Another Rainy Day Pasta

I'm not sure what it is about the rain that inspires me to make pasta but it happened again. It might also have something to do with the Mozza Cookbook that I find myself flipping through on a regular basis now. My Grandma would spend a day making all sorts of pasta. I remember it hanging on modified broomsticks all over the house. My grandpa had made them for her and he loved not only her, but her amazing pasta. Some she would freeze, some would be dried, but all of it was enjoyed.

I haven't made a spinach or sun dried tomato pasta in a really long time. I think they are next on my list. I love the colors and the bright flavors brought by incorporating other ingredients into the dough. I really want to make Black Pasta as well but considering the advances at the market, I no longer have to clean my calamari so that means I'm without ink. Womp, womp. So sad.

Today I made Truffled Cheese Ravioli and Pappardelle. Both easy and delicious. The pasta dough today was great for rolling out ravioli. I constantly change my pasta recipe based on the weather and when it looks right. Today, this recipe worked out extremely well. The recipe made four servings of pappardelle and 24 cheese filled ravioli.

Fresh Pasta:
2 cups AP flour
2 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
Pinch of salt
2T olive oil

With the dough hook on a stand mixer, mix all ingredients on the lowest speed, stopping and scraping down to make sure all the flour is incorporated. Once a dough is formed, allow to mix for six minutes. Then turn out the dough onto a board and knead by hand for an additional 3 minutes. Spilt the dough in two and form discs. Wrap in plastic and allow to sit at room temp for 45 minutes before rolling the dough into pasta shapes. Use additional flour when rolling out the pasta sheets.

Cook is salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes and serve.

There is nothing like fresh homemade pasta! I froze my ravioli for another day.

Pizza Party!

My Aunt Toots pays close attention to things I say in passing. I had mentioned that when I ordered the Momofuku Milk cookbook that I wish I had ordered Mozza as well. To add to the endless reasons of her awesomeness, I received the Mozza cookbook in the mail today!

Since I'm a total foodie nerd and chef and always hungry to learn, I think I'm one of the few who reads cookbooks cover to cover before trying a recipe. This doesn't surprise me as I just read The Hunger Games trilogy in four days. *uber nerd*

I digress. I make pizza as often as I can. I have a love of all bread doughs and experimenting with new recipes gives spark to my otherwise consumed life. I spent several years coming up with a couple of pizza dough recipes myself and they have a dear place in my heart, stomach, and kitchen. That said, I'm open to improvements and different textures and techniques. Insert Nancy Silverton's recipe and homemade pizza is now even more awesome. The recipe requires three hours of rising time which seems like a lot, but I age my dough overnight. I think if I use the properties learned from her recipes along with my years of technique, it might make for the most epic dough ever! I have no friends who would ever object to pizza as a meal. I'm fairly certain that I couldn't be friends with someone who would turn down a good slice.

Start your test kitchens! It's pizza party time!

My biggest secret for homemade pizza success is using a pizza screen. They are inexpensive (under $5) and turn your oven into a pizza oven instantly. Don't buy and expensive stone that takes hours to heat and is bulky to store. Even when you're using store bought dough it makes a world of difference. Buy the Mozza cookbook! You will thank me later. Xo

Roy G Bites! Magical Rainbow Unicorn Cookies

The cookie formerly known as Unicorn Poop:
If there is anything I want you to know about me, it is my love of unicorns and rainbows and sunshine! Luckily my sweet JJ figured that out a long time ago and sent me a recipe for Unicorn Poop cookies. Insert my girl Simi and they have a new name! Roy G Bites are magically delicious and when you put on your goggles Rainbow Riders, you will help transform the mood of anyone you share them with.

We all know Unicorns have magic powers. Something special happens when you make these cookies...eating a rainbow covered in disco dust, glitter gel, hearts, butterflies, and flowers will give you super powers. Be warned, you don't want to share them with anyone you don't want smiling at you!

