Humble little citrus bars

There is nothing fancy about these bars. I am completely aware of the fact that none of my readers will be wowed or have their hair blown back.

But they are so, SO good.

I made these for the first time last summer to bring to a BBQ, using just the zest and juice of key limes and garnishing with toasted coconut.
I had also brought strawberry shortcake- made in the height of local strawberry season, with a mascarpone whipped filling. I was expecting that to be the crowd pleaser, but everyone kept going back for the lime bars.
I knew I would need to revisit the recipe when citrus season rolled around.

Here we are, six months later with an abundance of cool citrus fruits to play with. This particular batch was made with the zest and juice of limes, meyer lemons, and cara cara oranges- garnished with a piece of candied grapefruit zest (leftover from my Grapefruit Campari Sorbet. Stay tuned).
I will be making these again in a few weeks using all seville oranges (my fave) for a super tart party in my mouth.

It's hard to say exactly what makes these simple little bars so addicting. I really love the animal cracker crust as a stand in for the everyday graham crackers. And the texture of the filling is nothing short of dreamy- having just enough cream cheese in them for a slight tang, but not so much that they are cheesecakey (nothing against you, cheesecake- but there is a time and a place.)

This recipe comes from a well known cooking periodical. I will not tell you which one, because the word on the street is that they are total nazis about food bloggers reprinting their recipes.
I'm going to break all kinds of laws here, and supply you with the recipe- without citing the source. Lets see if thugs wearing little red bow ties come after me brandishing rapier swords and chucking ninja stars.

Mystery Citrus Bars (as I made them)

crust:
5 oz animal crackers
3 T packed brown sugar
2 T melted butter
1/8 tsp fine sea salt

Pre heat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving excess to overhang pan sides. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Pulse animal crackers in a food processor until broken down. Add brown sugar and salt. Pulse until you have evenly fine crumbs. Add butter and pulse until crumbs are moistened.
Press evenly into the bottom of prepared pan (use the bottom of a drinking glass or measuring cup). Bake until golden brown. About 18-20 minutes. Cool while you make the filling.

filling:
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 tsp each of grated lime, meyer lemon, and orange zest (mince zest with a sharp knife after zesting)
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg yolk
4 T lime juice, 2 T meyer lemon juice, and 2 T cara cara* orange juice

*cara cara oranges are slightly less sweet than regular oranges. If using regular oranges, decrease juice to 1 T and increase either meyer lemon or lime juice by 1 T.


Go Oregon Ducks

Stir the cream cheese, zest, and salt with a rubber spatula until softened and creamy. Add sweetened condensed milk and whisk thoroughly until no lumps remain. Whisk in egg yolk. Add juices and whisk until incorporated.
Pour filling into crust, spread to corners, and smooth surface with a spatula. Bake until set and edges begin to pull away slightly from the sides of the pan. 15-20 minutes.
Cool to room temp, then cover with foil and refrigerate until completely chilled- at least 2 hours.
Loosen edges with a paring knife and lift bars from baking pan using foil extensions. Cut bars into 16 squares.

Poppy seed shortbread and a pissed off kitty

I had some big plans for my day off today. I was gonna take myself out for pancakes, go kitchen doo-hickey shopping, possibly hit up a nice bowl of pho for lunch, and take a power yoga class. Yeah. I was looking forward to it. It was gonna be a good day. Some serious "me time", ya know? All of that was shot to hell when one of my cats developed a nasty cold, which started on Friday night, then steadily got worse over the weekend.

This is why I don't have kids. Hearing his kitty sneezes breaks my heart. His drippy little eye looks like he's crying, and then makes me want to cry. It freaks me out, and I drop everything to rush him to the vet.
If that were my child, I would probably be panting into a paper bag.

So, little Percy (why yes, he is in fact named after the Scarlett Pimpernel) spent the morning being poked and prodded. Thermometers shoved up his bottom, hissing and growling at vet techs who smell like foreign animals. Usually, his sister is with him at these dreaded appointments, so he's got the comfort of the buddy system. But alas, she is feeling fine and got to sit this one out.

