Dead Cold Brew
Page 32
*Note on the rolling and flattening: The larger you make the ball of dough and the harder you press on the glass, the larger and thinner your cookies will be. Experiment with the size and thickness of your cookies until you get the kind you like best.
“Pink Chocolate” Icing
2 tablespoons whole milk, half-and-half, or light cream (do not use low-fat milk)
1 cup (good-quality) white chocolate chips
2 tablespoons raspberry (or cherry or strawberry) preserves
Heat the milk (or half-and-half or light cream) in a microwave-safe bowl for about 30 seconds—the milk should be very hot to the touch. (*See note below if you do not have a microwave.) Add the white chocolate chips and stir for about a minute. If the chips are not fully melted after a minute, place the bowl back in the microwave for 10 seconds and stir again. Finally, add the raspberry preserves and stir until you have your beautiful “pink chocolate” icing.
Work with this icing while it’s still warm. Clare spoons it onto the Pretty in Pink cookies and uses the back of the spoon to lightly spread and smooth it into an even layer. Once spread, the icing will set in about 30 minutes (faster if you chill the cookies in the fridge).
*Stovetop directions: If you do not have a microwave, create a double boiler by placing a glass or other heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Warm the milk, then add the chips and stir continually until melted. Take the bowl off the heat and stir in the raspberry preserves.
Warning: Be sure to mix the preserves as instructed in the recipe—i.e., after the chocolate is melted into the milk. If you try to “save time” by adding the preserves to the milk before heating, you will end up with an ugly gray mess.
Clare’s Perfect Pumpkin Bread with Brown Sugar and Maple Syrup
Clare Cosi knows the trick to baking up an excellent quick bread is not unlike the secret to a good relationship: keep the structure strong enough to prevent it all from falling apart—without sacrificing tenderness. She and Mike Quinn work on that delicate balance every day. In both cases (the bread and their relationship), the added spice makes it nice. While cinnamon and nutmeg are traditional in pumpkin bread, Clare’s recipe also layers in earthy-sweet maple syrup and brown sugar. Both combine with the vanilla to create a delightful note of caramel. This beautiful bread is great for gifting as well as eating. Mike found that out the morning Clare handed him wrapped loaves for his squad and his hospitalized second-in-command. Now Clare gives you the gift of her Perfect Pumpkin Bread.
Makes one 9-by-5-inch loaf
2 extra-large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
⅓ cup pure maple syrup
1 cup light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed and free of lumps!
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
1½ cups pumpkin puree* (most of a 15-ounce can)
2 cups all-purpose flour
(optional) ½ cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
(optional) Clare’s Cream Cheese Glaze (recipe follows this one)
*Pumpkin puree can be homemade or canned. If using canned, be sure to use 100 percent pureed pumpkin and not “pumpkin pie filling.”
Step 1—Make batter: First preheat your oven to 350°F. Coat bottom and sides of a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan or grease the pan with oil or butter. With a fork or whisk, beat eggs in a mixing bowl. Whisk in oil, maple syrup, and brown sugar. Whisk in vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Finally, whisk in the pumpkin puree and blend well. Switching to a rubber spatula (or spoon), stir in flour until a lumpy batter forms. Be sure all the raw flour is well incorporated into the batter, but do not overmix. If adding nuts, fold in now. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Even off the top and bang the pan a few times on the counter (to remove air bubbles). Allow the pan to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes before baking.
Step 2—Bake: After about 50 minutes baking in your well-preheated 350°F oven, test for doneness by inserting a toothpick deep into the center of the bread. If the toothpick comes out with wet batter clinging to it, place aluminum foil over the top of the pan to prevent overbrowning and continue baking 5 minutes at a time, testing until toothpick comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
Step 3—Glaze, cool, and slice: Bread should cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the pan. If your pan is nonstick, it should come out easily. Otherwise, run a knife around the pan edges.
Optional: While still warm frost with Clare’s Cream Cheese Glaze—the recipe follows with instructions for glazing. Before slicing, cool bread another 15 minutes or you may risk crumbling the slices. Slice gently, using a serrated knife. Delicious plain or with a spread of butter or whipped cream cheese.
