anything with a british accent...

if i had watched love actually before getting married, i swear i would have found me a cute british boy to whisper sweet nothings in my ear...the english just get some things so right. rpatz, anyone??


this toffee is another one of those things that the english just got so right...
really simple ingredients that chemistry changes into something magical! the toffee is firm but not so tough that you would crack a filling. i had made this recipe for a dinner party on saturday but the hubby kept going back into the fridge that by the time the dinner party rolled around, i almost had to make another batch!!


english toffee

1 lb unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoon water
1 cup slivered almonds
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup lightly toasted pecans, finely chopped

1. melt three-fourths of the chocolate in a microwave oven at half power for 2-3 minutes. after melting, stir in the remaining chocolate and set aside. line a large jelly roll with heavy duty foil and butter the foil.
2. melt the butter with the salt in a heavy 3 QT saucepan over medium heat. slowly add the sugar, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. add the water about halfway through this process.
3. after all the sugar is added, begin testing the mixture to see if the sugar is dissolved. place a drop of the mixture on wax paper. allow it to cool before rubbing it between your fingers to make sure it doesn't feel grainy. continue to cook until all the sugar has dissolved, testing intermittently. (the mixture will most likely be boiling by this point.)
4. when the sugar has dissolved, add the almonds and increase the heat to medium high. cook to the hard crack stage (310 - 320 degrees) stirring constantly to prevent the candy from burning on the bottom. when it is done, the candy should be a medium-amber color.
5. remove from heat and pour into the prepared pan, spreading as evenly as possible with an offset spatula. set the pan on a cooling rack. after 2-3 minutes, pour reserved chocolate on top and spread evenly. sprinkle with chopped nuts and press them gently into the chocolate to set.
6. allow the toffee to harden 6-8 hours (but preferably overnight). break into pieces using a sharp knife. store in an airtight container in a cool place.

mommy...where does sushi come from?

...sometimes from a H U G E fish!


we had lunch today with a couple of our most favorite people in the world at one of the most delicious places in the tri-state area. life doesn't get much better than that!

they were holding a tuna cutting performance and i wasn't quite sure what to expect. apparently, a fish is worth 10x more if it is caught before it begins its migration. by the time the fish has migrated, it has lost much of its fatty goodness...and that would just be a sin!!


freakin' amazing...totally worth having to park at trader joe's and walk over!!

the holiday decorations are already up...

can you believe it?!

i happened to catch the martha stewart show one day while she was making these cookies and i was hooked. i had to make them.

i know nothing about martha's stock scandal nor do i have an opinion on it...but dayam, that woman knows cookies. i think i made these on at least *3* separate occassions last holiday season...and it takes a lot to remake a recipe when your stack of to-make recipes keeps spilling over onto the floor!

especially when these require quite a bit of work to make...the dough is incredibly sticky, uses an ingredient i use NO WHERE else and requires two hours to chill. i hate having to wait longer for goodness in my belly!!

but gawd, these are worth it!! (i also double the recipe to minize the pain...)

chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies

from martha stewart

7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate*
1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup unsulfered molasses

1 teapoon baking soda

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks and set aside. in a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and cocoa.
2. in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened (about 4 minutes). add brown sugar and beat until combined. add molasses and beat until combined.
3. in a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons of boiling water. beat half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. beat in baking soda mixture and then add the remaining flour mixture. mix in chocolate. turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. pat dough out to about 1 inch thick and seal with plastic wrap. refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
4. preheat oven to 325 degrees. line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats. roll dough into 2-inch balls. place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. refrigerate for 20 minutes. roll dough balls into granulated sugar and return to baking sheets. transfer to oven and bake for about 18 minutes until surfaces crack slightly. let cool 5 minutes and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

NOTE: if you have to get these into your belly quickly, you can use chocolate chips instead. they don't have the same texture and you won't get the small pieces that will just melt into the batter but they're still pretty darn good. =)

the only time i watch scary movies...

without a doubt when the leaves change color and the weather turns cooler, this is the hubby's favorite time of year. it also means that his favorite holiday is approaching...and he gets to pick one scary movie to watch and we make spooky halloween cookies.


sadly, i was out of town for the week leading up to halloween so we made them a day late but enjoyed them none the less! cutout sugar cookies are a challenge...too much butter or soft dough and the cookie ends up looking like a blob with no semblance of the cutter. but not enough butter or sugar and the cookie tastes like bland dough.


i came across this recipe last year and LOVE it. it's a bit of a pain to roll quickly and keep the dough chilled at the same time but the end result is worth it!

sugar cookies
by alton brown

3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (my addition)

powdered sugar for rolling out dough

1. sift together flour, baking soda and salt. set aside.
   
