Gourmet's Basic Butter Cookie Dough

Like many of you, I continue to mourn the death of Gourmet magazine. I was a subscriber for more than 20 years and their December issue was always my favorite. When I finally divested myself of the hard copies last year, it was the December issues I kept. They sit proudly on one of my bookshelves and I return to them again and again.

Happily, for us fans, there is a wonderful new blog project dedicated to highlighting and preserving the best of Gourmet Magazine. Its called Gourmet, Unbound - and you'll want to add it to your subscriptions and links. Each month, readers are invited to choose one recipe from Gourmet that was published during the same month and submit it to Gourmet, Unbound. The recipe can be from any year, but it must be from the current month. Bloggers and non-bloggers are invited to join the fun. Entries must be received by the 1st of the month. You can read the rules of entry here.

Even more happily, for me, they've extended the deadline for this month only. Good thing too! I had every intention of submitting this cookie by December 1st ... but that didn't happen. With thanks to Gourmet, Unbound for extending the deadline for us slackers ... this is my submission:

I happened upon this astounding cookie dough recipe back in 1995. It was in the December issue of Gourmet and I've been making it ever since. One big batch of luscious buttery dough that can be turned into any number of magnificent cookies, this double-duty dough is a real time saver.

Basic Butter Cookie Dough from Gourmet, December 1995:

This recipe provides enough dough to make two cookie variations.

• 1 pound (4 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 4 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

In the large bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Add the vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy. Beat in flour gradually, beating dough until just combined well.

Remove dough from bowl and divide into equal halves. Wrap each half in waxed paper and aluminum foil and chill in the fridge until needed. This recipe will yield approximately 3 pounds of dough, or enough to make 2 different cookie variations.

I used half of mine to make the cookies seen above ...

Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Sticks:

• 2 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, toasted and cooled
• 1/2 prepared basic butter cookie dough at room temperature (recipe above)
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate or chocolate chips

In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the basic cookie dough and the cooled toasted coconut and beat until just combined well. Halve the dough and place each half between long sheets of waxed paper. Roll and pat each half of dough, shaping with your hands, into 11' by 2 1/2' rectangles. Chill shaped dough, wrapped in waxed paper, until firm - about 30 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Work with one rectangle of dough at a time. Place the chilled rectangle on a cutting board and, using a sharp knife, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch slices. Arrange slices 1 inch apart on a large cookie sheet. With a sharp knife, cut each slice in half lengthwise to create two "sticks", separating them slightly with knife.

Bake cookies in batches in the middle of a pre-heated 350 degree oven until pale golden, about 12 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer carefully to a wire rack to cool completely.

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or a double boiler and gently dip one end of each stick into chocolate, dragging underside against the rim of the bowl to remove excess. Transfer coated sticks to sheets of wax paper to harden. When chocolate has hardened, cookies may be stored between layers of wax paper in airtight containers up to 6 weeks in the freezer. As written, this recipe will yield approximately 10 - 15 dozen cookies.

Cook's Notes: Now, what the recipe doesn't tell you - but I will - is that these suckers really puff when you cook them. Despite my own large notation in the margin, I fu ... er, screw this up every time I make them! Make thin slices when you are cutting the dough into strips. I usually get it right by the time I hit the 3rd batch, i.e., the end of the dough. Grrr. Do as I say, not as I do and cut them into 1/4 slices for the first cut. Really, I mean it!

Also, I recommend turning the cookie sheet half-way through the 12 minutes to ensure an even bake.

These cookies really are magnificent, especially if you love toasted coconut. They freeze and defrost beautifully, and what's better than a two-for-one?! Nothing. Stay tuned for the second iteration ... Mocha Butter Balls ... on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Bon appetit!

Winner!

Photo courtesy of CubeMarketplace.com

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner! There were a total of 23 comments on the post, though two of them came after the midnight deadline, therefore the final tally was 21. I plugged that figure into the generator at random.org and the winner is ....

Congratulations Lucky Number 7!

Comment from doggybloggy of Chez What? who wrote:

"lovin' the photo - make mine a double!"