Roy G Bites:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temp)
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp good salt

Special tools:
Parchment paper
ROYGBP gel colors
Disco Dust
Glitter Gel
Sugar hearts, butterflies etc.
Sugar pearls
Paintbrush
Magical hands and a loving heart

Cream the butter, shortening, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, one at a time until light and fluffy. Mix in the flour, salt and baking powder until just combined.

Portion the dough into six equal parts. Color each using the ROYGBP gels. I used a portion scoop to make sure I had even amounts of each color. You can weigh it or form a log and cut 6 portions as well. Wrap each of the colored doughs in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

Next, roll each of the doughs on a floured board to form six even logs. Cut each log in four pieces. Roll the individual colors out to the length of the original log (mine were about 15 inches). Place the colors on top of each other and cut into four more pieces. This will give you 16 perfectly magical cookies.

Continue rolling the dough (in the same direction) into a long rope about 1 cm thick and then holding one end, roll in one direction making a rainbow stripe. Use additional flour at any point...this is a moist dough from the eggs and will absorb the excess flour or you can brush it off with a dry paint brush.
Form the rope into a spiral and on the last ring, allow it to wrap towards the center, creating the mystical shape.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes.

Immediately top with sugar pearls, pushing them into the cookies so they don't roll out.

When the cookies have cooled, cover them with a layer of glitter gel, I had pink but white will work also. Use a small paintbrush to coat the cookies. Top with sugar decor and sprinkle with disco dust or other edible sugar sparkles.

Shiny, magical, delicious!

Original source for Unicorn Poop

Guilt Free 2012: Peach Pudding

If I told you it's possible to make a dessert in less than five minutes, with four ingredients, that is only 100 calories per serving, would you forgive me for cooking from a box?

My Peach Pudding is exactly that. I happened to come across no sugar added canned peaches. Banana pudding is a traditional southern treat and I loved the idea of peaches as an alternative. In less time than it takes to read this blog post, you can make a dessert that is guilt free and tastes amazing. If you eat the entire thing it still is only about 650 calories, although I'd prefer you share it with your friends or loved ones.

Peach Pudding

1 can no sugar added peaches, drained
1 small box sugar free vanilla instant pudding
2 cups cold milk
Nilla Wafers to top the pudding

Place the drained peaches in the bottom of your serving dish. Small bowls or glasses can be used for individual servings. Whisk the cold milk and pudding mix in a medium bowl for two minutes. Pour over the peaches and top with Nilla Wafers. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to enjoy.

Yes, it's that easy and I promise it tastes amazing. For a different twist, use sliced bananas and chocolate pudding mix.

You will have to remind yourself this recipe is guilt free because it tastes so indulgent.

Book and Cookie Pairing: The Paris Wife, Paula McLain & Palmiers

Palmiers or elephant ears are quite possibly one of the most simply delicious things ever. With modern advances in frozen pastry they are easy to make and are just as lovely even if you don't make the puff pastry yourself. I'm quite capable considering my high breed sugar education but, sometimes even I will take the easy road out.

I remember fondly that my second nanny, Joy, after Sarah the Brit who introduced me to Nutella quit, would take me to a bakery and every time without fail, I would choose a palmier. Back then I remember them being bigger than my head. Small hands can make memories seem so much larger. I think I questioned the chef when I was in school to make sure the "mini" version was the correct size. I was convinced they should be much larger and still believe it to be true.

I'm currently reading The Paris Wife, the story of Hemingway's first bride. Set in St. Louis, Chicago, and Paris this book screams for a sweet to match it's splendor. This two ingredient cookie is perfect! Light, flaky, buttery tasting with just a bit of sweetness, they are complimentary to my afternoon tea and fantastic book.

Palmiers

Frozen Puff Pastry, thawed
Sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Sprinkle some sugar onto a board and unfold the puff pastry. Sprinkle the dough with more sugar and roll out the dough using a rolling pin. Roll both sides in towards the center. Place in freezer for 5 minutes to firm up. Slice into small pieces and place on a parchment lined sheet pan. Bake until puffed and golden. Allow to cool before enjoying.

