Ham & Cheese Strata

I came across this recipe in the newspaper and saw it right away as a great idea for Christmas breakfast. It can be assembled ahead of time and them baked the next morning. Essentially, it is ham and cheese sandwiches covered with a cheese custard.

Coat a 9-by-13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Make five ham and cheese sandwiches and place them in the pan. Some trimming will be required to get a good fit. In a large bowl, mix eggs, milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper and grated Parmesan. Pour the liquid over the sandwiches and gently press them down to maximize absorption. Arrange slices of mozzarella on the top like you would for lasagna. Refriferate until ready to bake.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in a 350° oven or until the center is set and the edges are lightly browned. After 10 minutes, slice and serve.

Bon appétit!

European Peasant Bread

A wonderful cookbook I have is Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? Well, it is too good, but also, it is true. The authors developed a basic bread recipe that is easy, and importantly, does not require kneading. The dough is mixed, allowed to rise in a container (not air-tight) then refrigerated until ready to bake. There are many variations of the basic recipe. I love the European Peasant Bread. Crusty bread with a marvelous crumb.

Yeast and salt are added to warm water in the bowl of my stand-up mixer. The flours, in this case, whole wheat, rye and all-purpose. It is mixed until incorporated then dumped into a container with a lid. Leave the lid slightly ajar as the dough will rise and then fall slightly over a two-hour period. Store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

When ready to bake the bread, dust the top of the dough with flour and pull a hunk of about a pound from the container. Dust with a little more flour and shape into a ball by pulling the sides down and under. Place on a pizza peel that has been covered with cornmeal and let it rest and rise for 40 minutes.

Twenty minutes later, preheat the oven to 450° with a baking stone set on the center rack. The recipe calls for placing an empty broiler tray on a rack under the stone. This is for placing some hot water in to create steam during baking. I have tried it with and without the water with great results both ways. For these Christmas loaves, I used the water.

Sprinkle the top of the risen dough ball with more flour and using a sharp knife, make a cross or other decorative pattern. Slide the dough directly from the pizza peel onto the baking stone and add a cup of water to the broiler pan.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the crust is a deep brown and firm. Of course, larger loaves require cooking time adjustment.

Bon appétit!

English Toffee

Easily the most popular of my mother's recipes. Christmas cookie trays are incomplete without this English Toffee. I remember when I was a kid, my mother making this. The metal spatula scraping the bottom of the pan, constantly until that perfect temperature was reached. And then the hot candy being poured onto the marble slab to cool. Today I use that same pan and spatula, as well as that old candy thermometer. I have my own granite slab for the cooling. (I confess: I broke my mom's marble slab years ago, on accident).

One cup each of sugar and butter plus five tablespoons water. That's it. Well, there is a catch. Not all brands of butter work. Some won't brown. Some just don't get the right taste. I don't know what to say other than trial and error is the only way to go. Once you find a brand that works, don't forget it, like I do every year.

Cook the butter, sugar and water on high heat, stirring in one direction only, with the metal spatula. When the mixture turns a light brown, begin monitoring the temperature until it reaches 290 degrees. Immediately pour onto the granite slab to cool.

Coat with melted chocolate and sprinkle with finely chopped almonds. After the chocolate sets, turn over carefully and coat the other side with chocolate and nuts. When it is completely set, break into pieces.

Superlatively delicious. Ask anybody who has tried this.

Bon appétit!

No-Bake Cookies

Some call these Peanut Butter Balls. Not my mom. Nor me. They were No-Bake Cookies when I was a kid watching mom make them, and they will remain No-Bake Cookies now that I am all grown up and making them myself. The recipe even says so. Who am I to go against mom?

This is a pretty easy recipe. At first. Cream margarine, peanut butter and powdered sugar. Then add graham cracker crumbs, walnuts, coconut and vanilla. Then it gets a little more difficult. The dough must be worked by hand. Try a hand-mixer and you will burn out the motor. A stand-up mixer just isn't big enough to do a double batch and I would never consider making just a single batch. Form the dough into one-inch balls. It will be a bit crumbly so you'll need to pack them tightly.

In a double boiler, melt milk chocolate and some baking wax. Coat the balls in the chocolate and place them on waxed paper to set. I place the waxed paper on a cookie tray so I can place it in the freezer to expedite the setting of the chocolate.

Remember what went into this recipe and you won't need me to tell you these are simply delicious. Very very delicious. But don't just take my word for it. See for yourself.

Bon appétit!

Sugar Cookies

Today's Christmas cookie recipe is not an heirloom. It's just a sugar cookie recipe that I found online. Rather than just make plain old sugar cookies though, I added a twist. And then some.

The recipe was pretty straightforward. Almost boring. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Then vanilla. But wait. I substituted peppermint extract for the vanilla, and also added some green food coloring. Back to the recipe. Then the salt and flour. Chill dough for an hour.

I selected the Christmas tree template for my cookie press and dug out all the different sprinkles we have in the cupboard. Not just Christmas trees, but decorated Christmas trees.

And then everything changed. I was struggling with the cookie press, so Susie stepped up to the plate. Then we found that the trees were too small to decorate beyond simple sprinkles. And then the cookie press broke. Riggin' friggin' cheap plastic. Well, we got a bunch of cookies made. And Susie is checking on a new cookie press tomorrow. A metal one. The remainder of the dough is wrapped tightly in the refrigerator.

And, by the way, the cookies are quite tasty.


Bon appétit!

Jelly Balls

Also called Thumbprints. More so than they are called Jelly Balls. In fact, my mom is the one who called them Jelly Balls. Since it is her recipe, I will call them Jelly Balls as well.

