MENU: Last Night

My gratitude for The Sexy Blonde and her tasting tour assistance in wine country last week prompted me to prepare a hearty meal of comfort food for two last night, and I was so appreciative that I found the time to make everything from scratch.

Crostini with olive tapenade and goat cheese
Salad of butter lettuce, golden beets, walnuts and goat cheese with a shallot vinaigrette
Baked macaroni and cheese (sharp cheddar and gruyere with crispy topping)
Chicken schnitzel (with carbombbq sauce on the side)
Swedish ginger cookie cups with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce
A bottle of Carignane that we picked up around Healdsburg

She seemed happy, but complained that I was going to make her fat, but she is the last person to need to worry about that. We joked about what a great story it would make for a chef to seduce his women with his cooking, fatten them up and then cast them aside and move on to the next conquest, but then what will the chef get as his just des(s)erts?

JOURNAL: Gingered Duck (Cookies) II

In preparation for the Gingered Duck Cookies, I made a few dozen traditional Swedish ginger and bacon fat cookies to help me consider my adaptation scheme. I think I can just swap out the fats, but I am going to do a little melt test and some Internet research before I make the first batch.

Based on flavor, I was thinking that they would make a killer ice cream sandwich with vanilla or lemon gelato between, but they are sort of hard, so I don’t think the structure of the cookie would be conducive to a sandwich. To bring them from delicious to amazing, I am considering the addition of lemon zest and/or almonds to enhance the flavor. I would really love to find a way to get them to fluff up more too, rather than spreading and crisping so much, so I will experiment with not pressing them, adding more baking soda, etc. but the science of baking is something I do not understand. To prove it, the following paragraph illustrates how I tried to use physics to solve a chemistry problem.

While trying to counteract the cookie’s tendency to flatten, I discovered a fun trick that circumvents the ice cream sandwich issue. I figured that if the cookies would have no room to spread out, then they might take the path of least resistance and rise, so I dropped a dozen dough balls into a cupcake pan. I should have figured that you can’t use force to coax dough into rising, since really it’s a chemical reaction issue. Rather than rise, they spread up the sides of the cups, resulting in flat-bottomed, bowl-shaped cookies, which would perfectly cradle a scoop of ice cream. Next time I am going to use a bigger ball of dough in the cup and see if can make a larger cookie cup. I love the happy accidents, and the cupcake pan cookies actually are a little fluffier and softer than the cookie sheet variety. Brute force and ignorance triumph again!

RECIPES: Manic Mango Refined

Crab Mangoon

2 (8 ounce) packages softened cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
2 mangoes, seeded, peeled and finely diced
1 (8 ounce) package faux crab legs, broken into pieces (real crab or lobster if you are feeling fancy, but really the fake works better)
2-3 scallions, white end half removed, cut into thin rings
1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Won ton wrappers
Oil for deep-frying

1. Combine everything but the wrappers and frying oil and leave the mixing bowl in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to allow the flavors to meld and the cheese stiffen.
2. Scoop about a tablespoon of filling onto each won ton, wet two adjacent edges and pinch them together to make a pregnant triangle.
3. Use a fork to crimp the sealed edges.
4. Submerge in hot oil until golden.
5. Drain on paper towels for five minutes, but serve them quickly or else they will become flaccid and soggy.
6. Serve with duck sauce, sweet chili sauce or both...or something else.

Frozen Ginger Mango-Rita

Serves: 1
Don't bother making a half recipe.
You will regret it when you run out.

1.5 cups Simple Ginger syrup*
6 ripe mangoes, pitted, peeled and cubed
3 limes, two juiced and one cut into wedges)
4 cups ice
1.5 cups tequila
1/2 cup Grand Marnier or Cointreau
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper

1. Combine mangoes, syrup, and lime juice in a food processor. You might have to do this in batches if you don't have the 14 cup model.
2. Add liquor and ice and blend until smooth.
3. Combine sugar and cayenne, stirring thoroughly on a small plate.
4. Wet the rim of a glass with a lime wedge, and dip it in the dish to coat the rim before filling. Repeat with every glass.
5. Garnish with a wedge of lime.

*Simple Ginger

I like to keep this on hand. I store it in squeeze bottles for use in cocktails, desserts and sauces. It will keep for a couple weeks.

1 cup H2O
1 cup sugar
3 inch piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan.
2. Stir Constantly over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
3. Bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes.
4. Remove from heat and let steep for 1-2 hours.
5. Pour through fine mesh strainer and discard ginger pieces.