Winter Book and Cookie Pairings

Tennessee Winters are cold. I know I lived through Winters in New York and have spent Christmas in Paris but being a California girl it's easy to forget that once the temperature drops there's no hope for a beach day in December. The wind through the mountains sends a chill up your spine, and I'm told we haven't even seen the cold months yet.

The first Wednesday of the month in California was always a special day for me. It was the evening I most looked forward to. Wine and Art Pairings at the St. Regis Hotel. Imagine sipping a glass of Pinot while you are admiring a Picasso, and a Merlot with Matisse. This my friends is Orange County culture at it's finest. My secret love, art paired with perfect wine, and best of all an education on both from a renowned sommelier and educated and charming art dealer. You can purchase both the wines and the art, though my banjo skills haven't quite payed off yet. Alas, there will come a day where it will afford me my very own piece of art and wine history. Count on it!

Back in the tundra of East Tennessee, I'm trying to stay warm. I have purchased a faux fur coat and since I seem to feel like I'm in Russia during the Winter, it works out well for me. I don't mind the stares from the nice people here. I'm completely a fish out of water and everyone is still so pleasant.

Since I can't sit in the sun and catch a tan while catching up on my reading, I stay inside next to the warm fire from my wood burning stove. Missing my pairings, I thought I should do my own version. I have read so many great books recently. I've also been baking and eating a lot of cookies which is better than wine in this case, as I have a tendency to read a book cover to cover, generally in under three days. Cookies are good for about three days after you bake them (if they aren't consumed before then), and since I had shipped so many I wanted to see how they taste on the third day when they arrived to my friends, as opposed to the first and second. It was an interesting study and quite delicious. If your book takes you longer to finish, I'm sure your cookies will still be good.

Book and Cookie Pairing: Number One: Momofuku Milk Bar, Christina Tosi & Cornflake-Mini Chocolate Chip-Marshmallow Cookies

I'm obsessed. I have been to Milk Bar. I have had the "Crack Pie". I have been forever changed.

I feel it's appropriate to start my book and cookie pairing with a cookbook and a cookie from it. Christina Tosi wrote my version of a perfect cookbook. It's part book instead of just series of recipes thrown together. I read it cover to cover. It like the savory Momofuku cookbook is a book that compiles stories and technique lesson in an honest read. The best part is the measurements are in BOTH weights and American cup/teaspoon etc. Pure genius. You must buy it in it's gorgeous form of hardcover as opposed to on your iBooks/Nook/Kindle. You need to leave it lying around your house so when your friends come over they can flip through it and beg you to make them a birthday cake, or cookies, or pie.

It pairs nicely with the wonderful crunchy-sweet-salty-gooey-chocolate madness of the cookie. It will change the way you look at ingredients and give you all the tools and tips necessary to make the recipes a success. It's rare to be able to read a cookbook cover to cover but this one is amazing and is one of two cookbooks I refuse to live without, Momofuku being the other. Buy the book to unlock the cookie recipe. It's available on Amazon and get the current issue of Lucky Peach while you're at it. You're welcome, in advance ;)

Book and Cookie Pairing: Number Two: Then Again, Diane Keaton & Citrus Sugar Cookies with Orange Glaze

Diane Keaton has had an interesting life. She has made her untraditional path an awesome one. After discovering the treasures held the stories her mother wrote in a series of journals, she made them into a book. In parts she responds to her mother's beautiful writing, and in others, she is sharing her personal stories. She grew up in Orange County and writes of places I know well. She has written a refreshing though sometimes heavy book yet seems to make it light. My citrus sugar cookie has similar characteristics. The density of the cookie is brightened by the citrus zest and the orange glaze gives it a sweet and refreshing aspect that lightens what could be a heavy tasting cookie. A perfectly palatable paring of Orange cookies and stories from a girl who lived in Orange County.

