browned butter chocolate chip cookies

 mayberry-esque after school tales

of

warm cookies and cold milk

aren't mine

in my world

cookies were for christmas

fruit, yogurt, cheese

were snacks

i never quite developed

a sensory memory for the ubiquitous
toll house

instead of invoking memories

of

backyard tag, championship games, mom with flour dusted apron

i've been a bit bored by them

until now

this is not my recipe

it came to me by way of a third-party

i have been told

it was created by

Cook's Illustrated 

which doesn't surprise me

in the least bit

this cookie is filled with 

notes of toffee

 enough salt to tease your palate

the bite of bitter chocolate

and 

manages to be both soft and crispy

the recipe is a bit fussy

but worth it

trust me....

browned butter chocolate chip cookies
makes 16
(Print Recipe Here)
from cook's illustrated and only v.slightly changed

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
14 Tbs unsalted butter--divided
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar-firmly packed
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
3/4 cups toasted walnut halves

heat oven to 375F.  line baking sheets with parchment paper.  whisk flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.  heat 10 Tbs of butter in a skillet over medium heat, swirling continually,  until it becomes a dark golden brown and it smells a bit toffee like. this should take about 3-5 minutes...the larger the skillet, the quicker the reaction.  remove from heat and pour butter into mixing bowl.  add the remaining butter and stir until it is melted.  add the sugars, salt and vanilla to the bowl and hand-whisk until mixed well.  add egg and egg yolk and whisk until smooth and begins to lighten in color a bit.  let rest for 3 minutes.  whisk again for 30 seconds and let rest for 3 minutes.  do this procedure 2 more times.  use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir in the flour mixture so that it is just combined--do not over-mix.  stir in chocolate and nuts.  scoop out large balls (about 3 Tbs) onto to the parchment, placing about 2" apart.  Bake for about 10-14 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned.  cool on wire rack.

*the original recipe calls for table salt, semi -sweet chips or chunks  and chopped pecans or walnuts.  i prefer kosher salt, bittersweet (60-70% cocoa solids) and large pieces of walnut which is why i inserted them into the recipe.  try it both ways and decide for yourself!

shaved zucchini

sometimes

after a long weekend

of 

heavy eating

i'll prepare

something really simple

this dish

bright and light

comes together rather quickly

 Shaved Zucchini

{serves 4}

(printable recipe)

4 medium zucchini-about 4 cups

2 garlic cloves--peeled and smashed

2 Tbs olive oil

1/2 tsp dry thyme

zest from 1 lemon

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

shave the zucchini using a vegetable peeler. make long strips and shave until you reach the heavily seeded part. turn and begin again.  in the end, you will have a core. discard.  heat olive oil in a skillet.  add the whole, but smashed garlic and let it brown.  remove the garlic (you are using it just to flavor the oil) and toss in the zucchini.  toss continually and allow the zucchini to cook through...this will take about 5-10 minutes.  add zest, thyme and lemon juice.  taste for seasoning--add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 Lusty Drinkers...{wine punch}

( drawing by jasper danckaert

via americangardenhistory.blogspot.com)

i have a large box

overflowing 

with collected recipes

ripped pages

yellowed cards

scribbled notes

occasionally

i grab a few recipes

to try

this weekend

 i'm going for the drink

not exactly sure where i got this recipe

 boy am i glad i did

upon reading the recipe

i laughed out loud

it reads

"Serves 4 lusty drinkers, or 8 bon vivants or 16 party drinkers"

teetotalers need not apply!

German Wine Punch

At 8 am, pour one bottle of average German wine and pour in a pitcher over 2 pints of strawberries.  Refrigerate.

3 hours prior to serving, place 2 bottles of wine and 1 bottle of champagne (or sparkling wine) in the freezer.  Immediately prior to serving, add the frozen wine to the strawberry wine mixture in a punch bowl. serve very cold--you may use dry ice for effect

trinket tray {give-a-way}

let me explain myself

i. have. a. lot. of. hobbies

i knit

i sew

i glue

i glitter

i tinker

and

i paint

which means

i have a lot of inventory

today

i am giving away

one of my favorite little pieces

a trinket tray

 this 

glass plate

painted in reverse

is

6-inches

red and sage

food safe,
but meant for decorative use only

i think it i would make a lovely valentine

which is why...

it will come with

1 dozen

homemade

milk chocolate salted-caramel truffles 

(believe me...you will love them)

contest is open until

midnight (pst) january 22, 2012

winner will be chosen through random.org
(winner will be notified on january 23rd
and have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be picked)

Rules:

open to US residents only (sorry folks)

one entry (for each)

please put each action in a separate comment

-follow this blog

-follow on twitter @fudgerippleblog

-follow on facebook https://www.facebook.com/fudgeripple


if you are already a follower, let me know--that counts!

