caramel-glazed cardamom palmiers

if not for the fact that

alice medrich is already

wildly successful,

amazingly accomplished and,

let's face it - doesn't know i exist,

you might think she pays me

to sing her praises.

but she doesn't.

she doesn't need me.

her recipes are just that good.

i've told you before that i came

across this book, when i was

reviewing it. when i was writing

reviews, my rule was always 3 recipes

minimum - and in those days,

i was so busy testing that i didn't have

any time for baking for fun. so typically,

i made the recipes, tried to find people

to give the baked goods to, wrote the

reviews and then, sadly, kind of forgot

about the books.

but these days,

i make, bake and write about

what i want, whenever i want.

and lately, when an opportunity pops

up to bake, i seem to want to make

everything in pure dessert.

i've decided not to fight it.

knowing that we had a chanukah party

to attend yesterday,

i decided originally to make marshmallows,

thinking they would serve double duty:

a great hostess gift slash dish to serve

and i could enter them into the latest

contest on food52.

but then - and for this, i blame fatigue,

plus the frustration that my dvr cut

off the last 15 minutes of the glee finale -

i had a dumb moment.

a moment so stupid that i keep replaying

it in my mind, thinking, what was i thinking?

i know marshmallows are sticky.

i know. every time i make them, i'm

unbelievably fascinated by the fact that they

stick to everything in sight, but as soon as you

give them a confectioners' sugar dunk,

they're amazingly easy to handle.

yet still, i unmolded the carefully crafted,

finally firm marshmallow directly onto

a cutting board - no confectioners' sugar

to soften the fall.

there was anger, there were tears and a

lot of sticky fingers and knives as i

worked to remove the marshmallow

from its unapologetic prison.

and when i finally freed them,

they were mangled on one side.

i was embarrassed for them.

still, they were yummy and their

tops, straight and smooth.

you can find the recipe here.

but, needless to say,

i needed something new to bring.

and, while normally i would

research up a storm, i didn't have

the patience or time, so instead,

i turned to pure dessert,

which hasn't failed me yet.

i chose - and honestly, i don't

know what i was thinking -

caramel-glazed cardamom palmiers,

cookies that involve a food processor

dough, 4 hours of chilling,

rolling into a rectangle (eek),

folding into a straight line (eek, again),

chilling again, slicing, baking,

sprinkling with sugar and baking again.

but, now that i'm safely on the other side

(read: cookies made, plated and delivered),

i can honestly say: it wasn't that bad.

and it was worth it.

sure, we had a few moments along the way.

ground cardamom is expensive

and after i saw the price,

i just flat out refused to spring for it.

larry, who is always looking for an excuse

to use the gifts we received

off our wedding registry,

jumped at the opportunity for us to

use the spice grinder on the pods we had at home.

i don't think he realized that it involved

toasting, cracking and removing

the tiny little seeds from the pods,

all before grinding.

but, on the plus side,

i've learned that a home

that smells like freshly ground cardamom

is lovely this time of year.

and yes, i kind of regretted that i made

the dough so late in the day, meaning

that when we came home from a saturday

sushi date night, i had to roll up my sleeves,

cross my fingers and start rolling

cardamom-infused sugar into the dough.

but this cream cheese mixture was a dream to

work with. instead of cracking or sticking,

the dough easily smoothed itself into

the 8 x 24 rectangle it was intended for.

i carefully folded the dough to form the

elephant ear logs, wrapped them in

waxed paper and gave it until morning

to slice and bake

(giving me the opportunity

to pretend that i simply

bought the dough this way

and didn't actually have to clear everything

off my counter to roll something

24-inches long).

but of course, when the dough came

out of the fridge in the morning,

it had chilled itself into a worm-like shape

instead of the flat rectangle i swear i

put in last night.

i gently pressed and pulled it down.

then, i pretended it was perfect.

regardless, the log cut beautifully into slices

and i was able to fit almost all of them

onto two baking sheets. the only real

problem that i had with the recipe came next:

after baking, the recipe instructs you to

sprinkle with more cardamom-infused sugar

that has been combined with salt.

you rebake them until they caramelize,

then let them cool. while the instructions

said this should only take 3 to 5 minutes

and that they should be watched closely

to prevent burning, at 5 minutes, the sugar

hadn't even started to crackle.

after 2 minutes more,

i removed the tray from the bottom third

of the oven and kept the top one in,

letting those cookies reach a

slightly more golden hue.

after they were out,

i put the second baking sheet back in.

