3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1. Place a large (10-to 12-inch) heavy skillet over medium-low heat, and add the olive oil. Let it heat for about a minute.
2. Add the pumpkin seeds, cumin seeds, and chiles or red pepper flakes. Use a wooden spatula or spoon to slowly stir until everything becomes evenly coated with the oil. Keep cooking, stirring every few minutes, for a good 20 minutes (possibly even a little longer), until the pumpkin seeds give off a strong toasty aroma and most of them are gradually becoming a light golden brown.
3. Continue to cook on medium-low heat just long enough to stir in the salt and then splash in the lime juice, which will sizzle. Turn off the heat, and wait about 5 minutes for the seeds to absorb the lime juice. Taste, and add more salt if you think it’s needed.
4. Remove and discard the whole chiles, put the seeds in a bowl, and serve warm or at room temperature. Or cool completely and transfer to a resealable plastic freezer bag for storage.
CHILES DE ÁRBOL
Dried chiles de árbol (the small, thin red ones) are available in Latin grocery stores, in many supermarkets (often in the Mexican section), or online. They are fairly hot and quite pretty. Because they are left whole in this dish, they don’t give off a huge amount of heat—just enough. Dried chiles keep for months and look very attractive in a bowl on the kitchen counter. If you like their flavor but want milder heat, split them open before using them and discard the seeds.
* * *
GET CREATIVE
Sprinkle on a few dashes of soy sauce when adding the lime juice.
Serve these on their own, or use them as a garnish for Latin-style dishes, including guacamole (store-bought or homemade—see Chapter 8: Party Snacks), Cuban Black Bean Soup (Chapter 1: Soups), Vegetarian Chili (Chapter 4: Vegetarian Entrées), Steak Fajitas (Chapter 6: Chicken, Fish, and Meat), Taco Salad (Chapter 2: Salads), and as many other things as you can think of.
These are also great for livening up a green salad, or sprinkling over cooked rice or beans.
* * *
slightly sweet cajun-spiced nuts
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Serve these wonderfully complex glazed nuts on their own or with cheese, and definitely with drinks of any kind. You can also use them, whole or chopped, as a topping for other dishes. Or wrap them in colorful paper or put them in old-fashioned glass jars, and give them as gifts. I originally made this with walnuts, and then tried pecans and cashews. Then, thinking about cost, I tried peanuts, which sell for about a quarter the price of other nuts. They were all fabulous. The large pan is essential for this, because the nuts need maximum contact with the spices in order to become thoroughly coated. Open a window and turn on the stovetop fan before you begin. When you add the vinegar to the hot pan, there will be fumes! These store for up to 2 weeks in a tightly sealed container at room temperature, or indefinitely when sealed in resealable plastic bags and kept in the freezer.
2 tablespoons canola, soy, or peanut oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon powdered ginger
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound (about 4 cups) unsalted walnuts, pecans, cashews, or peanuts
½ teaspoon salt (possibly more)
1/3 cup (packed) brown sugar (light or dark)
¼ cup cider vinegar
1. Place a large (10-to 12-inch) heavy skillet over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Let it heat for about 30 seconds, then add the butter and swirl until it melts.
2. Sprinkle in the cumin, ginger, chili powder, and thyme, and slowly stir the spices into the buttery oil with a wooden spatula or a wooden spoon. Keep the heat steady while you stir for about 2 minutes, or until the spices are fragrant.
3. Add the nuts, spreading them out in the pan. Sprinkle in the salt, and continue cooking and slowly stirring for about 2 minutes.
4. Sprinkle in the brown sugar, and continue to cook and stir for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sugar begins to melt and is just starting to adhere to the surface of the pan. (Scrape as you go, and if necessary use a table knife to scrape off the soft sugar coating that will likely have adhered to your wooden stirrer.)
5. Pour the vinegar into the pan. It will sizzle dramatically. (Don’t inhale near the pan at this moment.) Keep stirring for another 30 seconds, and you will see that the vinegar is deglazing the pan, loosening up all the tasty stuff that has stuck to its surface. Turn off the heat, and wait about 5 minutes for the nuts to absorb the vinegar.
6. Transfer the nuts to a bowl and let cool until they are at a comfortable tasting temperature. Taste to see if you think they need more salt, and adjust accordingly. Serve right away, or allow to cool and then transfer to a resealable plastic bag for storage.
* * *
GET CREATIVE
You can give the finished nuts an even deeper flavor with a brief final toasting in the oven: Adjust the rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking tray with foil and spray it with nonstick spray. Spread out the spiced nuts on the tray, and bake them for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they turn an even deeper golden brown. Keep an eye on them the entire time, so they don’t burn. Remove the nuts from the oven, and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Toss in ½ cup minced crystallized ginger after the nuts have cooled down.
