Ice Box Cookies

My mom use to bake these cookies during the christmas season.  This past thanksgiving I asked her if she had the original recipe.  She pulled out her handwritten cookbook, turned several pages and she did!  I copied the recipe and made the cookies a couple of days later. 

Ice Box Cookies

3 cups of flour
2 cups of brown sugar
1 cup of shortening
1 tablespoon of baking soda
1 tablespoon of cream of tartar
1 tablespoon of hot water
1 cup of walnuts
2 eggs

Disolve the baking soda in the hot water.  Cream the sugar, shortening, baking soda, and eggs.  Add 2 cups of flour, the walnuts, and cream of tartar and mix well.   Add the remaining flour and mix well.  Roll the dough into two logs and refrigerate for 24 hours.  
Slice cookies into 1/2 inch rounds and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 375°F for 8 minutes.

Gruyère Prosciutto Mac and Cheese

First time I'm making this recipe.  I added Monterey Jack cheese to this recipe and sprinkled gruyere cheese on top.

Kosher salt
Vegetable oil
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 quart milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (4 cups)
8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
6 oz Prosciutto
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don’t boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyère, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, prosciutto, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Herbed Goat Cheese and Zucchini Tart

My good friend Crystal gave me this cookbook as a gift for Christmas.  This is the first recipe i picked and I made in a sheet pan.

Herbed Goat Cheese and Zucchini Tart

Ingredients:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
All-purpose flour, for rolling out the dough
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 roll (4 ounces) herbed goat cheese, at room temperature, crumbled
4 or 5 medium-size zucchini
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the center position. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Carefully unfold the puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured work surface. Use a flour-dusted rolling pin to gently roll the puff pastry into a large rectangle roughly 12 by 16 inches; it should be just smaller than your sheet pan.

Carefully transfer the puff pastry to the prepared pan. Use a sharp knife to score a 3/4-inch-wide border around the puff pastry; do not cut all the way through. Use a fork to prick holes inside the border of the rectangle, poking the dough every inch or so. Place the sheet pan in the fridge or freezer to harden the pastry dough, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir-mash together the ricotta and goat cheese in a small bowl until fully combined. Set aside.

Trim the ends off the zucchini and, using a vegetable peeler, cut them lengthwise into long, thin strips. (Alternatively, you could use a sharp chef's knife to cut them into 1/4-inch rounds.) Place the zucchini in a large bowl and sprinkle with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Toss to distribute the seasoning.

When the dough is good and chilly, place the pan back on your work surface. Spread the chese mixture evenly over the pastry, leaving the border bare. Arrange or pil the zucchini atop the cheese either haphazardly or in your favorite pattern, until the cheese is completely covered. Drizzle the olive oil over the zucchini.
Bake the tart until the crust is puffed and deeply browned and the zucchini has softened and browned at the edges, 45 to 50 minutes.

Allow the tart to cool slightly before cutting into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cornish Hens (Poussin) with Apricot Glaze

I thought about making this dish all week but the closest supermarket doesn't carry the hens.  We went to the Garden Gourmet in the Bronx this morning and there they were.

Roast the hens at 375 for about 1 hour.
When the juices run clear test with heat thermometer to170°F, the hens are done.

Apricot Glaze: Mix 1/2 cup apricot jam, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, and 2 tablespoons honey. Brush the apricot glaze over the hens during the last 15 to 20 minutes of roasting.

Panettone Bread Pudding

This always was a favorite of ours.

Bread Pudding:
1 (1-pound) loaf panettone bread, crusts trimmed, bread cut into 1-inch cubes
8 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar

Directions:
Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Arrange the bread cubes in the prepared dish. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, milk, and sugar to blend. Pour the custard over the bread cubes, and press the bread cubes gently to submerge. Let stand for 30 minutes, occasionally pressing the bread cubes into the custard mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake until the pudding puffs and is set in the center, about 45 minutes.

Blueberry Lemon Cake

This always has been a favorite of ours.  This recipe is fast and simple.

2 large eggs
1 cup (210 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream***
1/2 cup light olive oil or vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour*
2 tsp baking powder

1. Beat 2 eggs and 1 cup sugar with whisk attachment on high speed 5 minutes or until lightened in color and thick.

2. Add 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup oil, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp salt and whisk on low speed until well combined.

3. Whisk together the 2 cups flour with 2 tsp baking powder then add to batter 1/3 at a time, whisking to incorporate between each addition. Finally, add 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice and 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest.

4. Rinse blueberries and drain well. In a medium bowl, toss blueberries with 1/2 Tbsp corn starch and 1 tsp lemon juice, stirring until well combined and no dry white cornstarch remains. If using frozen blueberries, see note above.

5. Pour half of the batter into prepared springform pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Top with half of the blueberries. Spread with remaining batter then sprinkle the rest of the blueberries evenly over the top, pushing them slightly into the batter (about halfway). Bake at 375˚F for 45 to 55 minutes (mine was perfect at 55 min), or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean without wet batter. Let cake rest in the pan 15-20 minutes then remove ring and cool until room temp or just warm.

natashaskitchen.com

Croque Madame

Its all about the bechamel sauce.
Croque Madame
A NYT recipe 

INGREDIENTS:

5 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
⅔ cup milk
Sea salt
Freshly grated nutmeg
4 1/3-inch-thick slices country bread
4 thin slices French ham
2 thin slices Gruyere cheese
1 egg

PREPARATION:

Preheat a two-sided electric griddle on medium-high to high for about 20 minutes, or preheat the oven to 300 degrees and preheat a cast-iron skillet on top of the stove for about 5 minutes. Prepare a bechamel sauce: in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. When bubbles have subsided, add flour and whisk vigorously for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Bring to a boil, and cook until thick. Remove from heat, and season to taste with salt and nutmeg.
Spread two slices of bread generously with sauce. Lay two slices of ham on top of each, and top each with a slice of cheese; ham and cheese should slightly overlap edges of bread. Top each with a slice of bread.
In a small saucepan, melt remaining the 4 tablespoons butter. Brush the sandwiches on both sides with butter, making sure that the edges are well covered. If you're using a griddle, place cheese side down, close the griddle and cook until the bread is toasted dark and cheese is leaking out and bubbling. If you're using a skillet, place sandwiches cheese side down and cook on stove top until well browned, then turn and brown again. Transfer skillet to oven, and bake until heated through and cheese is bubbling. Meanwhile, fry the eggs in a skillet with little butter. Slide one fried egg onto each sandwich. Serve hot.