i still feel like they never fully caramelized,

instead staying sugary, which is not such

a bad alternative. just not what alice or i

were going for.

but, as is always the disclamier,

this may just be my old oven.

or, it may be that the logs of dough

were never meant to be chilled overnight

and that by doing so, i dissolved most of

sugar that would have helped to glaze the cookies.

but they smelled

what can only be described as perfect,

and tasted very festive

(possibly more appropriate

for christmas than for chanukah?

it does not matter. these cookies

would be great year round.

i will not discrimate.).

and larry, who quite enjoyed the cookies,

just conceded that they were worth

every single devilish cardamom seed

that tripped its way along the counter

instead of landing in the bowl on

the first try. that's high praise.

you may have noticed the the last problem i had -

it was really a constant.

i was so focused

on proper execution, that i forgot

to take pictures at critical points,

like when i made the dough,

or rolled it out,

or started to fold it,

or later, when i plated them.

oops - i'm sorry.

caramel-glazed cardamom palmiers

recipe adapted from pure dessert

when i make cookie or pie dough, i always follow the same rules: i cube the cold butter (or in this case, cold butter and cold cream cheese), then place them back in the fridge until i'm ready to mix. i find this much better than leaving it on the counter to accidentally soften while i measure flour or cubing it after the dry ingredients have been combined (i'm too impatient for that). this dough really is easy to work with and delicious - i'd love to try it smeared with jam and rolled up rugelach-style.

cream cheese dough

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

1 package (8 ounces) cold cream cheese, cubed

in bowl of food processor, pulse together flour, sugar and salt to combine. add butter; pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. add the cream cheese to the bowl; pulse 30 seconds, or until the dough begins to clump together. divide dough in half; shape both pieces into 2 square disks. wrap and chill 4 hours, or until firm.

cardamom sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cardamom (after this experience, i can say, freshly ground is a nice touch)

2 large pinches salt (not kosher)

in bowl, combine sugar and cardamom. transfer 2 tablespoons to separate small bowl and add the salt to this bowl. set salted bowl aside.

cookies

let chilled dough rest on counter 15-20 minutes, or until slightly softened. (note: the recipe called for this to be done one disk at a time, but i took them both out at once and didn't regret it.)

sprinkle the work surface liberally with cardamom sugar (keep in mind, you will need half the sugar mixture for the other piece of dough.). place the dough on top of the sugar and sprinkle with more of the sugar mixture. roll dough into an 8-inch x 24-inch rectangle, no more than 1/8-inch thick, turning the dough frequently and resprinkling the dough and counter with the sugar mixture, as necessary.

mark the center of the rectangle with a small indentation. starting at the short end, fold dough inward, about 2 1/2 inches. without stretching or pulling, loosely fold dough over two more times, stopping 1/4" before indentation. repeat on opposite side. fold one side of the dough over the other. the strip should be about 2 1/2-inches x 8-inches. using rolling pin, gently roll dough into a 9-inch log. sprinkle top and bottom with sugar.

loosely wrap with waxed paper (alice cautions to not use plastic wrap). place on flat space in fridge; chill at least 30 minutes.

repeat rolling, folding and wrapping with remaining disk of dough and cardamom sugar.

arrange racks in top and bottom thirds of oven; heat oven to 375˚f.

remove one log of dough from fridge. using a sharp knife, cut dough into 1/3-inch slices. arrange 1 1/2-inches apart on ungreased or aluminum foil-lined baking sheets. repeat with remaining log of dough.

bake 8-10 minutes, or until bottoms of cookies are golden brown, rotating pans from top to bottom and front to back, halfway through. remove pans from ovens, flip cookies. sprinkle each cookie with a pinch or two of the salted cardamom sugar.

bake 3-5 minutes more, or until the cookies are a deep golden brown, watching carefully to ensure they don't burn. if necessary, rotate pans and remove the cookies that caramelize first.

transfer cookies to rack; cool completely.

