Springerle
10-Jan-2009
I’ve written about those cookies several times but I’ve never been completely satisfied with the way they turned out. But this year, this year I finally was able to end up with the cookie I remember! And do it consistently over a couple batches. Yay! I’m so happy to have finally mastered this recipe. And it wasn’t about tweaking the ingredients but about really understanding the technique.
This is another of those recipes that I really wonder how my grandmother made them with out a big ol’ mixer. I’m sure it could be done but I’ve got to say that she was made of much hardier stock than I am.
As I’ve mentioned before you can buy the molds from places like Amazon. Or you can try to find original molds on Ebay
but they are collector items and come at quite a cost. The ones I use now I purchased at Sur la Table.
but they are collector items and come at quite a cost. The ones I use now I purchased at Sur la Table. I’m posting both the original recipe, which was the common one used in years past and was actually found on the back of many of the molds, and then below it I have my notes on how to make the recipe actually work.
Springerle
(Grandma W)
Sift 4½ cups flour with 1 tsp. baking powder.
Grease two large cookie sheets. Sprinkle them generously with anise seeds.
In large bowl beat 4 eggs at medium speed until light. Gradually add 1# (3¾ cups) powdered sugar, sifted, while beating well.
With wooden spoon blend in 1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind and flour mixture.
Wrap in plastic and refrigerate one hour.
Roll dough ½” thick on lightly floured board. With floured springerle form print pictures on surface. With sharp knife cut out cookies on lines between pictures.
Let stand on cookie sheets at least 12 hours.
Bake at 325° 25 to 30 minutes.
Cool, then store in airtight containers. Makes 40.
(Brenda’s Notes)
In large bowl beat 4 eggs (with whisk attachment) at medium speed until light (at least 10 minutes). Eggs should be pale yellow, thick and about doubled in bulk. Do not beat until stiff.
Gradually add 1# (3¾ cups) powdered sugar, sifted, while beating well. I’ve found that sifting about 1 cup at a time, adding it to the eggs, then sifting the next cup, forces you to add it slowly enough to get it well incorporated.
Sift 4½ cups flour with 1 tsp. baking powder.
With wooden spoon (paddle attachment) blend in 1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind and flour mixture. Same thing with the flour – sift a bit, then add it, then sift a bit more. Blend until the flour is completely incorporated and the dough is smooth. My big mixer has to work hard at low speeds so be prepared to increase speed as needed.
Wrap in plastic and refrigerate one hour. Don’t refrigerate longer than one hour.
Grease two large cookie sheets. Sprinkle them generously with anise seeds.
Roll dough ½” thick on lightly floured board. With floured springerle form print pictures on surface. With sharp knife cut out cookies on lines between pictures. With the molds I have, I roll the dough out to about ½” and to the dimension of the mold. Lightly flour the dough. Then I put the mold on the dough, then turn the whole thing over – it helps if you have plastic wrap under the dough or one of those flexible cutting boards. Then I press the dough into the mold with my hands- start at the center and then work your way out to the edges as the dough will spread a bit. Then turn the whole thing back over and remove the mold. If you find some did not get pressed very well you can carefully put them back over their little area – generally it will kind of line itself up – and then press a bit more.
Let stand on cookie sheets at least 12 hours.
Bake at 325° 25 to 30 minutes. Even with my big molds (where I only get about 25 cookies) they only need about 15 minutes. Until bottoms are golden and tops are just starting to color.)
Cool, then store in airtight containers. Add a slice of apple to the container to keep the springerle soft. Change it out every 3 days or so. This is something my grandmother did and I find it is important to keep the cookies from drying out quickly. Makes 40.
Ladies who Lunch
05-Jan-2009
Inviting friends for dinner or a cocktail party is a pretty common occurrence. Having a weekend brunch is probably the next most popular entertaining option. Lunch, however, is often overlooked as a meal suitable for entertaining and that’s a shame. Lunch might be the easiest entertaining opportunity. It’s generally more casual, you can choose to serve courses or serve everything at once. If you choose courses there are fewer than for a dinner, in most cases. Lunch is more relaxed, and therefore more relaxing, all the way around.
Over the weekend I had M and her Mom over for Sunday lunch. I chose a menu that was casual, yet had some celebratory tones. There were just three courses and they involved very little work after my guests had arrived.
We started with a simple green salad. Thinly sliced red onions, mushrooms and Satsuma orange wedges added variety. It was tossed with a tasty and brightly colored dressing, Cranberry Vinaigrette. The recipe is from Dishing with Kathy Casey: Food, Fun, and Cocktails from Seattle’s Culinary Diva, one of my favorite cookbooks.
