Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Jamestown1630]

I used to have a neighbor who refused to cook. I think she got tired of cooking while raising her child, and determined thereafter to always Eat Out - which was kind of a waste, as she usually ordered the same, plain items all the time.

In a real pinch she might fry up a slice of Spam and open a can of baked beans, but that was the extent of her home cooking. Very occasionally, she would rave about some restaurant offering that was brand-new to her and had somehow slipped past her general policy of gastronomic non-experimentation (I remember once it was Three Bean Salad, which she had never eaten before) but overall, she seemed pretty insensate to food.

However, there were three exceptions: she was a coffee fiend, and even refused to keep a coffee maker in her home for fear that she’d overindulge and never sleep again; she loved chocolate, and when depressed she'd stop by the drugstore after work, grab chocolate ice cream, and make dinner of it; and she adored PUMPKIN!

I think her pumpkin-desire bordered on addiction: once she started, she couldn't quit. If she had just stopped to think, and decided to learn to COOK, she could have had any pumpkin-thing, anytime; but that thought didn't occur. So, she anxiously awaited the seasonal, pumpkin offerings at Starbucks and other chains, and made whole meals of them. And when I'd bake a big pumpkin pie for her, she'd wolf that sucker down in a day.

She would have loved the following recipe. It comes from Dean Fearing’s cookbook ‘The Mansion on Turtle Creek’:

Pumpkin Ice Cream with Pecan Sauce (makes 2 quarts)

10 extra large Egg Yolks

1-1/4 C. Sugar

2 C. Heavy Cream

1 Vanilla Bean, split lengthwise

1 C. Pumpkin Puree

1 tsp. ground Cinnamon

Pinch of ground Nutmeg

Pinch of ground Cloves

2 C. Cold Milk

Pecan Sauce (below)

Whole pecans for garnish, if desired

Combine egg yolks and sugar in a small bowl, beating until smooth and lemon-colored. Set aside.

Place cream and vanilla bean in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and cool slightly.

Remove vanilla bean and add a small amount of cream to yolks, stirring briskly. Slowly add yolks to remaining cream, stirring constantly. Strain through cheesecloth or a fine sieve.

Combine pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Stir into strained mixture and chill.

When well chilled, combine with cold milk and pour into an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

Place scoops of Pumpkin Ice Cream on cold dessert plates. Spoon Pecan Sauce around ice cream and garnish with pecan halves, if desired.

Pecan Sauce

1 Cup whole or broken Pecan halves

½ C. unsalted Butter

¼ C. Sugar

2 T. Water

¾ C. Heavy Cream

Place pecans in a food processor or blender and process until very fine. Add butter and process until smooth. Measure ½ Cup, and reserve.

Combine Sugar and Water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, until sugar mixture becomes the color of dark caramel. Remove from heat, and whisk in ½ C. of the pecan butter, then heavy cream.

Return to heat and bring to a boil. Again remove from heat and stir in remaining pecan butter. Cool and serve at room temperature.

(Pecan Sauce can be made a few hours ahead and kept at room temperature.)

[Trillian]

I just came across this while entering a contest on their site. I might have to try making them. They look delicious.

Biscoff Cookies (Speculoos Cookies)

This cookie has been loved in Belgium for hundreds of years. Famous chefs have it on their dessert menu, and a major American Airline has been serving this type of cookie onboard for years with great demand.

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour*
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 sticks unsalted butter, soft
2 cups packed Imperial Sugar Dark Brown Sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sliced almonds (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Sift together flour and all spices twice and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix on medium speed butter until light and fluffy. Add brown sugar and mix well. Add egg and combine well. Then, scrape bowl and add egg white. Mix to combine.
Add sifted dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
Place dough in refrigerator overnight or at least 2 hours to chill.
Tip on rolling dough: These types of cookies are always best when rolled on a lightly floured surface. Using not properly chilled dough or working in a warm kitchen can make things difficult. Pre-chilling your work surface is easily done by placing a couple of cookie sheets filled with ice on the area where you will be rolling the dough. Wood is an excellent surface to roll all types of dough.
Remove about 1/4 of dough and roll on a floured cool work surface or a lightly floured kitchen towel. Roll dough about 1/8 inch thick. Cut using a knife into rectangles about 2.5 x 1 inch.
Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. If desired place a few sliced almond pieces on each cookie and place in preheated oven.
Bake 15-18 minutes. The cookies will slowly rise and then collapse. Once they have collapsed, they are close to being done. When pressed lightly with a finger, they should spring back.
Allow to cool. If they are not crisp enough when cool, return to oven for a few more minutes.
Store in a tightly wrapped plastic bag to keep cookies crisp.

Plan For:
Chill at least 2 hours to overnight

http://www.imperialsugar.com/recipes/desserts/cookies-bars/biscoff_cookies_speculoos_cookies