Cream butter and sugar. Then add, in succession, egg yolks, salt and flour. That's it. Then comes the tedious part. Form one-inch balls and flatten them slightly. These cookies don't spread out so I manage to fit 20 on each cookie sheet. Press a thumb into the center of each to create a small crater. Place a small amount of jam (I use raspberry or blackberry) into the crater. Bake for 20 minutes. That's all there is to it. And they are so tasty!

Bon appétit!

Nana's Oatmeal Cookies

Back on the Christmas Cookie production line. Nana's Oatmeal Cookies were always one of my favorites. If I had to pick just one cookie, this would be the one. The recipe comes from my paternal great-grandmother from the 19th century. The real allure of this cookie lies in the frosting.

I never had the cookies that Nana made. She was too old by that time. But her daughter-in-law, my grandmother, made them every year. She would mix the dough, form it into rolls wrapped in waxed paper and chill them. She would then slice the cookies from the chilled rolls and bake them. I did away with the rolls and the chilling and the slicing. I mix up the dough, form it into one-inch balls and gently flatten them with my hand. So much simpler! And, I triple the recipe. I even had to buy an extra large mixing bowl just for this amount of this recipe.

Tripling the cookie recipe means sextupling (Is that even a word?) the frosting recipe. I have written of this frosting before. A mixture of powdered sugar, butter, cinnamon and coffee. I make so much because I like to have some extra. I love peanut butter and frosting sandwiches.

Bon appétit!

Potato Latkes

I bought yet another new cookbook. Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday Cookbook. I had my eye on latkes. I found them in the chapter devoted to Hanukkah. They looked pretty easy to make, especially when I read that a food processor with a grater attachment would work. Instead of grating potatoes and onions by hand. My knuckles would be spared.

I grated a medium onion and three russet potatoes in a jiffy. At this point I should have squeezed any excess liquid from the mixture. But alas... I added a couple eggs and some flour. Salt and pepper to taste. And that was it!

I then heated about an inch of vegetable oil in a pan on the stove. As I grabbed a small handful of the mixture, I squeezed liquid from it and formed a patty. I gently laid them in the oil and let them cook for a couple minutes, until golden brown. The latkes were then turned and cooked on the other side.

They were drained on paper towels and then served with a dollop of plain yogurt. And they were absolutely delicious. Really really tasty. I was very pleased with the way they turned out. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Next time, and there will be a next time, I will squeeze out the liquid from the grated potatoes and onion before adding the eggs and flour.

Bon appétit!

Chocolate Crackles

From my paternal grandmother comes the recipe for Chocolate Crackles. A powdered sugar-coated chocolate cookie. I'd tell you they are a favorite of mine, but that wouldn't be fair. All my grandmother's cookies are my favorites. As with all the Christmas cookie recipes I undertake, I double this. At least.

Chocolate is melted then mixed with brown sugar and salad oil. Eggs and vanilla are then mixed in, followed by the dry ingredients flour, baking powder and salt. The nuts, which she lists as optional, finish the dough. Nuts optional? Not in my kitchen. The dough is fairly thin so it is chilled for about an hour or until firm.

I roll the dough into one-inch balls and roll them through powdered sugar, then onto an ungreased cookie sheet. (Silpat, I do love you!) Carefully, so as to avoid them rolling around on the pan, they go into a 350° oven for 10-12 minutes.

Just a personal note: while the dough is chilling, I clean up the dishes. There really is nothing quite like warm cookies from the oven with but a mixing bowl yet to be cleaned.


Bon appétit!

Melting Moments

Today's Christmas cookie recipe is for Melting Moments. I just love these light cookies. They do melt in your mouth. As long as you're patient and don't just wolf them down. It is a challenge.

The recipe calls for flour, corn starch, confectioners sugar, butter and vanilla. I substituted lemon extract for the vanilla. Just a little twist. Beat the butter until smooth then add the lemon extract and, gradually, the dry ingredients. (They should be stirred together before adding to the butter). Here is where I encountered a problem. I doubled the recipe so I would get a yield of about 6 dozen cookies. After I was done mixing, the dough seemed pretty thin. I checked the recipe again and realized I had quadrupled the amount of butter instead of just doubling it. Ooops. So I quickly stirred another double recipe of the dry ingredients and incorporated them into the dough. Whew! So I'd end up with a dozen dozens. But who's counting? The dough is then refrigerated for an hour.

After the dough has firmed up in the refrigerator, it is formed into one-inch balls and placed on an ungreased cookie sheet. (I use a Silpat, which I absolutely love!) I have some ceramic stamps for pressing the cookies flat. I used the snowflake for this batch. I press the stamp into granulated sugar before flatting the cookies. This helps keep the dough from sticking to the stamp. Twelve minutes at 375° or until the edges start to turn golden.

It's a little difficult to make out the snowflake pattern in the picture, but who cares? They are ever so tasty!


Bon appétit!

Chinese Almond Cookies

There is a section in my recipe binder labeled "Heirlooms." This particular group of recipes sees the light of day primarily in December. Here is where the cookie recipes from my mom, both grandmothers and my great-grandmother Nana are found. I am the official holiday cookie baker in the family and I declare it officially to be Christmas Cookie season.

I am starting with Chinese Almond Cookies, one of my mom's recipes. I usually start with this recipe because they hold up well in the freezer while I get the other cookies made over the course of the month. That, and they are pretty easy to make. Sift together the dry ingredients, cut in the butter, add egg and almond extract, roll into balls and place an almond on top while pressing down gently to flatten. Then bake. I did say it was a pretty easy recipe, didn't I? I have even simplified step one a bit. Instead of sifting the dry ingredients together, I just use a wire whisk and accomplish the say thing.


Bon appétit!