Imperial Porter Brownies

Tonight I plan on taking comfort from the cold in a growler of Southampton Publick House Imperial Porter. This afternoon I used just a little of it to make some brownies. Here's the recipe:

Imperial Porter Brownies
Makes 16 brownies

If you can't find porter, another malty, slightly sweet beer such as stout, brown ale, red ale, or bock are good substitutes.

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1/3 cup malty beer such as stout or porter
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil, making sure that the foil is tucked into all the corners and that there is at least 1 inch overhanging the top of the pan on all sides. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high until chocolate is almost melted. Whisk until completely smooth and set aside to cool to lukewarm.
3. Whisk brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and espresso powder into chocolate. Gently stir in porter. Fold in flour mixture until just incorporated.
4. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until just set, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
5. Grasping overhanging foil on either side of pan, lift out brownies and place them on a cutting board. Use a sharp chef's knife to cut into 16 squares.

I Return to Morning Program

For many years I was an enthusiastic regular at the Elementary School's Morning Program. But once my kids graduated to Pierson they told me it would be weird if I continued to show up at SHES every day by myself. So I was very excited when I was actually invited to come back today to talk about writing cookbooks. Everything was just as I had remembered, except for that nice new gym floor they have installed. I pledged allegiance. I sang Your a Grand Old Flag along with Mr. Lahann. I got to talk about myself. And then some gracious ESL students presented me with cookies they had baked from a recipe in my book! Here is the recipe (the student bakers left out the nuts since SHES is nut-free):

Potato Chip Cookies
Makes 14 cookies

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup pecan halves, finely chopped
1/2 cup crushed potato chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchmetn paper. Pour 2 tablespoons of sugar into a small bowl and set aside.
2. Cream butter and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar together in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Stir in flour, nuts, and potato chips until incorporated.
3. Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into balls and place on prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. Grease the bottom of a small juice glass with butter and dip into sugar in bowl. Press lightly on a cookie to flattin it and coat it with sugar. Repeat with remaining sugar and cookies, regreasing bottom of glass as necessary.
4. Bake until cookies are light golden around edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies stand on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove them with a metal spatula to a wire rack to cool completely.

A Fortifying Breakfast

Before I could face the preparation of holiday cinnamon buns, pecan bars, palmiers, and creme brulee, I ate a bowl of steel-cut oats (look for them at the IGA, with all of the other Bob's Red Mill products) topped with dried figs. Cooking them pilaf-style, covered without stirring, gave them a great texture, toothsome but not crunchy. A nonstick pot is essential. Here is the recipe:

Steel-Cut Oats with Dried Fig Compote
Serves 3 to 4

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup steel-cut oats
3 1/4 cups water
Pinch salt
1/2 cup dried figs, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Milk or half-and-half

1. Melt the butter in a nonstick pot over medium-high heat. Add the oats and cook, stirring, until fragrant and lightly toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in 3 cups of water and a pinch of salt, turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook without stirring for 30 minutes.
2. While the oats are cooking combine the figs, brown sugar, ginger, and remaining 1/4 cup water in a small pot. Bring to a simmer and cook at a bare simmer until the liquid is thickened, about 20 minutes.
3. Stir the oatmeal, divide it among 3 or 4 bowls, and top with the figs and their liquid. Serve immediately, with milk or half-and-half if desired.

Decorating with Cupcake Liners

My younger daughter discovered that cupcake liners make the best paper snowflakes. And then she got out her hot glue gun and made a garland with them.

Pasta Friday: Holiday Edition

Pierson Seniors are allowed to leave campus for lunch. Eight or so of them always show up at my house on Friday for pasta and cookies. I usually take some chocolate chip cookie dough out of the freezer, but today, in honor of the coming holiday, I baked spicy molasses cookies. They aren't the most beautiful cookies, but  teenagers really like them. Here's the recipe:

Molasses Cookies
Makes about 32 cookies


2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup dark (not light or blackstrap) molasses
2 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
2. Combine the butter, brown sugar, and molasses in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs and beat until well-combined. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined.
3. Drop tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake until the tops are just dry, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies stand on the baking sheets for 5 minutes and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Hot Chocolate and The Challenge

Although I'm pretty sure they're not kosher, I love the coffee cups I received from my uncle for Chanukah on Sunday. Last night we watched the Pierson Quiz Bowl team battle East Islip on MSG Varsity, while enjoying some rich hot chocolate in the new cups. The lobster looks like he made it out alive. Here is the recipe:

Rich Hot Chocolate
Makes 4 cups

6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
Pinch salt
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Combine the chocolate chips and salt in a heatproof bowl.
2. Combine the milk and cream in a heavy pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Turn the heat to low. Ladle 1/2 cup of the hot liquid into the bowl and whisk to melt the chocolate.
3. Return the chocolate mixture to the pot and whisk constantly until smooth.
4. Off heat, whisk in the vanilla. Pour into mugs and serve immediately.

