
Stir together cream cheese and yogurt until well blended, then add remaining ingredients.
Recipe from Central Market

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

I'm mixed on my review of this cake, it's a little bit tough, or gummy, but the frosting is SO
amazing, that you could probably eat it on cardboard and think it was delicious. I might make
it again, or I might find some otherdelivery system, but either way the frosting is a sure repeat.

Chocolate-Bourbon Bars (I substituted the Kahlua in the recipe with bourbon)

Blackberry Walnut Thumbprints (I substituted the pecans in the recipes with walnuts, and used seedless blackberry jam)"Stacked" Sushi

Mixed Herbs and Spices Recipes

I don't have much to say about this post but that I came up with the following recipes when I got home later on a Friday night, but still was really wanting to cook and eat fresh and nutritious.  I've been pouring through my spice encyclopedia this week, and so wanted to make sure these dishes were all well- and robustly seasoned.

Lentil Chapeaux
1/2 cup yellow lentils
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup water
1 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
12 wonton wrappers
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Bring liquids to a boil and stir in lentils. Simmer, covered about 25 minutes until tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in garam masala and salt.
Meanwhile, press wonton wrappers into greased mini or standard cupcake cups. Bake (at 375 if oven isn't already on, I just popped them in at 425 with my parsnips) until golden and crisp about 8-10 minutes.
Fill cups with lentils and garnish with cilantro.

 

Roasted Parsnips with Fennel
1 large parsnip (about 1 pound - I'm serious, this thing was huge), cut into dice or slices as you prefer
~3/4 tsp fennel seed, freshly ground
~1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil (I would have liked to use part walnut oil, but I forgot - I think it would be really tasty in this)

Mix ingredients together and roast at 425 for about 25 minutes, stirring part way through.

Peas with Garlic, Mint, and Feta
1 T browned butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups frozen peas (or fresh!)
1/2 tsp dried mint (or fresh! use 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh)
1/4 cup crumbled feta

Melt butter in skillet. Add garlic and peas. Saute 2-3 minutes until warmed through. Sprinkle with mint and toss. Remove from heat. Toss with feta and serve.

Lentil Chapeaux (round 2)

A couple weeks after this post, I decided to make the lentil chapeaux appetizers for a potluck party, but because of the ingredients I had on hand, and an aversion to repeating even my very favorite recipes, I created the following recipe.

Also note that I made the following adjustments to the wonton cups, and preferred them: don't grease the tins, use regular muffin cups (instead of mini), and bake 10 minutes at 375.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup minced red onion

1 large clove garlic, minced

about 1 cup diced tomates and juice (I used half of a 14 oz can)

1 whole cinnamon stick

1 whole star anise pod

about 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup brown lentils

chopped cilantro

thick yogurt or sour cream

In medium saucepan, saute onion in oil until tender. Stir in garlic. Add tomatoes, cinnamon, and star anise, stir to coat. Stir in lentils and add enough stock to cover by about 1/2 inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat an simmer uncovered about 45 minutes, until lentils are tender and stock is absorbed. Meanwhile, bake wonton wrappers into cups as described in notes above.

Fill cups with lentil mixture, garnish with yogurt dollop and chopped cilantro. If making ahead, store cups and filling separately, and assemble as close to serving as possible so cups stay crisp. I served them at room temperature and found they stayed quite tasty for about 4 hours without refridgeration.

Cranapple-Oatmeal Cookies

Making cookies for an afternoon meeting at the office led me to recipes with a bit of heft and fuel, not just my preferred sweet and chocolate, or crispy and delicate. A cookie issue of Fine Cooking had this cranberry oatmeal cookie with walnuts and honey, which I modified into the version below.

I have been using some whole-wheat flour that has negatively impacted the texture of some of my baked goods. But I thought that with a few adjustments in advance, I could compensate for it, and that it would actually be really the right thing for these snack cookies.

My experiences so far with it had been that it was a bit tougher, drier, and grainier. I thought it needed more liquid to tenderize, and maybe more egg to add structure. I decided to add applesauce to the recipe both for flavor and moisture. I also let the dough sit overnight in the fridge, which is something I learned from a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. The resting allows the moisture to distribute evenly among the ingredients and "soak in" to the flour better so that the cookies bake more evenly and have a more consistent texture.

The resulting cookies had excellent flavor, with a pleasant crispy texture around the edges, and a soft, apple-y center. But they were a bit crumbly, and the only thing I think might address this is to add another egg, or part of an egg, but I don't want to sacrifice the crispiness; I worry that they would become too cakey. If any readers want to try with a second egg and let me know how it goes, I'd appreciate it! Meanwhile, as long as these don't have to pack in your day-pack for the hiking trail, they are delicious, and maybe even a bit nutritious!

Cranapple-Oatmeal Cookies

makes about 35 2-inch cookies, recipe can easily be doubled

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (or garam masala, or nutmeg/allspice blend)
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats (my oats are large, so I like to grind-up about 1/2 of them in the food processor or a coffee grinder to make more of a flour. You get the great oatey flavor but a finer-grained cookie less like granola.)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup applesauce
1 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup dried cranberries
optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or 1/2 cup chocolate chips (white or dark)

Grind oats, and mix with flour, soda, salt, and spice.

