Sam's Star Cookies (Clementine Cardamom Shortbread)

"Star Cookies" That's what Sammy wants. A little man of few words but definite opinions. He loves these citrusy shortbread stars that I created this Christmas season. The flavors are based on a sugar cookie that my daughter-in-law makes; these shortbread gems are a bit crisper and less sweet. I first took them to the "Ladies Who Golf" cookie exchange at my friend Connie's house. She sponsors a lovely lunch every year for her golfing friends where we each contribute different cookies and all go home with a delightful variety.  I used to take them to my visiting teaching ladies but now by the time my family finishes sampling...well, I have to make other arrangements for visiting teaching treats. Thanks Connie and golfing friends! The cookies turned out to be my grandson Sammy's passion this Christmas Season so I am dedicating them to Sam Bennie.

Happy Holidays!

Sam's Star Cookies
1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 3/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
zest of 2 clementines
juice of 2 clementines plus cool water to equal 1/3 cup
orange and yellow colored sugar for sprinkling (or silver)

Sam and Rob working on Star Cookies with Grandma

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine butter, sugar, flour, salt, cardamom and zest in a mixer bowl. Beat on medium speed until texture resembles meal, scraping sides of bowl as necessary. Add juice and beat just until blended and mixture can be formed into a ball. Turn out onto a floured board. Pat into a circle then use a rolling pin to roll dough no thinner than 1/4 inch. Cut with star shaped cookie cutter and place each cookie on a baking sheet (with or without parchment paper). Sprinkle tops with colored sugar. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool onto sheet for about 5 minutes then remove to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container when completely cooled.

Sammy rolls out the dough really well for a 2 year old!

Hints: I use salted butter but if you choose unsalted, you will need to increase the salt from 1/4 to about 1/2 teaspoon. I use ground cardamom which I keep in my freezer to maintain its' potency. It's a pretty strong spice and using a little goes a long way. Use enough flour when rolling out to keep the dough from sticking to the board. If the cookies are too thin they will not finish crumbly but brittle. I like mine about 1/2 inch thick and I bake them about 19-20 minutes. That way they are a bit chewy still in the center. Experiment and see how you like them best. You could use vanilla bean in place of the cardamom or grapefruit zest and juice in place of the clementine. Sophie says you must eat three before you decide whether you like them or not--she wasn't sure after one but the next day she tried another and liked it better, and after three she was a big fan. (It only took one for Sam and me.)

Sammy enjoying the final product.

Being a grandma is just the best thing ever! Sam and his two brothers and four cousins provide unmeasurable joys and I feel so blessed! Here's to many years of Christmas Cookies ahead for Dan, Sam, Rob, Bruno, Stella, Alex and Lena! 

Mini Cheesecakes

Who doesn't like "mini" things? These cheesecakes are mini in size but big in flavor, appeal and time savings. They cook in a fraction of the time a regular cheesecake takes and are already portion controlled...I mean, what could be better? I bought a specialty pan with removable bottoms (Norpro 3919, $20) from Amazon, made some of these bad boys and then bought another pan because I could see how often these will be just the ticket. Take a look at the Hints section for the Holiday version: Eggnog (Oh Yeah!) and also a chocolate hazelnut flavor link at the end. WooHoo!!

Mini Cheesecakes with Strawberry Topping
Crust:
5 1/2 full graham crackers (the full crackers are usually scored into 4 parts)
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons melted butter
Spray the cavities of the mini cheesecake pan with coconut oil or veggie oil.  Process crackers in food processor until very fine crumb. Mix in sugar then butter. Place 2 teaspoons of mixture in each compartment and press down firmly. Set aside.

Filling:
8 ounces Greek yogurt cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon citrus zest (orange, lemon, grapefruit etc.)
1 egg yolk
With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese for 1 to 2 minutes. Add in sugar, salt and corn starch beating until well blended. Reduce mixer speed and pour in half and half slowly and beat until batter is smooth. Blend in vanilla and citrus zest. Finally, add the egg yolk and mix just until incorporated. Spoon batter onto crusts, filling cavities 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 17-19 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in the pan for an hour then push the cakes out from the bottom and remove the pan bottom disks from the cheese cakes. Chill in a air tight container for at least another hour.

Topping:
3/4 cup finely diced fresh strawberries
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/4 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 cup sweetened whipped cream
Mix all ingredients but the cream together and macerate for 1 hour or more. To serve, place 1 teaspoon of whipped cream on cheesecake and top with about 1-2 teaspoon of strawberry mixture.