Citrus Sugar Cookies

2 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp good salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup sugar
Zest 1/2 orange, 1/2 lemon and or lime
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste

Sift together the flour and salt, set aside. Zest the citrus into the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on medium until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add in the egg and vanilla bean paste and mix until light and fluffy. Add in the flour in two segments, mixing until just combined. Turn out the dough onto a piece of parchment or wax paper and form into a log. Refrigerate for at least two hours or freeze for 25-30 minutes. Slice the logs into cookie rounds and place on Silpat or parchment lined sheet pan. Bake at 350 degrees F until the bottoms just start to turn golden, 12-15 minutes. Let sit on the sheet pan for 5 minutes to cool before transferring to a cooling rack.

Orange Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 T lemon juice
2 T orange juice
Zest 1/2 orange

Whisk all ingredients together and place a teaspoon or so of glaze cookies while slightly warm on the cooling rack. Sprinkle with decorative sugar if desired.

Book and Cookie Pairing: Number Three: The Beach House, Jane Green & Nutella White Chocolate Cookies

A guilty pleasure pairing! I have become a fan of the fantastic Jane Green novels. While far from a romance novel, The Beach House is definitely a guilty pleasure read. The characters lives are relatable via fantasy. Much like my Nutella White Chocolate Cookies, you might not want to admit how much you enjoy the book or how many of these cookies you will eat. Both rich and indulgent they pair perfectly and I won't tell anyone if you also have a glass of wine with them ;)

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

10 T Butter or 1 stick plus 2 T, softened
1 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 Egg
3 T Nutella
1 1/3 cups AP Flour
1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp good Salt
1/4 cup or more White Chocolate Chips

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg and beat until light and fluffy. Add in Nutella and continue to mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the mixer if necessary. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. With a spatula, stir in the chocolate chips by hand. Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment or wax paper and roll into a log. Refrigerate for 2 hours or place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice circles of dough and place on parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet. Bake 10-13 minutes (or more depending on the size) or until they look done. Cookies will be soft. Allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet for 1-2 min before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Sweet December: Fleur de Sel Caramels

It's been quite a month so far...
I have spent a lot of time in the kitchen and at the post office. Some lucky friends and family have received my Christmas Cookies & Candy. I started making holiday treats long before I became a chef. My mom used to make divinity and I always loved making cookies for my friends. My candy skills have grown over the years but my favorite cookie recipes are the simple familiar ones, with a new twist. I made my peanut butter cookies and used M&M's instead of chocolate chips and rolled them in either red or green sugar before I baked them. They turned out pretty and seem to be a favorite among my friends.

I made vanilla marshmallows which is secretly my favorite thing to do EVER. The science of it is pretty awesome. The result is so amazing and wonderful I would run out of descriptive words if I told you how I really felt about them. I added crushed peppermint candy canes to the tops before they set up and it was not only pretty, but a great texture contrast.

The overall winning holiday recipe for me is a toss up. I can tell you that the cookie recipe I'm now obsessed with is Capt'n Crunch Berries-White Chocolate-Fruity Marshmallows. It's a twist on the also awesome Cornflakes-Mini Chocolate Chip-Marshmallow cookies from my favorite cookbook, Momofuku Milk Bar by a fellow French Culinary alum who is the chef at their sweet joints in NYC and Brooklyn. I refuse to repost her recipe because I think you should all buy the book. I will however, share my sweet recipe for Fleur de Sel Caramels. My favorite candy. Beloved by foodies this is a treat that sings when you bite into it. They are not as hard as the store bought caramels but you haven't had a caramel until you've had it with salt.

Fleur de Sel Caramels

2 cups white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup evaporated milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup butter (unsalted)
1 1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp Fleur de Sel (it's salt, but the only salt I use for baking) plus more for topping the caramels

Lightly spray a glass or ceramic baking dish with non stick spray (not the flour kind).

In a large heavy bottom pot combine all the ingredients except the vanilla and salt. Bring to a boil and cook until a candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees F stirring constantly. The mixture will expand so make sure you are using a large pot. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and teaspoon of Fleur de Sel. Pour into prepared dish and allow to set. It will take a while to cook and a long time to cool. Cut into small rectangles and sprinkle with Fleur de Sel. Wrap in traditional wax paper. Send some to my mom because she loves them.