After the salad we moved on to Shrimp Bisque
from Tyler’s Ultimate: Brilliant Simple Food to Make Any Time. I had the soup made all the way up to the final step where the chopped shrimp is added to the hot bisque and cooked for just a couple minutes. You don’t want to add the shrimp until you are ready to serve as it can get tough if heated too long. Just keep the bisque simmering over a low heat during the salad course and as you clear the salad dishes turn up the heat to bring the bisque to nearly a boil. Since the shrimp are chopped they really only need 2 or 3 minutes to cook through.
from Tyler’s Ultimate: Brilliant Simple Food to Make Any Time. I had the soup made all the way up to the final step where the chopped shrimp is added to the hot bisque and cooked for just a couple minutes. You don’t want to add the shrimp until you are ready to serve as it can get tough if heated too long. Just keep the bisque simmering over a low heat during the salad course and as you clear the salad dishes turn up the heat to bring the bisque to nearly a boil. Since the shrimp are chopped they really only need 2 or 3 minutes to cook through. 
For our finale, we had a dessert I created a couple months ago for a Wine Club meeting, Stuffed Poached Pears (recipe below). Again this was all ready to go with just the final broil and drizzle of honey and nuts left to finish it off.
The little bit of final preparation for the second and third courses provides a nice little break so you don’t feel like you are just sitting at the table and shoveling food down. With whatever menu you choose, make sure that the final preparation is limited so that you don’t desert your guests for too long. Or, if you have a kitchen that allows them to perch at a counter-top and talk to you while you are working that is also a nice option.
In this new year you may have decided that one of your resolutions is to entertain more often. Even if that wasn’t a resolution, I encourage you to think about inviting a few friends for a lunch or two for a nice change of pace.
Stuffed Poached Pears
For Poaching the Pears
3 Forelle pears, ripe but firm
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, sliced in half lengthwise
To poach the pears, peel the pears and cut them in half lengthwise. Trim out core. Combine sugar and water in large saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean then add the seeds, pod and pears to the sugar and water. To keep the pears submerged while they poach, put a sheet of parchment or wax paper on the surface and weight it with a plate or small lid. Place the saucepan on high heat. When the liquid comes to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer. The amount of time to poach depends on the pears ripeness, probably 10 minutes or so. Test for doneness by poking a pear with the point of a small knife. As soon as the pears are soft, but not mushy, remove the saucepan from the heat. Allow them to cool in the liquid.
For filling:
½ cup Blue cheese (preferably soft, not crumbly) at room temperature
½ cup Mascarpone at room temperature
(measurements are approximate, may be more of a 60-40 combination depending on how strong the blue cheese is and your personal preference)
Mix together until blended.
To Finish
¼ cup chopped, toasted walnuts
2 Tbsp warmed honey (10 seconds in the microwave)
To Assemble
Generously fill the cavity in each pear with the cheese mixture. It should be a little bit heaping. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbling slightly.
Place a small amount of cheese mixture on a plate to help hold the pear in place. Put ½ pear on the plate. Drizzle with warmed honey and toasted walnuts.
Santa Cruz: The Dolphin
04-Jan-2009
Sometimes being known as a foodie is kind of hard. People expect that all your dining out decisions are based on selecting the best, newest, coolest, etc place to go. And often that does influence dining choices but not always. I hate to disappoint people but sometimes non-food factors influence where I choose where to eat. So I don’t always choose where to eat based on reviews or recommendations or where the latest star chef is hanging his toque at the moment. Often it’s based on a desire to experience some other aspect of dining. In my opinion, being foodie really means that you can appreciate all kinds of food and dining experiences. Variety is the spice of life, remember!
Sometimes it’s a craving for a certain kind of food, often something from a past memory. Sometimes it’s based on a certain feel or the ambiance of a place. And sometimes it’s much more straightforward as it was on the last day of my November Santa Cruz visit. I wanted to be outside, in the sunlight, eating seafood. So I chose a place that met those requirements, The Dolphin, located on the Santa Cruz municipal wharf.
The location of this pier is right in the middle of the tourist area. Not a place you expect to find fine dining by any means. But the wharf is lined with restaurants and, I’m guessing that some of them serve great food. I chose The Dolphin because it was at the end of the wharf, it had a big glass-enclosed outdoor seating area and a 180 degree view of the Santa Cruz shoreline. I didn’t have high expectations for the food but figured it would be okay.