Hints: I like using Greek cream cheese but this would work the same with regular cream cheese. I used the orange zest because the strawberries had orange flavor. Lemon or lime or grapefruit would be awesome. The pan cavities are easy to pop out a cooled cheesecake if they are sprayed with oil. The coconut oil in a spray can is what I have on hand but they could be greased by hand with butter.

To make the Holiday version:
Add 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg to the graham cracker crust mixture, use eggnog in place of the half and half, reduce the sugar to 2 tablespoons, use just 1/4 teaspoon vanilla and replace the citrus zest with nutmeg. Top with whipped cream, fresh diced persimmon and more freshly ground nutmeg. (I buy whole nutmeg and grate it on a micro-planer.) SO GOOD!!! In fact, after New Years, I went to the store and bought some eggnog I could freeze to make these one more time :)

Here is a link to another flavor, chocolate hazelnut, I tried for my friends wedding along with the strawberry version. It was also wonderful. I think any cheesecake recipe could be adapted for a mini version. I guess I'm just a "little" crazy about these little guys...

Cranberry Carrot Cake

Nice, fresh cranberries are in season right now. This rich, moist cake is so flavorful, so delectable, so colorful, you'll want to make it again and again. Great to take to a pot luck Holiday Party. Or make mini cakes and take to friends and neighbors as a gift. And the buttercream... ahh! blissful!

Cranberry Carrot Cake
4 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 cup canola oil
1 cup wheat flour
1 1/2 cups white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated ginger root
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots
2/3 to 1 cup walnut pieces or pine nuts
Gingered Clementine Buttercream (see recipe below)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan, a large bunt pan or two 9 inch layer cake pans. (For the photo above, I used a star shaped bread baking tube). Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add brown sugar, honey and oil. Mix well. Add flours, baking powder, salt and spices. Beat until smooth. Place cranberries in a food processor and pulse 10 to 12 times, scraping sides of bowl half way through. Mix cranberries, carrot and walnuts into batter. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 45 to 50 minutes for a 9x13 pan--a bit longer for a bunt pan and a bit less for layer pans (the star tube took 40 minutes). Allow to cool and frost with buttercream before serving.

The cranberries should be chopped finely but not liquified.

Gingered Clementine Buttercream
3/4 cups butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root
1 clementine, zest and juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups powdered sugar
Beat butter until fluffy with a electric mixer. Beat in ginger and zest. Add 1 cup of the powdered sugar and mix well. Add juice and salt and beat again. Add remaining powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.

Hints: I served the frosting on the side of cake slices in the top photo to allow people to use as much or as little frosting as they wanted. You could garnish the cake with some clementine sections or whole cranberries. I didn't bother to peel the carrots for this recipe. You could certainly chop the cranberries without a food processor. Be sure and pick over the cranberries, discarding any that are soft or brown. This buttercream would be super on any type of spice cake or citrus flavored cake, great on sugar cookies, too. You will need to adjust the amount of powdered sugar to get just the spreading consistency you want for the buttercream. I've also made it with a combination of cream cheese and butter - worked out great.

Makes 24 cupcakes. Bake for 20-23 minutes.

It is so interesting to listen to what folks say about a table full of cake slices. Some of us get excited about chocolate. Others love a white cake. Red velvet rings the bell for a few and carrot cake does it for others. "OOhh that looks like maple icing!" or "Eeww that looks like maple icing!" We all have our favorites and those we won't willingly choose. What makes the difference? I think it may have something to do with taste buds or textural cues but I think it may have a lot to do with prior life experiences. I remember my Mom telling me that Lemon Meringue pie was awful. Then one day I tasted it. Hello Lemon!!! One of my children laments the years she spent avoiding coconut--all those wasted Trick or Treat times she could have chosen an Almond Joy! My husband tells of his childhood distrust of sour cream. Who would want to eat sour cream? I feel lucky to be fond of trying new things and luckier still that I nearly always enjoy what I get. 

Larger Gifts

Now for a continuation of the last post on gift giving. These 6 items cost more than the 12 items in that post. Maybe a family member or closer friend would be a candidate for these items. I use them often and find they make my cooking life easier and more efficient.

Left to Right:

Cuisinart Food Processor-- My delightful husband gave this to me for Christmas one year and I love it. It makes many cooking chores go very quickly. I am sure that the cook in your life would appreciate one. Around $150.

Soda Stream-- I gave this to my delightful husband last Christmas and he loves it. We both do. Although we are not big soda pop drinkers at my house, we do like club soda on ice or with a lime wedge. It is great to use when making lemonade or other drinks. Models start around $75. Refill CO2 canisters run $15.