two additional entries (for each)

-tweet the give-a-way on facebook

-share the give-a-way on your facebook page

-blog about the give-a-way

that's it
i hope you enter
and
i hope you win!

linking up to

• 
  

will travel for food

yesterday

a friend posted a question on facebook

asking

"what is the farthest you've traveled just for food"

my initial response

"i'm embarrassed to say"

soon

it became a competition

complete with 

 mocking and cajolery

another friend

asked

in that manner that indicates more statement than question

"isn't all travel about food?"

i'm in that camp

for me

food is part of the sensory experience 

of travel

but i am curious

do you feel the same way?

to answer the question regarding how far i have traveled....specifically...for food

it is a toss up between

127 miles

in the dead of winter in alaska for halibut fish and chips

or

140 miles round trip

from a campground in mississippi to a rural gas station

for caramel cake 

(you can see that story here)

and

I ask YOU

what is the farthest you have traveled just for food?

i would love to read your response

in the comment section

heart palmiers

we have neighbors

with fabulous taste

crown molding

silver service

art gallery lighting

kind of taste

i almost wonder

if hubs and i 

are their pro-bono friends

while residing in california

we rang in 

london's new year

together

complete with

champagne

caviar

and

crown roast

imagine my horror

as i catch

from the corner of my eye

hubs

in all his glory

hands full of palmiers

flaky crumbs falling to his beard

a smile as broad as his shoulders

complimenting the hostess

on her fabulous dessert

turning to me

gave a grand wink

and said

"you should make these"

so i did

   simple easy heart palmiers

1 sheet puff pastry--cold but not frozen

2 Tbs unsalted butter--melted

2 Tbs granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup granulated sugar for dipping

place puff pastry on a sheet of parchment. in a small bowl, mix together the 2 Tbs granulated sugar and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon. using a pastry brush, brush the butter evenly covering the entire piece of pastry. evenly and liberally sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of the butter. measure or eye the center of the puff pastry and gently score with the dull end of a knife (do not cut through) starting on one end, tightly roll the dough to the center.  roll the opposite end to the center, forming what looks like a scroll.  gently press together, and if you would like an exaggerated heart shape, pinch the bottom to a point.  wrap in parchment and/or plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill. after 1 hour and up to 24 hours, preheat the oven to 375F.  line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  place the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a saucer or shallow bowl. remove the dough from the refrigerator and slice crosswise in 1/4" sections.  reshape as necessary, then dip both sides in the sugar. place on parchment paper approximately 1" apart. bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.  allow to cool a bit, but not fully before removing from the parchment.  the sugar will cause them to stick if they cool too much.  allow to finish cooling on a wire rack.

eat with abandon!

linking up to

504 Main--tickled pink

i heart pizza pie

we had spaghetti and meat sauce

for dinner last night

simple

but 

delicious

lunch today?

the sauce

with
a little cheese

and

a slice of pepperoni 

for good measure

sandwiched between

two hearts

of 

puff pastry

 heart pizza

makes 4

2 sheets of puff pastry-cold but not frozen

1/2 cup pasta or pizza sauce

4 pieces of pepperoni

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

use a cookie 3" heart or other cookie cutter to cut out 8 pieces.   place 1/2 of the pieces on a lined cookie sheet.  heap with pasta sauce, sprinkle with parmesan and place a piece of pepperoni on top.  cover with the remaining pieces of dough.  using the tines of a fork, press around the edges to seal.  place in a 400F oven until golden brown and puffy (about 20 minutes)

2012 begins...{honey roasted carrots}

Happy New Year!
a well worn phrase

with

genuine intent

i find

when spoken

it is always with a positive lilt

and rarely 

a

tone of indifference

or

sarcasm

no gifts to buy

no religious or political schism

just

the turn of the calendar

giving us all 

a chance

to

review

renew

resolve

for 2011

my goals were

i will not judge in disappointment, 

as i am confident

i too fall short of expectations 

others place on me

-

rather than toss the years of the past i will carry them forward

both as

fond memories and retrospective caution

and 

i will eat more fruit

for 2012

i have chosen a theme

...dust yourself off...

simply

bootstrap mechanics

get up

wipe off the dust

and give it another go

oh

and eat more vegetables

like these

 
  

honey roasted carrots

2 dozen small carrots-washed, peeled and trimmed

2 Tbs honey

1 Tbs white balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp toasted whole cumin seeds

warm the honey and vinegar to thin.  toss the carrots in the mixture and place on a lined sheet pan.  sprinkle with cumin seeds.  place in a 350 oven and cook until soft and caramelized, about 30-35 minutes.

i also like to serve these, with some tooth to them, as a crudite with dip.  you only need to cook them until they are softened but not colored--about 25 minutes. they are delicious with a simple tahini/soy sauce dip.

linking up to
full plate thursday