It's graduation time!

June is known for many things: the official start of summer (yea!), Father's Day and a flurry of graduation celebrations. My cousin Zach was one of the many celebrating his big leap from high school to college and, while I refuse to believe that my little cousin known for his suffocating bear hugs is no longer so little, PattyCake jumped at the chance to help him celebrate his big day.

Two early morning plane rides to Wisconsin, 17 hours and 150 assorted cupcakes and cookies later, Zach had his {cup}cake and I was ready for a much deserved nap (didn't you read Jade's former post? Birthdays, weddings and graduations...oh my!).

The assortment:
Cupcakes: vanilla, chocolate and red velvet.
Frostings: vanilla, chocolate, praline and cream cheese.
Cookies: vanilla-sugar, homemade oreos and bourbon pecan.

Sour Cream Cookies With a Pistachio Twist

My obsession with pistachios has taken another turn. It began simply with the humble nut, cracked open as a lovely, slightly salty, snack. Then it was the pistachio flavored puff pastry shaped into vol au vents, then pistachio cream layered on decadent chocolate cake. This time my craving it took the form of pistachio – sour cream cookies. These cookies are a riff on a particular sour cream cookie, which has always had a special place in my heart - and my stomach.

During my first restaurant job, I got into the (wildly popular) habit of bringing home-baked sweets to work on a regular basis. One particular day, I had a seriously dangerous excess of cashew – sour cream cookies. (Those who know me well know the truth: cookies are my weakness. It is a proven fact that I can…okay, have…alright, am…eating an entire batch of cookies as I write this.) So, that day, I brought those little temptresses to work.

At 10 a.m. one of my favorites chefs to work with at the restaurant, Chef L., gobbled up the first of my cashew – sour cream cookies with browned butter frosting. Well, let’s just say that, on that particular day no one else was made known of their existence. From then on, I managed to surprise Chef L. frequently with those special sweets.

So, when I got this latest craving, my thoughts immediately went to these addictive sour cream cookies. Creamy, soft and almost cakelike, my rift on the originals boast a pronounced pistachio flavor and a luscious pistachio browned-butter frosting.

Oh, oh... I may have just eaten the last one in the house.

Pistachio – Sour Cream Cookies
Makes about 4 dozen cookies

For the cookies:
½ c brown sugar
½ c white sugar
½ c butter, softened
¼ c pistachio paste
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
2 ¼ c flour (bleached cake)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ c sour cream
½ c pistachios, chopped

For creamy browned butter-pistachio frosting:
5 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 c confectioners’ sugar, sifted
4 ½ Tbsp milk/cream
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp pistachio paste, optional

Preheat oven to 375˚ F.

Combine sugars and butter, beat until fluffy, scraping down sides often. Add the pistachio paste and beat until completely combined. Whisk together eggs and vanilla, adding in several additions; allowing each to fully incorporate before adding the next.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Reserve a bit of the flour mixture and toss with chopped pistachios, set aside.

Add dry ingredients alternating with sour cream to the butter-pistachio mixture, leaving the mixture streaky after each addition. Gently fold in nuts.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a parchment lined cookie sheet; bake 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are golden. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. Brown the butter over low heat in a saucepan. Remove from heat and whisk in milk and vanilla. Add a bit of confectioners’ sugar to make a paste then add in cup increments until fully combined. Fold pistachio paste in completely and adjust thickness by adding a bit more milk or cream.

Frost cooled cookies with creamy browned butter frosting and garnish with finely chopped pistachios.

recipes as promised

In an earlier post this month I promised to put up my recipes for
Meyer Lemon Crème with Beurre Noisette Shortbread Crumble and Edible Flowers as well as another edible flower recipe for a fabulous Caprese Salad with Rosemary Reduced Balsamic . Well as promised - here they are! Originally published in the March issue of Eat Life, you can read the entire story, plus see more of my photography, Tulip Petals Taste of Cucumbers here.

Meyer Lemon Crème with Beurre Noisette Shortbread Crumble and Edible Flowers
serves 4
Meyer Lemon Crème
Meyer lemons juice 1/2 cup
Meyer lemon zest from 3 small meyer lemons
Tangelo zest from ½ medium tangelo
Granulated sugar ½ cup
Whole egg 1
Egg yolk 1
Butter 4 Tbsp / 2 oz / 56 g; cut into small, even pieces
Heavy whipping cream ½ cup / 4 oz / 115 g

Beurre Noisette Shortbread Crumble
Confectioner's sugar ¼ cup
All-purpose flour ¾ cup
Unsalted butter 6 Tbsp
Thinly sliced almonds 1/4 cup; toasted
Salt pinch


Garnish
Confectioner’s sugar
Edible flowers

To make the Meyer Lemon Crème:
1. Zest the lemons and juice through a sieve. Whisk together zests, juice, sugar and eggs in a heatproof bowl set over a bain marie. Stir constantly until thickened; 10-15 minutes.
Test to see if it’s finished by drawing a line with your finger across a wooden spoon; if the line stays and no liquid slips down the curd is finished.

2. Remove the bowl carefully from heat and stir in the butter till completely melted.

3. Strain the mixture through a sieve to remove any curdled egg yolk and zest. Chill completely.

4. When curd is completely chilled. Beat the heavy whipping cream to a soft peak and gently fold into the lemon curd. Cover and chill until ready to use.

To make the Beurre Noisette Shortbread Crumble:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat till browned but not burnt; stirring frequently. Allow to cool slightly.

3. In the meantime, finely grind the cooled, toasted almonds in a food processor.

4. Sift together the confectioner’s sugar, flour and salt into a bowl. Add the butter and almonds and mix just until combined.