In stand mixer, beat butter with sugars until fluffy and light. Beat in egg, then applesauce, syrup and extract until well-mixed. Blend in flour mixture until completely incorporated. Stir in cranberries and any optional ingredients. Cover bowl tightly and allow to rest in refrigerator overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Drop tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheet, allow room to spread. Bake for 10 minutes in middle rack of oven. Remove when edges are golden but tops are still soft, but set. Allow to cool on sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely.

Spiced Almonds

So easy, great snack, lovely hostess gift, and uses up some of those pesky egg whites that remain after a rich cake or frosting recipe.

1 large egg white (1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon garam masala powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
3 cups raw almonds

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment (optional, but easier!) Whisk egg white, vinegar, and oil in large bowl. Whisk in next remaining ingredients until well-coated. Add almonds and toss toss. Transfer to baking sheet, spreading evenly. Bake until toasted and fragrant, stirring every 10 minutes, about 40 minutes total. Be careful not to burn - if you can smell the almond smell, they are probably getting done. They might still seem wet, but they will crisp up beautifully as they cool. Cool on the baking sheet, then store in air-tight container. These will last for months. I don't recommend refrigeration as the humidity could make the coating not so crispy.

Spiced Cocktails

Monica Bhide's blog, A Life of Spice, is one of my favorites, and has frequently inspired others of my posts (such as the particularly influential experiments with garam masala.) This month, she is hosting a contest for cocktails incorporating spices, so I have not only felt compelled to participate, but to rope in the creative concoctions of my spouse Will as well.

Will's tendency straight away was toward a coffee-based drink, heavy on the chile peppers. We went back and forth on this, me arguing that "cocktails" specifically refer to a type of drink that would not be found to include coffee, while he posits that the intention of the contest is simply to encourage the use of spices in interesting beverages perhaps including alcohol. Looking at some of the other submissions to the contest thus-far, I see others that are based on coffee, but I had already urged Will in another direction for his recipe.

Another internal debate about the intentions of the contest revolved around the distinction of "spices" - I love herbal cocktails and especially this past summer, Will and I both made numerous syrups of sugar solution steeped with fresh herbs like basil, tarragon, and mint. I'd love to do more with lemon thyme, lavender, or sage. They make particularly refreshing summer "coolers" with sparkling water and citrus flavors, and I can't resists but to post my favorite below, a grapefruit-tarragon drink. But herbs and spices, while commonly perceived together, and similar in their abilities to change a drab and boring dish into a sensational spotlight-grabbing star-of-the-meal, are fundamentally different. Herbs are like the leaves of a plant, while spices are the seeds and berries. If rules call for spices, then leafy green herbs will not qualify.
Finally, the contest rules did not specify a limitation on multiple entries, so I have posted each of my household's creations as we muddled, mixed, and mmmm'd in pursuit of the winner. They are listed in order of my personal preference (although the grapefruit-tarragon is my favorite, and appears last due to its supposed disqualification for lack of spice.) 

Cheers!
Corangiander Crush
1 shot vodka
1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seeds, lightly crushed
2 teaspoons orange brandy (such as Grand Marnier)
ice
orange rind twist for garnish

At least 6 hours in advance (or a couple of days if you have time), stir together the vodka and coriander seeds. [Scale up the proportions to make more than one serving.] Allow to steep until ready to mix cocktail.
Strain vodka from the seeds into a cocktail shaker. Add orange brandy and shake with ice until chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with orange twist.

Corangiander Crush (I didn't have any fresh oranges for garnish, so I used a chile pepper.)

Cloven Hoof
1 shot gin
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves, lightly crushed
1/2 thick "coin"-shaped slice of fresh ginger, peeled, and cut in 6 pieces
1 shot pear nectar
ice
At least six hours in advance, (or a couple of days if you have time) stir together gin, cloves, and ginger. [Scale up the proportions to make more than one serving.] Allow to steep until ready to mix cocktail.
Strain gin into a cocktail shaker, reserving some of the cloves for garnish. Add pear nectar and shake with ice until chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass and float a couple of the reserved cloves on top.

The Cloven Hoof Cocktail

Poddy Toddy
1/4 cup boiling water
4 whole cardamom pods, lightly crushed
2 teaspoon honey
1 thai chili, cut in half lengthwise through the stem
2 shots brandy
whipped cream
ground cardamom (optional)

Steep cardamom pods in boiling water for at least 10 minutes. Strain, and stir honey into water, add the chili halves, and reheat water until hot or boiling.

Remove chili halves and reserve. Add brandy. Divide liquid between two mugs. Top each with a dollop of whipped cream, a very light dusting of ground cardamom atop the cream, and  hang half a chili from the side of each mug.

Grapefruit-Tarragon Cooler
For syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 ounces fresh tarragon (or basil) leaves/sprigs

Bring water and sugar to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add herbs (stems are fine to include) to solution, stir to coat, and cover pot with lid. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight. Strain out leaves. Syrup keeps refrigerated for 3-4 weeks.

