Accidental Hedonist

12 days of Christmas Cookies: Day 10

Here we are, heading into the homestretch of this cookie marathon. Let me state, for the record, that I have hit the figurative “Cookie Wall”, where I’m not sure I can bear to face another recipe and another load of cookies to make. I just thank goodness that Tara’s coworkers have taken on the task of eating a fair majority of the items I have baked thus far.

Which comes to what I believe to be a new law – Let’s call it “Kate’s Law of Christmas Cookie Baking”. This law states that “Unless one is a professional baker, one should make no more than five different cookie recipes for any Holiday season.”

Meanwhile, to answer a question posed to me by the ever lovely Tara – These are not macaroons, for a variety of reasons. The primary reason is that macaroons need egg whites, which this recipe lacks.

• 2 2/3 cup shredded coconut
• 2 Tablespoons corn starch
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons almond extract (Amaretto will also work)
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds

Preheat yoru oven to 325 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine the coconut and the corn starch. Stir in the condensed milk and the almond extract and mix well. Lastly, mix in the slivered almonds.

Drop the coconut dough, one teaspoon at a time, onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, spreading the drops at least one inch apart from one another.

Place the cookie sheet into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet.

Makes 2 dozen cookies, give or take

Technorati Tags: Recipes, Cookies, Holiday Cookies, Coconut Drops

Shelly’s daughter Amanda helped me out with these cookies/pastries, and I have to say that she did a wonderful job.

This Sicilian treat can be a sticky mess, as you’re dealing with honey in the batter. This is also a very sweet pastry, as you’re not only dealing with honey, but with a cup of sugar to top it off.

The end result is quite worth it. We found that the crispier the cookie, the better it seemed to taste.

NOTE: Feel free to keep spray oil handy as the honey will stick to anything. The oil is the best way to keep the cookies from sticking to the cookie sheet.

• 2 1/2 cups almonds, crushed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. cardamom
• zest from 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup clover honey
• 2 egg whites

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the almonds, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and lemon zest. Mix well.

Add the 1/4 cup of honey slowly and knead with your hand. Then add the egg whites, kneading into the batter 1 tablespoon at a time, until your batter is the consistency of wet sand. Note that it’s not only possible, but quite likely that you won’t use all of the egg whites. Too much egg whites and your batter will be too loose to be cohesive in the oven.

Shape the batter into cakes about 1/4″ high and 2 inches across and place on well oiled aluminum foil covered on a cookie sheet. Set apart on the cookie sheet far enough to prevent the cookies from melting into one another.

Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Technorati Tags: Recipes, cookies, Italian Food

There are times when you want to bake because you’re hungry, there are times you bake because you’re inspired, and there are times you bake because it takes you to your happy place.

Finally, there are times you bake for all three reasons. Making this tart was one of those times.

Regular followers of this site understand that I love tarts. They’re relatively simple, yet seem to me so exquisite, so aesthetically pure. So when I came across a recipe for this tart in this months Bon Appétit, I knew instinctively that I MUST make it.

So I did, and it gave me an excuse to use my new camera as well.

Make sure you understand that you should use fresh cherries, not the frozen kind. That means you will be pitting them for about 20 minutes in order to have the requisite amount for the recipe. It is so worth it.

Crust

• 1 1/4 cup AP flour
• 1/4 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into small cubes
• 1/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons (or more) ice water

Filling

• 1 lb fresh sweet cherries, pitted and left whole
• 6 Tablespoons Granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon AP Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 teaspoon lemmon zest
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
• 1 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds (give or take)

To make the crust:
Pour yourself a glass of ice water. Put in several ice cubes and place into freezer for 10-15 minutes. This will make sense later.

Place flour, shortening, butter, sugar and salt into food processor. Pulse until its well combined, but not overly so (Prefereably you should see little balls of shortening and/or butter…it’s not a prerequisite, but it will igve you a flakier crust). Take glass of water from freezer and pour 2 tablespoons of ice water, sprinkle it on flour. Process until moist clumps form.