--

and there's more.

i know that there are still a small few

of you who have not decided upon

your holiday cookies yet

and so, i wanted to get these

palmiers out right away.

some other cookies to consider

from this past year:

chewy amaretti sandwich cookies,

sesame seed cookies and

emergency peanut butter cookies.

also, every year i make many

loaves of the

olive oil and sherry pound cake -

the first recipe i ever

made from pure dessert

and the second recipe i posted on this blog.

and there's another option, too.

i just started seeing meyer lemons

popping up again. there's still time

to preserve them, put them in their

own jars, add a bow and give

out to friends and family.

snapshot: tofu with spicy scallion and sesame sauce

i spend a lot of time cooking

intricate, million-step dishes that

make me very proud,

and usually, very tired.

the other times? i want quick

and simple options, that allow

me to sit for a few minutes when

i get home from work, and not

have to run into the kitchen,

crossing my fingers that we

eat before 10 pm.

this korean tofu is exactly

that - the longest part comes

from draining and blotting

the block of firm tofu,

which involves patience,

not skill or good form.

that's when i usually rest

(i.e. change my clothes

and watch ellen on dvr).

next, the tofu can be pan-seared

or boiled gently in water.

it's up to you and your mood.

while that's happening,

i sprinkle 2 large cloves garlic with

a large pinch of salt and let it sit 5 minutes,

before mashing them together until a paste forms.

then, in a small bowl, i whisk the paste

with 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame seeds

that have been crushed with a heavy knife,

1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions,

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce,

1 tablespoon asian sesame oil,

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

and 1/2 teaspoon sugar.*

when the tofu is ready, i spoon the spicy,

garlicky and nutty sauce over the tofu

and serve it next to some greens or

brown rice. if i'm feeling ambitious,

both sides make it to the plate,

but really, that's not what nights

like these are about.

*this sauce is yet another reason - on a very, very long list - why i am so sad to lose gourmet. the original, unadapted version of this recipe can be found here.

pear and hazelnut crostada

so, i'm back.

and, with one of my favorite

desserts:

a pear crostada that

has successfully served

several thanksgivings.

every year,

after i've had my first bite,

i think, why don't i make

this at the first sign

of fall, when pears are popping

up left and right at the markets?

the answer is simple:

i really don't make desserts

without an occasion.

but if i was the type of person

who decided on a sunday

to just make a pie or tart

to enjoy after dinner,

this would be the one that

i would turn to,

time and time again.

because, without a doubt,

this is my kind of dessert.

reason 1: it's fruit based.

if given the choice,

i will almost always pick a

fruity sweet - something with

apples, plums, peaches,

blueberries, strawberries,

bananas, pineapples -

over a chocolate concoction.

make it an in season,

peak of their prime fruit,

like juicy pears,

and you don't even have to ask.

just cut me a sliver.

reason number 2: it has a crust.

maybe because it took me so

long to feel comfortable making

pie crusts or maybe it's just because

pastry crusts are

buttery, tender and lovely,

but i just think there is something

incredibly special about

pies, tarts

and their flaky bases.

unless you're offering me carrot cake, too,

i'll take the pie, please.

reason number 3: hazelnuts.

i never really understood the power

of these buttery fragrant nuts

until i started making

larry's birthday cake.

but then, i was hooked. once

toasted and husked, they offer

an unparalleled element to sweet

and savory preparations. here,

they get double time to shine:

first, they're ground with flour

to form the base in the crust,

then whirled in the food processor

with butter and brown sugar

to make the crumb topping.

reason number 4: it's a crostada.

ok, if i'm being honest, this is

probably what drew me to the

recipe. when i first printed it out,

years ago, i had finally come to

terms with the fact that it is not

that hard to throw ingredients

in a food processor to make a crust.

but, my rolling, transferring and

pressing prettily into a pie pan skills?

still shaky. a crostada, in which

i could roll the dough out into

as close to a circle as i could get

it, pile it high with pears and then

fold over the edges, this way

and that, was right up my alley.

read: it's forgiving.

reason number 5: it can be made in steps.

well, i don't live with my mom anymore,

but that's where we celebrate thanksgiving.

even though this fall beauty is rustic,

i still think it's a little fragile -

i'd rather not bake, then transport.

(although, probably, that's my own paranoia.)

i love that i can show up

at my mom's house with:

a disk of dough that is still chilled after

an over an hour in the car, a container of

buttery hazelnut crumbs for the top,

three ripe pears and a tiny plastic bag

of flour and sugar to later mix with

those pears. oh, and there's usually

an orange rolling pin sticking

out of my bag, too, but a bottle of wine

would work just as well.

still not convinced?

well, let me tell you a couple other

things. this is the kind of crostada

that makes people tell you how good

it smells in the house before they're

even fully inside. it's the type of

crostada, that i think actually looks fun

to make - so much so that almost every

year, one of my sisters helps roll

the dough, fold the edges

or adds the crumbs on top.

and, most importantly, it's the type of

crostada that makes everyone at my

mom's thanksgiving table take a slice:

from someone who always thinks

they are too full to even come back to the table,

to a chocoholic, to another who doesn't

even eat dessert. ever.