Leave me alone. I am both sneezy and grumpy.

The vet decided not to treat him with any meds and just let this thing just work itself out. He had an upper respiratory infection as a kitten, and they do tend to pop up now and again. So, now I feel too guilty to go run around. All I wanna do is stick around the house and keep an eye on my guy.
Who is totally pissed off at me.

Maybe I'll make a pot of soup and a loaf of bread. Equally as satisfying and shopping and going out for pho.
I guess.

Right now I am drinking a pot of coffee and snacking on my favorite cookie EVER. I made these during The Great Baking Marathon of last week. I always try to keep a log or two of poppy seed shortbread in the freezer. People always love them. These days, I tend to prefer the simpler, less sweet butter cookies over the big chewy chocolaty varieties.
This batch was made to bring along to my mom's salon when I was getting my hair done. Where they quickly disappeared.
By the way: ALWAYS bring your hairdresser coffee and cookies....it's just common courtesy.


Excellent dippage.

Poppy seed shortbread

8 oz. butter, softened
5 oz. sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
3 T poppy seeds

Good cookies start with good butter and salt. Readily available brands I like are La Bailene sea salt and Plugra unsalted butter

Combine butter, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer. Using the paddle attachment, cream until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the lemon juice and vanilla- mix. Combine the flour and poppy seeds (poppy seeds should be evenly distributed throughout the flour. Add to the bowl and mix until dough just forms.

"Poppies! Now they'll sleep! Sleeeep.."

Dump out onto a work surface and form into a log (or rectangle, as I like to do). Wrap in plastic. Freeze or refrigerate until firm. Slice off 1/4 inch thick cookies and place on a parchment lined sheet pan. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes, rotating halfway though.

Brittany (as in France) Butter Cookies

I have this ghetto cookie cookbook that materialized in my collection. I have no idea where is came from, and it certainly isn't one I would make a point in purchasing. It is simply titled "Cookies", and is one of a series of books from The Cook's Encyclopedia. I was dusting my bookshelf today (yes! DUSTING. I was shocked too.) when I stumbled upon it. I started flipping through the book and came to the decision that it was a piece of crap and it needed to be donated. Then I saw Brittany Butter Cookies.



My name is Brittany and I like butter. I am also ardent supporter of cookies. I put down my dust rag and took off the protective bandana wrapped around my face like a gas mask (yeah, it's been that long since I last dusted) and wondered into the kitchen to bake these.

side note- as I type this post, it is 50 degrees and pouring down rain. I need cookies to counteract the seasonal depression that is rapidly setting in. Any one thinking of moving to Seattle should keep that in mind.

This is a really simple recipe for what turned out to be a beautiful little cookie. Similar to shortbread, but much richer- and a great canvas for showing off a good quality European butter. Sadly, all I had was plugra, a butter that is made in the US (Wisconsin, I believe), but snootily parades around like Euro butter. The "Madonna" of butter, if you will. If you have a kick ass Normandy or Irish butter sitting around I suggest you put it to work and make these. They're especially good with a dollop of jam and a cup of tea.

And such a breathtakingly beautiful name.


Butter. Sweet, glorious butter.

Brittany Butter Cookies
adapted from The Cook's Encyclopedia of Cookies
makes about 18 cookies

3 egg yolks
1 1/2 Tb milk
1 cup + 2 Tb all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
4 oz butter*
healthy pinch of kosher salt (my addition)

*recipe did not state the temperature of the butter. I suggest cold from the refrigerator, but sightly softened (let stand at room temp, cut into cubes for 10 minutes or so)

Mix about 1/2 Tb of the egg yolks with the milk in a small bowl to make a glaze. Set aside.