This place is sort of a throwback in some ways. I really just wanted some sort of seafood and chips combination but found it was actually less expensive to order a "dinner", meaning that a salad was also included. I decided to try clam strips for my seafood option.
I’d barely placed my order before my salad arrived and had only taken a bite or two of salad before my clams and chips came out! I doubt that timing is normally an issue at this place. My guess is that in the summer they are packed and scrambling to get everything out in a timely manner so no one bothers to worry, or even thinks if you have had time to finish your salad before bringing your meal. So a Monday afternoon, which happened to also be December 1st they were just slamming through orders as they normally do, even though there were only a couple of occupied tables.
The salad was actually very fresh, and crisp and was a nice mix of vegetables. My clams were a bit chewy – that was a little disappointing, but my chips were perfectly fried. The people were very nice and even though my food came out in a hurry no one rushed me in anyway. So I was able to do what I’d set out to do; eat some seafood, enjoy the sun and soak in the sight of the Santa Cruz shoreline before heading over the mountains to catch my flight home from San Jose.
The Dolphin
71a Munincipal Wharf
Santa Cruz, CA
831.426.5830
Happy Hour at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
03-Jan-2009
New Year’s Eve eve found a few friends and I gathered at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse for a holiday celebration. Although they do not publicize it on their website, Ruth’s Chris has a nice little Happy Hour with specials on food, wine, cocktails and beer, at least for those of you who are okay calling Bud Light beer.
Ruth’s Chris is located in the Grand Hyatt Hotel near the convention center downtown. When the hotel first opened the space was occupied by the 727, a restaurant that had good food but such bad service that I never returned after my first visit. And that is saying something as I’m nearly always open to giving a place a second chance. So I personally was not surprised when 727 didn’t make it. I imagine that Ruth’s Chris is doing better with it’s national name recognition and we had really great service while there.
The Happy Hour food menu is short but has seafood, meat and vegetarian options. We tried everything on the menu and enjoyed all of it. The ahi tuna was especially good, as were the prime rib sliders. I was very happy with with my bargain-priced Manhattan. Reviews of the other speciality cocktails on the Happy Hour menu were a bit mixed. The red wine was also given a thumbs-up.
The space is welcoming with the dim lights and wood surfaces providing a warmth to the large room. The long tables in the bar are set up a bit oddly with chairs only on one side – as if you are actually at the bar. But we found there was plenty of room to move some of the chairs so that we could gather around the table instead of being strung out along it.
If you work in the area or happen to be out shopping and need a break, it’s a great spot to relax for a bit. And the Happy Hour is a good value.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
in the Grand Hyatt
727 Pine Street
Seattle
206.624.8524
New Year’s Eve
02-Jan-2009
My friends EE and BR had a New Year’s Eve gathering this year and it was a great way to ring in the new year! Having been instructed to each bring a tapas-style dish and if possible to plan to do the preparation at their house, six of us gathered on the night of the 31st to bring in the new year. The cooking and prep would provide a little break between courses and our entertainment for the evening.
Their kitchen is big and beautiful. With loads of counter space and a large center island it’s easy to have several people working at once, although we did spread out all over the place and manage to cover nearly every horizontal surface. At the beginning of the evening EE assigned us each a slot on the agenda so we’d know when we needed to start preparing our dish. Other than that the whole evening was pretty free-flowing. We managed to stretch the whole thing out so that we were still eating after midnight – not intentionally but when you are relaxed and enjoying each course on it’s own, it’s easy for time to slip by.
This post is not really about recipes but more about inspiring you and your friends to do something similar. You could set a theme or leave it wide open. It helps to let people know who’s bringing what prior to the party to avoid duplications, but it’s not necessary. The main thing is that everyone should remember to make their offering something small – after six or more courses even small bites can fill you past the point of comfort! And even though I say that, and we knew it, we still managed to bring more than we should have. Luckily I was staying at their place overnight so when we were done I could just drag myself up the stairs and let it all settle overnight.
Our menu started with some small bites while we waited for all to arrive. There was a cheese plate and I brought some leftovers from Sunday’s party. Then we opened with oven-roasted shrimp; moved onto flatbreads topped with brie, sauteed onions, mushrooms and rosemary; shared a big bowl of steamed mussels; and finished with crab cakes and mini macaroni and cheese bites.
Oh, and I almost forgot the chocolate bark and holiday cookies!