Well doggy, my friend, now you can make your own double! I can't wait to see what you do with the syrup - I know it will be amazing!

And, in some sense, I'm a winner too ... doggybloggy is local so I hope to hand over the syrup in person and save myself another trip to the post office this season. Bonus! I will email you, dogg, and make arrangements for the hand-off.

I had hoped to include a screen shot of the random number generator, but I just couldn't get my camera to focus on it. Grrr.

Many thanks to all of you for playing along and especially to CubeMarketplace.com for sponsoring the give-away. I wish you all could have won, but fear not ... Cube and I will team up again for another give-away this coming Spring. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, I'm off to the husband's annual holiday party tonight ... let's hope there won't be a repeat of last year's Recipe for Disaster! ~wink~

I'll be back on Monday with that marvelous cookie recipe I mentioned yesterday.

Cheers!

Cookies, Cookies and More Cookies

'Tis the season to be baking! Or, at least it is for many of us. I don't know about you, but I'll be up to my elbows in flour today, this weekend, and for the better part of next week too. Perhaps I'll even find some time to Christmas shop in between batches!

Fear not, new recipes will be forthcoming - including the recipe for the butter cookie cut-outs you see above - but today is a work day and I will be chained to the stove.

Meanwhile, there are some wonderful cookie events going on around the web and I thought it might be nice to link you to them here ...

Lottie + Doof's 12 Days of Cookies - Today is day 9, but you can revisit the previous entries from any of the cookie posts. The entries are spectacular: Dorie Greenspan's Linzer Sables, Marlow & Son's Shortbread, 101 Cookbooks' Sparkling Ginger Chip Cookies - to name but a few!

5 Second Rule's Virtual Cookie Swap - You may recall that my Hungarian Horns won Cheryl's Virtual Swap last year. I didn't enter this year, but I'm dying to see the finalists. There are some wonderful entries in the mix. You can vote for 3 of your favorites here - and be sure to tune back in and follow Cheryl as she bakes her way through the swap to the eventual winner. Its bound to be a tasty ride!

Steph Chow's Post-Holiday Cookie Exchange - Steph is organizing an actual cookie exchange! Participants have until January 16th to mail a dozen or two cookies to their recipient, which is nice for those of us without the time to make an extra batch this month. If you'd like to participate, rules of entry are listed here.

And, if you're looking for a fun and festive way to package your homemade treats this year, check out Dana McCauley's Food Blog today for a wonderful suggestion!

Are you hosting a cookie even this season? If so, shout it out in the comments so I can add you to the links here.

This Friday I'll be featuring a classic butter cookie recipe from Gourmet Magazine that is sure to please ... one giant batch of dough that can be spiced and mixed several different ways. Its a double duty cookie you won't want to miss. Stay tuned!

Finally, today is the last day to enter my Lavender Syrup Give-Away, you have until midnight tonight. The winner will be announced tomorrow afternoon. Until then ...

Happy Baking!

Carrot and Parsnip Soup

C'mon in, I've made you some soup. And not just any soup either - a luscious and healthy root vegetable soup. Doesn't it look delicious? Aw, thanks. Wait, what's that you say? No, no, of course I'm not trying to pawn off more leftovers on you. This soup is entirely fresh! Honest. I mean it.

~blink~

Ok, you caught me crossing my fingers behind my back. This soup is made of leftovers ... but not in the way that you think. In addition to the bounteous remains of the holiday meal, I found myself long, very long, on a variety of raw veggies after Thanksgiving. Parsnips and baby carrots were the chief offenders. I'm not entirely sure why I bought a whole bag of parsnips when I needed just one or two for my turkey. And I had all good intentions of setting out bowls of hummus and dip with baby carrots and assorted crudite late into the evening on Thanksgiving, when we were playing poker. But alas, our bellies were too full and the game was too intense.

Hoping to clear some room in the fridge after Thanksgiving, I whipped up a batch of this comforting soup.