Happy...Chanukah?

Chanukah is getting off to a slow start at my house, I'm afraid. On Sunday, my husband smoked the Fairview Farm pork bellies he had been curing for the past 10 days (instructions are in the new America's Test Kitchen D.I.Y. Cookbook). Then he made BLTs for lunch. No one complained, especially because we knew that latkes and brisket were for dinner.

I'm Back, with Wheat Berries

I've been in and out of town a lot during the past few months, working on an exciting new cookbook project that I will tell you more about in the coming weeks. But I've missed my blog! I have quite a horde of Quail Hill wheat berries in my freezer, so I combined them with some shiitake mushrooms I picked up at Citarella's yesterday for a warming dinner. Here is the recipe:

Wheat Berries with Mushrooms
Serves 4

2 cups wheat berries
Salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
Ground black pepper
3/4 cup low-sodium canned chicken broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1. Place the wheat berries in a medium saucepan, turn the heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add water to cover and 1/2 teaspoon salt, bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer until soft but not mushy, 30 to 60 minutes (taste frequently to see how they are doing). Drain, return to the pot, and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Add the broth to the pot with the wheat berries and cook over medium-high heat until simmering. Stir in the mushroom mixture and heat through. Off heat stir in the butter, Parmesan, and parsley. Adjust the seasonings and serve.

Harborfest Temptations

At lunch time yesterday I headed into town to enjoy the weather and HarborFest. Troop 455's hot dog stand on Long Wharf beckoned, as did the Bay Burger ice cream cart, where I sampled a new flavor: Vanilla mixed with big chunks of Round Swamp Farm brownies. While everyone else was watching the whale boat races, I shopped the sidewalk sales. The dining table tennis kit at Sylvester & Company tempted me, as did the Save the Whales pillow at Country Lane.

End of Summer Souvenir

In addition to these hand-lettered stones, our crafty and considerate house swappers from Amsterdam left us a case of Wolffer Estate Rose as a thank you gift when they left Sag Harbor. As I finished the last bottle, I started to feel creative myself, so I made this key chain (I got the idea here) from the Wolffer cork. I love how the winery's phone number is printed right on it! I'll attach a house key for the Swedish family we have booked for August 2013.

Best Wedding Centerpiece Ever

My good friend, an artisan baker, invited me to his daughter's wedding on Sunday, and look what I brought home: A giant sourdough miche stenciled with the happy couple's names! Yesterday morning I enjoyed some toast with blood orange marmalade for breakfast. For dinner, I grilled the bread and spread some white bean and rosemary puree on top. Here's the recipe:

White Bean Bruschetta
Serves 2

Four 1-inch-thick slices country bread
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
One 14-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1 garlic clove, peeled
Ground black pepper

1. Preheat gas grill to high. Brush bread with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
2. COmbine beans, lemon juice, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, pepper flakes, rosemary, and basil in the workbowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
3. Grill bread, turning once, until golden with grill marks. Rub each slice with the garlic clove and then top with the white bean spread. Serve immediately.

Fresh Wheatberries!

On Saturday I brought home something new from the farm: Just-harvested wheat berries! It was a chore to wash them, but boy was it worth the work (especially since my husband volunteered for the job). Then I toasted them lightly before boiling them until tender. Unlike the wheat berries I buy at the supermarket, these only took 20 minutes to cook and were so plump and delicious. I didn't do much with them before we ate: Just dressed them in olive oil and lemon juice and stirred in some olives, tomatoes, feta, and thyme. Here's the recipe:

Wheat Berry Salad
 Serves 4

1 1/2 cups wheat berries
Salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved if large
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
Ground black pepper

1. Place the wheat berries in a medium saucepan, turn the heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add water to cover and 1/2 teaspoon salt, bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer until soft but not mushy, about 20 minutes for fresh berries, 40 to 60 minutes for storebought berries. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Add oil, lemon juice, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, and thyme to bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or refrigerate for up to 1 day until ready to serve.

No Farms, No Food

Everyone sitting in the long line of traffic on Scuttlehole Road today had to pass this sign at the roundabout. So true! You can hear what Senator Kristin Gillibrand has to say about sustainability and farming's future on the East End tomorrow morning at Quail Hill Farm. For info about the event, click here.