Slow Cooker-- We all love the idea of getting dinner ready hours before we need it some days. I have some lovely recipes for slow cookers and there are plenty available on line. If you don't have one yet, ask for one this year! Prices vary according to size and features but start around $25.

Magic Bullet-- This small blender is great for certain things like breakfast smoothies or salad dressings. It also chops or grinds nuts so quickly. I use it fairly often and picked it up at Costco for about $40.

Immersion Blender-- This is a safety tool. Pureeing hot soups or sauces can be dangerous in a regular blender as the hot liquid expands. An immersion blender is also great for milk shakes and foaming hot cocoa. I've had mine for years; they are available for under $25. 

Rice Cooker-- This makes rice as a side dish super slick. It is also useful for steaming veggies, dumplings etc. These start at around $20. 

Other Ideas-- Toasters (everyone has one right?), waffle irons, indoor grills, fondue pots, electric skillets. 

Please share your favorites with the rest of us by posting a comment!

Having the right equipment is such a boon to creativity. It makes following a recipe so much easier and it opens up possibilities for realizing ones own gourmet creations. This gift giving season, maybe you can open a door for someone you care about so they can enlarge their talents. 

Gift Giving Season

Isn't it fun getting a gift for someone you care about knowing they are going to absolutely love it? If you want to get a gift for a foodie anytime soon, here are some suggestions. These are a dozen implements that I use several times each week. Any budding cook would appreciate them; any experienced cook would also appreciate them (even if they already own one, a new one or a better one would still be nice to receive.) 

12:00 -- A good chef's knife. One that can be sharpened at home with a wet stone. The handle should be shaped well and solid but not too heavy. This one is from Tupperware, was part of a set given to me and I have loved it.
1:00 -- A good paring knife. For smaller, finer tasks, this knife is a real work horse. Again one that can be kept sharp with a wet stone is great. This is also from Tupperware and is used again and again at my house. (Note: I also received several other knives in this set, a smaller paring knife, large and small serrated knives and they are all great but I've only included the two a cook really needs--get more if you can afford them!)
2:00 -- Tongs. Very useful for a multitude of things from sauteing spinach to searing meat to boiling bagels. Some have silicone tips but I have found that the plain old stainless ones work just fine. This is one of two I own, the other is longer. I find I use the short ones most often. Available in any grocery or cookware store.
3:00 -- Vegetable peeler. I have three of this style of peeler. They fit in the palm of your hand and are a cinch to use. Light pressure peels just the dark green skin off a cucumber and harder pressure gives you lovely carrot strips to curl. A potato can be ready for boiling in short order. Warning: some cooks don't like the feel of the palm held implement and prefer a traditional shape for their peelers. Available in any cookware store and a few grocery stores.
4:00 -- Pancake turner. We called them spatulas growing up. A cook needs one or two and this particular one is not vented, stainless and very thin, flexible. It easily slips under cookies, a burger, an egg or pancakes. I love it for making omelets. Available lots of places, just look for a thin, flexible blade.
5:00 -- Silicone spoon. For all kinds of jobs, silicone is fabulous. This solid feeling spoon stirs boiling concoctions with ease and can be left in a pot because it won't heat up. The squared design allows for contact to the pan sides and bottom, useful for candy making, custards, deglazing and sauteing among other things. I bought this Chef'n brand spoon/scrapper at the grocery store; they are available at cookware stores, too.
6:00 -- Folding grater. Double sided, this folding grater is easily stored. It is stainless with a composite frame. One large grating surface and one finer, it is a go to for cheeses and veggies. Available in most grocery stores as well as cookware stores.
7:00 -- Silicone rubber scraper. Great for baking because of the concave surface, I have loved this tool when making batters or doughs of any kind. This particular one is versatile due to the nature of silicone. It can take the heat. I have used it on the stove top and when adding hot syrups to other ingredients. If you only have one scrapper, this is the one to have. It came in a set with a smaller one and that one is good for reaching the last of the jam in a jar. This one was purchased at an outlet cookware store.
8:00 -- Can opener. For several years, I had an electric can opener. When it broke, I used a stainless opener that was pretty old fashioned and it stank! This new one is a composite material and locks shut, is easy to turn and utterly fabulous. It is OXO brand and available at most grocery stores.
9:00 -- Microplane. Love this tool! Grating fresh ginger root or whole nutmeg, zesting citrus, grating Romano cheese to finish a pasta dish and more. It is used nearly everyday in my kitchen. I purchased mine at a cookware store but they may be available in your local grocery store.
10:00 -- Flat wire whisk. Great for blending any dry ingredient into a wet one. Whips an egg quickly, mixes dry ingredients together, is tops for heating milk, stirring candy syrups or anything that needs constant stirring while cooking. Sauce making gets easier and produces better results with a flat wire whisk. I got two from Pampered Chef and eventually gave one to my daughter. But I don't see it in the Pampered Chef collection any longer. They are still available at good cookware stores.
11:00 -- Bamboo spoon. Slotted or solid, rounded or squared, concave or flat, these spoons replace the old wooden spoons of yesteryear. I have really enjoyed the set I purchased and use them for stir frying, sauteing, mixing and sometimes for serving. Relatively inexpensive and available at cookware stores.