Carrot and Parsnip Soup:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large leek, white and pale green part only, peeled and chopped
• 1 large shallot, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup of chopped onion
• 1 stalk of celery, leaves included
• pinch of Kosher salt and a generous grating of fresh black pepper
• 1 full pound of baby carrots, washed and trimmed of any ugly ends
• 4 large parsnips, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
• two 14.5 ounce cans of non-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
• one 14.5 ounce can of non-fat, low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon good quality curry powder, or more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• grating of fresh nutmeg
• pinch of cayenne pepper, optional
• pinch of ground white pepper, optional
• a couple of teaspoons of chopped fresh dill
• optional - 1 teaspoon of honey to finish the soup if desired

For garnish:

• some non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• chopped fresh parsley
• chopped fresh dill

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed soup or stock pot over medium-high heat and add the leeks, shallots, onions and celery. Add a pinch of Kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper, stir and saute until the onions are translucent and the vegetable are tender but not yet brown - about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the ground coriander, curry powder, celery salt and cayenne pepper, if using. Stir to combine and saute for 1 minute. Add the carrots, parsnips, chicken broth, vegetable broth and lemon juice. Add a pinch of white pepper, if desired, and a grating of fresh nutmeg. Stir to combine. Raise the heat and bring the soup to the boil. Then cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until both the carrots and parsnips are fork tender.

Remove from heat and puree using an immersion blender. (Alternately, the soup can be pureed, in batches, using a food processor or blender. Be careful, its hot!) Return the soup to the heat and re-warm if necessary. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more of whatever you like. If you prefer a sweeter soup, you may add a teaspoon of honey now. If you'd like a bit more acid, another squeeze of lemon should do the trick. Stir to combine.

To serve: ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a dollop of non-fat Greek yogurt and a dusting of fresh parsley and dill.

As written, this recipe will yield 6 servings.

Why, yes, it does bear a striking resemblance to my Cream-Free Creamy Carrot Soup ... they're cousins.

Bon appetit!

Thirsty Thursdays: Lavender Syrup Give-Away Edition

I'm very excited about today's give-away. You see, it gives me the opportunity to introduce you to both a wonderful product and an amazing resource. Not only that, I get to shout-out a blog friend in the process. Let's get to it, shall we?!

Last month, Jessica from Cube Marketplace reached out to me on the advice of blog friend, Erika, from In Erika's Kitchen. Seems that Cube Marketplace was organizing some pre-holiday give-aways and Erika was kind enough to suggest my blog to Jessica. Thanks, Erika!

Cube Marketplace is an online gourmet emporium, specializing in unique artisanal products from around the globe. Jessica offered me two of any product I should choose; one to feature in a recipe and one to give away. Color me delighted! I immediately clicked over to their site and began searching through the staggering array of delights. Soon enough, I fell completely in love with Cube. Quite honestly, it was a bit like turning a kid lose in a candy store. I was torn between the truffle salt, the pine syrup, the cheeses, the vinegars, the mushrooms ... just go ahead and click, you'll see what I mean.

Eventually, I settled on a bottle of Le Pere Pelletier Lavender Syrup. Why, you ask? So I could turn it into an elegant and intriguing cocktail, of course!

Lavender Lemon Martini:

• 3 ounces of premium vodka
• 3/4 ounce of Le Pere Pelletier Lavender Syrup
• 3 to 4 drops lemon bitters

Fill a martin shaker with ice and over it pour the vodka, lavender syrup and lemon bitters. Shake well, until the outside of the shaker frosts, and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist or slice. Serve and enjoy, repeat as necessary!

As written this recipe will yield one incredibly delicious and enchanting martini. The lavender flavor is present, but not over powering, and the lemon bitters lends just enough of an edge to compliment the sweet notes.

If martini's aren't your thing, fear not, the lavender syrup can be used in a myriad of ways. You can add it to coffee, tea, ice cream or milkshakes. You can swizzle it into some fresh lemonade for an unexpected twist. You can even bake with it. Can you imagine a chocolate-lavender cheesecake for instance? I can. Heck, I already have and am working it out in my mind as we speak.