Sift the flour and sugar into a bowl. Add the salt and mix together with a whisk. Add the egg yolks and butter (in the center of the bowl) and work the two together with your hand until it becomes creamy.
Gradually bring the flour into the middle of the bowl until it all forms a slightly sticky dough*


*This takes a while and I don't see why it couldn't be done in the food processor. But these are "folksy cookies"- enjoy the zenfulness of kneading.*

"OM"
Achieve baking nirvana. Get up in there and knead

Stop kneading when you have a lovely yellow blob like this.

Using floured hands, pat out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick** and cut out using a
2-1/2 inch cutter.

Transfer to parchment lined sheet pans and brush each cookie with the egg-milk glaze. Using a steak knife (or whatever), score to create a lattice pattern.

**They're really taking the whole rustic farm cookie thing a step too far with this. The cookies will turn out much better if you behave like upright man and use a rolling pin**

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes (Mine took 17 minutes. but I despise under baked, anemic looking, shithole pastries).

with last year's strawberry freezer jam. The odds of my being able to make a batch this year diminish one blustery day after another.
Sniffle.

Cool on a wire rack, then enjoy on their own. Or if you are living in an area that summer forgot about, have some tea and jam as well.


Percy got into some butter and is now wondering why the fuck he has to eat kibble while humans lavishly smear everything with this delicacy.

Milk 'n Cookies

For your inner "skinned knee"

Who likes chocolate?
My hand is raised too. I'm not like, weird about it though. I have known some people who shall remain nameless who have a freakish addiction to it. If I had to desert-island it, I'd go for some sort of pie over chocolate. But I have nothing but love in my heart for the balls-out chocoholics. They make my job so easy. Molding good quality chocolate into an exquisite dessert is a breeze. Flavor-wise, most of the work has already been done.

For the last year or so, Scharffen Berger has been my chocolate of choice. It has a brightness to it that seems to make it stand out from others I have tried. I'm sure there are many pastry chefs out there that would both agree and disagree with that. I really think that amongst the top few contenders of really good stuff out there, it becomes a personal matter of taste. Really they're all pretty damn tasty. But I stand by my choice.

Last year, I picked up John Scharffen Berger and Robert Steinberg's The Essence of chocolate. I love it when I drop 40 bucks on a cook book and it turns out to be worth EVERY G.D. PENNY. Every recipe I've tried out of here has turned out to be a winner. Plus there is added information about the origins of chocolate. It's also beautiful. Pretty cookbooks are like my dollies.

Worth it's weight in delicious chocolaty goodness

Here is a recipe from the book that I find myself making all the time- Chocolate shortbread with cacao nibs and salt. They are perfect for grown-up milk and cookies. I keep a log in the freezer for when one of us has had a no good, rotten old day. The salty-sweet factor is kind of like crack for me, and it's well represented in these cookies. This is a great one to try if you have one of those 50 dollar jars of fancy pants salt that you're scared to even open sitting in your cupboard. It will shine like Elvis in these.


Chocolate Shortbread with Cacao Nibs
adapted from The Essence of Chocolate

6 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
3/4 cup Scharffen Berger natural cocoa powder
3/4 tsp good quality salt (or 1/2 tsp kosher salt)
3/4 cup cacao nibs

Crush the nibs using a rolling pin, or bottom of an iron skillet. Set aside. Sift together the flour and cocoa powder.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment until fluffy and smooth (scrape bowl as needed).
Add the vanilla and salt and mix until combined.
add half of the sifted dry ingredients and mix until barely absorbed. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add nibs and mix just until they are evenly dispersed through out the dough.
Either roll the dough out and cut out shapes, or form it into a log and slice off cookies (about 1/4 ").
Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes. Rotate halfway through baking time.

Apples and Thyme: Oatmeal cookies for Mom

Of all the blog events happening in November- this one was my favorite. Apples and Thyme, which is hosted by The Passionate Palate andvanielje kitchen, is a celebration honoring our Mothers and Grandmothers, and the influence they had over us in the kitchen. Perfect timing for my Mother Kym, who's birthday just happens to be today.

