Southern Tea Cakes

 

 

Southern Tea Cakes

Slightly adapted from Country Weekends by Lee Bailey
Makes about 30 cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons white distilled vinegar
2 1/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Coarse grind sugar for topping (optional)

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar together on high until light and creamy. Add the egg and mix well. Dissolve the baking soda in the vinegar and add to the batter, mixing well. Combine the flour and salt and gradually add to the mixer on low speed until the ingredients form a stiff batter.

Remove the dough onto a sheet of plastic, shape into a disk, wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Roll the dough out on a floured board to 1/4 inch thick. Cut 30 (2 1/2”) rounds using a plain or fluted cutter. Sprinkle the tops with coarse grind natural sugar, if desired.

Place the cookies on lightly buttered or Silpat lined sheet pans, leaving about 1” between cookies allowing room for them to spread slightly. Bake at 350° for about 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack. Store cookies in container with a tight fitting lid. The favor of the cookies improves if they are made a day or two ahead of serving.

Photo from Bijoux

Old Fashioned Blueberry Bars

One of my favorite summer treats from one of my favorite blogs, A Perfect Bite.  Perfect for barbecues and picnics.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup + 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided use

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup cold butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

Zest and juice of one lemon

4 cups blueberries

4 teaspoons cornstarch

Optional: Confectioners' sugar for dusting



Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 x 13 baking pan.

2) In a medium bowl whisk together 3 cups of flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut in butter until mixture is in pieces no larger than a pea. Mix in egg and vanilla extract. Dough will be crumbly but stick together when squeezed. Pat half of the dough into the pan.

3) In another bowl, mix reserved 1/4 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Add blueberries and gently toss them to coat. Pour blueberry mixture on top of the dough in pan. Then crumble remainder of dough evenly over surface of berries.

4) Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the top is slightly browned. Cool completely, then cut into squares. Dust with powdered sugar if using. Can be refrigerated for several days. Yield: 15 bars.

Ten Inexpensive Christmas Gifts From Your Kitchen

This is a reprint of a post I did last year on Lindaraxa's Garden.  I thought readers of this blog, who might have missed it, would enjoy it.

There is nothing more welcomed during the holidays than home cooked gifts.  If you have a signature cookie recipe or appetizer  make it to bring as a hostess gift or place under the tree for unexpected guest. If you really like the person, place a card with the recipe attached!  I try to concentrate on things that I know will be appreciated at a time when all of us have so much entertaining to do and so little time to do it. 

You will remember that this summer, when the strawberries were in season and on sale, I suggested you get started making jam so you would have a few gifts out of the way.  Well, if you didn't, there is still time this week!  Below, I have given you a choice of a few things that would be very welcomed at this time of the year.  There are cocktail recipes, bread to enjoy for breakfast on Christmas Day and even something simple like pasta sauce for the home you are visiting and the hostess who is going through all the trouble of entertaining you this year!  At least she wont have to make dinner one night.  If you want to go all the way, get a wicker basket and include a box of premium spaghetti, real Parmiggiano Reggiano a baguette and a nice Chianti.

 Beautiful containers can be purchased for a reasonable price at Marshalls, Target and other discount stores.  Going the extra mile will make anything extra special. Just think Martha Stewart in the wrapping department.

Most of the recipes are in this blog or the sister blog My Kitchen By The Lake.  There are a couple that have links to websites or blogs I like.

Here's a few suggestions:

Spiced Pecans - Wonderful with cocktails

Chicken Liver Mousse - Keeps for at least a week in refrigerator

Kentucky Beer Cheese - Great to have in the fridge

Fresh Strawberry Preserves -  Summer in December!

Candied Orange Rinds - Wonderful alone or with espresso.  Great directions on this site!

Tomato and Basil Sauce - Who wouldn't appreciate this!

Pumpkin Bread - Afternoon tea for the unexpected guest.  Freezes beautifully

Amaretti Cookies - Hard to find anywhere but NYC!

Goat Cheese Log - Leftovers make great addition to an omelette

Individual Pound Cakes - For breakfast, tea or dessert

Photo above:  Martha Stewart.com

Photo Carolyne Roehm

Chocolate Chubbies

From Sarabeth Levine, famed for her marmalades and jams all over the world and owner of Sarabeth's Kitchen in New York City comes the new book From My Hands to Yours.  A great Christmas gift for the baker in your list.

Here's a simple chocolate drop cookie recipe from the book for those who love cookies but want nothing too complicated to tackle.  Right up my alley.


Makes about 2 dozen cookies


Ingredients


8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

9 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (no more than 62% cacao), finely chopped

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 ¼ cups superfine sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1 ½ cups (5 ½ ounces) coarsely chopped pecans

1 ¼ cups (4 ½ ounces) coarsely chopped walnuts


Directions

Position racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper.

Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over low heat. Put the butter in a wide, heatproof bowl, and melt the butter over the hot water in the saucepan. Add the semisweet and unsweetened chocolate, stirring often, until melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cooled slightly but still warm, about 5 minutes.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Whip the eggs in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until the eggs are foamy and lightly thickened, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high and gradually add the sugar, then the vanilla. Whip until the eggs are very thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and beat in the tepid chocolate, making sure it is completely incorporated. Change to the paddle attachment and reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips, pecans, and walnuts, making sure the chunky ingredients are evenly distributed at the bottom of the bowl.The dough will be somewhat soft.

Using a 2-inch ice-cream scoop, portion the batter onto the prepared pans, placing the cookies about 1 ½ inches apart. Bake the cookies immediately—if you wait, they won’t be shiny after baking. Bake, switching the position of the pans from top to bottom and front to back about halfway through baking, until the cookies are set around the edges (if you lift a cookie from the pan, the edges should release easily, even if the center of the cookie seems underdone), 17 to 20 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool completely on the baking pans. (The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, with the layers separated by parchment paper, for up to 3 days.)



Peanut Butter Crisscrosses

Everybody seems to be baking Peanut Butter Crisscrosses these days.  When I got home from New York there was a box full of them that my pregnant neighbor had made (we should have guesses then!).  This week a group called Tuesdays with Dorie is making them.  You know Dorie, don't you? That's Dorie Greenspan the famous baker.  So I thought I would share them with you, in case you get the peanut butter crazies as well!

Ingredients:


•2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

•1 tsp. baking soda

•½ tsp. baking powder

•¼ tsp. salt

•Pinch of grated nutmeg (I used grounded nutmeg)

•1 cup / 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

•1 cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth, I used smooth)

•1 cup packed light brown sugar

•¾ cup sugar

•2 large eggs

•1 ½ cups chopped salted peanuts (I didn't chop them, it so much better when it's crunchy!)

•About ½ cup sugar, for rolling

Preparation:

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
Working with a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for a minute or two, until smooth and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat for another minute. Add the sugars and beat for 3 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl and, on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they just disappear. Mix in the chopped peanuts. You’ll have a soft, pliable (mushable, actually) dough.

Pour the ½ cup of sugar into a small bowl. Working with a level tablespoonful of dough for each cookie, roll the dough between your palms into balls and drop the balls, a couple at a time, into the sugar. Roll the balls around in the sugar to coat them, then place on the baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between them. Dip the tines of a fork in sugar and press the tines against each ball first in one direction and then in a perpendicular direction – you should have a flattened round of dough with crisscross indentations.

Bake for about 12 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. When done, the cookies will be lightly colored and still a little soft. Let the cookies sit on the sheets for a minute before transferring them to cooling racks with a wide metal spatula. Cool to room temperature.

Repeat with the remaining dough, making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches.

Storage:

The cookies will keep for at least 5 days in the cookie jar. Wrapped airtight, they can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Playing Around:

For a chocolate version, reduce the flour to 2 cups and sift 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder into the dry ingredients. Use 1 cup chopped salted peanuts and add 1/3 cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate (or chocolate chips, preferably minis) along with the nuts.



Preparation: 10 minutes

Baking: 12 minutes per batch

Portions: 60 cookies


From Dorie Greenspan's Baking from my Home to Yours

Almond Roca Cookies

This recipe was handpicked by Emeril in one of his contests. It comes from  Key Ingredient


Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup butter, room temp

2 eggs, room temp

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 package toffee bits

1 cup coarsely ground almonds

4 ounces milk chocolate

1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil


Directions

Preheat oven to 300. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend sugars together on medium speed, add butter to form a grainy paste. Add eggs and vanilla and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. At low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and the toffee bits. Mix just until blended. No overmixing, OK?

Place ground nuts in a small bowl. Using hands roll balls of dough into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls, then roll in the ground nuts. PLace in oven for about 22 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.

Melt the chocolate along with the vegetable oil. Drizzle this over the cooled cookies. Place in fridge until chocolate is firmly shed.

Savoiardi...Le Cordon Bleu Ladyfinger Recipe

Savoiardi are a sponge-like cookie originally from the Aosta Valley of Italy in the Alps, once known as the Duchy of Savoy (whence its name is derived). This Piemontese biscotti resembles lady fingers, though they're about twice as thick. Savoiardi also figure prominently in several desserts, including puddings, charlottes and tiramisu, as they absorb liquids excellently. The French call them biscuits à la cuillère and are a common ingredient also in many French desserts.

I have a hard time finding ladyfingers, particularly here at the lake.  I can never rely on the ones I occasionally find at the stores for their shelf life is limited and they often taste stale.  Making them from scratch is an option as they are fairly easy to make and will last in an airtight container 2-3 weeks.

The recipe below is from The Cordon Bleu At Home and makes a delicate and perfect accompaniment to your coffee or tea. They are light (but not too fragile), crispy and slightly sweet.

By the way, I also make my own amaretti cookies for the same reason. You can get the recipe in Lindaraxa's Garden by clicking here.


Makes 24-34 ladyfingers, depending on size


Ingredients:

Eggs, 3 separated

Granulated Sugar, 6 tbs

Cake Flour, sifted, 3/4 c

Confectioner's Sugar, 6 tbs


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then brush 2 baking sheets with softened butter and line with parchment paper.