Photo courtesy of CubeMarketplace.com

And here's the really good news: you all have a chance to win a bottle of this magical elixir for yourself! To enter: simply leave a comment on this post telling me what you'd like to make with the lavender syrup. You have until midnight on Wednesday, December 9th to enter. One winner will be selected via use of a random number generator. I will announce the winner on the afternoon of Thursday, December 10th. Contest is open to U.S. residents only. Winner must be willing to provide me with his/her name and mailing address so I can send off the syrup. Good luck!

Many, many thanks to Jessica and Cube Marketplace for sponsoring this fun and festive give-away! I can't wait to continue my experiments with the lavender syrup.

Lastly, if your holiday shopping list includes anyone who likes to cook (or eat!), you're sure to find all manner of good things for stuffing those stockings at Cube Marketplace.

Cheers!

p.s. - In order to keep things simple for the give-away drawing, I will not be responding to comments on this post. If you have any questions about the syrup, or anything else, leave me your email address or contact me at: divaonadiet@gmail.com .

Thanksgiving Re-Mix: Stuffed Peppers Edition

At first glance, this post is going to look like it won't be of much use to you - especially if you don't have any leftover pork stuffing hanging around. And though I'll include a recipe, its not really about the recipe. Its about using what you've got. Its about recycling and remixing. And, most of all, its about playing with your food.

If you've got a fridge full of holiday leftovers mocking you every time you open the door, this post is for you. And, honestly, it doesn't much matter what kind of leftovers you've got - anything will do. Mainly we're talking about a technique here; recombining and recreating a little magic from the scraps of the holiday. If you have some meat stuffing, great! If not, feel free to use bread stuffing. No stuffing at all? I'm sure you could use mashed potatoes.

The same goes double for the vegetables and spices I've used. Go right ahead and play around with them. You could use almost anything in both the sauce and the stuffing. Do as you see fit and cook with what you've got!

Stuffed Peppers:

For the Sauce

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 rib of celery, leave included, diced
• 1/2 cup of diced onion
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 3/4 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ras el hanout
• 1/4 cup of dry red wine
• one 15 ounce can of plain tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and to it add the carrots, celery and onions. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and saute until the onions are translucent and the vegetables have softened a bit, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the paprika and the ras el hanout, stir to combine and saute for one minute. Add the red wine, stir and saute until reduced by half. Add the tomato sauce, the vinegar, the broth, the dill and the parsley, stir well, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove from heat and reserve.

For the Peppers

• 2 large bell peppers, any color
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small shallot, peeled and diced
• 1 small carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 cup of leftover pork or meat stuffing or dressing
• 1 cup of cooked quinoa (or bulgar, brown rice or couscous)
• 1/2 cup of cooked, chopped tukey
• 1/4 cup of leftover gravy
• some chopped fresh dill
• some chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, for topping
• 2 tablespoons seasoned dried whole wheat bread crumbs, for topping
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley, for topping

Slice the peppers in half length-wise and remove the stems, cores and seeds. Reserve.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and to it add the shallots and carrots. Saute until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the pork stuffing and the quinoa, stirring well to combine. Add the turkey and the gravy, stir and allow it to melt into the meat mixture. Add the parsley and dill, stir well to combine, then remove from heat and reserve.

In a small bowl, mix the Parmesan cheese, dried bread crumbs and chopped parsley together. Reserve.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.

To stuff the peppers: Place the reserved sauce in the bottom of an oven safe baking dish, and nestle the peppers, skin side down, into the sauce. Fill the inside of the peppers with the reserved meat and quinoa mixture. Top each of the stuffed peppers with some of the Parmesan and bread crumb mixture and dot with a little bit of butter. Cover the dish with foil and bake in the middle of a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil and allow the peppers to bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden and the peppers are just beginning to soften. Serve drizzled with some sauce from the bottom of the pan and a dusting of fresh herbs. Enjoy!

My objective in adding all of that dill, and the ras el hanout and vinegar, to the sauce was to make something that did not taste like Thanksgiving! ... And, it didn't. The resulting sauce was well balanced; a bit spicy, slightly tangy and the perfect foil for the rich pork stuffing. If you're not a fan of dill, by all means feel free to substitute. Ditto for the quinoa - any cooked rice, grain or pasta would work as well.