Clare’s Cream Cheese Glaze
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk (whole, skim, or almond)
Generous pinch of table salt
¾ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
Using an electric mixer, beat the softened butter and softened cream cheese until light and fluffy. (Tip: Be sure to allow these ingredients to soften to room temperature or you may have trouble getting the right texture.) Beat in the pure vanilla extract, milk, and salt. Finally, mix in your confectioners’ sugar, a little at a time, until the glaze is smooth. Use a pastry (silicone) brush to generously brush this glaze over the top (and a bit over the sides) of Clare’s Perfect Pumpkin Bread while still warm. The glaze will melt into the bread and set as it cools. This glaze is also delicious on spice cookies and muffins.
Clare’s Perfect Coffee Bacon with Maple-Espresso Glaze
Once you start eating this beautiful smoky-sweet bacon, you will not want to stop. Clare served it to her new fiancé in an effort to divert his amorous attentions. (There were, after all, mysteries to solve.) As the bacon caramelized in the oven, the incredible scent attracted the attention of Clare’s feline friends, Frothy and Java, and the fur flew—until the catnip appeared. As for human catnip, you’ve found it. Serve this glazed bacon with coffee and slices of melon for a heavenly breakfast.
Makes 2 servings
6 thick-cut bacon slices (must be thick-cut)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar (must be dark)
¼ teaspoon espresso powder
1 tablespoon hot coffee
1½ teaspoons pure maple syrup
Step 1—Prepare the baking pan: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place bacon slices flat on the paper. Allow the slices to warm a bit before going into the oven, so lay out the bacon before making the glaze. (Note: The parchment paper is there to absorb grease and prevent the bacon from sticking to the pan. The process is messy, so be sure to use the paper.)
Step 2—Prepare the glaze: Place dark brown sugar and espresso powder into a small bowl. Add hot coffee and whisk with a fork until sugar and espresso are completely dissolved. Whisk in maple syrup. Brush each bacon slice evenly with your coffee-maple glaze, using about half the amount.
Step 3—Bake the bacon: Bake for 10 minutes at 375°F. Flip the bacon, brush the other side with the rest of the glaze. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F and bake for another 10 to 13 minutes. Watch closely to prevent burning. The key to perfection is a slight char on the edges, which guarantees that the sugars have properly caramelized.
Step 4—Drain and serve: Allow the bacon to cool enough for the sizzling to stop. Then move the hot bacon to a plate or baking sheet covered with wax paper or parchment paper to continue draining the grease. Do not use paper towels; the glazed bacon will stick! Serve hot or cold and you will definitely eat w
ith joy!
Clare’s Sweet and Savory Mustard-Maple Bacon
Like Clare’s Perfect Coffee Bacon, this quick and easy glaze infuses your ho-hum breakfast with new and exciting flavors. Sweet, savory, and delicious, this Mustard-Maple Bacon is also fantastic in a BLT.
Makes 2 servings
6 thick-cut bacon slices (must be thick-cut)
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar (must be dark)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon hot coffee or hot water
1½ teaspoons pure maple syrup
Step 1—Prepare the baking pan: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place bacon slices flat on the paper. Allow the slices to warm a bit before going into the oven, so lay out the bacon before making the glaze. (Note: The parchment paper is there to absorb grease and prevent the bacon from sticking to the pan. The process is messy, so be sure to use the paper.)
Step 2—Prepare the glaze: Place dark brown sugar and Dijon mustard into a small bowl. Add hot coffee (or hot water) and whisk with a fork until the sugar is completely dissolved. Whisk in maple syrup. Brush each bacon slice evenly with your mustard-maple glaze, using about half the amount.
Step 3—Bake the bacon: Bake for 10 minutes at 375°F. Flip the bacon, brush the other side with the rest of the glaze. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F and bake for another 10 to 13 minutes. Watch closely to prevent burning. The key to perfection is a slight char on the edges, which guarantees that the sugars have properly caramelized.