Use as a garnish for green salads, cooked grains, or any vegetable side dish where it seems to fit.
Make this vegan by omitting the butter.
* * *
bacon-wrapped fruit bites
Makes 12 bacon bites; serves 4 to 6 as a party snack
Prepare yourself for a warm and wonderful one-two punch of flavor—salty, crunchy, and smoky at first, and then blissfully sweet. Dried apricots come in two types: the thin, very tart kind that are halves, and a thicker, plumper, sweeter type that are whole apricots with their pits removed, known as Turkish apricots. For this recipe, you want the Turkish type. Look for them at natural foods stores, good produce markets, and specialty grocery stores. The best setup for this is a rectangular rack (the kind you cool cookies on) set onto (or ideally into) a foil-lined baking tray with sides (often called a jelly roll pan). This will allow the bacon fat to drip down and away from the bites, keeping them crisp. If you don’t have these items, just bake the bites directly on a foil-lined baking tray, and then drain them on paper towels before serving.
Vegetable oil spray
6 slices bacon, “regular” or turkey
12 Turkish-style dried apricots or pitted prunes, or a combination
1. Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a shallow-sided baking pan with foil, and set a cooling rack on top. Spray the rack with nonstick spray.
2. Cut each slice of bacon in half crosswise to make 12 pieces, each about 4 inches long.
3. Wrap each apricot or prune with a half-slice of bacon, covering as much of the fruit as you can. The bacon will overlap a bit, but it shouldn’t go around twice. Place each piece, seam side down, on the prepared rack. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp on the bottom.
4. Use tongs to carefully turn the bites over, and insert a toothpick into each one to secure the bacon ends. Bake for another 10 minutes, or until the bacon is evenly cooked and crisp all over.
5. Remove the baking tray from the oven, and leave the bites on the rack to cool for a few minutes before serving. (The sugar in the fruit will have become very hot.)
BACON BASICS
Bacon is easy to cook—just be sure to ventilate your kitchen as much as possible in the process.
Allow 2 strips (1 ounce) per serving. Lay them flat, in a single layer, in a skillet or frying pan, then put it on the stove over medium heat. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, turning once or twice with tongs (and being careful not to let them burn!). When the bacon is almost as crisp as you want it, transfer it to a plate lined with paper
towels, and let it sit for a few minutes to crisp further.
Let grease cool in the pan for a few minutes, and then very carefully pour it into a dry can or heatproof jar and put it in the refrigerator, where it will cool and solidify, and then discard it.
A microwave also does a very good job of cooking bacon. Lay strips flat on a plate lined with paper towels, and then place another paper towel on top. Cook on high power for 2 minutes, and then check for doneness. Cook for up to 1 more minute if necessary. (Your microwave might end up smelling like bacon, so mop it out with warm soapy water afterward and then leave it open to air out for a while.)
* * *
GET CREATIVE
Before wrapping the fruit with the bacon, you can stuff it with a bit of cheese (goat cheese, bleu cheese, or even little sticks of Parmesan) or a single nut (an almond, a pecan, or part of a walnut half). Use a sharp knife to cut a slit in the side of the fruit, and slip in your chosen filling. Press the fruit around the filling to seal it completely, and then wrap the bacon around the fruit.
For a vegetarian alternative, simply stuff the apricots and prunes with nuts or cheese and skip the bacon—and the baking.
Serve with lime wedges to squeeze on top.
Serve 2 or 3 warm bites on top of a salad of mixed greens or baby spinach.
Make this vegan by simply stuffing the fruit with nuts and skipping the baking.
* * *
luxury potato bites
Makes 24 bites, about 6 servings
Here’s proof that humble boiled potatoes can go totally uptown. This is the place to splurge on those expensive ingredients that you love but can afford only once in a great while and in small quantities. (We’re talking caviar, crème fraîche, pine nuts, and the like.) A little bit will go far, and your potatoes with assorted toppings will be breathtakingly beautiful, especially if you present them on a dramatic platter of salt. To do this, fill a deep platter or shallow-sided gratin or baking dish with a ¼-inch-deep layer of large-crystal salt. The potato halves will nestle into the salt and not tip over for serving. Or you can skip the salt and trim a tiny slice off the bottom of each potato half to make it sit flat.
This recipe can be vegan, depending on your choice of toppings.
12 small creamer-style potatoes (red, white, and/or yellow), about 1½ inches in diameter
Choice of toppings (see get creative, at right)
1. Place the potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover them by a few inches. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
2. Put a colander in the sink and drain the potatoes thoroughly, then let them cool until comfortable to handle.
3. Cut each potato in half and use a melon baller or a very small spoon to hollow out a small well in the center of each cut side. (Save the scooped-out potato to throw into a salad or soup—or just to snack on as you work.) Trim off a very thin slice from the rounded side of each half so it will stand upright—or skip this step if serving the potatoes on a platter of salt (see headnote).