I encourage you to plan a party of your own like this. If your kitchen is smaller (as mine is) you can have guests do most of the preparation at home and just finish the final cooking or plating at your home. The important thing is to let each course stand on its own and to enjoy it fully and completely before moving to the next course.
There are more photos from the night here.
2008 Holiday Party
29-Dec-2008
The last few weeks have been crazy, to say the least. Work was super busy and then the snow hit. And hit again. Many people think that with Seattle being as far north as it is that snow is common here. But it’s not so we don’t have much snow removal equipment and in a city built on hills that can lead to all kinds of issues. And with this series of storms the snow build-up in the neighborhoods left many people stuck at home or, when they did manage to get out to the main roads, buffeted around as cars were caught in deep ruts of snow, ice and eventually slush. I love the snow but this was a mess!
I had really been looking forward to my annual holiday party – someone asked me how long I’ve been having it and I think in one form or another since 1987! – but was unsure I’d be able to have it this year. But a few days before it was scheduled the weather turned and the snow started melting away so the day after Christmas – known as Boxing Day to some – I started my shopping, only to find that deliveries of certain items had not made it to stores due to the bad weather. So I made another trip on Saturday morning and then (finally!) got going on my prep work for Sunday’s party. In between my cooking projects I spent time clearing snow in front of the house so that guests could have a snow-free approach.
I tried several new things this year and was really happy with them. And of course there were plenty of tried and true options, too.
The bite-sized mac and cheese were excellent and fun, although next time I’d make them a little bigger. The pulled pork sandwich was really good, too. I opted to omit the coleslaw due to time and a concern about the messiness of the finished sandwich. They were very tasty with just the pork, although I’m sure the coleslaw would add a nice contrasting element. The mini creme brulee was rich and refreshing at the same time! Although I got rushed at the end and didn’t properly torch the sugar.
Here’s the complete menu with links to several recipes:
Chinese Pork with Hot Mustard, Ketchup and Sesame Seeds
Chicken Liver Pate with Brandied Fruit from Kathy Casey’s Northwest Table: Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Southern Alaska
Prosciutto-wrapped Asparagus
Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese, Red Onions and Capers
Mozzarella and Charcuterie Slices with Cucumber and Grainy Mustard
Oven Roasted Shrimp
Pickled Vegetables and Olives
Assorted Cookies
Mini Lemon-Blueberry Creme Brulee
Here are a few photos and the rest can be found here.
Buddha Ruksa
14-Dec-2008
Buddha Ruksa is a little hard to find as it sits just past the intersection of 35th and Fauntleroy as you cross the bridge into West Seattle on an unmarked section of Genesee. But once you find it you’ll find the place warm and welcoming. I was there with a large group and we had so many dishes I really didn’t keep track of what was what. All of it was decent and some dishes were really good. The picture at the top is of a daily special, Pumpkin Curry and was excellent! I wanted to keep it all for myself, but I did share. And they have interesting cocktails – which always a plus!
Service was a little hit or miss. For instance when they took our order they didn’t ask how much heat we wanted so everything came out as one star, although we caught the error part way through the delivery and they did spice up the dishes that had not yet been delivered. Some of us waited some time for drinks, others got them almost as soon as they sat down. The place was busy but didn’t seemed jammed. It may have been due to the size of the group.
If I lived in West Seattle I could see making this a regular stop on my restaurant circuit.
Buddha Ruksa
3520 SW Genesee Street
Seattle
206.937.7676
Santa Cruz: Walnut Avenue Cafe
08-Dec-2008
Breakfast is the one meal for me that I really prefer good, solid, basic food. Don’t get me wrong – I can enjoy creative and interesting presentations or ingredients but more often than not, when perusing a breakfast menu my eyes turn to the bacon and eggs sort of dishes. Or at least some variety of meat and eggs.
On my recent trip to Santa Cruz I spent most morning having breakfast in the cottage I’d rented. There really is nothing better than sipping tea munching on a scone while watching the wave crash on the beach. Well, some mornings I was only listening to waves crash on the beach since I’m an early riser and at this time of year I tend to beat the sun up by several hours. But still being that close to the ocean and the beach is something to be savored.
One morning I did decide to venture out, however, and I made my way to Walnut Avenue Cafe, which just happens to be right across the street from Soif! They open at 8:00 am and I arrived shortly before 9:00 am. It was already packed but I was shown to one of the few remaining little booths for two. As I was being seated I also noticed a nice counter with seating in the back of the room.