Step 4—Drain and serve: Allow the bacon to cool enough for the sizzling to stop. Then move the hot bacon to a plate or baking sheet covered with wax paper or parchment paper to continue draining the grease. Do not use paper towels; the glazed bacon will stick! Serve hot or cold.
Clare’s Memorable Fried Mozzarella Sticks
Sometimes a food just sticks—to your memory. After Clare whipped up a batch of these hot, crunchy, melty delights for Mike Quinn, he couldn’t stop raving about them, prompting his subordinate in the OD Squad, Sergeant Emmanuel Franco, to put in a request to Clare for a batch of his own. Unfortunately, Clare was fresh out of mozzarella, so the “poor guy” had to settle for a generous bowl of freshly made Fettuccine Alfredo (see Clare’s recipe on page 338).
Makes about 16 sticks
½ cup flour
2 large eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
¾ cup panko bread crumbs (for crunch)
¾ cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs (to boost coating and flavor)
¾ cups grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground sea salt
1 pound block whole milk mozzarella cheese (such as Polly-O)*
2 cups vegetable oil
*For convenience, you can use mozzarella “string cheese” (cutting each stick in half before coating), but Clare warns that these preformed sticks are made with part-skim mozzarella, and will not give you the level of creaminess, melty gooeyness, and flavor you’ll get by taking a few minutes to cut sticks from a whole milk mozzarella block.
Step 1—Prepare dipping ingredients: (Clare suggests using 3 shallow bowls or cake pans or pie plates for this dipping process.) Into first bowl, measure out flour. Into second bowl, beat 2 eggs with 1 tablespoon milk. Into third bowl, blend panko bread crumbs, Italian-seasoned bread crumbs, Parmesan (or Pecorino Romano), and sea salt. Cut the mozzarella block into sticks of about 3 inches long and ½ inch wide.
Step 2—Bread and freeze: Coat each cheese stick with flour first. Next dip the floured stick in the egg mixture. Shake off excess liquid and roll each stick in the bread crumbs mix, pressing on the breading to make sure it adheres to each cheese stick. Place coated stick on a tray or baking sheet covered with wax paper or parchment paper. Repeat with all sticks. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze the cheese sticks at least 2 hours, but no more than 48 hours.
Step 3—Fry and feast: Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Working in small batches so they don’t bump or bunch together, fry the frozen mozzarella sticks until they are golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Remove sticks using a slotted spoon. (If using tongs be careful not to crush the fragile, hot cheese.) Drain on paper towels and serve warm with a dipping bowl of Clare’s 1, 2, 3 Magic Meatless Spaghetti Sauce (recipe follows).
1, 2, 3 Magic Meatless Spaghetti Sauce from Canned Tomatoes
Short on time? Use this quick and easy recipe to make an outstanding fresh-tasting sauce for your pasta or casseroles, one that’s far better than jarred sauce from grocery store shelves. This is Clare Cosi’s adaptation of the famous Marcella Hazan recipe. (*See page 336 on how Clare adapted the original.) To a can of whole tomatoes, Clare adds 1 medium white onion, 2 cloves of garlic, and 3 tablespoons of butter. This 1, 2, 3 method produces a meatless sauce with sweet tomato flavor, making it a wonderful backdrop for pasta, lasagna, eggplant (or chicken) Parmesan, as well as meatballs and meat loaf. Great spooned on vegetables, too. Try it on: steamed green beans; spaghetti squash; diced and sautéed eggplant; even cooked green peas.
Clare’s buying tip: Use San Marzano whole canned tomatoes. These imported Italian plum tomatoes are the finest in the world, largely for the same reasons that make great wines and coffees (the terroir). San Marzano tomatoes are grown in the volcanic ash of Italy’s Mount Vesuvius, making them sweeter and more delicious than any other canned tomato you will find!
Makes 2 cups of tomato sauce, enough for one 16-ounce package of pasta.
If doubling sauce, add 15 minutes to cooking time.