Sag Harbor Kids Are the Cutest

My kids are now too old to appear in my annual Newsday back-to-school lunchbox story, and even my nieces in East Hampton have aged out of the job. So I was grateful to some generous Sag Harbor parents who lent me their very cute child for our photo shoot a few weeks ago. But do you think she is upstaging my roast beef sandwich on a mini-bagel?

Bread Salad a Darkhorse Winner at Dinner Last Night

The corn has been so sweet and juicy lately. I knew I wanted to eat it again for dinner last night. The main course--a bread salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, and mozzarella cheese was really an afterthought. But a big handful of chopped oregano and thyme leaves from my backyard pots gave it a remarkably lively flavor and freshness (the whole wheat boule and cheese from Cavaniola's didn't hurt). Here's the recipe:

Whole Wheat Bread Salad with Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Serves 4

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper
Six one-inch-thick slices whole wheat country bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 ripe tomatoes
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/3-inch pieces
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper to taste in a small bowl.
2. Combine bread, tomatoes, tomatoes, and cheese in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until bread is moistened by dressing and tomato juices. Serve immediately.

Beverages for All Purposes

This morning I took my daughter to have some difficult baby teeth pulled by our very skillful dentist. It all seemed worthwhile when she got her chocolate milkshake at Bay Burger. And I couldn't resist buying a bottle of locally made Sweet 'tauk lemonade as a treat for myself.

Home and Happy Not to Cook

I returned from a nice, long vacation in Amsterdam and Dublin (expect stroopwafel and brown bread recipes in the coming weeks) just in time for Quail Hill's At the Common Table dinner last night. Good company and food that was so much nicer than what my jet-lagged self could have thrown together! I probably ate more than my fair share of scallop ceviche with cilantro, before sitting down at the long table to enjoy tomatoes and mozzarella, striped bass, roasted potatoes, and panna cotta with rhubarb and peaches from the farm. And I took home some leftover pickled beets, which may well become a goat cheese and beet salad in an hour or two.

A Reason to Go to the Beach?

Bringing a pie to a beach picnic isn't really practical. But these hand pies are a different story--no need for a pie server, plates, forks. Now I have no excuse to stay inside. Here is the recipe:

Blueberry Hand Pies
Makes 6 hand pies

3/4 pound (enough for a single crust) pie dough, chilled
3/4 cup blueberries, rinsed and picked over
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Sanding sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the blueberries, vanilla, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl and let stand, stirring occasionally and mashing a small amount of berries with the back of a spoon, until the sugar is dissolved.
2. On a lightly floured countertop, roll out the dough to a 1/8-inch thickness. Use a 5-inch round saucer as a guide to cut out as many circlesas you can from the dough and transfer to the prepared baking sheet and lightly sprinkle with flour.
3. Working with one circle at a time, place about 2 tablespoons of filling on one side of the circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Fold dough over blueberries. Use the tines of a fork to seal the edges. Repeat with the remaining dough circles and blueberries.
4. Space the pies at least 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Use a sharp paring knife to cut three 1/2-inch vents in the top of each one. Brush with the cream and sprinkle with the sanding sugar. Freeze for 15 minutes. (At this point, you can slide the hand pies into a zipper-lock bag and freeze them for up to 2 weeks before proceeding.)
5. Bake the pies until golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tasteful Show at Gallery Valentine

 Have you seen these giant layer cakes in the windows of the Gallery Valentine in East Hampton?

Quick Dinner Makes Up For Time Stuck in Traffic

The summer traffic hasn't really bothered me lately, because I've spent most of the week in Sag Harbor Village, walking to the IGA when I needed groceries. But yesterday I had to drive to East Hampton to buy some movie tickets for that evening (I wouldn't risk waiting until just before the show), so I decided to do my marketing at Citarella's. So many cars! So little parking! I grabbed some of the Aidell's chicken sausages with habanero chiles (already cooked, just heat through) and mixed them with some whole wheat couscous (10 minutes and it's ready), a nectarine, some scallions, some lime juice, and some curry powder for a super-fast dinner that got me back to the movie theater in time to get a good seat. Here is the recipe:

Whole Wheat Couscous with Chicken Sausage and Nectarines
Serves 4

1 cup low-sodium canned chicken broth
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup whole wheat couscous
2 spicy chicken sausages, cooked and sliced
1 medium nectarine, pitted and chopped
3 scallions, white and light green parts, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon curry powder
Salt
Ground black pepper

1. Bring broth, water, and butter to boil in a medium saucepan. Add couscous, cover, and turn off heat. Let stand 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and fluff with a fork.
2. Stir sausages, nectarine, scallions, olive oil, lime juice, curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste into couscous. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day and let come to room temperature before serving.