The place was full of all sorts of folks: families; students reading textbooks; groups of friends. The furnishings seemed a little worn, but in a comfortable sort of way – you felt like you could relax and didn’t have to worry about ruining the furniture or sitting up too straight. A few minutes after I arrived, people were queued for seats and several opted to sit outside (it was starting to warm in the morning sun by that point) instead of waiting for an inside table. Those that waited did so with a cup of coffee in hand, served to them by the friendly wait staff.
There were many things I would have liked to try on the menu, so many of them sounded and looked (as I watched them being served around me) really good. The one thing I found disappointing, and this is true of most breakfast places it seems, is that instead of hash browns they served home fries. As I mentioned a couple posts ago I love hash browns! And even though the oven-baked version in that post is really good, they still aren’t the hash browns you can really only get from a short-order grill. So, instead of basic bacon and eggs or a scramble or omelet, I decided to order Heuvos Rancheros with Carnitas where the lack of hash browns isn’t an issue.
While waiting for my huevos I sipped a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice, a cup of tea and a glass of water. All had their place on this morning. I didn’t wait long, though, my huevos were delivered very promptly! They were very tasty and, this might sound odd, but the black beans they used were so good they may have been my favorite part of the dish. Then again maybe it was the perfectly cooked eggs. Or the succulent carnitas. Hard to say really. It was a great dish.
My biggest regret is that I didn’t have a chance to make it back one more time before I left town. As mentioned there were lots of things on the menu I would have liked to have tried. Next time I think it might be one of their "Benedict" versions.
Walnut Avenue Cafe
106 Walnut Ave
Santa Cruz, CA
831.457.2307
Santa Cruz: Soif Wine Bar & Restaurant
28-Nov-2008
I recently spent an early evening at Soif Wine Bar & Restaurant in Santa Cruz, California. The wine bar (with attached wine shop) is in the heart of "downtown" Santa Cruise, just 1/2 block off one of the main drags.
I took a seat at the copper covered bar, stained with remnants of good times, and took a look around the warm interior. Long benches support tables for two along one wall, booths hover under the windows in front. The tall industrial-style ceiling is broken by the exposed ductwork that is so popular today, but textured panels with various designs lend interest and provide a warmer feel than you see in most renditions of this style. When sitting at the bar you have a partial view of the kitchen with wine coolers separating the two spaces.
When I arrived around 5:30 pm a few people were already at the bar in the midst of sampling and snacking on menu items. Only one or two tables were in use but by 6:00 pm the dining room was filling up, although the bar had emptied.
A review of the wine menu showed an extensive list of wines by the glass. The only thing I found odd was that there was only one red wine from a local Santa Cruz winery Most wines were from the international community with France and Italy being well represented. There was also an interesting selection of German wines, which generally seem to be under represented in this country.
I started with the 2007 Mas de Gourgonnier a Grenache/Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon blend on the recommendation of the bartender when I asked what would complement the lamb meatballs I’d ordered. It had great taste if it was a little short on the finish and was great with the smoked paprika enhanced meatballs. The meatballs were really fragrant with the paprika and the sauce on them was an interesting concoction of ground almonds, made a little tangy with vinegar and salty from anchovies.
I didn’t score quite as well on my second wine choice and ended up ordering just a taste (all wines on Soif’s menu are available by the taste, glass, bottle or bottle to go). I wanted to try the local wine which was a 2003 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir. I thought it would go nicely with the Duck Liver Pate that I’d ordered. But I found the wine to be a little thin and lacking in character. The pate was lovely though!
If I lived in Santa Cruz I could see this becoming a regular stop for me.
Soif Wine Bar & Restaurant
105 Walnut Avenue
Santa Cruz
831.423.2020
Finger Food
27-Nov-2008
One of my favorite places to find interesting and affordable snacks is Trader Joe’s. The selection varies and they often swap out one thing for another – so don’t expect to find that perfect thing that you purchased last time you were in – but there’s always something interesting to try. Pictured above are Thai Lime and Chili Cashews, a hot and spicy snack that is perfect with a beer or a cocktail. These seem to come in and out of the Trader Joe’s line-up on a pretty regular basis. Another favorite, not in the store this trip but I think will return, are the Black Pepper Cashews.
Everytime I visit a Trader Joe’s I feel like I’m on a treasure hunt. If you go in with that attitude you won’t be disappointed.
Not yet nationwide, if you live on one of the coasts you are likely to find a location near you. And they are also moving into the Mid-West. Watch their site for more locations.
Culinary Fool 