Tag Archives: recipes

Makin’ Whoopie… PIES

23 Nov

When I had a housewarming at my new apartment, I wanted to make some more interesting dishes.  Whoopie pies had been a topic of discussion a few weeks prior with my cousins who were up in Maine, and when I saw this recipe on Cookstr, I knew I had to try it.

I set it up in stages so I could prepare parts of it a few days early.  I also was anal enough to set up lists of what piece I would prepare when and in what order (see back of the first photo below for the “To Do Saturday” section).

First came making the cookie part.  It’s very similar to most cookie recipes, however, the baking powder and baking soda make for a fluffier, cakey type cookie.  It’s very important to use chilled pumpkin puree (NOTE: Not pumpkin pie filling) so it is easier to work with and makes the domed cookie.

Out of the oven they smelled HEAVENLY.

I really thought we’d have too many cookies (I think I made them extra small, but they were perfect portions for the party) but it wound up working just fine.

On day two we prepared the filling (cream cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar, and butter in the mixer).  Refrigerating it made it too firm, so I was sure to pull it out before layering the cookies for a good 30 minutes.

It couldn’t be easier, you put a dollop of the cream on the cookie and then press the other one in.  They’re actually so moist that parchment paper pulled some of the dough right off, but when they were in the fridge for a bit they firmed up nicely.

I’m not quite sure how, but I completely forgot to take a final picture.  The best I have is the nearly completed pies in the background of my dollop picture below.

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RECIPE
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Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Directions:

MAKE THE PUMPKIN WHOOPIE COOKIES

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves together and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk the brown sugar and oil together until combined. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.

Use a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism to drop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on the pan while you make the filling.

MAKE THE CREAM CHEESE FILLING

Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until it is completely smooth, with no visible lumps. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined.

Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Be careful not to overbeat the filling, or it will lose structure. (The filling can be made 1 day ahead. Cover the bowl tightly and put it in the refrigerator. Let the filling soften at room temperature before using.)

ASSEMBLE THE WHOOPIE PIES

Turn half of the cooled cookies upside down (flat side facing up).

Use an ice cream scoop or a tablespoon to drop a large dollop of filling onto the flat side of the cookie. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used. Put the whoopie pies in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm up before serving.

The whoopie pies will keep for up to 3 days, on a parchment-lined baking sheet covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator.

For the pumpkin whoopie cookies:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon ginger
  • 1 tablespoon cloves
  • 2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 cups chilled pumpkin puree
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the cream cheese filling:

  • 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

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My first attempt at Osso Buco

13 Nov

I have an affinity for Osso Buco that goes beyond normal.  I try not to think about it too much, as the extra layer under my chin doesn’t need any more fatty goodness and marrow, however, when FreshDirect had it on sale, I couldn’t resist.  I really wasn’t sure how to make it, so I found a recipe with a picture that reminded me of the ones I have preferred (most notably at Montenapo and Becco, as well as the lamb one at Charles).

The recipe wound up being very simple and basic, actually.  The only thing it really requires is time.  2.5 hours of braising made it clearly a Sunday meal.




I paired it with a quick prepare, microwavable side from Fresh Direct (“Sides in a Snap” Mascarpone and Mushroom Risotto with Chives) and a steamed artichoke dipped in Roasted Garlic Butter. Adding roasted garlic to butter for dipping is my new favorite way to eat artichokes.  There are few things I find more easily delightful to make than roasted garlic.


The final meal was a great combination, and the Osso Buco was good, but it just wasn’t great.  I guess I really shouldn’t compare my first attempt with restaurants that are known for making it great… but I still wanted more.  It was perfectly tender but the meat itself just didn’t have the same flavor.  I’m not sure if this was the fault of the cut or my preparation.  But I will try again and work to improve it to <3 caliber.

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RECIPE
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Osso Buco

Ingredients:

  • ·      1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • ·      2 teaspoons salt
  • ·      1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ·      2 pounds veal shank
  • ·      3 tablespoons butter
  • ·      3 tablespoons olive oil
  • ·      1 cup chopped onion
  • ·      1 cup thinly sliced carrots
  • ·      1/2 cup chopped celery (I omitted due to hatred)
  • ·      2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • ·      1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • ·      1 cup water
  • ·      1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ·      1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ·      3 sprigs fresh parsley (I used dried. Seemed fine)
  • ·      1 bay leaf

Directions:

1.         In a shallow dish, stir together flour, salt, and black pepper. Dredge meat in seasoned flour. In a large skillet, melt butter with oil over medium heat. Brown meat. Remove meat from pan, and set aside.

2.         Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to drippings in pan. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes.

3.         Stir in tomato sauce, water, basil, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf. Return meat to pan. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to simmer. Cover, and cook for 2 1/2 hours.

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Colorful Market Cooking

29 Sep

One of my dear friends, Noa, introduced me to the market in Grand Central Station.  Prior to that, I didn’t think shopping for fresh goods in a train station was rational, but boy was I wrong!  She introduced me to the market a few months ago and I wrote about it here.  This time, I went back to Koglin Royal Hams and got the same delicious veal brats as last time as well as the Swiss cheese filled hot dogs.  As we were exiting I decided I had to have a pluot(cross between a plum and an apricot) and noticed that this stand had beautiful looking purple potatoes.  I thought these would be a lovely compliment to falic looking meat so I went with it.  I tasked Mike to pick up whatever veggie he wanted to complete the meal.

I decided to go with roasted purple potatoes with roasted garlic.  It was a good decision. They were easy, amazing, and I highly recommend them.

Going into the oven:

Coming out of the oven:

Mike’s selection was broccoli with parmesan cheese.  I steamed it first, then put the shaved parm over it and put it in the oven with the potatoes for 5 minutes to get the cheese nice and melty.

I was much more careful not to explode my brats this time and went with a slightly different preparation method.  I put them into a pan with about 1/2 inch of water and let it simmer slightly for 10 minutes (no boiling… except when I left the heat on too much). 

I still preferred the veal brats over the Swiss cheese dogs, but the dogs would be great on a grill. The Swiss cheese filling was quite yummy.

It made for a colorful (and delicious) plate:

I’m not the biggest broccoli fan but with melted cheese it is absolutely delicious.   The potatoes were, by far, the stand out on this plate.  I want to eat more right now just looking at the pictures.

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RECIPE
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Roasted Purple Potatoes

Ingredients:

  • Purple potatoes (we got 1 pound, but more would have been better)
  • Head of garlic (all garlic peeled and removed whole)
  • 1 Tbs. Olive oil (or more, whatever is needed to coat)
  • 1 tsp. Rosemary
  • Salt & Pepper

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
  2. Cut up potatoes into wedges or slices about 1/2 inch thick
  3. Toss potato pieces, whole pieces of garlic, rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste in pan with olive oil
  4. Cover with tin foil and put in pre-heated oven for 45 minutes
  5. Serve

It’s that easy!

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