2. Beat the egg whites with a whisk or electric mixer until stiff peaks form.

3. Gradually beat in the granulated sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form again; the meringue will be glossy and smooth..

4. Lightly beat the egg yolks with a fork, and fold into the meringue with a wooden spoon.  Don't overfold or the batter will deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.

5. Sift the flour over the mixture and fold in gently.

6. Pipe the ladyfingers: Fit the pastry bag with the large plain tip and fill with the ladyfinger batter.

7. Pipe strips of batter 5 in. long and 3/4 in. wide diagonally onto the baking sheets, leaving 1 to 2 in. between each strip.

8. Sprinkle half the confectioner's sugar over the ladyfingers; wait 5 minutes and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Sprinkle half the confectioner's sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.

9. Holding the parchment paper in place with your thumb, lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess confectioner's sugar.

10. Bake without opening the oven door for 10 min.

11. Then, rotate the baking sheet so the ladyfingers color evenly.

12. Cook until lightly golden, about 5 more minutes.

13. Remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and let cool on a rack.

Photo Credit La Tartine Gourmande
http://www.latartinegourmande.com/2006/06/29/la-necessite-des-biscuits-a-la-cuillere-a-necessity-for-ladyfingers/

Kid's Cookies - Gingerbread Reindeers

Santa and the reindeers would appreciate these for the long ride back to the North Pole!

Ingredients


3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 teaspoon baking soda, teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 large egg

3/4 cup unsulfured molasses


FOR DECORATING REINDEER COOKIES

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup sanding sugar

26 white-chocolate chips (about 1/3 cup)

16 red mini candy-coated chocolates

5 small white gumdrops

Directions

Sift flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a medium bowl; set aside.

Mix butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes; mix in spices and salt. Mix in egg and molasses, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Add flour mixture; mix on low speed until combined. Divide dough in half; pat into two disks. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.

To make puzzles, cut rolled dough into six rectangles, each 6 by 9 inches (reroll scraps once). Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet; refrigerate until firm, 20 to 30 minutes. Bake until cookies are set and edges are just starting to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. While cookies are hot, use a pizza cutter or paring knife to cut out desired puzzle shapes. Carefully lift edges of parchment to keep puzzle pieces together; transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely.

Fit a pastry bag with a 5/16-inch plain round tip (such as Ateco #3); fill with 1/2 cup untinted royal icing. Tie end with a rubber band; to prevent icing from drying out, stand bag, tip down, in a glass with a damp paper towel in the bottom. Tint remaining icing as desired; fill another pastry bag the same way.

Outline each puzzle piece with tinted icing; fill outlined area with more icing, smoothing with an offset spatula to make a thin layer. Let dry completely, about 1 hour. Keeping pieces together, use untinted icing to outline the shape of a tree (design should overlap all pieces); decorate area inside outline as desired. One at a time, lift each piece; sprinkle with sanding sugar, tapping off any excess. Let dry 1 hour; package in boxes, or store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

To make reindeer, use a 43/4-inch gingerbread-man cutter to make cookies (scraps can be rerolled once). For gift tags, cut with letter-shaped cookie cutters, and poke a hole with a straw. Transfer to baking sheets, and refrigerate until firm, 20 to 30 minutes. Bake until cookies are firm but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Melt semisweet chips in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; let cool slightly, and transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 7/16-inch plain round tip (such as Ateco #5). Pipe face and antlers with chocolate; sprinkle antlers with sanding sugar, tapping off any excess. Use white chocolate chips for eyes; pipe melted chocolate onto chips for pupils. Use red candy-coated chocolates for noses. Cut gumdrops lengthwise into 6 equal pieces; place one piece on each ear.

From Martha Stewart Kids

Pumpkin Cheesecake Crumble Squares

These were in Bon Appetit today.  Thought you might enjoy them this weekend!

A favorite from the '70s, pumpkin cheesecake is even more fun as a crumbly, nutty bar.


 Yield:  16 Squares


Ingredients

Crust

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced

1 cup pecan halves (about 4 ounces)

3/4 cup old-fashioned oats

Filling

8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese

3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Topping

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract


Preparation

For Crust:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Using on/off turns, blend first 4 ingredients in processor until coarse meal forms. Add pecans; using on/off turns, process until nuts are chopped. Add oats; process using on/off turns until mixture is moistened but not clumping. Press 3 1/2 cups crumbs onto bottom of prepared square pan (do not clean processor). Transfer remaining crumbs to lined baking sheet. Bake crumbs on sheet until golden, stirring once, about 12 minutes. Cool crumbs. Bake crust until golden, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven while preparing filling. Maintain oven temperature.

For Filling:

Blend all ingredients in same processor until smooth. Spread filling over warm crust; bake until set, dry in center, and beginning to rise at edges, about 20 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

For Topping:

Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Spread evenly over hot filling. Bake until topping sets and bubbles at edges, about 5 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. Sprinkle crumbs over topping; gently press into topping. Cover; chill until cold, about 2 hours.

Do ahead: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Cut into squares.


Recipe by Jeanne Thiel Kelley
Photograph by Brian Leatart

October 2006