2. place butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer and beat until light in color.
   
3. add egg, milk and vanilla extract and beat to combine. put mixer on low speed and gradually add the flour, beating until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl.
4. divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper (or plastic wrap) and refrigerate for 2 hours.
5. preheat oven to 375 degrees.
6. sprinkle powdered sugar on the surface where you will roll out the dough. remove 1 pack of dough and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. if dough has warmed during rolling, place a cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill.
7. cut into desired shape and place 1-inch apart on lined baking sheet.
8. bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges. (rotate cookie sheets halfway through baking time.)
9. let sit for 2 minutes after removing from oven and then move to wire rack to cool completely.

fake royal icing
(note: fake because the recipe does not contain egg whites.)

1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1. combine all the ingredients until smooth.
2. divide and color!
   

another one bites the dust

since this is the current state of affairs in my kitchen...
i'll just tell you about some of the yummy things i ate this w-end! the hubby and i decided to take a little drive down to princeton...they have the cutest little town! it reminds me a lot of wellesley...quaint square filled with pretty things catering to the not-college crowd. the town also happens to have a fairly decent number of good eats though - something wellesley sorely lacked. i mourned the loss of alden merrell after my first year (while it wasn't great eats, they definitely satisfied my sweet tooth!)

i tried to convince the hubby that we needed to leave the city by 8AM...sadly it wasn't happening. by the time we made it to the little chef, it was almost 5PM and they were sold out of practically everything!! a couple of sad napoleons stared at us from behind the glass...we managed to score a tiny treat - a cassis something or other.


this is what it looked like after surviving a two hour trip back to the city...(we made a few stops along the way.) thank goodness it tasted WAY better than it looked!! the cassis was tart but not overpowering and the chocolate mousse on the bottom was silky, soft and heavenly. the hubby and i were sharing the dessert after dinner but i think at one point i told him to stop eating...=D

the little chef
8 south tulane street
princeton, nj 08540
note: try to get there early enough to try the croissants!

a second chance

i looooooove peanut butter...i mean love.
back in the good ol' days when it was just me and the pups, we'd regularly sit on the futon in front of the tv licking peanut butter off the spoon straight out of the jar. and the crunchier the better!

the first time i made these i was terrified of overbaking them...especially since the instructions specifically said "do not overbake." so of course...i totally underbaked them. they ended up in the trash can.
s i g h...but they smelled SO good that i had to try again. and the second time was lovely washed down with a cold glass of milk. yum!

peanut butter cookies
a couple of changes from the magnolia bakery cookbook

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup chunky-style peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips (they used peanut butter chips.)
sanding sugar

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. in a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. set aside.
3. in a large bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter together until fluffy. add the sugars and beat until smooth. add the egg and mix well. add the milk and vanilla extract. add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. stir in the chocolate chips. chill the dough for 30 minutes.
   
4. drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheets. (you can make the crisscross patterns with a fork if you like - but mine did not turn out as pretty.) lightly sprinkle with sanding sugar.
5. bake for 14 minutes (they said 10-12 minutes.). cool the cookies for 1 minute on the sheets and then tranfer to a rack to cool completely.

for adults only...

like many immigrants to america, my parents have quite a few interesting stories to tell and when they first arrived, my mom was a nurse who was studying to pass the exam here in the states. well the first week they were here, they happened across a bookstore...


they went in looking for nursing books for my mom to study. the guy in the bookstore was kind enough to let them know when they entered that they didn't carry what they were looking for...and it wasn't until several years later that they learned what "adult" bookstore actually meant.


these cupcakes are just as sinfully delicious and will ruin whatever innocent preconceived notions you may have about them. =)

black bottom cupcakes

by david lebovitz

cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

5 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1/3 cup unflavored vegetable oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

filling

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

2 ounces bittersweet / semisweet chocolate, chopped

1. beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar and egg until smooth. stir in the chopped chocolate pieces. set aside.
2. adjust the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. line a muffin tin with cups.
3. in a medium bowl, sift together flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. in a separate bowl, combine the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla.
4. make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring until smooth. (be careful not to overstir! it will make the cupcakes tough...)
5. fill the muffin cups until 2/3 full and top with a tablespoon of filling into the center of each cupcake.
6. bake for 25 minutes (until the cupcakes feel springy when pressed).

NOTE: the original recipe says it makes 12 muffins...but i got more than that out of the batter.