Well, that is a round up of the most oft used implements in my kitchen. Some I have had for over 30 years and some are much newer. My hope is that you find something you would like to give to a friend and/or something you could give as a suggestion to friend looking to give you a gift. Happy cooking!

Traditional Holiday Fare Made Current

Ok, Ok, I know the abundance of stories and jokes but some of us can appreciate an excellent FRUITCAKE. Here is one that is FABULOUS and you really should try it out, even if you are on the fence about fruitcakes, (it will probably knock you off onto my side--just saying!)

 

Twenty First Century Fruit Cake

2 1/2 pounds candied cherries, pineapple and orange peel mix

         (I use 1 1/2 lbs. red and green cherries, 1 lb. white pineapple, 

           1/2 lb. candied orange peel)

2 3/4 cups flour, divided

1 1/2 cup sliced almonds

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup honey

6 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ginger (powder)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
6 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon almond extract
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place candied fruit in a large bowl with 1/4 cup flour, mix to coat. In a separate mixing bowl, combine butter and shortening and beat until light and fluffy. Add sugar and honey and cream together. Add eggs and salt and beat until thoroughly combined. Mix remaining flour, baking powder and spices together, add to butter mixture and beat well. Add orange zest, orange juice and extract and beat again. Fold fruit mix into batter. Place batter into greased 5 inch mini loaf pans and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until tops are golden brown and set. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Turn out of pans and cool thoroughly. Wrap in plastic wrap to store. Makes 6-7 mini loaves. (Can be made in regular loaf pans and will cook an hour or so.)

Hints: Make sure you get good candied fruit and don't include the syrup if there is any at the bottom of the container. I only like candied orange peel, not the lemon or lime variety, but you may find that an OK substitute. The sliced almonds are by far the best nut to use and I never include any type of raisin but you may like that, too. An orange ginger dessert sauce can be used as a topping when serving if desired.

I based this recipe off Mom's recipe that she would make nearly every year. She would end up freezing some and we would get it out in February for a treat. It would indeed resemble a brick when frozen and generally dried out quite a bit. I prefer to make and serve it close to the same day if possible. It is beautiful and delicious and that is what I'm all about when it comes to cooking and eating well.

Gingerbread Houses (a long standing tradition)

My friend Kris Monson gave me this recipe almost 20 years ago. I am not sure where she got it and I don't think she remembers either. So sorry I cannot give an original source. There are many recipe variations for gingerbread but I have always used this one--I like the taste and the dark color. This makes enough for one small house. It is easy to double or triple for a bigger house or multiple houses.

Gingerbread for Houses

2 cups flour

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground clove

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup shortening

½ cup dark molasses

1 egg yolk

Mix dry ingredients In a mixing bowl. Add shortening, egg yolk and molasses. Mix until thoroughly blended. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Press dough together and roll out on a floured board to ¼ inch thickness. Using a template, cut out house front, back, sides, roof and chimney. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes and remove from oven. Place templates over cookie pieces and trim edges using a pizza cutter. Remove templates and return gingerbread to oven for an additional 3 minutes to harden. Remove from oven and allow to cool on sheets for 5 minutes then place on cooling racks to finish cooling. Assemble and decorate as desired.

Hints: Making a template is easy. Get some thin cardboard or heavy card stock and make a front and back about 4 or 5 inches square with a gable about 3 inches higher. Cut a door into the front. Make the sides the same height as the front walls about 5 inches long. You will need to cut out two roof slabs that are a bit longer than the gable lengths and a bit wider than the sides--by a bit I mean about an inch so that the roof overhangs the gables and the sides by about 1/2 inch each way. I love using this dough to bake small diamond shaped cookies and drizzling them with a simple lemon flavored icing. They are one of my favorite winter cookies.

One of my family's favorite holiday events is our annual gingerbread night with the Monson clan. We always do 4 to 8 houses between the two families. Over the years the creativity has been incredible. The bungee jumping Santa, the "food storage" houses,the two face house, the rock cottage, the yurt, the Rapunzel tower....it boggles the mind. And then there were the beautiful and the cute. All ended up delicious, as are the memories. Thanks Monsons!