Happy Birthday Mamma!

My grandmother has been mentioned here many times, and she obviously influenced me a lot in the kitchen. But it was mom who really should get credit for inspiring me to become a pastry chef. You see, my mother has a special something inside her. I don't know how, but for as long as I can remember she has been able to make everything she touches beautiful. Be it the home, garden, clothing, jewelry, make-up, hair, etc.- she has a true artists eye and outstanding taste. For over 2 decades, she has been a hair stylist. She used to deal in antiques as a hobby, and now she makes stunning jewelry.

everything in mom's house, right down to the napkins, is beautiful

I am a lot like my mom, personality wise- but have never, ever been good at putting together an outfit. Make-up is a big pain in the ass for me, I don't usually bother. I forget to even put on jewelry. This is the worst part- I have my husband do the home decor.
I did however, inherit Mom's taste for great food. Just like everything else, she could even make recipes prettier. She followed a recipe to the letter the fist time and we'd all like it. Then she would make it again, adding her own sense of style and flair, with scrumptious results. This is how I too, always cook. She has an adventurous palate and was always trying new things. If we didn't like what was put before us at dinner, we were made to take 3 bites. After that, we could gag all we wanted. But rarely was that necessary. It was usually pretty damn good. She also baked with my sister and I. Especially Christmas cookies. I have very warm and fuzzy memories of sugar dough candy canes, butterscotch wreathes, and Jonny Mathis.

Her biggest inspiration on me were the two things she installed into my brain regularly. Number one: Get married because you love the man, not because of his pocketbook (which I did, I love my hard working hubby more than anything). Number two: Go to school to become a pastry chef. This one started around 10th grade, when I had expressed an interest in baking. Rather than pushing the 4 year university thing, as most of my friend's moms were doing, she nurtured my interests and started doing research on local culinary schools. She encouraged it all through high school as my enthusiasm toward the idea kept growing. I now have the coolest job ever, in an incredibly exciting industry.

As I mentioned it's her birthday, so her and my dad are celebrating in New York. I am house sitting for them, which is always an opportunity to cook in a way cooler kitchen than mine in a way cooler house than mine. Today, for mom, I am baking oatmeal cookies, which I will leave for her to snack on when she comes home tomorrow. This is a recipe adapted from another lady who has influenced my career, Sherry Yard.
My mom loves oatmeal. Her oatmeal should be another post of it's own. It's amazing. Thick steel cut oats, slowly cooked and served with the traditional accompaniments. For mom's oats, once the bowl is served, drizzled with milk, and sprinkled with brown sugar (berries and nuts are sometimes in there too), stirring is an absolute no-no. It must be left as is. Just trust me, it's better this way. I wouldn't dream destroying a perfect steamy bowl of oatmeal by swirling my spoon around in there.
Mom, you deserve a big thanks for how happy I am today. You nudged me toward my dreams. I admire you, I respect you, and I LOVE you! Here, have some cookies. You deserve them.


Oatmeal Cookies adapted from Desserts By the Yard by Sherry Yard
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
7 oz. softened butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cup fat raisins*

sift flour and soda together in a bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter until it's lemony yellow- about 2 minutes. Add the sugars and spices. Cream until smooth and lump free- about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl in between additions. On low speed, add the flour, beating just until it's incorporated. On low speed, mix in the oats and raisins.
Form dough into 2 logs and chill for a minimum of 1 hour**
Once the dough is cold, slice off 1/2 inch rounds of dough. bake for 17-20 minutes in a 350 degree oven
*fat raisins are in her book- basically just raisins plumped with a little white wine, orange juice, rum and sugar. I just used plain currants and had good results.
**Instead of the logs, I scooped the dough a seen in the slide show. This is also mentioned as an option in Sherry's book.

Hanging out at Mom's, baking cookies

A big thank you to our hosts!