1 (28-ounce) can whole imported Italian plum tomatoes (for very best results use San Marzano tomatoes!)
1 medium white onion
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons butter
Optional additions (not needed, but if you like, you may add): ¼ cup red wine, ⅛ teaspoon coarse sea salt, 1 teaspoon dried Italian spice mix
Open the can and pour the entire contents—whole tomatoes and all of the liquid—into a saucepan. (If using any of the optional ingredients—red wine, salt, or dried Italian spice mix—stir in now.) Peel the onion, cut it in half, and place it cut-side down into the saucepan. (Cut-side down will better release the onion flavors.) Peel the garlic cloves, cut each clove in half, and toss in the pieces. Add the butter and heat the pan’s contents until just simmering (do not boil). Cook uncovered, keeping the pot at a low but steady simmer for about 45 minutes. Stir every so often, but be careful not to break up the onion—do your best to keep it whole. The sauce will reduce and thicken while cooking. When finished, remove from heat. Remove the onions and garlic pieces and serve. (Clare suggests eating the onion layers separately as a side dish. They’re delicious!) Finally, if the finished sauce appears chunky, use an immersion blender to smooth it out.
Sauce troubleshooting: This sauce should simmer and not boil. You must also stir it. If those things didn’t happen and you boiled your sauce down to an amount below 2 cups, you will need to correct the thickness. This is easily done. Measure the finished amount of sauce. If it’s 2 cups, you’re good. If it’s less than that, add water (or red wine) until the amount reaches 2 cups. Heat the sauce through for 5 to 8 minutes and stir in one more tablespoon of butter. This will correct the error of overreducing the sauce.
Canned tomato tips: As mentioned above, for best results use San Marzano whole canned tomatoes. If you cannot find these, look for canned whole plum tomatoes. Do not use crushed. Crushed tomatoes may contain bruised fruit and/or pieces that are not of the best quality. Also note: Check the ingredient labels on the cans that you buy: “tomato juice” is okay as an added ingredient, but not “tomato puree.”
*Note on adaptation: Clare credits the late Marcella Hazan for this recipe’s inspiration. (Marcella calls hers “Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter.”) Ms. Hazan’s version starts with less tomato (2 cups fresh or 2 cups of the canned with
juices). She also adds more butter (5 tablespoons). When Clare first tried it, she felt the sauce tasted a bit too cloying and unctuous, so she adjusted the recipe to her taste by reducing the butter and increasing the tomato to the entire contents of a 28-ounce can, which is how you’ll find most whole canned tomatoes (imported or domestic) sold in the United States. Clare also loves garlic, and she believes it makes the sauce even sweeter while adding a classic note of flavor.
Clare Cosi’s Three-Cheese (Meatless) Baked Ziti
Baked Ziti is a well-known Italian American staple as universal as spaghetti and meatballs. Like spaghetti, baked ziti is a casserole dish made with a red tomato-based sauce, along with the pasta, and large amounts of rich (mozzarella), creamy (ricotta), and sharp (Pecorino Romano) cheeses. Many ziti casseroles contain meat—beef, pork, or pork sausage—but Clare prefers to make this meat-free version, and serve it with a side of her “Secret Ingredient” Meatballs (page 338).
Makes 8 servings
1 pound package ziti
1½ pounds whole milk mozzarella, grated
½ cup Pecorino Romano, grated
15 ounce container whole milk ricotta
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
2½ cups Clare’s Magic Sauce (page 334) or your favorite tomato sauce
1 teaspoon olive oil
Step 1—Prepare the ingredients: Cook the ziti al dente, per package instructions, strain, and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking process. Set aside and continue draining. (The pasta will cook a little longer in the sauce so don’t fret if it’s a bit chewy.) Now grate the whole milk mozzarella and set aside ½ cup. Grate the Pecorino Romano cheese. In a very large mixing bowl, stir together the whole milk ricotta with the lightly beaten egg. Mix in the Pecorino Romano and mozzarella (minus the reserved ½ cup).