5. Evenly spread the dough about 1/4 inch thick on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake until the top and bottom are lightly browned about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely then crumble with your fingers to the desired consistency. 


To assemble:
1. Spoon the Meyer lemon cream into a small bowl or plate, sprinkle shortbread crumble generously on top. Dust lightly with confectioner’s sugar and decorate with edible flowers such as such as pansies, nasturtiums and/or geraniums.

Chef’s notes:
* The Meyer lemon curd will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 week. Once you incorporate the heavy cream serve it the same day.
* Orange zest may be substituted for the tangelo

Easy Caprese Salad with Edible flowers
Serves 4
Heirloom tomatoes 4 medium; sliced
Fresh buffalo mozzarella 1 lb; thinly sliced
Edible flowers

Balsamic Dressing
Balsamic vinegar 1 cup
Fresh rosemary sprigs 2
Butter 2 Tbsp
Black pepper
Sea salt

1. Slice the tomatoes and cheese 1/4" thick. Arrange the slices of tomato and cheese on a serving platter.

To make the rosemary balsamic reduction:
1. Place 1 cup of balsamic vinegar in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil.

2. Add the rosemary and boil gently till reduced to about ¼ cup.

3. Remove from heat, add 2 Tbsp butter and mix to combine. Remove rosemary springs and drizzle over tomatoes and mozzarella.

4. Garnish with edible flowers, a nice crack of black pepper and sprinkling of sea salt. Serve with extra reduction on the side.

a cookie for a long road home

I moved to New York almost six months ago and hadn’t made cookies in my apartment until today. Sure, I bake three days a week in class; am constantly testing and baking for PattyCake; and spend my free time devouring desserts and sweet treats around the city. But to bake at home - in that kitchen?

Let me back up…

When I lived in Wisconsin (my home state), I had a fabulous kitchen – open and spotless with hardwood floors, high ceilings, skylights and two-year-old appliances. My gorgeously worn-in Boos butcher block took center stage during weeknight meals, weekend dinner parties and spontaneous baking sprees. To that effect, there was a constant supply of cookies in the designated jar, dough resting in the fridge before its final baking and raw dough in the freezer for a quick and easy weeknight dessert (baked or unbaked).

However, when New York came a-calling, I traded in my clean, bright space for, well, a New York kitchen: small, dirty, ill-lit and old (except for the fridge which broke two months into my life here; that's new, and yes it makes me smile). Also, it doesn’t help that I live with three boys, who while relatively tidy, are still boys who enjoy copious amounts of burritos on a daily basis. A major deviation from my old (female) roommate whose boyfriend was a chef and thus knew the merits of a clean kitchen. Regardless to say, when I traded states and kitchens, I traded my kitchen habits. I opted for eating out, baking out and staying out - of that kitchen.

Consequently, I didn’t really start baking at home in New York until today, when the urge to eat my favorite chocolate-oatmeal cookies couldn’t be satiated by any one of the many fantastic bakeries New York City has to offer. Although my oven surrendered a shroud of smoke as it preheated, forcing me to force open windows and stifle coughs, the cookies turned out just as splendid as I remembered.

Throughout the years, I’ve perfected these little nuggets of joy – mildly sweet, slightly salty with fabulously large nuggets of chocolate mingled with the nutty flavor of rolled oats and toasted walnuts. Perhaps these cookies can persuade you to take your oven out of hibernation – or merely warm it up from the last use (if you’ve been doing any small bit more of baking at home than me in the last six months) – and enjoy a little taste of (my) home.

Chocolate-Oatmeal Cookies

Makes 50-60 small cookies

Unsalted butter 16 Tbsp/8 oz/225 g
Granulated sugar 1 cup/8 oz/228 g
Muscovado sugar 1 cup/8 oz/225 g
Eggs 2 large
Vanilla 1 tsp
All-purpose flour 2 cups/16 oz/450 g
Baking powder 1 tsp
Baking soda 1 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Old fashioned rolled oats 1½ cup/12 oz/340 g
Chopped 61% chocolate 1 cup/8 oz/226 g
Chopped 70 % chocolate ½ cup/4 oz/113 g
Chopped walnuts; toasted 1¼ cup/10 oz/288 g

Beat together butter, granulated sugar and Muscovado sugar until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, combine eggs and vanilla and beat gently to combine. Add gradually to beating butter-sugar mixture in three additions, allowing each addition to be fully incorporated before adding the next.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add all at once to butter mixture and beat slowly till almost combined. Stir in chocolates and walnuts. Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 12 – 36 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350˚F. Use a small ice cream scoop to measure out 1–inch balls. Place dough balls on parchment lined baking sheet, staggering to allow for proper air flow during baking. Bake cookies 12 -15 minutes, turning half-way through, until the cookies are medium brown and the edges have begun to set but the centers are still soft. Allow cookies to rest on baking sheet for a few minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

*Chef’s note: I love to “age” cookies, a process that has made me a bit weird in the eyes of the common man (aka: non-bakers) and a bit of a tease in the minds of my roommates (“What? We don’t get to eat them tonight?”) Nonetheless, I can promise you it makes a huge difference in the flavor and texture of the final product. Letting the cookies to sit in the fridge for 12-36 hours allows the eggs to slowly distribute themselves completely into the dough, producing a firmer, drier dough, which, in turn, bakes more evenly. Even more important, aging helps to create the trinity of texture that I find so irresistible in a good cookie: a crunchy outside, a chewy middle ring and a meltingly, soft center. Finally, the process develops the flavors of the cookies, allowing that delectable brown sugar, caramel-toned sweetness to become more pronounced.
*Chef’s note: I use chocolate discs or pistoles in addition to chocolate chips to vary the texture, size and flavor in my cookies.