Merry Christmas to those of you who observe it, and thanks to everyone for stopping by this month. Gil and I are spending the week in Louisiana with my family, so posting will be light until we return.

Stay warm!

Be nice to Santa, ok? He’s a busy guy tonight.

For the 2007 Advent Calendar, click here.

recipe after the jump

Chocolate Chip Cookies from The New York Times, adapted from Jacques Torres

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)
Sea salt

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

Note: Disks are sold at Jacques Torres Chocolate; Valrhona fèves, oval-shaped chocolate pieces, are at Whole Foods.

Oh, my — soft, spicy molasses cookies. I’ll bet these would be amazing sandwiched around ice cream.

For the 2007 Advent Calendar, click here.

recipe after the jump

Spicy Molasses Cookies adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
dash ground mace
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix sugar, butter, molasses, and egg together until well combined.

Stir dry ingredients together lightly, then add to sugar mixture. Mix together until dough is combined.

Roll dough into walnut-sized balls, then generously coat each ball with sugar.

Place balls on a baking sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes, allowing to bake for about a minute after cookies begin to crack.

Remove cookies from baking sheet and allow to cool….though these are delicious while still warm.

Hey, we’re a mixed-faith household; it’s only fair… Happy Hanukkah, everyone!

For the full set of pictures, click here. Check out Rufus enjoying his first dreidel here.

And for the 2007 Advent Calendar, click here.

recipe after the jump

Latkes courtesy of Naomi’s mom, Mrs. Elem

It’s not really a recipe. You peel and grate a bunch of potatoes. Preferably, you get your husband to peel and grate a bunch of potatoes. Grate in some onions, too. It’s good to do it in small batches with onions in each so the potatoes don’t have a chance to discolor. You add an egg or two and some matzo meal and salt, and fry lumps of the batter in oil. Make sure the oil’s hot when you put them in (a drop of water should sizzle when dropped in) so that they don’t soak up too much oil. This is very undefinitive and I’m sorry.

This was the perfect weekend for curling up with a steaming cup of rich hot chocolate. It doesn’t make the snow any easier to navigate, but certainly takes your mind off it.

For the 2007 Advent Calendar, click here.

recipe after the jump

This hot chocolate was so decadent, Gil accused me of trying to kill him after only one sip. As you can tell from the picture above, he welcomed chocolatey death with open arms.

Hot Chocolate from Orangette, adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets and Ladurée

1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 1/2 tablespoons water
2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, water, and sugar. Place over medium heat and whisk occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture just to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the chocolate. At this point, blend the mixture. If you have an immersion blender, you can do this directly in the saucepan; if not, you’ll need to transfer it to a traditional blender. Either way, blend for 1 minute (on high speed, if using a traditional blender – and take care(!), as hot liquids expand when blended). The finished mixture should be very smooth and frothy.

Serve immediately.

OK, maybe just a little more sugar wouldn’t hurt me.

Looking for a lighter cinnamon roll than the heavy butter- and icing-bombs you find most places, I decided to adapt my king cake recipe this morning, with stellar results. A light, bready brioche wrapped around a buttery cinnamon filling and topped with honey-cream cheese frosting … oh, I didn’t meant to imply they’re light, just lighter.

For the 2007 Advent Calendar, click here.

recipe after the jump

Cinnamon Rolls adapted from a king cake recipe

This recipe makes a LOT of cinnamon rolls, even when you half it as I did. I’m sure your co-workers would love you if you brought in a big batch of these for breakfast one morning, though.

3/4 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup butter
2 packages active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
3 whole eggs plus 2 egg yolks, room temperature
5 1/2 – 6 1/2 cups bread flour
Cinnamon filling, recipe follows
Honey-cream cheese frosting, recipe follows

Place milk, sugar, salt, and butter in small saucepan. Heat over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool to lukewarm.

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add lukewarm milk mixture, eggs, and 5 cups flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 2 minutes. Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix about 2 minutes, or until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl.

Knead on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Punch down the dough and place it on a lightly floured counter top. Flatten or roll it out into a long rectangle; the wider you make the short side, the bigger the cinnamon rolls will be. Top the dough with cinnamon filling, leaving about 1/2 inch clean dough around the edges. Wet the edges of the dough along the far, long side. Roll up the dough into a long, skinny snake-like shape and press to seal the wet edges. Slice the dough into 3/4-inch rolls and carefully transfer them to a buttered baking sheet.

Cover the rolls with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place for about 50 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and slather with honey-cream cheese frosting while the rolls are still hot.

Cinnamon Filling

8 tablespoons butter, melted (optional)
2 cups brown or granulated sugar
4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup flour or oatmeal

Mix ingredients together into a thick paste, then spread on dough. It’s best not to do this too far in advance; once the butter cools, it becomes much less spreadable.

Honey-Cream Cheese Frosting

8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
8 ounces neufchatel cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons honey, or to taste

Cream butter in stand mixer on setting 6 for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and beat to incorporate.

Update, 12.21.08: After sampling I’m-not-telling-you-how-many of these, I’ve come to the conclusion that the dough could use just a touch more salt. It’s personal preference, though — Gil says he wouldn’t change a thing. I’m just throwing it out there…

Though 8-12 inches of snow in the forecast isn’t exactly what we meant by “gumbo weather” in Louisiana, I can’t imagine more perfect conditions for it. This was a meated-up version of the traditional Lenten creole dish, gumbo z’herbes. It’s a little out of season, but I figure that since Easter naturally follows Christmas, I should get cut some slack on the gumbo front.