For cocktail
In Collins glass filled with ice, pour:
1 shot gin
1/2 shot syrup
couple of drops grapefruit bitters
Fill with sparkling water and garnish with a wedge of fresh grapefruit.

Birthday Week Build-Up: Chicken Vindaloo

I wasn't originally going to post about this meal, because it doesn't include anything original or creative, I simply followed a recipe. But to stay true to my title, not everything can be a "munching," there ought be some "musings" as well, and this recipe led to a cute story about Will. Besides, this is a recipe that is worth passing along to anyone who already enjoys ordering Vindaloo at a restaurant.

I have a long-standing tradition of celebrating "birthday week" instead of just my birthday. I think it began from the days of having a family party on my actual birthday, and a party with friends on one of the surrounding weekend days. But like any self-respecting only child, whether or not that was the origin, I quickly learned how to milk my birthday for all the attention it is worth. Will, while also an only child, was [fortunately??] not cut from the same 'only-child-cloth' and his first exposure to such a tradition came when we were dating. He has fully embraced the pattern every October - and even endorses it - but I have never seemed able to reciprocate for his birthday. But this year I wanted to be different. He was turning 35, and we'd been joking about it for years. Now that it was here, it didn't seem as much of a joke, and full-blown birthday week was just the way to take-off the edge of aging.

We started with a terrific weekend getaway to San Diego to visit some great friends and see some sun. Always a great way to kick-off birthday week, but especially if you're a Pisces and live in the Northern hemisphere. (The trip wasn't technically part of my plans for his birthday, but I'll take my guilt by association.)

Mid-week, I wanted to him to have his favorite Indian dish: chicken Vindaloo. Since we'd eaten out most nights on our trip, I didn't want to go out again. I also wanted to put the time into making it myself. I have purchased the bottled Indian curry sauces at the market before and used them with stir frys to make fast and easy meals that have some of the flavors of India, but they are never anything like what we've had in restaurants or prepared for us by Indian friends. Curries can seem overwhelming due to long lists of ingredients with lots of measuring of spices and sometimes exotic ingredients that I don't typically have around. After reading this recipe, I felt empowered because I already had every ingredient called for. I asked Will if he wanted to help me make dinner, and while some husband's might not consider this a birthday-week-gift, for us, it really is. I usually feel he gets in my way in the kitchen, and I don't have much patience for helping him learn new things. But I have been trying - and improving - and this was a great chance for us to work together trying out one of his favorite meals.

I had him read through the whole recipe, so right away, he knew what we were making. I tried not to be disappointed when he didn't gush or exclaim "Oh goody! Vindaloo, my favorite!" and thought he would start to get excited when the pan sizzled, the curry simmered, and the sweet floral basmati wafted through the kitchen. He didn't. So, we grated ginger and garlic. We chopped potatoes and cauliflower (my only change to the recipe - I love it in curries!) We measured spices and seasonings. As we waited for the simmering to take it's full effect on our creation, I realized why I wasn't extracting more enthusiasm from him. I confronted him.

Vindaloo is your favorite dish. Why aren't you more excited that we are making this together? You're afraid that having this at home is supposed to 'quench' your craving for Vindaloo, and you're worried this isn't going to be anything like what you having in your taste memory of 'Vindaloo.' And then you're going to be stuck because you have to tell me you like it - and you might actually like it - but you won't be liking it as a replacement for Vindaloo.

He admitted that this was exactly right. He was interested to try what we were preparing and was confident it would be tasty, but knew it would be no replacement for 'real' Vindaloo.

As we sat down to eat, I had a second inspiration; I turned on Pandora and quickly found a pre-made channel for Contemporary Bollywood. I honestly think that made the food taste even better, although it really was quite a yummy curry.

When Will had the leftovers the following night, he cautiously disclosed that this might be one of the best things I've made. I reminded him we made it together, and that makes it taste best of all.

Chicken Vindaloo

1 large onion, halved and cut in wedges

4 roma tomatoes, quartered (I used canned)

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 large garlic clove, chopped

1/2 inch peeled fresh ginger root, sliced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 serrano chili, or to taste

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

chicken pieces (or tofu, or just more vegetables)

2 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut into bite-sized dice

1/2 small head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets

1-2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable)

splash of cream

Process first 12 ingredients in food processor until thick paste. In large saute pan, brown chicken in oil, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Add potatoes and cauliflower to pan along with curry paste and enough broth to cover vegetables. Cover pan and cook on medium until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Remove lid and simmer until sauce is of desired thickness. Stir in a couple of tablespoons of cream for richness and heat through. Serve over rice (recipe below.)

Basmati Rice
serves 4
3/4 cup basmati rice
1 1/2 cups water
3 threads saffron
2 whole cardamom pods
1/4 cup green peas (I used frozen, rinsed but still frozen)

Add first 4 ingredients to rice cooker (or saucepan.) With about 5 minutes remaining to cook, stir in peas. Finish cooking, then fluff and serve with curry atop.