and that, i think, is enough of a reason right there.

pear and hazelnut crostada

adapted from bon appetit magazine

over the years, i've done everything from making the piecrust and crumb topping over the weekend and freezing them until wednesday night, to just making them both thursday morning and chilling until i leave to go to my mom's. they both work just fine. oh, and if you're really on your game, give yourself a head start by toasting and husking the hazelnuts the night before. directions are here.

i should note that the one difficulty i've had with this recipe is the baking time. it instructs 400˚f in the bottom third of the oven for 40 minutes, then 12 more after that. i've never even made it to the extra 12. in fact, 40 minutes seems too long. next year, i am absolutely baking this in the center of the oven for 30 minutes and then checking to prevent it from getting too brown. (in fact, this time, i took it out after about only 26 minutes of baking and it was already darker than i would have liked it.) below, however, i'm including the directions from the original recipe. enjoy it - oh, and pick up some vanilla ice cream, too.

topping

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and husked

5 tablespoons packed golden brown sugar

3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cubed

pinch of salt

in bowl of food processor, combine all ingredients; blend 1 minute, or until clumps form. transfer to small bowl or container; chill until needed. no need to clean the food processor between steps.

crust

1 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup bread flour

1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and husked

3 tablespoons packed golden brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

9 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cubed

2-3 tablespoons ice water

in bowl of food processor, combine all-purpose flour, bread flour, hazelnuts, sugar and salt; blend 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until hazelnuts are finely chopped. add butter and pulse, just until coarse meal forms. with motor running, drizzle in 2 tablespoons ice water and process just until a ball of dough forms, adding more water, a teaspoon at a time, if necessary. transfer dough to work surface and form until a ball; flatten into a disk. wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.

when you're ready to bake. heat oven to 400˚f. place dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll dough to a 13-inch round (or as close to a round as you can get), lifting paper, smoothing wrinkles and turning as needed. remove and discard top piece of parchment paper. transfer bottom piece of parchment paper with dough to a large unrimmed baking sheet.

filling

1 3/4 pounds ripe bartlett pears, peeled, quartered, cored and thinly sliced

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

in medium bowl, gently combine pears, sugar and flour.

place pear mixture in center of dough, mounding high and leaving a 2-inch border. using parchment paper as an aid, if necessary, fold dough over pears, pleating loosely and pinching to seal any cracks.

sprinkle hazelnut topping over pears (it will seem like a lot, but still, put it all on there). bake 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. (start checking it after about 20 minutes to make sure it doesn't burn.) tent very loosely with foil to prevent over-browning and bake until juices bubble thickly, about 12 minutes more. transfer baking sheet to rack; cool completely or just until warm. slide large spatula under crust to free from parchment and transfer to a platter (note: my mom and i transfer it every year using three large spatulas and finger-crossing.)

thanksgiving - one week later

i kind of hate the fact

that it has been so long

since my last post. and really,

there's no good excuse, except

that over the past

two weeks i've been sick,

with two separate illnesses -

neither dire, but both enough

to pin me to the couch

for several days at a time.

and most of fall at my

job is spent preparing

for the week of thanksgiving.

but it's been too long.

so while i'm gathering the

strength to tell you about

the dessert i make every

thanksgiving (but can also

be made all fall and winter

long), here is some of our

food from last thursday.

the dining room table, with only about half the food on it.

my mom's stuffing, which she makes every year. it is a very basic, no-frills side dish with nothing more than soft onions to chew on, but we love it and thanksgiving would not be the same without it. so, she makes it, but every year - in effort to turn us to a different dish, she tries her hand at a new one. this year...

...it was taken from the food52 contest for best stuffing. my mom made the challah, mushroom and celery from mrs. wheelbarrow's kitchen. she added roast chestnuts and it was lovely.

rosemary and brown butter applesauce via codfish and caviar, via bon appetit magazine. i was skeptical about this recipe, but still, i wanted to make it. i'm so glad i did. it is truly a savory and unique applesauce that will not be found on every table.

blair's sweet potatoes. blair has made this dish for as long as both of us can remember. it is a traditional sweet potato casserole, with pineapples. this year, she added a crumb topping, along with the marshmallows.

wine...well needed to help me unwind from the week i had had. unfortunately, i was very tired and i don't even think i finished my one glass.

still, we had port with dessert.

this is another dish from the it's-been-at-every-thanksgiving files. my mom has been making her bourbon pecan pie for forever. i have distinct memories of one bottle of bourbon sitting on the top shelf, pulled down only once a year to make this pie.