4. Fill with your desired toppings and serve warm or at room temperature.
* * *
GET CREATIVE
Fill the hollowed-out potatoes with one or more of the following:
Sour cream or crème fraîche topped with a small amount of caviar or a small piece of smoked salmon and snipped chives.
Minced anchovies
Grated sharp Cheddar cheese
Salsa (tomato or mango) or guacamole (store-bought or homemade—see Chapter 8: Party Snacks) and a small sprig of cilantro
A dollop of pesto (store-bought or homemade—see Chapter 8: Party Snacks)
Lightly toasted pine nuts or chopped walnuts
Very finely minced red bell pepper (fresh or roasted from a jar)
Crumbled bacon (see Chapter 8: Party Snacks) and bleu cheese
Hummus (store-bought or homemade—see Chapter 8: Party Snacks)
* * *
desserts.
HOT FUDGE SUNDAES
BALSAMIC STRAWBERRIES
CHOCOLATE–PEANUT BUTTER CRUNCHY THINGS
CHOCOLATE–CHOCOLATE CHIP MINT COOKIES
INTENSELY CHOCOLATE BROWNIES
CHEESECAKE BARS
GINGERY GINGERBREAD
BUTTERMILK BANANA BREAD
APPLE CRISP
CHERRY CLAFOUTIS
The Sweet Truth
I’m always surprised to discover that there are fine cooks who never bake—or make any kind of dessert, baked or otherwise. So clearly it is not necessary to be a dessert maker in order to be considered a good and knowledgeable kitchen culinarian.
However, desserts are a whole lot of fun to prepare, and they make people happy. Dessert knowledge will give you something uplifting to do on a rainy Sunday. It will provide a great collection of ideas for memorable, affordable homemade gifts (think Buttermilk Banana Bread, packed in foil and tied with lots of ribbons, or a tin of Chocolate–Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies delivered in person to someone whose joy is really important to you).
That’s the sweet truth about desserts. Most people, even those of us who love baking, wouldn’t whip up a nice dessert just for ourselves. We know instinctively that there’s something about being baked for that makes people feel really loved and cared about. By its very definition, dessert is an edible gift, something designed to share and enjoy with someone else. And that’s a very good thing to have in your repertoire.
To get you going on yours, I’ve chosen ten recipes, carefully selected to give you maximum satisfaction and pride of accomplishment with minimum fuss and preciousness. These recipes give you a nice variety. Only four of them contain chocolate (that’s variety in my book). Some are classics, like real Hot Fudge Sundaes, Apple Crisp, and Intensely Chocolate Brownies. Others are a bit more unexpected, like clafoutis, a super-easy French-style batter cake studded with cherries, or a simple bowl of Balsamic Strawberries. I see this as a “greatest hits” of sweet.
Technically speaking, I’ve tried to steer clear of fancy equipment. That said, you will probably appreciate having a handheld electric mixer, which is really the best way to beat butter to the fluffy state that makes all the difference. As with most of the other highly recommended tools in this book, you can probably find an affordable mixer at a garage sale or thrift store, or from a favorite relative who might be upgrading. In the meantime, all of these desserts can be made by hand. I also highly recommend you become the proud owner of a 9-by 13-inch baking pan, called for throughout this book and especially useful here.
Finally, here’s an eleventh dessert idea: Don’t forget that you can always just buy a few pieces of perfectly ripe, peak-season fruit, cut it up, and serve it with a few fantastic cheeses and maybe some chunks of equally fantastic chocolate and some toasted nuts. That’s an edible gift anyone would appreciate.
hot fudge sundaes
Makes 6 or more servings
You’ll be amazed at the difference homemade hot fudge sauce and freshly whipped cream make. This sauce is the genuine article, just like the kind you get in an ice cream parlor and much better than the typical supermarket versions. It takes only about 5 minutes to make. So take the ice cream out of the freezer before you start, and by the time you’ve made the sauce and whipped the cream, the ice cream will be optimally soft and scoopable. Once you have everything ready, assemble the sundaes quickly so you can enjoy the wonderful, fleeting contrast of hot fudge and cold ice cream while it lasts. Be sure the chocolate chips you use for this are semisweet, not milk chocolate. Or swap in 6 ounces of some other excellent semisweet chocolate, broken or chopped into small pieces.
The sauce will keep in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator for 2 months or longer. It will become solid, so you’ll need to reheat it in the microwave (or by gently warming the jar in a pot of water over medium heat). You can also just eat it cold with a spoon if you’re urgently craving a chocolate truffle fix.
/>
1 pint heavy cream (that’s the big container, or two of the smaller ones)
½ cup dark corn syrup
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
Get Cooking Page 27