I'll be submitting both this dish and the Baked Eggs in Stuffing Cups to 5 Star Foodie's Thanksgiving Leftovers Make-Over Challenge. Be sure to check out 5 Star Foodie on Monday, December 7th for a full round-up of all the leftover creations!

Stay tuned for my Thirsty Thursdays give-away tomorrow ... it will be most unusual and refreshing!

Bon appetit!

Stuffed!

Initially, I thought I'd be doing a full recap of our Thanksgiving meal yesterday ... but as it turns out, I went and got my hair done instead! A Diva's got to do what a Diva's got to do. Besides, I don't know about you, but I think I might be a little over Thanksgiving at this point.

At a minimum, I'm over the foods. We had a wonderful holiday, it all went off without a hitch, and the meal was as delicious as can be. I'm just tired of eating it. And, I bet you are too. Sure there was turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes and turnips, two kinds of stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans with mushrooms and onions, dinner rolls and an abundance of wine. The company was excellent and the desserts were plentiful. Really, we were well and truly blessed this holiday.

And now I'm blessed with a fridge full-to-bursting with the remains of the feast. Rather than recapping, suffice it to say that much of this week will instead be devoted to turning those leftovers into other meals. Let's start with breakfast, shall we?

Last week, Papa Diva told me about an idea he heard on his local radio station. Seems that a woman called in to describe her unusual use for leftover bread stuffing. She uses the stuffing to line a muffin tin and bakes an egg inside each little cup of stuffing. Color me intrigued!

On Sunday, I gave the suggestion a whirl ...

Baked Eggs in Stuffing Cups:

• butter for greasing the muffin tin
• some leftover bread dressing or stuffing
• large eggs

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F and butter your muffin tins.

Spoon some bread dressing or stuffing into each muffin cup, enough to cover the bottom and sides of the cup completely. Using your (clean) fingers, press the stuffing down to flatten the bottom and shape it to fit the cup, pressing it up the sides and slightly above the rim, making sure to leave a depression in the center that is large enough to accommodate an egg. When finished, you should have roughly 1/2 inch of stuffing lining each cup.

Crack a large egg into the center of each stuffing cup and bake in the middle of a 350 degree oven for 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the speed of your oven and your desired egg consistency. I baked mine for about 22 minutes and that was perfect for my oven - the whites were completely set and the yolks were slightly runny. Use your best judgement and begin checking the eggs at the 15 minute mark, then every 5 minutes after until they are done to your liking.

Remove the stuffing/egg muffins from the tin, garnish with some fresh herbs, serve and enjoy!

What an outstanding use for leftover stuffing! The savory herbed bread mixture was exquisite when paired with the silky baked egg. If I had thought of it, I would have been wise to mix a bit of leftover pork stuffing in with the bread for an even better stuffing McMuffin! Next time for sure.

I could also see adding a bit of cheese to the mixture, or perhaps dusting the top of the egg with a bit of shredded Parmesan or even some cream. We're mainly talking about a technique here and you should feel free to get creative with it. Heck, you might even decide to top the whole thing off with gravy or add a bit of mashed potatoes to the mix. The bottom line here is that this is a fun and festive way to start the day ... and a great way to make a dent in some of those holiday leftovers. Thanks, Papa Diva ... and thanks to the mystery caller, whomever she is!

Stay tuned for more of my Thanksgiving remix this week as I make my way through the fridge. And be sure to come back on Thursday for a very special edition of Thirsty Thursdays ... I've got a fabulous give-away to go along with a most unusual cocktail.

So, are you getting creative with your leftovers this week? Got any tips for something a little off-beat and unexpected? Curious Diva wants to know.

Bon appetit!

Edited to add: I'll be submitting this dish to 5 Star Foodie's Thanksgiving Leftovers Make-Over Challenge. Be sure to check out 5 Star Foodie - Culinary Adventures on Monday, December 7th for a full round-up of all the leftovers!