Remove from the processor, form into a ball and flatten it out. Wrap in plastic wrap and refirgerate for 1 hour.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface into a 12 inch disk. Place in a 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom. Fold in excess dough to create a double thickened crust. Place in freezer for ten minutes.

Line the inner crust with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights and bake for 20 minutes, or until edges are set. Remove foil and pie weights, and bake until gold brown, about another 10 minutes. Cool completely.

To make the filling:

Line the bottom of crust with whole cherries.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon. Whisk in cream, egg yolks, lemon zest, orange peel, almond extract and salt. Pour over cherries in tart and top with sliced almonds. Bake in oven until set in center, roughly 40 minutes. Cool 30 minutes.

Serves 8

Here’s another recipe for homemade hooch. This is my second such attempt at making a liqueur (the first being the ever memorable Angelica Liqueur…yum). I can now understand why few people make their own liqueurs. Making these drinks requires a fair amount of patience, as it requires a month of your time. If you’re part of the immediate gratification crowd, it’s simpler to go to your state liquor store. The month wait would definitely be a “con”.

However, on the “pro” side of the coin, you can make drinks that have tastes unique unto themselves. This is why I get that little thrill of these drinks, as I’ll have a drink that I can use to either placate my palate, or use in various recipes. However, if you’re a betting person, I’d count on the former rather than the latter.

• 1 750 ml bottle of high end, non-flavor vodka
• 1 cup crushed almonds
• 1/2 cup almond paste or marzipan
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar

In a clean jar, pour in vodka. Add almonds and almond paste. Close jar with lid. Shake well. Set aside for two weeks, shaking the jar at least twice a day.

After two weeks, pour vodka into a pitcher, straining it with cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Rinse out jar with water only (no soap). Meanwhile, make a simple syrup by combining 2 cups of water with one cup of sugar in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce liquid to between 1 and 1 1/2 cups of liquid. Take off heat and allow to cool.

Pour almond vodka back into jar, and add syrup. Place lid back on and shake well. Once again, set aside for two weeks, shaking the jar at least twice a day.

Before serving, you may wish to strain through a coffee filter one or two more times in order to remove any sediment. Bottle and serve!

Quick quiz for you here…Which nut is most prevelant in Jell-o Pistachio pudding mix?

Almonds.

This is another one of the Peasant soups that Italy is known for. It’s great on a cold day, or as a start to Thanksgiving dinner. Little known made-up fact: the Tuscans were quite found of celebrating American Thanksgiv…

It’s a must to use sweet onions in this soup, or you will get something far different than intended.

• 4 oz blanched almonds
• 2/3 c. white wine vinegar
• cinnamon stick
• 2 lbs Sweet onions
• 4 T olive oil
• 1 t sugar
• 1 t salt
• 32 oz. Chicken stock
• 6 slices Italian bread (Pugliese, if you can find it)
• Crumbled Fontina cheese
• Chopped Italian Parsly (for garnish)

Crush the almonds (in mortar or food chopper) and soak in the vinegar with the cinnamon stick for about one hour. This should create a bit of an almond “paste”

Chop the onions and fry in the oil until translucent.

Rinse the almonds in a sieve and add to the onions, along with the cinnamon stick. Add the sugar, salt and stock, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for half an hour.

Toast the slices of bread (putting them in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes works fine), place a slice in each dish. Ladle soup over bread (or use it as I had done in the pic above)

Sprinkle with grated cheese and top with parsley.

Serves 4

This is not my recipe, and am unsure of where it comes from. But it’s a quick to make, and fairly simple clean up. And their addictive as all get out.

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 egg whites
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups whole unblanched almonds

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum
foil.

Place sugar in a large bowl.

Beat egg lightly in medium size bowl. Stir in vanilla extract and salt. Add almonds, tossing until coated with egg mixture.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the almonds to sugar in a bowl; toss well to coat almonds evenly. Remove coated almonds to the prepared baking sheet, spacing the almonds 1/2 inch apart.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until almonds are golden. Cool almonds completely on baking sheet. Store in airtight containers for up to 1 month.