Mmm…c’est bon!

For the 2007 Advent Calendar, click here.

recipe after the jump

Gumbo Z’herbes

When served on Good Friday, this gumbo is meatless, garnering its flavor from the sheer number of greens used. Basically, I scoured the grocery store and picked up whatever I could find — carrot tops, mustard greens, spinach, celery tops, green onion tops, beet greens, cabbage, etc. Dandelion greens are a great treat when you’re making this in spring.

1 large chicken, cut up
1/2 pound smoked sausage
1/2 pound andouille
1 large onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 ribs celery, chopped
chopped greens, as many types as you can find, and as many as your pot can hold
1 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cups flour
3/4 cups vegetable oil
1 heaping tablespoon chicken base
Cajun seasoning, to taste
cooked long grain rice
hot sauce
filé (ground sassafras leaves)

In 8-quart pot, simmer chicken in water to cover by 2 inches. Continue simmering for 10-15 minutes, skimming any scum that floats to the top. Remove chicken to cool; strain and reserve broth, keeping warm in another pot on stove. Skin and debone chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Cut sausage and andouille in half lengthwise and then into 1/4-inch pieces. Fry sausages in large pan to degrease before adding to gumbo. Drain on paper towels.

Heat oil in 12-quart pot over medium heat. When oil begins to shimmer, add flour and stir constantly to prevent burning. Cook until deep brown (darker than peanut butter, lighter than mahogany). Add chopped onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic, and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften.

Add hot chicken broth to pot, stirring to prevent lumps. Add chicken base and additional water to raise level of water to 3/4 of the pot. Add chopped greens and about 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning, then simmer for 30 minutes.

Add reserved chicken, sausage, and andouille; simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Simmer an additional 10 minutes. Skim as much grease from the top of gumbo as possible, or if you’d prefer, cool to room temperature, refrigerate overnight, then skim grease the following day. Like most soups, gumbo always tastes better the next day, anyway.

Serve over hot long grain rice with hot sauce and a pinch of filé. Warm potato salad on the side is a real treat.

Bon Appetit’s selection of food blogs for the holidays is well worth checking out. You can’t go wrong with mixed nuts at Christmas, as my dad will attest, but roasted sweet and spicy nuts? OK, now you’re flirting with perfection.

For the 2007 Advent Calendar, click here.

recipe after the jump

Spicy, Sweet & Salty Rosemary Nuts from The Pink of Perfection

makes 2 cups

2 cups unsalted mixed nuts, such as almonds, cashews, and walnuts
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
kosher salt

Toast nuts in a skillet over moderately low heat until fragrant. Drop in butter to melt, and toss and cook nuts in butter for a few minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the sugars, cayenne, and rosemary. Sprinkle sugar mixture evenly over nuts and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar caramelizes. Transfer nuts to a cookie sheet, spread in single layer and sprinkle with kosher salt. Once nuts have cooled, break apart the clusters and try to keep from devouring them in a single sitting.

Presenting my new love, the pomelo, dressed up in brulée for the holidays. Doesn’t this look like some fabulous ensemble Shirley MacLaine would’ve worn in What a Way to Go?

For the 2007 Advent Calendar, click here.

recipe after the jump

Pomelo Brulée adapted from Food Network

I made the same mistake I always do when broiling — I walked away. The smell of burning sugar brought me racing back into the kitchen. As it turned out, this was a good thing: the topping had caramelized, stopping just short of bitter. Delicious.

1 pomelo at room temperature
dark rum
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon fine salt

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the broiler to high.

Peel pomelo, then loosen the segments by cutting along the membranes with a paring or grapefruit knife. Arrange segments in a small gratin dish in one layer and sprinkle with dark rum — up to 8 teaspoons, though I used much less.

In a small bowl, combine the butter, sugar, flour, allspice, and salt. Using your fingertips, pinch the ingredients together until the mixture forms soft crumbs. Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the pomelo.

Place gratin dish under the broiler and broil until the crumbs are lightly browned, bubbling, and shiny, about 7 minutes. Serve immediately or cooled slightly, topped with Greek yogurt.

Grapes are just about the perfect snack already, so I almost felt guilty for dipping them in bittersweet chocolate then coating them with walnuts. Almost.

For the 2007 Advent Calendar, click here.

recipe after the jump

Dessert Grape Clusters adapted from How Stuff Works

2 pounds seedless red and/or green grapes
1 pound premium bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups finely chopped walnuts

Rinse grapes under cold running water in colander; drain well. Cut grapes into clusters of 3 grapes. Place clusters in single layer on paper towels. Let stand at room temperature until completely dry.

Melt chocolate in top of double boiler over hot, not boiling, water, or in an electric fondue pot on the lowest heat setting. Stir until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat or keep fondue pot at the lowest setting, if using.

Place walnuts in shallow bowl. Working with 1 cluster at a time, holding by stem, dip grapes into melted chocolate; allow excess to drain back into pan. Roll grapes gently in walnuts. Place grapes, stem sides up, on waxed paper; repeat with remaining clusters. Refrigerate until firm. Serve within 4 hours.